Chapter 766 - 490: A Century on the Martial Tao Road! (Double-Length) (Part 2)

Chapter 766: Chapter 490: A Century on the Martial Tao Road! (Double-Length) (Part 2)

Those titled kings and ministers pay attention to status and grandeur when going out, but he doesn’t care about these things.

In essence, he was just wandering around, appreciating the scenery of the Imperial City.

The old steward wanted to call a few attendants for Song Changming, to make it easier to manage outside, but Song Changming refused.

Seeing this, the old steward said no more.

Song Changming, wearing a slightly loose black patterned robe, empty-handed, casually left Prince Cui’s Mansion alone.

The Cloud Emperor City is immense, standing on a giant island at sea. Outside the city are clouds and mists swirling, with abundant spiritual energy. Inside, the city is vast, with countless buildings and roofs, spanning over a hundred kilometers from east to west!

The location of Prince Cui’s Mansion is close to the Cloud Palace, where it is more solemn and awe-inspiring, with stone lions and dragon columns aplenty, and continuous patrols by armored warriors.

People came to the jade steps to bow and worship, not daring to make too much noise under the watchful eyes of the stationed armored warriors.

Song Changming did not need to check-in under the Cloud Palace, so he walked straight out.

Initially, those who saw him didn’t pay much attention, assuming he was just some handsome young master.

But soon, people noticed that although Song Changming seemed to be walking slowly, his speed was bizarrely fast.

It was as if he was shrinking the ground to inches, disappearing from the street in just a few blinks of an eye.

The Imperial City does not allow ordinary martial artists to travel by Qi, so even Song Changming could only rely on walking.

Of course, he could step directly over dozens or even hundreds of meters with one stride, and his speed did not need to be measured by common standards, should he wish.

Soon, he had walked into a bustling market area.

"Jellyfish Stone, Water Jelly White Essence Stone, first come, first served, all top-grade treasures, tearful sale, fifty Low-Grade Spirit Crystals each!"

"Qingtian Fish Roe, five Middle-Grade Spirit Crystals per ounce, selling cheap!"

"Large Fin Dragon Pattern Fish, freshly caught today, goes to the highest bidder, if less than twenty Middle-Grade Spirit Crystals, I’ll eat it myself!"

"..."

Song Changming looked around and found that even the roadside stalls had quite a few good things, let alone the resplendent commercial buildings and Treasure Pavilions.

There were items that even Song Changming fancied, considering buying some.

And he noticed, people in the Imperial City are genuinely wealthy, many affluent households, and the purchasing power of random passersby far exceeded that of those in Cui Bai Main City where he resided.

Transactions conducted with ordinary paper money were rather rare.

More commonly, transactions were done using spirit coins made of shattered crystals, or directly with Spirit Crystals, something thought unimaginable among ordinary folks, yet Song Changming had now broadened his horizons.

The common people of the Imperial City were anything but ordinary!

Song Changming personally witnessed a fisherman, with skin tanned black, tinkling Spirit Crystals and Spirit Coins from a Qiankun Bag just to give change to a buyer.

From this, Song Changming gained a clearer and more direct impression of the Imperial City’s prosperity.

The Sea of Spiritual Energy has resulted in extreme material abundance here, with nearly everyone lifted out of poverty. All walks of life consist of high-earning individuals, permanent residents worry not about basic needs, but pursue higher strata and goals.

"In such environmental conditions, it’s no wonder these top martial arts powerhouses could be born..." Song Changming muttered in his heart.

He was referring to people like Situ Ming, Bai Qing, and Huaqing Pool; being the three giants during Cloud Fighting, they all hailed from the Cloud Emperor City and were natives of this land.

In contrast, all the entourages brought by various titled kings paled compared to those three. Only Song Changming was rather unusual, being able to stand on the same level and contend with them.

Moreover, in the Cloud Emperor City, there are numerous grandmaster powerhouses, many of whom remain hidden masters, no weaker than the titled kings from various places!

Even the thirty-six titled kings originally came from the Cloud Emperor City, being powerful men under Emperor Yun’s command.

It’s only apt to say that raising martial arts powerhouses in this Imperial City is far easier than in other places in Yun Province, thanks to this large spiritual energy environment and the considerable advantage brought about by Emperor Yun’s governance, unlike those offered elsewhere.

Even in the Land of Three Thousand Spirit Mountains, few sects with spiritually rich mountains can compare with this Imperial City!

"I’ll take this Large Fin Dragon Pattern Fish," Song Changming instantly recognized the rich spiritual power endowed within the fish, decent material for cultivation.

Spiritual power can help refine grandmaster essence blood, and the essence of flesh can be used for body refinement and refining the Witch Seal.

He never thought such a good thing would appear so casually on a street stall.

"Young master knows his goods, such a rare item, if you were a step later you wouldn’t see it. Twenty Middle-Grade Spirit Crystals, quite the bargain," said the seller dressed as a fisherman, grinning broadly, looking very sincere.

"Hmm." Song Changming intended to try the fish and was about to take out his Spirit Crystals when his actions were suddenly interrupted by a voice.

"Oh, Younger Brother Song, what brings you here." A carriage suddenly stopped on the street, at its front, four splendid black horses snorted.

People were startled, most on the street subconsciously fell silent.

Being able to ride a four-horse carriage in this Imperial City definitely signified a person of top authority, not someone they would dare offend.

When Song Changming turned around, he saw someone stepping out of the carriage.

Lo and behold, it was Situ Ming.

Today, Situ Ming was dressed in a navy blue formal attire, his broad hands tucked into his sleeves, wearing a Jade Crown, wholly gentlemanly and refined, unlike the fierce War Maniac appearance during the Cloud Fighting, as if two completely different persons.

Approaching, Situ Ming also noticed the Large Fin Dragon Pattern Fish near Song Changming.

"Younger Brother Song, you’re... buying fish?" Situ Ming said in surprise.

The fisherman felt tense inside, and although he seemed sincere, he wasn’t without awareness.

Seeing Situ Ming approaching, knowing he recognized Song Changming, he immediately offered the fish in his hand.

"I am blind to my superiors, didn’t know the esteemed noble arrived, this fish is naturally yours."

Song Changming did not expect that Situ Ming’s mere presence would have such deterrence, twenty Middle-Grade Spirit Crystals, and this fisherman would relinquish it just like that, obviously intending to give the fish for free.

"Brother Situ, are you normally a flamboyant bully showing off in the streets?" Song Changming couldn’t help but jest.

"Eh..." Situ Ming instantly denied, "Wronged, I mostly spend time on cultivation, haven’t done such things."

Indeed, he wasn’t someone indulging in such trivialities, considering his status, he certainly wouldn’t specifically oppress ordinary people.

It was merely that his status among nobility was overwhelmingly high, easily deciding the life and death of commoners, creating such a strong intimidating presence, leading the fisherman to be so fearful of Situ Ming.

In truth, he did not know who Situ Ming was, only aware that someone traveling in such a luxurious carriage was not a person to provoke.

Although losing a Treasure Fish made his heart ache tremendously, that was a better outcome than offending a noble like Situ Ming.

Song Changming took the fish, then twenty Middle-Grade Spirit Crystals neatly landed on the fisherman’s stall.

"This..." the fisherman looked at Song Changming and then at Situ Ming beside him.

"Why do you keep looking at me, just do your business, I won’t eat you," Situ Ming said.

"Ah, yes, yes." The fisherman, seeing the two depart, only after a long while did he gather Song Changming’s Middle-Grade Spirit Crystals, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Lucky, lucky indeed."

The fisherman’s face returned to a smiling expression.

With this money, he could help his promising son to advance further in martial arts.

Such a Spirit Fish wasn’t an everyday find, the fisherman might not even catch one throughout the year, so it was immensely precious to him.

"Good fortune year after year, this year my family’s turn..."

The fisherman packed up quickly, pocketing the Spirit Crystals and rushed to a fishing port outside the city, eager to share the good news with his family.

"Younger Brother Song is craving for fish?" Situ Ming asked.

"Just wandering around today, happened to see this fish, and never tried it before, thought to buy it for the taste," Song Changming explained.

"The Large Fin Dragon Pattern Fish can indeed make it to the table, though this one is of average quality, not a top-grade. If Younger Brother Song wants, I could have my household send some premium ones," Situ Ming promptly suggested.

"Brother Situ, I appreciate your offer, no need to bother..." Song Changming politely declined.

Prince Cui had advised before departure to avoid getting too entangled with the families of these Imperial City officials.

Though sending some Spirit Fish isn’t much, Song Changming would avoid it if possible.

He only needed some interaction with Situ Ming in front of him, and it was best to keep minimal contact with the Situ family behind him.