Half a day later, Lan Xiaobu left Guyuan Dao City.
To reach the Central World, he first needed to go to Tianmo City, the seat of the Moru World’s Heavenly Court. Tianmo City had a teleportation array directly to Anluo City, the Central World’s Dao City, but accessing it was difficult. Without the array, even the fastest rift-breaking ship would take centuries to reach the Central World’s edge, and slower ones could take a millennium. From the edge to the Great Ice Pan Palace would require many more years.
Lan Xiaobu had to go to the Central World to rescue Tai Chuan first. Only by finding Tai Chuan could he learn Qi Manwei’s whereabouts. His greatest concern wasn’t Tai Chuan but Qi Manwei. Tai Chuan, a mutated Chaos Unicorn, would be cherished by any powerhouse who acquired it, not killed for meat.
Qi Manwei, however, had a Chaos Dao Body. If she reached the Fourth Step, no cultivator in the Great Universe would let her go.
After leaving Guyuan Dao City, Lan Xiaobu activated the Seven Realms Stone. The distance from Guyuan to Tianmo City wasn’t too far. Fully powering the Seven Realms Stone, he estimated it would take six years.
To boost the stone’s speed, he converted the spatial Dao principles he comprehended in the chaotic zone into barrier Dao principles, embedding them into the Seven Realms Stone. This increased his travel speed, and instead of six years, he reached the outskirts of Tianmo City in just four.
Outside Tianmo City was a vast plaza, livelier than many Dao cities, with bustling trade halls and constant crowds.
This was because entering Tianmo City required specific conditions—not just anyone could enter. From jade slips purchased in Guyuan Dao City and those from Chong Yi, Lan Xiaobu had learned some of these conditions.
Those who had lived in the Moru World for over a million years and reached the Creation Saint level could enter. Alternatively, saints skilled in Dao principle pills or array talismans, recognized as such, could pass an assessment to enter, regardless of cultivation level.
Otherwise, one needed to be at the Fourth Step of the Great Dao to apply for entry.
Lan Xiaobu was Fourth Step, but he didn’t plan to reveal his strength. The Great Universe was vast, with countless powerhouses in each of the ten worlds. Fourth Step cultivators were known by name, and revealing his level would invite scrutiny. Having robbed the Tingdao Ship so recently, he couldn’t enter Tianmo City so openly.
He refused to believe that in the vast Moru World, everyone entering Tianmo City strictly followed the rules.
Where there were people, there was a martial world; where there was a martial world, there were ways around the rules—a wisdom passed down from ancestors. When he first arrived in the Great Universe, his low strength limited his options. The entry rules for the Great Universe and Tianmo City were surely different.
Lan Xiaobu rented an ordinary cave mansion in the plaza outside Tianmo City, spending his days wandering the area, gathering information.
Within a few days, he understood the process. For first-time entrants with significant backgrounds or high cultivation, they could enter directly by registering their name and cultivation at the gate, where someone would receive them.
Those with insufficient cultivation or background but who believed they qualified needed to go to Tianmo Tower to obtain an entry permit.
After testing at Tianmo Tower, those deemed qualified received an entry jade token.
Recently, with the Eternal Life Conference approaching in the Central World, many sought entry to Tianmo City for a chance at the Central World.
The Eternal Life Conference was renowned, organized by several Dao Ancestors to ensure the Great Universe’s eternal existence. Those emerging from it had a chance to reach the pinnacle of the vast Dao. During the conference, the plaza was filled with the clearest heavenly Dao principles, and the vital energy came from top-grade Dao veins. Each conference birthed a group of First Step Great Dao cultivators, making it highly coveted.
A long queue stretched before Tianmo Tower. Lan Xiaobu, blending in the middle, wasn’t conspicuous. He had disguised himself as an unfamiliar middle-aged man at the Derivative Realm.
He chose the Derivative Realm because seventy percent of the queue were at or below it, with thirty percent at the Creation Realm.
The queue moved slowly, but no one complained or spoke much. Most here were desperate for a chance to reach the Central World, and complaining could lead to early elimination.
There were no scalpers here.
Lan Xiaobu, pondering how to reach the Central World, inched along with the queue. After two full days, it was his turn.
Before him was a room where those who believed they met the conditions could enter for testing.
Inside, Lan Xiaobu found two people: one checking test results, the other recording. His divine sense swept out to check for monitoring arrays. If there were any, he’d need another plan.
“Which condition do you meet?” The tester frowned, speaking first when Lan Xiaobu didn’t immediately respond.
Lan Xiaobu quickly produced two jade boxes, pushing one to the tester and one to the recorder. “I’m a Dao Principle Pill Saint, but I accidentally lost my saint identity token. Please, friends, make an exception and let me enter.”
Hearing this, the tester’s face darkened. He’d seen many odd cases while checking qualifications, but someone like Lan Xiaobu was rare.
Just as he was about to speak, the recorder let out a surprised sound, examining Lan Xiaobu’s jade box. The tester’s divine sense instinctively scanned his own box, and he gasped.
The box contained a spatial array with a high-grade Dao vein and fifty top-grade Dao crystals.
As testers at Tianmo Tower, they weren’t wealthy. Those seeking tests were usually struggling cultivators. True powerhouses or Fourth Step cultivators wouldn’t waste time here; they’d enter Tianmo City directly, showing their identity and strength for immediate reception.
Gifts were rare and usually unimpressive, but fifty top-grade Dao crystals and ten high-grade Dao veins were a massive offering—for a mere Tianmo City entry slot.
Top-grade Dao crystals were a top resource for anyone. Lan Xiaobu offering fifty, in two portions, showed immense wealth. Such wealth usually meant a significant background, but coming to Tianmo Tower suggested he’d merely stumbled upon a windfall, not a prominent figure.
The tester made the jade box vanish with a gesture, nodding, “Indeed, you’re a recognized Dao Principle Pill Saint, barely qualifying for Tianmo City.”
Lan Xiaobu understood, clasping his fists, “Thank you.”
The recorder, equally discreet, pocketed his box and nodded, “Remember, once in the city, follow all rules. And carefully keep your Pill Saint token—losing it could get you expelled.”
He handed Lan Xiaobu a jade talisman—an entry token.
“Thank you both,” Lan Xiaobu said again, taking the talisman and leaving.
He understood their meaning: they’d pretend he had a recognized Pill Saint token. If checked later, he’d claim he lost it in Tianmo City, not before entering the room.
