Chapter Fifty-Six: The Tribe's Comparison

  After bidding farewell to Jiang Yuan, Jiang Tian brought Jiang Huan to the East Wing.

  Before entering the house, Jiang Huan saw his mother sweeping fallen leaves in the courtyard. The years of hard work had already bent her originally weak back. Jiang Huan's nose suddenly felt sour and he softly called out.

  "Mother!"

  That thin figure shook, slowly turned around, looking at Jiang Hao who was walking towards him, the tears in his eyes had already begun to overflow.

  "Hao'er, you're back!"

  Jiang Mu suddenly hugged Jiang Heng into her arms, and tears could no longer be held back.

  "You've been gone for so long, I was worried sick." Jiang Mu looked at Jiang Huan with a serious expression and a hint of anger.

  "Sister, look at me now, I've grown stronger. See if anyone dares to bully you in the future." Jiang Huan flexed his arm muscles proudly.

  "Ah!" Jiang Mu fiercely scratched Jiang Huan's nose, her eyes full of doting affection.

  "Second daughter, living here is still comfortable for you, there's no need for you to personally do these things, the servants will take care of them."

  "It's great here, the living conditions are good. Second Aunt is used to it, when she has nothing to do, she gets bored." Jiang Mu smiled and said, "Hao'er, this time we have to thank your two older brothers."

  "Second sister, you mustn't say that, this is what we younger ones should do," Jiang Tian hastily said.

  "Mom, I've already met dad, and he wants me to participate in the family competition next month."

  "Oh, don't make your mother lose face, okay? Alright, I'll go cook now, Tian'er, stay and have a meal together." After saying that, Jiang Mu turned around and entered the kitchen, busying herself.

  The Jiang family children must participate in the clan comparison when they reach the age of ten, which is a rule set by the ancestors of the Jiang family thousands of years ago. Even if you are an outer disciple, as long as your strength is strong enough, you will be valued and cultivated. If your strength is not enough or your talent is not good, even if you are a direct descendant, you will be cold-shouldered. And like Jiang Huan, who can't even cultivate, the qualification to participate in the clan comparison has been deprived of him.

  The Jiang family reunion is held once a year and is also a grand event for the entire Sunshine City, with many heads of other families and important figures from the city coming to attend.

  For a month, Jiang Huan was completely consolidating his cultivation. The majestic battle aura surging around him made Jiang Huan excited beyond measure, and he grew more and more eager for the upcoming clan comparison to arrive.

  Time always passes faster than people expect. Unconsciously, a month has passed and the annual tribal comparison is about to begin.

  "Third brother, are you ready?"

  Squeak!

  The door creaked open slowly, and a man in a green robe appeared - it was Jiang Huan. "Big brother, you're going too!"

  "Of course, we have to give our youngest brother a good sendoff. Your second brother has already passed away, let's hurry up!"

  "Alright!" Jiang Hao responded with a nod, unfolding his body and hurrying with Jiang Tian to the martial arts arena of the Jiang family.

  Along the way, people were bustling about. All of the younger generation of the Jiang family, regardless of age, had to go pay their respects, so Jiang Hao ended up seeing many familiar faces.

  The Jiang family's martial arts competitions were all held in the arena, which was located at the rear of the Jiang family's mansion and occupied a vast area. The surrounding area was a forest, and whenever there was an important celebration or major event, it would be chosen to be held in the arena, which was also built by the Jiang family.

  Normally, the martial arts arena is closed to outsiders, but today it's different. The crowded masses are visible everywhere. Around the martial arts arena, dozens of tables and chairs were set up, only some important figures could have a seat here, while ordinary people can only watch from behind the cordon.

  The Jiang family, as the number one family in Taiyang City, is naturally superior to others. Even the city lord has to come and pay his respects. In fact, according to their strength, Jiang Yuan is fully capable of taking on the role of city lord, but he himself has no interest in politics and doesn't have the time to manage it, so he simply gave up the position.

  At this time, the chairs were already filled with people. The first one was naturally Jiang Yuan, and behind him were several old men who were hunched over, but they all had their eyes closed, as if they were not interested in anything outside at all. In the seats, Jiang Huan also saw Zhou Yan, and Zhou Yan seemed to have seen himself too, smiling and nodding his head towards Jiang Huan.

  "Third brother, you're here. The family gathering is about to start." Jiang Huan squeezed into the crowd and saw second brother Jiang Lie. Jiang Tian slightly released his aura, and the surrounding area immediately cleared out. Although Jiang Tian had already reached the level of a war general, in the Jiang family he was still a junior, so he didn't take a seat.

  The empty space in front of the martial arts arena was now packed with young members of the Jiang family, all of whom were about to participate in the clan competition. Most of their youthful faces kept flashing with excitement, while a small minority looked gloomy, clearly lacking confidence in their own abilities.

  The clan is undoubtedly a springboard for some of the younger generation outside the Jiang family. As long as you have enough strength, it is possible to be accepted as an inner disciple, and future cultivation will also receive support from the entire family, while those with average talent can only be sent out.

  Jiang Hao looked at the faces in front of him, all eager to try, and couldn't help but shake his head. At a glance, almost all of them were four-star to six-star warriors, with only a few stronger ones around eight stars, and not a single war master among them.

  Everyone has arrived. Jiang looked forward and an old man nodded slightly. The old man responded with a sound, and the next moment he appeared on the martial arts arena.

  "Ladies and gentlemen!" The old man bowed his hands and said, his voice was extremely loud, and the noise in the field was immediately suppressed.

  "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to this family gathering. I am Jiang Zhan Yun, the elder of the Jiang family. Thanks to the kindness of our family head, I have been entrusted with the role of judge for this family competition."

  "According to the rules of the family competition, all children under the age of 10 can participate and use any combat skills and weapons. The competition is divided into two rounds: the first round is a free-for-all that lasts for half an hour, and those who remain on the battlefield will enter the next round; the second round is one-on-one matches, where the losers are eliminated, and the final winner will receive a medium-level combat skill manual and a bottle of high-quality spiritual medicine. The top five participants in the competition will be enrolled as inner family disciples and enjoy the family's cultivation resources."

  It's said that this time, the reward is quite generous. Jiang Heng's eyes lit up at the sight of it. The mediocre martial skills are nothing to write home about, but a bottle of top-grade Spirit Dan being taken out just like that? It seems the Jiang family has splurged a lot this time!

  "Moreover, the children participating in this family competition are not allowed to harm each other. If I find out that anyone is secretly plotting against their siblings, they will be immediately expelled from the Jiang family." The old man's last sentence was extremely severe, and a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes.

  "Alright, that's all I have to say. Those whose names are called next will come forward to receive their tokens and participate in the first round of the melee!" The old man raised his hand slightly, and the next person in line had already rushed up with a jade tablet in hand.

  Jiang Meng, Jiang Xiaolong, Jiang Xin, Jiang Kui......

  One by one, the Jiang family children who were called out by name all blushed and ran up to receive their numbers, then stood in order on the martial arts arena.

  "Jiang Hao!"

  When shouting Jiang Hao's name, several people behind Jiang Yuan also slightly opened their eyes to take a look, while Jiang Yuan remained calm and composed.

  Jiang Hao calmly walked out of the crowd, took his own number plate, which had his name and age written on it, and slowly stepped onto the martial arts arena.

  "Hey, look, isn't that the good-for-nothing from our Jiang family? What qualifies him to participate in the clan comparison?"

  "It's just like that, you see how he is, doesn't he have a death wish?"

  As soon as Jiang Hao appeared, a murmur of discontent spread from behind and on the stage, while Jiang Kui's face was full of resentment. That day he had been so scared that he had wet his pants, today he must make Jiang Hao look good.

  "Jiang Kui, is this Jiang Hao? He looks pretty ordinary, can't even beat you." A young man standing beside Jiang Kui asked with a light smile.

  "Older brother, that day I didn't know what was going on either, but I felt like this kid was a bit fishy." Jiang Kui gritted his teeth in hatred.

  "Heh heh, it's all useless in the face of absolute power. I'll help you vent your anger later, hopefully he can get through this round." After saying that, a hint of venomous intent flashed across his face.

  Jiang Hao didn't care about other people's opinions at all. After going on stage, he quietly stood in the corner and closed his eyes to meditate.

  The Jiang family had many young men, with over a hundred people, but the martial arts arena was extremely large. After all of them went on stage, the martial arts arena still seemed quite empty.

  When everyone was standing still, Jiang Zhan Yun stepped forward again, looked at the crowd on the scene, and lightly plucked his right hand. A long arrow suddenly flew out and deeply inserted into a stone platform in front of the martial arts arena. This move was extremely ruthless, and Jiang Huan asked himself that even if he used all his strength, he estimated that he couldn't do it.

  "Ready, set, go!"

  As Jiang Zhan Yun let out a loud shout, the atmosphere on the martial arts arena was instantly ignited.