After a century of worship, I became the ancestor of the tribe.

Chapter 368 Large-scale advancement to the fifth rank
As for who should succeed the third-generation clan leader, Shen Can did not specifically designate a candidate. He had only one principle: the most capable should be chosen.

The dozen or so clansmen selected by Huotang Volcano and others were all quite good, having undergone years of training within the clan and alliance.

Inside the side hall of the ancestral temple, after preparing several dishes, Shen Can poured Huo Tang a cup of wine.

It had been a long time since the two of them had sat facing each other and drunk wine like this.

"Ah Jiang and the others have all cultivated to the peak of the Divine Realm, and they've been outside for long enough. It's time for them to come back to the clan and cultivate properly."

Huo Tang downed the wine in his cup in one gulp, nodded and said, "It's been quite a while since they were released. These children have all caught a good time."

Back then, we almost went gray trying to figure out who could succeed us as clan leader.

At that time, I thought, when will our Zhiyan tribe be able to cultivate many clan members like the other tribes?

I never imagined that this dream would come true so quickly. These little guys, riding the wave of rapid development, have cultivated to the peak of the Divine Realm. I never even dared to dream of such a thing back then.

“Our tribe also needs to develop; we can’t stand still.”

Shen Can filled Huotang's glass with another glass of wine.

"Have them all come back and train with me for a while, then they can try to break through to the fifth rank."

Shen Can filled his glass with wine. Currently, the Blazing Flame Tribe and the Human Alliance need a large number of fifth-tier warriors to expand and develop their territory.

"Elder Kuiyang said that one of the Kui Niu in his clan has reached the edge of the fifth rank and needs the alliance's help to break through."

"Oh right, there's also that Xuanhuang Fire Ox that's been with Ashan for decades. Ashan said it can also break through to the fifth rank."

Shen Can put down his wine glass and said, "It seems that quite a few people have a chance to advance to the fifth rank."

Theoretically speaking, as long as one cultivates to the peak of the Divine Treasury, one is qualified to advance to the fifth rank.

However, according to many people, even after hundreds of years of advancing to the peak of the fourth rank, they still cannot find the opportunity to condense the stone form.

"Is anyone in the various tribes of the alliance spreading news about advancing to the fifth rank?"

"Of course there is."

Having spent a long time by Huotang's side, Huotang is very familiar with the internal affairs of the alliance.

"Ah Can, don't you even think about how many peak Divine Realm warriors there are in the alliance now?"

Which martial artist, after reaching the peak of the Divine Treasury realm, wouldn't want to advance to the fifth rank? If I hadn't already cut off their path, I would have done the same as everyone else.

As the head of the temple, what are your plans?

After taking a sip, Shen Can said, "Of course it's fairness, nothing but fairness!"

Huo Tang stared at Shen Can for a moment, then realized what was happening.

"Yes, the league should be fair, with the capable rising and the incompetent falling."

Looking at the entire alliance, the tribe with the most peak-level warriors in the Divine Treasury is naturally the Blazing Flame Clan. All other tribes and states combined do not even reach a quarter of the Blazing Flame Clan's strength.

Regardless of the selection process, the members of the Blazing Flame Clan will inevitably have the highest probability of promotion.

There's no other way; with more people and more resources, it all comes down to strength.

"By the way, we found that fifth-tier senior from Yunzhou, but... it's not a good situation."

Huotang mentioned the fifth-rank seniors in Yunzhou.

"He lost an arm and has many other injuries. Some of his internal organs are corroded. He is currently unconscious and is being treated by doctors."

Listening to Huo Tang's description, Shen Can felt that something was amiss.

"Can he be saved?"

"We are doing everything we can to save him."

"The Biling Clan of Yunzhou is similar to the Holy Envoy Clan. Compared to eight thousand years ago, they have declined a lot. There is only one fifth-level martial artist left in the clan. The original fifth-level Grand Priest exhausted his lifespan more than ten years ago. He died quite timely."

"How many statues did the Black Bird leave behind back then?"

Currently, the alliance has acquired the four states of Yong, Yun, Mu, and Dai, as well as five Xuan Bird statues from the Guanxiong tribe.

Huo Tang seems to be getting a bit old, and he's developed the habit of being very talkative back in the day.

He didn't expect Shen Can to respond to the questions he asked; he simply drank and said what he wanted to say.

"Ah Chan, what do you think the league should do next?"

"Ashan previously sent envoys westward to try to communicate with that large tribe in the west, but they were driven back immediately. That large tribe seems to be very xenophobic and unwilling to communicate with outsiders."

"Sometimes I think, now that we have such a large territory, we can develop enough. We should just honestly guard this area."

But then I thought of the Black Bird, and I felt that with our limited resources, we probably wouldn't be able to handle it.

We are also afraid that a sudden natural disaster might destroy all the foundation we have built up over the years.

The more we develop, the more fearful we feel. Looking back now, I realize that I had the fewest worries when I was in the mountains, wondering what I would eat next.

Now I find myself surrounded by formidable enemies, some of whom are quite formidable, and I don't know where to expand my territory.

Huo Tang kept rambling on and on, drinking one cup of wine after another. Shen Can didn't stop him from drinking, until Huo Tang passed out drunk on the table.

Then, Shen Can carried Huotang to the bed to rest, and came back to have a drink.

He understood Huotang's worries. In the past, Huotang was like an ant, his vision limited to the small area of ​​a tree. If he died, he would die, since he had never seen a majestic mountain.

Now that I've finally built this up, I'm starting to think about potential crises.

Shen Can also had this point. Many small tribes in the Great Wilderness were able to survive because they were inconspicuous. On the contrary, tribes that developed rapidly were easily targeted.

The Black Bird did temporarily intimidate the surrounding neighbors, but its name might not be able to intimidate all alien races. Who knows, a group of wandering hunters might suddenly appear one day.

After finishing the wine in the jar, Shen Can quietly entered the Juyue Mountains.

half a month later.

Shen Can, in the name of the temple, sent messages to the peak warriors of the Divine Treasury and the peak fourth-order great shamans, informing them to come to the Alliance Heroes Temple to collect their tokens.

With the token, one can enter the Giant Mountain Range for trials to assess whether they are capable of advancing to the fifth rank.

There are many peak-level martial artists in the alliance, and everyone wants to advance to the fifth rank.

As the temple's patriarch, he fairly gave every warrior and wizard in the alliance a chance.

To avoid so many martial artists rushing to participate in the assessment and disrupting the internal operation of the alliance.

Shen Can instructed the priests of the Temple of Heroes to make arrangements, scheduling the assessments at different times based on the specific circumstances of each person within the Alliance.

In addition, news has spread from Valhalla that warriors and wizards who did not obtain tokens this time should not panic.

As long as they belong to the alliance, regardless of which tribe they come from, or whether they are wild beasts or auspicious beasts, they will receive an assessment token as long as they reach the corresponding level.

As for the examiner, it was naturally Shen Can himself.

The assessment is conducted from multiple dimensions, including physical fitness, mental strength, and combat effectiveness.

Two years later, everyone in the alliance, whether they were old guys of the same generation as the Giant Sand Lord or young people who had just reached the peak of the Divine Treasure Realm a month or two ago, underwent Shen Can's test.

To be honest, even though the alliance is now one family, Shen Can still treats the alliance and the Blazing Flame Tribe differently.

But in this assessment, Shen Can really did not show any favoritism towards the members of the Zhiyan clan.

Among the same peak Divine Realm warriors, the members of the Blazing Flame Clan have a more profound foundation than those from other clans of the same level.

Fairness, true fairness.

Shen Can has absolutely no need to take care of the people of the Blazing Flame Clan. Forcing those who lack the foundation to advance to the fifth rank would only harm them.

After two years of operation, he found that this test of combat strength and potential was still very useful, and he planned to turn it into a trial ground exclusively for peak warriors of the Divine Realm.

Over the course of two years, thirteen martial artists were selected who were able to advance to the fifth rank.

Among them, there are seven members of the Zhiyan Bo tribe: Yan Jiang, Yan Liu, Yan Ling, Yan Song, Lu Chen, Tian Ji, and Xun Yue.

Apart from Yan Song and Xun Yue, all seven of them were outstanding individuals who stood out during the first trial for young people in the Blazing Flame Sect.

The remaining six include two Kui Niu, the Xuanhuang Fire Ox, a war beast from the volcano, Lei Wanche from the Juhuang tribe, Sha Changyun from the Jusha tribe, and Shui Donglai from the Changhuan tribe.

Besides these thirteen beings, there were others with considerable potential, but Shen Can felt they needed to mature further and weren't in a rush. Everyone participating in the assessment was ranked, making their position readily apparent and providing them with a clear cultivation goal.

In particular, those ranked thirteenth and below realized where they were lacking, which gave them even more motivation to cultivate.

The thirteen selected individuals did not immediately attempt to break through, but instead followed Shen Can in their cultivation, striving for a comprehensive improvement.

In addition, a large number of wizards took their positions and began to record the cultivation of these thirteen beings in a comprehensive manner.

Just like when the members of the Blazing Flame Clan advanced to the fourth rank, the fifth rank also requires a large amount of sample data.

Shen Can doesn't bring this group of people and wild beasts with him every day; he only appears every now and then to give lessons.

The remaining time was spent inspecting the construction of the grand formation and cultivating himself.

Meanwhile, the various departments within the alliance were fulfilling their respective duties, and life was relatively peaceful.

Taking advantage of the desolate terrain, the merchant guild also brought alliance items into the Zhangshui Dragon Kingdom.

Although the trade with the dragons was only conducted in a small area of ​​the Zhangshui Dragon Kingdom, it opened up a route for the alliance to transport various resources, especially mineral resources.

Dragons are very wealthy, possessing abundant resources and mineral deposits. They have a great fondness for the magnificent brocades and silks, as well as various prepared medicinal dishes, produced by the Alliance.

On the other side of the Fallen Moon Wasteland, the Giant Raven tribe has grown stronger and stronger. It has joined forces with several other tribes and fought several battles against the Owl Sun. Although it did not wipe out all the Owl Sun near its territory, it has expanded its territory by more than three times.

With a vast territory and a buffer zone, the various tribes under his command suffered far fewer attacks from foreign tribes, finally finding a relatively stable environment for farming and recuperation.

Within the alliance, new peak-level martial artists are born every so often, and they can't wait to be tested.

In the end, they all went with high hopes but returned empty-handed, suddenly realizing their own shortcomings.

After all, someone who has just been promoted will find it difficult to defeat a senior unless they are very talented.

The tenth year.

Within the fifth-order Spirit Gathering Array constructed by Shen Can, roars of beasts echoed, and the Xuan Shui shimmered with iridescent light, stirring up turbulent and turbulent source energy.

On the high platform, the Kui Niu roared to the sky, every scale on its body lit up, and water-based witchcraft appeared. Vast water vapor swept up and formed a great river that surrounded it.

Roar!
The Kui Niu roared again.

The water vapor in the air completely condensed, and the runes on the scales lit up, quickly rushing into the water vapor.

Suddenly, the witch's words and water vapor merged to form a dark shadow taller than a mountain, majestic and imposing, standing atop the Kui Niu's head, its vast and primal energy resisting the attack.

"Bloodline atavism, haha."

Kuiyang, who was standing guard to one side, burst into laughter upon seeing the towering, mountain-like black shadow.

Shen Can was also standing to the side, watching the primordial behemoth that had manifested.

One leg is like a pillar supporting a towering body, exuding a wild and untamed aura, like an ancient beast that came from before the beginning of the Shan Hai Chronicle.

As an ancient behemoth, the Kui Niu was said to be able to stir up wind and clouds and upheaval mountains and rivers at will.

Even now, though it is merely a remnant in the bloodline of the Kui Niu that has broken through, it still possesses a majestic grandeur that can shake mountains and rivers.

The ancient Kui Niu phantom roared, its body radiating intense black light. With a slight sway of its single leg, Shen Can felt the surrounding world shake.

His divine sense quickly captured the divine form.

The appearance of the ancient Kui Niu is quite rare. The Kui Niu in his battle form is far less impressive than this ancient Kui Niu.

The moment the ancient Kui Niu phantom stepped forward, a vast amount of blood energy surged from the breakthrough Kui Yun's body, instantly covering his entire body.

The breakthrough of wild beasts to the fifth rank is completely different from that of humans.

But that doesn't mean no one recorded the breakthrough process. Shen Can protected the clan's great shamans, and everyone stared wide-eyed at Kui Niu's breakthrough. Some people even shed tears of blood from their eyes because they were so overwhelmed by the aura.

Kui Yang was extremely excited, hopping and skipping on his one leg next to Shen Can.

The Kui Niu clan has not had a fifth-tier member for a long time; there are dozens of Kui Niu at the peak of the fourth tier within the clan.

As the saying goes, even if a wild beast cultivates to the peak of the fourth rank, it may not be able to seize the opportunity to break through.

Otherwise, why haven't any of the many peak fourth-tier clansmen broken through to the fifth tier? Bloodline and talent are one aspect, but opportunity is also very important.

This member of the clan not only broke through to the fifth rank, but also reverted to his ancestral bloodline, giving Kuiyang more hope.

On the other side, Chi Huo Lu Wu, accompanied by Xuan Huang Huo Niu, was also watching Kui Yun's breakthrough. Although one was water and the other was fire, their breakthrough process still had considerable reference value.

Rumble!
The Spirit Gathering Array began to operate rapidly, and the five elemental energies were transformed into water elemental energies, which surged towards the Kui meteorite.

The surging water-based energy seemed endless, pouring into Kui Yun's body.

The breakthrough was successful.

The Kui Niu clan has gained another fifth-tier beast king.

Kui Niu was also the first of the thirteen selected beings to successfully break through.

Although Shen Can was not a wild beast, he taught Kuiyun the techniques for breaking through from another perspective. In addition, with the super-powerful spirit-gathering array, the source power required for the breakthrough was not hindered at all, allowing Kuiyun to break through to the fifth level in one go.

Looking up at Kui Yun, who had successfully broken through, Kui Yang pondered whether he should return to the clan's territory and bring a few more clansmen over.

The cultivation environment here in the Human Alliance is simply too good.

Of course, the Kui Niu tribe's territory cannot be abandoned either. Over the years, the Human Alliance has invested a lot of resources in the Kui Niu tribe's territory, turning it into a hiding fortress.

"Miaotiao, once Kuiyun successfully advances, let it return to our clan's territory, and let our clan leader come to the Human Alliance for a while. It's been so long, and it still hasn't come to visit the Humans."

“Of course, our friendship dates back to the time of the Marquis of Yongshan. Now that the leader of the Kui Niu tribe has arrived, we can form an alliance to renew the old covenant.”

The Kui Niu and the human race are friends. Looking across the Great Wilderness, there are many alien races that treat the human race as food, but there are also races that do not enslave the human race.

These groups are all potential allies of the Human Alliance.

The true enemies of humanity are those alien races that treat humanity as sacrifices and food.

"Our human alliance is currently thriving, and this development is inseparable from the support of the Kui Niu clan, as well as the friendship forged eight thousand years ago when we fought the Xuan Niao together. Our two clans are friendly and support each other in this generation."

"I hope that one day in the future, if one of our two races declines, the other race will protect the other and help it reproduce and continue its lineage."

Shen Can said this because it was also one of his hopes.

No race can remain at its peak forever; rises and falls are common occurrences. When two races form an alliance and help each other, they can help each other through periods of decline.

"It is time to renew the alliance and be friendly for generations to come."

Kui Yang nodded heavily.

Kuiyun's successful advancement also greatly boosted the confidence of the remaining people and beasts.

In the days that followed, everyone began their closed-door breakthroughs one after another. Each person's breakthrough process was recorded in the wizard's records, which became the breakthrough experience for those who came after.

……

Spring passes and autumn comes.

As more and more martial artists in the alliance advanced to the fifth rank, they eventually no longer needed Shen Can's care. Apart from presiding over the sacrificial rites and checking the progress of the formation construction, he spent the rest of his time cultivating.

Having arranged spirit-gathering arrays for all the warriors in the alliance, Shen Can naturally wouldn't be stingy with his own cultivation.

With fifth-tier source stones as the base, the spirit-gathering array has a higher concentration of source energy and a more violent airflow.

The surging source energy continuously poured into Shen Can's body. The Weaver Girl, who came to check the great formation every few days, discovered that the fifth-order source stones, which served as the foundation of the great formation, were being consumed very quickly.

Shen Can, inside the formation, was like a bottomless pit, violently devouring the source energy.

One year... two years... five years... ten years... seventeen years...

Shen Can went into seclusion and devoured tens of thousands of fifth-tier source stones, but the great formation still showed no signs of stopping. On the contrary, it seemed to be devouring more and more energy.

Weaver Girl replaced the depleted source stones with new ones. Looking at the cave shrouded in the array, she felt as if a great evil was lurking inside.

As Shen Can's seclusion continued, the oppressive aura he exuded grew stronger and stronger, and no one from his clansmen lived within a three-thousand-mile radius around him.

Within the formation, Shen Can's divine treasure, blood energy, and witch power surged, and the source energy that had just been generated within the formation was violently torn into his body.

He was like a black hole, endlessly devouring all source energy, his entire being engulfed in a dazzling array of witchcraft.

(End of this chapter)