In the hotel.

　　As everyone was preparing to give a call to their respective schools, Fang Ping said suddenly, “I’ll make the calls!”

　　Everyone looked at him in doubt, but Fang Ping ignored them.

　　After some thought, Fang Ping made a call directly to Tang Feng. After all, Tang Feng was the head of the freshman instructors.

　　“Teacher Tang.”

　　“State your business.”

　　Tang Feng spoke, as usual, in a bland tone and without any nonsense.

　　“Our team came to Nanjiang today to accept some missions, and we went to visit Nanjiang Martial Arts University while we were here.”

　　“Uh-huh.”

　　“Then, Nanjiang Martial Arts University’s students provoked us, saying that MCMAU is not as good as NMAU, as Wang Jinyang blocked the door and swept through the students last time.”

　　“Uh-huh?”

　　“After that, NMAU’s Martial Arts Society President, Wang Jinyang, showed up on his own initiative and sent us a letter of challenge, requesting to have one round of competition between five of NMAU’s Peak Rank-2 martial artists and us… Their words… Showed some contempt towards MCMAU.”

　　“Fight!”

　　“That’s not it…”

　　Fang Ping paused, looking uncomfortable before he continued. “Teacher, we thought about it, and we decided to reject it in order to not damage the friendship between the two schools, and also to prevent embarrassing MCMAU.

　　“We’re still new students, and the other party is 5 Peak Rank-2 martial artists. How would we fight?

　　“If we lost, MCMAU would not be able to face anyone after that.

　　“Although it was NMAU who sent the letter of challenge on their own initiative, we’re still freshmen. Even if the news of us refusing the challenge spread out, it’s not a big deal.

　　“We’ve already proved MCMAU’s strength by winning the championship, so there’s no need to do these things that would just waste our energy without any reward.

　　“If we won, that’s just how it ought to be because MCMAU is the strongest!

　　“If we lost, then that loss would overshadow our gain, even though NMAU is the one that is constantly provoking us…”

　　Beside him, Fu Changding and the others had expressions of dull confusion on their faces. Was that actually the case?

　　It seemed… It seemed as if what Fang Ping was saying was not entirely false.

　　“Ah, it’s just some NMAU students who indeed went a little too far.

　　“An aspiring martial artist went as far as to bully Yang Xiaoman, rudely saying that he’d make sure she’d have to lie in bed for a few months…

　　“Really, if it weren’t for the big picture, I wouldn’t have tolerated it.

　　“Teacher Tang, we’re giving you an account of what happened in hopes that on the school’s level, you could help to suppress this issue. The atmosphere at NMAU now is really bad, and the Martial Arts Society is only adding fuel to the fire, saying that MCMAU’s students don’t dare to take up the challenge…”

　　“Hmph!”

　　Tang Feng gave a cold scoff, pausing for a moment before commanding him. “Fight! Stop with the acting. Whatever you need, just say it!”

　　“Teacher Tang, you’re taking this the wrong way. Really, this thing is not just made up by me.

　　“You can ask Yang Xiaoman and Zhao Lei yourself…

　　“Yang Xiaoman, you were at NMAU’s school gate and got scorned by NMAU’s aspiring martial artist. I didn’t make that up, did I?”

　　Fang Ping turned on the speakerphone and glared fiercely at Yang Xiaoman.

　　Looking embarrassed, Yang Xiaoman said awkwardly, “That did happen.”

　　“Zhao Lei, Wang Jinyang brought up a few times the fact that he had previously swept through MCMAU and said we should be grateful to him. You were there when this happened. True or false?”

　　The corner of Zhao Lei’s mouth twitched. Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, he said a little helplessly, “It’s true.”

　　On the other side of the phone, Tang Feng did not say a word, so Fang Ping continued. “Teacher Tang, I, Fang Ping, alone, might have exaggerated some words, but would your two students have joined me in confusing you?”

　　At this point, Tang Feng’s tone of voice had become much colder. “For what purpose did you call me?”

　　“NMAU has already set up a battle stage in NMAU’s Martial Arts Society. Tonight, NMAU’s vice-chancellor and Nanjiang’s governor—these two Grandmasters—would be coming to watch the match.

　　“Five thousand of NMAU’s students would also be coming in masses!

　　“Whether we fight or retreat, or if MCMAU wants to send some other students to battle, it’s all up to the school to make the decisions!

　　“If there’s no choice but for us to battle, then even though our strength is a little weak, we’ll fight till the end. We definitely won’t let MCMAU lose face on our account!

　　“At most, we’ll fight with our lives on the line. As long as we’re alive, we won’t retreat!”

　　Fang Ping’s last sentence was most impassioned.

　　However, Tang Feng knew his personality well, and he was practically grinding his teeth to powder as he said, “Say it! How much medicine do you need to ensure your victory?”

　　“50 Rank-2 Vitality Pills…”

　　“…”

　　There was a short silence from the other side of the phone. Based on the market price, 50 Rank-2 Vitality Pills would cost 35 million.

　　Fang Ping thought that this was not too high of an opening price.

　　Despite that, two seconds later, Tang Feng yelled furiously, “You really think this old man is an idiot!

　　“This was a mess that you all brought on yourselves. Trying to get the school to foot your bill, you made a good plan!

　　“20 Rank-1 Vitality Pills, and 5 Rank-2 Vitality Pills. That’s it!

　　“If not, I can let the school arrange to have another team go to Nanjiang!”

　　Fang Ping rubbed his ear as he mumbled, “Teacher, as a role model, it’s not good to curse in front of students, is it?

　　“Not to mention, this is not merely our individual business. You said that this had no connection to the school’s honor?

　　“If we were to just fight as we pleased with no care for winning or losing, the ones who would be shamed won’t be us.

　　“We’re just a few new students who haven’t even been in the school for a year…”

　　“Stop with the nonsense. That’s all, and this battle must be won! I’ll let the dean know, and have the dean rush over in the afternoon to prevent Nanjiang from playing any tricks!”

　　Tang Feng immediately hung, not giving Fang Ping any chance to continue his nonsense.

　　As for having the dean go over, it was not actually to ward off the two grandmasters, it was to give the few MCMAU genius freshmen a little more protection.

　　Who knew what NMAU was thinking on their side? If they were to take advantage and cripple these few MCMAU students, then MCMAU’s Grade 08 elites would have lost their edge.

　　After hanging up the phone, Fang Ping started to complain. “The school is so stingy. No. It’s Lion Tang who’s stingy!

　　“Just 20 Rank-1 Vitality Pills and 5 Rank-2 Vitality Pills. That’s not even ten million!

　　“We’re putting our lives on the line for the school’s honor, and they’re still counting on us to win just with this meager amount?”

　　The others were already dumbstruck.

　　Zhao Lei mumbled, “We’re allowed to do this?”

　　Squeezing out extra rewards from the school never even crossed his mind.

　　Fang Ping was good. With just a few random sentences, he had made Tang Feng agree to sponsor some medicine, although it was not as much as Fang Ping asked for.

　　It was still quite a lot though!

　　The value neared ten million. Even if they split it evenly, a single person could still get quite a bit. It was even comparable to the earnings of a Peak Rank-2 mission, perhaps even more. Some of the poor Rank-2 martial artists would only get this much after a few missions.

　　What did this mean?

　　They had accepted the fight on their own, and could no longer refuse. In Fang Ping’s words though, it seemed like everything was different.

　　Fang Ping ignored him, continuing to curse and complain. “Lion Tang just despises me, I knew it.

　　“NMAU is so poor, yet Old Wang still offered 3 Rank-2 Vitality Pills a person for a total of 15 Rank-2 Vitality pills. The rivals showed more support for us than our school!

　　“What sort of place handles things like this?

　　“If Lion Tang does this again next time, we’re going to CCMAU on our own to challenge Rank-1 martial artists, then surrender on our own initiative. Let’s see where MCMAU can hide their face after that!”

　　“That’s enough from you!”

　　Yang Xiaoman rolled her eyes, as she spoke exasperatedly. “If you’re not afraid of having a bunch of Grandmasters and middle-ranked martial artists as your enemies, then go do it yourself. Don’t drag us into it.”

　　Fu Changding also did not know whether to laugh or cry. “Now I’m starting to understand how you earned money so fast.”

　　They were just supposed to notify the school with one quick sentence.

　　Then what happened?

　　Somehow, everyone was set to receive some extra rewards.

　　Fang Ping did not continue complaining. Instead, he stared at the others with a threatening gaze. “Lion Tang accuses me of calling him Lion Tang behind his back. I’m afraid that only the few of you would tattle on this matter.

　　“I’m warning you guys. Next time, if Lion Tang causes me any grief because of this, then I’ll be making trouble for you guys too.”

　　The few of them looked speechless. Zhao Lei said grumpily, “Treat the instructor with more respect. We’ve never talked bad about Instructor Lu.”

　　“Of course. Would you guys dare to?”

　　Fang Ping scorned, before switching back to the main topic. “Let’s not argue over these useless things. 5 people for the battle, and we have 6 people.

　　“Tang Songting and Chen Yunxi, which of you will fight?”

　　Tang Songting glanced at Chen Yunxi. After a moment of consideration, he said, “Chen Yunxi then. I’m not at Peak Rank-2, and I’m also not twice-honed. My Vitality and honing are not a match for Peak Rank-2 martial artists. The chance of losing would be very high.”

　　Fang Ping looked at Chen Yunxi. Chen Yunxi felt a little indignant. Annoyed, she said, “Can you not doubt me all the time?

　　“I… I’m not as useless as you all think!”

　　“Then it shall be you.”

　　Fang Ping knew that what Tang Songting said was true. He did not have the slightest advantage against Peak Rank-2 martial artists. The chances of losing were too high.

　　Although Chen Yunxi was not a Peak Rank-2 martial artist, her Vitality was strong, and her honing progress rate was 20% of her entire body’s bones.

　　On NMAU’s side, the level of difficulty was unusually high to find 5 twice-honed Peak Rank-2 martial artists.

　　It was hard to say if there were even 5 twice-honed martial artists in the whole of NMAU.

　　After confirming the members who would be appearing in the battle, Fang Ping said, “This time, NMAU’s purpose is to let the NMAU students feel humiliated, so they’ll work harder.

　　“Generally speaking, the people appearing in battle wouldn’t be too strong.

　　“Of course, they’re definitely not actively looking to lose either.

　　“After all, they’re Peak Rank-2 martial artists, so everyone should be a little more careful.

　　“Other than that, Wang Jinyang is not a fool. Despite him saying that, with the price of 15 Rank-2 Vitality Pills, there’s no way it’s to let us win easily.

　　“If NMAU were to beat us, it’s actually a good plan to boost morale.

　　“Therefore, everyone must be prepared to put in all effort.

　　“Also, I forgot to ask earlier, but tonight’s competition could be either a best three out of five system or a relay system like the previous championship… If it’s a relay system like the championship, then it’d be much simpler for us. After all, the NMAU students don’t understand our team.”

　　Earlier, Old Wang had left so quickly that Fang Ping and the others had forgotten to ask about it.

　　His face firm, Zhao Lei said, “No matter what competition style it is, as long as we’re strong, it’s all the same!”

　　“Moron…”

　　Fang Ping could not help but curse darkly. After mixing around with Lion Tang, did they not like to use their brains anymore?

　　In any case, Zhao Lei was a top student. Not just in martial arts, but in cultural studies as well.

　　Though now it seemed as if this student who had the best of both worlds was going to become a unicellular organism very soon.

　　After a moment of thought, Fang Ping still gave a call to enquire about it.

　　There was some commotion on Old Wang’s side. It seemed like they were also choosing their members appearing in battle.

　　After hearing Fang Ping’s words, Wang Jinyang laughed. “Use the championship’s system then. Let the powerhouses have more opportunity to put on a show.”

　　After confirming the competition system, Fang Ping did not ask any more questions.

　　By now, it was already noon, just a few hours away from nighttime. When facing 5 Peak Rank-2 martial artists, one still had to make preparations for what had to be prepared.

　　Fang Ping did not think that they would achieve a truly solid victory.

　　…

　　At the same time.

　　Nanjiang Martial Arts University.

　　“Such bullies!”

　　“Did you hear? 5 new students of Magic City Martial Arts University are going to challenge 5 of our NMAU Peak Rank-2 martial artists. The other party consists of all freshmen.”

　　“Freshmen? Challenging Peak Rank-2 martial artists?”

　　“Yes, that team of new students who participated in the championship last time. I’ve heard they’re Rank-2 now.”

　　“F*ck me. So fast?”

　　“Oi, haven’t you guys missed the main point a little? Now, a few of MCMAU’s new freshmen are provoking us old students.

　　“If NMAU loses, won’t we become the laughing stock among the martial arts universities?”

　　“They won’t be able to win, right? Even if they’ve become Rank-2 martial artists, they’ve only just broken through…”

　　“What if they do win?”

　　“That… Even if we’re worried, there’s nothing we can do. We can only leave it to the Peak Rank-2 seniors.”

　　“Tonight, let’s go and cheer for the seniors together! We’ve been bullied over the tops of our heads, but what’s so great about MCMAU!”

　　“…”

　　Listening to everyone’s chatter, Tan Hao said in a small voice, “You’re certain that it’s Fang Ping and the others?”

　　Wu Zhihao rolled his eyes. “Would I lie to you? I was right there!

　　“President Wang suddenly came, and the moment he arrived, he took the initiative to bring up a challenge. Then, Fang Ping and the others agreed to it.

　　“Up till now, I’m still dizzy…

　　“In your opinion, who should we cheer for?

　　“Also, can Fang Ping and the others really beat Peak Rank-2 martial artists?”

　　As the others exchanged glances, Tan Hao said bitterly, “We’re all human, yet others are starting to challenge Peak Rank-2 martial artists while our batch…”

　　The others fell silent. There was no way to compete.

　　The few of them were considered to have pretty fast progress rates. Now, their Vitality had reached the limit. Their Vitality was already at 150cal.

　　To breakthrough as a martial artist now might not be impossible.

　　However, after entering a martial arts university, how many were really willing to break through with just 150cal of Vitality?

　　Based on this progress rate, at the very least they would wait till the end of this semester and enter sophomore year before they considered breaking through.

　　After becoming a martial artist in sophomore year, the honing after that would not progress as quickly. To achieve Rank-2 before graduation was everyone’s goal.

　　On the other hand, currently, Fang Ping and the others had already become Rank-2 so early. They were even starting to head towards Rank-3.

　　In that instant, all of them had bitter looks on their faces.

　　…

　　MCMAU’s championship-winning team was to battle NMAU’s Peak Rank-2 martial artists team.

　　The news traveled very quickly. Very soon, all of River City’s martial arts circle had heard about this.

　　The governor was going to watch the match in person, going so far as to bring a large number of Nanjiang martial artists to attend it together.

　　What was originally just an internal exchange between martial arts university students had a lot more meaning added to it now.

　　There was information that stated Governor-General Zhang was getting more and more unsatisfied with Nanjiang’s martial arts atmosphere.

　　At this moment, if the old students of NMAU were to be defeated by MCMAU’s new students, then the whole of Nanjiang’s martial art sector might experience some fixed changes.

　　If NMAU really lost, Governor-General Zhang might decide to make more radical reformation plans. When the time came, who knew if it was going to be good or bad. In an instant, the martial artists who knew of the news focused all their attention on this competition.

　　Another person who had received the information was Sun City’s commander, Bai Jinshan.

　　When he heard that Fang Ping was leading the team in battle, Bai Jinshan’s feelings were actually very complicated.

　　Was the rate at which youths grew up all so fast?

　　Peak Rank-2. Was Rank-3 still far away?

　　“Sun City has really produced some demons… In fact, there’s two!”

　　Bai Jinshan spoke roughly.

　　…

　　Not long after, the director of Sun City’s Department of Education clapped Fang Mingrong’s shoulder enthusiastically, as he spoke many words of encouragement.

　　In a situation where Fang Mingrong had no idea what was going on, he became the office’s deputy manager.

　　At that moment, the only thought that Fang Mingrong had was, ‘What did my son do now?’