"Creak!"
Accompanied by the sound of the wooden door being squeezed, the door was slowly opened. Xiao Chen's figure appeared in the courtyard. He took a deep breath and breathed in the bitter cold air.
Although it was already the coldest season, the scenery in the Green Pine Courtyard was completely different. There was not a trace of bleakness at all. The entire courtyard was filled with green, making people feel relaxed and happy.
Facing the morning sun, Xiao Chen stretched his body slightly. In an instant, a green light flashed across his body, sweeping away the tiredness of the night.
Following that, Xiao Chen did not stop at all. He followed the winding path towards the stone pavilion in the middle of the pine forest.
After admiring the beautiful scenery in the courtyard, Xiao Chen once again walked along the winding path towards the outside of the courtyard. This was because he heard the whistling sounds of weapons flying through the air from the training field. It must be the Soul-breaking Saber, Ren Fei, who lived in the opposite courtyard, practicing his martial arts.
Indeed, the figure in the drill ground was Ren Fei. A saber danced around in his hand, moving like a shadow. Xiao Chen did not say anything to interrupt Ren Fei. He just stood at the side and looked calmly at Ren Fei.
It had to be said that Ren Fei, as a ranger, did not have any tribe as his backing. All the martial arts resources had to be obtained by himself. Under such conditions, being able to make a name for himself in Giant Rock Valley was only one of the prerequisites. It was more about his unremitting efforts. No one could easily make a name for themselves.
In just a short moment, under Xiao Chen's powerful soul perception, Ren Fei's entire background was exposed to his eyes. Under the leather clothes, Ren Fei's body, which was not very strong, was surging with Battle Qi. His muscles were all over his body, and the saber in his hand had reached the acme of perfection.
It had to be said that geniuses were unfathomable and unpredictable. After a short moment of observation, Xiao Chen came to a conclusion. Ren Fei's strength was above Ying Jie's. No wonder the two of them could sense each other on the bluestone street of Duanmu City.
However, the current Xiao Chen was no longer the same as before. If the two of them originally had a fifty-fifty chance of winning, now that Xiao Chen had comprehended the embryonic form of the state of massacre, he could defeat Ren Fei effortlessly.
Just as Xiao Chen was deep in thought, Ren Fei's saber skill practice was coming to an end. Indeed, after a short while, Ren Fei had finished his practice and walked towards Xiao Chen.
"Brother Xiao, you are here. My hands were itching when I woke up in the morning. Seeing that there was a training field here, I couldn't help but move a bit. Brother Xiao, please excuse me," Ren Fei greeted Xiao Chen when he was far away from Xiao Chen.
"You are indeed the wanderer who made a name for yourself in Gigantic Rock Valley. What impressive skills. This Xiao admires you."
"Brother Xiao must be joking. Who in Gigantic Rock Valley does not know the name of Clan Head Gu Yuanxiao? In order to save his clansman, he barged into another clan. Such a magnificent feat is well known by everyone."
"Alright, Brother Ren. Let's not flatter each other anymore. I wonder what arrangements we have for today?" Xiao Chen felt a little embarrassed by Ren Fei's flattery, so he stopped Ren Fei.
After all, they were both cultivators of the younger generation in Gigantic Rock Valley. Their reputations had spread far and wide. If the two of them continued to flatter each other, even if they did not do anything today, they would not be able to finish their conversation.
After hearing Xiao Chen's words, Ren Fei patted his head gently. He said with some annoyance, "If Brother Xiao did not mention it, I would have forgotten about it. Brother Ying came by this morning and saw that your courtyard was closed. He guessed that you might be cultivating, so he did not disturb you and told me about it."
"I wonder what it is?" Ren Fei's words aroused Xiao Chen's interest.
"It's like this. In a few months, the tribe's Annual Sacrifice will be held. After the Annual Sacrifice, every tribe in Gigantic Rock Valley will pay tribute to the middle-ranked Iron Hoof Tribe. I believe that Brother Xiao must know about this."
As for the Annual Sacrifice, Xiao Chen certainly knew about it. This was a common festival for all the people in the Wasteland Continent. On this day, every tribe would offer sacrifices to the heavens in order to make the tribe stronger in the coming year. It was the most important festival passed down from ancient times in the Wasteland Continent.
As for the tribute, it was the tribute that the subordinate tribes offered to their tribe's superiors. It was just like how the ancient vassal states in Xiao Chen's previous life paid tribute to the suzerain state.
Seeing the knowing expression on Xiao Chen's face, Ren Fei continued, "Where there are people, there is Jianghu. Where there are people, there is power. Our Gigantic Rock Valley belongs to the middle-ranked Iron Hoof Tribe. However, the middle-ranked Iron Hoof Tribe does not only govern Gigantic Rock Valley. Roughly speaking, it can be divided into one city, two valleys, and four lakes."
As the leader of a tribe, Xiao Chen would certainly know the location of his tribe and the surrounding power. He knew that the Iron Hoof Tribe was thousands of miles away and that the population was as numerous as the hairs on an ox.
The one city referred to the Iron Hoof City of the overlord tribe. The two valleys referred to Gigantic Rock Valley and Messy Rock Valley. The four lakes referred to Yandang Lake, Jade Lake, Azure Cloud Lake, and Linyang Lake. Each of these areas was no smaller than Gigantic Rock Valley and had countless large and small human tribes living there.
"Moreover, after this tribute, it will be the opening of the Blood Race's battlefield. In order to compete for the spots to enter the Blood Race's battlefield, the tribal warriors of various areas will inevitably fight fiercely."
"Could it be that the matter Brother Ying is busy with is related to the Blood Race's battlefield?"
"That's right. There is a limit to the number of people who can enter the Blood Race's battlefield. Therefore, every time the Blood Race's battlefield opens, the younger generation of my Gigantic Rock Valley will organize a gathering in advance to discuss related matters. Of course, this is only a matter for the younger generation. The older generation experts will not participate."
Carefully listening to Ren Fei's narration, Xiao Chen nodded from time to time or asked some related questions. Ren Fei was not clear about the matters of the Blood Race's battlefield.
The Blood Race's battlefield was an ancient battlefield from ten thousand years ago. It was the place where the human race and the Blood Race fought. No one knew when this ancient battlefield had fallen into a dimensional space. Every ten years, it would appear on the mainland for a month. Inside, it was filled with natural treasures. Of course, it was accompanied by many dangers.
"I came to Duanmu City because I received an invitation. Moreover, I only found out today that the organizers of this gathering of the younger generation are Ying Jie and his brothers. The time is set to be five days later."
At this moment, the two of them had already arrived at a stone pavilion. On the side, there were maidservants who were like butterflies constantly pouring tea for the two of them. However, it was a pity that the two of them were infatuated with martial arts and did not pay attention to this.
"It's a pity that in the past hundred years, the Blood Race's battlefield has opened more than ten times. The number of people from my Gigantic Rock Valley has become fewer and fewer. This has also caused my Gigantic Rock Valley to suffer from the sarcasm of the other regions in the Iron Hoof Territory." As his voice faded, Ren Fei sighed softly and said in a somewhat deep tone.
After talking with Ren Fei, Xiao Chen had a comprehensive understanding of the gathering of the younger generation in Gigantic Rock Valley.
This kind of gathering had been continuously organized for hundreds of years. The purpose of the gathering was for the younger generation to test their martial arts and make up for their shortcomings through exchanges.
As for the organizer, there were no hard and fast rules. Generally, after the end of the gathering, everyone would jointly elect a person with strength that everyone believed in to preside over the next gathering. This gathering was hosted by Ying Jie and his brothers.
Although Xiao Chen was now the leader of a tribe, he was still a young warrior after all. As the saying goes, there was no first place in martial arts and no second place in literature. It was a rare opportunity for every warrior to exchange blows with experts from all sides. After careful consideration, he decided to stay for a few days to make friends with some young warriors. After all, it was very rare to have so many young experts gather in one place.
Although Xiao Chen had left the tribe for more than a month, there was a great warrior like Hu Guyue in the tribe. So, he was not too worried.
Little did he know that the world was unpredictable. No one knew what they would face in the next moment.