On the Wild Continent, martial arts techniques are divided into three grades: Heaven, Earth, and Human. Each grade is further split into upper, middle, and lower tiers. Generally speaking, even a Human-grade lower-tier martial technique is extremely hard to come by. Take the Guyuan Tribe, for example: the entire tribe combined only possesses two Human-grade middle-tier techniques. As for Human-grade lower-tier and unranked techniques, there are barely a dozen in total, and that’s after nearly a thousand years of accumulation. As for techniques above Human-grade middle-tier, the entire Guyuan Tribe has never owned any—they are nothing but legendary existences to them.

After finishing his cultivation, Charles Bennett let out a deep breath of turbid air, stood up, and walked toward the door. Smiling at the two figures outside, he said, “Why aren’t you two uncles coming in? Is there some danger in my room that makes two brave warriors who dare to fight fierce beasts hesitate to enter?”

Although the two men outside hadn’t spoken, Charles Bennett was, after all, a martial artist at the peak of the Bone Tempering Realm, ranking among the top in the tribe. What’s more, he had already touched the barrier to the next realm. He had sensed them as soon as they arrived at his door.

“Haha! Old Tie, I told you the chieftain would notice us. Why bother with all that sneaking around?”

Hearing Charles Bennett’s words, the burly man with a scar on his face broke into a wide grin, his voice booming like a cracked bell.

The other man didn’t answer, but instead bowed respectfully to Charles Bennett and said, “Greetings, Chieftain.”

“You two uncles are really putting me to shame. Both of you are elders of the tribe and my seniors. If my father knew, he’d come back and give me a good beating.” Seeing the burly man bow, Charles Bennett hurried forward to help him up, not allowing him to complete the salute. Charles Bennett’s ability to firmly hold the chieftain’s position after the old chieftain’s disappearance was inseparable from the strong support of these two men.

“Rituals must not be neglected. Now you are the chieftain of our Guyuan Tribe—your every word and action represents the tribe’s dignity.” Although Charles Bennett tried to help the man with the surname Tie, he remained unmoved, still bowing respectfully, and shot a sharp look at the other burly man.

“David Wood greets the chieftain.” Under the angry glare of the man surnamed Tie, the other burly man finally gave in, yielding to Richard Stone’s gaze.

Fortunately, none of the three were sticklers for formality. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they invited each other inside.

“You two uncles have come so late at night because of the Black Mountain Tribe’s arrogant demands earlier today, haven’t you?”

Once inside, everyone took their seats. Seeing the two men hesitate to speak, Charles Bennett knew they were worried about hurting his pride and didn’t know how to bring up the topic.

These two were the old chieftain’s sworn brothers, elders who had watched him grow up. They could be considered his closest subordinates, and harbored absolutely no ill will toward him—only sincere care. So he took the initiative to broach the subject.

Earlier that day, the young chieftain of the Black Mountain Tribe had caused a commotion in Guyuan. Neither of the two men had been present: Richard Stone was out hunting with the tribe to guard against attacks, while David Wood was defending the tribe in case other tribes tried to take advantage. After receiving the news, they worried about discouraging Charles Bennett, so they quietly came to his door at night, resulting in the awkward scene at the entrance.

“Heh heh, well… Chieftain, you really see through everything. My little tricks are useless in front of you,” David Wood said, coughing dryly and rubbing his hands together.

“Since we’re on the subject, Old Lin and I won’t beat around the bush. We came tonight for this very matter.”

At this, Richard Stone paused, as if organizing his words.

Charles Bennett didn’t interrupt, but leaned forward, showing he was listening intently. After a moment, Richard Stone continued, “Chieftain, while your martial talent may not be earth-shattering, it is still outstanding. At only twenty years old, you’ve reached the peak of the Bone Tempering Realm—among our tribe’s history, you’d rank in the top ten. For the past two or three years, our tribe has tightened its belt to fully support your cultivation. It’s not impossible for you to reach the Blood Refining Realm. When that happens, it will be the time for our tribe to rise, and you might even lead us to become a middle-tier tribe.”

“I know you don’t want our people to be humiliated, but with the old chieftain missing, our tribe is like a piece of fat surrounded by hungry wolves. What we lack now is time, so forming an alliance through marriage to buy the tribe two more years is extremely important.”

“We also know that Alice Moore has suffered, and that the women of our tribe have been treated unfairly. Guyuan owes them. As warriors, being unable to protect our people, unable to protect our women—this is a warrior’s shame! It’s the shame of every man in Guyuan! Shame! We’d rather pick up our war blades and fight the enemy to the death than let our ancestors’ legacy suffer such humiliation. Even if we die in battle, we’d have no regrets. But if we die, it’s over for us—what about the tens of thousands of old, weak, women, and children in the tribe? If they fall into enemy hands, their fate will be worse than death. Sigh!…”

As if venting, he ended up shouting. The usually tough man, who would shed blood and sweat but never tears, now spoke with a choked voice, his eyes bloodshot and glistening in the firelight.

Clap! Clap! Clap!…