Chapter 54: Promise

Bai Feiyu waited quietly. Before long, the old city lord brought out an ancient-looking compass. Bai Feiyu took it, scrutinizing it carefully, but found it rather unremarkable. Aside from its odd shape and aged appearance, it seemed no different from any other compass.

Just as Bai Feiyu was about to frown, the old city lord let out a chuckle and said, “Young man, I know what you’re thinking. Don’t underestimate this compass. Our predecessors went through countless trials to retrieve it from the ruins of Toba. You simply don’t know how to use it yet. To operate this compass, you need a special incantation—which, of course, I haven’t told you.”

Bai Feiyu gazed silently at the old city lord and asked, “Do I need to agree to your previous condition first?”

“No, no!” The old city lord shook his head. “If you agree to that condition and later renege after receiving the compass, I’d have no recourse. If I tried to act against you, your sect would certainly punish me. I simply want you to see that the compass truly exists. Whether you have the fortune to claim it depends on you. All I ask is that you protect our city before the Toba ruins open. When the time comes, I’ll hand the compass over to you.”

“It’s a deal!” Bai Feiyu looked at the city lord. “You’re a good leader and a good man. I believe you. Even if you don’t give me the compass in the end, I’ll continue to protect the city until everyone has safely departed.”

Bai Feiyu understood perfectly what the city lord meant: it was all about his own destiny. Would he be willing to protect the people of the city for the sake of the compass? It was a gamble. If the compass turned out to be ordinary after all, Bai Feiyu’s efforts would have been for nothing, his protection unrewarded. The Guixu Sect would never intervene on behalf of its disciples, especially since it was a righteous sect and would never kill the city lord or massacre the city.

After returning the compass to the city lord, Bai Feiyu took out his communication jade slip and had the city lord imbue it with his aura. “All right, if anything comes up, contact me through the jade slip. I’m leaving now. If there’s trouble, I’ll come at once and stand up for you.”

With these words, Bai Feiyu headed outside.

The old city lord watched the young man with a deep gaze, uncertain whether Bai Feiyu would truly keep his promise. If he lost the compass, it wouldn’t just be him without it—everyone would be. They’d all be back at the same starting line. If Bai Feiyu spent all his energy protecting the city’s residents, he wouldn’t be able to cultivate properly and might fall behind once inside the Toba ruins. For those of extraordinary talent, even the slightest lag could mean missing a crucial opportunity, and missing one might set them back for a lifetime. Would this youth truly honor his promise and take the risk?

...

After leaving the city lord’s mansion, Bai Feiyu wandered through various parts of the city before returning to the inn.

Inside the inn, Liu Guang and the others were squeezing every second for cultivation, afraid to fall behind. They harbored some resentment toward Bai Feiyu; after all, he hadn’t come here for leisure. Yet he’d gone off to amuse himself, and if his cultivation fell behind, their chances of competing with the other cities would suffer—a situation no one could tolerate.

When Bai Feiyu returned, Liu Guang and the others noticed, but they ignored him and continued their training. Bai Feiyu did the same, heading straight to his room and beginning to absorb spirit stones to strengthen his cultivation.

By now, Bai Feiyu had broken through to the sixth tier of the Haoqi Realm. Still, he remained the weakest in cultivation among them all—note, cultivation, not combat strength. Once in the Toba ruins, everyone knew the rule: the weak are targeted first. And Guixu Sect had its share of rival sects.

Bai Feiyu began his training.

...

One day, while Bai Feiyu was cultivating, a message came through his communication jade slip.

Bai Feiyu immediately stopped his training. His cultivation method was simple and unlike others; even if interrupted, he wouldn’t suffer from deviation. So he awoke instantly.

The old city lord’s message informed Bai Feiyu that members from other sects had entered the city and urged him to stay vigilant. Bai Feiyu smiled, but didn’t reply. He’d already agreed with the city lord to remain at the inn, not wandering the city daily. If anything happened, he’d be notified at once. With so many people in the city and so many constables, news would reach him swiftly.

If no trouble came for Bai Feiyu during these days, the old city lord would owe him the compass, with a promise not to deceive him. Bai Feiyu understood that such promises held little weight, but as long as the other sects caused no trouble, he could take the compass into the Toba ruins.

These days, the city lord would surely be busy. With all the sects arriving, his burden grew heavier, needing to watch for any oppression of the common folk and to cleanse the constables of corruption. Abuse of power among constables could ruin the peace the city lord had worked so hard to achieve—something he could not accept.

On the third day, at noon, the city lord sent another urgent message. Bai Feiyu opened it to find a frantic plea: a member of the Golden Light Sect was causing havoc in the marketplace and he was needed at once.

Bai Feiyu smiled calmly. It was likely more than just one member; few would visit the market alone. There were probably senior brothers or others accompanying him. Yet Bai Feiyu was not the least bit afraid. It was finally his turn to step forward and prove his worth to the city lord.

...