Immortality begins with exchanging talent attributes.

The next morning.

Zhou Yan was awakened by the sound of sweeping.

He opened his eyes, but did not get up immediately. Instead, he looked at the unfamiliar roof beams above him and fell silent.

How long has it been since I slept this well?

Zhou Yan couldn't quite remember.

After he transmigrated, he worked at night and rested during the day.

Sleeping properly in bed like last night, and sleeping soundly until dawn, felt almost unreal.

Zhou Yan lay in bed for a while before turning over and getting up.

He put on the clean clothes that Uncle Zheng had prepared the night before and went out.

In the courtyard, Uncle Zheng was sweeping the floor.

Hearing the door open, the old man quickly looked up.

"Young Master Zhou, you're awake. I'll go get some hot water. Breakfast is ready too, I'll bring it to you shortly."

Zhou Yan nodded.

"Thank you for your help, Uncle Zheng."

Uncle Zheng quickly waved his hand.

"No trouble at all, no trouble at all."

As he spoke, he hurriedly went to prepare hot water.

Zhou Yan watched his retreating figure with a sense of helplessness.

The old man was good in every way, except that he was a bit too rigid. He really felt awkward hearing the words "Young Master Zhou".

But no matter what he said, it was no use, so he just let it be.

Not long after, Zhou Yan, who had finished washing up, was sitting in the courtyard eating when he heard a familiar voice outside.

"Brother Zhou, are you awake? Let's hurry up and get going, we're going to be late."

Looking up, I saw Li Kun, dressed in a clean black guard uniform with a knife at his waist, hurrying over.

"So early?"

Zhou Yan stood up to greet him.

"It's still early? It's usually even earlier than this."

After saying that, he picked up a steamed bun from the table and stuffed it into his mouth, saying:

"Take some food for the road."

The two left the house.

  

In the early morning in Jiande, the streets outside were already bustling with activity.

The aroma of food wafted from the street stalls, vendors and peddlers came and went, and cart wheels creaked as they rolled over the cobblestones.

As Zhou Yan walked, he looked around.

When he entered the city last night, he only felt that the prefectural city was prosperous.

Looking at it again in the early morning gives me a completely different feeling.

Compared to Qingzhou, the pace of life in the prefectural city seems to be faster, with everyone appearing to be in a hurry.

Zhou Yan looked around and asked Li Kun:

"Brother Li, where is the headquarters of the Black-Clad Guards?"

"In the inner city."

"The inner city?"

Li Kun glanced at Zhou Yan with surprise and asked in confusion:

"What, you don't know? The city is divided into an inner city and an outer city. The outer city is mostly inhabited by ordinary people, while the inner city is inhabited by merchants and aristocratic families with some assets."

After thinking for a moment, he said in a low voice:

"Brother Zhou, when you're on official business in the prefectural city, try not to provoke certain people, especially those powerful families in the inner city."

Although our Black-Clad Guards aren't afraid of them, they're a real problem.

Zhou Yan nodded to indicate that he understood, and then asked:

"Are there many prominent families in the prefectural city?"

Li Kun immediately perked up.

"You've come to the right person. If we're really talking about power, the Wang, Fang, and Lu families are the strongest in the inner city, followed by the Zhao, Jiang, and Ning families."

These families either have high-ranking officials in the imperial court or powerful figures within their clans; they are considered the six most powerful families in Jiande Prefecture.

Zhou Yan raised an eyebrow and said:

"This Lu family, could it be...?"

Li Kun nodded and said:

"That's right, it's the Marquis of Linchuan's residence, the Lu family."

It turned out to be the case.

As they talked, they soon arrived at the entrance to the inner city.

At the entrance to the inner city, there were also soldiers guarding the area.

Several guards stood beneath the city gate, their hands on the hilts of their swords, their eyes occasionally scanning the passersby.

Li Kun stepped forward, handed over the waist token, and then turned back to point at Zhou Yan.

The guards glanced at Zhou Yan and quickly nodded to let him pass.

Li Kun waved to Zhou Yan.

"Walk."

Zhou Yan followed him into the inner city.

The feeling was immediately noticeably different once you entered the inner city.

The streets were still wide, but they lacked the crowds and noise of the outer city.

There were far fewer pedestrians.

But these people were clearly more particular about their clothing.

Some had jade pendants hanging from their waists, some were followed by servants, and some young men and women rode tall horses, their expressions carrying a natural arrogance.

Li Kun said in a low voice:

"Ordinary people who want to enter the inner city need to pay a toll; they cannot enter at will."

Li Kun then pointed to a tall building not far away.

"Do you see that tallest building?"

Zhou Yan looked up.

Not far away, a seven-story building rose from the ground.

The building is vermilion, with upturned eaves, and copper bells hanging on each floor.

A gentle breeze blows in the early morning, and the copper bell rings softly.

Among the surrounding two- or three-story buildings, this seven-story building stands out conspicuously.

It was a seven-story building, and although it had an antique feel to it, he had never seen a tall building in his previous life.

"What's wrong?"

He asked.

"That's Wanbaolou."

Li Kundao:

"Divine weapons, martial arts manuals, peerless elixirs, rare treasures—you can basically buy them all there if you have the money."

Martial arts manual.

A peerless elixir.

Zhou Yan's eyes flickered slightly.

This really piqued his interest, but he wondered if his hundred-odd taels of silver could buy him a superior cultivation technique.

As the two passed by the entrance of Wanbaolou, several richly dressed young men and women came out of it.

The group of men were all relatively young, with swords and knives at their waists, and their expressions showed a hint of excitement.

One of the boys lowered his voice and said:

"Wang Musheng, the young master of the Wang family, has actually made it onto the rising star list. The Wang family is about to rise to prominence this time."

The girl beside him also looked at him with admiration and said:

"Yeah, isn't Young Master Wang only twenty-five this year? He's so young and already on the rookie list, do you think he'll make it onto the leaderboard?"

"It's not impossible..."

The people's voices were not loud.

However, Zhou Yan had already practiced the Yi Jin Jing three times, and his hearing was far superior to that of ordinary people, so he still heard every word perfectly.

A thought flickered in his mind, and he asked:

"Brother Li, what is the Rookie Ranking?"

Upon hearing this, Li Kun glanced at him and said:

"This list of rising stars is compiled by Dongchao Prefecture itself, listing one hundred young geniuses under the age of thirty."

"Oh? How is that different from the Ranking of People?"

"The difference is huge."

Li Kun's eyes widened, and he appeared quite excited.

"Making it onto the new talent list only makes you somewhat famous in Dongchaozhou, but outside of that area, nobody will recognize you."

But the Ranking of Talents is different. It encompasses the entire Great Yan and surrounding countries, including all young prodigies under the age of thirty. Even those who rank last on the list are extraordinary individuals.

That's amazing?

If Lu Qingshuang can rank in the thirties, then there must be very few people who are stronger than her.

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Yan asked again:

"So who compiled this list?"

"The Gate of All Things"

Li Kundao:

"I heard that their disciples are all over the world, and they specialize in recording the strength, geniuses and achievements of various people to create various rankings."

Zhou Yan's lips twitched almost imperceptibly.

The Myriad Manifestations Sect has ulterior motives.

This isn't a ranking system; it's clearly designed to make these people fight each other.

What do people in the martial arts world value most?

Besides profit, it's all about fame.

Making it onto the list is a sure way to gain both fame and fortune.

Logically speaking, the imperial court shouldn't allow such a force to exist, right?

Before he could even ask, the two had already arrived at their destination.

A large, imposing courtyard with black walls came into view, with two stone statues of strange beasts of unknown species standing on either side of the entrance, making it appear even more solemn and majestic.

Above the door plaque are four large characters written in bold, powerful strokes.

The Black-Clad Guard.

Eight guards in black stood in front of the gate.

Each of them was dressed in black police uniforms, with a knife at their waist, and a cold expression.

Zhou Yan glanced at it.

Above the heads of the eight people, there were white text tags.

None of them are personality-related entries.

Almost all of them are related to combat.

Li Kun stepped forward and greeted the several guards in black robes who were guarding the gate.

It's clear that he's very familiar with these people.

The guards in black robes who were guarding the gate originally had cold and stern expressions.

But then Li Kun said something in a low voice.

The next moment, everyone's eyes fell on Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan was slightly taken aback.

But he didn't detect any malice in those gazes, so he clasped his hands in greeting.

The group returned the greeting with clasped hands.

"Let's go, Brother Zhou."

Li Kun smiled, said nothing more, and simply invited him in.

Once inside the courtyard, there is a very large front yard.

There was a martial arts training ground in the courtyard, where several guards in black uniforms were practicing their swordsmanship.

Hearing the noise, he turned around to look.

Upon seeing that it was Li Kun, he had only given him a casual glance.

But soon, as if they had thought of something, their gazes fell on Zhou Yan again.

Zhou Yan clasped his hands in a fist salute once more.

The group clasped their hands in greeting.

I'm a little confused. Are all the Black-Clad Guards really this polite?

Big cities are just different.

As he walked further in, almost every black-clad guard he encountered would glance at him a few more times.

Some people even clasped their hands in greeting to him.

Zhou Yan finally couldn't hold back any longer and asked in a low voice:

"Brother Li, are the Black-Clad Guards of your prefectural city always this polite?"

Li Kun looked at him and smiled:

"The brothers spread the word about how you saved Commander Lu yesterday, and everyone admires you."

It turned out to be the case.

Zhou Yan then suddenly realized what was going on.

Li Kun glanced at him and smiled:

"Brother Zhou, let's go. The examination room is just ahead. Once you receive your waist token and official uniform, you'll truly be a member of the Black-Clad Guard."

……