The rest area of Z Nation was vast and luxurious. As Li Rong stood in the corridor, watching Bai Cha walk further and further away, a sense of desolation washed over him.
"You all don't want to find trouble."
Yes, they didn't want to.
Because the struggle was too brutal. Every time humans fought amongst themselves, the casualties were the heaviest. Factional strife did not align with their beliefs or their original intentions. They would rather die under the claws of a dragon.
Or, was it because they had been protected by Bai Cha for too long, growing accustomed to a comfort zone, and were no longer as passionate and "stirring up trouble" as they once were?
"A Rong?" Li Rong was lost in thought when his cold hand was suddenly grasped by a pair of warm yet softer hands. His previously flustered heart slowly calmed down. Turning his head, he saw Su Qing, as expected. His brown hair was tied up high with a red ribbon – a gift from her birthday.
Su Qing's hands were warmer and softer, unlike his own fingers, which were calloused from practicing the piano.
"Qing Qing, it seems we've been in our comfort zone for too long." Li Rong squeezed Su Qing's hand back, a faint worry etched on his face.
"Ah? What comfort zone?" Su Qing was bewildered by Li Rong's words. "What happened?"
Su Qing was always rather carefree. Li Rong didn't really want to involve him in overly complicated mental battles, but he was still troubled by the slight premonition he'd just had.
"Oh, come on, what comfort zone? Miss Bai is here." Su Qing giggled and wrapped his arms around Li Rong's neck. "Let's go, let's go to the training grounds. Miss Bai herself will be instructing us these past few days."
Li Rong was speechless. Knowing Su Qing's aversion to thinking, he could only let Su Qing drag him to the underground training grounds.
Each country or organization's teammates had an entire villa spanning three floors. The first and second basement levels were for living quarters, while the top floor housed a buffet restaurant. Dedicated staff delivered meals through special channels daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The rooftop terrace also featured amenities like a swimming pool for leisure, making it fully equipped.
The two basement levels were training grounds, often used for various professional exercises. The lowest level had a large arena, as one-on-one duels even among people from the same country were common.
The facilities here were comprehensive and the conditions comfortable, so almost everyone was willing to arrive early.
However, even with all this, Bai Cha and the others fell silent upon seeing the notice about the "competition postponement."
"They've pushed it all the way from the spring season to the autumn season." Bai Cha rubbed her temples, feeling a slight headache.
The postponement was for several months. Their main players had been dispatched here, and the various tasks back home, even if not urgent for them, were causing great anxiety for the higher-ups.
This time, the hosting responsibility fell to an alliance of island nations from another continent. The reason they provided for the postponement was irrefutable.
"Tsunami season has flooded the nation; disaster relief first."
They couldn't possibly force people to ignore their own country and host a world competition, could they?
"Gu Zitan, Zhi Yue, you two will stay here and train hard for these few months. This is actually a good thing for you. You can focus on improving your strength during this period." Bai Cha tapped the screen, sending the training plan to Gu Zitan and Zhi Yue. "We'll have people take turns guiding you while we're on missions. Aim to at least break into the top fifty."
Zhi Yue lowered her head and pouted. She was from the Guangming faction. What was Bai Cha's intention in casually ordering her around?
"Zhi Yue."
"Here!" Suddenly being called out, Zhi Yue was startled and responded instinctively. Realizing how obedient she was to Bai Cha, she blushed furiously.
"Especially you, you're under the most pressure. If you don't improve to within the top fifty this time, even I won't be able to protect you from disciplinary action from above." Bai Cha displayed Zhi Yue's data on the screen. "Your dragons and strength are both excellent, but your training methods are problematic. You'll have to endure some hardship."
"I... I know." Zhi Yue replied reluctantly. Although she found Bai Cha displeasing, she felt very awkward being praised by someone she considered an opponent.
"Also, you should have seen the previous prophecy: Flood Dragon, Cloud Crane, Peacock King, Qilin, Phoenix. Even if your family totems basically match the prophecy, don't think you won't be replaced." Bai Cha looked at everyone. "If you can't become the core strength, I'll promote those who can. Saving the world sounds exciting, but it's not a game."
"Yes!" Yingzi and the others responded in unison, startling Gu Zitan and Zhi Yue into following suit.
"Since the world competition has been postponed for so long, the missions in Hai Nation are not that urgent. I will stay here for a while." Bai Cha turned off the display screen and stood up from her chair. "Training from five in the morning to eleven at night, with a break from eleven-thirty to two in the afternoon, and half-hour breaks in the morning and afternoon. Any objections?"
"No!" Yingzi and the rest shouted in unison again. Not only did they not object, but they were also a little pleased.
They even got half-hour breaks in the afternoon? And the midday break... they could even take a nap? How humane! It was good to have a couple of rookies on the team; they even increased the rest time to accommodate them.
Zhi Yue actually wanted to object slightly. Training for over ten hours a day, wouldn't she get tired to death? But looking at the surrounding men and women who had all responded in unison, Zhi Yue swallowed her objection.
Since no one raised any objections, Bai Cha nodded and looked at Zhi Ying and the others, who were visibly relieved, and said lightly, "Today is free time. We start tomorrow. Meeting adjourned."
"Yay!"
As soon as the word "adjourned" was spoken, the people from the Yingzi faction jumped three feet high. Their usual training intensity outside of missions was practically inhuman. This was equivalent to giving them a holiday; it couldn't be more satisfying.
"Don't celebrate too early. If your rankings don't improve, I'll personally and without hesitation discipline you." Bai Cha sighed and closed her tablet.
However, even so, her words held little deterrence now. The Yingzi faction members were already excitedly rushing out. Before Bai Cha could finish speaking, they had all vanished.
"Sigh, these guys." Bai Cha shook her head helplessly and waved to the remaining people. "You too, go rest first. If you don't want to train, tell me, and I'll send you back."
Send them back?
Zhi Yue and the others exchanged glances.
Wouldn't that be utterly shameful? If the Yingzi members could endure it, being sent back would simply signify their inadequacy. How could they show their faces back at the academy?
Zhi Yue clenched her fists and prepared to express her resolve to Bai Cha.
Although she wasn't part of the Yingzi faction, she had to uphold the honor of the Guangming faction. At least, she couldn't let Bai Cha look down on her. However, when she looked up, Bai Cha had already disappeared.
"Heh heh, Miss Bai has already left, probably for lunch." Gu Zitan wiped the sweat from his forehead, chuckling. "I've only woken up this early when I was in the army a long time ago. It looks like I'll have to endure some hardship tomorrow."
"Hmph, you have some standing in the Neutral faction, yet you're so timid in front of Bai Cha." Zhi Yue grumbled indignantly, glaring fiercely at Gu Zitan. "When Bai Cha speaks, you don't even dare to fart. What principal are you, anyway? You might as well go home and be a scaredy-cat."
"Huh? When did I not dare to speak?" Gu Zitan patted the fat on his belly in confusion, the flesh on his cheeks jiggling. "What do you want me to say?"
"She's just unhappy with Bai Cha and wants to drag you down with her," Zhi Ying reminded from the side, her tone a little sour. This scared the Ye brothers beside her into tugging at her clothes desperately.
"What are you afraid of? Since Bai Cha is keeping us here, she'll protect us." Zhi Ying rolled her eyes and whispered to the Ye brothers.
Ye Sheng and Ye Xuan immediately fell silent upon hearing this. They thought Zhi Ying was right. Moreover, although Zhi Ying was intelligent and rational, her temper also carried a hint of the Ye family's fiery nature. Despite their close relationship, the Ye brothers felt it was best not to provoke Zhi Ying casually.
"Zhi Ying, what do you mean!" Zhi Yue immediately became displeased. She slammed her palm on the table and stood up, knocking over the chair behind her. "What right do you, a waste from your family, have to talk to me?!"
"What do I mean? I mean exactly what I said! You're over twenty, and you still can't beat a seventeen-year-old girl. What right do you have to call me a waste?" Zhi Ying was not one to be outdone in a verbal spat. She had never liked this elder relative of hers. She also slammed the table and stood up. "In the last World Competition, you almost fell out of the top hundred. You were the oldest on the entire team, and this is it?"
"You look down on the Guangming faction? If you've got the guts, go to the sewers with them." Zhi Yue was furious. She was inherently strong-willed, and with others around, being provoked by Zhi Ying made her lose face instantly. If she hadn't been afraid of causing trouble and drawing another sword from Bai Cha, she would have already taught Zhi Ying a lesson.
"Scheming, malicious intent, forming factions, looking down on the weak, seeking fame without substance. Do you think I *want* to stay here?" Zhi Ying gave Zhi Yue no quarter, striking straight at her heart. "I haven't even said anything about you eyeing Bai Cha's subordinates, you practically have eyes for them, but do they even acknowledge you? You say the Yingzi faction is dirty, yet you can't do anything difficult without them. Do you think everyone is like you, with a charity foundation whose accounts aren't even public?"
Zhi Yue was naturally not good at hiding her emotions. Her subtle feelings for Cang Liu were obvious to everyone, but Cang Liu was usually elusive, giving Zhi Yue no chance to strike up a conversation.
Moreover, Zhi Ying had truly hit a nerve this time. The Guangming faction loved to do charity, but their efforts were all talk and no action. Their accounts were not public, and they embezzled funds. Zhi Yue herself had argued with those scoundrels about this before.
"You!" Zhi Yue's face turned red with anger. She raised her fist, ready to strike, but Gu Zitan quickly grabbed her wrist.
"Don't. Don't do it." Gu Zitan sighed. He was as round as a ball but surprisingly agile. He immediately jumped onto the table, blocking Zhi Yue.
"Gu Zitan! Have you become a traitor like your useless brother!" Zhi Yue was so enraged she blurted it out.
"Zhi Yue, watch your words. That's my brother, and you don't get to call him useless." Gu Zitan frowned, applying a bit more force to the hand gripping Zhi Yue's wrist. "Don't you think your language is rather hollow? Besides curses, there's no logic or reason. Were you all born for factional strife?"
"I..." Zhi Yue wanted to retort, but after thinking for a long time, she couldn't find any reason to refute him. She stood by the table, her hand throbbing from hitting it. At this moment, a breath was caught in her throat, making her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"We, the Neutral faction, are the backbone of governance, absorbing opinions from both factions to manage the country. Yingzi, on the other hand, is loyal to the country and is a force directly under the state's command." Gu Zitan frowned. He truly found Zhi Yue to be completely out of touch.
"Behind us is Z Nation. We will bravely strive, the soldiers will advance eagerly, facing death as if returning home, not yielding an inch, not failing the people's expectations, not failing the world's trust. Even if time wears on, may the empire endure forever." Gu Zitan said slowly. "This is the rule inscribed on the back of their clan emblem. Do you think, when war broke out, who had the greatest merit on the front lines?"
Zhi Yue: "..."
"Considering Z Nation's territory of tens of thousands of years, despite lacking divine protection, the nation is prosperous and peaceful. You are merely merchants and so-called experts sheltered by them. On what grounds do you accuse them?"
"They don't seek praise, but at least they shouldn't be slandered."