Liu Qian also nodded in agreement. These two points would benefit everyone.

"I have no problem with that either, but I do have a question."

Chen Jiang suddenly looked at Xu Yang. "Brother Qin represents the Spiritual Monkey Boxing Hall, and Brother Yue’s strength speaks for itself. I can represent the He Ming Boxing Hall, and Miss Liu represents Sunv Hall and the Liu Family. But can Xu Yang truly represent Weiyuan Hall?"

Everyone knew that Lu Ren, Jiang Ping, and the others had all joined Sharp Wind Hall.

His meaning was clear: Xu Yang wasn’t qualified to join their alliance.

"I’m only representing myself," Xu Yang stated.

Liu Qian said, "I have great faith in Xu Yang’s strength. Even if he can’t represent Weiyuan Hall, he is more than qualified to join us."

Qin Ze also spoke up. "Brother Chen, have you forgotten that Xu Yang defeated Lu Ren during the Martial Arts Examination?"

Chen Jiang frowned. "That was the old Lu Ren. The Lu Ren of today has comprehended Wind and Thunder Strength. How can you compare the two?"

"If Lu Ren can improve, do you think Xu Yang has just been standing still?" Liu Qian countered.

Yue Gui frowned. "We’ve only just formed this alliance, and you’re already complaining about an ally’s strength. We’re banding together for mutual protection, to stand against any powerful enemies that might appear. Strength is important, of course, but loyalty and honoring our pact are even more crucial.

"If you want powerful allies so badly, why not just join Sharp Wind Hall? It’s because you don’t trust Yun Feng and Cao Rong, isn’t it?"

Chen Jiang gave a sheepish smile. "Brother Yue makes a good point. I was being too superficial."

Seeing that Chen Jiang was no longer hung up on the issue, they immediately struck palms to seal their oath, formalizing the alliance. Then, they all looked at each other and smiled.

"I propose that once we get to the Purple Sun Sect, we can add new terms to our pact depending on the situation. Of course, this would be on the condition that everyone agrees."

Qin Ze was the one who spoke, and his proposal received unanimous approval.

The current pact was merely a precautionary measure for self-preservation.

Their members included geniuses like Qin Ze and Yue Gui, who had comprehended Hidden Strength and were second only to Cao Rong and Yun Feng. There was also Miss Liu Qian of the Liu Family, Chen Jiang of the He Ming Boxing Hall, and an expert like Xu Yang, who had defeated Lu Ren in the Martial Arts Examination.

Once word of their alliance got out, even the most powerful faction, Sharp Wind Hall, would have to think twice before trying to suppress them.

It was therefore unlikely that anyone would target them for suppression. As a result, the alliance was rendered almost moot—it had solved their problem the moment it was formed, making it seem as if it no longer needed to exist.

This new proposal would allow the alliance to continue, while also bringing tangible benefits to everyone.

"The situation at the Purple Sun Sect is an unknown. After we enter, we should meet up as soon as possible to decide how we’ll contact each other if something comes up..."

The group talked a while longer, finalizing a few details before going their separate ways.

Xu Yang returned to his table to find that Sun Tao was already back.

He asked, "Junior Brother Xu, you and Qin Ze’s group..."

Xu Yang replied, "The few of us formed an alliance for mutual protection."

This was part of the strategy they had agreed upon: spread the news of their alliance to make anyone with ill intentions think twice, nipping any potential trouble in the bud. You couldn’t wait until you were already being targeted and suppressed to reveal your alliance; that would just be asking for trouble.

The point of the alliance wasn’t to pick fights, after all.

"I was worried you’d still be trying to go it alone. This is much better," Sun Tao said with a smile.

Xu Yang chatted with Sun Tao a while longer and discovered that aside from the Eagle Society, Sharp Wind Hall, and their own new group, there were actually many other factions, big and small. It was a tangled web of allegiances.

Take Sun Tao, for example. His small group hadn’t joined Sharp Wind Hall or the Eagle Society, but they were allied with other small factions. Those factions, in turn, were allied with yet other groups, some of which might have already joined Sharp Wind Hall or the Eagle Society.

Furthermore, if Sun Tao was in trouble, he could ask others from Weiyuan Hall for help. As long as the request wasn’t too difficult, they would surely assist him, which would then draw in other small factions.

In short, it was impossible to clearly sort out all the connections.

Around noon, the Dragon Assembly concluded, and everyone went their separate ways.