"Hiss... 210,000 points?! That gap is a little too big! I remember looking last month, and the difference was less than 100,000 points. How did it get so wide all of a sudden?"
"What else could it be? It’s those madmen from the Iron Blood Warband. I heard that last month, their Fifth Level Division chief, ’Iron Madman,’ personally led the team. They completed three high-difficulty Hell-level missions in a row and maxed out the point rewards. Those guys are literally trading their lives for points!"
"Holy shit, for real? They’re going that hard? What about the Fearless Warband? Have they not been doing anything? What have those three big shots—Dragon Jade, Nissan, and Ning Jing—been up to lately?"
"They’re also frantically running missions, but the point rewards for Hell-level missions fluctuate a lot. It’s going to be too hard to close a 210,000-point gap."
"Yeah, there are only four months left. Unless the Fearless Warband can complete four or five high-difficulty Hell-level missions in a row, there’s no hope for a comeback. But how is that possible? Everyone who knows anything knows how dangerous Hell-level missions are."
"Sigh... Looks like the Iron Blood Warband is really going to take the top spot this year. A real shame for the Fearless Warband."
"It’s a lock, it’s a lock. I’ve already bet all my Imperial Coins on the Iron Blood Warband. Brothers, once I strike it rich from this, I’ll treat everyone to a night out at ’Drunken Life, Dream Death’!"
For a moment, the sentiment on the entire forum was almost unanimously in favor of the Iron Blood Warband.
After all, the huge 210,000-point gap and the little time remaining were two great mountains weighing down on all the Fearless Warband’s supporters, leaving them breathless.
In the face of absolute, cold data, all sentiment and expectations seemed pale and powerless.
However, just as the chorus of voices predicting the Fearless Warband’s failure reached its peak, a new reply from an anonymous user claiming to be a "well-connected insider" dropped like a depth charge, instantly blowing up the entire discussion board.
"Latest news! Latest news!"
The moment this reply appeared, it immediately caught countless people’s attention.
"Don’t ask how I know! Just go look! The Fearless Warband just accepted a ’Nightmare-level’ mission!!"
"What?!?!"
"Holy shit?! Am I seeing things? Nightmare-level?! Isn’t that a tier higher than Hell-level? In all my years since enrolling, I’ve never seen a single Warband dare to accept one!"
"For real? OP, you’re not just trying to stir things up, are you?"
In less than a minute, a flood of verification messages poured in, completely confirming the truth of the news.
"Holy crap! It’s true! My advisor confirmed it! The Fearless Warband is insane! They really accepted a Nightmare-level mission!"
"The mission squad members have been announced! Oh my god! It’s Dragon Jade! Nissan! Ning Jing! And... Qin Feng?!"
This news hit like a magnitude-12 earthquake, instantly upending public opinion across the entire forum.
"No way... a Nightmare-level mission?! The Fearless Warband is going for broke, all or nothing! Those guys have some serious guts!"
"Have they got a death wish?!"
"Bro, to the poster above, don’t get too worked up. Calm down a bit. Think about it, how could the Warband really send them to their deaths? For a mission of this level, there are bound to be ’veterans’ who graduated from the Warband—you know, the Extreme Martial Artist alumni—following them. If their lives are in danger, they’ll definitely step in to save them."
"That’s right, the Warband at least has that much of a conscience. Not to mention this is the top-ranked Fearless Warband, famous for being protective and united. They’re rock-solid when it comes to their own people and would never let them sacrifice themselves for nothing."
"Hmm, that’s true... but if those ’veterans’ have to step in, it means the mission is a failure. You can forget about getting any points. This seems more like an extreme trial, or maybe it’s the Warband leadership’s way of showing they’ll never give up."
"Hold on! Hold on! Stop talking about that for a second! There’s one thing I don’t get! I can totally understand Dragon Jade, Nissan, and Ning Jing—those three big shots—being on the list. They’re recognized as the three strongest members of the Fearless Warband’s Fifth Level Division. But... what’s the deal with Qin Feng? How did he get mixed up in this team of Immortals?"
"Yeah! Who’s Qin Feng? The name sounds a little familiar... Wasn’t he that ’Qin Beast’ from the Newcomer’s Cup back in the day?"
"That’s him! I remember now! The Level 4 Martial Artist who took third place in the Newcomer’s Cup and later broke the Canaan Tower record! That beast!"
"But isn’t he Level 4?! And how many years has it been? Even if he’s reached Level 5 by now, he’s a newcomer who’s only been enrolled for a little over sixty years. On what grounds does he get to join Dragon Jade and Ning Jing on a Nightmare-level mission? It doesn’t make sense!"
"No idea! Anyone have recent news on Qin Feng? Ever since the Warband ranking competition started, the guy seems to have completely vanished. There’s been zero news about him on the forums."
"Nope. A friend of mine who works in the Mission Hall said he seems to have been teaming up with Dragon Jade for missions these past few years, but no one knows his actual strength. The guy is way too low-key."
"A mysterious guy... But to be acknowledged by all three—Dragon Jade, Nissan, and Ning Jing—and be brought along on a Nightmare-level mission, his strength is probably far greater than we can imagine."
Just as everyone was endlessly discussing and speculating about Qin Feng’s identity and strength, another bombshell was dropped.
"Latest news! The Iron Blood Warband... has also accepted a Nightmare-level mission!"
As soon as this news broke, the entire forum fell into a deathly silence.
A full ten seconds passed before it was drowned in a tsunami of replies filled with shock and disbelief.
"HOLY SHIT!! MADNESS! THE WHOLE WORLD HAS GONE COMPLETELY MAD!"
"I take back what I said before! The Fearless Warband aren’t the madmen here! Both of these Warbands... they’re ALL madmen!!"
"This is tit for tat! Now there’s really no backing down! A 210,000-point gap, and a Nightmare-level mission is worth 300,000 points. If the Fearless Warband succeeds and the Iron Blood Warband fails, the rankings will be instantly reversed! And if the opposite happens, it’ll be a complete stomp!"
"Oh my god, I feel like my heart can’t take this! It’s too intense! This year’s Warband competition is definitely the most exciting one in history!"
"Speaking of which... did the Warband leadership force them to go? They wouldn’t go this far just for the rankings, would they?"
"Of course not. What are you thinking, poster above? For missions of this level, 99% of the time, it’s the top-tier battle maniacs themselves who volunteer. Don’t forget, a Warband’s internal cultivation resource repository is obtained by the Warband trading points with the university, and the reputation exchange system is also established by the Warband itself. For these core members, they’ve enjoyed the lion’s share of the resources, so naturally, they’re willing to fight for the Warband’s honor at critical moments."
"Well said. If any Warband actually forced its core members onto a suicide mission just for rankings, that Warband wouldn’t be far from falling apart and disbanding completely. The reason Fearless and Iron Blood can occupy the top two spots year after year is precisely this kind of cohesiveness."
"Sigh... it truly inspires awe. Whether it’s Fearless or Iron Blood, these powerhouses standing at the very top deserve all of our respect."
"I’m speechless. I don’t even know who to root for anymore. Right now, I just hope they all make it back alive."
"The anticipation! I’m so hyped! I wonder who will ultimately complete this impossible mission and claim the throne that symbolizes the strongest in all of Canaan!"
At this moment, all eyes at Cannan Star Martial Arts University were fixed on the two Warbands simultaneously charging toward "Nightmare."
An unseen competition to decide the ultimate honor had already begun, playing fiercely upon the heartstrings of all who watched.