Chapter 109: The Dark Night

"I'll take the next round!"

A student from the Northwest Military Academy walked up with a grin. Fang Qingyun glanced at him. Gu Xi immediately whispered, "His name is Tian Ming, a freshman this year. He's quite capable."

"I see."

Fang Qingyun nodded slightly and said to the teacher leading the Black Tooth Military Academy team, "This is also one of our freshmen, a Tier 2 martial artist."

"Oh!"

The people from Black Tooth Military Academy looked noticeably more relaxed. A Tier 2 martial artist? That was indeed the standard for a freshman, and a fairly outstanding one at that. Black Tooth Military Academy had students like that, too. The lead teacher looked at his own students and called out, "Li Xinhe, you go!"

"Yes, sir!"

Two freshmen, both Tier 2 martial artists, fought intensely on the stage, trading blow for blow. However, after the spectacle of Zhao Junhong’s match, this one felt uninspiring. The teacher from Black Tooth kept casting glances at Zhao Junhong. The burly man who had fought earlier was one of the strongest in their academy—a senior student at the peak of Tier 6. Yet, Zhao Junhong had toyed with him. If that was just the vice-president of the student council, how strong would the president be? While it wasn't impossible for a vice-president to be stronger than a president, still...

Many teachers from Black Tooth secretly scrutinized Fang Qingyun. They all felt there was something strange about him. His aura seemed weak, yet it carried an underlying sense of suppression. It was bizarre. This year’s batch of students at the Northwest Military Academy was truly inscrutable.

"Bang!"

At that moment, the two on the stage decided the outcome. Tian Ming paid the price of an injury to knock Li Xinhe off the stage, though he himself was nearly collapsing. A pyrrhic victory! Still, it was a defeat for Black Tooth Military Academy.

The lead teacher glanced behind him and said, "Mu Long, you go!"

"Yes, sir!"

A tall, slim, and handsome student stepped out onto the stage. He looked calm, yet carried an air of natural poise.

"Huh?"

Seeing this student, Fang Qingyun let out a sudden exclamation. He frowned, lost in thought.

"What is it?" Gu Xi asked, looking surprised.

Fang Qingyun didn't answer. Instead, he looked at the Northwest Military Academy students present, suddenly pointed at one, and said, "You, take this round!"

"Me?" The student pointed at his own nose. "President, that guy is a freshman, right?"

"Less talk!" Fang Qingyun’s expression darkened. "If you lose, you're grounded for seven days."

"And if I win?" The student wasn't afraid, asking with a grin. Most of the time, Fang Qingyun was easy to talk to, and the rewards were very generous. This was a rare opportunity; if he wanted to get ahead, he had to seize it.

Sure enough, Fang Qingyun replied, "If you win, I'll reward you with a Tier 3 bullet."

Instantly, countless envious gazes turned toward him. A Tier 3 bullet was expensive; not only could he use it himself, but selling it could fetch several hundred merit points. The president could craft them by hand, and the success rate seemed quite high, so he had been giving out quite a few rewards lately.

"Deal!" The student yelled and charged onto the stage.

The lead teacher from Black Tooth, his expression flickering as he looked at Fang Qingyun, smiled and said, "President, this one doesn't seem to be a freshman."

"He's a sophomore," Fang Qingyun admitted frankly. "If it were freshmen, probably only Zhao Junhong and I could take him on."

The lead teacher’s mouth twitched, and he wisely dropped the subject. Since they had cut off the opponent's two strongest players, some compensation was only fair. It was only right to let the other side field a higher-grade student; both sides felt it was reasonable. Although he was only a sophomore, Liu Yong’s strength wasn't bad—he was a Tier 3 martial artist. He wasn't stupid; the fact that Fang Qingyun had specifically picked him, a sophomore, meant the opponent was definitely not to be trifled with.

"Come on, let me see how strong you are!" Liu Yong’s eyes burned with fire. His fighting spirit was pushed to the limit.

The person opposite him, however, remained calm, as if he felt nothing about facing a sophomore. The fight began!

...

"Bang!"

A figure was kicked away violently. While still in mid-air, blood began to spray.

"Bang!"

The body hit the ground, twitched twice, and went still. Everyone else in the great hall stared straight ahead, holding their breath. The one in a rage—no, it wasn't even a human. It was a member of the Monster race, with a pair of ram horns, cold, sharp eyes, and skin covered in scales.

Most striking was his long, blood-red hair. The commander-in-chief of the Monster front line, Bloodmane!

"A supply point, taken down by a whelp who hasn't even grown his fur yet. Killed everyone, burned everything, looted everything... the entire supply point reduced to ash. It's simply laughable."

Another Monster, who looked quite similar to Bloodmane, stepped forward and whispered, "We deserve death. We are willing to muster our forces immediately and slaughter our way to the Northwest Military Academy."

"Northwest Military Academy..." Bloodmane muttered. "That venomous snake Liu Hen—was this his plan?"

"Probably not!" another Monster said. "According to the intelligence we received, even Liu Hen was surprised by this matter."

Bloodmane said coldly, "Whether it was his plan or not, the fact that the Monster race suffered such a huge loss at the hands of humans—if this gets back to our ancestral lands, none of us will ever be able to show our faces again, because we’ll have no shame left!"

What they truly couldn't accept was the identity of Fang Qingyun and the others. A group of students had defeated one of their legions. And a supply point legion at that. A front-line supply legion represented elite forces. The Monster elite couldn't compare to human schoolboys?

"Commander!" A Monster stepped forward and shouted, "As long as you give the order, we will immediately..."

"Enough with the empty talk!" Bloodmane said impatiently. "Instead of wasting time saying these things, you'd better think of a way to deal with the Northwest Military Academy. Taking it down would be enough revenge. I’m sure the look on Liu Hen's face would be quite something."

A terrifying expression appeared on Bloodmane's face. Taking down the Northwest Military Academy? All the Monsters present looked at each other. Forgive them for their incompetence! They truly couldn't think of any way to take out a martial arts military university. Although it was located on the front lines, the fact that they dared to build a university there, and that it had remained intact for decades, was enough to prove the school's uniqueness. Just like their destroyed supply point, sending a small number of troops was useless, and sending too many...

If you send an army deep into enemy territory, they’ll just swallow you whole.

Bloodmane looked coldly at his subordinates, too lazy to say anything more. Never expect these monsters to actually use their brains. When it came to tactics, he had to rely on himself. Bloodmane closed his eyes to ponder. After a long while, a plan that was somewhat risky, but with a high chance of success, took shape in his mind.

Let's try it! Even if it failed, the losses wouldn't be too great, but if it succeeded, even if they couldn't wipe out the Northwest Military Academy, they could at least cripple it. Bloodmane grinned, revealing teeth that shimmered with a cold luster. After all, my Monster race is stronger than you humans!

...

"Boom!"

With a loud crash, a person flew off the stage and smashed heavily into the ground. Fang Qingyun’s expression was rather ugly. He had overestimated the opponent as much as he could, yet who would have thought this freshman would be this strong? Liu Yong, a powerful student among the sophomores, hadn't even lasted ten moves. It looked like the opponent had held back; otherwise, his side would have lost even faster.

"Haha, much obliged!" The Black Tooth Military Academy people finally turned from gloom to joy, laughing heartily.

"Amazing!" Fang Qingyun smiled slightly and said, "This is..." He scrutinized the opponent carefully, even using his spiritual sense to scan him. Under twenty, very handsome. None of that mattered! The key was the power! This kid had crossed the first threshold of a martial artist; he was now a mid-tier martial artist, a Tier 4. Moreover, he was proficient in many combat skills. He had defeated Liu Yong in eight moves, using two combat techniques, and with great skill. Furthermore, there seemed to be something strange inside his body that made even Fang Qingyun feel a trace of suppression, though it was negligible.

The lead teacher from Black Tooth smiled slightly and gestured to the youth. "His surname is Yin, his name is Yin Ming, the direct grandson of the Duke of Song."

The grandson of a Duke? Fang Qingyun frowned even more. "A Duke's grandson, and only a Tier 4 martial artist?"

For many, Tier 4 might be a lifetime achievement. For geniuses, it required extensive training. But for the pinnacle of human existence, a Duke, raising a direct grandson to Tier 4 was merely the starting point.

The lead teacher smiled slightly. "Naturally, it’s not that simple. Of course, I shouldn't say too much, but I can say this: his combat power is comparable to a General-rank."

Right, understood! Another person with special means. Birth? Check. Talent? Check. Even the looks? Check. The protagonist has arrived! Fang Qingyun thought of himself, then looked at Zhao Junhong... Protagonist? Sorry, you're overthinking it! In front of us, you really don't count as a protagonist; you don't even qualify as a top-tier supporting character.

Seeing the smile return to Fang Qingyun's face, the lead teacher felt inexplicably annoyed.

"Next!"

The challenge proceeded smoothly. Both sides traded victories, with the Northwest Military Academy winning more often. Black Tooth Military Academy wasn't surprised by this. After all, they were on the opponent's home turf, and Zhao Junhong’s first match had been so demoralizing that it had sapped Black Tooth’s momentum. Furthermore, there was another issue everyone was reluctant to admit... the Northwest Military Academy ranked higher than Black Tooth in the martial arts school rankings.

To Fang Qingyun, it felt different. He glanced at Gu Xi. Gu Xi whispered, "Overall, we are stronger because several of our excellent students are not at school, but the other side hasn't necessarily fielded all of theirs either."

Fang Qingyun nodded slightly. It was about what he expected. Overall, the sparring matches were going well. There was one mishap: two students got heated and switched to a desperate mode, fighting until they were nearly ready to die together. Before Black Tooth Military Academy could intervene, Fang Qingyun appeared on the stage like a bolt of lightning.

"BOOM!!!"

At that instant, the entire stage sank by a meter, and dense cracks appeared all over it. The two desperate students seemed to lose their center of gravity, floating in mid-air before crashing heavily to the ground.

"I asked for a friendly spar, not for you to throw your lives away!" Fang Qingyun’s calm voice echoed across the arena.

The lead teacher retracted his step, his expression full of seriousness as he looked at Fang Qingyun. Because of Zhao Junhong, he had guessed that Fang Qingyun must be strong, but he never imagined he would be this strong. Even to him, his vision had blurred, and then Fang Qingyun was on the stage. What made his scalp tingle most was that Fang Qingyun hadn't used any spiritual energy; it was pure physical power. What terrifying violence!

The lead teacher looked at the teachers behind him. Their faces were pale, and they shook their heads slightly. The lead teacher’s gaze tightened as he looked at the teachers from the Northwest Military Academy, finding them all calm, as if this were a matter of course.

"This kid..." At that moment, the lead teacher finally placed Fang Qingyun on an equal footing with himself.

Strength is always the foundation of discourse. As a teacher leading students through battlefield training for a military academy, he naturally possessed immense power. He was at the peak of the General-rank! Even within the entire human race, he belonged to the upper echelon. Humans had a few "Sea-Stabilizing Needles"! Next were the Divine Generals! They represented the pinnacle of humanity. But how many were there in total? The ones truly galloping across the battlefield were the Generals. The peak of the General-rank was the pillar of the human race. The lead teacher was a well-known powerhouse among humans. Yet, facing Fang Qingyun’s burst of power, he felt a powerful pressure. What shocked him most was how young the boy was! Under twenty! Was this defying the heavens?

With that display, the challenge proceeded even more smoothly. Amidst friendly salutes, the Northwest Military Academy led the challenge with a slight advantage, earning the praise of Black Tooth Military Academy.

"What a nuisance!" After taking the Black Tooth group to dinner and dropping them off at the hotel, Fang Qingyun slumped into a chair in frustration.

"What do you expect?" Gu Xi said casually. "You’ll encounter things like this a lot in the future."

"I want to go into seclusion!"

"Before the people from Black Tooth leave, you don't need to think about seclusion," Gu Xi said. "By the way, the vice-president has already gone into seclusion, so you are the only choice, and the most logical one."

Fang Qingyun: "..." That bastard actually ran away that fast?

"By the way, why have there been so many strange auras in the school lately?" Gu Xi frowned. "Some of them are very powerful."

"Oh!" Fang Qingyun looked at Gu Xi with surprise. "You can actually sense them? Not bad!"

"Those are people sent by the Snake King. We just destroyed one of the Monster race's supply points, and the Snake King is worried they won't let it go, so he sent some powerhouses to oversee the Northwest Military Academy."

"Anyway, there won't be a fight on the front lines for a while."

"Is that so..." Gu Xi always felt something was wrong. There won't be a fight on the front lines, so they sent powerhouses to the school? Was it really like that, or did they know something in advance?

"Ugh!" Gu Xi suddenly let out a muffled groan and glared at Fang Qingyun. "This is an office, behave yourself."

"Heh heh, the office is exactly what I wanted. Come here!"

...

At night, a figure stepped out of the office, nimbly avoiding the various sentries of the Northwest Military Academy, and appeared outside the campus. He walked and stopped in a small forest around the academy, seemingly searching for something. Soon, he found his target: three ordinary stones. Such stones were everywhere in the forest.

Yet, this person seemed extremely excited, carefully lifting the stones and digging underneath them. His technique was very special, carrying a rhythmic pattern. Along the way, the figure carefully avoided a few thin wires. Following the wires, he found several grenades. Clearly, anyone unfamiliar with the setup who dug down would trigger the wires, causing the grenades to explode. The contents inside would also be destroyed. Finally, a letter appeared before him. After the man opened it, the content of the letter shocked him. After some hesitation, he took a letter from his own person, placed it into the dug-out hole, restored everything to its original state, and left.