Journey of True Cultivation-Chapter 95: A Quiet Arrival

A month had passed since Yuan left the village, and he had spent that time wandering through forests and plains, slowly making his way toward one of the largest nearby cities, places where spiritual essence was at least somewhat present.

Such places allowed low level cultivators to rest and recover, and after a long journey, he finally arrived at the main town of the Mortal Kingdom.

The town was called Loose Dragon Tail Town, capital of the Loose Dragon Tail Kingdom, ruled by the Loose Tail Family. The kingdom's name alone said much about the state of this region.

Despite being the most spiritually abundant location for nearly ten thousand kilometers, the ambient spiritual essence here was barely better than the average terrain in the illusion world created by Truth.

Though Loose Dragon Tail Town wasn't suitable for high stage cultivators, it was barely adequate for those at the Mortal Ascension or Blood Purification stages. Even then, for those in the higher layers of Blood Purification, the essence here was barely tolerable.

But for someone like Yuan, who had only just begun cultivating again, it was enough, for now.

At the moment, Yuan was sitting in the back of a creaky old cart, hitched to a farmer's ox. The farmer had taken pity on the strange, silent child he found wandering alone near the edge of the forest, and offered him a ride. Yuan had accepted.

Even with his willpower, weeks of walking without proper rest had taken a toll on his small, mortal body.

Sometimes, he missed the Azure Basilisk Flame, which had once helped him recover endlessly. Not just that, he missed his Red Aura as well, another power lost to him.

If he still had even one of those tools, he could have reached the city days ago without concern for exhaustion or sleep. He could have shaved a week or more off the journey. But now, he had nothing. Only his feet... and time.

During that one month of travel, Yuan didn't just walk. Along the way, he encountered many mortals, some curious, others kindhearted or worried.

A few offered him help, like the old man currently giving him a ride to Loose Dragon Tail Town.

But not every encounter was pleasant.

He ran into bandits. Kidnappers. More than a few. Fortunately, Yuan had no hesitation. He simply killed them. After all, who would ever suspect a child of slaughtering a group of grown criminals?

Thanks to those encounters, he even gained a bit of money. Though it was only mortal currency, which was entirely different from what cultivators used, it was enough for now. Cultivators dealt in spiritual essence stones, while mortals relied on platinum, gold, silver, and bronze coins.

Currently, Yuan carried half a pouch of silver, along with a few pieces of gold. To an average mortal family, this amount would be enough to feed themselves and pay rent and taxes for nearly a decade, if they lived frugally.

In the eyes of peasants, he was wealthy. Farmers and laborers would envy such fortune. But in the eyes of nobles serving under the Loose Tail Royal Family, this sum would barely last a month or two. Still, for Yuan's current needs, it was more than sufficient.

"Kid, we're almost at the town! Do you need anything?" came the voice of the old man beside him.

Yuan sat atop a mountain of hay in the back of the wagon, feeling the breeze on his face and listening to the steady thump of the horses' hooves.

He turned to the man with a small smile and nodded. "No, I'm alright. Thank you for the ride, Grandpa."

The old man chuckled and shook his head with a sigh. "If you need somewhere to stay, look for an inn called The Sleepy Fox. The owner's an old friend of mine. Just tell him Old Man Feng sent you. If you ask nicely, he might give you a job and a place to sleep."

"Thank you, Grandpa!" Yuan said cheerfully, but in truth, he had no intention of going to The Sleepy Fox. He already had his own plans.

As he looked ahead toward Loose Dragon Tail Town, a simple but sizable settlement nestled between gentle hills, he began preparing for what came next.

The town was surrounded by a fairly large wall, tall and solid enough that an ordinary mortal wouldn't be able to climb it easily. From a distance, Yuan could see several large buildings rising above the wall.

Most of the houses visible beyond it were built from gray stone, giving the town a stark, uniform appearance.

But what truly stood out was the massive mountain at the town's center.

It wasn't just any mountain. Towering and majestic, it housed over a hundred pavilions and structures clustered along its slopes. They were built around natural platforms and ridges, following the shape of the mountain like vines wrapping around a tree.

Yuan didn't know much about the mountain, but he could guess.

Some small clan must have established their home here, choosing to settle in this mortal region and act as rulers among mortals.

That, in itself, said a lot.

This clan was clearly not a major power. Most likely, they had a few cultivators at the Blood Purification Stage, maybe a single mid layered one and two or three early layered cultivators. It was unlikely that anyone stronger stayed here.

No cultivator who had reached the Meridian Awakening Stage would remain in a place so lacking in spiritual essence.

Doing so would be like crippling their own path.

Perhaps an aging, high layered Blood Purification cultivator had chosen to live out his final years here, having failed to break through to the next realm. But beyond that, no stronger cultivator would willingly settle in such a spiritually barren place.

With these thoughts in mind, Yuan finally arrived at the town gates.

He stepped down from the hay filled cart and gave a small, polite smile as he said his goodbyes to the kind old man.

The cart slowly rolled away toward the town, eventually disappearing from view.

Surprisingly, the guards stationed at the gate didn't stop him. In fact, they didn't seem to stop anyone. There was no registration, no questioning, people simply came and went as they pleased. The town's security was lax, or perhaps nonexistent.

Yuan passed through the wide open gates and entered the town without trouble. Yet as he walked in, he felt the weight of many eyes on him.

Mortals stared, some openly, others more subtly. curious, cautious, or suspicious.

He didn't care.

Looking around, Yuan took in the town's interior.

It was plain and Simple.

The buildings followed the same gray stone style he had seen from the outside. The roads were made from worn, uneven stone slabs, with only a few structures featuring other materials. Nothing about the town stood out to him as particularly special.

Then again, this was the first mortal town he had visited since escaping Truth's illusion.

Assuming, of course... this was the real world.

Yuan's eyes wandered calmly across his surroundings as he stood silently near the town's entrance gate, unmoving. He observed the flow of people with quiet indifference, until a pair of young men strode through the gate and spotted him.

"Hey, brat! Move aside or scram!" one of them barked.

Without a word, Yuan shifted his eyes toward the speaker. He gave them a glance, then quietly stepped to the side. Not interested in confrontation, he moved a few paces to the right and continued walking, blending into the stream of people along one of the busier streets.

The street buzzed with life. Shops lined both sides, their owners calling out loudly to advertise their goods. Vendors shouted over one another, trying to draw attention, fruits, fabrics, trinkets, and more.

The chaotic noise of trade and chatter filled the air. To Yuan, it was nothing more than the noise of human life.

But that peaceful rhythm was soon interrupted.

As Yuan passed by a stall, he felt the light tug of fingers brushing against his waist. Someone had touched the pouch hanging at his side, someone trying to steal it.

Yuan felt it immediately.

But rather than react on the spot and draw unnecessary attention, he allowed the thief to slip away. Calmly, he took a few steps forward, then subtly turned to follow.

The thief was young, no older than fifteen or sixteen. He wore a plain black robe and scuffed black boots, his appearance unremarkable. In his hand, he twirled Yuan's small coin pouch carelessly, clearly pleased with his theft.

He turned into a narrow, dim alley that branched away from the main street. There were no shops here, just a few scattered crates and worn barrels. A few passersby gave the boy a glance but paid him little attention. Still, even that brief glance didn't escape Yuan's notice.

Yuan followed, stepping silently into the alley behind the boy.

But unlike the thief, no one seemed to see Yuan at all. Their gazes passed over him as if he weren't even there.

The black-robed boy came to a stop midway through the alley and crouched down, beginning to untie the pouch with greedy fingers, completely unaware of the figure just a few steps behind him.

Yuan shook his head slightly at the carelessness. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips as a quiet idea came to mind.

He stepped closer, lifted a finger, and tapped the boy lightly on the back.

"Excuse me," Yuan said in a calm voice. "But I believe that pouch belongs to me."

A dark shiver ran down the young man's spine at the sudden touch and the quiet, childlike voice behind him. He turned around swiftly, eyes wide with alarm.

Standing there was a child, Yuan, with slightly long black hair, deep black eyes, and a plain, low quality brown robe.

For a moment, the boy felt true fear. The touch had been too silent, too precise, like the cold edge of a blade pressing into his back where Yuan had poked him. But when he saw it was just a child, his fear quickly gave way to relief.

His eyes narrowed as he studied Yuan's appearance, then scoffed. "What do you want, brat? Looking to get hurt?"

"A beating?" Yuan repeated softly, tilting his head slightly to the side, as if trying to understand what the boy meant.

"Yeah, a beating! So scram before I break a bone or two!" the young man barked, waving his hand dismissively. "Go on, before I change my mind!"

But Yuan only smiled, just a little wider this time.

"Ah, so I'm supposed to be beaten today?" he said calmly. "Then let me offer you a deal. Give me all your money, and I'll only break a few bones. Otherwise..." He let the sentence hang in the air, his eyes glinting with amusement. "...I'll think of something worse."

The young man's expression twisted in rage.

"You little—!" he snarled and lunged at Yuan, his hand rising to strike.

But he never reached him.

The world spun violently around him, and in that final moment of clarity, all he saw was Yuan's quiet, smiling face.

"I gave you a warning," Yuan said coldly. "But since you lack eyes, I'll help you see the truth."