Everybody was silent, listening to what Lachlan had to say. He stroked his beard again, and then he paced back and forth across the floor. Bella and the other leaders watched him nervously, waiting to hear what he might say next.
Finally, he stopped in the center of the room. "This Sawyer was paralyzed for twenty years. Is he really such a formidable enemy? Are you all really so afraid of such a person?"
Bella and the others stayed quiet. Although he was no longer the leader of the Demon sect, Lachlan still held sway, and everyone knew that his abilities were greater than Bella's. They waited to hear what he might say next.
"What are you waiting for?" Lachlan snapped. "What is our plan? How are we going to deal with this weakling?"
A few murmurs came from the subordinates.
"He's one of the top five warriors in the Rumble Club," a cool, dignified voice stated from near the door.
Everyone turned to see Cam Fitzroy walk in.
"As long as he is still alive, he will still be an enforcer for the Rumble Club," Cam continued. "It doesn't matter how long he was out of the game. His powers are formidable, so we shouldn't take this lightly."
He looked around, making sure he had everyone's attention. "To achieve one of the top positions in the Rumble Club, you cannot rely on your family connections or your friends, but only your own skills and abilities. Without those, you don't have a single ray of hope. The rules are strict, and there is a set process for gaining power. Once you have defeated five hundred enemies, then you must defeat another three hundred of a higher rank. Then, you must defeat a hundred more from the highest ranks. Finally, you must defeat the current holder of the position you want. Only through this process can a person rise through the ranks."
His expression remained indifferent, and his calmness and rationality were extraordinary. His body was fit and strong, and his eyes sparkled. Although he was almost fifty, he looked much younger.
"Sawyer was one of the founders of the Rumble Club," Cam continued. "He joined even before Clark." He sat down at the table. "Sawyer has practiced martial arts since the age of three. And he has been living the life of a warrior since childhood. When he was a little older, he learned kendo, and he traveled all over the world and served under more than a dozen masters. By the age of fourteen, when most of you were in junior high school, he had traveled everywhere and had learned everything, including the ancient arts of the sword."
Even Lachlan was listening closely to what Cam was saying.
"Twenty years ago, Sawyer was unstoppable," Cam said. "Can you imagine how many master practitioners he had to defeat to achieve his current position? The Demon sect has many talents, but how many masters does it have on Sawyer's level? Twenty years ago, he killed a powerful martial arts master, and it was an earth-shaking event. Most people were terrified."
He paused as if he were waiting for someone to interrupt. But nobody spoke.
"Imagine," he continued. "Imagine if Sawyer had not been paralyzed. How far would he have gone? He is both extremely talented and extremely dedicated, so how many enemies would he have defeated during the last twenty years? If Sawyer is not a master practitioner, then I don't know who is." He sighed. "There are very few people like him. What's more, Sawyer was once known as the third master. But that didn't mean anyone was better than him." He wagged his finger. "Don't be deceived. Sawyer insisted on being called the third master because he said that there were other masters—Heaven is the first and earth is the second. Do you know what that means?"
No one said anything.
"It means that Sawyer was the greatest master of the Rumble Club," he said. "He worked hard on their behalf and achieved great things. It is not wise to underestimate anyone who has experienced so many battles." He looked at Lachlan and said with reproach, "You are brave, but you don't want to plan ahead. You refuse to face up to reality and make big plans that can go nowhere."
Lachlan sighed. "If Sawyer is such a big problem, then we must prepare carefully. We must not rush into anything. I was angry before, but now I realize the seriousness of the situation."
Cam nodded. Lachlan had always deferred to him, even though Cam was younger. At one time, Cam could have been the leader of the Demon sect, but he had given the position to Lachlan. As a result, Lachlan always gave weight to his thoughts and opinions. Cam had been studying martial arts for many years, at least five years longer than Lachlan, and he was the invisible leader of the sect.
Lachlan had been appeased, but Bella was still very angry. "Our sect is still widely known. Will we let ourselves be frightened by someone like Sawyer? What a joke! If word gets out, everyone will know we are incompetent." Holding her broken arm, Bella was so frustrated that she simply couldn't stay quiet. After suffering such a huge defeat, her aggressive nature was coming to the fore.
"Bella, calm down," Cam said. "Of course, we're not afraid of him, but we shouldn't take him lightly. We need to be careful." He gestured for someone to bring more medicine for her injuries. "Sawyer is not the only enemy of our sect. If we fight with Sawyer, then we will trigger a chain reaction. The most important thing is that Sawyer is not alone. Behind him is the Rumble Club, and we don't want to tangle with them." He paused. "It might be possible to kill Sawyer, but then he would be seen as a martyr by the Rumble Club, and they would never forgive us. We would have stirred up a hornet's nest, and we can't afford such a war."
He stroked his chin.
"Our sect has a deep foundation, and our traditions stretch back thousands of years. We must tread carefully. We can't go rushing in like fools."