Jun Hefang and Hua Kaixie were also looking on with keen interest, and the spirit sense of Huang Yifan, Xiang Xinghe, Li Changkong, and Lü Jiaoshan also descended upon the drill grounds. These were the first-year seeds that were going to be sent to the tournament, so they were naturally being kept under close supervision. This was their first meeting since the return of their spiritual leader, so it was a very important occasion. "A lot of things happened the past few days, right? Anyone wanna tell me about it?" Fang Che asked with a smile. "I'll do it," Qiu Yunshang volunteered, then gave Fang Che a concise report on everything of significance to have taken place during the few days that Fang Che had spent unconscious. He spoke with efficiency and objectivity, not embellishing any details or injecting his own emotions into his recount. After hearing what Qiu Yunshang had to say, Fang Che turned to Yu Zhongge and said, "The way you dealt with Xie Gongping was a little too blunt." "You're right, Boss," Yu Zhongge said as he lowered his head. Fang Che then turned to Xie Gongping as he said, "Gongping, I don't think you committed any serious transgressions, and I can assure you that I've taken no offense to your remarks. I can also assure you that this isn't the reason why everyone ostracized you. We have no reservations about your character and integrity, you can rest assured of that." "Yes, Boss," Xie Gongping replied with tears swimming in his eyes. "Tell us why you did what you did, Yu Zhongge. If we're going to be comrades-in-arms and have each other's backs in the future, then we have to be fully open and transparent with one another." Yu Zhongge nodded in response, then said, "Gongping, you have some minor character flaws, but nothing irredeemable. We are all fully confident that you would be willing to lay down your life for your brothers in battle. While we weren't happy with the remarks you made about Boss, we didn’t look down on you for it. “The true reason I removed you from the group is because you simply can't keep up anymore. I know that's going to be a bitter pill for you to swallow, but it simply is the reality of the matter. You saw what happened today in the sparring matches. From this point onward, we're only going to be improving faster and faster, leaving you further and further behind. “The only way for you to keep up would be if Mo Ganyun, Qiu Yunshang, Jing Shuanggao, and I used the resources of our clan to help you, but over time, that will naturally reduce you to a subordinate to us. Once you grow accustomed to that role, you'll naturally split off from the group anyway, and you and your clan will become subsidiaries to one of our clans. “That's something that none of us want to see happen, given that we were once brothers. However, if you don't receive help from us, you'll be put in more and more danger when you go out with us on missions that are too much for you to handle. To put it bluntly, we can't be worrying about protecting you all the time. “If you perish someday while on a mission with us, that will be a heavy blow for all of us as we could've ostracized you for your own safety, but we chose not to because we couldn't make the difficult yet correct decision. Hence, I took advantage of these remarks that you made as an excuse to remove you from the group. I did intentionally blow things out of proportion, but at the same time, I really was angry. For that, I apologize." "I see," Xie Gongping said in a dejected manner. "That's fine then. I thought it was because of my character, but I'm glad to hear that's not it..." "Seeing as we're laying everything out on the table, I'll speak a bit more on everyone's behalf," Yu Zhongge continued. "From now on, you can still come and join us in our sparring matches, but as the gap between us widens, you may not be willing to come anymore. We're excluding you in the hope that you can go off on your own and seek out your own opportunities. “You are a brilliant prodigy in your own right, and perhaps you can assemble your own team. That would be a much better outcome than staying in our group and being completely overshadowed. Perhaps someday, you'll experience a meteoric rise and come back to beat every single one of us to a pulp! Don't you want that for yourself?" Xie Gongping faltered slightly upon hearing this, then suddenly burst into laughter. "You know what? You're right! Someday, I'm going to come back and beat all of you up!" He continued chortling to himself as he swaggered away, quickly vanishing out of sight. Everyone was silent for a moment, following which Fang Che sighed, "You did well, Zhongge. It'll probably still take some time for Xie Gongping to get over this, but at the very least, you've managed to ignite his fighting spirit, motivating him rather than killing his motivation. Hopefully, he can come back someday." Mo Ganyun was looking at Fang Che with a puzzled expression, wondering why Fang Che had called upon Yu Zhongge to explain himself when he could've just as easily explained the situation to Xie Gongping. In fact, Fang Che was in a more authoritative position to speak to Xie Gongping on such matters. In contrast, it felt like Yu Zhongge was speaking out of turn. "This is probably the easiest it's ever going to be," Yu Zhongge sighed. "If I have to have this talk with anyone else from our group in the future, it's definitely going to feel a lot more difficult. That's all I have to say, Boss." "Alright, then it's my turn," Fang Che said with a smile, and everyone unconsciously sat up a little straighter. "From the very beginning, I knew our group wasn't just a simple group of friends. However, it takes more than blind friendship to forge a group that can stick together on the battlefield. Eventually, we'll start going on missions together, and after we graduate, we'll become Protectionists, then Guardians, and we'll fight against the demonic churches together. “Over time, all of us will naturally be assigned roles, such as leader, strategist, etc... All groups will eventually progress in that direction, and the keys to maintaining harmony and cohesion are mutual familiarization and ensuring that everyone can keep up." Fang Che was speaking in a very earnest and comprehensive manner, and Yu Zhongge and the others felt like his explanation was easier to digest and understand than when the seniors of their clans spoke on the same topic. "Each one of us could easily excel on our own, so we'll inevitably all have our own tempers and pride, thereby making it difficult for our current group to come together. For example, for those of you who've come from major clans, your clans will all be expecting you to become leaders of your own groups, and none of them would be willing to see you become underlings to someone else. “That creates a huge conflict as a group can only have a single leader. In contrast, Ding Jieran and I have no such qualms as we've never received that type of education." A wry smile appeared on Yu Zhongge's face as he said, "It's easy to believe that Ding Jieran hasn't received this type of education, but you're not fooling anyone in your case, Boss!" Everyone was very amused to hear this. Indeed, Fang Che was explaining these things like a foremost expert in the field, so how could he expect to convince anyone that he wasn't educated on these topics? "These are all thoughts that have come to me over time," Fang Che said. "I just spoke about some of the challenges that our group may face, but if we can come together, then I'm confident that we'll be unmatched among our peers, and our future ceiling will be immeasurable. The other main obstacle standing in our way is the problem of ensuring that everyone keeps pace with one another. “Due to my special circumstances, I most likely won't fall behind by much, if at all. With the support of your clans, the four of you will be able to slowly catch up. Hence, that leaves only Ding Jieran. The sword manuals that Yu Zhongge gave you will ensure that you should be able to keep up until the second or third year, but after that, you'll start to fall behind. “However, when that time comes, you can't accept any more gifts from Yu Zhongge for the same reasons that Yu Zhongge has just laid out to Xie Gongping." "I'll figure it out when the time comes," Ding Jieran said. Fang Che nodded in response, then continued, "Finally, let's talk about the position of leader of this group. At the moment, I'm the boss, but I won't be for long. All of you are Great Grandmasters now, and I understand that your rate of growth will rapidly accelerate from here. It most likely isn't going to take long for me to be dethroned." Mo Ganyun and Yu Zhongge both grinned excitedly upon hearing this, while Qiu Yunshang and Jing Shuanggao rolled their eyes in exasperation. They were not so naive as to believe that Fang Che would ever fall behind!