Chapter 63: Upper District

In the Chiyan Empire, the privileges of the nobles placed them almost entirely above the law. A noble could execute a handful of commoners on a whim without consequence, yet Han Yu had repeatedly ignored Murong Mengli's orders. That was certainly thought-provoking.

Just as Su Mu was pondering this... Thud, thud, thud...

Yang Dongqing came jogging back inside.

"Why didn't it blow up?" He marched over to the sofa, grabbed a teacup, and downed the contents in a single gulp.

"I figured with how crazy you are, it was guaranteed to go off."

"Student Yang Dongqing, it seems you've deeply misunderstood me. I have always advocated resolving disputes through peaceful means."

"Please! I don't misunderstand you in the slightest." Yang Dongqing curled his lip. "What kind of peace-loving person fills his own home with bombs?"

"By the way, why did those guys from the Poisonous Snake Gang suddenly turn into monsters? Just how many abilities do you actually have?"

Su Mu simply smiled and offered no explanation.

He was the only one who knew the truth. In reality, there had been no monsters, no machine guns, and no bombs. Everything had been the work of Myriad Phenomena!

The word "Myriad" represented the vast, endless multitudes, while "Phenomena" referred to every scene and object in the universe. Together, the name represented every form and occurrence scattered throughout the cosmos. It meant encompassing everything, lacking nothing.

That was the power of Myriad Phenomena. Put plainly, it was an Illusion Technique that manipulated vision!

Myriad Phenomena: Capable of manipulating vision, consuming mental energy to manifest any scene in the world!

So the Poisonous Snake Gang thugs turning into monsters, the ticking bombs—all of it had been fake, a pure illusion.

As for how he knew Murong Mengli carried a defensive Artifact, the answer was simple. He had tried to hypnotize her earlier, only to find his mental energy blocked by an invisible barrier.

...

...

The following night, Upper District.

Su Mu and Yang Dongqing finally reached the outskirts of the Upper District. District 13 was quite far away, and it had taken them several hours to arrive.

The two of them stood beneath the massive city walls, watching the endless stream of people flowing through the gates.

The towering, majestic wall wound around the city's edge like a slumbering dragon. It drew an absolute line, completely isolating the Upper District from the Lower District.

At the massive gates, a squad of heavily armed soldiers inspected passing pedestrians. Without a pass, no one from the Lower District could take a single step inside.

Su Mu and Yang Dongqing shuffled forward with the crowd. When they reached the checkpoint, Su Mu calmly produced the pass Murong Mengli had left for him. The moment the soldier spotted the noble seal stamped on its surface, he stiffened, immediately snapping to attention to deliver a crisp salute.

Su Mu offered a polite smile and a nod before stepping into the Upper District.

The moment he crossed the threshold, it felt as if he had stumbled into an entirely different world.

A steel jungle of towering skyscrapers pierced the clouds. Their glass facades reflected a colorful yet cold light, while countless neon signs flashed with wild abandon, carving the dark night sky into a fractured mosaic of color.

Ostentatious advertisements rolled across massive screens. The pedestrians passing by were dressed in bright, fashionable clothes, strolling beneath neon streetlamps that flooded every street like an ocean. Swirls of red, blue, and purple light bled together to form a dreamlike vortex of color.

Luxurious and extravagant!

That was Su Mu's first impression of the Upper District. However, he had long grown accustomed to such sights in his dreams. He had personally shaped immortal realms far more majestic than anything the Upper District could ever hope to compare to.

In stark contrast to his calm demeanor, Yang Dongqing looked like a country bumpkin entering the city for the first time. He stared in dumbfounded awe, his eyes unblinking as he took in the sights. He had always heard the Upper District was prosperous, but he had never imagined anything on this scale.

It immediately reminded him of District 13, where the sky was a permanent, hazy gray. Factories littered the landscape, gangs ran rampant, and even the streets were dilapidated ruins.

He suddenly clenched his fists. He knew exactly why the Upper District was so wildly prosperous—it was built entirely on blood sucked from the Lower District.

As a native of the Lower District, he felt that glaring injustice more directly than anyone.

The two of them strolled down the streets of the Upper District. Soon, Yang Dongqing noticed something was off—most of the pedestrians were staring intently at him and Su Mu.

The passersby looked at Su Mu with awe and reverence, as if gazing upon a noble. But when their eyes shifted to Yang Dongqing, those looks turned to surprise and even outright disgust.

Yang Dongqing turned to inspect Su Mu. The young man was wearing an expensive, perfectly tailored black suit and carrying a gold-inlaid Snakewood Cane. He walked with a leisurely, unhurried pace, every movement exuding the sheer elegance of a noble.

Then he looked down at himself: a yellowing white t-shirt, torn jeans, and a pair of bulky sneakers. He even walked with his toes pointed outward. He was completely out of place in the Upper District.

Damn it!

Yang Dongqing silently resolved to buy a brand-new outfit in the Upper District before heading back.

The stares of the pedestrians annoyed him, but he had no way to vent his frustration. He could only lower his head and keep walking. Suddenly, he spotted a highly unkempt beggar with disheveled hair sitting at a street corner, asking for change.

"This Upper District isn't all it's cracked up to be. They've still got beggars, don't they?" Yang Dongqing curled his lip in feigned disdain.

Su Mu shot him a faint, knowing smile. He had clearly seen right through Yang Dongqing's mentality, but he didn't say a word.

That knowing look irritated Yang Dongqing even more, but since he wasn't good with words, he simply turned and marched toward the beggar, digging a single coin out of his pocket.

"The people in the Upper District are so damn rich, yet they're entirely heartless," he muttered, taking a direct shot at the character of the city's elites as he prepared to offer his charity.

Reaching the beggar, he briskly tossed the coin into the man's bowl, then turned to walk away.

The beggar froze, then suddenly called out, "Hold on a minute."

Yang Dongqing turned back around. "No need to thank me," he said coolly.

The beggar looked him up and down, a distinct look of disgust flashing in his eyes. "You from the Lower District?"

Yang Dongqing frowned. "What about it?"

The beggar fished the coin out of his bowl and tossed it right back with a look of utter repulsion. "Get out of here. People from the Lower District don't have the right to give me charity. No matter how far I've fallen, even if I have to beg for scraps in the Upper District, I sure as hell don't need handouts from your kind. Who do you think you're looking down on?"

Yang Dongqing was absolutely furious. Being looked down on by a literal beggar—he had never suffered such a humiliating insult in his life. Damn it all, were the beggars in the Upper District really considered more noble than the people from the Lower District?!

Just as he was about to step forward and argue with the beggar, a Snakewood Cane barred his path.

Su Mu strolled over at a leisurely pace, looking down at the beggar. "I was the one who told him to give you that."

Beggars were the best in the world at reading people. The instant he laid eyes on Su Mu, the man's expression changed completely. His face twisted into a mask of pure, fawning sycophancy as he began kowtowing repeatedly against the pavement. "Thank you for the reward, my lord! Thank you for the reward, my lord!"