Martial Saint with Passives

He was shocked to see the Patriarch himself arriving at his door with an esteemed guest.

"L-Lord Patriarch, what brings you here?"

Zhu Yongrui smiled and explained, "Shichang, this is Boss Liu. He wishes to retain Chief Jiang Che as a Tributor. I heard that Xiufen is related to the Yin Family, who are acquainted with Chief Jiang, and he was hoping you could help make an introduction."

The color drained from Zhu Shichang’s face. He stammered for a long moment, unable to utter a single word.

’Make an introduction? We can barely save our own skins!’

Zhu Yongrui was a man of great perception. One look at Zhu Shichang’s face told him something was wrong.

He smoothly made an excuse to placate Boss Liu. After seeing him off, his expression immediately hardened. He turned to Zhu Shichang and barked, "Speak! What in the world is going on?!"

Facing the Patriarch’s immense pressure, Zhu Shichang’s knees buckled. With a THUD, he fell to his knees. Tears and snot streaming down his face, he confessed every last detail of how he and his wife had offended Jiang Che.

"You damned fools!"

Zhu Yongrui trembled with rage, his face livid. "You two imbeciles! Do you have any idea how you’ve almost doomed the entire Zhu Family?!"

He wasted no more time with words. He immediately summoned his guards, had the still-dazed Zhu Shichang and Wang Xiufen seized, and dragged them to the entrance of Yin’s Cloth Shop.

"Kneel!"

The guards viciously forced Zhu Shichang and Wang Xiufen to the ground, making them kneel before the Yin family’s door.

Zhu Yongrui personally stepped forward and knocked on the door. When Yin Rong emerged, Zhu Yongrui bowed deeply, his face a mask of apology, and begged for the Yin Family’s forgiveness.

Zhu Shichang snapped to his senses and began to wail, kowtowing repeatedly as he begged for mercy.

Mrs. Yin, being soft-hearted, was just about to tell them to forget it.

But Yin Rong quickly pulled her back.

He looked at the two people kneeling on the ground, then glanced at the earnest expression on Patriarch Zhu’s face, and slowly shook his head.

"The Yin Family owes its current standing entirely to Chief Jiang’s protection. It’s safe to say that without Chief Jiang, there would be no Yin Family!" His voice was quiet but exceptionally firm. "Zhu Shichang and Wang Xiufen are our relatives, it’s true, but they insulted Chief Jiang!"

"If we soften our hearts and forgive them, how could we possibly face Chief Jiang? Should word of this reach his ears and cause him to harbor resentment, the Yin Family would be finished!"

"Do you think Chief Jiang is in need of our tribute? Countless prominent families are lining up to offer him gifts, and he turns them all away! His willingness to remain the Yin Family’s Tributor is a testament to his nostalgia for our old relationship! We must not take his favor for granted, and we certainly cannot be the ones to forgive people who have insulted him!"

Her husband’s words served as a wake-up call for Mrs. Yin, and she silently lowered her head.

Yin Yingying already despised the pair, and she nodded vigorously in agreement.

Then, Yin Rong stepped forward and spoke calmly to the Zhu family’s patriarch. "Patriarch Zhu, we will not forgive them. Please, you may go."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Shichang and Wang Xiufen looked as though they had been struck by lightning.

Wang Xiufen, for her part, started making a scene. She sat on the ground, wailing and cursing, revealing her true shrewish nature.

When Zhu Shichang saw his wife acting this way, he knew it was truly over. A wave of panic and fury washed over him, and he slapped her right across the face!

Wang Xiufen was stunned by the blow. Clutching her cheek, she stared at her husband in disbelief.

At this point, Zhu Yongrui understood the Yin Family’s stance.

He let out a cold laugh. "Very well. I understand."

He then turned to the crowd of servants and onlookers and announced in a clear, loud voice, "From this day forward, Zhu Shichang and Wang Xiufen are officially expelled from the Zhu Family! Henceforth, their actions will have nothing whatsoever to do with the Upper City Zhu Family!"

With that said, he departed with his guards, never once looking back.

Zhu Shichang sat limply on the ground, looking utterly devastated.

Wang Xiufen was frozen in shock.

With a loud SLAM, Yin Rong shut the main gate.

And so, the couple was left abandoned on the cold street.

In that instant, all their previous smugness and arrogance evaporated into nothing, leaving behind only endless regret.

...

Of course, Jiang Che knew nothing of what had transpired in front of the Yin family’s home.

In fact, he had likely long since forgotten about inconsequential clowns like Zhu Shichang and Wang Xiufen.

At that moment, he, along with Gu Qingxuan, Fang Muye, and Wang Zhenhai, had arrived before an ancient pavilion deep within the Sect.

This was one of the Sect’s most important locations: the Treasure Pavilion.

They were here to claim their final reward for placing in the top four of the Cloud Tier Inquiry Conference.

The one guarding the Treasure Pavilion was an old Daoist master named Elder Qing Xu. He had the white hair of an old man but the youthful complexion of a child, and an otherworldly, immortal-like air about him.

After Elder Qing Xu verified their identities and reward tokens, he led the four of them into the pavilion.

Inside the pavilion, a dazzling array of treasures filled their eyes, their lustrous light flowing and shifting.

Rows of weapon racks forged from the finest Profound Iron displayed all sorts of Treasure Artifacts, each one glinting with a cold light.

There were sabers, spears, swords, and halberds, as well as axes, pole-axes, hooks, and tridents. Every single item emanated an extraordinary aura.

In addition to Weapons, there were also various types of Armor and some miscellaneous items with strange and wonderful effects.

Elder Qing Xu began his introduction. "The Treasure Artifacts here can be roughly divided into three categories: weapons, Armor, and curios. For example, this ’Profound Ice Spike’ was forged from the very essence of ten-thousand-year-old Profound Ice Iron. It naturally emits a frigid aura that can slow an enemy’s movements. Or take this armor, the ’Golden Silk Soft Hedgehog Armor,’ which is impervious to blades and flames. There is also this ’Water-Repelling Pearl.’ If you hold it in your mouth, you can hold your breath underwater for six hours..."

He described each item with the intimate familiarity of one counting his own treasures, leaving the four of them dazzled by the selection.

Soon, it was time for them to choose.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Gu Qingxuan chose a curio called the "Calm Heart Jade Pendant."

This Jade Pendant could clear one’s heart and focus the mind, helping to resist Heart Demons.

For a Sword Cultivator like her, on the verge of breaking through to the True Master Realm, it was more important than any Divine Weapon.

Fang Muye, in turn, selected a Treasure Artifact: a pair of "Wind Spirit Boots."

Wearing these boots would increase his movement speed by thirty percent, making his already uncanny Body Technique even more unpredictable.

Wang Zhenhai chose a heavy "Profound Turtle Shield." It would compensate for the fact that while his Iron Body Skills were formidable, his defense was still lacking against Divine Weapons.

With this Shield, his defenses would reach an astonishing level.

Finally, it was Jiang Che’s turn.

His gaze fell upon a longbow that was pitch-black from end to end, with a simple, ancient design.

The bow was named "Star-Chasing."

Its body was crafted from the core essence of a thousand-year-old ironwood tree.

The Bowstring was made from the sinew of a top-tier Exotic Beast.

This Exotic Beast was the crossbred offspring of a Black Beast at the Peak of the Refining Organ Realm and a rare Spirit Beast.

As a result, the Bowstring was incomparably resilient.

Most importantly, the bow required no Arrows.

By simply infusing one’s own Strength, one could conjure immensely powerful, Armor-Piercing "Strong Energy Arrows."

Jiang Che immediately chose the Star-Chasing Bow.

With this bow, the gap in his long-range combat ability would be more than filled.

All four, having made their selections, left the Treasure Pavilion feeling content.

Jiang Che took special note of the Wind Spirit Boots on Fang Muye’s feet.

’If I ever have to face him in the future,’ he thought, ’I’ll need to be doubly cautious of his speed.’

Meanwhile, Fang Muye also committed the Star-Chasing Bow in Jiang Che’s hands to memory, a flicker of apprehension in his eyes.

Each harboring their own ulterior motives, they nevertheless returned to the chief’s residence together on amicable terms.

...

「In the Vice Sect Leader’s Courtyard.」

BANG!

Xie Songnian struck out with his palm, and the decorative rockery before him instantly crumbled into dust.

A few of his trusted disciples waiting nearby trembled in fear, not daring to utter a sound.

"Jiang Che..." He squeezed the name through his clenched teeth, the hatred in his eyes practically overflowing.

But now, Jiang Che carried the Sect Leader’s Talisman Seal and had become a prized genius the Sect was heavily invested in. It was now almost impossible for him to find an opportunity to move against him openly.

"Old bastard..." He narrowed his eyes, his gaze fixed in the direction of the Sect Leader’s secluded meditation grounds.

’Just you wait. That old bastard doesn’t have much longer anyway. When he’s dead and gone and I become Sect Leader... I’ll make you wish you were dead, but I won’t let you die!’ he muttered to himself.

High in the sky, a black-feathered crow circled, taking in the entire scene in the courtyard before flapping its wings and flying away.

Through the crow’s eyes, Jiang Che saw Xie Songnian’s furious but helpless state, and a sense of reassurance settled in his heart.

Although he was too far away to hear what was being said, he could at least confirm that for the time being, Xie Songnian was truly powerless to move against him.

...