"Ah?"
Mu Lin Yuan stood agape.
This move was indeed too bold.
Moreover, it might not be achievable.
"Let them handle it."
Yin Shen Palace’s eyes flickered with cold light, "That place is Ren Zhongyuan’s trusted subordinate, an essential puzzle piece under Ren Zhongyuan’s command. Whether it succeeds or fails, it will cause significant turmoil. Then... you contact Yemo, like this, like that..."
Mu Lin Yuan listened intently, nodding repeatedly, "Sect Hierarch, rest assured."
Then he worriedly said, "If there’s any change over there, it will surely provoke the Vice Sect Hierarch’s reaction. Qian Sanjiang and I are both over there; Sect Hierarch, aren’t you a bit underpowered here..."
Yin Shen Palace said indifferently, "You still worry about my safety? Go on."
His eyes flipped, radiating dominance, "I, Yin Shen Palace, have been the Yixin Sect Leader for so many years; not just anyone can manipulate . Even if Ren Zhongyuan has plans, how does it matter? As long as I stand here, no one in the entire Yixin Sect dares to make a move!"
"Sect Hierarch is mighty!"
Mu Lin Yuan knew that Yin Shen Palace spoke the truth. Indeed, despite Ren Zhongyuan organizing a massive force, Yin Shen Palace’s prestige remained unshakable!
"I shall go now."
Mu Lin Yuan left as ordered.
...
Fang Che’s credits had indeed bottod out.
All things considered, even with reward credits and rit credits, it totaled only about seven hundred.
And an hour in the Spiritual Energy Gravity Cultivation Room costs five credits. Twenty credits for four hours a day, he had been cultivating there for nearly thirty-four days.
Breaking through a minor level awarded ten credits. He had thrown even that part in.
Now he had sixteen credits left.
Not enough for even a day’s cultivation.
As for Mo Gan Yun and others, they had gone bankrupt long ago and had started taking on missions, searching for Spirit Plants and slaying Demon Beasts to earn credits.
Over the past month, the seven brothers had fought four tis, with Fang Che consistently ranking first, immovable as thunder.
Mo Gan Yun consistently held the second brother position, equally as steady as a mountain, unshakeable.
Whereas Ding Jie Ran had clinched the third spot for three tis; by the fourth, Qiu Yunshang had beaten him down, pushing him to fourth place. Moreover, Yu Zhongge showed signs of overtaking him.
It looked like, by next month, the fourth spot would be occupied by Yu Zhongge.
Jing Shuanggao was sixth, Xie Gongping steadfastly at the very last.
From Fang Che’s view, it seed his cousin was going to be last for an eternity.
Fang Qingyun and others had already completed three rounds of missions and returned. Fang Che sent over so items to strengthen foundation and vital energy, startling Fang Qingyun, "How co there’s more?"
"Isn’t this normal?"
"Where did you get these from?"
"Never mind that, I have my ways."
"Keep them for yourself!"
Fang Qingyun was sowhat unhappy, "Why are you always thinking of giving them to ? You know my capabilities. You, with better talents, should focus the resources on yourself. Even if I had them, I’d think of giving them to you, yet you’re sending them my way. Isn’t this senseless?"
Fang Che sighed, "Do you think I’d give them to you if I weren’t enough myself? Isn’t this because I have sufficient of my own?"
"That still shouldn’t leave you with so much?"
"But that’s just what’s left."
"..."
Fang Che spent great effort persuading Fang Qingyun to accept them, unable to help but lant internally that giving his cousin a little sothing was harder than bootlicking Yin Shen Palace.
Fang Qingyun nearly interrogated him to death, insisting on not accepting.
"Stubborn mule!" Fang Che cursed in his heart.
"Just don’t give it to anyone else. Eat it secretly," Fang Che reminded.
Fang Qingyun chuckled bitterly, "Do I look that foolish?"
"Yes."
Fang Qingyun was speechless.
He was just honest and straightforward, not stupid. Such good items for strengthening foundation and vital energy, who in the Martial Arts Academy would share them with others?
His cousin was truly undervaluing him.
Fang Che asked nothing else, like how Wan Zhii’s affairs had affected Fang Qingyun’s team... He could see, even though Wan Zhii’s identity as a mber of the Demon Sect was confird, Fang Qingyun’s heart still felt sowhat heavy.
"Let this simpleton suffer a bit longer; it’s for the best. With more future experiences, he’ll naturally co around. By then, I’ll ask what he has realized..."
Fang Che thought slyly as he walked away.
Fang Qingyun, holding the items his cousin had given him, felt a complex mix of emotions, profoundly relieved.
His cousin had indeed grown up.
He hesitated for a long ti before finally deciding to consu a Spirit Plant.
"My cousin’s future is destined for the stars and the seas; the Fang Family can barely contain such a turbulent figure. Even the existence of the Fang Family restrains him, because enemies would strike at him by targeting our family."
"So I must also beco stronger. My cousin is responsible for venturing out into the world, while I, Fang Qingyun, must keep watch over our ho!"
"Everyone has their responsibilities, none can fall behind."
Fang Qingyun made up his mind, feeling much more at ease.
In fact, Fang Qingyun’s progress wasn’t slow at all; his cultivation had already reached the Seventh Level Grandmaster, placing him at the forefront of his class.
He truly received the treatnt of a genius.
With the resources provided by Fang Che, it was only a matter of ti before Fang Qingyun’s strength soared once again.
It was believed that at the next major competition, he would probably astound everyone present.
...
During the days when Mo Gan Yun and others went out to perform tasks, Fang Che, after each cultivation session, could only practice fight with the instructors.
This particular task was undertaken by Bing Shangxue.
Bing Shangxue was the most patient and naturally gave a sense of kindness, always treating every student as if they were her own child.
Gentle, ticulous, and patient.
Now, she was even more ticulous toward Fang Che.
There was the strictness of an instructor, the insight into life, the training in worldly ways, the motherly care, and most importantly, extensive knowledge and a plethora of martial arts skills!
No matter how Fang Che attacked, Bing Shangxue could handle it with composure and then point out Fang Che’s shortcomings.
A normal sparring session, then another simulating a life-or-death battle, followed by Fang Che’s reflections, and then they would start over.
With each advancent Fang Che made, Bing Shangxue felt an extre sense of terror.
It was too fast!
Almost every practice session, she had to bring out greater strength to match.
It was not just an increase in strength and cultivation, but also an understanding of battle skills. More bizarrely... there was even an understanding of "situation."
With Fang Che’s current strength of Innate Grandmaster Third Layer, Bing Shangxue actually had to utilize the power of the Innate Eighth Layer to suppress him.
And she also had to mix in her lifeti of combat experience.
After the afternoon sparring...
Bing Shangxue looked at Fang Che, her gaze complex, "Fang Che, your current cultivation is indeed enough to wander the Jianghu."
"I don’t think it’s enough yet."
Fang Che was sincere, "There are too many masters in the Jianghu, and... you never know when you might encounter several utterly inhumane individuals, the kind who can casually kill innocents. It would be too much of a loss to die at their hands."
Bing Shangxue nodded, sighing, "Yes, the mbers of the Wei Wo Zheng Sect are becoming more excessive. In the past month, near Baiyun State, three villages were razed to the ground, and there have been more than four hundred killings. In each instance, at least a dozen people died, and among them, at least seven or eight were innocents or civilians."
Fang Che’s eyes were icy cold.
"We can only teach you for five years; in reality, we use the Martial Arts Academy’s accumulation to enable you all, this group of youngsters, to grow enough... to face the storms of the Jianghu with a bit of self-protection and to have your martial arts paths well planned out for you to follow orderly."
"Over the years, we have taught thousands of students... all of whom have branched out on their own now."
Bing Shangxue looked into the distance, a trace of reminiscence in her eyes.
"How are my fellow brothers and sisters now?"
"Now..."
A complex look crossed Bing Shangxue’s eyes.
It was pain, longing, gentleness, and compassion.
"Thousands are working in various places, over a thousand have returned to their families, more than two thousand have joined various Jianghu organizations; more than three thousand have sacrificed, and five hundred fourteen are missing, neither seen alive nor found in death."
"And two hundred and four... were confird to be spies of the Demon Sect and have been executed."
"Seventeen people, because their families were vassal families of the Demon Sect, had ingested the Five Spirits Gu, but later broke with the Demon Sect, unwilling to be subdued, took the Lie Shen Pill, which opposes the Five Spirits Gu, and died fighting."
"Those were my good children, my good students, students I can never forget in my whole life! As their teacher, as their instructor, not being able to save them is my lifelong, profound regret."
At this point, Bing Shangxue’s beautiful face was full of agony.
And filled with wistful mories.
She remained silent for a long ti.
She looked into the void, her eyes tearful and filled with love.
It seed that the faces of those seventeen children were reappearing before her eyes.
Fang Che’s heart was also heavy.
Lie Shen Pill was an extre elixir, which upon consumption, would spread a deadly poison throughout the body, affecting even the Divine Soul, thereby temporarily suppressing the effects of the Five Spirits Gu, while the toxicity stimulated every ridian and Dantian in the body, enhancing one’s cultivation by one to two tis, but inevitably leading to death after the effects wore off.
Those who could make such decisions were undoubtedly heroes!
A singular and arduous path to death.
Just think about it.
Families joining the Demon Sect, children turning into little demons, unknowingly ingesting the Five Spirits Gu in their naivety. Once possessing martial skills and understanding what they should do, the Five Spirits Gu resided within them.
Utterly helpless, they took Lie Shen Pill, using their lives to resist, a situation filled with despair.
But also incredibly heroic!
Only extraordinary individuals could make such decisions, yet those who did were dood not to survive.
Upon ntioning those seventeen individuals, Bing Shangxue’s voice trembled.
It took her a long while to recover.
"Fang Che, you know how conflicted our hearts are for you. We hope for your safety, yet wish for you to beco heroes; we wish for your lives to be smooth, yet hope for your martial arts journey to be magnificent and to reach the peak; to encourage good children to learn better, to strive to correct the wayward ones; but after so many years of effort, what^ we often hear are countless sacrifices."
"Trying to make ourselves indifferent, but teaching a student takes five years, how can there not be emotional attachnt?"
Bing Shangxue held her chest, her voice soft, "This heart has long been pierced by you all, full of holes."
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