Better Timely Than Early

Northern border of White Stone Town, at the former Wang Family mining site.

Several squads of soldiers were withdrawing from within in an orderly manner.

They belonged to White Stone Town and had been stationed here to guard the mine against thieves conducting illegal extraction.

But now that Zhang Family cultivators had arrived, they knew mortals were powerless to resist. Following Gao Hui's earlier instructions, they sensibly withdrew.

Three cultivators from the Zhang Family had come on this trip. They stood before the mine entrance with a group of men, talking amongst themselves.

"Father, the scale of the mineral deposits here truly exceeds those in the valley by quite a bit."

The speaker was thin and pale-faced, with a frivolous tone to his voice.

He was the Zhang Family's eldest son, Zhang Yao, at the Second Level of Qi Gathering.

"Hmph. If that Qinghe Town chief had not kept obstructing me, I would have brought men and taken this place long ago!"

The latter was short in stature, yet his face was full of arrogance, and his tone was exceedingly domineering.

This man was Zhang Yao's cousin, Zhang Chen, at the First Level of Qi Gathering.

Before them stood a tall, middle-aged man draped in a gray robe.

He stood straight as a spear, his gaze bright as torches. His aura was far more formidable than those of the two young cultivators combined. He was Zhang Tianqi, patriarch of the Zhang Family.

Hearing the two juniors' conversation, he smiled faintly.

"What belongs to my Zhang Family cannot run away. Whether it is early or late makes little difference."

With a light wave of his hand, the mining laborers behind him prepared to enter the mine and begin extraction.

Whoosh—

At that moment, a fierce wind howled past their ears. A blurred phantom struck the upper edge of the mine entrance, and falling rocks instantly sealed the opening shut.

"Who goes there? How dare you act so presumptuously before my Zhang Family!"

Zhang Chen's heart jolted, and he hurriedly shouted.

"Hahaha, honored guests have arrived, yet I failed to welcome you from afar. Please forgive me."

At those words, Zhang Tianqi's brows rose slightly. He turned toward the source of the voice, a trace of chilling sternness appearing on his face.

Before long, three figures emerged from the woods.

Yang Guanfeng smiled and cupped his hands toward them.

"Yang Guanfeng of the Songshan Yang Family greets Brother Zhang."

Yang Guanfeng made no effort to conceal his realm. As he spoke, his Sixth Level of Qi Gathering cultivation revealed itself.

"The Songshan Yang Family? This man's aura is so powerful. He is actually at the Sixth Level of Qi Gathering, just like Father!"

"How can that be? Wasn't the Yang Family Patriarch said to possess only Fifth Level Cultivation?"

The two Zhang Family juniors both frowned at the sight.

They had assumed there would be no competitors, never expecting this Yang Family Patriarch to have also broken through to the Sixth Level.

With that, the ownership of this mine became another matter entirely.

"Honored guests?"

Zhang Tianqi tugged at the corner of his mouth. "I have watched this place for three months. I saw soldiers guarding it, but not a single miner extracting ore. It was clearly already ownerless land. Brother Yang, where do those words come from?"

Before his words had faded, Yang Lingrui and Yang Linghu felt a powerful pressure bearing down upon them head-on.

Yang Guanfeng chuckled and dispersed that pressure with a wave of his hand.

"Brother Zhang may not know this, but this was originally a Wang Family mine in White Stone. Their family suffered calamity during the Beast Tide and lacked the strength to manage it, so they traded it to my family."

Yang Guanfeng turned his head to glance at Yang Linghu beside him. "As for why we did not come here for three months, it was to stand guard over this child's breakthrough."

Zhang Tianqi immediately looked toward Yang Linghu. From the child's aura, he could indeed tell that he had only recently condensed his Qi Mansion.

Elder Yu's concealment methods were beyond the sight of a Sixth Level of Qi Gathering cultivator like him. Yang Lingrui was also displaying only the Second Level of Qi Gathering at this moment.

"Now that his realm has stabilized, I came here and happened to run into Brother Zhang's party. One can only say that coming early is not as good as coming at the right time."

"Hehe..."

Zhang Tianqi looked at Yang Guanfeng with a smile that did not reach his eyes.

Their clash of auras just now had been a test. Judging from the result, Yang Guanfeng was indeed genuinely in the Sixth Level Realm.

However, Zhang Tianqi still held a slight edge in actual strength.

Yet such a gap was difficult to reveal unless they fought to the death with every method at their disposal.

As patriarch of the Zhang Family, Zhang Tianqi was no fool. It was not worth fighting someone to the death over a single mine.

But if he backed down because of a single sentence from the other party, where would the Zhang Family's dignity be?

"Yang Guanfeng, stop speaking in circles. Since I have come, I will not let this matter rest so easily."

Zhang Tianqi raised his voice. "This place lies at the boundary between the two towns and has never been clearly divided. Since the Wang Family could not keep this mine, its ownership should be determined anew."

"Does Brother Zhang mean to have a bout with me?"

As he spoke, Yang Guanfeng stepped forward. There was not a trace of fear on his face.

For a moment, the atmosphere grew taut, and an invisible force field spread through the area.

The four juniors were fine, after all; they were already Qi Gathering Cultivators.

But the Zhang Family had brought mining laborers, along with soldiers who had come close to watch the excitement. They did not fare nearly so well.

At best, they found breathing difficult; at worst, they collapsed straight to the ground.

Fortunately, the confrontation between the two did not last long, and no casualties occurred.

This exchange made Zhang Tianqi even more certain that taking down Yang Guanfeng would not be easy. Even if they fought, the outcome would likely be a draw.

"Father."

At this moment, Zhang Yao approached and called softly, giving his father a meaningful look.

Zhang Tianqi understood at once and formed a plan.

"Yang Guanfeng, you and I are both elders. It would be rather unsightly for us to fight. Since the juniors of both families happen to be here today, why not have them spar and use the result to determine ownership of this mine?"

Zhang Tianqi believed his son was at the peak of the Second Level of Qi Gathering, so he felt victory was already in his grasp.

Yet he never imagined that his proposal was precisely what the Yang Family wanted.

For neither Yang Lingrui nor Yang Linghu had revealed their true strength.

What Yang Guanfeng had been waiting for was exactly for the other side to propose a challenge.

"Good idea. With you and me watching over them, it will not harm the harmony between our families," Yang Guanfeng said.

The moment he heard that there would be a spar, Zhang Chen's spirits rose.

"Uncle, I..."

Just as he was about to volunteer, Zhang Tianqi raised a hand to stop him.

"Zhang Yao, you go."

"Yes, Father."

Seeing Zhang Tianqi choose Zhang Yao, Zhang Chen felt somewhat dissatisfied.

Zhang Yao had merely been born a few years before him. When it came to cultivation talent, Zhang Chen was stronger than Zhang Yao.

And that Yang Family brat at the First Level of Qi Gathering had only just broken through. Wouldn't Zhang Chen be able to seize him as easily as reaching into a bag?

Sure enough, blood is thicker than water. At a time like this, he only thinks of letting his own son show off his might! Zhang Chen thought bitterly.

This revealed the difference between the Zhang Family and the Yang Family. In truth, most lineages could not achieve the Yang Family's unity; open and covert strife was always unavoidable.

The Yang Family had reached its present state partly because Elder Yu had assisted them with all his heart, and partly because of Yang Guanfeng's outstanding leadership and personal charisma.

Zhang Yao walked into the open ground ahead. On the Yang Family's side, Yang Lingrui stepped forward as well.

"Zhang Family, Zhang Yao."

"Yang Family, Yang Lingrui."

After announcing their names, the two assumed their stances.

Neither was rash by nature. Before knowing the other's true capabilities, neither would make a reckless move.

Boom!

Bang!

Zhang Yao flipped his palm, summoning a fire serpent that lunged to bite Yang Lingrui.

Yang Lingrui raised his hand and formed a wind shield, dissolving the attack.

"Fire arts."

"Wind arts."

After that probing exchange, both learned the other's affinity and began a new round of confrontation.

"Flowing Fire Bomb!"

Zhang Yao launched the offensive first. He formed several hand seals, and clusters of scarlet flames ignited around him.

With a flick of his finger, those fire bombs shot toward Yang Lingrui.

"Good!"

Yang Lingrui gave a low shout and swept both arms outward. Gale Wind immediately swirled around his body.

The spinning Gale Wind neutralized the fire bombs, and he used the momentum to launch a counterattack.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

Three gusts of Gale Wind slashed out, flying straight at Zhang Yao.

"So fast!"

Zhang Yao's pupils contracted slightly in surprise.

Yang Lingrui's spell was far faster than ordinary wind arts.