Chapter 318: Federation Crisis

"A level-one security conference!"

Wang Changnian's eyes widened.

This was the highest-level conference in the entire Yueyin Federation, with only forty-nine people eligible to attend.

The only meeting ranked above it was the ultimate Life and Death Conference.

A level-one security conference meant that Yueyin was in massive trouble.

It was either a crisis severe enough to fracture Yueyin's social framework, or... a compounding series of complex problems...

Without hesitating, he bid Yan Jing farewell. He then pulled a briefcase from a drawer, entered a complex twelve-digit password, and took out a computer.

After he powered it on, only a handful of applications appeared on the screen.

Wang Changnian logged into the conference and turned on his camera.

By this time, the video conference was already packed with various attendees.

The lowest Tier among them was the Sixth Tier.

The video windows were arranged in a pyramid. In the window at the very top sat an androgynous figure with their back to the rest, cloaked in shadow.

Wang Changnian noticed that one of the three windows in the third row was black.

Is he still in the Inner World...?

Before he could figure out what was going on, a quiet voice sounded from the highest window.

"Jinyuan is in critical condition."

At these words, expressions drastically shifted across the various windows.

The "Jinyuan" the figure mentioned could only be one person.

The most highly regarded of Yueyin's three great deputy Domain Chiefs, and the lone combatant who fought the dirtiest in all of Yueyin—Ye Jinyuan.

Wang Changnian's heart skipped a beat.

No wonder he hadn't shown up!

So he was already on the verge of death.

But he couldn't figure out how someone like Ye Jinyuan could be brought to the brink of death unless he actually wanted to die...

"After Jinyuan emerged from the Inner World this time, his lifespan sharply declined. He fell into a coma after saying only a single sentence."

The figure's voice was deep and somber.

"He said, 'Shanhai...'"

"Have any of you ever heard this word?"

Everyone exchanged glances. Naturally, they had all heard the word, but no matter how they thought about it, they couldn't connect it to Ye Jinyuan's coma.

Seeing no response, the figure sighed.

"The first matter of this conference is that I wish to activate Return to Life, one of the Federation's three great treasures, to stall Jinyuan's condition."

"Does anyone have anything to say? If not, we will now hold an anonymous vote on this proposal."

"..."

"..."

Several seconds of silence followed. Naturally, no one was foolish enough to oppose the figure right now.

Soon, the windows went dark as the voting began.

Time ticked by. When the windows brightened again, the voting results appeared on the screen.

Activate : Do Not Activate = 35:14

Wang Changnian was a little surprised.

He hadn't expected the number of votes against it to be so high.

Although the cost of activating Return to Life was indeed massive, Ye Jinyuan's reputation over the years had been incredibly prominent. Anyone could tell the figure was grooming him as a quasi-successor.

The figure was clearly dissatisfied with the voting results, their voice dropping slightly.

"Jinyuan is the future hope of Yueyin, and the person most likely to reach the Summit."

"We cannot sacrifice the future for momentary gains."

With those words, the figure made the final decision.

"Since the proposal has passed, the exact time and other details will be determined later. It would be best... to place it after the Seed conference."

"Next... the second matter."

The figure spoke slowly.

"Just now... a Summit expert appeared above our Yueyin, right in the Fifth Ring Domain."

!!!

No one had expected a second matter, let alone one just as shocking as the first!

"Lord, is the other party friend or foe?"

The speaker was from the row just beneath the figure—the second row of the pyramid.

There were only two windows in this row.

And one of the windows was gray.

This indicated that the owner of the window was already dead.

The reason no one had replaced them was that they had died in battle for the Federation. Several years ago, the figure had decreed that this position would be permanently reserved.

Wang Changnian felt that if Ye Jinyuan died this time, history would likely repeat itself.

Facing the inquiry from the person second only to themselves, the figure shook their head.

"I am not sure. I only sensed their existence for a brief instant."

"For now, all I know is... they are very strong."

As the figure's words faded, shock rippled through the attendees once again.

They are very strong—the underlying meaning of those words was that even the figure wasn't confident in taking them down.

It might even mean going a step further: their odds of winning were not great.

"Deploy a level-one state of alert immediately, especially in the Fifth Ring Domain."

The figure said flatly.

"Qingquan, I am leaving this to you."

"Understood."

The second-in-command, Xu Qingquan, took on the task.

"The final matter."

There was more!

Wang Changnian drew in a sharp breath.

Counting this, three massive incidents had piled up all at once. Just what in the world was going on today...?

"Our neighbors, Dalao and Beast Lord, have simultaneously initiated an Inner World experience exchange with our Yueyin."

The figure said calmly.

Everyone was left speechless.

An Inner World experience exchange—calling it an exchange was just a polite way of saying they were sending their young talents to spar. To put it bluntly, they were bringing a group over to challenge their dojos.

Although the three Federations had maintained a friendly alliance over the past few years, they secretly competed against each other.

It would be one thing if this were happening during normal times...

But it just had to happen now.

And simultaneously at that!

No one would believe the two hadn't colluded.

"Lord, when exactly are they coming for the exchange?"

Xu Qingquan asked.

"In one month."

The figure said slowly.

"Both Federations will each send a Second Tier, a Fourth Tier, and a Sixth Tier representative to spar with us."

"I have already decided on the candidate for the Sixth Tier, but the Second and Fourth Tier representatives are still open for discussion. Each of you will nominate and submit one person's name, and I will filter them afterward."

"Is that understood?"

"Understood."

Everyone replied in unison.

"Then the meeting is adjourned."

After the figure finished speaking, the window turned pitch black.

Everyone else exited the conference one by one.

Wang Changnian stared blankly at his desk, still somewhat dazed.

Was he... really on the verge of death?

And the Summit expert appearing above the Fifth Ring Domain... and the upcoming exchange delegation...

He rubbed his temples.

He actually didn't want to submit Yan Jing's name.

Yan Jing wasn't fully fledged yet. Within the Fifth Ring Domain, Wang Changnian could naturally protect him, but if the young man entered the sights of the higher-ups...

It was hard to say what might happen.

Not to mention the fact that a Summit expert had just appeared in the Fifth Ring Domain.

However...

In the end, he still had to ask for Yan Jing's opinion.

He quickly called Yan Jing and explained the final matter.

"...These are my current concerns. Of course, Xiaojing, if you wish to participate, I will try to submit your name."

Wang Changnian finished.

Yan Jing chuckled.

"I should be the one saying that, Uncle Wang. If you want me to fight, I'll do my best. If you don't, then I have no desire to go. We can just follow your wishes."

Hearing Yan Jing's words put Wang Changnian greatly at ease. He wasn't one for empty pleasantries, but he could tell that Yan Jing truly meant what he said.

"Alright, we'll pass on it this time. I will nominate someone else."

Wang Changnian said.

"Okay."

Yan Jing smiled.

"Alright then, Xiaojing, that will be all for now."

Wang Changnian said. After a moment of thought, he offered one last reminder.

"Don't go out for the time being. It's chaotic outside. Someone spotted a Summit expert appearing above our Yueyin, right in the Fifth Ring Domain, even if it was just for an instant."

This was a highly classified secret, but he still chose to share it. Firstly, he knew Yan Jing wouldn't spread it around, and secondly, he was worried for Yan Jing's safety.

"Got it. Thank you, Uncle Wang."

The call ended.

Shen Youran, who was slicing fruit nearby, paused with the knife in her hand upon hearing their conversation. She looked extremely surprised.

"A Summit expert appeared in the Fifth Ring Domain?"

"That's so bizarre. How could there be other Summit experts in Yueyin... Could someone be planning to make a move against Yueyin...?"

A look of worry surfaced on her face.

Yan Jing chuckled.

"I'm not sure. Counter soldiers with generals, water with earth."

For some reason, upon hearing the news, the first thing that came to mind was the figure dressed in a green shirt.

"What do you think about this sparring exchange, Teacher Shen?"

Yan Jing asked.

But Shen Youran clearly didn't care about that. She wasn't even listening.

The topic had brought back some bad memories for her.

High-tier Transcendent Tier experts often possessed devastating power against those in lower tiers.

"If a Summit expert really comes to kill us, what will we do...?"

As she spoke, she once again brought up the train ticket she had tried to give Yan Jing last time, which he had refused.

"When the time comes, we'll have to escape outside of Yueyin. As for avenging my family, we'll wait until you grow stronger to exact it, Xiao Yanzi."

Yan Jing smiled.

"Sure. We'll go outside and see the ocean when the time comes, Teacher Shen."

"Have you ever seen the ocean?"

"The ocean..."

Shen Youran shook her head. "I've never left Yueyin."

"Then it's a promise."

Yan Jing smiled.

"We'll go see the ocean together then, buy a bag of fries, and eat them by the sea."

She didn't know why Yan Jing would say something like that, but looking at him, Shen Youran inexplicably agreed. Her worried heart calmed significantly.

Soon, she returned to her usual bubbly self. She took out her phone and started eagerly showing off photos of Yan Jing's back to her friends, tapping away at the keyboard.

The two chatted for a long time. It wasn't until evening that Shen Youran reluctantly left Yan Jing's home.

Yan Jing switched back to the Inner World.

The next day.

Young Master Mao Si made his grand entrance!

This time, he wore a dazzlingly bright white suit and freshly polished leather shoes. Still without a female companion, he followed behind Boss Rat with his head held high.

Today was the day Council Member Li was coming to negotiate with Boss Rat.

Based on what Boss Rat had said, he had already delegated his authority to Xiong Er and Hu San. Even he wasn't sure how things would ultimately play out.

The two soon arrived at the agreed-upon location.

But to their surprise, they were actually the first to arrive.

"Pops, it looks like it's already time."

Yan Jing glanced at his Information Component.

"In negotiations, sometimes being late is a strategy, especially when the status of the two parties is unequal."

Boss Rat took slow sips of his tea.

"You must be patient."

"But it seems Second Brother and Third Brother haven't arrived yet either."

Yan Jing looked at the empty seats beside him, where the true main characters of today's meeting were supposed to sit.

"I'm not sure."

Boss Rat's eyes were very calm.

"We wait."

In a room several dozen meters away from where the two were waiting.

At this moment, Xiong Er and Hu San were both dressed in sharp suits—one sitting, the other standing.

They had bumped into each other at the door just a moment ago. With a tacit understanding, neither chose to go inside; instead, they moved to a different room.

But ever since entering this room, the two hadn't spoken a single word.

"Hey—"

Xiong Er looked at Hu San, taking the cigarette from his mouth.

"Hu San, after all these years, why don't you ever know how to defer to your older brother?"

"Haven't I been deferring to you for many years already?"

Hu San also lit a cigarette, pinching it with his mechanical right hand.

"Otherwise, after all these years... why do you think you're still sitting in your current position, Second Brother? Is it because of that brain of yours that hardly ever turns?"

As he spoke, he took a drag of his cigarette, then tossed it at Xiong Er's feet.

"It's brotherhood, pure brotherhood!"

Xiong Er raised his head at those words.

The two locked eyes, the smell of gunpowder between them so thick it was practically overflowing.

And the origin of all this lay entirely with Boss Rat's delegation of power.