Tianya Mountain Range: Circle

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I'm so sorry, everyone. I've been incredibly busy during the Chinese New Year holiday, and I don't have a floppy drive for internet access, so I'm updating at a classmate's house. The next update will be next Saturday, after I go back to school and have more time online.

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Half a year has passed since Zhang Xingfeng fought against Li Shimin and his two companions, and in the past six months, the power dynamics of the Ming Dynasty have changed again!

On the day Zhang Xingfeng fought Li Shimin two companions, the Zhang Family surprisingly launched an attack on part of the Li Family's influence at Baoyuxiang. Most importantly, the Zhang Family forcibly seized a significant portion of the Li Family's influence in the cloth shop. Although the Li Family was powerful, the crucial point was that during this power struggle, the Li Family produced almost no experts at the Heavenly Realm, let alone the Divine Realm! This was because most of their experts were residing in the Li Family mansion in the capital. Thus, the Li Family was able to gain such a huge advantage over the Zhang Family!

However, despite the Li Family's weakened state, the Star Peak Family, leveraging its already dominant power, completely seized control of the jade business, achieving a total monopoly. (Zhang Xingfeng was already an earl, which could be considered Lineage! A family head who is a baron is Lineage, while a family head who is a duke is a noble Aristocratic Clan.) This greatly increased the Star Peak Family's power, truly reaching the strength of an earl Lineage. Everyone was stunned.

After the Zhang family absorbed part of the cloth shop's influence, their power became almost equal to that of the second- Aristocratic Clan Shi Family. What puzzled everyone most was that the Li Family did not retaliate in the slightest, leading some to wonder: Has the era of the Li Family passed? What puzzled everyone even more was that the Yuwen Family, which had previously shared the cloth shop market with the Li Family, actually congratulated the Zhang Family! This left many people confused.

Many people know that Zhang Xingfeng is Zhang Family, and the head of the Zhang Family is his biological father. The combined power of the Zhang Family and Star Peak Manor is enough to rival the Li Family!

However, all the major powers know that the Zhang Family has the most experts below the Heavenly Realm among the Four Great Families! The world's number one assassin organization, 'Dark Blood,' belongs to the Zhang Family, boasting countless Innate Masters. The world's number one intelligence agency, 'Tianyu Tower,' also belongs to the Zhang Family, and the number of experts within 'Tianyu Tower' is terrifyingly high! The reason the Zhang Family is only the third- Aristocratic Clan is because it has too few super experts, but Zhang Xingfeng's appearance has greatly increased the Zhang Family's power! Zhang Xingfeng alone can hold off all the super experts! The three old men of the Li Family have all reached the Divine Realm! (Other forces don't know that Li Shimin and his two companions have broken through to the Divine Realm.) Yet they still lost so decisively! Zhang Xingfeng's terror is unimaginable. Most importantly, there's the sect behind Zhang Xingfeng. His current senior brothers, Blood Saber Shattering Heart Sword God Sui Yu, are both super experts. Who knows if they are as powerful as Zhang Xingfeng, after all, they are his senior brothers!

Zhang Xingfeng stood quietly in front of Yuwen Rou's grave, a faint smile on his lips as he looked at Yuwen Rou tomb, letting his white hair flutter in the wind.

"Rou, I have completely monopolized the jade business, and I have weakened the Li Family's power to some extent. Are you happy? You must believe me, and don't be impatient. One day I will completely destroy the Li Family's power..."

Zhang Yu walked over from behind and sighed inwardly upon hearing Zhang Xingfeng's voice. Ever since Yuwen Rou's death, Zhang Yu Zhang Xingfeng had come to his grave every day to speak. Zhang Yu was also moved by his master's devotion. Composing himself, he said to Zhang Xingfeng, "Master, the head of the Zhang family has arrived."

Zhang Xingfeng was taken aback: His father had arrived!

"Let's go!" Zhang Xingfeng turned and walked outside.

After passing through the Eight Formations, Zhang Xingfeng saw his father waiting for him in front of the formations.

Looking at his son, whose hair had turned white prematurely, Zhang Tiande sighed inwardly, but smiled and said, "Little San, I never imagined your martial arts skills would reach such a level. It truly makes your father very happy!"

Zhang Xingfeng smiled but didn't say anything. In fact, defeating Li Shimin and the other two didn't mean much to him, since they weren't on the same level!

"Dad, is there something important you need to do this time?" Zhang Xingfeng asked his father.

Zhang Tiande's face hardened. "Can't a father see his son if there's nothing wrong?" Upon hearing this, Zhang Xingfeng immediately smiled and said, "No, I'd be happy if you came often, Dad!"

Zhang Tiande looked at his smiling son, his heart aching. He said with concern, "Xiao San, are you happy now? Why don't you go to Suzhou and spend some time with your mother? I believe your mother will be very happy to see you."

Zhang Xingfeng sighed deeply, turned to look at the swirling smoke of the Eight Formations, and said softly, "Happiness? I don't know. Right now, besides completely annihilating the Li Family's power, all I have left is the pursuit of the Dao! I believe the Dao can bring me happiness!"

Zhang Xingfeng seemed to sense the somber atmosphere as well. Suddenly, he turned around and smiled, saying to his father, "Dad, I'll go see Mom in a while. Come on, come with me to a place now. I have something to show you!" After saying that, he turned and walked back into the Eight Formations.

Zhang Tiande followed Zhang Xingfeng inside, puzzled. Somehow, after passing through a misty, foggy area, he found Zhang Tiande facing an artificial mountain. Before Zhang Tiande could even finish his questioning, a stone door appeared behind it. Filled with doubt, Zhang Tiande followed Zhang Xingfeng inside, passing through a secret passageway to the door of a hidden chamber.

Zhang Xingfeng turned around, smiled at Zhang Tiande, and pushed open the door to the secret room.

Zhang Tiande stared dumbfounded into the secret chamber. He had assumed his son's secretive approach in bringing him here meant some extraordinary treasure, but all he found were some knives—ordinary horse sabers! Plain in design, without any elaborate decorations, and most importantly, they seemed untempered, showing no signs of repeated tempering. A good knife, after all, requires at least countless temperings.

"Little San, you wouldn't admit that these are the things you showed me!" Zhang Tiande turned around and said to Zhang Xingfeng with a smile.

Zhang Xingfeng could tell at a glance that his father was disdainful of these things, but he still smiled and said, "That's right, Dad, these precious swords are the gifts I prepared for you."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Tiande was suddenly taken aback. Anything that caught the eye of his mistress and was given to him as a gift must be extraordinary. Just thinking about the last gift she gave him—a spiritual pill—made him realize that. A thought suddenly struck him: Could these really be some kind of treasure, and he had misjudged them?

After thinking it over, Zhang Tiande stepped forward and examined it carefully. Yes, this knife was a horse-chopping knife, and it was definitely not tempered. No, this, this, what kind of ore is this? Could this color be Heavenly Rock Stone? This is Heavenly Rock Stone, it really is Heavenly Rock Stone.

In his excitement, Zhang Tiande suddenly conjured a Blade Aura in his hand and struck a knife. With a 'boom,' the horse-chopping knife remained undamaged, with only a slight mark on its surface. If the person who owned the knife had channeled their inner strength into it, the knife would have been completely unmarked!

"Heavens! It's a weapon made of Heavenly Rock Stone! Haha... Little San, I'm increasingly unable to understand you. Something that no one has accomplished in thousands of years has been completed so easily by you. You truly are worthy of being my son! Haha... Hahahaha..." Zhang Tiande was overjoyed and let out a hearty laugh.

A slight smile appeared on Zhang Xingfeng's face: his father's happiness did indeed bring him some joy. These days, the only things that could make Zhang Xingfeng happy were progress in his cultivation or the happiness of his family.

But who knows how to cultivate Zhang Xingfeng's Chaos Power? For the past six months, Zhang Xingfeng has been trying to find a method to cultivate Chaos Power, but how could such a method be so easily discovered? Therefore, Zhang Xingfeng can only increase his Chaos Power, but he can't break through to a higher realm! He really doesn't know when he will obtain a method to cultivate Chaos Power!

However, Zhang Xingfeng discovered that the Body Refinement secrets of his Tianxin Sect could be cultivated together with the Chaos Power. Although it only focused on physical training, it could make his body more resilient. Given enough time and resources, he could even achieve the legendary 'indestructible body'!

"Little San, how did you manage to turn this Heavenly Rock Stone into a weapon? I'm finding it harder and harder to understand you. No wonder those three old guys from the Li Family are getting screwed!" Zhang Tiande put down his machete and said with a smile.

Zhang Xingfeng smiled and said, "Father, I made these things entirely with my own skill and unique techniques, so no one else on the Azure Dragon Continent can make weapons made of Heavenly Rock Stone. In other words, these top-tier weapons are exclusively for our use. With them, even Second-Rank Expert can fight against a first-rank expert."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Tiande thought for a moment and said, "Little San, is the technique for Heavenly Rock Stone a secret? We mustn't let anyone steal it!" Zhang Tiande was very clear about the importance of the Heavenly Rock Stone smelting method.

Zhang Xingfeng smiled proudly. On the Azure Dragon Continent, although breaking through to the First-grade realm generates True Primordial Energy, there is no golden core. Even if one breaks through to the Divine Realm and reaches the power of Li Shimin, one only has True Primordial Energy. In other words, they cannot generate things like Samadhi True Fire. It seems that this is the difference between Martial Way cultivation and immortal cultivation!

Seeing his son's arrogant smile, Zhang Tiande knew that no one else could smelt the Heavenly Rock Stone, and a huge weight was lifted from his heart.

Zhang Xingfeng smiled at his father and said, "Father, these weapons have another important feature: they can withstand True Primordial Energy, which is the power you possess when you break through to the First-grade realm. Father, you also know that the difference between the Heavenly Realm and the Divine Realm lies in the amount of True Primordial Energy. With this sword made of Heavenly Rock Stone, you can attack with the sword itself. With just a little True Primordial Energy, a Heavenly Realm expert can completely fight against a Divine Realm expert."

Zhang Tiande immediately said happily, "Really? That's wonderful! Our Zhang Family has always suffered from the lack of super experts. Now, thanks to Xiao San's few spiritual pills, several first-rank experts in our Aristocratic Clan have reached the Heavenly Realm. And now we have this sword. It seems that the heavens are blessing our Zhang Family!"

Zhang Tiande suddenly said to Zhang Xingfeng, "Xiao San, I have something very important to tell you today!"

Seeing his father's serious expression, Zhang Xingfeng immediately listened attentively.

"Little San, do you know why the Li Family and Shi Family' status as Aristocratic Clan has remained unshaken for so long?" Zhang Tiande asked with a smile.

"I know very well that the Li Family is powerful. I only know a little about the Black Iron Elite Guard's strength, but I have already felt its power. But I don't understand the Shi Family. It seems that they don't have any power. It makes sense that the Li Family can monopolize the most profitable private salt business, but why can they monopolize grain? You know, selling grain is the second most profitable business after private salt!" Zhang Xingfeng said, puzzled.

Zhang Tiande smiled and said, "This is the main reason I came here today. You should already know about the power of my Zhang Family's 'Dark Blood' and 'Tianyu Tower'." Zhang Xingfeng nodded. The Star Peak Family and the Zhang Family had joined forces to attack the Li Family in the 'jade shop' area. The strength of the Zhang Family was also well known to the Star Peak Family. This was actually a way for the Zhang Family to show goodwill to Zhang Xingfeng.

Zhang Tiande continued, "Our Zhang Family seems very strong, and the Li Family's Black Iron Elite Guard also seem very strong, but this is not the most important reason for determining strength. The real reason lies in— the Tianya Mountain Range."

"The Tianya Mountain Range! What does this have to do with the Tianya Mountain Range? Could it be... the million Mountain Bandits of Tianya..." A thought flashed through Zhang Xingfeng's mind, and he seemed to understand something.

Zhang Tiande looked at Zhang Xingfeng approvingly. "Yes, it's the Tianya Million Mountains. The Tianya Mountain Range stretch for thousands of miles, almost separating the Ming Dynasty and the Yuan Mongolia, leaving only a hundred-meter-wide passage for trade between the Yuan Mongolia Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty. The vast area of the endless Tianya Mountain Range has attracted many people who don't want to be under the control of the Ming Dynasty and the Yuan Mongolia Dynasty to settle there. Even people from the Liao Kingdom and Jin Kingdom have entered, and the population there is in the tens of millions. There are three super-large forces and five large forces, and these eight forces alone have a military force of one million. This has left the Ming Dynasty and the Yuan Mongolia Dynasty helpless. You have to know that both countries have a military force of about one million, and there is no one to control them in the Tianya Mountain Range. This has formed a very large force."

Zhang Xingfeng nodded and said, "Dad, I know all of this. What's the point of you saying all this?"

Zhang Tiande smiled mysteriously, "Don't rush, listen to me: because most of the three major powers and five major powers are controlled by someone behind the scenes!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xingfeng was shocked. That's right, no matter how strong you are in the Ming Dynasty, your martial prowess is only over ten thousand, while the average forces in the Tianya Mountain Range have over ten thousand!

Zhang Tiande continued with a smile, "Of the three major forces, the largest is the Yuan Mongolia people led by Mu Ye. They have over 300,000 troops and are controlled by the Esoteric Sect behind the scenes."

"Esoteric Sect, Esoteric Sect actually has such a powerful influence!" Zhang Xingfeng was very shocked that a religion that believed in Buddhism could have such influence.

"The Esoteric Sect is very mysterious. Their Martial Way differ from those of our Ming Dynasty; they are incredibly powerful. Most importantly, almost all the Yuan Mongolia revere the Esoteric Sect. Mu Ye, in particular, was trained by the Esoteric Sect and is said to have reached the Heavenly Realm in Martial Way —he's extremely formidable." Zhang Tiande's expression was serious; it seemed he also valued the Esoteric Sect highly.

"The second largest force is the Ming Dynasty, led by Poison Dragon, with an astonishing 300,000 troops. And the one behind them is the Li Family." Zhang Tiande said, looking closely at Zhang Xingfeng.

Zhang Xingfeng's heart skipped a beat: What? The Li Family? You really are strong! Three hundred thousand private soldiers, haha, it seems I'll have to fight you for a while longer. Zhang Xingfeng looked at his father and smiled, saying, "Very good. The stronger the Li Family, the more interesting the game will be, won't it?"

Zhang Tiande laughed and said, "Good, Xiao San, you've really grown up. It's good that we, father and son, are of one mind and still worried about the Li Family."

Zhang Xingfeng felt a warmth in his heart. He actually understood that his father's fight with the Li Family and his falling out with the Li Family half a year ago were all for his sake, but Zhang Xingfeng kept all of this deep in his heart.

"Little San, the third major power is led by You Lin Hong. It has far fewer troops than the first two major powers, but it still has 150,000 troops. And the Shi Family is the one in control behind it."

"The Shi Family, is this the Uncle Shi family I visited when I was a child? I really didn't expect that! Hehe!" Zhang Xingfeng smiled.

Zhang Tiande seemed to recall the time he took young Zhang Xingfeng to the Shi Family, and smiled. He continued, "The Shi Family isn't as simple as they seem; otherwise, they wouldn't be able to completely suppress my Zhang Family. Most importantly, they have the powerful Demonic Sect behind them!"

"The Demonic Sect? You're saying the Shi Family is backed by the Demonic Sect?" Zhang Xingfeng was shocked to hear this news, knowing that the Demonic Sect's power was comparable to that of the Li Family!

Zhang Tiande smiled and said, "I haven't finished yet. It's the Illusion Demon Gate within the Demonic Sect, one of the three sects of the Demonic Sect, not the entire Demonic Sect. But you know that if something happens to the Shi Family, the entire Demonic Sect will intervene. Do you remember the ten masters announced by the Ming Dynasty? Shi Yi, although he is the sect leader of the Illusion Demon Gate, is only in name. The real sect leader is your Uncle Shi. Every generation of the true sect leader of the Illusion Demon Gate is the head of the Shi Family."

The image of a fat man flashed through Zhang Xingfeng's mind: Could he also be the sect leader of the Illusion Demon Gate? Why did he seem to have little skill back then? Zhang Xingfeng quickly realized: At that time, he hadn't even reached the First-grade realm, while the head of the Shi Family and the sect leader of the Illusion Demon Gate must have been beyond the First-grade realm. It was understandable that he hadn't seen through him.

"The other five major forces —the Chi Family with 50,000 troops, the Zhu Family 70,000 troops, and Yu Family with 40,000 troops—seem to be uncontrolled. The Chen Family, with 60,000 troops, is controlled by the Yuwen Family. My Zhang Family, at its weakest, only has 40,000 troops, led by my third brother, who changed his name to Wang Tong. The rest are mostly small forces, each with no more than 10,000 troops. Many of them are small tribes dissatisfied with the Yuan Mongolia Kingdom that have entered the Tianya Mountain Range as a whole," Zhang Tiande said with a wry smile. Having the smallest force in the Tianya Mountain Range has always been a source of worry for the Zhang Family.

Zhang Xingfeng was taken aback. He hadn't expected the Zhang Family to be so weak in the Tianya Mountain Range. Zhang Tiande continued, "But you should know that it's difficult to deploy troops from the Tianya Mountain Range within the Ming Dynasty. My Zhang Family's 'Dark Blood' and 'Tianyu Tower' together have over 30,000 men, and they are all experts. So my Zhang Family is still very strong." He was still defending his Aristocratic Clan.

Zhang Xingfeng suddenly said, "Dad, why are you telling me all this?"

Zhang Tiande smiled and said, "Because I believe you can enter this circle—the circle of super powers. You have the ability to make your Star Peak Family Star Peak Family, and to become Star Peak Family, you should have influence in the Tianya Mountain Range!"

Zhang Xingfeng finally understood why his father had told him so much: to become a powerful Star Peak Family, capable of rivaling the Li Family, he needed to establish his own influence in the Tianya Mountain Range. In that instant, Zhang Xingfeng decided that he must go to the Tianya Mountain Range for Rou's sake.

"Father, I've made up my mind. I'll head to the Tianya Mountain Range tomorrow." Zhang Xingfeng said calmly, but Zhang Tiande could still hear the determination in his voice. Although Zhang Tiande hoped his son would do this, he was still very worried and said, "Third son, you need to know how difficult this is. The other forces in the Tianya Mountain Range have a long history and are not controlled by the Four Great Families. You should also know how difficult this is."

Zhang Xingfeng smiled and said, "Dad, don't worry, I know all about this. But if I don't go, how will anyone know? You have to have faith in me!"

Looking at his son, Zhang Xingfeng, with a faint smile on his face, Zhang Tiande was convinced that his mistress was the creator of a miracle!

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