Chapter 17: Making the Club Bigger and Stronger

Chapter 17: Chapter 17: Making the Club Bigger and Stronger

All the information had come unilaterally from the Team Emblem, and Li Ye had no way to verify its authenticity. However, that didn’t stop his mood from brightening considerably.

The weight that had been pressing on his heart—the fear of losing his true nature from being eroded by too much Demon Qi—was finally gone.

Of course, it was also possible that the Team Emblem was lying to him.

But who cared?

Being sent to this world was already equivalent to exile; things couldn’t get any worse. The worst-case scenario was just losing his true nature, which was still better than being dead.

Li Ye was an optimistic person. He firmly believed that as long as he was alive, there was always a chance.

Most importantly, Li Ye thought his own proposal was brilliant.

The Team Emblem gained a future with infinite possibilities, and he no longer had to worry about losing his nature. It was a win-win situation. If it had even a sliver of intelligence, it would choose the path he had laid out for it.

...

The members of the Fun People Club were equally happy.

After a series of away games, they had achieved both fame and fortune. Not only had they made a name for themselves, but they had also reaped huge amounts of Spiritual Power, as well as all sorts of Secret Manuals and money.

In the past, they never would have dreamed of receiving such treatment.

Now, every member of the first and second teams had seen their martial arts improve by leaps and bounds.

Many of the more famous members, such as Liu Guangsheng, the "Anus-poking Hand," and Fan Jie, the "Ironfoot Immortal," had seen their Skill Levels skyrocket. They were now just one step away from the Innate realm.

Shi Xiang, thanks to the halo of being a Grandmaster’s Disciple and having earned the title of "Unparalleled Celestial Pride," had harvested the most Spiritual Power. He was far ahead of all the other members and had long since broken through to become an Innate Master.

His signature martial art, the Sevenfold Force, had even broken through to the Fivefold Force level. With one kick, no matter how tough the "bells" were, they would be struck five times over and shattered into oblivion...

The remaining members who had yet to make a name for themselves, relying only on team victories for fame, were green with envy. One by one, they secretly began researching their own unique Forbidden Techniques, striving to make a stunning debut in the upcoming away games.

That’s right. They no longer called it "challenging a sect." Following Li Ye’s lead, they uniformly referred to it as an "away game."

Under Li Ye’s influence, the club was becoming more and more professional.

When they went up against Honglou Village, they had already hired specialists to create custom team uniforms, team flags, and a team logo.

The uniforms were a dazzling red. On the chest was the word "Fun," and on the back was their team number. For example, Shi Xiang, who played left forward, wore number 10. Liu Guangsheng was number 9, Fan Jie was number 8, and so on...

It wasn’t just the players; the cheerleading squad on the sidelines also had their own uniforms and handheld mini team flags.

During matches, they would also bring professional tools like trumpets and horns to cheer on their team and build up the atmosphere.

With more and more powerful members joining, the competition for a spot on the main team was exceptionally brutal. The members of the cheering squad knew they would probably never get to play in their lives. They had only stayed in the club for the allure of the Secret Manuals, but who would have thought that Li Ye would unexpectedly grant them abilities as well.

It had to be said, this was a wonderful surprise, and their loyalty to the club deepened.

In short, no matter how turbulent the outside world became, the entire club was currently thriving.

As for the Sects that lost the away games, they were also absorbed by Li Ye.

Li Ye designated the disciples of those Sects as the "audience." No one could resist the temptation of shared Secret Manuals and the promise that their "bells" could be repaired with Spiritual Power.

...

Sirius Valley was a great place. Surrounded by mountains on three sides with one open face, the Sect was located on a huge, flat plain at the bottom of the valley. It was practically a natural, large-scale football stadium.

Li Ye had taken a liking to the place at first sight. Even when they went to other Sects for away games, they would always return here. He was going to make this his home.

Previously, Li Ye had been holding back. But after the Team Emblem revealed many inside secrets to him, his worries were resolved, and he decided to move forward boldly.

Upon returning to Sirius Valley, Shi Xiang and the others, who were practicing, immediately swarmed around him, greeting him enthusiastically.

Shi Xiang had long forgotten about his Grandmaster master. If not for the worry that Li Ye might be seriously injured and unable to handle his Grandmaster master, he would have even thought about going back to trick his master into joining the Fun People Club too!

"Lord Li, did you see those two Households Commanders off?" Shi Xiang asked with a smile.

"I did," Li Ye nodded.

"Lord Li, are we taking on the Profound Light Sect next?" Liu Guangsheng asked. His confidence was through the roof. They had already cleared out all the surrounding Sects, leaving only the Profound Light Sect. He also knew about the situation with Cao Bin, so he had naturally set his sights there.

"Yes, the Profound Light Sect. But it won’t be an away game; it will be a home game." Li Ye glanced at him with a smile. "If my calculations are correct, Cao Bin should be bringing his master to Sirius Valley in the next few days. We need to handle this carefully and try to add another great general to the Fun People Club."

"Lord Li, we’ll listen to you. We’ll do whatever you say," Yu Fei said, one foot on a ball, rubbing his hands together with his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Gongsun Jie is a Half-Step Grandmaster, the strongest expert we have faced so far. We must be cautious and not make any mistakes. Otherwise, it will severely damage the reputation we’ve worked so hard to build," Li Ye said seriously, looking around at the crowd.

"Lord Li, we’re buffed by Spiritual Power. We’re invincible! Why would we be afraid of a Half-Step Grandmaster?" Fan Jie looked around at the others and laughed heartily as he ripped open his shirt.

Across his chest was a scar over half a foot long. It was an injury from two days ago, but it had already healed completely. This was also the reason for the team’s overflowing confidence.

"Don’t get careless. If your heads get chopped off, you’ll still die. However, Lord Li’s nickname is Timely Rain, and I value loyalty above all else. Since you follow me, I will naturally ensure your safety in every way possible." Li Ye smiled faintly and looked toward the people from Honglou Village, Sirius Valley, and the Flying Bear Gang waiting on the sidelines. "Tower Master Tong, Valley Master Wang, Gang Leader Ding, you three come over here. I have some things for you to do."

"Lord Li, please give us your orders."

The three of them scrambled to their feet and jogged over to Li Ye’s side. They clasped their fists in salute, their expressions a mixture of fear and trepidation.

They were originally the second-in-commands of their respective gangs. After their leaders were seriously injured, Li Ye promoted them to take charge of their gangs’ affairs. They were now also loyal members of the club.

"Tower Master Tong, arrange for your people to find a printing workshop in Weining City and print some flyers. Announce that the Fun People Team will be facing the Profound Light Sect’s Sect Leader, Gongsun Jie, in a home game at Sirius Valley. The people of Weining Prefecture can enter and watch for fifty wen. Sirius Valley will provide food and lodging during the match."

Li Ye looked at Tong Yi of Honglou Village and instructed, "Also, invite the famous and wealthy families from the city to Sirius Valley to be special guest spectators. If the Prefect is willing to grace us with his presence, invite him too. I’ll tell you what to write for the invitations and flyers later. From this day forward, you are the acting manager of the Fun People Club’s promotions department, primarily responsible for publicizing all our matches."

Tong Yi was stunned for a moment. Seeing the faint, knowing smile in Li Ye’s eyes, he came to his senses and quickly agreed.

Li Ye then turned to Ding Hong of the Flying Bear Gang. "Gang Leader Ding, your gang has many members. Gather them to purchase supplies in the city, recruit chefs and craftsmen, and transform Sirius Valley into a proper stadium in the shortest time possible. Ensure food, lodging, and safety for all spectators. Can you do it?"

"Yes, please rest assured, Lord Li," Ding Hong quickly declared.

"Good. From now on, you are the acting manager of the club’s logistics department." Li Ye nodded. "Come find me later, and I’ll tell you how the logistics department operates."

"Yes." Ding Hong pursed his lips, his fat trembling with excitement. Only one thought remained in his mind: ’I’m being entrusted with great responsibility by Lord Li! I’m being entrusted with great responsibility by Lord Li! The Ding Family’s ancestral tomb is finally producing smoke!’

Beside them, Wang Zhenghui, the deputy leader of Sirius Valley, subconsciously straightened his back, awaiting Li Ye’s instructions.

Li Ye nodded at him. "Valley Master Wang, Sirius Valley is your turf. You will be responsible for order and security during the match. Your mission is to ensure that order is maintained and no spectators are harmed. From this day forward, you are the acting security captain."

"Yes!" Wang Zhenghui nodded excitedly.

"The rest of you, focus all your energy on the upcoming match against Gongsun Jie. This will be our club’s first official match in front of an outside audience. Seeing is believing, so I want everyone to play their best. Whether or not you can make a name for yourselves in this match is all up to your own performance."

After arranging everything, Li Ye turned his gaze back to Shi Xiang and the others and said with a laugh, "From now on, the Fun People Club will truly be on the right track. It’s like I always say: reputation is everything. And Lord Li has arranged everything for you..."

Liu Guangsheng and the others were dumbfounded. Just a moment ago, Li Ye was talking about ensuring their safety, but in the blink of an eye, he had put Gongsun Jie on the hot seat, even arranging for an audience from Weining City. It was as if he was afraid of not provoking Gongsun Jie enough!

But their excitement quickly returned. ’That’s right, reputation is everything! With Spiritual Power, we have everything! Why should we be afraid of Gongsun Jie!’