Chapter 13: Mission Alteration

Fang Che said steadily, "The great cause of our sect is flourishing and cannot be handled carelessly. The fewer people who know about irrelevant matters, the better. Being cautious is also beneficial for future development; as a disciple, I still hope to secure a position of importance within the sect. That way, I can properly honor you, Master."

Sun Yuan was instantly overjoyed, his face beaming. He suddenly felt that all his efforts and sacrifices were worth it. After a moment of thought, he exhorted, "You will certainly catch the eye of the higher-ups in the future. I don't know where I will be by then, so let me warn you in advance: those who practice evil arts... although they progress quickly, try your best not to provoke them. If anything happens, go directly to the Sect Leader. After all, you are half a disciple of his, having learned his Blood Spirit Seven Swords."

Fang Che pondered for a moment. "Master, I don't know if I should ask this."

"You're already asking, aren't you?" Sun Yuan rolled his eyes and said, "Go ahead."

"Rumors say that in our Oneness Sect, many masters often set up their disciples... ahem..." Fang Che looked embarrassed, like a young man. "But why are you so good to me, Master?"

Sun Yuan let out a dry laugh. He was silent for a moment before saying, "Our Oneness Sect is inherently selfish; everything is done for oneself. As the saying goes, 'Even if the whole world perishes, it is better than oneself not living.'"

"In life-or-death situations, betraying each other or using the other person to escape is very normal. After all, if one does not look out for oneself, heaven and earth will destroy them."

"However, when it comes to the successor of one's mantle... aside from those old monsters who have ulterior motives—such as those needing to drain longevity, refine human pills, or seize souls for their own benefit—most still hope that their disciples can make a name for themselves. Especially those whose own path of martial arts has been cut off, but whose disciples are still young and full of potential."

"Because in our environment, there are too few people worth trusting with one's heart. Life in the pugilistic world is a constant cycle of life and death; everyone is standing alone, and you never know when you might be gone."

"A person worthy of trust is exactly what we need most. Because, if you misjudge someone and die, your family and children will almost certainly be devoured by the very person you entrusted them to."

"Che'er, if something happens to me one day, my family will be left to you." Sun Yuan looked somewhat melancholic, holding his teacup with a desolate expression.

"Good or bad, the world's judgment means nothing to us. We live for ourselves and for our families. But Che'er..." Sun Yuan said word by word, "The more selfish we are, the more we must always keep a fallback option for ourselves. Otherwise... our end will be more miserable than that of a wild dog!"

"You are my fallback!" Sun Yuan let out a long sigh and said, "You are still young, and it is too early to talk about fallbacks, but when you reach a certain high position, you must remember! Always arrange a way out for yourself!"

Fang Che nodded silently. So that was it.

Sun Yuan immediately changed the subject. "The Sect Leader has specific requirements for your mission this time."

"Please speak."

"The Main Sect has successfully established a nation, shaking the world. With the top martial artist replaced, the Main Sect's destiny has greatly increased. Next, the Main Sect will focus on nation-building and military campaigns. As for the affairs of the pugilistic world, they will temporarily be managed by the subordinate sects themselves."

"There are eighteen sects in the world that have attained the first rank. These eighteen sects are divided into five regional paths. Each path must have a leading sect; in other words, one sect must take the helm."

"Our Oneness Sect, along with the Night Demon Sect, the Heavenly God Sect, and the Three Saints Sect, all belong to the Southern Path. So, either we lead them, or one of them leads the other three."

"This qualification must be earned through contribution points."

"Ding Jieran belongs to the Night Demon Sect, Huo Churan belongs to the Three Saints Sect, and Ximen Xuri belongs to the Heavenly God Sect."

"The Sect Leader wants you to cripple them, no matter the cost!"

Fang Che immediately frowned. "Cripple? Cripple them physically?"

"Yes, or kill them!" Sun Yuan took a deep breath. "Because if they can continue, even if they don't get first place this time, they will make other moves, and their moves affect our status. This is about contribution points within the Defenders, which is extremely important."

"If they manage to get those points, we will have to crawl beneath one of them."

"And after our last mission's defeat... our points are already lagging."

"So... this time, your mission is heavy. And failure is not an option."

Fang Che was silent for a moment, then asked, "Master, may I know if we have anyone in the upper echelons of the Martial Arts Academy?"

Sun Yuan frowned. "Why are you asking this? Inquiring about such things rashly is the greatest taboo!"

"Master, you misunderstand," Fang Che said. "I don't want to know who they are, but this person must know who I am."

Sun Yuan asked, "Hmm?"

"Because I am worried that if our people don't know me, they might deliberately target me or sabotage me due to the identities of those individuals... and I would have no power to resist."

Fang Che continued, "Even after I cripple or kill them, someone might use the excuse of my excessive brutality to target me, and at that point, I would be helpless. Master, you know that if our people identify me as a genius of the Defenders, they will spare no effort in suppressing me."

Sun Yuan was startled. "That actually makes sense."

He said, "I will report your concerns to the Sect Leader."

"Good." Fang Che lowered his head, his eyes flashing. As expected! The Only-I Orthodox Sect has a mole in the upper echelons of the Baiyun Martial Arts Academy! And their status shouldn't be low. A big fish!

...

Sun Yuan left behind all the cultivation materials and departed. Fang Che originally thought he would stay in the courtyard, but Sun Yuan did not agree.

"My status appears ambiguous between right and wrong, but it is not without suspicion. If I stay here, it increases the chance of exposure, which is not good."

"Although our master-disciple relationship is set, it is best for you to be independent. I will find a place in the city to stay, and if there is anything, I can come over at any time."

"The same goes for your identity. It is certain that you are already being noticed, but you must make serious use of this 'being noticed'." Sun Yuan hinted cryptically.

"This disciple understands."

Sun Yuan left. Long after walking out of the courtyard, he stood on the bustling street, watching the pedestrians, yet he suddenly felt a bit lost. How comfortable and carefree would it be to live in his disciple's courtyard? But he dared not. He dared not bring even the slightest trouble upon his own fallback.

Only he knew that recently, it seemed more and more people were watching him. With his cultivation level, any exposure would mean certain death. Even without exposure, he could lose his life at any time if he crossed paths with a powerful person in a bad mood.

And Fang Che was his only insurance policy. He was also his only successor. There could not be the slightest risk. Although Fang Che was already being watched, it was precisely because of that, that he was actually much safer. However, for an old fox like himself, others would not tolerate much.

Standing in the crowded street, he suddenly felt an extreme sense of loneliness. He couldn't help but recall Fang Che's question: *There are many masters in our sect who set up their disciples, why are you so good to me?*

Then Sun Yuan remembered his own answer. *In some life-or-death environments, betraying each other and using the other to escape is very normal; after all, if one doesn't look out for oneself, heaven and earth will destroy them.*

He sighed softly. In his life, how many times had he used companions around him to shield himself from disaster? How many partners, with whom he had carried out missions, had he ruthlessly used, leaving them to fight and be killed while he escaped alone? He truly couldn't count them anymore.

What he had said was from the bottom of his heart. Protecting himself and betraying friends in life-or-death moments had become an instinct. But now, thinking about it, if one day, in a life-or-death environment, Fang Che were right next to him... would he do the same as before and throw him out to block the danger?

Perhaps he would... maybe? Because he was inherently heartless and unrighteous.

Sun Yuan remained silent for a long time, finally letting out a self-deprecating laugh. His figure disappeared into the crowd.

...

Fang Che frowned, lost in thought. He didn't even bother to check the fourteen treasures for spirit and body cultivation that Sun Yuan had brought him. He was thinking about what Sun Yuan had said.

The Oneness Sect, the Night Demon Sect, the Heavenly God Sect, and the Three Saints Sect. These four belonged to the Southern Path. They had to choose a leader to operate locally, yet unite when necessary.

"Yin Shenggong is very ambitious," Fang Che thought, remembering his unused 'Night Demon' codename. It was clear Yin Shenggong had ulterior motives. Otherwise, he wouldn't have forgotten that the name 'Night Demon' clashed with the Night Demon Sect!

This mission content... "Kill or cripple..."

While feeling the ruthlessness of Yin Shenggong, Fang Che also hesitated. This did not align with his original intention. He didn't want to kill or cripple them. In Fang Che's eyes, these three were out in the open; he had originally planned just to defeat them. Then, he would keep these three guys, perhaps even get close to them and become friends, to facilitate the gathering of intelligence on the three sects.

Moreover, Yin Shenggong's initial order was only to 'defeat'. But now, this new command had disrupted his original plan. Yet, he couldn't afford not to do it.

Fang Che felt a bit chaotic inside. "I need to reorganize my thoughts. It would be a pity to really kill or cripple them."

"These three people are connected to three sects; at the very least, they are three families! These are three big fish."

Fang Che frowned. "And now, it is not the time to expose them. If I expose them now, firstly, it's too early to catch more fish; secondly, it's letting them off too easily; thirdly, I would face exposure myself."

"So I need to find another way."

He pondered, opening the parcel Sun Yuan had sent. He couldn't help but be stunned. Soul-Calming Ginseng, Ice Crystal Spirit Fruit, Ice-Snow God-Shaking Fruit... Adamantine Grass, Body-Tempering Stone Milk, Pulse-Clearing Orchid... These things were useless for increasing cultivation, but they were treasures for building a foundation!

He stared at them for a long time before sighing. Sun Yuan, although a member of the Only-I Orthodox Sect, had indeed done many inhumane and heartless things. But to him, he was truly good.

"It's a pity, our stances are different, our beliefs are different. I could die for my brothers, and I have brothers willing to die for me, at any time. But I could never do as you do, pushing a brother out to block a blade at the final moment."

"Sigh..." Only a sigh remained.

"If you die in the future, and if your family isn't too evil, I will repay this debt."

Fang Che pondered, picked up the Soul-Calming Ginseng, and popped it into his mouth...

...

Early morning. Ye Meng meticulously helped Fang Che dress. Then, Fang Che set off for the Martial Arts Academy.

Today was the first day of the Martial Arts Academy's competition among the hundred new prodigies. But even as he walked, Fang Che was still considering what to do about those three people.

Did he really have to follow Yin Shenggong's order to cripple or kill them? How could he make Yin Shenggong satisfied while ensuring that he and the Defenders gained the greatest benefit? Or rather, how could he maximize the use of these individuals to strike at these sects?

A thought flashed in Fang Che's eyes: With so many subordinate sects of the Only-I Orthodox Sect, are these three the only seeds in the Baiyun Martial Arts Academy?