In the Judgement Court, as soon as Zhan Yi made his proposal, a member of the school council present quickly rose to his feet in support.

He was a council member from Wuyi Academy. He declared with righteous indignation, "I agree with Mr. Wei’s opinion. Someone like him should not be allowed at Wuyi Academy."

In truth, a matter involving the entire council should have been discussed at length later. Even if they were to make such a decision, they would need to think it through carefully, coordinate the interests of all parties, and soothe frayed tempers. It wasn’t something to be decided on a whim.

But his eagerness to stand and voice his support now was a clear signal. He was showing his allegiance to Wei Hang and the Molan Company, while also forcing the other council members to declare their own positions.

He wasn’t alone. As he rose, several other council members stood up one after another. Some had been arranged by Wei Hang in advance, while others were simply quick to see which way the wind was blowing.

The remaining council members exchanged glances, involuntarily cursing in their hearts. ’This was definitely a setup.’

They had wanted to wait and see, but now they were being forced to pick a side. If they didn’t stand up now, they would surely earn the enmity of the Molan Company and Wei Hang’s faction.

’It’s better to just take a stand. Siding with the Molan Company seems like the safe bet, no matter how you look at it.’

After this brief consideration, several more people stood up.

The Wuyi Academy council consisted of nineteen members. Fifteen were present today. Of those, eleven had now stood up. The few who remained seated had said nothing, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. But it didn’t matter. The number of those in favor already constituted a majority; any dissent from the rest was irrelevant.

Moreover, many of the academy’s sponsors were also in attendance, and they all voiced their approval of the proposal.

At that, the council member who had been the first to stand turned to Chen Chuan and said gravely, "This is your formal notification. After deliberation by the school council, you are hereby expelled from Wuyi Academy. The official notice will be delivered to you shortly."

"This is against academy regulations!"

Bian Feng also rose from his seat. He said in a heavy voice, "A decision by the school council still requires the principal’s signature to be official. This is merely a unilateral decision by the council. The school administration does not recognize it."

The council member looked at him. "If the principal refuses to sign off on it, then, as per precedent, the matter will be tabled. During that period, Chen Chuan will not be stripped of his status as a Wuyi Student, but his studies must be suspended until a formal conclusion is reached."

Bian Feng’s heart sank. Tabling the discussion was indeed within the rules, but for how long? A year? Two? Or perhaps even three or four?

There were no regulations setting a specific time limit. The student would be left completely in limbo. As long as his student status remained unresolved, he wouldn’t be able to do anything, effectively wasting his time. Seeing this, the principal might be inclined to sign the expulsion just to let the student move on.

From his position as the accused, Chen Chuan watched the scene unfold. He remained perfectly calm despite all the motions against him. Now, he finally spoke. "Are you finished? If so, it’s my turn to speak."

The council member looked over at the sound of his voice and spread his hands. "Of course, Chen. Until the official notice is issued, you are still a Wuyi student. You may submit any legitimate appeals you have. We are not ones to silence people or resolve matters through brutish means."

With victory seemingly in hand, he did his best to maintain an air of fairness and decorum. His magnanimous tone even drew a smattering of lukewarm applause from the crowd.

Chen Chuan spoke slowly. "I have seen the school council’s position." He then turned to Zhan Yi. "You said just now that your company would reject a student like me, and that you would send out letters to bar me from other companies. Are you sure about that?"

"Of course. The Molan Company’s word has always carried weight."

Zhan Yi replied calmly. He wasn’t afraid of what some student could do. Even if he went to the government to oppose them, it would be a minor nuisance; they were constantly dealing with such opposition. Besides, this student might not live long enough to cause any trouble.

"In that case..."

Chen Chuan reached into his pocket. As everyone watched with a hint of tension, he pulled something out and held it up. "What if I use this?"

All eyes turned to it. It was a black card. In its design, it resembled the Recommendation Cards that the children of powerful families used to enter Wuyi Academy.

They were puzzled. ’Is that a Recommendation Card? But why is it black?’

A few people frowned, as if a vague sense of recognition was stirring, but most were simply confused.

Zhan Yi’s expression, however, suddenly changed. His gaze was locked on the card. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

After a moment, his lips moved as if to speak, but he hesitated. Then, to everyone’s astonishment, he abruptly left his seat and hurried out of the court.

Just as he reached the exit, he seemed to remember something. He stopped, turned back, and said with great solemnity, "Mr. Chen, please wait a moment. I will be right back."

No one understood what was happening. But Wei Hang, still in his seat, felt a growing sense of unease. He stared at the Black Card. ’The problem has to be that thing. What is it? A Recommendation Card? Or could it be... a gift from the young lady of the Meng Family?’

’That’s the most likely explanation.’

’This is bad.’

’If the young lady of the Meng Family is involved, this will get complicated.’

The council members were also at a loss. What was going on? But since Zhan Yi said he would be right back, all they could do was wait.

Zhan Yi ran all the way outside. After exiting the Judgement Court, he rushed to Manager Luo’s car. The window rolled down, and Manager Luo, sitting inside, asked, "Why are you out already? Is it over?"

Zhan Yi shook his head and said in a low voice, "Manager, there’s been a development." He quickly recounted what had just happened inside, paying special attention to the card Chen Chuan had produced.

Manager Luo’s expression involuntarily grew serious. He looked at Zhan Yi and asked, "You’re sure of what you saw?"

"Yes, I’m sure."

A flicker of dread crossed Manager Luo’s eyes. He bowed his head, murmuring, ’The global mega-corporation, Original Man Company... How could one of their Recommendation Cards be here? In the hands of an ordinary student?’

The holder of that card could walk into a job at any branch of the Original Man Company—or any of its affiliate corporations—anywhere in the world. And since the Original Man Company sponsored Wuyi Academy, as well as over ninety percent of all Fighting Academies worldwide, the card also granted its holder exam-free admission to any of them.

If any company or Fighting Academy were to reject the cardholder, the consequences would be severe. It would be seen as a direct challenge to the Original Man Company’s status and reputation, and they would retaliate immediately.

The Original Man Company was on an entirely different scale from the Molan Company. The two couldn’t even be compared.

Seeing his boss thinking, Zhan Yi said, "Manager, we’ve reviewed his file. He didn’t use this Recommendation Card to get into Wuyi Academy; he passed the entrance exam on his own. So there might be another explanation for why he has the card. Maybe..."

But Manager Luo waved his hand, cutting him off. "No," he said decisively. "The company has too many enemies right now. We can’t afford to take the risk, not even if there’s only a one-in-a-million chance we’re wrong."

Zhan Yi thought for a moment. "In that case, Manager, we can withdraw our complaint against him and apologize. That should be enough to smooth things over. We can still offer security services to the families, which would remain profitable for the company."

Manager Luo rejected the idea at once. "While that might seem profitable, if we’re going to back out, we back out completely. As long as we offer those families security—even if it’s just a promise with no action—they’ll find a way to attack that student. Then they’ll use it to drag our company down with them, forcing us into an alliance. We would end up shouldering all their risk."

Zhan Yi was startled. He lowered his head in acknowledgement. "You’re right, Manager. I was being shortsighted."

Manager Luo said sternly, "Go back in there right now and apologize to that student. Make a show of it. Be as sincere as you possibly can. And withdraw all promises of security we made to the families of Yangzhi City. Given the company’s current situation, we cannot afford to make a single new enemy."

Zhan Yi asked, "And if they refuse, or demand an explanation?"

Manager Luo said coolly, "Do they have the right?"

"Understood." Zhan Yi nodded. From this moment on, those families were being abandoned. They would likely be torn to shreds, and the company might suffer some minor losses as a result, but that was nothing compared to the cost of making a powerful new enemy.

With his orders clear, he quickened his pace and returned to the Judgement Court. Everyone was waiting for him, expecting him to deliver the final blow. This time, however, he didn’t return to his seat. Instead, he straightened his suit, walked down the aisle, and stopped directly in front of Chen Chuan.

At this range, facing a Fighter like Chen Chuan, he would be dead before anyone could save him if the man showed the slightest hostility. Yet he stood there, completely unarmed.

He gave Chen Chuan a slight bow and said with utmost sincerity, "Mr. Chen, I feel terrible about what I said to you earlier. They were completely unjust accusations. I now formally retract everything I just said and offer you my most sincere and heartfelt apology." As he spoke, he gave Chen Chuan a deep bow.

The entire room was dumbstruck, their minds reeling in disbelief.

Zhan Yi straightened up, turned to face the assembly, and announced loudly, "The Molan Company will not place any restrictions on Mr. Chen. On the contrary, should student Chen Chuan wish to join the Molan Company after his graduation, we would welcome him with open arms. Furthermore..." He cast a pitying glance at Wei Hang. "We will no longer be providing any security services to those present here today."

A dead silence fell over the room.

"Sir! What’s wrong, sir!" A sudden cry of alarm rang out. Everyone turned to see that Mr. Wei, the patriarch who had led the Wei Family for decades, was clutching his chest as he slid from his seat. Chaos erupted around him.

Zhan Yi merely shot a casual glance at the commotion before turning back to Chen Chuan. He said respectfully, "Mr. Chen, are you satisfied with these arrangements?"

...

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