Chapter 20 : Before the Competition

"Magical" was the only word that could capture Chen Fan's feelings at that moment. Before his eyes stretched a sprawling city nestled within a ring of majestic mountain ranges. Taking a step forward, he looked around and spotted four colossal pillars emitting golden light, soaring into the sky and reaching heights of over a kilometer. Their positions formed a perfect square, an architectural marvel amidst the mountains.

As Chen Fan gazed at the city below, he marveled at the perfectly symmetrical arrangement of the buildings. In the far distance, at the base of the mountains, his eyes were drawn to an enormous structure—an awe-inspiring edifice at least ten times the size of a soccer field.

The building was constructed with a harmonious blend of various stones, meticulously arranged to create a picturesque and elegant appearance. A multitude of grand pillars adorned the front, giving it an imposing yet sacred aura. Chen Fan could feel the flow of Qi in the air, all converging toward the structure, amplifying the sense of reverence it exuded.

"How is it? Does it match your imagination?" Xu Jianhong asked with a faint smile, glancing at Chen Fan, who was gazing around the city with bright, wide eyes. It was as if he wanted to capture every detail, every moment, of the breathtaking sight. For the first time, Xu Jianhong saw an innocent, almost childlike expression on Chen Fan's face, a stark contrast to his usual composed demeanor.

Chen Fan paused for a moment at Xu Jianhong's question before letting out a satisfied smile. "It's pretty good."

The two began descending the stairs, their current location perched halfway up the mountain.

"Should we head straight there, or should I play tour guide for you?" Xu Jianhong joked, glancing at Chen Fan.

"For free?" Chen Fan responded with a playful grin.

"Of course. It's been years since I last visited this place. I wouldn't mind refreshing my memory," Xu Jianhong replied with a laugh.

"In that case, I'll take you up on your offer," Chen Fan said, a hint of anticipation in his tone.

"Great. But first, let's get you registered for the competition."

After a short walk, they reached the bottom of the stairs. Chen Fan's eyes swept over the bustling city square below. The place teemed with life—cultivators selling and buying goods, laughing, chatting, and boasting. It was a microcosm of activity, resembling any ordinary city but infused with the unique atmosphere of the cultivation world.

"Hey, who do you think will win this competition?" Chen Fan overheard a group of cultivators discussing the upcoming event.

"It has to be one of the Three Saints," someone replied confidently.

"I think it'll be the Saint of the Jade Pure Sect, Gu Muchen," another chimed in. "I heard he's already reached the 8th layer of Foundation Building. The other two, Saint Jiang Haoran from Azure Sky and Saintess Bai Mulan from Ethereal Frost, are still at the 7th layer."

Hearing the names, Chen Fan's eyes flickered with interest. Isn't that the name of the previous tenant of my body? he wondered. Or is it just a coincidence?

A faint curiosity began to stir within him at the possibility that the former tenant of his house might have been the Saintess from one of the Three Sects. Why would someone like her choose to live in a mundane city?

Turning his gaze to Xu Jianhong, Chen Fan mused. Maybe he knows something about it.

"I never spoke to her," Xu Jianhong said with a faint smile, sensing the question lingering in Chen Fan's gaze. "Why? Hoping to get closer to her?"

"It's truly a shame," Chen Fan sighed in disappointment.

Xu Jianhong blinked, slightly stunned, momentarily wondering if Chen Fan was serious. "If it were someone else, maybe they'd actually have the ability to help bring us closer," Chen Fan added with a mischievous grin.

"You cheeky brat," Xu Jianhong said with an amused smile, marveling at Chen Fan's sharp wit. He fully understood the underlying meaning in Chen Fan's words—whether or not he truly wanted to get closer to Bai Mulan, the reality remained that Xu Jianhong would be entirely powerless to assist.

With a smile, Xu Jianhong asked, "So, how about it? Did their cultivation levels make you nervous?" He studied Chen Fan's expression, only to see his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Aren't you the highest-level cultivator, Uncle?" Chen Fan quickly replied, his innocent look resurfacing as he playfully brought up their earlier joke.

"Haha, then I'll be looking forward to your performance," Xu Jianhong said, chuckling. Seeing Chen Fan's excitement—like someone eager to find a worthy opponent—he couldn't help but feel in a good mood, eager to watch how the young man would fare.

As they walked toward their destination, Chen Fan couldn't help but overhear countless conversations about the upcoming competition. Most revolved around predictions of the winner, with names of rising stars in the cultivation world being thrown around. A group of people was openly placing bets on their chosen champions. Others discussed how handsome the saints were or how stunning the saintesses looked, while someone even sold papers featuring so-called "beauty rankings" for both men and women. The chatter was endless, covering every topic imaginable. Chen Fan listened with an amused smile, absorbing the chatter while casually conversing with Xu Jianhong

Arriving at a tall building, Chen Fan noticed a long line stretching out front, with hundreds of people waiting for their turn. Before long, it was his turn to enter. Inside, he found himself in a spacious, empty room with a glowing golden orb placed in the center. A door stood beyond the orb, marking the way forward.

Chen Fan watched as people approached the orb, placed their hands on it, and then proceeded through the next door. When his turn came, he touched the golden orb, feeling a faint warmth spread across his palm. A small golden circle appeared in the center of his hand, displaying the words: "Arena 5, 9:00 AM, 12th June." Slightly amazed at the efficiency of the registration process, Chen Fan realized that the circle would likely update his schedule automatically in the future.

He proceeded through the door and entered a room filled with a dazzling array of weapons, accessories, and armor. Chen Fan couldn't help but marvel at the sheer variety on display. Each item was labeled with detailed descriptions and prices—spirit stones being the universal currency. As he scanned the room, Chen Fan's gaze fell on the price tags, which ranged from 10 high-grade spirit stones to thousands. A bitter smile tugged at his lips as he realized how poor he was compared to the cultivators who could afford such treasures.

"Look at this. It's beautiful," a voice sounded from Chen Fan's right. Turning, he saw a sleek black sword on display, its design simple yet exuding elegance. His eyes fell on the price tag—valued at a staggering thousand high-grade spirit stones. The description claimed the sword could cleave through any attack below the Nascent Soul realm if wielded by someone below that level and could pierce through attacks of the same realm when used by someone at or above Nascent Soul

"Thinking of buying it?" The voice belonged to a man in casual modern clothing. He wore black sunglasses, his skin tanned as if he'd spent too much time under the sun.

"No, just browsing," Chen Fan replied with a slight smile.

"Haha, that's normal. The best weapons are always displayed right in the center of the room," the man said with a knowing grin, confirming Chen Fan's earlier observation. He'd already noticed that the prices gradually increased the closer the weapons were to the center.

"They usually take about a month to replace the weapons in the center," the man continued. "Sometimes even faster." His comment made Chen Fan suspect that either this information was commonly known or the man was a frequent visitor here.

"That's longer than I expected. With this kind of quality, I thought they'd sell out immediately," Chen Fan remarked.

"Hahaha, well, when every weapon is of such high quality, people tend to get picky," the man explained. "They wait for the weapon that feels just right for them. Besides, not everyone can get their hands on a thousand high-grade spirit stones so quickly."

Chen Fan nodded, finding the explanation reasonable. His curiosity deepened, though. How could this place consistently maintain such a supply of top-tier weapons?

"It's crafted by the blacksmith elders of the Jade Spirit Sect," the man explained with a practiced smile, as though accustomed to answering such questions from curious amateurs. However, the real reason he bothered to elaborate was Chen Fan's cultivation level—just below that of the saints and a few core disciples of the three sects.

What intrigued him even more was that, despite knowing all the saints, core disciples, and most of the renowned talents within the three sects, he had never heard of the man standing before him. This mystery piqued his curiosity, making him eager to learn more about Chen Fan.

"But the real treasures aren't these thousand-year spirit stone weapons crafted by ordinary elders. The true masterpieces are those created by the Chief Elder of Blacksmiths," the man said, noticing the spark of interest in Chen Fan's eyes. He continued, "The Chief Elder has only forged three weapons in the past thousand years, each valued at over 10 million high-grade spirit stones."

Hearing the astronomical price, Chen Fan was momentarily stunned—not just by the rarity of such weapons but by the implication of their quality. A weapon worth that much had to be tens of thousands of times better than the one before him.

"Rumor has it," the man added, leaning in slightly, "one of the Chief Elder's weapons can allow an ordinary Foundation Building cultivator to go toe-to-toe with a Nascent Soul cultivator because it enhances the user's strength directly."

"That sounds… unbelievable," Chen Fan replied, his tone skeptical. He glanced at the sword in front of him. While its durability was impressive, it was hard to imagine a Foundation Building cultivator daring to challenge a Nascent Soul master with just a weapon, no matter how sharp. After all, the gap in strength was immense—Foundation Building cultivators couldn't even perceive the speed or attacks of a Nascent Soul expert, rendering the weapon useless.

But if the man's claim about the Chief Elder's creations was true, then perhaps those weapons truly were worth such an extraordinary price.

"It should be made public soon," the man continued, noticing the curiosity in Chen Fan's eyes. "I heard that the fourth weapon will be auctioned in the near future." Chen Fan's eyes widened slightly at the news, his curiosity about seeing the weapon in person only deepening.

"Do you have any information on what kind of weapon it will be?" Chen Fan asked, his gaze fixed on the man. The fact that he knew insider information suggested his background or connections were significant.

"I don't know yet," the man replied, grinning. "But don't worry, brother. I'll let you know as soon as I get the news. Let's exchange contact info." He pulled out his phone, suggesting they take their relationship to the next level. "By the way, my name is Sun Xi."

"Chen Fan," Chen Fan said with a smile as he retrieved his own phone, and they exchanged contacts.

"Have you modified your phone, Brother Chen?" Sun Xi asked casually.

"Modified?" Chen Fan was puzzled by the question.

Sun Xi immediately lifted his phone to his chest and pointed it at his palm, which was stretched out. A flash of light emitted from the phone, shining onto his palm. When the light faded, Chen Fan was surprised to see a knife materialize in his hand.

"Before, we always used storage rings," Sun Xi explained. "But about ten years ago, this new method was discovered and quickly became the preferred option, making storage rings almost obsolete." He waved the light over the knife again, making it vanish, and his phone transformed into a glowing sword tattoo on his hand.

"Not only can you charge it with your Qi, but you can also hide it," Sun Xi added proudly. "You can even customize the tattoo." He showed off his sword tattoo with a grin.

Chen Fan's eyes gleamed as he watched. He hadn't expected the cultivator world to merge with modern society in such an innovative way. It looked cool, to say the least.

"Any phone will do?" Chen Fan asked eagerly, keen to try it for himself.

"Yes," Sun Xi confirmed. "Brother Chen, it'll cost one high-grade spirit stone for every ten cubic meters of space. It only takes about five minutes to make."

Chen Fan smiled bitterly at this reminder of his own lack of wealth. "Is there any way to earn spirit stones?"

Sun Xi was momentarily taken aback, not expecting Chen Fan to be not only new to this place but also unfamiliar with many of its aspects. He briefly considered various assumptions but decided to focus on helping Chen Fan. "You can download this app, Brother Chen." He immediately helped Chen Fan download an app called "Stone Finder." Despite the simple name, Chen Fan was amazed at the app's vast range of options. There was an online market for weapons, pills, materials, job applications, requests for healing, array creation, and even betting on the competition. Once again, Chen Fan felt his understanding of the cultivation world expand.

"I have 10 high-grade spirit stones here, Brother Chen. You can pay me back whenever you're able to," the man said with a smile.

At first, Chen Fan considered refusing, but then he realized that the man's gesture was an attempt to strengthen their relationship. Given how much effort the man had put into explaining everything to him and considering his likely vast connections, Chen Fan saw no disadvantage in accepting the offer.

"Alright, Brother Sun, I'll repay you in the future," Chen Fan decided, accepting Sun Xi's help. Without hesitation, they headed toward a specific counter where his phone was modified to increase its space by 50 cubic meters. A plain circular tattoo then appeared on Chen Fan's hand.

After some casual chatting, Chen Fan and Sun Xi parted ways, and Chen Fan quickly found Xu Jianhong outside. The two of them then explored the city, wanting to familiarize themselves with it. As the sun began to set, they made their way to an inn and rented separate rooms.

In the following days, Chen Fan focused on cultivating while also exploring the city—sometimes with Xu Jianhong, sometimes with Sun Xi, and at times alone. Several days passed, and finally, the day of the competition arrived.