Chapter 95 - 85: Valentina’s Visit

Chapter 95: Chapter 85: Valentina’s Visit

Back at the Five Elements Gate Club.

The moment Zhang Ji returned, he immediately started handling matters.

The injured had already been sent for medical treatment. The signs of battle in the surroundings were impossible to hide, but they would just handle it through the usual channels—repair what needed repairing, patch up what needed patching up, and pay for what needed to be paid for.

It was just a few smashed buildings. Falin hadn’t charged into any crowds, and his control had been pretty good; he did his best to avoid people. No one had died during his fight with Falin, though injuries from the shockwaves were unavoidable.

Shen Han asked Zhang Ji, "Who was that?"

"Some old fossil from Guning Country who came looking to die. Don’t worry about it," Zhang Ji said.

There was no point in telling Shen Han the details.

He wasn’t even a Grandmaster yet; Shen Han should be worrying about his own training.

Besides, he had already handled the matter. The rest was just trivial.

As for the trouble of offending Guning Country and the World Martial Arts Association?

Honestly, Zhang Ji wasn’t too concerned.

This wasn’t one of the later versions of the world; right now, Guning Country had at most a handful of B-rank martial artists.

They definitely didn’t have any A-ranks.

As long as no A-ranks appeared, he estimated there were no more than thirty B-rank fighters in the entire world capable of preventing his escape.

While that number still sounded high, on a global scale, the probability of Zhang Ji running into them was extremely low.

Unless Guning Country dispatched the commander of the Mind Guard, Hasting Montu, it would be impossible for them to catch him.

And the commander of the Mind Guard was not allowed to leave the royal family’s side.

So even if they came looking for trouble, they could only send the ’Eyes’ or the ’Claws’.

Even if Zhang Ji couldn’t win, escape would be easy.

As for the Martial Arts Association, their president could probably crush him.

But he was, in a sense, a member of the Association now. Besides, they weren’t enemies, so why would a conflict necessarily arise just because the other guy was stronger?

If worst came to worst, Zhang Ji felt no pressure. He could just formally join the Association’s inner circle and, with a quick change of status, become one of their own. He’d just have to be a bit more cautious and do his best to avoid conflict with Elaven.

Afterward, Zhou Hao and Chen Anhe, who were away on business, also called back to ask about the situation.

But Zhang Ji brushed them off with a few cursory sentences.

「Evening came.」

A car from the World Martial Arts Association pulled up to the club’s entrance.

The door opened, and Valentina herself stepped out.

Zhang Ji received the news and went to the front desk to greet her.

"I didn’t expect you to visit in person, Miss Valentina," Zhang Ji said.

"One should naturally show some respect when facing Mr. Zhang," Valentina said.

"I thought the security department would be the first to arrive," Zhang Ji said.

"They were supposed to be, but we stopped them. You’ve caused us quite a bit of trouble, Mr. Zhang," Valentina said.

"My apologies, then. I didn’t expect this to happen either. That madman tried to kill me the moment he arrived. I was forced to fight back," Zhang Ji said, putting on a remorseful expression.

Valentina’s wine-red eyes stared at Zhang Ji, but she saw no trace of remorse in them.

"Alright, Mr. Zhang. Aren’t you going to invite me into your club for a sit-down? Speaking of which, this is my first time visiting since you won the Association’s Spring Tournament!" Valentina said.

Valentina emphasized the word "champion."

She clearly had some reservations about Zhang Ji shamelessly using his Sublimation-Level strength to compete in the Transcendent Division’s martial arts tournament.

Zhang Ji understood her implication but didn’t care. He gestured for her to enter. "Please, come in. The Five Elements Sect has only been in Lanz for a short time, so our foundation is shallow and our headquarters are still a bit shabby. I hope you don’t mind, Miss Valentina."

The two of them walked to the reception room. Bai Xiaoxiao brought in the prepared tea and snacks, then turned and left.

Valentina took a sip of tea and said, "Mr. Zhang, this mess you’ve created is very difficult to handle!"

"I was only defending myself. I couldn’t just let him kill me, could I?" Zhang Ji said.

"But it looked to me like you were the one pursuing the enemy, Mr. Zhang?" Valentina said.

"He injured so many of my people from the Five Elements Sect. If I let him get away, I was afraid he’d come back for revenge. I had no choice but to give chase!" Zhang Ji said with a sigh.

No matter what, Zhang Ji’s point was the same: it had nothing to do with him. Don’t come to him for compensation; he was just defending himself. If they wanted money, they should go find the dead guy.

Valentina was rendered a little speechless by Zhang Ji’s attitude.

She had originally planned to present him with a bill, explain that the Association had helped handle things, and then use it as a gesture of goodwill to extend an invitation to him.

But instead, Zhang Ji had shirked all responsibility from the very beginning.

"Fine. It seems Mr. Zhang is indeed innocent. However, this matter is still quite troublesome. Our investigation revealed that the man you killed appears to be a member of Guning Country’s royal family," Valentina said.

"Really? Then why was he looking for trouble with me?" Zhang Ji asked, feigning confusion.

"Whatever the trouble was, now that you’ve come to Lanz and become a member of the Association, we will not allow Guning Country to take any further action." Valentina stopped beating around the bush. "We will help you seek justice from Guning Country, Mr. Zhang. You don’t have to worry about them trying to get revenge."

"Then I really must thank you," Zhang Ji said.

This time, he was sincere.

If the Association didn’t intervene, he wouldn’t be afraid, but it would still be a hassle.

After all, he wasn’t exactly a lone wolf.

If Guning Country decided to play dirty and target people from the Five Elements Sect, he himself wouldn’t be threatened, but he would still feel bad if a few people died because of him.

If it were Shen Han or Zhou Hao who died, it would be even more difficult to bear.

Of course, Zhang Ji wouldn’t become timid and hesitant just because he had an organization behind him.

Whoever killed his people, he would kill ten, a hundred times more of theirs in return.

It was as simple as that.

"Mr. Zhang, for a Sublimation-Level martial artist like yourself, just staying here and running a club is truly a waste of your talents. I have an invitation from the Association here. If you agree, the Association can make you an official branch president, letting you take a post at one of our branches, or you could stay at headquarters and serve as a vice president. The obligations are few, but the benefits are excellent. Besides a high annual salary, we also provide the most advanced AI to map out your future martial arts training path, as well as certain special Alchemy Secret Medicines..."

Valentina handed over a contract—an official invitation for Zhang Ji to join the World Martial Arts Association.

The contract didn’t list many obligations, but the benefits were spelled out very clearly.

At the level of a Sublimation-Level martial artist, the binding power of a contract really just depended on whether the individual chose to honor their word.

An ordinary organization couldn’t restrain them at all.

Thus, the obligations weren’t mandatory, and the terms were very broad.

"Can I refuse?" Zhang Ji asked.

"Of course." Valentina smiled. "But I still recommend you join us, Mr. Zhang. After all, we are backed by the entire national congress; our strength and funding are substantial. If you wish to advance further and explore the upper limits of the martial arts domain, joining us is your best choice."

"It’s tempting, but I’ll have to think about it. Can you give me some time?" Zhang Ji politely declined for the moment.

"Of course. We’ll be waiting for your good news anytime," Valentina said.

...

After seeing Valentina off, Zhang Ji understood that sixty to seventy percent of his trouble had just vanished.

He had expected to at least lose some money, but now that probably wasn’t a major issue anymore.

Moreover, with the World Martial Arts Association acting as a shield, Guning Country probably wouldn’t dare to act recklessly.

All in all, he just owed them a favor.

Speaking of which, he remembered from the background story that the first president of the World Martial Arts Association was supposedly brutally killed by Elaven.

Elaven was domineering, cruel, and egotistical—an absolute dictator.

The first president of the World Martial Arts Association, Orlando, had once advised Elaven against many of his radical measures, urging him to restrain himself in certain areas to avoid excessive harm to the populace.

And then he was mercilessly destroyed by Elaven.

Elaven was a ’Sacred King’ who was ruthless to the extreme, purely self-interested, and couldn’t care less about the thoughts of ordinary people.

As long as it benefited him, he wouldn’t even blink an eye if millions of people died.

It was for this very reason that he later developed Alchemy Technology on a massive scale with almost no restrictions, leading to numerous tragedies.

’If the conditions are right, maybe I can save him,’ Zhang Ji murmured to himself.

Of course, he only meant he would intervene on the premise that he was strong enough to face Elaven head-on.

If he wasn’t strong enough, the most he would do is give Orlando a heads-up, telling him to advise Elaven less.

.......

「Guning Country.」

Inside the study of the Royal Palace.

King Hick listened to the news from his subordinate.

"Falin is... dead?" Hick was a little surprised, then faintly angry. He said, "Tell me the details!"

"He died in Lanz, in the Roman Country, fighting a Demigod-Level martial artist. Some related videos are circulating online."

As he spoke, Hasting handed over a tablet. It contained relevant information his people had gathered, including videos and pictures.

"Wasn’t he investigating the Pretton affair? How did he suddenly end up in the Roman Country?" Hick was completely baffled.

"We don’t know yet. As for the diplomatic front, the Roman Country has already come to us demanding accountability. They claim the person Falin fought was a core member of the World Martial Arts Association who was inexplicably attacked by Falin, and they want us to provide compensation," Hasting said.

Hick’s head was full of question marks.

After a moment of thought, he said, "Stall the Roman Country. Have the Guard of the Eye investigate the specific circumstances. Falin wouldn’t have gone crazy for no reason."

"Should we give the Guard of the Eye autonomy?" Hasting asked.

"No." Hick shook his head. "They are only to investigate. Once they have the information, it will be up to us to make a judgment. The situation with the Roman Country is different."

As much as he hated to admit it, Guning Country’s current national power was inferior to the Roman Country’s, whether in technology or in the strength of their martial artists.

Unless absolutely necessary, he had no desire for conflict with the Roman Country.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Hasting said with a nod.

Hasting then withdrew to carry out the order.

After Hasting had left, Hick stared at the two figures in the video, unable to understand why Falin would suddenly show up in Lanz and attack a core member of the World Martial Arts Association.

Now, the commander of the Guard of the Wing he had sent out on a mission was dead, yet the Alchemist who seduced his youngest daughter was apparently still alive. On top of that, they had somehow gotten into a conflict with the World Martial Arts Association in the Roman Country.

This whole affair was giving him a massive headache.

"Oh, Falin, Falin... what on earth were you thinking?" Hick murmured.