November 29th. Various universities gathered at Capital City.
None of them was as brash as MCMAU.
MCMAU’s team provoked First Military School at the airport. MCMAU’s cheerleading team printed a banner that read ‘MCMAU number one’ at the rail station. A luxurious car paved the way, hanging the banner, driving through streets and alleys, making a round in front of CCMAU before making its way back to the hotel.
At this moment, it was as if MCMAU was the city’s home team.
The people from CCMAU were nearly bursting from anger!
...
In the hotel.
Fang Ping grinned. “The provocation is complete. If everyone doesn’t work hard after this, we’ll be in deep trouble. If we get beaten to death we’d probably deserve it.”
Qin Fengqing was unconcerned. “You and Chen Wenlong will die first anyway.”
Fang Ping claimed that his intention was to burn bridges, but he was actually inviting trouble.
They were currently eating in the dining hall. Suddenly, Fang Ping’s expression stiffened and he lowered his head immediately. His condescending and tyrannical demeanor earlier was gone.
Outside the dining hall, Chen Yunxi had her arms hooked around Chen Yaoting’s, saying joyously, “Grandpa, weren’t you staying in another hotel? What brings you here?”
“I asked for a change. South Capital will be staying here as well. I’m mainly here to see you, my Chen family princess. Since when did you become a cheerleader?”
“Grandpa, don’t say that. We can’t participate in the competition, but we can cheer for Fang Ping and the guys. That’s pretty nice too.”
“Why am I not seeing you cheering for SCMAU?”
“Grandpa, I’m from MCMAU...”
“Grandpa regrets it a little now.”
Chen Yaoting sighed, lamenting his decision to send his granddaughter to MCMAU. She probably should have stayed in South Capital.
As they were speaking, both grandfather and granddaughter walked into the dining hall.
“Fang Ping!”
Chen Yunxi yelled. Fang Ping lowered his head as far as it could go, not replying. He sunk his head and gorged his meal.
Not only Fang Ping, but the nitpicker Qin Fengqing was also gobbling up his food right now, his head low, not saying a word.
Zhang Yu smiled and responded on their behalf. When Chen Yaoting made his way over, a few of them quickly stood up and bowed.
Fang Ping and Qin Fengqing pretended like they had not seen anything, still burying their faces in their meals.
“Fang Ping, Brother Qin...”
Fang Ping looked like he had just heard her and lifted his head blankly. Then, he said, “Yunxi, don’t take it personally. Qin Fengqing’s only a little bit foul-mouthed. All he did was pick on you a little. There’s no need to call on Vice-chancellor Chen to take revenge, right?”
Chen Yunxi looked confused; Qin Fengqing coughed violently!
Motherf*cker. I knew nothing good would come out of this.
Chen Yaoting looked slightly hostile now. He darted a look at Qin Fengqing, then stared at Fang Ping.
Fang Ping quickly said, “Yunxi, Vice-chancellor Chen, we still need to go back and cultivate, to prepare for the competition. Can’t keep you company, I’m afraid. We’re leaving now. We can talk next time!”
As soon as the words left his lips, both Fang Ping and Qin Fengqing ran at blinding speed, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Zhang Yu and the rest were caught between laughter and tears. They gave a sincere bow before leaving the dining hall.
Once they had left, Chen Yunxi pouted and glared at her grandfather. She said softly, “Grandpa, you’ve frightened them away.”
Chen Yaoting was mentally and emotionally tired. ‘Did I say anything?
‘These two little brats had a guilty conscience, so why am I blamed for this?’
He did not respond to his granddaughter. After they found a place to sit, Chen Yaoting said, “Go and visit your brother later. He’s really tensed up recently. Offer him some words of comfort.”
“Mm. I will.” As she said that, Chen Yunxi felt anxious. “Grandpa, what if SCMAU faces MCMAU in the first round?”
Chen Yaoting’s expression was somewhat menacing. He grunted softly, “Then we’ll fight them without reservation!”
“But you can’t beat them.”
“Yunxi!”
Chen Yaoting’s anger was rising. ‘Who are you siding with?
‘How do you know we can’t beat them?
‘Your grandpa is the vice-chancellor, your brother the president of the Martial Arts Society. Your words hurt, you know.’
Chen Yunxi noticed that her grandfather was unhappy, and whispered, “If they really run up against each other, why not... I’ll convince them to go easy on South Capital for two rounds. Otherwise, if they win five rounds consecutively...”
“You... You are really getting influenced by MCMAU!”
Chen Yaoting was devastated. What had become of his precious granddaughter who had been led astray!
If he had known that this was MCMAU’s trend, he would never have sent his granddaughter to MCMAU.
Chen Yunxi zipped her mouth. ‘Grandpa loses his temper too easily these days. I’m only saying the truth. They’ll really make a clean sweep.’
Her second brother had just achieved Upper-stage Rank-4. Everyone else in SCMAU was Early and Middle stages. It was only her second brother alone who was an Upper-stage.
If they ran up against Chen Wenlong or Fang Ping, Qin Fengqing even, they would be defeated.
Despite his heartache, Chen Yaoting was somewhat stressed too.
MCMAU’s ability was not weak.
Two Peak Rank-4, two Upper-stage Rank-4, one Middle-stage Rank-4.
If they ran up against MCMAU, South Capital would be goners.
“No matter what, we must preserve the title as one of the top ten elite universities. I hope we won’t run up against them in the first round.”
Chen Yaoting sighed softly. Prodigies and outstanding talents had been snatched away by a few elite universities. Although South Capital was not considered weak, its inside information was still very much lacking compared to universities like MCMAU.
This year, the outside world reported that MCMAU was deteriorating. With the current situation, though, how could this be? Their ability was still extremely powerful.
“That kid Fang Ping progresses really fast.”
The old man sighed with regret once more. How many days had it only been?
Peak Rank-4 now!
...
Fang Ping did not know what happened in the dining hall after they left.
All he knew was that South Capital had switched to the hotel they were staying at.
At the very thought that they may have an extended stay here, and that he had to face his debtor Chen Yaoting every day, Fang Ping’s head started throbbing.
It was unlikely that the old man would beat him to death.
During the competition period, the probability of Chen Yaoting laying his hands on Fang Ping was very low.
What worried him was... Chen Yaoting coming up to his doorstep to claim his debt!
He, Fang Ping, was someone who cared for his reputation. However, the main point was that this debt was hard to pay off. Where on earth could he find half a heart essence?
...
The entire hotel was currently accommodating a total of three martial arts universities.
MCMAU, SCMAU, and Magic City Women’s University.
In the afternoon, Fang Ping and the rest took a walk around. Fang Ping had seen South Capital’s team. Their ability was only so-so.
The strongest, Chen Haoran, was only an Upper-stage Rank-4. Moreover, he had just broken through not long ago, his Qi rather superficial. Rumor had it that only after Yao Chengjun challenged South Capital’s instructors last time did Chen Haoran enter the Catacombs, breaking through in there.
An Upper-stage Rank-4, two Middle stages, two Early stages.
For others, an ability like this was really powerful.
For Fang Ping and the rest, however, this group was no big deal.
As for Magic City Women University, three of the Rank-4 martial artists were all Early and Middle stages. There was no Upper-stage Rank-4.
As for the remaining ones, they were all Peak Rank-3 martial artists.
An ability like this, as said earlier, was really powerful in the eyes of others, though insignificant in the eyes of MCMAU.
However, when they bumped into the Magic City Women’s University team, there was a commotion.
Qin Fengqing seemed to have run into trouble.
Fang Ping, who had a bad reputation in the outside world, did not encounter any problems.
Despite that, it was Qin Fengqing who was being glared at with killer eyes by a few ladies in front of them.
Fang Ping instantly tried to connect the dots: perhaps they were seduced and abandoned, love-hate relationship, unbreakable old love...
In the end, Fang Ping’s guesses were all wrong.
MCWU’s female leader was fuming. When she saw Qin Fengqing, she scowled at him and snarled, “Qin Fengqing, you have quite the guts to show your face!”
Qin Fengqing was at a loss, looking very surprised. He did not look like he was faking it at all, asking incredulously, “You know me? I’m so famous now?”
“You bastard!”
A few female martial artists nearly spat blood in contempt!
Who would not know a bastard like you!
One of the ladies who looked slightly younger shouted furiously, “Go on, keep pretending! Last time, in the Catacombs, we did not provoke you, but you went and attracted more than ten monsters to chase after us. You call yourself a man?”
Qin Fengqing was bewildered. He was speechless. “Don’t accuse me. I have never done anything like this.”
“You’re still pretending!”
The leader was utterly flustered and exasperated. “It happened this January. We nearly died. More than ten monsters just around The Grinder. If it was not for our instructors who saved us just in time, we would’ve been dead!”
Qin Fengqing scratched his head in puzzlement. Seriously?
Making his escape whilst shepherding monsters... This was not the first time he had done this.
He had done it many times. The incident when he was with Fang Ping was not a first for him. He was experienced in this.
However, he usually ran very far and almost never bumped into human martial artists.
He had never gone anywhere near The Grinder, did he?
After pondering for some time, Qin Fengqing could hardly recall a thing. He had no intention to, anyway. He settled with giving a half-hearted reply, “Be glad that you’re not dead. Why take it to heart?”
His words infuriated a few of them; they would like nothing more than to hack him to death on the spot.
Easy for you to say!
Qin Fengqing chuckled. “Take it as toughening yourselves, hmm? Whether this is true or not, all that matters is that you’re not dead. Honestly, you should thank me. Have you ever experienced anything like that before?
“Isn’t it exciting?
“It awakens your hidden potential!
“More than ten monsters. If it is true that I led them to you, then I’m sure that you were all experiencing it for the first time.
“There aren’t many monsters around The Grinder, really. Experiencing a big scene like that strove all of you to work hard and become stronger. Right now you’ve achieved Rank-4, breaking into the top twenty, am I right?”
Surprisingly, Qin Fengqing’s specious reasoning had stopped the ladies from berating him.
Fang Ping was completely dumbfounded. So, what he said was true?
Qin Fengqing’s really something!
He had truly stepped up his deception game!
Qin Fengqing continued, “If I meet you in the first round, don’t worry, I will go easy on you. I’m not like Fang Ping. I don’t hit women’s chests...”
Fang Ping rolled his eyes, dragging him away at once.
He always knew that it was embarrassing to walk with this guy.
...
When they had returned to their rooms, Fang Ping and the rest gathered and chatted idly for a bit.
The lots had not been drawn, so they had no idea who they would meet in the first round. There was no need to perform any strategic planning or intelligence analysis for now.
A few of them simply talked for a bit before returning to their respective rooms to rest.
The competition was at hand; none of them had the mood to wander outside.
...
There was nothing to say the entire night.
The second day, everyone woke up early.
The drawing of lots and the upcoming competition were both carried out in CCMAU.
It was originally intended to be at the Capital City Bird’s Nest.
At the end, perhaps CCMAU had rolled up something from their sleeves, for the venue was changed to CCMAU. This had Fang Ping cursing without end in his heart.
They claimed the championship interrupted MCMAU instructors’ and students’ cultivation, but it would not interrupt CCMAU’s?
The government clearly wanted to give both parties a fair go... No, this was not even fair. They were clearly siding with CCMAU.
After leaving the hotel, Huang Jing and the rest were still nowhere to be seen.
Since their arrival yesterday, they had been missing. No one knew if they had gone to CCMAU or somewhere else.
This time, Ling Yiyi did not come, neither did Han Xu. The one who came to fetch them was a CCMAU student whom most people were not acquainted with.
Others might not know him well, but Fang Ping was very much acquainted with this particular guy.
Upon seeing the person who came, Fang Ping was astonished!
“Ah Xiang, how dare you show your face!”
Fang Wenxiang did not utter a word. Han Xu had told him that this was a quest for heart-honing.
Powerhouses needed string hearts too!
If you could not even stand Fang Ping’s criticism, sarcasm, and cutting remarks, then your martial arts heart was not refined enough.
Last night, the Martial Arts Society had a meeting overnight—discussing who should be in charge of getting them.
Han Xu debated with a strong sense of righteousness; Fang Wenxiang eventually raised his hand and volunteered to get them.
A heart-honing journey!
“Ah Xiang, do you still remember the debt you owe me?
Fang Ping patted Fang Wenxiang’s shoulder. How unexpected. Fang Wenxiang actually turned up alone.
Fang Wenxiang did not respond, motioning for them to get on the bus.
Seeing that Fang Ping was pressing down on him and stopping him from getting on the bus, Fang Wenxiang said calmly, “I’m not a championship member. If you lay a finger on me, you should know that there are patrolling Grandmasters in Capital City right now.”
Fang Ping offered a faint smile. “I won’t lay a finger on you. Would you still be able to pay your debts if I break you?
“I’m just trying to remind you that you’re the first person who owes me.”
During the previous championship, Fang Ping had taken a pill, yet Fang Wenxiang raised the white flag, making his escape and stopping the fight. He had caused Fang Ping to waste a Rank-1 Vitality Pill.
Fang Ping had vowed to himself at that time that he would claim this debt from Fang Wenxiang whenever he saw him.
Fang Wenxiang turned a deaf ear. ‘If you say that I owe you, so be it. I’m just here to hone my heart.
‘As for beating me up... I have a Grandmaster at home too.’
Fang Ping seemed to have read his mind. He grinned. “My instructor is breaking through. When that happens, both instructor and student will go up to your doorstep and get the debt back. My instructor will handle Old Fang while I will take care of you.”
Old Fang was Lu Fengrou’s old enemy.
Fang Ping was not too sure of the reason they became enemies.
Whatever it was, if they met, Lu Fengrou would hunt him down. If she could not beat him, then she would bring her ex-husband along to frighten him. Old Fang felt wronged as well. He had to make use of the opportunity to go to MCMAU when Lu Fengrou was not around.
Fang Wenxiang’s face collapsed slightly. The heart-honing was not going well.
He cursed in his heart for some time. The instructor and student duo were ruthless.
When his grandfather spoke of Lu Fengrou, he would vent in exasperation. The old man thought that he had been wronged. He barely said anything, yet was being hunted for years.
Strictly speaking, though, he was not entirely faultless.
Old Fang felt that what he did was no big deal. Everyone had gotten used to it.
Lu Fengrou’s daughter died in the Catacombs and she became deranged. The old man had only blurted out one sentence—So what if you lost a daughter? Great. Just like that, he had pissed Lu Fengrou off.
In Old Fang’s defense, what he said was not a big deal to others. Last time, Tian Mu even berated Zhang Tao, the Minister of Education Ministry. “So what if you lost a son?” Zhang Tao did not react like it was a big deal either.
All he could say was that male and female martial artists were different.
For this matter, he could only admit defeat.
For the sake of her daughter, Lu Fengrou had fallen out with Wu Kuishan awfully. Saying those words as an outsider and getting hunted did not seem too surprising, though.
Right now, Fang Ping was making things up, insisting that he owed him pills. Fang Wenxiang thought he was being wronged as well.
‘To hell with you. You took pills but could not hack anyone. Why was this debt added to my account?’
‘You expect me to stand there and let you cut me down?’
This was completely unreasonable.
Fang Ping could not care less. He put his arm around Fang Wenxiang and got on the bus together. He chuckled. “Ah Xiang, you’re progressing rather slowly now, only entering Middle-stage Rank-3. You seem to be slightly slower than Zhao Lei and the rest, much worse than Han Xu. It seems like CCMAU’s education is only so-so. Why don’t you consider transferring to MCMAU?”
Fang Wenxiang was silent.
“You have a Grandmaster grandfather, yet you actually turned out this way. You’re worse than Chen Yunxi. Don’t you think something’s wrong?”
“CCMAU’s environment isn’t so conducive, adopting a personal nurturing system. Look, why is Han Xu improving faster than you? Is it because he’s a thrice-honed?
“The truth is... exactly that. Because he had done it thrice and you only did it twice, CCMAU gave up on you.
“MCMAU, though, is different. If you attend MCMAU, we will never give up on anyone.
“If you had attended MCMAU, you might have been an Upper-stage Rank-3 by now.
“Besides, we share the same surname. We’re a family five hundred years ago. Right now, I’m the president of the Martial Arts Society. However, once I break through to Grandmaster before I graduate, I won’t continue to serve as the president. I think highly of you. Come to MCMAU and I will let you take over!”
Fang Wenxiang opened and closed his mouth, itching to curse!
‘Are you f*cking teasing me?’
“Don’t look at me like that. I’m serious. Rank-5 is within reach. Half a year at most and I’ll be a Rank-6! After achieving Rank-6, I’ll seal the door of sanjiao, then achieve Peak straightaway. Not only that, but I’ll also be a Peak Rank-6 powerhouse with unified Mentality and Vitality. In three to five months, I’ll become a Grandmaster. From start to finish, it’ll take only a year!
“When the time comes, I would’ve just entered junior year. You can take on the role of the president of the Martial Arts Society in junior year. Are you still unhappy with that?
“Honestly, there are so many people in CCMAU, yet I favor you alone. Did you see me approaching Han Xu? Or Ling Yiyi?
“Why did I approach you alone?
“You’re suppressed by others in CCMAU, are you not aware of that?
“Moreover, right now my instructor and your grandfather have fallen out with each other. This is not a good thing either. As the younger generation, I think we are responsible for putting an end to this and burying the hatchet.
“Once you become the president of the Martial Arts Society, you will be a part of MCMAU. We’ll be a family.
“When the time comes, will my instructor set herself against her own people?
“Ah Xiang, you should consider it. In CCMAU, Han Xu is most certainly taking over Li Hansong. What about you?
“If you come to MCMAU, unless you’re not confident that you can beat Zhao Lei and the lot... Otherwise, I don’t have any biased opinions, and there is no issue with you becoming the president.
“You’re a true man. Are you really willing to be positioned underneath others your whole life?”
Fang Wenxiang said dully, “You, a Grandmaster? You’re not playing a joke on me?”
“Why? You don’t believe me? If I become a Grandmaster before I graduate, I won’t ask for much. Just give half of your Fang family’s possessions to me. How’s that sound?”
Fang Wenxiang zipped his mouth and made no reply.
“Go and consider it. You’ll play the role of an insignificant nobody in CCMAU. Why not attend MCMAU and wield power? Think about it.
“I’ll advise you now. When I win the championship this time, I won’t tell you again. It’s up to you whether you want to come or not. We don’t lack any martial artists prodigies in the future anyway.”
Fang Wenxiang started mulling it over.
Beside him, Qin Fengqing and the rest stared at the roof of the bus. This idiot. Did he really believe it?
If you had the guts to transfer to MCMAU, do you believe that the guys from CCMAU would spare your life?
Even if they did not beat you to death, after coming to MCMAU, you would live under Fang Ping’s wings. Fang Ping could knead him into any shape he wanted
Even so... If he had truly fooled CCMAU’s prodigy into transferring... That would be undoubtedly entertaining.
MCMAU would most certainly accept!
There was no need to think about it. If Fang Wenxiang truly transferred, Fang Ping would definitely use the opportunity to promote the university. This would cost CCMAU dearly.
Their genius martial artist transferring to another university... This would be a serious issue.
The bus was still driving.
On the bus, the atmosphere seemed somewhat awkward.
The driver was also from CCMAU. At this moment, the driver’s breathing became shallow. Something terrible was about to happen!
The misfortunes of MCMAU. Right now, it was no longer a matter of just provoking, they were actually enticing!
As it happened... their own university’s genius seemed to be tempted.
The driver wanted to say something but sensed a wave of piercing Qi. He broke out in cold sweat, afraid to speak his mind.