Chapter 143 (2): Swift and Severe Repercussions

It didn't take long for Fang Che's group to reach the Guardian headquarters.

The entire building was constructed from rocks, giving it a very rugged and unadorned appearance.

The Guardian was an enormous building, and even though it wasn't the most lavish building, there was a sense of stately majesty to it. It looked as if the building were one with the mountain itself, striking the beholder with the feeling that it wouldn't be moved in the slightest, even if the sky were to fall upon it.

After their identities were verified at the entrance, the group stepped inside and were immediately approached by an administrator. "Welcome, Chief Administrator Zhao. The three representatives are to remain here, while the rest of you can go over there to have lodging arranged."

"Erm, our situation is a little different from usual; one of our representatives brought his wife with him."

"Oh? Which one?"

"That one."

"What's his name?"

"Fang Che."

"Ohhh, he's the one that turned those ten troublemakers into vegetables with a single roar, right?"

Word of Fang Che's feats had already made the rounds throughout the Guardian headquarters, and everyone admired him for his courage and resolve.

Of course, the main reason this incident had become so renowned was because it was the direct catalyst that had led to the recently released Dongfang Order.

The actions of ten troublemakers had brought about a wave of reform that was to sweep through all of the prominent clans on the entire continent.

As a central figure in the incident, Fang Che's name inevitably attracted a great deal of attention.

"That's his wife? Wow, she really is quite a beauty. No wonder those ten troublemakers... Anyway, leave it to me. You there, arrange some guest rooms on the lower level for Chief Supervisor Zhao and..."

All of a sudden, a chilling aura descended upon the hall before the administrator had a chance to finish his sentence.

Bing Qianshan made his way into the room, his aura as cold as ice, and everyone instantly fell silent.

Bing Qianshan seemed to have been in quite a hurry, rushing his way through the hall, but he abruptly returned, having spotted a familiar face.

"I knew it was you! Are you here to take part in the selection trials?"

"Greetings, Senior Bing," Fang Che said with a respectful salute.

"How is your sword training coming along?" Bing Qianshan asked with a smile.

"It's going just fine. Thank you for asking, Senior Being."

"I look forward to seeing how much your swordsmanship has progressed since we last met!" Bing Qianshan said with a smile, then turned to the administrator as he instructed, "Make sure to take good care of them. I have to go see Brother Sansan, so I won't stick around."

With that, he disappeared again like the wind, leaving everyone in the hall to gawk at Fang Che with stunned expressions.

What's this guy's relationship with Master Bing?!

The administrator attending to Zhao Shanhe's group was horrified, and he hurriedly turned to his subordinate and instructed, "Arrange a nice courtyard for Chief Administrator Zhao and his group on the upper level! In fact, they can stay in Master Bing's courtyard."

"Didn't you just say to arrange some guest rooms for them on the lower level?"

"Well, I've changed my mind now!" the administrator snapped with a stern glare. "Once you're done, report back to Chief Administrator Fang here right away."

The subordinate hurriedly departed to carry out the administrator's instructions.

Never had Zhao Shanhe and the others imagined that they would be given preferential treatment even in the Guardian headquarters thanks to their association with Fang Che.

Ye Meng gave Fang Che a gentle tug on the sleeve.

Overawed by the grand and austere atmosphere of the Guardian headquarters, she didn't even dare to speak.

"I'll be with you again soon," Fang Che said with a reassuring smile.

Zhao Shanhe, Old Man Shen, and An Ruoxing departed with Ye Meng.

"Some people act all cocky and important, as if they have the entire world at their fingertips, only to be assigned a guest room on the lower level at the Guardian headquarters," Old Man Shen sneered.

Zhao Shanhe's expression instantly darkened as he picked up the pace to distance himself from Old Man Shen.

"That's enough!" An Ruoxing said in a stern voice.

"Picking on him has become my favorite pastime," Old Man Shen chuckled, intentionally making sure that his voice was audible to Zhao Shanhe, and the latter's expression instantly darkened even further.

As they made their way toward the lodging area, they saw several people up ahead walking in the same direction, presumably people from another one of the regional headquarters.

One of them turned around and greeted, "Long time no see, Old Man Zhao."

"It really has been too long, Old Man Ren."

Zhao Shanhe was eager to strike up a conversation with his colleague so he would have an excuse to leave Old Man Shen behind.

Chief Supervisor Ren was led into the lower courtyard, but Zhao Shanhe stopped outside and said, "Let's go for a drink later, Old Man Ren."

"You're not coming inside?"

"I'm going over there," Zhao Shanhe replied with a composed smile.

"Over there? The upper level?" Chief Supervisor Ren exclaimed.

"That's right."

Chief Supervisor Ren: "......"

"How come you get to stay on the upper level?"

"You have to understand the reality of the world, Old Man Ren," Zhao Shanhe said with a smile. "We all like to think that everyone is equal, but that's simply not the case. Which number room are you staying in? I'll come find you in a bit."

"No, thanks!"

"Don't be like that, Old Man Zhao! We can have a drink together, and I'll tell you about what it's like in the upper courtyards!"

"Piss off!"

Chief Supervisor Ren vanished without a trace.

Zhao Shanhe turned to An Ruoxing with a smug expression as he scoffed, "How uncultured."

An Ruoxing took a disdainful glance at him, while Old Man Shen sneered, "And you're supposed to be a man of culture? Unfairly oppressing your subordinates is certainly the sign of a cultured man!"

Zhao Shanhe hurriedly cleared his throat and began making his way toward the upper level.

***

In the wake of Bing Qianshan's departure, Fang Che was left feeling very perplexed.

𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Why does it seem like Master Bing is looking out for me? He did this last time at the foot of the volcano as well.

It simply didn't make sense to Fang Che. If Bing Qianshan were normally this amicable to his juniors, then he would've surely already had countless disciples and students at this point.

Given Dongfang Sansan's cautious nature, Fang Che highly doubted that he would've revealed the nature of his situation to Bing Qianshan.

Before he had a chance to follow this train of thought any further, an administrator called out to him, then led him into a smaller hall.

"This is the waiting area for all of the representatives. You can go in yourself."

These were all of the Kings to take part in the second round of selection trials, and they were all competing with one another.

There were already thirty or so people inside, and all of them turned to scrutinize Fang Che as he made his way into the hall.

There was a pervasive air of competition and animosity in the room, culminating in a palpable aura that swept directly toward Fang Che.

Caught completely off guard, Fang Che was almost knocked over by the formidable aura.

He had strolled into the hall in a casual and relaxed manner, and he wasn't anticipating this ambush at all.

He immediately took a step back to prevent himself from falling, then leaned forward as he released his aura in full force to combat the collective aura of all of the other Kings.

Everyone in the room was stunned to see this.

Everyone else who had come before Fang Che had taken a much more cautious approach, slipping their way into the hall before slowly integrating themselves into the group, yet Fang Che was fighting fire with fire, taking on everyone by himself!

Not only that, but he clearly intended to dominate everyone's aura with just his own!

Everyone immediately upped the ante, determined to teach him a lesson.

Why are all of them targeting me at once? Is it because I'm too handsome? Envy is truly the thief of joy!

He gritted his teeth tightly as he withstood everyone's collective aura, refusing to back down.

He slowly leaned forward even further, as if he were bracing himself against a stiff gale, and he was fighting to suppress his baleful qi, using only his aura to combat his competitors.

All of the Kings were stunned to see that he was managing to hold his own, and that only made them more determined to get the better of him.

"We have to work together! Let's all combine our auras into one and knock him down!"

The thirty or so Kings instantly combined their powers, and their auras fused as one before hurtling toward Fang Che like a mighty dragon.

Without drawing upon his baleful qi and killing intent, there was no way that Fang Che could hope to withstand the collective auras of over thirty high-rank Kings, and the tide was slowly turning against his favor.

Before long, he found himself unable to maintain his forward-leaning posture any longer, and he was forced to lean back slightly, his weight shifted onto his back foot, but his aura remained as firm as ever, and he refused to be forced back by even a single inch.

He was pleasantly surprised to discover that the thirty or so Kings standing before him were all on the same level or even superior to the likes of Ling Kong and Xi Yun.

They were all exceptional prodigies, and this was a very encouraging discovery for Fang Che.