The Glory of the Tribe

"Lord! Can this strike of mine kill a Heavenly Tribulation Realm cultivator?" Jiang Xuan asked seriously.
"The power is enough to kill a minor Heavenly Tribulation cultivator." Lei Hong replied, "However, it depends on the situation. A person is a living being, and they won’t just stand still and let you strike them. As of now, if you ambush a minor Heavenly Tribulation cultivator, there’s a seventy percent chance you’ll succeed in killing them. The remaining thirty percent... minor Heavenly Tribulation cultivators have their own trump cards. If they happen to use their life-saving technique and survive, you won’t be so lucky."

Jiang Xuan nodded repeatedly upon hearing this.
Lei Hong was being very detailed to avoid any misunderstandings, and Jiang Xuan understood the gravity of the situation. He had confirmed through Lei Hong that he could now kill a minor Heavenly Tribulation cultivator!
"You need to understand," Lei Hong continued, "your current overall strength is still far weaker than a minor Heavenly Tribulation cultivator. You only have this one move! In terms of speed, body movement, physical strength, and control over the force of the heavens and earth, you’re far behind the Heavenly Tribulation Realm."

"You may be able to take the first strike and kill a Heavenly Tribulation cultivator, but any minor Heavenly Tribulation cultivator could also kill you with the first strike! However, the stakes are different. Not to mention that a Heavenly Tribulation cultivator’s sneak attack would rarely fail. Even if it did fail, in a direct confrontation, you wouldn’t stand a chance, and you’d definitely die!"
"And you, if you fail, you’re dead!"
Lei Hong spoke with earnestness, "So, this move of yours can only be used as a trump card! It’s not something you can rely on in everyday battles. Don’t start thinking you’ve already entered the Heavenly Tribulation Realm! You’re still far from it."

Jiang Xuan nodded continuously.
Of course, he understood the gap between himself and the Heavenly Tribulation Realm. He knew that he only possessed the "offensive power" of a minor Heavenly Tribulation cultivator. In every other aspect, he was still in the Innate realm.
However, this was already incredibly unbelievable for someone in the late Innate stage!

A late Innate stage cultivator possessing an offensive technique capable of killing a Heavenly Tribulation cultivator?! What a joke!!
"You still need to raise your cultivation level as quickly as possible. With your talent for swordsmanship, reaching the third stage of your technique isn’t difficult. It may take three or four years at most, or perhaps even less..." Lei Hong hesitated, not sure how fast Jiang Xuan would progress. Jiang Xuan’s talent in swordsmanship was already extraordinary. "But until you reach the peak of the Innate stage, you won’t be able to cultivate the technique’s stages... how long do you think it will take you to reach the Innate stage peak? Two years?"
"One year." Jiang Xuan gave a relatively conservative answer. In reality, with his dual cultivation method, his progress would be much faster!

"One year?" Lei Hong was stunned.
This greatly exceeded his expectations, cutting it down by half! But just half a year ago, Jiang Xuan was still only at half-step Innate, which didn’t fit the usual growth patterns for such a talent.
"Are you using a unique method of Innate cultivation?" Lei Hong asked. He knew Jiang Xuan had a method that consumed large amounts of yuan crystals for cultivation.

It was an extremely wasteful method, but it significantly accelerated his cultivation.
"Yes, Lord." Jiang Xuan nodded, "It’s a secret technique passed down through our tribe. Few have succeeded in cultivating it."
"Hmm... I won’t ask more about it." Lei Hong pondered for a moment. "In that case, I’ll head back to Flying Snow City in a few days and report this to the City Lord. I’ll also request the reward for you becoming the strongest Innate in Flying Snow City... regarding your cultivation technique’s reward, I’ll ask for something that will help accelerate your progress to the peak of the Innate stage."

Jiang Xuan was overjoyed, "Thank you, ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) Lord!"
"Don’t get too excited too soon," Lei Hong said. "What I say doesn’t count in the end."
"The direct determination of the strongest Innate is a rare event, one that happens once every few hundred years. The City Lord will certainly test your strength, and you’ll need to perform well."
"The City Lord’s standards are much stricter than mine. Only if you perform well enough will you be acknowledged as the strongest Innate." Lei Hong looked at Jiang Xuan.

"The better your performance and the greater the potential you show, the more rewards you’ll receive. The City Lord has always supported true geniuses with more rewards and resources."
"Lord, I will do my best," Jiang Xuan said.
"Then just wait for my news." Lei Hong said.

After Lei Hong and Liao Wei left, Jiang Xuan spent another two hours consolidating his cultivation.
At dusk.
Chen Yuanxuan, hearing of Jiang Xuan’s retreat, brought a food box and entered the back mountain. Their relationship needed to remain absolutely secret, and only a few people within the Jiang Clan knew about it. But delivering food was nothing special, and their external relationship was just that of friends.

"My husband, have you gained any new insights from this retreat?" Chen Yuanxuan asked as she set up the food on a blanket.
She asked casually, as the time was too short for Jiang Xuan to have had any significant breakthroughs—only some minor insights.
"Wife, I’ve learned a new move. Want to see it?" Jiang Xuan decided not to hide anything from Chen Yuanxuan.

In the next moment, a chill wind swept through!
It wasn’t a physical coldness, but a mental one! Chen Yuanxuan couldn’t see the sword light; she only felt Jiang Xuan vanish, and then an incredibly terrifying killing intent flashed across the empty space more than ten feet away!
Chen Yuanxuan sensed that the space itself was wrinkling, almost tearing apart!

This kind of power, Chen Yuanxuan felt, even her older relatives, minor Heavenly Tribulation cultivators, might not be able to execute.
Her eyes widened in shock.
Whoosh!

Jiang Xuan appeared next to her, wrapping his arm around her waist and sitting down with a smile. "Wife, isn’t your husband amazing?"
"Amazing..." Chen Yuanxuan turned stiffly to look at Jiang Xuan. Her shocked expression gradually transformed into immense joy and excitement. "Amazing!"
Chen Yuanxuan began to see Jiang Xuan in a new light.

Jiang Xuan’s rate of progress shattered her understanding!
Though it still wasn’t enough.
But if Jiang Xuan could improve even faster and become even stronger... then perhaps she wouldn’t need to leave! Once a person reached a certain level of strength, all kinds of relationships and resources would flood in. At that point, even the Chen family wouldn’t dare to act carelessly.

Three days later, in the Flying Snow City City Lord’s residence, in a simple and unadorned study.
"Lord!" Lei Hong stood at the door, respectfully saluting.
"Ah Hong is here." Behind the long table sat a thin old man, bald and without eyebrows. At first glance, he appeared unremarkable. Upon closer inspection, he was still unremarkable—walking down the street, he would seem like just any old neighbor, "What’s the matter?"

He was holding a brush, writing something, and didn’t stop speaking as he wrote.
"Lord, I’ve recently discovered a talented individual with enough potential to enter the military city," Lei Hong said respectfully.
"How come you’re always finding talented people? Did you all agree to this beforehand?" The thin old man glanced at Lei Hong, "You, Ah Hong, are famous for being strict and impartial. Who could possibly get through your connections?"

Lei Hong was taken aback, pondering the City Lord’s words.
"Lord, I haven’t discussed this with anyone. Has anyone else come to see you recently?" Lei Hong asked directly, feeling no guilt, ready to speak plainly.
"The old fool Zou Kang recommended his disciple, Xie Hanjie." The thin old man said with some irritation, "That Xie Hanjie’s talent is far too lacking. Zou Kang insisted that he’s getting old and this is his last chance, kowtowing to me to secure a future for his disciple."

"I heard... Zou Kang’s family is in decline, with no heirs, so he probably wants to tie some good karma and train a disciple to secure his own future," Lei Hong said bluntly.
"That guy..." The thin old man shook his head, his anger flaring at the mention of Zou Kang. He continued to write without stopping.
The Inspector position wasn’t lifelong. It required great energy, running around and working hands-on, often facing dangerous situations. Over time, even those in the Heavenly Tribulation Realm would start showing signs of physical decline after sixty. For Inspectors, it would happen even earlier.

However, Inspectors had an incredibly high salary, and the salary was for life.
Even after retiring, they would be supported by the imperial court until they died.
"If Flying Snow City really is Zou Kang’s last term as an Inspector, then after that, he’ll either retire directly or take a less demanding post. The best he can hope for is to become a Heavenly Tribulation instructor in the military city," Lei Hong thought. "Compared to his time as an Inspector, it would be a significant downgrade. Zou Kang has worked in many cities for decades, contributing greatly and maintaining high integrity! If he really retires, the City Lord will probably acknowledge his achievements soon."

Sending Xie Hanjie to the military city would... not pass the examination.
He’d be sent back.
And the City Lord of the God Demon City had the authority to assess talent himself, and if they passed, the City Lord could write a letter, and the person could enter the military city directly without taking the entrance exam.

This was essentially "using connections"!
Getting the City Lord to write a letter to the military city to let someone bypass the entrance exam and become a "military city trainee"!
The City Lord was clearly displeased. His top Inspector coming to him for connections was understandable, but Zou Kang only had this one chance to ask, and he was trying to make big moves.

Having served as the City Lord of Flying Snow City for over a thousand years, he had seen many Inspectors come and go, but Zou Kang had always been one of his most trusted, capable of handling major cases!
But what was up with Lei Hong?!
He was the Inspector the City Lord valued most! Just in his forties, with a bright future ahead! Yet he was already starting this now? Who had corrupted him?

He was starting to feel disappointed in Lei Hong.
Finally, the thin old man finished writing, raised his hand, and the paper burst into flames, turning into a stream of golden light that dissipated into the air.
"Now, tell me, what talent are we talking about?" He looked at Lei Hong.

"Reporting to the City Lord, it’s a young man from a tribe, the leader of the Jiang Clan of Black Pond Mountain, Jiang Xuan. He’s sixteen years old and still in the Innate realm... I plan to take him to the military city for the entrance examination once he enters the Heavenly Tribulation Realm." Lei Hong said.
The thin old man was taken aback.
Since Lei Hong planned to personally guide the young man to take the examination, it was not using connections or asking the God Demon City Lord for a letter.

"So, why are you coming to me?" The thin old man asked.
"I believe Jiang Xuan has already reached the strength of the strongest Innate in Flying Snow City, so I wish to request the City Lord to test him and directly declare him the strongest Innate in Flying Snow City. Additionally, I hope the reward for him being declared the strongest Innate will help his cultivation progress, preferably a treasure that can easily refine energy..." Lei Hong spoke with confidence.
"Is he stronger than Luo Yingcheng, who has comprehended ‘returning to simplicity’?" The thin old man frowned.

"Much stronger," Lei Hong nodded.
"Black Pond Mountain... Jiang Xuan... sixteen years old..." The thin old man muttered, never hearing of him before.
"Then bring him... never mind."

The thin old man stood up. "The Ten Directions Absolute Land has recently encountered some issues. I happen to need to go to Black Pond Mountain. Don’t have Jiang Xuan come yet. I’ll go with you and stop by the Jiang Clan on the way."
"Is he really that powerful?" The thin old man suddenly asked again.
"Really that powerful!" Lei Hong nodded.

The thin old man was still somewhat skeptical. If a person that young had such strength, they would surely be given special training and sent to the military city. Flying Snow City would also earn merit and face from it.
Thinking back to his last meeting with several other City Lords of the God Demon City, who bragged about sending their talented disciples to the military city, the City Lord of Flying Snow City felt somewhat irritated.
These old fellows, still comparing their achievements at their age.

"Let’s go!"
The thin old man raised his hand, enveloping Lei Hong in a burst of power. They shot into the air, soaring hundreds of feet high, and then flew straight toward Black Pond Mountain.