Gu Xuanzhan and the others looked at the still-burning ruins and were overjoyed. They had never imagined that mortals could create something with such destructive power.

This level of power was enough to kill most First Tier Demon Beasts!

Gu Xuanzhan smiled and patted Gu Changhuan's shoulder, "Changhuan! The method you proposed has saved the lives of most mortals in the Nine Perches Mountains! Do you think we should tell the other three clans about this method?"

He was testing Gu Changhuan's judgment.

Gu Changhuan considered it. "The Nine Perches Mountains are too vast for us to hold alone. We still need the other three clans."

Gu Xuanzhan felt gratified; this child had great vision.

They did not return to the workshop after the test. The owner waited and waited in vain, finally concluding that he simply had not been fortunate enough.

But that very night, the Jade Clear Town mayor and the clan magistrate arrived at his door with gifts.

Flattered and overwhelmed, he had not even asked why they had come before the two officials poured out the news.

"The immortals want me to develop more powerful gunpowder? And they want me to manage all the gunpowder workshops in Jade Clear Town?" The gunpowder workshop owner was stunned by these two pieces of news.

The clan magistrate said cheerfully,

"Yes! And if any of your descendants have Spirit Roots, the Immortals will give them every support in their cultivation. What a blessing!"

The owner was already dizzy from the string of good news.

But that did not prevent him from grinning foolishly.

After arranging the gunpowder matters, Gu Xuanzhan seemed exceptionally happy. No wonder; if they could protect the mortals, they would be protecting the clan's foundation.

More thriving mortals meant more children with Spirit Roots, and a stronger Gu Clan.

That was the difference between a clan and a sect. With enough resources, a sect could attract cultivators wherever it was based. Clans grew more slowly, bound by blood, but their members were far more closely united.

When the day of their agreed meeting arrived, Gu Xuanzhan told the Fang and Zhang ancestors about gunpowder.

The Yu Clan side was notified by Gu Wanhua.

Naturally, the two ancestral elders were overjoyed upon learning this and immediately sent messages to their respective Patriarchs to arrange this matter.

A few days after the three Purple Mansion ancestral elders left the Nine Perches Mountains, the day of the Market Competition arrived.

Gu Changhuan would not miss it. He had spent the past few months learning spells specifically for the competition.

Each clan sent four competitors. All had to be at late Qi Condensation and under fifty. Opponents of equal cultivation were paired by drawing lots.

It was a knockout contest over three rounds.

The sixteen competitors would fight eight opening matches, eliminating half the field.

Four more would go out in the second round. To make the finals and secure a place, a competitor had to win at least three matches in a row.

After the Foundation Establishment experts leading the four clans met and exchanged pleasantries, they took their seats.

Gu Changhuan subtly looked toward the Zhang Clan camp. He had previously met the peers from the Yu and Fang clans, but for the Zhang Clan, the only person he knew was their ancestral elder.

At that moment, a woman wearing red clothes, holding a long spear, with her hair tied in a high ponytail caught his attention.

She cuts quite a figure, Gu Changhuan thought.

Unexpectedly, the woman was exceptionally alert. Gu Changhuan had only glanced at her a bit longer when the woman noticed.

When she caught him looking, she blushed, then rolled her eyes at him. He thought he heard her huff too.

He chuckled. She did not seem the scheming type.

The draw results came out quickly. Gu Changhuan's opponent was from the Zhang Clan, named Zhang Yihe.

"Ninth Brother, which one is Zhang Yihe? Do you know them?"

Gu Changqing pointed. "The one in red. Ninth layer. I've met her on missions. Don't underestimate her."

A striking name to match her appearance!

"Ninth Brother, who is your opponent?" Gu Changhuan asked curiously.

"Fang Xinran. Eighth layer. He won't beat me." Gu Changqing's tone was mild; his confidence was not. With good reason, though. He had killed plenty of beasts and bandits a layer above him. An eighth-layer opponent would not frighten him.

First match: Fang Clan versus Yu Clan. Both were at Qi Condensation Seventh Layer.

The Yu Clan member who stepped onto the stage was clearly much weaker in combat skills. The Fang Clan cultivator quickly knocked him off the stage in a few moves.

Was the Yu Clan doing this intentionally?

Gu Changhuan looked at the Yu Clan camp. The leading Yu Daochang's expression remained unchanged. Most people behind him had gentle auras, unlike those who frequently engage in combat, whose breathing tends to be sharper and more rapid.

So that was it. The Yu Clan wanted to give up some profits to the other three clans.

Wasn't that Yu Ruhang? He had shown them around Mount Yan at Yu Ruyi's celebration. Gu Changhuan had not expected to see him competing. Eighth layer, if he remembered correctly?

While Gu Changhuan's mind wandered, the second match had already ended.

The third match was Gu Changqing versus Fang Xinran. Gu Changhuan focused his attention, intently watching the arena.

Fang Xinran used an earthen yellow saber, while Gu Changqing still used his sword.

The battle began. Fang Xinran slashed toward Gu Changqing with his saber.

Gu Changqing darted forward to the left, his sword held in a reverse grip. Instead of meeting the charge head-on, he cut Fang Xinran's arm before his opponent could turn.

With just one move, the superiority was clear.

A little more force, or a slightly higher cut aimed at his neck, and Fang Xinran might not have been standing there alive and in one piece.

Fang Xinran was also decisive. Seeing he was no match for Gu Changqing, he immediately sheathed his weapon.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Gu, for showing mercy. I admit defeat."

Thus, Gu Changqing smoothly entered the second round.

Gu Changhuan reflected on his cousin's footwork. He had noticed it at Hundred Battles Valley: light and fluid, yet apparently unrelated to the Light Body Technique. It looked more like mortal martial artists' movement skills.

He was also excellent at reading opponents. Before a sword could reach him, he would already have a defense and counterattack ready.

Truly impressive!

Fourth match: Yu Clan versus Gu Clan. Representing the Yu Clan was Yu Ruhang. The Gu Clan representative was Gu Changfeng. Ten years had passed, and he was now at Qi Condensation Eighth Layer cultivation.

Yu Ruhang actually put on a proper show, exchanging dozens of moves with Gu Changfeng, executing several grand, imposing techniques, and even throwing out a few Spiritual Talismans. But in the end, he voluntarily admitted defeat, with a perfectly valid reason: his spiritual power was exhausted.