Chapter Twenty: A Fortunate Stroke
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Fan Tiantiao pondered silently.
“Fang Che’s situation must be taken seriously again. No matter how coincidental it seems, the fact that the Ink Spirit Palace personally attended his baptism is extraordinary. He must possess exceptional talent; otherwise, the Ink Spirit Palace wouldn’t be so idle.”
“Yes. If it were a genius exam, you or I might be interested in observing. But would you care to watch a regular martial student’s test?”
“No.”
“Then that settles it.”
“Moreover, this news clearly shows that Fang Che has already joined the One Heart Sect and has passed the baptism,” Chen Ruhai stated with certainty.
“Didn’t we just say that?”
Fan Tiantiao reviewed the intelligence carefully and finally relaxed a bit. He looked at Chen Ruhai with a sorrowful expression, showing some sympathy. “Old Chen, although you irritate me at times, I still have to warn you.”
“What?”
“If you have time, you should see the Dream God Doctor about your head. Seriously.”
“Go to hell!”
...
A few days later.
At midnight.
About a thousand li from Bibo City, the Iron Blood Fortress was under attack by the One Heart Sect.
The Iron Blood Fortress belonged to the Guardians’ Alliance, standing guard on the northern and southern fronts of the main hall, protecting the region’s peace.
This time, the One Heart Sect, after months of planning, launched a massive assault, sending five Emperor-level experts and numerous King-level warriors. Clearly, their intent was to storm the Iron Blood Fortress with overwhelming force and remove this thorn in their side once and for all.
The Ink Spirit Palace personally commanded the operation, secretly gathering a large contingent of One Heart Sect warriors nearby.
This operation had been in preparation for over half a year and was finally underway.
At the very start of the attack, something felt wrong.
At midnight.
With a wave of his hand, the Ink Spirit Palace signaled the assault.
Immediately, experts launched their attack, flying into the Iron Blood Fortress from all directions.
With a thunderous boom, the fortress gates were blasted skyward.
A large section of the walls collapsed instantly.
Masked warriors of the One Heart Sect charged in like ravenous wolves.
A fierce roar echoed through the night.
“Kill them all!”
“Leave none alive!”
The brutal battle erupted instantly.
Blood quickly covered the ground.
A long howl rose as countless figures surged out of the fortress to meet the assault.
The night was filled with howls, bell chimes, shouts, cries of battle, and screams of agony.
Although the Iron Blood Fortress was initially thrown into chaos and suffered heavy casualties, as more defenders rushed out, the battle turned into a stalemate.
Then, unexpectedly, within a single breath of combat, shadows multiplied under the night sky as numerous Guardians of the Main Hall suddenly appeared from all directions.
Without hesitation, they joined the fray.
Their formation was impressive, swiftly turning the tide into a staunch defense and counterattack.
Despite the months of preparation, the One Heart Sect found themselves on the defensive!
The Iron Blood Fortress launched a counteroffensive.
Coordinated inside and out, they fought with all their might, forming an encirclement that nearly trapped the One Heart Sect forces.
In desperation, the Ink Spirit Palace and the three chief devotees, who had been observing and directing, personally engaged to hold back the Guardians’ experts. Leading their troops, they fought desperately to break out. After fierce bloodshed, they finally managed to escape.
However, they lost four King-level masters, over a dozen Generals, and more than fifty innate Grandmasters, a devastating blow to their strength.
Remarkably, the One Heart Sect, which had concentrated superior forces to launch the ambush, ended up forced into a retreat!
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An ambush and a breakout differ by just one character, but they are worlds apart.
What should never have happened, happened in the most bizarre way.
Everyone’s thoughts were unanimous: there must be a traitor!
Afterward, the Ink Spirit Palace flew into a rage.
“Investigate! Conduct a thorough search! There must be a leak; otherwise, how could the Guardians have arrived so promptly?!”
But no matter how they searched, there was not a single clue.
Then, news came from a spy inside the Guardians’ Main Hall: it was all a coincidence.
A legendary super-tier demon beast—the Blazing Red Fox—had been chased here. The southeastern Guardians’ Main Hall’s master gathered numerous experts, including several hall masters, to hunt the beast.
That day, the Blazing Red Fox happened to flee near the Iron Blood Fortress.
The hall master led all his experts on a secret mission to capture or kill the beast, but just then the One Heart Sect launched their attack.
The hall master had no choice but to abandon the hunt to aid the Iron Blood Fortress, only to collide head-on with the Ink Spirit Palace’s forces.
This revelation caused great surprise within the Guardians’ ranks.
They had unexpectedly struck the very heart of the enemy’s operation—a remarkable coup.
They successfully disrupted the One Heart Sect’s plan, personally orchestrated by the sect leader of the Ink Spirit Palace.
It was a thrilling victory.
A triumph not seen in many years.
Now, the Guardians’ Main Hall was celebrating...
Though the Blazing Red Fox escaped, disrupting the plan and killing so many One Heart Sect warriors was an extraordinary success—far better than capturing the beast.
It was cause for celebration.
Upon hearing this, the Ink Spirit Palace grew so furious his vision darkened. He gasped for breath, unable to speak for a long while.
All the high-ranking One Heart Sect members felt the same.
Each felt a bitter frustration lodged in their throats, impossible to spit out or swallow.
Damn it! Such a disaster!
Heavy losses—almost crippling.
And they wanted to tell him it was just coincidence?!
“It still doesn’t add up!”
Mu Linyuan, a masked figure during the meeting, pressed a hand to the hole in his skull, his eyes cold and furious.
During the breakout, he had been struck by a hall master, and his head was pierced on the spot.
Had the Ink Spirit Palace not rescued him in time, he would have been dead.
Mu Linyuan was furious, having never suffered such a loss in so many years.
“The Iron Blood Fortress was clearly prepared. All their experts were gathered together from the start; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been so neatly assembled without a single one missing.”
“That’s also a coincidence.”
The Ink Spirit Palace’s lip twitched.
“This was prearranged. On that day, the son of the Iron Blood Fortress’s lord was getting married. They had been occupied daily with wedding preparations, security arrangements, and protocols.”
“This operation was intended to wipe them out on this joyous occasion, catching everyone together for a single decisive strike.”
“Just a coincidence?” Mu Linyuan stared in disbelief.
The group deflated like burst balloons, faces filled with tangled emotions.
The Ink Spirit Palace gloomily said, “This time, our sect has lost face. The Night Demon Sect, the Three Saints Sect, the Light Sect, and the Heavenly God Sect have already sent their condolences. The others haven’t yet, but it’s only a matter of time.”
“Condolences!”
Everyone was dumbstruck, a mixture of dark anger and disbelief.
Condolences? That’s mockery!
Blatant gloating!
“The Night Demon Sect’s letter congratulated the Ink Sect leader on a grand victory and toasted a celebratory cup!”
The Ink Spirit Palace slammed the table and shouted, “I refuse to accept such shame!”
Not just the Ink Spirit Palace, but all One Heart Sect members felt they could not bear this humiliation.
They were about to explode.
“Enough!” they cried.
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Hou Fang’s thigh was wrapped in bloodstained white cloth; he panted angrily, causing his masked veil to billow.
The Ink Spirit Palace’s gaze flickered. “Everyone else, step back.”
Only Mu Linyuan and two other chief devotees remained.
Once quiet returned, the Ink Spirit Palace said grimly, “If I recall correctly, didn’t the Night Demon and Three Saints Sects mention they had a genius seed ready to infiltrate the Guardians’ Martial Academy?”
“That’s true!”
Mu Linyuan’s eyes brightened.
The Ink Spirit Palace’s gaze turned cold.
“Why should they mock us for our loss? Who’s better than whom? More importantly, if we lose this round, and their seed wins the championship, they’ll be two steps ahead... Hmph... Investigate quickly. Find out the name of their genius seed!”
“What’s the leader’s meaning?” Qian Sanjiang asked.
“They have a genius, so don’t we?” the Ink Spirit Palace roared.
“When we know their name, order the Night Demon Sect to intercept. Under no circumstances can they win the championship!”
He said fiercely, “Tell the Night Demon, if he completes this task, I’ll reward him with an additional two hundred contribution points!”
Mu Linyuan hesitated, then remembered that the Night Demon was the codename for Fang Che, the genius they had just met but not yet deployed.
His face twitched as he realized the leader had directly assigned the Night Demon Sect’s name to Fang Che.
The grudge the leader held for the Night Demon Sect must be immense.
“Ahem, if the Night Demon completes this task, his contribution points will total seven hundred. According to sect rules, that qualifies him to be a team leader.”
“Why not just make him a team leader?”
Qian Sanjiang said, “We must treat geniuses exceptionally. Maybe decades from now, the Night Demon’s achievements will benefit us all.”
“Then it’s decided!”
“Agreed!”
“Hurry and investigate!”
“All right!”
“Provide the Night Demon with cultivation resources and rare talents to improve his power. Tell him this is a do-or-die mission—success only, no failure allowed!”
...
Fang Che was cultivating, unaware that by selling out the Ink Spirit Palace, a wave of good fortune was heading his way.
He remained secluded, focusing entirely on his training.
That day, Fang Qianyi visited the Fang family and Fang Zhenghang to discuss the residence. As Fang Che trained, Fang Qianyi felt their small independent courtyard was too cramped.
She wanted to merge the three adjacent courtyards.
But those were already occupied, so she went to negotiate how to provide her son with a more comfortable training environment.
Ye Meng was feeling anxious.
The undercover operation alongside Fang Che was going too smoothly; so many intelligence pieces were being gathered effortlessly.
But there was a downside: Fang Che simply refused to leave the house.
“Go out,” she urged silently.
“You have to go on missions so I can follow and gather more intelligence!”
Why won’t you leave?
That afternoon.
After five or six days apart, Sun Yuan arrived at Fang Che’s home, dust-covered and weary.
Sun Dao Wang brought a new mission!
...
[At midnight, I’ll try to push the new book rankings. The new rankings now depend on reward data, so I have to shamelessly ask all of you again.
I’ve begged for nineteen chapters worth of recommendation votes, yet recommendation votes don’t count for the new book ranking. It’s confusing.
Please support me, don’t make me look bad, but don’t spend too much.]
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