roccoschili Chapter 793 - 793: Inheritance, Calculation, Father and Son_1
Chapter 793 - 793: Inheritance, Calculation, Father and Son_1
After the meeting, filled with unspoken thoughts, concluded, Chang Yan regarded the thirteen Martial Sovereigns. So, these are the Human Clan's highest combat power now. The thought made him sigh inwardly.At least there's no need to worry about infighting among these thirteen, he mused. Those who were allowed to remain have all passed their respective assessments; on a personal level, there's nothing to worry about.
"Martial God Chang, regarding the quota, I hold a different opinion," one of the Martial Sovereigns spoke up.
There were no issues in terms of governance, yet disagreements began to emerge regarding succession.
If you choose three Martial Sovereigns at their peak to be your successors and help them breach the Martial God realm, what about the remaining ten? They definitely wouldn't be content.
Discontent arises not from scarcity, but from unequal distribution. Moreover, if successful, these three wouldn't only surpass them but also cut off their chance to ascend. No one would accept this.
The prospect of being outranked in the future without a contest made them all deeply dissatisfied.
Chang Yan glanced at the objecting Martial Sovereign, a burly man named Xiong Sen, a late-stage Martial Sovereign.
He was still a considerable way from the peak Martial Sovereign realm, so it wasn't a case of him having narrowly missed out. However, he was known for his straightforward nature, which often led to him offending people.
The dissatisfaction on his face was almost palpable.
"What is your differing opinion?" Chang Yan asked calmly.
He wasn't concerned about being sidelined by the Martial Sovereigns. My strength has indeed declined, he acknowledged to himself, but my essence as a Martial God remains. It's not as if my Realm has been reduced. If he truly wanted to take action, none of the thirteen Martial Sovereigns could survive his attack. If they banded together, they would die together.
"I believe this is unfair," Xiong Sen said rather brashly.
Chang Yan nodded. "Indeed, it is unfair. But they are the closest to becoming Martial Gods, and the Human Clan needs new Martial Gods."
If you insist on fairness, I'll invoke the greater good, Chang Yan mused. There's always a way to counter them.
"If the appointments are not legitimate, then directives will not be followed," Xiong Sen didn't think Chang Yan was wrong; if he were in Chang Yan's position, he would do the same.
"So how do you plan to resolve this?" Chang Yan did not directly refuse or use his authority as a Martial God to suppress the dissent. If the other party had an adequate solution, he would not be against using it.
"Let the destruction of the Shattered Earth Cave entrances be the basis for competition. The top three will get the spots," Xiong Sen stated without hesitation.
That would indeed be fair, testing their abilities.
However, Chang Yan shook his head. "I can't wait that long. I only have at most one year left to live."
Once those words came out, all thirteen Martial Sovereigns were shocked. They had not expected his condition to be this severe.
"Ten days. Give us ten days," Xiong Sen imposed a time limit on the competition.
"Three days. I'm only giving you three days. As long as you can destroy all the Shattered Earth Cave entrances within three days, I will select based on merit," Chang Yan directly reduced the time by nearly two-thirds.
He knew three days was already quite generous. After all, the Martial Artists within the Shattered Earth Cave might not be able to hold out for that long.
"Alright, three days it is. If we fail to complete it in three days, then you, Martial God Chang, will make the selection," Xiong Sen said.
"You misunderstood. If you can't complete it within three days, I won't be giving the spots to any of you. The resources will be reallocated to an 'Excellent Talent Fund,' and I will choose different people." Chang Yan glanced at the three Martial Sovereigns who were at their peak. The other ten will fight desperately, but these three will undoubtedly slack off, perhaps even hindering progress. They'd do so to ensure the competition fails, allowing them to maintain their positions without effort.
But I see right through their little scheme, Chang Yan thought. I have no intention of letting them have their way. If the task isn't completed, it won't be ten eliminated, but all thirteen. Rewards only come with success. There's no precedent for rewarding failure!
The faces of the three changed slightly, while the remaining ten revealed smiles. As for fairness, this was indeed fair.
Even if they lost, they would accept it; after all, they had made a solemn vow.
"If you can propose a better solution, I could agree to it as well," Chang Yan looked at those three.
"I have no objection, Martial God Chang," the three of them responded.
With things said to this extent, what more could they say? It was difficult even to offer a rebuttal.
"What time is it now?" Chang Yan asked.
"It's 3:07 PM," Xiong Sen looked at his watch, reporting the time.
"Alright. Starting now, I'll give you an extra three minutes. The deadline will be 3:10 PM, three days from now." Chang Yan gave them no time to prepare and started the competition immediately.
"Yes!" thirteen voices chorused.
Once the thirteen Martial Sovereigns had spoken, they quickly left.
Time was everything. If they weren't in a hospital ward, where using Martial Arts to depart was unsuitable, they would have vanished instantly.
This was the Martial God realm, a state they had pursued their entire lives. If they could secure a top-three position, they would be guaranteed advancement to this realm. Naturally, they had to stake their lives on it.
I hope none of you do anything foolish, Chang Yan thought, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
He didn't want to hear news of anyone's death. After all, for the sake of greater power, some would inevitably take desperate measures and do things they shouldn't.
For instance, if a competitor died, wouldn't that eliminate the need for competition?
Chang Yan's objective was quite simple: to use this competition to resolve the issue of the Shattered Earth Cave entrances. As for cultivating new Martial Gods, that was merely a passing thought for him. It would be best if they succeed, but it doesn't matter if they don't. If such things could be achieved through sheer force of will, the Human Clan wouldn't be limited to just thirty-six Martial Gods; there might even be three thousand six hundred.
「Shortly after, Xiong Sen returned.」
"Why? Don't feel like giving it a shot?" Chang Yan asked with a chuckle.
"I'm not the right material for it. Besides, I had already given up on that path," Xiong Sen shook his head.
Xiong Sen hadn't proposed this out of dissatisfaction; rather, he and Chang Yan had conspired to use this as a means of motivation.
"I know you want to go to the Shattered Earth Cave to look for your son," Chang Yan said. But that's a suicide mission, he thought. Chang Yan knew why Xiong Sen chose to give up; it was, of course, to go to the Shattered Earth Cave in search of his son.
Xiong Sen had only this one son. Upon hearing about the troubles in the Shattered Earth Cave, he was almost overcome with extreme distress and anger, but luckily managed to suppress it.
Humans are beings of both rationality and emotion. Xiong Sen, of course, realized the allure of becoming a Martial God. If not for being unable to sever familial ties, why would he have refused?
Humans are not unfeeling like plants or trees; who can be devoid of emotion?
"If the Human Clan gains three more Martial Gods, they won't be lacking one Martial Sovereign like me."
"But if my son loses me, he will lose everything," Xiong Sen said calmly.
His son was no spoiled brat, nor was there any cliché father-son conflict between them. On the contrary, they were a very normal father and son with an excellent relationship.
"Don't forget your duty. I'll arrange for people to handle the aftermath for you." Chang Yan still didn't refuse him in the end. Logically, he knew he should try to stop him. After all, a Martial Sovereign is cultivated with vast resources. For one to die just like that would be an utter waste.
But he couldn't refuse him.
Xiong Sen's son was a Martial King. Given the terrifying nature of the gigantified micro-ecosystem in the Shattered Earth Cave, he couldn't possibly survive for three days.
That's right, even if Xiong Sen wanted to go, he would have to wait three days. As a Martial Sovereign, he had to carry out the mission of destroying the Shattered Earth Cave entrances.
It was just that for the last Shattered Earth Cave entrance he was assigned, he wouldn't need to act. After he entered, personnel arranged by Chang Yan would destroy it, which was tantamount to cleaning up after him.
From that point onward, returning would surely be impossible for Xiong Sen. Even if he could come back, he wouldn't be allowed to.
Chang Yan was fully aware of the circumstances inside the Shattered Earth Cave.
Even if Xiong Sen found his son and saved him, they would have to remain in the Shattered Earth Cave and wait for death. Chang Yan definitely wouldn't allow anyone to bring pathogens back to the surface. The other Martial Gods would do the same.
"Thank you, Martial God Chang, for indulging me. Please forgive me for failing the Human Clan's efforts in nurturing me," Xiong Sen said before striding away briskly.
He also wanted to enter the Shattered Earth Cave as soon as possible. However, besides his familial bonds, he still bore the societal responsibilities that came with being a Martial Sovereign.
How can you speak of failure? Waiting three days is already asking too much of you, Chang Yan sighed to himself, watching Xiong Sen depart. He couldn't empathize, but he could understand Xiong Sen's agony, especially since Chang Yan himself would have to personally destroy Xiong Sen's path of return.
He wasn't sure if Xiong Sen heard him, as Xiong Sen was already far away.
"If I were Kong Huai, I might have been able to persuade him," Chang Yan muttered in a low voice. Actually, I have some regrets. If I had known then what I know now, I wouldn't have announced my own return. I did survive, yes, but now I face immense pressure.
Dying isn't hard; living is, he thought, a self-mocking smile touching his lips. What's the use of regret now? If I'd known this would happen, I wouldn't have made those choices back then. If I could go back to that moment and choose again, I definitely wouldn't choose to return. It's simply too hard. So hard, in fact, that I'm even tempted to go back into the Shattered Earth Cave with Xiong Sen in three days.
No wonder the Wind Thunder King looked so weathered and weary after he escaped back then...