Chapter 31: Advice and Persistence

Chen Fan had single-handedly carved a path right through the Zihong Sect.

Even the grandmaster-level sect master had been defeated.

The pride of the Zihong Sect was utterly destroyed. Although the sect master managed to keep his life, the Zihong Sect could no longer maintain its existence.

In truth, cleaving the Zihong Sect's plaque in half was not a particularly massive deal.

The plaque of the Jiangshan Gate had also been split open.

The issue was that this situation was entirely different from what had happened with the Jiangshan Gate. After all, the grandmaster of the Jiangshan Gate had not personally stepped into the fray; no matter how many Jiangshan Gate disciples Chen Fan had injured, that remained merely a battle between disciples!

However, the Zihong Sect Master had personally entered the arena, and Chen Fan had cleaved the plaque right after defeating him!

What was severed was far more than a mere wooden plaque; it was the ultimate dignity and face of the Zihong Sect!

Originally, Chen Fan’s declaration that the Zihong Sect would be "expelled from existence" was merely something uttered in the heat of the moment during a surge of high emotion.

He had never expected those words to become a prophetic reality!

The Zihong Sect Master, a dignified grandmaster, likely felt utterly humiliated at being publicly defeated by a sixteen-year-old youth and losing all his prestige. On that very day, he closed down the sect entirely and left Yandu City for good.

When the giant tree falls, the monkeys scatter; the foundation of the Zihong Sect vanished in a single day.

The Zihong Sect was truly finished!

Even for a grandmaster, establishing a sect of such scale required an untold amount of energy and time.

There were plenty of grandmasters in Yandu City, but securing a place among the Four Sects and Two Halls was by no means an easy task.

...

White Cloud Dojo.

Accompanied by the remaining disciples, Chen Fan returned to the dojo to rest.

Although the day was still young, Chen Fan did not immediately set off to challenge the next martial arts hall.

After all, engaging in combat with a grandmaster demanded an immense amount of mental and physical pressure from Chen Fan.

He was well aware of the consequences.

Once he displayed his true might and the news spread, the major factions would inevitably adopt different attitudes.

Without a doubt, the Netherworld Gate would immediately elevate his assassination priority level to an unprecedented degree, and other hostile organizations and factions would look upon him with entirely different eyes.

To say nothing of the rest, the disciples of the Jiangshan Gate and the Zihong Sect probably harbored a bone-deep hatred for him.

Yet, he felt no remorse for his actions.

In everything one does, there are principles to uphold and lines that must not be crossed. If a master who had treated him with immense kindness suffered such profound grievances while he possessed the strength to act and yet stood idly by, his state of mind would never be at peace again!

How could he even speak of pursuing the martial way?

"Everyone assumes I have exhausted all my techniques, but in reality, I haven't even unleashed the power of my Primordial Core, let alone the fact that before long, my Primordial Core will break through to the third tier. Furthermore, my two artistic conceptions are constantly progressing in idle mode; with every passing day, my strength continues to rise..."

To prevent the Netherworld Gate and his other enemies from succeeding, all he needed to do was grow at a pace that far exceeded their wildest imaginations.

And he possessed the absolute confidence that he could achieve this!

...

Within a remarkably short span of time after Chen Fan returned to rest, rumors regarding his terrifying strength swept through the entirety of Yandu City like a wildfire.

Every major family and martial sect quickly received the relevant intelligence.

"How is this possible? How could such a monster exist in this world..."

"Sixteen years of age, comprehension of artistic conception, defeating a grandmaster with a sword—has the Martial Academy ever produced anyone this monstrous in all its history?"

Ordinary people aside, even special geniuses endowed with bloodline physiques or even dharma physiques might perhaps rival a grandmaster prior to reaching that realm themselves, but none had ever achieved such terrifying heights at the tender age of sixteen.

How many grandmasters were there in the entire Qinghe County? How many grandmasters existed across the vast Daqian Empire? Yet a sixteen-year-old youth—at an age when his peers were still struggling in the Qi-refining stage—was already capable of defeating a grandmaster.

Among the Four Sects and Two Halls, aside from the Bijing Sect, the remaining two major factions found themselves in an exceptionally awkward position.

All their previous arrogance vanished completely.

They might possess martial dojos whose overall strength vastly surpassed that of the Zihong Sect, but the problem was, facing a sixteen-year-old youth like Chen Fan, would mobilizing their entire forces and winning even carry any meaning?

Would it not still result in total loss of face?

In a duel between disciples, for a senior to personally intervene already carried the stigma of bullying the weak with strength. More terrifyingly, if they were to lose, would they too be forced to abandon Yandu City just like the Zihong Sect Master?

There was another exceptionally crucial factor.

Chen Fan was a disciple of the Bright Moon Tower within the Martial Academy; he was not someone they could casually trample upon at will, and they did not even dare to launch covert attacks rashly.

At this very moment, the master of the Jiangshan Gate felt an immense surge of relief. He was also a seventh-tier martial artist; had he intervened back then and truly suffered defeat at Chen Fan's hands, he could hardly imagine how the Jiangshan Gate could have possibly survived...

...

Just as Chen Fan was resting, a visitor arrived at his doorstep.

"Kid Chen Fan, let it end here. The Shanyun Hall and the Mengzheng Gate did indeed test your White Cloud Dojo previously, but they never took the opportunity to bully your disciples, nor have they encroached upon a single bit of your dojo's interests to this day..."

Chen Fan sighed softly: "Uncle Ye, why must you entangle yourself in this muddy water?"

The visitor was none other than Ye Wushuang, the master of the Bijing Sect!

Following closely behind him was a young girl of thirteen or fourteen years old. Her large, pitiful eyes looked at Chen Fan with an expression of pleasant surprise, shimmering with unshed tears:

"Big Brother Chen Fan..."

"Yunxin..." Chen Fan sighed and nodded slightly toward her.

Ever since Dong Guozhi was heavily injured and fell into a coma, among the Four Sects and Two Halls, only the Bijing Sect had acted with moral integrity. Not only did they refrain from coming to challenge the dojo or seize resources, but they had even provided protection to the White Cloud Dojo disciples and previously sent healing medicinal pills.

They had truly done everything that honor required!

Ye Wushuang stepped forward and let out a sigh:

"You are being far too high-profile; you have already offended more than enough people... It was one thing for the Zihong Sect and Jiangshan Gate to have mediocre strength, but the remaining two halls—the Shanyun Hall and the Mengzheng Gate—are completely different. Even when Master Dong was in perfect health, their strength already surpassed that of the White Cloud Dojo!"

Chen Fan paused, remaining silent.

Ye Wushuang sighed again, his expression extremely complicated:

"You must surely know that the things Master Dong did were no secret. He raised his hand against a prince of the Daqian Empire and suffered grievous injuries; it was simply impossible for him to hold onto this foundation. Even without the probes and pressures from the major martial dojos, the White Cloud Dojo could never have sustained itself... What they did was merely human nature."

How could Chen Fan not understand this? Yet, he merely shook his head: "And yet, the Bijing Sect did not take advantage of the situation to strike."

Ye Wushuang’s expression grew even more complex, tinged with a deep sense of relief: "After all, the relationship between our two families is extraordinary..."

In his heart, he also felt immensely grateful that he had not acted otherwise; otherwise, his Bijing Sect would now be among those tossing and turning in anxiety!

Chen Fan’s current strength might not truly make him peerless across Yandu City, but when coupled with his age, the implications were far too terrifying!

Perhaps Chen Fan could not yet overturn the overarching landscape of Yandu City today, but what about ten years from now? Twenty years from now?

If Chen Fan one day ascended to the tenth tier of the martial way, deciding who lives and who dies would be nothing more than a casual word. Who in Yandu City could possibly stand against him?

Ye Wushuang gazed intently at Chen Fan:

"Although you already possess the combat power of an ordinary grandmaster, it does not mean you are entirely safe. This is not the Martial Academy... Furthermore..."

Being comparable to a grandmaster at the age of sixteen carried implications that were simply too horrifying.

Within the Daqian territory, dragons and snakes intermingled; no one could be certain whether Yandu City harbored spies from hostile nations or even foreign races.

Not to mention that the chaos of the fierce beasts had only just subsided, and Qinghe County had not yet completely stabilized. For Chen Fan to maintain such a high profile naturally meant he would face monumental dangers.

Chen Fan narrowed his eyes, then looked back at Ye Wushuang:

"I understand the reasoning Uncle Ye is explaining. And... if my guess is correct, has one of the remaining two halls approached Uncle Ye?"

Now that he had demonstrated combat prowess capable of rivaling a grandmaster, Chen Fan refused to believe the remaining two factions could continue to sit still!

Ye Wushuang nodded without concealing the truth:

"Your guess is correct. The master of the Shanyun Hall just had a detailed discussion with me. He is willing to offer heavy gifts as compensation, and I hope you can agree to it. After all, the Shanyun Hall is not as excessively aggressive as the Zihong Sect and Jiangshan Gate, and their strength is far beyond what those two can compare to..."

*Just as I thought,* Chen Fan mused inwardly.

With the framework of the Four Sects and Two Halls having been maintained until now, it would have been stranger if the Bijing Sect had no ties whatsoever with any other factions.

He looked at the father and daughter of the Ye family:

"Since Uncle Ye has personally come to intercede, this junior naturally must give you this face. We can let the Shanyun Hall slide, but as for the Mengzheng Gate, I must still pay them a visit."

"You child—"

Ye Wushuang sighed, shaking his head helplessly:

"The Mengzheng Gate is the foremost faction among the upper four sects and two halls, as well as the top-ranked sect in Yandu City. Even though they possess the dignity of a major sect and would never personally lower themselves to enter the arena like the Zihong Sect Master, they boast a vast multitude of gifted disciples..."

Chen Fan remained silent, his eyes narrowing slightly. If the Mengzheng Gate did not send forth a grandmaster, he was entirely confident in sweeping through them with a single sword. Such was his self-assurance.

Ye Wushuang looked at Chen Fan, offering a wry, helpless smile, yet in his heart, he felt a deep sense of approval toward the youth.

Though Chen Fan's actions were impulsive, they stemmed from human loyalty.

Had Chen Fan simply abandoned the White Cloud Dojo, no matter how monstrous his talent might be, Ye Wushuang would have held him in utter contempt.

Seeing that Chen Fan remained silent, Ye Wushuang added:

"You must be extremely cautious. Right now, there is no telling how many people are watching you. You should know about the existence of the special organization known as the Netherworld Gate within Daqian. When you leave Yandu City, come find me, and I will personally escort you back to the Martial Academy!"

Chen Fan had offended far too many people. By displaying such terrifying strength with such a high profile, it was inevitable that he would attract the attention of those with ulterior motives.

How could Ye Wushuang know the limits of Chen Fan's current strength? Nor could he possibly know that the branch master of the Netherworld Gate in Yandu City had already perished at Chen Fan's hands yesterday!

The Netherworld Gate needed time to process the news, and dispatching even stronger operatives would likewise take time.

By the time the Netherworld Gate actually elevated Chen Fan's assassination rating, who knew how much time would have passed? Chen Fan would likely have already returned safely to the Martial Academy by then, so he naturally had nothing to fear.

...

Before long, the apology gift sent by the Shanyun Hall arrived.

It was a medicinal pill—an earth-grade healing pill!

It was none other than the Jade Returning Heaven Pill, a pill Chen Fan had once obtained before.

Holding this medicinal pill, Chen Fan furrowed his brows with a helpless sigh:

"The Shanyun Hall is indeed immensely wealthy, far outstripping the River Mountain Gate, to actually present an earth-grade pill. What a pity that although the Jade Returning Heaven Pill is magnificent, healing is only one of its properties; it might not necessarily cure Master's injuries."

The value of an earth-grade pill vastly exceeded that of an ordinary top-tier precious weapon, and acquiring one was infinitely more difficult.

It was simply a shame that even among healing pills, their therapeutic effects varied vastly.

However, Chen Fan did not harbor any hesitation. After inspecting the pill, he administered it to his master.

Although Dong Guozhi's breathing grew somewhat steadier, he still failed to regain consciousness.

"An ordinary earth-grade pill, while effective for grandmasters, is simply insufficient to awaken Master. Unless it reaches the heaven-grade, or is a specialized earth-grade pill tailored specifically for Master's type of injury..."

Chen Fan let out a long sigh.