The Martial Alliance and the Crane School's Friction

"Damn it, how many times has the Crane School harassed our Martial Alliance now!"

In a conference room, Bu Chen, seated at the head of the table, slammed his fist down heavily.

Jiang Yun was not present; Bu Chen handled most of the Martial Alliance's affairs, while Jiang Yun only checked in on its development periodically, preferring to focus his energy on martial arts cultivation.

The few people in the room wore heavy expressions. Bu Chen scanned the group and, finding no one spoke up, sighed helplessly to himself: Although these people have decent martial arts talent, they lack the strategic vision to lead the big picture. My younger brother has decent talent and is quite capable of managing affairs; perhaps I can gradually hand the Alliance's business over to him in the future. My ultimate goal is to follow Brother Yun onto that path to the pinnacle.

Among the core disciples of the Martial Alliance, Bu Chen was the only one with the ability to command the overall situation. He was composed and steady, with exceptional martial arts talent. Jiang Yun had once advised him to devote his heart entirely to cultivation.

However, Bu Chen had always declined, citing that the Martial Alliance established by Jiang Yun was not yet stable, promising that once it was on the right track, he would shift his focus to his training.

Of all these disciples, Bu Chen was the one Jiang Yun valued most. Most others were merely capable of being generals—either talented or skilled in specific areas—but only Bu Chen was well-rounded enough to be considered a commander.

Jiang Yun had once told Bu Chen about the ultimate path of martial arts: only by becoming a god could one exist forever in this world.

Bu Chen did not know how Jiang Yun knew this, but he believed Jiang Yun's words were infallible. Even the disciples of the Martial Alliance believed Jiang Yun was a god reincarnated, the future God of Martial Arts!

Seeing everyone looking at him, Bu Chen knew they were waiting for his decision, so he stopped wasting time.

"Facing the aggressive Crane School, our Martial Alliance cannot remain indifferent. Since they dare to come, we dare to chop off their claws!"

"Even the number of people posting missions lately has dropped; clearly, they are sitting on the mountain watching the tigers fight. If that's the case, let's show them who the true dragon is!"

Bu Chen's voice was filled with majesty and ferocity.

Just then, a discordant voice rang out.

"Excuse me, Vice Alliance Leader Bu Chen, is Alliance Leader Jiang Yun not going to take action?"

"Take action? Heh, if we needed Lord Jiang Yun to take action, what use would you all be!"

The one who spoke was Bu Fan. Before this, he and his brother Bu Chen already knew that Jiang Yun would not intervene. In Jiang Yun's eyes, such trivial matters were nothing. By not acting, he was clearly letting them handle it themselves. If they couldn't even manage this, they wouldn't be worthy of staying by Jiang Yun's side.

"If we needed Lord Jiang Yun to step in for every little thing, we wouldn't be fit to follow him. Lord Jiang Yun once taught us to have a martial heart. If we can't even solve this small difficulty, then why bother cultivating martial arts or practicing Qi? We might as well go find a job!"

Bu Fan's words were heart-piercing, leaving the man flushed with shame and unable to speak.

This man had been recruited into the core of the Martial Alliance later on. He was a martial artist with decent talent, and after being exposed to the Alliance's knowledge of Qi, his combat power had improved significantly.

However, he had been intimidated by the long history of the Crane School and the reputation of Master Shen.

Seeing the group silent, Bu Chen stepped in to smooth things over: "Don't be too worried. Although the enemy is strong, we are not weak. Pass the order: every Martial Alliance branch must have core disciples stationed there. As long as they dare to come, chop off their claws and see if the so-called Master Shen can still sit still. As long as he has any shred of dignity, he won't attack the younger generation. If he truly is shameless enough to attack the juniors, notify me, and I will handle it!"

"Yes!"

"Meeting adjourned!"

"Wait, Bu Fan, stay behind."

As if remembering something, Bu Chen asked Bu Fan to stay.

"Brother, is there something you need me to do?"

Once everyone had left, Bu Fan looked at Bu Chen, puzzled.

"No, I just wanted to have a talk. You're a grown man now; it's time you learned to stand on your own."

Bu Chen looked at his younger brother. His brother had always been mischievous, and after their parents passed away, he had been the one taking care of him. Bu Chen had acted as both brother and father, perhaps because of this early responsibility that his personality had become so steady.

This brother of his had also changed after meeting Jiang Yun, just as he himself had changed!

"Xiao Fan, you've grown up. From now on, you can try handling the affairs of the Martial Alliance. Brother Yun's goal is always the pinnacle of martial arts, and he won't interfere with the Alliance's business often, leaving it to us. There were many things to watch out for in the past, but now that it's on the right track, I'm going to try following in Brother Yun's footsteps," Bu Chen said with emotion.

"Brother, you..."

Bu Fan said hesitantly, but before he could finish, Bu Chen continued.

"I know you've always been passionate about the development of the Martial Alliance, and you've done a good job over the past two years, though your temper is still a bit impatient. Right now, the Crane School is aggressive, and our development time has been far too short. If we had a few more years, I believe we wouldn't have to fear not just the Crane School, but any force on Earth. But right now, it's not just the Crane School eyeing us; even the Red Ribbon Army in the north wants to take a bite out of us. Brother Yun leaving these matters to us is a sign of his trust."

Bu Chen picked up the water on the table, took a sip, and continued: "Although Brother Yun won't ignore us, we must not only complete this task but do it beautifully! We can handle the Crane School's disciples, but as for Master Shen, I fear only I can fight him. However, his younger brother, Mercenary Tao, has even more terrifying combat power, and I'm not certain I can defeat him. That is why I need to go into seclusion to improve my martial arts."

Jiang Yun had once mentioned some of the existing martial arts masters to him, such as the God of Martial Arts overseas, the Turtle Hermit, the Turtle Hermit's fellow disciple Master Shen, and Master Shen's younger brother, Mercenary Tao—whose combat power was the highest of the three.

"Brother, I know you've always been taking care of me, and I know my temperament isn't steady enough."

Bu Fan's voice was accompanied by soft sobs, and he couldn't help but burst into tears.

"I won't let you down, Brother. I know my talent isn't as good as yours. You used to carry the world for me, but now, go into seclusion with peace of mind. I will handle everything; I won't let you down."

Bu Fan said through his tears.

Bu Chen looked at his brother with emotion. His brother had finally grown up; a fledgling eagle must eventually soar, and he could not keep him under his wings forever.

A true eagle needs to face the life and death of the natural world, to experience the wind and rain. In that world, one can only truly rely on oneself.

Thinking of this, Bu Chen hugged his brother.

For a moment, neither of them spoke, quietly enjoying the warmth of the moment.