Chapter 1022: Merely a Small Clan

“Take a look?” The chubby elder chuckled. “Aren’t you already looking?”

“Can I hold it and examine it?” Dongbo Xueying pressed. “With all these array restrictions blocking the way, I can barely see anything beyond its outer appearance. How am I supposed to know how powerful this spearhead is or whether it suits me?”

In the system of rule profundities, he had already reached the Chaos Realm in the Void Path. While studying the spear shaft, he had encountered many doubts. Only by examining the mysteries within the spearhead could he truly grasp the full essence of the spear, likely resolving many of his past confusions.

“A thorough inspection is necessary to determine its suitability,” remarked the demon servant Zi Bai, fanning himself beside them.

“Take it out for a look?” The chubby elder smiled faintly, pointing at the spearhead suspended within layers of restrictive arrays. “With so many protective formations in place, why bother with such heavy restrictions if anyone could just examine it freely?”

While conversing with Dongbo Xueying, the chubby elder had already discreetly ordered his subordinates to investigate the background of this visitor.

“Chief Steward, the young lord is named Ying Shan Xueying, a prodigy of the Ying Shan Clan. He was born a Void God and reached the Unity Realm in just eight thousand years. The demon servant beside him is Xue Yu, purchased by the Matriarch Ying Shan long ago. Just a few days ago, this young lord Xueying narrowly escaped an assassination attempt.” The intelligence network of the Fan Clan was formidable, and Dongbo Xueying was already quite renowned in the Southern Cloud Nation.

“Oh? The Ying Shan Clan—such a minor family?” The chubby elder nodded in understanding.

To him, the entire Ying Shan Clan was indeed insignificant.

Only the Matriarch Ying Shan was somewhat noteworthy. The rest could be disregarded entirely.

In the eyes of the Fan Clan, only the imperial family of the Southern Cloud Nation warranted any real attention. After all, the Southern Cloud Imperial Family had an extraordinary ruler, one even the proud Six Ancient Nations held in high esteem. As for the other three Imperial Clans? To the Fan Clan, they were all minor families!

—

Dongbo Xueying watched the chubby elder with hopeful eyes, unaware that the other party regarded him as nothing more than a scion of a minor family.

“Indeed, only a thorough examination can determine its suitability,” the chubby elder said with a smile. “But with so many protective arrays in place, we can’t just let anyone inspect it.”

“True,” Dongbo Xueying conceded.

“Our Fan Clan operates strictly by rules,” the elder continued. “To examine it, one must either possess strength and status we recognize or demonstrate sufficient purchasing power.”

“Strength and status?” Dongbo Xueying frowned.

Purchasing power was out of the question.

“Strength means at least being a Southern Cloud Nation’s King-level expert,” the elder explained. “Ordinary Chaos Realm practitioners don’t even qualify. As for status—only the most esteemed scions of the Six Ancient Nations’ great clans, the Southern Cloud Imperial Family’s princes and princesses, or the direct disciples of renowned figures across the Heart Realm Continent would suffice.”

“Purchasing power is simpler. Just present treasures worth five hundred million cosmos crystals as proof of your ability to buy,” the elder said, eyeing Dongbo Xueying.

Dongbo Xueying was momentarily stunned.

Treasures? He had none.

Strength? At his peak, he was only at the eighth-layer pinnacle. And with just five hundred thousand years of cultivation, he dared not reveal such power.

Status? Hadn’t he heard? Even among the imperial family, only a select few princes and princesses qualified!

“My apologies for the disturbance,” Dongbo Xueying said. “We’ll take our leave.”

“Farewell,” the chubby elder replied, still smiling. Though he looked down on minor clans like the Ying Shan Clan, basic courtesy was a fundamental rule of business.

—

Outside the shop.

“They wouldn’t even let you look at it properly,” Tian Yizhi sighed.

“Didn’t you hear? Either you have the strength and status, or you can afford it,” Zi Bai remarked, fanning himself. “Clearly, the Ying Shan Clan means nothing to them.”

“Let’s return.”

Dongbo Xueying spoke calmly.

He wasn’t angry. In the world of cultivators, the strong preyed on the weak, and rules were strict. Without strength, status, or purchasing power, it was only natural to be denied.

“I’ll wait. Once I grow stronger and earn enough cosmos crystals, I’ll return to buy it. Such treasures aren’t easy to sell anyway,” Dongbo Xueying mused. Take the ‘Cloud Heaven Hammer,’ for instance—it had been displayed as a prized treasure for who knew how long. A broken spearhead would be even harder to sell.

“Still, I was lucky to find the spearhead here,” he thought to himself.

Finding it here wasn’t surprising.

The Southern Cloud Capital was the largest and safest city in the nation. Top-tier factions like the Fan Clan only established branches in the capital. Even local factions traded their most valuable treasures here.

The capital attracted more foreign experts and was under the protection of the Southern Cloud Monarch, making it far safer. Keeping ultra-rare treasures in smaller cities risked theft by a Cosmic God.

Thus, over ninety percent of the Southern Cloud Nation’s treasures were concentrated in the capital, with the rarest items almost exclusively found here. Dongbo Xueying’s discovery of the spearhead here was entirely expected.

—

In the following days, Dongbo Xueying explored various parts of the capital, spending most of his time in the treasure markets. The rest was devoted to historical sites and—most delightfully—cuisine. As a gourmet, he discovered many exquisite dishes and wines in the capital.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

“Xueying, the Matriarch has arranged everything. Tomorrow, you and Zi Bai will head to the main sect of the Southern Cloud Sacred Sect,” Marquis Huolie informed him via message.

“Understood.”

Dongbo Xueying was thrilled.

The main sect of the Southern Cloud Sacred Sect—one of the Heart Realm Continent’s ten great sects—was bound to house countless supreme techniques and scriptures.

In this life, he planned to focus on two paths: the Void Path and the Illusory Dream Path. For the latter, the Southern Cloud Sacred Sect was the best and easiest place to acquire top-tier techniques.

In terms of scriptures and techniques, all the other clans of the Southern Cloud Nation combined couldn’t compare to even a fraction of the sect’s collection. Its heritage was truly formidable.

“Young Lord, the main sect has strict rules. You can’t bring a retinue—just the two of us today,” Zi Bai explained. “Once you’re officially enrolled, they’ll assign you quarters, and then you can bring your servants.”

“Let’s go,” Dongbo Xueying said.

The two traversed the skies, each step covering vast distances. Despite their speed, the capital’s immense size meant it took nearly half an hour to reach the sect’s location.

“Southern Cloud Sacred Sect.”

Dongbo Xueying gazed into the distance.

Rolling mountains stretched before him, dotted with pavilions and towers. The entire range was shrouded in protective formations—this was the main sect. Countless cultivators streamed through the mountain gate, flying inward.

The gate itself lay at the end of a path carved through the mountains, spanning tens of thousands of miles. On the cliff beside it were inscribed two characters: “Southern Cloud.”

“Ah.”

At first glance, the characters seemed ordinary, if somewhat imposing.

But upon closer inspection, an overwhelming aura of the void surged forth, vast and boundless, surpassing even the profundities of the Southern Cloud Twelve Styles. It was like gazing upon an endless, towering void—instilling nothing but reverence.

“Ying Shan Xueying?” A golden-robed man stood at the gate, stepping forward with a smile as he spotted Dongbo Xueying.

“Young Lord, this is Marquis Chengming,” Zi Bai introduced.

“Greetings, Marquis Chengming,” Dongbo Xueying bowed. “Thank you for your assistance.”

“A trivial matter. The Matriarch has already smoothed the way. Today is just a formality—once completed, you’ll be an official disciple,” Marquis Chengming said warmly. “Come, follow me inside.”