An orange sun rose above the plains, casting its first light upon the solitary man standing atop the eastern gatehouse of Abundance Town. Tang Duanmu breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly as he whipped his sword about with well-practiced precision. The air around his body hummed as the blade’s edge sliced through. He was like a whirling tempest bent on delivering death to his enemies. His weapon was sharp, his will and determination were sharper.

An empty bag lay in a corner. It used to be laden with spiritual stones, many kilograms of the valuable stone. It was all gone now, all used up to fuel his cultivation. Many had made a fuss about the amount of resources he received when others in his generation barely got anything. They called in unfair and blatant favoritism.

He silenced all of them by breaking through to the 8th Level of the Spiritual Strengthening Realm. His practice of the Duanmu Sword Style was also close approaching perfection. This was his talent, one of the greatest in the clan’s history. With his rapid progress, he proved definitively that raw talent surpassed sheer effort. He couldn’t claim to be the most dedicated or most hard-working within the clan. But compared to the rest, he was the strongest and had the fastest cultivation speed by far. This was the simple, unassailable truth, the truth of talent.

“Young master.” A voice eventually interrupted his quiet practice.

Tang looked up to see a familiar face belonging to a clan officer, their name for what others referred to as bandit leader. A few months ago, they had both been at the sixth level and the same rank. Now, Tang would continue toward the peak of the Spiritual Strengthening Realm while this man would probably remain at the sixth level for the rest of his life.

“Young master… the elder council is starting soon.” The officer said respectfully.

“Understood.”

Tang returned to his room where he found an embroidered, cyan-colored robe prepared for him. It was very expensive and it was a symbol of his new status. He changed into the clothes and left, walking quickly through the streets.

He felt many eyes staring as he passed by. Some were jealous but most were admiring and awestruck. The common people of Abundance Town looked up to the few that wore these robes, clan elders. It was a symbol of power, authority, as well as wisdom. Everyone believed that the elders would lead the clan to prosperity once again. They were willing to suffer hardships and even death because of their faith and loyalty.

The town was poor and times were tough. His people suffered long enough. These robes gave him a new sense of responsibility towards his people. He didn’t shy away from the feeling and embraced it. He wouldn’t let them down.

Tang entered the fortified castle within the town and made his way to the grand meeting room. He stopped before the final set of doors and knocked.

“Come in…” An old but familiar voice drifted out.

The door opened, revealing a cavernous hall with a long, curved table. There were twelve seats with one at the end left empty. The other seats were occupied by men wearing similar cyan-robes, all above middle age. Tang was by far the youngest among them.

“Junior Tang Duanmu greets elders.”

“Mmm… good, good.” The one who spoke was Third Elder Xiong Duanmu, his granduncle. “Little Tang once again improved his strength. I am impressed.”

Another elder scoffed at this. Mingjie Duanmu, the sixth elder, did not quite like Tang since the elder had a son who was not quite as talented.

“He was given twenty kilograms of spiritual stones! My son could have broken through too if he was gifted that much!” He said, obvious distaste in his voice.

Various elders voiced their opinion and a minor argument broke out. There was a clear division in the elder council, separating those that liked Tang and those that did not.

“Quiet!” A stern voice sounded and it came from Second Elder Canglan Duanmu, “This matter has long been settled. Tang’s breakthrough only confirmed our confidence in his talent. We have more important things to discuss!”

They stopped bickering but some remained disgruntled. Tang was the grandson of the first elder. The second elder usually fought against the first elder for influence and resources so him speaking out like this was strange. The sixth elder looked especially hurt.

“That’s right, it is settled. Come forward, Tang.” His grandfather, Xing Duanmu, beckoned.

First Elder Xing Duanmu fished out a small badge and held it up. It was made of dark wood from a tree that no longer existed in these plains and upon it was carved the clan’s name.

“Tang Duanmu… grandson… The elder council hereby promotes you to the position of elder, the youngest ever in the history of the Duanmu Clan. Special circumstances require special measures. Now is the time for bold actions and bolder men. We have all recognized your talent and strength and need you in the upcoming events that will transform our clan. As an elder, you will have the same authority as the rest of us concerning all other clan members. The only thing you have to watch out for is that you are still somewhat lacking in strength. Rely on your fellow elders for guidance and support and, soon, you will become the strongest of us all!”

Tang kneeled and bowed to the ground, “Thank you, first elder! Thank you, elders! I shall respect the shared wisdom and experience across this table. I will commit every strand of spiritual energy I have to the revival of the Duanmu Clan!”

“Good, welcome to the elder council, Twelfth Elder Tang Duanmu!”

“Welcome!”

“Welcome!”

Tang pinned his badge on the breast of his robes and finally, he was where he was always meant to be. Here, he would be able to take part in the most important decisions of the clan. He would be able to guide his people's future and pull them out of poverty and an endless struggle to survive.

After several rounds of congratulations, Tang took his seat and the meeting started in earnest. They discussed various matters such as recent crop yields, gains from recent bandit excursions, as well as the overall strength and state of the Duanmu Clan. Eventually, the meeting circled around to the most important and impending topic.

“Attention…” First Elder Xing Duanmu spoke up and the others all quieted down. “It has been fifteen years since our clan’s decline when the Oasis Mine began to run out. These were long years of suffering witnessed by every single person in this room…”

Several fists banged the table in response.

“It’s frightening how quickly things change. One day, we were more than an equal to Jade Hill Town in every way. The next, we were nothing! How can this be? Are we nothing?”

“No!” The elders erupted in a chorus.

“That’s right. We are the Duanmu Clan. The Broken Wood Plateau is our homeland. It doesn’t belong to a Reddy or Patel or whatever name they call themselves!”

“Yeah!”

The meeting room was being stirred into a frenzy. Even Tang was affected and he joined in with his elders.

The first elder looked around the room dramatically, “But all of that will soon change. I, the second elder, and the third elder have been working on this plan for many months. It is finally time to carry it out. Thanks to Tang’s efforts capturing those miners, we are finally able to move forward!”

“Great job, Tang!”

“Amazing!”

Tang was proud of the accomplishment but bewildered by the appreciation shown to him. He looked on toward his grandfather and eagerly waited for what came next.

“Our time has come; the revival of the Duanmu Clan is at hand!” First Elder Xing Duanmu shouted, his voice almost breaking with excitement, “We will drive the invaders from our land and retake what is rightfully ours. We… Duanmu Clan… Abundance Town… we shall launch a full-scale attack on Jade Hill Town!!”