Chương 87: The Weight of Heroes

Three Days Later, Langya County Town The Foundation Establishment cultivators from all four families had arrived. Langya County sat conveniently close to each family's spirit mountain. With every mountain protected by Tier 2 array formations, and the spirit beast tide now behind them, the clans felt confident leaving their strongholds unattended for a short while. Thus, every Foundation Establishment cultivator in Langya County had gathered in the county seat.

They were accompanied by younger clan members still in the Qi Refining Realm, brought along to broaden their horizons. Zhang Huaijin and Zhang Lixian landed gracefully, with Zhang Hanren and Zhang Liwei standing behind them. Zhang Liwei had now reached the ninth level of Qi Refining, though his aura remained somewhat weak. After this battle concluded, he planned to head to the Purple Dusk Mountain Range, to hunt spirit beasts and temper his abilities through real combat.

Under normal circumstances, the market share allocations for Foundation Establishment clans rarely changed. But every ten years, if a clan believed it had grown strong enough to challenge its rivals, it could propose a Foundation Establishment competition to redistribute the shares. And this year happened to be that tenth year. The five Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Gao Clan appeared in full force. Their strongest member stood at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment, at the peak.

No one knew whether he could break through to the seventh level. Langya County had never produced a late stage Foundation Establishment cultivator before. Achieving that would prove a clan was ready to expand its influence all the way to the prefectural capital. Gao Zhengxin was there as well. He exchanged a smile with Zhang Huaijin. He, too, had made progress over the years. After years in seclusion, he had reached the fifth level of Foundation Establishment, at the peak, just one step away from the sixth level.

The Yan Clan's three Foundation Establishment cultivators had also arrived. Their most powerful member was at the fifth level. Yan Siyan stood at the third level, at the peak, though it remained unclear when he would break through to the middle stages. As for the Tian Clan, only Tian Jianmo appeared. The younger Qi Refining clansmen behind him wore heavy expressions. Their usual arrogance was nowhere to be seen. The surrounding cultivators snickered among themselves. Truly, the wheel of fortune turned for everyone!

The spirit beast tide had cost the Tian Clan one of their Supreme elders.

"Which of you will fight?" Gao Zenyu, the head of the Gao Clan, rose and got straight to the point. Dressed in a gray robe with a wiry, unremarkable build, he looked utterly ordinary. Yet no cultivator in Langya County dared underestimate him. He was the county's strongest, a Foundation Establishment cultivator at the sixth level. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

"I will." Zhang Huaijin stood, his voice calm and steady. The other Foundation Establishment cultivators showed no surprise. Zhang Huaijin's combat prowess was almost legendary. Yan Hiazan, the head of the Yan Clan, felt a flicker of unease. He himself was at the fifth level of Foundation Establishment, yet thinking of Zhang Huaijin's fighting ability made his heart falter. In previous competitions, Gao Zenyu had never needed to appear personally. But Zhang Huaijin's fearsome reputation had changed everything.

No one knew his true limits. With tens of thousands of spirit stones in market revenue at stake for the next decade, nobody was taking any chances. The Tian Clan only had Tian Jianmo left.

"Senior Cultivators," Zhang Huaijin said, turning his gaze toward Tian Jianmo.

"There's something I'd like to ask Fellow Cultivator Tian."

"Go ahead." Gao Zenyu and Yan Hiazan exchanged a glance, their expressions promising an entertaining show. Tian Jianmo's face remained impassive, but a faint ripple stirred behind his eyes.

"Fellow Cultivator Tian," Zhang Huaijin began, his voice soft yet carried with perfect clarity to every ear present, "if my information is correct, your Tian Clan now has only one Foundation Establishment cultivator. For nearly four years since Elder Tian Jianwei fell in battle, your clan has stationed no Foundation Establishment cultivator in Langya County Town. So, would you agree that for those four years, your Tian Clan had no right to any share of the county's market revenue?" Tian Jianmo's face tightened.

He genuinely hadn't expected Zhang Huaijin to strike from this angle.

"That's correct," Tian Jianmo said, recovering with impressive speed.

"For four years, my clan lacked a Foundation Establishment presence in Langya County Town. But tell me, how did Tian Jianwei die? Have you all forgotten? He died fighting for the humans of Langya County, fallen in the beast tide. If Foundation Establishment cultivators hadn't gone to the front lines and shed blood, would any of your clans be standing here so soundly, fellow cultivators?" He turned to face the crowd, his voice rising.

"Fellow Cultivator Zhang, you are young, but is your heart truly so narrow? Jianwei's heroic spirit has not yet faded, and you want to crush us completely? Are you after my Tian Clan's market share from those four years? If you want it, I can give it to you right now." Tian Jianmo's defense was passionate, powerful, and perfectly calculated. Even Zhang Huaijin had to acknowledge the man's skill.

The old fox had chosen his words masterfully, wielding the moral high ground of sacrifice for humanity to put Zhang Huaijin on the defensive while stirring the sympathy of every cultivator watching. A truly wily old fox…

"Heh." Zhang Huaijin smiled faintly.

"Fellow Cultivator Tian, right and wrong are for others to judge. I don't think I need to remind everyone of your Tian Clan's reputation here in Langya County." He swept his gaze across the assembled cultivators.

"Who here hasn't bled in battle? Who here hasn't protected their people?" His voice hardened slightly.

"Everyone here killed more spirit beasts than Tian Jianwei. I was fighting not far from him. he didn't take down a single Foundation Establishment spirit beast. He was at the second level of Foundation Establishment. Was he holding back? Or was his strength simply that pathetic?" Zhang Huaijin might as well have called Tian Jianwei a useless waste to his face. The Gao and Yan cultivators watched the verbal duel with silent approval.

Back when the Zhang Clan was still weak and struggling, the Tian Clan had been the one to suppress them. Now the roles had reversed, and the Tian Clan was reaping exactly what they had sown. A cold, murderous glint flashed deep in Tian Jianmo's eyes.

'This brat is infuriating!'

"Jianwei died at the hands of spirit beasts because he was outmatched!" Tian Jianmo fired back, again seizing the moral high ground.

"Your abilities are strong, Fellow Cultivator Zhang, but that does not give you the right to insult a martyr who died for the humans of Qingtai!"

"A martyr?" Zhang Huaijin laughed.

"Ridiculous. You keep crying 'martyr', but who here acknowledges him as one? Let me tell you, Tian Jianwei doesn't even qualify to be called a martyr. Using his name is an insult to every ancestor who came before." Zhang Huaijin's words didn't just kill. They struck at the soul. He briefly recounted how Tian Jianwei had tried to divert the beast threat onto others. A wave of shocked murmuring spread through the crowd.

The three competition fighters from the Gao and Yan Clans all nodded in agreement with Zhang Huaijin's account. It was the truth. No one had any affection for Tian Jianwei.