The Yellow City, located on the southern border of the Forgotten Kingdom, marked the southernmost point where the Red Way Forest touched cities and civilizations. The city was established here because a large gold mine was discovered in the nearby forest. It was a large mining city. Of course, the gold mined there did not belong to the city. It belonged to the royal family of the kingdom. The city was much richer than others. So rich that the palace could not overlook it. The city was even richer than some states, but it was not particularly powerful. Perhaps they were only powerful compared to ordinary cities.
As it was a large mining city, it was full of miners. In this region, where both gold and coal were found, most of the miners were covered in soot. The people who came to their homes to rest were from this city. They looked poor, but they weren't. Those who had worked for a long time always found a way to steal gold.
Most of the gold went to the center of the state, Golden State City. That's why the city lord didn't pursue the stolen gold. After all, he had become rich the same way. However, the state lord did not launch an investigation against him. No matter who replaced him, the money would be stolen. The lord of the Yellow City was intelligent and loyal. On top of that, he was very talented, as was his daughter. There was no reason to make him an enemy. The State Lord trusted him.
Though everything in the Yellow City seemed normal, a cold wind blew around the city, sending shivers down people's spines. Gray clouds loomed overhead, threatening rain at any moment and unsettling those who worked outside. Meanwhile, countless desperate and greedy figures were leaving the city once again, taking with them many origin masters and foundation establishment realm experts. Kasuur would be speechless with astonishment if he saw this. These origin masters, each of whom could lead a town, were a dime a dozen here. The opportunities offered by the city were far more important than being a town leader. Being an ordinary person in a city was clearly different from being the leader of a town.
A man stood on the walls. He looked like an ordinary intellectual city dweller, but his eyes were different. Calmness and certainty shone from the depths of his black eyes. The brown robe he wore seemed to be made of flames, keeping the soldiers around him at a distance. Under the robe, he wore a black shirt. His black hair had strands of white, as did his goatee and thin mustache.
An aura emanated from his body, which he did not hide. The only things that could approach him were the snowflakes falling from the sky. He first looked at his soldiers and workers, who had started walking in the snow. Then, he looked at the seemingly endless forest. An Ascension Realm cultivator had passed into the Meridian Realm here. He had done so using a complex Tao, such as the Forest Tao. Who knew when he would reach that level? Would he ever reach it?
Not all taos were the same. Each Tao was different. Water, Earth, and Fire Taos were ordinary Taos. Above them were the Complex Taos. Tao such as Forest Tao was called Complex Tao. These were much more complicated to comprehend. They were filled with people who couldn't even grasp that there was something to understand. To create these Taos, it might be necessary to combine several ordinary Taos. The more Taos combined, the greater the power.
Lagos wanted to learn such a Tao. Since he wanted to become a sage, he remained at the tenth stage of the Core Realm for a long time.
Knowing the Taos above this level could cause problems with the speed of cultivation. It would be unfortunate to die of old age while seeking the Tao. That was why the city lord, who was only a Sage, had never learned it.
However, that didn't mean he wouldn't learn it someday.
At that moment, a chubby, bald man with an anxious expression approached the man with a powerful aura. With every step he took toward the man with the powerful aura, it was as if someone was tightening his throat even more. Without daring to lift his head or wipe the sweat from his forehead, he approached with trembling eyes. He was afraid that if he looked up and saw the man's face, he would incur his wrath. At least, that's how it seemed.
Although they were both sages, there was an immense difference between them.
The City Lord was like a bomb, ready to explode at any moment.
"Lady Maria has been missing for six months, sir. You shouldn't insist on staying on the walls. You even sent Mr. Wur. If not even a sage can find her—"
"Would she be dead?"
It was a simple two-word question, but these words, spoken by a man who resembled an ordinary clerk, were more powerful than ever. The man, who had previously only been sweating on his forehead, was now soaked through with sweat from head to toe. It wasn't just his cultivation that was effective. The authority that had accumulated over the years here was also effective.
One of the men closest to him was completely silenced by an ordinary question.
"I apologize, sir."
The bald, fat man bowed his head and gazed into the distance over the wall. Lady Maria was fifteen years old when she disappeared and reached the Core Realm. She was almost at the level of the city's greatest genius.
He raised his head and secretly watched the man looking out over the walls toward the forest with a serious gaze. The man had relaxed a little, easing the pressure on his subordinates. As a wise man, he endured the slight pressure and studied the man's face. At that moment, his memories came flooding back:
'If he had never existed.'
While he managed the city in an old, drunken manner, this child was just an ordinary talent. However, he reached the Sage Realm unexpectedly. Yet, he seemed to come from an ordinary family.
Although he was only 36 years old, the origin energy emanating from his body revealed that he was at the peak of the Sage Realm, the 10th stage.
"Let's go."
Suddenly, City Lord Sage Baro turned his head and walked away, his back to the forest. His calm walk toward the stairs shocked the soldiers around him. At that moment, Baro's powerful origin energy completely ceased to suppress them. Even the Core Realm experts began to breathe. A light, pleasant breeze blew across their faces.
"Look over there!"
"Huh?"
The bald, overweight man suddenly turned his head and looked into the forest. There, he saw three people in the snow. He didn't care about the other two, but he was shocked to see one of them. With her green eyes and short hair, she stood before him, looking even more terrifying than before. The drunkard could sense her power because she was wrapping her origin energy around her body to protect herself from the cold.
Core Realm Level 3!
It was the Core Realm! Did she have any idea how different it was from the Origin Energy Realm? Jumping two levels in half a year was acceptable, but how did she manage it outside of her home?
In the Core Realm, you form a core in your body at each stage. These small origin energy cores increased your lifespan by an average of 20 years and gave you an incredible boost in physical strength.
Ten of these cores would cause the Tao Trace to appear, allowing you to step into the Sage Realm. However, seeing the Tao Trace was not enough to go beyond that. You had to do more than that; you had to feel it. If you established a connection between the Tao and your body, the cores would be nourished by the Tao, offering you an opportunity to advance to the next level.
The parts of the ten cores that could be combined would reveal a new power in the body:
The Origin Heart!
This was the way to enter the Origin Heart Realm. The more cores combined to enter the Origin Heart Realm, the stronger and more solid the foundation of the expert entering this realm would be. This explains why not everyone who can feel Tao can quickly enter the Origin Heart Realm.
This is why the City Lord is so terrifying. Many people were afraid of his aura. However, the former city lord knew that seven years ago, he was a 10th-level sage. So, had he not felt it all this time? Had he not "felt" any Tao all this time?
He must have done more than that. He could have entered the Origin Heart Realm long ago, but he hadn't. He wanted to shock the entire kingdom.
His ambition made him terrifying. He was a fearless, cold-blooded cultivator. He possessed the unquenchable hunger of an absolute expert.
He would do whatever it took to advance!