I Can See Your Combat Power
Chapter 1664 - 103: The Storm and Confidence

Chapter 1664: Chapter 103: The Storm and Confidence

The Flame Sun Sword Sect came in haste and left discreetly, like a red maple leaf drifting across a stream, yet they stirred up a storm amongst the various clans in Longzhou.

It is said that after the large ship carrying supplies from Yuanzhou left the port, delegates from various Chaochang clans displayed astonishing speed in their departure, to the point where only the younger generation of each clan was left to participate in the grand banquet the Liu Clan had meticulously prepared.

As for those clan elders who vanished in an instant, most of them were racing back to their cities, striving to catch up before the Yuanzhou ship could dock at Red Cloud Mountain.

"Quickly, quickly, find all the eligible disciples in our clan!"

"Eligible...? Elder, what counts as ’eligible’?"

"Eligible... Eligible means children around the age of six or seven, maybe eight. Gather all the disciples of this age in our clan!"

"But..."

"No buts, just go and do it now!"

Conversations like this were repeated almost incessantly among the various large and small clans of Chaochang.

The purpose of the clans doing this was quite clear: to send their young ones to Unparalleled Academy, allowing them at their most naive age to form the deepest friendships with the disciples of the Xu Clan.

No household that has been handed down for hundreds or thousands of years is foolish. The Liu Clan may not care about the opportunity to get close to the Xu Clan’s offspring, but the other noble families in Chaochang certainly would not let it pass.

In their view, the reason why the powerful clans have such impenetrable barriers is precisely because they have persisted through the centuries in sending their disciples to sects or holy sites for their support in return.

It’s just that the sects and holy sites of Longzhou are somewhat unworldly, only half-engaged with the secular world. Although this gives noble families ample room to grow, they are somewhat weak compared to others, with no support from the higher echelons.

This is the reason why clan forces, such as vassals of the powerful Wang Clan of the South Sea, the Divine Court of Zhongzhou, and the Xu Clan of Yuanzhou, are stronger than those powerful clans of Longzhou.

If even one among a hundred disciples could be accepted by the sons and masters of the Xu Clan, it would become an opportunity for the family to leap to a higher social class, and becoming the next powerful clan would not be out of reach.

The passenger ship filled with Xu Clan’s disciples entered Longjiang from Chaochang, docking every thousand miles or so to make purchases, crossing several provincial capitals and stopping at dozens of cities, stirring up half of Longzhou.

When the passenger ship finally docked at Red Cloud Mountain, behind it trailed a fleet composed of hundreds of passenger ships, filled with eligible disciples from various tribes and clans.

Tang Luo, leading the heads of various departments from Unparalleled City’s municipal hall, greeted Xu Changhao at the ferry port of Unparalleled City, watching from a distance the vast fleet, amused and amused.

"Turns out, intelligence is relative. If everyone were equally smart, then they’d be equally foolish."

Tang Luo shook his head and bowed to Xu Changhao, who was walking down the gangplank: "Unparalleled City warmly welcomes the Flame Sun Sword Master!"

"The Academy Head is too kind."

With a smiling face, Xu Changhao quickly walked down, feigning nonchalance and said: "The task entrusted by the Sword Master is already accomplished. How does the Academy Head find it?"

"Anchoring at Ying City, displaying children without a hint of worldliness, stirring a storm across the region without causing a fuss, Sword Master’s methods are exquisite, truly admirable," Tang Luo complemented with a bow, then after a pause, he asked: "There is just one thing that The Academy is curious about, I wonder if Sword Master might resolve my confusion."

"What does the Academy Head wonder?"

"The Sword Master anchors to make purchases at every city encountered, but with only three hundred children on board, all that food...?"

Three hundred children and a dozen or so protective disciples from the Sword Sect had already disembarked, and judging from the waterline of the passenger ship, only a light load remained. This aroused great curiosity in Tang Luo.

It was unclear how much supplies the passenger ship from Yuanzhou had upon departure, but the quantity of goods purchased by the ship on a single occasion these days was not small. Where had all those supplies gone?

Could they possibly have been tossed into the river?

"Cough, we as sword cultivators also value physical strength, such a small amount of meat is hardly worth mentioning. Let’s hurry into the city and arrange for the children’s admission," he said.

Xu Changhao was originally proud of the ingenuity of the plan he had come up with, but he didn’t expect Tang Luo to suddenly change the subject and directly strike at the flaw in the plan.

Actually, the only loophole in this campaign to garner support was on the matter of docking and purchasing in multiple cities.

One should know that the passenger ship set off from Yuanzhou and crossed the South Sea to reach Longzhou. Even if the supplies were exhausted at sea and needed replenishment, a single purchase in Chaochang would have been sufficient.

Yet they had docked and made purchases dozens of times. With careful thought, one could see the unnatural aspect of it.

The triumph brought by hundreds of ships vanished in an instant, and Xu Changhao quickly turned to the main point.

Seeing the somewhat embarrassed expression on the Flame Sun Sword Master, Tang Luo suddenly realized he had misspoken and did not continue, instead turning to welcome everyone into the city.

"Two months ago, the Sword Master called a meeting of all the Sword Venerables and had distributed the ’Five Elements Divine Spirit Foundation Building Diagram’ method to all the Sword Sects, and every Sword Venerable, Sword Sect has been full of praise for this new Foundation Building method."

"However, this Foundation Building method is too abstruse and complex for children with absolutely no martial arts foundation. After two months, even a set of standard Divine Spirit postures is difficult to complete. Martial experts who specialize in studying the martial arts say that if this Foundation Building method is fully implemented, the age at which disciples build their foundation could significantly increase. Even for disciples with extraordinary talent, starting from scratch to cultivate this Foundation Building method would take six to seven years to complete."

"This puts too much pressure on the children who could display their exceptional talents just six months after Foundation Building. Therefore, there’s been unceasing debate over whether this method should become widespread among the Ying City Yiren Pavilion and the Sword Cliffs, and all Sword Venerables of various Sword Sects."

"After all, the temptation to cultivate one’s own congenital Spiritual Energy is too great, but the difficulty lies plainly before us."

"The disciples brought this time are either the intelligent students selected by various Sword Sects, or those who already have a sensitivity to the ’Five Elements Divine Spirit Foundation Building Diagram’, they are all good children."

"The Sword Master gave an order for this Venerable to bring them to Longzhou, precisely to see if you, the creator of the Foundation Building Diagram, have any way to solve this biggest hidden concern."

"So, does the Academy head understand what this Venerable means?"

Xu Changhao and Tang Luo walked briskly at the forefront of the group, seemingly casual in their pace but moving swiftly, because neither was paying attention to the surrounding scenery.

Behind them, the city officials from Unparalleled City leading the disciples of the Flame Sun Sword Sect and the to-be-enrolled students of the Xu Clan followed at a more leisurely pace, stopping and looking around.

There was naturally a distance that developed between the two groups, and under the Flame Sun Sword Master’s deliberate control, the discussion about the core issues of Middle Ying City didn’t reach the ears of a third party.

However, this one-on-one imparting of intentions put tremendous pressure on Tang Luo.

"The Sword Master and Sword Venerables have perhaps overestimated the junior!"

Tang Luo said with a bitter smile on his face, hastily stating his position: "This time I had the audacity to request assistance from the Sword Master with the sole intention of inviting some disciples who wish to use the ’Five Elements Spirit Foundation Building Diagram’ to experience life at The Academy, not to pick sides in this confrontation. Whether or not they use this Foundation Building method, the junior personally has no objection!"

"There’s no need for modesty!"

Xu Changhao patted Tang Luo’s shoulder and said: "The Sword Master has great confidence in you, he specifically advised before leaving to study hard, striving to cultivate all the disciples successfully. As for other matters, there’s no need to worry, this Venerable will handle them."