The two exchanged a glance.

Zhang Xiu shrugged and said, "Neither of us could beat him individually, but it wouldn't be difficult to defeat him if we teamed up. After all, his innate power is limited."

Both Zhang Xiu and Liu Feihu had reached the perfect innate realm and had comprehended the unity of man and sword. Zhang Xiu had even touched the threshold of the Heaven and Man Force, making him slightly stronger than Liu Feihu. Together, however, they would become terrifyingly powerful!

The Black Armored Guards’ coordination could create an effect where one plus one equals five!

"Congratulations, Little Brother Jiang!"

"Congratulations!"

The two walked up to Jiang Xuan.

Jiang Xuan slowly exhaled a breath of green air and stood up.

"Only late-innate stage, what’s there to congratulate?" Jiang Xuan smiled, speaking casually as he was very familiar with them by now. After more than half a year in Black Mountain, they had faced life and death together, so their conversations had become very relaxed, "Wait until my realm surpasses yours, then you can congratulate me."

"Surpass our realm?"

Liu Feihu raised his eyebrow and laughed, "That won’t be easy. After entering the mountain, you broke through from the initial innate stage to the mid-stage in just over a month. Then, within less than five months, you broke through to the late-innate stage. Such terrifying growth speed can only be achieved by using unimaginable cultivation resources. According to this pattern, you might need two hundred thousand mid-grade Yuan Crystals and about two years to reach the perfect innate stage."

"And you’ve already found most of the mines around the outskirts of Black Mountain. As for the deeper areas… the territories of Tier 5 and Tier 6 demon beasts, looking for mines and treasures under their noses won’t be easy..."

"Old Liu, stop being so pessimistic."

Zhang Xiu gave Liu Feihu a glance, "Little Brother Jiang is already a late-innate at just sixteen! If he truly reaches perfect innate by eighteen, he’ll already be comparable to the geniuses of the Starry Pavilion in Feixue City. Though... his cultivation method is a bit unconventional... but his ability to find mines is also a testament to his skills."

"Tier 6 demon beasts are equivalent to the Tribulation realm." Liu Feihu added.

"Don’t they avoid us?" Zhang Xiu asked.

"Avoid us? Can Little Brother Jiang’s perception be stronger than a Tribulation realm expert’s? Who finds whom first?" Liu Feihu continued, "But that’s not what I mean. I’m also considering Jiang Xuan’s safety. I’m just saying there are other ways to earn cultivation resources. The further we go into Black Mountain, the more dangerous it becomes. We might even encounter a horde of demon beasts. Besides, even if we do find a mine under the noses of Tier 5 demon beasts, it’s hard to extract the resources. It’s far too risky..."

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Jiang Xuan asked.

"Nothing much, just some advice for making money. For example, apply to become a bounty hunter, capture fugitives for the bounty. With Little Brother Jiang’s searching ability, not becoming a bounty hunter would be a waste..."

"The bounty for fugitives? Anyone can collect it, and it doesn’t matter whether you become a bounty hunter or not. The difference is, a bounty hunter can also earn 'court contributions,' which can be used for promotion. But you should consider this: the Jiang Clan is still in a life-and-death battle. If you become an official bounty hunter, you will have to complete fixed tasks every year, which means putting your life at risk..."

It was easy to tell that Liu Feihu and Zhang Xiu were quite interesting after interacting with them for some time.

This wasn’t the first time they had argued over Jiang Xuan.

"If we could capture the three Ge brothers, wouldn’t the bounty..." Jiang Xuan interrupted.

"The bounty that the Chen family placed on the Ge brothers is worth a hundred thousand mid-grade Yuan Crystals, no matter alive or dead!" Zhang Xiu looked at Jiang Xuan, "The Ge brothers have been causing havoc for nearly twenty years. Many families hurt by them have posted bounties. When you add all those up, including the Chen family's hundred thousand, the total bounty is roughly one hundred seventy thousand mid-grade Yuan Crystals..."

Jiang Xuan raised an eyebrow.

In fact, he had earned more in the past six months than Liu Feihu and Zhang Xiu had guessed. Aside from the over fifty thousand mid-grade Yuan Crystals he had spent, Jiang Xuan still had about forty thousand left. The more than a hundred perfect-grade Yuan Crystals he carried were worth over ten thousand mid-grade Yuan Crystals.

The Ge brothers were worth that much!

If he could claim their bounty, the money he had would be enough to reach the perfect innate stage.

"Little Brother Jiang, what are you thinking?" Zhang Xiu noticed Jiang Xuan's intrigued expression and quickly reminded him, "Don’t get too carried away. We might not even find the Ge brothers. Even if we do, we’re no match for them. We’ll still need to bring more Black Armored Guards. If time permits, we can ask Lei Hong to personally intervene to reduce unnecessary casualties."

"Fewer than twenty Black Armored Guards can’t capture the Ge brothers," Liu Feihu said seriously.

"How strong are they really?" Jiang Xuan asked, curious.

"Let me give you an example: how do you think your father, Jiang Hanfeng, compares?" Zhang Xiu asked. Jiang Hanfeng had been the number one innate expert in Black Mountain before he disappeared and had even attracted Wei Baiyun to marry him. He was quite famous in Feixue City.

"My father ruled Black Mountain for many years without understanding 'Heaven and Earth Divine Might.' No one in Black Mountain could match him. Although Shentu Lie was at the same level, he was never a match for my father," Jiang Xuan praised his father highly.

"The Ge brothers are no weaker than your father, Jiang Hanfeng. They’ve all long understood the Heaven and Man Force."

Zhang Xiu continued, "Among them, the eldest Ge brother, Ge Wuyi, has already reached the threshold of Heavenly Might and is absolutely stronger than your father. The three brothers grew up together, and all apprenticed to the evil master Lu Kong, forming an unbreakable bond and perfect coordination!"

"Additionally, they practice the evil techniques of their master Lu Kong! Their methods are unpredictable."

"To put it simply, even ten innate experts who have comprehended the Heaven and Man Force might not be able to handle their combined strength!"

"If it were a life-or-death fight, even the top one hundred in Feixue City’s innate rankings would find it extremely difficult to face them. No one is as ruthless as they are. They’ll fight back with injury or even life for life... Even the top ten in Feixue City, those who have comprehended Heaven and Earth Divine Might, wouldn’t dare say they could survive against the Ge brothers in such a fight."

Jiang Xuan frowned slightly.

The Ge brothers were indeed formidable opponents.

No wonder they dared to assassinate the core genius of the Chen family in Feixue City. They not only had a terrifying master but were also incredibly powerful.

"And as for us three... Old Liu and I have comprehended the unity of man and sword. You’ve just reached the late-innate stage. Even if your actual strength is higher than your realm, even stronger than either of us individually, the combined strength of the three of us still has a considerable gap compared to the Ge brothers."

Zhang Xiu just wanted to make it clear, "So, Little Brother Jiang, your task is only to help with finding them. You are the clan leader of the Jiang Clan and the head of the forty-seven tribes. Whether it’s you leading people to find them or your tribesmen, the bounty will definitely be shared with your clan. It won’t be too much, and the exact amount is up to Lei Hong."

"I understand," Jiang Xuan nodded, "But if we only find the trace, the bounty isn’t mine."

Jiang Clan Earth City.

The Chen family’s team, having learned that Jiang Xuan was absent, still entered the city and decided to stay there, waiting for Jiang Xuan to return on the seventh of next month.

That very night after they entered the city, Chen Yuan Shu and Chen Yuan Zhou went to visit Lei Hong, the Inspector.

In the courtyard.

"Greetings, Lord Lei Hong." The two siblings respectfully greeted Lei Hong.

"Mm, no need for formalities." Lei Hong remained as indifferent as ever, not treating the Chen siblings any differently because they were the core geniuses of the Chen family or because Chen Yuan Zhou might be the future head of the Chen family.

As geniuses, who wasn’t one?

At their age, Lei Hong was already in the Tribulation realm!

In terms of status, Lei Hong was on equal footing with the heads of the top four families in Feixue City, in terms of strength, he was the top expert in the Tribulation realm, and in terms of age, he was an elder. To him, the Chen siblings were just two juniors he could casually meet.

"What brings you to the Jiang Clan?" Lei Hong asked, sitting at a stone table with one hand on his teacup.

"Lord, I am here to challenge Clan Leader Jiang Xuan," Chen Yuan Zhou answered respectfully. He then added, "Rest assured, Lord, this is just a sparring match. I won’t harm Clan Leader Jiang, so as not to affect the life-and-death battle."

"Jiang Xuan is only in the mid-innate stage. You, on the other hand, are one of the most gifted of the younger generation in Feixue City. You wish to challenge him?" Lei Hong furrowed his brows.

"Is he in the mid-innate stage?" Chen Yuan Zhou was stunned.

But then, he thought for a moment and felt it was no big deal. It had been half a year since Jiang Xuan broke through to the innate realm, so reaching the mid-innate stage was normal. After all, as one’s realm increases, progress becomes slower. If someone couldn’t reach the mid-innate stage within half a year, that would be strange. He still considered Jiang Xuan a genius.

"Lord, I’m not trying to compare all of his strength."

"If we just spar, he’s no match for me. I’ve already comprehended the Heaven and Earth Divine Might, while he is still two levels behind me in both cultivation and skills. There’s a gap of four realms, and I’m seven years older than him. It would be bullying him."

"So, what’s your plan?" Lei Hong asked, sipping his tea.

"I heard that the ninth form of the Chasing Wind Blade was able to kill the number one innate expert of Black Mountain. I want to try, to see if I can take his ninth form head-on," Chen Yuan Zhou replied.

"Mm."

Lei Hong nodded in understanding, and after putting down his teacup, he said, "I’ve heard for years that you and Shen Taiping from the Shen family have been fighting for the title of the top genius of Feixue City. You’ve been challenging others to gain fame, and now you want to use Jiang Xuan as a stepping stone?"

Chen Yuan Shu and Chen Yuan Zhou’s expressions both changed at once.

Lei Hong seemed to know everything and directly pointed it out. It was unclear what his intentions were.

"My lord… the path of cultivation is all about comparison, sparring to grow faster," Chen Yuan Zhou carefully said. "It’s not that I want to use Clan Leader Jiang as a stepping stone. But the competition between me and Shen Taiping, while it may seem like a personal rivalry, actually concerns the reputation of our Chen family and the Shen family. Our Chen family is the number one family, and the Shen family is second. The top genius must be me, we cannot lose to the Shen family! If we lose, it will have a huge impact, so…"

"You don’t need to explain all of this to me. This has nothing to do with me," Lei Hong said indifferently. "But I would like to ask you, have you ever considered... what if you can’t take it?"

"Uh..." Chen Yuan Zhou was dumbfounded.

"Can’t take it? How could I not handle it?!"

"This, this Jiang Xuan may be the number one innate expert in Black Mountain, but Black Mountain’s overall strength is relatively weak. The clan’s cultivation method is outdated, and... he’s only in the mid-innate stage. Even if his ninth form..." Chen Yuan Zhou’s voice grew quieter.

He had planned to analyze Jiang Xuan’s strength and the gap between them, but the more he said, the more he felt like he was talking too much.

"...Lord, you’re joking," Chen Yuan Zhou said in the end.

"I’m just reminding you, if you can’t take it, all the reputation and fame you’ve built up over the years will be handed over to Jiang Xuan," Lei Hong said.

Chen Yuan Zhou suddenly felt that Lei Hong might have meant well. He quickly said, "Lord, don’t worry. Since I’ve chosen to challenge him, I’ll go all out, take it seriously, and won’t be careless in losing."

Lei Hong didn’t say anything more and picked up his teacup again.

"My lord, I’ve recently been studying the first move of Cloud Sky Sword. I wonder if I could ask you for some guidance?" Chen Yuan Shu respectfully asked.

The Cloud Sky Sword was a secret sword technique practiced only by the Tribulation realm experts in the Chen family. Normally, only Tribulation realm experts could comprehend it. Though Chen Yuan Shu’s cultivation had dropped due to a severe injury, her swordsmanship talent remained unaffected, and with her exceptional talent, she had started to forcefully comprehend the Cloud Sky Sword.

"Show me," Lei Hong said, genuinely having time to spare.

"I’ll be your sparring partner, sis," Chen Yuan Zhou said.

On the third of March, deep in Black Mountain, the massive tree crowns blocked out the sun.

Three figures moved swiftly.

"Little Brother Jiang, your speed is getting faster, even faster than Old Liu and me," Zhang Xiu said from the right.

"I’m just relying on brute force. Once I can cultivate real Escape Arts, I’ll be even faster!" Jiang Xuan replied.

Actually, he wasn’t telling the whole truth. Jiang Xuan was already using an Escape Art!

Half a year ago, when Jiang Xuan first returned to the Jiang Clan, he had shamelessly asked Elder Qi for an Escape Art, explaining that because his cultivation was too low, his speed couldn’t match Liu Feihu and Zhang Xiu, severely affecting his treasure hunting efficiency in Black Mountain.

Elder Qi didn’t say much, just passed on the Invisible Escape Technique to him.

According to Elder Qi, the Invisible Escape Technique wasn’t a high-level technique. The advanced escape arts involved body techniques, with diagrams included, which couldn’t be transmitted through sound alone. Normal escape techniques were like that.

Elder Qi couldn’t give Jiang Xuan a normal escape technique, so he gave him this unique one—an Escape Art that only used internal energy!

The Invisible Escape Technique wasn’t fancy, but it was powerful!

It was a special method that let Jiang Xuan channel his innate energy into his legs, accelerating himself in the simplest, most brute force manner. The more innate energy he used, the faster he would go!

It was perfect for Jiang Xuan!

Jiang Xuan was now traveling with Liu Feihu and Zhang Xiu, but he wasn’t using all his strength! He didn’t even know how fast he could go at full speed! His innate energy was so abundant—it was dozens of times that of a normal late-innate expert!

Buzz!!!

Suddenly, there was a tremor.

"Wait!" Zhang Xiu shouted and stopped. He then pulled out a compass from his sleeve.

The compass was glowing.

"They’re nearby! The Ge brothers!" Zhang Xiu shouted in both excitement and surprise.