Era of Mist

The best thing about this place was that the food was truly incredible.

For dinner, Shi Tiexin ran an experiment. The meal cost four hundred and eighty.

It was still six wisps, no different from the eighty-five-cost breakfast. It seemed six wisps was the limit of the superior-grade Basic Essence Nourishment Technique.

’So annoying! This Cultivation Technique is garbage; it’s holding me back at every turn.’

’If I get the chance, I have to switch to a better Essence Nourishment Technique.’

It seemed the Jingtuan’s exchange list had better Essence Nourishment Techniques. A quick glance revealed the *Breathing Technique*, the *Little Primordial Technique*, the *Little Beiming Infinite Skill*, and more. The names were ridiculously over-the-top, just like the martial arts in the Fighting Club. But my original worldline was nothing like this one; there, false advertising for a Cultivation Technique could land you in prison.

As long as it wasn’t complete nonsense, the *Little Beiming Infinite Skill* had to be far more powerful than the *Basic Essence Nourishment Technique*.

’It’s settled. When I get back, I’ll do whatever it takes to earn Gang Contribution and get my hands on a high-grade Nourishing Essence Technique. The next time I cross over, I’m going to experience what it feels like to achieve Foundation Establishment at lightning speed.’

’So, what else can this world offer me?’

"Boss!"

From a distance, Ah Fei and Guo Bing waved him over. "It’s getting dark! Time to party!"

"Right."

’Time to work on the destiny mission. While I’m at it, I can grind my basic driving skill. It’ll make it easier to farm Gang Contribution later.’

’Let’s burn some more rubber, then!’

Night. The favorite time of activity for organizations of darkness. Night. The beginning of a sleepless nightlife for the young. Night. A stage where cool and decadent intertwined, where passion and danger collided.

Night fell.

Tokyo revealed a face completely different from the one it wore during the day.

All sorts of lights flickered to life, and crowds began to throng the narrow, congested streets. Kaleidoscopic lights bathed the land of cherry blossoms, filling it with a uniquely Japanese sense of psychedelic madness. In the wake of the "Dark Tide," Japan was the worst of nations, and the best of nations. It was the most autocratic of places, and the most free.

Gangs, large and small, were everywhere. Like packs of carnivores, they had each carved out their own territory by unspoken agreement. Every night, they would emerge to patrol their hunting grounds and protect their interests.

On the main thoroughfares, bosses of every stripe led their lackeys as they swaggered through the streets. They divided up the territories—some prosperous, some desolate—according to their strength, reputation, and underworld standing. Their most important daily task was to protect their revenue streams while maintaining a semblance of order that served their own interests.

Although the cabinet existed in name only, the country had not, after all, descended into a state of war. Major capitalists and powerful gangs had eroded and seized control of the nation’s lifelines, but the basic survival of the common people was still assured.

Usually, nighttime was for the biker gangs’ restless revelry, a time when their leader, Shi Tiexin, would take them tearing through the streets. But today was a little different.

They were back in the same semi-basement bar, in the same garage connected by a not-so-secret secret passage.

"Boss." Guo Bing pushed open a small door and stepped into the garage. "I’ve arranged for the guys out front to get their heads shaved."

That’s right. Every male member of the Biker Gang was to get a buzz cut. The women had to either tie their hair in braids or cut it short. To make a fresh start, you had to start at the top—and for Shi Tiexin, the first step of their training was to get their hair in order.

’These guys used to be a disorganized mess; they had no discipline whatsoever. I want to conquer all of Tokyo. I’m not asking for an elite fighting force, but this sloppy look just won’t cut it. They’re just a bunch of rowdy brats. Taking them out on the streets is just embarrassing. How am I supposed to be a boss with a crew like this?’

’So, I have to train them. The first step is to instill a sense of discipline. I have a long list of other plans to follow, and I’ll have to implement them one by one.’

’And training these lackeys is just one small part of the grand plan.’

"C’mere, Guo Bing."

"We were waiting for you!"

A couple of the guys called out, and Guo Bing hurried over. The four of them—Shi Tiexin, Baozao D, Mai Ba, and Guo Bing—all sat down. The only one left standing was Ah Fei, who, with a theatrical cough, got to his feet. He tugged at the collar of his leather jacket, then, with a mixture of awkwardness and amusement, he pulled out a blackboard.

Sliding a pair of glasses down from his hair to the bridge of his nose, Ah Fei slapped the blackboard with a pompous air and yelled, "Class is in session!"

Shi Tiexin reflexively started to say, "All rise!" but before the words could leave his mouth—

"Piss off!"

"Screw you!"

"Just get on with it! Cut the crap!"

After that three-hit combo of insults from his men, Shi Tiexin decided to skip the "Good morning, teacher" part of the routine.

Ah Fei wasn’t offended. He just gave a sheepish chuckle. "Boss, I’ve gathered all the intel. There are tons of tiny crews that pop up one day and vanish the next—they change too fast to keep track of. But besides them, there are a total of fifty-six established bōsōzoku gangs in Tokyo right now."

"Fifty-six?" Mai Ba suddenly started beatboxing and singing, "Fifty-six gangs in Tokyo town, take one down, pass it around..."

"Shut up!" "And you call that singing with that garbage voice?"

Shi Tiexin felt a wave of helplessness. ’Every last one of them is a complete disaster,’ he thought. ’Getting them to show even a little discipline is both incredibly urgent and a monumental task.’

"Knock it off." After finally getting the rowdy punks to settle down, Shi Tiexin looked at Ah Fei. "Continue."

"Yeah, yeah, no more interruptions!" Ah Fei slapped the blackboard again, then with a dramatic flourish, he picked up a piece of chalk. "I’m going to write down all fifty-six of these gangs. From now on, our gang’s reputation is going to be built on this list!"

This was, in fact, Shi Tiexin’s plan.

He’d thought about his destiny mission and concluded that the key was to rise to the top of the Biker Gang world. He had sent Ah Fei, his resident intel-gatherer, to scout things out and make a list. Accurate or not, he planned to challenge the gangs on it one by one, working his way to the very top. That should be enough to complete the mission.

’Maybe I can even score some Celestial Golden Light in the process?’

’That would be even better.’

So Shi Tiexin watched Ah Fei intently, his own expression serious as he saw the other man press the chalk to the board.

One second passed.

Two.

Ah Fei didn’t move.

’What’s wrong with him? What’s he thinking about?’

"Boss," Ah Fei began in a deep, serious voice. Then he turned around, his face a mask of pure mortification. "I... I suddenly forgot how to write the name~"

"Get out!" Even Shi Tiexin couldn’t help but curse, utterly fed up with this crew of troublemaking punks. He slapped his knees and stood up. "You talk, I’ll write!"

Ah Fei immediately presented the chalk with a sycophantic grin. "The undisputed number one right now is Fujiwara Jizhen."

’Fujiwara Jizhen, huh?’ Shi Tiexin took the chalk and wrote the name. He’d never specifically practiced his blackboard penmanship, but his underlying skill was solid. The characters he wrote were sharp and powerful.

’Seriously, which part of the name "Fujiwara Jizhen" did you forget how to write?!’

Ah Fei explained, "Fujiwara Jizhen leads a gang called Heavenly Dao Jizhen. He’s known as the Car God of Mingchun Mountain."

Baozao D: "The what mountain?"

Guo Bing: "The what god?"

Mai Ba: "I thought he said the ’Old Hand of Moaning Mountain.’"

"Piss off!"

Sigh. This was exhausting...