Star Trace Gate

Chapter 865 The Road and the People Here

The alchemy competition ended with Li Taishan winning, and the entire Li family alchemy courtyard was filled with joyous celebration.

The countless onlookers gathered around the Yin family pharmacy also dispersed amidst a flurry of discussion. Some of these onlookers felt sorry for the Yin family, feeling that Yin Hong's actions today were too reckless; others gloated over their misfortune, secretly discussing which of Yin Hong's women Li Taishan would choose to sleep with tonight, or...whether he would let them all sleep together.

In short, in this life-or-death battle that would determine the rise and fall of the two great families, countless spectators satisfied their curiosity; and the winner returned home brimming with envy. Only Yin Hong, the gambler who had lost everything, stood on the high platform with a blank gaze, facing the cold wind, bewildered...

Before leaving the Yin family compound, Ren Ye also heard his aunt's voice transmission: "I didn't have a chance last night, but this morning, when the Li and Yin families were competing in alchemy, there was chaos in the alchemy courtyard, and I took the opportunity to get the medicine. However, I can't leave now. Go to your work quickly, and I will give it to you when you return home tonight."

Upon hearing this, Little Bad King became excited: "Okay, I'll go to work right away, please be careful."

"Ah."

The aunt responded, turned around and walked towards the Alchemy Hall with the Yin family's fire controllers.

After Ren Ye left Yin's house, he hurried back to change into his police uniform, and then rushed to the Heavenly Prison.

Walking on the long street, all he heard were gossips about today's dispute between Li and Yin, and a complex emotion that was both absurd and confusing gradually arose in his heart.

When I first entered the Star Gate, the Heavenly Dao clearly stated that this place adheres to the extreme rule of "the powerful are respected, and the strong prey on the weak." With the exception of wild dogs below the third rank, who are protected by law, all other powers of life and death are legal and reasonable. To put it bluntly, whoever has the bigger fist can rob and do whatever they want, as long as the perpetrator can bear the consequences and the price of these actions.

At first glance, this wasn't hard to understand; at most, it was filled with a strong stench of blood. Therefore, the Little Bad King initially didn't think too much about this extreme rule, nor did he feel any discomfort. He simply believed it was just a "forced setting" of Heaven.

But when this kind of thing really happened before his eyes, he felt as if his three views had collapsed. He also felt that the dispute between Li Yin was too absurd and even seemed a bit hasty.

The Li family was squeezed out and their business plummeted, so Li Taishan, like a street thug, broke into the Yin family and threatened to start a war to annihilate the family...

This is a matter of life and death for the entire clan! Without any conspiracy, no thorough planning, and no probing, you're just so reckless as to lead the entire clan into a desperate fight?!

This seems too much of a joke no matter how you look at it!

The rules of the duel in the ring are also bizarre. Besides the Sky-Repairing Formula, Yin Hong also wants Li Taishan's life, while his opponent wants all of his wives. These two, supposedly shrewd and strategic masters, speak and act so bluntly and abruptly that it feels like a pair of children playing house.

The most important thing is that after the alchemy competition ended and the Yin family lost, Yin Hong actually handed the "Heaven-Repairing Recipe" to Li Taishan without any hesitation, and also tacitly agreed to give all his women to the other party.

This is also the most absurd and nonsensical point that Ren Ye feels!

What kind of existence is Bu Tian Fang? !

That is a great opportunity that can turn the Yin family from a stray dog ​​into a prominent family, and can squeeze the Li family to the point where they are almost unable to survive. It is a divine scripture that is hard to come by!

But the Yin family just handed over the divine canon so easily because of a duel of alchemy? And even sacrificed their own woman?!

Is this really in line with human nature?

If the Yin family were truly weak and completely incapable of resistance, then this move would be understandable. After all, if they couldn't win a direct fight, they would have no choice but to surrender and hand over their treasure to save their lives.

But their strength wasn't much weaker than the Li family's. They had thousands of members and countless experts. Even though the other side had retrieved a bronze coffin from the False God's Tomb, imbued with the power to annihilate heaven and earth, that didn't mean the Yin family couldn't fight. They were definitely up to the task. Even if they died, they would still make the Li family suffer!

Otherwise, the Li family would not have proposed a fight to the death. They could have used the bronze coffin to ruthlessly wipe out the Yin family.

Therefore, the Yin family could have completely rejected this outcome, and even fought to the death. But what is puzzling is that after Yin Hong failed in the alchemy competition, he showed no regrets at all, but simply accepted the result, making the battle between the two clans look very dreamy and hasty.

This kind of behavior is almost impossible to happen outside of the Xuwang Village, and it is even more incomprehensible to the world.

It's like, no matter how powerful or overbearing Da Piaoliang is, she can't force the Sun on the Peninsula to hand over its nuclear weapons for nothing. After all, destruction that has already occurred and destruction on the way are two completely different situations. How can a person willingly give up the most important thing to them before they die?

So-called agreements and treaties are easy to negotiate as long as they don't harm one's own interests. But if they touch upon one's fundamental interests, they are nothing but a piece of waste paper, and no one will recognize them.

Yet, the Yin family simply accepted the outcome. Not a single member of the clan resisted, simply accepting the outcome with reluctance. Even the countless onlookers in Xuwang Village acquiesced to this outcome, no one finding it inappropriate, nor did anyone think the Yin family would resort to desperate measures.

Why is this happening?

The Little Bad King was thinking and digesting the whole process until he was almost at the Heavenly Prison. Then, combined with the actual situation of the Xuwang Village, he gradually understood what had happened today.

The people here repeatedly emphasized that Xuwang Village was a "dead" place. There were countless "intruders" outside the village, and it had been sealed off and tightly confined. Outsiders couldn't enter, and those inside couldn't leave. And it seemed like there were many villages like this.

The opportunities, resources and living space in this "dead" place are extremely limited, and it is simply not possible to support too many wild dogs. That is why the winners must be respected, the fittest must survive, and "cruel" self-optimization must be carried out.

The jungle does not eat cubs. The strong people here are not allowed to slaughter wild dogs below the third level. Everything else is allowed as long as you are strong enough.

If you want to eat the apple in someone else's hand, as long as you feel you can beat the other person, you can just snatch it openly!

If you see a peerless beauty on the street, you can take her for yourself as long as you are sure that you will not be scratched to death by her or beaten to death by her relatives.

You run the largest pharmacy in the area, with a thriving business and abundant financial resources, but now you're being squeezed out by another upstart and facing bankruptcy. You're so damned resentful, you think you can control the other party, so you'll just go knock them down, either using your power to pressure them or mobilizing your entire clan for a fight to the death.

You may not be thinking about what to do to the other person, but about your own survival, the survival of your family and relatives, and the responsibility to continue the glory.

Here, the emphasis is on brutal competition, burning, killing, and looting, with neither heaven nor law interfering. That's why conflicts erupt so directly. They don't need to be whitewashed, let alone deliberately found a pretext disguised as morality. If you really want to rob, just go for it.

This is why the Li family's actions seemed so "careless." Because the rules here are like this: all their actions are permitted, no acting required. Furthermore, with both families being of similar size, the benefits of secretly plotting and scheming might not be as satisfying or direct as simply and ruthlessly acting.

I'm here to command you. If you don't fight to the death, I'll unleash a clan-wide war. This might seem like giving the other party the choice, but in reality, the two paths they can choose are all designed by the Li family themselves. In other words, no matter what the other party chooses, Li Taishan is prepared.

Then why are such cruel, brutal, and almost primitive extreme rules accepted by the people of Xuwang Village?

The strong will always be strong. They can burn, kill, and loot openly. So do the people at the bottom really have any hope of getting ahead?!

I just reached the fourth rank, and I was kicked to death like a dog on the street. How can I seek justice?

Since the living environment here is so harsh, why not just rebel?

After deep thinking, the Little Bad King finally understood the true meaning behind these extreme rules.

Actually, it’s just two words - fairness.

Educational resources here are equitable. Xuwang Village boasts dozens of enlightenment academies, open to all free of charge. Whether you're a street dog or the son of a wealthy family, you'll enter the academy corresponding to your level of attainment. Everyone reads the same classics and learns the same mystical techniques. When Master Zhangchi teaches, everyone's seat is randomly assigned, on a first-come, first-served basis.

Of course, young masters like Li Xiaopang, Yin Ping, and Zhao Haochen might receive special treatment from their family elders or receive secret family methods, giving them a higher starting point. However, that is merely a starting point that can be pursued and surpassed. Ultimately, the height of one's destination is determined by oneself.

The tomes stored within the Enlightenment Academy have been accumulated since the birth of the False God's Tomb. Through countless years, their heritage is incredibly profound, far surpassing the meager "foundation" held by the five major families. As long as you're willing to read, learn, and explore, you'll always find a path that suits you.

In other words, everyone here can only attend one type of school from birth. However, this school is the highest institution in Xuwang Village. There is no need to take exams, nor is there a need to set up a special major for each person, with only one place reserved.

Social resources here are fair. If you do a job, you earn a salary. If you can't do it, you'll starve to death. From the highest administrative units—the clan hall, the law hall, the patrol hall, and the criminal justice hall—all the way down to the lowest level of public servants, selection is based on individual ability. Simply put, your level of character and potential determine the position you receive.

If there are no vacancies and the position is currently open, you can challenge the candidate for the position you're interested in to a duel. If you win, you'll replace them and receive the same treatment and authority as them. If you lose, you'll just sit back and wait for the next opportunity.

Aside from private employment, all other official positions here are determined by competitive assessment. No backdoors, no connections, and no late-night deliveries of straw or coins are required...

The threshold for entry to the entire Sky Prison was either Black Qi level or a genius with sufficient potential, and Young Master Yin was no exception. If he couldn't reach this level, he couldn't enter, and he would have to accept the rules of a deathmatch competition, fighting and sprinting all the way to the position of prison commander.

But even this position didn't guarantee safety. He had the power to review the guards' performance, but the clan committee that managed the prison would also review his performance. If the guards performed poorly, they would still be dismissed and demoted.

It was precisely because of these rules that Ren Ye's initial entry into the Heavenly Prison was so difficult. He wasn't a Black Qi player, nor was he a genius with exceptional potential. Therefore, even if Zhao Mi, the head of the four clan leaders, wanted to send him here, he would have to convene a clan hall meeting, solemnly discuss the matter with the other three, and come up with a compelling reason to make an exception.

This was practically unimaginable outside. It was like the Lord of Chaolong City wanting to appoint a personal guard to the Chaolong Guard, yet having to arrange a special court meeting and carefully discuss the matter with all the civil and military officials. It seemed absurd, but in the Village of Illusion, it was a matter of unwavering importance, bound by the iron laws of the land.