Mu Guiwuxin no longer bothered keeping Fabridis's coffin in the Artifact Realm; instead, he carried the ponderous casket on his shoulder, silently accepting the gaze of every onlooker. "Young man..." Cheng Bupeng broke the tension: "What you're saying is, you intend to confront the Qian family?" I am the President of the Blacksmiths' General Union. Yun Xinghui Sheng told me about your abilities. I only want to say that I am merely a blacksmith. In my eyes, the only ones I respect are blacksmiths of exceptional skill."

"Qian Zhanxuan? A Bloodline Warrior?..." Cheng Bupeng smiled faintly: "They are nothing more than tools to showcase the effectiveness of the weapons I forge. As a blacksmith, I support blacksmiths, not righteousness. As a blacksmith, my greatest love is steel. Your words just now made me feel you possess a character as firm as steel—a character I admire most. Therefore, please do not refuse the seat in the Blacksmiths' General Union..."

"All of us blacksmiths support Master Qian Jin!"

From a phalanx of blacksmiths within the crowd, a sudden, simultaneous roar erupted, their wave of sound surging skyward, showcasing the simple, rugged nature of their craft.

"Apothecaries' Guild! Apothecaries' Guild! Apothecaries' Guild!"

"Inscriptions' Guild! Inscriptions' Guild..."

"Mystical Potions Guild..."

"Warriors' Guild, Warriors' Guild..."

Several phalanxes in the crowd shouted and roared in unison, the sheer volume of their voices nearly capable of overturning everything.

The presidents of the major General Unions exchanged knowing smiles. Watching the fervor, it seemed that if they didn't yield their positions to Qian Jin today, they would likely nominate him as their supreme leader themselves.

That was right! Deep reserves of fighting spirit lay hidden in everyone's heart, a spirit that had been almost completely suppressed by years of routine. Gu Yue Jiaying's blade had reawakened that spirit in them. Could they truly be inferior to a woman?

Qian Jin's words had ignited a fighting spirit more volatile than lamp oil, and everyone began to support him—supporting this ordinary warrior who had not yet unlocked his bloodline powers.

Because they were all ordinary people. Because they all came from the same faction.

Pan Hongji slowly closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh. Qian Zhanxuan! Bloodline Warriors are indeed the most formidable fighters, but you truly cannot forget! Ordinary people are the bedrock of this society.

They might be timid. They might often be selfish. Individually, their strength is unremarkable. But they are a collective! And when they truly unite, that power is enough to topple stars!

Now, these people who have slept and been timid for how many years are beginning to awaken! Today, this is just a small fraction. Tomorrow, it could be the entire city, the entire continent, perhaps even the entire nation!

Perhaps... Pan Hongji turned back toward the Demon Race direction and sighed again. When Qian Jin's words reach the Demon Race, perhaps in another realm, those demons living at the bottom rungs will also begin to unite and display their own capabilities.

The masses remain bewildered and silent because they lack a representative. Once they find that representative—Pan Hongji shook his head and sighed again for the nth time because of Qian Jin—this Qian Zhanxuan! His stubbornness and confidence have, without realizing it, single-handedly forged a new leader for a burgeoning power.

"I announce that, starting today! Qian Jin is the President of the True Policy Dynasty's Apothecaries' General Union!"

Another wave of excitement surged through the crowd! Immediately following, the President of the Inscriptions' Guild announced his own decision.

One by one, the leadership positions of major powers—transfers of authority that would normally alarm the entire True Policy Dynasty—were concentrated in the hands of this young man in a short span of time, propelling him from an initially powerless junior warrior to the pinnacle of the power structure.

Li Deyuoke looked at Qian Jin, tasting bitterness in his mouth. This young man looked virtually unchanged in appearance from the last time he saw him, yet his status had undergone a monumental shift. From being beneath him, to possessing power almost equal to his own, and now... to a height where he must look up in awe.

The Serpent Emperor truly is a terrifying strategist, Li Deyuoke thought with emotion. But the truly frightening entity is this young man. Without sufficient inherent strength and foundation, even the Serpent Emperor could not conjure such a miracle out of thin air.

The factions that had initially remained on the sidelines began to waver in their assessments. Qian Jin was no longer merely a leader of forces within Everflow City; in a mere moment, he had rocketed into the ranks of the nation's absolute apex of power.

He needed no decree from His Majesty the Emperor, nor validation from any other major power. By sheer force, he had thrust himself into the highest echelons of authority with the most aggressive posture imaginable.

What future awaited such a young man?

"I must establish ties with Qian Jin! I am also an ordinary warrior with no awakened powers! He represents us ordinary warriors! I must offer him full support!"

A young man representing a family patriarch clenched his fist tightly, murmuring the words as if convincing himself.

Many people heard his declaration, and their gazes subtly began to shift. Before them stood an ordinary person without awakened bloodline power, someone just like themselves. If he didn't support Qian Jin, who else should he support?

A resonance, needing no verbal dialogue, slowly began to form in the subconscious minds of the assembly.

"Challenging Qian Zhanxuan? A reckless brat who doesn't know his place!"

In the crowd, Lei Ting Shi Wang Tian Lianlinguan sneered coldly at Fabridis's coffin. His gaze swept over Qian Jin, then he turned and strode purposefully toward the Conquest Academy, muttering to himself: "Today, for the sake of Fabridis's death, I won't seek a fight with you. But the moment the funeral concludes, I, Tian Lianlinguan, will come for you. I will use your defeat to show Isabella that the only one worthy of her is me! Only I, Tian Lianlinguan!"

"Ordinary warriors? They are fit only to crawl on the ground, gazing up at the might of Bloodline Warriors! To serve the Bloodline Warriors is their highest honor..."

Everyone understood that this was not the moment to step forward and curry favor with Qian Jin. They silently cleared a path for him leading into the city.

That night, Qian Jin slept holding Gu Yue Jiaying close.

Funerals come in many forms. Grand funerals also come in many forms.

Fabridis's funeral was not overtly grand, yet it rivaled the solemnity reserved for the death of an Emperor.

Over two days of memorial rites in the hall, countless aristocratic forces arrived from every corner.

Even nearly all of the Ten Great Bloodline Families sent elders to pay their respects. Even the War God Bloodline and the Three-Headed Golden Dragon Bloodline families, and the most mysterious Blood Hall!

The Blood Hall—the sacred ground for Bloodline Warriors, where only the elite among the elite qualified to cultivate—sent a floral basket.

And countless ordinary warriors rapidly converged on Everflow City from all directions.

In just two days, the number of people coming to Everflow City to mourn Fabridis was sufficient to organize a massive expeditionary force to campaign against the Demon Race.

One of the Three Heroes of the War Hall, Fabridis was the pinnacle of ordinary warriors, hailed as the first ordinary warrior to reach the Saint realm—an idol for countless common warriors.

Many other ordinary warriors were still en route but would not have the chance to attend the final interment.

Qian Jin watched the damp, yellow earth, little by little, cover the coffin where Fabridis slept. The coffin could be buried, but the memory could never be interred.

"Qian Jin, these are men from the War Hall." Mu Guiwuxin walked ahead, introducing Qian Jin to a white-haired elder walking behind him, whose expression was arrogant: "Ling Donglai..."

"You are Qian Jin?" Ling Donglai's tone was likewise filled with condescension.

Qian Jin frowned, unsure of Ling Donglai's intention. Rumor had it that he could forge Soul Weapons and elevate ordinary warriors to Sainthood. Bloodline Warriors might dislike him, but which ordinary warrior who heard this news wouldn't show him deep respect?

Otherwise, so many peak Golden Dou Xin and Dou Soul level ordinary warriors would not have appeared in Everflow City.

No matter how much they revered Fabridis, not everyone would turn out for a dead man.

The living pay respects to the dead; only a fraction do so for the deceased; the majority attend to gauge the value of the living.

The War Hall—the central sanctuary for ordinary warriors! Qian Jin truly could not understand if Ling Donglai was genuinely arrogant toward him or merely feigning it to test him.

"I am Qian Jin..."

"I heard you are a promising warrior among the ordinary ones," Ling Donglai's haughty eyes fixed on Qian Jin: "I am here to tell you two things. The first is that you are now qualified to enter the War Hall. Find time to visit; we can teach you greater power there... power that will make you second only to those who have achieved Sainthood..."

Qian Jin listened quietly. The second matter was often more important than the first. But wasn't being invited to join the War Hall the most crucial point?

"The second matter..." Ling Donglai coughed: "Find a time to publicly announce the retraction of your previous statement opposing the Qian family..."

"What?" Qian Jin's eyes widened suddenly as he stared at Ling Donglai: "What did you just say?"

Dissatisfaction flickered across Ling Donglai's face. How dare this brat interrupt him? In the outside world, which ordinary warrior, upon hearing the name 'War Hall,' would not be respectful to the point of nearly kneeling? Even if this brat truly could forge Soul Weapons, he was showing far too much disdain for an emissary of the War Hall! He found the most basic martial courtesy he offered—the same courtesy Fabridis gave—to be irritating!

It's a good thing Fabridis is dead now! Ling Donglai glanced coldly at Fabridis's tombstone. The humiliation this man inflicted upon me in the War Hall will not vanish with his death! I will make your son-in-law obey me like a dog.

"I demand you retract your 'statement' opposing the Qian family," Ling Donglai's tone intensified by three measures: "You must soberly recognize! We ordinary warriors are merely a supplement, an auxiliary force for the Bloodline Warriors! Our existence is to help the Bloodline Warriors better defeat the Demon Race!"

"Auxiliary?"

Qian Jin looked at Ling Donglai with surprise. Was this truly an emissary from the sanctuary of ordinary warriors? Wasn't the War Hall rumored to be an organization founded with the express purpose of surpassing the Bloodline Warriors? Weren't Bloodline Warriors and ordinary warriors supposed to cooperate on the battlefield?

What? In the words of this emissary from the War Hall's holy ground, ordinary warriors had been reduced to vassals acting in concert with Bloodline Warriors?

Without the tactical strategies devised by ordinary warriors, without ordinary warriors scouting deep behind enemy lines, without the sacrifices of countless common soldiers—the war might have been lost long ago!