The balance among the martial aristocratic clans of Moon Lake Commandery shifted because of the Chang and Yang Households.
Many fifth- and sixth-rank martial aristocratic clans banded together, afraid of being singled out if left alone.
Numerous clans below the sixth rank even formed an organization called the Jade Truth Alliance, which boasted many Xiantian Martial Artists and more than a dozen grandmasters.
Though they were at most early-stage grandmasters, even the Chang Household at its peak would have had to yield them some ground.
All the more so now, when the fifth- and sixth-rank clans had suffered severe losses in the Su-Zhou War.
The Zhong Household was among the founding clans of the Jade Truth Alliance. More than a dozen seventh-rank aristocratic clans joined forces, taking advantage of the turmoil in Moon Lake Commandery to draw in numerous smaller clans and form a formidable local power.
Dongxi, Qingjiang.
As Xu Mingyuan received the news from Moon Lake Commandery, a faint, intrigued smile touched his lips.
"The Jade Truth Alliance. The Zhong Household and those other seventh-rank aristocratic clans certainly have boldness, rising with the tide."
After the recent Su-Zhou War, both the fifth- and sixth-rank martial aristocratic clans and the cultivation clans would need at least a dozen years to recover fully.
Unless a major war broke out, cultivation clans generally paid little attention to martial aristocratic clans. After all, they saw no useful resources to gain from them, and winning them over inevitably meant offering incentives.
Their own resources were barely sufficient. How could they be generous enough to subsidize others?
"A power without top experts can never last long. Still, this Jade Truth Alliance has given our Xu Household a reminder: no matter which commandery city we look at, martial aristocratic clans always make up the vast