The Glory of the Tribe

Chapter 34

August 24th.

The area around the Backward Ridge of Black Lake Mountain was high and densely forested, with towering trees blocking the sunlight, creating an air of complete darkness beneath their thick canopies. The thick leaves underfoot made soft, crunchy sounds when stepped on.

Even though it was near dusk, the summer heat remained oppressive and humid.

Dressed as a hunter, Jiang Xuan moved silently through the trees with two Black Armor Guards. They nimbly jumped from one thick branch to another, minimizing noise as they occasionally stopped to observe the surroundings.

"Brother Liu, Brother Zhang, it's getting late. Let’s take a break," Jiang Xuan suggested.

"Sure." The tall, slender Black Armor Guard nodded.

"Brother Jiang, the compass indicates that there’s a water source about two miles that way," said the stocky Black Armor Guard, holding a military compass, pointing toward the direction. "Shall we go check it out?"@@@@

"Alright." Jiang Xuan nodded.

Liu Feihu and Zhang Xiu were both elite Black Armor Guards... part of Lei Hong's personal force of 300 Black Armor Guards. Most of them were at the early or middle stages of the Innate Realm, with a few at the later stages, and only a handful were at the perfect Innate stage. Although the Black Armor Guards held high status and received the highest military pay in the Great Qian Dynasty, being a part of the Black Armor meant sacrificing most of their cultivation time, making it almost impossible to break through to the next realm.

Those with the highest talents generally didn’t join the Black Armor Guards.

Although the Black Armor Guards were strong and could defeat a Jie Realm expert when working together, their overall talent was mediocre, and few could reach the perfect Innate stage.

Liu Feihu and Zhang Xiu, however, were both at the perfect Innate stage and served as Lei Hong’s personal guards. They had accompanied Jiang Xuan for half a month in the mountains now.

The Black Armor Guards might seem cold, but in reality, they were just well-trained, highly disciplined individuals.

The trio arrived at a small lake surrounded by trees.

"There should be fish in the lake," Liu Feihu said as he waded into the water. He sprinted toward the middle of the lake and drew his knife, intending to stir up a big wave and "blast" the fish. But unexpectedly, a massive blood-red mouth suddenly shot out from the lake, aiming to swallow him whole.

Jiang Xuan and Zhang Xiu, standing on the shore, remained calm.

It was just a second-tier demonic beast, the Muddy Water Giant Lizard. Although the creature was large and intimidating, it relied purely on brute strength and lacked refined control over the natural energies of the world, meaning its combat prowess was comparable to an early Innate realm practitioner.

Moments later, after the creature was defeated, the trio set up camp, lighting a fire and roasting the lizard’s limbs, which were far bigger than those of a cow.

"Brother Jiang, when are we going deeper into the mountains?" Liu Feihu asked as he sharpened his knife. "We’ve been on the outskirts for half a month... the people from your tribe already ventured much deeper."

Jiang Xuan shook his head. "Not yet."

Liu Feihu and Zhang Xiu exchanged a look, their patience wearing thin.

For half a month, Jiang Xuan had kept them on the outermost edges of Black Lake Mountain. The deeper into the mountains one went, the more dangerous it became, but without venturing inward, they wouldn’t encounter stronger demonic beasts. Second-tier creatures were the strongest they had faced, and they knew that if they didn’t go deeper, they wouldn’t find Lü Kong or his disciples.

The two guards couldn’t figure out Jiang Xuan’s intentions.

In the mountains, training and cultivation required encountering demonic beasts of similar strength and fighting for survival. Yet, Jiang Xuan seemed hesitant to go deeper.

As night fell and they sat around the fire, Jiang Xuan sat cross-legged on the lake, using his Innate power to resist sinking into the water while his sword lay across his lap.

"Brother Jiang may be cautious, but he’s diligent in his cultivation. Every day, he starts traveling at dawn and practices till late into the night, only sleeping two hours," Liu Feihu said while chewing on a stick of grass, observing Jiang Xuan.

"With the regenerative abilities of an Innate practitioner, two hours of sleep is enough," Zhang Xiu replied. "But I feel... Brother Jiang’s hesitation to go further may not be due to fear of powerful beasts."

"Then why?"

Liu Feihu looked at Zhang Xiu, who seemed to be hinting at something deeper. "The outskirts don’t have the demonic beasts we need for practice, and even if it’s for training in cultivation, why come all the way into the mountains?"

"I get the feeling he's searching for something," Zhang Xiu murmured, his brows furrowing. "Don’t you think his luck has been too good?"

Liu Feihu paused, thinking. "On the fifth day, while practicing his sword at night, Jiang Xuan cut down a giant tree and found a bag of mid-grade Yuan Crystals hidden in the hollow... Then on the seventh day, he said he sensed a unique aura, followed it, and broke open a mountain wall to discover an ancient tomb... Its contents were worth more than that bag of Yuan Crystals..."

"On the thirteenth day, he found a small Wu Lei Crystal mine while traveling..."

"Well... seems like he’s really had some good luck!"

"There’s something down there!" Liu Feihu nodded, then paused before continuing, "The water is about nineteen zhang deep, and it's completely dark at the bottom, but the closer I got to the lake’s depths, the more I could sense a unique aura, and the spiritual energy was much denser. I couldn’t see clearly, but I know it’s likely a spirit mine."

"A spirit mine? What kind of mine?" Zhang Xiu asked.

A spirit mine was a general term for a mine that contained minerals infused with substantial amounts of spiritual energy, such as Yuan Crystals or Wu Lei Crystals.

The value of spirit mines could vary greatly. Some types were worth less than regular minerals, as not all contained usable spiritual energy or were practical for refining weapons or forming formations.

"I’m not sure what kind of spirit mine it is, but from the aura, I think it’s a Water Sink Crystal mine!" Liu Feihu said, revealing what he had uncovered—a pale gray crystal embedded in a rock.

"Water Sink Crystals! It really is Water Sink Crystals!" Zhang Xiu exclaimed.

"I’ve heard these crystals are extremely rare and can be used in formations and weapon refining. They're worth a lot, aren’t they? I’m lucky!" Jiang Xuan said, playing a part of not fully understanding but still being excited.

Zhang Xiu gave him a strange look.

"Keep playing along!" He couldn’t expose Jiang Xuan’s act.

"It’s indeed very valuable! Water Sink Crystals grow with water, commonly found at the bottom of lakes and rivers. Their rarity increased over time, and now they’re hard to find!" Liu Feihu said, raising his hand to show Jiang Xuan.

"How much is down there?" Zhang Xiu asked Liu Feihu.

"Probably the whole lakebed is full of it," Liu Feihu replied.

"Wow!" Zhang Xiu gasped. Although this wasn’t much for the great families of Feixue City, for a tribe or an Innate practitioner, the value of an entire lakebed of Water Sink Crystals was terrifying.

This was wealth that few Innate Realm experts could ever possess.

Jiang Xuan’s "good luck" in stumbling upon treasure these past few weeks had already made him an unexpected fortune. This Water Sink Crystal mine was worth dozens of times more than the previous treasures combined.

"Brother Jiang, you..." Liu Feihu looked at Jiang Xuan, almost asking, but he stopped himself.

He didn’t ask further.

The laws didn’t allow him to investigate the cultivation techniques of tribe members.

"Same as before, just like the small Wu Lei Crystal mine," Jiang Xuan said. "Help me contact Lei Hong. I’ll sell the mine to him, and just convert it to Yuan Crystals at 80% of the market price."

The rule of mountain training was that the first person to discover a treasure would claim it.

Finding a mine in Black Lake Mountain wasn’t easy. The land was unclaimed, and mining took time. This could easily lead to conflicts and killings, so Jiang Xuan had decided to convert all his discoveries into Yuan Crystals.

He knew that Lei Hong wouldn’t send his own men to mine it, but rather someone from the Tongtian Pavilion, allowing Lei Hong to profit from the difference while Jiang Xuan stayed hidden.

No one would dare investigate Lei Hong.

The Tongtian Pavilion had a presence in every city of the Great Qian Dynasty, a massive and trustworthy organization that spanned the entire territory.

"Once I convert the Water Sink Crystals into Yuan Crystals, I should be able to break through to the middle Innate stage. The Black Xuan Art requires a lot of resources to advance in the Innate stage... but once I have enough, I’ll be able to break through easily." Jiang Xuan thought to himself.

Thirteen days later.

September 7th, Jiang Xuan returned to the Jiang Clan’s earthen city.

The new round of life-and-death battles began.

Three days. Thirty wins in a row!

After the battle, Jiang Xuan returned to Black Lake Mountain to continue his cultivation.

Six months later.

The next year.

February 19th.

On this day, a large convoy arrived outside the Jiang Clan’s earthen city.