My Name

While the old man and the young man continued chatting about various things, the line gradually shortened until it was their turn.

"Name and purpose," one of the guards at the gate asked indifferently. He wore worn-out red armor, clearly past its prime.

"The old man's name is Huang Bo, and I'm here to sell rice," Huang Bo explained cautiously, keeping his head slightly bowed.

He seemed to fear that a wrong answer might anger the guard.

But the young man beside him had other concerns.

'My previous name wasn't Chinese... It would draw too much attention if I kept using it here,' the young man pondered, frowning.

"And you? Come on, don't waste my time!" The guard shot an impatient look at the young man, who froze for a moment.

"Ah! Sorry! My name is..." The young man hesitated for a second, then an idea flashed in his mind.

"Long Aotian!" He responded firmly.

"..." 

"..." 

"Pfft..."

"Pfft... Hahahaha!"

"..."

Huang Bo stifled his laughter out of politeness, but the guard had no such consideration and burst into loud laughter, completely ignoring the embarrassment of the now-named Aotian.

"Kid, if you don't want to die young, I suggest you change that name," the guard wiped tears from his eyes as he tried to contain his laughter. "Your name may be arrogant, but there are people out there far more arrogant, and they wouldn't think twice about killing you just for daring to have a name like that."

"Young man, it's better to listen to the guard's advice. That name could bring you trouble. Why not change it to, I don't know... maybe Xiao Long?" suggested Huang Bo, with a sympathetic look.

He thought the young man probably had ambitious parents who wished great things for their son but didn't see their own limitations.

"Even better, Xiao Xiao, hahahaha!" the guard mocked.

The young man looked visibly uncomfortable with the laughter and advice.

'They're not entirely wrong... I was impulsive with that choice. It was just the first name that came to mind,' Aotian reflected, feeling a slight bitterness.

Long Aotian basically meant "Proud Dragon of Heaven" or "Arrogant Heavenly Dragon" — a typical name for overpowered characters in xianxia stories.

But such an arrogant name could indeed attract trouble... especially from the young masters of this world.

Even so, he decided to keep the name. In the worst-case scenario, he would just avoid saying it out loud until he had the power to back it up. It would also serve as motivation for his future practice.

And of course, he wouldn't change his name to Xiao Long, which means 'Little Dragon,' and especially not to Xiao Xiao, which is essentially a nickname calling someone 'Tiny' or 'Little One'.

"Sorry, but this is the name my parents gave me, and I can't change it," Aotian bowed, showing respect and gratitude for the advice.

Huang Bo nodded with an approving smile, admiring the young man's filial piety.

The guard shrugged, losing interest.

"It's 10 copper coins per person to enter. Animals cost 10 each as well," he charged, apparently forgetting that he hadn't even asked the young man's purpose for entering the city.

Aotian and Huang Bo paid the fee and passed through the gates.

As Aotian looked up, admiring the imposing stone walls, Huang Bo took the lead, guiding the young man through the bustling streets.

After about 10 minutes of walking, they stopped in front of a modest yet welcoming building.

"This inn belongs to an acquaintance of mine. The price is fair, and the food is good. This is where we part ways, young friend," Huang Bo smiled, preparing to leave.

"Thank you, Mister Bo, for all the help and the stories," Aotian bowed sincerely and took out some bronze coins to show his gratitude.

Huang Bo quickly waved his hand, refusing.

"No need for that. I also enjoyed sharing my stories. Besides, go on and eat... your stomach's been growling since we entered the city." The old man laughed, pulling his donkey as he walked away with steady steps.

Aotian stood there, watching Huang Bo disappear into the crowd.

After a while, he sighed.

"On the path to immortality, it's inevitable to see old and new faces disappear in the sands of time..." he murmured.

Somehow, Aotian felt he would never see the old man Huang Bo again.

He would be just one of many who would pass through his life, eventually becoming a vague memory... until the day he was completely forgotten.

…

After some reflection, Aotian went to check in at the inn while managing his avatars.

At that moment, his avatars had left the mountain where they appeared and were following an old road they had found. Soon, a city came into view.

The sect leader, who had not stopped trying to use spiritual power during the journey, had some success.

He managed to develop a prototype of divine intention, which essentially allowed him to use spiritual energy as a radar. Without proper training, he couldn't see very far or detect even slightly hidden auras.

Fortunately, it was still very useful for dealing with mortals.

By detecting the gaps in the guards' patrols along the wall, he simply jumped over with the elders. Like butterflies landing, they crossed the wall silently, stealthily entering the city.

They then began to enter alleys, searching for some thief or something of the sort.

'Well, in stories and movies, there's always this type of person in dark alleys,' Aotian analyzed.

Soon, as predicted, they encountered someone who didn't look like a good person.

Elder Lie, responsible for the Pavilion of Punishment, advanced like a shadow and ambushed the man.

Before he could react, the man found himself pinned against the wall, his neck lifted by a powerful arm. In front of him, a fierce face with a vertical scar over one eye stared at him menacingly.

His neck was being held so tightly that he could barely breathe. He struggled, grabbing the arm and trying to pull it off his neck, but the arm didn't budge.

Then, Elder Lie opened his mouth, and a dark voice, which to the man seemed to have come from the depths of hell, rang out, freezing him.

"I ask, you answer. If you lie, I'll break a limb. If you lie twice, two limbs. Was I clear?" Elder Lie asked in a hoarse, calm voice, but combined with his fierce face, it was terrifying.

The man, pinned against the wall, desperately nodded.

'Damn, I think I'm scared of myself! If I put a bat suit on Elder Lie, I think he'd make a great hero,' Aotian thought, amused, as he observed the interrogation.

"Are you a thief?" Elder Lie asked.

The man hesitated, then quickly shook his head.

"I'm not... a thief, please... let me go!" the man begged weakly as Elder Lie's grip made it hard for him to speak.

A second of silence passed.

Then the man felt the hand that was on his neck retract, and he sighed in relief.

But soon the hand returned with renewed ferocity, gripping his mouth instead of his neck, and slammed his head violently against the wall. Another hand grabbed his left arm and broke it brutally.

"Hmph!!!... Humph!!!..." The man screamed in pain, but his mouth was covered by the hand, so only muffled groans were heard as his face contorted in desperation.

The man kept crying and whining, then Elder Lie lost his patience.

"If you keep crying, the next thing I'll break will be your neck!" he threatened coldly.

The now-recognized thief quickly swallowed his sobs and looked terrified at the fierce man before him.

The avatar of Elder Lie knew when the man was lying due to his ability as the elder of the Pavilion of Punishment: Lie Detector.

[Name: Liè Zhèng (Meaning: Fierce and Just)

Position: Elder of the Pavilion of Punishment

Cultivation: 1st level of Qi Refinement (1 major realm above the host)

Position Skill: Lie Detector

Position Bonus: Fight Beyond Boundaries (power increased by 0.5x)]

"What sect is located up the road at the northern gate of the city?" Elder Lie interrogated.

"Th-That's the ancient Tianzhen sect. They specialized in formations, but it's said that they pushed their spiritual vein to the limit, and it was destroyed. So, they left in search of new spiritual veins. Even so, no one builds anything there, afraid that one day they'll return and claim the place," the thief quickly explained, not hiding anything.

"How long ago did this happen? And what was the level of the sect?" Elder Lie continued asking.

"Over a thousand years ago. It was a Golden Core sect, one of the few giants on this continent," he replied quickly.

"And now, what happened to the Tianzhen sect?"

"They say they only found second-level spiritual veins, so the sect declined to a Foundation Establishment force, and much of their foundation was taken by other Golden Core sects."

"Are there still cultivators in the city? Or cultivation inheritances?"

"Without spiritual veins to irrigate the environment, it's very hard to cultivate. There are no cultivators in this region anymore. As for inheritances, they say the city's lord still has some low-level techniques left by the sect for his ancestors, but without the spiritual vein, they're useless. Not even innate masters have been born since then, due to the lack of spiritual energy."

"I see... Last question, have you ever forced yourself on someone?" Elder Lie asked, looking deeply into the thief's eyes.

...

Three figures emerged from the alley, leaving behind a faint smell of blood.

"He had quite a bit of money. We'd better change these clothes first, we look like three beggars," the sect leader said thoughtfully, tossing a heavy coin pouch to Elder Bao Hui.

Of course, the avatars talking among themselves were no different from Aotian talking to himself.

"Let's go!" The sect leader said and moved forward.

'I have to get used to talking to myself through the avatars, so I don't make any mistakes,' Aotian reflected as his avatars disappeared into the crowd.