Chapter 128: Falling Off

In light of the recent jade collection incident, some students of White Cloud Warrior Academy were taken away for investigation, and many of them were exposed and perished during the interrogations.

Their clans were also investigated, and many of them were exposed as subsidiary clans to demonic churches.

The very next day, three of the prominent clans in the same city as Ding Jieran's Ding Clan suddenly joined forces to oppress the Ding Clan out of the blue, driving them into a corner.

After that, several clans from neighboring cities also ceased all business dealings with the Ding Clan, and to further compound their woes, the Hall of Guardians released their annual missions quota at the same time.

The Ding Clan was in complete despair. There was no chance that they could hope to complete the assigned quota of missions.

It was already the fourth quarter of the year, and the most powerful warriors of the clan had all been challenged by formidable foes from other clans and sustained injuries as a result.

The Hall of Protectionists had to step in to mediate the conflicts, but were ultimately unable to do so, seeing as the bad blood between the clans had already been accumulating for several generations.

In the end, all they could do was prohibit large-scale battles while also sending people to reside in the Ding Clan to ensure their safety.

These measures were all completely within reason, and the Night Demon Church didn't dare to intervene, so they could only watch as the Ding Clan fell further and further into despondence.

A fall to the ninth tier was inevitable, and that most likely wasn't even going to be the end of their fall from grace.

***

Registration had commenced for the triannual World Academy Tournament.

Each of the five year levels was to send out a five-man team to enter the tournament, which was set to take place from December 15th to December 30th at Celestial Being Warrior Academy.

All of the participating academies immediately began holding internal tournaments.

Those who secured a top-three finish in the tournament would receive an increase in allotted resources of 30% from the academy, and that increase would rise to 100% in the case of the top-spot finish.

Furthermore, rewards were also handed out for fourth to eighth-spot finishes.

On top of that, students who excelled in the tournament would be marked down by the Hall of Protectionists and given employment right after graduation, essentially paving their path for the future.

Hence, everyone was very eager to put on a good showing, but in contrast, Mo Ganyun and the others were struggling to find motivation.

Their team had been whittled down to five members. Xie Gongping came to join them occasionally, but he could only train by himself, separate from the rest of the group.

The cold treatment that he received seemed to have lit a fire under him, and he worked tirelessly every single day, dedicating all of his time to going out on missions to earn merit points, which he would then spend on cultivating in the spirit qi gravity cultivation chambers.

Whenever he had some spare time, he would go to the drill grounds to take part in the sparring matches.

Even though everyone in the group continued to ignore and ostracize him, he refused to back down.

Every single time, he was beaten comprehensively, but that only seemed to further fuel his competitive fire.

If his challenge were ignored, then he would begin throwing punches until whoever he challenged was forced to retaliate.

One day, during a break in sparring, Yu Zhongge sighed in a dejected manner, "Boss has already been unconscious for three days. He wasn't looking any better when I went to see him earlier today."

Everyone else hung their heads in silence.

"Our clans and the academy have all supplied natural treasures to aid him in his recovery, but they don't seem to be working at all."

"Have you all passed your examinations?" Qiu Yunshang sighed.

"Of course. Aside from Boss, no one else can compare with the five of us in our year level."

"At this rate, it's basically decided that the five of us will be representing the first-year cohort in the tournament," Jing Shuanggao said.

"What about him?" Mo Ganyun asked as he gestured toward Xie Gongping.

"He's been improving very quickly of late, but it's not enough," Yu Zhongge said.

"What do we do about him?"

"We'll just have to wait for Boss to recover. No one else in our group has the right to make that decision."

"I suppose that's true, but what if Boss never recovers?"

"In that case, he'll be permanently out of the group."

"Even if Boss does make a full recovery, it's still yet to be seen whether Xie Gongping will be allowed back into the group."

"There's no point in talking about him," Yu Zhongge sighed. "Regardless of what happens, there's no coming back for him."

"Why?"

"Our participation in the World Academy Tournament is pretty much set in stone at this point. From now until the tournament, the academy will grant us unlimited resources and special training, while Xie Gongping won't receive any of that.

“Once the tournament begins, he'll only be left further behind. We'll be taking part in at least three battles a day against the best prodigies the continent has to offer, and we'll be improving by leaps and bounds during that time."

Everyone nodded silently in agreement with Yu Zhongge's analysis.

Under those special conditions, their latent potential would be fully brought to the fore, and it would be no exaggeration to say that they would be reborn anew every single day.

"How is Xie Gongping supposed to catch up to us once we return from the tournament? Even now, he's already been left far behind. At the moment, he's still able to last a few exchanges against us, but when that time comes, he won't even be able to withstand a single attack! How can he continue to remain in our group?

“This is simply the harsh reality of warriorhood. We're not the ones rejecting him, he's simply been denied by circumstances. As we grow stronger, the missions that we carry out will become more and more dangerous. Are we supposed to let him die out there, or will we have to constantly serve as his caretakers?

“I've been thinking about these things for quite some time, and the remarks that he made on Boss aren't the only reason I kicked him out of our group. Kicking him out in the future would only be more hurtful, so it's better to do it now. He simply can't keep up."

Everyone fell silent upon hearing this.

Indeed, life could be cruel at times, but that was simply the reality.

An advancing group couldn't halt its progress just to wait for a straggling member to catch up.

"All warriors need companions, but not all companions can stay together until the very end," Yu Zhongge continued. "There will constantly be people coming and going, and by the time one reaches the pinnacle of warriorhood, they'll come to discover that they've gone through countless companions.

“Even among us, there will most likely be people falling off over time. Initially, perhaps the gap can be bridged using natural treasures, but eventually, the gap will become insurmountable. At that point, you'll only be able to look on helplessly as everyone leaves you further and further behind.

“Perhaps that will light a fire under you, and you'll do everything in your power to catch up, just like Xie Gongping is doing now, but he'll quickly discover that his efforts are futile, and that he'll only continue to be left further and further behind. One day, one of us could just as easily meet the same fate."

Everyone nodded in response with solemn expressions.

Yu Zhongge turned to Ding Jieran as he said, "While we're on this topic, we have to discuss your future in the group."

Ding Jieran raised his head to look back at Yu Zhongge.

"You're on the verge of falling off," Yu Zhongge said.

Ding Jieran remained silent.

He was aware of that.

Unfortunately, the support he was able to receive from his clan was very limited, and he could only rely on his own aptitude.

Some seeds sprouted from rich and fertile soil, while others sprouted from sparse pockets of soil lodged between rocks. Both seeds perhaps possessed equal potential, but their ceilings were worlds apart.

Barring any mishaps, the seed that was Yu Zhongge was destined to grow into an almighty tree that towered over the rest, receiving an unlimited supply of nutrients from the fertile soil from which it had sprouted.

In contrast, Ding Jieran's destiny was far less fortunate.

"While Boss is absent, you're ranked fifth, while Jing Shuanggao is ranked sixth, but Jing Shuanggao will most likely be able to surpass you before the World Academy Tournament. However, your innate swordsman constitution is something that none of us possess."

He pulled out two books from his pocket, then offered them to Ding Jieran as he continued, "These are two sword manuals that I requested my clansmen to make copies of. One of them is for left-handed swordsmen, while the other is for right-handed swordsmen."

"What are you doing?" Ding Jieran asked as a cold gleam flashed through his eyes.

"Don't misunderstand my intentions," Yu Zhongge said. "I'm not going to ask for any compensation from you or your clan, I'm only doing this because I want you to be able to at least keep up with us for a little longer. Even if you're still going to fall off at some point, I want it to be further ahead in the future."

Ding Jieran lowered his head upon hearing this, and he was silent for a long time.

Mo Ganyun heaved a faint sigh.

He could've done the same thing, but he had reservations about bruising Ding Jieran's ego, and Yu Zhongge had beaten him to the punch anyway.

"Take it," Mo Ganyun encouraged. "This has nothing to do with your two clans, and it's not going to have any bearing on your future decisions. It's just a gift from one brother to another. If you want to repay him in the future, you're free to do so."