No one wants to be constantly cursed and looked down upon, nor does anyone want to be despised in front of their ancestors and deceased relatives.
The first person then loudly objected, standing out among the silent crowd.
"We want to! Of course we want to! But we're not fools! Our family has already suffered huge losses and can't withstand any more trouble. I could die a quick death and fight those people one-for-one, but we have other family members to protect! We can't afford to take that risk!"
Someone in the crowd shouted loudly in protest, their eyes glaring, their teeth clenched so tightly that cracks were faintly visible, their fists raised so that their nails dug deep into their flesh.
"We are not cowards! We are not afraid to die! On the day of the clan uprising, I was also fighting the enemy! If Lord Daocheng wants to see our fighting spirit, I, Mu Wenlan, can go outside right now and exchange fists with those people! I'll take at least three of them down with me!"
"That's right! We, the sons of the Mu family, are absolutely not cowards who fear death! We are not afraid to die! If the family needs us, we will charge into battle just like them!"
"If the family needs us, we'll go even if it's a mountain of knives or a sea of fire! But ethical principles and filial piety won't allow it! If we all go and risk our lives, what will happen to the family!"
Everyone was vying to express their courage and loyalty, and even those who were not warriors among the clansmen were shouting at the top of their lungs.
The elders and leaders of the Mu family, who were watching from the sidelines, understood that most of these were just empty words. Just as Dao Chengyi had encouraged them, they were also using words to put Dao Chengyi on the defensive.
But it did have some effect. If there were more escapes, some people wouldn't just turn a blind eye. But since the main event hadn't started yet, they just watched.
"Very good. With a group of people like you who have not been scared out of their wits and still have cohesion and courage, the Mu family will remain as powerful as ever."
"But I still have to say, knowing you're outmatched, knowing you'll lose, knowing the situation is hopeless, and still fighting to the death—that's just foolishness disguised as passion!"
"The Mu family has not yet reached the point where it needs young martial artists like you, who are not yet martial artists, to risk their lives to prove themselves! Because the Mu family is not weak! It remains powerful!"
"Yes, powerful. Now I'll tell you, even though so many people have died, even though things are different now in your eyes! The Mu family no longer has so many people, so many martial artists, so many martial masters!"
But I still have to say, the Mu family is still as powerful as ever! And that's what I'm here to tell you—the viewpoints you hold that are wrong!
Dao Cheng smiled, laughing at the rebuttals below, and also at their foolish and ignorant opinions, which were like those of someone who was ready to die for their cause and an ant trying to shake a tree.
Why are you laughing? Why are you saying this? Having lost so much, why do you still claim the Mu family is still powerful? Are you crazy? Are you lying? Or have reinforcements arrived?
No, no, no, what Dao Chengyi said next was an unprecedented arrogance and confidence, as well as an enviable confidence and familiar pride.
"There are many strengths and weaknesses in the world, but for us martial artists, it is the simplest sense of strength and weakness in this world."
"fist!"
Dao Chengyi raised his fist high!
"Bigger fists! Stronger fighting power! That's true strength! Power is strength!"
"Why do I say the Mu family is just as strong? Because our three ancestors are still alive, and she, a martial arts master at the fifth level of the ultimate realm, is still alive and fully recovered! And our enemies? Apart from the Niu family and those two from the Liao family who were nearly killed by me, a young upstart, what about the other martial arts schools, the other gangs, and the Fifth Master?"
To put it bluntly, strength is strength, and weakness is weakness. Dao Chengyi made this clear: the Mu family's five cultivation methods were complete! But the methods of other families might not be complete! Their appearances were clearly visible that night!
"And below the fifth level, the fourth level of the Niu family is completely wiped out! Most of the Liao family's insect-men have also been trampled by us! Look at these heads behind us, how many of those named and powerful figures are still alive? As for us third-level martial artists, there are still some: my master, Mu Dingshan, the head of the Fushan Martial Arts School, and my senior brother, Qi Qingshu! They are here! The remaining twenty-odd martial artists are no fewer than those from the Niu and Liao families!"
The gangs in the north of the city were slaughtered by the county magistrate and his men. The Niu family in the mine was killed by Wu Guiding. The Niu and Liao families who attacked the Mou family were also mostly killed by the city defense cavalry and Dao Chengyi.
Magistrate Huang Yulang's plan was very successful; the three major families were mostly ruined. And as Dao Chengyi pointed out, this was indeed the case.
"So, setting aside the martial arts masters, among the warriors who determine strength and weakness, and the remaining clansmen who are capable of fighting, can you see your own advantages?"
After settling this score, the younger and older generations of martial artists looked around, wondering if there were any noteworthy geniuses.
It seems not. In this year's Qingmang Tournament, only disciples from the Mu family's martial arts school participated. Apart from Mu Qingyuan's sudden emergence, none of the other martial artists of the generation are outstanding, or rather, they are already dead.
"Why are you silent again? Is it because you think that after the limit of genius is erased, among the remaining masses, you are inferior to people from other families? Or do you think you are comparable, but there is a difference in numbers?"
"Don't think like that, everyone. Whether you are young or not, whether you think you are a genius or not, don't pay attention to the ordinary things that have happened for the past twelve or thirteen years, and don't think about whether you can compare to those geniuses."
"Tell me, do you have the confidence to persevere in martial arts, and do you have the spirit to practice hard day after day and to humbly learn and make progress?"
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