NOVEL WEB Chapter 329: A New Challenge
After Long Liu's ascension, the heavens calmed. The oppressive pressure in the sky faded, and the last remnants of lightning scattered like fireflies in the wind.
Feng Fan exhaled deeply, his hands behind his head, already turning around. "Alright, let's go home," he said with a lazy grin.
Dong Tao gave him a nod, while Xue Qiang reached for Feng Fan's arm with a smile. But just as they were about to depart, a cold voice rang behind them.
"Feng Fan, I want to ask you a favor."
The words made him freeze.
He turned his head slowly and saw a stunning woman with long hair. Fan Ying, the sect master of the Dao Seeking School. One of the two ruling powers in Red Pole.
Feng Fan's smile tightened like a man caught red-handed stealing money.
'Why are it always powerful people who want favors?' he thought bitterly. 'Can't a mortal farmer ask me to help with chickens or something for once?'
Still, he cupped his hands and gave a shallow bow. "Sect Master must be joking. I'm just a humble little Dao Seeking cultivator, there are hundreds more qualified than me. Please, ask someone else!"
He turned, fully intending to vanish into thin air like the scoundrel he was, but before he could even channel his spiritual energy, a cold hand gripped his shoulder.
A shiver ran down his spine. He glanced back and saw Fan Ying smiling at him.
That terrifying, cold kind of smile that said: You're not leaving until I say so.
"You really do try to escape a lot," she said softly, thinking about Long Liu's words.
Feng Fan gulped. Then puffed his chest out, plastered a grin on his face, and declared, "Sect Master must have heard wrong. I, Feng Fan, am a man of honor, loyalty, and unimaginable responsibility. I never run away from what I must do!"
Fan Ying nodded slowly, eyes still boring into his soul. "Good. Then I need you to fight, alone, against the civilizations challenging us for our seat on the Intergalactic Council."
Feng Fan's smile collapsed like a sandcastle under a tsunami.
Before he could even open his mouth to refuse, a sharp presence flared beside him. Xue Qiang grabbed Fan Ying's wrist. Her expression was as sharp as the tip of her spear.
"Are you trying to get Fanfan killed?" she asked, her voice low and dangerous.
Even though Fan Ying was two major realms above her, Xue Qiang didn't flinch.
Fan Ying raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. Instead of replying, she turned her gaze back to Feng Fan and said, "Who would've thought you'd be this charming?"
Feng Fan coughed and gestured for Xue Qiang to release her grip. "It's okay, Qinqin." His voice was calm, and though she looked hesitant, she finally let go, clicking her tongue in frustration.
"Elder Ying," Feng Fan said, his tone now more serious, "we just won against the Obsidian Court. What's going on now?"
Fan Ying's expression grew solemn. "You know how the Intergalactic Council works. After we won the last challenge, we were granted a one-year grace period. No one could challenge our seat during that time. That grace ends in two months."
She paused, then added, "There's already a line of old and new civilizations waiting to challenge us. So many, I can't even count."
Feng Fan's brows furrowed. He had expected challenges, yes, but not this quickly.
"How many exactly?" he asked cautiously, his gut already telling him he wouldn't like the answer.
Fan Ying gave him a faint smile. "Relax. There's a one-month interval between each fight. You don't need to face more than one. Just crush the first challenger hard enough that the others hesitate."
Her tone when she told Feng Fan to crush the opposing civilizations carried an ominous weight, laced with a quiet, dangerous edge. But since the threat wasn't aimed at him, Feng Fan simply chose to pretend he hadn't noticed.
Feng Fan tapped his chin. He could see what she was aiming for. Red Pole was still too weak. They had barely begun to absorb the cultivation resources granted to Council members. Fighting too many battles would bleed them dry.
"A brutal first warning," he muttered, "to scare the rest into silence."
Fan Ying nodded. "Exactly."
He looked up. "You mentioned old civilizations. I thought only newcomers could challenge the seat?"
"They can," she replied. "But every civilization gets one extra chance to challenge every thousand years. Most don't use it; it's seen as a waste of effort. But now, they see us as an opportunity. They think we're weak enough to break."
Feng Fan sighed heavily. "Of course they do."
Just when he thought he'd finally get time to cultivate in peace…
Still, he understood the stakes. If Red Pole lost its seat, not only would the flood of heavenly resources stop, but they would have to give 95% of everything they had on their planet. His dreams of easy breakthroughs, rare herbs, and secluded cultivation would vanish.
No way was he going to let that happen.
"I'll do it," he said. "But I want a reward."
Fan Ying chuckled. "Long Liu did say you were crazy about money. What could you possibly need now? You've already earned the right to take anything from the Dao Seeking School's treasure vaults."
Feng Fan frowned. That was exactly the problem.
'How am I supposed to scam people when they're offering everything to me willingly? There's no thrill, no satisfaction! Being a good person is such a loss…'
He sighed dramatically.
"Fine. I'll handle this one challenge," he said. "But after that, I'm going back to the White Crow Sect. I need peace and quiet if I want to reach the Immortal Ascension realm."
He made sure to stress those last words. Dong Tao nodded immediately, while Xue Qiang opened her mouth to protest, but before she could speak, Feng Fan leaned closer and gently kissed her lips.
"Don't worry," he said with a wink. "I'll be back soon."