Chapter 143 (3): Swift and Severe Repercussions

Meanwhile, the thirty Kings were already shocked beyond words!

They were incredulous at the fact that Fang Che had managed to withstand their collective auras.

Even though he had been forced onto the back foot, his aura hadn't abated in the slightest.

It was as if he had imposed an imaginary wall behind himself, a line in the sand that he absolutely refused to retreat beyond.

His aura was incredibly resilient, and there was a sense of finality about it, as if he were shielding something of the utmost importance behind himself.

On the battlefield, it would've been impossible to force someone like him back further without putting an end to his life.

If one wished to set foot on the soil behind him, then they would have to do so over his dead body. So long as he still drew breath, no enemy would be able to get past him!

A sense of genuine admiration welled up in the hearts of the thirty Kings. They were reminded of the stories that they had heard about their heroic seniors, who refused to back down against warriors of the Church of the Self-Righteous far more powerful than themselves in order to protect the masses.

A sense of respect and admiration arose in their hearts, and they withdrew their auras in unison as they began regarding the new arrival with fond smiles.

"My name is Feng Xiangdong," a young man said. "What's yours?"

"My name is Fang Che," Fang Che replied with a smile. "You guys almost sent me flying out through the door!"

"Hardly! You looked like you were holding your own just fine!"

"My name is Yu Zhongkuang," another young man declared with a smile.

"Yu Zhongkuang? Who is Yu Zhongge to you?"

"He's my younger brother by two years."

Standing beside them was another young man, one with a begrudging look of admiration on his face.

"I am Xue Wanren. I can see you're a very formidable warriors, Chief Administrator Fang. No wonder you were able to do what you did to my cousin."

"Let's not mention that, it's all in the past now," Fang Che said in an awkward manner, and Xue Wanren was more than happy to agree.

These three young men were from the Feng, Yu, and Xue Clans, and it was clear that they were the figureheads of the group.

𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

From there, everyone began introducing themselves one after another, and the atmosphere became very friendly and harmonious.

Even Xue Wanren was speaking to Fang Che like an old friend, seemingly holding no grudges over the humiliation that Fang Che had dealt upon Xue Wanshi.

After some time, the sound of foosteps rang out from outside, and Yu Zhongkuang immediately raised a hand as he urged, "Everyone, get ready!"

The other Kings immediately turned to the door with hostile expressions, much to Fang Che's amusement.

He saw no reason not to join them in their little prank, and he also released his own aura to play his part.

The door was opened, and a young man carrying a sword on his back stepped into the room.

As soon as he did so, everyone's auras erupted forth at once, and the young man was sent flying back like a cannonball, striking the wall behind him with a loud thump before sliding down to the ground.

His eyes were wide with shock as he stared at everyone inside.

Never had he anticipated that he would be blasted with such a formidable aura as soon as he opened the door, and he had been caught completely off guard.

He gritted his teeth tightly as he sprang to his feet.

This time, he was fully prepared, drawing upon his own aura as he reopened the door. The open door resembled a broken dam, providing an outlet for the collective auras of the thirty Kings inside to erupt forth in a frenzy.

He let loose a war cry of sorts, then barged his way inside with all his might, only to be sent flying back out again.

Everyone inside erupted into laughter.

The young man made two more attempts to enter the room, but it proved to be an impossible task.

Left with no choice but to concede, he yelled, "What do I have to do for you to let me in?"

"Find a way yourself!" everyone answered in unison.

The young man heaved a forlorn sigh, then opened the door again, but this time, he didn't draw upon his aura. Instead, as soon as he entered through the door, he immediately stepped to the side and pressed himself flat against the wall before hurriedly closing the door.

From there, he began slowly shuffling further into the room while remaining flush with the wall, but progress was still agonizingly slow, much to his chagrin and embarrassment.

He could only turn to everyone with a defeated and indignant expression, looking like a helpless little kitten.

Everyone instantly erupted into laughter once again at his pathetic display.

"Interrogate him, Boss Fang!" everyone yelled.

In the warrior world, power reigned supreme, and whoever displayed the most power was automatically revered as the leader.

Prior to Fang Che's arrival, there had been no clear leader in the group, but he had won over everyone with his incredible display of resilience.

Fang Che cleared his throat, then put on a haughty demeanor as he asked, "Where have you come from, disgraced warrior? And what is your name?"

"I am Luo Shishui, an eighth-rank King from the Guardian headquarters! Please accept my sincerest respect and admiration!"

Luo Shishui instantly began playing along, adopting an appropriate character.

"You have been defeated, Luo Shishui. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I am willing to pledge my allegiance to you all. I hope you will accept me into your fold, Boss Fang."

"Approved!"

"Thank you, Boss Fang!" Luo Shishui said in an excited voice as he jogged over to join the group. "Are we doing this for everyone that comes in? Who's up next?"

"Whoever opens the door next will be the next target."

Luo Shishui was very much looking forward to the arrival of the next victim.

From there, Fang Che recruited four more lackeys, bringing the total number of Kings to thirty-six, which was the full quota.

"How is the selection trial going to be carried out?" Fang Che asked. "Surely we can't just all fight each other in a free-for-all battle! Do any of you know how many of us will be selected in the end?"

"Nine," Luo Shishui replied. "Twenty-seven of us will be eliminated, and the trials will begin tomorrow."

"I'd say Boss Fang, Brother Feng, Brother Yu, and Brother Xue are pretty much shoo-ins, which means that the remaining thirty-two of us will have to compete for five spots," another young man by the name of Meng Wuhen said.

"Please have mercy on me, everyone," Luo Shishui implored as he cupped his fist in a salute. "If I don't make the final nine, my father will surely beat me to death when I return home!"

"You make it sound like we would fare much better if

we

failed!" a young man by the name of Tan Dashi scoffed. "If I don't make the final nine, I may not live to see another day!"

"Let it be known that I, Chu Wuqing, will be sure to claim one of the top nine spots!"

"Piss off! Who gave you the right to decide that?"

"If you're not convinced, then come fight me!" Chu Wuqing challenged in a confident manner. "Boss Fang's aura is very strong, but he may not be a match for me in battle!"

Everyone rolled their eyes in exasperation.

There was no way someone with an aura as formidable as Fang Che's would be lacking in combat prowess.

Before long, the conversations were flowing, and everyone had become quite friendly with one another.

Fang Che noticed that everyone was being very candid and earnest, putting their truest selves on display, and they didn't shy away from sharing information like their backgrounds and battle styles.

Everyone shared a mutual respect for strength, and they readily conceded their inferiority to those stronger than themselves, willing to set aside their egos to learn from those superior to them.

There was no envy, no pettiness, no mind games, no unhealthy competition... Everyone was doing their best to remain humble while simultaneously putting themselves on display in as genuine a fashion as possible.

The reason why prodigies of their caliber were so forthright and candid was because they were already beginning to pave their paths for the future, trying to make connections and recruit allies.

They may have been in competition with one another in this particular setting, but in the future, they were going to be comrades on the battlefield.

Fang Che was extremely pleased to see this, but at the same time, he was disappointed by the absence of Mo Ganyun, Yu Zhongge, Qiu Yunshang, Jing Shuanggao, and Ding Jieran.

Why aren't they here? Are they taking part in the Warlord tier selection trials? But I didn't see them in the southeastern selection trials, either...

***

In a secret underground base in the Guardian headquarters, Mo Ganyun was in the process of undergoing an examination.

"You've reached the pinnacle of the ninth-rank King tier! Very impressive!"

After him came Yu Zhongge and the others, and they were all also ninth-rank Kings.

They had already been here for a very long time, undergoing grueling secret training, and as a result, their combat prowess had been rapidly improving by leaps and bounds.

This rate of progression was astonishing even to themselves, and to this day, their skin was still glowing with a faint purple hue, indicating that they were still yet to fully process the power of the Amethyst Soul.

If they were to go out into the world, any high-ranking enemy warrior would immediately be able to identify that they had claimed the Amethyst Soul.

It was hardly of any consequence that the Guardians had obtained the Amethyst Ore vein, but if it were made known that the four of them had absorbed the Amethyst Soul, then that would undoubtedly create a massive stir.

There was no way that the Church of the Self-Righteous would allow the four of them to survive.

If they were allowed to grow to their full potential, then even at the very least, the Guardians would have four more Bing Qianshans, clearly an unacceptable outcome.

The Amethyst Soul had left enormous deposits of energy in their bodies, and Mo Ganyun's height was quickly approaching 2.5 meters. [1]

"I reckon once we're finished with our training here, you'll definitely be able to take off that headband of yours!" Yu Zhongge teased. "Surely even ten Boss Fangs wouldn't be a match for you now!"

1. Roughly 8'2.5". ☜