Chapter 37: Fang Che's Greatest Problem

Never did Fang Che refuse anyone who wished to imitate him and follow his lead. Those capable of learning would naturally succeed, while those incapable would never master it in a lifetime.

Yet, he never took the initiative to teach either.

Not even Mo Gaiyun was taught. However, he did not forbid them from studying his ways.

Between you and me, there are no personal favors. If you learn it, it is your own achievement; if you fail to learn it, that too is your own affair.

It was precisely because Mo Gaiyun realized this that he treated Fang Che to meals day after day.

For he felt that he had struck an incredible bargain.

Walking on the road after finishing their meal.

Suddenly, someone blocked his path ahead.

Fang Che looked up and found the figure very familiar.

A face as cold as ice, eyes as cold as ice, and an aura as cold as ice.

Ding Jieran.

That seed competitor of the Three Saints Sect gazed at Fang Che with a complex look in his eyes. His expression remained frozen in frost as he spoke in a low voice, "That night... are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"Not injured?"

"Not injured."

"That's good."

With a rigid expression, Ding Jieran brushed past Fang Che's shoulder.

"Why did you suddenly come to ask me?"

Fang Che turned around and asked.

A forced smile emerged on Ding Jieran's icy face. It seemed as though he had not smiled in a very long time, making the expression profoundly awkward.

He said, "Didn't you say that regardless of victory or defeat, we are friends?"

Fang Che smiled. "Of course. Brother Ding, you..."

Instead, Ding Jieran took a step back, lowered his head, and when he looked up again, his gaze was once more filled with complete detachment. He spoke softly, "Being friends with me is not a good thing."

"It doesn't matter."

Fang Che stepped forward.

Yet Ding Jieran retreated another step.

Shaking his head, he said with resolute finality, "Being friends with me is bad for you."

Hmm?

Fang Che froze in surprise.

Ding Jieran lowered his head, his dark hair veiling his eyes.

He nodded silently, his black hair swaying slightly, and then he took three steps back in succession, turning resolutely to walk away.

Watching Ding Jieran's retreating figure, Fang Che's gaze turned deeply complex.

Ding Jieran... seemed somewhat different from what he had imagined?

Mo Gaiyun walked over, staring at Ding Jieran's departing back. He possessed a truly thick-skinned nature and genuinely perceived nothing of those complex and subtle emotions.

Patting Fang Che on the shoulder, he laughed, "This fellow wears a poker face all day long, looking like the lid of a coffin. Who would have thought he'd be so proud and aloof."

Fang Che let out a soft breath and said, "He isn't being proud and aloof."

Mo Gaiyun was baffled. "Huh? Oh?"

Fang Che's voice dropped low. "Perhaps I misjudged him before."

"Oh? Ah?"

Mo Gaiyun grew even more perplexed.

What on earth are you talking about?

I heard every word you said clearly, so why can't I understand any of it?

Even the conversation between you and Ding Jieran just now—I was standing right beside you, why didn't I understand a single sentence?

Mo Gaiyun fell into self-doubt.

Standing two meters and three centimeters tall against the door frame, he scratched his head with an air of towering exasperation, looking utterly bewildered.

Could my intelligence...

...

However, Fang Che's social circle and network of connections suddenly took a turn for the better.

Many people who caught sight of him would now actively come over to greet him. Among them were a few instructors, senior students, as well as his peers in the same cohort.

This was all because... Su Yue had appeared!

Moreover, for Fang Che's sake, Su Yue had traveled thousands of li overnight, bringing along his master and martial uncle to protect Fang Che.

Upon his departure, a single statement had completely washed away the stain of the "usurping the Su family's property" accusation from Fang Che.

Whenever people thought of it, their hearts would tremble with awe.

Just imagine: miles and miles away, upon hearing that his sworn brother was in mortal danger, he traveled through the night, crossing the sky with a single sword stroke, slaughtering those who sought to harm his brother. He even bestowed this achievement upon his brother as a gift to repay the kindness of protecting his family's estate.

Afterward, sleeves fluttering in the pure wind, he drifted away.

Not staying even for a single moment.

What kind of divine friendship was this?

What kind of heaven-moving bond of brotherhood was this?

Putting aside what kind of person Fang Che himself might be, since he possessed such a wonderful brother and a magnificent elder brother, could this person possibly be in the wrong?

Therefore, the negative impact previously brought by the incident of "Fang, the Paragon of Loyalty and Righteousness" quietly dissipated.

Driven by a sense of guilt from the realization that "I had misunderstood you," Fang Che's popularity became exceptionally high.

So high that even Fang Che himself grew somewhat unaccustomed to it.

Naturally, there still remained a few deeply rooted skeptics who retained their suspicion and scrutinized Fang Che. But those were now the absolute minority of a minority.

Regarding this transformation, Fang Che could only sigh inwardly: A bunch of simpletons. They haven't even stepped into the martial world yet; they really are far too easy to fool.

...

One had to admit that the four instructors were immensely strong.

They were truly worthy of being the premier teaching team of White Cloud Martial Academy.

Out of one hundred students, they meticulously sorted them into thirteen distinct tiers.

Among them were six students who all belonged to the first tier of Martial Masters, possessed identical Grade-A aptitude, shared comparable combat strength, and used the same customary weapons.

Yet, after careful deliberation, the instructors stubbornly reassigned them into five separate groups.

Simply because some were left-handed while others were right-handed; some possessed hidden sword bones yet used spears; while others, despite matching the others in aptitude and combat power, had actually chosen the wrong cultivation techniques based on their physical constitutions.

They had chosen techniques that could not completely align with their physiques...

And all of these nuances required experienced instructors to uncover one by one.

Because the students themselves, and even the elders of their respective clans, had remained entirely oblivious to them.

To put it simply, the mere process of correcting errors took the instructors three full days.

Out of one hundred students, no fewer than sixty-eight had made various erroneous choices in their most foundational cultivation techniques!

Most of these clans were not super aristocratic families, and their youths could only rely on initiating their training with family-legacy techniques. Whether those techniques matched their aptitudes or not, they simply used whatever was available...

Therefore, for this group of students, their martial path truly only began from this very moment.

Those with essentially no problems numbered twenty-nine.

Those with zero flaws totaled two. One was Mo Gaiyun, and the other was called Fu Chengyun—a collateral descendant of the great Fu family clan.

Well, a concubine-born son.

And there was only one who was entirely flawless without a single issue: Fang Che!

The reason was simple: after conducting a comprehensive review and evaluation of Fang Che, the gold-medal instructors concluded that his previous cultivation direction contained not a single mistake.

He could continue straight ahead without changes.

This made Mo Gaiyun's eyes turn green with envy once more.

He stared at Fang Che every single day.

Treating Fang Che as his ultimate target.

For this reason, he rejected his family's arrangements: "I am not going to any other martial academy! I have found the target I wish to surpass right here!"

"Not until I surpass Fang Che will I consider anything else!"

Regarding Mo Gaiyun's thoughts, Fang Che saw through them as clearly as a blazing fire.

"My young friend, you are far too young."

Patting Mo Gaiyun's shoulder with an air of profound seniority, Fang Che offered this admonition: "You must understand that there are always people beyond people, and heavens beyond heavens. Young man, you still need to experience the beatings of the martial world and the journey of life before you will truly understand this matter."

Mo Gaiyun asked with a blank expression, "Which matter?"

"That your Brother Fang here is a goal you can never surpass in this lifetime."

Speaking with deep earnestness, Fang Che clasped his hands behind his back, exuding the lonely loneliness of standing at the highest peak.

"Damn it!"

Mo Gaiyun cursed with vexation, spitting out a mouthful of saliva. "Seeing you put on that transcendent master's expression, I thought you were going to say something profound. I pricked up my ears and waited half the day just for you to drop that?"

The surrounding students burst into merry laughter as well.

"Fang Che!"

Chief Instructor Li Changkong stepped out, calling out Fang Che's name. "Come with me."

Fang Che hurried over.

Led by Li Changkong, Fang Che walked into the office.

Bao Feiyu, Bing Shangxue, and Duan Zhongliu were already seated inside.

"Sit down."

Li Changkong pointed to the chair opposite him.

"Yes."

"Calling you here today involves a few considerations," Li Changkong said. "The first matter concerns your living arrangements. On your very first day at the martial academy, you went to process living off-campus, and at the time, we were unaware of it."

"Ah?"

"Ever since you arrived at the academy, just the grand competition alone has earned you quite a few enemies. Even if we discount the Ximen clan, there are still forces like the Heavenly God Sect and the Fu clan—after all, you beat Huo Churan far too miserably back then. These are all hidden dangers. If you do not live within the academy, it will give your enemies an opportunity to exploit."

Li Changkong stated slowly, "Therefore, our first recommendation is that you move back into the academy."

"I think living outside is quite nice."

Naturally, Fang Che was unwilling.

The Heavenly God Sect?

The Huo clan?

Fang Che was currently waiting for them to make a move. Stationed outside, he served as a natural bait, and one carrying a hefty amount of hatred value at that.

In the eyes of those experts, he was weak in martial arts yet possessed deep enmity—making him precisely suited for retaliation.

How could he possibly move back inside?

Li Changkong gazed fixedly at him. "You know what living outside entails."

"I know."

The four instructors fell silent once more.

Their brows knitted tightly, they nodded in silent agreement.

Right now, Li Changkong wanted nothing more than to give the old man at the Academy Affairs Office a ferocious beating.

He was filled with blazing fury.

Back then, Fang Che had directly applied to live off-campus, something that, in principle, was not permitted within the martial academy.

As a result, because of the rumors surrounding Fang Che as the "Paragon of Loyalty and Righteousness," that old man had held an exceptionally poor impression of Fang Che.

With an extremely sarcastic remark of, "No wonder you're so wealthy!", he had simply stamped and approved the request with a resounding *Thud*!

You old immortal, with just a casual, light stamp of approval, do you have any idea how massive a problem you've created for us?!

This was a genius without parallel throughout the ages!

Should he end up dead out there...

"Then comes the second matter. Regarding your cultivation technique, we offer no commentary since it is your personal secret, and as long as it aligns with your aptitude, you should simply continue cultivating it. What needs to be discussed now is the issue of your weapon."

"What weapon you will cultivate as your destined, lifelong primary path—that should be decided now."

At this point, Li Changkong actually let out a sigh.

Following that, Bing Shangxue, Bao Feiyu, and Duan Zhongliu all sighed in unison.

Their gazes grew complex as they looked at Fang Che.

Fang Che froze. What's wrong?

"Your physique, limbs, meridians, spiritual awareness, skeletal structure, and overall body proportions... are all at a level of perfection, even possessing infinite plasticity!"

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Li Changkong felt a mild headache coming on. "Therefore, it is destined that you can travel far down any path whatsoever. Whether it's close-combat weaponry like sabers and swords, or heavy armaments like spears and halberds, you can cultivate them all to extremely high tiers."

"However, human energy, no matter how much of a genius one is, remains limited."

"Thus, you are required to make a choice and discard the rest."

"And this choice relates to your very destiny; we cannot help you decide."

Li Changkong sighed.

This was the first time they had ever encountered such a case.

With their combined teaching experience spanning hundreds of years among the four of them, they were actually unable to help Fang Che select a perfect direction—because every single direction was completely perfect!

Yet no one could ever predict which of all these perfect directions would reach the pinnacle of martial cultivation a thousand or ten thousand years into the future.

And this very same problem was also the dilemma Fang Che himself had contemplated for a long time.

Sabers, spears, swords, and halberds all possessed perfect methods of cultivation.

Yet one could only have a single destined lifelong weapon!

This was an inherent, irreconcilable contradiction.

Then what should I choose as my destiny?

A saber?

A spear?

A sword?

A halberd?

...

[Accepting everyone's suggestions this morning, I thoroughly revised the previous chapters. Those with heavy revisions have been marked with a 'Revised' tag.

Please remind me promptly if you spot any issues in the future; if too much time has passed, it will be too late to edit.

Not many people read traditional high fantasy anymore; the environment is tough, so I hope everyone can lend a hand.]