Who let him join the Sword Sect?!

The fat guy looked at his companion, who had fallen into a hallucination again, and slapped him hard.

"Stop acting up. You're just a freeloader riding others' coattails for rank points, acting all high and mighty. Why don't you clear a level solo? If you've got the guts, come and spar with Master Pang over there."

The fat guy gave the thin guy the middle finger. Seeing him shrink back, he continued, "You're just smitten by that tower-gifting Fairy, thinking the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion can do no wrong. Look at you now, so out of it all the time. That Fairy is the Pavilion Master of the Sword Pavilion in Jing State, do you think you can dream about her?"

Having his little secret ruthlessly exposed, the thin guy blushed and was about to argue. But when people around looked his way, he felt dizzy. He just waved away the fat guy's pointing fingers, covered his face, and fled.

He was a bit out of breath.

The argument between the fat and thin duo was just a small episode, one that passersby didn't pay much attention to.

Thanks to Little Walnut bridging the gap between cultivators, everyone suddenly realized there were so many oddballs around them.

The thin guy was relatively normal, just a bit delusional.

A few days ago, someone claimed to be the reincarnation of the Dongqi Emperor, asking others for fifty spirit stones, promising to appoint her benefactor as the everlasting King of the Golden Hat once she rises again.

However, no one paid her any mind.

Now, she's working at Fried Shide, standing at the entrance saying, "Welcome~..."

But to get back to the point, most people's thoughts were similar to the fat guy's; they didn't believe the so-called Jade Book Illusion Realm was as real as claimed.

Just look at those advertisements.

[Want to understand the meaning of life? Want to truly... live?]

[Do you want to defy destiny to live a life?]

[Do you want to experience a different life?]

[Then come to the Jade Book Illusion Realm, explore history, more real than reality, and reshape your Tao Heart starting from stepping into the Jade Book Tower.]

[For details, consult under the big poplar tree, 500 meters east from the Thousand Mechanism Square.]

Most people didn't fully believe it. Even if the Jade Book Illusion Realm was really that miraculous, in their ingrained impression, it would surely have cost countless efforts to create, and one activation would burn a vast number of spirit stones and heavenly materials into ashes. How could they possibly let outsiders like us use it?

However, thanks to the reputation that the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion and Sword Sect had accumulated over time, most people just felt the advertisement was a bit exaggerated.

Furthermore, as the thin guy earlier mentioned, it's still in the testing phase. To become one of the first batch of testers, apart from disciples of the Sword Sect, Thousand Mechanism Pavilion, and Dragon Tiger Mountain, one must have their name on the list first.

Which currently has little to do with most of them.

Half a year has passed now, and strategies for several Underground Cities can be found, but making it onto the list is not an easy task.

Not only are the stats for the last few stages quite high, but many simply are not skilled enough to pass them. Another reason is that the top players are so competitive.

This group of diehards keeps finding ways to grind points.

To grind points, they use any means possible, like the thin guy before, whose special cultivation technique got him recruited into a team as a special toolman.

Although that sneaky plan failed, the thin guy was still carried by the experts and luckily got a spot temporarily.

Because of this spot, the thin guy frequently relapses into hallucinations and needs his good buddy's therapy through hard slaps.

There's no other way; after all, most people live for fame and fortune. And as long as you're ranked high in the Underground City leaderboards, you get both fame and fortune.

The fortune is the rewards provided by the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion and various uncommon cultivation techniques, as well as substantial discounts on purchases at the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion.

As for fame...

The statues of the top three individuals and teams after season settlement will be enshrined permanently in the Hall of Fame.

As long as the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion stands, you stand.

It's super cool.

...

Meanwhile, two people stepped through the main gate of Thousand Mechanism Town.

People from Zhendong Trading Company had arrived early for the technology transfer deal.

They just hadn't revealed their identities, because now they were on a dark investigation.

The person in front wore a plain white long dress, like a lotus freshly blossomed, every step precise, without a misstep.

Without speaking, an invisible aura spread, making those around feel ashamed, and those with weak Tao Hearts even saw their most vulnerable parts reflected.

The grinders saw themselves being banned.

The bootleggers saw themselves arrested.

Those afraid of their wives saw themselves with two identical wives...

Those who resisted this pressure could vaguely see four large characters above the woman's head in the white dress.

"Strangers Keep Out."

Because those four words were too conspicuous, no one remembered her appearance after she passed by.

Instead, her maid made a deeper impression.

Because she was very tall, but her chest was so flat...

"Don't stare, don't stare, not that there's much to see anyway," a peddler usually hanging around the town gate stowed away his second-hand Hundred Treasures Bag, abandoning the idea of drumming up business.

That flat-chested maid was naturally Bai Tao, the fox demon. She was the one who brought in this business, so she needed to accompany her leader throughout the process both in reason and emotion.

The woman in the white dress was her leader.

In her disguise, Bai Tao followed the woman in the white dress, curiously observing the streets of Thousand Mechanism Town.

It was also her first time in Thousand Mechanism Town, and she had to admit, it was indeed interesting.

Not to mention those seemingly useless, actually only aesthetically pleasing Thousand Machine Devices. Just the number of demon races alone made her feel like she was back home.