I Can See Your Combat Power

In the blink of two years, the New Union that dominated the western part of Longzhou flourished at a jaw-dropping pace. Under Tang Zhi’s guiding principle of mutual aid among clans in face of natural disasters, the New Union propagated its reputation of benevolence throughout the West with a strategy of peaceful transition and treating the people well. This attracted countless refugees and declining nobility to view the cities administered by the New Union along both banks of the Lingjiang in Longxi as a haven to take refuge in.

Two Wancheng treasure ships returned one after another. Unlike the past where the Tang Clan exclusively enjoyed the benefits, the Wancheng treasure ships had now become the most important welfare project of the New Union. The expeditionary noble clans who reaped huge benefits were sincerely grateful to the Tang Clan. Observing the first batch of clans that set out with the ship earning a fortune, other members of the New Union were envious and vowed privately to board the second voyage of the treasure ship.

The Tang Clan’s authority in the New Union was further consolidated due to the two treasure ships, and the power of the New Union rapidly swelled due to the peaceful development and the influx of countless refugees.

Especially after Xiao Jinlin acquired the status of grandmaster, it elevated the stature of the New Union in Longxi by a notch. Ancient clans and sects, who originally believed they could easily manipulate the New Union, had to tread cautiously due to the emergence of this grandmaster.

Thus, unexpectedly, the New Union that entrenched itself in the western part of Longzhou became a formidable force, inciting fear among various provincial governments, wary of the New Union extending its reach beyond the West.

To protect themselves, noble clans mimicking the New Union constantly emerged around the West. However, the level of cohesion among these seemingly aligned, but in fact divergent clans, was known only to God. The clans that had operated the Union came to realize how difficult it was to achieve the effectiveness of the New Union in Longxi.

The clans were even more apprehensive about the New Union in Longxi. There were even subtle rumors spreading about a ballad that ranked the Union in Longxi first west of Longzhou.

All these developments were observed closely by the vigilant New Union. Tang Zhi simply laughed it off. He didn’t intend on advancing further before fully exploiting the potential of the West. After all, a hundred years were left for development, and after vanquishing the Mi Clan, he was not in the least bit anxious.

They thought that relying on the name of the Union to make big money quietly could continue. However, a letter from the Beast Taming Sect suddenly caught the thriving Tang Clan off guard.

The letter bearing the seal from Martial Saint Mountain caused Tang Zhi’s brows to furrow. The fact that two sacred grounds in Longzhou had jointly sent a letter to a clan meant that they had clearly understood that the New Union was controlled by Tang Clan. A terrifying fact regarding their intelligence gathering capabilities.

With a nervous heart, he opened the letter, which turned out to be an invitation from Martial Saint Mountain. It invited the outstanding young warriors of the New Union in Longxi to participate in a martial arts contest called the “Longzhou Young Martial Arts Tournament” in Kunwu County, with a total of five places allocated to the New Union.

It required young warriors under thirty years of age with a minimum cultivation level of the Mortal Realm to enter the contest and interact with warriors from different provinces in Xiehe.

Tang Zhi, with a solemn face, put down the letter and instructed the envoy, “Quickly summon the elders and head instructors from all the cities for an emergency family meeting. Make a trip to the Xiao Clan and invite the head of the clan to attend as well.”

“Wait!” Tang Zhi suddenly stopped the envoy who was about to leave, “Make another trip to Lanshan City, invite Minister Luo, and tell him it concerns the Hundred Years Holy War. He must attend!”

Like a huge boulder thrown into a peaceful lake, this invitation letter caused ripples in Longxi. After receiving the message, the clan elders from various cities rushed back to North Mountain overnight. Due to the distance, elders and instructors from nearby cities, such as Lanshan City and Fuling City, arrived earlier than those from distant places such as Jiejiang City.

Every returning member of the Tang Clan had a gloomy expression. The New Union in Longxi had just got up and running when they received a letter from Martial Saint Mountain. Everyone read some unclear meaning from this action. This seemed not merely an invitation, but rather a warning from the two sacred grounds.

The third elder Tang Zhenghao and head instructor Tang Qingshan, who were stationed in Lanshan City, stepped into the meeting hall and nodded to Tang Zhi. Their gaze was attracted to the letter on the case in the center of the hall. As Tang Zhenghao approached, he asked, “Is this the letter from Martial Saint Mountain?”

“Yes, please have a look, Third Elder.”

After reading the unadorned invitation letter, Tang Zhenghao turned to Tang Qingshan and said, “You take a look too.”

Tang Qingshan respectfully took over the letter, read the content carefully, put it back on the central case, and then sat silently with the Third Elder Tang Zhenghao.

On the other hand, Clan Head Tang Zhi kept glancing at the entrance from time to time. He was somewhat disappointed by the prolonged no-show.

The elders and instructors gradually arrived. Each one who entered would read the letter on the case and then sit down quietly, waiting silently.

Time gradually passed. When the great elder Tang Siyuan from Jiejiang City and the chief instructor Tang Bin arrived, it signified that the clan meeting of the Tang Clan was officially commencing.

“Where is that boy Tang Luo?” The Great Elder Tang Siyuan, frowning, put down the letter in his hand, looked around the hall, and turned to ask Tang Zhi, “Didn’t the clan head invite him?”

Clan Head Tang Zhi smiled bitterly and shook his head. How could he have not invited him? In recent years, whenever there was a matter in the clan, when did they forget the talented young man? However, it seemed that he had determined to focus on martial arts. He was indifferent to the affairs of the clan and the development of the New Union in Longxi. The only person who could move him, Sect Head Tang Sen, seemed to enjoy the situation. The most talented young man in the Tang Clan disappeared from the family’s sight. The elders almost couldn’t recall the last time they saw him.

“If he doesn’t come, then so be it!” Tang Zhenghao said with a stern face, “Without him, there are other outstanding young men in the Tang Clan well-equipped to handle this invitation from Martial Saint Mountain. Now we need to figure out the deep meaning of this invitation. The Tang Clan has been based in Xiling for a thousand years, and we have never received an invitation from Martial Saint Mountain. Could there be a trap in this? Tang Feng, you’re the director of the Wind Media Department, you should start by explaining what this ‘Longzhou Young Martial Arts Tournament’ is all about.”

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