The Glory of the Tribe

The head of the Wei family, Wei Chengshan, at the age of 92, broke through to the Great Heavenly Tribulation realm, joining the ranks of the top Heavenly Tribulation experts in Flying Snow City. This news spread across the city in an incredibly short time, reaching the nearby counties, cities, and noble territories.

It was an overwhelming sensation! For a while, all the major families were discussing the matter.
"Great Heavenly Tribulation realm? Did he really break through?!"
"Wei Chengshan spends about 90% of the year in closed-door cultivation. We thought that as he got older, the chances of a breakthrough were slim, but unexpectedly, he managed to push through!"

"At 92, his physical functions had already declined, but he still endured the Great Heavenly Tribulation. The dangers of such a breakthrough are many times greater than a breakthrough at 40 or 50 years of age."
"The greater the danger, the greater the reward!"
"This tribulation has breathed new life into Wei Chengshan’s deteriorating body! Most Heavenly Tribulation experts live to just over 100, and Wei Chengshan had originally calculated he had only ten years left. After this breakthrough, he might gain at least another ten years of life."

"The oldest recorded Heavenly Tribulation expert in Flying Snow City lived to 129! That’s an exceptional case, but if Wei Chengshan lives another twenty years, reaching a little over 110, it’s probably not impossible."
"In twenty years, no one will dare provoke the Wei family! A top-tier Heavenly Tribulation expert nearing the end of his life—if he really goes all out, the two major families might perish together!"
"Yes, no one will dare provoke them. Those families who have been eyeing the Wei family’s position as one of the Four Major Families will now have to hold back."

"In twenty years, the Wei family may recover! Heaven hasn’t forsaken the Wei family!"
This breakthrough by Wei Chengshan almost directly changed the strategies of other families in Flying Snow City, except for the Four Major Families! All the family heads immediately issued orders to their branch families in various counties and cities, as well as their commercial forces, to stop encroaching on the Wei family’s business.
All the small actions ceased immediately. There was no need for them anymore!

These small actions had originally been planned for after Wei Chengshan’s death, anticipating the Wei family’s possible sudden decline! But now, Wei Chengshan had forcibly broken through and extended his life!
A span of twenty years was a long time.
Wei Chengshan had rejoined the ranks of top-tier Heavenly Tribulation experts! This made the Wei family extremely difficult to provoke!

This caused several family heads to begin preparing gifts early in the morning, planning to visit Wei Chengshan personally at the right time to congratulate him on his breakthrough. But more importantly, they intended to repair the rifts that had developed between their families and the Wei family in recent years.
The Wei family "came back to life"!
While people marveled at Wei Chengshan’s breakthrough at the age of 92, the major forces in Flying Snow City could not avoid talking about the "absolute focal point" figure related to the Wei family recently!

— Jiang Xuan, the leader of the Jiang tribe!
"We had been wondering why the Wei family didn’t respond to the situation in Black Pond Mountain. It turns out Wei Chengshan was in closed-door cultivation, and no one dared to make decisions. Jiang Xuan, though from a tribe, also has Wei family blood, and with his God Demon Physique, even if he doesn't become a god or demon, with sufficient resources, reaching the Great Heavenly Tribulation realm is not difficult! Such a descendant is also a guarantee for the Wei family’s future!"
"Do you really think the Wei family will bow to a tribal bastard? Will they discard the face of a thousand-year-old family? The marriage of Wei Baiyun caused the Wei family to lose face! If they accept Jiang Xuan, given his talent, he would surely be trained as the next family head! Even if Wei Chengshan is willing, I’m sure many within the family won’t be!"
"Yes, the resistance will be huge!"

"And if it causes a second rift with the Jinhe Dong family, it will be an irreconcilable feud!"
"I think the Wei family should be wise and lower their heads. The value of someone with a God Demon Physique is self-evident. He could directly solve the Wei family’s issues of succession."
"No, no! Wei Chengshan’s breakthrough, with or without Jiang Xuan, will solve the succession issue. With the Wei family’s foundation, if they can’t cultivate a new Heavenly Tribulation expert in the next twenty years, then they wouldn’t deserve to be the Wei family anymore!"

"But Jiang Xuan’s potential is beyond the Heavenly Tribulation realm! He has the God Demon Physique!"
"Don’t overestimate the God Demon Physique! Didn’t the Chen family’s person get injured? Even if not injured, the chance of becoming a god or demon is extremely slim. It’s just a slight increase in the possibility compared to others! Besides, the resources required to cultivate to the God Demon realm aren’t something a tribe can afford."
"Exactly! That’s why the God Demon Physique only makes sense in a major family. Only families with the foundation of the Four Major Families could possibly use all their resources to cultivate a god or demon! And that’s just a possibility! A God Demon Physique born in a tribe doesn’t have the resources to cultivate!"

"Don’t even talk about a small tribe like the Jiang family. Even if all the money from the ten major families of Black Pond Mountain was pooled together, they couldn’t afford to cultivate a God Demon!"
"So, the birth of a God Demon Physique in a tribe is meaningless. It will only waste talent."
"To me, Jiang Xuan should bow to the Wei family! To hell with the tribe! Go straight to the Wei family, kneel, and acknowledge his ancestry! Change his name to Wei Xuan! Be low-key, and don’t embarrass the Wei family! If the tribe is destroyed, then let it be! A bunch of barbarians! If he listens obediently and doesn’t interfere with the Wei family’s marriage to the Dong family, the Wei family will accept him."

"Yes, yes! With such high talent, if he bows, the Wei family will definitely accept him! Jiang Xuan wants to avoid wasting his talent? He has to rely on the Wei family! Without the Wei family, forget about the God Demon realm, even reaching the Great Heavenly Tribulation realm will be impossible!"
"Over five hundred years ago, Jiang Zhengwu was in the prime period of the Jiang tribe, and he only reached the Great Heavenly Tribulation realm before he died! At that time, the Jiang tribe had abundant mines in their territory. After all these years, those mines have been exhausted, and the newly discovered mines are few and far between. The Jiang tribe really can’t afford to support a Great Heavenly Tribulation expert!"
"Mid-Heaven Tribulation realm is the limit."

"And that’s if Jiang Xuan isn’t injured or killed. The Jiang tribe’s territory is right at the foot of Black Pond Mountain, which is far more dangerous than Flying Snow City."
"Mid-Heaven Tribulation realm, in all of Flying Snow City, is not considered top-tier. Many families outside the Four Major Families have such experts."
"Those who know how to read the situation are true heroes! Whether Jiang Xuan will bow is hard to say. The tribe is full of brutes! Few of them know how to judge the situation."

"If he really wants to waste his talent in the tribe, it’s not a bad thing for us families in Flying Snow City!"
"Hahahahahaha! Exactly, exactly!"
Amid the uproar in the city, the Wei family’s gates were busy with visitors all morning, but no one got to see Wei Chengshan himself. Even the most impressive figures who came could only be received by two other Heavenly Tribulation experts from the Wei family.

Wei Chengshan, who had just broken through, was still resting, and no one dared disturb him.
The visitors could only leave their gifts and say they would return another day.
In the afternoon.

In the deep halls of the Wei family’s old mansion.
Dozens of core members of the Wei family anxiously waited. Since Wei Chengshan had gone straight to rest after his breakthrough, they weren’t sure if he had sustained any injuries. Breaking through at such an old age was bound to make people nervous.
"They’ve all arrived." Wei Chengshan lifted the curtain and walked out from the back hall.

Everyone immediately rose from their seats and looked over.
Wei Chengshan appeared to have become thirty years younger, his appearance now resembling someone in their sixties. The tribulation had rejuvenated him, and his aura was now far more powerful than before.
"My realm is completely stable," Wei Chengshan said, knowing what they were thinking. He said this to reassure everyone, then sat down.

"Congratulations, Clan Leader, congratulations!"
"Congratulations, Father!"
"Congratulations, Grandpa!"

"Congratulations, Great-Grandfather!"
All dozens of people knelt and kowtowed, creating a grand scene.
"Alright." Wei Chengshan smiled. "Everyone, rise. Sit!" Wei Chengshan, who was usually a very serious person, allowed his juniors to sit today, clearly in a good mood.

The dozens of people in the hall all had joyful expressions, and after rising, they returned to their seats.
"Now, tell me. During my closed-door cultivation, have any major events happened outside?" Wei Chengshan casually asked. "If nothing has happened, I have a few things to instruct..."
Matters that the Clan Leader would personally inquire about were rare.

Wei Chengshan really was just asking casually.
However, he didn’t expect that the moment he asked, the expressions of everyone in the room, including the two Heavenly Tribulation experts, changed drastically! Even his fourth son, Wei Hongkuo, who had been given significant authority in the last six months, looked extremely uneasy.
"What’s going on?" Wei Chengshan’s expression darkened. "If there’s something, just say it! Don’t hide it!"

Everyone turned their gazes to Wei Hongkuo.
"Father..." Wei Hongkuo gritted his teeth and stepped forward, respectfully saying, "It’s Jiang Xuan. Twelve days ago, the genius Shen Taiping from the Shen family and the top guest Feng Fu had a conflict with Jiang Xuan in the tribe’s Earth City. The two of them teamed up to fight Jiang Xuan, and the result..."
"What happened?" Wei Chengshan frowned.

"Feng Fu is dead, and Shen Taiping was saved by Inspector Xie Hanjie in Earth City, otherwise, he would have died too. One is dead, the other severely injured..." Wei Hongkuo said with difficulty, swallowing nervously. "Jiang Xuan... crossed realms to comprehend the Robbery Realm Sword Technique."
Wei Chengshan froze.
He placed his hand on the ancient table made of innate ironwood. Without using any force, as soon as he removed his hand, the table turned to dust.

"God Demon Physique?" Wei Chengshan asked, looking at his son.
"Yes!" Wei Hongkuo nodded, his flesh twitching unnaturally. He suddenly collapsed to his knees with a thud, "Father! I know I was wrong! At the time, I really didn’t recognize Jiang Xuan! Wei Baiyun once said that Jiang Xuan was half-step innate at twelve years old. I thought it was just a lie, but now I see it’s true! Jiang Xuan is truly extraordinary! I didn’t recognize him! I was arrogant and ignorant, and it caused the family to miss such a gifted descendant! Please punish me, Father!"
Thud! Wei Hongkuo knocked his head to the ground.

He knew he had reached the point where he had no choice but to admit his mistake! While Wei Chengshan was in a good mood, he hurried to apologize! He was also gambling! Betting that his father would not punish him at this moment!
Wei Chengshan looked expressionlessly at his son, who was over sixty years old and kneeling before him.
Wei Hongkuo was nervous.

Silence!
When the atmosphere in the hall became suffocating, Wei Chengshan finally spoke, "Get up. This matter is not your fault."