Many dark forces possess methods to grant ordinary people power, such as blood sacrifices, induced mutations, and the like. These heretical paths are dead ends and exceedingly vicious. If they became widely known, it’s inevitable that some with twisted minds would be tempted to walk the path of evil.

For this reason, high schools only teach the basics of martial arts. More advanced, profound knowledge can only be obtained at a Martial Arts University, and the various private martial arts halls are also subject to strict regulation. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Generally speaking, the average person’s understanding of martial arts is extremely shallow. For those who do not walk the path of the Martial Artist, most lack even the most basic knowledge on the subject.

On September 6th, during a summary meeting, Jia Jingxian, the chief of the Public Security Bureau, reported on the final situation.

Final confirmation revealed that the greatest losses were suffered by Riverfront Village. After being ravaged by those bastards, the village was wiped out, with nothing left alive.

The actions of the Illuminati remnants are appalling. Jia Jingxian’s voice trembled slightly. This was the first time any of them had experienced such an event. It was far more tragic than what they had read in case files. An incident of this scale hadn’t occurred in nearly a hundred years.

What saddened Jia Jingxian was that entire families had been wiped out. Only the names on tombstones remained to comfort their wronged souls. But the dead cannot be brought back to life; what could one do but lament?

No matter how you looked at it, a power like the Illuminati simply should not exist.

As Jia Jingxian delivered his report, everyone remained silent, their expressions solemn and heavy.

He paused for a moment before continuing.

"The Martial Arts Administration Bureau lost a total of seven field agents. Their names are as follows: Bu Xiuwen...

"The education system suffered grievous losses. A total of twenty-one teachers were killed. Their names are as follows: Zhao Zeyang, Liu Ming... The vast majority were ordinary teachers who sacrificed themselves to protect their students after their schools were breached..."

The county had only two Inner Qi Realm Martial Artists. One was the late Elder Zhao Zeyang. The other was registered with the Martial Arts Administration Bureau and was present at the meeting today. This old gentleman was over one hundred and fifty years old. When the battle broke out, he had been in the hospital, and Su Yue decided against contacting him due to his advanced age.

The old man’s eyes were clouded, but his expression filled with grief as he heard the number of civilians and colleagues who had fallen.

Wang Jie thought back to his many fallen colleagues, especially Bu Xiuwen. ’If not for Ji Kai’s sudden betrayal, our defenses wouldn’t have been breached. With Bu Xiuwen’s strength, he definitely could have held on until Yu Fei arrived. Life is so unpredictable.’

’It’s my responsibility, too,’ he thought. ’The Martial Arts Administration Bureau had a traitor, and I was completely oblivious. I failed to uncover him.’ Thinking of Bu Xiuwen’s usual brash demeanor, a wave of sadness washed over him. ’I betrayed his trust.’

Cao Le’an’s eyes welled with tears as he heard the report. As the principal of No. 2 High School, he knew many of the dedicated teachers who had died in the attack. If not for Yu Fei, he himself would have been among the dead. Hearing one familiar name after another, his tears flowed uncontrollably.

"Additionally, Li Cunliang and his sixteen subordinates at the sentry post were severely injured, but their lives are not in danger. They have been transferred to the provincial hospital for treatment.

"There is also our war hero, Yu Fei, a senior at No. 2 High School. He single-handedly turned the tide, preventing the Illuminati fiends from carrying out an even more horrific blood sacrifice at No. 2 High. He then led the team that resolved the crisis at No. 1 High. Unfortunately, he was severely wounded while pursuing the enemy leader and has now been taken by... Grandmaster Yan to recuperate.

"Also, Zhang Yuanqiao, who made an outstanding contribution in the battle against the cult’s Apostle, has also gone with Mr. Yan to heal."

In this sudden battle, Yan Sea and his student Yu Fei were essentially the MVPs of two different fronts, with Su Yue as the top-tier support.

The three of them have become one of the hottest topics in the community. Without their incredible performance, it’s hard to imagine how much more devastating the losses would have been.

They saved everyone.

Yan Sea, the normally quiet and reserved martial arts teacher from No. 2 High School, was known for being extremely low-key. Few people knew anything about his past. The idea that a Grandmaster had suddenly appeared in this small county was so absurd that few dared to believe it.

Even those who knew a little about Yan Sea’s past had no idea how he’d advanced from the third realm to become a Grandmaster. Speculation ran rampant, but with Yan Sea absent, the truth was impossible to verify. Moreover, regardless of how it happened, Yan Sea was now a bona fide Grandmaster, and no one would dare to investigate him recklessly.

As for the mysterious Su Yue, very few people knew he was the owner of the Aurora Martial Arts Hall, and all other information about him was a blank slate. His Gang Qi Realm strength was on full display during the battle, and he made a tremendous contribution. The details of his involvement were even more secret; besides the Inner Qi Martial Artists connected via the mental network, no one knew the specifics.

Yu Fei’s background, by contrast, was simple and traceable. But it was still difficult to explain how a high school student who had just broken through to the second realm possessed such immense combat power. The final tally showed that Yu Fei had killed no fewer than twenty third-realm cultists. He had even eliminated the Inner Qi Realm leader, though at the cost of being severely wounded himself.

These accomplishments were astounding. To put it bluntly, if you excluded Han Qiubai, everyone else in the conference room today combined would still be no match for the young man.

The only plausible explanation was that Yu Fei was Yan Sea’s student. It stood to reason that the disciple of a Grandmaster would possess such abilities. Although everyone at the meeting was grieving, many were already forming plans regarding Yu Fei.

It’s one thing to be unaware of such a dazzling prodigy. But with his battle record laid bare for all to see, how could they not try to win him over? Recruiting him would be a concrete political accomplishment.

After finishing the report on their losses, Jia Jingxian cleared his throat twice and began to report their victories in a more spirited tone.

"In this incident, we killed a total of forty-seven enemies. Among them were forty third-realm combatants, five in the Inner Qi Realm, and one in the Gang Qi Realm."

At this, Jia Jingxian paused for several seconds before continuing with fervent excitement.

"We also killed one enemy in the Grandmaster Realm."

The conference room immediately erupted in a clamor. Some had heard rumors that a Grandmaster had attacked and been killed by Yan Sea, but the information hadn’t been officially released, leaving many doubtful.

Now, this official report confirmed its authenticity.

This set off a wave of discussion. Everyone knew that without Yan Sea, a single Grandmaster could have effortlessly slaughtered the entire county. Crucially, this was a Grandmaster from the Illuminati. Everyone present knew that this vile cult dealt in blood sacrifices, which meant that most of them would have shared the same fate as Riverfront Village.

As they counted their blessings, a sense of profound gratitude toward Yan Sea swelled in their hearts.

Han Qiubai tapped her fingers lightly on the table, and the room instantly fell silent. During the defense of No. 1 High School, Han Qiubai had single-handedly faced three enemies of the same realm. Despite being at a disadvantage, she still managed to kill two of them. If not for this young woman holding the line, who knows how many people in this room would still be alive.

Moreover, she had been making the decisions on nearly all matters, large and small, in recent days, earning everyone’s respect and trust.

Everything is relative. Tao Lang possessed a fifth-realm cultivation, but his previous, cringeworthy actions had made him unpopular. Furthermore, no one knew the details of the battle over at the Y2 outpost, and he had an ambiguous relationship with the deceased cult Apostle, so everyone gave him a wide berth.

"It has been determined that the slain Grandmaster was part of the Dust Sacrifice’s group, which had fled from Shenjing. With this, the public-facing upper echelon of the Illuminati has been completely eliminated. We congratulate Mr. Yan and thank him for protecting Tianning and its people.

"Finally, all details will be compiled and archived by specialists from the Security Bureau. After a secondary review of all relevant information, the corresponding merits and punishments will be issued."

The room erupted in fervent applause. Everyone knew, deep down, that the punishment would likely fall on one person in particular: Wang Jie of the Martial Arts Administration Bureau. With a traitor like Ji Kai emerging from the ranks, many would undoubtedly face questioning. But punishment for Wang Jie was a certainty. After all, he was Ji Kai’s direct supervisor.

"There is one more matter."

Jia Jingxian said in a somber tone, "The day after tomorrow, a public memorial will be held to mourn all those who were lost in this incident. Attendance is mandatory."