Dawnless Sovereign

Fang Che was a little hesitant as he replied, "I'm not fully confident I'll be able to get there if I cultivate normally."

"Do not harm your foundation in pursuit of quicker progression," Yin Shengong warned sternly.

"In that case, my chances are probably only around 60% to 70%. It should be no problem if I can spend enough time in the academy's cultivation chambers, but I don't have enough merit points, and I may not be able to secure permission to spend so much in those chambers."

Yin Shengong's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this.

There had been both benefits and downsides to the original plan.

The upside was that Fang Che could take full advantage of the situation to display his worth to the Protectionists.

However, the downside was that the Protectionists had been made aware of his true identity. As a result, many top-tier resources that were readily available to other prodigious students were not going to be so easy to secure for Fang Che.

"But I can work even harder in my cultivation if you need," Fang Che offered, but it was clear that this was going to be a difficult task.

"I need you to reach the General tier within four months!"

Fang Che was stunned into silence.

Are you insane?! Do you understand what you're asking?! I'm only a second-rank Lesser Grandmaster right now!

"I know it's a lot to ask, but I have my reasons. Once you reach the General tier, you will be entrusted with an important mission, one that will have an important bearing on the future position of our One Heart Church, as well as the futures of yourself, your master, and even the three of us here. I don't trust anyone else."

In the end, Yin Shengong's voice trailed off into a forlorn sigh as he was once again reminded of the desperation of his situation.

After a long silence, Fang Che said, "In that case, once I reach the Great Grandmaster tier, I'm going to require resources, pills, and merit points with the Protectionists."

"All of that can be arranged!" Yin Shengong replied as a vicious look flashed through his eyes. "If it's merit points that you want, I can allow you to wipe out all of the known strongholds of the other churches in the White Cloud Prefecture!"

Fang Che was once again stunned to hear this.

The fact that Yin Shengong was making such a big promise indicated that this really was an extremely important matter for him.

With that in mind, Fang Che put on a hesitant expression and said, "I'm sorry, Uncle-master Yin, but I'll have to think about it. Right now, I'm almost certain that White Cloud Warrior Academy is already aware of my identity, so they're trying to use me, but they're definitely not going to assign me to any important positions.

“No matter how many strongholds of other churches I wipe out, I still won't be able to truly gain their trust. Hence, I may not be able to stay here for long, and I don't believe I have much of a future here."

These were all genuine concerns that came straight from his heart, and he was certain that Yin Shengong would've already considered all of this after what happened in Green Wave City.

Hence, Fang Che was being completely candid with Yin Shengong both to express his own difficulties and to make a further display of loyalty, as well as to show off his foresight.

Yin Shengong could take care of his problems, but he had to raise the problems first.

Sure enough, Yin Shengong was very pleased to hear this, while both Mu Linyuan and Hou Fang were looking slightly taken aback.

They were surprised by Fang Che's foresight and meticulous thought processes.

"I'm very happy that you've been able to assess the situation so accurately, but there's one thing that you have to understand: the Protectionists are indeed using you, but they hold you in much higher regard than you think. You are privy to information that they desperately desire, so I can assure you that they'll be willing to make many concessions in order to get what they want out of you.

“

Hence, you're wrong when you say that you may not be able to stay here for long. On the contrary, the Protectionists are desperate to keep you here, even if that means you climb all the way up the ranks to become a Guardian! If you were to leave this place, then they would no longer be able to monitor you, and that would be a massive loss for them. Similarly, killing you would also be a huge waste in their eyes, and therein lies your value!"

Fang Che put on a dazed and confused expression as he scratched his own head, clearly unsure of what he had just been told.

"You don't need to understand everything. All you need to know is that you've very valuable to them. At the very least, you're worth much more to them than others! Through you, they can protect many people that we want to target. Throughout history, countless compromises have been made, so long as there's enough value to be derived, particularly at a time like this, when we are locked in a battle of life and death."

A battle of life and death? Why did he say that? Are the One Heart Church and the Church of the Self-Righteous not solely driven by greed?

"In the past, you hadn't presented much value to them, but ever since they've set their sights on you, you have become more and more valuable to both them and us. Hence, if you want something in the academy, then fight for it! If they don't give it to you the first time, then keep trying!

“You can even cause some trouble or use some unconventional means because they'll definitely tolerate you as long as you don't step too far out of line. Go ahead and get stronger all you like! I can assure you that they won't think about eliminating you before you reach the Emperor tier or even the Sovereign tier.

“As soon as I become aware that you're in danger, I'll immediately order you to leave, or you can also report to me at any time if you sense any danger afoot. Before that, all you have to do is focus on climbing higher and higher."

From here, Yin Shengong suddenly switched to voice transmission as he continued, "I can throw all of the other churches in our southeastern path to the wolves for you sake, and their bodies will pave your way to the Hall of Guardians!"

Fang Che unconsciously sat up a little straighter upon hearing this, and after some extensive contemplation, he gave a firm nod.

Yin Shengong rose to his feet, then set a cloth pouch down onto the table as he said, "Here are some cultivation resources for you. There's nothing in here that will directly enhance your cultivation base, but they'll benefit your cultivation, nonetheless. All that I ask is that you reach the General tier within four months at all costs, ideally above the second-rank General tier!"

Fang Che gritted his teeth as if he were grappling with an internal conflict, then declared, "I won't let you down!"

Yin Shengong gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder. "I'll be counting on you then. Hopefully, I'll be able to accept another batch of tea leaves from you in four months."

With that, the trio departed, quickly vanishing into the night sky.

Fang Che knew that they were most likely still keeping an eye on him from afar, so he put on an eager display, immediately opening the cloth pouch to reveal twenty vials of pills, all of which were of premium quality.

Sure enough, Yin Shengong's trio was watching him from a distance, and they collectively smiled upon seeing this.

"He's still a kid, after all," Mu Linyuan chuckled.

"Indeed, this is what young people like. It'll probably take at least ten years before he learns to become more patient, but he's already doing very well for his age," Yin Shengong mused.

"That's true, but I also don't want to see him become some cunning old fox that never displays any emotions. If that happens, then he'll become just like everyone else we know," Mu Linyuan said.

"That's not going to happen anytime soon. At the very least, everything that he does will still be flawed in our eyes before he turns sixty, and he'll only become like us after he's over a hundred years old, once he's seen and experienced everything. Compared to his peers, he's already leagues ahead."

"Your wisdom and foresight are truly unmatched, Pope Yin. I can't even begin to fathom how you had all of this planned out ever since Night Demon was still in Green Wave City!" Hou Fang exclaimed.

A faint smile appeared on Yin Shengong's face, and he certainly wasn't going to admit that actually hadn't foreseen any of this at all.

Night Demon was the one who had vindicated all of his previous decisions, and from this moment forth, Night Demon had truly entered the center of his line of sight, no longer the expendable pawn that he once was.

Of course, Yin Shengong wasn't going to directly articulate any of this to Fang Che.