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墨書 Inktalez
The turmoil surrounding the Lower Domain, although extensive, was primarily limited to the mysterious forces attacking the branches of Doushuai Palace. As long as other factions did not intervene, there was generally no significant issue.
However, in Miao Cheng, the situation was magnified infinitely, largely due to the composition of power within Miao Cheng. Numerous Dojos formed a formidable strength for Miao Cheng. These Dojos competed fiercely with one another for maximum profit, ultimately creating a vicious cycle.
At this moment, Solemn Temple became a victim of this vicious cycle.
Luo Ao was the eldest disciple of Solemn Temple and the only student of Master Mu Bai. Given Solemn Temple's status in Miao Cheng, it should not have been easily affected.
Yet, it was unexpected that certain individuals in Miao Cheng would seize the opportunity to expand their influence. After many Dojos were swallowed by various means, the newly emerged Dojos began to stir restlessly. No one dared to target the established Three Great Temples, so some turned their attention to Solemn Temple.
As one of the most promising Dojos in Miao Cheng, Solemn Temple was not only a thorn in the side of the Three Great Temples but also a roadblock for other Dojos seeking to climb higher. In this context, Solemn Temple faced its greatest crisis since its inception. Not only had it suffered several defeats in Soul Battles, but more importantly, Master Mu Bai had been severely injured during an attack.
Now, aside from Mu Bai, Solemn Temple had three vice leaders. As long as Mu Bai was present, things were manageable; however, after Mu Bai's incident, chaos began to ensue within the Dojo.
The three vice leaders each held different opinions and did not unite in the face of crisis; instead, they engaged in internal strife. Fortunately, Luo Ao had always followed Mu Bai and still held some respect within the Dojo. With support from some elders in the hall, he managed to hold things together.
His encounter with Zuo Dao was purely coincidental. Having just experienced another defeat, he felt quite dejected; external troubles and internal strife left him in a terrible mood. Under normal circumstances, he would never have spoken harshly to Zuo Dao.
However, after sharing a drink together, Zuo Dao and Luo Ao became old friends who could talk about anything.
Perhaps Luo Ao found Zuo Dao agreeable or perhaps Zuo Dao naturally gave off a friendly vibe; regardless, Luo Ao shared everything with him. This made Kun Ru Tao and Sima Yan feel that anything associated with Zuo Dao was possible.
Mu Bai's injuries were severe; only Luo Ao knew this news. Yet now there were three more people involved, and he seemed unconcerned that Zuo Dao and his companions would spread this information. Instead, he continued to complain.
"Usually, Master has nothing but praise for those Masters; I never expected that once something happened to him, they would act like this," Luo Ao said angrily as he took a large gulp of his drink.
"After several defeats in Soul Battles here, they didn't even show their faces. I really wonder how they think they can turn things around if something happens to the Dojo."
"What exactly is this Soul Battle about?" After some conversation, Zuo Dao finally grasped the current situation but became intrigued by the frequent mentions of Soul Battle by Luo Ao.
Luo Ao was drinking when he heard Zuo Dao's words, momentarily taken aback. He then looked at his companion with a strange expression.
"I don't know if you're genuinely unaware or just pretending, but I finally believe you mean no harm."
Zuo Dao was furious upon hearing this. What did that even mean? What did it imply about having no ill intentions?
"Punishment drink! I consider you a brother, and you dare to say that to me? Do you believe I won't knock you down?" Zuo Dao slammed his hand on the table and threw a jug of wine at him.
Sima Yan laughed heartily from the side.
"Oh, Young Master Zuo, just forget about knowing me from now on. I can't afford to lose face like this!" Kun Ru Tao joined in the jest.
"Remember this, everyone; this matter isn't over," Zuo Dao grumbled as he sat back down. "It's not like not knowing about Soul Battle is such a big deal."
At this point, Luo Ao finally set aside his worries about Zuo Dao.
"Brother, let's drink! Just don’t hold it against me."
After some tentative exchanges, both sides let go of their grievances, and the atmosphere at the table grew even more lively.
"Soul Battle is unique to Miao Cheng because only this place has the existence of Dojos," explained Kun Ru Tao. Although he was a Cultivator from Void Bright, Miao Cheng's Soul Battle was too famous for him not to know a thing or two about it.
With Kun Ru Tao explaining and Luo Ao adding details, Zuo Dao quickly grasped what Soul Battle was all about.
Initially, Miao Cheng had no Dojos at all. Later, Cultivators discovered that understanding the Dao within this domain offered significant benefits, leading to the gradual development of a comprehensive system. This system wasn't defined by combat strength but rather by innovation. Most of the techniques appearing in various domains were related to Miao Cheng.
Thus, numerous Dojos emerged in Miao Cheng. Although these Cultivators were all creative talents, where there are people, conflicts are inevitable. "There is no first in literature; there is no second in martial arts" has been a truth since primordial times.
Whenever a Dojo developed new techniques, to distinguish between strengths and weaknesses among themselves, the term "Soul Battle" emerged in Miao Cheng. This also led to many other developments.
For example, conflicts and disputes between Dojos can be resolved through Soul Battles. Over time, Soul Battles became a staple in Miao Cheng. Eventually, "Soul Battle" became the sole criterion for ranking among the Dojos.
Currently, the top three Dojos on the Soul Battle leaderboard are:
Flowing Iron Dojo.
Muda Hall.
River Dojo.
These three have dominated the rankings for tens of thousands of years. Although challengers have appeared during this time, they were always suppressed and defeated, with some even disappearing completely from Miao Cheng.
Upon hearing this, Zuo Dao couldn't help but sneer. He wouldn't believe it if there wasn't something fishy going on. According to Luo Ao, the Solemn Temple had faced challenges recently and returned empty-handed each time; even when Luo Ao personally intervened, they couldn't turn the tide. This was quite strange for the Solemn Temple.
“How do your Soul Battle opponents usually perform?” Zuo Dao suddenly asked, looking at his wine glass.
“Huh?” Luo Ao was puzzled by Zuo Dao's question but answered nonetheless.
“Except for Youming Dojo, the others have been rather lackluster; one could describe their performance as mediocre.”
Luo Ao was also one of the Masters of Solemn Temple and had a good understanding of the various Great Dao venues in Miao Cheng. However, it was indeed odd that despite having a stable advantage in Soul Battles, they had been losing frequently.
“Oh? How do they compare to your Dojo?” Zuo Dao pressed further.
“They fall short; they are not as good as I am.” Luo Ao's response was filled with confidence.
“What good does that do? You still lost,” Zuo Dao said as he drained his cup of fine wine.
“You…” Luo Ao stood up in anger, pointing at Zuo Dao as if to say something, but in the end, he merely gestured with his finger and sat back down with a smile.
"I'm telling you, if you don't hit big brother, I'm going to die!"
"He's here just to take people down," Kun Ru Tao suddenly chimed in while exchanging glances with Sima Yan. "He won't die if he doesn't take someone down, but someone else will."
Sima Yan, sitting next to Kun Ru Tao, immediately spat out his drink and then burst into laughter.
Zuo Dao awkwardly filled his cup to the brim and said, "Drink up, drink up." He then shot Kun Ru Tao a look that clearly said, "You're in trouble."
After the laughter subsided, Luo Ao suddenly asked seriously, "Have you thought of something?"
"I'm not sure yet. Can you tell me how you've handled things these past few times?" Zuo Dao didn't answer directly.
"In the match against Youming Dojo, they happened to use techniques that could counter us. The other failures were due to some details—strength, time consumption, and power. They were just slightly stronger than us," Luo Ao replied without hesitation.
"Brother Lou, I didn't know you weren't such an honest person," Zuo Dao said with a smile, nodding at him.
In fact, after they explained the meaning of "Soul Battle", Zuo Dao realized it was similar to the usual Danbi or equipment comparisons. The only difference was that it involved Spells.
The strength of a Spell is determined by five aspects: intensity, duration, power, range, and capability.
If two instances of the same Spell were only slightly different in strength, that would be understandable; after all, the effectiveness of a Spell depends on the user. However, the Soul Battle utilized entirely new spells that no one except the creator in Miao Cheng would know how to use.
It was clear that Luo Ao had been set up during his several failures, but figuring out who had dug that pit would require careful consideration.
Luo Ao had his suspicions but was reluctant to believe them. Yet the coincidences were too striking; the margin by which he lost was always just one point. If one loss could be attributed to chance, what about four or five?
"Anyway, it's all just speculation without any evidence. There's no point in thinking about it," Zuo Dao waved his hand to interrupt Luo Ao's train of thought.
"Old Lou, I think you're doing well. Want me to help you out?" Then Zuo Dao transformed into a creepy uncle trying to lure a little girl and waved a lollipop at Luo Ao.
"How can you help me?" Luo Ao did not look at Zuo Dao. Perhaps he could not defeat him, but when it came to understanding Dao techniques, he was confident that he was definitely stronger than Zuo Dao.
Such talent could only exist in Miao Cheng, and only Miao Cheng would have such individuals. They shared a common title—Creator.
Their status in Miao Cheng might not be high, but in other realms, each one of them would be a guest of great power. No one would complain about having too many Dao techniques at their disposal.
It should be noted that Luo Ao was an Earth-Level Creator certified by Miao Cheng. The four levels—Earth, Heaven, Profound, and Yellow—each represented a different standard. An Earth-Level Creator was already the highest-ranking Creator in Miao Cheng today, and it seemed that no one had ever reached this level since the organization was established. Even if someone had, no one had ever seen them.
"What is the ranking of Solemn Temple in Miao Cheng?" Zuo Dao asked, ignoring Luo Ao's gaze.
"Currently ranked tenth," Luo Ao replied, a bit embarrassed. "It used to be fourth." Seeing Zuo Dao's indifferent expression, he instinctively added, "We used to be much better."
"Oh, so it's tenth now? Not bad," Zuo Dao raised his cup in acknowledgment.
"Not bad my foot! If we fail again, we'll drop out of the top ten and could be kicked out of this place at any moment," Luo Li exclaimed angrily.
"Ah, there's such a rule?" Zuo Dao was taken aback; he hadn't expected the competition in Miao Cheng to be so ruthless.
Just as everyone was chatting, someone suddenly burst through the door.
"Brother Lou! It's bad! Someone has been stabbed!" The newcomer shouted without taking a breath.
"What?" Upon hearing this news, Luo Ao crushed his wine cup into dust without spilling a single drop of the wine it held, pinched between his fingers.
"Who did it?"
"It was those Mysterious Monks from before." The newcomer finally caught his breath.
Luo Ao asked, "Is the person okay?"
"Fortunately, there were a few senior brothers present at the time who reacted quickly and saved the person, but the injuries were severe."
Upon hearing the disciple from the Dojo, Luo Ao's good mood vanished instantly.
"I'm sorry, big brother, something came up at the venue, I have to leave now. Let's drink together next time." With that, Luo Ao hurried back to the Dojo.
"Brother Lou, let's go take a look as well; perhaps we can be of some help." Zuo Dao could tell from Luo Ao's expression that this person named "Yuan" must be very important. Severe injuries? As long as he wasn't dead, Zuo Dao was confident he could heal him.
Luo Ao looked at Zuo Dao in surprise.
"I am an Alchemist," Kun Ru Tao quickly stepped forward upon seeing this.
"You are from Doushuai Palace?" Luo Ao turned to look at Kun Ru Tao.
"I used to be," Kun Ru Tao replied with a wry smile, thinking that as long as Zuo Dao's identity remained concealed, everything would be fine.
"Alright then, let's hurry!" Luo Ao didn't ask further and turned to leave.
The Tavern wasn't far from Solemn Temple, and soon they arrived at the Dojo.
It was Zuo Dao's first time entering the Dojo.
From the outside, Solemn Temple appeared to be just a courtyard of moderate size, but inside it was incredibly spacious; it seemed to be another place related to spatial manipulation.
The arrangement of the Dojo was quite simple, lacking any unnecessary decorations. Aside from several Stone Houses, there were numerous stone pillars.
Some of the pillars were already shattered, while others bore marks from attacks, likely used for testing magical techniques.
As soon as they stepped into one of the Stone Houses, someone inside began to speak.
“Luo Ao, what do you want me to do? You lost and ran off to drink, not caring for the Dojo. Now Yuan almost died, and you’re the last one to arrive. Is this how it should be?”
Inside the room stood five or six people. The speaker was a young Cultivator who appeared to be no more than twenty. Despite his youth, his tone was surprisingly mature.
“Xin Changzhu, isn’t the safety of the Dojo’s disciples always your responsibility?” Luo Ao showed no fear in addressing him.
The implication was clear: as the person in charge of the Dojo's disciples' safety, he was now being held accountable for the incident involving Yuan.
“You…” Xin Changzhu was left speechless by Luo Ao’s words.
“Brother Lou, enough. Saving lives is what matters,” Zuo Dao interjected, signaling for Luo Ao to prioritize the situation.
“Hmph.” After hearing this, Luo Ao didn’t even glance at Xin Changzhu and walked towards where Yuan was.
“Senior Brother, you’re here.” Yuan, a Cultivator around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old with an unassuming appearance, struggled to sit up upon seeing Luo Ao, disregarding his injuries. Luo Ao quickly stopped him.
“Yuan, focus on healing. This time it’s my fault for not protecting you well.” Seeing Yuan’s wounds ignited a fire in Luo Ao’s heart.
Zuo Dao observed from the side and could tell that Yuan was not in danger of losing his life; however, the assailant had been particularly ruthless, severing several of Yuan's meridians with a very concealed technique.
“Ru Tao, go check on him,” Zuo Dao decided and called upon Kun Ru Tao.
“Who are you?” Kun Ru Tao was about to step forward when someone blocked his way.
“Wan Qingren, how are you guarding the entrance if you let strangers in so easily?” Xin Changzhu finally seized an opportunity to speak up.
“Are the Dojo’s rules just for show? Hurry up and get them out.”
“They are my brothers; try it if you dare!” Luo Ao patted Yuan on the shoulder, stood up, and glared at Xin Changzhu defiantly.
"Don't be angry, Ao. Xin Changzhu is doing this for the good of Dojo. The world has been a bit chaotic lately," said a Cultivator standing beside Xin Changzhu.
"The Landlord means I'm harming Dojo?" Luo Ao's eyes turned cold.
At the same time, Zuo Dao glanced at the Landlord, a middle-aged Cultivator dressed in a crimson robe, his face slightly pale, appearing to be in his forties or fifties.
It seemed that the Landlord was trying to comfort Luo Ao, but the implication of his words was entirely different.
"Enough with the chatter. Saving lives is what matters. Let’s go check on Yuan," Zuo Dao said, his gaze icy as he looked at the two Masters.
"We're only here to save people. If you have any grievances, we can discuss them after we've done that. If I find anyone causing trouble, don’t blame me for being rude."
Zuo Dao's handsome features combined with his murderous words gave off an aura that warned others to keep their distance.
This young man is so cold!
Especially the two elders, Xin and Lu, who felt a chill run down their spines under Zuo Dao's glare. They sensed that if they spoke another word, they might be killed by him.
Zuo Dao's killing intent was released subtly and targeted specifically, making it nearly impossible for others to detect.
Kun Ru Tao didn’t possess Zuo Dao's intensity, but as an Alchemist who had been trained by Zuo Dao, he quickly identified the core issue.
"The one who did this is truly vicious; it's almost equivalent to killing him."
Upon hearing this, Luo Ao exploded with anger.
"What happened?"
"He had three hidden meridians severed. Additionally, two meridians at the back of his head and one near his heart were also destroyed using insidious methods. If he makes any significant movements or thinks too much, he will experience immense pain."
At this point, everyone knew that for the Creator, this was far worse than killing him.
"Who is it? Who has such a ruthless heart, that they wouldn't even spare Yuan?" Luo Ao roared.
"Is Yuan the one causing trouble? I think it's you. Holding on so tightly, it's probably because of you that Yuan ended up like this."
Zuo Dao could easily guess that these words came from the Third Arena Master, as both Xin and Zuo remained silent.
"Looking for death!" Zuo Dao stepped forward in a flash, raising his hand to slap the speaker, sending him flying out of the room.
"I'm going; don't make noise while I'm saving someone."
The people present were stunned. It seemed that Luo Ao was the loudest one here, yet no one dared to speak up, including Luo Ao himself, who was confused by Zuo Dao's actions.
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