The Glory of the Tribe

Chapter 33

The news of Jiang Xuan killing Shentu Lie in the life-and-death battle first reached the Wei family’s ears, and the top families of Feixue City received it not long after. All major forces in Feixue City had informants in the tribe territories. Their primary interest was not just to monitor any specific tribe but rather to keep an eye on Black Lake Mountain and the movements of the tribes.

Usually, minor events, like everyday conflicts between tribes, didn't need to be reported immediately.

It was only truly major events that had to be sent back to Feixue City at once.

For example, when two of the top ten tribes of Black Lake Mountain were about to merge into one large tribe, that was a big deal—it would impact the business interests of various forces in the tribal territories, from fur and medicinal goods to ores and minerals.

Thus, the major powers of Feixue City had already been monitoring Shentu Tribe’s plan to absorb the Jiang Clan, but instead, the news they received was that Shentu Lie had been killed!

This caused quite a stir!

The number one Innate expert of Black Lake Mountain had been killed by a fifteen-year-old boy!

Just the headline alone was enough to make an impact!

As time passed, more information came to Feixue City, and some people started to get a clearer understanding of Jiang Xuan.

In the training grounds of the Chen family, under the shade of the trees, a group of young people discussed the matter.

"...I’ve found out that Wei Baiyun and Jiang Hanfeng were secretly married, with Jiang Baiyun giving birth to Jiang Xuan. Wei Baiyun was extremely talented, and Jiang Hanfeng was the number one Innate of Black Lake Mountain. It makes sense that Jiang Xuan would have such talent!" said a young man in black robes.

"Then the Wei family might have to ask Jiang Xuan to 'acknowledge his ancestors' now, right? They looked down on his father back then, but now the Wei family is in a precarious situation. They can’t afford not to bring such a genius under their wing," said a short, chubby young man.

"Impossible!" The young man with a handsome face shook his head.

As soon as he spoke, everyone else sat up straight, clearly giving him the floor.

Because he was the first genius of the Chen family, Chen Yuanzhou, the top talent of the number one family. He entered the "Stellar Pavilion" at the age of seven, broke through to the Innate realm by the age of fourteen, reached the peak of Innate at eighteen, achieved the unity of man and sword at nineteen, and entered the realm of heaven and man at twenty. Now, at twenty-two, Chen Yuanzhou had already stepped into the threshold of divine might, and by the time he was twenty-five, he was expected to break into the Jie Realm.

He was a true prodigy! For him, the Jie Realm was just a small step; it was never his ultimate goal!

The realm of gods and demons was his true destination!

Chen Yuanzhou's talent was so high that it was almost certain he would reach the Jie Realm, which is why he held such a high position in the Chen family.

"Young Master Yuanzhou, why is it impossible?" the chubby young man asked.

"The Wei family is in turmoil, and the other major families are eyeing their position as the top family. The Wei family barely managed to mend relations with the Jinhe Dong family, sending a woman... heh! A fourteen-year-old girl." Chen Yuanzhou shook his folding fan, mocking the situation without hiding his disdain. "Though the method was despicable, now that the cooperation is set, it’s more important to the Wei family than anything else."

"From the information that has come back, Jiang Xuan’s talent is about the same as those so-called geniuses from the Wei family. That’s far from enough. He didn’t even make it into the Stellar Pavilion. What would the Wei family want with him?"

"Right, right, Young Master Yuanzhou sees clearly."

"But..."

Chen Yuanzhou dragged out the word. "Although Jiang Xuan's realm talent is lacking, and it’s a hindrance, his swordsmanship talent might already be on par with some of the sword practitioners from the Stellar Pavilion. That 'Wind-Chasing Sword,' once made famous by Black Lake Knife Master Jiang Zhengwu, is renowned for its ferocity. I would love to meet this Jiang Xuan and test that move of his."

"His realm is too low. Just dodge that move, and defeating him would be no difficulty for Young Master Yuanzhou."

"Dodging is not an accomplishment. If I can defeat him face to face, with move for move, that would make everyone admire me!"

"If Young Master Yuanzhou can defeat the new number one Innate of Black Lake Mountain, it will definitely overshadow 'Shen Taiping!'"

"Right, right, even though this Black Lake number one Innate is exaggerated, his fame is immense. Now, this is the crucial period for Young Master Yuanzhou and 'Shen Taiping' to compete, and every little bit of fame matters!"

A group of young people began to chatter excitedly, and even the previously reluctant Chen Yuanzhou was swayed by the conversation.

"Exactly!" Chen Yuanzhou snapped his folding fan shut. "If I can go to Black Lake Mountain and defeat him face to face, Shen Taiping would probably be livid."

"You're going to Black Lake Mountain?" A cold woman’s voice suddenly interrupted.

The temperature under the trees seemed to drop several degrees, and everyone else fell into a stunned silence, with Chen Yuanzhou also looking guilty.

"You’re going to Black Lake Mountain?" A twenty-five-year-old, icy beauty walked up to Chen Yuanzhou, holding a sword forged by the gods and demons, narrowing her eyes as she looked at his guilty expression.

"Sis..." Chen Yuanzhou called out softly.

"Always challenging this and that, relying on your talent, practicing three days and resting two days. Let me tell you, if I hadn’t injured my foundation to protect you, the title of first Innate in the Chen family might have been either of ours. Are you going to be diligent for once? You’re already twenty-two, still swinging that broken fan around. If you want to be a scholar, why don’t you just give up your martial arts and go teach at a school instead..."

"Uncle Yan Yang just died a few days ago. Are you acting like nothing happened? Want to run off somewhere? I know Uncle Yan Yang was from a collateral branch and had disagreements with you, but he was still a member of the Chen family! Even if you don’t like him, you should at least pretend to want to avenge him! Understood?"

Shen Taiping replied, "Don’t worry. I’ll explain it to my family and have them send a team to follow us... Honestly, with our strength, even if the Ge brothers have help, they’re no match for us. As long as we don’t go deep into Black Lake Mountain, we won’t encounter Lü Kong..."

On the second floor of a tavern in northern Feixue City.

A bald man, built like an iron tower, stood motionless by the window, dressed in a black robe. Jiang Qinghong placed her hat on the table and began to enjoy the food and drink the waiter had brought.

The private room was well chosen—neither too exposed in the main hall nor too conspicuous like the high-end private suites, making it the least memorable for anyone.

The only downside was that the noise from the tavern downstairs could be heard.

Jiang Qinghong didn’t mind; she was just eating a meal quietly.

She had bought what she needed and gathered all the information she could during her few days in Feixue City. Most importantly, she had learned about the state of the world today. After this meal, she would return to Black Lake Mountain... Not to the tribal territory, but to the mountains themselves. She would begin her training!

"The number one Innate of Black Lake Mountain is now just a fifteen-year-old kid!"

"Indeed, heroes come from youth!"

"Just a wild tribe boy, what hero?"

"Don’t underestimate the tribes, especially the Jiang Clan. Have you heard of Jiang Zhengwu? He’s from the Jiang Clan. I also heard that this Jiang Xuan is the son of the Wei family’s young lady who married into the tribe..."

The chatter from downstairs kept drifting up, and Jiang Qinghong’s beautiful face slowly began to show signs of irritation.

"That bastard Jiang Xuan! If he hadn’t stolen half of my divine power, could he even have entered the Innate Realm? What talent! What a joke!" Jiang Qinghong slammed her chopsticks onto the table.

Although she didn’t understand how Jiang Xuan had mastered the Wind-Chasing Sword’s Ninth Style, she knew that his sudden breakthrough into the Innate Realm was directly related to her!

"Who knows what kind of broken cultivation technique he used, how much of my divine power was wasted when he absorbed it? And he only reached the early Innate stage..."

"He dared steal my body! Dared to steal my body!"

"Don’t let me see you again, I will kill you!"

"You’re so young, what are you marrying for!"

Even as a reincarnation of a god or demon, with thousands of years of psychological age, whenever she thought of Jiang Xuan, Jiang Qinghong still gritted her teeth in hatred.

"Forget it... A person who can never keep up with my steps. Why even think about him? Hmph..." Jiang Qinghong adjusted her mood, exhaling deeply, and then picked up her chopsticks.

August 10th, morning, Jiang Clan Territory.

In a well-appointed courtyard.

"Master, I would like to ask you to help with something," Jiang Xuan looked at Lei Hong, the Inspecting Master, sitting by the stone table.

"Speak," Lei Hong replied bluntly.

"Could you please secretly send a message to my mother?" Jiang Xuan said sincerely. "I’ve won the life-and-death battles, thirty wins in a row. Let her know I’m alive and getting stronger. I believe it will help her eat properly..."

Wei Baiyun had been on a hunger strike, and Jiang Xuan had known for a long time but had been unable to solve it.

Now, he had a way.

"Mm." Lei Hong paused for a moment, then said, "This is simple. I can have someone do it, but... why should I help you?"

Lei Hong didn’t like helping without reason, perhaps for the sake of fairness.

"Master! If you help me, I’ll lead a team into the mountains to search for the demon master. I’ll personally go, and I’ll also make the tribe members work harder," Jiang Xuan said.

"You want to go to the mountains for training, right? You want to search for Lü Kong. If I send Black Armor Guards with you, you’ll be safer while you train. You’re smart," Lei Hong took a sip of tea and immediately saw through Jiang Xuan’s motives.

"Training is indeed part of it," Jiang Xuan didn’t deny.

Actually, Lei Hong had only guessed half correctly. Jiang Xuan wasn’t just going for training, but also to search for treasure! After stepping into the Innate Realm, his range of perception through his mystical arts had grown exponentially, and because he cultivated the "Black Xuan Art," the resources he needed were dozens of times more than that of other early Innate practitioners. The need to find treasure had become urgent.

"Mm... Alright, I agree," Lei Hong didn’t make things difficult for Jiang Xuan.

After all, helping pass on a message was a simple task, and Lei Hong wasn’t expecting Jiang Xuan to find Lü Kong by himself.

"Thank you, Master. I’ll prepare and leave this afternoon," Jiang Xuan said.