After a brief silence, the entire conference hall became restless and buzzed with discussion. Although they had heard before that the War God Tribe and the Bull Man Tribe had always collaborated, people still harbored some concerns deep down. What if the collaboration broke down? Given the War God Tribe’s current strength, there was no way they could rival the Tuo Ba family. And what if the Bull Man Tribe refused to help? Thus, they always viewed the War God Tribe’s future with skepticism.
However, all these worries vanished the moment Nie Yan appeared. What remained was only shock and disbelief.
Kuang Zei Nai Yan, this name was like thunder to every player in the Grinland Empire.
In Carol City, he was a god!
The battle at the Krips Fortress saw the Bull Man Tribe eliminate all obstacles in Carol City. Although currently only a level-five guild, lagging behind the level-seven guilds of Mage Alliance and Holy Guardians, with Carol City’s massive population base, its potential for development was enormous. Surpassing the Mage Alliance and Holy Guardians was just a matter of time.
The Bull Man Tribe had been funding the rising War God Tribe. They had assumed that the Tian Xia Group had reached some kind of cooperation with the Bull Man Tribe, or perhaps had simply paid to have the Bull Man Tribe as a backer. They never expected that the Bull Man Tribe itself was part of the Tian Xia Group.
Previously, they had thought the Tian Xia Group was merely a nouveau riche, splurging excess money on virtual industries and lacking the expertise necessary to succeed in this field. They believed the group would eventually fail. Thus, many had joined the War God Tribe half-heartedly, simply treating it as a game while earning a salary. They were content to play along until the day the Tian Xia Group could no longer sustain itself, at which point they would leave. Therefore, they were not fully committed to the War God Tribe’s development. Many were simply there to slack off, especially during battles.
But Nie Yan revealing himself as Nai Yan caused these people to reassess the Tian Xia Group from the bottom of their hearts. With the Bull Man Tribe, the Tian Xia Group essentially controlled the entire Carol City. The ambition to develop the War God Tribe and unify Nisod City was clearly enormous. If the War God Tribe, with the Bull Man Tribe’s assistance, defeated the Tuo Ba family and controlled the Grinland Empire’s first and second largest cities, the Tian Xia Group’s grand ambitions would be within reach. Would they still think the Tian Xia Group was merely playing around?
If the War God Tribe won the Nisod City battle, the future Grinland Empire would witness the Tian Xia Group’s monopoly, controlling two cities and thirty to forty fortresses, with a population accounting for 22% of the entire empire. This was no joke.
When they looked at Nie Yan, a sense of awe and reverence arose from the bottom of their hearts. Whether Nie Yan’s success had the shadow of the Tian Xia Group behind it or not, the mere name Kuang Zei Nai Yan was enough to command respect.
Nie Yan scanned the entire hall and finally fixed his gaze on the bald man, staring coldly at him. “The Tian Xia Group pays you to solve problems and develop the War God Tribe. If every little issue requires the Bull Man Tribe’s intervention, why even hire you? You receive salaries from the Tian Xia Group yet refuse to work diligently. You possess the geographical advantage of the fortress yet constantly cry about being unable to hold it. We didn’t bring you in to listen to your complaints! If you don’t want to work and only know how to cause trouble, then all of you can just get the hell out! The Tian Xia Group has the Bull Man Tribe. If you can’t even deal with a bunch of riffraff from the Tuo Ba family, constantly whining and complaining, then you might as well go home when facing the Mage Alliance, Holy Guardians, or Angel Empire. You bunch of useless bastards!”
The bald man’s face turned red from Nie Yan’s earlier words, and the final sentence enraged him further. Anyone insulted as “useless” would feel terrible, but he had no rebuttal to Nie Yan’s words, only a stifled anger in his heart.
Not only the bald man, others were also angry, since they too had voiced concerns about being unable to hold the fortress.
“This talk is going too far!”
“Yeah, the Tuo Ba family’s numbers are six times ours. It’s normal we couldn’t hold!”
The crowd became agitated, refuting Nie Yan’s words one after another.
“When the Triumph Empire was dozens of times larger than the Bull Man Tribe, they were still crushed into submission. Don’t make excuses for yourselves! Pick any warrior from the Bull Man Tribe—none of them are as cowardly as you lot!” Nie Yan’s gaze swept over those who were speaking.
They were left speechless, unable to counter, their hearts filled with resentment.
Nie Yan’s arrogance enraged everyone in the conference hall, including relatively mild-tempered individuals like Han Bing Zhi Yu and Yan Mie. Even a clay Buddha has its limits. Some hot-headed individuals began cursing.
“So what if you’re Kuang Zei Nai Yan? This is going too far!”
They could only curse Nie Yan, avoiding discussions about the War God Tribe’s issues. One point they had to admit was their inferiority to the Bull Man Tribe, an undeniable fact. Thus, their arguments appeared so pale and powerless.
“F***, just because you’re good at the game doesn’t make you special!”
The situation was on the verge of spiraling out of control, and A Chen had never anticipated Nie Yan would utter such inflammatory words. He frantically signaled Nie Yan with his eyes, but Nie Yan remained unyielding.
A Chen glanced at Nie Yan’s father in the distance, who wore a faint smile, silently urging A Chen to remain composed. As he observed Nie Yan, a hint of approval flickered in his gaze. Nie Yan had truly matured, forging his own convictions. Though he disapproved of such an extreme approach, he had to admit it was an effective way to confront the issues within the War God Tribe—after all, even he could no longer tolerate certain members.
“Today, I’m laying it all out here. Whoever wants to prove they’re not useless, show me with facts. The Bull Man Tribe will not aid the War God Tribe. If you win, I’ll apologize for my words. But if you fail, then we’ll have no choice but to step in. Not a single brother in the Bull Man Tribe is a coward. Whether it’s the Triumph Empire, War Blade Bloodthirsty, or the Tuoba family, even if their numbers are dozens of times ours, they only know how to cry and flee when facing us. We would never declare ourselves defeated before the battle even begins! What else would you call people like that if not useless?” Nie Yan swept his gaze across the hall with contempt.
In this conference hall, many players were hired by the Tian Xia Group at great expense. They were members of large studios or exceptionally talented players, each possessing their own pride and dignity. Nie Yan’s words today completely trampled their self-respect. This was blatant contempt!
The previous admiration for Nie Yan transformed entirely into fury, yet the facts lay bare before them.
Han Bing Zhi Yu stared at Nie Yan. “Although we may not possess the Bull Man Tribe’s strength or match your invincibility, I solemnly declare, we are definitely not useless!”
“Oh really? Talk is cheap. Prove it!” Nie Yan scoffed with a slight smile, scanning the entire hall. “I founded the Bull Man Tribe. Although I’m the chairman’s son of the Tian Xia Group, the Bull Man Tribe’s development never relied on the Tian Xia Group from start to finish. The Bull Man Tribe will not alter any strategies due to the War God Tribe’s actions. The War God Tribe was built by you lot. If it collapses, then it has no value to exist. The Tian Xia Group having just the Bull Man Tribe will suffice. Everyone who should go, will go.”
The War God Tribe’s key members in the conference hall were like enraged beasts. Although many realized Nie Yan employed the simplest psychological tactic, they still couldn’t suppress their anger. Called useless, how could they remain calm?
Their only way was to use action to wash away this humiliation. Otherwise, the label of “useless” would become a lifelong stain, forcing many of them to probably never show their faces in the Faith or even the virtual gaming industry again. They couldn’t afford to lose face like this!
“One day in the future, everyone in this conference hall will hear your apology in person!” Yan Mie, who had been silent until now, said solemnly. He decided to go all out, giving his utmost effort, confident they could defeat the Tuo Ba family! Although the Tuo Ba family’s numbers were six times the War God Tribe’s, numbers often didn’t determine everything, just like the Bull Man Tribe’s earlier situation.
The War God Tribe’s current situation was much better than the Bull Man Tribe’s back then. If others could succeed, why couldn’t they? If they still allowed themselves to be called useless, then they truly deserved the label!
“I’ll be waiting for that day!” Nie Yan looked at these people. Their anger was rising. Sometimes, anger itself could be a force. The previous demoralizing atmosphere had finally dissipated. They had been pushed to the cliff’s edge, leaving them no choice but to fight. There was an expression called “burning one’s boats,” and only with such courage could a person unleash ten or twenty times their usual fighting power.
In fact, these people’s skills were not inferior to the Tuo Ba family’s. What they lacked was the courage to fight to the death!
Nie Yan had done what he needed. He would temporarily stay out of the War God Tribe’s conflict with the Tuo Ba family. If these people truly couldn’t hold out, he would step in to handle the aftermath. His earlier words were indeed extreme, but if this group showed enough grit and actually defeated the Tuo Ba family, Nie Yan was willing to sincerely apologize.
Nie Yan and Ci Dao walked toward the exit.
Next to Nie Yan, Ci Dao grumbled, “You’re pretty cunning, making these people fight for you without even lifting a finger. If the War God Tribe loses, you come out to clean up the mess, by which time the Tuo Ba family’s strength would’ve been significantly weakened. And if the War God Tribe wins, you don’t lose anything but an apology. If I’d known you were this crafty earlier, I shouldn’t have fallen for your tricks!”
Nie Yan laughed heartily, unfazed by Ci Dao’s words. Extraordinary situations required extraordinary measures.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage