Lu Li gazed at the white heavenly staircase that pierced the sky, lost in thought.
Northern Domain, Heavenly Deduction City, Ascending Heavenly Stairway.
This was a staircase of ninety-nine layers, left behind by a cultivator of Heavenly Deduction Sect who had ascended to the Upper Realm.
Nowadays, countless houses had been built around this Heavenly Stairway.
A multitude of flying boats and cultivators flowed through the air without pause.
Even on the lowest ground, the mortal city soared into the clouds, bustling with crowds.
“Truly, seeing is believing.” Lu Li sighed as he stepped on his flying sword and accelerated toward the city.
The closer he got, the more he was utterly shocked by the sight before him.
What an enormous city it was. From afar, he could only get a rough sense, but when he descended to the city gate alongside a group of cultivators, the towering walls were so high he couldn’t see the top even craning his neck.
“This is the city that north and south cannot match—the First City of the Northern Domain.” A clear, crisp voice sounded from the side. Lu Li turned his head and saw a beggar sitting slumped on the ground, using a wooden board casually scrawled with a few characters.
“Fortune-telling and character divination.”
“It is indeed very impressive.” After Lu Li responded, the beggar immediately approached him with a bright smile.
Sweeping with his divine sense, Lu Li found that the beggar had a lively expression and a relatively young bone age.
Normally, he shouldn’t be a beggar.
“Perhaps he’s someone obsessed with divination… or maybe it’s because this is a major city in the Northern Domain?” Lu Li scanned the street and noticed quite a few people like this.
Some wore luxurious clothes, others were ragged, but all were obsessed with fortune-telling.
“Esteemed guest from afar, here in Heavenly Deduction City, everyone knows how to tell fortunes. Since you’ve come, make yourself at home. How about a reading?” The beggar took three copper coins from his pocket. “Just toss them six times.”
“Well…” Lu Li looked around and saw such scenes everywhere.
Some tossed copper coins, others counted on their fingers, while others shook divination sticks.
Back at Yin Yang Sect, Lu Li had briefly read some information about Heavenly Deduction City.
Normally, in places like the Southern Region, management was shared among the Three Sects and Four Gates.
But in the Northern Domain, Heavenly Deduction Sect vaguely dominated alone.
The reason? This sect could predict fortune and misfortune, even see the future.
As cultivators, naturally they hoped for smooth travels and expeditions.
Ordinary people also wished for favorable weather.
Thus, Heavenly Deduction Sect occupied a single giant city.
“Thinking about it like that, it’s not strange.” Lu Li swept his divine sense over the beggar and found he had cultivation at the Qi Refining Third Layer. “No charge if it’s inaccurate?”
“If it’s not accurate, no money!” These words seemed to touch the beggar’s sore spot. “I’ve never made a mistake.”
At this, several fortune-tellers nearby snorted in laughter.
“What a joke! Even a master of divination only has a seventy percent success rate.”
“Look at this beggar claiming no charge if he’s wrong.”
“Saying that to a cultivator—aren’t you afraid of dying?”
But the beggar snorted at them and then continued staring at Lu Li.
“Don’t mind them. Are you getting a reading or not?”
“I am. I’m looking forward to it.” Lu Li glanced at his Mystic Token. His mission was just to reach Heavenly Deduction City within two months. Besides that, he had nothing important to do. A fortune reading wouldn’t hurt.
With his divine sense, he picked up the three copper coins and let them fall.
Clink!
In the crisp sound, two coins landed, while one got stuck in a crack between stones.
“Huh?!” The beggar looked surprised. “That’s not right. You can’t use this method.”
“What’s wrong?” Lu Li asked.
“Coins have yin and yang. One yin and one yang are fixed, but one is still undecided.” The beggar quickly gathered the coins and scratched his head. “Let me think…”
“Ooh, looks like Xiao Xi finally met someone you can’t read!”
Some onlookers arrived, along with a few kind-faced people gradually approaching.
Hearing this, Lu Li was a little surprised.
This beggar named Xiao Xi seemed to be somewhat famous.
Some people argued with her, others believed.
Add in his identity as a cultivator and the coin stuck in the middle.
Such an unusual sight attracted more passersby, making Lu Li chuckle.
Clearly, the obsession with divination in Heavenly Deduction City had seeped into the bone.
“Stone divination, then.” Xiao Xi casually picked up three stones from the roadside. “Just toss them however you like.”
“Do I need to use True Yuan?” Lu Li took the stones, intrigued.
“No need.” Xiao Xi frowned, staring intently at Lu Li’s hand.
“Alright.” Lu Li tossed the stones to the ground. But this time, two stones collided and shattered directly.
Hiss…
The onlookers drew a sharp breath.
“What… what’s wrong?” Lu Li looked at the crowd in confusion.
“Fellow Daoist, your situation is very peculiar,” said a nearby cultivator after a moment of thought.
“Sorry, I dare not say.”
“I refuse to believe this!” Xiao Xi took out a bone whistle and blew it softly. A small sparrow descended from a tree. “What about bird divination?”
“What’s bird divination?” Lu Li asked an old man who was muttering nearby.
“It’s when the spirit sparrow picks a stick… What?!” The old man spoke halfway, then saw the sparrow ignore the simple scrawled characters on the ground in front of Xiao Xi. Instead, it obediently came to Lu Li and pressed against his ankle.
“What’s going on?!” Xiao Xi yelled.
The others looked solemn, but seeing her like this, they laughed.
“Xiao Xi, you’ve finally failed.”
“Sorry… I take back what I said before. This Immortal Master must not have his fortune told.” The old man who had previously argued with Xiao Xi quickly packed his stool and wooden box and hurried away.
His departure made some of the gathered Heavenly Deduction City residents realize something was wrong. They smiled faintly and slowly backed off.
“Impossible… I’ve never made a mistake in divination.” Xiao Xi scratched her head, watching the sparrow that had stayed close to Lu Li for a moment before flying into the air.
Then she lowered her head and sighed. “Ah, you don’t need to pay. I’m not skilled enough.”
“Hmm… how about this?” Lu Li looked at the dispersing crowd. The massive city gate now revealed itself before him.
“I’d like you to explain Heavenly Deduction City to me. Is that all right?”
“Sure!” Xiao Xi immediately stood up. “How much are you offering?”
“How about one spirit stone?”
“No problem, master! I’ll guide you right away!” Xiao Xi quickly gathered her things into a pouch at her waist. “Let’s go to the city gate first and do a simple check.”
“Alright.” Lu Li followed Xiao Xi to the gatehouse, where many cultivators were also lined up for inspection.
“Xiao Xi, we saw, you know. Your fortune-telling actually missed.” The middle-aged guard glanced at Xiao Xi and flashed a grin.
“Fellow Daoist, what brings you to Heavenly Deduction City in the Northern Domain?”
“A sect mission.” Lu Li took out his Mystic Token and showed the bracelet on his left wrist.
“Judging by your clothes, you must be a cultivator from the Southern Region.” The middle-aged man used a spirit mirror to briefly scan Lu Li’s face, then aimed it at the bracelet.
“All clear. The Saint Son of Yin Yang Sect… welcome.”
“Ooh, so you’re the Saint Son of Yin Yang Sect… No wonder ordinary yin-yang divination doesn’t work on you… but that’s still not right.” Xiao Xi mused, then took out a broken wooden tablet and entered Heavenly Deduction City with Lu Li.
These words gave Lu Li some understanding.
His spiritual root was special, combined with his sect’s unique cultivation technique. Ordinary divination probably really couldn’t predict his situation.
“Alright, alright. Let me introduce Heavenly Deduction City to you.” Once inside, Xiao Xi’s mouth didn’t stop as she described it in detail.
From the entrance gate to the city’s various districts, and then to the methods of divination—nothing was omitted, nothing left out.
Thanks to Lu Li being a Foundation Establishment cultivator now, his divine sense was much stronger than before. Otherwise, such a flood of information would have been hard to remember all at once.
“So, there are plenty of places to visit in our Heavenly Deduction City.” Xiao Xi’s mouth was parched.
“But Master, since you’re the Saint Son of Yin Yang Sect, do you have to stay at the Ascending Heavenly Palace, or are you planning to stay outside?”
“I’ll find an inn outside.” Lu Li walked along the wide road, inwardly marveling at the city’s vastness.
The streets of Heavenly Deduction City were well divided according to cultivation level.
On the far left and right were paths for mortals.
If you were a noble, you could walk on roads close to the Qi Refining level.
“Hmm…” Lu Li looked at the clearly separated roads and fell into thought.
“Master, you’re puzzled by these roads, aren’t you?” Xiao Xi caught the change in Lu Li’s expression.
“Yes. Earlier at my sect, I had a… junior sister.” Lu Li recalled Shen Zhaoxue. “She cared a lot about status based on cultivation level.”
“At first, our Heavenly Deduction City was the same. But later…” Xiao Xi pointed at the middle passage.
“Later, they considered that if a Golden Core True Person was in a hurry, they’d just charge straight ahead. Hurting ordinary people wouldn’t be good.”
“So in the end, they adopted the roads from the ancient cultivation era, but more for the safety of those with lower cultivation. When large gatherings are held, the roads are fully opened.” Xiao Xi’s eyes lit up as she spoke.
“Those are huge events!”
“Considering ordinary people…” Lu Li nodded as he scanned the shops around. There were indeed rules between cultivators and mortals, but the atmosphere seemed harmonious.
“The cultivators and mortals of Heavenly Deduction City seem to have a good relationship?”
“Yeah. Because we’re on the front lines against the Beast Tide, there aren’t many barriers between cultivators and mortals.” Xiao Xi looked around.
“Master, we’ve happened to walk here… I know a great place—the Snow-Watching Pavilion.”
Xiao Xi pointed, and Lu Li saw a tall inn.
“That one’s the best.”
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