Chapter 233: Cangwu Dojo
The next morning, the breeze was gentle.
Countless cultivators emerged from the gardens, facing the faint morning light, and streamed towards the Nine Great Dojos, some to participate in battles, others to observe.
The Tianshu Academy group also left their courtyard after washing up, heading together to Jingyang Dojo.
He Lingxiu had a match there today, and the old man named Lin Hong also had a match at Jingyang Dojo today.
The news of his on-the-spot breakthrough to Yingtian Realm was known to many, and his unconcealed ambition had been discussed for a long time.
Therefore, not only people from Tianshu Academy, but also people from other Immortal Sects and Worldly Families flocked there, including quite a few white-haired Elder-level figures.
Coupled with those who weren't participating but loved to join the fun, the entire Jingyang Dojo was overcrowded, with no room for even one more person.
Yet, despite this, people still came one after another, and upon seeing they couldn't enter, they ascended into the air and landed on the eight stone walls surrounding the arena.
Jingyang Dojo had clearly become the most popular among the Nine Great Dojos.
Even Zhao Yunyue, the Lord of Changle, arrived early and mingled among the crowd:
Liu Junchi also had a match there today, and she came to watch, hoping to use this opportunity to build closer ties with the Lingjian Mountain Disciples.
At the same time, she also wanted to see this on-the-spot breakthrough artist named Lin Hong, as well as the incredibly profound battles of other Rongdao Realm cultivators.
In stark contrast to the overcrowded Jingyang Dojo, the Cangwu Dojo had a quiet atmosphere.
Because the first round at Cangwu Dojo consisted of Tong Xuan Realm duels between minor Worldly Families, and there were no particularly noteworthy individuals, apart from the families of the combatants, there were no other casual spectators.
Most of the Miao Family of Yuzhou, the Han Family of Liang Province, and the Xiang Family of Yunzhou were newly established centennial Worldly Families with shallow foundations. After several matches, let alone inherited Cultivation Techniques, even exquisite Moves were rare.
Even if someone came to Cangwu Dojo to watch, they almost all left after one battle.
This atmosphere continued until the afternoon. After five duels concluded, Cangwu Dojo gradually began to attract more people.
The first to enter was a woman with a veil covering her face. Her figure was graceful, and she exuded a cold authority that made people afraid to look directly at her.
Even those who did look directly felt a sense of haziness before them, making it difficult to see clearly.
Accompanying her were two other women, not wearing immortal robes, but ordinary dresses.
They did not sit in the usual spectator seats, but walked around the arena and entered the spectator building next to Cangwu Dojo, taking seats on the second floor.
The small Worldly Families gathered at Cangwu Dojo had never seen the highest-ranking authorities of Qingyun World, and even the Patriarchs of millennium Worldly Families were rarely seen, but they clearly understood that those who could watch from the spectator building were by no means Mortals.
“Master Jian.”
“Outside, you should still call her Young Miss, lest you attract attention.”
“Yes, Young Miss. Does Young Master Ji know we came to watch his duel today?”
Yan Shuyi lightly raised her eyes upon hearing this: “I was just a bit bored staying in the room, so I came out for a stroll. Passing by Cangwu Dojo, I simply came to watch the duel of the second son of a collateral branch of the Hua Family from Ling Province. What does that have to do with him?”
Zhuo Wanqiu couldn't help but cough after hearing this, thinking to herself, 'You probably don't even know the name of the second son of the Hua Family's collateral branch, do you?'
Moreover, as far as she knew, although the second son of the Hua Family's collateral branch did indeed duel at Cangwu Dojo, that duel had already ended this morning.
Master Jian wasn't at all resistant to the words “Young Master Ji,” but insisted on saying it was just a passing visit. It seems Young Master Ji was right; Master Jian is indeed a tsundere, wanting to see her husband but still being stubborn.
At this thought, Zhuo Wanqiu couldn't help but recall last night.
At that time, her Master Jian returned to the small building with a cold expression, then proudly entered the room. When she went in to bring her tea, she found her sitting on the bed, staring at her own feet, her toes wiggling uncontrollably, not even noticing her entry.
She mused inwardly, and couldn't help but glance at Ding Yao beside her.
At this moment, Ding Yao was looking at the circular platform opposite, her expression slightly solemn.
The main reason was that Ji You had been too relaxed these past few days, making her feel a little uncertain.
Just as she had muttered last night, those who could participate in the Heavenly Dao Conference were not ordinary individuals.
After them, the next to arrive at Cangwu Dojo was Yu Shiliu, a Disciple of Tianshu Academy.
Upon arriving at Cangwu Dojo, she found a less crowded spot to sit down, and then began to meditate and wait.
Some Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters had matches, while others had opponents they were interested in. Wang Gaocen and Gu Zetao were more focused on the three Tong Xuan Realm cultivators who had broken through to Rongdao Realm.
But for some reason, she was more curious about Ji You's battle, so she specifically came from Jingyang Dojo.
In fact, her thoughts were somewhat similar to Ding Yao's; she felt that Ji You didn't seem to care much about the Heavenly Dao Conference duels, which made her even more curious about his performance in this first battle.
Around the same time as Yu Shiliu, three women also arrived.
They sat in seats closer to the dojo entrance, with servants setting up tea tables and refreshments around them.
The woman on the left had her hair coiled high, adorned with several purple hairpins, and wore an open-fronted Confucian robe with gold embroidery. Her eyes were calm, exuding the aura of a wealthy noblewoman.
If Ji You had been present at this moment, he would have recognized her as the woman who had been observing him at the Gathering of Immortals, the wife of the Lu Family, and the mother of Lu Hanyan and Lu Qingqiu.
The other woman who came with her was dressed with comparable splendor; she was the wife of the Rong Family from Yunzhou.
The Rong Family was also a Worldly Family with considerable influence within the Ling Shi Merchant Association, their status only slightly below that of the Lu and Ding Families, making them essentially the third in command.
The Ling Shi Merchant Association in Yunzhou was inherently a community of shared interests. Regardless of the internal power struggles and undercurrents, the relationships between the wives were excellent.
The Rong Family came to the Heavenly Dao Conference this time also because a Rong Family Disciple was coming to watch the battles.
Madam Rong had little interest in duels between cultivators. After all, she was a woman of the household. Although she had cultivated in her early years, she gradually gave it up after bearing children and had remained in the Ninghua Realm for many years.
The reason she accompanied her Family was simply that she felt it was a rare opportunity to go out and about, and to do so with her sisters.
Madam Rong had made plans with her sisters yesterday to go sightseeing today.
It was said that there was an exceptionally skilled painter in Zhongxing County who could paint lifelike portraits, capturing the essence of a person with just a few strokes.
She had intended to invite this painter to create portraits of her and her sisters in the picturesque Xianxian Garden, to be framed and taken home, but before she could leave, Madam Lu pulled her here.
Sitting beside her was Madam Wang of the Wang Family from Yunzhou, whose status and Family background were essentially the same as Madam Rong's. Her purpose for coming to the Heavenly Dao Conference this time was also similar; she too was suddenly pulled here by Madam Lu.
Looking at the sparsely populated and silent Cangwu Dojo, Madam Rong couldn't help but frown slightly: “Today's weather is exceptionally suitable for outings. I wonder why Madam Lu suddenly changed her mind and dragged us sisters here?”
Madam Wang, who was beside her, had the same question in her heart and couldn't help but look at Madam Lu along with Madam Rong.
“I came here today to have you accompany me to see someone.”
“??”
Madam Rong and Madam Wang were a bit bewildered: “It seems there are no Disciples from your Lu Family dueling today.”
Madam Lu nodded upon hearing this: “There aren't, but there is that Tianshu Academy Disciple from Feng Province, the private cultivator, Ji You.”
“Oh, it's him?”
Madam Wang and Madam Rong's lips parted slightly, and their brows couldn't help but furrow a little.
Although they had been raising their children and managing their households for years, paying little attention to external affairs, they had still heard of Ji You's name.
The reason was none other than the snowy region demon stone.
After the Yao Race began trading in Kyushu, the snowy region demon stone severely impacted the business in Yunzhou.
The Ling Shi Merchant Association in Yunzhou had initially intended to restrict the transportation of the snowy region demon stone by the Immortal Supervisorate, but unexpectedly, the Immortal Supervisorate found Ji You and rerouted it to Feng Province.
These women could be indifferent to other matters, but they naturally understood their own Family's business.
Madam Rong frowned slightly: “Why did Madam Lu specifically come to see him?”
“Naturally, it's because a daughter is too old to be kept at home.”
“?”
Madam Lu turned her gaze to them: “You also know that both of my daughters are in Tianshu Academy. When I went to visit them this time, I found that my second daughter seems to have feelings for this Ji You, and my husband also seems extremely satisfied with him.”
Madam Rong and Madam Wang exchanged glances, thinking that if that were truly the case, it would indeed be a good thing.
The Ling Shi Merchant Association raised transportation taxes precisely to gain control of the snowy region demon stone, but unexpectedly, they were outmaneuvered by the Immortal Supervisorate.
However, if Ji You later became the son-in-law of the Lu Family, then naturally there would be no need for the two families to speak formally, and controlling the Spirit Stone would become a matter of course.
Upon hearing this, Madam Wang couldn't help but chuckle, "No wonder Madam Lu lost interest in sightseeing. It turns out she came to see her son-in-law."
"Son-in-law?" Madam Lu sneered, "How could I be so fortunate as to have this Ji You as my son-in-law?"
Madam Wang felt at ease upon hearing this, "Madam Lu seems to have something more to say?"
Madam Lu clasped her hands on her lap, "This Ji You is very arrogant."
"?"
"Actually, I don't look down on this kind of private cultivation from the countryside, but my daughter likes him, and my husband also agrees. As a woman, I naturally couldn't object, so I thought about taking a good look at him and questioning him. But who knew he didn't even come in the end, and even the rejection letter only had a few words.
Although the Lu Family's overall Rank is not high, it is a ruling Worldly Family in Yun Province. Madam Lu has not left Yun Province many times in her life, so she naturally has an inherent arrogance.
In her opinion, the Lu Family had become a century-old Worldly Family, and had made connections in all directions through the Spirit Stone business, and her daughter was exceptionally talented.
Ji You should have been secretly delighted to marry her, but she never expected him to be so arrogant, which naturally made her unhappy.
Madam Wang and Madam Rong frowned after hearing this, "This is his fault, but since he is so arrogant, why did Madam Lu come specially for him?"
Madam Lu's expression darkened slightly, "I saw him at the banquet earlier, but my husband was also there at the time, and some things were not convenient to say. I came here today to make it clear to him that whether or not we become in-laws is up to my Lu Family to decide, not up to him to do as he pleases."
Madam Wang nodded gently after hearing this, "That's how it should be."
Madam Rong also nodded in agreement, "Then who is he fighting against today?"
Madam Lu frowned slightly, "I'm not interested in such cultivation battles, so I didn't ask clearly. It seems to be someone from the Tang Family in Zhong Province."
"Tang Jingming?"
"Madam Rong knows him?"
"The Tang Family Head's younger brother and my cousin were once fellow cultivators. I've heard of this Tang Jingming. I heard that his spiritual awakening was late, and he failed to enter an Immortal Sect, but his subsequent cultivation was very steady, with a solid foundation. Rumor has it that after he achieved Junior Third Realm Completion, his cultivation sped up, as if all nine orifices were open."
Madam Wang was a little surprised after hearing this, "It seems he's not a simple character either."
Madam Rong nodded after hearing this, "He's the kind whose strength outweighs his reputation. If this Ji You underestimates him, he might be in trouble."
"Then there's something to watch—
As the three ladies were whispering, the Tang Family members appeared from the entrance, entering against the setting sun.
Looking around, a group of more than ten people were all dressed in brocade robes and luxurious clothes, exuding an arrogant aura as they strode forward. They walked along the platform to the south side and took their seats. The one walking at the very front was a young man with a pearl crown and jade belt, eight feet tall, holding a long saber. After taking his seat, he began to sit in meditation to cultivate his spirit.
He was Tang Jingming, the Young Master of the Tang Family.
And sitting to his left and right were the Tang Family Head, the Family Head's younger brother, relatives, and others.
However, closely following the Tang Family members was also a graceful young girl named Huang Rou.
She came from the Huang Clan of Zhong Province and was a close friend of Qiu Hanyue.
The reason she came here was because she and Tang Jingming, the Young Master of the Tang Family, were childhood sweethearts, and she had come specifically to watch his duel.
Actually, she didn't know at first that Tang Jingming's opponent was Ji You until she heard the Tang Family members chatting this morning. She was quite surprised at the time.
In one's life, one will meet countless strangers. Most will only have a fleeting encounter and never have the chance to meet again.
For Huang Rou, the person her close friend didn't want to marry was like this too.
But what she didn't expect was that within just two days, she had heard news of this Ji You multiple times, which was truly surprising.
Huang Rou's cultivation talent was not high, and she was quite delicate and refined. She rarely went out, so she didn't know much about the world's affairs, and naturally wasn't familiar with a strange man from the Tianshu Academy far away.
It was only when she heard that the Qiu Family wanted to arrange for Qiu Hanyue to marry him that she started to learn a bit about him.
She heard that this Ji You was specially admitted to the Tianshu Academy, and had previously accompanied the Human Race envoy group to the Yao Race, where he had fought against both the Barbarian Race and the Yao Race, and then was injured, but survived.
Women are all like this; their minds are very small, and they don't care about the general trends of the world.
Even if they knew that the Human Race sent an envoy to the Snow Region, they wouldn't be in the mood to figure out what it was for, let alone the details.
And Huang Rou was actually considered good; her vision and outlook were already broader than ordinary women. Some of her close friends were even worse than her, only focusing on their immediate surroundings.
After taking her seat, Huang Rou looked at the Tang Family members diagonally opposite her and couldn't help but ponder carefully.
In her opinion, Ji You and Tang Jingming were of the same Realm, so the disparity in their combat power shouldn't be very large.
Tang Jingming came from a Worldly Family, and compared to private cultivators from the countryside, he naturally gained an advantage, because the resources of an Immortal Sect Worldly Family were by no means comparable to an individual's power.
But Ji You was an Immortal Sect Disciple, which should give him an extra point compared to Tang Jingming.
However, on the other hand, Tang Jingming's second uncle was once an inner Disciple of the Xuan Yuan Immortal Mansion, and after leaving the mansion, he personally taught Tang Jingming. In fact, he was not much different from a genuine Immortal Sect Disciple, and should be counted as half a point.
After much deliberation, Huang Rou felt that the gap between the two was not very large, but Tang Jingming should be slightly superior, with a chance of winning, but a tough battle might be unavoidable.
She heard that the few duels this morning were all like this, because the strength of those people was not much different, and the three matches almost went to the limit before a winner was decided.
After pondering, Huang Rou couldn't help but raise her head, thinking that she should have pulled Hanyue over today.
However, she had just gotten rid of an unwilling engagement, so she probably wouldn't have come even if she knew.
At this time, the sun began to descend, and the summer wind became slightly stronger.
As the people in the arena chatted, Ji You, holding an iron sword, also arrived bathed in the setting sun, entering the Cangwu Dojo along the white marble path.
His hair crown was neat, and he was dressed cleanly. Although he didn't have the noble Young Master aura of Tang Jingming, he carried a hint of scholarly elegance.
However, he didn't specially dress up for this battle; it was mainly because he had been Body Refining since early morning, and after sweating profusely, he took a bath.
He did not come alone; behind him followed Cao Jinsong, Ban Yangshu, Wen Zhengxin, Pei Ruyi, and Wen Siyuan, the Disciple from the Master's Courtyard who was specifically responsible for him.
After stepping over the stone steps at the entrance of the Cangwu Dojo, Ji You and the others began to look around as they walked.
In fact, the only difference between the nine Dojos was their names; internally, they were identical, with eight stone walls surrounding a central battle arena, made of similar materials to the Ascension White Jade Platform of the Tianshu Academy.
Looking around, Ji You saw the Tang Family members, and also many unfamiliar faces.
During this time, his gaze swept over Huang Rou, but he did not remember who she was.
Finally, he saw Yu Shiliu, which elicited some reaction, but he only nodded slightly to her.
Cao Jinsong and the other three also looked around, then exchanged a few words with Ji You before separating from him and heading towards the audience seats.
Only Ji You and Wen Siyuan did not stop, walking together to the waiting area opposite the circular platform.
"This Tang Jingming rarely goes out, but his strength is genuine. He's considered a talent among Worldly Families and is skilled with a double-handed long saber."
"Among this branch of the Tang Family, the Family Head's younger brother entered an Immortal Sect and has now cultivated to the Yingtian Realm, so some people in Zhong Province are very optimistic about Tang Jingming."
"That's all the basic information; there's nothing else."
"Furthermore, even if most Worldly Family Disciples are not as good as Immortal Sect Disciples—otherwise they would have entered the academy long ago—those who can participate in the Heavenly Dao Conference are not those who have gained a false reputation."
Wen Siyuan walked with Ji You to the waiting area, pointing at Tang Jingming opposite them and talking all the while.
He was very responsible, constantly investigating the opponent's information before Ji You's duel began, and had already told him everything he knew.
After speaking, he saw Ji You nod slightly, but he did not express any opinions or ask any further questions.
For example, he didn't ask what kind of long saber it was, or if the Tang Family had any ancestral Cultivation Techniques. He just stood still in the waiting area for a long time, staring at the circular platform.
"The material used for this Dojo's circular platform looks so familiar. Is it the same as our Tianshu Academy's Ascension White Jade Platform?"
"It should be."
