Chapter 27
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Chapter 27: The Recruitment of the Aristocratic Families
Shen An said no more and left the training ground.
Yun Ye followed but was immediately stopped by a large hand pressing down on his shoulder.
Turning around, he saw Fang Jia’s almost smirking expression. He said, “Junior Brother, why are you in such a hurry? If you can outwit Huang Yupeng, your future days won’t be easy. Why not join my Hundred Refinements Steel?”
Yun Ye had already joined Hundred Refinements Steel, but Fang Jia didn’t know that.
He either trained or enjoyed himself, so he paid no attention to the invisible figures in Hundred Refinements Steel.
But today was different.
Yun Ye had awakened his Spiritual Roots; he was no longer the small character he used to be, and he was no longer afraid of ordinary troubles.
So Yun Ye prepared to refuse.
However, there was more than just Fang Jia present. Zhu Zhaohong grabbed Fang Jia’s arm; her delicate hand seemed fragile compared to Fang Jia’s sturdy forearm, yet Fang Jia found himself unable to move under her grasp.
Zhu Zhaohong’s cold voice rang out, “Fang Jia, can’t you understand human speech? This person is mine!”
Fang Jia’s face changed. He might not like Zhu Zhaohong, but when it came to strength, even with his numerous hidden tricks and far exceeding the Awakening Hall’s level, he was still far behind her.
In this extraordinary world, differences in talent were nearly insurmountable; it was common for the strongest to easily defeat the second strongest.
In this Awakening Hall, no one could match Zhu Zhaohong. Offending her would mean trouble for Hundred Refinements Steel.
Yet Fang Jia weighed the pros and cons and didn’t give up: “What you say is useless; it still depends on Junior Brother’s opinion. Junior Brother, what do you say? Joining Hundred Refinements Steel will definitely bring benefits far beyond your imagination.”
Yun Ye felt a stir in his heart—benefits far beyond his imagination?
This statement seemed to have some substance; it wasn’t just empty talk.
But Yun Ye still didn’t trust the aristocratic families. He extended his finger and drew a line on the paper with dark ink: “(Thank you for your kind offer, but I will join the Black Armored Army.)”
“What does that matter? The Black Armored Army naturally has connections to Hundred Refinements Steel, which could help you get closer to your seniors,” Fang Jia said, his expression stiffening as Zhu Zhaohong’s grip on his wrist nearly crushed his bone, making a cracking sound.
Yun Ye looked at Fang Jia in surprise. Why was he so eager to recruit him? Wasn’t a commoner just a consumable?
Was it because of the Major Achievement Qi Cultivation Technique?
Zhu Zhaohong released him and shot a cold glance at Fang Jia before turning to Yun Ye. “You better think it through. Hundred Refinements Steel is just a third-rate organization; most of the power lies within the Spiritual Law team. If you join the Black Armored Army as a member of Hundred Refinements Steel, you might just be suppressed.”
In just a few simple sentences, Yun Ye seemed to grasp the power structure of Baishi Town.
And looking at Fang Jia’s increasingly dark expression, Zhu Zhaohong probably wasn’t speaking nonsense.
Spiritual Law team, Black Armored Army.
Awakening Hall.
Spiritual Law Official, Deputy Officer of Spiritual Techniques.
He wondered which force in the Academy represented the Spiritual Law Official.
Hundred Refinements Steel, Qingmu Association, Zhu Zhaohong—these were the three largest groups in Awakening Hall. Clearly, Hundred Refinements Steel and Zhu Zhaohong were not the ones, so it could only be Qingmu Association…
“And besides, you’ve offended Huang Yupeng. Although the Qingmu Association doesn’t have much influence in the Black Armored Army, as a member of an aristocratic family, it would be easy for them to deal with you. You can only have a chance if you pledge your loyalty to me.”
Zhu Zhaohong instantly shattered Yun Ye’s assumptions.
Was it true that the Awakening Hall didn’t have a single official force of its own? What kind of situation was this?
When school started, Liu Quan always came to give speeches and win people’s hearts, but how could there be no internal organization or even a hint of preparation? It seemed unrealistically foolish for a family to allow such a weakness, otherwise, how could they suppress so many noble families?
Suddenly, a spark of insight flashed through Yun Ye’s mind; he felt he grasped something important. But the thought disappeared as quickly as it came. He sensed that the Ji family likely had their own reasons for acting this way, reasons beyond just the decline of their family.
Could these noble families know the reason?
Otherwise, why would they be recruiting soldiers and restlessly preparing to act?
“What are you hesitating for? Being my servant is an honor!”
A pair of red eyes suddenly locked onto Yun Ye, making him feel as if a fierce tiger had its gaze fixed on him, instantly waking him up.
Under Zhu Zhaohong’s impatient stare, an aura of power emerged—one far greater than Yun Ye’s!
As a genius from a noble family, Zhu Zhaohong had all the resources she could want. Her teachers were highly qualified, and she was three or four years older than Yun Ye. In every aspect, he had no chance to compare, so he had no doubt she could easily defeat him.
To be targeted by someone like her was indeed a serious trouble, but even so, Yun Ye had no intention of agreeing.
The Zhu family only wanted to raise a pet.
This was something he couldn’t back down from.
“While it’s tempting to live a stable life… I refuse!” Yun Ye declared.
Even though his voice was still rough, even with the power from his Spiritual Roots, the meaning was clear.
I refuse.
There’s no room for negotiation.
“You refuse?” Zhu Zhaohong looked at Yun Ye, momentarily unable to comprehend his meaning.
She said, “No way! You must be misunderstanding something… When did you ever have the right to refuse?”
Not only Zhu Zhaohong, but even Fang Jia cast puzzled glances.
It was normal to refuse him, but refusing Zhu Zhaohong after doing so seemed like courting death.
“This commoner must be a bit off in the head.”
Yun Ye roughly understood what they were thinking.
That was how this world operated.
Just like doing business required some connections. Becoming a revival of Spiritual Roots naturally meant serving the noble families, becoming part of the system.
There were no exceptions.
As long as one was a commoner without a strong backing, they had to join the army or one of the noble families.
Daring to refuse meant only one outcome—death.
But Yun Ye found it puzzling. He had already stated he would join the Black Armored Army, so what led them to think that serving a noble family would be more beneficial than serving the government?
Currently, the ruler of Baishi Town was clear as day; it was undoubtedly the Ji family!
Was it arrogance?
Or was there genuinely a reason?
Before long, Yun Ye made a judgment.
If it were other noble families’ children, the chances of them being useless would be high, and their words would be barely trustworthy.
But saying Fang Jia or Zhu Zhaohong were useless was something Yun Ye could not accept; their credibility could rise to “low.”
So he decided,
“(I refuse. Since the Academy has given me the chance to become a cultivator, I will only join the Black Armored Army.)”
Yun Ye shook his head, wrote this down, then stepped back, distancing himself from the two.
The two did not remain in place and instead looked at him with very odd expressions.
“Ha ha, I didn’t expect you’d be so ‘grateful’! It seems we overlooked you, but that’s fine. You will remember this soon enough.”
Fang Jia stretched his body, his imposing figure exuding a sense of pressure that made one feel he might explode with rage at any moment.
But nothing happened; he merely stretched a little before leaving, as if he had lost interest.
