The Glory of the Tribe

Chen Yuanxuan stared in disbelief at the young man who was casually chatting with her brother.
"It’s Jiang Xuan! It’s really him! How could it be him?"

Chen Yuanxuan had never imagined that the young tribal hunter she encountered in the mountains would be the infamous Jiang Xuan. It wasn’t that she hadn’t thought of it, but she simply never connected the dots in that direction.
From the moment she entered Heitan Mountain, Chen Yuanxuan had believed that Jiang Xuan had been killed by the Ge brothers. Lord Lei Hong didn’t manage to save him in time, so he couldn’t possibly still be alive.
"We agreed to never meet again, yet this coincidence... If he persists in pursuing me, I...?" Chen Yuanxuan felt both surprised and her heart sank.

For a woman, her reputation was more important than anything else.
"Don’t look at me, don’t look at me..."
Chen Yuanxuan silently prayed. She was very worried that Jiang Xuan would look at her in a strange way, revealing something.

However, contrary to her expectations, Jiang Xuan didn’t spare her even a glance while talking to Chen Yuanzhou. It was as though she didn’t even exist, which greatly relieved her. But at the same time, it left a strange feeling in her heart.
Since she was a child, Chen Yuanxuan had always been the center of attention. From her teenage years, she could sense the unusual glances from young men.
As someone who had always been considered an extraordinary beauty, Chen Yuanxuan was used to being confessed to, being pursued, rejecting suitors, and always being watched! So, when the one man who had actually been close to her truly followed through on their agreement and acted as though he didn’t recognize her, not even sparing her a glance, it left her feeling... empty.

It wasn’t just disappointment.
It was the feeling of "How could this happen?"
She had never been treated this way before.

"He knows my identity, knows I’m the legitimate daughter of the Chen family, the foremost of the four great families of Feixue City. And he is just the leader of a tribe... Our statuses are worlds apart. He knows he’s not worthy of me, and doesn’t dare to provoke the Chen family, so he’s restraining himself." Chen Yuanxuan couldn’t help but think about Jiang Xuan with this "malicious" thought in mind.
Her thoughts couldn’t settle.
At the high platform.

Xie Hanjie and Lei Hong had been talking for a while.
"…Incredible! To escape from the Ge brothers, the tribe must have some unusual martial techniques. The Jiang clan has had talents like Jiang Zhengwu in the past, and Jiang Xuan, being the clan leader, must have access to the clan's forbidden secrets. He probably excels in some escape techniques."
Xie Hanjie looked at the Jiang clan’s team. "I observe his aura—it’s not clear, as though he’s using a technique to conceal it. This must be a rare skill."

"Jiang Xuan indeed masters an 'escape technique,'" Lei Hong said indifferently. "According to my Black Armored Guards, when Jiang Xuan first entered Heitan Mountain, he was far slower than they were, but two months ago, he was already as fast as someone at the peak of the innate realm."
"Not using the main path!"
Xie Hanjie shook his head. "If he focuses all his energy on concealing his aura and practicing escape techniques, even if he’s a genius in swordsmanship, some of his other skills would inevitably suffer. It’s the most crucial time for cultivation; if you have ten parts of strength, you cannot afford to use only nine."
"At least he’s still alive. The tribe’s territory has long been ravaged by constant warfare, and Heitan Mountain is full of dangerous beasts. Having a life-saving skill ensures his future path will be longer," Lei Hong remarked.

Xie Hanjie looked at Lei Hong in surprise.
He could sense that Lei Hong had a sort of admiration for Jiang Xuan. If this were the case for a genius from elsewhere, it would be understandable. But a genius from such a barbaric tribe... no matter how strong, they would still be a rough, untamed person with no sense of etiquette.
"Indeed, as you say, in a tribal territory, the ability to escape is crucial," Xie Hanjie replied.

Looking at Chen Yuanzhou and Jiang Xuan conversing, Xie Hanjie suddenly noticed that Chen Yuanxuan was looking at Jiang Xuan with a strange expression.
It wasn’t just with her spiritual sense.
This made Xie Hanjie frown, but then he relaxed.

"If it weren’t for Chen Yuanzhou wanting to challenge Jiang Xuan’s Chasing Wind Blade, the siblings wouldn’t have come to Heitan Mountain, and Chen Yuanxuan wouldn’t have been in danger. She probably feels some resentment. With her divine and demonic beauty, she’s already prideful by nature. She won’t even give me the courtesy of a polite refusal, let alone the tribespeople. To her, they must be no different from livestock."
Xie Hanjie’s gaze turned hungry as he looked at Chen Yuanxuan.
What he liked most about her was that "I don’t care about anyone" attitude!

"The Ge brothers are indeed cunning, but unfortunately, my uncle Yan Yang..."
Chen Yuanzhou harshly criticized the Ge brothers to Jiang Xuan, as if sympathizing with his experience, before finally asking the critical question, "I wonder how Clan Leader Jiang managed to escape from the Ge brothers?"
At this question, the scene fell into an intense silence.

The Chen family’s innate guards all looked at Jiang Xuan with curious and speculative eyes.
Chen Yuanxuan’s gaze also flickered; she was equally puzzled.
"I didn’t escape."

Jiang Xuan replied, signaling to someone nearby to bring him his belongings. A tribesman who was holding his bag immediately handed it over, and Jiang Xuan unwrapped the large, bloodstained bundle.
"Didn’t escape?"
"What do you mean?"

The Chen family guards murmured in confusion, unable to understand what he meant.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Jiang Xuan shook the bundle open and dumped the contents onto the ground. Three heads rolled onto the ground. The women of the Jiang clan showed no reaction, but the Chen family guards frowned, visibly disturbed.

Killing on the cultivation path was common, but carrying severed heads around was another matter. Few would resort to such barbarity—it was too gruesome.
"I killed them," Jiang Xuan said.
"Huh?" Chen Yuanzhou froze. "Who? You killed who?"

"The Ge brothers," Jiang Xuan looked at Chen Yuanzhou as if asking, "Don’t you have a good memory?" His words were clear enough, "I didn’t escape; I killed the Ge brothers."
"You killed the Ge brothers?!" Chen Yuanzhou’s voice shot up, as if stepping on a tail.
"Yes…" Jiang Xuan was momentarily confused by Chen Yuanzhou’s sharp tone.

The entire training ground fell silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
On the high platform, Lei Hong and Xie Hanjie had been about to leave. At Chen Yuanzhou’s shout, both of them abruptly stopped and turned around, their sharp eyes instantly focusing on the severed heads on the ground.
Jiang Xuan, realizing Chen Yuanzhou’s expression, finally understood where the problem lay.

"You don’t recognize the Ge brothers?" Jiang Xuan casually kicked one of the heads on the ground.
"I… I’ve only seen their portraits…" Chen Yuanzhou said uncertainly. He reached down and grabbed one of the heads by the hair, lifting it close to examine it. "This one looks like the third brother of the Ge family, it seems..."
The three heads were lifelike, showing no signs of decay.

Innate beings didn’t decay easily. They would gradually lose moisture and turn into mummified corpses, but that process took a long time. These heads seemed as fresh as if they had just been severed.
Chen Yuanzhou only said "seems," unwilling to confirm it completely.
The portraits of the Ge brothers from the Feixue City government had been done six years ago, and Chen Yuanzhou had seen that version. It couldn’t possibly be identical.

"The Ge brothers’ weapons are here too," Jiang Xuan gestured to the three swords hanging from his bag. "But you can only look at them, I won’t give them to you. They’re my trophies."
"Young Master, I’ve seen the Ge brothers before…" A tall, strong Chen family guard stepped forward.
Whoosh!

Before he could finish, Lei Hong appeared next to him out of nowhere.
"It’s indeed the Ge brothers," Lei Hong confirmed, then turned to Jiang Xuan, "Jiang Xuan, come with me."
"Yes, sir."

Everyone present was stunned.
Chen Yuanxuan watched Jiang Xuan leave, utterly shocked. Lei Hong’s words were equivalent to an official confirmation from the government, and Lei Hong would never make a mistake. The Ge brothers had really been killed by Jiang Xuan? How could this be? How did he have such strength? It was impossible!
But the heads were right there!

"That morning, by the wooden stakes, there was that bag…" Chen Yuanxuan remembered what she had seen when she first woke up that morning. She had instinctively assumed the bag contained some game.
"He killed the Ge brothers first, and then saved me? If he really has that kind of power..." Chen Yuanxuan thought to herself. For some reason, Jiang Xuan’s back seemed much taller now.
In the refined courtyard.

The three heads were placed on a stone table, and the Black Armored Guards were preparing wooden boxes to take them away. The heads of the Ge brothers, notorious criminals of the empire, would naturally be taken by the government.
Lei Hong, Xie Hanjie, Chen Yuanxuan, and Chen Yuanzhou were either sitting or standing, all watching Jiang Xuan.
"After luring the three brothers to the area near the beast clan..." Jiang Xuan briefly explained the situation to Lei Hong.

"Secret technique?" Lei Hong looked at Jiang Xuan, "What’s that?"
"This…" Jiang Xuan trailed off. "Sir, it’s hard to say."
The so-called secret technique was a trump card used in critical moments to turn the tide, not to be easily revealed. The fewer people who knew, the better, to prevent it from being figured out or countered. Jiang Xuan understood this principle, and he believed Lei Hong did too. He wasn’t about to demonstrate his "Endless Chasing Wind Style" for Lei Hong—doing so would raise questions about how he had so much innate power...

Xie Hanjie frowned, staring at Jiang Xuan.
He had never seen a tribesman dare to refuse to answer an inspector’s questions.
So audacious!

"If you don’t want to say, then don’t," Lei Hong said, unconcerned. "The heads of the Ge brothers are brought back by you, so regardless of what happened in between, the reward is yours. Since the Chen siblings are here, you can negotiate with them about the ten thousand mid-grade Yuan Crystals, and the rest of the reward will be sent by Feixue City in a few days."
Both Chen Yuanxuan and Chen Yuanzhou were still processing the shock of Jiang Xuan killing the Ge brothers, their emotions hard to calm.
But the conversation between Jiang Xuan and Lei Hong made Chen Yuanzhou’s expression subtly change.

"Clan Leader Jiang, rest assured. Since you killed the Ge brothers, the reward will certainly be yours. I’ll arrange for someone to inform the family, and the ten thousand mid-grade Yuan Crystals will be delivered from Feixue City in a few days," Chen Yuanzhou said to Jiang Xuan.
"Good! It’s settled!" Jiang Xuan nodded with a smile.
Once the two batches of Yuan Crystals arrived at the Jiang clan’s earth city, Jiang Xuan wouldn’t need to go back into the mountains anymore. He could focus on cultivating... Zhang Xiu and the others estimated that Jiang Xuan would need two years to reach the pinnacle of the innate realm, but Jiang Xuan himself believed it would only take a bit more than a year, because his talent was still growing. After that, comprehending the unity of man and sword, and the will of heaven, would not be difficult.

The real challenge would be to comprehend the "Heavenly Divine Might."
"By the way, Clan Leader Jiang."
Chen Yuanzhou looked at Jiang Xuan again and said, "Actually, the main reason I came to Heitan Mountain this time is to seek your guidance. The ninth style of the Chasing Wind Blade has become famous throughout Feixue City. I originally thought that was your strongest technique, but I didn’t expect you also have a trump card… Clan Leader Jiang, how about we find some time to spar?"

He formally issued a challenge to Jiang Xuan!
Chen Yuanxuan’s expression changed slightly as she glanced at her brother, then looked back at Jiang Xuan.