Chapter 41: Situ Ji

The elderly man who appeared suddenly wore robes and possessed the appearance of a youthful sage with crane-white hair. In his hand, he held an unremarkable staff that looked like a mere tree branch, devoid of any ornamentation. Though he stood there simply, he exerted immense pressure on Su Mubai. It was a sensation akin to a common person standing before a vast ocean—boundless and unfathomable.

[Situ Ji]
City Lord of East Sea City
Elder of the Divine Dragon Palace
Level: ???
HP: ???
(The individual of highest status in East Sea City.)

"Greetings, City Lord." Upon seeing Situ Ji's information, Su Mubai hurriedly cupped his hands in a gesture of respect. This was the second NPC whose identity information he could see; the first had been Huai Jian. Yet, why would the esteemed lord of a major city appear before him so abruptly?

The Divine Dragon Empire consisted of one imperial capital, ten major tier-one cities, eighty-one tier-two cities, and one thousand and eighty tier-three cities. Aside from the imperial capital, all Huaxia players were distributed among these cities. East Sea City was one of the ten great tier-one major cities. As its City Lord, Situ Ji’s status was self-evident. As for his second title, Su Mubai knew nothing of it. The information provided by the Ten Thousand Realms game contained no records regarding the Divine Dragon Palace. However, he was certain of one thing: Situ Ji was terrifyingly powerful.

Judging by his earlier words, it was clear the man had come specifically for him. Had he been drawn by the heart-palpitating power released when Su Mubai opened the [Death Canon]? A flurry of thoughts raced through Su Mubai’s mind as he pondered the reason for the visit.

Situ Ji remained silent, observing Su Mubai with an unreadable expression. After a long while, his gaze fell upon the back of Su Mubai’s left hand, where the inscription formed by the Death Canon resided. He nodded slightly and murmured, "Indeed, the power of death."

At that moment, the pressure Su Mubai had been under vanished, and he felt a sudden sense of relief. Situ Ji now appeared as nothing more than an ordinary old man, the unfathomable aura gone.

"City Lord, what is the power of death?" Su Mubai seized the opportunity to ask.

"A form of the power of laws. You are still too weak; even if I told you, you would not understand." Situ Ji smiled and shook his head, and the staff in his hand dissipated into specks of golden light.

Su Mubai was shaken. Laws? He remembered clearly that before the [Death Canon] had evolved, the [Book of Death] had been described exactly that way. Yet, the current [Death Canon] was explicitly described as a Book of Rules. It seemed Situ Ji had not managed to discern all his information. With this realization, Su Mubai felt less nervous. Clearly, some of the things brought about by the [Cataclysm] were beyond the understanding of the God-Forbidden Land.

"Little one, your appearance has truly exceeded the expectations of us old fellows. I don't know whether to call you fortunate or unfortunate." Situ Ji looked at Su Mubai with a meaningful gaze and sighed softly.

"Why do you say that?" Su Mubai frowned. The man had said this when he first appeared, and now he was repeating it.

"The fortunate part is that you have class-changed into a Sovereign-tier profession. Such a profession should not have appeared in the God-Forbidden Land." Situ Ji paused, then shook his head and continued, "It is a pity that it is a Death Sovereign. When you take that final step, it will be far more difficult than for any other Sovereign profession."

"That step?"

"It is still very far away for you." Situ Ji waved his hand, his voice trailing off into a self-muttered whisper: "Perhaps there will be a turning point when the time comes?" He looked up at the sky, his gaze deep, as if reflecting the stars of the universe in his eyes.

Su Mubai looked up in confusion, seeing only the setting sun.

"Little one, grow as quickly as you can. There is not much time left for you 'Descenders'."

As his voice faded, a white light of teleportation flashed, and Situ Ji vanished from the spot. His visit had been like a personal call to see Su Mubai, yet aside from a few cryptic words, he had done nothing. Or so it seemed—after Situ Ji left, a rusty medal slowly drifted down to where he had been standing.

"This is?" Su Mubai reached out to grasp the medal, his eyes filled with doubt. The next moment, Situ Ji's voice resonated directly in his ears.

"Little one, consider this my test. Pass it, and I will provide you with information regarding the Death Sovereign."

[You have obtained the quest item "Medal of the Forsaken".]
[You have accepted the Epic-tier quest "Situ Ji's Test".]
[Quest Content: Traverse the Land of Oblivion and achieve 100% exploration.]
[Quest Reward: Unknown.]
[Failure Penalty: None.]

"A free Epic-tier quest?" Su Mubai looked at the rusty medal in his hand, feeling quite surprised. He still couldn't fathom what Situ Ji was aiming for. It shouldn't have appeared in the God-Forbidden Land—did that mean there were other Sovereign-tier professions in the Ten Thousand Realms? And would a Death Sovereign really have a harder time than others?

"Heh, do the other Sovereigns have the [Cataclysm]?" Su Mubai arched an eyebrow, a glint of sharpness in his eyes. Although he was a Death Sovereign, he possessed the Cataclysm trait. Furthermore, the [Death Canon] was one tier higher than the Death Sovereign’s original exclusive equipment, the [Book of Death].

He had absolute confidence in his future. He was only level 10, yet his stats were already monstrous; he would only grow stronger. Unknowingly, Su Mubai had already left other Blue Star players far behind and begun to make contact with the top-tier experts of the God-Forbidden Land. The appearance of this bug in the system was destined to stir up a massive storm in the God-Forbidden Land, though Su Mubai had yet to realize it.

His current goal was to increase his strength, then find that pair of scoundrels and exact his revenge! As long as he knew Liu Ruyan and Zhao Xu were alive, his heart would remain unsettled. "Other players won't be able to enter the city until tomorrow at the earliest; if Liu Ruyan and the others didn't awaken high-tier talents, it might take them two or three more days."

He looked at the medal in his hand. "This is the perfect time to complete this quest."

[Medal of the Forsaken]
Quest Item
Using this will teleport you to the Land of Oblivion.
(Can only be used once; will automatically be destroyed in 4 minutes and 52 seconds.)

The description was simple, and the countdown was ticking. "No time to prepare at all?" Su Mubai was momentarily stunned. He had originally planned to socket some gems, but there was no time now. East Sea City was too vast; even by carriage, four minutes would not be enough. Having learned from the experience with the treasure map, Su Mubai chose not to attempt to upgrade the [Medal of the Forsaken]. Situ Ji’s test was to pass through the Land of Oblivion. Who knew where he would end up if he tried to upgrade the item? If the quest failed because of an upgrade, the loss would outweigh the gain. He was still very interested in the information regarding the Death Sovereign.

Checking his attribute panel one last time, Su Mubai activated the medal. A white light enveloped him, and he vanished from the teleportation plaza of East Sea City. The first player to reach East Sea City had left in a hurry, without even having a chance to explore this prosperous major city.