Chapter 124: The Advantage of the First Move

Cheating? Ye Xin, standing on the combat platform, felt quite helpless. Did he even need to cheat?

Ye Xin scanned his surroundings. Wherever his gaze landed, the people in the stands would fall silent, as if his eyes were filled with an overwhelming aura of authority. In truth, Ye Xin was not channeling any Primal Energy. Even if he had given his all, he could not have silenced a noisy crowd; it was entirely a psychological phenomenon.

Tie Xinsheng had already begun constructing a camp more than ten miles north of the Northern Tripod, the designated site for the reorganization of the Heavenly Wolf Legion. That Ye Xin had become the youngest commander in the history of the Great Wei Kingdom was an undeniable fact. The students of the Longteng Martial Arts Academy would sooner or later have to report to Ye Xin's tent. Regardless of how dissatisfied they were with the "fact" that Ye Xin had cheated, they dared not leave a bad impression on him. Thus, wherever Ye Xin looked, the students there would obediently shut their mouths.

Many in the crowd were not even students of the Longteng Martial Arts Academy, but sensing the peculiar atmosphere, they too grew nervous and instinctively chose silence, if only to blend in with those around them. This was the psychological effect of herd mentality.

Ye Xin understood this and sneered inwardly. It was reasonable for the Longteng students to fear him, but the fact that so many others had made the same choice without even knowing why was telling. Ye Xin recalled a psychological experiment: a group of participants entered an elevator and all stood facing the back wall. An unsuspecting person who walked in afterward would, after a brief moment of confusion, usually turn to face the same way as the others—partly to maintain a better field of vision and stay alert, but mostly due to the influence of conformity.

Humans, after all, are social creatures. Most people do not wish to be viewed as an outcast. Of course, the rare few born with antisocial personalities were the exception.

Shen Miao jumped off the combat platform, and Ye Xin returned to the number one tent. The students inside swarmed out like a tide, many having already prepared their scripts. Ye Xin had returned in triumph; they had planned how to flatter him, or, had he failed, how to offer their condolences. But Ye Xin’s two victories had been so inexplicable that their scripts were rendered meaningless.

"Young Master Ye is mighty! This must be 'subduing the enemy without a fight,' right?" one student laughed.

The other students felt a pang of frustration; the most fitting remark had been snatched away, but having no choice, they could only chime in with forced agreement.

Ye Xin smiled, his face showing a hint of pride, while his heart was filled with absolute helplessness. *Ye Ling, oh Ye Ling, surely I have done my duty as your brother, haven't I?*

The preliminary round only consisted of two matches, and Ye Xin had completed his task for the day. Furthermore, he enjoyed a degree of freedom far greater than the other students; no one dared to interfere with him. Even the deans and vice-deans would greet him with full, sycophantic smiles.

Leaving the Longteng Martial Arts Academy, Ye Xin returned to the Ye estate. He had just sat down when Xue Baiqi hurried in. "Sir, news has arrived from the Royal City. Tie Xinsheng has finalized the reorganization plan for the New Army."

"Oh? How was it decided?" Ye Xin tilted his head to look at Xue Baiqi.

"The New Army is divided into twelve great battalions," Xue Baiqi said. "Tie Xinsheng has personally appointed the commanders for eight of them and left four for you. The commander of the Fifth Battalion is..."

"I am not interested in those selections," Ye Xin interrupted. "Tie Xinsheng will not allow his power to slip away; even the other noble clans likely cannot intervene. They are his cronies, and I cannot command them, nor do I intend to. Tell me, who is the deputy general? And who has been assigned as my military monitor?"

"The deputy general is still Qiu Jiecha," Xue Baiqi said. "The left military monitor is Qiu Xiang."

"Qiu Xiang? Qiu Xiang from the main academy?" Ye Xin laughed. "Tie Xinsheng’s schemes are truly interesting. And who is the right military monitor?"

"It is Tie Shudeng," Xue Baiqi said.

"Tie Shudeng..." Ye Xin was stunned.

"Master Gui says that Tie Xinsheng is likely planning to name Tie Shudeng as the heir to the throne," Xue Baiqi added. "This move is also intended to win you over..."

"To win me over and put my mind at ease," Ye Xin laughed again. "But it is only temporary. If my relationship with Tie Shudeng remains too close, in a few years, he will start worrying about his own position and will then look for ways to sow discord. Heh heh... these isolated rulers, they are sometimes truly pitiable."

"According to your plan, Sir, Tie Xinsheng won't even last a few years," Xue Baiqi said calmly. They were discussing treasonous matters, yet Xue Baiqi’s tone was overly detached—a testament to the fact that these prisoners, once tossed into the Heavenly Sin Battalion to atone for their crimes, held no loyalty toward the Great Wei Kingdom.

"If he lives even one more month, it will be a miracle," Ye Xin replied, his expression even more indifferent.

"There is one more thing," Xue Baiqi said. "Duke Poshan of the Great Ren Kingdom has arrived at the Royal City, as has Zhou Polu, commander of the Great Luo Kingdom’s Cold Armor Legion. I hear the envoy from the Great Xi Kingdom is also on the way."

"What?" Ye Xin’s expression grew grave. "Is Tie Xinsheng acting like a cornered dog? He found the Great Yu Kingdom as an ally only to be stabbed in the back, and now he is trying to recruit three allies at once?"

"Ning Gaowu, Duke Poshan of the Great Ren Kingdom, is the mortal enemy of Pan Yuanshan. It is said that Pan Yuanshan has never won a single time against him; he has been defeated repeatedly. That is the origin of the nickname 'Duke Poshan'—he is the one who broke Pan Yuanshan’s Blood Mountain Legion," Xue Baiqi smiled. "Ning Gaowu’s reputation is nearly on par with Xiao Mozhi’s, and his Divine Wave Legion is no inferior to the Demon Army."

"Inviting Ning Gaowu over must be to take revenge on Pan Yuanshan," Ye Xin muttered.

"That should be the case," Xue Baiqi said.

"The Great Ren Kingdom and the Great Yu Kingdom have always been hostile, so that is barely plausible. The Great Xi Kingdom borders the Great Zhao Kingdom, so that is to check the Great Zhao. But..." Ye Xin said slowly, "The Great Luo Kingdom is far away in the frozen north and has no connection to the Great Zhao. Why would Zhou Polu come?"

"It must be that... the Primal Stones in the Tripods were plundered, and Tie Xinsheng cannot overcome this crisis, so he hopes to gain support from multiple sides," Xue Baiqi suggested.

"You are thinking too simply." Ye Xin stood up and began pacing the hall. He did not notice that Ye Suifeng was standing in the doorway, having heard the conversation between Ye Xin and Xue Baiqi.

Xue Baiqi intended to alert Ye Xin, but Ye Suifeng shook his head, stopping him.

Ye Xin looked anxious and uneasy. He was like a lion king who sensed a pack of hyenas coveting his territory but could not find the source of the danger, his mood growing increasingly irritable. Ye Xin paced for over an hour. Though highly intelligent, the information he had was too limited; trying to find a logical thread from such fragments was like searching for a needle in the ocean.

"Bring me paper and brush! Large paper!" Ye Xin barked.

Xue Baiqi turned to leave, and Ye Suifeng signaled to him before stepping away from the doorway. A moment later, Ye Suifeng brought the paper and brush and handed them to Xue Baiqi, who, knowing Ye Xin’s habits, pinned the paper to the wall.

Ye Xin still did not notice Ye Suifeng’s presence. His entire focus was concentrated on finding the logic, for he smelled the scent of danger. If he could not break the deadlock, a reckless move would surely lead to his destruction!

With brush in hand, Ye Xin began writing names on the paper: Tie Xinsheng, Guan Hanyu, Han Sanmei, Wang Fang, Deng Zhiguo, Wen Yuanren, Wei Juan, Shen Wangji, Zong Bieli, and even Xiao Mozhi and Pan Yuanshan. Anyone who had a connection to Nine Tripod City, or who had once targeted it, was listed.

Ye Xin knew he needed to find a single point that could connect all these pieces of information, and that point was hidden among these names. The ink dried quickly, and Ye Xin began to write again. His movements were slow, his expression dazed, lost in a state of profound contemplation.

He knew not how much time had passed. Xie En had come looking for him, Ye Ling had returned, and Wen Rong and others had entered the estate, but they were all blocked by Ye Suifeng.

Ye Xin was exhausted; such prolonged concentration was more than even he could bear. In truth, this kind of thinking was like solving a maze: at first, it felt fresh and curious, then it turned into a torment, and beyond a certain limit, it was sheer agony. Yet Ye Xin persisted, for he carried too much on his shoulders.

Finally, Ye Xin’s brush landed on the name *Zong Bieli*. A flash of insight exploded in his mind, followed by a sense of relief so profound he nearly collapsed. Ye Xin took a long breath and punched the name, shredding the paper to pieces.

"They are Zong Bieli's men," Ye Xin said slowly. Only then did he realize his clothes were soaked with sweat. "Zong Bieli is about to make a major move."

Ye Suifeng and Xue Baiqi both looked shocked, though for different reasons. Ye Suifeng could not believe that Ye Xin could deduce such a thing from those few fragments—was it true or false? If he was right, Ye Xin’s intellect was truly monstrous. Xue Baiqi’s shock came from the sudden appearance of this variable; did their plan, cultivated over years, need to proceed?

"Xin'er, are you certain?" Ye Suifeng asked urgently.

"It should be correct," Ye Xin said. "This is the only way to explain all the changes. Although Tie Xinsheng is a ruler, his connections are limited. It is impossible for him to have a connection with Zhou Polu of the Great Luo Kingdom. Zhou Polu cannot bring an army on this trip and must travel light. Would a mere Tie Xinsheng make Zhou Polu take such a risk? The true initiator must be Zong Bieli. Commanders of various nations all pin their hopes of becoming cultivators on the 'Famous Generals,' which is why they listen to Zong Bieli."

"What does Zong Bieli want to do?" Ye Suifeng pressed. He had suffered at Zong Bieli's hands before and knew the danger he posed.

"Slowly, slowly..." Ye Xin narrowed his eyes. "Since we have found the entry point, finding Zong Bieli’s true purpose will not be difficult..."