Chapter 111: Reinforcements

Alarm!

The alarm at the Northwest Military Academy blared. In the silence of the deep night, the entire academy erupted into action like a volcanic eruption. Countless formidable auras surged across the school grounds. Teachers moved with lightning speed, fully equipped and reporting to their wartime posts. Students were already dressed and armed, waiting for orders. Senior students had formed battalions, patrolling the perimeter.

The Black Tooth Military Academy representatives, who had not yet departed, watched this scene with twitching lips. Was this what it meant to be a martial arts academy on the front lines? Their speed was on par with the regular army. Because they were an all-martial-artist school, their mobilization was even more efficient. Good heavens, they had only just finished preparing themselves. Was it really necessary for them to be this competitive?

Fang Qingyun, along with Xi Liuan and other high-ranking martial artists, stepped into the council hall.

"What happened?" the teachers asked, turning their gaze toward them.

"The war has begun!"

On his way there, Fang Qingyun, as the student body president, had already received the information. "The demon race has mobilized a massive army to attack the Beacon Fortress!"

Upon hearing this, the hall erupted into chaos.

"Those damn bastards!"

"They actually dare to attack the human race? Wasn't the lesson we taught them last time enough?"

"It has been a long time since we fought; my blood is starting to run cold."

"Kill the demons!"

The teachers roared with excitement. This scene caused the Black Tooth representatives to break into a cold sweat again. Is this the right reaction to have at a time like this? The demon race is stronger than humans overall—shouldn't you be cautious?

Even Fang Qingyun was somewhat baffled. Hadn't Xi Liuan said these teachers were the ones who had been "washed out"? They were supposedly expelled by the Snake King for being afraid of the battlefield, but because their strength wasn't bad, they were kept on as teachers to avoid wasting them. But looking at them now—rolling up their sleeves, eyes gleaming, acting like they were high on stimulants and ready to charge at any moment—you tell me they were sent here because they were afraid of war? Bullshit!

Xi Liuan and the other high-ranking generals were also stunned. Something was very wrong. They didn't realize that although these teachers had developed a fear of war later in their careers, they had fought extensively in their early days. Who could reach the rank of General without seeing blood and fire? They had been suppressed for too long in the academy; having been away from the battlefield for so long, they were restless. Simply put, their pent-up frustration had changed their mindset. Now, upon hearing of war, they felt nothing but excitement. They missed the scent of gunpowder and blood.

"Ahem!" Fang Qingyun coughed, silencing the hall. He was about to speak when he paused, frowning. What were these expressions? Why were they looking down at him?

"President!" one teacher said dismissively. "Don't bother commanding right now. This is a time for those who have actually been to the battlefield."

"Heh!" Fang Qingyun gave a cold, mirthless smile. "Everyone, it seems you look down on me. Shall we spar?"

*Swish!*

Xiao Hei appeared, its cold, dark eyes fixed on the teachers.

"Who's first?" Fang Qingyun turned his gaze directly toward Xi Liuan and the other high-ranking generals. The generals immediately looked elsewhere; one even started whistling. This summoned beast was a total bug! As long as one had spiritual energy, they could summon it. If it weren't for the fact that he could only summon one at a time, Fang Qingyun would be an entire demon beast army by himself.

"Hmph!" Fang Qingyun snorted. "You'd best behave. Don't think that just because you've seen a few battles, you can look down on me. Let me tell you, the number of people I've killed is not necessarily fewer than yours."

The City of Chaos. The demon supply point. These two feats alone gave Fang Qingyun the confidence to face anyone. "What else do you want to say? Xiao Hei, attack!"

"Roar!" With Xiao Hei's thunderous roar, the teachers lowered their heads.

The Black Tooth Military Academy members watched in astonishment. A summoned beast? Is this guy the protagonist? Yan Yunfei, the team leader of Black Tooth, watched Fang Qingyun's expression shift repeatedly. Even Yin Ming, who always wore a calm smile, had his expression slightly stiffen.

"First," Fang Qingyun said calmly, "according to wartime regulations, once war breaks out, all military personnel and official martial artists in the theater are conscripted. Therefore, everyone from Black Tooth Military Academy officially joins us."

Yan Yunfei nodded. "That is only natural."

"Good. Secondly, the demon race seems to want to fight a total war this time..."

"A total war?" Yan Yunfei interrupted, his voice filled with unconcealable shock.

"Yes!" Fang Qingyun didn't blame him; he was just as shocked. Since the Prime Minister of the Heavenly Kingdom, one of the supreme human powerhouses, used supreme power seventy years ago to severely wound a demon sovereign and drive the demons out of the Cloud Continent, the war had effectively ceased, limited only to regional skirmishes.

"Is the intelligence accurate?" Yan Yunfei asked again.

Fang Qingyun nodded slightly. "It is said that Blood Mane, one of the twelve Storm Heroes of the demon race, has mobilized the entire force of the 'Beast's Gaze' fortress and summoned a demon Duke to pressure the Beacon Fortress."

Everyone in the room fell silent. Blood Mane, one of the twelve heroes of the demon race, held a status above a Duke—equivalent to a human Prince. Even powerful marshals like the Snake King and Xiang Tian did not rank above him. His strength was among the top tier of Divine Generals. He was one of the most elite figures in the demon race. If he summoned a Duke, could this possibly be a tentative attack?

A teacher asked, "Why now? Could it be..." He subconsciously glanced at Fang Qingyun, leaving the rest unsaid.

Fang Qingyun shook his head. "It won't be because of a supply point. How significant are the twelve heroes? Even if the Beast's Gaze were lost, he might not even care." Everyone nodded silently. Fang Qingyun, a student, had destroyed a supply point under the command of the front-line commander, which was embarrassing for Blood Mane, but surely not enough to warrant such a large-scale military mobilization.

"Furthermore," Fang Qingyun said calmly, "due to the actions at the Beast's Gaze, a chain reaction has occurred. With the Beast's Gaze and the Beacon Fortress as the center, other surrounding armed forces have begun to mobilize."

"Sigh," Xi Liuan sighed. "The entire Ming Continent is in chaos."

Blood Mane's consolidation of the Beast's Gaze's forces was directly affecting surrounding military power. The influence was spreading across the entire continent. This was only natural; if the surrounding forces didn't act, the humans opposing them might secretly dispatch powerhouses to reinforce the Beacon Fortress, leaving Blood Mane in danger. Even demons who held grudges against Blood Mane dared not be negligent. If a Divine General slipped past them to reinforce the fortress, Blood Mane would be in dire straits. If a powerhouse of Blood Mane's level fell, the demons would lose significant territory. The demons had more powerhouses than humans, but they had to garrison four continents, while humans had only three—and one of them was the newly occupied Cloud Continent. It was precisely because the demon powerhouses were so scattered that the humans had found their opportunity.

"What do we need to do?" a hot-tempered teacher shouted. "Reinforce the Beacon Fortress?" This was one of the high-ranking generals.

Fang Qingyun nodded slightly. "We do need to provide some support, but we cannot ignore the safety of the Northwest Military Academy."

The teacher was taken aback, as were the others. They hadn't even considered reinforcing the Beacon Fortress. The battle there was intense, but the Northwest Military Academy was equally important; it was the future of the front lines. The academy provided a steady stream of fresh blood to the Beacon Fortress. This was the reason Xiang Tian might leave the fortress soon. There were too many Northwest Military Academy officers on the front lines, all students of the Snake King. And yet, Fang Qingyun was suggesting they reinforce the fortress...

"President!" Xi Liuan frowned. "I must tell you seriously that the Northwest Military Academy is of the utmost importance!"

Just like the supply point Fang Qingyun had taken—if the front line came under attack, would that supply point send troops to support them? No, because they were essential themselves.

"Don't worry!" Fang Qingyun stood up. "Everyone, please prepare for battle and await orders."

Many people frowned deeply. He was actually going to fight?

A teacher asked bluntly, "What if something happens to the Northwest Military Academy?"

Fang Qingyun's response was equally blunt: "That is not for you to worry about. A day from now, the high-ranking officers will meet here. Everyone else, stand by!" He turned and left.

"What an attitude!" a teacher roared. The student council managed the students and the school, but they couldn't let Fang Qingyun run wild on such a major issue. Students could manage students, but they had no authority to decide on matters of war! Nearly ninety percent of the teachers signaled their stance to the high-ranking officers.

"Don't worry," the high-ranking officers said. "If the President really does this, we will definitely stop him."

As he walked back, Fang Qingyun began to increase his points.

[Origin - 200]
[Origin - 200]
[Spirit + 1]
[Spirit + 1]
...

Fang Qingyun continuously added points to his Spirit. He needed to be calmer; he needed more room to think. He needed to deploy for the current situation as soon as possible. He was already beginning to show signs of being able to multitask. However, something that made Fang Qingyun frown happened: once his Spirit exceeded 40, each additional point cost 300 Origin points. It was getting more expensive! But he had no choice.

Fang Qingyun focused his mind and continued adding points.

[Origin - 300]
[Origin - 300]
Finally!
[Spirit: 50]
[Origin: 6295]

When his Spirit reached 50, Fang Qingyun's mind became crystal clear. It was as if he had gained another soul that was constantly helping him think. At the same time, his eyes rolled back, and the massive mental power caused him to lose control.

"Ugh!" Fang Qingyun groaned and clutched his head. After a long while, amidst the sounds of people calling his name, he gasped and regained his composure. A patrolling inspector looked at him anxiously. "President, what's wrong? Hold on, I've already called for help."

"Called who?" Fang Qingyun spoke. His voice was hoarse but steady. "Just mental exhaustion, a bit dizzy."

"Men, mental exhaustion?" The inspector was stunned. The next moment, his expression changed drastically because Fang Qingyun looked at him. That one glance made the inspector tremble, freezing him in place.

"What's wrong?" Fang Qingyun asked, surprised. "Am I that scary?"

"No, I, this..." the inspector stammered.

Fang Qingyun snapped, "Speak!"

"Yes!" The inspector stood straight. "Pre, President, your eyes are flashing with silver light!"

Fang Qingyun was stunned. What did that mean? He drew the inspector's sword and looked at his reflection. Sure enough, a silver light flashed in his eyes from time to time. This was... mental power? Because he had increased it too much at once, he couldn't control it?

After a moment's thought, Fang Qingyun said calmly, "A minor issue with my cultivation, don't worry about it!" He turned and left.

The inspector stared at his back, muttering, "Cultivation? Can cultivation make your eyes look that cool? As expected of the President, he's incredibly cool!"

Upon entering his office, Fang Qingyun told Gu Xi, who had rushed over, "I need to think about some things. I'll be out in two hours. No one is to disturb me."

Gu Xi nodded immediately. "Understood!"

Fang Qingyun stepped into the inner chamber. He was anxious. He needed to increase his strength as quickly as possible. Now that they were in wartime, he felt his power was insufficient. If he had the strength of a Divine General, he could go to the Beacon Fortress immediately. He could change the situation there. But he wasn't. Not only was he not, he was still far from being a Divine General.

In fact, Fang Qingyun's strongest attribute was his physical body; in terms of spiritual energy, he had no standing in this school! He was merely a Fourth-Stage martial artist! In the Northwest Military Academy, he might not even make the top three hundred. Qin Xiangjun had told him that reaching Divine General through physical strength was extremely difficult. Although he had the system, Fang Qingyun estimated that the required Origin points would be astronomical. Ascending from General to Divine General would require a qualitative change. When his spirit reached 50, he still didn't have that feeling, which meant he likely needed even more points—60? Or 70! Moreover, it probably wasn't just one attribute; he likely needed all attributes to be raised to an extremely high level.

"Strength, strength, I need strength!"

Fang Qingyun took out a bead. It was the poison bead he had obtained! To increase his strength quickly, Origin points were the best choice. He had been battling with Xi Liuan for three days, and his control over his body had gradually stabilized; he could handle another boost. This time, he needed to focus on spiritual energy.