I Can See Your Combat Power

: Chapter Eighty-Eight of Five Whites: Fortunately, not Shaming the Mandate

After several months, the representative of the faction finally returned. Tang Zhi, who considered him a fellow student and a loyal representative, had high hopes for him and entrusted him with the most important part of the plan.

Now was the time to see the results, but when Clan Leader Tang Zhi saw Tang Ming, he was stunned for a while. In the end, he only patted Tang Ming on the shoulder and said, “You’ve worked hard.”

In just over three months, Tang Ming, originally somewhat plump, became so thin that the veins on his hands became visible, and his face was sunken. Despite being neatly dressed, he couldn’t hide the fatigue on his face.

Just looking at him, one could imagine how exhausting his life had been these past few months.

Tang Ming, haggard and thin, but with a gleam in his eyes, bowed and smiled, “I have completed my mission successfully!”

“Good!” Tang Zhi excitedly patted Tang Ming’s arms, exclaiming, “Excellent!”

He affectionately pulled Tang Ming to sit down. With a smiling face, Clan Leader Tang Zhi joked, “Tell me what you’ve been through these past days. Did you discover any good weight-loss tricks? If it weren’t for the guards’ report, I’d hardly recognize you.”

Tang Ming, who had been a little chubby as a student, had changed so much that Tang Zhi couldn’t help being curious. Faced with this sudden sense of humor, Tang Ming could only respond with a bitter smile.

“There is no trick. It’s just day and night of hard work. It’s not worth mentioning.” Tang Ming did not boast about his achievements. Instead, he commended the warriors who had escorted him along the way, “Thanks to the clansmen who worked tirelessly, we were able to complete the mission.”

After claiming merit to Tang Zhi, Tang Ming turned to Tang Zu and said, “Great Elder, I believe those loyal and capable clansmen are more than just guards. Their talents are wasted.”

In contributing significantly to the clan, he didn’t seek personal glory but instead recommended talented people for recognition. Who wouldn’t want to work under such a leader? However, the Great Elder Tang Zu did have some complaints about Tang Ming’s dutiful character, “When will you be able to change this loyal personality? Every time you carry out a mission, you recommend someone. Unaware people might think the clan has overshadowed many talents.”

In Tang Ming’s eyes, everyone was loyal and competent. He was skilled in identifying people’s strengths and overlooked talents, but the territory ruled by the Tang Clan was only so extensive.

Frustration arose not because these individuals were incompetent, but because the number of positions were limited, and only the ones with the most exceptional skill could be promoted. This always led to Tang Ming’s regret over overlooked talents.

Yet, even amidst this frustration, given the significant merit Tang Ming had earned this time, how could the Great Elder not satisfy this small request?

With a helpless shake of his head, Tang Zu promised Tang Ming, “I assure you, once this matter is settled, I will promote those loyal clansmen to important positions. What do you think, Representative Ming?”

Tang Ming received this promise with great joy and thanked Tang Zu on behalf of the clan warriors, much to their amusement.

Just as Clan Leader Tang Zhi was about to focus on serious matters, a young member of the Wind Media suddenly burst in without reporting, and rushed to inform them, “Urgent report! Fifteen minutes ago, the Mi Clan’s leader with his elite team launched a surprise attack from the deep North Mountain, successfully encroaching the heartland of our clan’s territory. Fortunately, Minister Luo gave a timely warning and our guards reacted promptly. However, the three settlements in Shooting Crow Peak, Phoenix Singing Ridge, and South E’ling Mountain were attacked to varying degrees. Major losses have been incurred in repelling the elite Mi Clan team.”

“After the alarm was sounded, the elite team advanced several miles into our headquarters. They only retreated when they saw several of our top martial artists.” Swallowing his saliva, the young Wind Media continued, “Currently, the Great Elder is leading several top martial artists in pursuit of the elite team, but…but…..”

As a professional intelligence officer, he hesitated in delivering the information, not just angering Clan Leader and Great Elder but also making the usually patient Tang Ming unconsciously frown.

Seeing the displeasure on the faces of the senior officials, the young member of Wind Media knew he had acted unprofessionally. However, his information only included the fact that the Great Elder Tang Siyuan led the pursuit, the rest was his own conjecture. He had inadvertently spoken out in a moment of urgency. Now, if he didn’t speak, it would be as if he were withholding information.

“Nothing ventured, nothing gained,” he encouraged himself before courageously going on, “The Mi Clan elites were riding a Luan Bird boosted by a secret art. Their speed is much higher than typical flying creatures. Under normal circumstances, even our top martial artists wouldn’t be able to catch up with them. However, they deliberately slowed down to let Great Elder Tang Siyuan and other top martial artists pursue them. I suspect a plot and ask for Clan Leader and Great Elder to make a judgement.”

However, this was only his guess. He felt uneasy about reporting it to the Clan Leader and the Great Elder.

“You? Think? So!?”

As expected, no sooner had his words fallen than Clan Leader Tang Zhi’s hawk-like eyes turned towards him.

The emphasis on each word felt like a heavy hammer pounding on the heart of the young Wind Media member. With just three words, Tang Zhi determined that the infomation was not properly delivered.

Beneath the cry of “I’m going to die,” the young Wind Media member’s legs gave out and he fell to his knees, daring not to raise his head.

“How did you identify the origins of the Luan Bird on which the Mi Clan elite were riding?” asked Clan Leader Tang Zhi, face expressionless, looking at the young Wind Media member kneeling on the ground.

The terrified young Wind Media member, upon hearing Clan Leader Tang Zhi’s question, quickly raised his head and described the flies and the details of their appearance in detail, focusing on the unique feathers of the Luan Birds.Nôvel(D)rama.Org's content.

As a Wind Media member skilled in decoding and solving problems, he took a keen interest in bird data. Though the appearance of the birds stimulated by the Mi Clan’s secret art looked similar, he still identified some clues from the drawings by the Wind Media Department. The unique feather patterns of the blue Luan Birds made him think that these were Luan Birds grown from blue falcon stimulated by secret art.

Even if birds of different species were stimulated by the same secret art, their final speeds could still vary greatly depending on their initial species. Blue Falcons were known for their speed. When boosted with the bloodline of a Luan Feng through secret art, they could reach speeds unreachable for ordinary top martial artists.

In truth, he wasn’t entirely sure about this judgment, as he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes and had drawn conclusions solely from a peculiar drawing by the Wind Media Department.