Chapter 13: Unity Is Strength

Seeing Nan Rou walking toward Qin Guan, Nan Yunqi suddenly jabbed a finger at a pile of rubble and roared, "Look what your husband has done!"

Nan Rou looked toward the distance. When she saw the training chamber reduced to ruins, she was left completely speechless.

That training chamber was the core of the Nan Family — a vital place for cultivating and training clan members — and Qin Guan had destroyed it?

Nan Rou turned to Qin Guan with a panicked expression. He had really caused a disaster this time!

Qin Guan scratched the back of his head with an awkward grin. "I genuinely didn't mean to break it."

Just moments ago, he had successfully gained control over that white gaseous energy inside his body, and he had been overwhelmed with excitement — because when he channeled that energy into his fist strike, it had tripled his power output in an instant!

At his current level, even the slightest increase in power was extraordinarily difficult to achieve. Martial Artists were nothing like Cultivators, who could rely on all manner of powerful Cultivation Techniques, talismans, and other methods to boost themselves. Martial Artists could only strengthen themselves by purely advancing through their realm.

A sudden threefold increase in power — it was enough to make even his master's jaw drop. That white energy was truly terrifying.

"Master of the family, something terrible has happened!"

Just then, Jiaquan came running over.

"What is it?" Nan Yunqi looked toward Jiaquan.

Jiaquan said urgently:

"I report to the family master — the Grand Elder and the Second Elder have taken over twenty members of the clan and defected to the Xiao Family!"

"What!"

Upon hearing this, Nan Yunqi staggered backward several steps. He had already been devastated by the destruction of the training chamber, and now, hearing that two Elders had led more than twenty people in a betrayal, he nearly fainted on the spot.

The other members of the Nan Family were equally stunned. The clan had only thirty-some members in total, and the Grand Elder and Second Elder had taken away more than twenty of them. The Nan Family was on the verge of collapse.

"Father!" Nan Rou rushed forward to steady Nan Yunqi, dabbing the cold sweat from his face with her handkerchief.

"Family Master, Yang Ao also defected to the Xiao Family yesterday!" Jiaquan added.

His implication was clear — the Grand Elder and Second Elder must have gone through Yang Ao to join the Xiao Family.

"Yes, Yang Ao must have played a significant role in this. But the Grand Elder and Second Elder have never accepted me as their family master — it was only a matter of time before they made their move."

Nan Yunqi nodded, having calmed down somewhat, though he seemed to have aged considerably in that moment. Was the Nan Family truly going to fall into ruin under his watch?

"The Secret Realm opens in two days. They chose this moment to defect to the Xiao Family — clever scheming indeed!" a Nan Family disciple said in a low voice.

At those words, the surrounding clan members all nodded. When the Secret Realm opened, its treasures would naturally go to the strongest — and the Xiao Family was the top power in Luyun City.

"Jiaquan, gather all the remaining clan members. I have something to say," Nan Yunqi said with a grave expression.

"Yes!" Jiaquan turned and left.

"Father, what happened?" Nan Qiao came hurrying over from a distance, with Yang Hongmei at her side.

After yesterday's events, Yang Hongmei was noticeably less boisterous than before, standing silently like a wooden statue.

"The Grand Elder and Second Elder have defected with over twenty members of the clan," Nan Yunqi said gravely.

"I always suspected something was off about them," Nan Qiao replied, not particularly surprised.

Seeing Nan Yunqi's face etched with worry, Yang Hongmei felt a pang of sympathy. She quietly moved to his side and murmured, "My lord, yesterday was all my fault. Please take care of yourself."

The night before, Nan Qiao had spent the entire night talking sense into her. Nan Qiao had told her that she had never shown Father any respect, never considered his dignity, and had never truly treated him as the head of the household — which was why he had finally snapped and exploded.

Nan Qiao had urged her to take the initiative and bow her head to Father, saying there was still room to mend things.

After a night of reflection, Yang Hongmei had come to her senses.

Seeing Yang Hongmei take the initiative to back down, Nan Yunqi was inwardly surprised — but he paid her no mind, nor did he have the heart to do so.

Before long, Jiaquan had gathered the remaining dozen or so clan members.

Nan Yunqi looked at them all and spoke in a solemn voice:

"Everyone, I'm sure you've all heard about the Grand Elder and Second Elder leading people away in defection. First, I must tell you — it is true!"

At those words, the crowd exchanged glances and broke into hushed murmurs.

"Everyone, please quiet down and hear me out!" Nan Yunqi waved his hand and continued:

"Ever since our Patriarch passed away, our Nan Family has been in steady decline — our strength retreating again and again, falling from a second-rate family to a third-rate one.

"Over these years, I know many of you have not accepted me as your family master. To speak from the heart, I do have many shortcomings in my abilities, and there are many matters I have not handled with enough foresight.

"But please believe this — I have never harbored any selfish motives. Every single moment, I have been thinking of restoring the Nan Family's glory, of reviving the Nan Family!

"I believe that a clan's strength does not depend on numbers, but on unity. No matter how many people there are, if their hearts are not aligned and their efforts not directed as one, they are nothing but loose sand — and the enemy can scatter us with ease!

"Those of you who have stayed — I believe you all love this family and are devoted to its revival. So do not be alarmed by the Grand Elder and Second Elder's defection. From now on, if we stand united and pull together as one, we can still carve out our place in Luyun City!"

"Family Master, you are absolutely right. Our Nan Family has been like loose sand all these years. From now on, we advance and retreat together — we will surely revive the Nan Family!"

Nan Yunqi's words immediately resonated with one of the disciples.

"That's right — united as one, advance and retreat together!"

"Unity is strength!"

In an instant, everyone was filled with renewed spirit, raising their fists in the air.

"Jiaquan, distribute four bottles of Qi Refinement Powder to each of the remaining brothers!" Seeing that morale had been steadied, Nan Yunqi immediately produced a Storage Ring and tossed it to Jiaquan.

Upon hearing that each person would receive four bottles of Qi Refinement Powder, the remaining dozen or so disciples broke into wide grins, so excited they could barely contain themselves. They even forgave Qin Guan for destroying the training chamber — after all, it was Qin Guan who had earned that Qi Refinement Powder in the first place.

Nan Yunqi swept his hand in a grand gesture and called out encouragingly:

"The Secret Realm opens in two days. Everyone, make the most of the time and go cultivate! You are all vital members of this family. When the Nan Family grows strong again, you will be its meritorious veterans — the founding pillars of its new era!"

"Yes, Family Master!"

Everyone took their Qi Refinement Powder and left in high spirits.

"Father! What happened to the training chamber?!"

After everyone had gone, Nan Qiao stared at the pile of rubble and cried out in shock.

Nan Yunqi let out a sigh. "Your brother-in-law was training inside and accidentally broke it."

"Brother-in-law?" Nan Qiao frowned, then a moment later it clicked. "Qin Guan! He destroyed the training chamber…"

Nan Qiao was about to unleash her fury on Qin Guan, but she realized that Qin Guan and Nan Rou had slipped away at some point without her noticing.

"Father, the training chamber is a critical core facility for the clan. Now that it's gone, where are we supposed to train?" Nan Qiao stomped her foot in frustration.

The training chamber housed all manner of equipment for testing strength and sparring, and it also served a crucial function — its airtight seal allowed Spiritual Energy to accumulate before a Breakthrough, which was essential preparation. Without the training chamber, they would have to spend enormous resources to compensate.

The training chamber was of immense importance to the clan's disciples, and now Qin Guan had gone and destroyed it. Nan Qiao was nearly beside herself with rage.

Yang Hongmei beside her let out a cold snort, though this time she held her tongue and refrained from launching into a tirade.

"It was an unintentional act. The clan's morale is already unstable right now, Qiao'er — if you can bear it, please do. Don't stir up more trouble. Besides, no matter what, he is your brother-in-law and a member of our Nan Family!"

Nan Yunqi said earnestly.

"Hmph!" Nan Qiao stormed off in a huff.

With Nan Qiao gone, only Yang Hongmei and Nan Yunqi remained. Yang Hongmei quickly moved to his side with a warm smile. "My lord, I've made your favorite snow fungus and bird's nest congee. It's still warm on the stove — come have some!"

"Do you think I'm in any mood to eat right now?" Nan Yunqi replied irritably, then strode away briskly.

Even though morale had been steadied for now, Nan Yunqi knew in his heart that no matter how united the clan was, without real strength, it was a fatal weakness.

The Grand Elder and Second Elder had never gotten along with him personally, but when it came to the Nan Family's interests, they had always stood on the Nan Family's side. Losing so many people all at once was a devastating blow to the clan.

"Nan Yunqi, you really are stubborn, aren't you?! I already bowed my head and admitted my fault, and you still put on airs!" Yang Hongmei, left standing there alone, ground her teeth in fury.

* * *

On the other side, Qin Guan and Nan Rou had returned to the east courtyard.

"Husband, could you please be a little more careful from now on? Our Nan Family is already in a precarious state, and Father is facing enormous difficulties. If more trouble breaks out, I'm afraid he won't be able to bear it."

In the courtyard, Nan Rou gently kneaded Qin Guan's shoulders and spoke softly.

"Mm, I'll be more careful from now on."

Qin Guan nodded. He felt somewhat helpless about it himself — when one's power reached his level, even a moment of inattention could cause tremendous destruction, and he was constantly restraining himself to keep it in check.

His master had often admonished him: even if you carry the power to shatter the heavens and raze the earth, you must hold compassion in your heart. Protect the weak and innocent whenever you can, and never cause them harm.

Thinking of this, Qin Guan couldn't help but recall what his master had once said about accidentally killing the Nan Family Patriarch with a careless strike. Given his master's level of power, the Nan Family Patriarch had most likely been caught in the collateral damage.

His master owed the Nan Family a debt, and his wife was from the Nan Family. It seemed he really ought to give his father-in-law a proper hand up!

* * *

At the same time, at the Xiao Family — the foremost clan in Luyun City.

"In just a single day, Young Hero Yang's Sword Dao has broken through an entire level, reaching the rank of Sword Apprentice. Truly, the younger generation is to be feared!"

Inside the training chamber, Xiao Yun, the Xiao Family Patriarch, heaped praise upon Yang Ao.

"Senior Xiao flatters me. Without your meticulous guidance, I would never have progressed so rapidly!" Yang Ao bowed respectfully toward Xiao Yun.

Xiao Yun stroked his long beard and waved a hand dismissively.

"Young Hero Yang need not be so modest. To be honest, a talent like yours would be wasted staying in my Xiao Family. You should be developing yourself at a higher level."

Yang Ao's brow furrowed slightly. "Senior Xiao, what do you mean by that?"

"Has Young Hero Yang heard of the Spirit Sword Academy?" Xiao Yun said with a smile.

At those words, Yang Ao nodded eagerly. "Of course I have. The Spirit Sword Academy is the premier institution in Qingzhou — a sacred ground that countless Sword Cultivators dream of entering!"

Then Yang Ao's expression dimmed somewhat. "I've heard that the Spirit Sword Academy only accepts disciples who are no older than sixteen, and they must have reached the rank of Sword Knight in the Sword Dao. Without meeting both conditions, there's no way in."

Yang Ao could naturally tell that Xiao Yun was suggesting he join the Spirit Sword Academy — but his current situation met neither of its admission requirements. He was not only a year over the age limit, but also one rank short in the Sword Dao.

"That's no matter. My senior martial brother, Cangyuan, is an Elder at the Spirit Sword Academy. He should be coming to Luyun City tomorrow for the Secret Realm. I can recommend you to him at that time. Since you have awakened the True Dragon Sword Intent, being admitted as a special exception should be no problem!"

"Senior Xiao, your kindness is something I will carry in my heart forever!"

Yang Ao was overjoyed. He hadn't expected Xiao Yun to have connections with the renowned Spirit Sword Academy. Truly worthy of being the foremost clan in Luyun City — their foundations ran deep.

Xiao Yun patted Yang Ao on the shoulder:

"My reasons for doing this are twofold — first, I cannot bear to see such a fine talent go to waste. Second, I do have a selfish motive: I hope that in the future, Young Hero Yang will not forget the Xiao Family, and will lend us a hand when the time comes!"

"Senior Xiao, what are you saying? From now on, the Xiao Family's affairs are my affairs, Yang Ao's affairs!" Yang Ao declared, thumping his chest in promise.

"Ha ha, I knew I hadn't misjudged you!" Xiao Yun threw his head back and laughed.

A moment later, Xiao Yun spoke again. "I hear that Young Hero Yang has a grievance with that live-in son-in-law of the Nan Family?"

At those words, Yang Ao's expression turned ice-cold. "That's correct. That man is a third-gate Martial Artist. He killed my cousin brother, and yesterday the Nan Family actually abandoned me for his sake!"

Xiao Yun sneered. "Short-sighted fools. That Nan Yunqi is far inferior to his father. To abandon a Sword Cultivator who has awakened the True Dragon Sword Intent for the sake of a third-gate Martial Artist — truly the height of stupidity!"

Then Xiao Yun's expression darkened:

"Sword Cultivators would sooner break than bend. A grudge must be settled. Young Hero Yang, rest assured — if the Nan Family dares to enter the Secret Realm in Ten Thousand Demon Valley, drag that live-in son-in-law out and kill him. And if the Nan Family dares to utter a single word of protest, my Xiao Family will not hesitate to wipe them out entirely."