Origin

Inside the Tribunal, after Zhan Yi voiced his proposal, someone among the present members of the academy's board of trustees immediately stood up in support. It was one of Wuyi Academy's trustees. Righteously indignant, he declared, "I agree with Elder Wei's opinion. Such a person should have no place in Wuyi Academy." In truth, an issue concerning the entire board of trustees could easily have been deliberated behind closed doors afterward. Even if they truly decided on such an action, they would need to weigh matters carefully, balance various interests, and appease the sentiments of many parties, rather than impulsively deciding on the spot. Yet stepping forward so eagerly right now not only signaled his stance to Wei Hang and the Molan Company, but also forced the other trustees to make their positions clear. He was not the only one. Following his lead, several more trustees stood up one after another. Among them were those Wei Hang had arranged in advance, as well as opportunists who quickly read which way the wind was blowing. The remaining trustees exchanged glances, cursing inwardly and convinced this was an orchestrated setup. They had originally intended to wait and see, but now they were being forced to pick a side. If they refused to stand up at this moment, they would certainly incur the hostility of Molan Company and Wei Hang's faction. Compared to that, it was better to simply align with them. Backing Molan Company seemed like a safe choice no matter how one looked at it. After weighing the odds, several more people stood up. There were nineteen members on the board of trustees of Wuyi Academy, fifteen of whom were present today. Eleven of them had now stood up. The remaining few neither voiced agreement nor dissent, but that no longer mattered—the supporters already held a clear majority, rendering any remaining opposition moot. To make matters worse, many of the academy's patrons and sponsors present in the room also expressed their agreement with the motion. Seeing this, the trustee who had stood up first turned to Chen Chuan and said solemnly, "You are hereby officially notified: following deliberation by the board of trustees, you are expelled as a student of Wuyi Academy. The formal notice will be issued to you shortly." "This violates the academy's regulations!" Bian Feng rose from his seat as well, his voice deep and stern. "A resolution by the board of trustees requires the principal's signature to take effect. This is merely a unilateral decision by the board; the academy's administration does not recognize it." The trustee looked at him. "If the principal refuses to sign, then according to precedent, the matter will be tabled for further discussion. During that period, Chen Chuan will not be stripped of his status as a Wuyi student, but his studies must be suspended immediately until a formal conclusion is reached." Bian Feng's heart sank. Tabling the discussion was indeed within the rules. But the problem was how long it would be shelved—one year, two years, or perhaps three or four? There was no specific deadline. A student would simply be left hanging indefinitely. If their student status remained unresolved, they would be barred from doing anything, effectively having their future wasted. Seeing such an impasse, the principal might eventually feel compelled to let the student go just to free him from the limbo. In the defendant's box, Chen Chuan watched the drama unfold. Faced with these unfavorable maneuvers, his expression remained thoroughly composed. Only now did he speak: "Are you finished deliberating? If so, it's my turn to speak." The trustee turned toward him and spread his hands. "Of course, Student Chen. Until the official notice is served, you are still a student of Wuyi. If you have any legitimate appeals, you may submit them. We will not deny anyone their voice, nor will we resort to brute force to resolve issues." Believing victory was already in his grasp, he did his best to maintain an air of fairness and decorum. His words even drew a polite, if somewhat muted, smattering of applause from around the hall. Chen Chuan said slowly, "I have seen where the board of trustees stands." He shifted his gaze toward Zhan Yi. "Sir, you stated just now that your company would reject a student like me and send letters blacklisting me across various enterprises. Are you quite sure about that?" "Of course. The word of Molan Company has always carried weight." Zhan Yi replied with utter composure. He did not fear what such a student could possibly do. Even if Chen Chuan went to the government to oppose them, it meant nothing—they were already locked in continuous struggle with those departments anyway. Besides, this young man might not even live long enough to see that day. "In that case..." Chen Chuan reached into his pocket. Under the tense gazes of the onlookers, he drew out an item and held it up before him. "What if I use this?" Everyone looked over. It was a black card, its design bearing some resemblance to the recommendation cards used by scions of powerful families to enter Wuyi Academy. Confusion rippled through the crowd. Was that a recommendation card? Why was it black? Some furrowed their brows, vaguely intuiting something, yet most remained bewildered. Zhan Yi's expression, however, changed abruptly. His eyes locked onto that card, fixed in place. After a moment, his lips twitched as if he wanted to speak. Yet after hesitating, he actually stepped out of his seat and hurried toward the exit amidst the astonished stares of the crowd. Just as he was about to cross the threshold, he suddenly remembered something. Stopping in his tracks, he turned back and said gravely, "Mr. Chen, please wait a moment. I will return immediately." The onlookers were utterly baffled, while Wei Hang, seated nearby, felt a creeping sense of unease. He stared at the black card, suspecting that the root of the problem lay in that very object. What on earth was it? A recommendation card? Or... could it have been given to him by that young miss from the Meng family? That seemed the most likely explanation. Troublesome. If the young miss of the Meng family was behind this, things would become rather difficult to handle. The trustees were equally at a loss. What was going on? Still, since Zhan Yi had told them he would be right back, all they could do was wait. Zhan Yi sprinted outside. Rushing out of the Tribunal, he hurried straight to Supervisor Luo's car. As the window rolled down, Supervisor Luo asked from inside, "Why did you come out first? Is it over in there?" Zhan Yi shook his head and lowered his voice. "Supervisor, there has been a development." He quickly recounted the situation inside, placing particular emphasis on the card Chen Chuan had produced. Supervisor Luo's expression turned instantly grave. Looking at him, he asked, "Did you see it clearly?" "Yes, absolutely clearly." A trace of apprehension surfaced in Supervisor Luo's eyes. Lowering his head, he murmured, "The global megacorporation, Origin Corporation..." How could a recommendation card from Origin Corporation appear here, and in the hands of an ordinary student? Anyone holding this card could directly obtain employment at any branch of Origin Corporation across the globe, as well as at any of its affiliated enterprises. And because Origin Corporation funded Wuyi Academy and over ninety percent of combat academies worldwide, the bearer could bypass exams and enroll directly in any local combat academy on the globe. If any corporation or combat academy were to refuse it, the consequences would be catastrophic, for that would be an open insult to the corporation's prestige and authority—something Origin Corporation would never tolerate. Origin Corporation was on a vastly grander scale than Molan Company; the two could not even be mentioned in the same breath. Seeing him lost in thought, Zhan Yi ventured, "Supervisor, we've reviewed his files. He didn't use this recommendation card to enter Wuyi Academy; he passed the entrance exams on his own. There might be some other story behind this card. Perhaps..." Supervisor Luo waved a hand, cutting him off decisively. "No. The company faces many enemies right now. Even if there is only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, we cannot afford the risk." Zhan Yi considered this, then added, "Supervisor, if that's the case, we can withdraw our accusations and actions against him, and offer him an apology. That should give him ample face. Meanwhile, we could still provide security services to the various families, which would remain advantageous to the company." Supervisor Luo rejected the idea without hesitation. "Though that would benefit the company, if we decide to pull back, we must pull back entirely. As long as we provide security to these people—even if it's just a promise without actual deployment—they will find ways to attack that student. They would drag our company into the fray and forcibly bind us to them, leaving us to shoulder the risk on their behalf." Zhan Yi took a sharp breath and bowed his head in acknowledgment. "The supervisor is right. It was my lack of foresight." Supervisor Luo said sternly, "Go back inside right now and apologize to that student. Make your stance clear and be as sincere as possible. Furthermore, withdraw all security commitments made to the families of Yangzhi City. In the company's current situation, we cannot afford to create another enemy." Zhan Yi asked, "And what if they refuse or demand an explanation from us?" Supervisor Luo replied indifferently, "Do they have the right?" "Understood." Zhan Yi nodded. From this moment forth, those families were abandoned. Though they might soon be devoured and torn apart, and the company might suffer minor losses as a result, that was negligible compared to making an immensely powerful adversary. Armed with clear instructions, he quickened his pace back into the Tribunal. Inside, everyone was waiting for his return, anticipating his response. This time, however, he did not return to his seat. Instead, he straightened his attire and walked along the aisle directly toward Chen Chuan's position. At such a distance, facing a combatant like Chen Chuan, had the young man harbored the slightest hostile intent, no one could have saved him. Yet Zhan Yi carried no weapons whatsoever, standing openly before him. He offered Chen Chuan a respectful bow and said sincerely, "Mr. Chen, I feel deep remorse for the words I spoke to you earlier. Those were entirely unjust accusations. I now formally announce the retraction of everything I said, and I offer you my most earnest and heartfelt apologies." With that, he bowed deeply to Chen Chuan. The entire courtroom was struck dumb, their thoughts seemingly grinding to a halt. Zhan Yi then straightened up, turned around to face the assembly, and declared loudly, "Molan Company will place no restrictions whatsoever on Mr. Chen. On the contrary, should Student Chen Chuan wish to join Molan Company upon graduation, our doors will be wide open to welcome him. Furthermore..." He cast a pitying glance toward Wei Hang. "...we will no longer provide any security measures to anyone present here today." The entire hall fell dead silent. "Master, what's wrong, Master...!" A sudden cry of alarm rang out. Everyone turned to look, only to see Old Mr. Wei, who had ruled the Wei family for decades, clutching his chest as he slipped down from his seat. Chaos erupted all around him. Zhan Yi spared him only a cursory glance before turning back toward Chen Chuan, his tone exceptionally deferential. "Mr. Chen, are you satisfied with this arrangement?"