Immortal Paladin

376 Arrival at Celestial Step City

Wu Chen followed beside me with her fingers still wrapped around my hand. Every few steps she stopped, tugging me toward anything that caught her attention. When she paused again, she stared at a stone basin where clear water arced upward in a gentle spray.

“What is that?” she asked.

“It’s a fountain,” I answered, but she had already leaned forward and dunked her entire head into the water. She opened her mouth underwater like a whale feeding on plankton.

“Wu Chen… That’s a bit too much…”

Before I could pull her back, Ren Jingyi made everything worse. With a flick of her qi, she transformed into a full-sized goldfish and leapt into the fountain with a splash that drenched three passing pedestrians.

“Master,” she declared in her muffled childish voice, “she seems dumber than me. Hey, Wu Chen! This is obviously a bath and not something you drink!”

My thoughts froze.

No. No, that was not a bath.

People stopped, stared, and laughed. A few shook their heads with open ridicule, and several muttered things that made my forehead twitch.

A patrolling guard ran toward us with his hands raised. “Stop! Stop! The fountain is not for drinking or bathing!” His face paled when he saw Ren Jingyi’s massive fish form flopping in the water, splashing more bystanders. “It’s absolutely forbidden!”

Before the guard could process the nightmare fully, Wu Chen calmly stood up and began removing her clothes as if preparing for a graceful dip of her own.

“Wu Chen, no—!”

Da Ji flashed forward and seized her by the wrist. With one hand on her hip, she presented a polite but crisp bow to the guard. “Apologies. I am Elder Da Ji of the Beast Court. These two lack worldly experience. We’ll take responsibility.”

“That’s an understatement…” someone in the crowd muttered. “Uncultured barbarians…”

Another scoffed, “Who drinks from a fountain? And what kind of beast bathes there?”

I resisted the urge to bury my face in my hands. This was not how I wanted to enter Celestial Step City.

Ren Jingyi shrank back into her human form, dripping wet. “If the fountain isn’t for drinking or bathing, then what is it used for?”

“It’s for aesthetics,” I explained, though admittedly, I wasn’t fully sure. “Decoration. Something nice to look at.”

“Oh…” Ren Jingyi nodded. “So useless.”

I pretended I didn’t hear that.

We continued walking, and I finally had time to observe the city around us. Celestial Step City wasn’t just a fancy name. Now that we were inside, the scale became clear. Tall buildings made of reinforced stone and shimmering talismans lined the wide streets. Brilliant qi lamps hung overhead, powered by inscriptions I couldn’t decipher at a glance. There were even children playing along the road, each radiating faint spiritual energy.

It was astonishing how ordinary residents here were, at least in the Second Realm, Mind Enlightenment. Even more shocking were the disguised experts strolling among the civilians. A few were hiding their cultivation poorly, letting leaks of pressure slip like cracks in a dam.

“This place is one of the Heavenly Temple’s forward outposts,” Da Ji explained. “Experts from the secular world come here to rest before they travel deeper into the Temple’s territory in a bid to join their ranks and prove their ‘faith’ through merit.”

“But I thought this was just the city where the Heavenly Academy is located,” I replied.

“Oh, no. Zhu Bo gave us a tour while you were… struggling behind.”

Chen Wei tugged my sleeve and whispered, “Uncle, do you want a tour, too?”

“If it’s a tour, we have to eat, right?” I asked, hopeful. I wanted to see what kind of food a place like this had.

Ren Jingyi crushed my expectations without hesitation. “Master, they only sell nutrient pills here. They taste bland. Totally not worth it.”

What kind of cursed culture refused to enjoy food? Ah, right… Cultivation purists who believed anything flavorful was corruption. I refused that idea. My disciples cultivated well despite devouring mortal food daily. They also used the toilet like normal people. Speaking of toilets… the Empire still needed upgrades. If only I hadn’t sealed my memories of “Home,” I could’ve modernized sanitation by now. Thankfully, we had New Willow engineers to rely on.

We followed the main path toward the towering structure ahead, the massive white hall that functioned as the outer Heavenly Temple’s headquarters. Its surface glowed with golden inscriptions that shifted with the sunlight.

As we neared the entrance, a ripple of heavy pressure washed over us.

A Ninth Realm gatekeeper stepped forward with a long spear in hand, his tone sharp and cold. “Stop. This is as far as you go. Turn around.”

So much for a warm welcome.

Da Ji stepped forward without hesitation, her expression sharp and cold. “I am an Elder of the Beast Court. Let us in.”

My first thought was that the gatekeeper was rude. He stood with perfect posture, and his cultivation was stable enough to show discipline, yet his eyes darted constantly, especially toward Da Ji and Wu Chen. They lingered on Da Ji far too long for comfort. A sinking feeling spread through me. Had word of her connection to Jia Sen already leaked?

“I heard foxes are skilled in pleasure arts,” the bald man mocked. “I wonder how you came to Celestial Step City when you are just a lowly fox. I’m asking you to turn around while I’m speaking kindly. Elder of the Beast Court? Is that supposed to intimidate me? The Beast Court members already entered an hour ago. So, tell me, where have you been? Suspicious. But maybe…” He smirked. “Maybe you can change my mind if you have something to offer.”

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Of course. Another lustful idiot from the Heavenly Temple. Or maybe he wanted a bribe. Hard to tell with that greasy expression. My eyes slid to Da Ji. She was seconds away from turning him into a stain on the marble floor.

Before either of us could intervene, Chen Wei stepped forward. His eyes blazed with a fury far too intense for his young face. His mother being insulted was a line no sane person should cross. Paladin Legacy or not, violence was inevitable for him.

He released a pressure that made the air quake.

I quickly caught his sleeve and hissed, “Don’t do it. You’ll expose yourself. Let it go.”

“Hah!” The gatekeeper scoffed loudly. “You don’t even know how to educate your mortal! A slave should know his place!”

A resounding slap cracked through the plaza.

The bald man spun through the air like a torn kite, his limbs flailing, completing several full rotations before smashing into the stone gate and crumpling it. Dust rained down. Everyone stared.

Wu Chen lowered her hand with wide, innocent eyes. “Uuhm… I’m sorry. I don’t know why I did that. But he was such an unpleasant person…”

The gatekeeper staggered to his feet, his face flushed red from humiliation more than pain. He released his world-force with the intensity of someone trying too hard. “How dare you!? My qi is powerful enough to influence the world, and my martial arts are unmatched! For you to strike me, you must be a powerful martial artist! You must be Huli Jianzhu of the Beast Court, the one rumored to have the Tyrant Fiery Tiger bloodline!”

No, dude. You were just weak. And your martial arts were nowhere near unmatched.

He brandished his spear dramatically and declared, “I like you, woman! Fight me! If I win, go out with me! Bald men can be handsome too!”

…Okay? That was almost cute, in a delusional sort of way.

Wu Chen tilted her head. “My name is Wu Chen. Not Huli Jianzhi.”

“I’ve never heard of you, but you’ve opened my eyes! Fight me!”

“I don’t know how to fight.”

“Lies! Are you looking down on me too!? You just don’t want to go out with me, right!?”

“But I already have someone.” Wu Chen grabbed my arm firmly and pressed close. “I must stay with him. He promised wonderful things to me, and I want to give wonderful things to him too.”

Baldy’s eyes lost all color. He stared at me like I was the final boss of his romantic tragedy. “A kid? Uuh… wait… is that your taste?”

I felt my soul leaving my body.

Da Ji groaned loudly, facepalming before stepping forward. Her cultivation surged to the Tenth Realm, a violent wave that crushed the gatekeeper’s bravado instantly. He fell to his knees from sheer pressure alone.

“If you’re done with whatever nonsense this is,” Da Ji said with deadly calm, “will you finally let us pass? And if you do, I will graciously pretend none of this ever happened.”

The bald man trembled like a leaf in a storm.

“No,” the bald man declared, stubborn as a boulder. “I have a duty to the Heavenly Academy to guard the gates! I can’t just let you in without proof of entrance! I might be blind to not see Mount Tai, but I am faithful to my duties!”

I rubbed my face. “What the hell is this? It’s a mess.”

Chen Wei leaned close and whispered, “Zhu Bo had the proof of entrance, but we split up to wait for you because Jingyi insisted. Elder Zhu Bo promised he’d inform the guards about us, but something clearly went wrong. I don’t think Elder Zhu Bo would abandon us. This might be a procedural mistake… or someone is scheming against us.”

“Wow, you are so smart,” Ren Jingyi praised sincerely before marching forward with her tiny fists raised. “Hey, baldy! Call Elder Zhu Bo here and confirm it yourself! We are guests, not intruders!”

“My name is not baldy!”

Before he could say anything else, a spear crashed down between us with a clean thud, its shaft planted upright like a marker. The shock made the ground vibrate. A handsome man with long silver hair landed lightly on the back end of the spear, balancing on it as if it were a tree branch.

“My apologies for the mix-up,” the man said as he hopped down and reclaimed the weapon. “I switched shifts with my friend and forgot to inform him about your arrival.”

I frowned. Something about him felt wrong. He was hiding his cultivation, but the suppression was too deliberate. Beneath his calm presence, I sensed a familiar energy. It was the fox bloodline, but faint and disciplined.

“The name’s Jia Mu,” the spearman said with a courteous martial bow. His eyes drifted to Da Ji. “So you are my younger sister? Da Ji… or rather, Jia Yun?”

“Da Ji is fine,” she replied, her tone controlled. “It’s important that my true identity remain hidden. I possess sensitive information regarding the Holy Emperor. I hope you understand.”

This “sensitive information” line was something we prepared in advance. It was the simplest and quickest way to get close to the Heavenly Temple’s higher ranks without arousing suspicion.

Jia Mu nodded once. “I understand if you wish to seek shelter with the Heavenly Temple. But you must understand this as well that you do not have a place within the Jia Clan.” His voice held no malice, only distant acceptance. “Now, please excuse me. I have other responsibilities to attend to.”

Without acknowledging the bald guard, Jia Mu turned around, lifted his spear, and left with steady strides.

The bald man slowly rose, brushing off dirt and broken pride. “I… I apologize,” he muttered reluctantly. Then he leaned closer and whispered with a trembling voice, “But you all better be careful around that Jia Mu. There’s a rumor he killed his own mother. They say he’s a monster wearing human skin…”

His eyes darted in the direction where Jia Mu disappeared, fear creeping through every word.

After wandering through the maze-like streets, we finally stumbled upon a sector lined with tall stone buildings marked with banners of the Heavenly Academy’s dormitories. Black-robed disciples walked in groups, each wearing different colors on their waistbands, from blue, green, or red, denoting rank or progress. Mixed among them were white-robed cultivators with clearer, steadier qi; these were true Heavenly Academy disciples, while the black-robed ones were visitors and exchange students from various courts.

We stopped several disciples to ask for directions, and most stared awkwardly at Wu Chen before running off. Eventually, Zhu Bo found us himself, jogging toward us with relief on his face.

“There you are,” he said. “Come. Dormitories for disciples and elders are separated. I’ve arranged rooms for you.”

His gaze shifted to Wu Chen. “And… who is this woman with long ears?”

Da Ji answered without blinking, “A distant cousin.”

Zhu Bo’s brows twitched. He clearly didn’t believe it, but since the Beast Court had approved our arrangement and Shouquan’s influence loomed behind us, he held his tongue. With a strained sigh, he guided us to a four-bed dorm and left us to settle in.

I stared at the four beds and then at my companions, Ren Jingyi, Chen Wei, and Wu Chen. “Is it okay for her to be here?” I meant, Wu Chen.

Wu Chen’s ears twitched. “W-What? Don’t you want me anymore?”

Chen Wei sat on his bed and answered calmly, “I’m an attendant, so I can stay here. Elder Zhu Bo is choosing not to make trouble for us. We just can’t let others see her easily. She has high cultivation, so she might be able to pose as an Elder, but it would have been easier if she could pass as a disciple.”

I looked at Wu Chen. “Can you change your appearance and suppress your cultivation? Maybe look younger?”

“I… I don’t know how,” she confessed. “I can try to suppress my cultivation… but changing my appearance is hard…”

That didn’t surprise me.

“Oh, I still have this,” Chen Wei said suddenly, pulling out a small ornate bottle from his storage ring. “Uncle, do you remember? You gave this to me. Since I’m basically a child in an adult’s body, you said I should enjoy my youth while I can. I miss messing with your Ghost Soul while running around New Willow.”

Wu Chen blinked. “What is that?”

Ren Jingyi puffed up proudly. “It’s the legendary shapeshifting immortal treasure, called Chibi Perfume! With one puff, you gain the youthful form of your dreams!”

She made it sound like a divine artifact, but honestly, it was a shady gacha reward from a questionable alchemist.

“May I?” Chen Wei asked, holding up the bottle.

“Yes,” said Wu Chen excitedly.

He sprayed the perfume over Wu Chen. The scent glimmered like scattered petals, and in the blink of an eye, her form shrank. Her limbs shortened, her cheeks softened, and her long hair bounced behind her like silk. She became a small child barely reaching my chest. Her robes shrank with her, draping around her new form as if tailored for her.

Wu Chen laughed with bright amusement, spinning once as she stared at her small hands. “I’m small! This feels funny!”

She suppressed her cultivation, letting it drop steadily until it stabilized at the Sixth Realm, Essence Gathering.

If she stayed quiet, she could pass as a perfectly ordinary little girl.