Chapter 76: Forming One
The moment Yun Feiyu heard Nan Yu say yes, he was so overwhelmed with excitement that he barely heard Nan Yu's following sentence about meeting the graduation standards.
As far as he was concerned, all that mattered was being allowed to stay.
That way, he could continue spending time with Bai Zhouyun.
That's right.
Yun Feiyu's current plan was to use Nan Yu's help to remain at the academy while continuing to flirt with Nan Yu's own fiancé.
After all, the two of them had already been together for quite some time.
Nan Yu simply didn't know it yet.
Perhaps Nan Yu had sensed a little of it, but in Yun Feiyu's eyes, it was only a small misunderstanding.
It would definitely be cleared up later.
He even planned to help Bai Zhouyun reconcile with Nan Yu and have the two marry as soon as possible.
Once that happened, Bai Zhouyun's position within the Bai family would quickly become secure.
And by remaining beside Bai Zhouyun during that period, Yun Feiyu's own value would naturally increase as well.
Nan Yu took a deep breath.
"So I've agreed. Do you have anything else? Or are you so eager that you want to complete the paperwork today?"
Only then did Yun Feiyu gradually come back to his senses.
Looking at Nan Yu with immense gratitude, he said, "Thank you so much, Student Nan Yu. If possible, I'd like to complete the paperwork as soon as possible because the academy has already started urging me."
"I really want to stay here. After all, I can learn things at this academy that I can't learn anywhere else and enrich my knowledge."
The corner of Nan Yu's mouth twitched.
Was Yun Feiyu dreaming?
What good would expanding his knowledge do?
His mental power simply wasn't sufficient.
"So if that's the case, let's go take care of the paperwork. There's only one class this morning anyway, and I have plenty of time afterward. But have you really thought this through?"
Yun Feiyu smiled and nodded.
"Yes, Student Nan Yu. I've already made up my mind."
"I'll be in your care from now on."
Nan Yu shook his head.
"I wouldn't call it that. I just don't want to see you leave like this."
"After we've completed the paperwork, let's just pretend nothing ever happened and continue getting along as before."
That was exactly what Yun Feiyu had wanted.
He simply hadn't felt comfortable suggesting it himself.
So after Nan Yu brought it up first, he immediately agreed.
"Thank you, Student Nan Yu."
"I knew from the very beginning that you were a good person."
Nan Yu simply smiled without saying anything.
Quietly, he followed Yun Feiyu toward the academy's Administration Building.
The building wasn't far from where they'd just had class.
It only took a few minutes to arrive.
After understanding the situation, the teacher handling the paperwork looked at Yun Feiyu with unusual seriousness.
"Student Yun Feiyu, are you absolutely certain?"
"Once this decision is finalized, there will be no way to change it."
"You'll still be able to stay at the academy and continue living and studying here just like before, just like the other students."
"But you must understand that no matter how similar things appear, you are no longer a student of this academy."
"You'll remain here only as Student Nan Yu's disciple."
"If Student Nan Yu graduates successfully and you also meet the graduation standards, then you'll receive this academy's diploma."
"If Student Nan Yu graduates but you fail to meet the standards, the academy won't award you anything."
"If you meet the standards but Student Nan Yu leaves the academy before graduating for personal reasons, then you also won't be able to graduate."
"In other words, from this point onward, whether or not you graduate no longer depends solely on yourself."
Nan Yu looked at the teacher.
"Teacher, the way you're saying it makes it sound as though I won't graduate."
The teacher laughed awkwardly.
"Come on, I'm just giving him an example."
"Instead of staying here as a proper student, he insists on becoming someone's disciple."
"This is a military academy!"
"No matter how good it is, it's still a military academy."
"Anyone who fails to meet the standards can't graduate."
"And if they still fail after repeating a year, they'll simply be expelled."
He continued, "That's why I wanted Student Yun Feiyu to think everything through carefully."
Nan Yu shrugged.
"I think he's already considered it thoroughly enough."
Summoning his courage, Yun Feiyu spoke.
"Actually... I've already thought everything through."
"No matter what happens in the future, I just want to have a clear conscience now."
"So... thank you for reminding me, Teacher."
Seeing how determined he was, the teacher said nothing further.
"You're right."
"This is your own choice."
"I hope you won't regret it."
Once the teacher was convinced, the paperwork proceeded very quickly.
There was nothing particularly complicated about it.
Nan Yu had gained a disciple.
As far as he was concerned, however, nothing in his life changed.
Because even if Yun Feiyu was his disciple, it was nothing more than a title.
Even if Yun Feiyu committed murder or arson at the academy, it had absolutely nothing to do with Nan Yu.
The paperwork itself took less than half an hour.
The conversation with the teacher beforehand had actually taken another thirty minutes.
Altogether, it had only taken about an hour before they left the Administration Building.
When they reached the ground floor, Yun Feiyu still wore a broad smile.
His entire expression radiated relief.
He had even completely forgotten about Nan Yu's bounty on him in the game.
"So happy?"
Nan Yu smiled faintly.
You'll regret it later.
"Of course."
"I'm very happy just to be able to stay at this academy."
"In that case, good luck."
"We'll be leaving now."
Just as Nan Yu and Yang Zhou were about to leave, Yun Feiyu suddenly remembered something.
"Student Nan Yu!"
Nan Yu stopped and looked back.
"What is it? Is there something else?"
"Actually... it's nothing important."
"I just wanted to tell you..."
"Student Bai Zhouyun has been trying to contact you recently, but he hasn't been able to find you."
"Last night, after learning that you weren't home, he waited outside the residential district where Yang Zhou lives for a very long time..."
Nan Yu fell silent.
He hadn't expected Yun Feiyu to cling so tightly to Bai Zhouyun that he'd even speak well of him in front of Nan Yu.
Was this what people meant by loving someone so much that you helped them win over the person they wanted?
But recalling how Bai Zhouyun and Yun Feiyu had ended up together in his previous life...
Nan Yu had to admit that, in a certain sense, Yun Feiyu was extremely calculating.
He knew that if he wanted to gain greater benefits from Bai Zhouyun, he first had to help Bai Zhouyun become stronger.
Otherwise, even if he managed to win Bai Zhouyun, it wouldn't bring him much benefit.
Nan Yu looked at him.
"What are you trying to say?"
"Did Bai Zhouyun ask you to persuade me?"
Yun Feiyu hurriedly shook his head.
"No."
"I just left school rather late last night, and on my way home I happened to see Bai Zhouyun's hovercraft parked in the temporary parking area outside that residential district for a very long time."
Nan Yu remained silent for a moment before asking,
"Is what you're saying true?"
Yun Feiyu's eyes lit up.
Had his words actually worked?
"Yes."
"He waited for a long time."
"After I got home, I remembered I'd forgotten something at school, so I went back to get it."
"When I passed by there again, his hovercraft was still parked in the same place."
"I don't know how much longer he stayed after that."
"I had things to do, so I went home first."
Nan Yu nodded.
"I understand."
"He really is a little different from before."
"The old Bai Zhouyun would never have lowered himself to wait for me."
"He'd never have come to coax me."
"Every single time, I was always the one who lowered my head first."
Yun Feiyu laughed awkwardly.
"Well... anyway..."
"I still want to thank you for today."
"I'll be leaving now."
"If there's ever anything you need my help with, don't hesitate to ask."
"All right."
Yun Feiyu finally left.
Only then did Nan Yu let the fake expression disappear from his face.
Yang Zhou rubbed his own face.
"Are you really okay?"
"Putting on an act like that with Yun Feiyu?"
Nan Yu smiled.
"What's there to worry about?"
"Do you believe that without me, Bai Zhouyun will remain nothing but useless trash?"
"And if Yun Feiyu only manages to latch onto a piece of trash, how much of a future do you think he'll have?"
Yang Zhou looked at him.
"You really have a lot of confidence in yourself."
"I heard the Bai family has already found two Mid-Tier Mental Power Users."
"They're taking turns removing Bai Zhouyun's Mental Contamination."
"Apparently his training efficiency is now two or three times what it used to be."
"Maybe after enough time, he really will become a High-Tier Ability User."
Nan Yu couldn't help twitching the corner of his mouth.
"Yang Zhou."
"Do you really think becoming a High-Tier Ability User means you can rest easy forever?"
"Forget the entire Empire."
"Just on the Capital Star alone, how many High-Tier Ability Users do you think there are?"
Yang Zhou paused.
"I can't count them."
"Exactly."
"You can't count them."
"Even the Empire's own departments responsible for investigating these things can only estimate an approximate number and proportion."
"So are High-Tier Ability Users really that extraordinary?"
"Especially someone like Bai Zhouyun, who would struggle so much just to become one."
"The road afterward is still very long."
"Who knows whether he'll ever become one of the outstanding figures among High-Tier Ability Users?"
That was only what Nan Yu said aloud.
In reality, he was one hundred percent certain.
Without his help in this lifetime...
Bai Zhouyun becoming truly powerful was nothing more than a fantasy.
Nan Yu took a deep breath.
"Let's go."
"I'll spray some healing medicine on your face."
"Doesn't it still hurt?"
Only then did Yang Zhou remember the bruise on his face.
"Right."
"That guy was really disgusting."
"I'd only been outside for a short while when they caught me."
"That Mental Power User punched me immediately."
"And that Ability User even blocked my path so I couldn't leave."
"I could've dodged it."
"If that Ability User hadn't deliberately stopped me, that idiot would've never landed the punch."
"So infuriating."
Nan Yu frowned slightly.
"What happened?"
"Why didn't you mention that just now?"
Yang Zhou scratched his head.
"Wasn't I too angry back then? I forgot."
"Anyway, the matter's already been settled."
"Let's just leave it."
"If they dare lay a hand on me again, I definitely won't hold back."
Nan Yu shook his head.
"No matter how you look at it, this happened because of me."
"I'll help you."
Yang Zhou blinked.
"You can if you want..."
"But hasn't this matter already been resolved?"
Only then did Nan Yu remember that it really had already been dealt with.
Still...
He couldn't shake the feeling that those people—
Especially that Mental Power User who had thrown the punch—
Wouldn't simply let things end there.
"No matter what, I'll stay at your place for a few more days."
"Just in case they're still unwilling to let it go."
"All right."
"I'll listen to you."
"Let's head back."
The trip back to Yang Zhou's home went smoothly.
Nothing unexpected happened.
That evening, Nan Yu contacted his older brothers and explained the situation, telling them he would continue staying at Yang Zhou's place for several more days.
Nan Yun and Nan Zhen were worried that Bai Zhouyun might come knocking again looking for Nan Yu.
So they simply agreed.
"Fine."
"Just be careful."
"Don't go wandering around everywhere, understand?"
"No problem."
Just like that, Nan Yu temporarily moved into Yang Zhou's home.
That evening, as usual, they logged into the game.
By the time they arrived at the Ice Velvet Sea, most of the people camping the corpses had already left.
Only those six brothers remained.
Three bodies were still lying on the ground.
Just then, one of them reached the automatic revival timer.
His figure disappeared from the ground and immediately respawned at a random location near the teleportation array.
Unfortunately for him, it happened to be closest to Eldest Brother.
Eldest Brother didn't rush.
He simply stared fixedly at the newly revived player.
The one who had revived was Huo Zhongfei.
He had just been about to run when he noticed Nan Yu's arrival.
"From South to North?!"
Nan Yu merely glanced in his direction before leading Yang Zhou off to one side.
This time, they had only come to see what levels those people were currently at.
The moment Huo Zhongfei's protection period ended, Eldest Brother cut him down again.
By now, all six of their names had turned dark crimson, and they were even glowing red.
They had become infamous to an astonishing degree.
"If people with red names like yours get killed," Nan Yu remarked, "you'll probably lose five to ten levels in a single death."
Eldest Brother laughed.
"That's fine."
"No one's going to kill us that easily."
"Especially when the six of us are together."
"All right."
"So how's everything going?"
"No major problems."
"Tian Zhongyao is Level 63 now."
"Shui Zhongyou has already dropped to Level 54."
"Di Zhongbeng and Huo Zhongfei are the stubborn ones."
"Every time they're forcibly logged out, they log back in not long afterward and keep fighting us."
"They're both only around Level 51 now."
"As for Wuxing Feiwo..."
"He logged in twice, got forcibly logged out twice, and hasn't logged back in since."
"He'll probably be trying to drag this out into a long-term battle."
"I see."
Suddenly, Nan Yu thought of something.
"By the way."
"Didn't they try bribing you with Credits to get you to abandon this job?"
Thinking about how those people had casually thrown around offers of tens of thousands or over a hundred thousand Credits, the corner of Eldest Brother's mouth °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° twitched.
"They did mention it..."
But it wasn't even one-tenth of the five million Credits.
Naturally, they had refused.
"Too little?"
"Of course not."
"We're professionals."
"We keep our word."
Nan Yu remembered that in the future, Marshal Yu would develop new gameplay here to recruit talented players.
The people before him all seemed quite capable.
He might as well recruit them under his own command.
That way, when the new gameplay officially launched, they could immediately be put to use.
Nan Yu led Eldest Brother to one side.
"I'd like to discuss something with all of you."
"But someone still needs to keep watch over the corpses."
"So I'll tell you first."
"Then you can discuss it with your brothers afterward."
"How does that sound?"
"No problem."
Somehow, Eldest Brother had the vague feeling that their good days were finally about to begin.
Nan Yu opened a private chat.
From South to North: "I want to form my own elite team."
"You know what an elite team is, right?"
Eldest Brother: "I do."
"My younger brothers and I formed one before."
"But elite teams also have to expand."
"We never got along with the other people we recruited."
"So in the end, we disbanded."
From South to North: "I want to create an elite team."
"I want all of you to join."
"If you do, I can pay you the twenty-five million Credits in advance."
"You also won't have to stay here guarding these corpses every minute of every day."
"Of course, that doesn't mean this mission is canceled."
"It just means that whenever you have free time in the future, come back and hunt them down."
"What do you think?"
Eldest Brother: "Are you serious?"
From South to North: "Would something like that be difficult for me?"
After thinking it over, Eldest Brother realized that this man had already spent hundreds of thousands of Credits just on kill payments.
There really was no reason for him to deceive them.
Eldest Brother: "Then we agree."
"But..."
"Aren't you afraid we're scammers?"
"What if we take your money and never log in again?"
From South to North: "Why would you think that?"
"Do you really think I can't find out who you are?"
"To tell you the truth, the company behind this game has already been bought by one of my friends."
"He even gave me a small share of it."
"So..."
"What do you think?"
Eldest Brother: "Rich boss!"
From South to North: "So you're agreeing?"
Eldest Brother: "I agree."
From South to North: "You don't need to discuss it with the others?"
Eldest Brother: "No."
"I'll just tell them afterward."
From South to North: "All right."
"I'll establish the elite guild in a moment and send all of you invitations."
Nan Yu turned around and left with Yang Zhou.
Since Yang Zhou hadn't been part of the private chat, he had no idea what they had discussed.
"What were you talking about?"
Nan Yu explained everything.
"Oh, I see."
"Then should I also..."
"Of course."
"You're pretty good at this game."
"Naturally you'll be following me."
"But before that..."
"We'll have to leave our current guild."
Their current guild was actually quite ordinary.
Back then, they had only joined it so they could complete guild missions and enjoy some guild benefits.
Among the available options, it had simply been one of the better guilds.
Now, however, they had a much better opportunity.
Naturally, there was no reason to stay.
After leaving a guild, players normally had to wait forty-eight hours before joining another one.
However...
There was no such restriction when creating a guild yourself.
Nan Yu went to the Guild Registration Office, found the NPC there, and established an Elite Guild.
An Elite Guild.
As the name implied—
Few members.
Exceptional strength.
A Level 1 guild could have at most ten members.
Nan Yu and Yang Zhou occupied two of those slots.
That left eight openings.
Nan Yu immediately invited all six brothers.
From Eldest Brother to Sixth Brother, they lined up neatly.
With those six joining, the guild now had eight members.
Guild Chat Channel
Sixth Brother: "Woohoo! I can finally cling to a big shot! Guild Leader, do you need another leg accessory?!"
From South to North (Guild Leader): "Sure."
"If you know any powerful solo players, introduce them to me."
"I can't promise anything else."
"But I can definitely guarantee the guild benefits!"
Eldest Brother: "Starry-eyed!"
Second Brother: "Starry-eyed!"
Nan Yu looked at the long row of starry-eyed emotes.
In the end, even Yang Zhou joined in with one.
Unable to help himself, Nan Yu smiled helplessly and rubbed Yang Zhou's head.
From South to North: "I'm going to configure the guild benefits first."
"We'll chat again afterward."
He opened the guild management interface.
The benefit system of an Elite Guild was tied primarily to contribution points.
In that regard, it differed quite a bit from the large guilds.
The developers of this game apparently understood that anyone creating an Elite Guild wasn't short on money.
As a result, the guild management interface was filled with options for setting welfare rewards.
For example, there was a daily mission:
Form a party with guild members and clear a Level 100 random dungeon on Hell difficulty three times to receive a guild reward.
These rewards had to be funded by the Guild Leader or Vice Guild Leader using Credits.
After completing the three dungeon runs, players could claim Gold according to their rating.
An S Rank clear awarded 30 Gold.
An SS Rank clear awarded 50 Gold.
An SSS Rank clear awarded 100 Gold.
One Gold was equivalent to one Credit.
However, if players withdrew Gold into their personal accounts, the system deducted a five percent transaction fee.
In other words, withdrawing one hundred Gold resulted in ninety-five Credits being deposited.
And this was only one of the available daily missions.
Completing guild missions also awarded Guild Development Points.
Once enough Development Points had been accumulated, the guild could level up.
After leveling up, the guild would unlock additional benefits, including the Guild Shop.
The items sold in an Elite Guild Shop were worlds apart from those found in the shops of ordinary large guilds.
Looking at the premium items inside the Guild Shop, which would only unlock once the guild reached Level 3, Nan Yu couldn't help practically drooling.
Reluctantly, he closed the locked shop interface and began configuring the daily missions and their corresponding Gold rewards.
The amounts he'd seen earlier were merely the system's default minimum values.
Since the guild was only Level 1, it could currently have only a single daily mission.
Nan Yu selected the most difficult mission—the one that awarded the highest amount of Guild Development Points upon completion.
After all, everyone joining his guild was an expert.
The mission was challenging, but it shouldn't pose any real problem for them.
He selected the mission he had looked at earlier:
Clear a Level 100 random dungeon on Hell difficulty three times.
S Rank: 100 Gold.
SS Rank: 500 Gold.
SSS Rank: 1,000 Gold.
Nan Yu quickly did the math.
If every member completed the mission every day...
Excluding himself, the guild currently had nine members.
That meant paying out 9,000 Gold every day...
But from the members' perspective, earning 1,000 Gold a day meant 30,000 Gold a month.
Even after the five percent withdrawal fee...
It was still more than enough to cover all of their living expenses.
After all, even a junior manager at many companies only earned around ten to twenty thousand Credits a month.
It couldn't be helped.
Who told him he was rich?
Nan Yu published the newly configured guild mission.
The six brothers checked it immediately.
Eldest Brother: "Guild Leader is seriously loaded! I'm hugging this thigh for dear life!!"
Privately, Nan Yu asked Eldest Brother for the bank account information for all six brothers.
Without hesitation, he transferred twenty-five million Credits.
"I hope we'll have a pleasant cooperation from now on."
Eldest Brother replied almost instantly.
"Thank you!"
Looking at those three simple words, Nan Yu somehow felt the weight behind them, as though he could sense the heaviness in Eldest Brother's heart when he typed them.