Chapter 112: The Scheme

When Fang Qingyun saw the pearl, a sudden realization dawned upon him.

His rate of advancement was truly remarkable.

Perhaps it was more than just remarkable—anyone else would call it astonishingly fast.

How much time had passed?

In just one or two months, he had leapt from a novice martial artist to an advanced general rank.

In fact, within the advanced generals, he was already nearing the pinnacle.

Including Xiao Hei, they definitely counted among the elite.

This progress came at a tremendous cost.

Every step of power gained had been a brush with death.

Moreover, after each enhancement, he had to engage in intense battles to familiarize himself with his new strength; otherwise, his body would collapse.

Yet, every time, he encountered seemingly insurmountable problems, one after another, which made him feel weak.

In truth, what he needed now was time to consolidate.

As time passed, his strength would gradually become renowned among the human race.

An advanced general was sufficient to guard a region.

By now, the human leadership had probably noticed him.

Even if he did nothing, upon graduation, they would arrange a suitable position for him.

Not to mention, his future was bright.

The human leaders would value him even more.

With his current strength, bolstered by time, he could at least secure a count's territory, and perhaps even a marquisate was within reach.

A sudden sharp knock sounded on the door.

Fang Qingyun frowned and asked, "Who is it?"

"Xi Liuyan," came the low voice.

He opened the door, and under Gu Xi's helpless gaze, welcomed the visitor inside. "What’s the matter?"

"Do you intend to support the Beacon Fortress?" Xi Liuyan asked bluntly.

"Yes," Fang Qingyun replied.

"Why?"

"Why what?" Fang Qingyun was momentarily taken aback. "The front lines have erupted into war. As a member of the human race with sufficient military strength..."

"What do you mean by 'sufficient military strength'? And why does the Beacon Fortress need your support?" Xi Liuyan interrupted again, looking at Fang Qingyun with a strange expression. "Tell me, aren't you being a bit unrealistic?"

"First of all," Xi Liuyan said calmly, "the Beacon Fortress has stood for centuries, and has been resisting the bloodmane beasts for a hundred years without trouble. This war is unexpected, sure, but what does it have to do with you? If the Snake King and the Celestial Phenomena can't handle it, do you really think sending a small force will?"

"You're overthinking it."

"If they truly can't hold, we should evacuate as soon as possible."

"Secondly, if you send some of your strongest warriors, what about the Northwest Military Academy? Do you know how important it is?"

Fang Qingyun was a bit stunned.

Indeed!

The front lines had their own operational methods, with hundreds of thousands of troops and a fully staffed fleet of airships. Why was his first reaction to rush to support the fortress upon hearing about the war?

The more he thought about it, the more it felt wrong. The silver light in his eyes grew even stronger.

Suddenly, he groaned, stumbled, and nearly fell.

Seeing this, Xi Liuyan’s expression changed drastically. "Could it be... damn it! Fang Qingyun, wake up! Remember who you are! Think about your past!"

As Xi Liuyan called out, Fang Qingyun slipped into sleep.

...

Endless darkness.

Fang Qingyun looked bewildered.

How did he suddenly arrive here?

He stepped forward.

He didn’t know why he was moving in this direction, but he had a faint feeling that going this way would lead him to what he sought.

It was a strange place.

Fang Qingyun took a casual step and instantly moved dozens of meters forward.

He quickened his pace, running like the wind.

Even so, he traveled for a long time before a light appeared ahead.

It was a roaring flame, beside which a man was continuously throwing items into the fire, causing the blaze to grow fiercer.

Suspended above the flames was a person being burned.

Fang Qingyun’s eyes widened in shock.

It was himself.

Damn it!

An intense wave of rage surged in Fang Qingyun’s heart.

How dare anyone burn him!

This was outrageous!

"I'll kill you!" he roared, charging at the shadow.

No matter who you are, you deserve to die!

In a daze, Fang Qingyun acted almost on instinct.

The man tending the fire was stunned by the shout and turned just in time to see a massive fist.

"Ugh!"

He grunted, taking the punch and rolling on the ground in pain.

"Kill!"

Fang Qingyun shouted and lunged ferociously.

The man twisted in agony, exclaiming, "Fang Qingyun? Why? How could you be here?"

"Because I’m going to kill you!"

Fang Qingyun pounced, throwing a barrage of wild punches at his face.

The man screamed in pain.

"Back off!"

He bellowed, releasing a powerful gust of energy.

Fang Qingyun was pushed back but surged forward with even greater force.

"No, impossible!" the man shrieked. "How can you have such power in the soul realm?"

"Go ask your father!" Fang Qingyun kicked him in the face.

"Ahhh!!!"

The man screamed miserably, rolled on the ground a few times, then scrambled to flee.

Fang Qingyun gave chase.

After the chaotic fight, he had regained much clarity.

He realized that even though soul energy was restricted in this space, and his body somewhat limited, his strength remained astonishing.

The opponent was strange but clearly no match.

The man ran, Fang Qingyun pursued.

He was closing in fast when suddenly another flame appeared.

By it stood two figures, locked in a strange battle with obscure stances.

When Fang Qingyun approached, both were shocked.

"How is this possible?"

"Fang Qingyun?"

Seeing them, Fang Qingyun’s expression darkened. Though unfamiliar, he had a strong intuition...

Damn these people!

Without hesitation, he swung his fists and charged.

"Stop! You know who I am—ugh!"

"Bang!"

Fang Qingyun punched the man in the face, sending him tumbling like a rolling gourd, then charged at the other.

He even caught the fleeing man, delivering a thorough beating.

"Retreat!"

At last, the three could endure no more. With a loud shout, they all disappeared.

Fang Qingyun felt dizzy and then vanished as well.

...

"Awake!"

A shout rang in his ears.

Fang Qingyun opened his eyes and found himself back in the resting chamber.

"Ugh!"

As soon as he opened his eyes, a splitting headache struck.

"It’s over now," Xi Liuyan’s voice said.

Fang Qingyun looked at him, gritting his teeth. "What happened to me? Damn it, I feel like someone’s plotting against me."

"Your instincts are correct!" Xi Liuyan approached with a complex look. "Your headache and your earlier actions were caused by sabotage."

"Sabotage?"

Fang Qingyun sneered. "You mean a Divine General sabotaged me?"

At his current strength, nearing the peak general rank, only a Divine General could truly lay a trap for him.

"Not a Divine General—a Prophet!"

"What?"

Fang Qingyun’s eyes narrowed.

The Qingyue World centered around martial artists, but many types emerged.

Most valued spiritual energy; some focused on physical strength; others specialized in crafting.

Then there was a class almost separate from martial artists—a unique system.

They were the Prophets.

They could predict and calculate, playing vital roles in warfare.

Some could use their prophetic powers to manipulate warriors, turning them into puppets.

Fang Qingyun’s expression turned icy. "You’re saying a Prophet interfered with me, leading me to make wrong choices?"

"Think about it: after the war broke out, were your decisions the same as usual?"

Fang Qingyun’s face darkened further.

How could they be normal?

After the war began, all he thought about was supporting the Beacon Fortress.

Now, he realized how foolish that was.

Even the Northwest Military Academy itself might be in danger, yet he wanted to pull forces away.

Xi Liuyan continued, "Your case is special. While the Demon and Monster tribes have Prophets, so does the human race. Our strength in Prophets is comparable to theirs, constantly monitoring each other. Somehow, they found a loophole to target you."

Fang Qingyun immediately recalled the three strange figures he encountered in that peculiar space.

The first was clearly not human—it was a member of the Demon tribe.

At the time, caught up in the fight, he barely cared, thinking the Demons deserved to be hit.

The other two were blurred and unrecognizable.

But once they met again, he would certainly identify them.

One’s aura could never be concealed.

"How do I deal with Prophets?" Fang Qingyun asked.

Xi Liuyan said, "Don’t worry too much. For a Prophet to target a warrior is no simple task. With your strength, just be cautious and you’ll be fine."

He explained all the precautions to Fang Qingyun.

Then he looked at him strangely. "You should have just broken free from the Prophet’s attack, but usually people are extremely weak after escaping. Why aren’t you?"

After a moment of silence, Fang Qingyun said, "Teacher Xi, tomorrow lead twenty general-ranked instructors and a thousand elite students to support the Beacon Fortress."

Xi Liuyan immediately understood but hesitated. "Are you sure? And the enemy probably knows you escaped their trap."

If they targeted Fang Qingyun, it meant the Northwest Military Academy was their real goal.

Though they didn’t know who, they knew someone meant harm to the academy. That was enough.

"Not necessarily," Fang Qingyun said gravely. "To avoid detection, they might not dare to communicate en route. Besides, what’s the harm in trying? We won’t lose much anyway."

Still, Xi Liuyan didn’t agree.

At a time like this, to mobilize such a large force—who knew how many enemies would come?

If the Northwest Military Academy suffered, who would take responsibility?

Fang Qingyun sighed softly. "Fine, I’ll show you."

"Show me?"

Xi Liuyan looked at him curiously, unsure what he meant.

Fang Qingyun took a box from his spatial weapon cache.

Opening it, Xi Liuyan’s eyes widened.

"This, this..."

He stared blankly. "Where did you get this?"

"You don’t need to worry about that. Now, do you believe I have enough strength?"

"I do!" Xi Liuyan nodded emphatically. "I’ll talk to Wang Meng and the others. Tomorrow morning, we’ll set out."

Wang Meng and the others were advanced generals and leaders among the instructors.

With their agreement, no one among the teachers would object.

After Xi Liuyan left, Fang Qingyun asked Gu Xi, "How long was I unconscious?"

"Less than ten minutes. We just laid you down, and you woke up."

"Is that so?"

Fang Qingyun looked again at the poison pearl.

He needed more power now.

After arranging things with Gu Xi, Fang Qingyun locked the door, soaked the poison pearl in water, and drank the diluted water in one gulp.

[Essence +1]

[Essence +1]

...

The next day, Fang Qingyun did not appear, but Xi Liuyan led a large contingent of instructors and students to the Beacon Fortress.

Those left behind were dumbfounded.

Last night, Xi Liuyan had been adamant about stopping Fang Qingyun, persuading him not to get involved in the fortress battle. Now, in the blink of an eye, Xi Liuyan had become a traitor?

He was mobilizing twenty general-ranked instructors and a thousand elite students?

Damn it, he was practically pulling away all the top generals and capable students!

Was he not worried about the Northwest Military Academy?

Wang Meng and the other advanced generals explained the Beacon Fortress was under severe strain and needed support.

At the same time, a rumor spread among the instructors.

The Snake King had secretly dispatched experts into the Northwest Military Academy to investigate any internal issues.

This revelation silenced many teachers.

The frontline was indeed urgent.

After confirming this, Xi Liuyan led the troops in a grand departure that afternoon, heading to the Beacon Fortress.

In the blink of an eye, much of the academy’s strongest forces were drawn away.

Those left were mostly students, but few experts.

There remained over a hundred instructors, many at general rank.

The Snake King’s dispatched forces were a surprising element.

The Black Fang Military Academy, here for a friendly match, suddenly became crucial.

Led by Hu Shisong, a peak general, he was well-known not only among humans but also among demons and monsters.

Along with ten general-ranked instructors and over a hundred students—all martial artists, most surpassing the initial ranks and reaching middle ranks above level four—this force was formidable.

This made the remaining teachers uneasy.

Already in a war zone, and now with a strong external force nearby, the atmosphere felt unsafe.

Their resentment toward Fang Qingyun deepened, even turning to hatred.

Hu Shisong found it strange as well.

The Northwest Military Academy was truly unique.

Students running the school was one thing; daring such a move during wartime was another.

The Snake King’s orders? To investigate the school’s problems?

The news had reached him too; it was no secret.

What was there to investigate now?

Still, the massive military draw left him uneasy.

He had the feeling something was about to happen.

Could it really be trouble?

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