Dao Shadow Tower

Qingcang Academy, Deacon Hall.

This was where academy disciples earned resources for cultivation. It was already packed with people, academy disciples hurrying every which way, their faces all marked by a hint of longing and anxiety.

With the Cold Iron Sword on his back, Qin Jue expressionlessly squeezed through the crowd and headed straight for the three-zhang-tall Mission Jade Wall in the center of the hall.

Light shimmered across the jade wall, where countless lines of tiny golden characters were arrayed. Each line represented a task that could be exchanged for Gold Coins and Battle Merit.

Qin Jue looked up, his gaze sweeping rapidly across the wall.

"Bounty: Hunt a low-rank Savage Species, the 'Ironhide Savage Bull,' and collect ten intact hides. Reward: three Battle Merit, twenty Gold Coins."

"Bounty: Escort a Hundred Arts Alliance Alchemist. Reward: six Battle Merit, eighty Gold Coins. Duration: five days."

Qin Jue furrowed his brow and skipped these tasks.

"Too little!"

Qin Jue silently calculated. In this world, Fierce Beasts generally corresponded to the realms of martial artists.

The Savage Species here corresponded to martial artists in the Hundred Refinements Realm. Though they had yet to develop intelligence and fought only by bloodthirsty instinct, they possessed naturally powerful bodies.

Low-rank Savage Species were born with armor-like fur and hides that ordinary blades and swords could barely wound. Only martial artists who had reached Forged Skin could contend with them. Mid-rank Savage Species had tough hides, sinews, and bones, and only those with Jade Bone could meet them head-on. As for high-rank Savage Species, their qi and blood were abundant, their vitality outrageously tenacious, and they could fight without tiring. They were formidable foes for those at the seventh layer of Hundred Refinements and above, and for Blood Melting Realm martial artists.

Above them were the terrifying Sha Beasts, which had condensed Demon Cores, exuded Killing Intent, and begun to develop intelligence. They were powerful enough to rival Nascent Core Realm experts—far beyond anything Qin Jue could covet right now.

Of course, Fierce Beasts were still Fierce Beasts. They lacked cultivation techniques and martial skills, so when it came to a real fight, martial artists of the same rank had a strong chance of winning as long as they didn't act foolishly. That was why so many geniuses could slay Fierce Beasts above their own rank: exquisite martial skills combined with a weapon that suited them could make up for the gap in cultivation.

But the problem was that hunting was easy; processing the carcass was hard.

The Ironhide Savage Bull bounty, including butchering the beast, would take at least five or six days from start to finish, yet the reward was a mere twenty Gold Coins. For Qin Jue, who urgently needed resources to cultivate, that income was woefully inadequate—not even enough to fill the gaps between his teeth.

The escort mission would be an even greater waste of time, and he would have to put up with someone else's attitude.

Time was precious to martial artists, too. Once they grew older and their qi and blood declined, advancing to a higher realm became near-impossible.

They might end up stuck in the Hundred Refinements Realm for the rest of their lives.

"Hm?"

Just as Qin Jue was about to turn away, a line of inconspicuous gray writing in the corner of the jade wall made him pause.

"[Investigation]: Investigate the unusual phenomenon at Silver Moon Bay on the Tongtian River. Reward: Undetermined; depends on the value of the information or items recovered."

The task description was even briefer: "A faint glow has appeared at Silver Moon Bay at night in recent days, and a strange fragrance occasionally drifts on the wind. Its source is unknown."

Qin Jue's thoughts stirred.

"No fixed reward means the person who posted the task has no idea what's happening there. A task like this could either be a wasted trip, a waste of time, or... a heaven-sent opportunity!"

Qin Jue narrowed his eyes, a gleam flashing in them.

"Ordinary plants only give off a fragrance for a few zhang. For a strange scent to drift on the wind, it must be no ordinary thing! But the appearance of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures always comes with immense danger."

Just then, the discussion of several senior disciples nearby reached him.

"Hey, see that task for Silver Moon Bay?" A Gray-robed Disciple lowered his voice, greed gleaming in his eyes. "I heard it's a sign that Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures have appeared! Good heavens, if I could get my hands on a fifty-year-old spirit herb and sell it to an alchemist, I wouldn't have to worry about cultivation resources for the rest of the year!"

"Give it a rest," scoffed a burly man with a heavy sword on his back. "You think you can manage that? Who knows how many factions are watching that place right now. You could easily lose your life. Besides, I don't think it's a spirit herb. It looks more like some kind of Spiritual Ore deposit. If that's the case, those lofty artifact refiners will go crazy."

Alchemists. Artifact refiners.

At the mention of those two terms, the crowd stirred. In Skywind Martial City, people of such status stood far above the rest. A single pill or weapon they refined could sell for a fortune, making them the objects of every martial artist's flattery. Anything associated with them would multiply in value dozens of times over.

Qin Jue listened to the discussion around him, his expression unchanged, though he had already made up his mind.

"Fortune favors the bold. The path of martial arts is a defiance of Heaven, a struggle for one's life. If you're afraid of wolves ahead and tigers behind, why practice martial arts at all?"

He hesitated no longer. Stepping forward, he reached out and took down the gray wooden token representing the task.

At the registration counter, Qin Jue handed over the token.

The disciple in charge of registration was old. He lazily raised his eyelids and glanced at Qin Jue. Seeing that he was only at the third layer of Hundred Refinements, he gave a look of disdain. "The waterways around Silver Moon Bay are complicated, and things have been unsettled lately. Plenty of old hands from various factions have their eyes on that place. What's a little kid at the third layer of Hundred Refinements going there for? Be careful you don't go in alive and come back dead."

In his eyes, a batch of clueless disciples like Qin Jue died every year.

"Thanks for the warning, senior brother. I know what I'm doing."

Qin Jue smiled faintly and offered no further explanation.

Seeing that Qin Jue was determined, the old disciple said no more. He stamped the form and tossed out the mission slip. No amount of kind advice could save someone bent on dying. Since this kid was asking for trouble, he couldn't be bothered to stop him.

Registering and accepting the task, Qin Jue turned and left. The whole process was smooth as flowing water.

Skywind Martial City was the largest gathering place for martial artists within a radius of several thousand li, and far more prosperous than an ordinary city.

The scorching midday sun beat down on the broad bluestone streets, with rows of shops lining either side. This was a money pit for martial artists. As long as you had Gold Coins, you could buy anything, from divine weapons and spirit pills to services for murder and robbery.

Yet beneath the city's prosperity lay naked cruelty.

Qin Jue casually glanced toward a street corner, where several beggars in ragged clothes huddled together. One had lost his left arm at the shoulder, the wound a gruesome mess. Another had had both eyes gouged out, pus running from his empty sockets.

Though they were now destitute, the high ridges of their temples and their thick knuckles showed that they had once been martial artists.

"This is the law of the jungle in the martial world: the strong prey on the weak, and only the strong have dignity."

Qin Jue looked away, with little sympathy to spare. If he didn't want to be trampled underfoot and reduced to a useless wreck in some corner, he had only one choice: grow stronger and climb to the top of the food chain.

Just then, the crowd ahead suddenly stirred.

"Look! The rankings at Dao Shadow Tower have changed!"

A shout exploded like thunder. The bustling street fell silent for a moment, then erupted into even louder commotion.

Qin Jue paused and followed the flow of people with his gaze.

In the middle of the street stood a pitch-black tower: Dao Shadow Tower. No one knew what it was made of; it seemed to devour light, while countless dark-red runes flickered across its surface.

At that moment, dazzling golden light shot into the sky from the enormous stone stele before the tower.

A new name appeared on the stele, radiating an overbearing confidence.

—Zhao Lingxiao!

Record: First floor, two incense sticks!

"Hiss—"

The crowd drew a collective breath.

"Two incense sticks! Heavens, he held out on the first floor for two whole incense sticks!"

"That's Zhao Lingxiao of Tianfeng Divine Martial Academy! No wonder he's a monster from the academy's Inner Court. That kind of strength is downright despairing!"

Among the crowd, a disciple from Qingcang Academy looked at the name towering above them, his face fallen. "Senior Brother Pei Xuanjing, second in our Inner Court, used all his trump cards last month and only lasted half an incense stick... Is the gap really that big?"

"Hmph, we can't compare." A burly man with a broad saber on his back snorted. "That 'Mad Tiger' Li Tianxing from Zhanfeng Academy fought with everything he had and only lasted half an incense stick, too. Divine Martial Academy is the Divine Dynasty's own favored child. Its people are born a cut above the rest. Their techniques, resources, and renowned masters—how could Qingcang and Zhanfeng compare? What chance do we have against them?"

The man's words were harsh, but they were the undeniable truth.

In Skywind Martial City, Shenwu Academy was the undisputed overlord. Only heaven's favored children, born already shining like stars, had the qualifications to enter.

As for Qingcang and Zhanfeng, to put it bluntly, they were where Shenwu Academy sent the ones it hadn't chosen. The Huangwu Divine Dynasty had established these two academies to seek out martial artists who bloomed late or possessed unyielding spirits.

Qin Jue rubbed his chin, his gaze lingering for a moment on the three characters of Zhao Lingxiao's name.

From the fragments of the original owner's memories, Tianfeng Divine Martial Academy really was the best academy in the city. It only accepted monsters who seemed to have been born with a halo around them.

"But that Dao Shadow Tower does seem rather interesting."

It was an unparalleled treasure used by the Huangwu Divine Dynasty to measure the talents of the realm, established only in a handful of places where martial arts flourished. Within the tower were sealed the Martial Dao Imprints of the most astonishing geniuses from tens of thousands of years of the Divine Dynasty's history.

Dao Shadow Tower's rules were cruel to the extreme: "Supreme Suppression."

No matter what realm the challenger had reached, the Dao Shadow they faced would be at the peak of that major realm.

That meant that even if you were only at the third layer of Hundred Refinements, you would have to face an opponent at the peak of the ninth layer.

But that wasn't even the most despairing part. What truly left people gasping for breath was that these sealed Dao Shadows had been peerless geniuses in life, able to fight beyond their rank in their own eras.

To defeat them, you had to cross the chasm between realms and overpower these once-peerless geniuses in skill and talent.

It was a contest destined to be unfair. Unless... you were a true monster.

The first floor held the most renowned young talents in Skywind Martial City's history. It gathered the leading figures of Qingcang, Zhanfeng, and Tianfeng Divine Martial Academy throughout the generations, as well as winning streak holders from the Hundred Battles Martial Training Ground, the top three of the "Martial Dao Grand Competition," and other such luminaries—all famous figures of their time.

An ordinary martial artist who defeated even one of the Imprints inside was enough to make a name for himself. Only someone who swept the entire floor, trampling every local genius of the past beneath his feet, could be called the current generation's "Number One."

And this was only the first floor.

If one could ascend to higher floors, the challenge would no longer be limited to a single city or region. One would have to contend with the monsters of Qingzhou and even the top princes and holy sons of the entire Huangwu Divine Dynasty!

Qin Jue looked up at the tower's soaring peak, a trace of fighting spirit igniting in his eyes.

Dao Shadow Tower... One day, he would go in and give it a try.

But—

"Right now, I'm not even qualified to go in and serve as cannon fodder."

"Don't rush. A meal has to be eaten one bite at a time."

Qin Jue looked away, lightly flicked the dust from his sleeve, and turned to squeeze out of the crowd.