The Glory of the Tribe

A day later, on the back mountains of Earth City.
The wind swirled through the forest as Jiang Xuan stood before a strange rock, his long blade resting in his hands. His eyes gleamed with excitement as he marveled at the power of his recent strike.
"Is this... Illusory Phantom Ghost Slash?" Jiang Xuan muttered to himself, still astonished. "It feels like I could even tear space apart with it. For an Innate cultivator, it's already beyond my understanding—whether a Heavenly Tribulation cultivator could even catch the trail of this strike... I have no idea..."

Whoosh...
Jiang Xuan exhaled slowly, a sharp pain coursing through his body.
"To use this Heavenly Tribulation sword technique at the later stage of Innate, I’m pushing my limits. No matter how strong my Black Abyss Gong is, my body still has limits. It’s like a mortal trying to lift a mountain—my muscles, bones, meridians, and skin are all taking on more than they can bear... This strain will inevitably cause damage..."

Jiang Xuan closed his eyes, feeling the injuries in his body.
Fortunately, the damage was minor overall, just light injuries that would heal within the hour. The meridian injuries were slightly worse, but even they would be fully healed in half a day.
"Forcing myself to use such a strike drained 30% of my Innate energy. Such a sudden drain is why my meridians were more heavily injured... but it hasn't reached the point where it affects my combat strength."

His 30% Innate energy was about ten times the full capacity of an average Innate cultivator!
Such a horrifying consumption was required just to use Illusory Phantom Ghost Slash.
"If I reach the perfection of Innate, my body will be even tougher, my meridians more resilient, and my Innate energy will increase at least five times. At that point, using Illusory Phantom Ghost Slash would only consume half of that energy, and that’s even without further improving my swordsmanship technique..."

Jiang Xuan thought excitedly, "The stronger my swordsmanship foundation, the less energy it consumes. And if I can achieve the so-called ‘return to the origin’... perhaps I could use Illusory Phantom Ghost Slash a hundred times without exhausting my Innate energy."
"At that point, I should be able to face a Heavenly Tribulation cultivator... right?!"
Jiang Xuan wasn’t entirely sure, but if you counted the three levels of techniques, then he would certainly be ready. Senior Qi, the old sage, had said he could do it, so he could!

However, not considering the three levels of techniques, and speaking purely from the perspective of Innate perfection...
It was uncertain!
"I need to reach Innate perfection as soon as possible!"

He thought, then began to twirl his blade in the air. "At the Innate stage, I should have no opponents. Even the top three on the Innate rankings that my wife mentioned... my real opponents aren’t in the Innate realm, but the Wei family with their Heavenly Tribulation cultivators!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two figures appeared in the back mountains, moving swiftly through the trees with near-instantaneous shifts. They searched the area for any suspicious people within a ten-mile radius but found nothing.
It wasn’t until they reached the edge of a clearing that Jiang Xuan sensed their presence.

"Lord Lei Hong, Senior Liao," Jiang Xuan said, momentarily stunned, before bowing respectfully.
He had met Liao Wei only once, during the secret wedding between Jiang Xuan and Chen Yuanxuan, though Liao Wei had been present for the entire ceremony as one of the witnesses. The man was amiable, and Jiang Xuan had a favorable impression of him.
Lei Hong and Liao Wei exchanged glances, both shaking their heads.

Then their gazes turned to Jiang Xuan, sizing him up, examining him from head to toe.
"Could it be...?" Liao Wei said, visibly moved.
"Jiang Xuan has an extraordinarily rare swordsmanship talent. He specifically told us before his retreat that unless there was a threat to the family, we were not to disturb him during his three-day closed-door training. Could it be...?" Liao Wei paused, his voice filled with uncertainty. "Xie Hanjie mentioned the power of Jiang Xuan’s strike when he killed Feng Fu. He said it was only about one-tenth the strength of a typical Heavenly Tribulation sword technique, which aligns with the standard of an Innate cultivator forcing the technique. But could he have now comprehended a more powerful Heavenly Tribulation sword technique?"

"Is it really a tenfold increase in power?" Even Lei Hong couldn’t help but gasp, his eyes widening in disbelief. "Such swordsmanship talent... even in the military city, it's not commonly seen."
Lei Hong had an exceptionally rich career, even having been selected to train in the "Military City."
Across Northern Hongzhou, there were over 1,300 cities like "Flying Snow City," each governing vast territories, but "Military City" was the only one, the capital of Northern Hongzhou, connecting to the outer battlefield and gathering the region’s top talents!

Lei Hong was once hailed as someone with a "God Demon Physique."
He was from the "Far Sea Province" and had been chosen for training at the Military City, although he didn’t become a god or demon, his time there helped him break into the Heavenly Tribulation and become one of the best in his class.
Becoming a god or demon was rare, even among those selected for training at the Military City.

Lei Hong was already one of the best from his cohort.
Anyone who had trained at the Military City, whether Heavenly Tribulation cultivators or Inspection Officers, could become a "guide" to recommend other talented individuals to the city.
"Jiang Xuan is the first person I’ve seen, since becoming an Inspection Officer, whose overall talent just about meets the Military City standard. He’s almost there... his swordsmanship talent is extremely high, far beyond the standard, though his cultivation talent is only average."

"To train at the Military City and receive imperial resources, one must be at least a Heavenly Tribulation cultivator."
"I wonder..." Lei Hong mused, "Will Jiang Xuan reach the Heavenly Tribulation before my term ends? If he doesn’t reach it before I leave Flying Snow City, it’ll indicate that his cultivation talent really is mediocre..."
Lei Hong felt a sense of excitement stirring within him.

Becoming a "guide" and recommending a talented individual to the Military City meant earning substantial contributions from the court. The higher the talents of those recommended, the greater the future rewards. If the recommended individual became a god or demon, the contributions would become insignificant, and the gratitude for recommending such an individual would be far more important!
Lei Hong didn’t expect Jiang Xuan to become a god or demon.
This was the first time Lei Hong had felt such admiration for Jiang Xuan! He wanted to recommend him for training at the Military City! A talent like that, he couldn’t let it go to waste.

However...
Lei Hong’s time in Flying Snow City was short—less than five years. By then, Jiang Xuan had to break into the Heavenly Tribulation by the age of twenty to be eligible!
"Jiang Xuan, have you mastered some kind of secret technique?" Lei Hong asked, his eyes fixed on Jiang Xuan.

"Mm..." Jiang Xuan hesitated for a moment, realizing that the overwhelming aura of Illusory Phantom Ghost Slash had likely spread to Earth City. Even though it was faint by the time it reached the city, two Heavenly Tribulation cultivators would definitely sense it clearly.
"Yes, a new trump card technique," Jiang Xuan admitted.
Lei Hong’s eyes narrowed slightly, but Jiang Xuan had deliberately called it a "trump card technique," which clearly meant he didn’t want to reveal the specifics of what he had mastered. This wasn’t unreasonable; after all, a trump card technique was best kept secret to ensure a surprise attack... Even between the tribe leader and the Inspection Officer, one couldn’t reveal everything to the other.

However, Lei Hong wanted to become Jiang Xuan’s "guide," and he couldn’t afford to be kept in the dark about Jiang Xuan’s true abilities.
Lei Hong could command Jiang Xuan, but it seemed unnecessary.
It was enough to clarify things.

"Jiang Xuan, have you ever heard of Military City?" Lei Hong asked seriously.
"I’ve heard of it," Jiang Xuan nodded.
"Black Pond Mountain and Flying Snow City are tiny places. With your talent, you should be training at Military City. I have a recommendation slot!" Lei Hong said.

Liao Wei, standing beside him, immediately turned to Lei Hong, his face filled with shock.
He wanted to recommend Jiang Xuan?!
From Liao Wei's expression, Jiang Xuan could tell that this "recommendation slot" was incredibly valuable!

"If you can enter the Heavenly Tribulation before you’re twenty, I can recommend you to train at Military City! If you pass their assessment and become a Military City trainee, your tribe and your family will receive special protection from the imperial court. At that point, a Wei family... won’t be an issue!"
Jiang Xuan was stunned, both surprised and thrilled. He quickly stepped forward, "Thank you, my lord!"
"Don’t thank me yet. You’re still just at Innate. Whether you can break into the Heavenly Tribulation before you’re twenty is still uncertain. But your swordsmanship talent has already surpassed the Military City standard, so..." Lei Hong’s eyes gleamed. "Come on! Show me! Give me a strike!"

Jiang Xuan’s spirits were immediately lifted.
After a moment’s thought, he raised his hand and struck!
Illusory Phantom Ghost Slash!

It was as if an evil being from the abyss had swung a massive scythe. To Lei Hong, Jiang Xuan’s strike appeared ghostly, though not impossible to follow. It left only a blur behind.
"Stop!" Lei Hong raised his hand. Instantly, a terrifying force condensed the surrounding space, and the forces of heaven and earth pressed down, enough to crush any ordinary Innate cultivator in an instant.
Yet Jiang Xuan’s blade, though slower, shattered the space Lei Hong had bound!

The space shattered like glass, and in a split second, Jiang Xuan crossed over forty feet to within three feet of Lei Hong!
He was immediately sent flying.
"What’s going on with that strike?! He’s already touching your real domain?! The temporal space you condensed couldn’t stop him?!" Liao Wei gasped, staring at Jiang Xuan with disbelief.

What kind of monster was this?!
Liao Wei looked at Jiang Xuan with newfound awe.