Feather Fire City? A surge of excitement filled Xu Jingming's heart upon hearing the name.
The slender alien continued, "Feather Fire City was founded by a powerful third-realm being, Feather Fire Lord. Taking pity on us weaklings struggling to evolve, he created this city for us."
Suddenly, Xu Jingming understood. It was indeed Feather Fire Lord!
Fate seemed to continually intertwine him with Feather Fire Lord. In his days as a cosmic legend, Xu Jingming had been an unofficial disciple of Feather Fire Lord after discovering Valley Goldstone's ruins. Additionally, the original Eight Directions Map he had acquired from the high-dimensional child, Liu Yufeng, had been crafted by Feather Fire Lord.
"Feather Fire Lord has released numerous legacies within the city for us to learn," the slender alien explained. "The news has spread like wildfire! High-dimensional lifeforms from countless neighboring dominions have flocked to Feather Fire City. I, for one, once ventured there with over 100 friends."
Xu Jingming nodded, feeling a strong urge to take the dean and the others to Feather Fire City.
"Is there a third-realm legacy in Feather Fire City?" Xu Jingming inquired.
"Haha…"
The slender alien grinned. "The resources in Feather Fire City surpass your wildest imagination. Feather Fire Lord has released 3,128 legacies, including 128 third-realm legacies and 3,000 basic legacies. But don't underestimate these basic legacies… Each one is as valuable to us as any third-realm legacy."
Xu Jingming nodded in response.
He was well aware—he possessed one of the 3,000 basic legacies, the Eight Directions Map.
"Any high-dimensional lifeform can learn these 3,128 legacies, but they come at a cost. The first requires a single drop of Abyssal Mother Blood, the second two drops, and the third four drops. The prices continue doubling from there: 8, 16, 32…" The slender alien smirked. "So even the wealthiest high-dimensional lifeform can only learn a handful of legacies."
Xu Jingming was stunned. Even an Abyss Sovereign would struggle to learn more than ten legacies given the escalating costs.
"Over the years, it has become clear that Senior Feather Fire Lord has good intentions," the emaciated alien elaborated. "Each legacy he bestows demands a tremendous amount of time and effort. Focusing on just two or three legacies is enough. Learning too much proves detrimental and futile."
Xu Jingming nodded in agreement.
"I've heard that, in the early days, Feather Fire Lord personally taught and took on numerous disciples. Later, he abandoned that approach, opting to release legacies for high-dimensional lifeforms to study," the slender alien recounted.
"Does Feather Fire Lord no longer accept disciples?" Xu Jingming asked.
"Not anymore," the slender alien replied. "I've lived in Feather Fire City for three Abyssal Eras, but I've never seen Feather Fire Lord make an appearance."
Xu Jingming nodded.
The thoughts of third-realm beings were prone to change as well.
He had once personally taught and taken in countless disciples. Now, he had completely given up on that approach.
"Feather Fire City draws innumerable high-dimensional lifeforms from the surrounding dominions," the thin alien marveled. "Tens of billions of high-dimensional lifeforms reside there, including hundreds of thousands of half-step third-realm beings."
"Hundreds of thousands of half-step third-realm powerhouses?" Xu Jingming's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Hahaha…"
The slender alien grinned at Xu Jingming. "You think I'm exaggerating? Far from it! Feather Fire City's influence has reached the Heart Realm's high-dimensional lifeforms, impacting nearly a million nearby dominions. Isn't it only natural for hundreds of thousands of half-step third-realm powerhouses to reside there?"
"Take this for example: there are over a thousand invincible beings and Abyss Sovereigns in the half-step third realm," the slender alien explained. "Each Abyss Sovereign can control an entire layer of Abyssal space, and hundreds of Abyss Sovereigns have made Feather Fire City their permanent home."
"In Feather Fire City, you'll find high-dimensional lifeforms of every variety! They gather in droves, exchanging vast amounts of resources," the thin alien enthused. "It's the most thriving trading hub."
Xu Jingming nodded slightly.
With over a thousand Abyss Sovereign powerhouses, hundreds of thousands of half-step third-realm beings, and tens of billions of high-dimensional lifeforms, it was no wonder Feather Fire City was such a bustling marketplace—especially with the third-realm being, Feather Fire Lord, at the helm.
"Feather Fire City is overflowing with resources and treasures." The slender alien sighed. "The only issue is being too poor to afford them."
Xu Jingming smiled, replying, "Your insights have been eye-opening, Brother Yun Fansheng. I never knew there were so many half-step third realms."
"Naturally, there are many half-step third-realm powerhouses throughout the infinite dominions," the slender alien confirmed.
"Feather Fire Lord has spent considerable time grooming weaker high-dimensional lifeforms. Has anyone reached the third realm?" Xu Jingming inquired.
The slender alien appeared stunned, shaking his head slightly. "No."
"At the very least, according to public records, none of Feather Fire Lord's personal, official, or unofficial disciples—or even the countless high-dimensional lifeforms residing in Feather Fire City long-term—have ever heard of anyone achieving the third realm," the thin alien lamented. "It's just too challenging to reach the third realm."
Xu Jingming nodded.
After all these years and the sheer scale of his tutelage, Feather Fire Lord had yet to produce a third-realm powerhouse?
The leap from half-step third realm to the third realm was a monumental challenge.
"Keep moving, and you'll soon hear more about Feather Fire City. Its presence affects countless surrounding dominions," the slender alien said, producing a scroll with a flick of his wrist. "This is the dominion map for Feather Fire City. Follow it, and you should arrive in roughly 100 years."
"Thank you, Brother Yun Fansheng," Xu Jingming expressed his gratitude.
"It's nothing more than trivial information," the slender alien replied, smiling.
He wasn't this courteous with just anyone. When their invisible auras clashed, he recognized that the other party was a peak Eternal of the Heart Realm lineage, no less formidable than himself. Naturally, he was eager to forge a strong bond with such a powerful figure.
Had it been a weaker individual, he wouldn't have bothered to greet them personally. The shop's employees would have sufficed.
Whoosh.
Thirty minutes later, Xu Jingming departed, resuming his journey. This time, he set a direct course for Feather Fire City, guided by the dominion map.
******
Within the South Pavilion 3609 Dominion, at the dominion's South Pavilion, Xu Jingming, the dean, and the others were still scouring the Primordial Gold Mountains for mineral deposits.
"Feather Fire City?"
The dean, Tower Master, and Island Lord were taken aback as Xu Jingming recounted the information he'd gathered about Feather Fire City. "I was fortunate enough to cross paths with a Heart Realm powerhouse and learn the news. It'll likely take me over 100 years to get there."
"Tens of billions of high-dimensional lifeforms? Hundreds of thousands of half-step third-realm powerhouses? Over a thousand Abyss Sovereigns? And a third-realm Feather Fire Lord?" The dean and the others felt insignificant in comparison.
"That place truly bustles," Tower Master remarked. "Next to that, our South Pavilion 3609 Dominion is minuscule."
"It is indeed small here," Xu Jingming agreed. "It's practically a backwater village!"
"It's all thanks to Jingming. Otherwise, at our traveling speed, we might have never even heard of Feather Fire City in our lifetimes," the dean mused. Neither he nor Tower Master possessed the ability to traverse dominions independently! Spacetime Island Lord's speed through the Mother Stream paled in comparison to Heart Realm teleportation.
Xu Jingming had journeyed for more than 1,500 years and had traveled an immense distance from the South Pavilion 3609 Dominion before he'd even heard of Feather Fire City.
"With so many Abyss Sovereigns gathered, the Abyss in Feather Fire City must be teeming with rare treasures," Tower Master said enviously.
"3,128 legacies, and all you need to do is pay a fee to learn them." The dean sighed. "It's truly a sacred place we can only dream of."
"Learning the first legacy requires one drop of Abyssal Mother Blood. We can't afford that right now," Spacetime Island Lord pointed out.
Everyone needed one drop of Abyssal Mother Blood, so the four of them learning just one legacy each would require four drops of the precious substance.
Just to learn the first legacy, the four of them would need to acquire four drops of Abyssal Mother Blood. To learn a second legacy? That would require eight drops.
"Only half-step third-realm powerhouses can comfortably learn a few legacies at the prices set by Senior Feather Fire Lord." The dean shook his head. "The cost of learning a legacy is already steep for us."
"We'll have to gradually build up our wealth," Tower Master and Island Lord conceded, not daring to entertain grandiose ambitions.
They were already content with the prospect of learning a single legacy.
Xu Jingming, too, felt his resources were meager. The Primordial Gold Beads he'd collected and the spoils from slaying Natuo amounted to less than two drops of Abyssal Mother Blood.
"Let's continue our search for mineral deposits," Xu Jingming declared.
With the news of Feather Fire City fresh in their minds, the four destitute high-dimensional humans patiently resumed their quest.
…
Deep within the Primordial Gold Mountains.
An azure-scaled high-dimensional lifeform plucked a scale from his body and tossed it casually. As the scale fell, it naturally condensed into an incarnation that charged forward, probing for danger.
I only found 11 Primordial Gold Beads on the outskirts of the Primordial Gold Mountains after searching for over a thousand years. And even then, I encountered danger. I might as well have taken my chances deeper inside. The azure-scaled high-dimensional lifeform's eyes blazed with determination. In just ten years in the depths, I've already earned more than 100 Primordial Gold Beads.
As an ambitious Firstborn realm high-dimensional lifeform, he longed to ascend to the Eternal realm.
However, the odds of a Firstborn reaching the Eternal realm were slim! This was because obtaining resources was an arduous task for them. One misstep, and they could be killed by other Eternals or the perilous environment.
It's a gamble—either I'll die, or I'll strike it rich. The high-dimensional azure-scaled lifeform pressed onward, his incarnations ahead, scouting the way.
Huh? The azure-scaled high-dimensional lifeform paused, a look of pleasant surprise crossing his face. My incarnations have found a Primordial Gold mineral deposit?
Whoosh!
He hastened toward the location.
Soon, they reached a pitch-black void deep within the mountain. The azure-scaled high-dimensional lifeform scrutinized the thick mountain wall before him.
I can sense a dense concentration of Primordial Gold aura inside. The azure-scaled high-dimensional lifeform's pupils narrowed. Once the mineral aura leaks, it could very well attract Eternals. I'll have to leave as soon as I break open the deposit and excavate a little. There's no time to waste.
The azure-scaled high-dimensional lifeform carefully surveyed the area and chose a spot. The aura is densest here! This must be where the most Primordial Gold Beads are located.
With his limited strength, he struggled to assess the exact state of the mineral deposits. He could only vaguely determine the potency of their auras.
Boom!
The azure-scaled high-dimensional lifeform gripped a short awl and slammed it into the mountain wall, shattering a layer of rock.
The instant it broke, the mineral aura that had been sealed for countless years inevitably leaked out.
Boom! Boom!
The Primordial Gold aura that escaped surged like a tsunami, causing spacetime to shudder. The violent tremors threw spacetime into disarray, and the cyan-scaled high-dimensional lifeform, still clutching the short awl, was teleported away in shock by the chaotic spacetime.
"What?"
The sudden eruption of Primordial Gold aura and the intense spacetime chaos impacted nearly a third of the Primordial Gold Mountains.
The high-dimensional lifeforms in the vicinity could sense it clearly.
"What?" Xu Jingming, the dean, Tower Master, and Island Lord all turned their gazes in the same direction simultaneously. The burst of Primordial Gold aura was like a dazzling lighthouse piercing the darkness of night.
Numerous high-dimensional lifeforms within the Primordial Gold Mountains caught sight of the mineral deposit from a distance and were instantly filled with excitement. Without question, this was a colossal mineral deposit!
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