At the Courtyard Inn, every guard rushed toward the source of the explosion.
They burst into the room only to find that the young lady was unharmed. The only damage was a gaping hole blasted clean through the wall.
"Miss, what happened?" one of the guards asked urgently.
At that moment, Snow Lin arrived, striding to his sister's side. "Sherry, are you alright? Was that an assassination attempt? Was it someone from the Dong family? Damn it—should I send troops to pursue them?"
The moment he mentioned troops, Sherry snapped back to her senses. She grabbed his sleeve in a panic.
"No! Not an assassin. Someone came to… buy something. Look."
She handed over four gold coins.
Snow Lin stared at them, utterly speechless.
Who buys things in the middle of the night? And if they really had to… why sneak into my sister's room? And why leave by blowing a hole in the wall and jumping out like a lunatic?
"And he even paid extra," Sherry added thoughtfully. "Well… the extra is probably for repairing the wall."
After jumping down from Sherry's window, Jasper Cole landed safely thanks to the thick layer of dead grass below. Still, the sudden exertion reopened his wounds, and white bandages quickly soaked red.
He fled deep into the forest.
With a push of his right foot, Jasper vaulted into a tree. His wrist blade snapped out, killing a spider hiding among the branches. He harvested the spider silk with practiced efficiency, kicked the corpse down, and finally opened his system inventory.
The items he had "bought" from Sherry included:
Two Rapid Recovery Potions.Two Enchantment Bottles.
Enchantment bottles…?
In this world, enchantment bottles functioned as battle-qi potions—once refined, they could be absorbed directly, saving an enormous amount of cultivation time.
Jasper reset his dislocated bones with a grimace, then drank both recovery potions.
Cracked ribs, fractured hand bones, and his twisted leg all healed at a visible speed. In barely ten minutes, every injury was gone—though his body still felt stiff and sore.
He stood, removed his Assassin Combat Outfit, changed into spare clothes, and headed toward the city.
A massive stone wall dozens of meters tall soon appeared before him, its surface lined with banners embroidered with clouds.
This was the Cloudspire Empire.
Mounted atop the walls were enormous siege crossbows. Though made from relatively common materials, they were still Bronze Tier, Rank 3 weapons. A direct hit could easily kill a Bronze Tier, Rank 4 cultivator. In real sieges, these things came in dozens—sometimes hundreds.
At the city gate, guards collected an entry fee.
Jasper handed over a silver coin. In return, he received a stiff paper document.
Cloudspire Empire · Windcloud City · Residency PermitName: Jasper ColeGender: MaleAge: 16Cultivation: Bronze Tier, Rank 2Status: Civilian
Jasper tucked it away.
So even here, there are social ranks. Just a civilian for now…
If he wanted strength, there was only one reliable path left.
Battle.
Which meant—
The army.
The recruitment office was a sturdy building made of spruce wood and stone bricks.
At the registration desk, a female soldier held a thick ledger labeled Windcloud City Military Records.
"I'm here to enlist," Jasper said.
She glanced up. "Residency permit. And fill this out."
After checking his information, she returned the permit and handed him a slip of paper. "Take this to the military headquarters."
Jasper followed the directions.
At the headquarters—constructed from black oak and stone—he approached the counter. "I just registered. What do I do next?"
The male soldier examined the paper and nodded. "Good handwriting. You're lucky—today's the last day of recruitment. Miss it and you'd have to wait for the next conscription, whenever that is."
"Report back here tomorrow at eight in the morning. An officer will take you from there."
Jasper nodded in relief.
He knew the Cloudspire Empire wasn't alone. Nearby were the Crimsonflame Empire, Whitebrook Empire, Black Soul Empire, and others.
According to Elder Rowan, the continent they lived on was only a small fragment of the world. Beyond it existed empires so powerful they could crush Cloudspire with ease—conquering every nation if they wished.
They hadn't done so only because those regions were locked in constant war.
Village versus fortress, Rowan had said.
For now, Jasper clenched his fists.
Survive first. Get stronger.
The next morning, Jasper woke beneath a large tree along the street.
The city was safe—no monsters had appeared overnight.
As for why he slept under a tree?
He was broke.
He'd spent his last money buying Mysterium Iron and renting a forge room. Cheap forges didn't come with mercy—once time was up, you were thrown out.
With no coin left, the street was his bed.
He ate dry rations from his system inventory, washed up, and headed to the headquarters.
After handing over his slip, the guard directed him to an open training ground where dozens of recruits were already gathered.
Jasper stood off to the side, quietly observing.
Soon, a tall, imposing officer strode forward.
"From today onward, you are soldiers of the Cloudspire Empire," the officer announced. "But don't misunderstand—only those who've tasted blood on the battlefield deserve to be called warriors."
"Right now, you're nothing but lambs waiting to be slaughtered."
"You'll be assigned missions. After one year, you'll be sent to the front lines."
"If you distinguish yourself in battle, glory and wealth will follow."
He smiled proudly. "I once slew an enemy general during the war between the Cloudspire and Crimsonflame Empires. For that, I was granted the title of Baron, known as the Sun Knight."
With that, he mounted a horse and rode out.
Another soldier stepped forward. "Officer Wang has other duties. Follow me to receive your soldier IDs."
Inside a wooden hall filled with clerks, Jasper handed over his permit.
It was placed into a machine and returned moments later.
The cover had changed.
Cloudspire Empire · Windcloud City · Soldier IDName: Jasper ColeGender: MaleCultivation: Bronze Tier, Rank 2Rank: Soldier
Jasper slipped it into his clothes.
A soldier…
One year of training before the battlefield.
He exhaled slowly.
Then I'll survive that too.