The Wu Clan's Fortune

In the main courtyard outside the ancestral hall of the Wu Clan Ancestral Residence, more than four hundred clan members had gathered.

One had to know that even counting the elderly, the weak, women, and children, the entire Wu Clan numbered only a little over eight hundred. It was broad daylight, and not even a festival or celebration. By rights, the Wu Clan members should have been scattered among the various shops and estates, working.

It was rare for so many clan members to gather.

In the courtyard, many women and children were weeping. Several white cloths covered the ground, and the atmosphere was immensely oppressive.

"Brother Yuan is here." A voice suddenly rang out.

"Wu Yuan? That martial arts prodigy from the Ninth Branch?"

"The clan chief values him the most."

"Hmph, he might become a Proficient Expert someday, but he's only a Seventh-Rank Warrior now. What use can he be?" Most of the several hundred clan members in the courtyard turned to look, whispering among themselves. There was curiosity, doubt, and likewise disdain.

The Wu Clan was not some ancient aristocratic family with a legacy spanning a thousand years. There were only several hundred clan members, and only during the New Year and the three major festivals would most of them gather at the ancestral residence.

As for Wu Yuan, he had been greatly favored by Clan Chief Wu Qiming in recent years, something well known throughout the clan. Furthermore, he had made a tremendous name for himself at the Martial Academy Grand Competition several months ago.

Thus, there were very few people in the clan who did not know Wu Yuan.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Following Wu Dongyao and several others, Wu Yuan passed through the crowd, which automatically parted to make way for them. At a glance, he saw the scene in the courtyard.

Weeping women and children, and... corpses!

Six corpses.

Though Wu Dongyao had already told him the general course of events, and though he had long heard of the brutality of the gangs outside the city—

Hearing about it and seeing it were two different things!

In his previous life, Wu Yuan had fought mechas, slaughtered Gene Beasts, and forged the legend of "one thousand eight hundred and seventy consecutive victories" on the Metaverse's Star Space Fighting Net.

Yet he had never truly killed anyone!

Killing was against the law.

In the Interstellar Era, so what if one was a Martial Dao Grandmaster? Sky Net monitored the entire planet, and a single blast from an Interstellar Railgun could annihilate a supercity. There had long been no room for martial artists to display their prowess.

The primary goal of martial arts cultivation in the Interstellar Era was the pursuit of life evolution.

Most Martial Dao Grandmasters amassed wealth through livestreams, grandmaster duels, the Pan-Solar Martial Dao Summit, and similar means.

Not through bloody struggles and slaughter.

Having come to the Central Land Continent, Wu Yuan had read countless records and fused with the memories of his former self. He knew this world was cruel, and that there were countless people who violated the law through martial force.

But today was the first time Wu Yuan had truly encountered it.

People had really died.

Among the weeping women and children were not merely people Wu Yuan knew, but people with whom he was deeply familiar.

One family lived only a few dozen meters from Wu Yuan's home.

Blood relatives and clan members had died violent deaths just like that. The impact on Wu Yuan was immense.

The faint killing intent that had already arisen in Wu Yuan after learning the full story now grew even heavier.

"Wu Yuan, let's go into the discussion hall," Wu Dongyao said in a low voice.

Wu Yuan nodded.

The two strode swiftly past the ancestral hall and entered the discussion hall deeper within the residence. There were very few people here, only four in total.

Following Wu Dongyao, Wu Yuan understood that with Clan Chief Wu Qiming being detained, the people present were the ones currently in charge of the Wu Clan.

"Wu Yuan greets all uncles and elders." Wu Yuan gave a slight bow.

This courtesy was performed by Wu Yuan on behalf of his former self, and it was also an expression of gratitude for the clan's aid to his family and its support for him.

"Wu Yuan and Dongyao are here." The white-bearded elder seated to one side forced a faint smile. "Take a seat first."

"Sit," the black-robed young man on the other side said as well.

The other two, however, remained expressionless and silent, their thoughts unknown.

"Uncles and elders." Wu Yuan rose to his feet. He had already reached a height of 1.8 meters, and if not for the slight youthfulness still on his face, no one would have dared say that he was only fourteen years old.

"On the way here, Uncle Dongyao already told me what happened," Wu Yuan said. "The estate south of the city was destroyed, and the clan chief was detained. This time, the Fierce Tiger Gang has gone too far."

"Wu Yuan."

The bald man in black robes, who had not spoken before, said coldly, "We asked you here today not because you are qualified to attend the clan meeting. We merely want you to temporarily provide the support the clan has given you, so the clan can weather the present crisis. You need not speak of anything else."

"Uncle Long, by your reckoning, what sort of person is qualified to attend a clan meeting?" Wu Yuan asked calmly.

"Either pass the imperial examination and become a Xiucai, become the manager of one of the two estates or three shops, or reach Sixth-Rank Martial Master," the bald man named Wu Long said coldly. "You little brat can talk about it once you are older."

"Uncle Long." Wu Yuan's voice remained calm. "If being a Sixth-Rank Martial Master is enough, then I believe I am qualified to speak now."

The moment those words were spoken, everyone was stunned.

Wu Dongyao, Wu Long, and the white-bearded elder all stared at Wu Yuan in astonishment, disbelief in their eyes.

Wu Yuan's implied meaning was that he already possessed the strength of a Martial Master.

Suddenly.

Boom! Wu Long's body abruptly moved.

With a single leap, he crossed two zhang. Swift as a hunting leopard, one foot landed on the ground, leaving faint cracks in the large blue-stone slabs. Without pausing in the slightest, his five fingers clenched into a fist and smashed heavily toward Wu Yuan!

"Don't!" The white-bearded elder instinctively cried out.

"Wu Long, stop!" Wu Dongyao was likewise shocked and enraged. He wanted to stop Wu Long, but in such haste, how could a Seventh-Rank Warrior possibly react in time?

Everyone's expressions changed.

Bang!

With a muffled explosion, and to the surprise of the Wu Clan's senior members, Wu Yuan did not retreat. Instead, he counterattacked, throwing out a punch of his own to meet it head-on.

Under the impact of strength exceeding ten thousand jin, the ground instantly cracked like a turtle shell.

Wu Long did not take a single step back. Slowly withdrawing his fist, his eyes held disbelief, as well as a trace of delight.

Wu Yuan, on the other hand, staggered back several steps as though he had been outmatched before finally stopping. Yet his eyes seemed to hold defiance.

The difference between the two was immediately clear.

The discussion hall fell silent. Wu Dongyao, the white-bearded elder, and the other four all stared at the scene in shock.

Wu Long was the second strongest expert of the Li City Wu Clan!

He could unleash the tremendous strength of Fifteen Thousand Jin.

Yet in a direct clash, he had been unable to utterly overwhelm Wu Yuan? He had only held a slight advantage, and the gap had not even been obvious.

This meant that Wu Yuan possessed at least ten thousand jin of strength!

"Haha, good! You truly weren't lying."

Wu Long showed no anger at all. A smile appeared on his stern face. "Boy Wu Yuan, your Uncle Long wrongly blamed you. From now on, you are qualified to speak at the clan meeting."

"Only a Seventh-Rank Warrior three months ago, and now he possesses ten thousand jin of strength?" Wu Dongyao stared at Wu Yuan as though looking at a monster. He had cultivated for so many years and still could not become a Martial Master.

"A Martial Master at fourteen!"

The white-bearded elder rose to his feet, his body trembling slightly with incomparable excitement. "The last time Li City produced such a martial arts prodigy was more than twenty years ago."

"This is the fortune of our Wu Clan!"

"This junior was presumptuous. I hope all uncles and elders will forgive me." Wu Yuan's expression seemed to have returned to calm.

"Presumptuous?"

"Heh heh." Wu Long shook his head with a smile. "Boy, you call this presumptuous? If your Uncle Long had your martial arts talent, I'd be ten times more arrogant than you!"

PS: Wedding matters are complicated, and I've been too busy these past two days. The update came a little late.

Thank you to "Lonely Pride" for the hundred-thousand-coin reward. Congratulations on becoming this book's third alliance leader. You've also been a longtime reader across several books—many thanks! I'm truly moved!

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