God-Level Special Forces Soldier

As soon as those words came out, everyone subconsciously snuck a glance at Chen Zhenfang, and couldn’t help feeling a bit uneasy inside...

Because from this speech, you didn’t even need to think to hear where the spear was pointing. The implication was very simple: if it hadn’t been for Chen Zhenfang’s unilateral decision back then, insisting on sending Bai Xiaoxuan up to the arena, they wouldn’t be stuck with this mess now.

For a while, the hall went so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone held their breath; more or less, their expressions all carried a trace of nervousness, and the atmosphere in the room was dragged into a heavy, oppressive mood.

Chen Zhenfang’s transcendent status even surpasses that of Sect Leader Xu Ming. Ever since the previous senior generation all passed away, something like this—being publicly accused—had never happened. Calling it the first time since the dawn of time wouldn’t be an exaggeration!

Yet the people witnessing this moment with their own eyes felt an immense pressure descend on them. That Chen Zhenfang’s age far exceeded everyone else’s was beyond doubt.

But at the same time, it was common knowledge that Chen Zhenfang’s strength also far surpassed everyone here.

Judging from Chen Zhenfang’s past arbitrary and dictatorial style, it was hard to say how she would react...

...

Time ticked by, second after second, and just as the atmosphere in the hall was about to reach its breaking point, Chen Zhenfang finally spoke, her voice calm. Yet the content of her words left many people dumbfounded...

"Keep talking."

Her tone was so bland, as if nothing had happened at all, that everyone couldn’t help looking at one another in surprise, and at the same time secretly let out a breath of relief.

Anyway, the fact that this senior sister of unfathomable strength hadn’t exploded was already the best outcome they could hope for!

A moment later, Chen Zhenfang let out a long sigh and said, "I just said, if there are mistakes, feel free to point them out. That naturally includes my own mistakes. What junior sister said just now has a certain truth to it. Go on."

After hearing Chen Zhenfang say this, the woman finally felt the pressure ease. She quietly wiped the sweat from her palms before continuing, "What I mentioned just now was actually only part of it. What really forced Beiwu Academy to jump out so impatiently is probably some of our recent moves..."

"Starting from when Junior Sister Xu Ming began amending the sect rules, all the way to the arena match between Bai Xiaoxuan and Sun Miaohan—in this period, there are certain things we displayed that we ourselves may not have noticed, but that invisibly led Beiwu Academy to think we’ve already started entertaining the idea of shaking the status of the two academies."

At this point, Chen Zhenfang timely spoke up: "Back when Master was still alive, our Heartbreak Valley had already tried to do exactly that, and we were only one step away from pulling off the feat of breaking the power structure. So the two academies’ wariness of us isn’t baseless; in fact, their guard against us has never relaxed in over a decade—it’s just not usually so obvious!"

Xu Ming’s eyes shifted slightly as she said thoughtfully, "Senior Sister means that the last hurdle that blocked us back then was actually..."

"You guessed right!" Chen Zhenfang’s gaze grew distant, as if she had returned to that year, and she said angrily, "That last step of ours back then was tripped up by those barbarians from Beiwu Academy."

With Chen Zhenfang’s account laid out, everyone in the hall suddenly showed looks of dawning realization... No wonder Beiwu Academy couldn’t sit still and jumped out like this. They’d originally thought all that body tempering had left them with developed limbs and underdeveloped brains; they hadn’t expected there to be such a history between them.

The woman stood there for a long moment before giving a bitter little laugh. "Hearing Senior Sister say all this, I don’t have any better ideas either. The two academies are eyeing us like tigers now, and with Beiwu Academy and Wind Blade Valley already standing together, it’s better to hear what insights all the senior and junior sisters might have."

She was about to sit back down, but just as she was halfway to the seat, she couldn’t help straightening up again and added, "I’d also like to remind everyone: right now, among the two academies and three valleys, only Profound Spirit Valley and Nanru Academy—that one valley and one academy—are still staying out of it. If we don’t seize the time, I’m afraid we’ll be even more passive when the time comes."

Everyone understood the logic—but the problem was, what use was understanding?

Are they supposed to go and beg that one valley and one academy that are staying out of it for help?

A moment later, someone quietly stood up and said, "I think we might as well look for help ourselves. It’s true that with Wind Blade Valley backing Beiwu Academy, they’ve gone from a scruffy hen to a phoenix with a shake of the head. But if it really comes to a fight, how many people can they actually send to assist?"

"If you ask me, Wind Blade Valley and Beiwu Academy are just putting on a show to exert pressure. After all, we know perfectly well what that lot from Beiwu Academy is like. When you’ve used this kind of trick too many times, it stops working."

After hearing this speech, everyone couldn’t help but shake their heads and sigh. They had thought this normally taciturn fellow might offer some brilliant plan, but now it seemed he was a bit of a letdown.

People from Beiwu Academy are often mocked as having all their IQ grown into their muscles—barbarians with developed limbs and simple minds, good for nothing but fighting and using brute force to threaten others.

But that doesn’t mean everyone in Beiwu Academy is actually stupid. At least when faced with Heartbreak Valley showing signs of rising, there’s absolutely no way they’d adopt a casual, indifferent attitude.

So once Wind Blade Valley and Heartbreak Valley clash head-on, it’s not that there’s no chance of Beiwu Academy offering robust support; on the contrary, there’s a very high chance they’ll lend a hand.

As for seeking help ourselves—that’s nothing but wishful thinking.

Nanru Academy may still be keeping its arms crossed and watching from the sidelines right now, but knowing that Heartbreak Valley is on the rise and yet helping it grow strong enough to oppose itself—what kind of idiot would make that decision?

Though Nanru Academy and Beiwu Academy openly and covertly fight all the time, on this kind of issue they’re not going to disagree. After all, with one more force of equal rank, they’ll lose a slice of the benefits that should have been theirs. As long as they aren’t fools or lunatics, they’re not going to step up and take Heartbreak Valley’s side.

As for Profound Spirit Valley, this whole affair has little to do with them from beginning to end, and there’s no concrete benefit in it either. Why would they wade into these muddy waters?

...

Watching everyone shake their heads and sigh, the person who had spoken up earlier couldn’t help saying angrily, "I’m stating facts. Nanru Academy indeed won’t help us, but Profound Spirit Valley is the only ally we can possibly win over right now. If we don’t hurry, then whatever we say later will be too late."

Everyone looked at one another, wanting to refute him but finding nowhere to begin, so they could only remain silent, minds racing as they tried to think of countermeasures.

"Senior Sister’s words aren’t without reason. But if we put ourselves in their shoes—if we were Profound Spirit Valley—would we choose to stay neutral, or pick a side?" Xu Ming’s clear, ethereal voice spread through the hall, leaving the high-ranking member who had spoken earlier momentarily speechless.

Xu Ming’s question did indeed stump everyone. If they themselves were from Profound Spirit Valley, they definitely wouldn’t wade into these muddy waters. Quietly making a fortune is the proper way. Unless there’s enough benefit to move the other side, there’s absolutely no way to forge an alliance.

And Heartbreak Valley itself is in a growth phase—what could it possibly put on the table?