Han Yu took a deep breath.
"...This place is serious."
Xu Qing smirked. "Welco to the Frontier."
For the first ti since eting her, Han Yu felt genuine dread.
Maybe... just maybe... he should've stayed ho playing cards.
But for now, he could only follow behind Xu Qing in his 'non-consensual recruitnt'.
In addition to being a defensive fort, this city was also a crucial transit hub—a gateway that connected multiple regions, cities, and even a few sects.
As they entered, Han Yu imdiately felt the difference between this place and Yuzeng City.
The last city had felt alive—a bustling tropolis where commoners and cultivators mingled in lively markets, laughter echoed in the streets, and street vendors hollered out their daily specials.
This city?
It felt like a place where laughter ca to die.
The air here was thick with discipline and tension, and Han Yu quickly realized that commoners were the minority. Most of the people walking around were either cultivators or soldiers, their expressions sharp, their bodies honed for battle. Even the few civilians here looked battle-hardened, working professions like smithing, leatherworking, or running no-nonsense inns ant for warriors on the move.
There were no farms anywhere. This was not a city that exported goods—it was one that imported everything, built for war, survival, and strategic control.
As they walked, Han Yu's eyes widened at the sight of beast-drawn carriages rolling through the streets.
Unlike the luxurious, spirit-powered carriages used by nobles, these ones were pulled by muscular, non-spirit beasts, their hooves thudding heavily against the stone roads. The carriages were packed with supplies—crates of food, barrels of dicine, and bundles of weapons—all closely guarded by soldiers whose eyes scanned every passerby like hawks looking for prey.
Han Yu made the mistake of staring too long.
One particularly gruff-looking soldier turned to him, his gaze sharp as a drawn blade.
Han Yu imdiately looked away. 'Oh no. He saw . Act natural. Act natural. Oh gods, how do you act natural?!'
The soldier's stare lingered for a mont before he turned back to his duties.
Han Yu exhaled. 'Damn, everyone here is terrifying. Yuzeng City was way better than this.'
If he had tried any of his 'gas'—his harmless cons and tricks—here, he wouldn't just get scolded.
He'd get beaten.
No, scratch that. He'd get beaten, arrested, interrogated, and probably beaten again for good asure.
And that was if they didn't just throw him straight into a dungeon.
He shuddered. 'Nope. No tricks here. Absolutely not.'
These people were not like the cultivators in Oak Head Town, who were mostly just big fish in a small pond.
These were true cultivators.
Hardened. Experienced. Dangerous.
After walking through the increasingly oppressive city, they reached the central square.
Three massive buildings lood over them, each one practically radiating authority.
The first was the Military Headquarters, standing like a fortress within a fortress. Soldiers in polished armor stood guard at its entrance, their posture rigid, their eyes stone-cold.
The second was City Hall, where groups of officials and cultivators flowed in and out, carrying scrolls, exchanging reports, and occasionally arguing in hushed but intense voices.
And then there was the third building—the one Xu Qing was walking towards.
Han Yu read the large, neatly engraved sign above its entrance:
Northwestern Frontier Fort City Teleportation Gate.
It took him a second to process the words.
Then—
"WAIT. WE'RE USING A TELEPORTATION GATE?!" Han Yu practically shouted, eyes bulging in shock.
Xu Qing imdiately turned and smacked him on the back of the head.
"Speak in a low voice." She glared at him.
Han Yu rubbed his head, but his excitent didn't fade. "But—whoa! I'm actually going to experience teleportation?!"
"We'll be covering the rest of the journey this way," Xu Qing confird.
Han Yu could barely contain his giddy excitent.
Teleportation Gates were legendary to people like him.
Traveling hundreds of kiloters in re seconds? It was one of the greatest inventions in cultivation history!
If he had never been dragged here by Xu Qing, he'd never have been able to afford this. Even short-distance teleportation was insanely expensive, and even nobles had to think twice before using them.
His heart pounded with anticipation as they entered the large building.
Han Yu looked around eagerly—
And froze.
"...It's just a bunch of sect cultivators?"
The place was filled with cultivators in sect robes, chatting or waiting their turn.
There were no soldiers, no city guards, just sect disciples.
Han Yu had expected a mix of travelers from all walks of life. But no—this was clearly a service ant primarily for sect mbers.
Xu Qing walked up to the front desk, where a cultivator sat, handling requests with bored efficiency.
She pulled out a small badge from her pouch and held it up.
"Inner Court Disciple of the Twin Leaf Peak Sect, requesting the use of the teleportation gate for two individuals."
The receptionist barely glanced at her before asking, "Destination?"
"The Twin Leaf Peak Sect."
"Paynt."
Xu Qing pulled out another pouch from her Spatial Storage Pouch and handed it over.
The man opened it and poured out the contents—a neat pile of spirit stones.
Han Yu's eyes sparkled.
'SPIRIT STONES! So many of them!'
He had only ever seen them once before, and they were worth more than gold itself.
You couldn't even buy them with gold. Even nobles rarely traded in spirit stones, since they were too valuable to part with.
Only sect disciples could use them so casually, while rogue cultivators would rather die than spend them on sothing as trivial as teleportation.
After carefully counting the stones, the receptionist nodded.
"Please wait a few minutes until you are called."
Xu Qing took a seat in the waiting area.
Han Yu, anwhile, sat down with eager anticipation.
'Teleportation Gates must look incredible, right? Like so kind of golden palace gate with intricate carvings? Maybe glowing runes and floating crystals?'
He vibrated with excitent, waiting like a first-ti traveler at an airport, checking the magical equivalent of a departure board.
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