Meanwhile.
MCMAU University gate.
Liu Dali yelled, “I’m really Fang Ping’s friend. C’mon, big bro, let me in.”
“Then ask Fang Ping to come and get you, or give the guardhouse a call...”
“This is no big deal. There’s no need to trouble him...”
As he spoke, a few students were already walking toward his direction. The university guard uncle saw this and said, “The conference has ended. You can give Fang Ping a call now. He’ll probably be free.”
“I...”
Motherf*cker!
‘The conference had already ended, so why would I still go in?’
Besides, what would happen if he gave Fang Ping a call, and that fellow summoned others to bash him up?
What a pity. Liu Dali gave up and turned to leave. Even though he missed this chance, he could always come again next time.
Unfortunately, he could not make it this time.
...
Liu Dali left feeling very discouraged yet he had no idea that Fang Ping did not know he was here. Otherwise, it would be even more regretful.
This fellow must be courting death—he had actually delivered himself right to the doorstep!
A real shame that they did not meet.
Today, Fang Ping was a Rank-4. He was so desperate for money that he was willing to slash anyone that was in his way. Even innocent Qin Fengqing had been made a scapegoat. This guy, Liu Dali, someone who had previously taken advantage of Fang Ping, was most fortunate not to encounter him. If they met, death would be awaiting Liu Dali.
...
The school conference had ended.
Fang Ping was in no rush to go to the Martial Arts Society. He would not display his eagerness too obviously, giving Zhang Yu and the rest some time to grieve, at least.
In the afternoon, though, Fang Ping was at the Martial Arts Society.
At this moment, Zhang Yu had already changed into new attire. His badly-beaten look earlier was gone.
Zhang Yu had not lost his gentlemanly demeanor.
Upon seeing Fang Ping, Zhang Yu nodded and gave a faint smile. It was hard to read the expressions of the ones standing beside them.
Without bothering with pleasantries, Zhang Yu said as soon as Fang Ping arrived, “You don’t know much about the Martial Arts Society. I’ll first summarize certain things for you, so you will have a basic idea of what’s going on.”
“Sorry for the bother, senior.”
“It’s nothing. Martial Arts Society... is in your hands.”
Zhang Yu’s tone was slightly hard to catch. Then, he went back to smiling again, saying, “MCMAU Martial Arts Society has altogether 1 leader and 4 vices, a total of 5 presidents.
“Right now, the 4 vice presidents are Qin Fengqing, Xie Lei, Chen Wenlong, and Liang Fenghua.”
“Brother Liang is also a vice president?”
Fang Ping was slightly surprised. Zhang Yu nodded. “We have a few vice presidents last time. All previous batch students. They’ve all been relieved after they graduate.
“Liang Fenghua broke through Rank-4, hence taking up the position as vice president.
“Right now, the 4 vice presidents are all Rank-4.
“As for the total number of Rank-4 martial artists in MCMAU right now, there are 9 of them, including you and me...”
“So few?”
Fang Ping was startled. 4 vice presidents, including Zhang Yu and himself, would already be a total of 6. Did this mean that there were only 3 remaining?
Zhang Yu sighed softly, saying, “Today, in Xie Lei’s batch, he alone has broken through Rank-4, while in your batch, only you.
“In my batch, having 7 of us is already a fair amount.
“However, we have a few more earlier... it’s a pity, all because of the last journey into the Catacombs...”
The last journey into the Catacombs had seen a few MCMAU Rank-4 students perishing in battle. Two of them from Zhang Yu’s batch alone.
If not, with the new students’ enrollment, having a double-digit amount of Rank-4 students was considered plenty.
In normal martial arts universities, and universities like Nanjiang Martial Arts University, except for Wang Jinyang, many of them did not even have a single Rank-4.
Zhang Yu said no more on the subject and continued, “Other than a few vice presidents, the Martial Arts Society has six major departments too.
“Office, Department of External Affairs, Back Office Department, Financial Department, Discipline Inspection Department, Student Recruitment...”
“Hold up!”
Fang Ping cut him off. “Student Recruitment?”
Zhang Yu grinned. “Yup. The Martial Arts Society has always been in charge of recruiting students. The instructors cooperate. This includes setting the standards. The Martial Arts Society sets it, handing it over to the university to review them. The Martial Arts Society will be responsible for future recruitment.”
Fang Ping was flabbergasted. Even recruitment was controlled by the Martial Arts Society?
He recalled what Qin Fengqing said earlier, that Xie Lei had gone to handle the recruitment business. Fang Ping thought that Xie Lei had been cooperating with the instructors in handling it. Thinking about it now, the instructors were cooperating with the Martial Arts Society instead!
If that was the case, what were the university leaders responsible for?
Now that he thought about it, it seemed like the university leaders’ only responsibility was to become stronger!
Of course, the university would make decisions with regard to major affairs. Although the Martial Arts Society was responsible for setting recruitment standards, they still needed to get the green light from the university.
Zhang Yu continued, “Zhou Yan is the Director of the Department of External Affairs. She’s concurrently the Office Manager.
Beside them, Zhou Yan did not utter a single word. Only after hearing Zhang Yu introducing her did she say, “I’m already in my senior year. I will step down from my Martial Arts Society’s positions.
Fang Ping raised his eyebrows, chuckling. “You don’t have to do that, Senior Zhou. I have just arrived and you’re already leaving”
“I am about to go for an internship in an enterprise. I’m afraid I don’t have much time to stay in the Martial Arts Society to handle these things anymore,” Zhou Yan replied.
Fang Ping let out a soft chuckle. “Then I hope everything goes well for Senior Zhou.”
Zhang Yu let out a soft sigh. A new leader, a new leading body. Zhou Yan held numerous positions, and with him, Zhang Yu... they were rumored to have an ambiguous relationship. Now that she was stepping down, it was not solely because she was enraged, but it was still better than to be kicked out by Fang Ping.
Fang Ping saw that she was persistent, so he simply pushed the boat with the current and offered his blessings directly.
Zhang Yu paid no attention to this. He continued, “The office is responsible for the Martial Arts Society’s internal affairs, including the setting up of societies and daily meetings...
“The Department of External Affairs is responsible for affairs outside of the Martial Arts Society. For instance, organizing certain competitions, fights, student interactions, and contacting certain graduated MCMAU students who are responsible for offering students with opportunities for internship...
“I don’t think I need to elaborate on the Student Recruitment. The Financial Department is mainly responsible for the operation of a few industries under MCMAU. Actually, a university department is in charge of this. We mainly assist with management. Another thing is the benefit distributions for the Martial Arts Society club members.
“The Discipline Inspection Department is responsible for keeping the university in order. This includes the daily patrol arrangements and problems with performing duties. They both fall under the Discipline Inspection Department’s responsibilities.
“Back Office Department...”
When he came to the Back Office Department, Zhang Yu thought for a while before saying, “Back Office Department is only a title, actually. We should really call it the Catacombs Affairs Department.
“The number of members in the Back Office Department is extremely low. This includes a few vice presidents and me. We’re all Back Office Department members.
“Setting a few Catacombs missions, bringing new students into the Catacombs... In other words, you can call this the Martial Arts Society’s Military Force Department.
Fang Ping understood. He asked, “They’re all Rank-4 martial artists?”
“Not really. They can apply at Upper-stage Rank-3. Sometimes, when team missions are organized, they can team up the university student powerhouses to move as a group.
After Zhang Yu had said those words, he looked slightly hesitant. Eventually, he said, “In the Martial Arts Society’s Back Office Department, the president can force the members to join certain operations. Of course, you need to get the majority’s approval. Fang Ping, you are in control of the Martial Arts Society. I hope you won’t send everyone to their deaths.”
Fang Ping heard what he said and laughed. “You’re overthinking, Senior Zhang. I’m not that kind of person.”
“That’s great then. After all, everyone’s ultimate goal is to solve the troubles stemming from the Catacombs.
After introducing the Martial Arts Society’s general line-up, Zhang Yu led Fang Ping upstairs to walk around and inspect.
They bumped into a few Martial Arts Society members on their way. They were slightly taciturn-looking. Their expressions were unreadable as they watched them carrying out the handover.
...
When they had arrived at the president’s office, Fang Ping could not help but sigh with regret. He who has wealth speaks louder than others!
Although it was called an office, this office was larger than expected.
Office area, reception area, bedroom, training room, and bathroom. Everything one could wish for. Other than that, the place was really huge too.
It was obvious that Zhang Yu stayed here often. There was a myriad of daily necessities.
The office was squeaky clean. Studying the distaste in Zhou Yan’s face, Fang Ping suspected that perhaps this woman was the one who was responsible for the cleaning. How could a man like Zhang Yu, a martial artist at that, have the time to tidy up all these?
After taking a quick look around the office, Zhang Yu took Fang Ping on a stroll around the Martial Arts Society.
The Martial Arts Society was really, really huge!
It was made up of not just one building, but an entire complex of them.
Including the many arenas, training rooms, office areas and so on.
Fang Ping had spent plenty of time making one round alone. Strictly speaking, his Ping Yuan Club site fell under the Martial Arts Society’s territory too.
Once he was done looking at these things, Zhou Yan handed a few more files over to Fang Ping.
Uncomplicated files. Three of them altogether.
The first one was Martial Arts Society members’ name list. Today, there were altogether 215 members in the Martial Arts Society, Fang Ping and Zhang Yu included.
9 people in Rank-4, 51 in Rank-3. The rest were all Rank-2.
At their peak, the Martial Arts Society Rank-3 members would exceed a hundred.
The second one was Martial Arts Society’s financial statement.
Fifty million cash balance, a certain number of pills and weapons, and an additional 5000 credits.
The third one was a name list of old club members.
The Martial Arts Society practically grew with MCMAU. 60 years of hardships, plenty of members, all outstanding students among MCMAU graduate students.
This name list was also the most important document.
Zhang Yu’s tone was grave as he said, “As Martial Arts Society members, even after graduation, one will still be part of the Society!
“It’s no exaggeration when they say Martial Arts Society and the university leaders work together to manage the university.
“Sometimes the Martial Arts Society encounters certain problems, for example, the university leader’s corruption, the embezzling of Martial Arts Society benefits, the weakening of the Martial Arts Society’s authority, the impeachment of the university leaders... the list goes on.
“This is when we can bring the old members back, adjudicate together, exert pressure on the university and the Education Ministry!
“This is also our trump card in checking and balancing the university’s leaders’ powers.
“Or else, how can we, a group of Rank-3 and 4 students, ensure and keep the balance of the Grandmaster powerhouses?
“Of course, separation of power is not our goal. We still hope that the university can become better, to strive for the students’ benefits.
“MCMAU Martial Arts Society has been established for so many years. The members are also the students of the university. Their hearts are directed toward the university as well as the Martial Arts Society. As long as it is within reason, and with irrefutable evidence, we can even... carry out university leader elections after the expiration of term!”
Fang Ping heard what he said and picked up the name list, taking a look. His pupils contracted slightly!
“12 Grandmasters!”
In a low voice, Zhang Yu said, “Don’t call these old club members back unless as a last resort. After all, you must know that they have graduated. Some of them are enlisted in the Military Department, some joined the government, and some are managing their own businesses...
“When we call them back, these guys will come back. But, once they’ve returned, certain unforeseen circumstances may arise too.
“For example, to seize power!”
Zhang Yu’s voice went another note lower. “MCMAU is not a normal university. MCMAU has the pill company and weapon manufacturing company’s shares. This includes some of the best research institutes. We also have our own pill and weapon production line.
“Not only that, but we also have Martial Arts Dojo, Vitality Pool, Energy Room, as well as public and private Combat Technique Libraries...
“This consists of certain intelligence. Some intelligence related to the Catacombs.
“The Catacombs is our common enemy. But, sometimes, everyone will keep certain information to themselves. For example, the position of certain energy mines, the location and appearance of certain human powerhouses who are training in the Catacombs, and so on...”
Fang Ping nodded slightly. He had a rough grasp of the situation.
After thinking for a while, Fang Ping asked, “Then, what are the benefits for the president?”
Zhang Yu was speechless. Zhou Yan frowned slightly, but she still responded, “As the Martial Arts Society’s president, you will receive 100 credits worth of supplies from the Martial Arts Society every month.”
“So little?”
Zhou Yan was annoyed. “That’s not little at all! The university will allocate 20 million cash and 2000 credits to the Martial Arts Society every month. Altogether 80 million. It will be a total of 1 billion a year.
“Despite that, the Martial Arts Society needs to bear its daily expenses, including organizing certain championships, activity matches, and distributing benefits to the society members.
“Also, certain members who died in battle... we are also responsible for offering relief. The university will pay a portion, but the Martial Arts Society will also chip in another portion.
“Today, the Martial Arts Society has fifty million cash in savings. A portion of pills, including 5000 credits all saved up by the president. He left nothing for himself...”
“Cough. Fang Ping, if you want to take more, then negotiate with other universities. This one is up to you.”
Zhang Yu cut off Zhou Yan. Fang Ping was not bothered by her attitude. He smiled. “From what you’re saying, all the funds in the Martial Arts Society’s account now came from saving up?
“Senior Zhang, not that I’m nitpicking your methods, rather than reducing expenditure, why not increase the income?
“Correct me if I’m wrong. When you took over, I’m afraid the last president did not leave you any inventory, am I right?”
Zhang Yu made no reply. Zhou Yan grumbled, “When the president took over, the Martial Arts Society was impoverished—nothing was left!”
Fang Ping laughed, nodding. “That’s how it should be.”
Zhang Yu no longer bothered himself in these things. He asked instead, “You’re taking over as the president. What are your future plans?”
“Number one, earn money!”
“Number two, increase benefits.”
“Number three, enhance the members’ ability.”
“Number four, no longer discriminate between Martial Arts Society and Non-Martial Arts Society members. All MCMAU students must become stronger.”
Zhou Yan scoffed but gave no comment.
It was easier said than done.
Fang Ping could say it easily now. When the time came, he would realize that it was not so easy to achieve.
Zhang Yu made no sound. He said, “I hope you can succeed. During my time as president, I most certainly did not set a good example for MCMAU. My level had also fallen one step behind others.
“Once the handover is done, I will toughen myself in other Catacombs. I hope that when I return, I can see a brand new Martial Arts Society.”
Zhang Yu achieved Rank-4 at the time he had just started junior year. Similar to Xie Lei today.
However, a year had passed as a junior year student, yet he was still a Middle-stage Rank-4. Undeniably, his cultivation speed was much slower.
People like Wang Jinyang actually came after and overtook him.
When Zhang Yu was a Rank-4, these guys, including Chen Wenlong, were only Peak Rank-3.
A year later, it was Zhang Yu who was at the bottom of the barrel.
It was clear that it was not so easy to become a Martial Arts Society president.
Not only Zhang Yu, other universities’ Martial Arts Society presidents were actually slowing down in their cultivation too. They had a lot on their plates. Their cultivation time was shorter, and the time they could go into the Catacombs was cut down too.
Compared to moving solo, leading a team to become stronger was actually so much harder.
Fang Ping chuckled. “I will. I wish Senior a safe journey in advance. You’ll become a Rank-5 the next time you return.”
“I hope things will go as you say.”
Zhang Yu grinned. He said no more. Instead, he started talking about the meeting at night.
Tonight, both of them would carry out an official handover.
Martial artists never delay.
The way everything looked, Fang Ping entering and leading the Martial Arts Society had become a reality. Zhang Yu had the intention to go out and toughen himself as well. The sooner the handover was carried out, the better.
Fang Ping did not hesitate either. He was even the one who mentioned about the meeting.
Martial artists should be willing to take up their responsibilities when they were supposed to take initiatives.
Wu Kuishan did not decline modestly when he took over the position as vice-chancellor.
Very soon, Fang Ping took the few files and left the Martial Arts Society.
As soon as he was gone, Zhou Yan bit her lip, looking at a slightly low-spirited Zhang Yu, and said softly, “If it was not for the Martial Arts Society dragging you down, you will not be any weaker than anyone!”
Zhang Yu shook his head lightly. “I am the one dragging MCMAU down instead. In the past year, MCMAU’s power has gotten much weaker.”
MCMAU was powerful in the last batch and the next batch. Only during his batch was it not powerful. Undoubtedly, this was one thing that Zhang Yu regretted the most.
“That’s not your fault...” Zhou Yan said comfortingly.
Zhang Yu said no more. He stood beside the railing, looking down at Fang Ping who was striding off.
It was not Fang Ping alone. Looking into the distance, the old vice-chancellor had left. Vice-chancellor Wu took over.
A new generation had begun.
Hopefully, when he came back next time, he would be greeted by a different MCMAU.