Everyone present was silent.

For the vast majority of the young people in Zhongzhou State, the Li family represented both the previous glory and the present abjection.

Li Honghe.

The previous War God of Zhongzhou State had been sinking into oblivion over the years but had recently resurfaced with the border war. What kind of person he really was, was something anyone would be curious about.

After all, no matter how abject the Li family was, Li Honghe was now a peerless superior in the Invincible Realm. No matter how cruel the Dark World was and how rigorous the Special Warfare System was, some gossip between the superiors was also quite popular.

But Li Baitian’s “revelations” ended there. There was nothing else, not even some of his own conjectures, after the world-shaking scheme. Everyone was in an awkward position. If what he revealed was a world-shaking scheme, then the contents of this scheme were what really mattered. Since Li Baitian only remembered these things, Li Tianlan felt it inappropriate to ask him more.

“What are you going to do?” Li Tianlan suddenly asked after a moment’s silence.

In actuality, he didn’t care much about what Li Baitian had said. Perhaps in the eyes of Wei Kunlun, the Nirvana Sword Master of Mount Shu, Li Honghe was a wily old fox. But in Li Tianlan’s heart, Li Honghe was his grandfather and also an old man who had been guarding the last living space of the Li family for 20 years.

If he had gotten any world-shaking schemes… how could the Li family be so abject today?

His eyes swept over Li Baitian and Ning Qiancheng. Then he glanced at Du Hanyin and Xu Chu. He found that none of them had anything to worry about.

“What do you mean?” Li Baitian froze and asked, looking at Li Tianlan.

…

“We all have to plan for our future. The East Emperor Palace doesn’t look very promising now.”

Li Tianlan added in a low voice, “So you…”

“Will the East Emperor Palace still exist in the future?”

Ning Qiancheng interrupted Li Tianlan by asking.

“Of course,” Li Tianlan answered without hesitation.

That was his only path. Although he was now the Young Governor of Sigh City, he couldn’t take it as the Li family’s appendage at will, even when he became the Governor in the future.

The East Emperor Palace was his only force. Although free forces were now about to be restrained by various regional Special Warfare Departments, and it was incredibly challenging to take this path, Li Tianlan had no other choice other than the one road ahead of him.

“If the East Emperor Palace still exists, I’ll be here for you.”

Ning Qiancheng said calmly, “There were other reasons why we were able to share the same dormitory, but we didn’t think much about it when we joined the East Emperor Palace. You are my brother. Since you and the East Emperor Palace are here, I must be here.”

“Do you think we’re going to pull out of the East Emperor Palace because of the f*cking Special Warfare Department?”

Li Baitian laughed and cursed. “Damn, I’m the Great Void Sword Master. Why should I be afraid of the Special Warfare Department? I came to the Sky Academy to help you. If I quit now, wouldn’t it make your journey even harder? I’m not leaving. The East Emperor Palace is great, and I’ll stay here.”

“Me too.”

Xu Chu said in a steady voice, “If it hadn’t been for you, young master, I would have died in East Island.”

“I am determined to avenge myself. It is only by your side that I am most likely to satisfy my desires.”

Du Hanyin’s voice was cold but very determined.

Li Tianlan’s mind gradually settled down. He looked deeply at the few people in front of him with a complicated smile and said gently, “You know what that means.”

The fact that the few of them remained in the East Emperor Palace not only meant that their future was full of hardships, but it also suggested that the forces behind them showed a degree of support for Li Tianlan.

If the East Emperor Palace wanted to rise against the tide, it had to fight against Kunlun City, the Wang family of Beihai, and the Prince Group. When they fought each other to the death, this kind of support could become power and could also be implicated in it.

“You don’t need to worry so much.”

Ning Qiancheng said blandly, “Who knows what will happen? Even if something happens, it’s not us who make a choice, because staying in the East Emperor Palace is our choice.”

He looked at Li Tianlan and continued, “How about you? What’s your choice? What kind of road will the East Emperor Palace take? Will it be integrated into the new system or remain a free force?”

To be integrated into the new system meant that the East Emperor Palace should be upgraded based on the current level. Now, it was an establishment at the department level. After the Special Warfare System was reformed, the level issue might also be reformed to keep pace with the military. Then the East Emperor Palace would become an establishment at the battalion level or deputy regiment level. Then it would climb the ladder of power step by step. It probably would become a new Special Operations Bureau, and later became a new Special Warfare Headquarters. But in the process, it would break up and be a nominal agency, perhaps.

After all, integrating into the new system meant accepting direct leadership from the local Special Operations Bureau, the Special Warfare Headquarters, and even Kunlun City. If Li Tianlan was under orders to leave from the East Emperor Palace, he couldn’t do anything about it.

How about continuing to be a free force?

The East Emperor Palace would exist as a whole, and it seemed to have more opportunities to develop. However, it was under the control of the local Special Operations Bureau as well. No one could guess what size it could eventually be.

Neither road was easy.

Li Tianlan was the founder of the East Emperor Palace. When all his bros—Ning Qiancheng, Li Baitian, etc.—decided to stay, he had to plan the future of it.

“I haven’t made up my mind yet.”

Li Tianlan shook his head.

“You still have time.”

Li Baitian said, “The East Emperor Palace cannot graduate in advance. For the next three years, it might as well stay the same. But… we have to plan ahead.”

“Meaningless.”

Li Tianlan said in a low voice, “The general trend is like a chessboard. In Zhongzhou State, Gu Xingyun and Wang Tianzong are chess players, but we are merely pieces on the chessboard. No matter how well we plan, our fate will still be controlled arbitrarily. It doesn’t matter which path we take now because they can easily confine our upward space. So it doesn’t make any sense to plan in advance.”

“So…”

Li Baitian raised his eyebrows.

“We need to strengthen ourselves,” Li Tianlan said straightforwardly.

He reached out and flicked his fingers.

Without a sound, a faint trace of sword intent came out of nowhere.

The sword intent was so weak, so tiny, and so unreal.

It didn’t deserve anyone’s attention.

But Li Baitian’s pupils instantly contracted.

He couldn’t stop thinking about the moment just now.

The sword intent appeared and then disappeared.

It was not so sharp and tremendous, but it had a quality that made him shudder.

“I’ve started over,” Li Tianlan whispered.

…

Everyone had noticed the moment the sword intent appeared. Yu Donglai, who had been silent, was the most excited. He suddenly stood up and walked several steps, looking at Li Tianlan, and asked, “What’s your realm now?”

“I have no realm.”

Li Tianlan said softly, “The sword intent is enough.”

He had once stood at great heights. For him now, there was only one realm of Martial Arts.

The Invincible Realm.

And he was just on his way to the Invincible Realm.

His journey had just begun.

Li Tianlan’s eyes were focused and calm.

His future might be full of thorns, but he had already had a smooth road leading to his Martial Arts.

“You guys go back to the Sky Academy.”

Li Tianlan looked at Ning Qiancheng and the others and said softly, “I know all of you don’t have to take classes at the Sky Academy anymore. Since I’m not there, there’s no point in getting credits. But now that you have enrolled, you must learn something. The significance of Special Warfare Academies existing is not their absolute power but their superlative majors in every field. No matter which path we shall take from now on, we all need ample strength and absolute merits.”

He paused, his eyes scanning everyone in sight, and whispered, “So for the rest of this period, I’m going to hand the East Emperor Palace over to you.”

“How about you?” Ning Qiancheng asked unconsciously.

…

“Well, I…”

Li Tianlan smiled.

The general trend was like a chessboard.

Now, neither was he able to play the game, nor was he willing to be a chess piece.

So he stopped playing and jumped off the chessboard.

“I plan to walk around,” he said softly.

…