Chapter 14: Fame Spreads Far and Wide

Chapter 14: Chapter 14: Fame Spreads Far and Wide

Chu Country revered martial arts.

While there were many martial sects, there were no renowned ones around Crane Peak Mountain—only second- and third-rate ones. In less than ten days, these sects were entirely swept away by the first and second teams of the Fun People Club. Against their bizarre methods of attack and the enhancement of Demon Qi, no one stood a chance. As a result, the scale of the Fun People Club expanded rapidly. Meanwhile, under Li Ye’s deliberate manipulation, the club’s reputation quietly began to spread.

"Did you hear? The Flying Bear Gang was wiped out by a group of people."

"I knew that ages ago. Gang Leader Xiong’s balls were kicked to pieces. Out of twenty-something disciples and over a hundred gang members, not a single one was left unscathed—their tendons were severed or their bones were broken. All the gold, silver, and Secret Manuals in the gang were looted clean."

"It wasn’t just the Flying Bear Gang. Honglou Village and Sirius Valley were wiped out too. It was done by the exact same group using the exact same methods."

"Who did it?"

"I heard it’s some gang called the Fun People Club. I’ve never heard of this name before. They probably didn’t dare reveal their true identities and just made up a fake name at random. However, someone recognized that one of them seemed to be Shi Xiang, the Hall Master of the Cyan Dragon Hall in the Red Flame Sect."

"Someone from the Red Flame Sect?"

"Nine times out of ten."

"If they used a fake name, why didn’t they cover their faces, allowing people to recognize them? How strange!"

"It is indeed strange. They knocked on their doors to rob Secret Manuals and snatch gold and silver. They even used Groin Kicks to ruin men’s family jewels. After committing such wicked and underhanded deeds, they didn’t silence the witnesses in the end. I just can’t figure it out..."

"There are even stranger things. Do you want to hear them?"

"What is it?"

"No matter which sect the Fun People Club attacks or how many people the enemy has, they always field exactly eleven people. Plus, they bring a ball with them."

"A ball? What kind of ball?"

"A ball inlaid with a human face. During the battle, everyone fights over this ball. Whoever gets their hands on it fights like they are aided by the gods, and their Skill Level increases significantly."

"Are you serious? What kind of ball is so evil?"

"That, I don’t know. Oh, right, I heard that when they attack, they even bring a dedicated cheering squad. Whenever one of their own uses an exquisite move to take down an opponent, the squad will loudly cheer them on..."

"Why does this sound more and more ridiculous? Old Liu, you didn’t just make this up, did you?"

"I’ll be your grandson if I made this up! It’s not like the people from those sects are dead; the rumors were all spread by their own members. Over the past few days, this has already spread all over Weining City. Right now, all the storytellers in the teahouses are talking about the Fun People Club. Those guys even have their own nicknames.

"Shi Xiang loves the Groin Kick the most. In the Flying Bear Gang, he kicked over a dozen people in one breath, and he was the one who crippled the gang leader. His nickname is ’Unparalleled Celestial Pride.’ Then there’s the ’Anus-poking Hand,’ Liu Guangsheng, who specializes in sneaking up behind people and bursting their anuses with one hand. And Fan Jie, the ’Ironfoot Immortal,’ who aims with all his might straight at a person’s shinbones..."

The Profound Light Sect was one of the Three Sects and Five Schools, independent of the Celestial Dao Alliance and possessing its own self-contained system. It was located less than three hundred miles from Crane Peak Mountain. The Sect Leader, Gongsun Jie, was a legendary Half-Step Grandmaster.

At this moment, in the rear hall of the Profound Light Sect, the head disciple Cao Bin was reporting to Gongsun Jie about the Fun People Club.

"Higher civilization? Spiritual Power?" Gongsun Jie furrowed his brows deeply. "Cao Bin, you couldn’t have been deceived by someone, could you?"

"Master, I also wish I had been deceived, but after hearing the rumors about the Fun People Club, I secretly observed them for a long time." Cao Bin shook his head with a bitter smile. "These are all things they discussed in private. It’s one thing to deceive others, but they wouldn’t deceive their own people, would they?"

"Why couldn’t they deceive their own people?" Gongsun Jie chuckled. "Bin’er, when I was young, I eradicated an Evil Cult called the Lamp Immortal Sect. The believers in that cult did not fear death. Every single one of them firmly believed that their Sect Leader was the Lamp Immortal descended to the mortal realm, and that by practicing the ’Lamp God Skill’ within their sect, they would one day ascend and become an Immortal on the spot.

"In the end, the Sect Leader of the Lamp Immortal Sect was merely an outcast from the Celestial Dao Alliance, and the so-called ’Lamp God Skill’ was nothing more than an ordinary Nourishing Spirit Technique..."

"Master, I naturally know that an Evil Cult deceives people, but this time is truly different," Cao Bin immediately grew anxious seeing Gongsun Jie not taking it seriously. "I’ve seen the people of the Fun People Club take action with my own eyes. During the incident at Honglou Village, Liu Guangsheng was nothing more than an ordinary expert in the Martial World. But just two days later at Sirius Valley, he already showed faint signs of breaking through to become an Innate Master.

"Before this, Liu Guangsheng was just the Sect Leader of a third-rate sect, with no hope of reaching the Innate realm in his lifetime. Similar situations have manifested in Fan Jie and Yu Fei. You could say their martial arts have progressed at an astonishing speed. It’s possible for one person to be like this, but it’s impossible for everyone to experience it, right..."

"Perhaps they ate some heavenly treasures that increased their Inner Strength," Gongsun Jie said.

"Master, they are practicing the ’Dragon Emperor Spell’ of the Independent Hero Xie Yue from eighty years ago," Cao Bin countered.

"’Dragon Emperor Spell’?" Gongsun Jie froze for a moment and frowned. "Then it’s even less surprising. The ’Dragon Emperor Spell’ is not weaker than our sect’s ’Profound Light Heart Method.’ It’s normal for their cultivation speed to be fast."

"Every one of them is practicing the ’Dragon Emperor Spell.’" Cao Bin shook his head. Taking a hand-copied Secret Manual from his chest, he offered it to Gongsun Jie with both hands and said, "I snatched this from an ordinary gang member of the Fun People Club. I verified it, and it is indeed a true copy of the ’Dragon Emperor Spell.’

"They didn’t treat the ’Dragon Emperor Spell’ seriously at all. Furthermore, after they looted Secret Manuals, everyone in the club was allowed to practice them..."

"Everyone can practice them?" Gongsun Jie dubiously took the hand-copied version of the manual and flipped through it for a few glances, his expression slightly changing. "It is indeed a true copy. The Fun People Club is quite generous to its gang members. However, leaking a Secret Manual so easily is not a viable long-term strategy!"

"Master, that’s not the main point," Cao Bin said. "I suspect they truly possess Spiritual Power. At Honglou Village, Fan Jie was slashed across the chest by the village lord, Jiang Sheng. The wound was deep enough to reach the bone, and two of his ribs were broken. I originally thought he wouldn’t survive. But two days later, he participated in the battle against Sirius Valley like nothing had happened—completely fine."

"You must have seen wrong!" Gongsun Jie said.

"I can swear an oath. If I speak any falsehoods, may lightning strike me down." Cao Bin became increasingly anxious. He raised his hand and swore, "Master, there is truly something bizarre about this Fun People Club. If you don’t believe me, you can come down the mountain with me to take a look. You’ll know with a single glance.

"With your skills, they definitely won’t be able to detect you. If it’s fake, we’ll help Weining Prefecture quell this disaster. If it’s real, we can also prepare a response in advance."

Gongsun Jie fell silent for a moment. He looked at the "Dragon Emperor Spell" in his hands and said, "Very well. I will take a trip with you."

Meanwhile, inside Sirius Valley.

Li Ye smilingly instructed two Households Commanders from the Inspection Department. "Households Commander Liu, Households Commander Zhao, after you return, report to your superiors exactly like this. Luring them to Sirius Valley will be a great merit for you. Next time, I can arrange for you to be in the starting lineup..."

It was impossible for the Fun People Club to cause such a massive commotion without alerting the people of the Martial World. The Knights roaming the lands were brimming with curiosity. This was especially true for disciples of Renowned and Righteous Sects, who fancied themselves highly skilled and bold. When encountering something they had never seen before, they naturally couldn’t resist coming to investigate.

Then, having created such massive momentum and vastly increased his Skill Level, Li Ye simply waited for them to fall into his lap. He took them down effortlessly, and after showing them the mysteries of Spiritual Power, he coaxed them through the club’s doors with just a few words. After that, Li Ye arranged a new job for them—bait.

Li Ye was a cautious man; he was not about to clash head-on with those renowned and massive sects. His Skill Level was sufficient, but the club members still got injured easily when fighting second- and third-rate sects. If they encountered Innate Masters, they would likely suffer heavy casualties. Moreover, large renowned sects easily numbered in the hundreds or thousands. How embarrassing would it be if they lost a match?

Since the commotion he caused was no small matter, it would sooner or later attract those large renowned sects. Rather than taking the risk of going to war with them, it was better to employ the tactic of capturing the leaders first to subdue their followers. He would lure the heads of those large sects over and get them to join his Ascension Club.

That’s right. Outside of the Fun People Club, Li Ye had created another new club—Ascension. He wanted to unite every ounce of strength that could be united. Besides, soccer was a sport, not a brawl to prove who was the most ruthless. If things could be resolved peacefully, there was no absolute need to fight to the death.