In the time that followed, Fang Ping worked hard on cultivating his Combat Techniques, rather than hurrying to elevate to the next realm.
With the creation of his five Celestial Bridges, even if he did not cultivate, his body was actually undergoing constant honing.
It was no lie to say he was well on the way to cultivating half a golden body in the middle ranks.
For Combat Techniques, Fang Ping focused on Vajra Punch and Maha Punch.
High-ranked Combat Techniques were difficult to cultivate. To cultivate a few high-ranked Combat Techniques in a short period, it was better to specialize.
He did not focus on cultivating Royal Decapitation, not because the name was embarrassing, but mainly because Saber Techniques were more complicated than Fist Techniques—not to mention the fact that sometimes on certain occasions, Fist Techniques were more applicable than Saber Techniques. Fang Ping had not forgotten about the previous time in the Catacombs when he had lost the weapon he carried with him.
...
While Fang Ping was hard at work cultivating Combat Techniques, countless changes were happening in MCMAU simultaneously.
On the 20th of September, two Magic City martial arts training courses officially opened for business. The martial arts class started by MCMAU’s Martial Arts Society began to recruit students from off-campus.
A few of MCMAU’s Rank-2 and Rank-3 martial artists left the school and went around Sino Nation to duel; this included participation in some local martial arts competitions.
Peak Rank-3 powerhouse Ye Qing officially went on the northbound road and began to challenge the top Rank-3 powerhouses on the ranking list along the way.
Expansions had started for the on-campus pill factory and armory, which resulted in a large number of the School of Production’s students coming into the on-campus industries to serve as interns.
Distance’s e-commerce platform expanded the scope of its loan system, so a large batch of new students obtained the rights to loan credits.
The formerly quiet and peaceful MCMAU had become a lot livelier now.
A few of the instructors who had been at MCMAU for a long time observed all this with their eyes and noted it in their hearts, not knowing whether to be happy or sad.
MCMAU had fallen into a period of depression after the passing of the old Vice-chancellor.
However, the younger generation was breathing new life and greater energy into MCMAU.
At present, news of the National Rank-1 Grand Martial Arts Competition was spreading like wildfire.
This National Rank-1 Competition hosted by MCMAU had caught the attention of the entire nation.
Ever since the year 09, grand martial arts competitions had emerged in an endless stream.
However, grand martial arts competitions held by local governments did not have MCMAU’s credibility. The first National Championship had been held at MCMAU, and the winner was also MCMAU.
Now, the university was organizing a National Rank-1 Martial Arts competition, further establishing the institution’s credibility in the public eye.
MCMAU’s announcement of its competition registration hotline, website, and email to the public attracted the attention and interest of a great many people—not to mention the university’s appeal for public sponsorship and an invitation to bid for competition broadcasting rights.
A grand martial arts competition was obviously not going to be just a single match. There was no doubt that this would be a large-scale event, and competition durations would not be short either.
In an era where the nation’s people looked up to martial arts, the enthusiasm for a grand martial arts competition like this was as high as the enthusiasm generated for events such as the Olympics.
Magic City Television Station offered 50 million to buy the broadcasting rights for the competition, but right on their heels, Nanhu Television Station offered 80 million.
In the end, before either side could decide on a winner, Central TV interrupted and offered 100 million for a direct buyout.
...
The selling of the competition broadcasting rights caused a great stir.
Recently, the Martial Arts Society members had been so busy that their heads were spinning.
However, when they looked for Fang Ping, they could not find him at all, making the few heads of departments feel like washing their hands of the whole thing.
As of now, the Martial Arts Society had a total of five presidents.
Fang Ping could not be found and Xie Lei had also run off to goodness-knows-where, while no one dared to ask Qin Fengqing to do anything because he would chase them down with his saber. Liang Fenghua was busy building Celestial Bridges and had no time to spare for these matters, while Chen Wenlong had vanished from campus because he had gone to the Military Department.
There were five presidents, but not a single one who took care of practical matters.
After hovering for a few days in front of the door to Lu Fengrou’s villa, Chen Yunxi finally caught hold of Fang Ping. She nearly cried tears of joy.
“Fang Ping, where have you been!”
Hearing Chen Yunxi’s resentful tone, Fang Ping felt some goosebumps rise on his skin. A little displeased, he said, “I didn’t go anywhere. I’ve just been busy these past few days cultivating at the beach in the Southern Area.”
Fang Ping had no choice either. If he cultivated at the dormitory or the lakeside, he would have to pay if he damaged anything.
Now that the Martial Arts Society was strict on punishments, as president, Fang Ping could not lead the way in breaking the rules.
If Zhang Yu were still president, it was still alright for Fang Ping to be a thorn in ZhangYu’s side. If Fang Ping himself were to be a troublemaker now that he was president though, then other troublemakers would also show up.
At the beach, he need not have any such misgivings.
Now that she knew Fang Ping had gone to cultivate, Chen Yunxi did not ask any more questions. Instead, she said immediately, “Preparations have officially started for the National Rank-1 Grand Martial Arts Competition. Previously you said to auction off the broadcasting rights, and now Central TV has offered the price of 100 million to buy the rights for all media broadcasting.”
Chen Yunxi had a look of admiration on her face as she continued, “You’re amazing. So there really are people who would offer such a high price just to buy our broadcasting rights...”
“100 million in English pounds or U.S. dollars?” Fang Ping interrupted.
Chen Yunxi stuttered. There was a pause before she flushed and said in a small voice, “Renminbi.”
Fang Ping’s lips twisted. “All media broadcasting rights for just 100 million? Do they think I’m stupid? New media broadcasting rights are worth more than just a paltry 100 million. Now there’s such a large increase in the number of online videos in the country, and so many video websites want to get make their mark but lack the opportunity.
“At present, the National Rank-1 Grand Martial Arts competition held by MCMAU is the largest, most prestigious, and most influential event of its kind.
“If I sell the broadcasting rights for twenty to thirty million a station, others wouldn’t even blink an eye. If I sell the rights to four or five stations, then we’d have 100 million already.
“And this is just the broadcasting fees for new media. As for television broadcasts, there are also local television stations competing to buy the rights.
“No matter how we handle things, it wouldn’t be just 100 million.
“What’s with Central TV? They want a buyout for a mere 100 million?
“Tell them that 100 million is fine, but only for television publishing rights. New media is not included.”
When talking about such things, Fang Ping held the upper hand. He might not be as knowledgeable as others regarding martial arts matters, but in matters such as these, no one at MCMAU could compare with him.
In recent years, hosting championships was a losing business as far as the university was concerned.
It was not that they had no talent for business; the main reason was that previously, MCMAU had been more conservative and traditional.
The old Vice-chancellor had great character, but he was quite advanced in age and could not really keep up with the times, to the extent that he did not care too much about money. In his eyes, educating people and training martial artists was not something that should be too profit-based or commercialized.
Funding came from government allocations and whatever the school’s powerhouses had obtained in the Catacombs.
In that aspect, the old vice-chancellor was also one who practiced what he preached. He had been in control of MCMAU for over 50 years and had stayed in the Catacombs for at least 20; the rest of that time was mostly spent healing from his injuries.
Throughout the course of an entire year, almost half his time was spent in the Catacombs. This was also the main reason why he was constantly sick and wounded despite being a Rank-8 golden body.
Fang Ping was not qualified to judge the rights and wrongs of the old Vice-chancellor, but the old man certainly did not make full use of all MCMAU’s resources. Of course, it could be that the old Vice-chancellor had known but was just unwilling. Perhaps in his point of view, martial artists should be a little less money-hungry.
Regardless of his thoughts on the matter, the old man had already died in battle in the Catacombs, so Fang Ping did not speculate.
However, he was not the old Vice-chancellor, and he was not as noble as the old man. The old Vice-Chancellor had spent almost his entire life in the Catacombs, yet after his death, when the school was sorting out his possessions, they discovered that he had never even applied for a bank card. The old man had been in MCMAU for 60 years, yet he was penniless.
In his lifetime, he had never married. He had dedicated his entire life to MCMAU, which was both laudable and sad.
Without thinking too much about this, Fang Ping said, “Other than that, sponsorship fees can’t be cheap either. Ignore those lower than ten million. We don’t need too many, so accepting around ten sponsors should be enough.
“Without aiming too high, collecting 300 million from broadcasting fees and sponsorship fees is doable.
“For prizes, including other expenses, I think 100 million should be more than enough.
“Or we could award more prizes and attract more people to participate, so we’d earn at least 100 million. Then, next time we have a martial arts competition, we’d earn even more.”
Chen Yunxi listened attentively, and said very quickly, “But I’ve heard other schools also have this thought in mind...”
Fang Ping laughed. “Following trends won’t get them very far. Do they have the prestige that MCMAU has? Even CCMAU wouldn’t find it so easy to imitate us. The key is that during that first martial arts championship, we were the winning side, and they were the losers.
“This doesn’t include the fact that CCMAU is controlled by a bunch of old fogeys, so the political situation is a little more serious.
“That simpleton, Li Hansong, only thinks about bringing people down to the Catacombs to do some killing. He’s not that interested in this aspect of things, not to mention the fact that he’s not as smart as I am.
“Therefore, unless the central government shows up to host a competition, the grand martial arts competition hosted by MCMAU would be the most prestigious in the entire nation.”
Chen Yunxi continued to nod. Observing this, Fang Ping continued, “These are all just small, trivial things. Get a few people from the School of Social Sciences to help deal with it. Tell that bunch of idiots in the School of Social Sciences that if they can’t handle such small matters, they can just go home and be done with it!
“It’s one thing if their martial arts aren’t great, but if they can’t even handle these small things, then why are they still hanging around in MCMAU?
“Of all the Rank-1 martial artists in the existing student body, the School of Social Sciences has the most.
“These idiots don’t even consider that if they can’t improve much in their martial arts, do they think they’d manage to go high up in the world of business and politics?
“In the last few years, those who’ve managed to make it in the sphere of business and politics have been mostly from the School of Weaponry.
“Last time, the School of Social Sciences students said it was because they were never given a chance. Now, missions have been opened to them so credits are easier to earn, and even loans are possible. If they still don’t improve, next semester I’ll consider cleaning up those junior and senior Rank-1 martial artists.”
The look on Chen Yunxi’s face changed, and she said hurriedly, “That won’t be good.”
Rank-1 martial artists were the backbone of every martial arts university, and they made up the largest group of people as well.
In MCMAU, Rank-1 martial artists numbered close to a staggering 4000 people!
Of course, quite a few were sophomores, close to 1500 of them.
In the junior and senior years though, there were still around 2000 Rank-1 martial artists.
If Fang Ping really wanted to carry this out, the school would certainly not approve.
“I’ll leave the other three schools alone for now. You go and have the Martial Arts Society spread the news among the junior and senior students in the School of Weaponry. On the School of Weaponry’s side, there are around 800 students in the junior and senior years. The actual number doesn’t even reach 800, yet they still have close to 300 people in Rank-1 state. That’s so embarrassing.
“I’ll let the other schools be for now, but there are too many people, so if the School of Weaponry continues like this, I’ll be ruthless!”
Fang Ping smiled as he said, “Lion Tang would definitely support me, and there’d be no problem on Instructor Li’s side. As for Dean Huang...when the time comes, fewer people won’t be a problem. Doesn’t he think it’s embarrassing as well?
“The students in the School of Weaponry have the ideal qualifications and conditions, as well as the most missions and resources...
“With all of that, a few years down the road and they still can’t achieve Rank-2. Are we just going to let them stay and be good for nothing?
“Don’t tell me cultivation is hard. It’s hard for everyone, and harder for those in normal martial arts universities, yet those same universities can still produce Rank-3 martial artists. Rank-2 ones aren’t uncommon either. I refuse to believe it’s harder for those in MCMAU than it is for them!”
After this long tirade, Fang Ping looked up at the sky and smiled. “Alright, I’m done. I still have some cultivation matters that I want to ask our instructor about. You shouldn’t delay your own martial arts cultivation either. A martial artist close to being thrice-honed should improve very quickly in the three lower ranks.”
Chen Yunxi displayed signs of awkwardness and did not dare to continue the conversation.
Fang Ping ignored her and went into the villa.
...
By the end of September, news regarding the school’s intention to expel Rank-1 martial artists among the juniors and seniors in the School of Weaponry had spread throughout MCMAU.
In no time, laments from the existing students filled the air.
The new students were bubbling over with joy. Great Devil King Fang had finally turned his attention to the existing students!
In less than a month, the new students had been tormented to near collapse.
Cultivating, doing odd jobs, going to classes, and challenging people on the elite ranking list had practically taken up all of their time.
At night, when they were finally able to sleep peacefully after a hard day, Fang Ping, that son of a b*tch, had actually arranged for people to do nighttime camp ambushes...no, dormitory ambushes!
To put it nicely, this was to train their vigilance and response capabilities.
This matter also had the full support of the dean of the School of Weaponry, Tang Feng.
The reason for this was that previously Fang Ping and the others had gone out to suppress some evil sect martial artists and had nearly been ambushed. Tang Feng thought that it necessary that the new students had more experience with this sort of situation.
That was great. The Grandmasters did not intervene. Now that Tang Feng, a Peak Rank-6 martial artist, was collaborating with Fang Ping, the president of the Martial Arts Society, the exercise became a foregone conclusion just like that.
Now the new students did not dare to sleep at night without being fully dressed for fear that someone would come and break down their doors.
Some of MCMAU’s new female students were even more afraid. They had heard that the Great Devil King Fang liked to punch women on the chest. They were all newbies so if he were to execute a few moves on them, they were afraid they might explode with one punch.
...
The university’s affairs were slowly getting on the right track.
Fang Ping had heard about all the nicknames that the new students had given him behind his back, but he had yet to find the time to deal with them for now.
When he finally had some time to spare, Fang Ping had plans in place to sort the culprits out.
At the end of September, Fang Ping packed a change of clothes, as well as some pills and weapons, and met up with Qin Fengqing in front of the doors to the Martial Arts Society.
In front of the door to the Martial Arts Society.
Qin Fengqing’s force had strengthened considerably. It had been almost two months since he broke through to Rank-4.
A few days ago, he had also built four Celestial Bridges.
Seeing Qin Fengqing’s high-spirited elation, Fang Ping quirked a brow, and smiled as he asked, “Middle-stage Rank-4 now?”
“Not quite, still a tiny bit to go, though perhaps I could say I’ve barely made it there.”
Qin Fengqing’s smile harbored a faint trace of malice. “I’ve built the prototype for the fifth Celestial Bridge already. The next step is to stabilize it, and then, Fang Ping, both of us will be at the same level.”
Building the prototype indicated that Qin Fengqing had actually crossed the threshold into Middle-stage Rank-4.
Because the prototype was not yet stable, however, his status was also not yet stable.
Fang Ping chuckled. “It wasn’t easy. I remember last year when both of us first met at the school gates, you were Rank-3 while I was an aspiring martial artist. Wow, in a blink of an eye, you’ve nearly caught up to me. Amazing!”
Qin Fengqing’s expression instantly turned black!
How those words stung!
Last year when he first met Fang Ping, he was three ranks higher than Fang Ping. Right now, a year later, his status was actually inferior to Fang Ping!
Qin Fengqing’s earlier elation vanished in an instant. He huffed and said, “The path of martial arts can’t be measured by one period of time. Wait till you’ve stopped at Peak Rank-6 for a few decades...”
“Is that so? I can externally exert Mentality, I have bone marrow like mercury, there are none in Rank-3 that could challenge me, and I have unified essence, spirit, and soul. Old Qin, I feel like I might only stay at Peak Rank-6 for a few months, and then I’d become Rank-7. The level of my skull-honing is higher than yours too, so Rank-8 is right at my fingertips.
“Do you really think you can catch up with me?”
“Enough!”
Qin Fengqing’s embarrassment became anger; he snapped, expression thunderous, “Are we leaving or not? You talk too much!”
Fang Ping was so amused he kept smiling and did not provoke Qin Fengqing anymore. The two walked towards the Southern Area. This time, they would be taking the Southern Area’s passageway to the Catacombs.
...
Right after Fang Ping and Qin Fengqing left, a few people came out from the entrance to the Martial Arts Society.
Fu Changding sighed as he watched the two leave.
The others sighed as well. As of now, the level disparity between them could be considered irreconcilable.
Back in the old days, they could all still form a team and carry out missions, but now, the disparity in ranks was too great. If they formed a team, they would just be a burden to each other.
“I hope they’ll come back safely...”
Chen Yunxi uttered a soft prayer. The others did not say a word.
In the Catacombs, life and death were dictated by fate.
There were plenty of Rank-7 and Rank-8 martial artists who entered and never came back, let alone those at Rank-4.