Chapter 293 Dragon Group 5th Generation

"Are you worried your double will be exposed by the Rose faction?" Yakray said indifferently. "Don’t worry, your double will return to the dormitory in your place, and then he’ll immediately fall ill and stay in the infirmary until the Soul Illusion Realm opens. At that time, he’ll use physical discomfort as an excuse to avoid departing with your team."

"It’s not that..." Old Wang was both amused and exasperated. What on earth was this old man thinking?

Sure, I’m scared of dying, but even so, I still have a little bit of a bottom line.

Hei Wu Kai, Mo Tong, Winnie, Kela, and Fantasi—they’re all here risking their lives because of me, Wang Feng.

Others are risking their lives to accompany you, and you just find a pit and throw everyone else in, hiding yourself... What kind of person does that? Surviving like that would just make you a coward, a real turtle.

These guys from the Holy Sanctuary, why didn’t you tell me earlier that you had arrangements? If you’d said so earlier, we wouldn’t have needed to go through all this trouble, and we wouldn’t have needed to use the Eight Tribes as pawns. I would’ve just handed all the spots to Judgment, let them have their moment in the sun, and maybe even gotten a big discount from Anbolin in the process. But in the end...

He straightened up, composing himself. "Sir, there’s something I don’t know if I should say!"

"Go ahead."

"As they say, no pain, no gain, and roses smell sweetest after the frost!" Old Wang declared with righteous indignation. "I came here ready for anything! I’m grateful for the kindness from you and the Holy Sanctuary, but this time I must go personally. Otherwise, I might hit a mental block and never get anywhere with runes or anything else!"

Yakray was slightly taken aback, a bit surprised.

The 'higher-ups' were just suggesting, not ordering. The double was just a favor to Lei Long, helping Karida.

And from what Karida wrote, and what others say about Wang Feng, he’s supposed to be a coward.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

"Alright."

Yakray nodded.

Honestly, all that talk about mental blocks and no progress was just nonsense.

Yakray’s no amateur. When he mentioned his friends from Rose earlier, this kid’s emotions clearly changed a bit. If he couldn’t read Wang Feng, then he’d have wasted these decades.

Being scared of dying doesn’t shame a warrior; everyone’s scared. But you can’t sell out your comrades.

Before, he was just handling Lei Long and Karida, but now Yakray actually wanted to look out for him. "If you have any needs, you can tell me, and I’ll try to satisfy them as much as possible."

Old Wang was all brave on the outside but crumbling inside. Upon hearing this, he was momentarily stunned, then immediately beamed with joy.

"Sir, you’re my beacon in this storm! Then I won’t hold back!" Old Wang didn’t hesitate. This chance wouldn’t come again; he’s the boss of the Fortress of Edge, with endless resources. Why hold back?

"I want all the Sky Thunder I can get! It’s awesome, simple to use, packs a punch—perfect for a non-fighter like me. And then I also want..."

Old Wang listed off a ton of stuff—protective gear, soul crystals, magic potions—way more aggressive than when he squeezed Clara, even making Yakray’s jaw drop a bit.

Old Wang played it cool; he was just starting high, expecting Yakray to haggle down, setting the bar high first.

But he didn’t expect Yakray to shut him down with one sentence: "The first one is a no."

Old Wang immediately looked unhappy. Yakray wasn’t being fair; bargaining isn’t done like this.

"Sky Thunder’s all show, no go. Pros won’t touch it, and rookies can’t afford it," Yakray said. "It’s even more impossible in the military camp; any rune robe is much more cost-effective than it."

Old Wang was stunned, swallowing the complaint that had just reached his lips. It seemed to make sense.

"As for the other things, although there are some, they’re not very practical for you, and not very convenient for you to carry," Yakray said. He didn’t know Old Wang had a spatial artifact like Oscar’s lamp. He pondered for a moment, walked to his desk, opened a drawer, and threw a small bag over.

Old Wang caught it, feeling its heft. He opened it and saw something like a soul crystal, polished smooth, with faint traces of runes flowing inside.

"This is a Teleportation Pearl, a gift from an old friend. It's been with me for many years, and now I give it to you," Yakray said indifferently. "Channel soul power into it to activate the rune array inside, which can create a temporary spatial passage anytime, anywhere. Only the person holding the pearl can enter, and it might save your life in a critical moment."

Old Wang was still examining the pearl when he heard the explanation, and his heart leaped with joy. Teleportation anytime, anywhere? This was a priceless treasure! With this, his safety instantly shot up to a hundred percent.

But Yakray's next words made Old Wang realize that this thing wasn’t as great as it seemed.

"The Teleportation Pearl is a one-time use item, and depending on the spatial environment and the strength of the soul power infused, the distance and direction of the teleportation are completely random," Yakray said with a faint smile. "So unless it's a life-or-death situation, I suggest you don't use it."

So it was a one-time use, and the teleportation was random...

Old Wang was stunned, then felt both amused and frustrated.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch. With this kind of random teleportation, if you were lucky, you might escape danger, but if you were unlucky, you might end up right in front of a bunch of War Academy disciples or directly above a bottomless abyss... Hell, you wouldn’t even know how you died.

Still, if it really came to a point where there was no way out, having this thing to gamble your life on wasn’t too bad.

Having it was better than not having it! Besides, the Teleportation Pearl was a high-end item. If he didn't end up using it, he could sell it to Clara back in Aurora for a nice chunk of change.

Old Wang quickly collected his thoughts, stored the Teleportation Pearl, and bowed respectfully to Yakray. "Thank you, Lord Yakray. You're truly a good man!"

...

The market was nice, but you couldn't go there every day. After a morning of training with the determined Ah Xi Ba, there wasn’t much hope for a big boost in strength, but at least he worked up a good sweat, which felt quite rewarding, and his appetite had grown considerably.

The food provided for the warriors in the League of Blades' fortress wasn't great but wasn't bad either. A large iron plate with three meat dishes and one vegetable, along with unlimited rice. Sitting at the long table, it almost felt like being back in the academy.

This area was specifically for the Holy Sanctuary disciples, and it was lunchtime. Many people were coming to eat, but they all kept their distance from the two from Rose.

It wasn't surprising that they were treated differently. The group from Rose was just too weird—the Eight Tribes, who could never get along with humans, the little demon from the Li family, an orc, a fat slacker... and that solidly last-place Wang Feng. They were all problem children.

Take Wang Feng, for example. Not only did his special treatment annoy people, but the reputation of being a 'suck-up' that had spread from Judgment was already well-known. Initially, people thought it might be exaggerated, but when they heard that Yakray himself had invited him to the command center for a long talk and that he had started forming connections with some officers, it was clear he’d managed to thrive in the League of Blades' fortress in just half a month. What else could it be but sucking up?

This was undeniable, ironclad evidence, and it was something people despised. Anyone associated with him felt like the once-proud honor on their shoulders instantly lost some of its shine.

Although people were wary of his status in the League of Blades' fortress and no one dared to gossip behind his back or cause him trouble, almost everyone kept their distance, as if the Holy Sanctuary only had 499 members.

As the sense of crisis grew with the approaching deadline, Fan Te Xi had pushed himself hard in the morning, and his hand holding the spoon was still trembling slightly. After struggling for a while, he finally managed to scoop up a potato, saying mysteriously, "Feng, Old Hei is really tough. I heard from Mo Tong that no one dares to mess with him when he's out. Yesterday, some guy ranked in the thirties from the War Academy tried to challenge him, and Old Hei cut off his arm. That guy was a hardcore one too—he managed to escape by turning invisible..."

Old Wang had also heard from Mo Tong. That guy's mouth could never keep a secret. It was a vampire ranked 37th, from the Blood Demon Manku lineage. Honestly, vampires' survival skills were really strong, but for someone ranked in the thirties to escape from Old Hei's sword, it was probably because Old Hei didn't have the intent to kill.

"Isn't that normal?"

"Brother, that's normal?" Fan Te Xi shrank his neck and lowered his voice. "Those vampires, they can turn into a pool of blood mist at any moment, like something out of a story. I used to think vampires were just something adults used to scare kids. We've never seen them in the League of Blades... Damn, Feng, I feel like the people from the War Academy aren't humans—they're all monsters!"

"What else?" Old Wang said carelessly. "Eat up! You might not get another chance to eat."

"Huh?" Fan Te Xi was stunned, his face turning pale. "F-Feng, I'm feeling a bit scared..."

"Now you're scared? Too late." Old Wang shoveled a big mouthful into his mouth, his appetite excellent. He was about to tease Fan Te Xi a bit when he saw the fat man's face turn ashen.

After all, this was the soft spot in his heart. Even if he didn't say it, he had often made Fan Te Xi take the fall when he swore oaths.

Old Wang patted his shoulder and comforted him, "Alright, alright, don't worry too much. If things get bad inside, just find a place to hide. You're not a target of the Nine Gods. As long as you don't provoke anyone, no one will care about you, the second-to-last."

Fan Te Xi was stunned. For the first time, being called second-to-last actually sounded comforting. He finally felt a bit better, but then he remembered what he had said to Feng before coming here and felt a bit embarrassed. "Well... that's just a backup plan! We're here to fight for Rose's honor, after all."

Old Wang nodded with deep satisfaction. The fat guy had finally come to his senses and learned the essence of Ah Q. "Ah Xi, I'm relieved to hear you think that way. Dreams are always worth having—you never know, they might come true!"

As they were talking, the buzzing sound from the Holy Sanctuary disciples nearby suddenly grew louder, with someone's name being repeatedly mentioned—Jiaoxi.

Old Wang and Fantecy both turned their heads to look and saw a graceful woman walking in from outside, none other than the Maiden of the Blood Moon, Jiaoxi.

There were many beauties among the Holy Sanctuary disciples, but Jiaoxi was the beauty among beauties. These days, she and Xue Zhiyu had been dubbed the peerless beauties by those who loved to gossip.

Her figure matched most men's fantasies of a goddess, with a delicate and curvaceous silhouette. Her attire was extremely bold, with tight leather accentuating her hourglass figure, and her long, straight legs carried a hint of a catwalk as she walked. Her confidence was so overwhelming that most men felt too intimidated to look for long.

People might resent the behavior of the five Holy Sanctuaries banding together, and might even resent or disagree with Ye Dun, but this beautiful lady Jiaoxi was almost universally adored. After all, they were typical young people, with their thoughts mostly occupied by honor and beauty.

Fantecy couldn't help but stare, captivated by her stunning figure, and even when Jiaoxi walked up to them, he hadn't snapped out of it yet.

"Wang Feng," Jiaoxi walked straight up to the two of them, "Hello, I'm Jiaoxi from the Moon Worship Sect."

"Is Jiaoxi here just to see Wang Feng?"

"This feels like a dream... two people who are worlds apart."

"Am I hallucinating?" The buzzing around them didn't stop.

Jiaoxi didn't mind, and Old Wang minded even less.

He casually pointed to the side with a smile and said, "Miss Jiaoxi, please, have a seat. Have you eaten? Feel free to grab something to eat over there!"

Jiaoxi ignored the teasing in his words and didn't sit down. Instead, crossed her arms and looked at Wang Feng with great interest.

Frankly, she didn't understand many of Ye Dun's thoughts, just like Ye Dun's evaluation of Wang Feng. Of course, she rarely doubted Ye Dun's words.

In fact, it wasn't just Wang Feng. While others were busy competing for fame and fortune in Dragon City, Ye Dun had been observing everyone. He always seemed to plan before acting, and the Sword of Truth wasn't merely a title or a shallow legacy but also a reflection of Ye Dun's character.

"I must admit, I can't figure you out," Jiaoxi smiled slightly. She found nothing remarkable in his laid-back gaze, so she quickly gave up and got straight to the point, "I'm here today for a specific reason."

She paused, then switched to a more formal tone and said lightly, "Wang Feng, I am here on behalf of the Dragon Group's fifth generation to formally invite you to join."

"The Dragon Group's fifth generation?"