The martial artists of Raysonia, Keerea, and the thirty-eight nations within Bayview voiced their intent on reviving the glory of the Elites Conference. Erudia was the only exception.
The Elites Conference was a competition that hosted the sparring between aspiring young martial artists hailing from all over Bayview. Their prowess was to be ranked by the Bayview List.
The glory of topping the Bayview List enticed talents throughout the region to compete to become the best fighter of all.
It was so prestigious that the merits of being on the Bayview List far exceeded Erudia’s Stone List.
The countries with the best fighters took great pride in achieving that feat as the honors and accolades were glorious indeed.
However, Keerea and Raysonia had more ambitious plans.
In accordance with the ancient rules of the Elites Conference, the country from which the most fighters made it on the Bayview List would obtain the rights to mobilize all the fighters of the other countries.
In other words, once Raysonia obtained the right, Erudia’s fighters would be under their jurisdiction and be forced to obey their commands.
In the same vein, Raysonia would be able to suppress the progress of fighters of neighboring nations and advance theirs at the same time.
Though it sounded far-fetched in theory, those were the rules of the Elites Conference since antiquity. Ironically, it had been the overlords of Erudia of the past who had set the rules.
Back then, the martial arts scene in Erudia was at its peak. All of the other neighboring nations of Bayview did not stand a chance against the Erudians as they were the undisputed masters of the martial arts world in the region of Bayview.
Not wishing for the martial artists of the other nations to rise and pose as a threat to them, the ancient Erudians sought to suppress their advancement. The reason for them to create that rule in the first place was to be able to control the development of martial artists in the neighboring nations.
Since the commencement of the Elites Conference, which was held once every thirty years, Erudia had been dominant in every single one. Erudia’s fighters not only held the top three of the Bayview List, but they also took up half of the list.
Erudia’s dominance over the martial arts scene in Bayview had persisted up until the last Elites Conference that the other nations did not even stand a chance.
That was why Raysonia and the other nations desired nothing more than to claim the crown for once.
As soon as they did, they would control the advancement of the martial artists throughout Bayview. In particular, they held a grudge against Erudia for lording over their nation for so many years.
As a result, to be able to control Erudia’s martial artists was their ultimate revenge.
In order to achieve that goal, Raysonia’s strategy was to hinder Levi’s attempt to reconstruct the martial arts scene in Erudia by incapacitating several hundred capable fighters of Erudia.
With their greatest competitor neutralized, no representative of Erudia would be able to make it to the Elites Conference.
The top three of the Stone List had suffered such grievous injuries that they seemed to have completely vanished. With the martial veins of the other fighters crippled, not a single capable fighter remained amongst them.
The only one who was promising was Forlevia, but she was still young and was taken away by the Cardinal Hall.
As a result, Erudia did not have a worthy candidate to fight in their name at the upcoming Elites Conference.
Despite the tradition of being crowned first place at every Elites Conference, Erudia might be the last this time with such bleak prospects ahead of them.
That was the wicked plan that Raysonia put into motion.
When the Cardinal Hall had caught wind of that, it was already too late.
As if to add insult to injury, Raysonia and the other nations planned for Erudia to host the Elites Conference.
Their intention was clear—absolute humiliation on Erudia!
Not only did they deprive Erudia of any worthy candidates, they even attempted to rub it in by having the Elites Conference on their land to humiliate them in front of the thirty-eight nations of Bayview and in front of the world.
Since the beginning of time, Erudia had been a superpower.
If the Elites Conference were to be held in Erudia as planned, Erudia’s dominance and reputation would suffer as they have never before.
By the end of it all, the whole of Erudia would never recover from the shame. On top of that they would have to wait another thirty years to avenge themselves of this injustice.
Raysonia’s scheme was a ruthless one, to say the least.
Though The Cardinal Hall was in disarray at the news, Levi saw it as an opportunity.
“Everybody,” Levi declared as the chatter of his disciples died down. “Our time has come!”
