Chapter 259: We Walk Different Paths Despite Having the Same Goal

　　Vajra Punch was a middle-ranked combat technique, but it was not one created by modern martial artists.

　　It was an ancient fist combat technique. Rumor said that it was passed down from a Buddhist sect thousands of years ago, being created by a Buddha from that era.

　　Of course, it was only that–rumors. In the eyes of the modern people, the so-called Buddhas or whatever were just powerhouses advancing to Grandmaster-level.

　　Vajra Punch was a technique that necessitated the union of one’s bodily actions, speech, and thought–or rather, in Taoist terms, one’s essence, spirit, and soul.

　　This was a middle-ranked technique that many upper-stage Rank-3 martial artists learned, as it worked as a big push toward Peak Rank-3.

　　“Vajra, a being with a murderous gaze. Even Buddhas can be angered too…”

　　Fang Ping read the materials. Vajra Punch was all about straightforward ferocity. It was indeed a technique that was firm and fierce at the same time; one’s ferocity and decisiveness were needed in its application. It spoke of landing a punch that was as indestructible as diamonds with an earth-shaking momentum.

　　Fang Ping made a comparison between Vajra Punch and Manic Explosion after reading the former’s manual for a while.

　　The power behind both techniques depended on the user’s might. Manic Explosion was not an aggressively straightforward technique, actually; there were quite a few intricacies behind it. Putting out combo moves while accumulating the burst of force was something difficult to master.

　　It was not the same for Vajra Punch. It was more about one’s bearing.

　　“With my unshakable front, I’ll demolish you, no matter how strong you are!”

　　Fang Ping muttered. He suddenly rose just to assume a stance. He growled ferociously and punched!

　　Boom!

　　The sound of air bursting could be heard. The house seemed to shake.

　　Despite that, Fang Ping shook his head. “I still can’t seem to put out a collective punch. If I could, the power of this punch won’t be so feeble.”

　　Of course, it was also because he had not fully understood the manual.

　　It was natural that his first attempt will be flawed.

　　“My mentor’s not here. I’ll ask Old Man Li later.”

　　…

　　The sun rose in the blink of an eye.

　　It was finally July.

　　Other students studied and took their breaks normally. On the 1st of July, many had already finished packing up, ready to head home.

　　Fang Ping’s first year as a university student was finally complete.

　　He had already turned on his fully charged phone in the morning. The phone buzzed and buzzed as messages popped up.

　　Many people had sent him messages. His sister Fang Yuan had sent him the most.

　　He opened hers first and read from top to bottom, smiling involuntarily.

　　“Fang Ping, when you see this, call me!

　　“Fang Ping, where did you go? Where are you?

　　“If you don’t call back, I’m going to Magic City to search for you!

　　“Fang Ping, where did you go? Dad and Mom are anxious, and I’m starting to worry…”

　　“…”

　　“Bro, if you don’t call back, I’m really going to go to Magic City! I’ve already starved myself thin. You won’t have any cheeks to pinch anymore!”

　　“…”

　　“I’m going to Magic City after the exams. Dad said that you’re busy, but there’s been no word from you for ten days…”

　　“Bro, I’ve already bought my bus ticket…”

　　When Fang Ping read the last message, which was sent the previous night, he called Fang Yuan immediately. The girl would really come to Magic City.

　　…

　　“Bro?”

　　Fang Yuan’s questioning tone could be heard from the other side of the phone.

　　Fang Ping laughed. “It’s me. You…”

　　“You idiot! *ssh*le! B*st*rd! Fang Ping, where were you rotting in?” Fang Yuan asked crossly, anguished and on the verge of tears, “Why didn’t you pick up the phone? Were you somewhere where there’s no service? I was so furious!”

　　Fang Ping said softly, a smile on his face, “Didn’t I tell you that I had something to do? Only a few days have passed. What are you being so anxious for…”

　　“I was not!” Fang Yuan sniffled. “It’s Dad and Mom that’s anxious. I wouldn’t care about you are if not for them!”

　　“Are they with you?”

　　“No. I’m outside.”

　　“Outside? You’re already on the bus?”

　　“What bus? Only fools would take the bus. Did you really think that I’d go look for you? You think too much! I’m at my friend’s house.”

　　The girl was trying to deny everything when Fang Ping could already hear the bus station’s unique brand of noise and announcements from her end.

　　He did not expose her, but said with a laugh, “Have fun, in that case. I still have to stay in Magic City for a few more days. I’ll return home after that. Also, you’re forbidden from becoming thinner. You’ve starved yourself thin, too, I can’t allow this to happen…”

　　“I want to!”

　　“If you get thinner I’ll beat you up!”

　　“You wouldn’t dare to!”

　　“…”

　　The siblings bickered childishly for a while. Fang Ping provided no further explanation of his disappearance before ending the call and calling Fang Mingrong. His father was a lot calmer; he asked Fang Ping some questions about his health and nothing more.

　　Fang Yuan had been extremely emotional the few days Fang Ping had dropped off the grid. Fang Mingrong was worried too until Bai Jinshan paid them a visit and told them that it was normal that Fang Ping was unreachable; he was in the middle of carrying out a mission. Fang Mingrong had only relaxed after that.

　　Everyone in Sun City believed Bai Jinshan’s words.

　　…

　　After contacting his family, Fang Ping continued reading his other messages, sent by Wu Zhihao, Yang Jian and the others, and Li Chengze.

　　They were all simple inquiries. Disappearing for ten days was quite normal for a martial artist.

　　Fang Ping had his eyes on a message, though. It was from Wang Jinyang.

　　Wang Jinyang had known that Fang Ping had gone down to the Catacombs. The higher-ups of all martial arts universities had been privy to MCMAU’s large excursion downward.

　　Fang Ping thought for a while and decided not to call. This was a matter better left for the future.

　　While he was still reading his messages, the doorbell rang.

　　Fang Ping opened the door only to see Fu Changding and the others standing outside.

　　“Fang Ping, are your wounds healing well?”

　　Fang Ping had returned to the surface on the 29th and slept through the whole day. They did not disturb him until now.

　　“I’m okay. They’re all minor.”

　　Fang Ping laughed. “You guys aren’t going home?”

　　Fu Changding said, worried, “Mentor and the other instructors aren’t back yet. We still don’t know what will happen, so we’ll still be antsy even if we return home. Fang Ping, you’re the last to leave among us. Did the Vice-chancellor really…”

　　Fang Ping’s expression was calm as he inclined his head slightly. “That day, dozens of Grandmasters and higher-ranked martial artists fought against the other side. Two enemy cities had surrounded Hope City. The Vice-chancellor and other Grandmasters had taken upon themselves to lure the higher-ranked martial artists from the other side away, and they never returned.”

　　“Ah!”

　　The group of them sighed. They were too weak; in such a large-scale battle, they could not even contribute to the defense. They had to leave the Catacombs early.

　　This time, only some of the special training class students had suffered injuries. No one died.

　　Their instructors and other upper-stage or Peak Rank-3 martial artists, on the other hand, suffered many casualties. Even the Vice-chancellor, a Golden-bodied powerhouse, had fallen.

　　“How about the Dean and the others…”

　　Fang Ping shook his head. “I don’t know. I’m merely a Rank-3 student. We don’t know the whereabouts of Grandmasters like them. They should be okay, though. If they’re not…”

　　If they were not, everyone would definitely have heard word of it. There were only so many Grandmasters in MCMAU; the deaths of two Grandmasters would put them into a much more dire situation than the one they were in now.

　　“I hope that everyone is well.” Fu Changding prayed.

　　Fang Ping said nothing to that. There was no way to make sure of that.

　　He invited them into his house. Chen Yunxi seemed antsy the moment she sat down. She suddenly asked, voice soft, “I… Can I clean your room for you?”

　　Fang Ping froze. Embarrassment rose to his chest as he said, sheepish, “You won’t happen to be particular about this, will you?”

　　The room was quite dirty, indeed. He had left this room for ten days prior to when he had tumbled on the bed, stinking with sweat and blood. The room smelled funky.

　　Fang Ping was tired and did not have the heart to clean, so he left it at that.

　　He had gotten used to it, but the others got a whiff of the unpleasant odor as soon as they stepped foot into the room.

　　“No, no… It’s just… Just…”

　　Chen Yunxi was also embarrassed. Fang Ping laughed. “Do you even know how to clean? It’s fine, I’ll do it myself later.”

　　He then changed the topic. “Do you have something to ask of me?”

　　Chen Yunxi no longer insisted on helping after his refusal. Fu Changding paid no attention to the exchange between the two of them, saying, “It’s this. The Martial Arts Club wants to hold a meeting. It’ll be attended by all Peak Rank-2 and Rank-3 martial artists in the school.

　　“You’re not in the club, so the President asked us to extend an invitation to you.”

　　“Zhang Yu?”

　　Fang Ping’s brow creased. “Did he say anything else?”

　　“No.”

　　Fu Changding shook his head. “It may be related to the Catacomb trip prior. Quite a lot of our seniors died there. Not only the few you’ve seen but also some Rank-4 seniors… They’ve died in battle…”

　　Fang Ping’s face fell. Since the seniors had graduated, there were few Rank-3 and 4 students left in MCMAU.

　　He had assumed that only some Rank-3 students had died. He did not expect some more Rank-4 students to have died too.

　　With that, the overall strength of MCMAU would decrease sharply.

　　“I’m not a Martial Arts Club member…”

　　“President said that there’s no distinction between the Martial Arts Club and Ping Yuan Club on this occasion.”

　　Ping Yuan Club was modest, but the bulk of its members would be advancing to sophomore year after the holidays.

　　Among the 108 members, Fang Ping was at upper-stage Rank-3, Fu Changding, Zhao Lei, and Chen Yunxi were at Peak Rank-2. Yang Xiaoman, Zhao Xuemei, and the others were catching up quickly.

　　In this time, they, too, were a force to be reckoned with.

　　“Fine, then. When’s the meeting?”

　　“Now.”

　　“Now? What’s with the rush…” Fang Ping rose, saying no more. “Let’s go. Did Zhang Yu not go down to the Catacombs this time?”

　　“He had just been back for a few days before the massive war started. He’s President, so he could not fight in it.”

　　…

　　They chatted while making their way there, arriving at the Martial Arts Club office after a short time.

　　The office building took up a huge piece of land. A continuous stream of people rushed in. Some greeted Fang Ping upon seeing him with the others. They were all martial artists at upper-stage Rank-3 and above who had worked together with Fang Ping before.

　　In a situation where the Rank-5 people had graduated, and Rank-4 students were scarce even before some of them had died, students at upper-stage Rank-3 and above were now the cream of the crop.

　　Fang Ping saw another familiar face too–Liu Yongwen.

　　He had averted his eyes away from Fang Ping’s gaze when their eyes met. Fang Ping sneered and no longer looked at him.

　　This guy had coerced some seniors to give him trouble when school had first started, but then his efforts ceased completely after Fang Ping killed two of them and Wang Jinyang intimidated him.

　　These days Fang Ping did not see him often. Until now.

　　The other had been at Rank-3 when Fang Ping was still an aspiring martial artist.

　　Now Fang Ping was at upper-stage Rank-3, but the other was still at middle-stage Rank-3, as sensed by Fang Ping.

　　He either could not breakthrough or was afraid that he would die after he did.

　　He really might die after breaking through!

　　If one was an upper-stage martial artist and yet did not go down to the Catacombs, he would be looked down on by people, their instructors included.

　　Tang Feng had looked down on Fang Ping, an upper-stage Rank-3 martial artist, for being unwilling to go into their depths.

　　If seniors like Liu Yongwen were not brave enough to go down to the Catacombs even when they had achieved Peak Rank-3, they would not only be looked down upon; the school would treat them as embarrassments of the school.

　　Fang Ping did not show any more reaction toward Liu Yongwen. He spotted some more people nearby, and he called, “Senior Ye, Senior Liu!”

　　Liu Mengyao and Ye Qing were walking toward him.

　　Ye Qing nodded in response, his mohawk standing tall as ever. Liu Mengyao was more animated in her greeting, as she smiled upon seeing Fang Ping and the others. “Junior Fang, Yunxi, you’re here too.”

　　Chen Yunxi greeted her hurriedly. Zhao Xuemei was not here for the meeting, as she was not yet at Peak Rank-2.

　　Fang Ping and Liu Mengyao chatted for a while before he asked, “Did the two Seniors Liang not come?”

　　“Fenghua’s preparing for his breakthrough to Rank-4, while Huabao’s out on missions, gunning for upper-stage Rank-3…”

　　Lu Fengrou had advised them not to go down to the Catacombs, so they did not in recent times.

　　Ye Qing had also broken through to Peak Rank-3. Fang Ping thought of him, plus Liang Fenghua, who was preparing to break through to Rank-4, and Liang Huabao, who was ready for a breakthrough to the upper stage and was suddenly struck with a realization that Lu Fengrou’s disciples were quite strong.

　　There were two at Peak Rank-3. Fang Ping was the only one at upper-stage Rank-3 for now. There were also Liang Huabao and Liu Mengyao at the middle stage, and Chen Yunxi at Peak Rank-2 and Zhao Xuemei at upper-stage Rank-2.

　　Zhao Xuemei, the weakest out of the seven disciples, was also approaching Peak Rank-2.

　　When the new semester commences, Chen Yunxi should be able to enter Rank-3.

　　Zhao Xuemei should have no problem advancing to Peak Rank-2 too. Rank-3 was on the horizon for her.

　　When that time came, Lu Fengrou would have seven Rank-3 students–or one or two Rank-4 ones, maybe–under her guidance. They would make a formidable team.

　　The group chatted among themselves as they walked toward the Martial Arts Club’s main conference room. As for what Zhang Yu wanted to say… They had no idea.

　　…

　　The Martial Arts Club office building.

　　The main conference room.

　　Almost one hundred people filled the room as the Peak Rank-2, Rank-3 and 4 students arrived one by one.

　　Zhang Yu, standing in the front of the room, was somewhat sad. When MCMAU was at its peak, there were five Rank-5 students, tens of Rank-4 students, and one hundred and more Rank-3 students. Add in the Peak Rank-2 students, and the total would be somewhere in the hundreds.

　　Now a great half of them were gone.

　　Most of the students the school lost had graduated, but among that number were also many who had died in the Catacombs.

　　When Fang Ping and the others arrived, almost everyone who should be here was present.

　　“Has everyone arrived?”

　　Zhang Yu asked. Zhou Yan said immediately, “Aside from those who aren’t on campus, everyone is here.”

　　“Good, then. Let the meeting commence.”

　　Zhang Yu sat down. He looked at the crowd. “I believe everyone knows about everything that has happened in MCMAU recently.

　　“There are three reasons why I called all of you here.

　　“First, I ask you to escort our instructors and fellow classmates home!”

　　Zhang Yu said heavily, “The Catacomb entrance will open tomorrow. The first batch of people who fell in battle will be transported out. The instructors will be buried in the South Cemetery, but we still have to inform their families of their unfortunate deaths. The instructors don’t have enough time to deal with this, and the other students don’t know of the Catacombs, so we alone are capable of doing this task. Any questions?”

　　Everyone shook their heads.

　　“The corpses of our classmates will be incinerated. Their ashes will be transported to their homes along with pension for their families. I hope that everyone can contribute some. We have to comfort their families and make arrangements with the local government. These, too, are tasks we alone can do.”

　　Everyone nodded. If the people in charge of meeting the governments were too weak, they might be met with some trouble–at least they would have some difficulties meeting with the more important local officers.

　　“Secondly, the second season of the National Championships will commence next year. The participating team this year will no longer be made up of freshmen but of students from all schools’ Martial Arts Clubs… Fang Ping, I invite you to be one of the vice presidents. What do you think?”

　　Fang Ping eyed Zhang Yu from his seat. He did not know Zhang Yu that well, but it was hard to hate him.

　　After some thought, Fang Ping shook his head. “I’m not taking up the post. I’ll challenge you before school starts, and you’ll give me that post by then.”

　　Zhang Yu’s brow crinkled. Xie Lei, who had kept silent until now, piped up distastefully, “Such arrogance. Fang Ping, did you think that you can look down on the Martial Arts Club just because you’d slain some martial artists in the Catacombs?”

　　Fang Ping shook his head. “President Xie, there’s no need for such a reaction. I didn’t say that. You don’t need to read too much into my words.

　　“I don’t want the post because I don’t want to clash with you all. You have to understand that…”

　　Xie Lei wrinkled his brow. “The post is just a nominal one so that you can take part in the Championship at the end of the year. MCMAU is in such a dire situation that we cannot lose. You should be able to enter Rank-4 judging from your speed. We’ll find it hard to win in the Championship without someone at Rank-4…”

　　Fang Ping shook his head again. “We’ll discuss this when the time comes. There’s no need to rush for now. Go on, President Zhang.”

　　Zhang Yu shot him a thoughtful gaze, saying, “Thirdly, I hope that Distance Ltd can close the loaning system. Or rather it could be said that we hope that the credits can be collected and aggregated specifically for the Peak Rank-2 martial artists present here so that they can enter Rank-3 as soon as possible.

　　“The middle-stage Rank-3 martial artists can advance to the upper stage too.

　　“Fang Ping, I’m not targeting you specifically. I hope that you can understand what I’m thinking.

　　“MCMAU’s resources are limited. The school no longer has the ability to subsidize everyone after it has collected one hundred thousand credits for you.

　　“But you can see now that there are less than 100 Rank-3 students in the school, the lowest in history.

　　“For the pride, status, and reputation of MCMAU, we need to let some people advance to Rank-3 earlier…”

　　Fang Ping’s brow creased. He said, “That’s why you called all the Peak Rank-2 and Rank-3 martial artists here? To put pressure on me?”

　　“Don’t misunderstand. I have no such intentions.” Zhang Yu explained, “The one hundred thousand credits are distributed to a great number of aspiring martial artists and Rank-1 martial artists. Everyone is a student here. Under normal circumstances, I’ll be happy if everyone shows improvement.

　　“But now is different from the past. We should pour the resources on those who are more likely to advance to Rank-3, not scatter them.

　　“This is the aim of our school.

　　“Fang Ping, the school’s objective is to nurture more powerhouses.”

　　“If you all are powerhouses, you should obtain the resources you need by yourself. Can I interpret this as an attempt to seize my power?”

　　Xie Lei interjected, “Fang Ping, the distribution of resources is within the rights of the Martial Arts Club!”

　　Fang Ping said nonchalantly, “Create another platform yourselves, then.”

　　“You…” Xie Lei said, annoyed, “We’re not talking about the platform, but of the centralization of resources, so that we can facilitate the nurturing of Rank-3 martial artists! We should not distribute them so sparsely, allowing aspiring martial artists to enter Rank-1, Rank-1 martial artists to enter Rank-2, and so on! 100 Rank-2 martial artists can’t even compare to one Rank-3 martial artist!”

　　“You’ve advanced to Rank-3 from Rank-2, and Rank-2 from Rank-1, too.”

　　“Don’t mislead everyone and speak without reason.” Xie Lei said, “The President and I both said that this is a crucial period. More and more Rank-3 and 4 students are dying by the day! There are already 20 casualties since the start of the year!

　　“We have to maintain the number of Rank-3 martial artists. It is an acknowledgment of the pedagogical capabilities of a school.”

　　Xie Lei turned his gaze toward the crowd. “Everyone, you can voice your opinions, too. The Martial Arts Club is a club for the students. We do this for MCMAU, and the students…”

　　Fang Ping interrupted him directly. “Sorry, the platform is mine. The one hundred thousand credits are lobbied for by me, and me alone. If you think that these credits got in your way of obtaining credits, sucks to be you. These resources are given up by the instructors out of their own wallets so that many of the average students can benefit from the system.

　　“The system’s initial meaning will be different if the resources are distributed to all of you here.

　　“In MCMAU, or in any martial arts university, we don’t pursue individual strength. We pursue strength in numbers.

　　“If an individual wants to grow stronger, depend on yourselves. Go on a rampage in the Catacombs, do some missions. Don’t force the school to provide resources to you. This is not what a martial arts university would do.

　　“Xie Lei, I won’t question for whose benefit you and President Zhang here proposed the plan for. I want to believe that you did it for the masses.

　　“The two of you have the power to vie for your own opportunities.

　　“I still have to say, though, don’t try to criticize or deny it on a holier-than-thou standpoint, or from a moral high ground.

　　“If you take your own resources and distribute them to everyone, then I have nothing to say. I won’t doubt anything you do.

　　“But these credits are not yours. They’re not mine, either. They belong to all MCMAU students. The school intended from the beginning to conduct a trial and see if this can encourage everyone to improve.

　　“Now you’re asking me to collect them? Sorry, but no.”

　　Zhang Yu knuckled the table lightly while Xie Lei fumed, annoyed. Their opinion on the matter was different, as with their positions. That was why they looked at the problem differently.

　　One hundred thousand credits were almost equivalent to 300 hundred million worth of pills, weapons, and other resources.

　　They would definitely serve to nurture tens of Rank-3 martial artists.

　　Those credits were withdrawn by the school, though, and allocated to a specific purpose. No one could use them.

　　Fang Ping had distributed those resources to the thousands of students populating the school. In their opinion, Fang Ping was doing something recklessly.

　　What they wanted to see was a collective cultivation of a group of elites.

　　They could not convince each other. Two of Zhang Yu’s three objectives were refuted.

　　At that moment, the Martial Arts Club’s members looked almost antagonistic.

　　Seeing that, Fang Ping did not bother to discuss more. He got up. “I’ll leave now. I have something to do. When we have to take our instructors and classmates home, inform me. I’ll do that, as it’s my responsibility. As for the other demands, sorry, but no.”

　　Zhang Yu massaged his forehead after Fang Ping left. Xie Lei said, annoyed, “Fang Ping’s just horsing around at this point!”

　　Ye Qing said, without inflection, “Fang Ping has not taken any of those resources for himself. He’s also thinking of the benefits of the other students. Why would President Xie say something like that?”

　　“Ye Qing, don’t let your bias blind your senses! I ask you, which is more important, Rank-3 students or those at Rank-1 or 2?”

　　“I don’t think there’s any difference. Rank-3 students are all dispensable weaklings in the Catacombs, anyway!”

　　“You…”

　　Ye Qing got up. “I only think the first motion necessary. The others are all bullshit. You’re way too ignorant, to still obsess over hoarding power and profit at this trying time!”

　　Xie Lei exploded with fury. “Are we? Don’t we all want MCMAU to be stronger? Don’t we all want to ensure the safety of the students? Do you think we want people to die in battle this often? The resources should be centered on martial artists who enter the Catacombs, not on those who don’t!”

　　“They will eventually.”

　　“Well, they haven’t now!”

　　“The stronger they are now, the safer they will be in the future.”

　　“…”

　　The group dispersed on bad terms.

　　…

　　What Fang Ping was thinking about now was Old Man Li’s words. Everyone had their own selfish desires.

　　There was a difference between the big picture and the smaller one.

　　Xie Lei and the others might have really cared for MCMAU, but they would always prioritize the Martial Arts Club more. Fang Ping was like that too. His priority was himself. The Vice-chancellor’s was MCMAU, and Zhang Dingnan’s was Nanjiang.

　　How about Wang Jinyang?

　　Was his priority NMAU or Nanjiang? Or his mentor?

　　Their ultimate goal was the same: conquer the Catacombs. The paths they walked to achieve that had diverged, though.

　　“I have my opinions, and you have yours. Everything comes down to my strength at the end. When I can’t convince them with reason, I have to rely on my fists.”

　　Fang Ping shook his head. Maybe this was the school’s goal.

　　“Whatever, I gotta put this aside first. After dealing with everything on my hands, I should start preparing for a breakthrough to Rank-4.

　　“I have to accomplish it quicker than Old Wang, at least.”

　　Old Wang had broken through to Rank-4 last October. Fang Ping set a goal for himself. He must be faster than Old Wang, at least!