Chapter 106: Chapter 105: Integrating into Cyan Dragon City

His previous disguise—the face of a man in his twenties—was no longer safe, as some people had already seen it. That’s why Qin Li created a new one. It had been difficult before simply because he lacked the funds. Now, while Qin Li wasn’t fabulously wealthy, he certainly had enough silver to make a few masks.

Therefore, this new mask was a much better fit for his actual age, yet no one would ever connect this new persona to Qin Li.

Qin Li was in no hurry to find Hu and the others. They were all experienced Hunters who understood the art of survival far better than ordinary people. Besides, they were also in Disguise. In a massive metropolis like Cyan Dragon City, with its population of nearly ten million, they were perfectly safe.

What Qin Li had to do was quickly and thoroughly integrate into Cyan Dragon City, obtain a legitimate identity, and then reconnect with Hu and the others under this new persona. Only then could he truly eliminate any future complications.

In his previous life, as a gang leader, Qin Li had actually occupied a position that was largely above the daily fray. He didn’t need to handle the gang’s internal affairs, only manage his handful of trusted lieutenants. This left him with an abundance of free time, which he used to learn many things that interested him.

Languages were one of Qin Li’s hobbies. He always felt that while having a translator looked impressive, it also left him feeling dependent. Besides, he knew a translator couldn’t always perfectly convey the nuances of another person’s thoughts.

So, Qin Li took the time to learn the languages of various nations. It was then that he discovered his true talent.

In less than three years, he had mastered the languages of fifteen different countries. Most impressively, he could even mimic their accents with remarkable accuracy.

The Celestial Essence Continent was so vast that a single, unified language was impossible. However, after countless years of development, a continental common tongue had been established. The language Qin Li and his companions now used was this common tongue, which every nation had begun to promote once they realized its importance.

By now, the common tongue had mostly replaced the original native languages. Despite this, different regions still retained their local dialects. For instance, people from the northern Cyan Dragon Kingdom were generally frank and spoke loudly, giving off an enthusiastic air much like the people of the Silo Kingdom. In contrast, those from the southern Cyan Dragon Kingdom spoke with softer, gentler voices that were pleasant to the ear, their accent closely resembling that of the people from the Qingqiu Kingdom.

As for the Great Chu Kingdom in the East and the Great Qi Kingdom in the West, they too had their own distinct accents and unique turns of phrase.

Qin Li found a large but affordable inn and booked a room for an extended stay.

This kind of inn was large and impressive, with excellent service and affordable prices. Anyone with a little money could afford to stay, so merchant caravans from various nations were fond of lodging in such places.

Qin Li kept a low profile, rarely venturing out. Apart from cultivating, he spent nearly all his time studying regional languages. As he stayed longer, he struck up friendships with some of the merchant caravans that were based there, occasionally sharing drinks and shooting the breeze with them. Gradually, his accent completely transformed into that of the western Great Qi Kingdom.

During this period, Qin Li befriended a wealthy merchant from the Great Qi Kingdom. On one occasion when some local thugs were trying to extort the merchant, Qin Li intervened. He had the thugs’ gang leader brought over and, by revealing just a sliver of his aura, scared the man half to death.

It was no joke. How could a common street gang possibly afford to offend an Earth Level Martial Artist? And though Qin Li looked to be only sixteen or seventeen, the sheer force of his presence nearly scared them out of their wits. They couldn’t discern his exact rank as a Martial Artist, but one thing was certain: this was not someone they could afford to provoke.

Thus, Qin Li not only solved the merchant’s immediate problem but also eliminated his long-term worries. The gang leader, a ninth-tier Yellow Level practitioner, even put out the word: from now on, anyone who dared to bully this merchant in the area would have to answer to him.

The merchant’s gratitude toward Qin Li was, needless to say, immense.

Foreign merchants always carried identification when entering another country. Even though the Five Nations had formed an alliance and were in a "honeymoon period," some form of identity verification was still required. Otherwise, if one were to die in a foreign land, how would their family ever be found?

For Qin Li, it had been a trivial matter. But for the merchant, it was the solution to a massive problem. Before, he had not only lost money to extortion but had also lived in constant fear.

Now, things were much better. No one in the area dared to look down on him wherever he went.

Therefore, when Qin Li mentioned that he wanted an identity document from the Great Qi Kingdom, the merchant eagerly agreed. This was an easy task for him. The merchant was useless against powerful thugs, but arranging something like this was a piece of cake.

「Three months later.」

Qin Li had a new identity: a scion from a fallen noble family named Qin, hailing from the Great Qi Kingdom. His story was that he had come to the Cyan Dragon Imperial Capital to travel, gain experience, and broaden his horizons.

The merchant’s abilities were nothing to scoff at—the fallen noble family was real. As for the name Qin Li, who would have the time and energy to go all the way to the Great Qi Kingdom to verify the name of a single family member? Even if someone did, they would find nothing. That Qin-surnamed noble family had once been a massive clan with thousands of members. Aside from those in the direct line of succession, the rest were never even recorded in the family registers. How could anyone possibly check?

As for why he didn’t change his name, Qin Li saw no need. His name was perfectly ordinary. Forget the entire continent; there were probably eight hundred to a thousand people with that name in the Cyan Dragon Kingdom alone. Qin Li cherished the name, but it had nothing to do with the Qin Family of Yellow Sand City. The real reason was that the old Taoist had given it to him.

The old Taoist’s secular surname had been Qin.

This held a very special meaning for Qin Li.

Time passed in a flash. Several more months went by, and Cyan Dragon City entered the depths of winter. Snowflakes drifted through the air as the weather grew frigid, much colder than it had ever been in Yellow Sand City.

At fourteen, an age for growth spurts, Qin Li had grown taller and more mature. Forget the mask—even if he took it off, it would be difficult for most people to recognize him, save for those who either deeply cared for him or bitterly hated him.

His constant, diligent cultivation had finally yielded immense progress. Qin Li sensed that his strength had likely reached the High Tier of the Earth Level. On a sudden whim, he wanted to get himself tested to see exactly what realm he had achieved. But first, he had to visit Hu and the others. Watermelon’s third Nirvana... was about to begin.

No matter what, Qin Li couldn’t bear the thought of Watermelon failing to survive his third Nirvana, his soul dissipating into nothingness. Although every other person who had ever cultivated the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, Only I am Venerable technique—besides himself—had failed to survive Nirvana, Qin Li still held out hope for a miracle.

Qin Li had visited Hu and the others once before. If he hadn’t been the first to speak, they never would have imagined that the handsome youth standing before them—exuding an aristocratic air and speaking with a heavy Great Qi accent—was actually Qin Li.

As expected of experienced Hunters, Hu and the others had followed Qin Li’s instructions to the letter. After arriving in the Imperial Capital, they bought a large residential compound. The estate spanned more than thirty mu, which was considered extravagant in the Imperial Capital, where every inch of land was as precious as gold. But for their purposes, it was necessary. Secrecy was paramount, whether for training their men or carrying out other tasks, and only a large, walled-off property could ensure that.

Following the Pill Formula Secret Manual, Leng Yao had spent nearly one hundred thousand taels of silver, a leaf from a One-leaf Centennial Grass, and a drop of Essence Blood from the Black Water Kui Ox to successfully refine over a dozen Soul Calming Pills. This Elixir didn’t provide much help in raising one’s Primordial Power, but it was immensely beneficial for strengthening one’s Spiritual Power.

During his second Nirvana, Watermelon had taken three Soul Calming Pills. Though the pain was still excruciating, he had managed to pull through. According to Watermelon himself, the damage he sustained was far less than the first time.

After nearly half a year, Watermelon had, in one go, broken through to the ninth tier of the Profound Level.

For a boy who hadn’t even reached Entry Grade a year ago, this was nothing short of a miracle. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Arriving at the courtyard gate, Qin Li knocked lightly. Two new servants who didn’t recognize him answered and asked politely, "May I ask who you are looking for?"

"I’m looking for Wang Hu." Wang Hu was Hu’s real name; back in Yellow Sand City, everyone had called him Hu, so few people actually knew his given name.

Seeing that this distinguished-looking youth was looking for their master, the servant hurried inside to report. A moment later, Hu strode out with a broad smile. "Ah, it’s Young Master Qin! Have you brought any fine goods from Great Qi for me to see this time?"

"But of course," Qin Li said with a smile as he walked inside.

This was all, of course, an act for the benefit of any onlookers. You can never be too careful—that was a saying that always held true.

Once they were in the inner hall, Hu’s smile vanished. "Young Master," he said, "are you here about Watermelon?"

Qin Li let out a soft sigh. "Yes. You’ve seen the boy’s willpower and resilience. His talent isn’t bad either. If he can just get through this Nirvana, his future will be boundless."

Hu nodded and said in a somber tone, "That’s right. I’m very fond of the kid. It’s not just me—Leng Yao and Yunyan are, too. For almost a year, Leng Yao has been studying that Ancient Pill Formula Secret Manual nearly every day, trying to find a way to save Watermelon’s life. In fact, she’s in the back experimenting right now."