Chapter 199
If audio player doesn't work, press Stop then Play button again
Chapter 199
I see you have a new bow since we last met, Firdaus commented. Hollowreed. Very springy.
Works decent underwater too, Anton said. As far as bows go, anyway.
Thats the caveat, isnt it? Firdaus nodded. Everythings got some limits. Like special forging techniques very expensive. Firdaus shook his head. Maybe if I win a few rounds of the tournament I can do something. Cloudtop Summit will reward those who do well. Thats what this whole thing is about, showing off.
Same with the Order. Though that doesnt have anything to do with me, Anton shrugged. Im just here to provide moral support.
Cant you? Firdaus smiled awkwardly, Ah, right. I forgot the tournament is limited by age. Personally I prefer Everhearts method.
Anton laughed, Dont let anyone catch you saying anything good about him.
Hah. Everyone at least has to admit that he was effective, regardless of how much they liked him. And nobody who knew him will be around to say anything to me.
Anton was fairly certain some of the Grand Elders of the Order had some sort of interaction with him, though it would have been near the end of his active period while they were still young. He was from a long time ago the only reason he was so well remembered was all the trouble he caused and how many tombs he left around. Plus the forbidden techniques. Really he just left a lot of stuff behind so people would be remembering him for a long time.
As they moved along, Anton felt the changes in Firdaus. It was more than just the improvements in cultivation since theyd last met a year and a half before, but a change to some fundamental parts of his cultivation. He still had the same sort of stormy feeling about him, as did the other members of Cloudtop Summit, but there was a new core holding everything all together.
And of course Anton couldnt fail to notice his new spear. It felt as if he was holding a bolt of lightning in his hand, though it was much more structurally solid and lasting. He didnt recognize the material exactly, but the whole thing was made out of a metal with a light blue sheen to it, haft included. The head of the spear was jagged back and forth like a bolt of lightning, with a wide guard sticking out to either side. It was not terribly oversized, as some cultivator weapons tended to be, but it was certainly a bit larger in size than most spears. The blade was not particularly thick but the whole spear was taller, perhaps closer in length to a pike.
Anton smiled, Im glad to see your cultivation has gone well. Firdaus was about keeping pace with the rest of them, though hed already been behind the equivalent of two stars or so and that distance had been maintained for the most part. But Anton was aware that anything close to the pace Catarina and the others kept was quite good.
The cities they passed through were quite different. Anton was certain that the general functions of the buildings remained the same, but the architecture was different than he was used to. Facraona had many older buildings, largely made of stone that emphasized arches and pillars. This was intermingled with generally smaller new structures made of wood but trying to mimic the same styles, with overhanging porches and open courtyards. Some were even lacquered to have the look of old stone, but to a cultivator it was easy to tell the difference. The older building practically radiated age. Actually, Anton thought that a good many of them should have once had functioning formation, and maybe they still had a few remnants of such.
That didnt include the newer buildings clearly housing cultivators, of course. They had the same styles, and a few were made of much more expensive marble compared to granite. Transporting massive intact pieces of marble must have been wildly expensive, even by cultivator standards.
The average population density appeared to be higher than in Graotan, and so did the general level of wealth. Given the presence of several large rivers and how it bordered the Shervista Ocean on the north, the amount of trade that flowed through Facraona was a huge contributor to that wealth. Yet as they walked through the cities Anton felt from afar there were still places of poverty and squalor. He wasnt sure if it was ever possible to fully solve issues of poverty, but Anton knew people could be doing more. And from his understanding raising up the level of the lowest people would still benefit everyone else.
But not everyone looked to the far future, not even cultivators. Often they were only concerned with what benefitted them most in the short term. To that end, Anton was quite willing to put in the work to show his idea would work, and that everyone else was wrong. And if he failed well, at least he would know he tried to make the world better, instead of just his own life.
-----
The moment the capital, Zraden, came into view over the horizon it filled more and more of Antons vision. The first sight of it was not the city walls but in fact the looming presence of the arena, covering the top of the rise that the whole city was built atop. It was nearly a hundred meters high, and almost a kilometer wide. Even though Anton knew that the majority of the area inside was just empty space, the outer structure itself was impressive enough.
With each step more of Zraden came into view, from the top of the hill down the sides to the various other similarly impressive structures. The walls surrounding the city were only unimpressive when compared to the walls of the arena itself, twenty meters high at least. Anton was aware that the city and its surroundings housed more than a million people, the largest city he knew of. It made Edelhull feel small, despite that being one of the most significant cities in Graotan.
But the size of the city didnt make the Orders arrival less significant, except that they were but one of many sects. With the tournament less than a week away, most of those participating would have already arrived, or would be arriving soon. Nobody wanted to be late and miss out on their chance to take part in such an event. There were prizes for high rankings in each segment, though it wasnt as if Facraona was just giving away wealth. The influx of cultivators would benefit them greatly.
Even as they approached the center of the city to find their accommodations, Anton sensed several markets they passed had enchanted goods. While members of the Order could obtain such things from the sect for contribution points or amassed wealth, having them be publicly traded was more of a rarity. But Anton had to presume that the expense of the cultivator guards surrounding the marketplace would be more than overcome by the profits. Not just sect disciples would purchase from them, but also independent cultivators.
It was easy to see that while the sudden aggression had surprised them, Facraona wasnt so easily ignored. The cultivators of the Flying Blood Cult were notoriously crazy, and the other group in Black Soul Valley had been fully determined to die for the sake of the ritual. Though the information wasnt public, Anton was aware that a cultivator had ascended during that event. One of the few times it had been witnessed. Facraona was still planning to retaliate against anyone connected to the events, but some of the sects in the country would be hesitant to fight against a group that produced an ascended cultivator, regardless of whether or not they knew about their potential return. After all, to have a cultivator ascend meant having peak Life Transformation cultivators, and likely more than just a few. With the damage to the Order, it was enough to give anyone pause.
But hopefully the tournament could bring some sense of normalcy and stability to the cultivation world. Though grudges might form in a tournament, it was also a way for sects to get out their aggression when conflicts werent deep enough to justify actually going to war with each other. It was a way to promote healthy rivalries while trying to weed out those that didnt belong. It might even work for its intended purpose sometimes.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
Chapter 199
I see you have a new bow since we last met, Firdaus commented. Hollowreed. Very springy.
Works decent underwater too, Anton said. As far as bows go, anyway.
Thats the caveat, isnt it? Firdaus nodded. Everythings got some limits. Like special forging techniques very expensive. Firdaus shook his head. Maybe if I win a few rounds of the tournament I can do something. Cloudtop Summit will reward those who do well. Thats what this whole thing is about, showing off.
Same with the Order. Though that doesnt have anything to do with me, Anton shrugged. Im just here to provide moral support.
Cant you? Firdaus smiled awkwardly, Ah, right. I forgot the tournament is limited by age. Personally I prefer Everhearts method.
Anton laughed, Dont let anyone catch you saying anything good about him.
Hah. Everyone at least has to admit that he was effective, regardless of how much they liked him. And nobody who knew him will be around to say anything to me.
Anton was fairly certain some of the Grand Elders of the Order had some sort of interaction with him, though it would have been near the end of his active period while they were still young. He was from a long time ago the only reason he was so well remembered was all the trouble he caused and how many tombs he left around. Plus the forbidden techniques. Really he just left a lot of stuff behind so people would be remembering him for a long time.
As they moved along, Anton felt the changes in Firdaus. It was more than just the improvements in cultivation since theyd last met a year and a half before, but a change to some fundamental parts of his cultivation. He still had the same sort of stormy feeling about him, as did the other members of Cloudtop Summit, but there was a new core holding everything all together.
And of course Anton couldnt fail to notice his new spear. It felt as if he was holding a bolt of lightning in his hand, though it was much more structurally solid and lasting. He didnt recognize the material exactly, but the whole thing was made out of a metal with a light blue sheen to it, haft included. The head of the spear was jagged back and forth like a bolt of lightning, with a wide guard sticking out to either side. It was not terribly oversized, as some cultivator weapons tended to be, but it was certainly a bit larger in size than most spears. The blade was not particularly thick but the whole spear was taller, perhaps closer in length to a pike.
Anton smiled, Im glad to see your cultivation has gone well. Firdaus was about keeping pace with the rest of them, though hed already been behind the equivalent of two stars or so and that distance had been maintained for the most part. But Anton was aware that anything close to the pace Catarina and the others kept was quite good.
The cities they passed through were quite different. Anton was certain that the general functions of the buildings remained the same, but the architecture was different than he was used to. Facraona had many older buildings, largely made of stone that emphasized arches and pillars. This was intermingled with generally smaller new structures made of wood but trying to mimic the same styles, with overhanging porches and open courtyards. Some were even lacquered to have the look of old stone, but to a cultivator it was easy to tell the difference. The older building practically radiated age. Actually, Anton thought that a good many of them should have once had functioning formation, and maybe they still had a few remnants of such.
That didnt include the newer buildings clearly housing cultivators, of course. They had the same styles, and a few were made of much more expensive marble compared to granite. Transporting massive intact pieces of marble must have been wildly expensive, even by cultivator standards.
The average population density appeared to be higher than in Graotan, and so did the general level of wealth. Given the presence of several large rivers and how it bordered the Shervista Ocean on the north, the amount of trade that flowed through Facraona was a huge contributor to that wealth. Yet as they walked through the cities Anton felt from afar there were still places of poverty and squalor. He wasnt sure if it was ever possible to fully solve issues of poverty, but Anton knew people could be doing more. And from his understanding raising up the level of the lowest people would still benefit everyone else.
But not everyone looked to the far future, not even cultivators. Often they were only concerned with what benefitted them most in the short term. To that end, Anton was quite willing to put in the work to show his idea would work, and that everyone else was wrong. And if he failed well, at least he would know he tried to make the world better, instead of just his own life.
-----
The moment the capital, Zraden, came into view over the horizon it filled more and more of Antons vision. The first sight of it was not the city walls but in fact the looming presence of the arena, covering the top of the rise that the whole city was built atop. It was nearly a hundred meters high, and almost a kilometer wide. Even though Anton knew that the majority of the area inside was just empty space, the outer structure itself was impressive enough.
With each step more of Zraden came into view, from the top of the hill down the sides to the various other similarly impressive structures. The walls surrounding the city were only unimpressive when compared to the walls of the arena itself, twenty meters high at least. Anton was aware that the city and its surroundings housed more than a million people, the largest city he knew of. It made Edelhull feel small, despite that being one of the most significant cities in Graotan.
But the size of the city didnt make the Orders arrival less significant, except that they were but one of many sects. With the tournament less than a week away, most of those participating would have already arrived, or would be arriving soon. Nobody wanted to be late and miss out on their chance to take part in such an event. There were prizes for high rankings in each segment, though it wasnt as if Facraona was just giving away wealth. The influx of cultivators would benefit them greatly.
Even as they approached the center of the city to find their accommodations, Anton sensed several markets they passed had enchanted goods. While members of the Order could obtain such things from the sect for contribution points or amassed wealth, having them be publicly traded was more of a rarity. But Anton had to presume that the expense of the cultivator guards surrounding the marketplace would be more than overcome by the profits. Not just sect disciples would purchase from them, but also independent cultivators.
It was easy to see that while the sudden aggression had surprised them, Facraona wasnt so easily ignored. The cultivators of the Flying Blood Cult were notoriously crazy, and the other group in Black Soul Valley had been fully determined to die for the sake of the ritual. Though the information wasnt public, Anton was aware that a cultivator had ascended during that event. One of the few times it had been witnessed. Facraona was still planning to retaliate against anyone connected to the events, but some of the sects in the country would be hesitant to fight against a group that produced an ascended cultivator, regardless of whether or not they knew about their potential return. After all, to have a cultivator ascend meant having peak Life Transformation cultivators, and likely more than just a few. With the damage to the Order, it was enough to give anyone pause.
But hopefully the tournament could bring some sense of normalcy and stability to the cultivation world. Though grudges might form in a tournament, it was also a way for sects to get out their aggression when conflicts werent deep enough to justify actually going to war with each other. It was a way to promote healthy rivalries while trying to weed out those that didnt belong. It might even work for its intended purpose sometimes.
Chapter 199I see you have a new bow since we last met, Firdaus commented. Hollowreed. Very springy.Works decent underwater too, Anton said. As far as bows go, anyway.Thats the caveat, isnt it? Firdaus nodded. Everythings got some limits. Like special forging techniques very expensive. Firdaus shook his head. Maybe if I win a few rounds of the tournament I can do something. Cloudtop Summit will reward those who do well. Thats what this whole thing is about, showing off.Same with the Order. Though that doesnt have anything to do with me, Anton shrugged. Im just here to provide moral support.Cant you? Firdaus smiled awkwardly, Ah, right. I forgot the tournament is limited by age. Personally I prefer Everhearts method.Anton laughed, Dont let anyone catch you saying anything good about him.Hah. Everyone at least has to admit that he was effective, regardless of how much they liked him. And nobody who knew him will be around to say anything to me.Anton was fairly certain some of the Grand Elders of the Order had some sort of interaction with him, though it would have been near the end of his active period while they were still young. He was from a long time ago the only reason he was so well remembered was all the trouble he caused and how many tombs he left around. Plus the forbidden techniques. Really he just left a lot of stuff behind so people would be remembering him for a long time.As they moved along, Anton felt the changes in Firdaus. It was more than just the improvements in cultivation since theyd last met a year and a half before, but a change to some fundamental parts of his cultivation. He still had the same sort of stormy feeling about him, as did the other members of Cloudtop Summit, but there was a new core holding everything all together.And of course Anton couldnt fail to notice his new spear. It felt as if he was holding a bolt of lightning in his hand, though it was much more structurally solid and lasting. He didnt recognize the material exactly, but the whole thing was made out of a metal with a light blue sheen to it, haft included. The head of the spear was jagged back and forth like a bolt of lightning, with a wide guard sticking out to either side. It was not terribly oversized, as some cultivator weapons tended to be, but it was certainly a bit larger in size than most spears. The blade was not particularly thick but the whole spear was taller, perhaps closer in length to a pike.Anton smiled, Im glad to see your cultivation has gone well. Firdaus was about keeping pace with the rest of them, though hed already been behind the equivalent of two stars or so and that distance had been maintained for the most part. But Anton was aware that anything close to the pace Catarina and the others kept was quite good.The cities they passed through were quite different. Anton was certain that the general functions of the buildings remained the same, but the architecture was different than he was used to. Facraona had many older buildings, largely made of stone that emphasized arches and pillars. This was intermingled with generally smaller new structures made of wood but trying to mimic the same styles, with overhanging porches and open courtyards. Some were even lacquered to have the look of old stone, but to a cultivator it was easy to tell the difference. The older building practically radiated age. Actually, Anton thought that a good many of them should have once had functioning formation, and maybe they still had a few remnants of such.That didnt include the newer buildings clearly housing cultivators, of course. They had the same styles, and a few were made of much more expensive marble compared to granite. Transporting massive intact pieces of marble must have been wildly expensive, even by cultivator standards. The average population density appeared to be higher than in Graotan, and so did the general level of wealth. Given the presence of several large rivers and how it bordered the Shervista Ocean on the north, the amount of trade that flowed through Facraona was a huge contributor to that wealth. Yet as they walked through the cities Anton felt from afar there were still places of poverty and squalor. He wasnt sure if it was ever possible to fully solve issues of poverty, but Anton knew people could be doing more. And from his understanding raising up the level of the lowest people would still benefit everyone else.But not everyone looked to the far future, not even cultivators. Often they were only concerned with what benefitted them most in the short term. To that end, Anton was quite willing to put in the work to show his idea would work, and that everyone else was wrong. And if he failed well, at least he would know he tried to make the world better, instead of just his own life.-----The moment the capital, Zraden, came into view over the horizon it filled more and more of Antons vision. The first sight of it was not the city walls but in fact the looming presence of the arena, covering the top of the rise that the whole city was built atop. It was nearly a hundred meters high, and almost a kilometer wide. Even though Anton knew that the majority of the area inside was just empty space, the outer structure itself was impressive enough. With each step more of Zraden came into view, from the top of the hill down the sides to the various other similarly impressive structures. The walls surrounding the city were only unimpressive when compared to the walls of the arena itself, twenty meters high at least. Anton was aware that the city and its surroundings housed more than a million people, the largest city he knew of. It made Edelhull feel small, despite that being one of the most significant cities in Graotan.But the size of the city didnt make the Orders arrival less significant, except that they were but one of many sects. With the tournament less than a week away, most of those participating would have already arrived, or would be arriving soon. Nobody wanted to be late and miss out on their chance to take part in such an event. There were prizes for high rankings in each segment, though it wasnt as if Facraona was just giving away wealth. The influx of cultivators would benefit them greatly.Even as they approached the center of the city to find their accommodations, Anton sensed several markets they passed had enchanted goods. While members of the Order could obtain such things from the sect for contribution points or amassed wealth, having them be publicly traded was more of a rarity. But Anton had to presume that the expense of the cultivator guards surrounding the marketplace would be more than overcome by the profits. Not just sect disciples would purchase from them, but also independent cultivators.It was easy to see that while the sudden aggression had surprised them, Facraona wasnt so easily ignored. The cultivators of the Flying Blood Cult were notoriously crazy, and the other group in Black Soul Valley had been fully determined to die for the sake of the ritual. Though the information wasnt public, Anton was aware that a cultivator had ascended during that event. One of the few times it had been witnessed. Facraona was still planning to retaliate against anyone connected to the events, but some of the sects in the country would be hesitant to fight against a group that produced an ascended cultivator, regardless of whether or not they knew about their potential return. After all, to have a cultivator ascend meant having peak Life Transformation cultivators, and likely more than just a few. With the damage to the Order, it was enough to give anyone pause.But hopefully the tournament could bring some sense of normalcy and stability to the cultivation world. Though grudges might form in a tournament, it was also a way for sects to get out their aggression when conflicts werent deep enough to justify actually going to war with each other. It was a way to promote healthy rivalries while trying to weed out those that didnt belong. It might even work for its intended purpose sometimes.
