[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-last-founder":3,"chapter-the-last-founder-the-last-founder-chapter-51":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","The Last Founder",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1248356,1678,"Chapter 51: Archive City","the-last-founder-chapter-51",51,"\u003Cp>The journey from the mountain to the nearest city was strangely peaceful. The surrounding ecosystems that should have held beasts were silent. No such creatures came to the outer area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alaric quickly realized this was most likely due to the unclean spirit they had defeated a few hours before. They might not have felt it due to the natural coldness that exists at the top of that mountain, but unclean spirits bring a certain form of unnatural chill whenever they are present. This feeling is not like the natural chill you feel in the physical body, but one felt in the core of a being. An instinctual form of wrongness, a feeling of goosebumps on a hot day, a feeling of unease, a chilly sweat running down your spine, etc.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The animals, far more attuned to their instincts than humans, could sense the lingering stench of danger on the wind. They had retreated deep into the heart of the forest, vanishing into the dense undergrowth and shadowy hollows where they felt safest. Though the unclean spirit itself would never have hunted them, the beasts could not know that, and their primal wisdom dictated caution. Many would avoid the area for days, others for weeks or even months, only returning once the invisible miasma of dread had fully dissipated. Such was the way of survival for the wild things: better to heed the warnings of the world than to risk annihilation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alaric and his cohort continued their walk, undisturbed, until the path opened onto a vast clearing dominated by a colossal city gate wrought entirely from gleaming silver. The gate’s polished metal surface dazzled in the sunlight, throwing back shards of light across the stone road. Intricate carvings and ancient runes covered every inch of the portal, each one pulsating with a latent energy that seemed to coil and uncoil beneath their feet, an unspoken warning that any attempt to breach the gate by force would be met with swift, devastating retribution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Standing before the towering 150-foot silver gate, Alaric swept his gaze over the elaborate carvings. Instantly, he recognized the script as runes, a language he had studied intimately, each symbol carrying layers of meaning etched deep into the metal. From the complexity and density of these runes, Alaric could discern that this gate, and by extension the enormous city wall, was fortified with formidable enchantments. Even the most determined body refinement realm cultivators would find it nearly impossible to breach such defenses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A squadron of twelve guards awaited them at the gate, each one offering a welcoming smile. Their armor, though forged from ordinary mortal steel, was crafted with exceptional care, bearing the intricate insignias and flourishes of master artisans. The air around the guards seemed to ripple with a gentle, reassuring energy, enveloping newcomers in a sense of safety and calm that contrasted starkly with the imposing gates behind them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alaric gripped the sack tightly slung over his shoulder. Instead of feeling safe, he felt weird, not by the knightly aura they held or the attire they wore but because of what he sensed on them, or rather, what he did not sense on them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were normal mortals, without the slightest shred of origin energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wouldn’t be strange and might even be ignored by others, but to Alaric, this was a very peculiar scenario.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This city was not a normal one. According to Tian and visitor records, this city is called Archive City. It was one of the few cities considered closest to the center of the Grand Archive World, the Archive Mountains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the main planet and residence of the head of the Galactic Human Territory [Tian], it was massive, spanning approximately 126,000 light-years. This made traveling for mortals, and even for body-refinement realm cultivators, difficult. Just traveling from one city to another would take a full mortal lifespan at times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was one of the reasons Alaric was thankful the mountain he was on was just a few hundred kilometers away from this city. It only took a little time and running at full speed to get here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This particular city was different from the others that surround the Archive Mountains. It was called the beginner city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyone who aspires to join this sect has the right to enter without any means of identification or proof of alignment with any factions. The city was particularly loved by cultivators without any factions or backing, because one could purchase resources from here as long as they had the thought of joining the Archive Mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In simple terms, it was a city for beginners, for the poor to begin their cultivation journey. This city was the go-to for most young cultivators because many were from lowly backgrounds and lacked support. The divide between the cultivator families and factions, and the common man, was so vast in terms of resources that it could not be closed by hard work, no matter what.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This made the city, which was often closed during normal times, crowded in times like these, when the Archive Mountain was about to begin selecting fresh cultivators.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through these alone, Alaric could already deduce that the laws within the city must be very strict, but he didn’t expect it to be guarded by normal mortals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The difference between a flesh and sinew refinement realm cultivator and a normal mortal was so vast that it was despairing. It was a gap that was impossible to bridge. Alaric, for instance, could, with effort, reduce a small mountain to dust; a mortal is like an ant to him right now. It was said that mortals were so fragile that cultivators avoided interacting with them altogether for fear of wiping them out; the same was true the other way around. Mortals were so fragile, cultivators disdained talking to them; they were filth to their gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If a fight between cultivators were to break out in this massive city, who would stop them? These normal guards? That was impossible to even conceive; they would be reduced to atoms before they even got near if the conflict is intense enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could only hope these were just the case for guards outside the city, because if it were the same inside, then things are not that simple in this place after all, cultivators were anything but peaceful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sigh\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He let out a quiet, almost imperceptible sigh, the sound swallowed by the vastness of the city walls and the distant murmur of the bustling crowd beyond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The guard at the front, clearly the leader of the group, strode forward with confident enthusiasm. Each step sent a chorus of metallic clinks echoing across the stony ground, his heavy armor shimmering as he moved beneath the midday sun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Welcome, young man. Do you need help carrying the bag over your shoulder? I am sure one of my guards wouldn’t mind giving you a hand.\" He said softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alaric’s brow furrowed with a subtle frown. Instead of replying immediately, he turned to glance at Eva, searching her serene, beautiful face for reassurance. She caught his gaze and offered a small, confident nod, her eyes clear and steady.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t sense anything wrong in what the man just said; in fact, he couldn’t tell if he was lying or trying to deceive them. His body language and heart rate were calm and stable. He wouldn’t believe anyone would be nice without any ulterior motives. He still hasn’t found one kind person in this world, other than Eva, of course, not even Tian was kind without ulterior motives, even if those motives were harmless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eva, on the other hand, had an ability to detect if someone was lying. It was a swordsman’s instincts. They could tell when something was true or false, some more than others, and with her deep resonance with swords, her ability was enhanced massively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was why he glanced at her. She should be able to tell whether their kindness was genuine or just fabricated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After confirming, he replied, \"Ah, no, sir. It is no problem at all. This sack is not heavy for me at all. Thank you for offering, sir.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hahaha,\" he laughed loudly, \"there’s no need for thanks, young man, this is part of our job. You must be here to register for the Archive Selections this time. It’s a few months away, so you should make sure to gather resources and prepare well for the selection.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thank you for the advice, sir. We will make sure to prepare for this selection.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, this time’s selection is quite different. It has been almost a hundred years since the last selection; you should make sure to prepare well so you can enter. No one knows when the next selection will be.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alaric frowned at that. Usually, sects are selected every decade. For it to have been almost a hundred years since the last selection, it means something had gone wrong somewhere. Before he could fish out more information, the guard retreated while shouting. \"Open the gates.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1504,"2026-06-05T15:32:41.458Z",1,"novelbin.me","d62bad49a187f46302840a63dc6670fbfc0303dd6ad9b11a81189817cccea2ee","the-last-founder-chapter-52",null,53,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-last-founder-cover.jpg"]