“As the first national martial arts university students’ championship comes to a close, MCMAU takes the crown!”

　　“CCMAU was defeated! As the top martial arts university, their reputation is better than the reality!”

　　“It’s a pity the MCMAU team leader Fang Ping still couldn’t duel with CCMAU team leader Han Xu.”

　　“Among the strongest new students, whose house would the flower petals fall on?”¹

　　…

　　There were various controversial posts online as usual.

　　Who was the strongest new student?

　　Han Xu?

　　Han Xu had defeated the Rank-2 powerhouse Sun Mingyu but lost one after another. The earlier parts were still alright, but he lost in the finals at the end to Chen Yunxi, which made countless people feel that Han Xu’s reputation was better than reality, and he might not be Fang Ping’s match.

　　Cheng Yunxi was MCMAU’s reserves team member, and Fang Ping was the team leader. Everybody felt Fang Ping was stronger than Chen Yunxi.

　　However, Fang Ping and Han Xu had yet to duel, and he did not duel two Rank-2 martial artists either. Who could say for sure that Fang Ping must be the strongest?

　　He had won four battles in a row against the Eight School Alliance, but the Eight School Alliance was the first to be eliminated and could not prove his strength.

　　In this matter, each had their own valid opinions, and nobody was fully assured.

　　However, MCMAU won CCMAU twice. Their advantage was huge, this was obvious.

　　Could CCMAU take on being the top martial arts university?

　　Aside from this debate of who was the strongest, the number one trending topic online was still about why they were spreading knowledge of these martial artists’ strengths.

　　Martial artists had never been purely just brave men. This was widely accepted.

　　However, this championship showed a trend—martial artists placed martial arts as a priority!

　　This championship, from start till finish, everybody was talking about how martial artists took these battles like they were war!

　　Sino Nation’s martial sciences that had been very quiet for many years suddenly made such a wave. What was it for?

　　Some people guessed that the Sino Nation was possibly going to war with other countries.

　　Some people guessed that the Sino Nation’s internal supervision was going to go through changes.

　　Some were guessing whether other enemies were wanting to invade, and the martial artists would need to participate in the fight.

　　This last guess was already close to the truth, but these guesses were very quickly buried in other news and other published rankings.

　　…

　　On January 16th, the Education Ministry, Martial Arts Alliance, Sino Nation Newspaper and Sino Nation martial artists’ websites announced the Sino Nation martial arts university students’ combat strength rankings.

　　The ranking did not include information on other casual martial artists, Military Department martial artists or Department of Investigation Services’ martial artists, solely recording the Sino Nation martial arts university students’ situations.

　　There were Rank-1, Rank-2, and Rank-3—three rankings.

　　The rankings were spread very quickly on the Internet.

　　The three lower ranks of martial artists were those that were closest to normal people. These were the realms that normal people could achieve too.

　　…

　　On the train, Fang Ping also saw these rankings through the newspaper.

　　The Sino Nation Newspaper had especially used an entire section of the report to list them in detail.

　　There were three rankings, and each ranking had 100 people.

　　In the Rank-1 ranking, Fang Ping was in sixth place.

　　“Brother, aren’t you the champion? How can you only be sixth!”

　　Fang Yuan cried against the injustice on behalf of her big brother. Although Fang Ping did not take to the stage in the last round, Fang Ping’s strength was obvious to all who laid eyes on him.

　　He was a thrice-honed Peak Rank-1 martial artist who had an ultimate move, yet a martial like this was not first place?

　　“Yeah, Fang Ping. Why aren’t you in the first place?”

　　Wu Zhihao and the others called this out for him too. This was just the ranking for martial arts universities. It did not include martial artists. How could Fang Ping not be first?

　　Fang Ping himself did not care much. He smiled and said, “It’s normal. There are a hundred thousand martial arts university students, and most of them are Rank-1 with over 60 thousand students.

　　“With so many Rank-1 martial artists, there are some juniors and seniors who are still Rank-1 too.

　　“Some of them have stayed in Rank-1 due to various reasons.

　　“This time, it was just the new students’ tournament. Old students didn’t enter.

　　“The first five are all old students…

　　“Not to mention, if we do meet, whoever wins or loses is not a definite matter.

　　“Of course, the most important thing is that there’s no need to care about this. It has nothing to do with me.”

　　“Nothing to do with you?”

　　Wu Zhihao could not understand.

　　Fang Ping smiled but said nothing. ‘Yeah. First or sixth, what does that have to do with me?’

　　‘It’s not as if I’m a Rank-1 martial artist!’

　　Yesterday, when the competition ended, Fang Ping chose to breakthrough that night. He had already reached Rank-2 last night.

　　Fang Ping had Rank-2 Vitality Pills.

　　The school was generous this time too, awarding Fang Ping 500 credits in one go, increasing his Wealth points by ten million!

　　Fang Ping quickly used his credits to exchange them for a Rank-2 Viscera-shielding Pill and Rank-2 Bone-honing Pill. He decided to breakthrough and did so that night.

　　Fang Ping now had major changes in all categories of his stats.

　　Wealth points: 20400000

　　Vitality: 330cal (349cal)

　　Mentality: 300Hz (309Hz)

　　Bone-honing: 62 bones (90%), 1 bone (50%), 13 bones (40%), 130 bones (30%)

　　He had already started honing his upper limbs.

　　His Wealth points had also reached a new height, breaking through 20 million!

　　He also had 9 million in cash. Before this, he had more than 10 million, but he used some of it to buy over Rising East Company.

　　He had a pair of F-grade alloy shoes and a D-grade alloy saber.

　　As for medicinal pills and elixirs, he had 10 Normal Vitality Pills, 6 Rank-1 Vitality Pills, 3 Rank-2 Vitality Pills, and several healing medicines.

　　This was all Fang Ping currently had.

　　As for his Combat Techniques cultivation, Fang Ping had cultivated three consecutive strikes of Manic Explosion. Each strike was an outburst of 100cal. It was a pity he had no opportunity to show it previously.

　　Before this, Fang Ping could either do three consecutive strikes but not reaching 100cal of Vitality, or he could have an outburst of 100cal but only being able to strike once and not thrice in a row.

　　He had thought he could use it on Han Xu, but unfortunately, he had no opportunity from the start until the end to face Han Xu despite both parties fought two rounds.

　　He had cultivated Cloud Steps well too. His Vitality outburst had reached the lethal move point but was still unable to enter the ultimate move boundary.

　　Of course, a Rank-1 ultimate move was no longer an ultimate move after his Vitality increased in Rank-2.

　　‘A semester has ended, and I’m Rank-2.’

　　Fang Ping was a little moved. ‘I’ve reached Rank-2 too!’

　　The first time he met Huang Bin, he was Rank-2. The first time he saw Wang Jinyang, he was also Rank-2.

　　Although these people were Peak Rank-2, all of them were martial artists of the same rank now.

　　In a blink of an eye, 9 months had passed.

　　From a regular person with a Vitality of 100cal to Rank-2—a strong Rank-2 too—Fang Ping felt that although things stayed the same, he had changed.

　　‘I’ve accumulated 20 million Wealth points, I have a company that I’ve invested more than 10 million in, and my cash is near 10 million…’

　　Fang Ping had gained too much in less than a year!

　　Furthermore, from school till now, he had accumulated 420 credits, but Fang Ping had exchanged a portion of it for medicinal pills and elixirs.

　　There was an award of 100 credits with him breaking through Rank-2, but Fang Ping had not found the time to collect them yet.

　　Also, Lu Fengrou said there would be a prize for defeating Fang Wenxiang, but Lu Fengrou was not at school recently, so would she skip out?

　　‘These resources are enough for me to use until Peak Rank-2 or even Rank-3!’

　　With 20 million Wealth points, 10 million’s worth of credits and 10 million in cash, he had 40 million. How could that not be enough for Rank-2 cultivating?

　　‘I should swiftly cultivate to Rank-3. Perhaps it’s time I should also visit the Catacombs.’

　　This idea floated into Fang Ping’s mind. While Wu Zhihao and his other classmates were still fighting to become martial artists, Fang Ping was already considering to become a Rank-3 martial artist.

　　…

　　He walked out of the train station.

　　Fang Ping was moved. “I’m home!”

　　Wu Zhihao and the others did not share the same feeling and laughed. “Uh-huh, it’s nearly New Year¹.”

　　Today was January 16th, the twelfth month’s twenty-first day.¹

　　In another few days, New Year’s Eve would arrive.

　　Fang Ping snapped out of it then. The streets seemed to be much livelier.

　　“Is it nearly New Year?”

　　Seeing the passers-by hurrying about with expressions of joy on their faces, Fang Ping involuntarily smiled too.

　　Perhaps the reason so many martial artists were willing to put their lives on the line at the Catacombs was due to this.

　　So everybody can have a peaceful New Year and let their families be more at peace too—letting them be far from war, far from death…

　　This was perhaps what many martial artists were thinking and doing.

　　“Let’s go home!”

　　Fang Ping pulled Fang Yuan along and waved at Wu Zhihao and the others before pacing away.

　　He was home and at ease. He did not have to think about the battle stage competitions, deathmatches or the dangers of the Catacombs.

　　Even if the sky fell, there were so many high-ranked martial artists to hold it up.

　　The current Fang Ping had no qualifications to worry about the country and its citizens.

　　…

　　Scenic Lakeview Gardens.

　　“Pingping is back!

　　Li Yuying was as usual. Seeing Fang Ping reach home, happiness effused on her face.

　　On the other hand, Fang Mingrong wanted to say something but did not. Li Yuying did not go online and did not read the news much. The people in their small area also mostly gossiped about household affairs and seldom spoke of martial artists’ matters.

　　But the Department of Education was different!

　　It was a department that nurtured martial artists.

　　Adding the fact that Tan Zhenping had personally gone to Magic City to watch the battles, the Department of Education here was also discussing and watching the competition online.

　　Hence, Fang Mingrong saw his son!

　　At first glance, he did not dare to believe it. He felt he had identified the wrong person.

　　Yet his name and surname were the same, and his looks were the same too. If Fang Mingrong did not admit that that was his son, he would be fooling himself.

　　Fang Mingrong did not call Fang Ping to ask as he was afraid he would disturb his son.

　　However, he called his daughter and confirmed the MCMAU team leader was his son. The people in the department all knew then too—this Peak Rank-1 martial artist who nobody could match up to him since entering the competition was Fang Mingrong’s son.

　　Fang Mingrong did not know if he should be proud or worried.

　　Watching those martial artists fighting to their death on the battle stage, Fang Mingrong felt his blood boiling watching other families’ kids.

　　However, when his son was one of them, the boil of blood turned to worry and fear.

　　When the department people saw him now, they were warm and friendly to Fang Mingrong, praising him for having a good son.

　　The director had not noticed him much before this, but last time, he personally visited him at the office showing great concern for him.

　　Because his son was Fang Ping—a Peak Rank-1 martial artist, the strongest!

　　Fang Mingrong’s feelings were complicated. When he saw Fang Ping, he wanted to say something but did not do so. In the end, he did not know what to say.

　　What should he say?

　　Should his son quit school?

　　His son had managed to enter a martial arts university and stepped onto the martial sciences path. Should he not let his son continue this path anymore?

　　However, thinking of how the fights for life or death happened on the battle stage, Fang Mingrong had grave concerns that he could not put into words.

　　This concern was quickly dissipated at his daughter’s merry laughter.

　　“Mom, Brother is too amazing!”

　　“Mom, Dad, you two should have come with me. Brother’s abilities were so great!

　　“Hmph! Hmph! Ha! Hey…”

　　Fang Yuan flung her small fists around. She picked up the broom in her house and swung it around wildly, saying excitedly, “In the fights, my brother used one blow to get one person. One blow for one person…

　　“Wow, Xiaoling was stunned!

　　“I was stunned too!

　　“He was so amazing. Even the people next to me were praising my brother for being amazing…”

　　The girl had been badly repressed at Magic City. There was nobody she could share with. Xiaoling and the others were watching the battles live.

　　Now that she had returned home, Fang Yuan had completely opened up, pulling at the confused Li Yuying and excitedly describing everything to her.

　　It was fine if she was just talking about it, but then she started to wave the broom and pranced around with it as if she was the one who annihilated the opponents on the battle stage.

　　After a while, Li Yuying finally understood.

　　She stared at her son, shocked, and asked, “Pingping, you entered that competition?”

　　She did not watch it live, nor did she watch it on the Internet. She only knew this competition existed, not that people were hurt from participating in it.

　　In Li Yuying’s eyes, a competition was perhaps similar to the ones performed on television. You hit me once, I’ll hit you once…

　　Getting hurt, dying—Li Yuying did not know a student competition would be like this.

　　Fang Mingrong glanced at his wife. He thought for a while before deciding not to say anything. It would only add to the trouble.

　　Fang Ping did not say anything either, smiling casually. “Uh-huh, I entered it. Don’t listen to Fang Yuan’s nonsense. There were just a few Rank-1 martial artist matches. We’re all new students. How could it be that amazing?”

　　“It was amazing, Mom. I’m not lying to you. Also, also, Brother earned a lot of money. His classmate said his saber is worth tens of millions…”

　　“Saber?”

　　“It’s this one, it’s this one!”

　　Fang Yuan happily picked up the wooden box Fang Ping had put down, opened it and giggled. “Mom, it’s this one!”

　　“Tens of million? Who told you such nonsense?”

　　“It’s true…”

　　The mother-daughter duo started discussing it. Because Fang Ping was not wounded, and she only saw Fang Ping beating people and not him being beaten, Fang Yuan was not as worried now as she had been in the beginning.

　　Talking about the fights, her words flowed as endlessly as a river, and she could not contain her excitement.

　　Fang Ping, seeing his little sister so happy and his mother so confused, could not resist cracking a smile.

　　…

　　As the mother-daughter duo talked at the side, Fang Ping and his father walked to the balcony.

　　Fang Mingrong smoked a cigarette and said lightly, “You didn’t get hurt, did you?”

　　“No.”

　　“Martial artists… Must they be like this? The director and the others…”

　　“It’ll be the same from now on. Not to mention this time was a special situation. A duel between martial artists is not necessarily so bloodthirsty. Most of them are friendly matches.”

　　Fang Ping was not saying something untruthful. There were not many matches where they fought for life or death in every turn.

　　The martial artists’ true opponents were the living beings in the Catacombs!

　　Fang Ping did not know exactly how the situation would be like battling the Catacombs’ beings.

　　However, Fang Ping could guess that it was bleaker and more bloodthirsty.

　　How many martial artists died at the Catacombs every year?

　　Quite a few of Lu Fengrou’s students died at the Catacombs. Nanjiang Martial Arts University, Tiannan Martial Arts University and Magic City Martial Arts University too had many elite Rank-3 students who died at the Catacombs.

　　How many Rank-3 martial artists died at the hands of other martial artists because of fights on the battle stage?

　　“I don’t know about your matters… Your mom and I only hope you can be safe and come back every year so the whole family can be reunited for New Year…”

　　“I will, Dad. You don’t have to worry about me. I’m not that foolish. If there’s anything dangerous, I won’t do it.”

　　“That’s fine then, that’s fine…”

　　The father and son sunk into silence. Fang Mingrong did not bring up the fights again. It was as if he had forgotten these matters.

　　Fang Ping did not want to discuss this with his family either. He only hoped they would go through this life happily and healthily.

　　…

　　On this night, Fang Ping once again had a peaceful sleep.

　　Coming back to his house was as if he had returned to another world.

　　Here, everything was so peaceful, so pleasant.

　　When he woke up in the morning, he listened attentively.

　　He listened to the sound of his mother making a meal, his father’s coughing and his sister’s yawning—he reveled in it all.

　　‘Is it to protect?’

　　This thought came to Fang Ping. Was this a martial artist’s true purpose?

　　He did not know, and he did not want to think about it.