Chapter 098 Normans

It turns out there was such a hidden secret on the sword path at Qiansilin Academy. It seems that no matter where you go, fighting is unavoidable.

Shen Duo frowned as he looked at Wei Dong. “Were the Zhou Qing and Zhou Chen we met in the marketplace also students from Qiansilin Academy?”

Wei Dong nodded. “They are outstanding disciples from the peripheral branch of the Zhou family. They are very popular in Qiansilin Academy. It’s said that the Zhou family will have direct-line elders coming to teach them personally. At noon, we encountered the marketplace mayor Zhou Anlan, who is their uncle and also one of the outstanding branches of the peripheral Zhou family.”

There was one more thing Wei Dong hadn’t mentioned: Zhou Qing and Zhou Chen’s teacher, Zhou Zheng, is a sworn enemy of Wei Dong’s own teacher, Fu Bing’en, and is one of the leading figures opposing the academy’s sword path.

“Wei-xiong, are you afraid I’ll accept Zhou Anlan’s invitation?” Shen Duo smiled as she spoke, taking a sip from the fire fruit wine in her glass.

Wei Dong scratched his hair awkwardly. “The reason I didn’t reveal my identity earlier is that I wasn’t sure about your character. The teacher instructed us to be cautious with this mission. The teacher vaguely mentioned to me that the Zhou family has ulterior motives and is stirring up trouble among the academy’s upper echelons. Every twenty years, the Four Great Families hold a martial competition, and participants must be under a hundred years old. This competition determines the distribution of power on the mainland. No matter who wins or loses, it’s extremely brutal. Zhou Anlan probably just wants to recruit you as a thug.”

By the end, Wei Dong’s voice was filled with deep concern.

Shen Duo’s bright eyes narrowed slightly. She had heard of the Four Great Families’ biennial youth martial competitions, but she didn’t know the rules. She hadn’t expected that this power-related competition would be a matter of life and death.

The replacement and strengthening of families require strong successors, but this competition is so important. The Four Great Families certainly don’t want their direct-line descendants to perish in the cruel competition and leave no one to carry on. But they can’t just abandon the power they’ve seized, so they definitely have people recruiting young, powerful thugs.

In that case, if you die, it doesn’t matter for me, but if you win, you get the power, and if you lose, your outstanding descendants won’t be harmed either. It’s truly a win-win situation. The thugs found might survive barely, but that’s just some benefits. What’s some benefit to the Four Great Families standing at the peak of continental power?

“Wei-xiong, are the participants in the Four Great Families’ biennial martial competitions mostly outsiders and heterogenous cultivators?” Shen Duo asked casually, as if it were nothing.

Feng Jun’s narrow sword-like brows raised slightly upon hearing her words.

He recalled something: last time in the Four Great Families’ martial competition, he was only sixteen. That competition happened to be when the Feng family was hosting. A month before the competition, the Feng family main city in the Empire of Hillridge was bustling with activity.

He followed behind his great uncle as he was drafting the list of family participants. Thinking about the fierce competition on the arena, he couldn’t help but speak up with burning passion in his chest, requesting to represent the family in the competition, but he was sternly rejected by his great uncle.

His great uncle had smiled and said, “This kind of competition doesn’t require you to make a move. The family has raised so many peripheral and foreign elders; are they all just leeching off the food? Just follow behind your uncle and watch the competition.”

Thinking about it now, it’s probably because of the rule that life and death are decided on the arena!

“Little Duo, since you asked, I remembered something strange. Most of the participants in the Four Great Families’ martial competitions are peripheral and foreign experts, with very few true direct-line descendants.” Wei Dong said while recalling.

He was from the peripheral branch of the Wei family and had been recommended by the elders of the Wei family in the academy. After his master knew about it, he stopped him. That’s why he didn’t participate in the Four Great Families’ martial competition.

The corners of Shen Duo’s mouth twitched. Zhou Anlan was making such calculations; if he didn’t let her take advantage, wouldn’t that be letting her down?

After finishing dinner quickly, Shen Duo turned to Wei Dong and said, “Wei-xiong, my brother and I will disembark in Norman, then plan to stay in the Zhou family main city for a few days before going to Lorca Dan. What’s your plan?”

Wei Dong looked at the two of them. “Little Duo, I need to go back and report to the teacher first. After disembarking in Norman, I’ll rent a spirit eagle to hurry back to the academy. If the teacher sees a sword cultivator like you, he’ll definitely be very happy. When you reach Qiansilin Academy, just go to this address to find me.” With that, Wei Dong handed a small card to Shen Duo.

Shen Duo glanced at it and tossed it into her storage ring.

After agreeing, the three of them went out to let off some steam and then returned to their cabins to rest.

The journey on the Yang Fan Hao for the next few days was very smooth, without encountering any overcast rain days, and they sailed smoothly to the Norman Port.

Shen Duo and Feng Jun bid farewell to Wei Dong at the port. Wei Dong found a post station, rented an adult spirit eagle, and hurried back to Qiansilin Academy.

The Norman Port is one of the largest ports on the Tianqing River, a key water transport trading center between the Tianfeng Empire and the Star Luo Empire.

The Norman City is located to the north of the port, very close to it.

Shen Duo and Feng Jun rented two unicorns and rode them for a quarter hour to reach Norman City.

Under the brilliant sunlight, with white clouds drifting, the Norman City looked like it had come out of a fairy tale.

There were red buildings everywhere, bizarrely shaped, with tall spires and buildings stretching endlessly into the distance. If viewed from above, the Norman City’s buildings resembled fish scales on a red carp, neatly arranged in rows.

The Norman City has no city walls, but there is a layer of transparent barrier surrounding the entire massive city.

It’s said that this barrier is a top-grade holy illusionary artifact that can block attacks from divine illusionary beasts. The artifact is enshrined in the city lord’s mansion, and except for the current city lord of Norman, no one knows where it is.

Shen Duo casually listened to a passing casual cultivator illusionist explaining it.

To create a holy illusionary artifact that protects an entire city, such alchemists are truly admirable.

Feng Jun was visiting Norman for the first time, and like Shen Duo, he had an excited expression like a country bumpkin entering the city.

Norman is a port city, and its culture and customs are highly diversified. After entering the city, it became even more bustling. After a casual glance, Shen Duo discovered many spirit illusionists. Such strong strength wouldn’t be seen in Lu City or Shak City.

They casually wandered into a street filled with various shops. Many casual cultivator illusionists were bringing magical beast pets or shapeshifted contract illusionary beasts. Shen Duo even saw a flying sky illusionist, and as he flew by, many people tactfully made way for him.

Shen Duo and Feng Jun chose a small tavern and went in to eat.

At the bar, they ordered several unique seafood dishes and drinks from the Norman Port and randomly picked a seat in the main hall to sit down.

Illusionists from all over were resting here, exchanging news. This was another large, populous port city with messy and abundant information.

Just as they sat down, Shen Duo heard a low voice discussing at the adjacent table of casual cultivators.

“I heard that this time, the Four Great Families sent people too!”

“Hmph! Those in power only know how to oppress us ordinary cultivators.”

“You don’t have to be jealous. We have our own strengths; brother, think about it, this large-scale recruitment is the first time. Then, following behind the people from the Four Great Families to pick up some scraps, our decades of cultivation resources will be settled!”