"The Chen Family’s Acting Clan Leader brought a few clansmen to visit yesterday. Our Clan Leader and several Elders received them personally, a sign of how seriously they took the visit. They spoke for a very long time."

"This morning, the Elders were in a meeting again, so the Grand Elder had Bai Wei take two of the Chen Family’s younger members on a tour of Hanxiu Peak. But unexpectedly, one of the Chens was incredibly arrogant. It only took a few words for a conflict to erupt, and it escalated to the point where they decided to settle it in the dueling ring!"

"That Chen kid might be obnoxious, but he’s got real skill. Bai Wei couldn’t hold out for more than a few rounds and was being pushed back steadily."

"But he refused to concede, so that pretty boy on the other side got vicious. A flying stone shattered Bai Wei’s arm!"

The skinny clansman was articulate. In just a few sentences, he explained the entire situation, giving Bai Zichen the gist of it.

The Fragrant Pig Chen Family and the Ink Bamboo Bai Family had been allies for over a hundred years. They had intermarried for several generations and were considered two clans that watched each other’s backs.

The timing of their visit was undoubtedly related to the recent developments in Black Mountain County.

Furthermore, the Chen Family’s circumstances differed from those of the Bai Family. Their Acting Clan Leader, Chen Yixin, was only a Qi Refining Great Perfection Cultivator. The clan’s sole Great Foundation Establishment Cultivator had already retired from the forefront.

That Great Foundation Establishment Cultivator from the Chen Family had celebrated his 180th birthday seven years ago. Now, with only a few years of life remaining, he could pass away at any moment.

Once they lost this Sea-Spanning Golden Beam, the Chen Family would be utterly unable to protect their current assets.

The hundreds of Fragrant Pigs they sold each year placed the Chen Family’s wealth at the forefront among the Cultivation Families, and many had long been green with envy.

One of Bai Zichen’s favorite Spiritual Cuisine dishes was prepared by roasting the cut of meat from the back of a Fragrant Pig’s neck.

Each bite was bursting with savory flavor, and the meat was incredibly tender. Whenever it was available, it was a Spiritual Cuisine dish he was sure to order.

Unfortunately, the Chen Family’s designated Foundation Establishment Seeds had been a disappointment. Their repeated attempts at Foundation Establishment had all ended in failure, wasting several precious Foundation Establishment Spiritual Objects in the process.

Time was running out for them, and with the recent upheaval in Black Mountain County, he guessed they had come to discuss the future of their two clans with the Bai Family.

As for the conflict breaking out among the youths, that wasn’t surprising at all.

Bai Zichen already had a sense of Bai Wei’s character. He wasn’t the magnanimous type, having once openly mocked Bai Chongwu, a man many years his senior.

’A young clansman brought along by their Clan Leader must be a Cultivation Seed in whom the Chen Family has placed great hope,’ Bai Zichen thought. ’It’s only natural for him to be arrogant.’

’With neither side willing to back down, it’s not unusual for an argument to escalate into a duel.’

’After all, they were all Cultivators. When arguments go too far, it’s one’s cultivation that does the talking.’

’But breaking bones is taking it too far.’

"No matter how pathetic Bai Wei is, he’s still a disciple of our Bai Family. It’s not an outsider’s place to discipline him. Take me there."

Bai Zichen had already developed a strong sense of belonging to the Bai Family. As much as he disliked Bai Wei, he couldn’t let a cultivator from an outside clan humiliate the Bai Family.

"You got it! With Brother Chenn on the scene, that pretty boy is going to get completely crushed!"

The skinny clansman cried out in delight, then ducked low and darted ahead to lead the way.

「The Bai Family Dueling Ring」

When Bai Zichen and his companions arrived, a circle of Bai Clan Members had already formed around the dueling ring. All of them wore indignant expressions, glaring daggers at the young man on the platform.

Several others were crowded around Bai Wei. His left arm was bent at an unnatural angle, his face contorted in pain and drained of all color.

"What are you all doing just standing around? Have you sent for a physician yet?"

Bai Zichen crouched to examine Bai Wei’s injury. ’It looks like just a broken bone in his arm, no damage to the meridians. Not a major issue.’

’As long as a physician sets it, applies a Rejuvenation Technique, and he takes a couple of muscle-mending and bone-setting elixirs, it should heal without any lasting effects.’

Seeing Bai Zichen, Bai Wei spoke between pained gasps, tears and snot streaking his face. "Bai Zichen, this guy is a beast in combat. He has an endless arsenal of magic... and two Protective Magical Artifacts. You’re no match for him..."

"I just came to see if you’d been beaten to death. He didn’t provoke me, so why should I get in the ring and fight him?"

"You..." Bai Wei choked on his anger. The slightest movement sent a sharp pain through his wound, leaving him unable to speak.

"Brother Bai Wei, my hand slipped just now. My apologies," the Chen youth called out loudly from the ring. He then cupped his fists toward the surrounding crowd. "I will send over Healing Elixirs later as a token of my apology."

"Fellow Daoists of the Bai Family! Even in my own clan, I’ve heard that the Daoist Techniques of the Bai Family are masterful and your younger generation is full of brilliant talent. Since I am here today, I’d like to experience it for myself. I hope you will not hesitate to grant me your instruction!"

The youth stood in the center of the ring, his red Daoist Robe fluttering in the breeze. His lips were red, his teeth were white, and his features were strikingly handsome.

As he issued his challenge to the Bai Family members, he cut a charismatic and graceful figure. Good looks certainly gave him an advantage.

Though he had issued a general challenge, it would be too embarrassing for anyone significantly older to take the stage against him.

There would be no glory in winning, and losing would be an utter humiliation.

Everyone had witnessed the combat against Bai Wei. The Chen youth possessed immense talent for combat; Bai Wei was simply no match for him. Blaming the Protective Magical Artifacts was just an excuse to save face.

The gazes of the Bai Family cultivators gradually fell upon Bai Zichen. With Bai Ling absent, he was the only one who could step up to fight.

"It seems all eyes are on this fellow Daoist from the Bai Family," the Chen youth said, his gaze following theirs. "You must be a champion of your clan. Why not come up for a match? We can exchange a few pointers."

Bai Zichen let out a long sigh, took a step forward, and leaped onto the dueling ring.

He had no desire to engage in such a pointless combat, but to be challenged so brazenly and not respond would go against his very nature.

"Chen Xiu, of the Fragrant Pig Chen Family," the youth announced, holding a Jade Short Knife. "And I have not yet had the honor of learning this brother’s name."

After speaking, he looked closely at Bai Zichen, and his expression grew solemn.

"You’re... at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer?"

Bai Zichen had just broken through and had not practiced any Concealing Breath Technique, so his cultivation level was obvious to any careful observer.

It wasn’t just Chen Xiu who was astonished; the Bai Family cultivators below the stage erupted in an uproar. Their clan’s star prodigy was cultivating far too quickly.

Just as whispers had begun to circulate within the clan that Bai Zichen’s cultivation progress had slowed in recent years, suggesting his potential might be exhausted, he had gone and quietly broken through to another layer.

With this level of cultivation, he was already on par with the clan’s seasoned cultivators and qualified to serve as a Steward overseeing clan affairs.

"You can ask your elders after I’ve beaten you!"

Bai Zichen couldn’t be bothered with pleasantries. He suddenly felt the skinny clansman had a point—this Chen Family pretty boy was genuinely irritating to look at.

With a sweep of his fingers, a chain of bead-sized fireballs shot out, forming a fiery net that descended upon Chen Xiu.

"So what if you’re at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer!" Chen Xiu shouted. "It’s only one Small Realm of difference! It’s not as if I haven’t defeated someone in a higher realm before!"

Chen Xiu’s standing within his clan was similar to Bai Zichen’s. Moreover, he had displayed a remarkable talent for combat from a very young age.

He could grasp basic Five Elements Magic as soon as he was taught, and he would master them almost immediately.

Furthermore, he was able to extrapolate and innovate, incorporating his own understanding into his magic.

The Chen Family had several other members with cultivation talent comparable to Chen Xiu’s, but when his combat prowess was factored in, he left them all far behind.

Even the Chen Family’s Foundation Establishment Ancestor had praised him as a combat genius, claiming that as long as he successfully reached Foundation Establishment, his future would be limitless.