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Chapter 202 - 202: 198: Dream

Moreover, from his recent observations, the average level of martial artists in Yuanzhou was noticeably higher than that of Longzhou’s. This discrepancy was not likely due to differences in people’s natural abilities, but rather, was primarily affected by the chosen sacred grounds.

Martial Saint Mountain was a revered sacred place removed from worldly concerns. Even though it was located in Longzhou, no matter what transformations Longzhou underwent, they would remain largely indifferent. Even if wars broke out and the people suffered, given the martial mama of those on Martial Saint Mountain, as long as they weren’t provoked, they would turn a blind eye and deaf ear to everything.

On the other hand, the Xu Family was a worldly sacred place that governed over a dozen cities. These cities weren’t seized by force, but were built from scratch by the Xu Clan. However, managing so many cities inevitably meant dealing with bandits and fierce rogues, as well as disputes over resources. For the sake of efficiency, the Xu Clan established three sacred armies.

The existence of the Xu Clan incited both fear and awe in the noble families of Yuanzhou. Because the sacred ground was so dominant right before their eyes, they couldn’t help but wonder, if one day the sacred ground decided to wage war, how they could protect themselves?

Only when people faced threats and fears did they find the motivation to progress. Hence, each and every influential family in Yuanzhou took the Xu Clan as their goal to catch up with, and constantly sought to validate their learning through challenges.

It was precisely because of this pursuit of excellence that, over time, the noble families of Yuanzhou had become so tough.

But the people of Longzhou were different. The Martial Saint Mountain was aloof from worldly concerns. As the strongest force in the local area, these families had no goals, nor did they hold any fear. In their eyes, only they themselves could defeat themselves. This kind of arrogance wasn’t necessarily wrong, but it could hinder progress and lead to the loss of a respectful heart.

Such a detached sacred ground like the Martial Saint Mountain certainly didn’t require the respect of worldly people, but it also inadvertently prevented the development of martial arts in Longzhou.

Therefore, on this journey around the world, Elder Xu not only intended to establish the reputation of the Xu Clan, but also to instill a sense of crisis in these martial artists, showing them the stark reality of their deficiencies. This was his way of fulfilling the sacred way of the Xu Clan.

How can someone who is self-satisfied and unwilling to make progress regain their ambition?

The answer lies in either cultivating fear or setting a target. Elder Xu planned to do both.

At the summit of North Mountain

Since the impeachment at the last council meeting, Tang Zhi would come here to gaze at the sea of clouds whenever he had the time.

He remembered someone once saying, the higher one’s position, the fewer companions one has.

From the time he was a child, Tang Zhi possessed a great ambition. He wanted to achieve something great that twenty-odd generations of Tang clan leaders had never done before. When his peers were playing, he began to leam literature and medical meridians.

People often said that Tang Zuo had exceptional intelligence. However, nobody knew that Tang Zhi had completed the Foundation Building when he was seven years old. When he measured the time it took for him to enter his inner vision, he realized that all he had was a very ordinary talent. With great determination, he gave up on the martial path and turned to study clan literature.

He understood a principle from a young age: victory depends on unique perspective and foresight. Not only must one have self-awareness, but one also needs to have exceptional talent and foresight!

Since the martial path was not feasible for him, he decided to use his wisdom to reward the Tang Clan by striving to consolidate and expand the clan s influence using political strategies. This was no lesser path than the former. Tang Zhi was grateful for being born into a wealthy family because the relaxed environment and abundant resources gave him many choices.

Since the martial path was a dead-end for him, he decided to reward the Tang clan with his intelligence. Over the years of his rule, the strength of the clan had grown. This should have been evident to the subordinate clan heads, so he didn’t understand why so many people agreed to the impeachment.

Tang Zhi knew this was just his own tenacity because how many people can remain unshaken when benefits are at stake? All this was simply due to Tang Cunfu’s superior tactics.

Yet, he couldn’t let it go, so he often came here to gaze at the sea of clouds, hoping to become more indifferent.

But at the last clan council, if Tang Luo hadn’t intervened, and the First Head of the Martial Hall hadn’t been there to insist on maintaining war regulations, he would have lost his position as clan leader. Coups and upheavals would have been far from his reach.

All he could say was: no one understands me, and it’s lonely at the top.

“Clan Leader.” The deep and heavy voice of Tang Kuan echoed.

Tang Zhi didn’t turn around, and continued looking at the rolling sea of clouds: “What brings Head Kuan to see me?”

The clan studies should be busy demarcating and registering the wasteland north of Lingjiang, he wondered why Tang Kuan had come to find him.

“It’s about the new policy. What about the land policy and its implementation?” Tang Zhi raised his eyebrows, turned around and smiled: “What do you mean, Head Kuan?”

“It’S a waste of manpower and brings no benefits.” Tang Kuan replied.

Since it was obvious that Xiling would undergo major changes and the allocation of forces would be rewritten, deploying manpower to compile the registry now not only wasted energy but also caused unnecessary changes at this critical juncture. Although all thirteen elders had agreed, Tang Kuan still wanted to delay the implementation of the policy.

Tang Zhi certainly understood Tang Kuan’s intention but he didn’t agree with Kuan’s notion of a wasteful task. So he asked, “Do you know why the Great Elder first opposed and then agreed?”

As one of the five people who understood the plan, Tang Siyuan’s flip-flop was the most puzzling thing for Tang Kuan. Now that Tang Zhi was asking about it, Tang Kuan could only guess: “Is it because he didn’t want to offend the future cornerstone of our Tang Clan?”

“That’s our worries.” Tang Zhi laughed: “The Great Elder has also reached the age of retirement. Even if Tang Luo only needs eight years to grow up, why would the Great Elder compromise his dignity?”

“Then why is it?” Tang Kuan asked.

“Because we are uncertain. If the conflict in Xiling escalates, we don’t know how much of our Tang Clan’s combat power will remain.” Tang Zhi sighed. Of course, he wanted everything to be perfect. But if there was the slightest deviation, considering the Mi Family’s formidable strength, even a failure would severely damage the Tang Clan.

Since Tang Kuan could hold the position of head, he was not a mediocre person. He had clearly understood Tang Siyuan’s changes.

“So, even if it’s a futile task, we still have to do it?”

Tang Zhi laughed: “How could that be a futile task? By forcing the Mi Family to concentrate on the new policy, they naturally wouldn’t have the time to notice our preparations.”

Hearing such naive words, how could he not know that the clan leader was joking? Tang Kuan could only give a bitter smile, salute and withdraw.

First Cultivation Ground

From the first day back in the Martial Hall, Tang Xing seemed to be absent-minded. From the morning practice to the afternoon drill, he was restless and kept glancing at another corner of the training field, looking for a familiar figure.

Ever since he had defeated Tang Zhen, that little girl had stopped challenging him. Without her as an opponent, he couldn’t even muster enough energy to cultivate, much less delve into the martial techniques.

As a result, his martial techniques had made no progress over the past few months.

Also, he often dreamed of fighting with Tang Zhen, and they would end up embracing each other tightly in the intense fight.

He felt the dream was very comfortable, but when he woke up the next morning, his underwear was always wet and sticky..