Clan Building System: I'm not the Protagonist?!-Chapter 365: op

The silence was broken by a calm, steady voice.

"If both Sect Leaders permit," Zhu Xian said evenly, stepping forward, "I am willing to challenge Fang Tian. Right here. Right now."

The words fell like a stone into still water.

Zhao Mei blinked.

"...You?" she asked before she could stop herself, genuine confusion slipping through her composed exterior.

Qin Shi Huang’s smile did not change, but his eyes sharpened almost imperceptibly.

Watching Zhao Mei carefully, as if weighing her reaction more than the proposal itself.

Zhao Mei noticed it and immediately, her expression smoothed out, all traces of surprise vanishing behind the calm mask of a sect leader.

The hall sank into complete silence and no elder dared to speak.

This was not a moment for opinions. It was a moment where a single wrong word could shatter fragile balance.

At the center of it all, Fang Tian had not once broken eye contact with Fang Yuan.

Not since the moment they entered, Fang Yuan felt it clearly.

And that gaze was no longer resentment alone, there was a hint of confidence in it now as well.

What realm are you in now...? Fang Yuan wondered quietly.

Three years.

Three full years in this world or more.

If time truly flowed differently here, then that explained everything.

Why Fang Tian appeared three years ago instead of a month after their last encounter.

With a three-year head start, it would be strange if his brother wasn’t stronger now.

Especially with that mysterious master residing in the ring.

Fang Yuan’s thoughts sharpened.

Wait...

If Fang Tian still had that ring... and now stood openly under Qin Shi Huang...

Does that mean he has two masters?

Just then, a familiar golden screen flickered into existence before Fang Yuan’s eyes.

[ New Quest Detected ]

Face off Fang Tian and intentionally lose.

Requirement:

They must not suspect that the loss was because you held back.

Reward:

2× Enlightenment Pills (Heaven Grade)

Fang Yuan’s eyes narrowed.

Did I... read that right?

He stared at the words again, slowly, there was no mistake there.

A faint crease formed between his brows as his thoughts deepened.

Is the system implying that I’m stronger than him?... That’s a bit.... well reassuring.

Confusion followed immediately.

The novels he had read in his past life were never like this. Protagonists were always on the weaker side, always forced to gamble their lives against overwhelming odds.

Victory came through luck, coincidences, or shameless plot armor, and only after suffering would they grow stronger.

So what was this? Why am I being told to lose?

He exhaled slowly and after a few deep breaths, he stopped questioning the system.

Enlightenment Pills.

To be able to choose the time, the place, and the state of mind in which enlightenment occurred... That was no doubt priceless.

Those were treasures beyond price.

Enlightenment was fickle, random.

One could gain it in the middle of cultivation, on a battlefield, while eating, or at the most absurd moment imaginable.

No one could summon it at will.

He stepped forward.

The moment he did, every gaze in the hall shifted toward him.

He looked directly at Fang Tian.

"I’m sure you’re eager to show off your strength," Fang Yuan said calmly. "How about you spar with me?"

A faint smile curved his lips.

"Perhaps I’ll teach you a thing or two in the process."

Inside, his mind rang on with words.

With this show of arrogance, once I lose, I suspect the sect and perhaps even my own master opinion of me will plummet once I lose.

But I can’t afford to lose the enlightenment pills... Especially not that high level grade.

Across from him, Fang Tian’s eyes flickered. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

He had grown up with Fang Yuan, he knew him better than anyone else here.

And this... his instincts were telling him something was definitely wrong.

His brother never provoke his enemy unless he’s a billion percent sure that he would win.

Is he underestimating me? No, that’s not the type of guy he is. He’s the type to use his full strength even when dealing with someone weaker than him... What is it? There’s definitely something wrong!

Fang Tian’s gaze swiftly swept the hall, lingering briefly on the elders of the Flying Crane Sect.

He noticed that none of them stood up and speak to reprimanded the junior who had just stepped out of line.

That alone was unsettling. Warning signs kept ringing inside his head.

Finally, he turned to Qin Shi Huang to which his master simply nodded calmly.

"Prove to me that my training was not wasted," Qin Shi Huang said. "Defeat your heart demon."

Zhao Lusi heard that and laughed openly.

"Oh?" she said, amused. "Kid, you’re quite something. That makes two people now whose heart demon happens to be you."

Fang Yuan pretended not to hear and instead, he also quietly observed the reactions around him.

No elders spoke, that alone was weird.... Unless, of course, this was exactly what they wanted.

He halted mid-step as a sudden thought flashed through his mind. A slow, soundless laugh rippled within him. Heh, so I’m walking right into Zhao Mei’s trap. But how did she plan this so perfectly?

Zhu Xian stepped forward before she could stop herself.

"You don’t have to do this," she said softly.

Her blindfold hid her eyes, but not the tremor in her voice.

She could feel the weight of countless gazes pressing down on her, every breath in the courtyard sharp with anticipation.

Zhu Xian turned her head toward Fang Yuan and sighed silently.

She couldn’t see his expression, but she knew for a fact that he had stepped forward out of worry for her.

Fang Tian was rumored to have already entered the Hollow Spirit Realm, while she herself was only at the peak of Nascent Soul.

The difference between them was vast, almost unbridgeable.

And as fate would have it, this year’s sect entrance examination had brought a new Hollow Spirit cultivator, none other than Fang Yuan, the very one now standing in her defense.

Around her, whispers began to stir.

She didn’t need sight to know what expressions the elders wore, what thoughts flickered across the disciples’ faces.

"So he really stepped up because of her..."

"How bold. To challenge Fang Tian for a woman..."

"Young people really are reckless."

Fang Yuan turned his head toward Zhu Xian.

Then he spoke.

"Dont misunderstand, I’m not doing this for you," he said plainly. "I’m simply curious about how the brother I banished is doing after all this time."