Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan Chapter 1858 - 1398: Interrogation

What is the reason behind the exorbitant cost of forging an identification document?

It is because the paper does not merely list a name or place of origin; it serves as a window into a person’s entire life history!

This chronicle begins with the registration of one's birth. Upon reaching the age of fourteen, every annual population tax payment is recorded, followed by entries for marriage and the birth of children.

Furthermore, individuals from prestigious backgrounds may have their records start even earlier. These entries might include details of studying the Human Dao Hundred Schools at a prestigious academy, traveling for academic exchanges, receiving evaluations from mentors, or participating in various examinations.

In essence, an ID document functions as a biographical record of a person's existence!

This system is not merely the product of the Human Dao’s Confucian, Legalist, and Mo Family ideologies. It is a unified creation that can be verified not only within the Dayan Dynasty but across other dynasties as well!

Consequently, Li Zhirui understands why forgery demands such a high price; the process requires the actual consumption of a dynasty’s Dragon energy.

The document he currently holds lists his birth year and notes the discovery of his Spiritual Root at age six by a specific Immortal Tao sect. It details his subsequent retreat into the mountains for Cultivation, the year he was granted his ceremonial tablet, and his years of dedicated practice leading to his status as an Individual Immortal.

It even includes exhaustive accounts of his travels and external experiences, making it impossible to detect as a fake.

With this ID in hand, Li Zhirui departed from the Dayan Dynasty, traveling tirelessly toward the Daqian Dynasty!

The moment he crossed into Daqian territory, he sensed a much more rigorous Human Daoist magic network. The legal authority felt as oppressive as a cage, and despite carrying the Dragon Qi Jade Seal, he still experienced significant pressure.

Yet, the commoners walking past him seemed completely oblivious to this weight.

This was only natural; regardless of how he masked his appearance or hid his presence, he could not alter his fundamental nature as an Immortal Tao practitioner!

"Hoo—"

Releasing a long, silent breath, Li Zhirui immediately shifted his internal state to acclimate to the local magic network's pressure.

Within a few moments, without drawing any unwanted attention, he pressed forward. A gentle breeze surrounded him as he traveled at an impressive speed.

It took only two hours to reach a towering, magnificent city.

"Bianshan City!"

The name was simple and direct, befitting a major border stronghold.

Because of its status, the entry process was nothing like the relaxed inspections of the smaller cities he had visited. One only had to look at the guards—full of vigor and simmering with hostility—to realize that gaining entry would be a challenge.

Every traveler was required to present their ID documents and state their reasons for entering Daqian. For a Human Dao practitioner like him, the scrutiny was especially intense!

"Immortal Tao Cultivator Wang Qinghe from the Dayan Xiao Ming Palace, what is your purpose in Daqian?"

Li Zhirui replied with a humble tone, "Daqian’s prosperity is well-known; I am here in hopes of obtaining Spiritual Objects and new Cultivation techniques to further my progress."

"So, you are here for training?"

"That is correct."

The guard stared at him with a piercing gaze for a long time before finally stamping an entry mark onto his ID and tossing it back.

With a warning look, the guard barked, "Follow Daqian’s laws strictly and do not attempt any trickery! Anyone harboring ill intent can be executed on the spot—and that would be the lucky outcome!"

"Understood, thank you." Li Zhirui feigned a slight tremble in his eyes, forcing a calm expression as he passed through the massive, heavy city gates.

"Hmph!" A snort of mockery and disdain followed him from behind.

"I don't understand why the dynasty wastes its wealth supporting these useless Cultivators."

"Truly! In a fight, they cannot match the Military Family practitioners; in service to the state and its people, they are inferior to the Confucian, Legalist, and Farmer Schools. Yet, they consume several times the resources."

The guards spoke with blatant malice, not caring if they were overheard.

Li Zhirui acted as though he hadn't heard and hurried away, thinking to himself, "It appears there is a deep-seated conflict between traditional Cultivators and the practitioners of the Hundred Schools within Daqian."

If that weren't the case, these guards wouldn't be so aggressive in mocking a foreign Cultivator like him.

He suspected his time in the Daqian Dynasty would be far from easy.

However, Li Zhirui did not expect such hostility to manifest so quickly!

Within his first two hours in Bianshan City, while strolling through the streets, he paused for a moment at a small stall. Suddenly, a minor official shouted at him, "You, Cultivator! Get out of the way! Stop blocking the road!"

In truth, the street was quite wide, easily allowing multiple people and even a carriage to pass by him without issue.

The official simply took offense to Li Zhirui’s presence, or rather, his identity as a Cultivator.

Li Zhirui never thought he would see the day where he was publicly berated by a low-level official he could destroy with a single thought.

The local pedestrians seemed used to such scenes; they didn't even look up, continuing their business as if nothing was wrong.

Though Li Zhirui was a patient man, he could not help the flash of irritation that rose within him. If not for the crushing aura permeating the air, he would have killed the man where he stood.

Instead, he silently moved to the edge of the street, waiting for the official to walk past.

As the minor official drew near, a nearly invisible trace of powder drifted onto him, carried by a light gust of wind.