On Ningcheng's food street, the air was thick with the clamor of voices and the bustling of crowds, creating a scene of vibrant festivity.
In the past, Ningcheng's food street was populated by people, nearly half of whom were bald, with most of their hair being black.
Now, Ningcheng: With the widespread availability of various spirit meats, people's hair volume has increased. Moreover, out of admiration for ability users, many have dyed their hair in various colors, with red, blue, silver, and yellow being the most common, and green the least.
In this era, it was considered unfashionable to go out without a splash of color on one's head. Having colored hair also made others regard you with a degree of respect, as they couldn't be sure if you were an ability user.
Ino Yamanaka, Choji Akimichi, Kiba Inuzuka, and Akamaru, a trio and a dog, walked along the street, their eyes wide with wonder as they gazed at the surrounding skyscrapers and the myriad of illuminated signs.
Ino Yamanaka sighed, "I've only ever seen the daily life of Dragon Country's cities on live streams or videos before. Experiencing it firsthand now, I realize just how prosperous it is!"
"It's not just prosperous; in terms of food, it completely blows away all the snacks in Konoha!" Choji Akimichi said, his eyes crinkling into a smile. Both his hands were laden with skewers of grilled meat, and he mumbled indistinctly as he stuffed barbecue into his mouth.
Just moments ago, he had bought out half of a barbecue stall in one go. To carry more skewers, he had even used his Expansion Jutsu to enlarge his hands. The skewers he held numbered in the thousands, drawing considerable attention.
"Choji, you can't possibly eat all that barbecue, can you? Give me some!" Kiba Inuzuka said with a grin.
Akamaru barked in agreement, "Woof!"
"No way! This isn't even enough for me. If you want some, go buy it yourself!" Choji Akimichi's expression turned wary.
"Merit points are hard to earn. I just bought weapons and various talismans and magic treasures, so I don't have much money left," Kiba Inuzuka sighed.
Unlike Choji, he wasn't just supporting himself; his beloved pet Akamaru was also a considerable drain on his resources.
Furthermore, with the increasing number of extraordinary individuals in Dragon Country, the exchange rate of merit points for RMB had begun to decrease, with one merit point now only worth 874 yuan.
Conversely, the various industries related to the supernatural had become increasingly sophisticated. The market now featured sales of various spirit beast meats, and weapon shops were stocking spirit energy weapons. The supernatural had thoroughly integrated into the daily lives of the people.
"C-grade octopus meat, even the Eye Emperor said it was good! 500 yuan a skewer, 2 skewers for 1 merit point!"
"F-grade braised ribs, selling cheap! 80 yuan a jin, don't miss out!"
"High-grade sea serpent meat on sale at a low price! Men who eat it can't satisfy women, and women who eat it can't satisfy men. Those who know, know. Only for adults!"
Various hawking sounds could be heard all around. Kiba Inuzuka glanced at Akamaru, who was drooling and walking ahead, and sighed. He bought twenty jin of braised ribs, and then he and the dog began to gnaw on them as they walked.
The braised ribs were from artificially raised F-grade spirit pigs. Eating them didn't increase spirit energy, but they were satisfying for cravings.
Ino Yamanaka also bought a few skewers of takoyaki. The group continued walking, eating as they went.
As they passed a milk tea shop at a corner, they ordered a cup of spirit milk tea. A bite of grilled meat followed by a refreshing sip, and they were in pure bliss.
Turning the corner, between the towering buildings lining the road, floated over a dozen holographic data projections. They were broadcasting live footage of the real-time combat situations at several border outposts.
Below them, a dense crowd of onlookers had gathered.
"Whoa, that's a huge Nether Serpent. There's another Eternal Night creature invasion at the Port West border."
"Judging by its size, this Nether Serpent must be at least Law level. The Port West Wolf Army is really something, their coordination is so good!"
"Slurp~ Such a massive Nether Serpent. If its corpse is filtered through an energy conversion device to remove the dark spirit energy, it should retain at least eighty percent of its edible meat. Plus various bodily materials, the Port West Shenhua Bureau is making a fortune!"
"It's still faster for ability users to make money. Not to mention, a larger C-grade dark beast meat can sell for at least hundreds of thousands, and there are plenty of wealthy individuals willing to pay for it."
"I still regret that the Eye Emperor, Uchiha Yuzhi, burned that glutton to ashes. How much would such a large glutton be worth if its body could have been preserved intact!"
"Forget it. The Glutton is an interdimensional gene species of level 90 or above. It can achieve rebirth through the life imprint in its gene cells. It's good enough that it was killed. Besides, isn't Bobo not lacking in money?"
On the screens, various combat scenes were spectacular. From time to time, strange beasts roared out of void rifts in different border regions, and attacks of all attributes filled the entire screen, resembling the arrival of an apocalypse.
However, few of the onlookers were afraid, for they were protected by Dragon Country's national destiny shield, and more importantly, they had the backing of the Eye Emperor and Wang Shouyi, father and son-in-law. They were true land immortal-level extraordinary individuals, possessing national-level combat power.
"I'm starting to feel impatient to go to the battlefield!" Kiba Inuzuka's black vertical pupils gleamed, and a fighting spirit appeared on his face.
"The Shenhua Bureau is still coordinating the combat strength of our Dawn organization. Missions should be issued tomorrow. I also can't wait to earn merit points," Ino Yamanaka said, her lips curving into a smile, her expression equally eager.
"Shikamaru seems to be severing his connection with the Heart of the Mystic Realm as well. It's the Fourth Lady, whose Sealing Jutsu has reached the pinnacle of creation, who is personally handling it. Our Ino-Shika-Cho will surely make a name for ourselves on the battlefield!" Choji Akimichi said, his words a little muffled as he devoured the meat in his mouth.
"That lazy bum? Forget it!" Ino Yamanaka shook her head. "Ever since he resurrected Teacher Asuma and his own family, he's been either sleeping or playing 'Merge Sheep' all day. He's practically gone to waste. I heard he even refused when they offered to help him dissolve his fusion with the Heart of the Mystic Realm."
"Let's not talk about that anymore. Look quickly at the eighth electronic screen. That golden figure... isn't that Naruto?" Kiba Inuzuka pointed at the eighth electronic screen, his mouth agape.
Ino Yamanaka and Choji Akimichi quickly followed his gaze and gasped in unison.
On the screen, Naruto Uzumaki, who had entered the Nine-Tails Sage Mode, was suspended above Silver South Border Outpost No. 6. With one hand, he held a colossal Sage Art: Wind Style: Rasenshuriken. As golden light filled the entire live broadcast, he became the most dazzling figure in the stream.
The Rasenshuriken was enormous, spanning the size of several basketball courts. Compared to it, his body was as small as an ant, creating a powerful visual impact.
In front of him were hundreds of Dark Winged Dragons of A-class or higher. The largest were thousands of meters long, and the smallest were nearly a thousand meters. They blotted out the sun and covered the entire sky.
"Heh, a bunch of weaklings, you're still far from it. Take this Sage Art: Wind Style: Rasenshuriken!"
A magnetic voice reached the audience's ears through the live broadcast's data eye. Naruto waved his hand, and the brilliant golden Rasenshuriken, many times larger than his body, shot out with a speed that belied its volume.
"Hum~" A sharp, sword-like tremor sounded.
Under the edge of the sharp energy, the void split open, and the Rasenshuriken entered the void. The next moment, it emerged from the center of the Dark Winged Dragon swarm and then exploded with a roar.
Like a sun bursting forth, a golden beam of light pierced through the thick dark spirit energy clouds above the dome. Hundreds of Dark Winged Dragons, including four Law-level ones, were annihilated into ashes by the ferocious golden energy in the terrifying explosion before they could even scream, scattering across the sky!
"Dattebayo!"
After the successful strike, Naruto Uzumaki clenched his fist tightly, revealing a confident and sunny smile.