Martial Arts Secret Realm: Only I Can Know the Plot?

Chapter 128 Another Path

"Luo Qingshan lacked self-control, thinking himself carefree, but unknowingly, she drained too much of his energy."

"Therefore, he is not as good as me."

In the stands, Empress Chao Qingwu's face turned cold, but she didn't move, only staring at Shen Wuxiu on the stage with a complex expression. Luo Qingshan sat next to her, his expression also not good, but he didn't say anything. Because what Shen Wuxiu said was true.

Luo Qingshan, a third-grader, is no match for Shen Wuxiu, also a third-grader.

"You know, almost everyone under her command became her fanatical follower. Only I broke away from her influence. Do you know how I did it?"

Sun Fan shook his head.

Chao Qingwu's charm is legendary even in the Dark Martial Arts School; some have been willing to die for her after just one glimpse.

She always wears a veil when she goes out.

Sun Fan also had some speculations about this, but he didn't say them aloud.

"I swing a gun 800 times a day—that number has kept me in check."

Shen Wuxiu continued, his voice as calm as if stating a fact, "For hundreds of years, my family has adhered to a rule: attach ourselves to the strong, learn their essence, and then surpass them. I joined the Empress's ranks not because of her beauty, but because of her strength. Her martial arts philosophy, her training methods, and her understanding of combat are all nourishment I need. Once I've learned enough, I'll leave. This isn't betrayal; it's growth."

He looked into Sun Fan's eyes. "I have no personal grudge against you. Whether you kill Yan Gaotian or defeat Luo Qingshan, it's none of my business. There's only one thing I care about—the Dragon Roar Piercing Cloud Spear."

He paused.

"Do you know how long I've waited? The Shen family has been searching for decades, from the north to the south, from the present world to the secret realm, but they still haven't found the Dong family's descendant. Dong Dahai hid himself very well, so well that if you hadn't brought him to the forefront, I might never have found him in my entire life."

Sun Fan's fingers tightened slightly on the sword hilt.

"But now I'm giving you another option."

He took two steps forward, getting closer to Sun Fan. "Make Dong Dahai hand over the incantation for the Cloud Piercing Spear, and I'll help you find out who's targeting you. Since that person can mobilize Yan Gaotian, they can mobilize others too. You defeated Luo Qingshan today, but tomorrow someone even stronger will come looking for you. You can't handle it alone. But if I help you—it's different."

Sun Fan remained silent.

"I can let you inherit my power. My subordinates, the resources I've accumulated at the Dark Martial Arts School, and my relationships with various parties—all of it will be yours. You're only a freshman; you have more than two years left. With my power as your backing, you can become the leader of the Dark Martial Arts School in your sophomore year, and even surpass the Queen of Heaven."

His voice was sincere, so sincere that it didn't sound like a negotiation, but more like he was presenting a mutually beneficial solution. "You gain power, I gain marksmanship. Neither of us loses. We're not children anymore; we shouldn't let pointless emotions cloud our judgment."

Sun Fan remained silent for a long time. The wind blew across the arena, causing his clothes to flutter. He lowered his head, looking at his right hand holding the sword, the scar on his thumb gleaming dimly under the lamplight.

He remembered the first time Dong Dahai entered his dormitory. He had just come out of the secret realm, covered in injuries. Dong Dahai handed him a Small Rejuvenation Pill and said, "Take this. After all, you stood up for Class Five." It was the cheapest pill in the Dark Martial Arts School, but to Sun Fan at that time, it was more precious than anything else.

He recalled Dong Dahai sitting alone in a corner of the Shen family's villa in Jingzhou, cleaning his gun. Most of the paint on the shaft had been worn away, revealing the wood grain underneath. He cleaned it very carefully, inch by inch, as if he were doing something very solemn.

Sun Fan raised his head and looked at Shen Wuxiu.

"Senior Shen, you're right. We all need to mature a bit."

Shen Wuxiu's brows twitched slightly.

"But maturity isn't about negotiating everything." Sun Fan's voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear, like water droplets falling on a stone slab. "Da Hai isn't my subordinate; he's my brother. He helped me when I was in my most difficult time, so it's only right that I help him, and it's only right that he helps me. This isn't a transaction; it's about loyalty and friendship."

He looked into Shen Wuxiu's eyes.

"If I were to use his things to advance my own future, then I wouldn't deserve to be his brother. If maturity is like you, always negotiating terms and calculating benefits," he paused.

"That's better when you're still immature. My master taught me swordsmanship so that I wouldn't have to negotiate with others, not so that I could negotiate better."

The arena fell silent.

The training ground, which could hold two thousand people, was so quiet that the hum of electricity emanating from the luminous pearl could be heard. Shen Wuxiu stood there, motionless, his face expressionless. But his eyes had changed; it wasn't anger, nor disappointment, but a more complex sense of relief, as if he had finally confirmed something.

He suddenly laughed, a very soft laugh, like a pebble rolling down his throat. "Do you know why Dong Dahai followed you?" Shen Wuxiu said, "Not because you're strong, but because you're stupid. Stupid enough to risk your life for someone else."

Sun Fan did not answer.

"There are too many smart people in the Dark Martial Arts Academy." Shen Wuxiu gripped the gun barrel tightly. "Smart people know how to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages, how to assess the situation, and how to push others out to take the fall at crucial moments. Therefore, smart people can never become true martial artists—martial artists have to fight to the death, and smart people don't fight to the death."

He raised his gun, the tip pointing at Sun Fan's throat. "I'm not smart. I can wait decades and kill anyone for the Dragon Roar Piercing Cloud Spear. You're not smart. You'd give up readily available power for someone who's not even related to you by blood."

"Neither of us is smart." The gun tip gleamed coldly in the lamplight. "But we're different. You're doing this for others, I'm doing this for myself."

Sun Fan drew his sword.

The moment the sword was drawn, the air on the arena seemed to freeze. A heavy, suffocating force surged from Sun Fan, stronger, heavier, and more intense than in the previous match. He was pushing himself to the limit. He had only used half his strength in the last match; this time, he would use all of it.

Because Shen Wuxiu is not Luo Qingshan. Luo Qingshan would hold back, but Shen Wuxiu wouldn't. Fighting Shen Wuxiu without risking your life is tantamount to death.

Shen Wuxiu sensed that "momentum." His pupils contracted slightly, then a slight smile appeared on his lips—not a sneer, but excitement. The excitement of a hunter finally seeing his prey bare its fangs.

"Okay." He only said one word.

Then he drew his gun.

There were no probing attacks, no feints; the first shot was all-out. The spear tip pierced the air, emitting a sharp screech, like a dragon's roar, a tiger's howl, or the roar of some ancient behemoth. That was the true essence of the Dragon Roar Spear—to overwhelm with sound and suppress with force. Before the spear arrived, the sound came first, making eardrums ache and minds uneasy.