Chapter 57: Farewell at the Long Pavilion

No matter what expectations various parties held, the Three Cities Dao Debate had finally come to an end.

The onlookers from Maple Leaf City dispersed, still excitedly discussing the event. The Maple Leaf City Dao Academy's performance this time was not bad, and they felt a sense of pride.

Most ordinary people living in this city were unaware of what had happened today.

The bloody battles that occurred in hidden rooms, the fights in the streets and alleys, the entanglements of life and death, had all passed silently. Like air dissolving into air.

The ripples caused by the White Bone Dao were calmly extinguished, and not even a trace of blood could be seen on the streets. The few civilians who accidentally witnessed the battles were also silenced.

For most people, today in Maple Leaf City was just a grand event with an exciting program.

Transcending the ordinary does not exempt one from suffering, and ignorance may not be unhappiness.

As for Wei Quji, the seventeen White Bone Dao cultivator heads piled up before him, along with the many more bodies that were not worthy of collection, washed away his shame.

Wei Quji said to Dong A, "Today, a great hatred has been avenged. How about we organize the Dao Academy disciples to chant the Tai Shang Jiu Ku Jing several times, to deliver those who died unjustly in Little Lin Town."

As the lord of a city region, he could finally offer a small sacrifice to Little Lin Town under his jurisdiction.

This was, of course, not a difficult task. The Tai Shang Jiu Ku Jing, as a commonly used sutra for salvation, was memorized by almost every Daoist cultivator.

But Dong A's attitude was indifferent: "Souls scattered and spirits dissipated, what use is there in deliverance?"

Wei Quji felt that this guy was simply unreasonable. They had just finished cooperating, and he didn't even show a pleasant face. With this kind of personality, it was no wonder he was driven out of Zhuangdu in the first place.

……

When the Three Mountains City cultivators left, Jiang Wang made a special trip to see them off.

He had genuine respect for Yang Xingyong and also respected the will displayed by the Three Mountains City cultivators in this debate.

Compared to the grand and large group from Viewing River City, the Three Mountains City cultivators seemed even more lonely.

If Dong A hadn't personally provided treatment, they wouldn't even have been able to return to their city with a full team—these people fought too hard.

Yang Xingyong was still very happy that Jiang Wang came to see them off: "I accept my defeat. You are very strong. I will come back to challenge you next year!"

After chatting for a few words, Jiang Wang hesitated, but still asked: "The Three Cities Dao Debate is not the county academy examination. Why were you all fighting so hard?"

Yang Xingyong was silent.

"Sorry, if it's not appropriate, pretend I didn't ask," Jiang Wang said sincerely.

"Because we...because Three Mountains City, is very difficult." Beside him, Sun Xiaoman, who had been looking dejected and silent, said.

"Three Mountains City, there are many mountains, many wild beasts, and many fierce beasts. Wild beasts are fine, they are equivalent to food. Fierce beasts are very troublesome..."

As Sun Xiaoman narrated, Jiang Wang roughly understood the predicament of Three Mountains City.

The human race rose in ancient times, but before that, life was not easy.

Although it is now said that the human race is the spirit of all things, the fact is that most humans are born with blocked Dao meridians, and only a very few geniuses can have their Dao meridians outwardly manifested, and are naturally able to cultivate.

However, all demon beasts are born with outwardly manifested Dao meridians.

Later, a top powerhouse of the human race invented a pill formula and made it public, which unveiled the prelude to the rise of the human race.

The name of this powerhouse has been lost in the river of history, but his pill formula has been passed down forever.

This pill formula is the original Meridian Opening Pill, and its main material is the Dao meridian of demon beasts.

From then on, the human race no longer had to be limited by talent, and could cultivate with the Meridian Opening Pill! This also meant that an era of frantically hunting demon beasts had begun.

Before practicing cultivation, Jiang Wang had always been puzzled by a question.

In such a rolling tide of cultivation, why, with the strength of the human race, has it not been able to clear the wilderness? Why do the kingdoms of the world only maintain smooth official roads, and allow wild beasts and demon beasts to come and go in more areas?

Because these demon beasts are resources! In a sense, those demon beasts are livestock being raised. And the environment of wild beasts and even the wilderness is just what is needed to maintain the raising ecosystem.

After all, demon beasts that are favored by heaven and earth and have naturally manifested Dao meridians cannot be raised in captivity.

Fierce beasts, on the other hand, are another kind of existence. They generally have extremely strong combat power, but lack spirituality, and even their meat cannot be eaten. Simply put, the destructive power of fierce beasts is not much worse than that of demon beasts, but they themselves are worthless.

Hunting fierce beasts is a matter of only loss and no gain, but Three Mountains City has to do it. This has caused Three Mountains City to be in a de facto long-term loss.

All powerhouses need resource accumulation, but Three Mountains City has always had more expenses than income. What is even more terrifying is that there are too many fierce beasts in the Three Mountains City region, and they cannot be killed.

They destroy official roads, attack villages and towns, and eat humans.

The environment of Three Mountains City determines that most of the food is transported from other places, and the local area simply cannot achieve self-sufficiency. However, the blocked official roads actually increase the transportation risk.

Especially recently, the Three Mountains City Dao Academy suffered heavy casualties at the hands of the Heart-Swallowing Human Demon, and Three Mountains City was even more short-handed.

The maintenance of the official roads is the responsibility of the Three Mountains City region. To ask the Zhuang Court to allocate experts to sweep them away, they need to pay an equivalent amount of resources. And Three Mountains City simply cannot come up with any extra resources.

Therefore, in the case of the death of Chu Ping, the senior brother of the Three Mountains City Dao Academy, the Three Mountains City Dao Academy still regarded this Three Cities Dao Debate as a life-saving straw. They fought to the death in the martial arts field, not for their own honor, but for the fathers and elders of Three Mountains City who were struggling to make a living behind them.

"Do you know? Every time we win a game, Three Mountains City can live at least ten more people." Yang Xingyong's eyes were obviously red, and he lowered his head: "As long as we perform well..."

He felt guilty for his defeat, even though he had tried his best.

Jiang Wang was silent for a moment.

He patted Yang Xingyong on the shoulder: "I got lucky and took advantage of being the first-year champion of this Three Cities Dao Debate. The reward of fifty Dao merits, I will go back to the Dao Academy later and transfer it to you at the Dao Merit Hall."

Fifty Dao merits is not a small amount. Although it cannot solve the problem of Three Mountains City, it can be regarded as a slight relief.

To put it another way, for Dao Academy disciples whose names are recorded in the Dao Register, fifty Dao merits is half a Meridian Opening Pill, equivalent to half a transcendent cultivator.

This is exactly the force that Three Mountains City needs to replenish most now.

"How is this appropriate?" Yang Xingyong looked up in surprise.

Sun Xiaoman had already punched Jiang Wang in the stomach, "You are a friend, we've decided!"

She originally wanted to punch Jiang Wang's chest boldly, but unfortunately her height did not allow it.

Jumping up and punching hard would be too disruptive to the atmosphere, so she had to punch Jiang Wang's stomach.

Jiang Wang only felt a mouthful of old blood stuck in his throat. If it weren't for the Four Spirits Body Refining Technique being extremely strong, he would have explained it with this blow.

This little girl, her punch power is so terrible.

Of course, Jiang Wang knew that it wasn't that this little girl was so embarrassed. He could even see the tightness and unnaturalness hidden under her bold smile.

She just didn't want to give up the help that the people of Three Mountains City could get because of her shyness.

"Then, farewell."

"Farewell!"

Seeing a friend off for a thousand miles, there must be a parting.

Jiang Wang stopped outside the city gate and watched his newly made friends leave.

……

"Sister, buy me some new clothes." The little fat man Sun Xiaoyan wrapped himself in that hooded black robe, walking in a concealed manner.

His original clothes were torn to pieces in the battle.

"No money."

"I can't go home like this, can I? So many people will see me on such a long road! What if I expose myself?"

"What if they see you? You're still a kid."