Wang Zhan chuckled, not caring at all that he was discussing his past.

"But now I've figured it out: money talks. I don't care if I offend you. If you provoke me again, settling things won't be as simple as it was for that ten billion. Of course, if you have any enemies you can't handle, you can also come to me. Hmm, how about one billion per hit? I guarantee you'll be satisfied. Never mind Martial Generals; I'll even kill Grandmasters for you."

Who could have imagined that Wang Zhan, while facing his enemies, would still be in the mood to solicit business?

The Grandmaster's expression was cold as he looked at Wang Zhan with a meaningful gaze. Wang Zhan, completely unafraid, raised his head, a smile playing on his lips.

Afterwards, the two parted ways.

Only Tang Qi felt somewhat baffled, feeling that Wang Zhan's train of thought was a bit insane. One moment, he wanted to sell someone's precious daughter into a brothel, and the next, he was planning to make money off them? Has the world really changed so quickly?

「...」

The Grandmaster swiftly returned to the Tang Family estate with Tang Yueyue, where he met a stern-faced, white-haired old man.

"Mission accomplished. The Young Miss has been brought back."

The old man lowered his head, his expression unchanging as he looked at his granddaughter, who was so terrified she had wet herself.

"Take her away. Clean her up thoroughly before you bring her to me. It doesn't matter if her Talent is somewhat lacking, but she nearly brought great shame upon the Tang Family. She must be taught a lesson."

A middle-aged woman silently took Tang Yueyue from the Grandmaster's hands and departed.

The old man looked at the Grandmaster and asked softly, "Did you learn anything?"

"A Family has begun to invest in him; they've dispatched a high-level Grandmaster. As for the boy himself, I didn't notice anything particularly special... No, wait. His power recovery is too fast, and the weakness in his saber technique seems to be diminishing."

The old man pondered. Has his recovery time quickened? Is it due to the Blood Essence Pill's bloodline talent, or his own inherent bloodline talent? What exactly is his bloodline talent?

"Did he say anything else?"

The Grandmaster's expression suddenly became unsightly, the corner of his eye twitching slightly.

"He said if we have any business, we can call him. One billion for a job, and he guaranteed we'd be satisfied."

The old man chuckled. "Interesting. It seems the Royal Martial Arts Academy has sharpened his wits a bit, turning him into a sly fox."

The Grandmaster spoke softly, sharing his impression of Wang Zhan. "Family Head, he... he might actually dare to sell the Young Miss into those lousy places."

"That boy... he's someone with nothing to lose. How would he know who you are? If you can't kill him, of course, he'd dare to sell her. And if he did sell her, what would be the point of killing him then? Haha, Jing State finally has an interesting character! Good. From now on, you maintain contact with him. Doesn't he want to make money? Give it to him."

"What..." The Grandmaster looked at the old man in disbelief, wishing he could bite off his own tongue.

「Back in the wilderness.」

This time, Yang Qi was truly at a loss for words. Wang Zhan had actually managed to get ten billion so easily! Not a few million, not tens of millions, but a genuine ten billion!

With ten billion in support, Yang Qi could immediately gather enough resources to advance to the Grandmaster Realm in the shortest possible time.

But little did he know, for Wang Zhan, this was merely the beginning.

Indeed, one should never give up on such lucrative, life-or-death business. No money means no followers, no followers mean no resources, no resources mean no progress, and no progress means getting bullied... It seems that, aside from the System, I also need to consider how to make money. At the very least, I need to gather a group of people to back me up, so I won't have to worry about being helpless when encountering such situations again. If I had my own factions, even small ones, they would be mine. Others definitely wouldn't dare to oppress me so easily. If we couldn't operate openly, we'd just go underground. Qin Ying did say that the slots in the Death Expeditionary Force alone were enough to recruit ten followers. It's just a matter of whether I can afford to support them. After all, elixirs, weapons, and armor all cost money. Let's call it a day. The money is already secured. Next is to handle the Chu State Military Martial Academy Team's participation in the Federal Martial Arts Competition. The rewards from that should be worth at least tens of millions...

Thinking about this, he drifted off to sleep.

Only Yang Qi felt helpless. This guy is so unreliable! Even during my family training, I was never just left to spend the night in the wilderness! What on earth is he planning? What goes on in that head of his? Why does he seem so different from the invincible hero my Young Master described? All I've seen is this kid's shameless arrogance! And now, he's actually fallen asleep right here in the wilderness, completely unafraid of being devoured by a beast in the dead of night and torn to pieces!

「The next day.」

Temporary Stadium, Chu State Military Martial Academy Team's camp.

"Why are you back?" Song Dongming and Huang Pufeng looked at Wang Zhan in surprise, as if they had no idea what had transpired.

But as Wang Zhan glanced around, he could already tell. In Sun Kelan's eyes, there was a complex mix of emotions regarding him. Chen Mengshu, on the other hand, seemed better; she was no longer timid and observed him with the curiosity of a well-bred young lady.

He found it strangely endearing.

"Why shouldn't I be back?" Wang Zhan joked, deliberately ignoring the fact that he had supposedly severed all ties with the Chu State Military Martial Academy. "Actually, you two didn't do so well while I was gone. You were almost bullied right on your own turf."

The Chu State Military Martial Academy was one thing, but these two genius martial brothers, with whom he had once shared life-and-death situations, were another. They still had the potential to become his followers.

However, the moment Wang Zhan mentioned it, Huang Pufeng flared up. "Damn it! You're quite the big shot now, aren't you? You caused all that trouble and got away scot-free, while we're the ones who got humiliated! How are we supposed to show our faces?"

Huh? Wang Zhan was momentarily stunned, then quickly understood. It must be about that incident Li Chengyuan stirred up. I don't know if his intentions were good or bad, but he'd better hope I don't get my hands on him. I really don't like that Li Chengyuan, always lurking in the shadows. I didn't feel this way when I first met him, but it's becoming increasingly obvious. I wonder where he's hiding now, enjoying the show I'm putting on.

He could only laugh and say, "Please! Well, you're not entirely useless. If you raise your cultivation realm a bit, get a little stronger, and improve your control over your power slightly, there might be a tiny sliver of hope that you can eat my dust!"

"Damn it! This kid is getting more arrogant by the second! We absolutely can't let him get away with this! Song Dongming, get him!"

As expected, Wang Zhan effortlessly subdued his two attackers. Only then did Song Dongming belatedly realize what Huang Pufeng had ordered, and his face darkened.

"You brat, do you think I'm your pet dog?"

Huang Pufeng chuckled. "Not at all, not at all. A pet dog wouldn't be nearly as obedient as you."

"HAHAHAHA..." Not only did Chen Mengshu giggle, no longer timid but bright and cheerful, but even Sun Kelan couldn't maintain her complex expression and burst out laughing.

For a moment, the room was filled with joy.

Once the amusement subsided, it was time for serious matters.

Wang Zhan looked at the various injuries, large and small, on the four of them and said softly, "I've returned for one purpose only: to help you win first place in the Federal Martial Arts Competition. Of course, it's not pro bono; I expect to be compensated."

Song Dongming waved his hand. "Alright, alright, forget about compensation. If you're willing, you can take me with you."

Song Dongming was very serious and earnest. His words might have sounded amusing, but no one laughed.

This sent a wave of warmth through Wang Zhan. If nothing else, these two men before him were teammates who had truly been through life and death with him. Their bond had only deepened with time.

Wang Zhan let out a light sigh and got up to leave, saying with a smile, "Alright, you all get some rest. Don't worry about the Royal Martial Arts Academy... I'll handle this grudge."

Suddenly, Huang Pufeng called out to him and said seriously, "Wang Zhan, don't push things too far with them! We don't blame you; it's our own weakness. But don't give the Royal Martial Arts Academy another opening, or you might not be able to withstand the consequences."

He also came from a prominent family, so he understood all too well the scheming and filth within these major powers.

Meeting the four pairs of eyes, each showing a different level of concern, Wang Zhan chuckled. "What's there to be afraid of? I can kill a few Grandmasters. Give me a few years, and I'll make even a Martial Emperor bow his head to me!"

His domineering aura was palpable, completely undisguised.

This was the real reason Wang Zhan had been willing to lower his head and act subserviently before Edward.

In the distance, the four Deans of the Federal Martial Arts Academies who were observing Wang Zhan's movements smiled faintly, their thoughts unknown.

"It's not a lack of strength we fear, but a lack of ambition!"

「That day.」

Wang Zhan entered the Temporary Stadium alone.

As arranged by Vice Presidents Liu Zhenfeng and Lv Zhenglong, his name was once again moved from the pending list to the list of active competitors. As team captain, as long as his strength did not exceed the Warrior threshold, he could participate directly in the Federal Martial Arts Competition; his previous absence was merely considered a temporary leave.

However, his arrival caused a huge uproar in the Temporary Stadium.

Whether it was the Federation's Big Four, the Chang'an Martial Arts Academy (whose members had met Wang Zhan once), or the many other Martial Arts Academies, everyone was talking about Wang Zhan.

"How is he back? Hasn't his strength already surpassed the limit, making him ineligible for the Martial Arts Academy competition?"

"We've all seen the video footage of him; even Grandmasters were powerless against him! His participation is blatantly unfair to all other Martial Arts Academies. Who among us could possibly be a match for him?"

"This is unacceptable! We must speak to our mentors! We need to protest to the officials! Someone capable of killing Martial Generals and Grandmasters doesn't belong in our competition; he should be on the battlefield!"

At that moment, countless voices of objection erupted. Wang Zhan's strength was seen as a mockery—a loophole—in the Federal Martial Arts Competition, rendering everyone else incapable of truly competing.

Yet, the Federation's Big Four and the Chang'an Martial Arts Academy remained silent. They had long known Wang Zhan would return to the arena, and his strength was undeniable.

He was merely a Warrior, after all—perfectly reasonable.

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