plumnovel 69. Arena
69. Arena
The news of Lin Mo accepting the life-or-death challenge was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, its ripples quickly spreading throughout the martial arts world. In Jiangzhou City, teahouses, taverns, and streets were filled with talk of the impending power struggle. The prestige of the four great families was deeply ingrained in people's minds, while the name of Lin Mo, a rising star, was shrouded in mystery and tragedy. Most people were pessimistic about his chances, believing it was merely a formality for the four great families to gracefully reclaim their control of the docks, and that the outcome was already predetermined.
On the top deck of the Golden Scale ship, the atmosphere in the quiet room was completely different from the hustle and bustle outside. Lin Mo sat cross-legged, his expression calm, as if he were not the one about to face the life-or-death arena. On the floor in front of him were dozens of ancient books, manuscripts, and records of martial arts anecdotes that Chen Mo and others had urgently collected, including some rare, yellowed, tattered, and illegible manuscripts. These were all records of the history of the "Life-or-Death Arena".
"My lord, these are the most detailed records we could find about the life-or-death arena." Chen Mo stood to the side, his tone respectful yet worried. "Due to time constraints, there may be omissions."
"It's alright, let's look at these first." Lin Mo's gaze swept over the scrolls and he began to flip through them quickly.
He reads incredibly fast, almost skimming through ten lines at a glance, yet he captures, analyzes, and summarizes every piece of information with precision. His memories and experiences as a top expert in his previous life have endowed him with information processing abilities and insight far beyond those of ordinary people.
The "Life and Death Arena," originating from the chaotic era of a previous dynasty, was an ancient ritual established by heroes of the martial arts world to resolve irreconcilable conflicts and prevent large-scale bloodshed from affecting innocent people. Initially, it emphasized fairness, openness, and impartiality. Representatives from both sides would determine life and death in a specific venue and under specific rules; the winner would gain moral standing and the stakes, while the loser would accept defeat. The arena was officiated by a highly respected third party, and fellow martial arts practitioners were allowed to witness the event.
However, as time went by, especially in recent decades with the rapid expansion of the power of the four great families, this ancient ritual gradually changed its meaning.
Lin Mo's finger paused on a file detailing a famous life-or-death duel from thirty years ago. It was a contest over the ownership of a rare mineral vein. The challenger was a rapidly rising alliance of experts from humble backgrounds, while the respondent was an alliance led by the Cui family of Qinghe. The file recorded that the alliance of experts from humble backgrounds produced many formidable fighters, initially routing the alliance of powerful families. However, at a crucial moment, the alliance of powerful families invoked an ancient but almost forgotten rule—"bloodline substitution."
"The rules state," Lin Mo read the text aloud, "that if a fighter is unable to continue due to any reason (including serious injury or death), their direct blood relative or a disciple of the same lineage may unconditionally substitute for them after their identity has been verified by a notary public, with no limit on the number of times they may do so."
Chen Mo explained from the side, "The original intention of this rule might have been to take into account the special nature of the martial arts inheritance of certain families or sects, to ensure that the arena could truly reflect their highest level. However, in that arena thirty years ago, the aristocratic alliance used this rule to continuously bring in stronger replacements from their own families after their experts were injured one after another. They even invited out an ancestor who had been in seclusion for many years. On the other hand, the poor alliance lacked foundation, and every expert who died or was injured was one less, and in the end, they were worn down and killed."
A cold glint flashed in Lin Mo's eyes. These so-called "bloodline substitutes," compared to the vast resources and talent pool of aristocratic families, were practically a cheat code that allowed them to endlessly replenish their power. How could rogue cultivators from humble backgrounds possibly compete with them in terms of the quantity and quality of their "bloodlines"?
He continued flipping through the documents. Another record from twenty years ago caught his attention. It was a life-or-death contest involving the division of trade routes. One side was a local chamber of commerce attempting to break a monopoly, while the other side consisted of several long-established families. The file mentioned that when the chamber of commerce held the upper hand on the stage, the families suddenly proposed that, according to the ancient rules of life-or-death contests, families with a "thousand-year heritage" or more could, under certain conditions, activate "foundational enhancement."
"What is meant by 'inherent support'?" Lin Mo asked.
Zhao Mang happened to be delivering a batch of newly found files when he heard this and replied, "It's said that participants are allowed to use a family heirloom passed down for over a thousand years. This could be a divine weapon, a special talisman, or an elixir, to temporarily boost their strength. The original intention of this rule was to acknowledge that the accumulation and foundation of ancient traditions are also part of strength. But... looking across the world, who else, besides a few top families and a handful of reclusive sects, possesses a thousand-year-old heirloom?"
Lin Mo sneered. Another set of rules tailor-made for them. Using "inheritance" as a pretext, they were actually using resources to crush their opponents.
He also discovered that in recent decades, the "notary" of the life-or-death arena had gradually been controlled by the four major aristocratic families and their affiliated forces. The so-called notary work often became a mere formality, or even favored the aristocratic families. The right to interpret the rules was firmly in the hands of the aristocratic families. They could "flexibly" invoke those ancient clauses that were long forgotten and beneficial to them, as needed.
The most fatal unspoken rule concerns the eligibility to participate. Lin Mo had seen similar descriptions in multiple files—the qualification to challenge in the life-or-death arena was not open to everyone. It typically required being "renowned in one region," "possessing sufficient stakes," and "receiving a joint recommendation from at least three prestigious families or veteran martial arts masters." This seemingly reasonable threshold effectively excluded the vast majority of martial artists from humble backgrounds and small-to-medium-sized sects without connections or resources. Those who could meet these conditions were often already within the elite circles, or had intricate connections with them.
"Distinguished families... seasoned elders of the martial world..." Lin Mo put down the dossier in his hand, his gaze piercing through the window of the quiet room, looking towards the distant, mist-shrouded Broken Soul Cliff. "In the end, the rules of this life-or-death arena have long become tools for them to maintain their own privileges and suppress dissent. Fairness? It's nothing more than a monopoly disguised in the guise of ancient rituals."
Chen Mo and Zhao Mang exchanged glances, both sensing the suffocating, invisible barrier emanating from these old documents. The four great families not only possessed formidable military power and resources, but more terrifyingly, they had even turned the "rules" themselves into their weapons.
"My lord, then we..." Chen Mo's voice was hoarse. "Since they sent out the invitation, they must have already planned everything. Those 'bloodline substitutes' and 'foundation enhancements' are probably prepared for themselves. On our side, the only one who meets the 'bloodline' criteria is you..." Although Zhao Mang and the others were quite skilled, they were not Lin Mo's blood relatives or of the same lineage, so they could not be substitutes according to the rules. As for the "foundation enhancements," Lin Mo's rise was too rapid; where could he find any treasures passed down for thousands of years?
Lin Mo slowly stood up, walked to the window, and stood with his hands behind his back. The river breeze ruffled his clothes.
"They think they can rest easy just because they set the rules." Lin Mo's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable power. "But they forgot that rules can be both shackles and weapons."
He turned around, his eyes sharp as swords: "Since they've launched their challenge according to 'ancient rituals,' then we'll use those same 'ancient rituals' to play along. We'll find all the rules that are advantageous to them, and just as we'll find all the loopholes in the rules that might be advantageous to us, or that could break their monopoly."
"A loophole?" Chen Mo and Zhao Mang perked up.
"For example," Lin Mo pointed to the dossier that recorded "bloodline replacements," "the rules only say 'direct blood relatives or those with the same lineage of masters,' but have you limited the number of people? Have you limited the age? Have you limited it to 'humans'?" In his previous life, he had seen many strange races and contract partners, and some powerful beasts were even regarded as family members.
Chen Mo was taken aback, thought carefully, and shook his head: "It's not explicitly stated in the file; the usual practice is that it's human warriors..."
"Convention is not the rule," Lin Mo interrupted him. "For example, the 'foundational support' requires 'a thousand-year-old tradition.' What is a tradition? Does it have to be something tangible? Do intangible martial arts insights and secret techniques count? If I have a unique skill that originated in ancient times, was cut off from its lineage, but which I have rediscovered, does that count as my 'foundation'?"
Zhao Mang's eyes lit up: "My lord, you mean...?"
"And then there's the qualification to participate," Lin Mo continued. "They've set up a barrier with 'recommendations from prestigious families,' blocking the path for those from humble backgrounds. But the original purpose of the ancient life-or-death arena ritual is to resolve 'irreconcilable disputes.' My encounter with the four great families on the arena over the dock dispute is itself the most direct 'qualification.' If they use recommendation letters to block me, they're violating the original purpose of the ritual, and we can use that as a basis to challenge the impartiality of the proceedings!"
A series of thoughts became clear in Lin Mo's mind. The four great families had ruled for years by virtue of their right to interpret the rules, and were probably already used to no one daring to question them. But they forgot that rules are inanimate, but people are flexible. They also forgot that they were facing an opponent with two lifetimes of experience, keen insight into the ways of the world, and who would never play by the rules.
"Go," Lin Mo ordered, "keep digging deeper. Find out all the original text of the rules, especially those vague and controversial clauses, and copy them down word for word. Also, find out who the notary for this life-or-death arena is, their background, preferences, and past notarization records."
"Yes!" Chen Mo and Zhao Mang accepted the order and retreated with great enthusiasm. The heavy weight that had been pressing on their hearts seemed to have eased a bit because of Lin Mo's calm analysis and the breakthrough he had found.
Silence returned to the quiet room. Lin Mo picked up the heavy letter of life and death again, his fingertips tracing the four bright red family seals.
"Trying to use the rules to pressure me?" he muttered to himself, a cold smile curving his lips. "Then I'll show you how the rules are broken."