CHAPTER 108 (3): FANG CHE'S HUMILIATION

"I've heard so much about you, Elder Gu. It's a pleasure to finally be meeting you," Dongfang Sansan said with a faint smile, giving off an air of grace and composure.

As one of the most powerful warriors on the continent, Gu Changhan always kept up a proud and dignified demeanor, but he was feeling a little anxious and unsure of himself in Dongfang Sansan's presence.

As the spiritual leader of the Guardians, Dongfang Sansan had dedicated his entire life to serving the greater good, and compared with him, Gu Changshan felt a little inferior.

"Likewise, Master Nine. I've long wanted to visit you, but I was worried that I would only be wasting your time."

In the end, Gu Changhan didn't have the courage to refer to Dongfang Sansan as Brother Dongfang, as he had originally planned, and he was feeling a little frustrated with himself.

However, the words "Master Nine" had simply slipped off his tongue, and it was too late for him to take them back now.

"You're far too kind, Brother Gu," Dongfang Sansan chuckled. "May I ask what your sect is intending to do on this occasion? I must say, I'm a little confused."

Gu Changhan's frustration was only growing.

He had thought that Dongfang Sansan would say something like "you can just call me Brother Dongfang," and that would be his opportunity, but things hadn't played out that way at all.

Of course Dongfang Sansan was never going to present such an opportunity. By referring to him as Master Nine, Gu Changhan had essentially placed himself in a position of subordination, and Dongfang Sansan was in no hurry to change that.

Gu Changhan was the grand elder of the Frost Sword Sect, someone who had even more sway and authority than the sect master himself, so Dongfang Sansan was eager to capitalize on this opportunity.

You wanna call me Master Nine? Go right ahead!

Bing Qianshan was feeling very pleased. All of a sudden, he had found himself in a position of superiority over Gu Changhan through Dongfang Sansan.

"Brother Sansan," he called out with a wide grin.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to call you that."

With Gu Changhan referring to Dongfang Sansan as Master Nine, he had placed himself beneath both Dongfang Sansan and Bing Qianshan!

A furious look appeared on Gu Changhan's face as he turned to glower intently at Bing Qianshan.

You think you're slick? You can have a taste of my sword once I'm done here!

"Our sect has been accumulating power for many years, and my recent observation of the constellations at night tells me that an all-encompassing conflict is about to arise in this world, the outcome of which will decide the fate of the world."

Dongfang Sansan nodded in response. This world was indeed on the cusp of a decisive conflict. However, he didn't believe for even a single second that Gu Changhan had gleaned this outcome from observing the constellations.

What a load of horse shit! The heavenly signs have already been ambiguous and devoid of luster for tens of thousands of years! I've spent thousands of years trying to make sense of the current constellations to no avail, yet you're telling me you managed to glean such a clear message from them?

"Our Frost Sword Sect cannot hope to remain a passive bystander throughout all of this. Hence, I have decided to send out all of our disciples of suitable cultivation base to fight for the sake of the world."

"That's not a problem at all," Dongfang Sansan replied with a smile. "All of those disciples can come straight to the Guardian headquarters, and I'll sort them out from there. Do you require any assistance or reinforcements?"

"Not at all," Gu Changhan said in a proud manner. "Who would dare to try and attack our Frost Sword Sect?"

"Alright, but do be careful," Dongfang Sansan cautioned.

Bing Qianshan was full of admiration at how casually Dongfang Sansan had just accepted this offering of over seventeen thousand powerful warriors.

This had been a massive shock to him, yet Dongfang Sansan hadn't even skipped a beat.

"Qianshan."

"I'm here, Brother Sansan! How may I be of service?"

"Work with all the departments to establish a Frost Sword Pavilion for the disciples from the Frost Sword Sect. That will be the central hub through which all of the Frost Sword Sect's warriors are given identities and assigned tasks and missions. Make sure to treat them just as you would your existing colleagues and comrades and give them the full set of benefits provided to everyone else."

"You can count on me, Brother Sansan!"

"How's that little disciple of yours coming along?" Dongfang Sansan asked.

Bing Qianshan's eyes lit up slightly at the mention of Ding Jieran, and he replied, "He's doing quite well. I've used my sword qi to give him a helping hand. I've stripped his bones, cleansed his internal organs, and even..."

Dongfang Sansan and Gu Changhan were both looking at him with exasperated expressions, wondering if he was talking about training a disciple or preparing to roast an animal.

"... All that needs to be done now is to establish a solid foundation. As for his cultivation base, I've kept it at the first-rank Lord tier for now. He missed the opportunity to establish a good foundation in his formative years, so he has some catching up to do. His work ethic is impeccable! He trains over sixteen hours a day, and barring any mishaps, I'm sure he'll reach higher heights than me in the future. Thanks for pointing him out to me, Brother Sansan. I now have a worthy successor."

"Good," Dongfang Sansan replied with a nod.

Gu Changhan was stunned to hear this.

Bing Qianshan had just conceded that this disciple of his had a brighter future than. Didn't this mean that he was touted to reach the same heights as the likes of Xue Fuxiao?

Was he really as exceptional as Bing Qianshan proclaimed?

He ran through a list of the most prodigious disciples of his sect in his mind. There were quite a few outstanding talents among them, but he couldn't think of anyone who possessed the potential to surpass himself, and that was a rather sobering thought.

The Guardians really were unmatched when it came to unearthing prodigies, and from the sounds of it, this disciple of Bing Qianshan's had been sourced for him by Dongfang Sansan.

With this casual mention of Ding Jieran, Dongfang Sansan had shattered the prideful notion in Gu Changhan's heart that all of the disciples of his sect were top-tier prodigies who were better than everyone else, and he had done so in a very subtle and non-confrontational fashion.

"Elder Gu, from now on, we're all allies, so there are some things that I want to lay out candidly on the table for you."

"Go ahead, Master Nine."

"Ha!"

Bing Qianshan let loose a gleeful snort, and Gu Changhan's expression instantly darkened once again.

"Get out!" Dongfang Sansan snapped as he turned to glower at Bing Qianshan while pointing at the door.

Bing Qianshan could only depart in a sheepish manner.

"The Frost Sword Sect has always kept itself for tens of thousands of years, and even when it has released disciples into the world, it's always been in small numbers. Hence, there must be a reason why so many disciples are being sent out at once, and you and I both know it's not actually because you drew inspiration from observing the heavenly constellations."

Gu Changhan's face became slightly flushed with embarrassment.

He knew from the very beginning that his fabricated excuse wouldn't be able to fool someone of Dongfang Sansan's intelligence.

"To tell you the truth, our sect has been complacent for too long. Without enduring battles of life and death, it's very difficult for our disciples to grow. That's the first reason. The second reason is that there's a great deal of infighting between the factions within our sect, and this has been happening for a very long time, so we may as well give them all a common enemy in the form of the demonic churches.

“On top of that, I'll admit that the part about my observation of the constellations was a lie, but even without the heavens giving me any signs, it's become clear to me that the world is indeed heading for an all-encompassing conflict, one that we must take part in."

Dongfang Sansan remained silent as he watched Gu Changhan with a faint smile, an expression that said: "Keep making up your little story."

"Also, I met someone last time that made me change my mind on certain things," Gu Changhan continued in an awkward manner.

This was the truth that Dongfang Sansan was waiting to hear.

"It must've taken someone quite extraordinary to have managed to sway someone like you, Brother Gu," Dongfang Sansan said with a smile.

"Actually, it was only an administrator from the Hall of Protectionists," Gu Changhan sighed. "I had thought that my resolve was unshakeable. Many Guardians have approached me in the past to try and convince me to join the battle against the demonic churches, but I was never swayed. However, I was truly moved that day by the sincere heroism of that administrator.

“Most people of his status and cultivation base wouldn't even dare to speak in my presence, yet he directly mocked me, and I had to concede that he was right."

Dongfang Sansan had a feeling that he knew who it was.

"That sounds like quite an interesting encounter. Would you care to tell me about it in more detail, Brother Gu?"

"Sure. That day, I..."

Gu Changhan provided a recount of events, then concluded with a wry smile, "Never did I imagine that I would be so utterly humiliated by someone so many years my junior. After returning to the Frost Sword Sect, I had a long, hard think, and given the escalating infighting in the sect, we all decided that it was best to send our disciples out into the world."

So it really was Fang Che!

Dongfang Sansan was ecstatic.

Even though Fang Che was still only a lowly administrator, he was already having a substantial impact.

Dongfang Sansan felt like much of the heavy load on his shoulders had been lifted.

"How many people are in your Frost Sword Sect at the moment?" Dongfang Sansan asked.

"If we count everyone and their families, we currently have over sixty thousand people," Gu Changhan replied.

"So that means roughly half of your sect's disciples are being sent out on this occasion, right?"

"Correct. We've split all of our disciples up into two, and we'll be sending the first half out for two years before having the second half take their place. That way, we can ensure that we'll always have people in our sect."

Dongfang Sansan could see that Gu Changhan was feeling a little sheepish, and in order to deepen the latter's guilt, he asked, "I'm assuming you're barely going to send out any of the truly high-ranking members of your sect, right?"