I Can See Your Combat Power

Chapter 382 - 378: Repair

Chapter 378: Repair

Translator: 549690339

But what of it? Being a wolf, not a dog, it’s a shame if one shies away from the target merely because it involves a formidable beast!

“Just because he’s acquainted with Elder Xu Sheng, we should tread lightly?” Mi Chu laughed wildly, “The prince wants to see just what can this renowned swordsman, who has already departed, do for a painter friend!”

Even brothers, who have faced life and death together, their unity can be shattered by personal gain, let alone mere friendships.

Not because their feelings have changed, but because more important people and matters have appeared in their lives.

Why is it that after thousands of years of martial arts, dominant forces across the continent still take the form of clans and dependents? Even famous sects are no exception. Because no alliance, no relationship, can ever compare to the bond of kinship.

The saddest thing about the sentiment of brotherhood is that it can’t be inherited. Regardless of how close two brothers are, they can’t ensure their children will follow suit, let alone other alliances.

Worlds have seen formidable alliances rise and fall. But when they reach a certain size, they can grow no further, for one simple reason – those who initially banded together for shared benefits will eventually part ways because of them.

As power grows, human nature gives birth to greater ambition and desire. The largest member thinks of concentrating power, while the smaller ones consider independence. Their divergent interests mean they can no longer unite as they once did. Thus such alliances, often formed, hardly last.

It usually doesn’t reach beyond the second or third generation without falling apart, becoming scattered and lost.

Clans differ. From birth, you are a clan member and know that as long as the clan thrives, you too will benefit. Even if you are a wastrel, the clan will still provide for you, and your descendants, as long as it doesn’t fall into decline.

That’s why homeless martial artists seek to establish their own families – to ensure the well-being of their descendants.

What martial artist is ever undefeated? Many were fearless in their youth, considering charging into the Fierce Realm from the Mortal Realm as no big deal. But watching their family grow as their skills improve, they become more cautious, even their temperaments soften. They no longer crave head-on confrontations and often it is said, the older a martial artist gets, the less bold he becomes.

Is this really so? It seems the world truly believes that, as a martial artist ages, he loses his bravery and becomes a laughingstock for daring to challenge the Fierce Realm from the Mortal Realm.

Such beliefs are just ignorance. The change doesn’t come from fear or cowardice, but from the fact that every morning, when they open their eyes, they see those whom they care about and who depend on them – their wives, children and subordinates.

And they themselves have no one to rely on. Therefore, if a fight can be avoided, avoid it.

If a face-off can be avoided, avoid it.

If yielding benefits can be avoided, yield them.

Because they know they can’t fall, they have to avoid the risks.

And it all happens because they don’t have clan backing. They don’t know what would become of their people, deprived of their support.

An individual can make countless friends in his life, not knowing which goodbye will be the last. The higher the ranking, the more inevitable circumstances become. Even ordinary martial artists are like this, let alone one like Xu Sheng, the renowned world traveler from the Yuanzhou Xu Clan. For Xu Clan, Xiling is too insignificant. It’s likely that their young master will never set foot here again.

If Elder Xu Sheng were still in Xiling, Mi Chu certainly would not attack Mi Bai rashly. But since he has left, do they seriously think they can frighten him with just a name? They are profoundly mistaken.

To put it bluntly, the world traveler of the Xu Clan is merely a peak Mortal Realm martial artist. Even if he is extraordinarily formidable, so what?

And as for Tang Luo, a worthless man who doesn’t even dare accept a challenge, even if Mi Bai is killed, would he dare retaliate?

If anyone knows Mi Chu best in the Mi Clan, it would be Mi Shen. He knows that even with this information, it won’t change the decision of his cousin. So, he came to share some intriguing news this time.

His eyes shone like galaxies as Mi Shen spoke with a slight smile, “My dear brother, I did not come here to dissuade you. After hearing about your duel with Xiao Zheng in Jianglin, I went to the Wind Media Department and found some interesting news that I thought to share with you.”

“Oh?” Mi Chu quirked an eyebrow. He had assumed Mi Shen came to dissuade him from picking a fight with the painter because, as the future clan leader, he must consider many things. He had even thought it might be because Mi Hou and Xiao Zheng are good friends, so Mi Hou asked him to mediate and talk him into backing down. That’s why he had been so frosty. Surprisingly, Mi Shen not only didn’t mean to stop him but also brought him information from the Wind Media Department.

Is this really the Mi Shen he knows? Although puzzled, Mi Chu was somewhat surprised. It seemed this man was on his side when it mattered most, so much so that he didn’t hold his recent bad attitude against him. Mi Chu was touched.

“The first interesting piece of news is about the origin of Mi Bai.” Mi Shen chuckled, “According to the integrated intelligence of the Wind Media Department, this Mi Bai is the last survivor of the Mi Village that was destroyed over a decade ago.”

As a city known for its business and centuries of peace, Xiling was known like a pearl in the middle of Lingjiang, all but spared from the violence of clan extermination. Aside from its high cost of living, it had no apparent flaws. Compared to other cities, where small factions undergo significant shifts every two or three decades, Xiling’s clans had managed to survive, albeit with only moderate growth.

This made Xiling an ideal city for smaller families to grow, which in turn led many small clans to set up villages near Xiling, turning it into the largest city- state on this stretch of the Lingjiang.

Renowned as a peaceful place, this meant that clans didn’t wage war on each other, giving smaller factions a chance to reason with larger ones. Although responses varied, they avoided the risk of annihilation.

However, some small clans, such as the Mi Village, were the exception.