Arrival at the Present World's Highest City

Snap—just like that, it was over in an instant. Ji Jue felt as if he had only blinked, and the world had completely changed. One second, he was still at the association's designated location in Yacheng, escorted to the center of a ritual totem by several people bearing Star Core Association badges and told not to move or resist. The next second—*whoosh*—darkness fell over his eyes. The world spun wildly around him. After feeling as if he had been strapped to a giant wheel and spun around several times, the countless streaks of light rushing past vanished without a trace. The world before him suddenly opened up. From the distance came the surge of waves entirely different from Yacheng's. A moist sea breeze brushed against his face, and in a single heartbeat, he crossed from the slight chill of early winter into the scorching heat of summer. He was already on the other side of the present realm, upon the Endless Sea between the Empire and the Federation. The seat of the association's headquarters. Beneath the brilliant sunlight, the immense white city built across the island shone with dazzling radiance. Ji Jue felt his smartwatch vibrate, and a pop-up window suddenly appeared. —[Navigation data update complete: Fulcrum of the Present World · Tianshu] "..." What was this? A new fast-travel point unlocked? After the instantaneous teleportation, the Doomsday Express had automatically logged the new location into its system. On the map, amidst vast stretches of pale grey, three flashing points of light emerged. One was Yacheng, and one was the old site of Quancheng, both located in the north. The third was a point of light in the central region of the map—Ji Jue's current location. Tianshu. Still, what did "Fulcrum of the Present World" mean? He had no idea. In his brief daze, while he was still looking around, staff on an elevated platform had already picked up a megaphone and urged, "All exam candidates, please clear the platform promptly and proceed to the testing grounds following the signs and staff directions..." Candidates continuously arrived through the channels of the Star Core Association amid flashes of light. Unlike the apprentices who were seeing teleportation for the first time and staring wide-eyed at everything, some were already well accustomed to it. It seemed this wasn't their first time facing such a display, or perhaps their mentors had briefed them well beforehand, as they walked out with practiced ease. "Another country bumpkin. Why are there so many this year?" Passing by, someone chuckled and said in Imperial, "Excuse me, out of the way. Don't block the path." Ji Jue's smile remained unchanged. He turned around to look at the apprentices behind him, his expression growing all the more genial, and replied in equally fluent Imperial: "Your mom's dead." "..." The smirk on that smug face stiffened for a second in slight disbelief. Just as he was about to speak, Ji Jue added, "I killed her." "You—" The smug apprentice flared up in fury. His companion quickly grabbed him, stepping in front. "Don't fight here! Don't stoop to this pauper's lev—" "Your mom's dead too," Ji Jue supplemented, informing him with an earnest expression. "Yeah, I killed both of them." In an instant, both faces turned an identical sickly shade of green laced with livid rage, their fists clenching tight. Unfortunately for them, the association staff were already looking over. Several Celestial Chosen tasked with security cast cold, cautionary glares in their direction. The expressions of the two candidates shifted. Gritting their teeth, they shot him a piercing glare. "I'll remember you. Just wait till the exam is over—we'll teach you a lesson." "You think I, Zhou Cheng, am afraid of you lot?" Ji Jue sneered, brushing nonexistent dust off his sleeve. "Come to Chuancheng if you've got the guts! I'll rip your heads clean off!" "Fine, you just wait!" The older of the two dragged his companion away, and they finally turned and left. After that, no one else disturbed Ji Jue from admiring the scenery... The candidates walking out automatically parted into two streams in front of him, like waves hitting an invisible reef, skirting around both sides and leaving a wide, open berth around him. Peace and quiet at last. Ji Jue whistled, taking in the distant sights. He strolled forward down the road. It was the association after all—loaded with cash, absolutely rolling in it! He had originally been aching over the four-hundred-and-ten-thousand registration fee, but before the exam had even started, it seemed he had already gotten his money's worth. A free three-day tour of the association headquarters, complete with round-trip transportation! Just having the Star Core Association open a portal alone would cost well over four hundred thousand, not to mention all the materials provided for the upcoming exam. While those materials might not be outrageously expensive, considering the exchange rate of the Embers' own currency, Ji Jue did a rough calculation of how many people had stepped out of the teleporters in just half a day, and couldn't help drawing in a sharp breath. At market rates, teleportation on such a massive scale would easily run into the billions, even if the Ring of Taiyi and the Star Core Association collaborated closely and got group discounts. Considering the ruthless degree to which the association monopolized material prices, that registration fee of four hundred-odd thousand was probably the very last concession to conscience they offered apprentices. Supposedly, before the Age of Chaos, there had been a phenomenon known as "time zones" in the world: when morning dawned on the Federation, night might have already fallen on the Empire. Nowadays, however, apart from fragmentary mentions in ancient texts, no one remembered such fantastical legends. In that same morning light, candidates from across the present world followed the guideposts toward the testing venue. It was not far. Just a winding path leading down from the mid-mountain platform, and the magnificent, sprawling city was right before their eyes. Unlike previous years, the testing grounds this time were actually inside a shrine-like grand building next to a broken spire. In front of the massive gates, many people were snapping photos to commemorate the visit. Ji Jue was no exception. He shot a group video to send to his friends... "Whoa, arrived at the present world's highest city for artisans—Tianshu!" He grinned and flashed a peace sign at the camera, then caught sight of a familiar face in the background reflected on his screen, his brows lifting in surprise. Huh? Isn't that Young Master Lou? *Let's just look at the association in the distance instead, folks!* "Hey! What's that look on your face?!" Lou Feng immediately flared up. "Nostalgia, pure nostalgia! Running into an old friend in a strange land—I couldn't be happier." Ji Jue put on an honest, genial smile and slung an arm around his shoulder, completely indifferent to his disgusted expression. "When did you get here?" "Right around when you raised your butcher's knife against other people's mothers..." Lou Feng glanced at him, answering coldly. "You've got some nerve. Aren't you afraid of being disqualified for brawling?" "Relax, I've already read the candidate regulations. As long as hands aren't thrown, it's not a brawl. If I'm in danger, I'll call the guards for help right away." Ji Jue grinned. "You need to have some faith in the association's public security!" "From the moment the association allowed a bad apple like you to take the exam, I gave up all hope in public security!" Lou Feng sneered, trying to put distance between them, but to his dismay, that bastard Ji Jue stuck to him like molasses, impossible to shake off. "Why are you here too?" Ji Jue asked curiously. "Did things get competitive again over at Master Kong's?" "It has nothing to do with Teacher. It was my own idea. You think everyone's like you, having to run around begging for signatures just to apply for an exam? Even if I don't pass, I'll take it as gaining experience." Having grown sufficiently familiar with him, Lou Feng had already grasped Ji Jue's sore spot and sneered disdainfully. "Besides, my family is rich." "Don't be a stranger," Ji Jue said nonchalantly, sticking even closer and casually stepping on Lou Feng's shiny leather shoe. "As they say, at home lean on family, away from home lean on brothers. Isn't your money my money? "Have you eaten? I haven't. Spare some, spare some..." "Get lost, get lost, get lost!" "Aw, come on, didn't we agree to be partners for li—" "Shut up! You dare bring that up?! I'll fucking kill you!!!" And so, shoving and bickering, they merged into the crowd. Right next to the testing venue, at the very summit of the broken spire, two figures quietly looked down upon all of this. Jiang Tongguang grinned and scratched his chin, remarking with heartfelt sentiment, "Ah, it's good to be young." "Youth?" Gustav scoffed, flicking the report in his hand. "One of those 'youths' of yours was just getting into a scuffle with other apprentices on the association's Leyline Transit Disc. "Another restless troublemaker, cut from the exact same cloth as his teacher. No matter how polite and deferential he appears, it's nothing more than a guise for arrogance. Anyone who has nothing to do with him, he treats with utter disdain." "He's that bold?" Jiang Tongguang raised an eyebrow. "Quite the brave one. Where's he from?" Gustav waved his hand, pulling an application form from empty air and tossing it over. "Yacheng in the Federation. Registered workshop: Chaosheng." "Chaosheng? Which Chao... oh, oh, oh, Ye Xian?" Realizing who it was, Jiang Tongguang laughed. "Her student? Well, that explains it. It's not like he tore anyone apart with his bare hands, right? That's practically showing restraint. Though her taking on a student in the first place strikes me as pretty abnormal." He scrutinized the application form in his hand. "Just what kind of remarkable fellow is this?" "Who knows? The association's Haizhou branch gave him glowing evaluations. He took part in the conflict in Quancheng not long ago, and supposedly performed exceptionally well. "Word is that if not for the petty feud between Haizhou and Zhongzhou, he might have been decorated with a medal directly." "Let me see..." Jiang Tongguang tossed the application form back into the void, pulled out the relevant dossier, and began scanning through it, clicking his tongue in admiration. "Born an ordinary person, no ancestral history of Celestial Chosen whatsoever, less than a year of study under his belt, yet three masters staked their titles to vouch for him—even more prominent backing than the disciples of that old dragon from the Empire. He's got the most prestigious backing of anyone this year. Impressive." He showed no contempt whatsoever for Ji Jue being a mere apprentice or lacking a prominent pedigree. Quite the opposite: for a rootless Embers Celestial Chosen to reach this stage within a single year far surpassed countless silver-spoon second-generation elites. "If you ask me, intentionally jacking up the difficulty and leaking so many rumors to scare people this year might have backfired." Jiang Tongguang put away the resume and dossier, crouching at the edge of the tower to look down, pointing with his fingers as he took count: "Not counting the commissioned trainees from the Security Bureau and the Secrecy Bureau, let's see... "Dragon Heart, Clock Tower, Nine Seals, White Sail, Five Flowers and Five Leaves, Seven Rivers, North Wind, Grey Wolf, Harmony, Hundred-Eyed Giant... hm, plus a disguised Chaosheng. "Practically every notable major workshop in the association has sent apprentices. Aside from the direct or collateral lineages of three grandmasters, there's even a trueblood from the Empire." He sighed softly. "A true gathering of titans this year."