"The Fourth Legion has arrived in Hengzhou? The thousand-year cycle of battles along the frontier has ended!"
Chen Ruofu was stunned. He hadn't expected that there was more to the Hengzhou Martial Arts Association restarting the wilderness trial than met the eye.
Then the head of Tai'an began to sense an undercurrent of danger. Central City had received the news but kept it under wraps, only explaining the reason now. It was obvious they meant to keep him—and the Tai'an Metropolitan Area—on the outside.
"Does someone in Central City's upper echelon want to put us in our place?"
Chen Ruofu had grown shrewd with age, and his instincts were sharp.
He narrowed his eyes and glanced at the two representatives, thinking to himself:
"Representative Zhou is from Central City, while Ji Yuqi and Pei Han represent the Metropolitan Area. The Martial Arts Association and the Education Department both strongly support Zhou Yuanchen's participation in the Top 100 Competition. They probably want to show the Military Department and the Eastern Xia Republic that Central City's strength is beyond question, and that it represents the highest standard in Hengzhou."
Fang Putang picked up the enamel mug on the table and took a sip of steaming tea. Then he tried to ease the tension.
"Old Chen and I have always supported Central City's decisions, and we respect the Education Department and the Martial Arts Association. But making such a huge leap all of a sudden—could it be too radical? A death quota of fifty means we have to accept that half the contestants might die in there.
"Representatives, it's not easy for schools to nurture promising students. Besides, they're all someone's sons and daughters. Who could accept them dying for no good reason? If the public gets worked up, I'm afraid things could