"What sort of world is this now?"
The question came from a white-haired soul.
The old man's spirit was covered in countless scars, his entire body battered and broken, with a fatal wound at his neck.
Clearly, this old man had fought for long, long years. Otherwise, he would not have borne so many fine scars.
And as the old man spoke, many other souls began speaking too.
"How could such 'rites' exist? How are these any different from the Legalist School?"
"Servile status? Back in my day, even my Tongue-and-Sword Combat as a Storyteller was stained with blood."
"Once, even the courtesans of our Jinling City laid down their lives for righteousness!"
"Constables were like moths in public service, yet by gathering together and throwing ourselves into the flames, we prevailed. Otherwise, would we too have been assigned servile status?"
"Those of the Daoist School spent all day talking about standing apart from the world, but in truth, they were selfish, enjoying humanity's incense offerings without lifting a finger for humanity. And they ended up in the noble registry!"
"There are scoundrels among Confucians and Buddhists too. How can registry status define a person? When did such harsh rites arise beneath heaven?"
"I was a Merchant. When humanity faced disaster, I scattered my entire fortune just so the Soldiers could have a bite to eat. I even ventured deep into Flowerfolk territory to trade, yet my descendants ended up with servile status?"
The heroic spirits began to seethe, one after another.
"A woman like this, who became strong for her child, would have had a memorial arch erected for her in our dynasty!"
"A gifted young man like Lin Ke was actually reviled because of harsh rites?!"
"This world is unjust! This world is unjust!"
"**To hell with the