Chapter 538 - 324: The Beginning of Yulin, Ye Shuping’s Shock

Chapter 538: Chapter 324: The Beginning of Yulin, Ye Shuping’s Shock

He decisively appointed Feng Hua vice-commander, granting her all authority beneath his own, then promptly vanished.

"Now that he’s taken off, is he even coming back?"

A top expert glanced around, unable to resist asking.

"Who cares? The boss is loaded. He just left 20 billion here, not even worried we’d take the money and run."

Qingshan said, looking pleased as punch.

Jiang Nianwei shot him a look. "So, are you planning on running?"

"Only an idiot would run. We could be making history here! Once this becomes a super-legion, what’s a mere 20 billion?"

"Alright!"

Feng Hua rapped her knuckles on the table, drawing everyone’s attention.

"Yu Fei trusts us, so we can’t let him down. To be honest, he’s given us so much I feel I don’t deserve it."

"You all saw it during the battle at Celestial Sword Gorge. Yu Fei’s combat prowess has far surpassed our own. Ask yourselves: how much help is this battle group to him, really?"

Feng Hua’s words pierced their hearts like a sharp sword. They had all felt it to some degree, but hearing it stated so bluntly for the first time, they fell silent.

At Celestial Sword Gorge, Yu Fei single-handedly charged through formations and cut down his foes. The two hundred-plus prodigies among them couldn’t match him even if they fought together. It was just as Feng Hua said: this battle group meant little to Yu Fei, but for them, it was everything.

"I’ve been competitive my whole life. We’ve spent four years together, so you all know what I’m like. Yu Fei treasures our bond and wants us to be happy together. I want that, too."

"But what if, one day, this new Yulin Army battle group is of no use to Yu Fei at all? When his accomplishments leave us in the dust? When he faces an enemy, and we don’t even have the right to stand by his side?"

"Will we still be able to be happy together then, my brothers?"

The hall, filled with over a hundred people, fell deathly silent.

Her tone shifted, and Feng Hua declared resolutely:

"Everyone, our ambition doesn’t end with becoming Grandmasters! This world is vast—why can’t we be the ones to stand at its peak?"

"Every single person here is a prodigy, with talent far exceeding the ordinary. Our commander has already taken the lead. Do you have the confidence to catch up?!"

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

...

"Excellent. With the battle group newly formed, I will serve as the First Field Commander. Qingshan will be the Assault Team Captain. Yun Jing will be... Hengji..."

One by one, names were called out and assigned to various frontline posts. Having known each other for a long time, they were all well-aware of each other’s capabilities, so no one raised any objections.

"These appointments are not permanent. The capable will rise, and the incompetent will fall."

"From now on, we are not just classmates, but comrades-in-arms. I will be stricter than ever before. If anyone feels this is unfair, you are free to complain to the Commander about me, or you can leave!"

...

"Furthermore, the various logistical, administrative, ordnance, and financial duties of the battle group will not be assigned to you. I have hired a professional team to handle things in the interim. Of course, if any of you are interested in these areas, you can contact me!"

No one had any objections to this. They were Martial Artists; their power came from within. Naturally, their own strength was their top priority. Such mundane affairs would be a major drain on their focus.

The meeting, a mix of admonishment and encouragement, came to a close. While their morale was one thing, the group’s initial restlessness had certainly been quelled.

Yu Fei, however, was oblivious to all this. He was already at Profound Bright Palace.

Steam rose from the tea, hovering in the air without dispersing, its pure fragrance lingering.

Yu Fei raised the cup as if plucking a flower, inhaled its delicate fragrance, took a slow, deliberate sip, and set it down as gracefully as a drifting cloud.

Compared to two years ago, his movements were no longer so crude. With his radiant spirit, he truly looked the part of a refined young lord.

Yu Fei had been exposed to these flowery, elaborate gestures for two years, and he’d picked up quite a few from Ye Shuping.

Having consumed countless treasures over the past two years, he had managed to cultivate a hint of noble bearing.

So-called noble bearing required a foundation of immense wealth and formidable power. Only then could one cultivate an aura as tranquil as the abyssal sea, a temperament that looked down upon all creation.

"Not bad," Ye Shuping said, extremely pleased. "You’ve studied with me for so long, and what satisfies me most is that you’ve finally lost that brutish air of a cow chewing on a peony."

Yu Fei, however, was unimpressed. He poured himself another cup, only to down it in one gulp, as free and easy as if he were drinking wine.

"Teacher, it’s just tea. If I’m thirsty, I’ll gulp it down. If I’m in the mood, I’ll savor it."

"If you’re always being deliberately pretentious about it, doesn’t that defeat the whole purpose?"

Ye Shuping shot him a glance and said disdainfully,

"You’re being pretentious right now."

"I am simply acting as my heart dictates."

"Be as stubborn as you want."

Ye Shuping’s nonchalant attitude only made Yu Fei feel like continuing was pointless.

The moment he arrived today, the old man had tea ready, as if he’d been expecting him.

This made it difficult to confront him directly. And so he’d been sitting there for nearly an hour, enduring all sorts of cryptic, philosophical nonsense until his patience had run out.

He had come half a day earlier than his appointed time with his senior sister specifically to ask the old man what he was playing at.

But before he could even open his mouth, Ye Shuping had already run him around in circles.

’Forget it...’

Yu Fei was keenly aware that he was no good at these verbal games. He decided to just ask directly.

"Teacher, why did you set a trap for Teacher Yan Sea?"

Ye Shuping froze for a second. Instead of answering, he countered with a question of his own:

"Did Xiaoming tell you?"

’The moment Yu Fei arrived, I knew the kid had figured things out. I just wasn’t sure how much. Thinking it over, the only one who could have noticed and told him was Xiaoming. It seems the senior sister and junior brother have quite a good relationship.’

Yu Fei’s mood instantly lifted. ’It’s good that the old man admitted it,’ he thought. After all, he had no proof.

"Of course not. I knew all along."

Ye Shuping frowned. The kid didn’t seem to be bluffing, but... that shouldn’t be possible.

"With that brain of yours, you could figure all this out?"

It wasn’t that Ye Shuping looked down on him, but the longer Yu Fei practiced the sword, the more bad habits he picked up. When faced with a problem, he rarely used his head, relying solely on his instincts to draw his sword.

He had watched him all through the Demon Mountain Realm; the kid would either draw his sword and charge, or run for his life if he couldn’t win.

"Teacher, are you underestimating me?"

"Then tell me, what exactly do you know?"

Yu Fei instantly sat up straight. "It started after our last meeting with Senior Sister, back when I’d just returned from the Desolate Beast Forest. You had Senior Sister get my poor Teacher Yan Sea reassigned for a ’rest.’ Your plan began right then."

"At Guihong Base, that Zhao Tianhen who was concealing his realm—he’s your man, isn’t he? He intentionally leaked parts of the confidential files about Sima Hong’s death to Teacher Yan Sea."

"And what kind of man is my poor teacher? So loyal, so righteous, so simple. He was tricked into going to the Demon Mountain Realm to attack a man named Zhou Xing—who I’m guessing is also one of your people."

"Then there’s my unlucky senior, Yu Wen Baji. He must have been used by you and some other party to pass the information to me."

"There were probably other schemes mixed in, like getting rid of a few disobedient young prodigies, just like how you plotted to get Sima Hong killed all those years ago."

"Am I right, Teacher?"

Having said his piece, Yu Fei downed the tea in his cup in one large gulp and slammed it back down on the table.

’Right... can’t show any weakness in front of the old man.’

To his surprise, Ye Shuping’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. He simply picked up the teapot and refilled the cup.

"Sit down and talk. What’s the rush? It’s not as if I’d ever harm you."

The momentum Yu Fei had worked so hard to build up vanished in an instant.

’Right. Would the old man really harm him? That was the one thing he couldn’t figure out.’

"So tell me, when did you figure it out?"

Yu Fei didn’t hide it. He answered directly:

"Teacher, I recently developed a new ability. I call it ’Fated Trajectory.’ The effect is that as soon as someone tries to manipulate my path, I immediately become aware of it."

"If I encounter people or events that are part of their plan, I sense it instantly and can clearly perceive the extent of everyone’s involvement."

As soon as he said this, Ye Shuping truly froze. The teacup in his hand stopped mid-air. He stared blankly at Yu Fei, his expression a complex one, as if he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He then set the cup down and let out a long sigh.

"Sigh..."

"I truly never expected... that such an ability could even exist. It’s just..."

’Good heavens above,’ he thought, ’how the hell am I supposed to play against that?’