Martial Saint with Passives

"Damn it! A bunch of worthless fools! How could you screw up something so simple?!"

A furious roar echoed from the main hall, followed by the sharp crack of a shattering teacup.

Xie Xingwen clutched a secret letter from the Black Stone Mining Area, his knuckles white from the force of his grip. His handsome face was twisted into a knot, the fury in his eyes practically spilling out.

Mr. Wu, who was standing to the side, quickly stepped forward and said,

"Young Master, calm yourself. First, let’s see what the letter actually says."

Xie Xingwen slammed the letter onto the table.

"What the hell is there to look at?! That old bastard Sun Qihong says that brat Jiang Che somehow held up a massive boulder and saved everyone! Now the people in the Mining Area are treating him like a god, and even Cheng Ming has become his lapdog! Our whole plan is ruined!"

Mr. Wu picked up the letter and read it carefully, his brow furrowing slightly. "There’s something... unnatural about this Jiang Che. To have such immense strength at the Early Stage of the Bone Forging Realm, he must be hiding some kind of trump card."

"A trump card? I don’t give a damn what trump card he has!" Xie Xingwen paced back and forth in frustration, then suddenly stopped, a vicious glint in his eyes. "If the soft approach won’t work, then we’ll use force! Might as well go all the way. We’ll hire the Demon Sect to attack the Mining Area! They can haul off all the Profound Iron and Snow Crystal Jade—it’ll be the perfect way to balance my books! We can give the Demon Sect the bigger share; we’ll just take a small piece. The main goal is to kill Jiang Che in the chaos! That brat has ruined my plans time and again. I can’t stand the sight of him anymore!"

But Mr. Wu shook his head, a note of concern in his voice. "Young Master, you must reconsider. The strength Jiang Che displayed during the mine collapse was anything but ordinary. The Demon Sect will, at most, dispatch experts at the Late-stage of the Bone Forging Realm. Their Elders in the Refining Organ Realm are far too valuable to be deployed for a few ores. If the men from the Demon Sect can’t finish him and he escapes, he will become a major threat down the line!"

"Then what do you suggest?!" Xie Xingwen demanded, his voice sharp with impatience. "We can’t just stand by and watch him establish a foothold in the Mining Area, can we?"

Mr. Wu fell silent for a moment before speaking slowly. "Here’s what we’ll do. When the time comes, I’ll go myself. If the men from the Demon Sect fail to kill Jiang Che, I will strike from the shadows and finish him off. Rest assured, Young Master. With me there, he’ll have no way to escape."

Xie Xingwen’s eyes lit up, the anger on his face vanishing in an instant. "You’ve thought of everything, Mr. Wu! With you taking action, this is a sure thing! That brat Jiang Che is as good as dead!"

He clapped Mr. Wu on the shoulder, his tone softening. "Then I’ll leave it to you to contact the Demon Sect. The sooner, the better!"

"Rest assured, Young Master. I’ll see to it at once." Mr. Wu gave a slight bow, then turned and left the courtyard.

Xie Xingwen watched his retreating figure, the corner of his mouth twisting into a cold smirk.

"Jiang Che, oh, Jiang Che... Let’s just see how you’ll get out of this one alive."

...

「Black Stone Mining Area」

Snow Crystal Jade Warehouse.

In the dim light, piles of Snow Crystal Jade gleamed with a pearly white luster.

Wisps of milky-white Spiritual Qi emanated from the Snow Crystal Jades, drifting through the warehouse like a thin mist.

Jiang Che sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, Qi Force slowly circulating around his body.

Every pore on his body was open, constantly absorbing the wisps of Spiritual Qi from the air.

Within him, he continuously circulated the second level of the Nine Heavens Azure Cloud Technique, converting the Spiritual Qi into Qi Blood and Strength.

After a long while, Jiang Che opened his eyes.

After this period of cultivation, he had fully stabilized his Realm at the Early-stage of the Bone Forging Realm and could begin preparing to break through to the Mid-stage.

And yet, his expression held no joy. Instead, he was frowning, deep in thought.

Ever since the mine collapse, he had been trying to figure out who the mastermind was and what their objective had been.

But in the days since, everyone had acted as if nothing had happened; he couldn’t spot anything out of the ordinary.

The Mining Area’s operations were also running normally.

His deductions led him to three possibilities:

First, another Sect or power, possibly even the Demon Sect, wanted to sabotage the Cangyun Sect’s Mining Area to weaken the Sect’s overall strength.

Second, it was a personal attack, intended to have him held accountable by the Sect for "mismanagement" and stripped of his Steward position.

Third, it was aimed at the foreman, Cheng Ming, using the collapse as a way to eliminate him. However, he thought this was unlikely.

But regardless of the possibility, he had no evidence.

Too many people had entered the Eagle’s Beak Rock mine that day—miners and foremen alike. Almost everyone was a suspect.

But when everyone is a suspect, it’s no different from no one being a suspect.

However, no matter what.

The other party had failed this time.

That meant they would certainly plan a second attempt!

Jiang Che’s gaze darkened.

’This time, I must catch the mastermind and uncover the truth!’

...

「Three days later」

The night was as black as ink.

In the Mining Area, only a few watchtowers remained lit, and the footsteps of the patrolling guards sounded exceptionally clear in the silence.

Jiang Che was meditating in the Snow Crystal Jade Warehouse as usual.

Suddenly, he felt a sharp throb between his eyebrows.

The [All-Seeing Eye] had activated instantly!

A blurry vision flashed through his mind:

Arrows whistling through the air, guards screaming as they fell, the main gate being forced open!

’This is bad!’ Jiang Che’s eyes flew open.

His [Shadowless Escape Stream] Talent activated in an instant, and his figure shot out of the warehouse like a phantom!

The moment he reached the main square, he heard the WHOOSH of arrows in the distance, followed by the screams and roars of the watchtower guards.

"Ambush! We’re under attack!"

Jiang Che looked toward the source of the sound.

He saw dozens of black-clad, masked figures pouring in through the broken gate!

The blades in their hands gleamed with a cold light, and the Qi Force surrounding them was dark and chaotic.

Jiang Che’s pupils contracted.

’It’s men from the Demon Sect!’