After giving it some thought, it did seem to be the case. Gong Lince was utterly speechless. To be honest, he had never considered things from that angle before.
He had always believed—even disdained to believe otherwise—that Niu Youdao's sworn brotherhood was a joke. Most others likely thought the same.
But if what Yan Li described truly came to pass, could those who had treated it as a joke—including himself—still laugh? Could they still regard everything Niu Youdao had done as a joke? They would probably have to laugh at their own ignorance instead.
Yan Li had truly awakened him today. Gong Lince turned back to look at Yan Li, somewhat surprised. He knew Yan Li well—since when had he become so sharp?
"It seems Junior Brother Yan has given Elder Niu a great deal of thought," Gong Lince remarked.
Yan Li still wore a wry smile. "It was not that I wanted to study him. It was because I spent time with him in the Tiandu Secret Realm and personally witnessed some things. At the time, Sha Rulai had already forced him onto a dead end, yet he came out alive. Not only did he survive, he even took first place! At the beginning, who could have believed he would take first? They could not kill him even under those circumstances. He did not rely on martial force to protect himself—I witnessed the process firsthand. Some of the things that happened during it still make no sense to me. Once, when escape should have been impossible, no one knew how he got away. Could a man like that be simple? To be honest, every move he makes now arouses my suspicions. Earlier, everyone suppressed him. I seriously wonder—did we truly gain any advantage?"
Gong Lince said, "You suspect there