The Urban Dao Child

"Are you the king of flames?" said a man wearing green armor on his body. He looked old, with his white beard reaching his waist, but his eyes were brimming with vitality.

Yang Dao nodded and said, "Yes sir, I am the representative of the Fire region." He did not call himself the king of flames. That was just a superficial term these people have invented. 

The man nodded calmly, and asked, "Are you able to control all the elements?" his tone carried a slight doubt. 

Yang Dao smiled and with a nod he moved his hand, making the barren earth in front of them protrude in the form of four chairs. He said, "Let us have a seat while we wait for the other two people to come over. What do you say to that, sir?" 

The old man nodded and took a seat at his side. The four chairs were all facing each other. The old man asked, "Why do you wish to challenge everyone? What is the main motive you have behind this? I can sense that you have a lot of people following you. They are all camped at the edge of the battlefield. Why do they follow you?" 

The old man seemed very curious about this. Yang Dao smiled and said, "Sir, when the people start living inside a cage they created themselves. They slowly discover that they are giving up on the possibilities they could have in the future. However, they gradually get used to the cage and they do not have the guts to break it. 

After all, destroying what you created with your own hands takes a lot of courage. Not everyone in this world is blessed with such a will. I happened to be the one who broke their cage. When they found a new chance of possibilities in my appearance, they followed me. That is all. I just wish to create a future where people are free, just like the elements they practice are." 

The old man did not expect this young man to have such a unique thought process. He had never sensed any other emotion than calmness, but these words coming from Yang Dao made his heart tremor slightly. He did not expect such a thing when he came here. 

That year when his son fell in the battle in front of him he did not feel any emotion other than the calm. How can his heart have a tremor now? He dispelled this as an illusion, however, then he found that illusion means he was confused. How can he be calm when he was confused. 

Just a couple of vocal exchanges had set his calm mind in a state of unrest. However, the old man was stubborn. How can his cage be broken so easily? He calmed himself again after a few moments. He was about to say something when they sensed two people walking towards them. 

One was a lady wearing an indigo dress, with her long hair tied in a high pony. Her face was as if the calm ocean, her eyes were deep like. She was the lord of the water region. On the other side was a man with an unbuttoned azure shirt and matching pants made of coarse fabric. His hair was unkempt and aloofness dripped off his face. 

The lady came to stand by at a distance. She did not come closer to take a seat while the guy from the wind region came and sat down without any word. He asked, "So, when do we fight?" 

He had come so far only to fight and not to discuss what Yang Dao will do if he won the duel. The boy did not say anything but leaned back in his chair and with a smile said, "Does the lady desire the same?" 

The lady in his mouth was the leader of the water region. She shook her head and said, "I wish to have a proper discussion, only then will I decide what to do." 

Yang Dao said, "I have had a brief discussion with the lord of the earth region. The friend from the wind region wishes to fight. If the earth lord also wishes to fight, then I will entertain the two of you first, and then I will talk with the lady." 

His tone was calm and polite. He had been counting on this. If he could discuss with the lady of the water region, then he can break down their cage of caution easily. The water region was very strong but they have never displayed their strength. Not only were they cautious towards the external world but to themselves as well. 

This was the biggest chink in their armor. Yang Dao stood up and said, "Yun, attend to the guests." 

Feng Yun bowed with a smile and said, "Master, have fun." 

She was just like that, completely confident in Yang Dao's capabilities. She knew that Yang Dao was seeking fun at this duel. This guy with the wind element practice had only a partial understanding of the wind. How can he or any of the lords be the opponent of the Dao Child? 

Yang Dao and the wizard of wind walked to a place slightly away from the rest and stood up against each other. The Dao Child asked, "What may I call you?"

The man said, "Jiren. How do we fight?" 

Yang Dao said, "Wind element. I can control it as well. So, traditional way of fighting?" 

The man did not ask much but nodded, and his figure flickered. Yang Dao expected something like a sneak attack, and he tilted his head to the side, dodging the punch, missing his face completely. At the same time, Jiren was pushed from the side by a gust and from the other side, an elbow dug into his rib cage. 

To keep the damage in the moderate range, Yang Dao dispelled the pressure from the other side and let Jiren be thrown from the impact of the hit. The lady from the Water region squinted at this. While the earth lord sat up straight in the chair. His calm mind again experienced the ripples caused by Yang Dao.