Seeing Cha Ming’s inquiring gaze, Lan Xuan explained. “Most cultivators in the Ling Nan Plane ascend through qi cultivation, or demons through demonic cultivation. But the citizens of Haijing City are different. They aren’t normal humans like the rest of us. All of them are descendants of the Sea God. A trace of divinity runs through their veins, and as a result, body cultivation comes naturally to them. They’re especially well-adapted to pressure. The constant stimulation from their environment is very helpful to their advancement.”
God’s blood. Now that’s interesting, Cha Ming thought. He’d never heard of gods until now and had previously thought they were only myths from his old world, a fable conjured by hopeful men and women to push through difficult times. Which was fine, given the virtues they represented. But to hear that they were real flesh and blood creatures and that their blood had very real impacts on their descendants, that was something new to him. He resolved to find out more about it.
Haijing loomed closer as they swam toward it. The journey was much farther than they’d imagined due to an optical illusion stemming from the water. Or perhaps it was the hope in their hearts that made it seem nearer than it really was. The very sight of the city made the fear and despair that had built up in Cha Ming’s heart vanish and bloom into a tiny speck of light. It was his desire for immortality. It burned fiercely, and with it came all hope he had of seeing Yu Wen again.
The feeling grew stronger, and because of it, he almost missed a dreadful pressure coming from a chasm near the city. It was a wide fissure that people and fish both avoided. Try as he might, Cha Ming couldn’t fathom the bottom. But he could see the cliffs that traveled down, and what he saw made him wary. In the caves that peppered the rocky walls were demons that glowed both violet and ochre. Fiendish demons.
Huxian growled as they passed over. Cha Ming wondered why they stayed there, but he soon noticed a light-blue barrier covering the fissure. Was it to protect the fiendish demons or keep them inside? Perhaps both.
Finally, they passed the fissure, and Haijing reappeared in all its unblemished splendor. What had seemed like densely populated oceans now seemed like empty waters in comparison to the sight that greeted them. Tens of millions of cultivators swam around, playing, talking, and working. Convoys of merchants traveled to and from various bubbles, and so too did guardsmen in golden armor riding demonic mounts.
Meanwhile, billions of fish swam all around them. Despite the various fishermen that caught them and dragged them back to the city, they still hovered around in the strong glow of Haijing’s blue light. It was as though they obtained nourishment from the light, and the small reduction in their massive numbers was the price they paid for it.
Everyone, I’m pleased to present the main attraction: Haijing City, Lan Xue said, holding his hands out to a massive golden gate.
It glowed with blue runes and contained three doors. The largest door, the central one, was closed. A large string of cultivators lined up at the door to its right, where guardsmen inspected them prior to entry. A much smaller line of cultivators swam straight through a door on the other side. They all had white hair, the mark of a Haijing noble.
As commoners, they could only wait, but compared to their long swim to the city, the wait was pleasant. A few hours later, they finally swam through the golden gates—only to flop onto the stone streets face-first.
Thank goodness, Cha Ming thought as he picked himself up. He’d wondered long and hard about how he’d do alchemy underwater. That worry behind him, he headed farther into the city.
Chapter 3: Haijing City
The group followed Lan Xuan straight to Clock Tower Square, the area immediately beneath the giant clock tower. “This is our agreed-upon destination,” the large man said. “I’ll be returning to Beihai in a week if you need me to pass on any messages.”
“Thank you for all the trouble,” Cha Ming said.
The man grunted. “Come see me anytime you like. Especially if Jin Huang creates a stronger version of coffee. If it’s good enough, I’ll help him start up a franchise.” The man walked away, leaving Cha Ming, his disciples, and Huxian and friends to do as they pleased.
They didn’t have to look long to find their destination: a large white stone complex just opposite the clock tower. It consisted of a series of adjoined buildings including a library, a residence, workshops, and a guild hall for just about every occupation on the continent. A squadron of guards kept careful watch over the entrance as they approached. They allowed people in and out with flashes of their identification badges, some bronze, others silver.
Cha Ming presented his letter of introduction. One of the guards took it inside, and soon they were brought into the complex by a plump but jovial man. Unlike the many members of the academy he’d seen before, this man wore a golden badge.
“Welcome to the Haijing Academy of Science and Technology,” the man said. “My name is Gan Quan, one of the residing elders of the Alabaster Group faction in the academy.”
“I’ve heard so much about you from Lu Tianhao,” Cha Ming said, bowing slightly. “He says you’re the best spiritual blacksmith on the Ling Nan Plane. It’s an honor to finally meet you.”
Gan Quan flushed. “I wouldn’t call myself the best, but I’m definitely in the top twenty,” he said proudly. “I happened to get lucky while researching armor-link construction and made a breakthrough to the peak of spiritual blacksmithing. One day, I hope to craft a half-step transcendent treasure.” His eyes glimmered
