Chapter 2142: City Lord

"Are the other cities like this too? Do they also have a City Lord Stele, and can the previous city lord imbue it with their will?"

Zhang Xuan looked at Qi Ling'er beside him.

Since she was also a city lord, she must have experienced this and might know something.

"Every city has a City Lord Stele to establish rules, but... almost no one can imbue their will into it. That would be like awakening the stele's spirit, turning it into a treasure! From then on, all the gathered愿力 (wish power) of the city would nourish the stele, doing little for the person."

Qi Ling'er explained.

She was also puzzled.

Such a thing was unheard of even in the Imperial City.

The City Lord Stele suppresses a city, and what it stipulates is equivalent to law, representing fairness and selflessness. Leaving one's will on it would cause all the愿力 generated by the city to nourish that will—could one truly ensure it remained under their control?

Not to mention a mere will; even a clone, separated from the main body for too long, cannot maintain its original intent.

Like that Master Kong from the heavens!

"What is Nightfeather Celestial's character like?"

Without continuing to refine the City Lord Stele, Zhang Xuan looked at Ming Laixiang not far away.

Nightfeather Celestial was the previous city lord, the one who died in the spiritual energy tide.

"Upright, fair, praised by all." Ming Laixiang smiled bitterly. "Precisely because no one could achieve that, the stele was hard to refine and couldn't convince everyone. That's why Nightfall City has had no true city lord for so many years..."

Zhang Xuan nodded.

No wonder.

He had wondered earlier: since city lords could use teleportation arrays, many strong cultivators should have been willing to take the position. Why had such a large city been unruled for nearly a decade? It seemed it wasn't as easy as imagined.

That was why Ming Laixiang, despite losing to him in the competition, seemed unconcerned—she knew that to become city lord, one must first pass the stele's test; otherwise, at best, she would remain a candidate like herself.

"If I can't destroy it or erase it, I'll refine it like a weapon!"

Normally, to refine a weapon with its own spirit, one needed years of companionship to gradually influence it. But Zhang Xuan didn't.

With a flicker of his body, he appeared before the stele again, tapped it a few times, and whispered a transmission.

Hum!

The stele shook but did not submit.

When refining a weapon, if one found its flaw and threatened to extinguish its spirit, it would surely submit. But this stele was evidently more stubborn than ordinary weapons.

Because it knew that the man before it dared not destroy it.

"If you don't agree, that's fine. You left your will in the stele, probably guessing you'd face danger and hoping to absorb more愿力 from the city to revive yourself early."

Zhang Xuan smiled slightly and continued transmitting: "Good idea, but with no new city lord in the city and rules nearly destroyed, the愿力 has been dwindling. It's been nearly ten years—have you succeeded? If you had, you wouldn't still be stuck in the stele. You must have failed, and you'll never succeed in the future!"

"I have no desire for the city lord position; I only want to use the city lord token for spatial teleportation. If I become city lord, I can continue following your established rules, and your will can remain in the stele. With a new city lord, the rules will be reinstated, allowing you to absorb more愿力 and recover!"

Zhang Xuan's voice carried the power of Heavenly Teacher's Mandate. The will within the stele seemed to hear him, and its previously violent resistance slowly calmed.

Zhang Xuan didn't care about the city lord position.

Even if he later needed愿力 like Master Kong, a single city or region wouldn't suffice.

So if the other party wanted it, he could give it to them. Keeping the rules unchanged was even better, as he had no time to manage them.

"Decide quickly. I don't have much patience. I don't care whether I become city lord or not; at worst, I'll destroy the stele." Zhang Xuan continued.

He had no great desire for power and was unbothered by the threat.

"I'll give you ten breaths to consider!"

Having said this, Zhang Xuan said no more, stepped back two paces, and clasped his hands behind his back.

"What's the matter? Can't refine it?"

Ming Laixiang smiled and said.

Seeing him like this, she felt somewhat comforted.

Though he was stronger and more talented than her, when it came to refining the stele, they were in the same boat—no better than each other...

Just as she expected to see him frustrated, the young man before her stood calmly in place, his faint voice issuing from his mouth.

"Ten, nine, eight, seven..."

"Huh?"

Ming Laixiang was startled.

I asked if you couldn't refine it either—why are you counting down?

"...three, two, one!"

While she was puzzled, Zhang Xuan finished counting and looked at the stele: "Make your decision!"

As he spoke, a sword qi gathered at his fingertip, ready to shoot out at any moment.

Feeling the decisiveness in his sword intent—that he would indeed strike if refused—the stele let out a ringing sound and suddenly shook.

"That's more like it!"

Zhang Xuan smiled slightly, dripped blood imbued with his will onto it, and it was absorbed, fully refining it.

"This..." Ming Laixiang was stunned.

She had tried countless methods before and failed. This man had only counted down ten numbers and refined it... Could it be this simple?

"Now that I've refined the stele, can I become city lord?"

Feeling his will also appear on the stele, Zhang Xuan smiled faintly.

Though full of reluctance, Ming Laixiang finally nodded.

She couldn't beat him in combat, and she was far inferior in refining the stele—she had to admit it.

"Here's a beauty pill for you. Though it can't change your bone structure, it can easily make you look more feminine." Zhang Xuan flicked his finger, sending a low-grade Divine Origin Pill flying. "Handle Lin Xie and Wuyang for me. In two hours, I want everyone in the city to know that I am the new city lord, and that I will continue to follow the previous city lord's rules without change!"

Though refining the stele would make others accept him as city lord, to avoid trouble, it was better to let Ming Laixiang handle it.

Having competed for so long without being eliminated, she surely had her own influence and methods.

Using her well would be easier than doing it himself.

"Alright!"

After a moment's hesitation, Ming Laixiang nodded.

He could have handled it himself; asking her was just to avoid trouble. Since that was the case, she might as well agree.

After all, such beauty pills were rare and valuable.

Agreeing, she swallowed the pill.

Then she took out a bronze mirror and looked at herself, her eyes shining.

As the legends said, the effects were immediate—her appearance and skin quickly underwent a qualitative leap. Though her bones and physique still resembled a man's, her face became much more charming than before.

After having Zhang Xuan and the others settle into the city lord's mansion, Ming Laixiang rode a flying divine beast and flew out swiftly.

As expected of the candidate with the highest chance of becoming city lord, in less than two hours, the news spread completely. Everyone knew that a man named Zhang Xuan had inherited the city lord position and established the rules.

By evening, the Ghost Soul Imperial City had sent the appointment letter and the city lord token representing his identity.

"Success..." Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief.

With this, he could use the city's teleportation array to quickly reach the Ghost Soul Imperial City.

"Here are the tokens for Nightfall City's three prefectures!" Seeing him become city lord so quickly, Qi Ling'er was full of surprise but had nothing to say.

She had nearly lost her life to become a city lord, while he had done it in less than half a day from arrival... People really couldn't be compared.

"Refine these!"

Handing the prefectural tokens to Sun Qiang and his parents, Zhang Xuan looked again: "Little Yellow Chicken and Zhang Jia are my spirit beasts, considered the same person as me. They should be able to use the teleportation, right?"

"Yes," Qi Ling'er nodded.

Spirit beasts, whether in the Master Teacher Continent, the Heavens, or the Divine Realm, were essentially considered the same person due to soul contracts.

So they could enjoy the benefits of the teleportation array even without city lord tokens.

Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief and instructed: "Try to refine the tokens today. Tomorrow morning, we'll set out for the Ghost Soul Imperial City!"

Having just become city lord, many things needed arranging. Everyone must know of his existence as city lord; otherwise, without presence, the愿力 would lose effect, and he couldn't use the teleportation array.

Moreover, Sun Qiang and the others hadn't refined their prefectural tokens yet.

Leaving the city lord's mansion, Zhang Xuan arrived at the square ahead, flickered, and sat cross-legged atop the City Lord Stele.

"Since I've become the city lord of Nightfall City, I naturally hope for more experts in the city. In two hours, I will lecture here, guiding everyone on doubts in cultivation!"

Smiling faintly, Zhang Xuan's voice resounded around.

Though he didn't know exactly what愿力 was useful for, making others remember him and feel grateful would allow him to continuously gain it.

And for him, lecturing was the fastest and most convenient method.

Like Master Kong establishing the Master Teacher Hall, imparting knowledge, resolving doubts, and spreading one's thoughts ensured transmission through generations without decline.

For example, on the Master Teacher Continent, Master Kong's name was immortal.

The city lord personally lecturing—news spread like a tide. In less than two hours, no fewer than a million cultivators had gathered in the square before the city lord's mansion.

Seeing so many people, Zhang Xuan smiled slightly, and his Heavenly Teacher's Mandate voice resounded across the square.

"Cultivation lies in the heart, in the spirit, in the soul..."

His voice was like a tide, like a spring breeze, warming people's hearts.

The crowd listened, enraptured.

Previously, they had wondered why Ming Laixiang would suddenly yield to a young man in his twenties, even warning them not to argue. But after Wuyang personally attended a lesson, he was completely convinced.

No wonder he could become city lord—setting aside everything else, his understanding of cultivation surpassed any expert they had ever seen.

From shallow to deep, from deep to shallow—it was foreseeable that the cultivation of so many listeners in Nightfall City would undergo earth-shaking changes, and the entire city would surely see astonishing development!