Chapter 253

Chapter 253: Meeting the City Lord

Li Shuang waited quietly for the result. She was too weak, yet she had suddenly drawn eyes. No, it was certain that she would draw eyes. Even without the Great Dao Mountain, making the Gold List had already brought her attention. Later, if she achieved anything at the Golden Soul Altar, people would focus on her again.

If she wanted to grow quickly, she had to make a splash. Otherwise, how could she win resources without showing any talent? To gain, she had to display.

Right now, Ancestor Xuan Wei of the Eclipse Moon Sect still watched her like a hawk. Li Shuang remembered the words in Gluttony Hell. That ancestor wanted to dig out her Supreme Spiritual Root. On top of that, a crowd of people now wanted to take her as a Disciple. They were not all malicious, but she disliked the way they acted as if it were only natural to arrange her life. She disliked how, even after she refused, they kept pushing.

But she did not have the right to simply say she disliked it. She needed a backer. Otherwise, if she turned down invitations from all the Super Sects, people would hate her for it.

Within Myriad Arts City, who could suppress the people of the Five Super Sects? Who had the power to make them give up looking for her? After thinking it through, there was only one person, the mysterious City Lord of Myriad Arts City.

By rights, she had no qualification to meet such a figure, but she had a small guess in her heart. If she was right, the City Lord would likely see her and offer some shelter. Still, she could not be sure. What the Warden brought back would be the final answer.

Coming up to her with a kind smile, the Warden said: “Li, is that right? The City Lord has agreed to see you. Please come with me.”

Li Shuang let out a quiet breath. She had gambled right. The City Lord did care about this matter. She answered promptly: “Yes.”

The Warden led her straight to the City Lord’s Manor.

As they watched Li Shuang’s back, the crowd fell into a strange silence, then broke into whispers: “What is going on? The City Lord will meet this Li in person?” “What has she done to deserve it?” “What else is hidden on her that we cannot see?”

Gu Yuan’s face darkened at once. He was determined to take Li as his Disciple. Her personal wishes did not matter; he had ways to make her willing. But if the City Lord interfered… No, that could not be. The City Lord of Myriad Arts City lived apart from the world. No one had ever heard of her taking a Disciple.

Most likely there was something unusual about the ice shard. Gu Yuan’s frown deepened. How could a junior who had not even reached the Integration Stage bring out something that could move the City Lord? What was going on?

Everyone stayed where they were, curiosity burning. They wanted to see whether the City Lord would step out for Li and warn off the others.

Inside the City Lord’s Manor, the Warden delivered Li Shuang and then backed out carefully. The great doors closed with a soft sound. Li Shuang saw a woman whose figure was hazy and unreal, her features unclear, studying her with interest. This must be the City Lord.

The City Lord released no pressure at all. Li Shuang could not sense any terrifying aura, as if she stood before a mortal. The more it felt like this, the more cautious she became.

She gave a silent order in her heart: [Heaven and Earth Furnace, if the City Lord tries to influence my soul, take me out of Myriad Arts City at once.]

She feared nothing else, only that her soul would be controlled, leaving her unable to leave the city. She still did not know what kind of person the City Lord was. If anything seemed wrong, she might have to say goodbye to the Wanfa Eye forever. Treasures were good, but she needed to stay alive to claim them.

Walking forward, Li Shuang bowed respectfully and said, clear and steady: “I greet you, City Lord.”

On the dais, the City Lord watched her from head to toe, carefully, for a long moment, then said in a calm voice: “What you sealed in the shard you gave me was Lunar Starlight.”

Her gaze did not leave Li Shuang. With each stage of the Rebirth Art, one could choose an Origin Star. She herself had swapped Origin Stars more than once, but among all who practiced the Rebirth Art, no one had dared to choose the Lunar Star. The Lunar Star was too vast for a Cultivator in the Mortal Realm to attempt lightly. Yet this Li had sealed a wisp of Lunar Starlight. What did that mean? She had a faint guess, but could not believe it.

Li Shuang lifted her head and met the City Lord’s eyes as she answered calmly: “City Lord, my Origin Star is the Lunar Star.”

The City Lord’s voice turned unreadable as she said: “Prove it.”

Li Shuang nodded. In the next moment, the phantom of an Azure Lotus at the Phantom Stage appeared behind her. The City Lord’s pupils tightened. Normally, when one’s soul cultivation reached a certain point, it formed a Soul Golden Core. But Li’s Golden Core had manifested as an Azure Lotus.

That was not all. As Li gathered Lunar Power, a full moon slowly rose above the Azure Lotus. Moonlight fell upon the lotus, stunning and beautiful. The City Lord’s lips trembled. It truly was the Lunar Star.

After achieving Great Completion in the first layer of the Rebirth Art, one could draw on the power of an Origin Star to further strengthen the soul. Li was drawing on a portion of the Lunar Star’s power now. This pull did not even require night. The stars roamed the cosmos forever. As long as she willed it, even if they were invisible to the eye, she could draw on them at any time. At night, the Rebirth Art’s boost would be even stronger.

What shocked the City Lord most was this: the Lunar Star was already the highest and strongest power, yet when it appeared with the Azure Lotus, anyone’s first glance still went to the lotus. What was this Azure Lotus that even Lunar Starlight could not dim it in the least?

The City Lord watched for a long time. When Li Shuang began to strain, a touch of sweat beading at her brow, the City Lord finally said: “Put it away.”

Li Shuang withdrew the vision. Her heart was a little uneasy. Exposing the Lunar Star today seemed risky, but it was a step she had to take. If she wanted to go far at the Golden Soul Altar someday, she would have to reveal it anyway. Better to show it to the City Lord first and see her attitude. If things turned bad, she could retreat at once. If her guess was right, then not only would the City Lord do nothing to her, she might even help her.