Carson Flores finished breakfast and stepped out of his room when he encountered Qing Ling. He casually asked, "Good morning, Qing Ling, where’s senior sister?"
"She went over to the Dark Iron Mine."
Carson’s steps halted abruptly, and he opened his eyes wide in surprise, "Who did she go with?"
Qing Ling replied, "She went alone."
Carson came back to his senses, immediately feeling some worry, "She didn’t bring anyone with her?"
Qing Ling answered, "The Peak Master said if she can’t win the fight, bringing others would be useless. If the other party has ulterior motives, having more people might actually make it easier for things to go wrong. She’s going to scout the situation first and then decide what to do."
Carson frowned. Running this city could be both easy and tough, easy because one could just delegate tasks, but tough because one needs to risk one’s life in any trouble that arises.
"What’s the strength standard of the cultivators stationed in White Wave City?"
Qing Ling smiled bitterly, "You know the situation with the disciples from Flying Waterfall Mountain Peak. Most are ones the Four Great Sects didn’t want, with only a few staying out for special reasons and not joining the Four Great Sects. The unique disciplines practiced by the Peak Master aren’t suitable for ordinary disciples to cultivate. Not to mention the issue of innate talent, just the sheer amount of resources required is enough to crush them."
"That’s why there weren’t many powerful disciples in Flying Waterfall Mountain Peak to begin with. Hector Tate is among the best of them, and he only has the strength of the Mid-Nascent Soul stage. With this level of strength, he is completely unable to defend a city; it’s all dependent on the Peak Master’s renown to maintain order."
"The Peak Master has been stuck at the Nascent Soul Great Perfection for quite some time now. Of course, this is because she wants to perfect her Sword Bone before advancing to Divinity Transformation. However, to outsiders, it seems as if she lacks the ability and strength to ascend to Divinity Transformation, so they gradually start to underestimate her."
"Not counting powerhouses at the Divinity Transformation Stage, the City Lord of Soul Shock City possesses the strength of Nascent Soul Great Perfection, and they have far more Nascent Soul powerhouses. If it came to an all-out battle, as long as someone could withstand the Peak Master, then White Wave City would definitely not be able to defeat Soul Shock City."
"This time, Soul Shock City launching an attack on the Dark Iron Mine is likely a test. If the Peak Master can’t handle them, then their next move might be to annex White Wave City."
Carson asked curiously, "What’s the extent of senior sister’s combat power? How does she fare against a Mid-Stage Divinity Transformation opponent?"
Qing Ling replied, "Ordinary Mid-Stage Divinity Transformation cultivators are no match for the Peak Master. But in real battle, it also depends on the specific strength of the opponent, the power of their magical treasures, and so on. Just like how you hold the Water-Fire Mirror, even if you’re facing a Nascent Soul Great Perfection tree demon, you could last that long. So whether you can beat them can only truly be known after the fight."
Carson immediately felt some concern, "Is there danger then?"
Qing Ling comforted, "The Peak Master might lose, but it would be hard to keep her pinned down. Her Three-foot Sword Veil is especially deadly in close combat; anyone who tries to stop her is going to suffer."
Carson took a couple of steps, then stopped, "What do I do now?"
Qing Ling smiled, "The Peak Master didn’t bring you along to help in a fight; she brought you out to see the Barbaric Wilderness Realm. You’ve already done the Peak Master a big favor by helping save Sarah Tate yesterday. After all, Hector Tate has been a significant aide in managing White Wave City for her. If something were to happen to Sarah, the Peak Master would feel guilty, and that could have blown up into a big issue."
Carson understood the gravity of what Qing Ling meant by ’blown up’. If the one who died was an ordinary cultivator, perhaps they could handle it through the normal processes, but if it was Hector Tate’s daughter, then for the sake of this meritorious figure, definite revenge would be pursued, potentially leading to all-out war with Soul Shock City and the Holy Fire Sect.
By then, without many deaths, the war would certainly not stop.
"If there’s nothing else, I’ll go have a look around the city."
"Go ahead, if anything happens, just message me."
Carson took off on his sword, flying straight toward the center of White Wave City.
In Delaney Hunter’s words, White Wave City was just a remote little city, but in reality, it was not small at all. The city was square-shaped, with its length and width both at least over twenty miles, with dense buildings and streets extending in all directions, bustling with a vast population.
If such a city was considered small, how large were the bigger cities?
As Carson was observing, a gigantic flying boat over two hundred meters long rose from the city, filled with goods and many people, making quite an impressive sight.
In the Barbaric Wilderness Realm, cities were often very far apart, with numerous monsters, making road construction practically impossible. Therefore, trade between cities entirely relied on large flying boats, similar to the airplane cargo transport in the Mortal Realm.
Carson thought that he should also buy a small flying boat. Sword flight was fine for short periods, but for longer durations, it was quite tiring.
Flying boats were different; with a smack of a Spirit Stone, the formation activated, and the boat would fly forward automatically, both fast and effortless. As long as the Spirit Stone’s energy didn’t run out, it would keep flying without intervention. You could drink tea or practice cultivation at your leisure.
Carson landed on the busiest street to browse some Spirit Medicine Shops. If the prices were right, he planned to sell the Spiritual Medicine he had on him to gather some Spirit Stones for later use.
You never know when you might come across Dark Iron Raven Essence, right?
Carson walked a few steps along the street, then suddenly paused, his eyes revealing a look of surprise and delight.