Sage’s Cultivation: Mage in Cultivation World - Chapter 164

In preparation for the competition, a group of five members was prepared to participate in the annual competition. There were 2 clan elders and 2 hunter-masters that would go with Gabriel. The clan elders were to regulate and affirm the participation in the competition, and the hunter masters were for Gabriel’s team.

There are only three participants needed, and every round will be a one-on-one fight with a win-to-win and lose-to-lose scoring system.

Furthermore, the organizer for the competition this year was the Iliman Clan, so it would take a long journey to get there since they were at the very top of the mountain.

Gabriel stood at the gate and met with the other companions he had for the journey. The other hunter masters were the 2nd and 3rd to him, and they looked up to him as a role model.

“I cannot believe that I will be able to enter the competition with you, the hero of the clan.” Elmer Jiaozi said, the 3rd rank in Gabriel’s generation.

Gabriel was so silent that he slightly chuckled to keep the atmosphere light.

“I don’t deserve such praise,” Gabriel said briefly, then lowered his head.

They talked for a while, and Gabriel, who is perceived as a cold person, started to change his reputation with his companions since he was slightly open to them.

Subsequently, the clan elder arrived, and there they stated, “We are ready.”

Without any complaints from others, Gabriel merely accepted the assignment as the captain of the group.

Gabriel nodded, then approached the clan leader and others who were standing near them spectating. Gabriel lowered his head to bid him farewell.

“We will be going now.” Gabriel briefly stated and afterward approached his mother, who had teary eyes.

“Mother, we will be going. I will take care of myself, so you don’t have to worry about me.” Gabriel said, which made his mother tearier.

“Take care, son. I am proud of you. You have achieved such a feat that anyone would be working hard.”

Gabriel only smiled, then left his mother and went back to his companions.

“Okay, we will begin our journey. We are expected to arrive by nighttime. Be sure you have enough energy for the long trip.” Gabriel consulted.

They all nodded and, there, they left the village with some of the clansmen rooting for them to win the competition.

The journey started, and since their destination is at the top of the mountain, they passed a few fast-streaming rivers. And after it, a few wooded areas. However, it is unavoidable that along the way they will meet monsters.

Gabriel prepared his sword and worked with his companions to eradicate the threat.

He had his sword glimmered in a few streaks of blue light, which made his companion astonished. Also, they felt the heavy pressure coming from the sword.

From curiosity, Loney Lun asked Gabriel about the sword.

“What kind of sword technique is that, Sir Gabriel? It is such a terrifying sword technique to encounter.” Loney expressed his astonishment.

Gabriel sniggered slightly, then explained things to him slowly with his words. “This is only an imitation of the sword technique my master had left. It is merely a small percentage of it, as I haven’t been able to understand it well since now.”

They all nodded simultaneously and continued their journey after Gabriel’s explanation.

They climbed a few cliffs, and as time passed by, the sky started turning orange. However, they were just on time as the sky turned orange and they finally arrived at the Iliman Clan.

Gabriel looked at the clan’s layout of their village, and as he watched every beautiful creation of their fences, Gabriel couldn’t help but be astonished.

It was only natural since the fences were all made of a combination of bamboo and hardened mud that seemed to be a natural wall of land.

As they entered the village, they were greeted by the guards and were assisted inside.

Strikingly, their houses were also above the standard houses in their village. But of course, he didn’t underestimate his clan’s worth since it was merely a house from his perspective.

“Welcome to our clan, fellow brothers from the Ju Yue clan.” Gabriel’s companions and he bowed at the person who greeted them, clasping their fists.

And as they talked for a short time, they, apparently, needed to surrender their swords to them for the safety of the clansmen. Of course, it is not because of their doubt, but only a regulation any clan must follow.

Apart from this, even though Gabriel was risking his life for not having a weapon by his side, the Iliman Clan wouldn’t risk the treaty they made with the other clans in the Great Mao Mountain since ignoring the treaty is equivalent to war; war is unneeded for the clans.

And so, after surrendering their swords, Gabriel was assisted to their lodging house.

***

The 4th in the ranking of clans in the Mao Mountains, the Bo Lin Clan, had been facing famine for a long time. Their resources were plummeting as their land dried for an unknown reason. And as the scarcity of resources was harmful, deaths were invariably inflicted on them.

However, there were rumors that the reason for their suffering was that they hadn’t accommodated a magical beast before. Hence, their assumption is that they might be cursed.

But even with that assumption, a solution is missing. Thus, the officials were always gathering for a meeting to have a solid plan to pass through the predicament of their village.

“It is impossible to get through this predicament. We have tried plenty of methods to bring back our land’s worth, but we still failed.” One clan elder said during their meeting with other clan elders and the clan leader.

“Of course, it is impossible. We only have one choice, but to move to another land before it’s too late.”

“It is already late. People were starting to get weak, and planting plants would take time. Eating meat isn’t the only way to eat since our tradition is still sticking to our one-month meat ceremony.”

The one-month ceremony is a tradition of the Bo Lin Clan to eat meat once a month. And as their cultivation also circulates with them eating more greenery-based foods, they can’t ignore their tradition.

“It is not the only solution.” One clan elder said, that immediately took others’ attention.

They all looked at this clan elder with narrowing eyes, anticipating the next words he was about to say.

“Fight for our clansmen. We aren’t still dead; we can still find food.”

“What do you mean?” Someone asked.

“The clan that is lower than us is also good at agriculture. How about we take their food?”

When everyone heard it, they all gasped in surprise, as this method was absurd. It is not only a breach of the treaty in the Mao Mountains but also an unacceptable and immoral solution.

“We need to stop thinking about it. It is about time to lessen the competition. And even if we destroy the Ju Yue clan, the treaty won’t hurt us since we will make sure that the clan will disappear.”

“Are you crazy? Their backer, the Heavenly Demon Sect, won’t be happy about it.”

“Then how about we offer them our loyalty? The Ju Yue clan doesn’t deserve their backing since they are still at the bottom of the rankings.”

Everyone became silent after that argument. It was logical and, having thought of it, they were starting to see the results.

The Ju Yue clan was weaker than them twofold. Even in their current state, they will be able to erase and fight the Ju Yue clan.

The resources were what was needed, and an immediate source of food was needed.

So, as this clan elder thought of it, he argued more until he was able to convince the council that stealing resources from the Jue Yu clan would be the best possible way for them to survive in this situation.

They had secured the retaliation methods of the Jue Yu clan. And even if the clan uses the treaty as their shield, they won’t be able to fight back since their worth will decrease if they disappear.

And war is only natural, making the treaty a thin layer in the division of the clans.

“So, it is final that we will take away Ju Yue Clan’s resources. This is for the clansmen, and filling their stomachs is what’s more important.”

After some preparation, a scout group was sent to the Ju Yue Clan to inspect their condition. And as this scout arrived there, they were immediately discovered.

A fight broke out, but even with how many guards the Ju Yue Clan had, they weren’t able to overpower the scouts of the Bo Lin Clan.

Their scouting assignment was already finished; hence, they escaped after an hour of fighting. It was already enough for them to assess their response and strength.. And obviously, it is laughable how weak the Ju Yue Clan is against them.