Chapter 332: Mystic Heart City
The sea breeze was thick with the taste of salt and brine, a gritty texture that seemed to coat the back of the throat with every breath.
After flying several more miles into the deep, the seawater shifted to a dark indigo, its depths growing more profound and mysterious.
Long Ao continued his introduction. “Mystic Heart City is divided into five main districts…”
First was the Scale-Claw District, the outermost ring, home to cultivators of the lowest realms.
Nestled inside that was the Shark-Spine District, a clear step up in environment and the average cultivation level of its residents.
Further in lay the Whale-Belly District, the city’s central region, reserved for cultivators of even greater power, status, and wealth.
At the very heart of the city was the Dragon-Nest District, the domain of the City Lord’s Mansion and the five great clans.
Finally, there was a special zone that transcended the rigid hierarchy of realm and status: the renowned Sea Demon District.
“So, Mystic Heart City is rigidly stratified?” Jiang Chen mused aloud, a thought echoed by the others.
On the surface, it was just five districts. In reality, it was a four-tiered caste system. The higher one’s cultivation, the higher their status and the better their quality of life.Long Ao puffed out his chest with confidence. “We are disciples of an Immortal Sect. Those rules don’t apply to us. We can go wherever we please, so there’s no need for any of you to worry.”
His words brought a wave of relief to Jin Fugui and the others. They had finally made it out on a trip to the legendary Mystic Heart City; it would have been a crushing disappointment if most of it were off-limits.
As the Calyx Boat broke through the cloud cover, the city finally revealed itself in its full glory.
From their vantage point high above, they saw a metropolis built upon a colossal floating island. A pale cyan barrier of light enveloped its perimeter, its surface shimmering with runes that flowed like water. When the sea breeze swept past, the runes would ripple, warding off the corrosive, salty air from the world outside.
The first area to command their attention was the city’s periphery—the Scale-Claw District Long Ao had mentioned. It clung to the island’s edge like a gray-black fringe of slums. Its inhabitants were a mix of low-level cultivators and the Dan, a people who made their living diving for pearls and other marine treasures.
The district was a chaotic maze of low-slung buildings, mostly hovels cobbled together from discarded ship planks and reef stone. Their roofs were thatched with drab, gray-brown seaweed, and from every door and window hung talismans of crab claws and fish bones. There were no proper streets, only a tangled web of countless winding paths.
Moving inward, the city’s layout became far more orderly. This was undoubtedly the Shark-Spine District. The buildings here were primarily stone and wood, standing twice as tall as the shacks in the outer ring. Walls of bluish-gray reef stone supported roofs tiled with the scales of water demons, which cast a faint, silvery sheen in the sunlight. The streets, paved with smooth bluestone slabs, formed a rough grid.
Deeper still, they spotted exquisite pavilions rising three stories or more. Nearly all were constructed with thousand-year-old spirit wood for beams and profound iron for pillars. Some even had their roofs tiled with the carapaces of Profound Armor Turtles. This entire district was veiled in a pale golden spirit mist, the telltale sign of a high-level formation. This was the Whale-Belly District, the city’s center. Its streets were broad and straight, paved with fine black spirit-crystal sand. Along the sides grew Sea-Purifying Grass, a plant known to cleanse malevolent Yin energy, its leaves beaded with spirit pearls that glistened like morning dew. The most prominent structure was a grand, domed building, its roof crowned with an enormous demon core that bathed the area in a soft, blue light.
Between the Shark-Spine and Whale-Belly Districts, however, lay a unique zone. Its architecture and streets were neither chaotic nor opulent but possessed their own distinct order and scale. This was the Sea Demon District, the place where class barriers blurred.
It was home to the Demon-Hunting Hall, where one could accept missions and trade resources. It also housed the Shattered Demon Market, a sprawling collection of stalls dedicated to butchering water demons and trading their parts. There was even a Spirit-Gathering Arena, open to all, where cultivators could test their mettle in combat against captured water demons.
But the district’s most alluring attraction was, without a doubt, the Sea Demon Pavilion.
It wasn’t a single building but a complex of three courtyards, each with a wildly different style. The only unifying feature was the mermaid-silk lanterns hanging by their entrances, each embroidered with the half-hidden characters for “Sea Demon.”
The first was the Shallow-Wave Courtyard, the most boisterous of the three. Its walls were simple bluestone, and no guards stood at its gate. A lone wooden plaque hung there, inscribed with the words: “One Pot of Spirit Wine, Two Demon Scales”—the minimum charge. Here in Mystic Heart City, demon scales were a common currency. A single scale from a water demon with a century of cultivation was worth five Low-grade Spirit Stones. Its specialty was the “Shallow-Beach Companion Tour.”
The second was the Ripple-Sound Pavilion, an elegant three-story wooden building. Its doors and windows were crafted from thousand-year-old wood, intricately carved with motifs of twining lotuses and playful carp.
The third and final establishment was the Deep-Sea Hall. It was completely obscured by a thick, shimmering curtain of water, rendering its interior invisible from the outside. Only cultivators of exceptional status or power were granted entry. Rumor had it that the attendants within were masters of a technique known as the “Essence Harmonization Arts.” It was said that any who experienced it, man or woman, found the memory utterly unforgettable, a pleasure to be savored for a lifetime. Its specialty service was called “Deep-Sea Hunting.”
Beyond this district lay the Dragon-Nest District, shrouded in a five-colored spiritual mist. Every structure within was a palatial pavilion, built upon foundations of water demon skeletons, walled with spirit jade, and paved with gold and precious stone. The tiles on their roofs were polished scales from mighty Profound Dragons.
At the very core of it all stood a nine-story pagoda. A black banner fluttered from its peak, embroidered with the image of a Profound Dragon devouring the ocean waves—the symbol of both Mystic Heart City and its City Lord.
Before long, the flying dock came into view. Jiang Chen expertly guided the Calyx Boat, descending slowly toward the landing platform.
Below, a crowd had already gathered, their eyes fixed on the approaching vessel.
“Which fairy graces us with her presence today?”
“I heard the young lady of the Long Clan was accepted as a core disciple by the Moon-Summoning Immortal Sect. Could it be one of their fairies?”
The sight of the fragrant, elegant Calyx Boat sent a ripple of excitement through the onlookers. Every eye was wide with anticipation.
The first person to emerge was a mountain of a man, easily tipping the scales at over two hundred pounds.
The crowd froze, stunned into silence.
The second was a sour-faced, scholarly-looking middle-aged man.
A seed of doubt began to sprout in the minds of the onlookers.
The third was a tall and powerfully built young man.
Eyes widened, pupils constricting slightly. This wasn’t what they were expecting.
The fourth was a slim young man with no distinguishing features whatsoever.
Many in the crowd had already averted their gaze, their expressions tinged with disdain.
The fifth to step out was a strikingly handsome young man.
This, at least, piqued some interest, earning him more than a few appraising glances.
Finally, the sixth passenger emerged—a young woman. But after the appearance of the handsome man, she failed to draw much attention.
When the seventh and final person appeared, the crowd’s last sliver of hope died. Before them stood an utterly ordinary-looking fellow, so plain he could blend into a stone wall. Everyone who had been watching immediately looked away, the disappointment palpable.
A disgruntled murmur rose from the crowd.
“Who was the idiot who said a fairy from the Moon-Summoning Immortal Sect was on board?”