"He also said that if the lord doesn't mind waiting, he would personally like to welcome you in the city." Just as the guard finished speaking, exclamations were heard from the nearby people.

As Bai Chen and the guard heard the noise around them, they turned to see a middle-aged man in a luxurious robe walking toward them.

The middle-aged man had kind eyes, and wrinkles were starting to form on his face. Few streaks of white hair could be seen in his head, but all this just enhanced the noble air around the man.

Wherever the man passed, people would bow in respect, and even those nobles in their carriages came out to greet the athletic man.

Behind him walked two stout guards, and Bai Chen sensed the aura of peak core formation martial artists from both of them.

Feeling the golden core peak realm aura coming from the middle-aged man, Bai Chen knew that he was the city lord of Azure Dragon City, Shen Canglong.

He took his current name after assuming the role of the city lord of Azure Dragon City; as for his real name, no one knew.

“At ease,” Shen Canglong said after stopping in front of Bai Chen. He first told the people around him to continue their work and then smiled and asked, “Greetings, fellow Daoist, what brings you to my humble city?”

When Bai Chen heard the friendly tone that City lord Shen used, he immediately understood the other party's intentions of making friends with him.

“Greetings, I was just passing by and decided to take a rest in your city. I hope fellow Daoist won’t mind my intrusion.” Bai Chen also responded with a friendly tone; after all, one does not strike a smiling face.

Hearing Bai Chen's tone, City lord Shen immediately became happy and said, “It doesn’t bother me at all. I heard that you were stopped by the guards at the gate.”

Suddenly, City lord Shen stopped laughing, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes as he looked toward the nearby standing guard.

The guard felt a chill crawl up his spine, and his forehead started to sweat profusely. He was so scared that his legs were shaking.

“No, he did not make things difficult for me at all, in fact, he was quite understanding and even wanted to act as my guide,” when Bai Chen heard the City lord’s words and saw his reaction, he immediately understood that just a word from his was enough for the guard to lose his life.

But he was in a good mood as he got a free place to stay and cultivate, so he decided to add a few good words for him, and there was no need for meaningless cruelty.

When the guard heard Bai Chen’s words, he breathed a sigh of relief before becoming ecstatic, ‘Who would have thought that losing the rock, paper, scissors game would end up with the Golden Core lord putting a good word for him with the City lord.’

The guard thought silently in his heart; he was well aware of the significance Bai Chen’s words carried and how they were going to change his life from that moment on, and the envious looks his fellow guard and the nearby people were giving him were only increasing his happiness.

When Shen Canglong heard Bai Chen’s words, the coldness in his eyes receded, and he said, “You did a good job. When you get off your duty, go to the Azure spring to cultivate for a few hours.”

“This humble servant thanks the city lord for his boundless grace!” Hearing the City lord’s words, the guard, who was close to the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm, instantly bowed and praised the city lord.

Originally, if nothing went wrong, the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm was supposed to be his limit, but with the help of Azure Spring, he might have a chance to step into the core formation realm and truly become a free man.

For years, he had resigned himself to his fate — the fate of being just another nameless guard in the Azure Dragon city. But now, he also has a chance. A chance to break through the shackles forced by his talent and reach a higher level, a level he never dreamed of.

Ignoring the guard's reaction, City lord Shen turned toward Bai Chen and once again asked, “I still haven’t gotten fellow Daoist’s name. ah, my name is Shen Canglong.”

“Xiao Feng,” Bai Chen gave a simple reply without going into too much detail.

“So it is fellow Daoist Feng, alright then, since you are here to rest, why not go to my mansion? I am sure you would like the environment there.” Hearing Bai Chen’s reply, City lord Shen didn’t get angry, instead, he warmly invited Bai Chen to his mansion.

“Alright, let’s go.” Bai Chen also nodded as he quickly needed to find a place to go into close-door seclusion.

After hearing Bai Chen’s words, City lord Shen invited Bai Chen to his carriage, which was parked nearby.

The carriage was much more luxurious than the carriages those nobles and aristocrats rode on, and it also held the insignia of Azure Dragon City on its sides. Two strange beasts at the initial stage of core formation realm were tied to the front side of the carriage.

Entering the carriage, Bai Chen realized that the interior of the carriage was much larger than the outside, probably because this carriage was a spiritual artifact crafted by a grandmaster blacksmith.

The inside of the carriage was probably large enough to comfortably hold a gathering of over thirty people. Proving that the craftsmanship of this carriage must be the work of a grandmaster blacksmith.

Looking at the scene in front of him, Bai Chen was almost in awe of the immense wealth possessed by the City lord, meanwhile, he was worried about how long his limited wealth would last in the outside world.

It was not that his father didn’t wanted to give him more; it’s just that whatever he gave him was all he could give Bai Chen without others noticing anything strange with the sect’s finances.

After all, even if his father was the sect leader, he didn’t have absolute authority over the sect and needed to consider the opinion of the other elders as well.

Thinking about this, Bai Chen felt quite helpless, but he could understand his father’s troubles, and also, it didn’t bother him much since wealth was temporary, and the most important thing was to quickly increase his strength and return to his normal life.

Once they were comfortably settled in the carriage, the strange beast at the front started walking, pulling the carriage with them. Meanwhile, City lord Shen pulled out a set of tea utensils and started to brew tea.

Soon, the sweet aroma of the tea filled the inside of the carriage.

“Fellow Daoist, have some of this Verdant spirit tea. it can nourish the soul and refresh the mind.” City lord Shen said as he presented Bai Chen with a cup of tea.

Bai Chen silently took the cup and inspected it for a few seconds before taking a sip, and indeed, a gentle energy started to spread through his body, nourishing his soul and clearing his thoughts from the matters bugging him.

“Good tea,” Bai Chen said as he smacked his lips.

“Hahaha, it’s great that fellow Daoist feng also knows how to appreciate tea,” City lord Shen said. “This verdant spirit tea is made from the leaves of the verdant spirit tree, which only grows by the side of Azure spring.”

“And not all leaves are able to make good tea; there are only a few of those, and most of them are paid as a tribute to the Azure Dragon Sect, while I get to keep some of them.” The city lord seemed quite excited when talking about tea.

Shen Canglong swirled his tea, his friendly smile never fading. “Fellow Daoist, you seem well-traveled. Would you indulge an old man’s curiosity and share some stories from the outside world?”

Though his tone remained light, Bai Chen could sense the underlying intent—Shen Canglong was probing for information.