My Mythical Path to Immortality in Another World

Just as I finished drinking the Dream of the Mortal World, the waiter led over a middle-aged man with an extraordinary air. After exchanging greetings, the waiter introduced him as the manager of Tianyang Tower.

After the innkeeper greeted them, the waiter cleared the table and left, bringing a pot of tea for the two of them.

The shopkeeper was dressed very elegantly, with hairpins in his hair and an extraordinary jade pendant hanging from his waist, which looked very valuable.

The shopkeeper was also a cultivator, and the spiritual energy emanating from him was at least of the upper third grade.

Zhao Xuan took a sip of tea and exclaimed, "Good tea!"

The shopkeeper smiled and said, "I'm glad you like it, fellow Daoist."

After passing through, the innkeeper bowed and asked, "May I ask where Yousheng Township is? Do you have any guidance for me?"

Zhao Xuan took out his Zhao-character token. "Please forgive me for what I cannot say. My purpose in coming to Jinyang City is to experience the mortal world and it does not conflict with yours."

The shopkeeper quickly checked the token and bowed, saying, "Lin Liuyi greets Your Excellency."

This was all because Zhao Xuan could tell that the shopkeeper's kowtow indicated that he was affiliated with the Zhao family and that only a force or individual serving the Zhao family would perform such a gesture.

Since he is a vassal of the Zhao family, no matter how high his status is, he is still a vassal. Zhao Xuan, no matter how far away from the orthodox bloodline, is still the master of the family. Therefore, on the surface, his status is higher than that of the manager.

"No need for such formalities, Manager Lin. May I ask which clan you serve?" Zhao Xuan asked.

"Thank you, Your Excellency. I am honored to be accepted as a subordinate by the Prince of Jin," said Manager Lin.

"Oh. So he's a direct descendant of the Eighth Prince. Manager Lin must have extraordinary abilities," Zhao Xuan exclaimed.

"I dare not, Your Majesty has mercy," Manager Lin said respectfully, bowing towards the distance.

The Zhao state regarded the Zhao clan as the legitimate successor. The Zhao clan was divided into nine branches, one of which inherited the throne and was considered the legitimate successor of the Zhao clan.

The other eight branches are stationed in eight major cities, and are granted the title of "King of the Same Rank".

The Prince of Jin was one of them. More importantly, the Prince of Jin was in charge of Jinyang City, the ancestral home of the Zhao clan, and also served as the clan head, in charge of the Zhao clan's genealogy and rules.

In order for any member of the Zhao clan to be considered a member of the imperial family and to receive a certain amount of food stipends each year, they must be recorded in the family genealogy. Otherwise, they would not be recognized by the imperial family.

As for those who are in charge of clan rules, that's even more impressive.

If a member of the Zhao clan breaks the law, they will not be punished with sticks, weapons, fire or water, or shackles. In other words, if you are a member of the Zhao clan and commit any crime, the worst that can happen is that you are confined to your home to reflect on your mistakes.

Because the state of Zhao was ruled by someone surnamed Zhao, and everything in the state of Zhao belonged to someone surnamed Zhao, the law cannot punish someone surnamed Zhao.

But the Zhao clan chief could do it; he could beat them, scold them, or kill them.

Because what punishes you is not the law, but the clan rules. These are ancestral precepts. As long as you acknowledge that you are surnamed Zhao, you must abide by the clan rules. It's not that I'm hitting you, but that I'm punishing an unfilial descendant on behalf of our ancestors.

It would be better if you didn't admit it, then the laws of Zhao can punish you.

He asked a few more questions and asked Manager Lin to prepare a place for him to stay before letting Manager Lin leave.

Zhao Xuan also gained a much better understanding of the situation in Jinyang City.

The outer city of Jinyang is equipped with the Ten Saints Sealing City Formation, while the inner city is equipped with the Four Symbols Sealing and Suppressing Formation.

The spiritual energy in the outer city is ten times that of the wilderness, and the spiritual energy in the inner city is ten times that of the outer city.

At the same time, the four capitals of the entire Zhao state are also a great array of four symbols sealing off the land.

Jinyang City is located in the Shaoyang Azure Dragon position, representing the aspect of growth and development, and is mainly engaged in agriculture and manufacturing.

The city is divided into four districts, with the East District being the most prestigious, located in the Azure Dragon position. Therefore, it is mainly a residential area, and the residents, apart from the Zhao clan, are mostly high-ranking officials and nobles.

The South District is located in the Vermilion Bird position of the Four Symbols, gathering the fiery energy of the four districts. It is not suitable for living, but it is conducive to manufacturing and military training. Therefore, the South District is mostly inhabited by artisans, and the military camp of Jinyang is also located here.

The West District occupies the White Tiger position, which represents killing and warfare. This clashes with the Azure Dragon's generative energy, transforming killing and warfare into lust for power. It is the financial district, commercial hub, and entertainment center among the four districts.

The North District is located in the position of the Black Tortoise in the Four Symbols. The Black Tortoise represents tranquility, which contains vitality within solitude. Therefore, the North District is mainly dominated by the pharmaceutical industry, funeral industry, warehousing industry, and burial sites.

The permanent population of Jinyang City is about eight million, the number of people who come and go is nearly one million, and the number of people who stay for short periods of time exceeds three million. In other words, the total population of Jinyang City is about twelve million.

It was more than double the six million that existed in Chang'an during the most prosperous period of the Tang Dynasty in the previous history.

Tianyanglou is located between Dongcheng District and Xicheng District, closer to Dongcheng District. It is a relatively large restaurant in Dongcheng District, but there is an even larger Tianyanglou headquarters in Xicheng District.

Zhao Xuan stayed at Tianyang Tower for three days and witnessed its exceptional service.

The first floor is a restaurant, the second floor is a teahouse, the third floor is private rooms, the fourth floor is accommodation, and the fifth floor is a business club.

They also understood what the auction at Tianyang Tower was all about. Tianyang Tower was owned by the Prince of Jin, and it was relatively safe and had excellent service. Therefore, wealthy merchants and some well-off cultivators chose to stay at Tianyang Tower.

Thus, Tianyang Tower provided a channel for mutual exchange.

Some things have a price but no market, while others have a market but no price. Tianyanglou is creating a high-end platform for trading treasures.

Over time, they developed a group of regular customers who chose to transact at Tianyanglou.

After staying in Jinyang City for three days and learning about the situation there, Zhao Xuan decided to pay his respects to the Prince of Jin.

After all, the Prince of Jin was the patriarch of the Zhao clan, and it would be unreasonable for the members of the Zhao clan to come to Jinyang City without paying their respects to the Prince of Jin.

Zhao Xuan prepared some gifts and, after going through several layers of intermediaries, finally met the Prince of Jin.

A dignified middle-aged man, exuding an aura of authority without anger, with eyes as bright as stars and shoulders as broad as the earth.

Zhao Xuan's spiritual senses made him feel as insignificant as dust in front of the Prince of Jin, who was merely a mortal.

Although the Seven Kingdoms share the same name as the Seven Warring States of the previous era, they are not feudal states like the Seven Warring States.

It was a true dynasty.

Heaven reveres the saints, Earth reveres the gods, and Humanity reveres the emperors.

These refer to sages, spirits, and human emperors.

The three realms of status—God, Saint, and Emperor—were established with reference to the three paths of Heaven, Earth, and Man.

However, the emperors in the three realms of status are not yet considered human emperors; they are merely candidates for human emperors. Only those who are revered by all emperors are true human emperors.

Only the position of the Human Emperor can bear the entire destiny of the human race.

But after the Human Emperor is born, he will conquer the stars.

Therefore, the unification of the emperor was limited to a single entity.

It is in accordance with the general trend of the world: after a long period of division, there will be unity; after a long period of unity, there will be division.

After the Human Emperor conquers the stars, the unified dynasty will be divided.

The main entity responsible for the differentiation was the feudal states.

Afterwards, a new human emperor will rise and reunify the human race.

The Seven Kingdoms were the seven dynasties that were closest to the unified dynasty, formed after the one hundred vassal states merged with each other following the division of the unified dynasty.

Only a country ruled by an emperor can be called a dynasty.

This is the difference between a dynasty and a vassal state.

The royal family of the dynasty was only the nominal ruler; the real ruler was the imperial court.

Those cultivators who attain sainthood or the throne will enter the imperial court to cultivate.

There is a shared awareness between emperors and saints: their existence consumes too much of the human race's fortune, making it difficult for geniuses to emerge in the next generation.

For the sake of the development of the human race, the imperial court set a restriction that the monarchs and kings must be mortals, because the main body of the dynasty was still mortals, and only mortals could understand what mortals needed.

However, we should not underestimate these people just because they are ordinary people. They are protected by the nation's destiny. Although they cannot be said to be invincible, even cultivators cannot harm them in the slightest.

Moreover, whenever one no longer wishes to hold power, one only needs to pass the position to a successor, and in no time, one can become a high-level cultivator. If one is wise enough, one can even gain the recognition of the people and become a saint on the spot. This has happened before.

Imagine if you cultivated yourself for thousands or tens of thousands of years, you might not be as good as these people who worked diligently for decades. What right do you have to look down on these people?

"Zhao Mingxuan, a descendant of Zhao Xuancheng, a member of the Imperial Guard, pays his respects to the clan leader." Zhao Xuan bowed respectfully.

Zhao Xuancheng was Zhao Xuan's ancestor; in modern terms, he was the one whose family genealogy was recorded separately.

There are countless members of the Zhao clan throughout the world, but those who live far away have never even heard of them. Only those whose family genealogy has a separate page are known to the public.

Zhao Mingxuan is Zhao Xuan's full royal name, and Ming is the courtesy name of Zhao Xuan's generation.

The Zhao family's 60-character lineage has "Xuan" as the seventeenth character and "Ming" as the thirtieth character.

"No need for formalities, please sit," said the Prince of Jin in a majestic voice.

"Thank you, clan chief." Zhao Xuan thanked the Prince of Jin.

"Your father is Zhao Junxiong, right?" After Zhao Xuan was seated, the Prince of Jin asked.

"Yes, the clan leader actually knows my father's name," Zhao Xuan said in surprise.

"Haha, no need for formalities, just treat this as a casual chat." Prince Jin laughed heartily, his dignified demeanor tempered with a gentle warmth, like that of a kind elder in a neighboring family.

“I am one character older than you, so you can call me Uncle.”

“From the time of Emperor Zhao Wan Nian to the present day, many talented people have emerged, such as your ancestor Xuan Cheng. But the family genealogy is only a hundred volumes long. Do you know why?” the Prince of Jin asked.

Zhao Xuan pondered for a moment, then bowed respectfully.

It's not that I don't know, but as Zhao Xuan, I can't say it, I can't say it.

“You’re not as carefree as your father described.” Prince Jin waved for Zhao Xuan to sit down.

"The Zhao Dynasty has produced many talented individuals throughout its long reign, but only a few have truly shone. Most have faded into obscurity and disappeared into the long river of history."

Only those who set a precedent for future generations and have made great contributions to the country and the nation are qualified to have their own family genealogy.

Therefore, I pay close attention to you descendants whose ancestors included great sages.

Exactly three months ago, among the documents submitted regarding the changes at the imperial mausoleum, your name and your father's name appeared.

I paid more attention to it and it left an impression on me.

"I didn't expect you to come to visit in just three months," said the Prince of Jin.

The Prince of Jin, having relinquished his imposing manner, was indeed approachable, so Zhao Xuan began to chat with him.

Things gradually became clearer.

The King of Jin knew Zhao Xuan not only because of what he had said before, but also because Zhao Xuan was one of the few members of the Zhao clan who had not been enlightened by the Hundred Sages, but had suddenly embarked on cultivation through sudden enlightenment.

This shows that Zhao Xuan must have some extraordinary abilities.

As the head of the Zhao clan, the Prince of Jin was responsible not only for managing the clan members but also for their education and training.

In terms of cultivation, the more geniuses the Zhao clan members produced during the time the Prince of Jin served as clan leader, the greater the Prince of Jin's merits, and the higher the foundation he would have after abdicating.

Therefore, they paid close attention to information about Zhao Xuan.

Zhao Xuan's feigned affinity with plants and trees is also quite remarkable.

Although it is only a minor supernatural power, it is the highest grade of physical supernatural power among minor supernatural powers, and the possibility of success is extremely high.

When the Prince of Jin learned that Zhao Xuan was going to follow the path of sainthood, he expressed his support.

He gifted Zhao Xuan a thousand-acre imperial estate, a courtyard in Jinyang City, and a shop in each of the city districts.

Zhao Xuan quickly expressed his gratitude.