Fang Ping stayed at River City for two days.
The expansion of Distance had already started in River City. Their dining platform went online, and offline, the express delivery service was laid out.
Fang Ping had mentioned it once to Wang Jinyang. Wang Jinyang was not surprised that Fang Ping had started a company. Wang Jinyang also found out about this through previous enthusiastic discussions on the web.
Without saying much, in many martial artists’ eyes, starting a company was not honest work.
Although Wang Jinyang did not think this way, he indeed did not mind Fang Ping’s small company too much.
For middle-ranked martial artists, being able to cultivate easily costed millions, up to hundreds of them. Most of the time, they still had to rely on the Catacombs’ resources. How long would it take for Fang Ping to earn enough wealth for him to cultivate after opening a small company?
...
Fang Ping telling Wang Jinyang about the company was not the main point.
With Fang Ping’s fame and strength today, without needing Old Wang’s care, there were not many who would cause trouble to him in Nanjiang.
After saying a few things about the company, Fang Ping smiled and said, “Brother Wang, do you know about MCMAU’s e-commerce platform?”
Wang Jinyang dipped his head slightly.
“The platform that lets students order medicinal pills and weapons online, delivers them and gives credits in advance?”
“Yes.”
Fang Ping answered, then added, “Brother Wang, does NMAU have this inclination? There are many benefits. It saves the students’ time and decreases the school’s workload. The loan system isn’t reaping without sowing, it’s actually a reflection of only getting rewarded when one puts in the effort.
“This also complies with the definition of a martial artist—fight!
“One only gets rewarded if one dares to dive in, implying that waiting for the school to assign missions and resources will generate laziness in martial artists.”
Wang Jinyang furrowed his eyebrows slightly, going silent for a moment before saying, “NMAU can’t compare to MCMAU. Our resources are tight. If we give out a portion in advance, it’d only become more desperate...”
“Then don’t open the loan system for now.”
Fang Ping chuckled lightly and said, “What I mean is we can put up the platform first. Are you thinking that this is an unnecessary move that doesn’t have much use at the moment...”
Wang Jinyang nodded. It was just a little more road to travel. If martial artists were too lazy to even walk a little more, he did not see it as a good thing.
“My goal is not just a platform for one sole school.”
Fang Ping spoke in a lowered voice. “What I’m thinking of is establishing an open platform for all universities nationwide in the future.
“NMAU might not have some of the weapons available at MCMAU.
“NMAU might not have some of the medicinal pills available at MCMAU either.
“This includes the Energy Room, Vitality Pool, and the Combat Technique Library. NMAU probably has a Combat Technique Library too, but it’s not commonly used now. To put it in a bad way, does NMAU have more Combat Techniques stored than MCMAU?
“And these are just two schools. With the worsening situation now, martial arts universities in the nation should be eclectic and inclusive, not limiting themselves to one per area.
“The Combat Techniques invented by some of MCMAU’s Grandmasters and instructors will only be given to MCMAU and not to NMAU.
“Similarly, everybody is like this.
“Our powerhouses are actually very tolerant already. They publicized their own Combat Techniques without collecting any payment and do their best to take out time to give pointers...
“However, at times, the limitation is still there. It’s just like what I was telling one of my teachers previously about the difference between a big home and a small home. The powerhouses nowadays have the country as their big home but are still guarding their small home...”
Wang Jinyang’s eyes were currently startlingly bright. With a level expression, he said, “Fang Ping, are you sure you’re not joking?
“Some of MCMAU’s resources and places can be opened to NMAU?”
In NMAU, there was no Energy Room nor Vitality Pool.
Disregarding how much money was necessary to build an Energy Room, just the number of energy ores that had to be used could not be afforded by NMAU. NMAU was not situated about the Catacombs and had a very tough time obtaining them.
As for the Vitality Pool, it was mainly built for middle-ranked martial artists.
In these few years, how many middle-ranked martial artists graduated from NMAU?
Even among the instructors, there were not many middle-ranked ones.
If MCMAU were to really open to outsiders...
As Wang Jinyang said this, he suddenly shook his head. “It’s impossible. You can’t make the decision on this. Although the enemy is right outside now, people are selfish. MCMAU being able to maintain its status as a famous school has much to do with this.
“MCMAU won’t publicize some of their secret, passed-on Combat Techniques either.
“This is the basis of confidence that lets MCMAU stay as a famous school. If they’re really publicized and available to all, then MCMAU...”
Fang Ping did not mind this and said, “The key to methods like Combat Techniques is still in cultivation. If one does not cultivate deeply, how good the method is still pointless.
“As for the cultivation location... As long as you guys are willing to pay the price, MCMAU can open them to outsiders.
“Maintaining a famous school’s prestige and position is not by making our opponents weaker, it’s by being stronger among the strong!
“Of course...”
Fang Ping laughed lightly. “I don’t have the authority at the moment to open all these, but... I believe the day this is possible is not too far.
“If Rank-4 or Rank-5 isn’t enough... Then Rank-7, Rank-8... Even Rank-9!
“With the improvement of my strength, my influence will be wider too, and each step forward gives me an even bigger power of speech which won’t be limited to just MCMAU, it’d include all of the Sino Nation!
“As of today, we’ll build up this foundation first. With the foundation up, when the day of implementation comes, it’ll be simple.
“Perhaps even later on, we can start having instructor exchanges. MCMAU’s instructors can come to NMAU to coach for a period of time, and NMAU instructors can go to MCMAU to have a look.
“With the precondition of the Catacombs, our biggest enemy, here, the steps we have to take have to be bigger and faster.
“Back then, sects dominated the martial sciences, but how many sects are there now?
“Back then, how many powerhouses were there in the sects? In these few years, martial arts universities have become orthodox, leaving all citizens toward martial arts, being eclectic and inclusive. How many powerhouses are there now?
“But this isn’t enough!
“Maybe the government thinks we can’t take too big a step, but in reality, we don’t have too much time to wait around, slowly eliminating this gap. Forget about the normal folk. They can slowly digest and wait for the truth to be publicized.
“As for we who are martial artists, we shouldn’t be so conservative as we are the first line of defense against the Catacombs’ invasion.”
Wang Jinyang stood up, wavering for a while.
As the NMAU Martial Arts Society president and the only Upper-stage Rank-4 student, his strength won over many instructors.
Once he entered Rank-5, his status at NMAU would be much higher.
These things, Wang Jinyang’s promotion, was not very troublesome.
However... could whatever Fang Ping said really be achieved?
They were only talking about MCMAU and NMAU now, but Fang Ping was talking about an alliance of all the universities in the country. In that case, martial arts universities like CCMAU would enter too in the future?
99 martial arts universities all exchanging with one another and sharing resources?
The reason was that there were 99 martial arts universities, not just one. There was a lot to do with this, including the differentiation of territory, maintenance of competitiveness, distribution of educational resources and prevention of martial arts universities’ centralization... et cetera.
However, Fang Ping was only thinking of using the platform to carry out an integration. It was not necessarily impossible.
After thinking for a while, Wang Jinyang opened his mouth and said, “We can set up the platform, but how will you deliver? Who will deliver? Who will manage the platform?”
“Distance will be responsible for building the platform. It’ll be beneficial for integration in the future.”
Wang Jinyang chuckled and shook his head. “NMAU isn’t going to let outsiders control this platform.”
Fang Ping smiled and said, “That’s why I came to find Brother Wang and didn’t go to other schools. The platform is actually just an intermediary platform...”
“It’s not the same. In that case, all our students’ information, including their cultivation progress, will be revealed in front of MCMAU’s eyes...”
“I am me, Distance is Distance, MCMAU is MCMAU.” Fang Ping shook his head and said, “These things are unrelated.”
“That’s just what you think.”
“Then what do you mean, Brother Wang?”
“NMAU will set up our own platform. In the future, if you have this ability and influence and need to integrate it, we can carry out the integration with you as the principal body, or if the government takes over, we’ll let the government carry out the unification and control...”
Fang Ping pursed his lips. ‘Then what am I doing this for!’
“Brother Wang, the government won’t take the initiative to push things like this. If the government appears, it’ll bring questions of bias. Are they giving priority to MCMAU, CCMAU or other universities?
“When that time comes, it’ll become troublesome and lead to our Grandmasters getting upset.
“On the other hand, if we students have small arguments amongst ourselves, nobody would mind it.”
After Fang Ping said this, he added, “Let Distance handle the delivery of the platform, but NMAU’s platform—or you can say every school’s platform—will maintain independence for now. As for the students’ information, in my opinion, these things don’t need to be kept secret.
“Could it be that you guys are hiding tens of Rank-4 and-5 students that you haven’t shown?”
Wang Jinyang laughed despite himself before once again becoming silent. After a while, he opened his mouth to say, “We’ll try it, but I don’t have too high hopes.”
To hope that a small independent platform within a school could integrate 99 martial arts universities—it was a feat as difficult as holding up the sky.
However, there was still hope for the universities to work together.
For example, NMAU and MCMAU. He and Fang Ping all held some authority in their schools. This matter was still feasible.
Having finished talking about this, Wang Jinyang said again, “Are you ready to break through Rank-4?”
Fang Ping shook his head and said after some thought, “I still want to wait a while. After my seven slashes come together, I’ll become first in Rank-3, then I’ll break through.”
“Is there such a need?”
“Yes.”
Fang Ping smiled and said, “You must have a start and finish when you do things. Moreover, first and third aren’t the same. When I’m first in Rank-3—the publicly-acknowledged number one—only then will I be able to maintain people’s attention. Only this way will I be able to get everybody to take me more seriously, which will give me more fame, and only then will I be able to get some benefits in fights in the future.
“Brother Wang, think about it yourself. Does the you today have more fame than I do?
“Perhaps in the realm of the martial sciences, you’re not unknown, but in this society, most of the population is still normal people.
“In the new students’ generation of martial artists, how many of them know you?
“When I go back to MCMAU and the new students start classes, I’ll wave my arms around and holler, and maybe then my club will be able to attract a large portion of the new students because I, Fang Ping, have this level of fame.
“If things keep going this way, in a few years, MCMAU students will only know me, Fang Ping, and not the Martial Arts Society.
“I easily replaced the status of the Martial Arts Society with a club I founded on my own, which makes it different from the Martial Arts Society.
“Further down the line, when these members graduate, as their first and only club president, I’ll have a larger influence on them.
“My networks, circles, and influence will expand along with it. I might even be able to truly influence all of MCMAU while I’m still a student.”
Wang Jinyang regarded him seriously, only speaking after a pause. “You’re very wildly ambitious.”
“I’m not wildly ambitious.”
Fang Ping smiled lightly and said, “I’m only protecting myself. With the conditions of the Catacombs’ existence, I can only work hard to let myself grow strong and obtain more power, not be forced to accept everything.
“I need to grasp more news and get more rewards, not wait for people to guide or inform me on every little thing.
“Do we really understand some of the Catacombs’ deeper layers’ secrets?
“Do we have the right to know the decisions and tactics the government makes beforehand?
“Not only do I need to know, but I also need to clearly understand and participate in it. Maybe you would say martial artists don’t care about authority, but without authority, can you reform NMAU according to how you want?
“We have to have strength and authority—only then are we martial artists, not military.”
Wang Jinyang did not say anything else. It was unknown whether he was in silent agreement or if he felt there was no need to probe deeper.
The two of them did not talk about these anymore. If word got out of two Rank-3 and 4 martial artists talked about topics like these, people might think it was a joke.
Under the circumstances of there being hundreds of Grandmasters, what qualifications did two middle- and low-ranked martial artists have to change everything?
However, the two of them were very confident and did not think it was a big deal. Becoming a Grandmaster... It was something that was going to happen sooner or later!
...
At the end of July, Fang Ping returned to Sun City.
The Fang Ping at this time had started to stay in and rarely left home, not showing his face. Even some of the higher-ups in Sun City were not aware Fang Ping had come back to Sun City already.
During the time he was home, because he lacked Wealth points, Fang Ping had to rely on himself to grind and recover it.
Vitality could be replenished through sleeping and eating.
It could also be recovered by using Mentality to move the energy particles.
Mentality was recovered through sleeping and resting.
Although his improvement was slow, after a few days, Fang Ping noticed that under these circumstances, he could utilize his Mentality more agilely, and the flow of his Vitality was a lot smoother too.
Fang Ping also kept practicing and trying to figure out how to combine his seven slashes.
Calming down and throwing aside complications helped speed up his progress.
...
Time passed, and August came in the blink of an eye.
August 5th.
Small-scale flooding happened in Nanjiang.
The areas that were affected weren’t large, but they were very close to Sun City—Auspicious Peace City, which adjoined Auspicious Sun.
The flooding caused the branches of White Mountains outside the suburbs to have some small-scale landslides. Despite the collapse of the mountain, there was not too large of a loss of businesses and people. However, that day, many people noticed many powerhouses walking in mid-air, expressions nervous as they surveyed that area.
Fang Ping could also feel the strengthening and weakening of energy particles ever since his Mentality broke through the 500Hz checkpoint.
Before this, he could not do it.
On August 5th, Fang Ping clearly sensed that the saturation of energy particles in Sun City had increased a little.
‘Passageways have been opened for the overflowing energy!’
Fang Ping suddenly thought of this!
When he sensed that the number of energy particles had increased, Fang Ping immediately dashed out of his room and went up to the rooftop, investigating his surroundings under the wind and rain.
Very soon, Fang Ping confirmed that his senses were not wrong!
‘The saturation of energy particles in Sun City has increased!
‘Where were the passageways opened?
‘Sun City? No, if it was in Sun City, it probably would not have only increased this much, but the fact that it can be clearly seen that the energy particles in Sun City are overflowing means that the passageways aren’t far from Sun City!’
Sun City hurriedly went back into his house, not bothering with his family’s questions, and immediately made a few calls.
Very quickly, he found out about the changes in Auspicious Peace.
For his last call, Fang Ping called Old Man Li. Old Man Li sighed, saying, “Magic City’s Catacombs business is almost at its end. The school teachers are probably returning very soon. However, after this, the pressure on MCMAU will increase too thanks to having to face both East Sunflower City and Sky Gate City.
“Nanjiang’s Catacombs... actually had an energy particle overflow. It might last for three months at least or half a year at most. The passageways must be open!”
Fang Ping went silent for a while before asking, “Then MCMAU has no way to aid Nanjiang anymore?”
“Teacher Liu will probably be there, but I’m afraid the others can’t.”
Fang Ping did not say anything else. The passageways at Nanjiang were opened. If they could not get the manpower, the government would not just sit and watch either.
But the more powerhouses went to help, the safer Nanjiang was. This was a reality.
If there were few, and if the Catacombs’ soldiers broke through the passageways and exited them to come into the human world, Auspicious Peace City might just be wiped from the map.
Sun City was less than 80 kilometers away from Auspicious Peace. It took only an hour’s drive to get there. It was too close.
“Maybe it’s time to move!”
Fang Ping muttered. He was really worried about being so close.
If the passageways were broken through, that would be very troublesome.
“Move to Magic City?”
Previously, the Fang Ping who had always been thinking of purchasing property in Magic City had not bought a house because it required spending money, but now, it was time he should prepare.
“The situation at Magic City’s Catacombs aren’t great right now either. In the Sino Nation, only Capital City’s Catacombs have the first big human city established that not only enables defense, it also has a set automatic attacking ability...”
As for the other places that did not have Catacombs entrances, Fang Ping did not consider them.
The Catacombs’ entrances were increasing and were not unchanging. They might appear in these other places very soon too. If they moved there now, they would still have to move again sooner or later.
“Capital City... I’m not familiar with it, and I’m not there anyway. Either we don’t move, or we move to Magic City.
“Magic City...”
Fang Ping mumbled. Were they really going to move?
Could Nanjiang’s Catacombs hold or not?
Not to mention could the current him really move?
His father had become the deputy chief of the city government, his sister was studying here, and he was currently the pride of Sun City.
It was unknown if Zhang Dingnan put him up to it or if Bai Jinshan had taken matters into his own hands, but Sun City folks today all knew Fang Ping came from Sun City and that his family was here. If he suddenly moved away now, the regular people might not know the situation, but middle- and high-ranked martial artists would definitely know what he meant.
Before the Catacombs opened, Fang Ping would have brought away his whole family. Could someone like this qualify to become one of the future leaders of the martial arts realm?
Fang Ping thought for a while before nailing down his plans. He would buy property in Magic City first.
When the Catacombs opened, he would come to Nanjiang personally to see the situation.
If he felt it was dangerous, he would bring his family with him to Magic City. As for what other people would think, he would not care by then.
If it was defensible and the humans put up a stronghold at the first response, then it would be temporarily fine not to move too.
Nowadays, where in the world was free from danger? If they moved to Magic City, it was hard to say too when Magic City’s Catacombs would be broken through.
Not to mention that newly-opened passageways could still be sealed shut if it came to a necessary point and were not as firm as Magic City’s passageways.
As such, Nanjiang did not consider closing them mainly because the number of Catacomb passageways were still increasing. If they closed them this time, the next time would be firmer, and if it just so happened to be opened along with another entrance, that would be two or three passageways all opening together, and it would be even more troublesome.
It was much better to take advantage of the time before the next entrance opened to nail down a good foundation and be able to make a stand at the previous entrance.
Some of the passageways that had been opened for a long time were already firmly open now and could not be sealed shut even if they wanted to.
“So many disasters!”
Fang Ping sighed lightly, and his sense of urgency increased rapidly.