CHAPTER 125: THAT IS HIS FATE

"In terms of the big picture, we may have fallen a step behind, but your emergence has made this setback a positive development for us instead, and that's the positive to be drawn. Upon the founding of their nation, the New Chu Nation has become their focal point.

“All of their most powerful warriors and resources will have to be dedicated to the cause of ensuring that this nation prospers, and as a result, they won't be able to keep as tight a leash on all of their subsidiary churches. Hence, this is when the subsidiary churches will be at their most exploitable, thereby giving you a chance to thrive while also giving us the time required to smooth out your past records.

“The founding of their nation has given your generation, and especially you, the time to grow. By the time they consolidate their position, you will have grown into a formidable force. Hence, I don't think this is a bad thing for us at all. In fact, we can take advantage of this opportunity to really lash out at their subsidiary churches! If we think about it along those lines, the founding of their nation is almost an ideal development for us!"

Fang Che was completely won over by this analysis. Dongfang Sansan's intelligence and foresight were truly unmatched.

Fang Che felt like he was already quite a good strategist, able to use the complex situation that he was in to his own advantage, but compared with Dongfang Sansan, he was like a child playing a game!

While the Guardians had no deity on their side, Dongfang Sansan was like a demigod, manipulating both allies and enemies as he saw fit.

In the end, Dongfang Sansan patted Fang Che on the shoulder as he said with a warm smile, "I know that you're worried about your clan. Rest assured, I'll look after them."

A surge of warmth instantly welled up in Fang Che's heart upon hearing this.

"While our brave warriors are making heroic sacrifices on the front lines, it's only right for us to ensure that those close to them are well looked after."

***

Meng Hejun, Li Changkong, Gao Qingyu, Meng Chizheng, Lü Jiaoshan, Xiang Xinghe...

Everyone was waiting outside the hall with grim expressions.

There was also an unfamiliarly elderly man present.

He was from the Yu Clan, and he had been summoned here by Yu Zhongge, but he had arrived too late to catch Fang Che before he was taken into the Path of Self-Inquisition.

At the entrance of the building, Yu Zhongge, Mo Ganyun, Jing Shuanggao, Qiu Yunshang, and Ding Jieran were also waiting, while Xie Gongping was seated on his own some distance away from the group, cutting a lonesome figure.

He wanted to sit with everyone else, but was sternly declined, and when he tried to sit with them in spite of their objections, Mo Ganyun almost took a swing at him!

Wu Zhibing, Hua Kaixie, and Jun Hefang were also present.

They were already certain that they were going to take Fang Che's group on missions in the future, so they were naturally very keen on observing the group.

"Do you think he can still go back?" Jun Hefang asked.

"The rift is already there, there's no way things can return to how they once were," Wu Zhibing said. "Perhaps he's already come to realize his mistakes. Otherwise, he wouldn't be sitting there, but it's already too late."

"Do you think Fang Che can make a safe return?" Hua Kaixie sighed.

"I'm not sure," Wu Zhibing replied with a forlorn expression. "Fang Che is the single brightest prodigy I have ever seen. It's incredible what he's been able to do, given his humble background. It would be a real shame if a prodigy of his caliber were ruined here."

"I heard he was reported by a major clan. Which one of his circle of friends do you think was the likeliest one to have reported him?" Jun Hefang asked.

"The only ones capable of making a report worthy of so much attention are Yu Zhongge, Mo Ganyun, Jing Shuanggao, and Qiu Yunshang. At the moment, I really can't tell which one of them is most suspicious. However, if I had to take a guess now, I would say Yu Zhongge is the likeliest culprit because he's the only one who's called upon his clan to try and help Fang Che," Wu Zhibing analyzed.

"That doesn't make any sense! Doesn't this show that he's more concerned for Fang Che than everyone else?" Hua Kaixie asked.

"If he was the one that reported Fang Che, expressing concern now will help improve his image in the eyes of the others," Wu Zhibing explained. "In doing so, he'll be able to claim the moral high ground over everyone else, and if Fang Che falls here, he will surely become the heart of the group."

"That's such a cynical way of looking at things!" Jun Hefang exclaimed.

"These are things that we must consider," Wu Zhibing said in an indifferent manner. "We may be sheltered by the academy now, but we'll have to go out into the real world sooner or later."

"I don't think any of them was the culprit," Jun Hefang said.

"Why?"

"Intuition!" Jun Hefang replied. "You both know how accurate my intuition is."

"That's only because you lack critical thinking ability!" Wu Zhibing harrumphed, but clearly, he did have a great deal of trust in Jun Hefang's intuition. "If none of them are to blame, then things have certainly become very interesting. There are other students from major clans in the first-year cohort, but all of them have been completely outshone by this group.

“It would make sense for one of them to report Fang Che purely out of envy or a desire to join this first-rung group. For now, we'll just have to wait and see. I'm sure the truth will come out eventually. Having said that, if it really was Yu Zhongge or someone else from this group, then we're going to have to distance ourselves from this group from now on.

“This level of conniving underhandedness should not be seen in children of their age, so getting involved with them would be like playing with fire!"

***

Another hour passed, and everyone continued to wait patiently.

Mo Ganyun was still wearing his "Surpass Fang Che" headband as he stared intently at the entrance of the building, displaying no reaction to the conversations taking place around him.

Ding Jieran was also standing in complete silence, and his fingernails had dug into tthe palms of his hands for so long and with such force that they were on the verge of drawing blood.

Yu Zhongge was pacing back and forth, while Qiu Yunshang was seated on the steps with a solemn expression.

Jing Shuanggao's brows were tightly furrowed as he scanned his gaze back and forth over the others with a wary look in his eyes.

***

Finally, the door of the secret chamber was opened, and all of the enchantments were lifted.

Is it finally over? Is Fang Che alright?

Zhao Shanhe stepped out of the secret chamber, carrying an unconscious Fang Che like a limp rucksack.

"How did it go?" Meng Hejun asked in an urgent voice.

"He's a tough nut to crack, I'll give him that," Zhao Shanhe harrumphed coldly. "He's clearly hiding something, but he refused to budge even until the very end, so he's definitely suffered some degree of damage to his spirit sense."

Li Changkong immediately took Fang Che out of Zhao Shanhe's hands, and after taking a moment to examine Fang Ch's condition, a stormy look instantly appeared on his face as he declared, "Fang Che's soul has been dealt an extremely heavy blow and is in a completely muddled state. Even if he manages to wake up, I doubt he'll ever make a full recovery."

"So a prodigy has been ruined, just like that," Xiang Xinghe spat through gritted teeth.

Meng Chizheng also took a moment to examine Fang Che's condition, and his expression immediately turned to mirror Li Changkong's as he exclaimed, "Surely this was overkill, Master Zhao! How could you do this when you have no proof that Fang Che has any ties with the demonic churches? How are we supposed to answer to his clan?"

Gao Qingyu and Meng Hejun also hurriedly examined Fang Che's condition, and it really was nothing short of terrible.

His consciousness was a completely muddled and fragmented mess, typical of someone who had suffered brain death!

"You must continue to closely monitor him. At this point, we still don't know if he's to be held culpable or not," Zhao Shanhe said.

Gao Qingyu was furious.

"He was able to last until the end, so how has he not been proven innocent? He's already braindead, what more do you want from him?"

"Compose yourself, Dean Gao!" Zhao Shanhe snapped.

"Compose my arse!" Gao Qingyu raged. "You just ruined a prodigy, and I'm just supposed to accept that?"

"Gao Qingyu! I will not tolerate any more of this insolence from you!" Zhao Shanhe snapped in an authoritative manner.

"Quit trying to scare me! You're not getting away with this without an explanation!" Gao Qingyu yelled.

"The suspicions surrounding Fang Che have been far from erased! What he did back in Green Wave City follows all of the standard procedures of the demonic churches, and like I said, he's still hiding something that we weren't able to uncover! Furthermore, his soul may have suffered some damage, but once he recovers, this will be a beneficial experience for him, so how can you accuse me of ruining a prodigy?

“From now on, Fang Che must continue to be closely monitored, and all of his actions are to be reported to me! If he turns to be tied to the demonic churches, after all, then all of you will be held culpable!"

"Once he recovers? How is he supposed to recover from this condition?" Meng Hejun asked in an emotional voice.

"There are people who've recovered even from their souls being completely destroyed, so a full recovery for him is far from out of the question! If he doesn't manage to recover, then that's simply what fate had in store for him!"