"Andrew Han."
Alliance Elder Shawn Xiao furrowed his brow, but ultimately said nothing.
Only now did he begin to understand how the Alliance Elders viewed him and Qing Xukang: there was helpless silence, but also a faint, almost imperceptible admiration.
Burning one's bridges, breaking before rebuilding—such things only exist in the rarest of exceptional cases.
Because the consequences are far too severe!
Take martial arts practice, for example: in the Martial Arts World, no one deliberately pursues the path of breaking before rebuilding, because the failure rate is absurdly high. If anything goes wrong, best case is serious injury; worst case is death!
This is reality, not some scripted story.
Do you think just shouting "breakthrough" guarantees a safe and stable transformation? Utter fantasy.
"Forget it. Implementing the new system will be extremely difficult. Be mentally prepared." Shawn Xiao looked at Andrew Han.
"Difficult?"
"Nothing in this world is truly difficult, so long as you are willing to climb." Andrew Han replied with a faint smile. Of course, he knew that slaughter was not the best solution, but sometimes you have to kill until the world is forced to change, until humanity is cleansed.
Right after that—
Andrew Han waved his hand. "Enough about that. I still have to do a Martial Arts World livestream this afternoon. You'd better get me a professional makeup artist—I can't let anything ruin my earth-shaking looks."
"Earth-shaking? Looks?" Shawn Xiao's face darkened.
In the Peerless Paragon Battle, Andrew Han first revealed his edge... In the Dawn War, he soared to the heavens, establishing his fame as the undisputed leader of the younger generation.
It was only after the East Sea campaign that he forged a leader's banner, becoming the spiritual symbol of Sinovera's Martial Arts World. With Andrew Han at the core, the Dawn Oversight Group was founded.
There will never be another Andrew Han in this world.
Unprecedented and unrepeatable—he could truly be called one of a kind.
Yet—
Such a peerless, dazzling Paragon—such a radiant Origin of Dawn—actually cares about his looks.
Andrew Han felt the same way, looking at his own jade-like hand. "I could've lived off my looks, but I chose force instead."
"..."
Shawn Xiao gave him a weak glare, lost for words. A sudden sense of doubt—about himself and about life—rose within him.
What was going on?
Had Shawn Xiao really grown old, unable to keep up with the times?
A moment later—
Watching Andrew Han leave, Shawn Xiao tapped his gleaming, jade-like bald head. "I thought Andrew was cold and ruthless, more like Ning Moli... He acts with decisive, unstoppable force, but in daily life he's actually so... bright? Gentle? Peaceful?"
There's just no way.
Shawn Xiao's mental dictionary couldn't find any word that truly fit Andrew Han. His self-deprecating jokes surprised Shawn even more.
"Gentleman."
Qing Xukang, standing nearby, uttered two words.
Shawn Xiao was stunned, mouth half open. "A gentleman like jade... Andrew Han really is a bit like Zheng Jian. The titled third-step Martial Lord, Zheng Jian, sacrificed himself in the Peerless Paragon Battle. If he could see Andrew's rise, he could rest in peace."
At those words, Qing Xukang fell silent.
So many years have passed.
Too many have sacrificed themselves in the Martial Arts World.
"Enough." Shawn Xiao rubbed his smooth bald head. "This afternoon, when the announcement goes out to the entire Martial Arts World, Andrew Han will be at the center. You and I must cooperate fully with him."
"Understood."
Qing Xukang was brief and to the point.
The two of them left the reception room side by side, heading for the Alliance Council Chamber.
"Wait."
Shawn Xiao stopped in his tracks.
Qing Xukang was puzzled. "What's wrong?"
"We're founding the Dawn Oversight Group, with Andrew Han making the public announcement... but we haven't prepared a speech for him!" Shawn Xiao's expression shifted; they'd never faced anything like this before.
A livestream for the entire Martial Arts World—this was truly unprecedented.
Oh no.
What were they supposed to do? The broadcast would begin in just half an hour!
"It's fine," Qing Xukang flicked his tough fingernail, calm as ever. "Did you forget? Andrew Han is a top student at Southland University. A simple speech is nothing to him."
"You're right!" Shawn Xiao's eyes lit up.
Qing Xukang grinned. "Yesterday, on a whim, I looked up Andrew Han's college entrance exam scores. Just based on those, he could've gotten into any top program, and his Chinese score was 112—excellent. I figure Andrew must be quick-witted, eloquent, every word a gem, smooth as flowing water."
Clap!
Shawn Xiao slapped his palms together, extremely excited. "That's fantastic!"
...
High summer in Sinovera, early July.
Hosted by the Martial Arts Alliance, with all the major sects responding to the call, the entire Martial Arts World went live, drawing the attention of countless martial artists.
At this moment—
The morning sun rose above the horizon.
Peerless Paragon, Origin of Dawn, and acknowledged leader of the young generation—Andrew Han—delivered a speech, announcing the founding of the Dawn Oversight Group. He called on the younger generation of the Martial Arts World to uphold their principles, remember their youthful ideals, and never abandon their ambitions.
The speech was extremely concise.
But unexpectedly, those few seemingly ordinary words triggered an unparalleled wave, spreading throughout the Martial Arts World... Even Shawn Xiao, who had worried so much, had truly underestimated Andrew Han's influence.
Martial arts!