Chapter 435: Chapter 261: President of the Whig Society?
Suddenly, Alexander reached out, looking as if he intended to place a hand on Fang Zhen’s shoulder.
In a flash, Fang Zhen activated his precognitive sense. He saw Alexander’s hand touch his shoulder, then immediately execute a downward technique—what looked like a joint lock meant to dislocate it.
’Fang Zhen is wearing the Featherlight Iron Wall armor. For Alexander to dare such a move, he must have a way to transmit force through the armor.’
At this distance, Fang Zhen casually raised his left hand to block Alexander’s incoming grasp.
Just as Fang Zhen raised his hand to parry, following the phantom image from his precognitive sense, the vision shifted. Alexander’s move suddenly changed. His hand was no longer aiming for Fang Zhen’s shoulder but was now pushing toward his chest.
For a moment, Fang Zhen was taken aback.
’This is completely wrong. The initial vision from my precognitive sense was incorrect.’
But it wasn’t completely wrong.
In the vision, Alexander’s hand should have landed on his shoulder a second later.
But that phantom image suddenly vanished, replaced by a push aimed at his chest.
However, this was just an opening move, and Fang Zhen had plenty of time to react.
He brought his left hand across his chest to block the push, but then that strange feeling returned.
Within his precognitive sense, the hand Fang Zhen saw pushing for his chest suddenly changed again. It was now a thumb jab aimed at a point near his navel. The initial vision of a chest push had abruptly morphed into this strike.
At this point, Fang Zhen had a growing suspicion. ’This president is anything but simple.’
He stopped trying to figure out why and simply pressed his hand down, preemptively blocking the spot where Alexander was about to strike.
But just then, something strange happened again.
Alexander’s fingers changed direction once more. In Fang Zhen’s precognitive sense, the attack vanished and reappeared, this time jabbing toward his ribs.
After weathering three feints, Fang Zhen knew this wasn’t working. ’I’m being too passive.’ He suddenly dropped his left elbow, shooting the forearm forward into a new stance.
If Alexander’s fingers struck at his ribs, they would be blocked by his elbow, and Fang Zhen would immediately counter with a punch.
Even though Fang Zhen was wearing armor, he didn’t let his guard down.
’Since Alexander is the president of the Whig Society, it’s reasonable to assume he’s mastered the Fourth-stage Power Mountain Seal. And the Power Mountain Seal: Gangrou can transmit its soft, yielding force right through armor.’
When Fang Zhen executed this maneuver, a flicker of surprise crossed Alexander’s face, and he immediately switched to a defensive posture.
But Fang Zhen sensed something was off. ’That might not have been surprise. It’s more like Alexander also has some kind of precognitive ability, allowing him to anticipate my arm striking out.’
An idea struck Fang Zhen, and he decided to run a test. His next move was a special, ancient routine: a simultaneous strike with his right fist and left elbow, combined with a hidden kick from his right foot—a three-pronged attack.
An ordinary person couldn’t possibly track and defend against the fist, elbow, and leg all at once. One of the attacks was bound to land.
But just as Fang Zhen prepared to act, Alexander suddenly took a step back, pulling his left leg back with him, as if already dodging the attack.
In that instant, Fang Zhen was certain. ’It’s not that Alexander’s combat experience is that much greater than mine. He has an ability similar to my own precognitive sense.’
Just then, Fang Zhen’s precognitive sense showed Alexander taking two more steps back, widening the distance between them.
Fang Zhen didn’t give chase. He simply lowered his arms and leg, standing and looking at Alexander. Their eyes met, and both men showed clear expressions of surprise.
The exchange between Fang Zhen and Alexander had actually been very brief.
A few dozen people were watching, most of them Curse Sealers with martial arts training.
From their perspective, Fang Zhen and Alexander had barely touched. They had just made a few moves in the air, like a game of Tai Chi pushing hands or a dance-off, and had somehow already sized each other up.
In the end, Alexander stepped back, concluding the "pushing hands" style bout in which they had never made physical contact.
A moment later, Alexander’s expression returned to normal. He nodded slightly. "I learned about some of your fighting techniques from Karen. Back then, I suspected you might have already taken that step toward the Extraordinary Realm, but your age didn’t seem to fit."
"But now, having seen it for myself, I can confirm you already have one foot in the Extraordinary Realm. It’s true what they say about heroes emerging from the young. At your age, I was not your equal."
Fang Zhen studied Alexander for a moment upon hearing this.
Alexander’s tone was calm and even-handed. His voice was sincere and natural, without a hint of falsehood; he was stating these facts with complete candor.
’For the supreme leader of the Whig Society to possess such magnanimity and carry himself with such frankness... that’s truly rare.’
Fang Zhen nodded slightly. "You flatter me."
Just then, West walked over from behind them, his Longsword already returned to its sheath.
"West, good, you’re here," Alexander said. "Since Fang Zhen has come to us, let’s have him join the council with the other senior members."
"We were just about to discuss the defense of Lanxi City," Alexander continued. "And you, Fang Zhen, are more than qualified to be part of this discussion, no matter how you look at it."
Fang Zhen nodded.
’It’s a little sudden, but not unexpected.’
He had only just arrived, but he could already feel the oppressive tension around Lanxi City—the calm before a storm. In a situation like this, time was of the essence; there was no room for delay.
As a grandmaster whose martial skill rivaled that of the Whig Society’s president, and as the one who had brought Alchemy Pills capable of turning the tide of battle, Fang Zhen was certainly qualified to sit in on the Whig Society’s highest-level meetings.
Of course, Alexander’s forthright personality also had a lot to do with it.
Fang Zhen put away the Red Hare Horse’s crystal bone and stored his long spear inside the King’s Belt.
These two actions alone drew a wave of gasps from the onlookers.
After all, this was the Extraordinary World. People were surprised, but they could accept such a sight.
The surrounding Curse Sealers, however, had no idea what specific technique Fang Zhen had used. They could only feel that his power and methods were endless, making him seem truly unfathomable.
Even Alexander and West couldn’t help but stare.
「A moment later.」
Fang Zhen followed Alexander and West into a nearby building.
There were already three or four people in the meeting room. They greeted Alexander in turn, and then their gazes shifted to Fang Zhen.
"This is the Ranger, Fang Zhen. His strength is on par with mine," Alexander stated simply.
Hearing this introduction, everyone looked surprised. One of them immediately stood up and asked:
"Fang Zhen, forgive my abruptness, but time is of the essence, so I won’t stand on ceremony. Did you bring enough of the key Alchemy Pills for the Blood Burst Secret Medicine?
Fang Zhen nodded. Seeing an empty table in the room, he waved his hand, and instantly, a continuous stream of Alchemy Pills poured out from his King’s Belt.
The outer boxes had been removed, leaving only the foil blister packs. The packs made a CRINKLING, CLATTERING sound as they struck one another. Soon, a small mountain of pills had formed on the empty table.
Fang Zhen pointed to the pile of pills. "I brought two thousand Alchemy Pills this time. That should be enough to last you a while."
"I assume you have Gwendolyn’s recipe for the other components? This should be more than enough to compound the Blood Burst Secret Medicine."
