Dawnless Sovereign-Chapter 1: On the Road

Hall of Protectionists, Green Wave City.

Chen Ruhai and Fan Tiantiao were seated across from one another in the study.

Chen Ruhai had removed both of his shoes and were rubbing his feet together under the table with a blissful look on his face.

He was even more pleased at the sight of the resigned look on Fan Tiantiao's eyes, and he began to rub his feet together even more vigorously, producing a small pile of gray strips of dead skin on the ground.

Fan Tiantiao wore his usual glum expression.

He felt like the fact that he had been born with this glum face was an indication of foresight from his parents. They had most likely birthed him this way because they knew that he would have to work with Chen Ruhai at some point in his life.

Working with Chen Ruhai was an extremely tortuous ordeal, and the fact that they had to see each other every single day only added to Fan Tiantiao's vexation.

"Have we received another report?" Fan Tiantiao sighed.

"Fang Che has already left Green Wave City with the shadow. It seems that she has fully gained his trust," Chen Ruhai replied.

"That's perfect, is it not?"

Chen Ruhai nodded as he replied, "The shadow has successfully infiltrated, and Fang Che has proven to himself to be quite the prodigy, so there will definitely be more intelligence to come from. Hence, we have to ensure his safety on this journey to the warrior academy."

At this point, the two of them had already scrapped the plan of having Ye Meng only stay with Fang Che for a short training stint, much to the chagrin of the Shadow Hall.

Her role was proving to be very important, so she couldn't be allowed to leave.

The higher-ups of the Shadow Hall were furious to hear this. They had told the Shadow Hall that Ye Meng was going to be with Fang Che for a few months at most before the mission was called off, but they had since made an executive decision to make her role a more permanent one.

"Indeed, Fang Che's safety must be ensured. I'll follow him in secret myself," Fan Tiantiao volunteered as he rose to his feet.

Fan Tiantiao was on the verge of a mental breakdown, having to deal with Chen Ruhai every day, so he was eager to find an excuse to leave.

"You're going yourself?" Chen Ruhai asked in a surprised manner. "Isn't that excessive?"

"No, it's fine. Fang Che currently holds the wealth of the entire Su Clan, and while it's no surprise he's been able to remain safe in Green Wave City, there will surely be people targeting him on his journey to the warrior academy."

"That's true, but even then, surely that doesn't warrant a personal trip from a deputy hall master like yourself."

"I'll come back when you're less unbearable to be around," Fan Tiantiao scoffed.

"You're talking about these?" Chen Ruhai asked as he raised his putrid feet.

The stench instantly became even more nauseating, and Fan Tiantiao couldn't help but dry-retch violently as he stormed away before slamming the door shut behind him.

Chen Ruhai erupted into laughter, then looked down at his own feet before heaving a faint sigh.

***

Meanwhile, in the One Heart Church.

"Night Demon has left Green Wave City to travel to the warrior academy. The journey will only be less than a thousand kilometers, but he'll be passing through many perilous places, and we must ensure his safety!" Yin Shengong declared.

Not only was Fang Che an incredibly bright future prospect for the church, he was playing a vital role in the One Heart Church's comeuppance against the other three churches.

"Maybe you should accompany him in secret, Elder Qian."

Qian Sanjiang immediately agreed, happy to take on the task.

It was clear that Fang Che was destined for great things beyond the One Heart Church, and he would benefit immensely by establishing good ties with Fang Che while he was still at such a tender stage in his development.

"I'll set off right away."

***

It had taken two days for Fang Che to travel a hundred and fifty kilometers at a leisurely pace.

Ye Meng had been successfully nurtured into a "Warrior Disciple" by Fang Che, having already reached the third rank, which was incredible progress befitting the title of prodigy.

She had to display such a rapid rate of progress in order to avoid rousing suspicions, given that she had been fed a Heaven Vein Vermilion Fruit.

Chen Ruhai and Fan Tiantiao had given her the green light to progress as quickly as possible within reason.

Seeing as Fang Che was training her to be an ally, she would only be put to use by him once she reached a higher cultivation base. Hence, she was putting on a very conscientious and diligent display.

However, Fang Che was still not satisfied.

"Why are you making such slow progress? Why are you so stupid? Get off the carriage and cultivate as you walk! What makes you think you're entitled to sit in the carriage? How are you going to improve if you slack off all the time? At this rate, when are you ever going to be useful to me?

“Not only will you have to warm my bed in the future, you have to protect me, battle for me, look after me... I have very high hopes for you! If you don't work harder, I'll sell you back to the brothel!"

With that, Ye Meng was shooed off the carriage by Fang Che, and even the coach driver was infuriated on her behalf.

I knew all of these rich young masters were no-good scoundrels! How could he make a girl walk instead of taking the carriage?

Unbeknownst to him, this was exactly what Ye Meng wanted.

She was feeling very restricted, sitting in the carriage with Fang Che, not even daring to channel her spirit power, but she was free to do as she pleased now.

She could practice the correct movements taught to her by Fang Che, ironing out the flaws in her past movements.

Hence, she put on a displeased display as she trudged her way down from the carriage, then began to work on her self-corrections.

Inside the carriage, a faint smile appeared on Fang Che's face.

Contrary to his treatment of her, he was very pleased with Ye Meng's aptitude, and he was certain that he could mold her into a powerful warrior.

Look how thoughtful I am! I've even kicked her off the carriage so that she can train freely! I hope she lives up to my expectations. Looking back with the benefit of the saber, sword, spear, and halberd forms, all of my techniques and forms from my past life were incredibly flawed!

Ye Meng has only learned the fundamentals of the saber, sword, spear, and halberd forms, but that should be enough to enhance her combat prowess. I can pursue many cultivation methods at once because I can take in sufficient spirit qi thanks to the Boundless Mantra, but Ye Meng can only master one weapon in this lifetime to maximize her combat prowess.

Looking at her habitual movements, she seems to be a sword user, so I'll train her in that area. Right now, the Su Clan's wealth is like a ticking time bomb in my hands, and now that I've left Green Wave City, there will definitely be people coming after me.

All of these thoughts were drifting in and out of his mind like the lulling tide, and he wasn't in a hurry at all.

White Cloud Warrior Academy wasn't very far away, but it was still a very perilous journey.

All of the aspiring warriors were frantically earning points for themselves, but Fang Che saw no need to do the same.

Earning points was very simple.

Each aspiring warrior was given an academy badge, which would be bonded to them after they shed their blood onto the badge. After that, they would kill demon beasts to secure their spirit cores, and the blood of the slain demon beasts would be dripped onto the badge, upon which they would automatically be awarded points. The more demon beasts slain, the more points earned.

There were countless academy instructors observing the aspiring warriors from the shadows, and anyone caught cheating would be instantly barred from enrolment.

Those who failed to secure a minimum of thirty points would fail on the spot.

Those who secured between thirty to a hundred points would pay a fee, then undergo a basic cultivation base examination before entering the academy, while those with more than a hundred points would be exempt from the cultivation base examination.

In other words, even a Warrior Disciple could become a student at the academy if they could secure more than a hundred points.

Those who secured more than two hundred points would take part in a tournament arranged by the academy, and all those who ranked in the top one hundred would receive rewards.

All of the aspiring warriors were striving to claim one of those top one hundred spots, both for the rewards on offer, as well as for the glory.

***

As a top-tier warrior academy, the alumni of White Cloud Warrior Academy had brighter futures than alumni from ordinary warrior academies.

Their future occupations were chosen based on the points and accolades earned while at the academy, so accolades were very important.

Generally speaking, warrior academy alumni had three career paths, the first of which was to work in the government in roles like constables or administrative officials.

The second career path was to join the army, and one would climb up the ranks by racking up battlefield accolades.

However, those two career paths were quite restrictive, and once chosen, one would generally have to remain in those frameworks for life.

The third career path was to join the Protection Army, which encompassed organizations like the Hall of Protectionists.

This was a special occupation outside of ordinary military duty.

Those among the Protectionists with sufficient accolades to their name coupled with a sufficient cultivation base would be able to apply to join the Guardians if they so wished.

Guardians faced even more responsibility and pressure than Protectionists, as well as more formidable enemies.

The Guardians were the most powerful enforcers of justice on the continent.

Fang Che had been a Guardian in his past life, albeit, only a low-end one.

There was no right or wrong choice, but those who joined the Protectionists were often the ones that wanted to fully realize their potential as warriors.

Of course, it was also a far more dangerous career path than the other ones.

Fang Che's objective for this lifetime was to become a top-tier Guardian that could completely erase the Church of the Self-Righteous from the face of the world, and the first step to this long journey was attending warrior academy.

Everyone was striving to get ahead of their peers at every opportunity, so there were many aspiring warriors that were constantly hunting for demon beasts on the journey to the academy.

***

Fang Che had his own plans.

He was still in a relatively densely populated area, so hunting for demon beasts was not a good idea as there were far too few of them around.

We're about to reach the Myriad Spirit Mountain Range, which stretches for around fifteen thousand kilometers. However, if we cut straight through it, the journey will only be around four hundred kilometers, and there will be plenty of hunting opportunities.

Fang Che pulled out his warrior academy badge, then sliced open his finger before smearing some blood onto it.

The badge glowed slightly as a line of text appeared over its surface: "Green Wave City, Fang Che."

A small hole had also appeared on the badge, beneath which was a blank box. That was where demon beast blood and spirit cores were to be placed in exchange for points.

Fang Che couldn't help but be impressed by this.

Sure enough, technology had advanced significantly over the course of six hundred years. This would've been unimaginable in his past life, and he had no idea how they had accomplished this.

The sound of Ye Meng's groaning and whining rang out from outside.

Clearly, she was putting on an act, telling Fang Che that she was working hard and that she really was only a third-rank Warrior Disciple.

"The hell are you moaning about back there?" Fang Che asked as he stuck his head out the window. "What rank are you now?"

Ye Meng was rather startled, and she stammered, "S... Still only third rank."

"Useless! All you're good for is making shit! If you can't reach the fifth rank before we get to the White Cloud Prefecture, then it's back to the brothel for you!"

Ye Meng began to sob as she begged for mercy. "Please don't, Young Master... I'll do my best..."

"Doing your best isn't good enough! You have to get to the fifth rank, or else!" Fang Che harrumphed coldly.

"Aren't you being too harsh on her?" the coach driver interjected, unable to bear listening in silence any longer.

"You don't know anything!" Fang Che snapped. "This is my bodyguard! Have you ever seen a bodyguard weaker than the client?"

"That I haven't," the coach driver replied in a flabbergasted manner.

You're telling me that girl is a bodyguard? She definitely doesn't look the part! He must be having me on!

"Fifth rank, you hear me? Otherwise, back to the brothel!"

"Yes..."

Ye Meng was on the verge of tears. Tears of joy, that is.

The more pressure he placed on her, the faster she would be able to display more of her power.

At the same time, she couldn't help but be saddened that a prodigy of Fang Che's caliber had joined the One Heart Church.

As they continued onward, they encountered many other aspiring warriors, clearly with the same destination as Fang Che in mind.

Some of them were stunned by Ye Meng's beauty, but the most they did was stare for a bit before quickly passing through, and no one tried to chat her up or take advantage of her, much to Fang Che's surprise.

Is the world such a good and virtuous place nowadays?

With that in mind, Fang Che stuck his head out the window again and scoffed, "You're so ugly that none of the people passing by even want to touch you! With your hideous looks, you're not going to do well even in a brothel, so hurry up and focus on your cultivation!"

Ye Meng was furious as she trudged along in silence.

It's my fault that no one's taking advantage of me? If I didn't have to gather intelligence from you, I'd slap you sorry ass back to Green Wave City right now!

Right at this moment, two people emerged from the forest up ahead, and one of them stepped forward as he yelled, "Stop!"

There was a gleaming saber in his hand, and he pointed it at the carriage as he demanded, "Come on out, Young Master Fang."