The Glory of the Tribe

Jiang Xuan saw what appeared to be a dream, yet felt absolutely real...
An endless grassland stretched out before him, with the grass swaying like waves in the wind. A tall, burly elder walked slowly, his posture relaxed and casual, yet he seemed to be the very center of the world. The blazing sun in the sky, the white clouds beneath it, the blowing wind, and the insects and butterflies fluttering among the grass all circled around him, as if the burly elder was the core of everything.

"I am Qin Yuan, I began cultivating the knife at the age of four, and it has been a hundred and three years since then."
"I rose from humble beginnings, always believing myself to be a prodigy, once even dreaming of reaching the realm of gods and demons. But fate played its tricks on me. After the great heavenly tribulation, I had only seventy more years to live, with no further breakthroughs. The extraordinary was beyond my reach, and all that was left was the knife in my hand, whose understanding deepened with time."
"Goodness..." Jiang Xuan couldn’t help but exclaim.

This elder, claiming to be "Qin Yuan," had lived a full 107 years, and by the age of thirty-seven, he had already reached the pinnacle of the Tribulation Realm!
Jiang Xuan continued to listen.
"I originally practiced the Reincarnation Seven Lives Knife, later also mastering the Flowing Sand Slash, Illusionary God Union Knife, Wind and Thunder Knife, and over ten other supreme techniques. After seventy years of honing my skills, I finally fused all the techniques I had learned and created a new supreme technique of my own, named Gods and Demons Shocking Knife. However, when my technique reached completion, death approached."

"The knife is my life!"
"For the sake of the knife, I severed my desires. I lived alone, traveling across thousands of miles, committing countless killings, accumulating grave sins, yet I have no regrets. My knife is a killing knife, a knife of evil! It is the most sinister, the most vicious of all! Those with wavering hearts should never attempt to practice it. If your heart falters, you will become like me, mad and demonic!"
"I have no sect, no disciples, and I do not wish for the five techniques I created to be lost. I forged this Tribulation Tome to ensure that Gods and Demons Shocking Knife can be passed down to future generations. I will first demonstrate this technique, followed by my other techniques and methods."

Jiang Xuan suddenly felt the world spinning. Then, he felt himself standing on the grassland, his body moving on its own, with an energy more powerful than Innate strength flowing through him.
"Tribulation Power? Have I possessed this senior’s body?" Jiang Xuan was stunned.
Yes, this was the power of the Tribulation Tome!

If it were just a demonstration, a Tribulation Realm expert could teach their techniques to a junior while still alive, and the Tribulation Tome would not be as valuable. The reason why the Tribulation Tome was so rare was that it allowed the will of the user to temporarily merge with the will contained within the Tome, effectively granting the user a possession-like experience from the Tribulation Realm expert!
"Gods and Demons Shocking Knife, First Move: Phantom Ghost Slash!"
The unprecedented energy surged within him, and Jiang Xuan felt "himself" grow a thousand times stronger. He moved like a ghost, instantly tearing through space, appearing a thousand meters away. His body split into nine afterimages as he slashed his knife. The nine blade lights converged at one point, creating an incredibly terrifying power through their overlap!

Boom~~~~
The ground cracked open, and the crack grew wider, as though the very center of the world had split apart. There was a suffocating feeling, as if the spiritual energy of the entire space had been drained by this one strike!
"Is the first move this terrifying?"

While Jiang Xuan was shocked, he felt as if he had become an invincible expert, his consciousness shaken by the experience.
"Gods and Demons Shocking Knife, Second Move: Blood-Stained Heavenly River!"
Boom~~~~
This strike made Jiang Xuan see a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood... His vision went black for a moment, and when he opened his eyes again, he saw the transmission stone. He had returned to reality, but he felt dazed, slowly lowering his head to stare blankly at the formation disk in his hand.

More than an hour later.
Jiang Qianhe, a member of the Jiang tribe, came to bring Jiang Xuan some food. Jiang Xuan silently ate, then took the formation disk and stared at it absentmindedly.
In the afternoon, Jiang Xuan briefly practiced the decomposition techniques of the Phantom Ghost Slash. The whole process was mechanical and vacant, as if he were in a daze.

In the evening, Chen Yuanxuan came to the back mountain after the guards allowed her entry. She went to the forest to see Jiang Xuan, mentioning Shen Taiping’s understanding of the "Divine Might of Heaven and Earth" and the fact that her brother, Chen Yuanzhou, was in seclusion. Jiang Xuan barely spoke, only nodding and shaking his head. Seeing Jiang Xuan's indifferent attitude, Chen Yuanxuan left before nightfall.
Three days later, Chen Yuanxuan returned, bringing news that Chen Yuanzhou had emerged from seclusion and had also comprehended the "Divine Might of Heaven and Earth."
March 17th.

"Pfft!"
Jiang Xuan spat a mouthful of blood onto the transmission stone, then collapsed to his knees, blood flowing from his seven orifices. His vision, however, regained clarity in that moment, and yet fear and disbelief filled his eyes. "The Knife Tribulation Tome... it caused me to lose myself for seven days! My consciousness was nearly shattered, but fortunately, I practiced Ruyi Breathing Method, and my injuries healed naturally. If anyone else had been in my place, they would have collapsed and died!"
Recalling the past seven days of wandering like a corpse, Jiang Xuan felt a deep sense of dread.

He had lost himself while in seclusion at the back mountain. If this had happened during his training in Heitan Mountain, he would have had no idea how he had died!
"I didn’t even get to finish the second move, and I couldn’t hold on. There are a total of five moves. The Ge brothers didn’t understand the 'Divine Might of Heaven and Earth,' so they probably couldn’t handle all of them either. But they helped each other out. Even in Heitan Mountain, they were safe."
Jiang Xuan thought to himself, "I bet they each used it only once. When I killed them, I didn’t see them use any techniques that fused with the Gods and Demons Shocking Knife. With their talents, they probably couldn’t comprehend such a terrifying technique!"

Gods and Demons Shocking Knife was a Tribulation Realm technique!
Normally, only a Tribulation Realm cultivator could begin practicing it!
For someone at the Innate Realm to comprehend even a little bit of it, they must be an extraordinary genius, like Chen Yuanxuan! The Ge brothers were only strong when they joined forces, but their talents were far too lacking.

"If I can use it twenty times, then I have sixteen uses left. Using it again now would be wasteful! Since I’ve already fully comprehended the first move, that’s enough for me to practice for now!"
In the afternoon, Jiang Xuan reported the situation to the Senior he had contacted.
Qianhuang provided some advice.

The Tribulation Realm cultivators who could leave behind such a Tome were not ordinary beings; they were the strongest of the strong. However, the might of the Gods and Demons Shocking Knife still surprised Qianhuang. This technique might even surpass the sword techniques and legacy blades of the top four families in Feixue City!
But Qianhuang also reminded Jiang Xuan.
This knife technique was extremely sinister. If the Tribulation Tome were sold, its value would be far lower than that of other Tribulation Tomes. After all, the families capable of affording a Tribulation Tome were the top-tier families, and they would never allow their children to practice a technique with such negative effects—too many future complications!

However, as long as Jiang Xuan was cultivating it, it wouldn’t be a problem. With the breathing method to protect him, he could endure it.
It might even help train his consciousness.
Jiang Xuan began to devote himself even more diligently to his seclusion.

During the day, he practiced his knife techniques, and at night, he used high-grade elemental crystals to cultivate his martial arts realm. He only slept one to two hours in the late night and rested during meals, rarely leaving the back mountain, except for two occasions when he went out to collect the rewards from Feixue City’s officials.
Half a month later, on the 2nd of April.
In the afternoon.

The earthen city of the Jiang tribe was bustling. Hundreds of prodigies and bodyguards from Feixue City had arrived, and the Jiang tribe had to summon a large number of servants from different tribes to accommodate them. This brought the once quiet city, left empty after the three years of life-and-death battles, back to its lively and noisy atmosphere.
The people from Feixue City were not staying for free; they were paying generously. They had no concept of the local prices.
In just over twenty days, the Jiang tribe’s earnings were almost equal to the entire year’s revenue, with over ninety percent of it being profit.

A small tribal city had attracted the top geniuses from Feixue City, and it was quite a spectacle.
Naturally, this led to continuous sparring and competitions.
Under the blazing sun, in the training arena!

Chen Yuanzhou jumped off the arena, narrowly dodging Shen Taiping’s lethal strike!
"Hahaha, Young Master Taiping wins again!"
"It was only twenty-five to twenty-eight, what’s there to be proud of?"

The surroundings erupted into noise as the supporters of the two geniuses nearly started arguing! Though it appeared to be just young people forming factions, it was, in fact, a confrontation between two families and their affiliated clans.
"Hahaha, Brother Yuanzhou, you were gracious!" Shen Taiping said with a big smile.
"Don’t get too cocky!" Chen Yuanzhou rolled his eyes and replied, "In these twenty days, we’ve fought over fifty times, and you’ve only won three more times than me."

"Chen Yuanzhou, you lost, so stop making excuses! Even if you only lost one more time, it’s still a loss!" A figure walked over to Shen Taiping’s side, laughing mockingly.
This person was around forty-five, with a sharp face and a scruffy beard. At first glance, he might seem like a street thug, but in reality, he had a great reputation in Feixue City—Feng Fu, the Silver Snake Sword King!
He was ranked fourth among Feixue City’s top ten Innate Realm experts and had comprehended the Divine Might of Heaven and Earth for more than fifteen years!

Shen Taiping and Chen Yuanzhou, who had just comprehended the Divine Might of Heaven and Earth, were no match for him! Only Chen Yuanxuan could go head-to-head with him! Even against the Ge brothers, Feng Fu had a fifty percent chance of winning! Despite his poor reputation for greed and lust, his strength was undeniable—he was truly a top-tier Innate cultivator!
Feng Fu held another identity—Shen Taiping’s first Innate guest from the Shen family!
"Hmph!"

Chen Yuanzhou snorted coldly, not wanting to waste words with Feng Fu. He turned and led his men away. Being mocked after losing was inevitable. Though it stung, he knew that to reclaim his honor, he needed to win the next battle!
"We’ll fight again tomorrow!" Chen Yuanzhou called out to Shen Taiping.
Shen Taiping and Feng Fu returned to their courtyard, sitting under the shade and drinking tea. Shen Taiping was in a good mood, humming a tune, and said with a smile, "Chen Yuanzhou is much more impatient than I am. The more anxious he is, the more mistakes he’ll make. He deserved to lose to me!"

"He comes from the first family. If he can’t be the best among his peers, the criticism he faces will be much harsher than yours, Young Master Taiping," Feng Fu laughed. "You comprehended the Divine Might of Heaven and Earth a few days before him. Can you blame him for being impatient?"
"Too bad, after fifty matches, I’ve only won three more times. I can’t boast about that," Shen Taiping said, somewhat dissatisfied, as he drank his tea.
"To truly overshadow him, you either need to defeat him repeatedly, or..." Feng Fu said.

"Defeat that person in the back mountain first," Feng Fu added.
"That Jiang Xuan... He really knows how to avoid trouble! He’s been in the earthen city for so long, and I’ve only seen him three times!" Shen Taiping shook his head. "If he keeps clinging to that death contract thing, I really have no way of competing with him!"
Shen Taiping had already formally challenged Jiang Xuan and received the same response.

"If it’s a death contract challenge, there’s no hope," Feng Fu said with a smile. "But if it’s just a fight with Jiang Xuan, creating an opportunity to defeat him... That’s easy! We can do it today!"
"Oh?" Shen Taiping suddenly became interested, setting down his teacup to look at Feng Fu. "Old Feng, what’s your plan? Hurry up and tell me!"