Chapter 6: City of Blue Waves (Part 2)

The Ancestor lazily said, “It’s best if you listen to the young guy. He’s only nineteen, yet already a senior Holy Master. His future is boundless. Think about it yourself.”
It’s difficult to tell the true age of those who practice spells, except for those who are very young. After hearing the Ancestor’s words, Hyperthyroid’s expression grew even darker. After a long while, he said, “Retreat the Scent-Attracting Insects.” Immediately, someone retrieved them. He continued, “We used the Scent-Attracting Insects to find you, and now they’ve been retrieved.”
Guo Shier nodded, secretly surprised. Along the way, he hadn’t noticed anything unusual, suggesting there were still many things he didn’t know in this world.
Hyperthyroid said, “Goodbye!”
The group left dejectedly.
The Ancestor tossed Guo Shier a talisman and said, “The Insect-Holding Talisman—a fascinating ancient talisman. If you incorporate it into your life talisman, you’ll gain the related incantations.”
Guo Shier bowed and thanked him, “Thank you, Ancestor, for your help.”
The Ancestor said, “You’ve inherited the legacy of the ancient Miluo family. It will be easy for you to advance to the Virtual Spirit Mirror. As for your life talisman, if further refined, it can be upgraded to a first-class sacrificial treasure, usable on an altar.”
Part of the inheritance received by Guo Shier and the others remained unexplained. Only by advancing to a Grand Holy Master could they unlock the remaining secrets, so they currently didn’t know anything about what came after that. He asked, “Virtual Spirit Mirror? First-class sacrificial treasure?”
The Ancestor smiled and said, “Don’t worry about these for now. Once you reach the rank of senior Grand Holy Master, you’ll understand many things. Knowing them now only adds worry. As for the first-class sacrificial treasure, it’s the lowest grade. You’ll encounter it later… Sacrificial treasures are very different from spells. You can learn more about it gradually.”
Guo Shier guessed that the Virtual Spirit Mirror referred to constructing a virtual altar, while the first-class sacrificial treasure was a weapon for that altar. He said, “Hmm, I see. I’ll consider it once I become a Grand Holy Master.”
The Ancestor said, “Since you’ve already inherited the legacy of the ancient Miluo family, I won’t invite you to join the Fire Sect. However, the old man has another invitation. I wonder if you’ll accept it?” He spoke politely, which instead made Guo Shier feel a bit uneasy.
Guo Shier hurriedly said, “Please go ahead, Ancestor.”
The Ancestor said, “How about becoming a guest elder of the Fire Sect? It won’t restrict your freedom.”

Guo Shier naturally understood what the Elder Guest meant and nodded, saying, “No problem.” He wasn’t stupid—such a good deal benefited both sides. The Ancestor was making a long-term investment; he saw potential in Guo Shier and wanted to win over a future master for the sect. Why not do something beneficial without any cost?

The Ancestor only invited Guo Shier. As for Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan, he didn’t send them separate invitations because he saw that they were Guo Shier’s companions. He solemnly handed Guo Shier a red identity badge and said, “It doesn’t matter outside, but once you’re at Fire Sect, wear this badge around your waist. The disciples of Fire Sect will show you proper respect.”

Guo Shier accepted the badge respectfully and said, “Thank you, Ancestor.”

The Ancestor nodded and said, “I spend most of my time resting by Jingming Lake. If you return to Fire Sect, you can come to see me.”

As soon as Guo Shier agreed, the Ancestor disappeared from sight, leaving just like Li Ran had, silently. Then they saw the small boat slowly drifting away.

Eagle Demon said with great admiration, “What true mastery!”

Guo Shier stared at the departing boat without saying anything. He agreed with Eagle Demon’s words—the Ancestor didn’t have the arrogance of a top master and was very approachable. He felt that the more skilled a person was, the calmer their mindset became. Such people didn’t get angry easily, but once they did, it could cause chaos in the world.

Luo Zhan sighed, “Eagle, following Shier has truly broadened our horizons. In front of such a master, I don’t even dare to speak.”

Eagle Demon said, “To be honest, whether fighting on the grasslands or in secret realms with Shier, I’ve never been afraid of anyone. But in front of Li Ran, Chou Mo, and the Ancestor, I unconsciously feel restrained, under immense pressure. I don’t understand how Shier can stay so calm. Shier, do you have any secret?”

Guo Shier replied, “How could I have any secrets?”

Luo Zhan agreed, “Yeah, I can hardly breathe—the pressure is too much.”

Guo Shier said, “Don’t overthink it. Treat them as your elders or friends and approach them with a calm mindset… There’s no need for so much pressure!” In truth, he also understood that the so-called pressure targeted the soul. His soul, having gone through two reincarnations, was already quite refined, which was why he didn’t feel afraid. But Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan couldn’t withstand it unless they also reached the Virtual Spirit Mirror level, perhaps then could they face it calmly.

Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan shook their heads repeatedly, showing disagreement with Guo Shier’s views. Eagle Demon said, “Forget it. You’ve been a little monster since you were young. We eagles are normal people, hehe.” Luo Zhan also added, “I’m not even afraid of death, but when standing in front of these people, I can’t help but tremble. There’s nothing I can do… Eagle Demon is right. You’re the monster; we’re the normal ones!” Guo Shier sighed and said, “You two are weird uncles!” Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan burst into laughter. It was rare to see Guo Shier at a loss, and they felt great about it. After resolving the issue with the Nest Sect, Guo Shier felt relieved. He knew he was partly responsible for this, so it was great that it could be resolved like this. He still retained some habits from his past life—such as never doing despicable things and trying to avoid anything unjustifiable, as he had his own moral standards. The three continued flying toward the direction of Jingming Gate. … Jingming Gate was a relatively small sect. By Jingming Lake lay a city called Bibo City, and Jingming Gate was located within it. This Bibo City was founded by the outer disciples of Jingming Gate, with most of its inhabitants being the families of Jingming Gate’s professionals. Outside the city lay the residences of ordinary people. Built along the lake, Bibo City had no city walls. There was a long dock stretching several kilometers along the lake, with numerous ships moored there. It was also a port city, and its economy was very prosperous due to its large fleet. Bibo City mainly produced aquatic products, and its wild game was also a traditional specialty. There were large fields by the lake, producing Jingming rice, which was a famous ingredient for talismans. Seeing the vast fields of rice, Guo Shier felt as if he had returned to the rural areas of Jiangnan from his past life. He hovered in the air, lost in thought for a long time. Eagle Demon couldn’t help but ask, “Shier, what’s wrong?” Luo Zhan looked around, unsure why Guo Shier had suddenly stopped and gazed blankly. Guo Shier snapped out of it and pretended, “Nothing. The scenery here is beautiful.” Eagle Demon looked around and thought, “Beautiful? What’s beautiful about it? Shier seems a bit strange today.” He said, “Jingming Gate should be not far ahead.” Guo Shier narrowed his eyes and said, “We can get there in five minutes. That area must be where ordinary people live.” He could see villages in the distance, along with small forests, and several winding streams flowing through the villages. Everything around was peaceful, with a fresh scent in the air. Eagle Demon said, “Let’s enter the city.”

The three of them transformed into three streaks of rainbow light, their speed soaring. About three minutes later, they saw a large complex of buildings. Guo Shieru shouted, “Stop!” The three immediately hovered in midair. He said, “Flying any further will bring us into contact with the defensive rune arrays. We need to land and walk there.” This was common knowledge in the Advanced Continent—any profession-based sect, big or small, had defensive rune arrays that prevented flying in.

Eagle Demon said as they walked, “This Jingming Sect isn’t as large as the Chenxiao Sect, nor does it have as many people, but the Chenxiao Sect still can’t stop their invasions.”

Guo Shieru nodded. “Yes, although the Chenxiao Sect has a large population, its elite combat strength is still far inferior. Take our Beifu Sect for example—if the Chenxiao Sect sent a few Sage Masters, they could sweep through the entire Beifu Sect effortlessly. That’s the gap.”

Eagle Demon nodded. “Fortunately, the continent where Beifu Sect is located hasn’t been discovered yet. If it were, things would be terrible.”

Luo Zhan asked, “Weren’t they already discovered?”

Eagle Demon replied, “What the Chenxiao Sect did doesn’t count; that wasn’t malicious intrusion.”

Guo Shieru stepped onto the road and said, “Following this road will take us to Bibo City.”

There were gradually more people on the road, mostly low-level professionals, with a few ordinary folks. Professionals often traveled in groups, while ordinary people mostly pushed carts or herded horses and livestock, carrying various goods.

Walking on the road, Guo Shieru felt calm, as if he were on a road from his past life. Although the local clothing was strange, he didn’t find it ugly; instead, he felt good and couldn’t help but smile. He said, “This place is nice. I didn’t expect there to be such a peaceful place on the Earth Fire Continent.”

After about half an hour, the three arrived at a checkpoint.

There was a rune gate at this checkpoint, used to connect the inside and outside of the rune arrays. Anyone wanting to enter Bibo City had to pass through this simple rune gate. Two squads, consisting of about a dozen professionals, stood at the checkpoint entrance. Outsiders had to register here and obtain temporary identity tokens, a practice common in the Advanced Continent.

A long queue had formed outside the checkpoint. Guo Shieru said, “Let’s join the queue too. Hehe, it’s rare to see such a long line.”

The queue was divided into two lines—one for ordinary people and one for professionals. Guo Shieru, along with Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan, joined the line of professionals at the back.

As the three moved forward slowly with the queue, they suddenly heard shouts from the checkpoint, followed by a woman’s loud crying. Guo Shieru wondered, “What’s going on?”

Eagle Demon asked, “Should I go take a look?”

Guo Shier said, “Never mind, I guess it’s nothing serious.” As soon as he finished speaking, the crying suddenly became more piercing.