Chapter 36: What is a precious treasure?

  The old man raised his head, tied back his scattered white hair and bowed to the ancestral spirit tablet not far away. His hoarse but reassuring voice echoed: "Please, ancestors, show your divine presence and protect the brave warriors of my Ge Shan tribe!"

  Jiang Cheng, who had just lifted his head, suddenly sensed that a strong surge of spiritual power fluctuations burst out from Grandfather's body.

  The next moment, the ancestral spirit totem pole standing in the center of the altar suddenly lit up, emitting a circle of grayish misty light, as if it had come to life.

  "Ancestral spirits' protection and blessings?"

  Jiang Cheng furrowed his brow, unable to comprehend how Grandfather had managed all this.

  Almost at the same time, the grayish ancestral spirit's protective light had rapidly expanded its range, even illuminating Jiang Cheng who was kneeling outside the village gate.

  A warm feeling suddenly enveloped Jiang Cheng's entire body, the fatigue from running wildly for several days and nights was rapidly dissipating.

  The icy chill of winter morning was swept away in an instant, leaving one with a feeling as if they were basking in the warm sunshine.

  The tribesmen, who had just been gloomy-faced inside the stockade, suddenly showed reverence on their faces and knelt down one by one towards the direction of the ancestral spirit tablet, shouting: "Ancestral spirits bless us! Ancestral spirits bless us!"

  "Warriors of the Kusatsu tribe, children of our ancestors, come back! The spirits have not abandoned us. With their protection, we can surely get through this winter. Warriors, come back!"

  In the vast and misty call of Agong, those elderly, weak and disabled people who walked out of the village gate and headed towards Gesang Mountain turned around in an instant and saw the ancestral totem pole shining with a protective spirit light.

  The ancestral spirit totem pole with a sheltering light, like a bright lamp, instantly lit up everyone's heart, driving away sadness and coldness!

  Coincidentally, those brave warriors who left the tribe knelt in the direction of the ancestral totem pole and bowed their heads. When they lifted their heads, tears had already filled their faces.

  The next moment, at the old man's call, all the elderly and weak who had left the tribe supported each other and took big steps back to the tribe, amidst laughter, tears poured down again.

  Jiang Cheng knelt at the entrance of the village, staring blankly at everything, as if he had finally understood.

  Even if it were their ancestors, they would be unable to call them back; what can call them back is faith, the clan, and their roots!

  Laughter once again floated in the air above Geshan Department, but when Shi Tie and Shi Lao Die were hugging each other, Ah Gong and the clan leader's eyes flowed with worry.

  "Tribe leader, how much of a food shortage does the tribe have?" In this instant, Jiang Cheng seemed to feel that he had truly grown up. A man's shoulders were meant for shouldering responsibility.

  At least thirty vehicles, if this snowstorm lasts longer, there will be more shortages! This is still the case where the whole tribe only guarantees food for the mouth.

  "If our warriors are to maintain a certain level of combat effectiveness at all times, the gap will be even greater!" The tribal chief, Ge Xiong, said with concern.

  "Tribe leader, arrange for someone to slaughter those eleven Thunderhoof horses. The horse meat, blood, and even the hides can fill our bellies. I estimate we can get six or seven carts of grain out of it, which should last us a while." Jiang Cheng said.

  This is also the reason why Jiang Cheng lured and killed the Baihun Department's patrol team on the Yin Yue grassland, as the clan members are already struggling to survive, what's the point of caring about so much.

  Moreover, the heavy snow in recent days can cover up Jiang Cheng's tracks completely.

  "Good! By the way, how did you manage to get these eleven Thunderbolt Stallions? You didn't wipe out the White Horde's patrol squad, did you? Each of the White Horde's patrol squads has a Soul Warrior leading them." Tribe leader Ge Xiong stared at Jiang Cheng with a shocked expression.

  "If not, where can we get so much meat? Unfortunately, if it weren't for the blockade of the White Army, the dozens of demon wolf corpses on the Silver Moon Grassland could have been transported over and solved the big problem!" Jiang Cheng said nonchalantly.

  "Did you really take out two White Tiger Squad patrols?" Ge Xiong's eyes widened instantly!

  The old man's drooping eyes suddenly lifted, and he grasped Jiang Cheng's wrist with a burst of spiritual energy, exclaiming in surprise: "Ah Cheng, your cultivation has already reached the fifth level of the Cheng En Realm!"

  "Hmm, Fifth Rank?" Jiang Chengxiu's subconscious probe made him jump in surprise: "Fifth Rank, how is that possible? A month ago, your cultivation suddenly rose two ranks, how did you do it?"

  "Fivefold?" The eyes of the tribe's leader, Ge Xiong, widened like copper bells, and then a loud slap landed on Jiang Cheng's shoulder: "Good kid, it took me a year and a half to raise my cultivation to the fifth level of Cheng En realm, but you've done it in just three months, less than three months! You're a monster!"

  "This time entering the mountain, there's a bit of opportunity. Right, Chief, after this heavy snow sealed off the mountain, are there still any White Wolf Tribe scouts around our tribe?" Jiang Cheng asked.

  Kong Xiong's eyes widened, "They're just resentful that their own people are living too long. In this kind of situation, if they can catch an outsider, they can seize half a catty of grain and save a life. Who cares about what clan or not? Three days ago, the scouts here were all cleared out."

  "That's good, Tribal Chief. Arrange a few people to handle the traces I brought back with Mòu Léi Jì." This winter, it's better for the tribe to have one less trouble after another.

  "Alright," Ge Xiong suddenly hesitated and looked at Jiang Cheng, saying: "Jiang Cheng, in two days' time, we'll have to attend the martial arts tournament hosted by the Bai Hun Sect. These few days, you should practice hard, and if you're free, find some clan members to spar with and gain more combat experience. When the time comes, be extra careful."

  At this point, Ge Xiong paused for a moment and said: "This time's martial arts conference will be unprecedentedly cruel! Any soul warrior may have the possibility of fighting to the death!"

  "Any one of them, why? Within the Eight Banners, apart from the Hu'erqite tribe, we don't seem to have any other enemies, do we?" Jiang Chengqi said.

  "That's right, but the main reason is that the reward for the top three in this martial arts conference has changed!" Ge Xiong said.

  "In the past, the rewards for the top three in martial arts competitions were all elixirs that helped warriors cultivate their skills, but a few days ago, the White Army suddenly issued an order, changing the rewards for the top three to... food!"

  "Grain?" Jiang Cheng's eyes lit up "What a great sentiment, what kind of reward method is that?"

  "Is that all?" Grandfather shook his head, "This is the wolf's ambition. At this time of heavy snow and early mountain closure, they threw out the temptation of food."

  They want you young Soul Warriors to fight on the arena for food until blood flows like a river. I estimate that this time, the participating Soul Warriors...

  The old man let out a long sigh and shook his head.

  "The tribe where the soul warrior who won the first place in the martial arts competition is located will be rewarded with 50 carts of grain, the second place will receive 30 carts, and the third place will receive 15 carts!"

  "What, such a generous reward of grain? Chief, if I were to win first place in the martial competition, wouldn't that solve the tribe's food crisis and allow our people to safely pass through this harsh winter?" Jiang Cheng exclaimed.

  Upon hearing this, Ah Gong and tribal leader Ge Xiong simultaneously let out a bitter laugh.

  "First place?" Ge Xiong shook his head, "Forget about the top three, I just hope you can come back safely. If you grow for another year or two, you'll become a brave warrior who can hold your own in the Ge Shan department."

  Jiang Cheng's face revealed a somewhat disgruntled expression, and Ge Xiong continued: "You don't know, when the White Tiger Department issued this order, in order to compete for the first, second, and third place rewards, they almost drove the entire White Tiger Department crazy.

  It's said that the Ling Gong of the Diamond Division, at the cost of his own cultivation, forcibly raised the cultivation of their division's number one genius youth, Jin Tai, by a whole level, just to fight for the second or third place grain reward!

  Jiang Cheng was taken aback by his words and asked, "What about the reward for first place? No one dares to think about it?"

  "Who dares?" Ge Xiong suddenly curled his lip, "Feng Zhan Yuan of the Bai Hun Department has reached the Sixth Realm of Cheng En for a very, very long time, perhaps he's already at the Seventh Realm!"

  "Is Cheng Enjing really that powerful?" Jiang Cheng lightly licked his lips and secretly steeled himself, First!

  At the martial arts tournament, no matter what it takes, he must find a way to get first place!

  Although it looks like he got first place with his cultivation of Five Elements Boundary Fifth Layer, it's actually impossible.

  But getting first place is not just about being able to mercilessly crush that Feng Zhan Yuan who ignored him, more importantly, he can obtain a reward of 50 carts of grain.

  With fifty carts of grain, the tribe will easily get through this cold winter.

  The only way is to work hard!

  After the head of the clan, Ge Xiong, went to comfort his people, Grandfather Jiang called Jiang Cheng alone to his wooden building.

  Grandfather's first words after sitting down stunned Jiang Cheng: "Jiang Cheng, I believe you've also heard that the Baihun Sect has been pressuring and bullying our Geshan Sect. The root of it all is because our Geshan Sect possesses a precious treasure."

  "Do you know what this precious treasure of the Ge Shan Department is?"