There were countless pedestrians on the street, coming and going without pause. The deeper they went into the city, the livelier it became.
Most of the people wore white. Those who didn't were clad in dull yellow, faint green, or other mild colors. There was no one wearing any bright colors.
In addition, those not clad in white were clearly of high status. These well-dressed individuals often had three or four shabbily dressed subordinates closely following them.
Because there were far too many people and carriages on the street, their carriage was forced to slow down. After a long journey at a sluggish pace, they finally arrived at a massive plaza at the city's center.
The plaza, sprawling across five acres, was teeming with a huge crowd. All Han Cai could see was a sea of black-haired heads, ceaselessly flowing in all directions.
Shops lined the plaza, each one brimming with customers. At the very center, the shops appeared to be temporary booths. They were exceptionally crowded, filled with fervent chatter, and bustling with unusual amounts of activity.
Han Cai estimated that, given the density of the crowd, there were at least several tens of thousands of people in the plaza.
Naturally, it was impossible to continue in the carriage through such a dense crowd. Lord Zhu led the way, disembarking from the carriage and guiding Han Cai and the others towards the Monarch's Structure at the side of the plaza.
The structure stood over thirty meters tall, towering above the surrounding buildings. The huge gate was guarded by a line of soldiers wielding gleaming long spears, preventing anyone from approaching casually.
"This is the Robust Bison Plateau's first market day of the fifth month. That's why there are several times more people here in South Quartz City. Essentially, residents from many villages and towns on the eastern part of the Plateau all come here to trade for rarities that would normally be hard to obtain." As Lord Zhu was leading the way towards the structure, he turned his head and explained to Han Cai with a faint smile.
Lord Zhu stepped forward and spoke with the gate guards. One guard then waved his hand, signifying that they could pass.
Lord Zhu hastily called out to Han Cai and Liu Baihe before heading in.
Once they passed through the gate, the environment became much more shaded and quiet. In the corridor beyond the gate, several tens of individuals, seemingly of high status, were having hushed conversations in groups of three. When they saw Lord Zhu arrive, they appeared to regard him with hostility.
But at that moment, the purple gate at the other end of the corridor swung open, revealing a white-clothed youth of about twenty years old. His appearance was delicate and refined, resembling that of a fragile scholar.
The youth glanced at Han Cai amiably before speaking courteously to Lord Zhu, "Are you Lord Zhu? The others have already arrived. Cultivators participating in the challenge must go further in. As for you, Lord Zhu, please wait outside."
From a single glance, Han Cai was certain that the youth's cultivation was about the same as his current level, the fifth layer of Qi Condensation.
Lord Zhu could only give Han Cai an expectant look before stepping aside.
Han Cai followed the youth through the gate, which immediately closed behind them.
"My surname is Qin, but Fellow Daoist, you can call me Qin Wei. You seem quite unfamiliar. Could it be that you're new to our Robust Bison Plateau?"
"I am Han Cai. I just arrived here last month!" Having practiced for a month, Han Cai was able to speak the local language without issue.
"Hehe, how admirable! Daring to journey from your homeland with your current cultivation, Daoist Friend, your courage and insight must be outstanding! I wouldn't have been able to do it. I've never taken a single step off this plateau since birth." The youth spoke with admiration.
Han Cai faintly smiled but didn't respond.
Han Cai followed the youth, eventually arriving at a circular hall. There were over thirty cultivators there, sitting and standing, each wearing various expressions.
A shriveled old man sitting across from the crowd of cultivators spoke briskly, "It seems that everyone has gathered. Let's start drawing lots! Each fight will be decided in one round. Killing is forbidden and will result in disqualification."
He was the only Core Formation cultivator among a room full of Foundation Establishment cultivators. It seemed he was the cultivator in charge.
As soon as the youth surnamed Qin entered the hall, he hurried over to stand beside the old man, awaiting his orders.
The old man didn't pay the youth any attention. Instead, he produced a Cerulean Jade Vessel with over twenty tokens in it.
"To participate in the challenge, draw a lot. Once the number of challengers matches the number of the incumbent merchant's representatives, the remaining challengers will be qualified to challenge them."
The majority of the crowd fixed their gaze on the Jade Vessel as it was enveloped in a layer of azure light, hiding the tokens within. Naturally, the light repelled perceptions.
As for Han Cai, who possessed a powerful perception he would have had no problem forcefully breaking through the azure light. However, doing so would have drawn too much attention. As such, Han Cai could only feign dismay and take his turn drawing lots, just like the others.
When Han Cai went up to draw his lot, he was unexpectedly able to see through the azure light. However, all he saw were strange silver characters. This caused him to furrow his brow; he had completely forgotten that he still couldn't read the local writing!
Nevertheless, Han Cai impassively drew a lot as if nothing had happened.
"Number one!" The old man called out coldly. The two cultivators that drew that lot immediately stepped forward.
The old man bluntly said, "You two will compete on the stage over there. There is a formation set up, so there's no need to fear destruction from cultivation techniques. It will be your victory if you are able to take away their lot. As long as you don't kill your opponent, I don't care what methods or tricks you use."
**************************************************
We need golden tickets and power stones to help the book get more exposure.
If we reach 2000 power stones, I will release two supplementary chapters.
If we reach 1000 golden tickets, I will release five supplementary chapters.
Thank You
Read latest chapters at f(r)eewebnov𝒆l Only