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墨書 Inktalez
The wind was gentle and the clouds were light, with the sun shining brightly.
In the northern part of Spirit Martial Town, figures were bustling about, jostling against one another in a lively scene filled with noise.
This place was originally an open square spanning ten miles, but every four years it would come alive with excitement, as the much-anticipated Martial Arts Selection Tournament was about to take place here.
Looking around, one could see that the crowd gathered here numbered in the tens of thousands, a sea of black-clad people.
At the center of the crowd stood ten Arenas, each marked with a number and named after the ten heavenly stems: A Ring, B Arena, C Platform, Ding Arena, Wu Arena, Ji Arena, Geng Arena, Xin Arena, Ren Arena, and Gui Lei.
Excluding the outermost spectators who were there to watch the spectacle, the inner circle of the crowd consisted of the contestants for today’s tournament. These individuals wore various outfits; some were merchants, some were doctors, and others were laborers. However, at this moment, they all shared a common identity as martial artists and participants in the Martial Arts Selection Tournament.
Every face in the crowd radiated excitement as they rubbed their fists together in anticipation of showcasing their talents in the tournament and making a name for themselves in Spirit Martial Town.
“The Cold Family has arrived!”
A booming voice cut through all the noise, causing everyone to turn their heads and automatically part to create a passageway.
A group of figures appeared before everyone’s eyes, led by Cold Boyuan, flanked by Cold Bo Stone and Leng Bo Feng on either side. Following them were other key figures and leaders from their family. Lastly came the younger members of the Cold Family, all looking spirited and evidently eager for the Martial Arts Selection Tournament.
As one of the organizers of this tournament, the Cold Family received a warm welcome. Once all members of the Cold Family had taken their positions, enthusiastic applause erupted from the crowd.
Surrounding each Arena were spectator stands divided into four sections. The elegant seating areas were fully equipped with refreshments and were specially designated for the three major families of Spirit Martial Town: Cold Family, Wang Family, and Xu Family. The remaining section was reserved for important figures from external forces.
These four spectator stands formed a semicircle around the ten Arenas at the center. The stands were quite high, providing an excellent view to clearly observe everything happening in all ten Arenas.
At this moment, Cold Boyuan and the members of Cold Family were already comfortably seated in the stands. Meanwhile, Ye Tian and Leng Ping, who were about to participate in the competition, had not yet appeared in their seats and were waiting at the registration area for the contestants.
"The Wang family has arrived!"
Not long after the Cold Family settled down, they spotted a group approaching from a distance. With their entrance, cheers erupted once again in the arena, although it was somewhat less enthusiastic compared to the warm welcome that Cold Family received earlier.
Leading the Wang family was a middle-aged man in his forties, whose fierce appearance resembled that of a ferocious tiger, making it difficult for anyone to look at him for long. Beside him was a young man in his twenties, dressed in a long black robe with a shadowy complexion, exuding an air of malevolence that sent chills down one's spine, even more so than the middle-aged man. Behind them were some younger members of the family who were not worth mentioning.
"Tianba brother, it's been a while!" Cold Boyuan stood up and cupped his hands in greeting upon seeing Wang Tianba.
The person referred to as Wang Tianba was naturally the head of the Wang family!
Wang Tianba also cupped his hands and looked up at the stage, saying, "Bo Yuan brother! I hope you have been well!"
After exchanging pleasantries, they fell silent, but there was a subtle hint of unusual emotion flickering in their gazes as they regarded each other.
Soon after, the members of the Wang family took their seats as well, but whispers began to circulate among them.
"The entire Wang family is filled with malice; just looking at them is frightening!"
"Exactly, especially that Wang Weiyang. He looks anything but trustworthy."
"Compared to the demeanor of Cold Family, it's no wonder they are always overshadowed."
Many spectators whispered among themselves while stealing glances at the man in black robes.
The man in the black robe was naturally Wang Weiyang. With his strength as a Four-Stage Martial Artist, his perceptive abilities were extraordinary, so how could the idle chatter escape his ears? He slowly stood up from his seat, cleared his throat, and said, "Buzzing like a swarm of flies, it's quite annoying. Everyone, be quiet!"
When he said "be quiet," his voice suddenly rose, overpowering all discussions. An invisible force then forcefully penetrated the ears of everyone present. This force was extremely sharp; even ordinary onlookers and some martial artists with slightly lower abilities felt pain in their eardrums.
The venue instantly fell silent, and everyone lowered their heads in fear, no longer daring to talk. Meanwhile, Wang Weiyang's father, Wang Tianba, wore a smile on his face, secretly pleased with his talented son displaying such power.
"Dad, Wang Weiyang is so arrogant!" Cold Moon remarked beside her father.
"His brilliance is too exposed; overconfidence will hinder great achievements," Cold Boyuan said lightly, his gaze fixed on Wang Weiyang.
After this incident, the atmosphere shifted from noisy to calm. In a square with tens of thousands of people, only the voices of the Cold and Wang families could be heard.
This tranquility lasted for a long time until it was broken by the arrival of the Xu Family.
"The Xu Family has arrived!"
As the announcement rang out, the members of the Xu Family entered slowly under the leadership of their head, Xu Tai. Beside him was a young man dressed entirely in red, who stood out prominently.
The Xu Family was known for their cunning and treachery, more detestable than the Wang family's dominance. Therefore, although they were also one of the organizers of the Martial Arts Selection Tournament, they received the least welcoming response—barely half of what the Cold Family received.
Xu Tai led everyone to the viewing platform and then cupped his hands toward Wang Tianba's direction, saying, "Brother Tianba, my apologies for arriving late."
Wang Tianba cupped his hands in return but did not speak.
"Brother Boyuan!" Xu Tai then turned his fist salute toward Cold Boyuan, but there was evidently a deep-seated animosity in his gaze.
Cold Boyuan only slightly returned the greeting, then began to sip his tea without looking at him again.
Faced with Cold Boyuan's disdain, Xu Tai instantly felt a surge of anger and said in a deep voice, “Brother Bo Yuan, your Cold Family has indeed cultivated a good talent recently!”
“Haha, Brother Xu Tai is joking. No matter how good a talent is, can it compare to your son?” Cold Boyuan understood that he was referring to the genius Ye Tian, so he sneered and replied.
Xu Tai had two sons; one was Xu Ao, who was the favorite to win this time, and the other was Xu Kun, who had recently lost his hand to Ye Tian. When Cold Boyuan said this, Xu Tai was instantly furious. If someone else heard it, they might think that Cold Boyuan was referring to Xu Ao, but Xu Tai knew very well that Cold Boyuan was clearly mocking him about his second son, Xu Kun, being crippled.
Due to the inappropriate nature of the situation and the fact that the Xu Family could not compete with the Cold Family in strength, Xu Tai could only suppress his anger. After snorting in frustration, he sat back down, thinking bitterly, “Cold Boyuan, just you wait. We will settle this score slowly!”
Just as Xu Tai settled into his seat, another important figure arrived. In the distance, dust rose as several carriages sped towards them, followed by a protective escort of about a hundred people.
In a moment, the sound of neighing horses filled the air as eight carriages appeared before the Arena.
Eight individuals descended from the carriages. Although they wore different attire, each one exuded a sharp gaze and distinct presence, clearly important figures from outside forces.
They had arrived yesterday and were hosted by the three families for a night in Spirit Martial Town. This morning, carriages were sent to pick them up, showing meticulous arrangements.
At this moment, the eight individuals cupped their hands in salute towards the heads of the three families. Naturally, Cold Boyuan, Wang Tianba, and Xu Tai warmly responded and personally went down to greet them.
After welcoming the eight onto the viewing platform and exchanging pleasantries for a while, the heads of the three families prepared to return to their original seats.
Although it appeared quite lively, anyone could see that each of the three families had their own agendas. Among these eight individuals, five were from nearby town forces; however, three others included a caravan leader who traveled extensively through Spirit Martial Town Square Area, a powerful local ruler from over a thousand miles south of Spirit Martial Town, and an envoy sent by the renowned Cloud Sea Sect.
The Xu Family was the weakest among the three families; thus, Xu Tai was particularly enthusiastic towards the caravan leader because he understood that for his family to grow stronger, not only did they need skilled fighters but also financial resources were essential.
Wang Tianba was clearly more in tune with the Brute, as he had previously come from that background and preferred a style of strong-arming and seizing. Therefore, this type of "grassroots hero" suited his needs even more.
In contrast, Cold Boyuan was different from them. When he spoke and laughed with everyone, there was no sense of hierarchy; he was neither warm nor cold, exuding an air of neither arrogance nor servility.
"Cold Family Head, please wait." Just as Cold Boyuan was about to return to the Cold Family's viewing platform, a clear voice called out to him.
Upon hearing the voice, he looked over and saw a young man in his early twenties, with sword-like eyebrows and tiger-like eyes, his gaze bright like stars. His impressive demeanor was comparable to Cold Yang. However, beyond his handsome appearance, his identity and strength were even more astonishing.
At just twenty-two years old, having achieved Martial Unity, he was the Cloud Sea Sect Envoy—Thunderstorm.
"Oh? Young Master Lei has something to say?" Although Cold Boyuan appeared slightly puzzled on the surface, he understood what Thunderstorm wanted to discuss.
"Um... may I ask about your daughter..." Thunderstorm's handsome face flushed slightly.
"My daughter Ningyue is over there. If Young Master Lei wishes to see her, you can just follow me," Cold Boyuan said lightly, seemingly unimpressed by the attention from the high-ranking envoy.
"Oh, well, thank you, Cold Family Head. However, I think I will wait a bit before seeking her out," Thunderstorm hesitated for a moment, as if feeling unprepared for an immediate meeting.
"Hehe, Young Master Lei is free to do as you wish." After saying this, Cold Boyuan turned and left, returning to the Cold Family's viewing platform.
Everyone had arrived; next would be the registration and drawing lots for the contestants.
An elderly man with white hair and a youthful face slowly walked onto the Gui Lei stage. He spoke in a booming voice: "All guests have arrived; the martial selection begins!"
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