A Dish Best Served Cold (The Man In Rage)
Chapter 1029 Born a Leader

Ye Fan's mind had been made up. He wasn't going to be swayed by Lu Tong-He's words.

To Lu Tian-He, being a part of War God Castle might be a chance of a lifetime.

But to Ye Fan, it meant nothing.

When Ye Fan had been in high school, one of his schoolmates had topped the national examinations and had been ranked one of the top students in the province.

Top universities in China like Yanjing University and Qinghua University had approached him and offered him a place in their university as soon as the results of the national examinations had been released. They had offered him a generous scholarship and had been willing to exempt him from all tuition fees.

But their provincial scholar had turned down those offers. Shin Yu-Xiang had secretly lamented about what a waste that had been.

"We're talking about Yanjing University, one of the best universities in China! Even an idiot wouldn't turn down a place in Yanjing University."

Few had understood the decision that their provincial scholar had made then and had concluded that he had made the biggest mistake of his life and missed out on the greatest opportunity of his lifetime. They had been convinced that he would regret his decision.

Yet, what had happened?

The scholar had gotten admitted to one of the best universities in the world instead.

He had gotten access to benefits and resources that Yanjing University and other top ranking universities in China couldn't afford to provide him.

He had scaled the heights. From his elevated vantage point, he had seen a different view of the world and hence had set his sights on something farther and grander.

The resources that you believed were like a wish come true might be something that someone else could do without.

Ye Fan was already the Dragon Master of Dragon God Hall. Joining War God Castle wasn't going to help him very much. In fact, it would only tie him down.

Naturally, Ye Fan wasn't very interested in the offer.

"Alright then. I won't force you if you're not interested. But would you be interested in becoming a supreme grandmaster instead?"

Ye Qing-Tian didn't try to force the matter since Ye Fan's mind was clearly made up. Instead, he asked Ye Fan if he would be interested in becoming a supreme grandmaster instead. Becoming a supreme grandmaster was akin to being knighted by royalty.

Since the beginning of recorded history, all supreme grandmasters in the Chinese martial arts circle had been knighted by the rulers of the country.

With the founding of War God Castle, the secular world and the martial arts circle had been divided into two worlds and governed separately. Neither side interfered with the affairs of the other.

But certain customs regarding the knighting of the supreme grandmaster continued to the present day. War God Castle would recommend candidates to be knighted while the nation's political leader would recognize said knighthood officially by printing the country's official seal on a set of official documents.

War God Castle decided who became a supreme grandmaster.

The rest were simply customs and administrative procedures.

War God Castle didn't have to seek the candidate's consent before recommending him or her for the position of supreme grandmaster.

Anyone who qualified for the position could be recommended.

The only exception was if the candidate claimed that he or she wasn't a Chinese citizen.

Only Chinese citizens could be knighted as supreme grandmasters of China.

Ye Fan's refusal to become a supreme grandmaster would be equivalent to denying his Chinese citizenship.

"God of War, you must be joking. It's the dream of all martial artists to be made a supreme grandmaster. It's mine as well. But I'm afraid that I'm not yet worthy of the title," said Ye Fan as he shook his head. The God of War burst out into laughter.

"Haha! I'm glad to know that you're willing to be made a supreme grandmaster of our nation. Don't worry about the rest. With your talent and experience, it's only a matter of time before you truly qualify as a supreme grandmaster. You don't have to do anything at all. I'll submit a recommendation to have you knighted as the seventh supreme grandmaster of our country as soon as I return to War God Castle. We'll hold an official ceremony for you once you become a true, full-fledged supreme grandmaster."

Rightfully speaking, Ye Fan did not fulfill the requirements needed to become a supreme grandmaster.

But that was alright. The God of War liked him. That was enough.

The God of War had sufficient authority and power to recommend Ye Fan for the position of supreme grandmaster even though Ye Fan had not yet fulfilled the qualifications for the title.

As a compromise, they could simply hold the official ceremony when he had met those requirements.

It was like a marriage. One could register one's marriage with the registrar, then hold a wedding later.

Even though Ye Qing-Tian thought highly of Ye Fan, that wasn't the only reason he decided to recommend the young man for the title of supreme grandmaster. He was also trying to extend a gesture of goodwill on behalf of War God Castle towards the young man.

Even should Ye Fan decide not to join War God Castle in the future, he would still maintain a cordial relationship with the latter.

Who knew what was going to happen in the future? War God Castle might need a favor from Ye Fan sometime.

Ye Fan and Ye Qing-Tian chatted happily like men who wished they had known each other sooner for the rest of the conversation. "Alright, you probably have to get back to your team. I won't take up more of your time. The world's a small place. We'll meet again." After a few hours, Ye Qing-Tian ended the chat and got ready to leave.

He had come to Jiangdong to meet Ye

Fan.

Now that he had seen and spoken to the man, he had to return to Yanjing and attend to other business.

Before he left, he took a long look at Ye Fan, then sighed heavily.

"What's wrong? Why are you sighing?" asked Ye Fan in confusion.

"I'm simply mourning our country's loss. China could have had two new supreme grandmasters. But a tragedy stole one of them from us. The saying must be true. Good men die young. Chu Tian-Fan's death is the greatest loss the Chinese martial arts circle has suffered in the century. I've not met him but I heard that he's a young man in his twenties like you. He was much more powerful than you are though. He defeated the entire Japanese martial arts circle with his own bare hands and achieved a feat that everyone in the Chinese martial arts circle longed to but was unable to do." "My achievements pale in comparison to his. I thought that the Chinese martial arts circle was going to have a great young leader who's going to take my place in a hundred years' time and govern the Chinese martial arts circle. Who could've thought..."

Pangs of pain struck Ye Qing-Tian. His heart was filled with loss and sorrow.

"I suppose good men do die young," lamented Ye Qing-Tian.

Ye Fan was seized by a sudden indescribable emotion. He couldn't help but be moved.

He barely knew Ye Qing-Tian. In fact, he had never met him until today.

He had not expected this man to have such wells of concern and care for him.

They were right. Great men did have great hearts.

He had thought that a mere saying. But not anymore.

The God of War of China, Ye Qing-Tian, had shown him otherwise.

The concern that he harbored for the people of their country surpassed that of Ye Fan.

To Ye Fan, his top priority was the safety of himself and his family and friends.

But to Ye Qing-Tian, the safety of his country and every one of his fellow countrymen was his top priority.

Some people were born to be leaders.

That marked the end of Ye Fan's first meeting with China's most powerful martial artist.

Never in Ye Qing-Tian's wildest dreams could he have imagined that Ye Fan was Chu Tian-Fan, the young man whose death he had mourned deeply for.

After Ye Qing-Tian left, Ye Fan remained in the military camp and continued training the Green Dragon Force.

In the day, the members of the Green Dragon Force practiced the Green Dragon Technique like madmen. When night came, they soaked themselves in the modified Revitalization Bathwater, which helped to strengthen their bodies.

Ye Fan had included all kinds of expensive and nutritious ingredients in their meals that gave their bodies a boost as well. Besides spending time on training the Green Dragon Force, Ye Fan dedicated most of his time on practicing Dragon God Body. With the help of Dragon God Body's healing properties, his injuries began to heal at a terrifying speed.

The day when he returned to his peak condition was the day that he would let everyone in Jiangdong know that he was back!