Dao Shadow Tower

Qingcang Academy, Deacon Hall.

This was where academy disciples earned cultivation resources, and it was already packed with people, disciples rushing about with hurried expressions, each face carrying a trace of eagerness and anxiety.

Qin Jue, carrying his Cold Iron Sword on his back, pushed through the crowd with an expressionless face, walking straight to the Mission Jade Wall in the center of the hall, which stood three zhang tall.

Light flowed across the jade wall, countless small golden characters listed upon it, each line representing a mission that could be exchanged for gold coins and Battle Merits.

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

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

"Bounty: Escort the 'Hundred Arts Alliance Alchemist.' Reward: six Battle Merits, eighty Gold Coins. Duration: five days."

Qin Jue frowned slightly, directly skipping over these missions.

"Too little!"

Qin Jue calculated inwardly. In this world, Fierce Beasts generally corresponded one-to-one with a martial artist's realm.

These Savage Species before him corresponded to martial artists in the Hundred Refinements Realm. Though they lacked intelligence and fought only on bloodthirsty instinct, they possessed innately powerful physical bodies.

Low-grade Savage Species were born with hide like armor, ordinary blades unable to harm them; only martial artists who had reached Forged Skin could contend with them. Mid-grade Savage Species had hides and muscles so tough that only Jade Bone could face them head-on. As for high-grade Savage Species, their blood and qi were abundant, their vitality stubborn to an infuriating degree, fighting tirelessly—they were formidable foes for those above the Seventh Layer of Hundred Refinements, in the Blood Melting Realm.

Beyond that, the terrifying Sha Beasts that had condensed Demon Cores, could release Sha Qi externally, and had begun to develop intelligence—those were existences comparable to Nascent Core Realm experts, far beyond what Qin Jue could covet now.

Of course, Fierce Beasts were still beasts. Without techniques or martial skills, as long as a martial artist of the same realm didn't act foolishly, their chances of victory were still high. This was why many geniuses could kill beasts above their level—a set of exquisite martial skills paired with a suitable weapon could bridge the gap in realm.

But the problem was, killing was easy; processing was hard.

That bounty for hunting the Ironhide Savage Bull, including dismemberment, would take at least five or six days, yet the reward was a mere twenty Gold Coins. This paltry income was barely enough for Qin Jue, who urgently needed resources to cultivate—it couldn't even fill the gaps between his teeth.

As for the escort mission, it was even more of a waste of time, and he'd have to put up with someone else's attitude.

For a martial artist, time was equally precious. As age increased and blood and qi declined, trying to raise one's realm became nearly impossible.

If he wasn't careful, he could be stuck in the Hundred Refinements Realm for life.

"Hm?"

Just as Qin Jue was about to turn and leave, a line of inconspicuous gray text in the corner of the jade wall made him pause slightly.

"[Investigation]: Tongtian River 'Silver Moon Bay' anomaly survey. Reward: No fixed amount, determined by value of intelligence or physical findings."

The mission description was even sparser, only a few words: "Recently, faint light appears at Silver Moon Bay at night, occasional strange fragrance drifts with the wind, source unknown."

Qin Jue's heart stirred.

"No fixed reward means even the person who posted the mission has no idea what's happening there. This kind of mission is either a wasted trip, or... a tremendous opportunity!"

Qin Jue narrowed his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them.

"Ordinary grass and trees, their fragrance only spreads a few zhang. For a strange fragrance to drift with the wind, it's no ordinary thing! But such Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures emerging will certainly come with great danger."

Just then, the murmurs of a few nearby disciples reached his ears.

"Heh, see that Silver Moon Bay mission?" a Gray-robed Disciple said in a low voice, greed shining in his eyes. "I've heard it's a sign of a Heavenly Material or Earthly Treasure emerging! Damn, if I could get my hands on a fifty-year-old spiritual herb, sell it to an alchemist, I wouldn't have to worry about cultivation resources for the next half year!"

"Give it a rest," a burly man carrying a heavy sword sneered. "With your skills? Who knows how many factions are camped out there now? You might end up losing your life. And I don't think it's a spiritual herb—looks more like some kind of Spiritual Ore deposit. If that's the case, those lofty Artifact Masters will probably go crazy."

Alchemists, Artifact Masters.

At those words, the surrounding crowd stirred. In Skywind Martial City, these figures held transcendent status. A single pill or weapon they refined could sell for a sky-high price, making them the target of flattery from countless martial artists. Anything even remotely connected to them would multiply in value dozens of times.

Listening to the discussions around him, Qin Jue's expression remained unchanged, but his mind was already made up.

"Fortune favors the bold. The martial path is about defying heaven and fighting for life. If I'm afraid of wolves ahead and tigers behind, why even practice martial arts!"

He hesitated no longer, strode forward, and reached out to take the gray wooden token representing the mission.

Walking to the registration counter, Qin Jue handed over the token.

The registrar was an Aged Disciple. He lazily lifted his eyelids, glanced at Qin Jue, and seeing he was only at the Hundred Refinements Third Layer, a flicker of disdain crossed his eyes. "The waterways around Silver Moon Bay are complicated, and it's been unstable lately. Plenty of old hands from various factions are watching that place. A little brat at Hundred Refinements Third Layer, what are you butting in for? Careful you don't go there and never come back."

In his view, disciples like Qin Jue, who didn't know their place, died by the dozen every year.

"Thanks for the warning, Senior Brother. I know my limits."

Qin Jue smiled faintly, offering no further explanation.

Seeing Qin Jue insist, the Aged Disciple said no more, casually stamped a seal, and tossed out the mission voucher. Good advice was wasted on the damned—if this kid wanted to court death, he wouldn't stop him.

Registered, mission accepted, Qin Jue turned and left, the entire process smooth and fluid.

Skywind Martial City, as the largest gathering place for martial artists within thousands of li, was far more prosperous than an ordinary city.

The midday sun blazed harshly onto the wide bluestone streets, lined with shops on both sides. This was a martial artist's den of gold—as long as you had Gold Coins, you could buy anything, from divine weapons and miraculous medicines to even murder-for-hire services.

Yet beneath the prosperity lay naked cruelty.

Qin Jue's gaze swept casually over a street corner, where a few ragged beggars huddled. One had his left arm severed at the root, the wound hideous; another had his eyes gouged out, pus oozing from the empty sockets.

Though down and out, their bulging temples and thick joints showed they had once been martial artists.

"This is the law of the jungle in the martial world—the weak are prey to the strong. Only the strong have dignity."

Qin Jue withdrew his gaze, feeling no excessive sympathy. To avoid being trampled underfoot and becoming a cripple in the corner, he had to keep growing stronger, climbing to the top of the food chain.

Just then, the crowd ahead suddenly stirred.

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

A cry like a thunderclap exploded, and the originally bustling street fell silent for an instant, followed by an even more violent uproar.

Qin Jue paused mid-step and followed the crowd's gaze.

In the center of the street stood a pitch-black tower—the Dao Shadow Tower. Its body was made of some unknown material that seemed to devour light, with countless dark red runes flickering faintly across its surface.

At that moment, on the massive stone stele before the tower, a dazzling golden light shot into the sky.

A new name, carrying an air of unrivaled dominance, appeared atop the stele.

—Zhao Lingxiao!

Result: First Floor, Two Incense Sticks!

"Hiss—"

A wave of sharp intakes of breath rippled through the crowd.

"Two incense sticks! Heavens, he lasted a full two incense sticks on the first floor!"

"That's Zhao Lingxiao from [Tianfeng Divine Martial Academy]! No wonder he's a monster from the academy's Inner Court—this level of strength is just despair-inducing!"

In the crowd, a disciple of Qingcang Academy stared at the lofty name, his face dejected: "Our Inner Court's second-ranked senior brother, Pei Xuanjing, went all out last month and only managed half an incense stick... Is the gap really that huge?"

"Hmph, no comparison." A burly man beside him carrying a broad blade snorted coldly, "That 'Mad Tiger' Li Tianxing from Zhanfeng Academy gave it his all and barely got half an incense stick. Divine Martial Academy is the Divine Dynasty's favored son, born a cut above. Techniques, resources, masters—what can Qingcang and Zhanfeng compare? How are they supposed to compete?"

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

In Skywind Martial City, the Divine Martial Academy was the absolute overlord. Only those born with radiant brilliance, the favored sons of heaven, were worthy of entry.

As for Qingcang and Zhanfeng Academies, to put it bluntly, they were the leftovers from Divine Martial Academy's selection. The Huangwu Divine Dynasty established these two academies to unearth late bloomers or martial artists with unyielding resolve.

Qin Jue rubbed his chin, his gaze lingering for a moment on the three big characters of "Zhao Lingxiao."

From the original owner's fragmented memories, this Tianfeng Divine Martial Academy was indeed the best academy in the martial city, only accepting those monstrous talents who came out of the womb radiating brilliance.

"But that Dao Shadow Tower... now that's interesting."

It was the Huangwu Divine Dynasty's supreme instrument for measuring the world's talents, erected only in a few places where martial arts flourished. Sealed within the tower were the "Martial Dao Imprints" of the most astonishing geniuses across the dynasty's tens of thousands of years.

The Dao Shadow Tower's rules were brutally harsh—"Extreme Realm Suppression."

No matter what cultivation level the challenger was, the Dao Shadow they faced would be at the peak of that major realm.

This meant that even if you were only at the Hundred Refinements Third Layer, your opponent would be at the Hundred Refinements Ninth Layer peak.

But that wasn't the most despairing part. What truly suffocated was that these sealed Dao Shadows were, in life, peerless prodigies who could fight above their level.

To defeat them, you had to not only cross the chasm of cultivation but also crush these former geniuses head-on in technique and talent.

It was a match destined to be unfair—unless... you were a true monster.

And the first floor sealed the most renowned talents in Skywind Martial City's history, gathering the chiefs of Qingcang, Zhanfeng, and Tianfeng Divine Martial Academy, consecutive winners of the Hundred Battles Martial Training Ground, and even the top three of the "Martial Arts Grand Competition"—all figures who had shaken the era.

An ordinary martial artist who could defeat just one of these imprints would earn fame. Only those who swept through this floor, trampling every former local prodigy underfoot, were worthy of being called the "Number One" of this generation.

And this was just the first floor.

If one could ascend higher, they would no longer be limited to this city or region but would contend with the monsters of Qingzhou, or even the most elite princes and holy sons of the entire Huangwu Divine Dynasty!

Qin Jue looked up at the tower's tip, piercing the clouds, a spark of battle intent kindling in his eyes.

The Dao Shadow Tower... one day, he would walk inside it too.

But—

"Right now, I don't even qualify to be cannon fodder in there."

"No rush. A meal has to be eaten bite by bite."

Qin Jue withdrew his gaze, lightly flicked the dust off his sleeve, turned, and pushed his way out of the crowd.