Empat Puluh Milenium Kultivasi - Chapter 200-224

Among the 2,000 contestants, the vast majority turned somewhat vigilant from the sudden screams. They faintly felt that something wasn’t right, so they didn’t take any rash actions.

However, the terrifying part of Li Yao’s trap was that as long as a few people opened fire, even if they numbered in dozens, it would cause a chain reaction. It was just like a snowball that grew bigger and bigger as it rolled, only to finally turn into an avalanche that was impossible to contain!

At the west side of the jungle, two Iron Fist Club members and two Chaos Edge Hall members were in a stalemate.

Right in between them was a jade chip placed upon a huge piece of bluestone and a paper crane dancing in the air.

Just last month, a huge fight had broken out once between the four over a training field. During the confrontation, unbeknownst to everyone, the Chaos Edge Hall’s side had suffered a small loss.

The current situation was the so-called “when enemies come face to face, their eyes blaze with hatred.” The four were like four bulls, ruthlessly staring at each other.

When they heard the screams, the four simultaneously shivered. Their pupils constricted to the size of a needle tip.

The Chaos Edge Hall members were the first to launch an attack. Two swords were drawn out of their sheaths and emanated a sharp sword aura akin to that of a poisonous snake.

“Attaboy, you have joined hands with Li Yao!”

The Iron Fist Club member yelled and ruthlessly punched at his own chest, activating his spirit tattoo to the extreme. He was suddenly enveloped in a layer of weak flames and his iron fist directly charged towards the sword aura.

At the south side, north side, and east side…

Flames of war rose in every part of the jungle, turning the jungle into a tempestuous sea of fire in the blink of an eye.

Even if many people were pretty clear that the screams at the beginning were all a trap laid down by Li Yao…

Since both sides had already begun fighting, they had no choice. All they could do was attack first and seize the initiative!

Under a towering tree, just as a member of Iron Fist Club picked up the jade chip, a beam of sword aura thrust right towards his heart from across the tree. The light armor burst forth with dazzling beams of blood-colored brilliance, protecting the wearer. However, although the attack was no longer fatal, the armor released an incomparably painful current, causing its wearer to twitch uncontrollably and foam at the mouth before fainting on the spot.

The Chaos Edge Hall member smiled as he came out from behind the tree. Just as he bent down to take the jade chip from the hands of his victim, a howling gale suddenly came crashing down on his head.

An Iron Fist Club member with his body covered in a metallic gloss came crashing down as his knee fiercely hammered his opponent’s spine.

The Chaos Edge Hall member’s light armor burst forth with a light red brilliance as an electric current coursed through his spine in the blink of an eye, preventing any damage but causing him a tremendous amount of pain. Although he was not dead, he had suffered an “irreversible chronic injury,” rendering him immobile. All he could do was lie flat on the ground while waiting to be rescued.

The Iron Fist Club member who had jumped down from the tree had not even taken a breath before two Chaos Edge Hall members who were enveloped in murderous auras walked out of the mist from the opposite side…

All around the jungle, intense small-scale encounters started at the same time. Screams, sounds of fighting, bombardments, and explosions enveloped the whole jungle.

And due to the restrictions imposed by the terrain along with the line of sight obstructed by the mist, whenever the contestants from the two sides found each other, they would often find themselves very close together.

Following which, it would turn into a fight to the death, with only one side making it out alive. There would be no other ending.

Therefore, the fatalities in this year’s match were way higher compared to previous matches.

In a short period of thirty minutes, over 300 contestants had been struck down and 400 contestants had suffered irreversible, chronic injuries and lay incapacitated.

Even the 100 members of Chaos Edge Hall who were guarding the base could not hold themselves back.

From the beginning, the Chaos Edge Hall’s overall strength was inferior to the Iron Fist Club’s. If the Chaos Edge Hall was lacking its 100 members, it would simply be a one-sided massacre.

Eventually, only thirty people were left to defend the base.

The remaining 70 people charged into the bloody battle happening in the jungle without a shred of hesitation. However, many of them were struck down in just a few minutes.

The well-designed battle plan that Zhao Tianchong and Lu Tieshan had devised prior to the match had been completely disrupted.

There were no instances of tactics that could be seen. The match was uglier than all the matches from the past few decades. It was by far the clumsiest battle.

The maker of this catastrophe, Li Yao, was calmly wandering amid the branches, just like a python.

He wore a camouflage uniform with a double-sided pattern.

One side could simulate the trees, shrubs, and grasses, while the other side could simulate a variety of rocks’ patterns.

Along with the camouflaging technique perfected through hunting in the Wasteland, he could remain invisible while hiding amid the branches or rocks.

As Li Yao observed the battles one by one through the Demon Beast Detector with rapt attention, continuous lines of information appeared one by one.

“Zhou Zhongping, Iron Fist Club freshman, 3rd level Refinement Stage expert. Specialties: Golden Fists, Mystique Cold Exercise. Temperament: Bold and unrestrained, walks on the path of head-on collision. Weak points: Center of gravity is unstable, the left knee was once seriously injured.”

“Ching Mingyuan, Chaos Edge Hall freshman, 3rd level Refinement Stage expert. Specialties: Red Dragon Spearmanship. The long spear has a chain hidden inside and can separate, allowing it to extend to a dozen meters in the blink of an eye. Attack range is very large. Weak points: Defense is weak.

“Fang Xinghui…”

“Zhou Junzhi…”

Pieces of information like waterfall continued to fall from above the Demon Beast Detector.

This was precisely the reason why Li Yao wanted the combat details of all 2,000 contestants.

The Demon Beast Detector could distinguish between two extremely similar demon beasts, so it goes without saying that identifying a person based on his or her appearance was a piece of cake.

The latter was truly very simple. In the Star Glory Federation, the facial recognition technology was very mature. It was applied in wide variety of public places. Li Yao only had to tweak the Demon Beast Detector a bit before inputting new data, turning it into a “Combat Scouter”.

And his purpose was to seek the important figures of both sides using this very Combat Scouter.

“It’s gonna be you!”

When the Demon Beast Scouter found a 4th level Refinement Stage Iron Fist Club freshman, Li Yao’s eyes lit up as he sneaked up to the canopy behind him and hid there silently.

Only after the target had continuously struck down two members of Chaos Edge Hall and was panting for breath did he silently slide down the tree and closed in on the target.

Amid the dark mist, Li Yao made himself look like the shadow of the target as he moved closer.

Only when the distance between the two was less than a meter did the target suddenly became vigilant.

Just when he was about to turn his head, the target felt a prickling sensation on his neck as an electric current ruthlessly swarmed into his throat, rendering him incapable of even shrieking, no matter how much he wanted to. His eyes turned wide as he clutched his throat. He knelt down before lying paralyzed in the mud.

Before he even hit the ground, Li Yao had long since disappeared, becoming one with the jungle once again.

“Well, this kid is quite ruthless whenever he attacks. He eliminated a 4th level Refinement Stage cultivator so silently that the target, even in death, didn’t get to see so much as his shadow!”

Sitting in the VIP room, the Devil Fist Sect elder, Bai Mushen, who found Li Yao unworthy of a single glance a moment ago, straightened up and was somewhat moved.

The Hundred Saber Alliance vice president, Long Wenhui, slightly smiled:

“This is the third 4th level Refinement Stage freshman eliminated by him. It seems he is trying to level the playing field for both sides so that the Iron Fist Club and Chaos Edge Hall remain in conflict for a longer period of time. This is the best way to inflict heavy casualties on both sides.”

“Look, he is attacking once again. This time, it’s a 4th level Refinement Stage freshman from the Chaos Edge Hall. This freshman is also baffled.”

“Oh, why are you so surprised, huh? He has already eliminated three Iron Fist Club experts, so obviously he is going to eliminate one or two Chaos Edge Hall experts, in order to keep the balance! Or do you truly believe the words of an ‘evil expert,’ do you think he will sincerely work with the Chaos Edge Hall?”

Long Wenhui looked quite self-complacent as he disapprovingly said.

Bai Mushen turned solemn as he slowly said:

“If this keeps on, the conflict between both sides will only grow more and more intense. If their experts aren’t killed by the conflict, then they will definitely be assassinated by Li Yao. In the end, maybe he will truly pave a road of blood. Let’s see how Zhao Tianchong and Lu Tieshan are going to deal with this!”

Zhao Tianchong and Lu Tieshan were part of only a few people who remained clear-headed.

The moment the sounds of fighting and shouting resounded, they immediately realized that it was all Li Yao’s plot.

Lu Tieshan burst into shouting:

“Zhao Tianchong, you’ve to think clearly. Li Yao will not sincerely team up with you for sure. He will definitely think of ways to weaken our power so that a delicate balance is always maintained between our sides, in order to ensure that we cause maximum fatalities to each other!”

“If you and him team up, I am absolutely sure that at the end of the day, you will be definitely be chewed up by him to the point that not even slag would remain!”

Zhao Tianchong silently pondered this for a moment before his eyes burst forth with a knife-sharp glare as he promptly came to a decision:

“For the sake of this plan, we can only cut our losses!”

“The conflict has already started, and in the end, we aren’t army commanders and our fellow students aren’t well-trained soldiers. There’s no way we can bring everyone back under control.”

“All the people here are the strongest core members. We should team up and head towards the north, quelling as much as conflict as possible. If we come across one we can’t stop, we should just bypass it and save some time!”

“Any jade chips we find en route should be equally distributed. Each person must get his share!”

“We have to seize every minute and every second to reach the canyon as quickly as possible and intercept Li Yao!”

“We have to set a trap at the canyon and let Li Yao experience the taste of ambush from all sides!”

Both sides had deeply felt the dreadfulness of Li Yao. So, without hesitating for a moment, everyone immediately began to move.

En route, if they reached a relatively mild conflict with both sides’ members only lightly injured, both leaders would team up to calm the combatants down and then move on.

If they encountered a conflict in which both sides were locked in a fierce struggle and had members who were laden with injuries lying on the ground, they would run by as fast as possible.

As for the fights happening in the distance, they had no time to stop them.

It only took them forty-two minutes to reach the canyon, and the people from both sides had formed a hybrid force of 185 contestants.

Even though their group was relatively small, they were the strongest and most capable core members from both sides.

Moreover, they could survive in any kind of chaos; most of them had relatively stable temperaments, shrewd thinking abilities, and they would not easily fall into a trap.

In addition, the smaller the number, the better the leadership Zhao Tianchong and Lu Tieshan could display, decreasing the chances of both sides falling into chaos.

Furthermore, the canyon region wasn’t obstructed by the mist; the visibility was quite clear, allowing anyone to easily catch everything within a range of two kilometers.

“Li Yao, now we have 200 or so members tightly blockading the canyon. Let’s see if you still have some way to sneak past us!”

The two kilometer long canyon was surrounded by a steep cliff a few kilometer high, whereas the upper regions were also sealed by a special barrier. It was absolutely impossible for anyone to climb.

At the center of the two cliffs was a winding, long and narrow passage which had rugged rocks of all sizes lying on either side.

The combined team of the Iron Fist Club and Chaos Edge Hall, which comprised of one hundred and eighty five experts, hid behind those very jagged rocks, setting up a deadly trap.

In order to lure Li Yao into the trap, of the thirty sword cultivators that were originally guarding the Chaos Edge Hall’s base, twenty were also transferred behind the jagged rocks for the ambush.

On the surface, only ten people were guarding the entire canyon.

“Will he be fooled?”

Lu Tieshan, who was hiding behind a huge piece of rock, asked in a somewhat tense manner.

“He will definitely be fooled, for we are similarly using a trap which is not a trap but is a trap!” Zhao Tianchong sneered and said, “In the meantime, both of us will continue to communicate with our respective team members, slowly calming everyone down, and ask them to retreat from the battlefield and converge on our position.

“And with the passage of time, more and more people will gather at the canyon, and in a few hours, we will recover our entire team or what’s remaining of them!

“As for Li Yao, he can only carry a backpack full of magical equipment, a vast majority of which were jade chips that have fallen into our hands completely. How many more pieces of magical equipment can he still have to play any more tricks on us?

“Therefore, the only way for him to win is to have a race against time with us. He has to make use of the little time he has before we react and make a beeline to the canyon forcefully!”

While he was speaking, many members from both sides, who were laden with dust, continued to walk out of the forest as they stumbled towards the center of the canyon.

Fortunately, due to Li Yao’s tactic of leveling the field, the overall battle force of both sides was almost the same, ensuring the dispute between both sides.

In order to mask the trails of late-coming surviving contestants, all of them had been arranged to proceed to the second-half of the canyon for the ambush.

“Feng Bing, Cao Le, as your legs are injured, it will be difficult for you to move. Thus, you should go to the latter part of the canyon for the ambush. If Li Yao actually manages to break through our heavy encirclement, you have to fight to the death. Even if you have to use your teeth, you must take a bite out of him!”

Waving his hand to the two limping members of Chaos Edge Hall, Zhao Tianchong said in somewhat impatient manner.

The two were far from lightly injured.

In particular, Cao Le, whose face had been heavily punched.

Although a majority of the attacks had been mitigated by the light armor, his face was still laden with black and blue bruises, as well as the injuries from the electric shock he had received.

While supporting each other, the two stumbled their way towards the latter part of the canyon.

God only knows how but Zhao Tianchong felt a chill in his heart as if they were committing some kind of fatal mistake.

By no means was this was the result of any kind of precise calculation but rather the intuition born from surviving in the Wasteland as a swordsman since his childhood.

As his sharp gaze shot towards the two people who just went past, under his nose, Zhao Tianchong shouted in a loud voice:

“Wait!”

Feng Bing slightly trembled as he turned his head, perplexed.

Cao Le, on the other hand, turned a deaf ear and continued on his way.

Zhao Tianchong’s complexion changed for worse as he shouted, “He is not Cao Le, he is Li Yao!”

In the blink of an eye, the entire atmosphere suddenly changed!

Cao Le, who was still limping and faltering just a moment ago, soared at a lightning fast speed just like a bullet and dashed towards the latter part of the canyon!

Meanwhile, from behind the rocks on either side of the narrow and winding pathway, thunderous and furious roars rang out as almost two hundred people charged towards him.

Many amongst the Iron Fist Club members were clutching fist-sized rocks which they ruthlessly threw at Li Yao.

“Li Yao, you cannot escape!”

Lu Tieshan let out a thunderous shout as he forcibly lifted up a thousand pound boulder and fiercely threw it towards the front.

“Tap-Tap-Tap!”

Tapping the ground lightly, Li Yao’s figure strangely turned seven to eight times in different direction as he dodged oncoming rocks one after another.

However, his charge had been interrupted by these oncoming rocks, slowing him down by half-a-beat.

Meanwhile, in this short moment, over a hundred people had already blocked the front of the narrow passage, while the remaining hundred people were outflanking him from both sides.

Noticing the road blocked, Li Yao preemptively rushed towards a tall contestant, bent his body and kicked him away just like a scorpion moving his tail without a moment of hesitation.

And then, taking advantage of the impact, turned around and fled towards the jungle!

“You still think you can escape?”

Zhao Tianchong sneered as several dozen sword aura soared into the sky before intertwining into a dense sword net and charged towards him.

Lu Tieshan and the others roared repeatedly and activated their spirit tattoos as billowing energy waves covered the sky and earth, catching up from Li Yao’s rear.

Seeing that the encirclement was about to close, Li Yao suddenly blew a sharp whistle.

“Peng!”

“Peng!”

“Peng!”

A couple dozen people burst into huge fireballs as their light armors emitted crackling noises and burst forth with bloody auras one after another. Apparently, they all have been completely stunned from the electric current.

These people had all been “struck down” one by one.

In the blink of an eye, a huge gap was forcefully opened in the encirclement.

As a matter of fact, this was still nothing, the fireballs were mixed in with dense black smoke which, in the blink of an eye, covered the entire field.

The entire scene was suddenly a huge mess, everyone was at a loss.

“Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!”

Li Yao had been pierced by a number of sword auras.

At the end of the day, Li Yao wasn’t any different than a normal person. Although he had created a series of chaos, how could it be possible for him to break through a sword net composed of a few dozen sword auras in a short period of time without paying some price?

His light armor released an intense current, making his entire face twitch in pain.

However, his speed soared once again. He was soon about to break out of the disordered encirclement.

“Lu Tieshan, now!”

Zhao Tianchong jumped up and unsheathed his sword. His entire body seemingly metamorphosed into a beam of sword aura.

Closely followed by Lu Tieshan who, in the blink of an eye, burst with an endless power as he ruthlessly punched just right at the sole of Zhao Tianchong. Whereupon, Zhao Tianchong’s legs bent slightly as his speed by the impetus of this punch soared to a whole new level before he ruthlessly fired a beam of sword aura right at Li Yao’s chest while predicting Li Yao’s course of escape.

“Ahhhhh—!”

Li Yao let out a blood-curdling scream as his light armor burst forth with a couple dozen dazzling arcs of lightning that wrapped around his body.

Li Yao’s light armor flashed with a light, crimson like blood, indicating Li Yao had suffered an ‘irreversible, chronic injury’!

Yet Li Yao did not stop even for a moment.

Li Yao kicked right at Zhao Tianchong’s lower abdomen and from the subsequent recoil, Li Yao was swept away by a couple dozen meters and crashed a few times on the ground before finally crashing into the jungle; following which, he disappeared.

When the smoke dissipated…

The remaining hundred or so hunters gawked at each other. They were rendered speechless.

From the revelation of Li Yao’s identity to his disappearance in the jungle, only half a minute had passed.

Nonetheless, a lot more than a dozen contestants had already fainted from the electric shock; leaving their “immobile body” behind.

“It was the jade chips!” Zhao Tianchong said while grimacing in anger, “The hundred jade chips he had intentionally released were not only false, they also had crystal bombs hidden inside. No, to be precise, those things are crystal bombs crafted in the form of jade chips to be exact!”

Wiping the cold sweat, Lu Tieshan muttered:

“I should have realized it already. When we were in Verdant Tarn City, this guy was superbly playing with the mini-crystal bombs. Crafting some crystal bombs in the form of jade chips would be really easy for him!”

The two looked at each other. Their hearts had been gripped by a lingering fear.

Fortunately, Zhao Tianchong’s keen intuition had quickly discovered Li Yao’s identity.

If he had infiltrated deep within and reached the latter part of the canyon, perhaps he may have the opportunity to break through just by relying on the chaos created by the jade chip bombs alone.

Lu Tieshan let out a long sigh:

“Fortunately, luck was on our side. No matter how he wracked his brains and schemed, at the end, he had fallen short of success.”

“Now, everything is alright. Li Yao has exhausted all his means, and also, he has suffered ‘irreversible, chronic injuries’ from your sword. In accordance to the rules, any serious injuries apart from having been ‘killed within seconds’, the injured would lose a majority of his battle force within ten seconds, moreover, he or she would die within half an hour.”

“However, just to make sure, we should head to the jungle and search for Li Yao’s body. And when we have recovered the real jade chips from him, only then should we engage, lest he takes advantage of some final loopholes. What do you think?”

Zhao Tianchong locked his brow into a frown before gradually shaking his head.

“Something still doesn’t sit right with me, I still feel that we have fallen right into Li Yao’s trap.

“Previously, all his plots had been going so well, and at the end, he so recklessly tried to breakthrough and also seriously injured by us, isn’t that too good to be true?

“Not to mention, his disguise was very likely to be seen through, and the jade chip bombs wouldn’t necessarily be on us. If he relied on these two things, that is somewhat risky, right?”

Lu Tieshan was surprised by what Zhao Tianchong said. “It’s 2,000 vs 1, of course, he’s gonna have to take some risks. Furthermore, now that he is seriously injured, he is simply unable to escape from us. Do you really think that he still has some tricks up his sleeve?”

Zhao Tianchong shook his head and looked confused. “Honestly, I don’t know. All I have is a faint premonition as if he intentionally appeared and forcefully tried to break through as well as got seriously injured all to goad us into hunting him.”

“However, he only has half an hour to live, and also lost his battle force. Even if we left our nests, what can he do? As long as there are three to five people guarding the canyon, he cannot break through!”

“Ah, yes!”

“Just a moment ago, when the jade chip bombs exploded, there was too much smoke, the smoke had permeated all around, maybe, just maybe he has done some underhanded trick at that time!”

“Search, quick! Search every inch of the places Li Yao ran through carefully. Check whether he has performed some tricks or left something behind!”

Zhao Tianchong burst into a roar like he was insane.

Following his shout, a flat and ordinary piece of rock next to the narrow and winding passage rose up and quickly started moving!”

“That’s it, cut it!”

Although the “rock” was fast, there were several dozen robust fellows behind it and also the narrow passage at the front was completely blocked.

With a flash of a few beams of sword aura, the “rock” was quickly pierced and soon its camouflage split into pieces, revealing its glittering true form.

It was a modified, remote-controlled miniature model of a flying shuttle!

When the hatch was opened, a jade chip was impressively lying inside!

Finally, Zhao Tianchong heaved a long sigh of relief and sat down on the ground before muttering, “This is Li Yao’s ultimate plan!

“From the beginning, he knew we would not engage in a conflict down to the last man.”

“He also knew, just the jade chip bombs and a disguise would be insufficient to cut through the two-kilometer-long canyon.

“His plan was to rush into the canyon and set a remote controlled model disguised as a rock, and then get seriously injured, all for luring us out into search his ‘body’ for the jade chip.

“And although he has suffered ‘irreversible, chronic injuries’, his war force is at the lowest, and he only has half an hour to live, but the remote controlled model could still get it done.

“In short, it was nothing but ‘luring tiger from the mountain’!

“His aim was to lure us again into the jungle and also to reduce our vigilance, let us mistakenly think that as long as there were three or five people guarding the canyon, it would be enough.

“However, three to five people are simply insufficient to watch the two kilometer long canyon, and let’s not forget that everyone’s focus would be at the front, who would pay attention to a flat and ordinary rock?

“You see, this model has been modified, it’s propulsion is quite amazing, if there is no one to intercept it, in at most one minute it would be out of the canyon!

“This is precisely Li Yao’s final plan!”

Having been caught by surprise by Zhao Tianchong’s series of intricate analysis, Lu Tieshan opened his mouth to speak, but after a long while, he chose to keep it shut. Eventually, he could not help but lash out:

“Li Yao, this brat is truly insidious. What kind of environment did one have to live in to turn out so monstrous?”

Rubbing his face with force, Zhao Tianchong said, “We have seen his information, didn’t we? From childhood, he grew up in the Magical Equipment Graveyard. From the time when he was seven or eight years old, he had to fight a battle of wits and strength with insidious and atrocious adult scavengers. Maybe, just for a half a piece of biscuit he had rack his brain and come up with twelve to thirteen interlocking plans, and only then could he seize said biscuit.”

“Although you and I have experienced combat in the Wasteland, at most we have only faced demon beast on the level of Demon Soldiers. Even if they were intelligent, how could their intelligence be compared to humans?”

Lu Tieshan was rendered speechless. After a long while, his hot gaze turned towards the jade chip inside the remote-controlled shuttle as he muttered, “So, this is the real jade chip?”

Before he could get a clear picture completely, he didn’t dare get close to the thing.

Because of jade chip bombs being smaller in size, the crystal that could be embedded had a limit. Thereby, it could not produce too strong a destructive power, unless it was infinitesimally close to the body, in which case, it could blast a Refinement Stage cultivator to death.

However, even if the jade chip bomb caused some injuries to the limbs, it would still be extremely troublesome. After all, the game would still continue afterward…

Peeking a glance at Zhao Tianchong, Lu Tieshan swallowed a mouthful of saliva, he was just about ready to take action.

But apparently, Zhao Tianchong guessed his intentions. Shaking his head, Zhao Tianchong said, “Not necessarily, I find the appearance of this jade chip still a bit weird.

“Just as I’ve spoken, the remote controlled shuttle started moving. It’s rather apparent that it was done for it to be found by me intentionally.

“Search, continue searching!

“Wait, first take thirty people, divide them into three teams and send them to block the canyon by forming a line-up. All of them must be adept flying sword experts. Lu Tieshan, if you have someone who is rather agile – someone who specializes in agility techniques – you can also send them to join. Everyone must pay attention to blocking the sky!

“As for the remaining people, turn over every piece of rock that was within the range of dense smoke from a while ago, do not miss even a single piece of stone!”

Everyone shouted loudly in agreement before spreading out orderly and carefully started searching.

Sure enough, after ten minutes, an amazing discovery was made under a piece of giant rock.

It was the second remote-controlled shuttle disguised as a rock!

It seemed that Li Yao knew that the game was good as lost or perhaps he had already lost his consciousness from electric shocks. The remote-controlled shuttle was honestly lying under the rock; lying right there just to be caught by the others.

Lu Tieshan sucked in a cold lump of air.

“So, taking advantage of smoke, when our line of sight was blocked, he had not just placed one but two remote-controlled shuttles, did he? His hands sure are quite nimble!”

Zhao Tianchong squinted his eyes, seemingly quickly calculation a bit as he nodded and said, “It should be just two. He didn’t have the time to place the third. Moreover, after having camouflaged as rocks, the remote-controlled shuttle is quite big. After having placed a hundred jade chips and two remote-controlled shuttles, his standard military backpack must have reached the limit, it would be impossible for him to carry the third.

“And it goes without saying that once we are aware of this tactic, placing one or two hundred is just the same, they will be discovered by us.

“However…”

After Zhao Tianchong retrieved the jade chip from the second remote -controlled shuttle, Zhao Tianchong suddenly took an action which astonished everyone.

He lightly flicked the jade chip which everyone had been hell-bent on obtaining into the rocks.

“You!”

Lu Tieshan was unclear of the reason why. In a moment, he was enveloped in an obvious murderous intention.

“Be patient!”

Zhao Tianchong calmly took a glance at him while he exerted force in his hands.

“Crack! Crack!”

To everyone’s dismay, the second shuttle model was forcibly torn from the middle.

“What is this?”

Lu Tieshan was completely stupefied as he saw that within the interior of the second shuttle model was a small space, the small space held the — third jade chip!

Lu Tieshan felt his entire body turn cold. His mind couldn’t hold back but play a scene:

Everyone came to believe that they have seen through all of Li Yao’s schemes and the jade chip placed inside the cockpit of second shuttle model was the real one. Subsequently, they threw the shuttle model and took the jade chip to the static-type crystal processor to check its authenticity.

Naturally, everyone’s gaze was attracted by the hologram; and no one was concerned about an empty shuttle model.

At that time, the shuttle model suddenly started up and accelerated, and under everyone’s stunned gaze, it soared out of the canyon!

As for the time, there were still three minutes remaining until Li Yao’s so-called “death”, but that was enough!

No wonder, he did not start this shuttle model until the last moment and pretended to be helpless, as if it was captured.

Originally, this was his final ace in the hole!

Lu Tieshan, who had been stunned for a long while, finally, heaved a sigh of relief.

“Whenever I am together with insidious freaks like you guys, I always feel I’m not putting my brain cells to enough use. Fortunately, in a true battlefield, you guys are my companions. If you guys were my enemy, I absolutely don’t want to get anywhere close to you. I will just direct call the crystal warships and use their cannon to blast you all to death!”

Then, he added, “However, if it is Li Yao, I’m really not sure whether the main cannons of crystal warships could blast him to death!”

Zhao Tianchong bitterly smiled.

“Lu Tieshan, don’t you overestimate my intelligence, I did not see through any of Li Yao’s conspiracy, I just relied purely on my hands to realize it.”

“As a sword cultivator, our blade is everything. My hands have very keen perception, allowing me to easily distinguish between the weights of two different weapons.”

“Appearance-wise, although the two shuttle models looked the same, the same is not true for their weights. There is a subtle difference between their weights, the second shuttle model is a tad bit heavier.”

“Therefore, I felt that there was something wrong with the second shuttle model.”

“After all, facing a terrible opponent like Li Yao, no matter how careful you are, it’s not enough.”

Having said that, Zhao Tianchong, without breathing another word, placed the jade chips between himself and Lu Tieshan, while his left hand grasped the hilt. He remained silent.

Lu Tieshan came to realize what was going on and he too turned silent, while he adjusted his breathing, recovering his stamina.

As for the remaining hundred people, they quietly chose to wait as the seconds and minutes went by.

They were all waiting for Li Yao’s death!

After three minutes.

“Li Yao is dead!” Zhao Tianchong said with relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted off his mind.

“Li Yao is dead!” Lu Tieshan, wiping his head which was drenched in cold sweat. He had an urge to cry with joy.

“That monstrous guy is finally dead!”

“No matter how many sinister plans he had, all of them weren’t cast out!”

Everyone burst into cries of joys. Yet, after a moment, everyone woke from their stupor and sunk into a strange silence.

In the blink of an eye, the hostility, in their sharp gazes, soared to the limit.

Since Li Yao was dead and the real jade chip had already appeared, then the next fight would be the final battle!

“Hold on a minute, just to make sure, why don’t we check the authenticity of the three jade chips. If you are worried, you can bring another person. Two from your side, while I’ll remain alone. The three of us will go together.”

Noticing the ever-rising murderous intention between Lu Tieshan’s eyebrows, Zhao Tianchong suddenly interjected.

After having thought of a bit, Lu Tieshan agreed, “Okay!”

Having been given a scare by Li Yao’s schemes, again and again, they were still not sure where the real jade chip was, even though Li Yao was already dead. They just want to be more at ease.

What if it was the case of “when false is taken for true, true becomes false”?

Having brought a confidant with him, Lu Tieshan, along with Zhao Tianchong, went towards the base of Chaos Edge Hall.

The so-called “base” was just a giant circle painted using the white paint. Set around which was defensive arrays so that it would not be attacked. And in the center, a static-type crystal processor was placed.

In accordance with the rules of the match, one could try to seize the jade chip, but they could never destroy the crystal processor.

And in order to prevent the I/O interface of the crystal processor getting damaged, the crystal processors employed by both sides used very advanced non-contact-type telepathic thoughts transfer method.

When Zhao Tianchong placed the first jade chip atop the crystal processor, a light blue light flashed as the jade chip floated in the mid-air, while surrounded by countless octogram glyphs. Subsequently, one after another, transparent spirit threads gradually reached out from the jade chip and inserted into the crystal processor.

“Whoosh!”

A beam of light shot from the crystal processor before turning into an enormous hologram in the mid-air.

At the center of the hologram was Li Yao’s grinning face.

“Sure enough, it’s a fake!”

The first jade chip turned out to be a fake. It did not come as a surprise to everyone, on the contrary, it brought a sense of accomplishment of having seen through Li Yao’s scheme.

“Hello everyone, if you are seeing this message, then I’m already ‘dead’. Hahaha, 1 vs 2,000, it was really difficult!”

In the hologram, Li Yao’s laugh was quite simple-minded.

As though the series of insidious and cunning plans simply did not come from his hand.

Watching his slightly innocent face, Zhao Tianchong and Lu Tieshan gritted their teeth in hatred.

Li Yao forcefully coughed and continued, “The reason I’m leaving this message to everyone is to first congratulate everyone for finally defeating me, the ‘evil expert’, and second, I hope that you don’t hate me.

“After all, this is just a game, a form of combat exercise. Even if I was dead, it’s not that I’m really dead, right?

“In the society, there are plenty of people who are rather more insidious, cunning, and despicable than me!

“I’m just a fake evil expert, and if I can create such a chaos, kill so many guys, then what if it was a true evil expert?”

Zhao Tianchong and Lu Tieshan took a glance at each other. Coincidentally, they both said in their hearts, “Even if it was a true evil expert, he or she could not be as insidious as you!”

“Oh, right!” Suddenly, Li Yao though of something as he slapped his head and said, “If I’m right, you have intercepted my shuttle models in the canyon and now you should have arrived at the Chaos Edge Hall’s base to check the authenticity of the jade chip, only then could you be watching this message.

“And just to be safe, the surviving strongest expert from both side should have come together to check the authenticity of the jade chip, am I right?

“So, brothers of Iron Fist Club, I advise you to be careful.

“Although Zhao Tianchong is not so scheming as me, at the end of the day, he is still a little bit more scheming than the muscle-brained guys of your Iron Fist Club.

“As far as I can say, from the get-go, he is likely to have set up an ambush at the base.

“After all, I’ll be running towards the north, the canyon will probably be the final battlefield. And once you have obtained the jade chip, it would be quite right and proper to check the authenticity at the base of Chaos Edge Hall.

“At that time, as long as he ambushed you a few guys, it will be quite easy to kill an unarmed—”

Li Yao had yet to finish his sentence before Zhao Tianchong’s face turned pale as he let out a shout, “Attack!”

“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”

Suddenly, the ground cracked as four beams of sword aura shot towards the vital points of Lu Tieshan!

Li Yao’s words made vigilance arise in Lu Tieshan’s heart as he excited his energy to the limit. At this moment, he did not plan to dodge, on the contrary, he chose to close the distance between himself and Zhao Tianchong before fiercely colliding into him. At the same time, he ruthlessly launched a kicked, forcing back the right hand of Zhao Tianchong with which he planned to unsheathe the sword.

“Clang!”

Under Zhao Tianchong’s momentarily lapse, he actually failed to unsheathe the sword.

“Boom!”

Zhao Tianchong, who had been powerfully hit by Lu Tieshan, flew ten meters back in the blink of an eye and crashed into a huge piece of rock.

“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”

There were still four swords aimed at Lu Tieshan. However, they didn’t strike the vital points. So, he still retained 90% of his battle force.

Almost at the same time, the two leaders, ignoring their injuries, straightened up their necks and shouted:

“Attack!”

“Attack!”

Long had the hundred or so experts of Iron Fist Club and Chaos Edge Hall secretly occupied a favorable terrain. In the meantime, they were also quietly observing their opponents, planning the best angle and positioning for an attack.

Followed by the shouts, the canyon, in the blink of an eye, turned into a tempestuous sea of spiritual energy. Resplendent and colorful beams of spiritual energy collided with each other, giving rise to shock waves upon impact, breaking the rocks into pieces, while the broken pieces of stone were crushed into nothing.

In a moment, sand and stone flew here, there, and everywhere, the entire area was filled with powerful gales as though a sandstorm had struck.

Amid the sandstorm, miserable screams, sounds of swords cutting down, and blasts of spiritual energy rang to no end. The scene continued for ten minutes before calming down gradually.

When the dust settled, the scene was too horrid to look at. Over a hundred people were lying amid the stones, many of whom had lost their consciousness from electric shocks. There were a few whose limbs were still twitching from the electric shocks. Their mouths were covered in foam as they wailed incessantly.

Finally, only nine shaky figures remained standing.

These nine were the members of Iron Fist Club and appeared to be seriously injured.

Glancing at the unconscious Zhao Tianchong underneath his foot, Lu Tieshan was filled with emotions.

Finally, among the top three of the Newcomer Rankings, he had defeated Li Yao and Zhao Tianchong, and became the final winner!

The price he paid was quite tragic. Just below his heart, he had been ruthlessly stabbed by Zhao Tianchong. The electric current flowing was just a hair-breadth away. If it flowed into his heart, he would have perished together with Zhao Tianchong.

“Dangerous, it was too dangerous!”

“Had Li Yao not reminded me at the critical moment, I probably would have been eliminated by Zhao Tianchong. Then, no one could tell who would have won!”

Lu Tieshan gasped for breath as he calmed his mind and asked the remaining eight members to converge on his position. He discovered that although everyone was heavily injured and their battle force sealed by the subsequent electric currents so that not even 30% remained, but their movement wasn’t hindered at all.

After a body search of Zhao Tianchong was done, the last two jade chips were soon found, which were subsequently checked using the crystal processor.

Sure enough, a jade chip finally bore countless profound and intricate glyphs. It was none other than the information stored by the institute prior to the match.

“Found it, this is the true jade chip!”

In the blink of an eye, the nine robust teenagers had an urge to burst into tears.

“It’s too early to get excited, we still have to cross the jungle and return to the Iron Fist Club’s base.

“Although Zhao Tianchong is eliminated, there are still many surviving members from both sides scattered around the jungle killing anyone in their sights out of confusion.

“And we still don’t know who has the upper hand.

“Therefore, we are simply not going to pay attention to them. We will quietly go around them, we’re going to remain concealed and make our way to the base!”

Having said that, Lu Tieshan pondered before taking a fake jade chip for himself while handing over the remaining two chips to two other companions.

“Ma Feixing, you’re the best when it comes to agility and speed. The real jade chip will be in your custody, once we encountered danger in the jungle, the rest of us will protect you, your mission is to go all out to reach the base camp!

“Now, let’s go!”

A row of nine people once again headed into the jungle, walking at the edge of the jungle, flanking the main battlefield.

En route, they were on tiptoes. They proceeded very carefully, they dared not make even an iota of noise.

By their estimate, since the beginning of the chaos in the jungle, Li Yao must have assassinated many core members of Iron Fist Club to ensure that a balance was maintained between both sides.

At present, in the chaotic battle happening in the jungle, maybe Chaos Edge Hall’s members were relatively greater in number.

Therefore, they did not dare to call for support.

If, out of a one in a million chance, they attracted the attention of Chaos Edge Hall’s remnant forces, they would just be making a fool of themselves in trying to do the smart thing.

Fortunately, luck seemed to be on their Iron Fist Club’s side. As they walked in a big circle, after flanking round half of the jungle, they had not encountered even a member of Chaos Edge Hall.

And of course, they also didn’t see any member of Iron Fist Club. From the very beginning, they were walking at the remote edges of the jungle which was full of swamps, vines, and mist, making their visibility range no more than three to five meters, after which everything seemed to be vague.

“After half an hour, we’ll be at the Iron Fist Club base, and that would mark our win!”

While cutting the vines blocking the way, Lu Tieshan turned his head to cheer the rest.

Followed by responses in low voices from the mist behind him.

Only God knows why but an extremely uncomfortable feeling welled up from Lu Tieshan’s heart.

It seemed as though a poisonous snake was wrapped around his collar, crawling down his spine.

Lu Tieshan suddenly halted his footsteps as he tightly clenched his fists to the point that blue veins bulged on the back of his fists.

One by one, from the vague mist, came his team members.

“One, two, three…six?

“Where are the other two?

“Yan Qi, Wan Zhixing!”

Everyone gawked at each other. The last member of the Iron Fist Club subconsciously retreated two steps and walked back into the mist; he thought he could go back and find his disappeared companions.

Following which, they felt as though a cool breeze brushed their faces; everyone’s heart was grabbed by a chill.

“Bang!”

From the fog, a sound of something heavy falling on the ground came.

Or perhaps, a person had fallen on the ground.

“Enemy attack!”

In the blink of an eye, the remaining six members felt a chill running down their spine as they quickly converged and entered a battle formation.

Their slightly vibrating, iron fists aimed at the fog in all directions.

Under the cover of the fog, the jungle seemed terrifyingly ominous. From among the branches in the surroundings, the occasional chirps of birds made the environment ever tenser.

Suddenly—

A black silhouette jumped out of the fog!

Three Iron Fist Club members roared as they stepped forward and punched hard towards the oncoming black silhouette.

However, when they found out that it was none other than their unconscious companion upon looking carefully, they forcefully pull back their hands, which in turn, made their movements completely out of order and subsequently opened a big gap.

One of them could not control his momentum and staggered.

“Whoosh!”

From behind the black silhouette, a second black silhouette jumped out, made his way through the gap between the three in a flash, and appeared before the remaining people.

“Crack! Crack! Crack!”

The body of the man burst with dazzling electric arcs as he tumbled down to the ground with a stunned look, where he lay, twitching.

In contrast, the remaining four had even more astounded looks painted on their faces.

The one who had appeared before them was none other than the guy who should have been long dead, Li Yao!

Li Yao seemed like a ghost who had crawled his way out of the underworld, as he quietly watched them.

Furthermore—

Not only did he have a scimitar in his hands, his elbow, knees, soles of his feet, all happened to have curved, protruding parts, all of which had gleaming blades fixed to them.

Every time he elbowed, kneed, or kicked, each hit would cause devastating damage.

From how he appeared, armed like a steel hedgehog, it clearly indicated that he in no way had encountered them by chance, but planned on killing them!

A rift seemed to have appeared in between Lu Tieshan’s organs, through which his heart fell into a bottomless abyss!

Lu Tieshan somehow mustered up his courage and stepped forward. On one side, he gave a signal behind his back, hinting for the companion who had the real jade chip to act if any opportunity presented itself, while on the other hand, he would stall for time as he asked in a loud voice, “Li Yao, how come you aren’t dead?!”

Li Yao smiled slightly as he reached to his abdomen and pressed a bit. Suddenly, his body burst forth with a blood color aura as a couple dozen lightning arcs escaped his body.

Despite the bloody aura and electric arcs, he didn’t appear to be in any kind of discomfort; to Lu Tieshan’s question, he replied, “I have crafted a very common device. I’m even embarrassed to call it a magical equipment as it doesn’t have any kind of ability whatsoever. All it can do is emit some bloody aura and electric arcs, which looks like a real one, giving others the impression that I am grievously injured, nothing more nothing less.”

Lu Tieshan was rendered speechless. His pair of eyes were almost on the verge of bleeding. Having been stunned for a long while, Lu Tieshan disappointedly said, “There is still something I don’t understand. How come you knew Zhao Tianchong would set an ambush at his base, and why did you warn me?”

Li Yao replied, “In the final analysis, it was because of your oversight. If we had thrown caution to the wind and set out to find your corpse, it would have been all right!”

Having paused a bit, he continued, “I was not completely sure Zhao Tianchong would set an ambush. However, since the main battlefield was going to be the canyon region, the Chaos Edge Hall was quite likely to become an important site of the fight. If it was me, setting some assassins in advance was quite normal indeed!”

“As for reminding you, it’s very simple actually! I don’t wish the Chaos Edge Hall to acquire the jade chip.”

“Only if Iron Fist Club had the jade chip, would they need to pass through the entire forest, only then would I have the opportunity to easily hunt you down.”

“Very good!”

Lu Tieshan burst into laughter. As Lu Tieshan clenched his fists and struck them against each other, an incomparably ruthless expression crept on his face, “Li Yao, you are really formidable. Everything has been playing out in the palm of your hand. All right, the jade chip is with Your Father, you want it, come and get it!”

“The jade chip is not on you but on that young fellow behind you who is ready to make trouble, his name is Ma Feixing, a 3rd level Refinement Stage expert. He specialized in Electro Steps. His speed is quite astounding. If you and I fight for a while, he really might get away with it.

“However, it’s useless anyway.”

Li Yao tapped the Demon Beast Detector and calmly said, “I had immersed the true jade chip in a specially prepared dark phosphorous solution, as a result of which it will emit UV lights which will be invisible to naked eye, but I have tweaked my Demon Beast Detector and added a UV Detecting Glyph.

“In my eyes, the true jade chip is like a firefly in a dark night. It is so bright and eye-catching that I can detect it from a couple dozen meters away.

“This is also the reason as to why I was able to lock onto you in this fog.”

Before his voice faded away, Li Yao’s figure, like a true ghost, disappeared and reappeared between the four before his figure rotated at high speed, turning into a storm!

“Ma Feixing, get going!”

Lu Tieshan burst into a shout, as his huge stature blocked Li Yao’s path completely.

However, much to everyone’s surprise, Li Yao fiercely threw the scimitar in his left hand which drew an incomparably strange arc and plunged right into Ma Feixing’s left leg.

Whereupon, Ma Feixing staggered and fell forward.

The next thing that followed happened in half a second.

Li Yao’s right hand flashed with a sharp gleam as it easily cut across Lu Tieshan’s neck.

At the same time, he jumped into the air, stepped on Lu Tieshan’s shoulder and crossed Lu Tieshan’s neck, like a hawk pouncing towards a rabbit, ruthlessly kneed the remaining two Iron Fist Club members right on their chests.

The fierce knee strikes, along with the momentum of the blades, made the two fly backwards while their chests burst forth with a lot of electric arcs.

Li Yao like a giant owl once again rose into the air and glided to the front of Ma Feixing. The moment he landed on the ground, his elbow cut through a majority of Ma Feixing’s neck arteries while his five fingers ran across Ma Feixing’s waist.

Clutching his throat, he glared at the electric sparks that gushed through the gap between his fingers as he gradually fell down.

The moment before his demise, his staring, round eyes saw Li Yao putting the jade chip in his bosom before quickly disappearing into the fog without even taking a glance at them; shooting towards the north.

When Li Yao boisterously crossed through the canyon and appeared at the contact point of the Starfire Union carrying the jade chip, the huge campus entered a strange silence for an entire five minutes.

The Thunderbolt Cup at the Wasteland Battle Network happened to have not a single thread posted for a good long while.

Everyone was shocked in disbelief.

Only after a long while did someone make a short post:

“This match will be remembered for the next five decades to come!”

This post ignited all the emotions of everyone. In the blink of an eye, hundreds of thousands of posts flooded the Battle Network:

“So powerful, so crazy, this is truly shocking!”

“What’s the matter, why has Li Yao not come out yet?”

“1 vs 2,000, he really did it!”

“Zhao Tianchong is smart, Lu Tieshan is calm and stable. These two aren’t people who can be easily fooled. All of the traps set by Li Yao had indeed been seen through by them, but who would have thought that all these traps were just bait to hide the last but the deadliest trap!”

Every student’s heart, who had watched the match, was in turmoil. They could not calm themselves down for a long while.

If it was someone who didn’t know the details of the match, saw the outcome, he would definitely think that the members of Chaos Edge Hall and Iron Fist Club were morons who couldn’t even catch a single person even when their numbers reached 2,000.

Only those who had watched the match from beginning to end knew full well that both sides had done their best. Basically, they did not make any mistakes.

If it was someone else, perhaps he or she would have been assassinated at the very beginning or would have been unable to notice the remote-controlled shuttle camouflaged as a rock, or maybe he or she would have found the first, or maybe second, but would not have broken open the second shuttle to check inside.

As long as anyone committed any of these mistakes, Li Yao would not have gone through so much trouble and would have long won!

It was the high-level plays of Zhao Tianchong and Lu Tieshan which forced Li Yao to resort to any means necessary; this resulted in a brilliant match!

In a moment, the entire campus was covered in a hubbub of marvel, sighs, retrospections…almost 30 to 50% of all the students had gathered together and were excitedly discussing the match.

Many students who were relatively slow were still muddleheaded until this moment. They kept pestering others with questions.

“Wait, please tell me, why did Li Yao intentionally reveal the ambush at Chaos Edge Hall’s base?”

At the VIP room, although the high-level figures from various cultivation sects weren’t speaking, the surprised look was still dangling on their faces.

Long Wenhui sighed with relief as he gradually said, “Old Bai, if you were the leader of Iron Fist Club, how would have you dealt with this?”

Bai Mushen’s complexion became dignified as he slowly replied, “It’s quite difficult. Every trap has flaws. Obviously, the series of traps set by Li Yao had a multitude of flaws. Since we are viewing from sideline, and discussing after everything had occurred, we can obviously find ways to deal with them from theories.

“But in combat, in order to crack those plans, there are three prerequisites.

“First, the leader of both sides need to have high-level leadership skills. Their commands should be like arms directing the fingers.

“Second, their men need to be extremely clear headed. They should always do as they are told, never disobey. No matter what, they should not be incited or affected by rage.

“Third, both sides must have absolute trust in each other. Both sides should have treated Li Yao as their biggest enemy and should have sincerely cooperated.”

Bai Mushen bitterly smiled and continued, “However, in combat, these three prerequisites cannot be achieved.

“The 2,000 contestants were all hot-headed and happened to have conflicts with each other. How can they obey orders like a well-trained elite army?

“However…

“I suspect Li Yao of exploiting the rules by disguising his injuries.

“In combat, injuries are injuries, no appearance of electric arcs and bloody aura would impair the enemy’s judgment.”

Long Wenhui said with a smile, “In reality, there are many human cultivators and demon beasts who practice special techniques which can feign death or fall in suspended animation.

“Moreover, in combat, Chaos Edge Hall simply didn’t need to go and seize jade chip. Their purpose was to fight Iron Fist Club. Had they cooperated with Li Yao, they could have dealt a heavy blow to Iron Fist Club. Why did they go through so much hassle?

“That’s why, they soon fell deeply into Li Yao schemes, and ever so quickly crumbled.”

Long Wenhui shrugged his garlic-shaped nose as he said with a smile to Xiong Baili who was sitting next to them, “Dean Xiong, I would like to talk to Student Li Yao alone, is it possible?”

…

Southwest of Wild Waves City, on a secluded walk next to a quiet artificial lake.

Having finished the match, Li Yao, without even clearly looking at what the Thunderbolt Cub looked like, ran all the way there non-stop. His chest heaved up and down, his heart beat like drums.

In front of him was an ordinary looking, bulbous-nosed man in a gandoura [1] with wide sleeves. It was none other than the Vice-President of Hundred Saber Alliance, the Core Formation Stage powerhouse, Long Wenhui.

It was the person who had captured Demon King Pieu at Verdant Tarn City!

He was truly an illustrious and important figure of Federation.

Li Yao’s heart beat quickly with tension, apprehension, envy, worship, thirst…all kinds of complex emotions, gathered into flickering flames.

Long Wenhui, on the other hand, didn’t put on any airs. His gait itself was somewhat lazy, giving the impression that, apart from on the battlefield, he had no intention of spending even an iota of his strength.

Long Wenhui leisurely said, “Student Li Yao, it’s not the first time we have seen each other. At the Verdant Tarn City, you inadvertently spied on my recently refined double-edge saber, only to end up treated as an enemy by my saber. At that time, I firmly remembered you.

“A Refinement Stage cultivator who has yet to become twenty can actually make my blade have hostile intentions is definitely not some ordinary character!

“Therefore, when I came to know that you alone would be fighting against 2,000 members of the Combat Department in this year’s Thunderbolt Cup, I especially came to watch, and as expected, you didn’t let me down.

“I really want to know, how you thought of those schemes?”

Li Yao was taken by surprise. How could he have ever imagined an honorable Core Formation Stage Cultivation such as Long Wenhui especially came for him.

However, from the beginning, Li Yao was someone who was heaven-daring. Having noticed Long Wenhui had converged his energy, and amiable in nature, just like any ordinary uncle from the neighborhood, the tension in Li Yao’s heart abated gradually before Li Yao spoke frankly, “It’s actually nothing. I grew up in Magical Equipment Graveyard. Since the time I can remember, I, just for a piece of bread or half a bottle of water, had to fight and scheme. I was small and weak and didn’t like joining gangs. So, if I wanted to contend with those vicious adults, all I could do was use my head.

“Since I was eight, I lived in Magical Equipment Graveyard, which housed a total of fifteen different gangs. All of which consisted of tall and robust adults.

“Whichever gang it was, they could crush me quite easily.

“But amid the cracks between these gangs, I survived. I lived very well!

“After ten years, when I was alive and well on my eighteenth birthday, of the fifteen gangs only four remained!

“A lot of things have long integrated with my blood and turned into a kind of instinct. What appears to be sinister schemes in Zhao Tianchong’s and Lu Tieshan’s eyes, are as normal as using chopsticks to eat to me.”

Long Wenhui slowed down his footsteps. “Very good!

“Student Li Yao, let’s be honest with each other, what say you? I very much like you; I believe you are a rare genius, and I’m here to formally invite you to the Hundred Saber Alliance!

“The Hundred Saber Alliance can be counted among the top hundred sects in the federation and is at its peak. It can even rival with top ten sects and has a long history. It has deep heritage. It’s a glorious sect well worthy of its name and reputation!

“If you are willing to sign a contract, I can provide you with resources for three years to study. In these three years, you can freely study at the Grand Desolate War Institution, and the Hundred Saber Alliance will provide you adequate cultivation resources exclusively for your personal use!

“And when you are free during vacation, you can come to the Hundred Saber Alliance too. I will arrange for a true expert to guide you so that you can quickly advance in combat.

“Once you graduated, I will give you two options.

“First, you can enter the Hundred Saber Alliance’s R & D Center of Sabers.

“Although our Hundred Saber Alliance is a combat sect, we have paid attention to saber techniques for centuries and also possess very rich experience in refining sabers. As far as the level of refining saber-type magical equipment is concerned, we are second to none in the entire federation.

“Second, you can join the expedition team and become an explorer who can tread in places where few people have ever gone, the places where demon beasts roam freely, discover new mines!

“As you know, in the Wasteland, the ground bears countless treasure. Anyone with adequate strength and guts can discover them.

“And I believe that you are that kind of person!”

Having spoken till here, Long Wenhui halted his steps as he smilingly looked at Li Yao.

The pounding heart, which Li Yao had just calmed down, once again started to beat ever more fiercely.

The invitation of Hundred Saber Alliance!

The Hundred Saber Alliance, a super sect that was ten times stronger than the Crimson Nimbus Sect!

Furthermore, Long Wenhui offered two positions. The former one was joining the R & D Center of Sabers, which was still nothing as compared to the latter, which was becoming an explorer which was the one of the most lucrative occupations coveted by many cultivators!

Whether it was humans fighting with the demon beasts, or training of cultivators, what was the most indispensable?

Resources! Crystals! Mines!

Joining an exploratory team as an explorer, one could tread the remote and uncharted region which few had ever trodden, struggle against nature itself, fight with demon beasts, discover new resources, crystals, and mines!

Not only could one become rich overnight, he or she could be revered as the hero of the sect, and could even become a star of the entire federation!

Having been offered such a tempting proposition, Li Yao’s heart palpitated with excitement.

However, after a moment of pondering, Li Yao still lightly shook his head and sincerely said, “President Long, I’m very grateful for you your appreciation. I too hope to join the Hundred Saber Alliance but before that, I want to complete the Project Mystic Skeleton with my teacher first and craft the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit!

“I don’t know when I will be able to complete the Project Mystic Skeleton, therefore, I cannot accept your invitation.”

“En?”

Long Wenhui was somewhat speechless. His lightning-like gazes directly pierced through Li Yao’s eyes.

Li Yao braced his eyelid and clenched his teeth to persevere as he directly greeted Long Wenhui’s gaze.

The glance between the two lasted for three seconds, but for Li Yao, it felt as long as three days and three nights.

Just before Li Yao was about to collapse, Long Wenhui suddenly receded his gaze and revealed a smile from the bottom of his heart.

“Whoosh!”

A silver-white card sandwiched between Long Wenhui’s fingers appeared as he held it in front of Li Yao.

“Adhering to your commitment and also bold, Student Li Yao, I appreciate you more and more!

“You can think of this card as another invitation. As for where it came from, it is from an organization which is at a whole new level as compared to my Hundred Saber Alliance!”

 

“An organization that’s a level higher than the Hundred Saber Alliance?”

These words sent Li Yao’s heart in a turmoil.

The Hundred Saber Alliance was one of top hundred sects in the federation and could be counted as top ranking, super sect, which held its position in between thirtieth to fiftieth throughout the years.

Even the ten strongest sects in the federation, that were bigger than the Hundred Saber Alliance scale-wise, did not dare to say that they were “a level higher”.

Exactly what kind of existence was this organization which Long Wenhui spoke of?

Having subconsciously taken the silver-white card, the subsequent sense when he touched it astounded Li Yao even more.

At first glance, the card was even smaller than the gold transfer card, yet it was extremely heavy. On touching, it felt neither metallic nor wooden, when pinched, it felt like a mass of free-flowing metal.

As Li Yao carefully flexed the card with his fingers, Li Yao came to find that the card was rather thin, so thin that its thickness was under a tenth of a millimeter.

It was quite reasonable to say that the edges of such a thin card would be very sharp, yet when Li Yao cautiously rubbed his thumb upon the edge, some kind of weak power happened to block his finger.

When Li Yao further applied strength to his fingers, a ripple-like texture appeared on the surface of the card before the card started bending until it surprisingly folded in the middle.

As Li Yao let go, the card, like a spring, recovered its original shape as the ripples diffused. One simply could not find any trace of folding marks upon it.

“What is it made of?” Li Yao was extremely surprised.

Having been learning under the guidance of the “Deep Sea Goddess” Yuan Manqiu for a year, along with the assistance of ancient records in the Heavenly Refining Tower, Li Yao’s theory and basics were solid. Various common materials that could be found in the cultivation world were on the tips of his fingers.

Whereas a material with such strange characteristics would absolutely not be something that could be buried under shade, yet why had he not heard of it ever?

Long Wenhui said with a smile, “This card is an invitation but, at the same time, also a test. All the information of the federation is stored inside this card. Student Li Yao, explore it slowly, okay? Once you have uncovered all the secrets of this card, a gateway to the new world will gradually open to you!”

Long Wenhui’s words piqued Li Yao’s curiosity to the high heavens.

His gaze once again fell on the card’s smooth, mirror-like surface.

“The card doesn’t appear to have anything inside, so how can it hold a lot of information?”

Li Yao, who had flipped the card up and down for a long while, didn’t find anything apart from his own anxious look.

Subtly tracing with his finger, some strange changes in the subsequent frictional force caught Li Yao’s attention.

Li Yao’s eyes flickered with brilliance as his fingertips subtly traced the card’s surface.

He immediately discovered that the card’s surface was uneven, albeit so subtle that one was unable to notice any traces of the shallow engraving. It seemed that the surface was engraved with a sentence written in calligraphy that was as flamboyant as flying dragons and dancing phoenixes.

Having closed his eyes, Li Yao carefully felt the subtle changes from his fingertip and read out in low voice, “When the stars shine…”

Just as these words escaped his mouth, the card happened to lightly tremble as ripples on the silver, reflective surface madly spread and a black hole appeared at the center, continuously corroding the silver-white surface.

After a moment, the card had been engulfed in darkness!

No, no, no, it wasn’t darkness but rather as deep, serene, and dark as the sky in the night, spotted with flashes of starry brilliance that gathered to compose a shining whirlpool which was surely rotating, albeit slowly!

Suddenly, Li Yao felt as if sandwiched between his finger was the whole universe!

This incomparably strange scene lasted for a second before the everything went black; the galaxies broke as the card turned back into a silver-white mirror.

Sending Li Yao into a trance, leaving him shocked.

His spirit was still immersed in that vast and endless starry sea; for a long time, he was unable to calm down.

“What an incredible material, such a profound ability!

“Mysteries of endless cosmos interpreted within a few square inches!

“This technique simply transcends the limit of Heaven Origin Sector!

“When the stars shine? What does it mean? Does it represent the purpose of the federation?

“Is this a kind of federation?!”

In Li Yao’s mind, endless thoughts circled madly.

Whereas Long Wenhui was as amazed as Li Yao was. Touching his bulbous nose, he muttered, “Within only 1 minute 42 seconds, he was able to solve the first mystery!?

“In the past, I took an entire 9 minutes!”

As Long Wenhui calmed his spirit down, his eyes flickered with extraordinary splendor. He smiled and said, “Student Li Yao, keep the card. When you’re not busy, take your time to study it.

“What you’ve just discovered was nothing but one percent of the secrets that this card holds. The world is vast and wonderful, and it’s waiting for you to discover it!

“Remember, this card not only represents the supreme glory but also mysterious and unpredictable dangers.

“Building Foundation Stage, you have to at least step into the Building Foundation Stage before you’ll have the qualifications to research the new world on the back of this card!”

Long Wenhui paused for a bit before he touched his bulbous nose and said in a heavy voice, “In accordance with the tradition, each year, any freshman that displays particularly good performance in the Thunderbolt Cup will be entitled to guidance from the guests. I don’t have too much time on hand to teach you a whole set of saber techniques, let alone to someone like you, who, I’m afraid need not just one or two sets.

“So, I’ll send you a gift!”

Long Wenhui’s gaze wandered before he walked to rocks on the lakeside and bent down before extending his chubby palm towards a fist-size rock.

This seemingly run-of-the-mill action, in Li Yao’s eyes, however, gave birth to a feeling as though wind were raging and a storm was about to arrive.

The air seemed to turn into a strong adhesive that put him right where he was; Li Yao seemed unable to move even a millimeter.

All he could do was somehow open his eyes wide and watch Long Wenhui’s chubby hands with rapt attention.

“Whoosh!”

With a flick of Long Wenhui’s sleeves, a fleeting aura passed by before he grabbed the rock and blew upon it.

“Ffffffffff.” The dust scattered about.

The rock that used to be irregular, after having the dust dispersed, actually revealed eighteen smooth and glossy surfaces, just like a piece of gemstone that had been carefully chiseled.

Long Wenhui flashed a smile as he handed the rock over to Li Yao.

Only at this moment did the air return to its normal condition and Li Yao was finally able to breathe freely and unimpeded.

However, no matter how much attention Li Yao had paid a moment ago, he still failed to capture Long Wenhui’s actions.

All he knew was that Long Wenhui took out his saber for sure and slashed one after another to cut the rock into current appearance!

“I even failed to capture the trajectory of the saber! Is this how powerful a Core Formation Stage powerhouse is?”

Solemnly, Li Yao took the rock using his both hands as though he was taking over a magical equipment worth an entire city.

As he traced his fingertips upon it ever so subtly, his pupils immediately contracted.

‘They are not the same!’

The seemingly smooth and glossy mirror-like surfaces had subtle differences.

Each surface carved out by the saber, the impact speed of the blade, angle to the strength exercised seemed to have incomparably mysterious variations.

This saber technique of Long Wenhui seemed to have reached the peak of perfection of Core Formation Stage powerhouse. In what appeared to be just an instant, traces of eighteen completely different saber strikes had been left on the rock!

Holding his breath and closing his eyes, Li Yao used his hands, just as lightly as the wind, to feel about the rock surfaces continuously.

In his mind, inconceivable saber auras appeared one after another. Li Yao was completely immersed in the world of the saber technique.

When he was so feverish that sweat was dripping down his face, Li Yao opened his eyes to find that Long Wenhui had already left some time ago.

The surface of the artificial lake was ever so calm, yet a series of footprints was impressively left upon its surface, extending to the other side of the lake.

It appeared that Long Wenhui had walked right over the lake’s surface.

Whereas the footprints he left behind bore such terrifying spiritual energy that even after a long time, the water surface still remained solidified!

At this moment, a calm voice rang in Li Yao’s ears, “Be sure to put your best into cultivation. Student Li Yao, we don’t have much time left!”

“Puff—”

Li Yao exhaled a breath of relief as he sat down on the lakeside, gazing at the footprints on the lake’s surface in a daze.

Whether it was the silver-white card that would change into a star-filled universe or the amazing technique revealed by Long Wenhui, Li Yao got to experience a higher world.

A wonderful world that he had never dreamed of!

“The world of cultivation is vast indeed!

“The me of today can only set off a little wave in the Wild Waves City.

“I have to put my full effort into cultivation, craft the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit, and also enter the Building Foundation Stage as soon as possible; then I can step into Log Wenhui’s so-called new world!

“That would truly be a wonderful life!”

Having thought of this, a smile crept upon Li Yao’s lips.

In any case, he had won the Thunderbolt Cup and received a reward of 10,000 credits. His total credit had broken through the 40,000 mark. Now, all he had to do was to get a letter of recommendation from the dean and he could go and participate in the Refiners’ Registration Examination!

As long as he passed the examination, the Refining Department would remain as is and the institute would also increase next year’s funding; allowing them to restart Project Mystic Skeleton.

As long as he worked hard, such a prosperous future could be achieved!

“Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!”

The crystal processor had received a message.

“What?

“The Utility Patent I had applied has also passed, now I hold the patent for the Demon Beast Detector!

“Awesome! Hooray!”

Jumping high in the air, Li Yao punched the air in excitement.

He was too excited, so much so that he could not get hold of himself and happened to jump into the lake!

Over the next few days, Li Yao was rather busy.

He had received the letter of recommendation personally hand-written by Dean Xiong Baili himself. Also, the “Thunderbolt Cup” crafted from amethyst would be kept by the Starfire Union for a year until the next year’s match, after which it would be handed over to the next winner.

Having won the Thunderbolt Cup, Li Yao’s credits had broken through the 40,000 mark in just a year, thereby creating an unprecedented new record in the Grand Desolate War Institution, and inevitably became the focus of much attention. He had also been interviewed a few time by the campus reporters.

In addition, he had been warmly invited by the fellow students of Iron Fist Club and Chaos Edge Hall to talk about his winning experience.

Which Li Yao flatly refused on the spot. ‘What a joke! Wouldn’t I be walking right into a trap?!’

Even Ding Lingdang planned to help him celebrate winning the Thunderbolt Cup and invited him over to her house for dinner. However, he dared not go.

Every day, aside for being holed up in the research laboratory where he improved the Demon Beast Detector and prepared for the Refiners’ Registration Examination, Li Yao would take out the silver-white card and the rock cut by Long Wenhui to research, whenever he had the time.

The more he researched, the more profound he realized the mysteries within them were.

Even when he blankly stared at them for a day and night, he would not get tired.

However, after three days, an unexpected message interrupted his much devoted cultivation.

“The Zephyr Guild wants to buy the patent of Demon Beast Detector from me?”

At Willow House, the largest tea house in Wild Waves City, Gao Guanyu who, having taken a small sip of the tea, could not help but frown.

The environment of the Wasteland was rather poor, so poor that even the best tea had a sandy taste to it, bringing a sour flavor to the tea.

Gao Guanyu was a handsome and refined middle-aged man. At first glance, his good-looking, round, and chubby face would make anyone have a good impression of him; they would not be even the slightest bit vigilant against him and might even find him somewhat clumsy.

However, in the Zephyr Guild, he went by the name of “fat fox”, for the hidden dagger in his smile and the fame he acquired by employing treacherous and deceitful tactics.

Gao Guanyu was the senior manager of the Zephyr Guild’s patent center.

Zephyr Guild was a major refining clan. The new patents exercised by it every year were as vast as the sea.

It stands to reason that hundreds and thousands of patents could not be developed by the refiners of Zephyr Guild themselves. Many of the patents were purchased from outsiders.

Gao Guanyu’s job was to find a patent that had more potential in the market and buy it back at a rather low price before its inventor could see its value.

Then Zephyr Guild could make a huge fortune by using it themselves and reselling it through their vast network.

Having been in this line of work for a couple decades, Gao Guanyu had a vast experience and was keenly aware of the value of the Demon Beast Detector’s patent.

Once it was commercialized, maybe it would set off a wave.

What was even worse was that its application somewhat overlapped with many magical equipment produced by the Zephyr Guild.

Not to mention the fact that, in Gao Guanyu’s opinion, the Demon Beast Detector’s design was much better than the Hunting Watch and other similar magical equipment produced by the Zephyr Guild.

Once the Demon Beast Detector was on the market, it would impact the sales of Zephyr Guild’s magical equipment for sure.

Ergo, Gao Guanyu was determined to acquire the patent of Demon Beast Detector.

“The difficulty of this task should not be that high.

“The other party is just a freshman who isn’t even in his twenties. Whereas the Grand Desolate War Institution’s Refining Department is ranked third among the third-grade sect. Until now I have never even heard of them ever refining this kind of magical equipment.

“If my guess is right, then this kid must have been momentarily inspired and designed the Demon Beast Detector by chance. Perhaps he himself isn’t even aware of its value.

“So long as I gave him a little bit of money, he would sell the patent to us…”

A slight smile appeared on Gao Guanyu’s face as he closed his eyes and rested his mind, using the final few minutes, to ponder what he was going to say.

Suddenly, two waitresses chatting with each other came to his attention:

“Have you seen the video yet? The Vulture is a really apt nickname; he is truly insidious and cunning!”

“But of course, I think this Vulture is our Grand Desolate War Institution’s newest ruthless figure. If I am going to provoke someone, I would rather provoke Iron Fist Club and Chaos Edge Hall!”

The Wild Waves City was an academic city. Many students worked at tea houses, restaurants, and other establishments in the Wild Waves City as part-time workers. It was not just for the money but also for developing their self-sustaining abilities.

The two waitresses were, in fact, students of Grand Desolate War Institution.

“Vulture?”

Gao Guanyu was intimidated before he broke into a laughter; he was laughing at his own nervousness.

The Grand Desolate War Institution was famous for its Combat Department. Having heard of the name Vulture, he reckoned that he must be a ruthless figure from the Combat Department, whether he’s insidious or fierce, what’s that got to do with him.

He must think of some ways to deal with this silly freshman!

After a moment, apart from his bright and shiny eyes, a seemingly mediocre teenager dressed in school uniform walked into the tea house. After having looked right and left for a while, he started walking right towards Gao Guanyu.

Putting the most kind and cordial expression, Gao Guanyu said with a smile, “Student Li Yao, hello.

“I’m Gao Guanyu from Zephyr Guild. This time I came mainly to discuss regarding the transfer of Demon Beast Detector’s patent with you.

“We have carefully studied your patent and although it is somewhat impractical and hard to commercialize, in terms of design, it is still somewhat ingenious, we can see your ingenuity in it. It can play a supporting role in some magical equipment crafted by our Zephyr Guild.

“Therefore, we would like to buy it from you and enrich our Zephyr Guild’s patent library.

“Here are some of the clauses drafted by me, you can take a look. In fact, our Zephyr Guild buys hundreds and thousands of patents from outside sources every year, basically, we operate in accordance with similar clauses.

“You don’t need to worry; our Zephyr Guild is a famous and major sect with a long line of history. The aforementioned clauses are perfectly just; we would not let you suffer any loss.”

Gao Guanyu transferred the contract to Li Yao’s crystal processor.

Having heard Gao Guanyu say that the Demon Beast Detector was impractical and quite difficult to commercialize, a slight frown appeared upon Li Yao’s forehead.

When his gaze swept through the contract and saw the series of digits, a ridicule could not help but appear in his eyes.

“Five million?

“Want to buy all the legal rights to the Demon Beast Detector with just five million?”

With a faint smile on his face, Li Yao glanced at Gao Guanyu.

At present, Li Yao was at the 6th level of the Refinement Stage and on the verge of breaking through to the 7th level of the Refinement Stage, earning just 5 million wouldn’t be difficult!

Not to mention the fact that he could simply go on a spree hunt and slaughter demon beasts in the Wasteland. And if he sold them in the market rather than taking the hunt back to the institute to redeem them for credits, he could very well earn 5 million quite quickly as well.

The Demon Beast Detector would also play the most crucial role in his efficiency to hunt the demon beasts.

With a mere 5 million, how could he ever think of buying off the patent of Demon Beast ‘Detector?! Do you really think of me as nothing but a stupid brat who has never seen money?!’

And the aforementioned clauses made Li Yao shake his head. On the spot, Li Yao abandoned the idea of cooperating with the Zephyr Guild.

In accordance with the clauses, Zephyr Guild buying off the patent of Demon Beast Detector wasn’t just limited to that, the contract also included the subsequent improvements as well as the research and development of this patent.

In other words, once Li Yao signed the agreement, he would be unable to conduct further refining as well as research of the Demon Beast Detector.

Which was absolutely unacceptable to Li Yao.

In Li Yao’s mind, the current Demon Beast Detector was just 1st generation, it could not even be counted as a true “detector”.

For it didn’t have the ability to detect itself. All it could do was scan, and by relying on the shape and characteristics obtained through the scan, it would then compare it to the database.

If an unknown type or a rare variant of demon beast appeared, and there was no relevant data in the database, then it would fail to detect.

Furthermore, even among the same kind of demon beasts, some were strong and some were weak. High-level demon clan members could also cultivate. It would be basically impossible to judge their strength after cultivation by solely relying on their species.

Therefore, Li Yao planned to continue to develop the Demon Beast Detector to 2nd generation, 3rd generation, 4th generation…

Until the point when the Demon Beast Detector could possess true detecting ability where it wouldn’t have to rely on the database. As long as it performed a scan using the mystic beam, it would be able to roughly estimate the strength of the enemy.

This kind of magical equipment would not just detect the battle force of demon beasts but also detect the battle force of cultivators and devil cultivators as well.

This was the ultimate magical equipment in his mind; the Battle Force Scouter!

Therefore, how could he hand over all the rights of subsequent research and development to others?

Shaking his hand, Li Yao refused, “I’m sorry, the noble conditions offered by Mister Gao somewhat differed from what I had in my mind. Let’s work together again if we ever have the opportunity in the future.”

Refused?

Gao Guanyu raised his eyebrows. In his heart, he was slightly surprised. With a brighter smile on his face, Gao Guanyu calmly said, “Student Li Yao, the difference doesn’t matter. We can slowly discuss. If you are not satisfied with the price, I still have a bit of authority, I can help you fight for it.”

Li Yao smiled, “I am really not satisfied with the price. Perhaps the difference could not be compensated with ‘a little bit of authority’. But what I find the most unacceptable is transferring the rights of follow-up developments and improvements.

“What I can accept is the authorization of its production.

“After getting my authorization, the Zephyr Guild can mass produce the Demon Beast Detector, and the resulting profits can be shared by both party. I can lower my shares a bit too.

“But the patent of Demon Beast Detector will remain in my own hands so that I can do further development and crafting at will.”

Gao Guanyu’s smile became a bit stiff, “Student Li Yao, is that necessary?

“We are not clear about the market prospects for the Demon Beast Detector, and even if it is successfully commercialized, who knows how well it will sell and for how much?!

“And speaking of dividing the profits, your risks are pretty big!

“If you feel that 5 million is too low, I can forward a request to the headquarter and increase the final transfer price to 8 million!

“But we must get the complete patent rights, including the rights for subsequent modifications and R&D.

“Our Zephyr Guild isn’t some ordinary, insignificant sect. Just the production rights aren’t much different from contract manufacturing, which we never do. We must have the entire patent rights of the magical equipment produced by us.

“How about this, if you are willing to forgo the rights of subsequent modifications and R&D, I will add another 2 million to the price I previously offered, making the final patent transfer price 10 million!

“What do you think?”

Seeing Li Yao being silent, Gao Guanyu came to believe Li Yao was hesitating, so he added another spark, “Student Li Yao, let’s be honest.

“The Demon Beast Detector is indeed a pretty good piece of magical equipment.

“But even a pretty good piece of magical equipment would face many problems in the process of its commercialization, such as distribution channels, marketing, quality of control of mass production, after-sales service, so on and so forth. Even the slightest mistake would not only stop us from earning a lot of money, there is a pretty big chance that we would not even be able to earn back the cost price!

“Our Zephyr Guild sincerely want to get the patent of the Demon Beast Detector. 10 million is already our limit, and I believe no one else would offer such a high price.

“Not to mention that the utility patents are ensured for only three years. After three years, everyone else could follow the design of Demon Beast Detector and produce similar magical equipment!

“You will only get a one shot and you must grasp it!”

This statement of Gao Guanyu’s could not be counted as completely deceptive.

Ten million to buy the R&D rights for a utility patent from a university student was indeed pretty price.

However, Li Yao had other plans in his mind.

Having stood up, Li Yao slightly bent his body, “I am truly sorry! Mister Gao, I’m afraid we cannot agree on this issue. If we have the opportunity in the future, let’s cooperate again.”

Li Yao turned around and left.

Since both parties could not agree on the core issue, there was no meaning in continuing on discussing the details.

Li Yao’s time was rather precious, he still had to study and cultivate a lot more.

Watching the disappearing silhouette of Li Yao at the entrance of tea house, the smile on Gao Guanyu’s face turned incomparably gloomy in a second.

This fat fox squeezed out seven words from his clenched teeth, “He doesn’t know what’s good for himself!”

Li Yao wasn’t perturbed in the least by the breakdown in negotiations with the Zephyr Guild.

In the case of commercial negotiations, when both parties didn’t come to an agreement, it was quite normal.

However, Gao Guanyu’s words woke him.

The utility patents were only valid for three years.

After three years, the Demon Beast Detector’s design would no longer be protected by patent laws, giving anyone an open invitation to craft similar magical equipment.

If he wanted to commercialize, then the sooner the better.

However, meticulously crafting and polishing a Demon Beast Detector with his own hands in a few days’ time was one thing while using a production line to mass produce the detector another.

Not to mention the fact that he simply didn’t have a ‘Mystic Laser Micro-Engraving Machine’-like equipment for mass production. He also needed to consider advertising and marketing, distribution channels, after-sales services, starting capital, so on and so forth which would be required after the production.

None of these problems could be solved by him alone.

Having wracked his brain and still without a solution, Li Yao could only seek advice from Yuan Manqiu.

Yuan Manqiu was someone who had been in the refining community for a couple of decades and was a Big Sis in name and in fact. She had applied for hundreds of patents and thereby had long been adept at commercializing a patent. The first sentence that just came out of her mouth was enough to amaze Li Yao.

“First, you can set up your own sect.

“Don’t look at me like that, is founding a sect so amazing? Nowadays, the federation, in order to inspire the young to be creative, is very supportive of young cultivators starting their own businesses.

“Nowadays, establishing your own sect in university is a trend.

“Many of your seniors in the institute have partnered up with each other and have created their own sects. The institute also wholeheartedly supports it.

“Moreover, you are not only an undergraduate but also a Class 1 Federation Disabled Soldier. If you were to establish your own clan, you will get a preferential treatment in regards to tax, bank loans, and other similar stuff.

“After founding your own clan, you can mass-produce Demon Beast Detectors. Of course, you will need a large investment during the early stages for which you can take a loan from the bank or go to some youth entrepreneurship expo to find someone to invest in you.

“Nowadays, many large sects are very happy to discover small sects with good potential at youth entrepreneurship expos and invest in them.

“In my opinion, the Demon Beast Detector does have very good potential. A small sect with it as the core product would be very popular in the youth entrepreneurship expo.

“If you’re lucky, maybe a big sect would ready to spend a huge sum to directly buy your small sect.

“That way, not only can you get a lot of money, you can also directly become an elder like figure in a large sect. You could reach the dazzling heights in a single bound!”

Yuan Manqiu’s advice made Li Yao’s heart beat like crazy.

Establishing one’s own sect?

It sounded quite amazing.

However, having thought of it carefully, he still gave up on this notion.

Setting up a clan wasn’t as simple as it sounded. Whether it was going to the bank to apply for a loan or finding some investors in a youth entrepreneurship expo, very tedious things would need to be dealt with.

This was precisely the domain of admin-type cultivators.

And Li Yao wasn’t an admin-type cultivator, not to mention the fact that he only liked two things, one was to indulge himself in the complex and profound world of magical equipment and the other was to slaughter in a blood-soaked battlefield.

These two things already took up most of his time and energy.

Meanwhile, he would also pay a great deal of time and effort for the upcoming Refiners’ Registration Examination.

Even if he passed the test, he still had Project Mystic Skeleton to focus on.

He really had no extra time or energy to operate a sect.

Seeing Li Yao reject the first proposition, Yuan Manqiu wasn’t surprised. She continued, “If you don’t want to create your own sect to produce Demon Beast Detector, you can only work with another sect.

“However, the cooperation depends on what kind of sect it is.

“Although big sects on the scale of Zephyr Guild are quite experienced in producing such equipment and have complete marketing networks, they are too big. It would be very difficult for them to treat you as an equal. Quite often, they want to buy and sell in one shot; they would directly buy your patent rather than cooperating with you.

“If you want to keep the patent, your only choice is to work with a second or third-grade sect. Sects like those don’t have the powerful technology or have the capability for further research and development. Therefore, they don’t need your patent, all they need from you are exclusive production rights, that’s all.

“Of course, this way, the price needs to be a bit lower, moreover, small sects don’t have complete marketing networks like Zephyr Guild. Also, there is the problem of quality control with the mass production of magical equipment.

“Because of this, choosing a small sect that knows what they are doing is equally important.

“Li Yao, what do you think of Mountain Sea Sect?”

Apparently, Yuan Manqiu had figured more than the plan. Since Li Yao had asked, she threw him the best plan she could think off.

“Mountain Sea Sect?” Li Yao briefly pondered.

He had a very good impression of Mountain Sea Sect.

Not only the logistics supervisor of Mountain Sea Sect, Jiang Wenbo, is the guest professor of Refining Department whom Li Yao thinks of as a teacher.

The Building Foundation Stage cultivator of Mountain Sea Sect, Guan Xiang was his savior who also vouched for him when Li Yao became a cultivator.

Li Yao had met Jiang Wenbo and Guan Xiong a couple of times over the past year. He had a pretty good relationship with both of them. Also, the Mountain Sea Sect was a sponsor of Grand Desolate War Institution’s Refining Department. Now that a student of the Refining Department had shown some results, cooperating with the Mountain Sea Sect was only proper.

“I hear that the Mountain Sea Sect has been operating in the red for the past two years?”

“Yes.”

Yuan Manqiu didn’t hide it before she continued in natural, poised manner, “For over a century, the Mountain Sea Sect had been a second or third-grade weak sect which didn’t even have a Core Formation Stage powerhouse. And in the last few decades, their luck hasn’t been so great. First, their former elder had failed to advance to the Core Formation Stage and was seriously injured, which resulted in a big drop in their share prices; the Mountain Sea Sect suffered a heavy loss. Afterward, another of their experts, Guan Xiong had been poisoned by demonic energy during a beast tide, as a result of which, he fell to the intermediate level of Building Foundation Stage from his previous high-level.

“Having lost their two high-level experts who could hunt high-level demon beasts, venture deep into the Wasteland, and explore mines, the Mountain Sea Sect was unable to expand their high-profit business like military contracts from the federation, which made it difficult for them to operate.

“However, the Mountain Sea Sect has survived in the Wasteland for over a century, they are well-established and have marketing network across various cities in the Wasteland, and also have a certain reputation.

“The main market of the Demon Beast Detector is the Wasteland. Even if the inland cultivators had to venture deep into the Wasteland to hunt demon beasts, they would have to first rest at the forward bases. With the advertising and distribution capabilities of the Mountain Sea Sect, it would be a piece of cake to fully cover these important sites.

“Another most crucial point is in their production capabilities.

“Originally, the Mountain Sea Sect wasn’t a sect based on refining, but for the sake of a complete transformation, they spent a great deal of money to import a production line comprising of a Mystic Laser Micro-Engraving Machine and various mini-components.

“This production line is very advanced and can be used for refining spirit watches. Although the components of Demon Beast Detector are quite ingenious, in terms of sophistication, there is still a certain difference with the spirit watch.

“In other words, the Mountain Sea Sect is completely capable of mass producing the Demon Beast Detector.

“On another note, the Mountain Sea Sect’s technical abilities aren’t that great whether it is their newly established R&D center or their elders. The head of their R&D center is Old Jiang who is a Refiner from the grassroots faction and doesn’t specialize in crafting precision magical equipment. For technical stuff, they’d still have to rely on your support.

“As a result, you have the technology while the Mountain Sea Sect have the labor, money, production equipment, and marketing network. Both sides are highly complementary to each other. In terms of cooperation, you seem quite compatible.”

Having heard Yuan Manqiu’s analysis, Li Yao nodded again and again.

The Mountain Sea Sect was indeed the best partner considering his current situation.

After hesitating for a moment, Li Yao asked, “However, would the Mountain Sea Sect be willing to work with me, or would I have to talk with Teacher Jiang first?”

Yuan Manqiu slightly smiled, “What is there to talk about?! Just take the initiative to talk with him and then you just have to wait for him to come and visit!

“I have already sent your combat videos of Thunderbolt Cup and some of your fights in the Wasteland to Old Jiang and also told him that you’d got a patent as well.

“With his insight, he should be able to see the prospects of this patent.

“Furthermore, with the current plight of Mountain Sea Sect, this piece of magical equipment is simply tailored for them.

“All you have to do is think about the terms and conditions you would propose to the Mountain Sea Sect!”

Having explained all that, Yuan Manqiu said nothing else.

Li Yao didn’t have to wait for the next day. On that very night, having finished watching Li Yao’s combat videos and carefully reading the detailed description of Demon Beast Detector, Jiang Wenbo sent a spiritual crane message to Li Yao rather excitedly.

The Demon Beast Detector was quite appetizing to the Mountain Sea Sect!

Right now, the Mountain Sea Sect was in a very awkward situation.

Taking a bank loan and spending a great deal of money to set up a production line to mass produce spirit watches had all been a waste for the Mountain Sea Sect. All of the spirit watches were stored in their warehouse; each piece they refined was nothing but loss.

Having been unable to produce anything, the production line was just idling. The monthly interest alone on the bank loans was an astronomical figure.

They wanted to sell the entire production line but finding a right buyer was easier said than done. Not to mention that the selling price was also quite low. As the matter stood, the losses they’d suffered were simply shocking.

What’s more, what would the Mountain Sea Sect do after selling their assembly line?

With the appearance of the Demon Beast Detector, the Mountain Sea Sect, from top to bottom, was quite excited.

With Guan Xiong acting as the leading battle-type cultivator who often hunted the demon beasts in the Wasteland, they were quite confident with the market prospects of the Demon Beast Detector.

More importantly, the production line imported for crafting the spirit watches could be used to mass produce the Demon Beast Detectors with just a few modifications and without any technical difficulties.

Instead of competing in a competitive and mature market of spirit watches with traditional giants like Zephyr Guild, they might as well try to step into a new market!

Even if the sales aren’t high, as long as they could repay the bank loan’s interest every month, it would be better than keeping the production line idle!

With such calculations and after a fierce day and night discussion, the upper and lower management of Mountain Sea Sect finally reached an agreement and decided to fully cooperate with Li Yao to produce the Demon Beast Detector!

A month later.

Someplace among the high mountains in the western hemisphere of the Star Glory Federation.

A Killer Whale-Class carrier, which was trailed with by colorful streams of light and a long tail of flames, gradually made its way across the clear, blue skies as it plunged into a forest of hundreds and thousands of tall mountains.

Inside the carrier, Li Yao whistled in relief as he happily looked through the contract.

Finally, the contract was finalized.

Producing a magical equipment on a large-scale wasn’t trivial. Although both sides really wanted to cooperate, there were still many tedious tasks to deal with when it came to specific issues.

For the next two weeks, Li Yao made some minor changes to the Demon Beast Detector’s components and array glyphs, mainly from the perspective of cost reduction.

There were many array glyphs and algorithms that had only recently been invented in the last one or two decades and were still in the patent protection period.

Using the algorithms and array glyphs for learning and research was nothing, but if one wanted to use them in mass production for profit, they had to negotiate with the inventor to pay a certain amount to obtain the patent rights.

The best way to resolve this issue was to find algorithms and array glyphs that were invented thirty to fifty years ago.

The patent protection period of those array glyphs and algorithms was over and anyone could use them.

Of course, not all array glyphs and algorithms could be replaced. For some irreplaceable and crucial array glyphs and algorithms, it was up to the Mountain Sea Sect’s business staff to negotiate with the inventor.

In addition to mass producing Demon Beast Detector, the crystal eye was an integral component and, for Mountain Sea Sect, it was far more cost-effective to buy them from others rather than making it themselves.

Although the Mountain Sea Sect was unable to craft crystal eyes on their own, they still had some partner refining sects that had the ability to produce crystal eye at a high level.

They had reached a strategic cooperation agreement with one of their partners from whom they would purchase relatively cheap crystal eyes basically at cost.

All that Li Yao had to do was to fine-tune the production process and replace the Super Falcon-Class crystal eye from the Holy Light Sect, which Li Yao had previously used, with the new model crystal eye.

After having finished all this, Li Yao personally went to the Mountain Sea Sect.

On one hand, he wanted to check the crafting technology and production scale of the Mountain Sea Sect, on the other hand, he also wanted to work with Jiang Wenbo to revamp the production line which was originally designed to produce spirit watches.

Having seen the renovation project of 1st Generation Tai’e Crafting Furnace, Jiang Wenbo was completely confident in Li Yao’s “devilish modification” abilities. Thus, the responsibility of revamping many of the crucial sites was handed over to Li Yao.

Whereas the Mountain Sea Sect, from the upper echelons to lowly workers, was still a bit dubious of Li Yao’s capabilities, but after having seen his insane refining techniques and modification ideas, they were all rendered speechless and became completely confident in the Demon Beast Detector project!

After being up to their ears in work for one month during which all obstacles in regard to the crafting process were finally solved, both sides went through a series of haggling. Following which, the contract was eventually finalized. A few of the crucial terms and conditions were:

First, Li Yao would grant the Mountain Sea Sect the exclusive rights to mass produce the Demon Beast Detector, and promised that no other sect would be authorized for the next three years.

Second, Li Yao would still retain the patent rights of the Demon Beast Detector and could produce them on small-scale for research or distribution, as long as his output didn’t exceed one per day. Furthermore, he would have to engrave a unique symbol on the Demon Beast Detector so as to distinguish it from the Demon Beast Detectors sold by the Mountain Sea Sect.

Third, the Mountain Sea Sect promised to produce at least 50,000 units of Demon Beast Detector during the next three years. And the profit from the sales of each unit of Demon Beast Detector would be split in a 30-70 ratio, where Li Yao would be entitled to 30% and Mountain Sea Sect to 70%.

Fourth, Li Yao would provide technical support and, once he invented subsequent models, the Mountain Sea Sect would get the priority under the same conditions of cooperation.

Li Yao was very satisfied with this contract.

He also researched the market. Generally, for a similar type of contract where the patent rights were still held by the owner and exclusive production rights were granted, the patent owner would at most receive 20% of the profit.

Although the technology was his, the cultivation sect was providing money, production equipment, marketing network, and labor consisting of hundreds and thousands of people who were only working on this project. Also, the cultivation sect would still have to bear the risk of loss; so, giving them a share of 70 to 80% of the profit wasn’t actually very much.

Moreover, according to Li Yao’s plan, his ambitions couldn’t be stopped by fighting over a small amount of money. What would be the point of haggling with the Mountain Sea Sect for one or two percent?

The 1st Generation Demon Beast Detector was just the start. Later, he would develop many, much more advanced detectors that would have a wide range of abilities.

If the 1st Generation Demon Beast Detector sold well, then they could discuss slowly.

Li Yao’s gaze fell to the bottom of the contract, at a very strange symbol under the signature part, which was as flamboyant as flying dragons and dancing phoenixes.

It was a tiny pentagram with a long grinning smile whereas the corners of the smile were slightly curved, giving the impression of a sinister smile.

This was the exclusive insignia designed by Li Yao himself.

Every Refiner had his own unique insignia that was engraved upon the magical equipment crafted by him, which acted as the identification as well as a special advertisement.

Even a magical equipment with ordinary functions had its price hiked by hundredfold as long as it was personally crafted by a master refiner and had his exclusive insignia branded upon it. It would be treated as an extreme treasure for which the buyers would swarm like flies.

This small star with an evil smile was named as “Fiend Star” by Li Yao.

He decided that, from now on, if he was on a battlefield where blood was being spilled and bodies kept falling, he would use the nickname “Vulture”.

The battlefield, a place where everyone competed to see who was tougher, fiercer, and most fearless.

The Vulture, this nickname sounded like it belonged to a ruthless figure. Someday, even the Demon Kings and Demon Emperors of Blood Demon Sector would tremble upon hearing this name!

But in the refiners’ community, using an ominous nickname like “Vulture” wasn’t suitable, it sounded as though it didn’t belong to someone who was good and honest!

Ergo, in the refiners’ community, he would go by the name of “Fiend Star”, hahaha, “Grandmaster Fiend Star”, this name wasn’t bad!

“Hum!”

The Killer Whale-Class carrier lightly shook as it began to slow down.

The passengers inside broke into a series of nervous discussions.

Li Yao stopped smiling and put away the hologram. In the blink of an eye, everything pertaining to the Demon Beast Detector was thrown to the back of his mind.

At present, he had more important things to deal with—the Refiners’ Registration Examination!

Li Yao peered through the porthole as he turned his gaze towards the distance.

Where he saw lush and verdant high mountains and lofty peaks surrounded by a couple of huge basins.

Inside the basin, countless silver-white towns and cities glittered under the illumination of bright sunlight.

These were the towns and cities located within the hundreds and thousands of mountains in the western hemisphere of the federation. All of them were military cities comprising of series of munition factories, army bases, and research institutes of war type magical equipment, which formed the last line of defense of mankind.

At the beginning of the establishment of Star Glory Federation, the situation was nowhere near as stable as it was now. The eastern hemisphere of the federation was oppressed by the Eastern Demon Empire, whereas the Wasteland in the northern hemisphere was a paradise for demon beasts. At that time, the beast tides truly blotted the sky and the earth, destroying everything in their wake!

Many people were worried that the beast tide in the Wasteland would gather into a sea of demon beasts which would break through mankind’s line of defense with an armageddon-like momentum and directly head towards the south, ravaging the fertile lands in the southeast.

The high mountains and lofty peaks in the western hemisphere of the federation became the last base from which mankind could counterattack.

As a result, the Star Glory Federation spent hundreds of years to continuously develop the hundreds and thousands of mountains in the western hemisphere.

Countless mountains were hollowed out and transformed into large-scale arsenals. Tens of thousands of underground stalactite caves were continuously developed, dug deeper and were connected to transform them into complex, underground shelters. Countless soldiers and their families lived here. Generation after generation, the soldier families flourished into military families, awaiting the final battle!

The registration of refiners was divided into a dozen different categories. Li Yao had applied for Class C, which was focused in a small-scale military direction.

The refiners of this class mainly focused on crafting individual-type swords and sabers, firearms, and auxiliary-class magical equipment. The peak of their class was being able to craft crystal suits, or, in other words, become an “Armadominus”!

As the Refiners’ Registration Examination involved the designing and the subsequent trials of a large number of weapons, the small-scale military-type Refiners’ Registration Examination would be conducted in various army bases annually.

After drawing the lottery, Li Yao had to go to No.19 examination hall which was set up at military base 8734.

“Wow, it is truly spectacular!”

As the carrier flew over a mountain, the military base 8734 came in sight.

It was a huge military base. Multitudes of super heavy-class magical equipment were installed around the base. There were many crystal railguns were as high as several floors, while the spiritual energy rail was as thick as Li Yao’s waist.

The destruction caused by every round fired was hard to imagine.

Before the carrier even landed, Li Yao was completely dazzled by the hundreds of crystal tanks arranged orderly on the ground.

Even though they were older models, when they moved in astonishing number, mounting a charge, they still appeared prestigious. They had a noble air around them that soared to the high heavens, even from a few kilometers away, Li Yao could sense the killing intent lingering around them.

As the carrier gradually landed, examinees from various towns in the Wasteland filed out before they were escorted by a team of soldiers which lead them to the front of a silver-white, dome-like mega-building.

After verifying their identity, everyone’s private crystal processor was handed over to the soldiers temporarily in exchange for a crystal processor that would be specially used for the Refiners’ Registration Examination.

Li Yao walked into the silver-white dome.

He felt as though the sky had been covered by a metallic shell, and yet it was grand and imposing, and its lobby was enough to accommodate tens of thousands of people.

At the center was a red box which was completely sealed by defensive array glyphs.

It was the primary examination room.

The Refiners’ Registration Examination was divided into a primary exam, second exam, and final exam.

The primary examination was a written test which assessed their knowledge of various theories. It was extremely difficult. Over half of the examinees would be eliminated in the primary examination.

Over a thousand examinees from a few dozen towns were gathered in the lobby.

And there were still many examinees continuing to come in, one after another.

Because it was a national exam, the boarding time for everyone wasn’t allocated well. Many of the examinees had been waiting for a few hours.

Therefore, there were many special waiting rooms and cafeterias installed in the lobby.

And the crystal processor specially provided for the exam also had mock papers.

The examinees could both eat and drink in the waiting area, to recharge their batteries. Or they could make a last-minute effort by doing some last minute cramming.

Looking at the time, there was still half an hour left for the primary examination to begin.

Li Yao walked towards the waiting area leisurely to recuperate after the tiring journey.

Unexpectedly, before he could even sit down, he heard his name from the two examinees behind him as they discussed in low voices.

“Do you know our No. 19 examination hall is the most special one among all examination halls? There are two unique examinees who are taking the exam here.

“One is Jiang Shaoyang, the talented freshman of Deep Sea University, also known as the ‘Tenth Star’.

“Another one is Li Yao!”

While Li Yao stretched his body, he took a glance behind him out the corner of his eye.

Not far away from him sat two teenagers, one fat and one thin, no more than three to four years older than him.

The thin teenager had droopy eyes which subtly drifted from here and there; he appeared very shrewd. Just a moment ago, it was him who was speaking about Li Yao.

The slightly fat teenager, on the other hand, looked ignorant, like a bookish nerd who didn’t care what was going on in the outside world.

On the chest of the two was the emblem of Star Nebula University.

The level of Star Nebula University’s Refining Department wasn’t low. Every year, many refiners from Star Nebula University would apply for registration.

Touching the back of his head, the slightly fat teenager foolishly replied, “I’ve heard of Jiang Shaoyang. Isn’t he the guy who came to our university for the seminar representing the Deep Sea University just last month, during which the arrogant guys in our department were completely knocked out?! However, why do they call him the ‘Tenth Star’? Isn’t he just a freshman? Didn’t he entered the university just last year, how come he is taking the Refiners’ Registration Examination this year? Even a year hasn’t gone by, ah!”

The thin teenager said in a natural manner, “He is called as such because he is a genius, otherwise, what would a genius be called?

“As for why he is called the Tenth Star, it’s pretty simple. Have you ever heard of the group in the Deep Sea University’s Refining Department called ‘Novem Stellae’?”[1]

The slightly fat teenager nodded, “Of course, it’s an academic group created by the nine True Disciples taught by Jiang Sheng of Deep Sea University’s Refining Department. It almost represents the highest level among the new generation in the refiners’ community!”

The lean teenager smiled and said, “You still don’t get it, do you? Jiang Shaoyang had only entered the university for a year, but he had been personally taught by the Supernova Jiang Sheng. He is almost as good as the nine True Disciples. Therefore, he is called the ‘Tenth Star’, but at present, he is still young. Many people say that after ten years, he will definitely surpass the ‘Novem Stellae’ and become the best True Disciple of Supernova Jiang Sheng!”

The slightly fat teenager was caught by surprise as a look of astonishment covered his face before he said, “He’s been personally taught by Supernova Jiang Sheng for just one year and he is almost as good as the ‘Novem Stellae’? Damn, he is too good!”

After thinking for a moment, the lean fellow shook his head and said, “Strictly speaking, it’s not just one year.

“Jian Shaoyang is the nephew of Jiang Sheng. He had followed Jiang Sheng since childhood and had been imperceptibly influenced. So, it is quite natural for him to begin refining already, and along with being taught in a systematic method for one year, it’s nothing strange for him suddenly show some excellent results.”

The fat fellow wiped his sweat as he said with a stupid smile on his face, “Fortunately, you explained this or I would have been unable to think straight and would think that these geniuses are ten times better than us, they only had to study for one year and they could match with us who have studied for three to four years; if you hadn’t explained why, I’d have developed an inferiority complex! Hahaha!

“Oh, yea, you also spoke of another guy, is he someone who is on par with Tenth Star, Jiang Shaoyang?

“Li Yao, was it?”

“That’s right, how come it sounds so familiar, let me think…”

“Li Yao, ah, that clown, right!”

Remembering something, the slightly fat teenager slapped his thick thigh as a shine covered his face, “That guy is considered as a unique piece of work in the refiners’ circle. He actually wants to lead the Grand Desolate War Institution’s Refining Department to challenge the Deep Sea University’s Refining Department?! Hahahaha! Even our Star Nebula University’s Refining Department that has invented the Spirit Particle Collider wouldn’t dare to be so presumptuous as to challenge them.”

“The ignorance is truly a bliss!”

“However, such hype has truly made him famous, and now, everyone in the academic circle of Nine Elite Universities knows that there is a character like him. I say, did he do it intentionally?

“However, as I recall, that clown made a fool of himself just last year, he should be just a freshman and has only been learning for almost a year, and yet he wants to take the Refiners’ Registration Examination?

“If it’s the Tenth Star, Jiang Shaoyang, taking the Refiners’ Registration Examination is nothing as he is a nephew of Supernova Jiang Sheng and has been following him since childhood.

“But this guy has been in the worst Refining Department among the Nine Elite Universities for a year and he thinks he is on the level of the Tenth Star? Isn’t he just making trouble?”

The Refiners’ Registration Examination was extremely difficult. Generally, it was taken by senior undergraduates of the Refining Departments or those who had been pursuing the refining line of work for a few years to a decade; only after amassing a vast experience would they take the exam.

Like both of them, they had been studying refining in the Star Nebula University’s Refining Department for four years. And only after having been thoroughly assessed by the university did they get the recommendation letter from the university.

Inside the examination hall, the examinees in their thirties and forties were large in number, there were even middle-aged examinees with white hair growing on their temples, apparently, some were even in their seventies and eighties.

“The Grand Desolate War Institute should be a university like ours. They should also use a recommendation letter system too. And only when the student reaches a certain level could he or she have the qualifications to take the examination, right? So, how could this guy take the exam?”

The fat teenager caressed his shiny face as he doubtfully asked.

The lean fellow mischievously smiled, “Others may not know but I know a senior grad studying in the Grand Desolate War Institution. According to him, it is because Li Yao can fight.”

The fat fellow almost spurted out as he spoke in astonishment, “Can fight?”

The lean fellow nodded, “That’s right, not only can he fight, he can beat the hell out of a couple dozen or even a hundred of his fellow students. In short, he is invincible in the same grade, he could even beat the hell out of the students of their Combat Department; he is an absolutely fierce fellow.”

The fat teenager didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as he repeatedly shook his head before speaking, “The Grand Desolate War Institution is worthy of being called the craziest among the Nine Elite Universities. This is too ridiculous, right? What does being able to fight have to do with refining? Just became he can fight, he can get the recommendation letter to take the Refiners’ Registration Examination? He must be kidding!”

The lean fellow shrugged his shoulder, “Who knows? However, it is consistent with the style of Grand Desolate War Institution where the one who has the bigger fists gets more privileges.”

“I’m curious, if Student Li Yao isn’t able to do anything in the examination room, will he become crazy and ruthlessly punch the crafting furnace?”

They two gradually lowered their voice before suddenly bursting into a laughter after a short while.

Following which, the fat fellow, with a completely flushed face, stood up in excitement. Along the way, when he was passing by a food table with steaming dishes, casually picked up a piece of bread.

While eating, he set down next to another group of examinees from Star Nebular University and enthusiastically said, “Hey, do you know that our No. 19 examination hall is the most special examination hall this year? There are two unique examinees taking the examination here…”

Li Yao narrowed his eyes as he scratched his somewhat disheveled head. From the bottom of his heart, he was burning with eagerness.

Tenth Star?

Jiang Shaoyang?

Supernova Jiang Sheng’s nephew, the best freshman of the Deep Sea University’s Refining Department who could go head to head with “Novem Stellae”?

Li Yao truly wanted to have a bout or two with this genius!

Just as he was wondering, he suddenly heard noises coming from the entrance of the lobby.

A powerful, imposing aura like a big wave surging from the deep sea, spread everywhere, engulfing and submerging everything in its wake.

Hundreds of teenagers, wearing deep blue uniforms and Deep Sea University’s emblems walked into the examination hall with their heads held high.

With every step they took, light shone on the creases of uniform which was reflected as hundreds of small, blue beams of light, making the lobby appear as though it was in the deep sea, bringing a strange yet calm and peaceful air to the lobby.

The lobby, which had been hustling and bustling, instantly quieted down.

Every examinee’s gaze carried awe and envy as they looked at the marching blue team.

As though they were the protagonists of the day and the remaining people were just here to accompany them in the exam, nothing more nothing less.

“Just an examination hall has hundreds of examinees. I am afraid the Deep Sea University’s students taking the exam in all the examination halls are numbered in thousands!”

“It is truly the holy land of refiners in name and in fact!”

Li Yao sucked in a mouthful of cold air. Despite being aware that the Deep Sea University’s Refining Department was colossal, only now did he get a clear understanding.

These examinees were just the students of Deep Sea University, that’s all.

There were still many graduates of Deep Sea University who failed to become a registered refiner and were also taking the examination.

When they saw students of their alma mater arriving, these graduated, one by one, went up to welcome and greet their juniors who they were acquainted with.

The lobby which was completely silent a moment ago, once again, became lively. However, this time, the hubbub was coming from the group of Deep Sea University.

Everyone seemed to have been suppressed by their imposing manner and even didn’t dare to raise their voices.

Li Yao took a glance around and immediately came to notice that a quarter of the examinees were from Deep Sea University.

An overwhelming blue tide quickly spread through the entire lobby before the No. 19 examination hall turned into the turf of Deep Sea University.

The deep blue tide broke into a dozen small tides that moved towards the various waiting areas.

A long-haired, red-eyed teenager, surrounded by a couple dozen guys walked past Li Yao.

Originally, the long-haired teenager had arms crossed over his chest, but apparently, he seemed to have thought of something before he thoughtlessly raised his wrist to take a glance at the crystal processor.

Having seen all this, Li Yao’s pupils suddenly constricted. All of a sudden, he sat right up, whereas his spine burst forth with faint “cracking” sounds.

As though a satiated, lazy cat, suddenly became hungry tiger that was ready to go down the hill to hunt.

Li Yao looked at the left hand of the long-haired teenager.

Seventy percent of any refiner’s skill was in his hands. When a refiner trained his hands to the extreme, both hands would have extremely subtle changes depending on the how adept his or her hands were.

At such a close range, Li Yao came to discover that the subtleties of long-haired teenager’s fingers were exactly the same as his hands.

“I’ll be damned, he is just like me. He must have come into contact with magical equipment components during his early childhood, even before his bones has taken shape.

“So, his finger bones are different from others. He is certainly a super expert with astonishing hand speed, his speed may even surpass my…95%!”

Li Yao’s response did not escape the eyes of the long-haired teenager.

The long-haired teenager slightly frowned as he casually took a glance at Li Yao.

When his gaze landed on Li Yao’s hands, his pupils, in the blink of an eye, constricted to the needlepoint.

The long-haired teenager suddenly halted his steps, as though he had discovered an extreme treasure. Having observed Li Yao’s hands with much attention, he turned his gaze and meet the feverish gaze of Li Yao directly.

When the gazes of the two collided with each other, it seemed as though two lightning bolts collided with each other.

The people behind the long-haired fellow were taken by surprise; they could barely halt their footsteps. Many of them even collided with each other as they exclaimed.

After half a second, the long-haired fellow retracted his gaze and slightly smiled before continuing on.

Li Yao licked his lips; he suddenly felt hungry.

But it was not his stomach that was hungry, it was his hands; his fingers that were suffering were intolerable hunger.

A senior student of Deep Sea University’s Refining Department quickly came from behind and asked in a low voice, “Shaoyang, what’s the matter?”

“It’s nothing.”

The slender fingers of Tenth Star, Jiang Shaoyang were just like Li Yao’s fingers; they involuntarily twitched.

He calmly said, “Just saw an expert.”

“Expert?”

Upon hearing Jiang Shaoyang, everyone became excited as they, one by one, turned their heads; gazing with glittering eyes.

“Where is he, where’s the expert?”

They were not to blame for forgetting themselves, as geniuses in Deep Sea University’s Refining Department were as numerous as stray dogs. It was a place where terrifying prodigies could be found everywhere. Even so, Jiang Shaoyang, having entered the university for just one year, had already been publicly recognized as a super genius by all the geniuses and monstrous prodigies. He was the top prodigy.

Let alone finding his rival among the freshmen, even among the senior grads, the students who were of a higher level than him could be counted on one’s fingers.

It couldn’t be helped. Who asked him to be the nephew of Supernova Jiang Sheng. From childhood, he grew up in Jiang Sheng’s refining room. How could he not learn anything if the toys he played with were magical equipment components?

If even Jiang Shaoyang believed someone to be an expert, then he must truly be an expert.

Everyone’s gaze wandered, but all they could find were a group of Star Nebula University’s students nearby and an extremely ordinary teenager gorging on a plate of dumplings.

His greedy appearance was almost like a country bumpkin who only knew how to use his muscles.

Everyone couldn’t help but stare blankly, “Where’s the expert?”

The refiners’ community was filled with hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Of course, they wouldn’t dare to say there weren’t any expert refiners other than those from Deep Sea University.

However, many of these experts had been involved in refining for a few decades and in their middle-age after having trained laboriously.

When they looked around, all they could see were their peers who were almost the same age as them.

Among these people, there was actually an expert hidden who could go on par with Jiang Shaoyang?

That was simply inconceivable!

Everyone focused their gazes further ahead.

Jiang Shaoyang didn’t stop and continued to move as he lazily said, “Let’s go, you will know after a while. Today’s exam is gonna be extremely interesting.”

“Wow!”

Everyone woke up from their stupor and continued to follow Jiang Shaoyang.

“Shaoyang, you’re right indeed. Today’s exam is indeed going to be interesting. Apart from you, there is another figure whom everyone in the refining community knows and is taking the exam here.”

The senior grad from just a moment ago said with enthusiasm, “It’s Li Yao from Grand Desolate War Institution, the biggest clown who is known for challenging us. Wait a minute, I will search the net to find his 3D pictures. I wanna see how big his mouth is, to think that he dared to speak such big words!”

There was no change in Jiang Shaoyang’s expression. He calmly said, “Gao Yuanlong, do you know why I, being a freshman and having studied at the university for less than a year, could knock senior grads like you out?”

Gao Yuanlong was surprised for a moment, he could not understand why Jiang Shaoyang threw him such a question.

However, they were already accustomed to Jiang Shaoyang’s way of speaking which was no different than Jiang Sheng’s. They reined their temper and asked, “Why?”

Slowly, Jiang Shaoyang extended two of his slender fingers. Waving his first finger, “99% is because I am a genius and you’re all ordinary people with mediocre aptitudes.”

Gao Yuanlong was almost choked to death on his own saliva. In the blink of an eye, his face turned very red from choking.

Everyone knew Jiang Shaoyang didn’t know how to speak politely, but this was still too much!

What ordinary people with mediocre aptitudes?

In his hometown, Gao Yuanlong was a one in a million genius, who was like the feathers of a phoenix and horns of a unicorn!

Yet Jiang Shaoyang looked at him blankly, the look in his eyes was of calm as if he was saying, “I just stated one of the most basic facts. Why are you even getting angry, didn’t you already know?”

Gao Yuanlong ground his teeth to the point that they even started to ache. Eventually, he helplessly said, “Okay, what about the remaining 1%?”

Jiang Shaoyang waved his second finger, “1% is because I devote every moment of my life to the world of refining unlike you ordinary people who obviously have such mediocre aptitudes yet waste so much of time listening to a joke.”

Gao Yuanlong was rendered speechless. Everyone glanced at each other. From the bottom of everyone’s heart, everyone had an urge to strangle Jiang Shaoyang to death.

In the depths of the metallic dome, was a control room full of holograms that were displaying the scenes from various parts of the metallic dome. Stood in the control room were three highly reputed, veteran refiners. Each of them had the emblems of refiners’ association on their chests. They were all none other than the three examiners who were in charge of the No.19 examination hall.

On the left, stood a stunning middle-aged beauty. She was dressed in the same deep blue uniform as Jiang Shaoyang. However, compared to the uniforms of the students, hers was more beautiful, refined, and luxurious. A faint spiritual energy was lingering around it, bringing a sliver of immortal-like grace.

Only a “professor” level teacher of Deep Sea University held the qualifications to wear such uniform.

She was Professor Zhu Yueqin of Deep Sea University’s Refining Department. This year, she was already seventy-nine years old, yet she appeared to be in her forties or fifties.

“Professor Zhu, is that long-haired teenager the nephew of Supernova Jiang Sheng, Jiang Shaoyang? I have heard that his aptitude is just as Jiang Sheng’s, when Jiang Sheng was of his age. At such a young age, he is already on par with ‘Novem Stellae’ and also won the nickname, the ‘Tenth Star’. Geniuses keep on emerging from the Deep Sea University one after another, you are truly worthy of being called the holy land of refiners!”

Stood in the middle was a slightly fat but smart looking, middle-aged man, what’s more, was that the number of fingers in his hands were surprisingly six. As he spoke, his tone carried a bit of jealousy.

This man was Dong Liuqi, he was born with twelve fingers which made him unsuited to train using normal refining techniques.

However, he was quite gifted as well as had a firm and indomitable temperament. After painstakingly training for a couple of decades, he actually created a set of refining techniques for twelve fingers that was second to none and became a top refining expert in one of ten strongest sects in the federation, the Thousand Sun Sect.

Owing to the fact that in his teens he still had not yet successfully developed a refining technique for twelve fingers, Dong Liuqi wasn’t admitted to Deep Sea University and graduated from Star Nebula University’s Refining Department.

Having seen his alma mater, Star Nebula University, being completely suppressed, whether it was in terms of the number of examinees or in the imposing aura emanating from the examinees of Deep Sea University, Dong Liuqi’s voice inevitably had a hint of jealousy mixed in it.

Dong Liuqi turned to the square-faced military man on his right side and said with a smile, “Director Yan, I noticed there was an interesting kid called Li Yao recommended by the Grand Desolate War Institution on the list of examinees, isn’t he the kid who is known for challenging the Deep Sea University? Now that he and Jiang Shaoyang are in the same examination hall, they can also be considered as competing on the same stage, we will have to pay attention to them later.”

Even before “Director Yan” could speak a word, Zhu Yueqing couldn’t help but coldly scoff and interrupted, “He is just an ignorant, hot-headed kid, who is shooting off his mouth, nothing more nothing less. Elder Dong, you can’t be serious?”

“I beg to differ, I feel that he is quite courageous, the young should be just like this, they should have guts to speak and fight!” calmly said the military man, he took a step forwards while looking at Zhu Yueqin.

He was Yan Tianhe, a refiner in the army and also the head of the armament center at military base 8734.

These three examiners represented three different forces.

Professor Zhu Yueqin was from Deep Sea University and there was on behalf of the academies.

Elder Dong Liuqi was from Thousand Sun Sect and there was on behalf of the various major sects.

Needless to say anything about Yan Tianhe, the stars on his shoulders showed that he was a colonel; he was clearly representing the military.

The three examiners were going to invigilate together, mutually checking so as to ensure the fairness of the exam.

In regard to Li Yao’s attitude, the opinion of the three had subtle differences.

Zue Yueqin treated Li Yao completely like a crazy kid who didn’t know how high the heavens were and how deep the earth was—an idiot clown and it was beneath her to even pay attention to him.

Dong Liuqi was different, in the refiners’ community, the Deep Sea University had been in a dominant position for a very long time, and refiners like him who didn’t belong to Deep Sea University had been faintly discriminated in the refiners’ circle, after a long passage of time, they couldn’t help but accumulate tons of resentment in their heart.

Li Yao was presumptuous to challenge, but it could be said that he had spoken their minds. As the saying goes, the spectators aren’t afraid of making things big. Dong Liuqi eagerly wished for Li Yao to show spectacular results and render these proud and arrogant teachers and students of Deep Sea University speechless.

However, the possibility of that happening was next to nothing.

As for Yang Tianhe, his thoughts were even more different.

Who was Li Yao? Federation Class 1 Disabled Soldier!

What was the army? It was the organization that best concealed their own mistakes.

Even if anyone in the army was guilty of crimes, he or she would be punished accordingly only in military court.

And Li Yao was just impulsive for a moment, the blood had rushed to his head and said a few words of rhetoric only.

In the eyes of many soldiers, it was nothing, simply nothing. Some even appreciated this little guy.

Meanwhile, the army had been most dissatisfied with the dominant situation of Deep Sea University.

Although both sides are cooperating very closely, a lot R&D and manufacture of armed forces magical equipment fell on the lap of Deep Sea University…

But as far as the army was concerned, they did not wish for the majority of abilities and secrets to be in the hands of the civilians.

Therefore, they had always hoped that the Refining Department of Federation’s First Military College could challenge the Deep Sea University’s Refining Department.

However, even after challenging them for over a century, they had not been successful.

As for a blabbermouth and ignorant kid like Li Yao, it was even further from his reach.

But it couldn’t prevent Yan Tianhe, as an elder brother in the army, from having a slight appreciation for this younger brother.

Noticing the two had the intention of standing up together, Zhu Yueqin didn’t continue to struggle anymore. Reading the time on the upper right of the hologram, she changed the topic, “There are twenty minutes left, let’s inform the examinees to enter the hall!”

“Alright!”

Dong Liuqi and Yan Tianhe didn’t truly believe that Li Yao had the qualifications to compete with Jiang Shaoyang. Seeing Deep Sea University maintain its position for so many years, they were just a bit jealous and were just trying to make up an issue, nothing more nothing less.

Noticing it was time already, they immediately reined in their emotions and returned to the matter at hand.

A melodious female voice echoed in every corner of the lobby, “Examinees, there are only twenty minutes left for the exam, please head to the examination hall and take the seat according to the number displayed on your crystal processor. Please remain silent. It is necessary that you don’t bring any non-permissible items in the admission hall. The list of non-permissible items includes…”

“Whoosh!”

The restrictive barriers at the center of the lobby were dispelled and thousands of dome-like cabins emerged from the ground; translucent golden numbers floated above the cabins.

“Tap-tap-tap!”

Thousands of examinees rushed into the examination hall.

Swallowing his last dumpling, Li Yao wiped his hands and searched for his cabin.

Once he was inside, the semicircular crystal cover on the front of the cabin gradually closed tight, isolating the voices from the outside.

The crystal processor for taking the exam launched a hologram before a lot of information, like a cascading waterfall, dropped from above. These were the rules for taking the exam. At the bottom, there was also a small countdown.

“Beep! Beep! Beep!”

Soon, the countdown hit zero.

The first round of the Refiners’ Registration Examination officially began!

“First question.”

“Among the eleven flying sword blueprints mentioned below, seven of the flying sword blueprints are for the same model, while the remaining four flying sword blueprints are for different models, according to the difference in the design, choose the seven blueprints which are for the same model.”

“Of the aforementioned seven blueprints, please answer as to which model of flying sword they belong to as well as the inventor’s name and the refining sect of the very same flying sword. Furthermore, please list three exercises which could best unleash the strength of the flying sword.”

“There is a total of three errors in the aforementioned seven blueprints, please indicate them separately and correct them as well.”

“In accordance with the aforementioned seven sub-blueprints, draw the complete blueprint.”

“In accordance with the complete blueprint previously answered, please draw the spiritual energy flow diagram.”

“…”

The Refiners’ Registration Examination wasn’t as simple as the College Entrance Examination. There weren’t any multiple choice sections or fill in the blanks questions; each question covered one of the most complex and comprehensive topics.

Having seen the difficulty of the questions, countless examinees drew a lump of cold air at the same time.

Taking a glance at the examination hall, one could see a painful look on faces of thousands of examinees through the transparent eggshells.

However, Li Yao wasn’t among them.

Due to “stealing” the time in the Heavenly Refining Tower under the Super Perceptive State, his basics were rock solid, and with the modification of the 1st Generation Tai’e Crafting Furnace as well the development of Demon Beast Detector, he had accumulated a wealth of experience in designs.

As far as he was concerned, whether it was the blueprints or the spiritual energy flow diagrams, it was a piece of cake.

Li Yao’s ten fingers bounced like crazy as though they were striking some imaginary zither strings. His speed of answering the questions in the hologram one after another didn’t slow down the least bit. It only took, at most, a dozen seconds to answer each question, and quite easily at that.

The Refiners’ Registration Examination was known for its difficulty and the astonishing number of questions.

Whereas the time allocated for the entire exam was only five hours; a vast majority of examinees were able to answer only 80% of the questions in this allocated time period.

Li Yao, on the other hand, only took three hours and nine minutes to complete the entire test.

Having double-checked the answers, Li Yao clicked on the submit button and drilled out of the eggshell-like cabin.

He had submitted the paper in advance!

As Li Yao stretched his body, he noticed another cabin gradually opening on the opposite side. The examinee who came out was none other than the long-haired teenager he had previously encountered.

Realizing that Li Yao had actually submitted the paper a few seconds earlier than him, the long-haired teenager was caught by surprise first before he raised the corner of his lips into a smile that carried a sliver of curiosity and delight. His eyes didn’t conceal its fiery look.

Li Yao too curiously looked at the long-haired fellow. Especially his slender and delicate hands which were almost the same as his.

Someone who was from Deep Sea University and so young should be the Tenth Star, Jiang Shaoyang.

Li Yao licked his lips as he the veins on the back of his hands bulged.

“Wow, someone submitted the paper in advance!”

The front of the examination cabin was transparent. Many of examinees who were immersed in the sea of questions inadvertently raised their heads. Much to their surprise, two examinees had submitted the paper ahead of the schedule and more than one hour earlier at that. They could not help but feel aghast.

Soon, someone recognized that one of two was none other than the refining genius, Jiang Shaoyang.

The Deep Sea University holds exchange events with major universities every year. Everyone was well aware of Jiang Shaoyang’s over the top intelligence, thus, no one was astounded by Jiang Shaoyang’s submission in advance.

However, who was the other guy standing opposite to Jiang Shaoyang. Apparently, he had submitted half a minute earlier than Jiang Shaoyang.

The vast majority of the people had only heard of Li Yao; they had never laid eyes upon him.

Only a few examinees who were from the Wasteland recognized Li Yao. They could not help but break into laughter; their first conclusion was, “So it turned out to be him! He must have found the questions too hard and given up!”

In the control room, the three examiners had also noticed that someone had submitted in advance.

The identity of the two soon appeared on the hologram.

Noticing Li Yao’s name, Zhu Yueqin exclaimed in surprise before glancing at the two examiners with a faint smile.

Dong Liuqi and Yan Tianhe were extremely embarrassed.

Dong Liuqi coughed forcefully as he caressed his chin with his six fingers.

Yan Tianhe was, even more so, flushed red to his ears. In his heart, he was rather somewhat disappointed by Li Yao, he could help but shout in his heart, ‘So much self-confidence and yet so poor.

‘So what if your level is poor. At any rate, you should have a correct mindset and stick to the end, no matter what’s the result is!

‘How can you give up in the middle just because you find the questions difficult?’

“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”

The master crystal processor quickly started operating; its computing power soared to limit as it examined the answers of the two.

At the center of the examination hall, Li Yao and Jiang Shaoyang looked at each other for three seconds and respectively noticed the eyes of other party burning with eagerness.

One after another, the two tacitly walked out of the examination hall and came to the back of the waiting area.

“Do you wanna have a bout?”

After being silent for half a minute, the voice of the two with a provocative tone simultaneously rang.

Jiang Shaoyang smiled, straightened his long hair and said in an elegant manner, “How should we compete, you are welcome to use any method.”

Generally, if a man had long, shoulder-length hair, rather than appearing feminine, he would appear slightly unkempt.

Very few people were like Jiang Shaoyang, even when they straightened and combed their hair, appeared to be handsome and confident, full of zeal and vigor.

Li Yao replied, “How about each proposes a topic? You first, I will follow your lead.”

Jiang Shaoyang nodded. Looking left and right, he got up and brought a box of toothpicks from the cafeteria, placed a coffee table between the two before pulling out two toothpicks and handing one to Li Yao.

Jiang Shaoyang said while waving the crystal processor provided for the exam on his wrist, “First, let’s see who can remove more components from the crystal processor with a toothpick in three minutes.

“Second, also with the same toothpick, let’s see who can reassemble them in the shortest period of time.”

As Li Yao weighed the toothpick a bit, his eyes sparkled.

The toothpicks used in the military bases were naturally far from high-end goods. Maybe they were taken from the soldiers’ mess; they were very fragile and would break with the slightest force.

Whereas the crystal processor was a very sophisticated piece of magical equipment. Generally, seven or eight different kinds of tools were needed to disassemble it completely.

Disassembling a crystal processor with a toothpick was tantamount to nonsense.

Nevertheless, Li Yao was extremely excited. His eyes flickered with a fiery gaze as he nodded his head without an ounce of hesitation, “Alright.”

The two took their crystal processors off and placed them on the coffee table before they slowly and methodically started exercising their fingers, apparently, warming up. When both saw the incredible flexibility of other party’s fingers, both felt a bit aghast.

“Ready?”

“Bring it on.”

“Let’s start!”

Almost instantly, a storm was set off on the coffee table. Two pairs of hands almost turned into four whirlpools that sucked in the two crystal processors all of a sudden. The movement of their hands was so fast that only vague, trailing afterimages were visible, all one could hear was “Click! Click! Click! Click” subtle sounds coming.

One after another, components that were even smaller than a fingernail jumped out from the whirlpools and accurately fell into a nearby tissue box respectively.

After three minutes.

“Time’s up!”

The whirlpools came to standstill before they turned back into two pairs of red hands; apparently, the muscles had become red from heat. The toothpicks in between their fingers had almost been completely worn down, whereas the crystal processors had almost been dismantled into their most basic components.

“Three hundred and thirty-five.” Li Yao smiled and said; he simply didn’t need to count.

“That’s impossible!”

Jiang Shaoyang happened to have his eyebrows raised with a look of surprise plastered on his face. Again and again, he carefully gauged Li Yao from head to toe, as if he was looked at a monster, “I’ll be damned, just thirteen less than me? You are good! You’re truly good!”

In the blink of an eye, Li Yao’s smile froze. He picked up Jiang Shaoyang’s tissue box and weighed it a bit before his face became pale. Li Yao clenched his teeth and didn’t speak a word while he removed thirteen components from his crystal processor.

“Alright, now everyone has three-hundred-and-forty-eight components, let’s assemble!”

“Let’s go!”

As Jiang Shaoyang slapped the table, the crystal processor components in the tissue box seemed to have come to life as they gracefully rose and jumped into his hands one by one; meanwhile, the toothpick was like the most exquisite embroidery needle that fluttered up and down like a butterfly. The broken crystal processor at naked-eye speed got a new lease of life.

Li Yao sneered before he began the assembling process, however, his next course of action came as a surprise to Jiang Shaoyang.

Li Yao broke the toothpick into two and held each part in his hands before he poured all the components out of the tissue box, and started assembling with both hands at the same!

After six minutes fifty-four seconds, a “Beep” sound rang from Li Yao’s crystal processor before a holographic screen was projected.

Compared to Jiang Shaoyang, Li Yao was nine seconds faster.

This time, the complexion of Jiang Shaoyang was as pale as that of a corpse; he was completely dumbfounded!

Jiang Shaoyang blankly stared at the crystal processor in Li Yao’s hands. He was distracted for an entire minute; only then did he awake from the shock; he had never been this shocked in his entire life. His lips parted but he didn’t know what he should say and once again became muddle-headed for half a minute before he stuttered, “Next… next is your turn!”

Li Yao thought for a while before he brought a dozen of toothpick boxes from the cafeteria, “First, we will simultaneously throw these toothpicks into the air with our spiritual energy, then grab them and build a tower with them. After three minutes, we will check whose tower is the tallest.

“Second, without using our spiritual energy, we will blow on each other’s tower like an ordinary person to check whose tower is stronger.”

Jiang Shaoyang rolled his eyes before he repeatedly nodded, “Not bad, it’s a bit interesting. On one hand, we can test our hand speed, while on the other hand, we can test who has better mastery over the structure. Very interesting, come on!”

Twelve toothpick boxes, with opened lids, were placed at the center of the coffee table. The two lightly placed their hands on both sides of the table and at the same time, gently infused their spiritual energy.

Ripples began to appear in the water cups placed on the table.

Thousands of toothpicks, with the infusion of spiritual energy, flew into the air, like a goddess scattering flowers from the high heavens.

At the same time, both got up, while four hands transformed into grey shadows that enveloped a majority of the toothpicks.

“Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!”

Along with the deft movements of the fingers, two towers built from toothpicks sprung up like mushrooms after a rain; they rose straight from the ground and constantly reached new heights.

After the three minutes, both came to a stop and held their breath.

Only now did they have the spare energy to marvel at each other’s work.

The base of the tower built by Li Yao was octagonal in shape, while the middle part had a tic-tac-toe like structure and the top part was in the shape of a triangular pyramid. At the tip, there was also a toothpick pointing at the sky, like a lightning rod; it was used to increase the height.

Counting this “lightning rod”, the total height of Li Yao’s tower was over fifty centimeters, and its structure was extremely solid.

Had he not run out of the toothpicks, he could’ve continued building the tower.

On the other hand, Jiang Shaoyang’s toothpick tower was like a corn. It was round in shape and had seven irregular holes on its circumference, seemingly air was leaking out from all sides; the tower looked shaky and unsteady.

“My tower is 2.75 centimeters shorter.”

Jiang Shaoyang’s voice was filled with frustration but also mixed with a subtle excitement.

As if he had finally met an opponent with whom he could use his entire might to battle. A bloodthirsty aura was emanating from the depths of his bones.

“Next, let’s check whose tower is sturdier!”

Li Yao made a “bring it on” gesture; his confidence knew no bounds.

Jiang Shaoyang was also confident; he laid his chin on the table, puffed his cheeks with air, and slowly blew air towards Li Yao’s toothpick tower.

For the first three seconds, the toothpick tower didn’t move the slightest bit.

After three seconds, Jiang Shaoyang’s blow became stronger and stronger, however, only the upper portion of Li Yao’s toothpick tower shook and that too ever so slightly.

However, the lower portion, the octagonal structure remained extremely stable, due to the extended toothpicks in all directions which acted as “stable supports”.

The toothpick tower, with a solid structure, didn’t show the slightest sign of collapsing.

“It’s useless.”

Looking at Jiang Shoayang’s face flushed red to ears from blowing, Li Yao slightly smiled and said, “My toothpick tower not only takes the structural stability into account but also some principles of fluid mechanics and aerodynamics.

“The toothpicks aren’t arbitrarily arranged. The gap between the toothpicks is precisely calculated to ensure that 90% of the airflow will be diverted outside through the hundreds of gaps no matter from which direction you blow the air.

“Only about 10% of the actual force is acting on the toothpick tower. Considering the lung capacity of a normal person, it is simply impossible for you to destroy it.

“Therefore, you should just give up!”

Jiang Shaoyang’s pupils constricted as he carefully observed Li Yao’s toothpick tower, in particular, the gaps between the toothpicks.

After ten seconds, he nodded and said, “You are right, the lung capacity of an ordinary person is insufficient to destroy this tower. I give up.

“Now, it’s your turn to blow.”

Li Yao was surprised for a moment, was it necessary?

His toothpick tower was indestructible and higher than Jiang Shaoyang’s as well; wasn’t the outcome pretty obvious?

However, Jiang Shaoyang’s gaze remained firm and also appeared slightly confident which piqued Li Yao’s curiosity.

Li Yao similarly laid his chin on the table, took a deep breath and slowly blew towards Jiang Shaoyang’s toothpick tower.

A strange thing happened!

Jiang Shaoyang’s toothpick tower seemed damaged and ready to collapse at any moment.

However, along with Li Yao’s puff of air, in the blink of an eye, became ‘alert and energetic’ like a patient who was about to die had just been infused with lifesaving immortal qi!

“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”

A couple of toothpicks in the middle of Jiang Shaoyang’s toothpick tower madly started rotating.

The external structure, on the other hand, remained firm, it was incomparably stable, solid, and unshakable.

In a trance, the toothpick tower now seemed a lofty, high tower standing on a boundless plain to Li Yao.

No matter how fierce the winds were, they were unable to shake the tower the slightest bit.

“Pffff—”

Now, it was Li Yao’s turn to had his face flushed red to ears.

With his chest raised high, his lungs inflated to the limit, Li Yao ruthlessly blew.

However, the toothpick tower remained motionless, and the toothpicks inside started rotating more madly.

“It’s useless.”

The very same words that Li Yao had spoken a while ago were thrown right back at him by Jiang Shaoyang, “I also designed the toothpick tower while taking fluid dynamics and aerodynamics into account, however, you only thought of diverting the airflow but I thought of using the airflow to strengthen the stability of the tower.

“As you can see, I have designed a unique guiding structure inside the tower, and after precise calculation, the hundreds of gaps in the toothpicks in the tower create a wind guiding band.

“When the air enters the tower, 85% of the power will be converted to create a downward pressure no matter which direction you blow from.

“The pressure acts as an invisible hand which helps me hold the tower more closely and firmly, from top to bottom.

“Therefore, the stronger air you blow, the more stable my tower becomes.

“There is no way to topple my toothpick tower unless you use more power than the average person and air flows from top to bottom.”

Jiang Shaoyang’s explanation rendered Li Yao speechless. After carefully observing for a while, Li Yao gave a long sigh and said in a reluctant tone which seemed he still wished to continue, “Both games are tied, shall we go for another?”

“But of course, but we don’t have much time left, how about the most simple finger-guessing game?”

“Okay, what are the rules?”

“After ten seconds from the start, a round every second, and the hundredth round will be the end?”

“Alright, let’s go!”

The game Li Yao and Jiang Shaoyang were playing was a very popular competing method between the refiners.

This game is called “Rock! Paper! Scissors!”

The common people who play rock, paper, scissors relied on luck, cheating, psychology, and perhaps a little bit of probability.

However, when it was between refiners, the contest was all about “who had quick eyes and deft hands!”

The two stretched their right hands simultaneously and, ignoring the other party’s scrutinizing gaze, both silently counted in their heart!

“Five…four…three…”

The right hands of the two remained stable and unmoved, yet their fingers started beating like crazy; the ten fingers seemed to have turned into ten flood dragons.

No matter what hand is played, the fingers and the muscles are bound to have subtle changes.

Whoever could capture the changes of his opponent in advance, predict his opponent’s hand, and subsequently react in the blink of an eye, would be victorious!

“Three…two…one!”

The grand and quick showdown of rock, paper, scissors, began!

Li Yao’s gaze was completely transfixed upon Jiang Shaoyang’s right hand!

However, in the blink of an eye, Li Yao had captured Jiang Shaoyang’s intentions from the subtle movements in the ring finger of Jiang Shaoyang.

Jiang Shaoyang was going to play the scissors!

Li Yao sneered in his heart, as though it was just a matter of course!

And it was indeed true as in the last moment, Li Yao had subtly controlled the muscles of his hand and gave the impression that he was going to play the “paper”.

Sure enough, Jiang Shaoyang was hooked!

Li Yao’s right hand turned into a blurry shadow and, in an instant, became a fist or to say “rock” which heavily smashed upon Jiang Shaoyang’s…fist!”

“How’s that possible?”

At the same time, the smile of victory that was lingering upon both of their lips dissipated.

“He can actually control his muscles to such an extent; he even can make fake movements and set a trap!”

Jiang Shaoyang’s heart was in a turmoil.

“He actually saw through my trap at very last moment, and though it was too late to change the scissors into paper, he replaced it with a rock just in time!”

Li Yao too was incessantly surprised.

“Let’s go again!”

“Alright!”

The two were like two very sophisticated machines whose hands would change every second, and every time just before the transformation, there would be a large number of observations, fakes, and counter-fakes happening.

In just a short while, the foreheads of the two were drenched in sweat, and from the fingertips to the shoulder blade, everything was faintly aching as if they were on fire.

“Draw! Draw! Another Draw!”

“Both of us had won eleven times and the remaining 78 games are draws!”

“Heh, want to continue? From your panting, forehead drenched in sweat, and the slight twitching right-hand, you must have reached your limit? If you can’t continue, we will stop here.”

“Are you kidding, I’ve only used 50% of my energy, I was just warming up, that’s all! From the way I see it, you must be exhausted, you have already exceeded your limit? If you can’t do it, there is no need to force yourself. Let’s just sit down and have a cup of tea, we can chat as well; it’s nothing to be embarrassed about!”

“Bullshit, I have only used 40% of my energy, I was tired of doing nothing and was just playing with you; that’s all! Do you want to take it seriously? Then, I will let you see how frightening my 120% is!”

“Alright, we can go for another three-hundred rounds!”

Once again, Li Yao extended his right hand as well as his left hand. Spreading his ten fingers apart, Li Yao very provocatively looked at Jiang Shaoyang.

“Forming just one shape per second isn’t that much exciting, how about three shapes per second. And let’s do it with both our hands, what do you think?’

“That’s exactly what I was thinking!”

Jiang Shaoyang slowly exercised his shoulder; suddenly, his bones made a series of “crackling” sounds. His long hair, even in the absence of the wind fluttered; he had a fiery look in his eyes!

The two were sitting the depth of the waiting area which was a dead end for the cameras.

Therefore, all the cameras or the invigilators were focused in the examination hall. Not a single person noticed such a soul-stirring contest between the two.

Inside the control room, the master crystal processor had just completed correcting the papers of the two.

A glittering figure suddenly appeared on the hologram.

“931 points!”

“Jiang Shaoyang scored 931 points!”

Dong Liuqi’s voice was filled with a bit of surprise. He took a glance at Zhu Yueqin with envy and jealousy.

Zhu Yueqin faintly smiled. The look on her face was rather calm, but her slightly elevated breath failed to conceal the excitement in her heart.

The written test of Refiner’s Registration Examination was out of 1,000 points. As long as anyone scored more than 600, they would pass and could enter the second round.

Generally, even if someone passed the written test, quite often they scored very close to the passing marks. And if someone scored over 700, he or she could be considered as quite outstanding, anyone who could score higher than 800 points would be like feathers of a phoenix and horns of a unicorn.

As for more than 900 points?

In a span of three to five years, it would rather be quite hard to even find one such monstrous candidate!

Not to mention that the difficulty of this year’s examination was quite high.

Dong Liuqi reckoned that if it was him who was giving the paper, he would have to wrack his brain and had to be extra careful while answering, and even a bit of luck would also be needed if he wanted to score over 900 points within four hours.

Dong Liuqi took a long, deep breath. He could only accept defeat in regards to the unfathomable strength of Deep Sea University.

“Jiang Shaoyang is truly worthy of the name Tenth Star. Professor Zhu, congratulation to your Deep Sea University’s Refining Department for finding such a monster!”

Zhu Yueqin smiled in a reserved manner, “Where—”

Even before she could finish her sentence, her throat seemed to have been ruthlessly slashed by a knife and her final words have been stuck in her throat.

Similarly, the look on her face was as ugly as someone who had been cut by a knife.

All because the results of the second candidate had also appeared on the hologram:

“Grand Desolate War Institution, Li Yao, 901 points!”

Dong Liuqi and Yan Tianhe sat down at once. They both gawked at each other and respectively saw a look of disbelief and shock in the other party’s eyes. They furtively sneaked a peek at Zhu Yueqin and discovered that the beautiful woman was completely dumbfounded and didn’t know what to do.

Immediately, both pulled up Li Yao’s answer sheet and manually started reviewing.

“There is no problem with the first question.”

“The answer to the second question is also complete. Every single detail is taken into account; even the trap set up in the subject had failed to fool him. It is simply perfect.”

“Correct, correct, and correct!”

“It’s really is 901 points, there is no problem with the crystal processor!”

Only at this instance did Yan Tianhe finally feel relieved. He was grinning to his ears, and his eyes were glittering.

Over the years, the number of people who had scored over 900 points could be counted on one’s fingers.

Meanwhile, the questions where Li Yao lost points were related to the refining ideologies of the elite faction and those were related to most uncommon and unpopular topics at that.

In Yang Tianhe’s opinion, being able to score 901 points in a test which was based on the refining ideologies of the elites faction even while being a grassroots refiner, he was far more valuable than Jiang Shoayang!

“First round, the written test is finished!”

Dong Liuqi looked at the pale Zhu Yueqin and said with a slight smile plastered on his face, “I can not wait for the second round to start. I hope that the second round could begin immediately; it would definitely a fight between a dragon and a tiger!”

In the lobby, melodious music started playing as a faint sandalwood fragrance started to spread, bringing everyone in the vicinity a sense of calmness and serenity.

Thousands of examinees crawled out of their respective cabins with difficulty; their faces were pale with exhaustion.

Many people sighed and groaned, and even repeatedly shook their heads.

Some even moaned as if a weight had been lifted from their shoulders. Thirty to forty percent of the examinees walked towards the waiting area.

“This year’s exam was really very hard, I was only able to finish 70% of the paper. I’m afraid I won’t make it!”

“That’s right, the topics are getting weirder and weirder every year!”

“Lucky for me, there were two topics which I had reviewed just before the exam, maybe I will be able to score more than 600 points.”

“Jiang Shaoyang, that monster is truly terrifying, he actually submitted the paper more than an hour earlier. I wonder how many points will he score? Maybe he scored more than 800 points?”

“No matter how many points Jiang Shaoyang scored, it was to be expected, but there was another guy who also submitted the paper at the same time as Jiang Shaoyang, who was he?”

“Shaoyang!”

Several dozen examinees from the Deep Sea University faired pretty well, and naturally, walked towards Jiang Shaoyang. However, when they saw him sitting alone, they were astounded. One by one, they came forward to greet him.

“What—”

When they saw Jiang Shaoyang’s hands spread out on the coffee table, all of them let out a shocked gasp.

Jiang Shaoyang’s hands were red and swollen. His hands were almost 30% thicker than normal and steam was rising from them, it appeared as though he had placed them inside a steamer and steamed them.

“What happened?”

Everyone was greatly astounded.

“Nothing much, I have not had so much fun in a long time.”

Jiang Shaoyang heaved a sigh of reluctance. The sluggish look on his face instantly became as that of intense excitement. His eyes sparkled as if two shining gems had been fitted in his eye sockets.

“Hey, do you know—”

There were still some Deep Sea University’s examinees who were totally unaware of everything, all they saw was many of their fellow students gathered here, so, they too swarmed over.

Another guy’s face beamed with excitement as he burst into laughter and said, “Do you know there was another guy who submitted the paper at the same time as Jiang Shaoyang? I just learned that it was none other than Li Yao!”

“What?”

At this moment, everyone became cheerful.

Even the older and prudent students could not help but smile, and those whose tempers were relatively frivolous, even more so, shook with laughter, “Oh, really? Isn’t Li Yao the guy who’s famous for challenging us? What a joke! He could not even last five hours of the written exam and gave up halfway!”

Li Yao, who was carrying a large water bucket, calmly walked over. As for hundreds of Deep Sea University’s examinees, he turned a blind eye and drilled into the crowd.

“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”

In the blink of an eye, numerous sharp gazes pierced him.

Everyone didn’t expect him to actually have so much guts that even after shooting off his mouth, he still dared to enter deep into the crowd of hundreds of ‘enemies’.

Although they had heard Li Yao was quite adept at fighting, while everyone present was a refiner, refined, academic men, and couldn’t fight…

However, they could, at the very least…use their gazes to despise him, mock him, and tease him, couldn’t they?

“What is this guy planning to do?”

“Who knows! What is he even carrying? That looks really cold.”

“From what I hear, this guy is very violent. He wouldn’t intentionally make trouble and fight with us? Quickly go and call the invigilators!”

Li Yao was like a bloodthirsty shark that was swimming deep in the sea, the small fishes and shrimps gave way to him on their own, no one dared to block him even for half a second.

“Splash!”

Li Yao walked straight to Jiang Shaoyang and poured the large bucket filled with ice cubes on the table before sitting across him. Afterward, he inserted his hands into the heap of ice blocks, a moan filled with relief escaped his mouth.

His hands were also like as that of Jiang Shaoyang, they were red and swollen, and steam was rising from them as well.

Jiang Shaoyang inserted his hands into the heap of ice cubes to cool them down and said while deadly staring at Li Yao, “I have never encountered an expert like you among my contemporaries. I am very happy with today’s battle, but even after competing for such a long time, we still ended in a draw. It is truly regrettable.

“Fortunately, the Refiners’ Registration Examination has three rounds. We can still see who wins and who loses from the scores.”

Having heard this statement, all the examinees of Deep Sea University were flabbergasted; they became dumb as a wooden chicken.

On the outside, they looked stupid and absent-minded, but a tsunami of emotions was raging in their hearts.

“Did—Did I hear it right?”

“So earlier, that expert Jiang Shaoyang mentioned was none other than Li Yao!”

“It sounds like Jiang Shaoyang had a match with him and the two ended up drawing.”

“This Li Yao is actually on par with the Tenth Star, Jiang Shaoyang?”

In a moment, the hundreds of gazes peering at Li Yao, that were filled with scorn, contempt, and mockery were now instead filled with surprise, fear, and shock!

At that moment, countless faint bursts of exclamations rang everywhere.

The lobby, which was hustling and bustling a moment ago, suddenly became dead silent in the blink of an eye.

On the semi-arched dome, a huge hologram appeared, projecting the results of thousands of examinees.

The names of examinees who had scored over 600 were displayed in golden, glittering characters.

While the names of examinees who had scored lower than 600 were displayed in slightly dim green characters.

The golden numbers were sparsely scattered among a slew of lush green numbers.

Most of the golden figures stayed in between 600 and 700, only a few were above 700.

Among all the numbers, there were two numbers that began with “9” which immediately stood out; they were especially dazzling.

“Deep Sea University, Jiang Shaoyang, 931 points!”

“Grand Desolate War Institution, Li Yao, 901 points!”

“Wow!”

The lobby was in a deathly silence for about ten seconds, like the calm before a storm, after the strange calmness, the entire lobby burst forth with tempestuous waves of energy!

“Jiang Shaoyang scored 931 points, he is truly worthy of…what? Another guy scored more than 900 points? Li Yao? Impossible!”

“Li Yao! The Li Yao from the Grand Desolate War Institution! That ignorant, crazy guy who doesn’t know fear? He actually scored over 900 points!”

“If I remember it correctly, isn’t he the guy who submitted the paper at the same time as Jiang Shaoyang, both of them had submitted the paper more than an hour earlier! Who would have thought that he would be so terrifying? No wonder he can shoot his mouth like that!”

“Monster! Both of them are monsters!”

The examinees of the Deep Sea University had, even more so, taken a huge blow.

They looked at their pathetic 600-700 points and then, again and again, looked at shimmering 901 points of Li Yao. They were having a hard time believing it. In their heart, they repeatedly asked themselves if there was something wrong with their eyes or ears?

“You won the first round,” Li Yao said calmly; he wasn’t surprised by such result.

He was from a non-technical background. No matter how solid his theory was, how could it ever surpass Jiang Shaoyang who was from a family with a history of giving birth to academic geniuses?

Having a difference of 30 points was pretty normal.

“I had an unfair advantage.”

Jiang Shaoyang admitted very frankly, “Many of the people who made the paper were from Deep Sea University. I am quite familiar with their style of exams. It is rather natural for me to score over 900 points, but for you, who is from Grand Desolate War Institution which has completely different refining ideologies, to actually score over 900…

“You’re good! You’re really good!

“I’m anticipating the competition with you in the next two rounds more and more. I’m going to enjoy defeating a monster like you!”

Not much of a break was provided in between the three rounds of Refiners’ Registration Examination.

This was not only a test of a refiner’s knowledge and skills but also a test of his or her spirit and will.

After the results of the first round, the written test had been announced, the failed candidates were dejectedly escorted out of the lobby to the special guest house prepared by the army.

After the departure of the failed candidates, all that remained were 844 examinees who once again entered the examination hall and sat down inside the egg-shaped cabin.

Following which, the glyphs on the eggshell lit up brightly, before the examination cabin went back under ground and took the examinees to a huge underground base.

In a huge training room, thousands of crafting furnace simulators were arranged in a row.

These simulators weren’t connected to any crafting furnace system; they only had a circular control interface composed of a dozen holograms.

The super crystal processor with powerful computing power could simulate various complex situations that could happen in a crafting furnace and even simulate thousands of complex and intricate failures that could occur during the process.

All the candidates had to do was rule out all the failures and complete hundreds of refining tasks.

Every successful task completed would grant a point respectively which would be automatically added. Anyone who could accumulate 1,000 points within five hours would pass the second round and could enter the final round, the “practical exam.”

“Beep!”

In front of Li Yao, the circular control interface, like the vibrant wings of a butterfly, gradually spread out.

The second round, the refining simulation test, began!

In the blink of an eye, the light green control interface turned burning red as various performance parameters madly fluctuated, suddenly, the parameters shot through the roof before suddenly falling to zero.

A blood-red message popped out, reminding the user that the “crafting furnace” was on the brink of a meltdown!

In the first test, the examinee had to find the reason why the crafting furnace was about to meltdown and restore the crafting furnace to the normal state by eliminating all the errors through the control interface.

The very first topic at hand was super difficult, many examinees let out a cry of despair.

Li Yao, on the other hand, had his will to fight soar to the high heavens. His slightly red arms seemed to have been wrapped in red-lotus like flames!

In the control room, a dozen of holograms displayed the refining videos of Li Yao and Jiang Shaoyang.

Even though the style and technique of the two were totally different, there was one thing in common.

Fast, they were as fast as sparks from a flint!

The three were veteran refiners, what things they had not seen or experienced? Yet, they were rendered speechless. As they quietly watched the peak showdown between two monster-level examinees, cold sweat dripped down their forehead; for a long time, they were unable to calm their hearts.

After the two entered a crazed state and their hand speeds soared to the limit, Dong Liuqi finally could not hold himself, his six fingers wiped the cold sweat as he said with a sigh, “These kids are truly incredible. Are you sure both of them are in their teens?

“When I was of their age, even ten of me could not compare with them!”

The master crystal processor converted the points of the two into two progress bars which were directly being projected before the three invigilators.

Along with the completion of each task, the progress bars of the two were chasing each other as they progressed at an extremely fast rate!

Finally…

After three hours fifty-two minutes and thirty-seven seconds, Li Yao’s progress bar made a jump and reached the endpoint; Li Yao was first to gather 1,000 points!

Two minutes and nine seconds later, Jiang Shaoyang’s progress bar reached the endpoint but it was too late.

“You won the second round.”

In the simulation training room, countless examinees were immersed in the complex and intricate tasks, unable to extricate themselves. Some had suffered cramp in their arms and legs by moving them too quickly, and some were even foaming at the mouth.

Li Yao and Jiang Shaoyang were, instead, quietly stood facing each other.

“With the previous two rounds, we are once again tied.”

“However, you and I, are both very clear that whether it is the written test or refining simulation, they are just boring games, nothing more nothing less!”

“The third round, the practical test, is the real contest!”

After two hours.

342 examinees stepped onto a giant lift and continued to advance deeper into the ground.

The lift was like an enormous metallic disc which relied on anti-gravity array glyphs to silently move in the darkness.

The stabilizing array glyphs at the edge of the disc flickered with weak blue light, illuminating the terribly tired and haggard faces, one after another.

Even if the examinees were powerful cultivators, operating their brains at super high speed continuously for a dozen hours had made them somewhat exhausted.

The examinees were divided into two distinct groups.

340 examinees sat at the edge of the enormous disc, forming a huge ring.

While at the center, there were only two examinees.

They were none other than Li Yao and Jiang Shaoyang.

The monstrous performance of the two had shocked everyone. Everyone could not help but maintain a certain distance from the two unconsciously. They were afraid that they would interrupt the duel between the two monsters.

It was as though two T-rex from billions of years ago stood facing each other, while no other creature dared to stand between the two.

In a moment, a brilliant flash blurred everyone’s vision.

Finally, the lift broke through the veil of darkness and sank a kilometer below the ground.

A grand and magnificent scene came into everyone’s sight, making everyone hold their breath.

They’d entered an incredibly vast underground stalactite cave.

As they raised their head to look, countless stalactites hanging down the hundreds of meters high roof covered their vision.

When they looked downward, all they saw was pitch black darkness; they simply couldn’t see the bottom.

As they looked around them, the cylindrical stalactite cave was over a kilometer in diameter and its walls had been artificially excavated into thousands upon thousands of caves.

It was a hive. This place looked like the interior of a huge steel hive.

And they were but the smallest ants.

Even the enormous lift looked like a lonely boat after having entered the stalactite cave. All around them, countless shiny metallic discs were flying; giving the picture of a busy life.

“This is the strength of our nation!

“Only by mobilizing the strength of tens of billions of citizens of a nation can make it possible to build such a vast and magnificent world under ground!

“Only with this kind of power can we compete with billions of demons and devils in the endless cosmos!”

Li Yao sighed with emotion. While he’d come to experience his own insignificance, he also felt deeply proud for being a citizen of such a powerful country.

The disc slowed down and flew towards the wall shining with a metallic gloss.

Two firefly-like specks of light floated up from deep within the underground and flew next to the disc.

The speck of lights were two soldiers with metallic wings attached to their backs.

The two soldiers each held a magical equipment that released a red light which covered the entire disc.

“Beep! Beep!”

A dazzling red light suddenly turned into a warm green light; the identification of everyone had been verified.

On the walls, the entrances of hundreds of man-made caves were sealed by huge, metallic doors which, at this moment, silently slid open.

The enormous disc rose and fell, all in accordance with the roll number of the examinees; delivering everyone to their corresponding cave.

Li Yao drew a long, deep breath and strode into his own cave before the metallic doors behind him closed slowly.

The final round!

Li Yao looked around the cave with great curiosity. He was quite familiar with the furnishing inside the cave. It was a repair workshop, and at the back, there was also a small refining room as well as a warehouse. It was small, but it had everything.

“Beep! Beep!”

The exam crystal processor displayed a message, displaying the topic’s details of the practical exam, according to which the examinees had to repair a puppet warbeast to 90% of its battle force using the facilities in the repair workshop and the raw material from the warehouse within 24 hours.

“A maintenance-type task?”

Li Yao beamed with joy, was the task custom-made for him?

At the corner of the workshop, something small was covered with a tarpaulin. As Li Yao uncovered it, he was dazzled.

“Mystic Wolf?”

The puppet warbeast was quite similar to the “wooden oxen” that Li Yao had repaired in the small mountain village a year ago. It was controlled by artificial intelligence implemented in a crystal processor, giving it the ability to operate autonomously.

The Mystic Wolf was a puppet warbeast that was manufactured by Wolves Valley thirty-three years ago.

And it was purchased by the army in large numbers because of its excellent design and high performance.

This kind of puppet warbeast was created using bionics. It was designed with reference to many wolf-type and leopard-type demon beasts’ appearances and characteristics. With its narrow, streamlined, and agile body, it could adapt to multitudes of complex terrains. It was especially suitable for fighting in plains and jungles, even if it was on a steep mountain, it could climb quite easily.

The Mystic Wolf belonged to a light warbeast category, with a length of 1.56 meter and a total weight of 156.33 kilograms. Two light crystal railguns attached to either side of its body. Additionally, a flying sword launcher could also be attached to its abdominal region that could fire twelve mini-flying swords; greatly enhancing its long-range firepower.

In addition, at the end of its limbs, vibro-claws built using a super alloy were respectively installed. Its jaw that was filled with steel teeth had extremely high bite force, and a flamethrower was also installed in its throat which was driven by flame array glyphs and could project a long stream of fire with a temperature of over a thousand degrees; it was capable of reducing the enemies into ashes in the blink of an eye.

The Mystic Wolf had two modes of operations.

It could be remotely controlled by soldiers or cultivators.

One could also enter a general objective beforehand, such as “patrol”, “guard”, “weapons-free”, after which the Mystic Wolf would be controlled by the built-in crystal processor and conduct operations autonomously in accordance with the previous commands.

Once the Mystic Wolf appeared, it immediately replaced the position of many army dog-type spirit beasts. And it was particularly favored by the scouts.

Today, each standard reconnaissance unit of the army consists of two scouts and a Mystic Wolf.

However, the condition of the Mystic Wolf before Li Yao was somewhat worse for wear.

It seemed that the Mystic Wolf had suffered a long-range corrosive attack from a demon beast; its metallic coverings had been eroded and was riddled with holes, even the crystal fibers connecting many of the key points had suffered from corrosion.

And after the corrosive attack, the Mystic Wolf seemed to have fought with the brutal demon beast; its head had a deep dent, at many places the coverings had been broken into pieces, three of its four limbs were broken off, whereas only a few pitiful crystal fibers were keeping the two forelimbs from getting detached from the main body.

Its abdomen had an even more horrifying hole. Many of the engraved crucial array glyphs, crystal chips, and internal parts were missing. As for the rest, they were corroded from some kind of acid and riddled with holes; they were far from any operable standard.

With the exception of its intact spine that was refined from a special alloy, the Mystic Wolf was almost on the verge of getting scrapped.

As far as Li Yao was concerned, such a scene was quite common for him.

Whether it was the Magical Equipment Graveyard or the ruins of the Grand Desolate War Institution’s Refining Department, 90% of the magical equipment was either on the verge of getting scrapped or were completely scrapped.

So what?

Couldn’t he recover it bit by bit as before, or maybe even stronger than ever.

This Mystic Wolf was still far from the most damaged magical equipment which Li Yao had ever repaired.

Rubbing his hand, Li Yao threw himself into an intensive repair work with rapt attention.

First, he started disassembling all the components of the Mystic Wolf to see which components could be retained, which must be repaired, and which must be discarded. Only then could he start crafting anew.

“What the hell?”

After having spent eleven minutes and completed 80% of the disassembling work, Li Yao suddenly found a deeply hidden problem.

In his hands was the completely intact vertebral column of the Mystic Wolf.

However, from the sounds caused by the friction between the joints between the vertebrae[1], Li Yao sensed a subtle peculiarity.

Without a shred of hesitation, Li Yao pressed his ring finger with his thumb and lightly flicked at the twenty-second vertebra. As he carefully listened to the subsequent vibrations produced in the metal, an intricate cross-sectional diagram was sketched out in his mind.

“The twenty-second vertebra seems to have a problem!

“Although the vertebra column looks completely intact from the outside, after having been hit several times heavily, microscopic cracks which are invisible to the naked eyes have already appeared in the internal structure; the alloy has reached the limits of metal fatigue!

“As long as it suffered another high-speed impact, no, no, no, even without any collision, as long as the Mystic Wolf suddenly came to a stop after moving at a high speed, the vertebra would completely crack!”

Wolves were creatures with a copper head and an iron tail, but an abdominal region like tofu; its abdominal region was its fatal weakness.

The same was true for the puppet warbeast, the Mystic Wolf. In order to pursue incredible speed and flexibility, it had a streamlined body, the abdominal region connecting the anterior and the posterior regions was the most vulnerable region; it was only supported by the vertebral column.

What’s more was that the Mystic Wolf was completely different from the wolf-type demon beasts, it also had two crystal railguns attached to its either side; the recoil from the fire would similarly produce a huge pressure on the vertebral column.

The twenty-second vertebra was located in the lumbar region[2] and was the most important vertebra. Once it cracked, it was equivalent to paralysis of the lower body; the Mystic Wolf would lose 95% of its battle force in the blink of an eye!

“It appears that this is a trap!

“At first glance, the Mystic Wolf appeared to be riddled with holes, torn to pieces, and heavily damaged… but these are still minor problems!

“This invisible hidden damage is the true fatal injury!

“If we just repaired the damages on the surface and ignored the damage in the vertebral column, then, it would look brand-new but it will not be able to stand the combat trials. At the test site, just a few high-speed maneuvers would make its vertebral column to crack down!”

Li Yao slightly smiled. Since he had found the problem, the next step was easy to figure out.

Having checked twice again to confirm that this was the only trap, Li Yao walked into the warehouse and looked for the raw materials required for maintenance.

Soon, he discovered a second fatal issue.

“This isn’t Purple-Gold Titanium, but a… Purple-Gold Titanium Associate!”[3]

The Purple-Gold Titanium was a rare metal which was used in refining the special alloy that was used for forging the vertebral column of the Mystic Wolf. It was an essential raw material that could greatly enhance the tensile strength of the special alloy.

The Purple-Gold Titanium Associate was a very strange metal associate found in the Purple-Gold Titanite.

Although its appearance, color, texture bore a striking resemblance with the Purple-Gold Titanium, its properties were somewhat different. It was simply unable to elevate the tensile strength of alloys.

In the warehouse, there was some Purple-Gold Titanium Associate, but not even a gram of true Purple-Gold Titanium!

“Is this another trap?

“Do they want to test the examinees’ acuity? Want to see whether we could differentiate between the Purple-Gold Titanium and the Purple-Gold Titanium Associate?

“I’m simply unable to refine a new vertebral column without the Purple-Gold Titanium.”

Sitting at the center of the warehouse, Li Yao lightly tapped his finger on the ground as he quietly pondered.

In the control room, a strange smile was pasted upon the three examiners’ faces as they watched the grimacing and pondering examinees.

“How many people among the three hundred or so examinees do you think would be able to notice the trap in the vertebral column, and even if they noticed it, after how long would they take to realize that we have provided the Purple-Gold Titanium Associate and ‘forgot’ to provide the real Purple-Gold Titanium?” Dong Liuqi asked with a smile.

Yan Tianhe slightly smiled as well. Just as he was about to open his mouth, a hologram at center suddenly flashed.

Apparently, an examinee had asked a question.

“Excuse me, why is there no Purple-Gold Titanium, which is absolutely necessary to repair the Mystic Wolf, in the warehouse?” In the hologram, Jiang Shaoyang very calmly asked.

At that moment, since the start of the third round, only thirty-one minutes and forty-two seconds had elapsed.

The three examiners were slightly astounded. It was totally out of their expectations for Jiang Shaoyang to quickly see through the two traps set in the test and also promptly forward his doubt to them.

Such acuity, means, knowledge of the materials, and quick thinking was certainly superb!

Zhu Yueqin was all smiles as she immediately said, “Okay, we’ll give you the Purple-Gold Titanium!”

From the get-go, this trap was just there to confuse the examinees. Obviously, it was impossible for them to not provide the Purple-Gold Titanium as it would render the examinees unable to complete the maintenance work.

In accordance with the rule which only the three examiners were aware of, as long as the examinee had the guts to boldly ask them, he or she could get the Purple-Gold Titanium.

All the examinees who could pass through the two exams and enter the final round were all outstanding refiners.

These two traps could not outsmart them at all.

After having carefully examined for more than an hour, many examinees had discovered the hidden damage in the twenty-second vertebra.

However, a majority of the people had fallen into the second trap.

The Purple-Gold Titanium was an extremely rare metal, whereas generally, the refiners, even more so, didn’t care about a useless material like the Purple-Gold Titanium Associate.

In the warehouse, the names of the various materials had not been intentionally marked, it was all to mislead the examinees so that they think that it was the real Purple-Gold Titanium.

Of course, after the Purple-Gold Titanium Associate was thrown into the crafting furnace, it would react differently with the subsequent flames and the spiritual energy as compared to the real Purple-Gold Titanium.

A majority of the examinees only came to their senses at this step and realized that there was something wrong with the material before questioning the invigilating staff.

All of these people had gotten the real Purple-Gold Titanium.

However, a lot of time had been wasted in vain.

There were still a certain group of examinees, who still didn’t realize the trap in the twenty-second vertebra from beginning to the end. They were all laboriously doing their utmost to solve the obvious problems on the surface. These people were bound to return in disappointment.

The scenes of hundreds of maintenance workshops were being projected in the hologram.

However, there was a hologram in the center, which remain unchanged. It projected the situation in two maintenance workshops that belonged to the most favored examinees.

First was naturally Jiang Shaoyang.

After having acquired the real Purple-Gold Titanium, he, with textbook-like perfect order and techniques, meticulously started refining, polishing, and performing maintenance.

His actions were as fluid as quicksilver flowing on the ground, concise yet natural and smooth.

Watching him refine was as intoxicating as a fine wine; it was pleasing to watch and brought an indescribably wonderful feeling. No one could bear to remove their gazes from even half a second.

The second was Li Yao.

There was no movement, Li Yao just sat at the center of the warehouse; seemingly sitting in contemplation.

Only when the three examiners observed closely did they discovered a faint steam rising from Li Yao’s head.

Li Yao’s brain was in an extreme state of high-speed calculation.

“What is he actually doing? Why is he not asking for the Purple-Gold Titanium Associate?”

After having watched Li Yao’s shocking performance for the first two rounds, even Zhu Yueqin, who disliked Li Yao, had a high evaluation of him.

From the level of intelligence shown by Li Yao in the previous rounds, it was quite obvious that those petty tricks simply would not fool him.

He should have questioned the examiners at the very first instance, so why was he blankly staring for such a long time?

The three examiners glanced at each other; multitudes of questions revolved in their hearts.

However, they failed to realize that Li Yao was an unconventional refiner from the Magical Equipment Graveyard, whose line of thinking differed greatly as compared to a vast majority of normal refiners.

Other refiners, even geniuses like Jiang Shaoyang, had received a school-based, orthodox education since childhood.

For them, it was as just as heaven to begin refining only when they had a complete set of raw materials.

In the environment that they grew up, their teachers, seniors, and staff members would naturally prepare a variety of materials for them. Even if they were lacking just one element, just by moving their fingers, they could order them via Spiritual Nexus.

As far as these normal refiners who grew up in a nurturing environment were concerned, if a material was missing, then the very material should be immediately allocated; there wasn’t a second option!

However, Li Yao was different.

The terribly brutal Magical Equipment Graveyard wasn’t some calm and peaceful campus. Even for a small lump of strengthened alloy, a fight would break out. How could he collect all the materials and then start repairing?

Whatever he could find, he would use that. Even if he had nothing, he would use a wooden stick to replace the necessary material so that the magical equipment could barely start running. Even if it operated for just three seconds, maybe in those three seconds, he could eliminate an enemy!

That was Li Yao’s line of thinking.

Therefore, having discovered the lack of the most important Purple Gold Titanium among the raw materials, and even though he very well knew that it was a trap, he didn’t question it.

He presumed that since the third round was a “practical exam”, then isn’t it just normal to lack various materials in real life scenario?

Suppose he was at a provisional repair station on the frontline which was completely surrounded by demon beasts, and the repair station had just run out of the Purple-Gold Titanium, then what to do?

Are they going to request an armistice with the demon beasts until the Purple-Gold Titanium can be shipped from the back before fighting again?

How could that be possible!

“I understand, the real purpose of the third round is to examine how we are going to react in a stressful situation, want to see how we are going to repair the Mystic Wolf without the Purple-Gold Titanium.

“It sounds quite difficult!

“However, a registered refiner had always been one of the best vocations in the world of cultivation. It is quite normal for the last round to be this difficult!”

Li Yao slapped his forehead, believing himself to have seen through everything.

He no longer hesitated and started thinking with all his concentration.

Without the Purple-Gold Titanium, he was unable to forge the 22nd vertebra. And with the lack of a vertebra, even if the Mystic Wolf could barely be recovered, its flexibility and speed would take a big dive and it would be simply impossible to recover it to 90% of its war force?

It seems that he had to once again display his crazy, devilish skills and hugely change the overall structure of the Mystic Wolf.

Li Yao licked his lips, his eyes, on the other hand, in the blink of an eye, flickered with blazing flames as though he had returned to those decadent days when he was modifying the 1st Generation Tai’e Furnace.

Although the Mystic Wolf was a classic, lightweight warbeast, Li Yao was slightly disappointed by its concept and structure.

Even though according to the data it was quite powerful and could play quite of terrifying strength on the battlefield, too much emphasis was paid on speed and agility, which resulted in it having a vulnerable abdominal region which could not be resolved. If it were bitten by a demon beast at its waist, its vertebral column could quite easily break.

The resulting rate of failure would be high.

At present, huge strategic battles had not erupted between the Heaven Origin Sector and Blood Demon Sector. All the battles fought were either small-scale raids or close encounters. The rate of failure was still within an acceptable range.

However, once a big battle broke out, during which the resources and maintenance staff would be scarce, the shortcomings of the Mystic Wolf would come into light.

Usually, Li Yao liked looking at some classic magical equipment’s blueprints and imagine how he would carry out some “crazy modifications” in his free time for amusement.

The Mystic Wolf had already been in production for over three decades; its blueprints were no military secrets and could be found in Grand Desolate War Institution. Li Yao had also thought of several modification plans for the Mystic Wolf. He had never imagined for them to be of use today.

“Which set of modification should I use?

“Forget it! Since it’s such an important exam, I should use the safest, most conservative, and most old-fashioned set just to be safe!”

Suddenly, Li Yao stood up, his eyes lit up; he was ready to go all out.

Meanwhile, in the control room, when Li Yao began his crazed performance, each of his actions had been called into question by the three examiners, “What… what is he doing? Why is he drawing so many blueprints and spiritual energy flow diagrams like crazy? He just has to repair the Mystic Wolf, that’s all, but why does he need to draw so many diagrams?”

“Hey, he even picked up as many as 142 kinds of raw materials? Obviously, just 97 kinds of raw materials are sufficient to repair the Mystic Wolf!”

“The components he is forging are quite strange. They are not the standard components for the Mystic Wolf. I really want to know what’s going on inside his brain.”

“He has dismantled the crafting furnace!”

“That’s not it, he is actually using many of the crafting furnace’s components to strengthen the Mystic Wolf. Even the units of the crafting furnace aren’t spared!”

“Is-isn’t this violation of the rules? What, it isn’t a violation of the rules? The examinees can use everything within the repair workshop?”

“And now he is assembling that thing! What am I looking at, it doesn’t look like a Mystic Wolf!”

Finally…

The exam came to an end!

When the exhausted examinees somehow dragged their tired bodies out of their respective caves along with their repaired Mystic Wolves, they were deeply shocked by the amazing masterpiece at the center of the huge disc, one after another.

It was an army-green Mystic Wolf which faintly emanated a cold and murderous aura as though it a newly crafted magical equipment; every detail was simply perfect. Its two sparkling, light-gold crystal eyes overflowed with a king-like, domineering aura.

It was an out-and-out Wolf King!

Next to the Wolf King stood Jiang Shaoyang quietly. His deep as an abyss gaze was transfixed at Li Yao’s repair workshop.

Having seen this, the remaining examinees hung their heads as they brought their greasy Mystic Wolves to the edge of the disc and sat down.

The Mystic Wolves for which they had tried their best to repair simply looked like lame dogs as compared to the Mystic Wolf repaired by Jiang Shaoyang. Their wolves were simply unpresentable.

“I’ll be damned, the Tenth Star title is not for nothing. I’m genuinely convinced!”

“Presumably, only Li Yao can compete with him. However, I still doubt it. The Mystic Wolf repaired by Jiang Shaoyang is simply perfect. The majestic, domineering aura is released due to the perfect flow of the spiritual energy!”

“That’s right, even if it was a newly crafted Mystic Wolf, it may not be debugged so perfectly. It’s a work of art! It is simply a work of art!”

“Look, Li Yao is coming out!”

Gradually, the doors of Li Yao’s repair workshop opened. However, he had a pale complexion, his hands trembled slightly, and his gait was unsteady.

“Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank!”

Meanwhile, he was accompanied by ear-piercing, mechanical sounds before a hideous warbeast gradually appeared from within the darkness behind Li Yao.

When the completely hideous warbeast appeared before everyone, everyone was flabbergasted, they even forgot to breathe.

“What the f*ck? What in the bloody hell is that?!”

This monster didn’t bear resemblance to its former counterpart from any angle, its trunk was divided into cephalothorax and abdomen. From its round and bulging cephalothorax, one could find traces of its former appearance, but instead of being supported by four strong mechanical limbs, four slender legs were equally distributed on each side of the body.

Eight legs, while every leg was composed of six joints; allowing it to rotate 360 degrees at its position. It was rather agile as compared to the Mystic Wolf with four limbs.

Although the slender legs were lacking in strength, with twice the number, the pressure could be well distributed.

The end of each leg had a folded sharp blade, which could pop out when necessary and kill or injure an enemy in close combat. Furthermore, the legs seemed to have a “hair” like structure on them, resembling setae of insects.

Only when everyone observed closely did they discover that the legs were covered with sharp nails.

Furthermore, the two forelimbs, as well as the fangs and claws of the Mystic Wolf, had been transformed into a sawtooth-like structure to create a pair of chelae, like a mantis’ sickle and fangs of a scorpion. With one glance, everyone knew that they were the most ruthless of close-combat weapons.

This monster didn’t seem to have an obvious head. The entire anterior of the cephalothorax was encased in a hard, curved armor. This armor wasn’t a standard component of the Mystic Wolf. Only when everyone had wracked their brains for a long while did they suddenly came to realize that it was a part of the crafting furnace!

“I’m not wrong, yeah? He actually dismantled the crafting furnace and used it as an armor?”

The crafting furnace was designed to withstand high temperature and pressure. Its outer covering was extremely hard. Naturally, if it was used as armor, the defense of the warbeast would be greatly improved.

However, the iron shell armor wasn’t completely intact. It was an amalgamation of four parts, and between the four pieces of armor, there were two crisscrossed slits in the form of “十”.

At the intersection of the two slits was a shining crystal eye which could freely rotate, time to time, the crystal eye would slide along the two slits.

“This crisscross crystal eye orbiting system has enhanced the scanning range of the crystal eye. Just one eye covering the front vision is not much worse than the two crystal eyes of the Mystic Wolf!”

“There is another crystal eye? Where?”

As everyone scanned along the armor of the monster, they came to notice a 360-degree rotating turret mounted at the back of the monster. The two crystal railguns which originally had been installed on either side of the Mystic Wolf had been modified into a dual-mount crystal railgun, whereas the other crystal eye was mounted on the turret, monitoring around from above!

“Wow! He actually designed it like this!”

“Unbelievable!”

The Mystic Wolf was most criticized for the two crystal railguns on either side, because it was too close to the body, leading to a smaller range of attack. In addition, apart from the front, it was unable to attack in another direction at the same time.

For instance, if the demon beast was attacking from the right side, the Mystic Wolf had to slightly tilt its body to the right so that the right-side crystal railgun could attack. Whereas the left-side crystal railgun was rendered useless, until and unless the body tilted in the opposite direction completely.

As the matter stood, its firepower was greatly reduced. If during the reconnaissance mission, the Mystic Wolf had to storm the enemy position, the Mystic Wolf was somewhat powerless.

It was not like the refiners of the Wolves Valley had not considered this issue.

A 360-degree rotating turret was the best solution.

However, if the crystal railgun was installed on the back of the Mystic Wolf, the center of gravity would be too high, which would result in the loss of speed and flexibility. Even the slightest mistake during a high-speed maneuver would make the Mystic Wolf fall.

Which, for a lightweight warbeast such as the Mystic Wolf, was undoubtedly fatal.

Because of this, the two crystal railguns had been retained on either side despite having gone through countless upgrades over three decades.

However, this crazy Li Yao, with the support of eight legs had lowered the center of gravity quite lower. Not to mention, dual-mount crystal railgun, even a heavy caliber triple-mount, or even two triple-mount, one above and one below, could be installed. It could withstand a total of six crystal railguns and quite steadily at that; greatly enhancing its firepower and attack range!

Along with cephalothorax that was armed to the teeth, there was a round and fat abdomen, which, much to everyone’s surprise, was modified from the cooling tank of the crafting furnace. What was weird about it, no one knew.

The entire body of the monster had dense glyphs engraved which were glittering with dark-red brilliance.

In particular, at the anterior of the cephalothorax, on both side of the crisscross crystal eye structure had hundreds of glyphs engraved.

At first glance, it seemed like a red compound eye of an insect which was emanating an extremely dangerous aura.

That’s right, an insect, but to be precise, it was a spider!

The warbeast repaired by Li Yao could no longer be called the Mystic Wolf, it the most fearsome spider among all the spiders, the Tarantula!

“Whoosh!”

The eight legs of the Tarantula bent slightly, lowering its center of gravity, before taking a light leap. The Tarantula very nimbly landed upon the giant disc.

Meanwhile, Li Yao followed it in a neither too fast not too slow manner.

The moment the Tarantula landed upon the giant disc, all the Mystic Wolves trembled for a bit, while their heads emitted weak creaking sounds.

Apparently, they had perceived the arrival of a stronger existence, while the alert telepathic thoughts within the crystal processor were automatically triggered as the crystal processor judged the enemy and themselves.

Whereas the Wolf King’s crystal eyes of Jiang Shaoyang, even more so, became lustrous and brilliant. Every glyph across its body started to glitter. Its four claws lightly rubbed against the enormous disc, becoming restless.

The crystal eyes of Li Yao’s Tarantula quickly scanned everyone, while its double-mount crystal railgun rotated slightly before finally pointing at Jiang Shaoyang’s Wolf King.

The Tarantula vs the Wolf King!

The two warbeast simultaneously became aware that they were facing a strong opponent. In the blink of an eye, the enemy identifying array glyphs also judged the opponent as friendly.

“Swisssh…”

From the interior of the two warbeast came the sound of converging their spiritual energy as though it was heaving a long and deep sigh. Meanwhile, the crystal railguns aimed at each other were lowered, followed by the dimming of the shining array glyphs.

The Tarantula moved its eight legs as it crawled beside the Wolf King.

“These two warbeasts…”

Everyone felt cold as an unspeakable feeling gushed out from their heart.

Jiang Shaoyang’s Wolf King was light, elegant, filled with the dignity of a king. One could not notice even the slightest marking that it was repaired, it seemed as though it was crafted by nature itself. It was impeccable.

Whereas Li Yao’s Tarantula was just the opposite.

Since it was frantically modified within a span of ten hours, a large number of non-standard components were used.

Therefore, its outer shell was incomparably coarse. Many places still had the traces of manual grinding, its joints were large and scary, and when it moved, they made deafening noises.

With its aggressive appearance, hideous and arrogant style, the wildness of grassroots refiners was most vividly displayed. It was a sharp contrast to the Jiang Shaoyang’s Mystic Wolf.

If one said that the Mystic Wolf of Jiang Shaoyang was from a royal family, then Li Yao’s Tarantula was an absolute tyrant!

“What do you think, which of the two warbeasts is better?”

“It’s quite hard to say, in terms of speed and stealth, Jiang Shaoyang’s Wolf King definitely wins. But in terms of stability, defense, and offense, I am more optimistic about Li Yao’s Tarantula.”

“In a fight, only god knows who would win!”

While everyone burst into a discussion, Li Yao walked next to Jiang Shaoyang and observed the Wolf King with a look of admiration.

Both were experts. For sure, Li Yao could see that Jiang Shaoyang’s wolf had reached perfection.

But there was one point Li Yao could not understand.

“Did you have the Purple-Gold Titanium?”

It was hard to believe that Jiang Shaoyang could not see through the two traps.

And since he had repaired the Wolf King, then he had the Purple-Gold Titanium for sure.

Jiang Shaoyang’s gaze was transfixed at the Tarantula. After having carefully observed for a long while did he reluctantly withdrew his line of sight and said with a frown, “I got the Purple-Gold Titanium from the invigilators. Why, you didn’t get it?”

Li Yao was astounded for a moment before he asked with surprise, “Isn’t this a practical test? In combat, how could there be invigilators who would provide us with Purple-Gold Titanium?”

This sentence struck Jiang Shaoyang like a lightning. He was stunned for a long time and even forgot to breathe.

Immediately, from the depths of eyes, blazing flames gushed out.

At this point, three specks of light flew over from the caves above.

They were the three examiners.

According to the normal procedure, they did not have to appear before the examinees as long as they could monitor the examinees’ situation through the holograms.

However, Li Yao’s unexpected and crazed performance, as well as the incomparably ferocious tyrant modified by Li Yao had forced the three to come out.

The three walked to the middle of Li Yao and Jiang Shaoyang. First, they observed the tarantula before turning their gazes at the Wolf King a moment later.

Following which, the three withdrew their gazes at the same time and said, with a deadpan look while suppressing the astonishment in their heart, “Next, we will be going to the weapon test site. Everyone, please adjust the alert state of your Mystic Wolf!”

The enormous disc gradually started to rise, bringing everyone back to the ground.

After which, they were escorted to a huge weapon test site by a team of armed soldiers.

It was the largest weapon test site at the military base. It had all kinds of facilities, and a hundred warbeasts could simultaneously be tested.

And speed, power, offense, defense, mobility, and other performance parameters could be converted into precise values.

“First round of testing, starts!”

Followed by the order of the invigilator, a hundred Mystic Wolves sped through gunfire and corrosive attacks, towards a target one kilometer away – like arrows shot from a bow.

“Crack! Crack!”

Amid the high-speed running, deafening noises rang from the lumbar region of many Mystic Wolves. Their bodies twisted in a strange manner as they fell limply to the ground.

“How could this be?”

Many examinees’ facial features distorted, sweat broke out all over their body like a rain, it seemed as though it was their spine that broke at the lumbar region.

After the completion of the test, all the performance parameters of Mystic Wolves had been transformed into a data, through which the overall battle force would be calculated after being analyzed by a testing crystal processor.

“No. 1 Mystic Wolf, battle force restored to 91%!”

“Awesome!”

An examinee flushed red to the ear and started jumping; apparently, he was extremely excited.

“No. 2 Mystic Wolf, battle force restored to 88%!”

“So close! So close! Dammit!”

The second examinee wanted to cry but had no tears. Clenching his teeth, he smashed his fist.

“No. 3 Mystic Wolf…”

“No. 4 Mystic Wolf…”

One after another, as the battle force of each Mystic Wolf, was announced, some were happy and some were sad. Cries of excitement along with sighs of grief rang throughout the weapon test site.

“Second round of testing, starts!”

“Third round of testing, starts!”

“Look, Jiang Shaoyang’s Wolf King is about to be tested!”

When Jiang Shaoyang’s Wolf King whizzed into a green stream of light, everyone’s attention had been grabbed by it.

At the beginning, the Wolf King wasn’t that fast.

It easily dodged the oncoming streams of acid, stingers, and mystic lasers just by lightly swaying his body, as though it was a proud member of royal family.

Whereas the other Mystic Wolves that were also undergoing the test on nearby test channels were hit one after another and were letting out ear-piercing cries.

And as the frequency of attacks increased, the Wolf King also gradually became faster.

However, even when its speed had exceeded 30% of the other Mystic Wolves, it still maintained its elegant and leisurely demeanor. Its balance was impeccable; its smooth and elegant maneuvers dazzled the eyes of everyone as it dodged the continuous attacks.

“Impossible!”

“So fast, it is just like a lightning bolt!”

“At such high speed, how can it maintain such good balance and maneuverability!? It actually did a dozen maneuvers in such a closed space within one second and dodged all the attacks!?”

“Is-is this truly a Mystic Wolf?”

One after another, everyone marveled.

After having watched the shocking performance of Wolf King, they could not even bear to watch their Mystic Wolves.

Because as compared to Wolf King, their Mystic Wolves looked dead drunk, rolling on the ground.

“Whoosh!”

With just a light tap of its limbs, the Wolf King easily crossed the marsh area within half a second.

“Whoosh!”

Within a second, the Wolf King crossed the rugged rocky terrain, displaying its amazing ability to steer.

“Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!”

During the high-speed run, the Wolf King simply didn’t stop; meanwhile, the crystal railguns began to fire at the ten silver white balls floating in the air hundreds of meters away and struck right at the center!

When everyone believed that the Wolf King’s speed had reached the limit, the wind-attribute array glyphs engraved across its body burst forth with azure flames, and the Wolf King’s speed once again soared before it appeared before the final target in the blink of an eye!

This target was modeled after a liger-type demon beast. On the inside, its skeleton was forged from complex steel, on the outside, it was wrapped in a thick gel. The gel was also inlaid with many power sensors.

“Crack!”

The Wolf King lightly pounced and ripped off a large part of the thick gel covering on the target’s right shoulder.

After the gel covering had been torn, the scapula which was forged using complex steel cracked.

Seizing the momentum, the Wolf King came under the target, and jumped from below before ruthlessly biting at the target’s throat and firing a sizzling stream of flame from its mouth thereafter. All of a sudden, half of the target’s throat had been blown away.

The Wolf King, once again, ruthlessly pulled it until the millstone-sized head came off and fell on the ground where it continued to roll down on the ground for a long while.

At that moment, many of the Mystic Wolves were still struggling in the marsh area and rocky terrain.

The test crystal processor seemed to have been thrown off by the gorgeous performance of the Wolf King; it paused for a moment before a series of data was projected on the hologram.

“Speed limit, improved to 135%!

“Balance, improved to 129%!”

“High-speed shooting accuracy, improved to 121%!”

“Close combat ability, improved to 141!”

“…”

“The overall battle force, elevated to 133%!”

The three examiners, despite having watched Jiang Shaoyang’s maintenance from the control room and known that all the components had been greatly strengthened which would certainly improve the Wolf King’s performance…

However, their hearts were in turmoil after looking at such a dazzling data; for a long time, they were unable to calm their hearts.

This warbeast was worthy of the title “Wolf King”. Its performance had already surpassed all the newly mass-produced Mystic Wolves.

Even if the experts of the Wolves Valley personally crafted the Mystic Wolf, where they didn’t use incredible treasures, the subsequent Mystic Wolf crafted would also have a similar battle force.

“The Tenth Star title is too modest!”

Even Dong Liuqi, who was a critic of Deep Sea University, cried with emotions from the bottom of his heart, ‘Just in his teens yet he possesses such a strength, I’m afraid that after ten years, even if he was called “First Star”, he would be worthy of it!’

When the overall battle force of 133% was made public, the huge weapon test site went into an uproar before sinking into a strange yet heavy silence.

Everyone stared at one guy.

No, it was not Jiang Shaoyang…

It was Li Yao…

And his tyrant!

Even Jiang Shaoyang didn’t care about his own performance. He kept on staring at Li Yao as though his gaze would even burn through a steel plate. His teeth deeply bit into his lips, to the point that his lips were about to bleed.

Li Yao was quite familiar with the thick and dense will to fight hidden within his gaze.

Because his eyes were also radiating a blazing will to fight.

At the end of second round, both of them were tied. This last round would decide who was going to win and who was going to lose!

The fourth round of test, began!

This time, whether it was the examinees who had just completed their test a moment ago or the examinees who had yet to finish their test…

Whether it was three examiners or the staff of the weapon test site…

Everyone was watching with their eyes completely wide opened. They were deadly staring at the Tarantula among the among the group of Mystic Wolves; the Tarantula was no different than a crane standing among a flock of chickens.

“What do you think, will the Tarantula display a shocking performance and surpass the Wolf King’s?”

“Hush, don’t talk, it’s moving!”

As the Tarantula waved its eight legs, it started to crawl in an unstoppable manner.

Under the illumination of bright sunlight, the nails mounted upon its legs gleamed like eight slender maces, making everyone drew a lump of cold air; a faint chill ran down their spine.

“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”

As the streams of acids, poisonous stingers, and mystic lasers came raining down…

Where the Mystic Wolves on other test channels dodged them one after another…

The Tarantula also made some dodging maneuvers in a lazy manner; each action seemed perfunctory.

After having the outer shell of the crafting furnace installed upon it, its weight had increased by a lot. It was impossible for it to do quick maneuvers like the Mystic Wolf.

A majority of acidic attack, poisonous stingers, and mystic laser fell directly upon the Tarantula!

“Swish! Swish!”

The defensive array glyphs engraved upon the Tarantula’s armor suddenly lit up and released a hard spiritual energy barrier; blocking a vast majority of the attacks.

After penetrating the spiritual energy barrier with great difficulty, the remainder of the attacks seemed like an arrow at end of its flight; the attacks were simply insufficient to penetrate the thick armor.

Apart from the acid attack which left a few ugly traces on the armor, the poisonous stingers were simply deflected by the circular armor while the mystic laser beams just transformed into rising smoke; they weren’t even able to pierce an inch inside the armor.

“Its defense is so strong!?”

“But of course, that’s the outer covering of the crafting furnace, it is designed to resist high temperature and pressure, but also had a very high resistance to corrosion, so of course its defense will be strong!”

“The Wolf King’s ability to dodge was improved to the limit, whereas the Tarantula is just dodging lazily and took most of the attack head-on!”

“How can it be compared? How do we tell which is more powerful?”

While the hundreds of people were screaming, the Tarantula took the tempest of attacks head-on and crossed the swamps and rocky terrain swaggeringly. Its slender legs similarly displayed their powerful ability to steer which is no way inferior to the Wolf King’s, and maybe one could even say, it was better.

Next was the shooting range.

Ten silver target balls were floating about a couple hundred meters away.

Just a while ago, the Wolf King complete hit right at the center of the target, god knows how the Tarantula would…

“Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!”

As the crystal eye took aim, the turret on the back of the Tarantula rotated flexibly and the dual-mounted mini-caliber crystal railgun started firing and its corresponding sound was even louder than the triple-mounted large-caliber crystal railgun.

The ten targets far away, in the blink of an eye, were covered in smoke.

“No! Way!”

“He actually modified the crystal railguns too and also engraved offensive array glyphs to improve the firepower of the crystal railguns!”

“This is completely unreasonable! The stronger the firepower of the crystal railgun is, the greater the consumption of crystals will be. The Mystic Wolf is a lightweight warbeast, how can it carry so many crystals? Just a round of fire would consume all the crystals; it would not be possible to fight continuously!”

“Idiot, just take a look at the Tarantula, from which angle does it look like a lightweight warbeast? At the very least, it is a middleweight warbeast!”

“Its center of gravity is low, its stability is good, and its design is quite convenient for an ammo storage. Maybe the coolant part at the abdominal region has been modified as an ammo storage!”

“Wow! Its firepower is about three to five time better than an ordinary Mystic Wolf! I wonder how good its accuracy is?”

As the smoke dissipated, everyone could not wait to look towards the target.

However, they didn’t see anything.

The ten target balls had been completely blown away by the fearsome firepower of Tarantula.

All that left was some silver bits and pieces fluttering around like the petals scattered by a goddess from high heavens which soon were scattered away by the wind.

“…”

A pin-drop silence enveloped the entire weapon test site.

Everyone was rendered speechless. They didn’t know how to describe their complex feelings.

Just a while ago, the Wolf King had taken 1.2 seconds to finish the battle; it was absolutely an instant kill.

How long would the Tarantula take?

The Tarantula once again lowered its center of gravity to the point that its abdomen was almost sticking to the ground, it gave the impression of an assassin moving stealthily in the darkness.

When it stealthily arrived about three meters away from its prey, it suddenly jumped into the air. Whereupon, all the blades at the end of its slender legs popped out and deeply pierced the target!

Suddenly, eight holes had been thrust out in the gel.

Whereas the nails mounted on the legs respectively caught a large part of gel, and when the legs were forcefully pulled out, they ruthlessly ripped a large part of the flesh, leaving behind eight horrifying wounds.

Such swift and fierce action had made many people’s eyes twitch.

The next scene that transpired was absolutely shocking.

Unlike the Mystic Wolf, the Tarantula didn’t follow up with a most orthodox line of attack and directly bit upon the throat, killing the prey in one attack…

Instead, it adopted an “execution” like mode of attack. First, it tore away the flesh before cutting off the prey’s limbs, opened its belly and smashed its spine, afterward it tore the corpse into pieces using its eight legs!

It was an incomparably brutal mode of attack, which made everyone’s scalp tingle. Everyone almost felt an intensely bloody stench assaulting their nose. When they looked at Li Yao, they had a strange look in their eyes.

Even Jiang Shaoyang had a very strange look in his eyes when he glanced at Li Yao. He could not help but ask, “Was it necessary?”

“The life force of a demon beast is rather powerful. Many demon beasts will continue to bite even when their heads have been cut off.”

Li Yao lightly fiddled with his disheveled hair and explained, “I have carried out multitudes of modifications on the Mystic Wolf; its mode of attack is quite different from the past. Therefore, its attack mode needed to be reprogrammed.

“However, as the time was short, I didn’t have the time to use the telepathic thoughts to programme all the modes of attack; I could only programme a ‘complete destruction’ mode.

“The so-called ‘complete destruction’ activates all the array glyphs to the limit, and once it encounters an enemy, it will attack with full force regardless of its consumption of crystals. The enemy would be reduced to nothing!”

Jiang Shaoyang was rendered speechless.

His Wolf King also had the “complete destruction” mode.

However, having looked at Li Yao’s “complete destruction”, he realized that his “complete destruction” was a f*cking “merciful” mode!

After fifteen seconds…

All that was left of the target were a few fist-sized pieces, and the skeleton forged from complex steel which had been completely twisted; it no longer resembled its previous appearance.

Finally, the Tarantula stopped attacking and let out a hissing sound as steam emerged from its body before it lay down and rested in satisfaction.

Looking at the messy test site, everyone was rendered speechless; meanwhile, their backs were completely drenched in sweat.

Many people glanced at each other as a question emerged from the bottom of their hearts at the same time, “Wolf King and Tarantula, both have completed different combat style yet they are equally powerful. Which one is weaker and which one is stronger, how will they compare?”

The test crystal processor operated at lightning fast speed before transmitting a series of performance parameters.

The values in the list for the Tarantula were unlike those of the Wolf King, for which all the values in the list were exceedingly high; the values were like a chain of mountains, sometimes high and sometimes low.

Several of the values were as high as a lofty peak that was towering into the clouds, while some of the values fell to the bottom; they were even worse than the average Mystic Wolves.

“Speed limit, reduced to 84%!”

“Balance, improved to 192%!”

“High-speed shooting accuracy, improved to 167%!”

“Stealth, reduced to 67%!”

“Defense, improved to 235%!”

“…”

“Overall battle force, unable to determine!”

After the test crystal processor emitted an ear-piercing noise, it stopped operating. A series of red characters popped out on the holographic screen, underneath which was another line of small text, “The difference between the test subject and the Mystic Wolf is too large, the system is unable to determine the overall battle force using the Mystic Wolf battle force evaluation programme.”

The three examiners slightly frowned. They had never expected Li Yao to actually modify the Mystic Wolf to such an extent that even the crystal processor was unable to evaluate it.

After giving it a bit of thought, they realized it was right and proper. After adding multitudes of components from the crafting furnace, the Tarantula had already transformed from lightweight warbeast to middleweight warbeast. Whether it was the firepower or the modes of fighting, everything had been completely turned upside down. Ergo, it was indeed inappropriate to use the Mystic Wolf evaluation programme.

Now the question was, had the battle force of Tarantula reached the 90% of an ordinary Mystic Wolf?

“I think, the Mystic Wolf repaired by Student Li Yao is a failure.”

After having paused for a while, Zhu Yueqin spoke first, “As a lightweight warbeast, its main objective is to perform reconnaissance missions, for which the speed and stealth are necessities. Not to mention, Student Li Yao disassembled the crafting furnace and used its component. Regardless of whether this conduct is in line with the norms of the exam or not, at the very least, doing this, Student Li Yao had removed the biggest advantage of the Mystic Wolf.

“It is true that the outer covering of the crafting furnace is strong enough to withstand high temperature and pressure, has a high resistance to corrosion, and is a very good armor material.

“However, why is such a good armor isn’t applied to warbeasts and combat suits?

“Because it has a very serious flaw, it is too thick, too heavy, and too inept!

“Using this kind of material as armor would indeed improve the defense, but at the same time, it would increase the weight significantly. The armor would be like a turtle shell forged from iron and steel.

“Even worse is that the Magic Wolf originally was a lightweight warbeast. Its propulsion array glyphs are designed completely in light with the standard requirements of a lightweight warbeast. Even if Student Li Yao fortified the array glyphs, he didn’t change the foundation; it is impossible to boost the propulsion force by a large degree.

“Using the propulsion array glyphs of a lightweight warbeast to move a turtle shell is tantamount to move a heavy cart with a pony.

“The end result is as you can see, it was very loud, slow, and although the eight-legged design guarantees stability, its steering isn’t flexible at all.

“Such a warbeast is obviously unsuitable for reconnaissance missions. I am also very suspicious of its continuous combat ability.

“To sum it up, my conclusion is that Student Li Yao had failed in proper maintenance and should be judged unqualified.

“What do you both think?”

Zhu Yueqin looked at the two examiners with a calm look on her face.

After all, she was a master refiner with rich experience, a professor-level figure who quickly regained her calmness after having been stunned for a moment. She wasn’t confused by the Tarantula’s horrifying performance; she could see through the weak points of the Tarantula at first glance.

Her views were well-founded and convincing. If she wanted to make things difficult for Li Yao, at best, she could add some harsh adjectives regarding Li Yao, nothing more.

Li Yao was after all not some great Golden Immortal, it was impossible for him to modify a completely damaged Mystic Wolf into a perfect warbeast using most common materials, and that too within a span of ten hours.

If it was strengthened in some departments, it would obviously be weakened in other departments too. You can’t have the cake and eat it too.

The moment he decided to use the components of crafting furnace to fortify the warbeast, Li Yao gave up on speed and stealth. He chose firepower and defense.

In addition, he was pressed for time. There was the issue of incompatibility between two different kinds of components. Under the disguise of the aggressive appearance of the Tarantula, many flaws had been concealed.

Originally, if Li Yao could use the ancient technique of forging, and further process the material, the parameters of Tarantula would be greatly improved too.

However, on one hand, there wasn’t an anvil in the repair workshop for him to use the ancient techniques of forging, and he also didn’t bring the Dark Star Rock.

On the hand, he wasn’t willing to fully expose his own secrets under the public eye.

Therefore, he could not use the ancient techniques of forging and only used the most common forging techniques.

The Tarantula presented in front of everyone was just an incomplete product. It was just a lame giant, so obviously, there were some advantages and disadvantages.

“Professor Zhu, I disagree with your views,” Yan Tianhe said.

“In the exam, the examinees were just asked to recover the warbeast, they weren’t required to ensure that the warbeast should be a lightweight warbeast after the maintenance, and it should be able to carry out reconnaissance missions.

“The battle force is a comprehensive concept. You cannot look at just one or two parameters.

“After Student Li Yao completed the maintenance, the warbeast had already been modified to middleweight warbeast, it’s very normal for it to have its speed and stealth worse than the lightweight warbeast!

“However, look at its attack and defense, especially after being implemented the turret design, the high-speed shooting accuracy, all of these values have substantially improved. They had surpassed the limit of a Mystic Wolf.

“And such good balance means that this warbeast could carry more offensive magical equipment.

“I think the crystal railgun can be changed into two three-mount turrets, one above and one below. And also, four mini-flying sword launchers can be installed, which would significantly improve its firepower. Allowing it to perform attacking missions rather than just reconnaissance missions.

“In my opinion, Student Li Yao made do with whatever was available. He made full use of available resources and successfully completed the maintenance operations. He should be judged qualified!”

Zhu Yueqin and Yan Tianhe, the two veteran refiners’ gazes clashed in the air and seemed to be producing invisible sparks.

In the last few decades of Refiners’ Registration Examination, disagreement between the examiners and clash of opinions had rarely been seen.

In this kind of situation, the opinion of the third examiner became, even more, important.

Dong Liuqi was rather at a loss.

He had been an examiner for almost a decade and never encountered such a scene.

Zhu Yueqin and Yan Tianhe’s conclusions were well-founded.

From head to tail, the Tarantula was a complete freak. Whereas the “battle force” was more of a generalized concept. Except for comparison between the same type of warbeasts, it was difficult to say which was strong and which was weak when it was a comparison between different models, different weight class, and different combat purposes. Even more so, when judging to an accuracy of 90%, it was simply impossible.

The attitude of the two was like tit for tat. If they couldn’t come up with convincing conclusions, it would certainly be difficult to make them give up.

Just as he was thinking, his gaze inadvertently fell upon not so far away Jiang Shaoyang and the Wolf King. Suddenly, his eyes lit up as a wonderful idea struck him. He smiled and said, “Hold your horses, you both are very correct. The weight class and combat purpose of Mystic Wolf repaired by Student Li Yao has obviously changed. And obviously, you cannot use ordinary Mystic Wolf battle force evaluation programme to judge its battle force.

“I’ve just the right way to roughly judge its battle force within a few minutes.

“We should find a Mystic Wolf and have the Tarantula fight with it!

“Of course, an ordinary Mystic Wolf would definitely won’t work because many performance parameters, such as stealth, continuous combat ability, and the likes, may not be completely displayed in a fight.

“Not to mention, a middleweight warbeast can carry more crystals, have fierce firepower, and a stronger defense. It is very normal for it to defeat a lightweight warbeast in a frontal confrontation.

“And even if Student Li Yao won against an ordinary Mystic Wolf, I’m afraid neither of you would be convinced, right?”

Zhu Yueqin sneered, showing a dismissive smile.

But Dong Liuqi’s next words made her smile froze.

“What about the Wolf King?”

“Don’t we have the Wolf King whose overall battle force has reached 133%?

“If Student Li Yao’s warbeast is able to beat the Wolf King in a frontal confrontation, there should be no doubt, right?”

This statement made the two examiners ponder for a long time.

“I agree,” having repeatedly pondered for a while, Yan Tianhe accepted the offer.

“I object, ” Zhu Yueqin said with an indifferent tone and an expressionless look on her face.

The other two examiners looked at her in astonishment.

Zhu Yueqin calmly said, “Don’t think that I’m intentionally making things difficult for Student Li Yao. Due to my status, I can’t go so far as to make things difficult for a kid; I am judging the matter as it stands, that’s all.

“The Wolf King is too strong, the warbeast modified by Student Li Yao is simply unable to compete with the Wolf King. This suggestion is tantamount to bullying him. If this matter spreads, everyone will think that my Deep Sea University is a bully.

“Five minutes!

“Student Li Yao’s warbeast would absolutely unable to handle the claws and fangs of Wolf King for five minutes!

“If it survives the five minutes, I will change my opinion and decides that he’s passed!”

…

“The Tarantula and Wolf King are going to fight. Heaven and earth are going to collide!”

Just as the news broke out, it was like a lightning had struck the crystal warehouse. In the blink of an eye, the entire audience seemed to have been ignited.

Everyone was super excited. They could not wait to hug the three examiners tightly. They wanted to thank the examiners for being considerate and especially arranging such a highly anticipated battle!

After Li Yao and Jiang Shaoyang came to know of the examiners’ decision, they were slightly surprised and in the blink of an eye, their mood had been replaced with that of extreme excitement.

The two of them looked at each other. Their gazes were like iron and steel, completely unshakable.

“By convention, it’s time for some fighting talk, right?” asked Li Yao.

“Stop talking rubbish. Quickly fill the crystals and debug the warbeast. You have to unleash the strongest possible battle force!”

Jiang Shaoyang was so excited that even his voice was shaky. He could not wait to go to the prep deck and carry out the final round of debugging and filling of crystals.

Li Yao slightly smiled and also walked to another prep deck.

The remaining examinees distinctly divided into two groups.

Naturally, the examinees from the Deep Sea University clustered around Jiang Shaoyang.

Whereas the remaining examinees gathered around Li Yao’s side.

Knowingly or unknowingly, they already came to believe, even if it was slightly, that this young man who was less than twenty years old, had the qualifications to challenge a giant like Deep Sea University.

After five minutes, along with the crisp sound of a crystal explosion, the fight between the Tarantula and the Wolf King began!

At a combat test site with a length and breadth of one kilometer was a typical forest landscape, complete with a very complex environment full of rocks, grass, streams, swamps, and ditches.

At the two opposite edges of the battlefield, two monster-level warbeasts motionlessly stood opposite each other with a few hundred meters between them.

Even the spiritual energy particles floating in the air were drawn to the two warbeasts and lingered around them to create faint halos.

During the test a while ago, the Wolf King had not suffered any kind of damage. And due to the green halo in contrast, the Wolf King looked as though it had been chiseled from a crystal clear jade, exuding an aura of arrogance and pride.

Whereas the Tarantula’s armor had been eroded by the acid which left multitudes of hideous scars; making it appear aggressive and ruthless.

Everyone in the audience had been deterred by the matchless aura emanating from the two warbeast as though they were watching the fight between two unrivaled demon beasts. One by one, everyone stopped moving. They didn’t dare bat their eyes and even when they were discussing, they suppressed their voice to the bare minimum.

“The two warbeasts seemed to be full of energy. What do you think, who is going to win?”

“I’m more optimistic for the Tarantula. It has a huge body, fearsome firepower, powerful defense, and can carry extra crystals. As long as it strikes the Wolf King, the Wolf King would be crushed!”

“If only it strikes the Wolf King, only then!”

“The Wolf King is fast and has a good response time. Although its long-range firepower is worse than Tarantula, when it comes to close combat, it’s pretty good. Moreover, its design has been perfected. In all aspects, it is perfectly balanced; unlike Tarantula, which has a heavy head and light feet, it is like a pony pulling a heavy cart. It is simply a lame giant!”

“I’m pretty sure that unless the Tarantula is lucky and blast the Wolf King with its railgun at the very beginning from far away, the Wolf King with its super speed and agility would obliterate the Tarantula!”

Everyone stuck to their own version; each refused to give in to the other.

Just as everyone was about to enter into a heated argument, they suddenly heard another thirty-some-year-old examinee sneer, “You are only considering the external factors and never thought that the tactics are most important!

“The Mystic Wolf was produced over three decades ago, and its experience of countless battles have long been summarized into hundreds and thousands of classic tactics which are stored inside the crystal processor. It is equivalent to Mystic Wolf having hundreds and thousands of powerful ‘tricks’!

“Whereas Student Li Yao has modified this Tarantula, its structure and modes of combat have been changed completely. It is unable to utilize a vast number of ‘tricks’.

“Even if he could temporarily devise some new tactics incorporating complexity and effectiveness in accordance with the structural characteristics of the Tarantula, they would still be unable to compare with the classic tactics.

“Therefore, in this fight, the Wolf King will win and the Tarantula will lose!

“Fortunately, the Tarantula does not need to win. As long as it can survive for five minutes, it will be considered a tie and then everyone will be happy!”

The words of the older examinee made everyone suddenly understand. Everyone repeatedly nodded.

At this moment, an ear-deafening explosion rang in the combat test site.

The two warbeasts madly poured their firepower at each other while quickly closing the distance.

The dust and stones flew everywhere, steam rose from the swamp, while the spiritual energy in the air undulated as though it was repelling the mist.

From the very first second of the fight, the fight was white-hot.

The Wolf King executed a series of dazzling dodging maneuvers, and simultaneously fired dozens of crystal railgun shots.

While the Tarantula did not dodge, it launched a thick spiritual energy shield in the front and took all the attacks head-on; nothing was able to stop it.

Both sides grew closer and closer, and the crossfire became fiercer. Occasionally, a concentrated round of artillery would collide in the air. Dazzling balls of light would appear one after another before immediately turning into colorful tides of spiritual energy, and into a super hot explosion thereafter, tearing the air apart and bursting forth with round after round of ripples which would span across hundreds of meters. The battlefield seemed like a dream.

The silhouettes of the two warbeasts would also sometimes become vague and sometimes distinct; they were unpredictable like ghosts.

After a couple seconds, the two warbeasts were already within fifty meters away from each other.

At this distance, the long-range firepower was no longer important. Only the close-combat ability would become the decisive factor.

‘The Tarantula is going to be at disadvantage,’ many examinees with keen sight thought one after another.

Some even sighed in their heart, ‘Student Li Yao’s modification technique is indeed top class, but in case of choosing battle tactics, he seems to have made some mistakes!’

‘The advantage of Tarantula lies in its firepower. He should have fought it all out to maintain the distance. He should have circled around the Wolf King at a distance and kept on firing!’

‘Now the Wolf King has closed the distance. Once it’s in melee range, the Wolf King by virtue of its speed and agility would slowly torture the Tarantula to death for sure!’

In the blink of an eye—

The Wolf King suddenly accelerated and transformed into a green stream of light. Having dodged seven to eight dangerous shots from crystal railguns, it jumped twice in the air and actually landed behind the Tarantula!

The Tarantula desperately tried to turn, while the turret on its back rotated by 180 degrees and fired.

However, its eight-legged design was unsuitable for turning on the spot, while at such a close range, there were blind spots in the turret’s range of attack.

The Wolf King always hid in the blind spots. Shrinking its neck as a few rounds from the crystal railgun scrapped its head.

“The Tarantula is finished!”

Many examinees exclaimed.

The Deep Sea University side, even more so, were wild with joy.

Whether it was the warbeast or the crystal tank, their rear part had always been the most vulnerable position.

The Wolf King of Jiang Shaoyang keenly realized the Tarantula’s fatal weak point of its inability to turn freely as it launched an attack from behind!

“Whoosh!”

The Wolf King leaped while its claws vibrated at high frequency; their destructive force elevated to the limit.

“Squirt!”

Suddenly, from underneath the belly of the Tarantula, a stream of yellowish liquid gushed out which continuously gave birth to white gas when it came into contact with the air.

In a fraction of a second, the crystal eyes of the Wolf King constricted into two pinholes as it dodged again and again. Eventually, it wasn’t able to continue dodging in mid-air, and despite having dodged a majority of the attack, a small amount of liquid still fell upon it which suddenly emitted ear-piercing “chi chi” sounds as yellowish smoke rose into air; its outer armor had been corroded in the blink of an eye and was riddled with holes.

All of a sudden, the proud and elegant Wolf King had become to look like a stray cur with loathsome spots on its skin.

“This—”

Everyone was astounded. Dumbfounded, they looked at Li Yao.

Jiang Shaoyang, even more so, seemed to have been struck by lightning. Only after a long while did he regain his senses.

The Wolf King rolled on the ground before it anxiously fled to a dozen meters away without ever paying attention to how it escaped.

Although its vital points hadn’t been breached, its prestige, on the other hand, was dragged through the dirt. The Wolf King carefully circled around the Tarantula, it dared not approach the rear of Tarantula.

“Student Li Yao, what… what was that!?” an examinee from the Star Nebula University boldly asked.

“Venom.”

Li Yao replied in a natural manner as though it was as just as the heavens, “Since the warbeast’s modification was based on a tarantula, isn’t it natural to have venom?”

This answer made everyone collapse. No one could figure out how.

“But… where did you get the venom or such a corrosive acid?”

In the repair workshop, everything complemented the Mystic Wolf. They could not remember if there was such a corrosive acid!

“I synthesized it myself!”

Li Yao explained, “Do you remember that there was Flamerite and Porous Lanthanum in the warehouse, and the coolant of the crafting furnace contained Thousand Star Essence and Snow Essence?

“These four materials are all very stable in nature, they are neither toxic nor corrosive.

“However, as long as powdered the Flamerite and Porous Lanthanum are mixed in a certain ratio and then put into a solution of Thousand Star Essence and Snow Essence, and heated to a temperature between 175 to 216 degrees, it will become extremely corrosive when it comes in contact with the air.

“I inadvertently found this formula in an ancient remnant scroll. In fact, it’s of no great use as its production cost is too high, its ingredients are quite expensive. Nowadays, we are fully capable of synthesizing cheaper acids.”

“Why… why did you do it?”

“Isn’t that obvious? The Tarantula I modified is slow and heavy, especially when it changes direction, it is inflexible. The enemy’s first choice would definitely be to attack it from behind!

“So, I would set a trap at the rear end for sure.

“The Tarantula’s abdominal section is modified from the cooling tank and is filled with acid. But unfortunately, Jiang Shaoyang’s Wolf King is just too fast, it actually dodged. If it was just delayed by half a second, all the acid would have fallen upon its head and the fight would have immediately come to an end. Such a shame!” Li Yao was feeling a bit regretful.

When it fell upon everyone’s ear, it made their hearts quiver.

Jiang Shaoyang was eavesdropping with rapt attention, and even more so, was drenched in cold sweat. He secretly sighed for being lucky.

The situation in the field seemed to have taken a new turn.

After suffering a loss, the Wolf King lurked inside the grass. It no longer fired the crystal railgun and skillfully dodged the oncoming rounds of crystal railgun. On one side, it was expending the crystals of its opponent, while on the other, it was observing the opponent’s line of attack.

Suddenly, it took a leap and discarded the crystal railguns on its sides at the same time.

Much to everyone’s surprise, it took the initiative to give up long-range attacks. It was preparing to risk its life.

Without the burdensome crystal railguns, the Wolf King’s speed was raised to a whole new level. It was like a green whirlwind as it ran around the Tarantula at an astonishing speed.

The Tarantula was somewhat at a loss as to what to do. The crystal railgun turret quickly rotated like an electric fan and even fired continuously, but it could only break the green silhouette left behind by the Wolf King.

Even if it continuously fired acid, it was completely ineffective against the Wolf King’s precautionary measures.

Its eight slender legs, even more so, became cumbersome. A few number of times its legs had been thrown into confusion and occasionally collided with each other.

“This is the tactical flaw.”

Several examinees whispered to each other, “The battle tactics of the Tarantula are too simple and hadn’t considered what to do when faced with circling tactics. It can’t change the situation and can let its opponent take control of the battle.”

“However, it’s not Li Yao’s fault. After all, he was pressed for time, how could he set all the tactics? They are simply of a different level!”

“Look, the Wolf King is going to launch a second round of attacks!”

Taking advantage of the Tarantula being led around by the nose and staggered, the Wolf King with a flash of green light, jumped high in the air and pounced towards the back of the Tarantula!

The back of the Tarantula was not only the blind spot for the crystal railgun’s attack, it was also the blind spot for an acid attack. The eight legs, even more so, were unable to reach!

If the crystal railgun turret got destroyed, the Wolf King would be able to directly rush through the wound, in an unstoppable manner, and directly smash the core!

“Jump up! Jump up!”

“Block it! Block it!”

Countless examinees had their hands clenched to the point that sweat covered their palms.

The Wolf King’s first attack ended up in failure as the Tarantula promptly moved its legs and sealed the Wolf King’s line of attack.

However, the Wolf King remained patient. It continuously circled around the Tarantula; on one side, it was forcing the Tarantula to rotate, while on the other hand, it slowly lured it to a stream.

Inside the stream, the pebbles were wet and slippery.

The Tarantula was sure to fall into a trap.

After having failed three times in a row, the Tarantula was finally lured to the edge of the stream. As its legs stepped on the pebbles, the Tarantula slipped and staggered, revealing a huge gap.

Taking advantage of the situation, the Wolf King pounced and steadily stood upon Tarantula’s back. Just as it dodged the super close range attack from the crystal railgun, it immediately pounced and forcibly tore the entire crystal railgun turret from the back of the Tarantula in a ferocious manner!

Inside the Tarantula, a large amount of lubricant and crystal stabilizing agent gushed out like blood.

It waved its legs madly yet it simply wasn’t able to reach its back.

The Tarantula could only run about wildly, roughly shaking its body, and even ruthlessly colliding with rocks and trees, in an attempt to throw off the Wolf King.

However, since the Wolf King has jumped onto the Tarantula’s back, why would the Wolf King let it easily succeed?

The Wolf King’s vibro-claws firmly clutched the gaps in the armor of the Tarantula like a leech stuck on the body of a human. Regardless of how the creature struggled, it remained motionless and slowly tore the armor piece by piece; constantly enlarging the wound.

“The match is already decided!”

All the examinees unclenched their fists. Their palms were cold.

The very moment the Wolf King jumped upon the back of the Tarantula, it meant that the horn indicating the end of the incredible and gruesome battle had been blown.

The eight-legged beasts were more afraid of attacks from above because of the restrictions of their structure, turning over for them was a downright disaster!

“Three minutes fifty-five seconds.” Zhu Yueqin took a cold glance at the other two examiners and said calmly.

“Shaoyang has won!”

The Deep Sea University’s examinees let out cries of jubilation and congratulation toward Jiang Shaoyang.

Jiang Shaoyang, on the other hand, had a slight frown crept up on his forehead. A faint sense of disappointment was clearly visible on his face.

Such victory was a pure tactical victory. He had won by relying on the thousands of battle tactics stored inside the Wolf King’s crystal processor.

Whereas the Tarantula was a newly modified warbeast. Li Yao could only programme a few battle tactics.

Once the Tarantula encountered an unexpected situation, it would be at a loss as to what to do and would be unable to cope with the situation.

“I did not win in combat, ah!

“I don’t want this kind of victory!”

Jiang Shaoyang lamented in his heart. He heaved a deep, long sigh and muttered to himself, “I truly wish I could give Li Yao a few days of time so that he could gather a lot of battle tactics from arachnoid warbeasts, modify them a bit and store them inside the Tarantula’s crystal processor. That would definitely improve the strength of Tarantula.

“At that time, perhaps we could have a good battle!”

He could not help but take a glance at Li Yao.

However, he discovered that even when most of the examinees were lamenting, Li Yao happened to have his arms crossed. There was no sadness or happiness on his face, but the corners of his lips were slightly raised; he looked at ease.

This attitude made a sliver of ominous foreboding arise in Jiang Shaoyang’s heart.

As he looked at the field again, the Wolf King had already torn open the location of crystal railgun. The Wolf King had completely torn away the armor on the back of the Tarantula and created a horrifying wound.

Various array glyphs and components were completely exposed to the claws and fangs of the Wolf King!

ROAR!

The Wolf King opened its fierce-looking jaws as a ball of crimson flames quickly began to form deep within its throat. The sound of raging fire attribute spiritual energy sounded like a demon beast’s roar.

This was the final strike!

Everyone held their breath, awaiting the destruction of the Tarantula!

At this moment—

“Clank!”

It seemed that during the high-speed confrontation, the metal had gone beyond the limit of metal fatigue and the fat and round abdomen of the Tarantula could not hold on as it disengaged from the cephalothorax and fell on the ground!

“Its quality really was much worse, right?”

All the examinees were extremely shocked.

Although the warbeast was provisionally patched up and modified, its quality was indeed not as good as the original product, an important part could actually fall off during a battle, on its own…

It fell off on its own!

Many smart and thoughtful examinees exclaimed one by one.

Impressively, they caught a whiff of a plot.

The three examiners’ eyes were also opened wide. They had noticed that it wasn’t some accident but rather the Tarantula took the initiative to discard its abdominal section just as the Wolf King had discarded the crystal railguns.

In a battlefield, this type of proactive detachment meant only one thing—the warbeast was about to go into a new battle mode!

“Damn!”

Jiang Shaoyang looked pale as his hands could not help but shiver. His Adam’s apple rolled up and down like he wanted to shout at top of his voice at Wolf King, “Jump down! Quickly, jump down!”

But it was too late.

All of Wolf King’s spiritual energy had been utilized in the flame array glyphs engraved at the depth of its throat and was being converted into a blazing stream of flames.

At this moment, its vigilance and defense were at its weakest.

From the back part of the chest and abdominal section of the Tarantula which used to be the location where the abdominal section of the Tarantula was attached, a weapon like the tail of a scorpion fiercely lunged out and flexibly swayed a bit in the air. Following which, it plunged at the Wolf King’s rear end and pierced inside deeply.

The rear end had always been the most vulnerable part of the warbeasts.

The scorpion tail glittered with an orange glow as the spiritual energy continuously surged towards the front part of the tail and fired a stream of flame violently inside the Wolf King; incinerating the internal components of the Wolf King completely. Finally, the stream of flames burned through the crystal eyes of the Wolf King and left a pitch black eye sockets, from which the flickering flames were gushing out.

BANG!

The scorpion tail directly lifted up the Wolf King and smashed it upon a boulder, which made an ear-piercing sound.

It was like a giant hammer weighing over a thousand kilogram had ruthlessly bombarded the chest of everyone.

“This… this is—”

In the blink of an eye, the Tarantula switched from being a prey to a hunter. Waving its eight sharp legs, it pounced at the wreckage of the Wolf King. It was a complete slaughter. Components and crystals flew endlessly in the air as the Wolf King was reduced to pieces.

Everyone was completely flabbergasted. They were at a loss.

What kind of material did Li Yao use to forge this weapon to have such strength and flexibility?

How could Li Yao forge such an aggressive and exquisite weapon using the ordinary materials available in the repair workshop in a span of ten hours?

“It’s not like I forged a new weapon out of thin air.”

Li Yao explained, facing the bewildered gazes of everyone directly, “This is forged from the vertebral column of the Mystic Wolf.

“I redesigned the structure and mimicked the shape of arachnoid demon beasts. There was no need for the vertebral column, so I simply transformed it into a tail which strengthened the defense of upper part of the body.

“In addition, since the Tarantula didn’t have an obvious head, the flame array glyphs that were previously installed inside the throat of the Mystic Wolf were also moved to the end of the tail.

“Once the tail pierced the enemy’s body, it would attack from inside to outside, incinerating the internal organs directly which would be more lethal than burning from outside to inside.”

Li Yao’s explanation rendered everyone speechless.

The Deep Sea University’s side fell into a deathly silence.

The examiners who were in high spirits a moment ago were now like pinkish roosters whose feathers have been plucked out; they no longer had the slightest bit of brilliance.

All that resounded in the weapon test field was the hair-raising strange sounds coming from the sound amplifying array glyphs.

CRACK! CRACK! CRUNCH! CRUNCH!

They were the sounds of Tarantula eating.

…

At the army guest house during the night.

The fatigue from continuously working for over twenty hours exploded. All the examinees were exhausted physically and mentally; they had consumed a great deal of their spirit.

In addition, their test results and their identity information were also sent to the association for verification in order to issue the certificate and the emblem.

Therefore, the examinees were resting here in the night as they waited for tomorrow morning to obtain the formal emblem of a registered refiner, after which they would return to their cities.

By then, they would be respected registered refiners with unimaginable future prospects.

“Hufff—”

On the green army bed, Li Yao lay flat on his back.

After a day and night of exams, he was feeling exhausted. His body was extremely tired.

His brain, on the other hand, prickled, not from pain but rather excitement.

“I’ve done it!

“Old man, I’ve done it. I’ve become a registered refiner!

“This is just the first step, next I will complete the Project Mystic Skeleton with teacher and craft a Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit that can be mass-produced. Afterward, I will invent even more fearsome magical equipment and crystal suits, and step by step, progress toward the peak of the strongest refiners and defeat the Deep Sea University. I will explore the endless mysteries of vast cosmos!”

Just as he was imagining the wonderful future, a light knock came from the outside.

As he opened the door, it was none other than Jiang Shaoyang.

His hair was disheveled, his skin was pale, and had bloodshot eyes.

When Li Yao first saw Jiang Shaoyang, he had an aloof and prideful temperament which now have been swept away and was replaced by an intense madness.

He had a large pot in his hand which was filled with lemon tea that could be found in any common household. It held approximately 500 liters of lemon tea; almost half of the lemon tea had already been finished. The remaining 150-200 liters of lemon tea was shaking inside the pot.

“You also can’t sleep! If I had to guess, you’re itching to have a go? Tell me, why did you come!” Li Yao flexed his finger as they made crackling sounds.

Although he was physically tired, it was dual between the refiners, especially with a top peer like Jiang Shaoyang who was almost at the same age as him. Li Yao would not refuse.

Jiang Shaoyang said in a hoarse voice, shaking his head, “There is no need to compete. At least, at this moment, I am not as good as you.

“I only have a couple of questions, I would like to ask Senior Brother Li to guide me a bit.”

Jiang Shaoyang’s teacher was Jiang Sheng, while Li Yao’s teacher was Yuan Manqiu; their teachers were related through a martial siblings relationship. Therefore, between the two of them, they could also use senior brother and junior brother to address each other.

However, Jiang Shaoyang addressed Li Yao as senior brother because he had been convinced sincerely today, and admitted, that Li Yao’s skills were better than his.

Li Yao, on the other hand, didn’t think so much. He also recognized Jiang Shaoyang’s strength. It was difficult to find a well-matched opponent among his peers. Li Yao also had the intention to become friends with Jiang Shaoyang. Inviting Jiang Shaoyang inside, he broke into a grin and said, “It’s just giving directions, that’s all. We both are equally matched, not to mention, the two warbeast will also have many future versions. If we fought again, it’s hard to tell who would emerge victorious.

“If the questions are related to refining techniques, you are more than welcome to study together with me for sure.

“However, first tell me why are you carrying such a big pot of tea?”

Jiang Shaoyang raised the pot of lemon tea and shook the pot as he said, expressionlessly, “Today’s war is the most painful failure in my life. I was completely defeated. This defeat is etched in my heart!

“I decided to drown in alcohol to ease my pain, vent all my painful emotions.

“However, as a refiner, I am not allowed to numb my brain and hands with alcohol.

“So, I can only take tea for wine, and get good and drunk.”

Li Yao was rendered speechless. After being stupefied for a long while, he said, “Then I will accompany you for two cups. I still have half a bag of peanuts and some ham, do you want some?”

“May as well.”

Li Yao brought two disposable paper cups. The two filled the cups, ate some peanuts, and then finish the cup in one go.

“Good wine!”

Jiang Shaoyang’s eyes became redder as though he was bleeding from his eyes. He said, ruthlessly biting the ham, “Slightly sour, just like my mood!”

“Great Brother, did you come just to drink lemon tea?” Li Yao silently said in his heart.

“Senior Brother Li, there is one thing I can’t understand.”

Jiang Shaoyang slammed the paper cup on the table as he said seriously, “How can you carry out so many repairs and modifications in a span of ten hours, and also programme so many battle tactics to deal with my every attack?

“According to the performance of the Tarantula, you have at least installed hundreds of battle tactics which would have taken you one to two hours, only then should the Tarantula be able to cope with such an intense battle.

“This is something even the Building Foundation Stage refiners are unable to do.

“Senior Brother Li, please do tell, how did you do that?”

While spreading his hands, Li Yao said, “Of course, it is impossible for me to program a couple hundred battle tactics. From the beginning to the end, there was only one battle tactic, that was to assume the enemy would have misgivings about the powerful firepower of Tarantula and give up shooting, and instead choose to fight at close range.

“In close combat, the enemy’s main point of attack would be the rear and upper part areas. Afterward, I preinstall two traps. When the enemy attacks from above, the Tarantula will promptly disengage the abdominal section and use the tail forged from the vertebral column of Mystic Wolf to launch a fatal attack. No more than that.”

Jiang Shaoyang’s pupils suddenly constricted as the paper cup in his hand was slightly crushed. He said, clenching his teeth, “You mean to say, you led me around by the nose from beginning to end? I unknowingly fell into your trap?”

Li Yao heaved a sigh and said, “The Tarantula is a freak that was hastily modified. Certainly, it will have fatal flaws. As long as it was a refiner with a little bit of insight, they would be able to see that it’s clumsy, has slow speed, and very inflexible when turning around on the spot.

“How could I hide those things? They were simply impossible to hide.

“In that case, I did just the opposite and turned the flaws into traps. It’s not that I was intentionally aiming for Wolf King but it was the only suitable tactic that I could come up in that moment. That’s all.

“However, this tactic was only suitable for sneak attack. It was likely to succeed the very first time. Once the enemy had taken precautionary measures, this trick simply would not work.”

Nodding, Jian Shaoyang pondered for a moment and said, “I guess, that’s right. It’s not that I can’t afford to lose, but let’s take the matter on its merit; if you let me craft a new Wolf King, and input today’s battle data into the crystal processor and also let me program new battle tactics, then the outcome would be different for sure!”

“I believe you.”

A smile appeared on Li Yao’s face as he pursed his lips and pulled up a couple dozen blueprints from the crystal processor, “However, my Tarantula is incomplete. If you give me ten to fifteen days to craft it completely, then it also wouldn’t be as horrid as today. Come, check it yourself!”

A majority of the time, the refiners were bored.

Usually, the refiners would be holed up inside the laboratory and refining workshop, completely immersed in the world of refining, their brains would be full of formulas, algorithms, and data. They would appear a bit cold. Even if others were talking to them, their reaction would be half a beat slow and would give off the impression that they are half-heartedly paying attention.

However, once they crafted a completely new magical equipment, they would be no different to a child who had assembled a new toy, they would always be eager to show it off.

The same was true for Li Yao. He was a guy who was introverted and presumptuous as well.

However, in the Grand Desolate War Institution, he could only show off to Yuan Manqiu and Jiang Wenbo, the veteran refiners.

But they were not from the same generation, there was a big generation gap. Even if they praised him with a few words, he would always feel a sort of distance between them and himself.

And among his peers, there were Ding Lingdang, Zhao Tianchong, and Lu Tieshan with whom he could enjoy, but they were martial arts fanatics. Even if he took out complex blueprints to show off to them, it was tantamount to giving flirtatious glances to the blind; there was little to no sense of accomplishment.

A rare encounter like today where he got to meet Jiang Shaoyang who was a top expert among his peers made Li Yao incredibly excited as he got to meet his match.

Li Yao believed Jiang Shaoyang could definitely see the exquisiteness of these blueprints.

Sure enough, with just two glances, Jiang Shaoyang was deeply attracted and even exclaimed, “Is this the ultimate form of Tarantula? It sure is formidable!

“You are planning on using Thundercloud Rock and Jade Red Gold to create a porous composite and forge a semi-circular armor, which would at least reduce the weight by 25% while ensuring the tensile strength and corrosion resistance of the armor. And you are also going to employ propulsion array glyphs for middleweight warbeast, which will greatly improve the speed and agility!

“And the acid sack in the abdominal section will be divided into four vesicles, which can hold four different kinds of fluids; acid, venom, napalm, and also super sticky saliva extracted from Bullet Dart Frog? Not bad! Once this saliva is shot at an enemy, it would be like stuck in a spider web. It will greatly affect the mobility, and the enemy will be at your mercy!

“The Tarantula with web, that’s terrifying, that is truly terrifying!

“However, why is the ammunition cache in your Tarantula designed so big? It’s large enough to carry four unit of crystals. Even if you use triple-mount heavy crystal railgun, it would be more than enough!

“Although it would improve the continuous combat ability, it would affect the speed. The loss outweighs the gains!”

Li Yao slightly smiled as he pointed at four array glyphs next to the ammunition cache as well as dozens of components connected to it.

As Jiang Shaoyang carefully observed, he crushed the paper cup in his hands immediately and blurted out, “Self-destruct system!

“You intentionally enlarged the ammunition cache and installed so many crystals, just so you can launch a suicide attack!”

As Jiang Shaoyang closed his eyes, dozens of blueprints, in the blink of an eye, integrated into a mighty Tarantula in a blazing battlefield.

If the design of the blueprints came to fruition, especially so many crystals, once the Tarantula exploded amid a horde of demon beasts…

Goosebumps exploded all over Jiang Shaoyang’s body.

“Senior Brother Li, you should enter the Deep Sea University!”

Jiang Shaoyang said with excitement, “I heard, there is a bit of misunderstanding between you and some professors of Deep Sea University, but in my opinion, you are the craziest refiner!

“People like us can give up anything in pursuit of the best road of refining!

“What is a little misunderstanding? If you join Deep Sea University, you could put your talent to better use!

“Now that you are a registered refiner, there are many ways you can join Deep Sea University. You don’t necessarily have to be a student.

“You can join Deep Sea University’s laboratory as an assistant researcher directly. On one side you can study, on the other, you can research.

“We have a total of twenty-seven main laboratories, running hundreds of projects at the same time. If you applied, you’d be eligible to join any one of them!

“Come on, those students of Deep Sea University are like clay chickens and pottery dogs in my eyes. They don’t even stir the slightest bit of fighting spirit in me. If you come over, we can exchange pointers, compete with each other, train with each other, we can advance a thousand li in one day!”

Jiang Shaoyang looked at Li Yao with an anticipating look.

Having remained silent for a long time, Li Yao finally shook his head and said, “You are wrong. Although initially, I refused Deep Sea University, which was also a freak combination of factors, I have persevered in the Grand Desolate War Institution until today and my feelings still haven’t changed. And it’s not because of a small misunderstanding.

“If it were someone else, I would definitely not say any more. But since it’s you, you should be able to understand what I mean.

“It is indeed correct that the Deep Sea University is the best choice for a refiner from the materialistic point of view; floating mountains, teaching ability, academic atmosphere, inheritance… in regard to those things, other universities are unable to match them.

“However, I am more focused spiritually than materially. Or in your words—fighting spirit!

“Only competing against a giant like Deep Sea University can my fighting spirit be aroused to the extreme. Every minute, every second, when I think of my presumptuous declaration, every cell in my body seems to flare up, releasing light and heat. I don’t dare have the slightest intention to slack off, which makes me breakthrough my limits again and again!

“Surely, you have experienced this state. You should know, having entered this kind of state with soaring will to fight, how refreshing and wonderful it is!

“By joining Deep Sea University, standing shoulder to shoulder with this giant, I would see farther for sure, but I would inevitably slack some time because I would not be able to find a target and be able to make my will to fight madly burn every minute and every second!”

Jiang Shaoyang could not help but ask, “Why do you think there isn’t any target?

“I want to get rid of Novem Stellae, then defeat experts like my uncle Jiang Sheng, Professor Xie Tingxian, Professor Zhu Yueqin. I want to surpass even HoD Chu Xiohong!”

“Someday, I will become the HoD of Deep Sea University’s Refining Department!

“I don’t have any interest in being the HoD, I just want to prove that I am the strongest at Deep Sea University!

“This is my path; this is my target!

“What do you think? Aren’t you interested in walking this road together, we can compete after a few decades and see who can be the HoD of Deep Sea University Refining Department?”

“Not interested.”

Li Yao shook his head as his eyes radiated with dazzling starry brilliance, “Deep Sea University was established centuries ago, its Refining Department already had a couple dozen HoDs, and in the future, it will continue to exist for millennials, there will be hundreds of HoDs.

“There are predecessors, and there will be successors as well. Even if you persevere in the end, you will only be repeating the path that others have already taken and do what hundreds of people can and will do.

“What’s the fun in that?

“I will take a different road.

“Even if I am not the last one challenging the strongest king with the worst Refining Department in the federation, in the last five centuries, it has never been done!

“Only such a road is worth it for me to persevere till the end. Only such a cause can make me devote myself to it for as long as my life endures. Only such a target can make my will to fight soar to the limit, pay with 1000% of effort, and completely burn myself out!”

Jiang Shaoyang stood up suddenly, the stool tumbled backward as he shouted in a loud voice, “Have you wondered how small the probability of you ever being successful is!?”

Jiang Shaoyang’s facial features were completely distorted. He was almost screaming.

“The smaller the probability, the more interesting it is.”

Li Yao continued, “Life is a battle. Obviously, only by choosing the strongest enemy will it be exciting. The probability of winning against a three-year-old child is 100%, is that the battle you want?”

This sentence was the last straw, it completely defeated Jiang Shaoyang’s spirit.

His face became pale and sat back down, but he had never noticed that the stool had already fallen and he fell flat on the ground.

“Are you ok?”

Li Yao was stunned. He bent over the table to look, but only saw Jiang Shaoyang lying flat on his back, looking towards the sky, with no intention of getting up. Every facial muscle on his face twitched, his eyes turned quickly, he seemed to mumble, like crying while smiling, “I understand, this is your big secret!

“Spirit, fighting spirit, will to fight!

“I grew up in the Deep Sea University’s residential area for staff, magical equipment components were my toys, the repair workshop my paradise. Every day, most profound algorithms and theories would ring next to my ear!

“Materially, I am hundred times better than you, but I still suffered a crushing defeat!

“What I lack is the will to fight burning in my soul every second and every minute! You are right, you are totally right!

“Target, damn with this target!

“The target I set myself is much smaller than yours. Yes, yes, the Deep Sea University Refining Department already had twenty-two HoDs, one-hundred-and-thirty-five associate HoDs, even if I became one of them, what’s amazing about that!

“No wonder, I am getting more and more bored. So, it was like this, the target I chose is too weak!”

Jiang Shaoyang behaved weirdly for a long time before the paleness on his face became ruddy in excitement as though he was burning.

Like a zombie, he stood right up, took a deep glance at Li Yao before suddenly turning around, flinging his long hair and running out.

Until he reached the end of the hallway, did a frantic shout came, “I have realized, I have finally realized!

“Thank you, Senior Brother Li!

“Tomorrow, tomorrow morning, I will come find you and have a duel!”

Goosebumps exploded all over Li Yao’s body.

‘Oh God, what in the bloody hell did this guy realized!’

Next morning, at the military mess hall, thousands of examinees were having breakfast.

The Deep Sea University students occupied a corner. The atmosphere was a bit strange.

“Do you know, Jiang Shaoyang didn’t sleep last night, he was just sitting on the roof!?” a student said in a low voice.

“I also saw. Moreover, after midnight, he was running along the roof edge at an amazing speed, like a maniac!”

Another student took over the conversation, shook his head immediately and said, sighing, “Jiang Shaoyang took a big blow. He was thoroughly defeated in public, which for someone as proud as him, who has carried the aura of a genius from childhood, was simply insulting. I am afraid he will never recover from this setback…”

Before he could finish his sentence, many people sensed a mass of burning hot aura approaching gradually. It felt as though they were inside a crafting furnace thousands of degrees hot. They were even unable to breathe.

The first student turned his head and gasped suddenly.

The second student turned his head and his eyes became so wide that they seemed bigger than the egg in his hand.

The third student turned his head and his hands shook, the entire bowl of tofu in his hands fell between his laps. At the beginning, he still didn’t feel anything, only after two seconds did he stand up immediately with a shout.

This shout attracted everyone’s gaze.

When everyone got to see who was there, they were completely flabbergasted. They became dumb as a wooden chicken.

It was none other than Jiang Shaoyang, but he was completely different from yesterday.

Yesterday, Jiang Shaoyang was like a star hanging high above the sky, he was lonely, cold yet proud, immersed in a world of his own. He didn’t bother paying attention to people around him.

Watching his fellow students, the look in his eyes wasn’t that of contempt but of complete disregard!

In contrast, at this moment, it seemed the shackles in the depths of his heart were broken, and the seals restricting his soul had been blown away. From inside to outside, every cell in his body was releasing an inexhaustible amount of energy, turning him into a blazing…sun!

That’s right, it was the sun, the burning hot sun, incinerating everything in its path and nothing could stop its wild march!

No one among his fellow students dared to stand within a range of two meters of him.

A feeling emerged from the bottom of everyone’s hearts, so long as they were within this range of two meters, they would be engulfed by him; even ashes would not be left behind.

Jiang Shaoyang took a glance at his fellow students’ faces.

No one dared to look directly at Jiang Shaoyang. Everyone was thrown into panic.

Because they discovered that the look in Jiang Shaoyang’s eyes was no longer that of indifference, but his eyes seemed to radiate a savage glint filled with hunger and intense murderous intention.

But the biggest change was undoubtedly…

“Shaoyang, did you actually shave your head?” a student cried out involuntarily.

Under the lights, Jiang Shaoyang’s head shone brightly. His shiny, long, and black hair was missing; not a single hair was there to be found.

This fierce style and yesterday’s fluttering long hair were simply like two different people.

Jiang Shaoyang dismissively glanced at the student who had just spoken, which forced the student to retreat two steps. Slowly and calmly, Jiang Shaoyang walked to the students who were chatting at the beginning, before stretching out a finger and shaking it, “You are wrong about one thing.

“I never carried the aura of a genius.

“I am a genius!

“This is one of the most basic facts that does not change just because I was defeated in a fight. Dark clouds occasionally cover the sun but the sun exists forever!

“Only those who pretend to be a genius, those ordinary people who only carry the aura of genius, would brood over a defeat in a contest.

“I am a true genius, how could stay down after a single defeat in a fight? The more frustrating it is, the more courageous I will become; I will get stronger and stronger in a fight.

“Because I’m sure, no matter how many times I face failure, I will win in the end for sure!”

Everyone had been deterred by his imposing attitude. A brief silence enshrouded this corner of the mess. Only after a while, someone asked, trembling, “Shaoyang, are you really okay? Did something happen?”

“Of course something did happen.”

Jiang pursed his lips as a smile crept upon his face. “I broke through.”

“What!”

Everyone stood up.

“Failure is the mother of success, in the past, I never understood this sentence. Because from childhood, I have never truly experienced failure.”

Jiang Shaoyang, in a not too fast and nor too slow manner, took out a bunch of small balls of steel from his pocket, each one no more than a millimeter in diameter. It was no different than clutching a handful of rice.

“Yesterday, when I suffered a crushing defeat and had a talk with Senior Brother Li Yao, only then did I realize my own flaws.”

Jiang Shaoyang flicked his fingers ever so slightly yet dozens of steel balls nimbly jumped between his fingers and their speed got faster and faster by the minute, they were like dozens of streams of silver light dancing.

“Before, I’d set a few targets for myself, but those targets were too simple, too boring, and too easy to achieve. They simply didn’t drive me to release 100% of my strength.

“It was me myself who had sealed my own true strength!”

Dozens of silver streams of light gathered into a silver ball of light, no one could trace their trajectory clearly. All one could hear were faint whizzing sounds, as though a small tornado had formed in the palm of Jiang Shaoyang.

“His hands are faster than yesterday!”

Everyone had only taken a few glances, yet they felt dizzy.

Even if it was someone with better dynamic vision, they were unable to capture the actions of Jiang Shaoyang.

“However, now, I have found a new target, and it is deserving of me to burn myself every minute and every second, and unleash 100% of my strength, no, 1000% of my strength!

“The moment I found this target, I could feel an invisible chain shackling my entire body breaking off. The energy which used to be hidden within the deepest recesses of my cells surged turbulently like the floodwater bursting the dike, and made me breakthrough in the blink of an eye!

“Senior Brother Li didn’t lie to me, what he said was indeed true!”

Jiang Shaoyang shouted as the ball of silver light in between his fingers, suddenly broke into dozens of streams of light and shot towards the surroundings at lightning fast speed.

A lot of people were caught off guard. They stepped back instinctively to dodge but still believed the steel balls would hit them.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Shaoyang’s right hand disappeared, in the blink of an eye, and transformed into a mass of faint mist that enshrouded dozens of high-speed, shooting steel balls completely.

His hands seemed to be magnetized as dozens of streams of light were sucked into his hand in the blink of an eye.

When he opened his palm, dozens of small balls of steel were revolved around and lightly collided with each other, making “ding ding” sounds.

“God-like hand speed!”

Everyone forgot to breathe as the same sentence circled around their brain.

“In one night, the limit of my hand speed has improved by 11.3%,” Jiang Shaoyang said calmly as he put the balls of steel back into his pocket. He took a glance around and locked on to a target before walking towards the other end of the mess hall.

“Shaoyang, where are you going?” a fellow student could not help but ask.

Everyone was completely dumbfounded and amazed by Jiang Shaoyang’s transformation in one night.

Jiang Shaoyang raised the corner of his lips, revealing his snow white teeth as he said, smiling, “This breakthrough of mine is all thanks to Senior Brother Li Yao. So of course, I’d better pay my gratitude to him and also while I’m at it…

“Let Senior Brother Li Yao have a taste of crushing defeat!”

Jiang Shaoyang’s final words detonated the passion in everyone’s heart. Every examinee from the Deep Sea University stood up immediately.

“Tenth Star! He truly deserves to have the name Tenth Star! In one night, he’s become a new person; his strength had improved incredibly!”

“Jiang Shaoyang and Li Yao were almost on par with each other. Even the yesterday’s defeat was mostly due to Li Yao’s insidious tricks.”

“Overnight, Jiang Shaoyang’s hand speed has improved by 11.3%, how can Li Yao be his opponent? He will definitely be suppressed by Jiang Shaoyang!”

“Let’s go and take a look!”

Jiang Shaoyang approached Li Yao step by step and followed him was a long line of optimistic people afar.

The military mess hall was huge. It could easily accommodate over ten thousand people at the same time. The two sides of the mess were separated by a few hundred meters. Li Yao was sitting at the corner of another side where he was thoroughly engrossed in his food. He did not care about the commotion taking place a few hundred meters away.

However, he also happened to be thinking about Jiang Shaoyang.

“Interesting guy. If he and I could compete occasionally, it would really improve our strength greatly!”

While squeezing the soy milk, Li Yao recalled the soul-stirring competition between the two.

The most memorable wasn’t the duel between the Wolf King and Tarantula but the toothpick contest between the two instead.

“My assumption at the beginning might’ve been too conservative. The limit of that guy’s hand speed might be more than 97% of mine. If he trained for a few more days, his hand speed could surpass mine!

“Interesting, it is really interesting. I am truly lucky to find such a rival among my peers. I will definitely train more madly than him, my hand speed absolutely cannot be any worse than his!

“But I wonder what’s the limit of my hands’ speed actually?

“Right, I have not used ‘that’ way for a long time to test the limit of my ultimate hand speed. Although it has no practical value, at least…

“It would let me feel refreshed a bit!”

Under the stimulation of Jiang Shaoyang, Li Yao’s competitive heart was also eager for action.

Taking a deep breath, a huge complex and profound blueprint, dazzling digits, and intricate algorithms appeared in Li Yao’s brain.

Which made him enter the Super Perceptive State within a second!

Brain cell activity 150%!

Brain cell activity 200%!

Brain cell activity 220%!

While testing hand speed, for both hands to not get cramped with some casual movements, the hand to eye coordination must be exquisite, only then would a series of actions be completed accurately.

After having entered the Super Perceptive State, the brain cell activity had improved by a tremendous degree, and naturally, his ultimate hand speed also rose.

In actual operations, this ultimate hand speed was of little to no significance.

Because after a few minutes of Super Perceptive State, his brain had to cool down for long period of time for it to return to its normal state. It was pointless for Li Yao to pursue super hand speed for a moment only to have his brain cool down for a few more minutes later.

This was just for fun, nothing more nothing less.

Li Yao controlled his brain cell activity at 220%.

This was the limit at which he could work smoothly.

If he raised it anymore, he would be unable to control at will.

“Smack!”

As Li Yao lightly flicked his little finger on the table, a toothpick jumped out from the jar and in neither fast and nor slow manner rolled between his fingers.

“Whoosh!”

As Li Yao drew a paper napkin and readily tossed it, the paper flew high in the air and fluttered down.

At this moment, Jiang Shaoyang came over. His gaze involuntarily fell upon the paper napkin.

“What does he want to do?” Jiang Shaoyang was confused in his heart.

A starry brilliance brighter than the sun flashed across Li Yao’s eyes. When the paper napkin drifted to his side, he suddenly took action, the toothpick, like numerous lightning firing from his fingers, pricked hundreds of orderly holes on the soft paper napkin!

“This—!”

Jiang Shaoyang was completely stupefied.

“This monster’s hand speed is at least 20% faster compared to yesterday’s!”

Li Yao’s actions finished with a flash. What everyone saw from afar was just a lightly fluttering paper napkin. Before the napkin even landed on the table, it was picked up and laid down flat on the table.

As Jiang Shaoyang took two steps forwards, he furtively observed and saw 144 holes pricked by the toothpick at the center of a square napkin that were evenly distributed across twelve vertical and horizontal lines to form a square whose borders ran parallel to that of the napkin. At first glance, it seemed no different than a pre-printed pattern.

Jiang Shaoyang was struck by a lightning, his face devoid of any blood in the blink of an eye.

“144 holes made using a toothpick on an incomparably soft, fluttering paper napkin within a second!? Maybe… I could also do it.

“However, the 144 holes would not be so evenly distributed to the point that the distance between each hole is exactly the same, forming a perfect square.

“This requires amazing computation ability and terrifying hand-to-eye coordination to do it!

“So, this is his true strength!

“Yesterday, this monster was holding back a bit!”

At this point, Li Yao also felt someone hot standing behind him. As he turned his head to look, the shiny bald head of Jiang Shaoyang had scared the hell out of him.

“You change your style? Not bad, quite an attitude! Have you eaten? If not, let’s eat together!”

Jiang Shaoyang kept staring at him as he bit his lips to the point he was bleeding. After a long while, he said, stressing each word, “Senior Brother Li Yao, see you later!”

Having finished, he turned around in a rigid manner no different than a robot before retracing his steps back.

“What the hell?” Li Yao scratched his disheveled hair; a puzzled look covered his face.

‘Last night, didn’t this guy say he’d have a duel with me in the morning? Why does it look like he has taken a big blow?’

Even when he was defeated yesterday, he didn’t look so crestfallen.

The gloomy look in his eyes was simply as though Li Yao had taken his girlfriend.

“What the hell!”

The Deep Sea University examinees were a million times more at a loss than Li Yao. One by one, they tugged their hair; they were simply unable to understand what had transpired.

A second ago, Jiang Shaoyang wanted to take revenge, he seemed to have been possessed by the devil; the murderous intention emanating from him clouded the sky and covered the earth.

That indomitable and unstoppable attitude devoid anyone of the slightest bit of doubt that Li Yao wouldn’t be steamrolled by him, and it could also be considered as venting the suffocating feeling in their hearts.

After all, because of yesterday’s defeat, God knows how many examinees were secretly mocking them. Particularly, the rival examinees from the Star Nebula University and the Federation’s First Military College, they, even more so, did not have any intention to conceal their gloating.

They had been waiting for Jiang Shaoyang to use a brilliant victory to slap these people’s faces swollen!

Unexpectedly, after having stood behind Li Yao for a few minutes and saying a few words, Jiang Shaoyang’s overwhelmingly imposing attitude disappeared like a puff of smoke, and he withdrew dejectedly.

“Shaoyang, what happened? Didn’t you wanted to go over and challenge Li Yao?! Why aren’t you challenging him?” several Deep Sea University examinees asked, dissatisfied.

Jiang Shaoyang replied, dispiritedly, “The challenge is over.”

“Ah?”

“Who won?”

A vacant look appeared in Jiang Shaoyang’s eyes, yet there was also some sort of strange excitement too, as he muttered, “I lost again.

“If we say, yesterday’s competition also had some element of luck, that Senior Brother Li Yao only won because he had laid some traps for me to walk right into it.

“Then today was completely due to the difference in strength. I was completely steamrolled by him!

“Nevertheless, it’s pretty good. Senior Brother Li Yao has shown me clearly that once someone’s will to fight has soared to 1,000%, their state can soar terrifyingly high too!

“We have many years ahead of us!”

Having finished speaking, the gloominess and sense of loss on Jiang Shaoyang’s face were completely swept away. What replaced them was a resolution so strong it seemed he could kill tigers and dragons, behead gods, and slaughter devils. A power that could crush mountains and rivers in his path from the depths of his every cell emerged, the sun was rekindled!

With his head high and chest out, he walked out of the mess hall in large strides.

Leaving behind hundreds of Deep Sea University examinees who were soon about to go crazy.

“Did I hear it correctly!?

“Jiang Shaoyang has become so frightening overnight that his ultimate hand speed had improved by some 11%!

“Yet he had been defeated by Li Yao?!

“And it took only a second for Jiang Shaoyang to be convinced thoroughly to the point that he even said that he was completely steamrolled!? This is simply—

“Within in a span of one second, how in the bloody hell did they compete!? How did they even compete!?”

These people were outstanding members of the refiners’ community, they were crowned with the title of ‘genius’ in their respective hometowns, yet they were scratching their heads as their faces flushed red to ears; they were on the brink of collapsing.

In their eyes, the quietly sitting Li Yao who was ‘slurping’ the soy milk and taking a bite of meat bun seemed to have his entire body covered in scales as wings, fangs, and talons emerged, an intense demonic energy was circling around him; he was a monster out and out!

…

After a while…

The message of authentication completion was announced.

All the examinees who had passed received a resplendent emblem, representing that they had officially become a refiner and joined the refiners’ circle which is one of the strongest careers in the world of cultivation.

Following which, a couple dozen carriers returned the examinees to their respective cities.

Three of these carriers flew towards the largest city in the eastern hemisphere, the Deep Sea City.

When they landed at the Deep Sea City, it was already midnight.

The Deep Sea University stood toweringly at the corner of Deep Sea City. It occupied a quarter of the city’s total area. The brightly illuminated rows upon rows of buildings, a part even extending to under the sea, along with the resplendent reflection on the sea, seemed no different to a paradise.

On a floating mountain dotted with rocks, giant trees, and waterfalls, Supernova Jiang Sheng was wholeheartedly enjoying a battle between two puppet warbeasts.

It was the previous day’s duel between Li Yao’s Tarantula and Jiang Shaoyang’s Wolf King.

Jiang Shaoyang watched quietly with a deadpan look on his face.

Even when the Tarantula’s weird tail plunged ruthlessly into the Wolf King, he didn’t bat an eye even the slightest bit.

Until when the entire Wolf King had been destroyed into fragments did he turned his head and asked a dark skin girl standing nearby; she didn’t even appear to have crossed thirty, “If it were you, how would you deal with this puppet warbeast?”

This lady’s name was Yuan Yexue, she was Jiang Sheng’s true disciple, and one of the Novem Stellae.

Jiang Sheng had put a lot of effort into developing the Novem Stellae. According to their various characteristics and talents, he trained nine teenaged experts with different methods. Each of them possessed all kinds of marvelous skills.

Among them, Yuan Yexue was a refiner who specialized in puppet warbeasts. Not only was she specialized in crafting them, controlling them was also her forte.

In the battlefield, she alone was capable of controlling ten puppet warbeasts simultaneously and could unleash their battle force to the maximum. She was an out and out warbeast expert.

Yuan Yexue pondered for a moment and said, “Shaoyang underestimated his opponent, since his opponent had such tyrannical ability to modify, there was no reason for such big defects to be left out in clear sight involuntarily. They were definitely traps!

“If it was me, I would have launched attacks from the front, where the Tarantula’s armor was thickest! Although the armor was thick, the cross-shaped crystal eye track was its lethal weakness!

“I would have torn down the front armor along the crystal eye tracks, and directly smashed the main crystal processor!

“Of course, even if the tactic was to be successful, I cannot also guarantee I will certainly win. The Tarantula had indeed been modified correctly. Li Yao is really formidable!”

Jiang Shang heaved a sigh and said, “An accomplished disciple owes his accomplishment to his great teacher. Senior Sister Yuan’s only disciple is sure to be impressive. I wanted to recruit him from the very beginning, alas, he rejected me. It is really regrettable!”

Yuan Yexue’s eyebrows twitched as she said in a rather unconvinced tone, “Teacher, although the terrific skills he had displayed didn’t conform with his age, and is far better than an ordinary student’s, however, our Deep Sea University has an abundance of geniuses. Many of them are also far better than him! Which one of the Novem Stellae isn’t better than him?”

Jiang Sheng said, sneering, “I’m not feeling regretful for the Deep Sea University, I am feeling deeply regretful for him. Such a talented seedling’s future has been destroyed just because of his own impulsiveness and capriciousness!

“It is true that he is somewhat talented, however, staying in a place like the Grand Desolate War Institution and taking the wrong path of refining, will slowly destroy his good talent!

“I truly can’t understand what both master and apprentice are actually thinking. First, it was Senior Sister Yuan, and now it’s Li Yao, why have they not joined the Deep Sea University which has such a good environment!? Why must they plunge themselves into the limitless Wasteland!? They are simply crazy!”

At this moment, heavy footsteps resounded from outside before a travel-worn Jiang Shaoyang appeared.

“Shaoyang!”

Yuan Yexue welcomed him.

She had long received the news; she wasn’t surprised by the bald Jiang Shaoyang. She said, smiling, “I heard that this time you have encountered a rare rival. And although you lost, you received enlightenment and your hand speed improved by 11.3% overnight!?”

Jiang Shaoyang nodded slightly and stepped forward. With bright and shiny eyes, he directly gazed at Jiang Sheng as he came straight to the point without the least bit of nonsense, “Uncle, I am already a registered refiner, how should I train now?”

Both uncle and nephew were a pair of fanatics who were obsessed with the road of refining. Even when they spoke, they didn’t have the slightest bit of emotions.

Jiang Sheng pulled up a dense schedule on the hologram and said coldly, “Becoming a registered refiner is just the beginning. For the next part, I have arranged twenty-seven projects for you. You can choose one or a few, it’s all up to you. You will join them as an assistant researcher and slowly accumulate experience and increase your knowledge.

“However, whichever project you choose, you must accept the test of the project leader. The test will be highly difficult. Even if you are my nephew, there won’t be any nepotism, it will only be tougher.”

Jiang Shaoyang took a glance at the schedule and showed an as-expected look on his face as he smiled.

He took out an envelope from his chest pocket and handed it over respectfully.

Jiang Sheng took to look and his countenance changed before he said, “An application to withdraw from university? Why!?”

“Because I have seen the peak.”

Jiang Shaoyang stated calmly, “Uncle, I’ve grown up in the Deep Sea University and seen many experts of Refining Department as well as the road they are taking. Now I am also taking the very same road. It’s tantamount to conquering a mountain with visible peak. It’s not the least bit challenging or delightful.”

“So?”

“So, I am preparing to leave the Deep Sea University and look for an invisible peak, towering into the clouds. Even if there is no peak at all, then I will tread upon the high mountains of the endless galaxy and conquer them!”

“Shaoyang, are you crazy!” exclaimed Yuan Yexue.

“How can you leave Deep Sea University? We, Novem Stellae, have been looking forward to you joining us. You are publicly recognized as the Tenth Star!”

Jiang Shaoyang smiled and revealed his sharp teeth as he said, stressing his each and every word, “Senior Sister Yuan, I have always been meaning to tell you something that I have been holding in my heart, I can finally say it to you.

“I never like the title ‘Tenth Star’, I did not like it at all.

“In the eyes of others, it seems standing side by side with you is a very glorious thing, but as far as I’m concerned, I don’t like standing side by side with anyone, more importantly, I don’t like those stars which can be found anywhere in the entire sky.

“I am not a star.”

Jiang Shaoyang knocked his shiny bald head and said softly, “I am the Sun.”

While Deep Sea University’s Refining Department had been sent into a complete mess by Jiang Shaoyang’s insane stunt, the culprit of the whole fiasco, Li Yao, was completely oblivious. He was comfortably sitting in a private compartment on a crystal train which was traveling towards Wild Waves City.

Originally, he could have boarded a military carrier to the Giant Edge Pass.

However, Li Yao came to remember Ding Ying’s words and made the same choice as her of embarking a crystal train with the ordinary people while traveling in the Wasteland.

If due to a one in a million chance, the crystal train encountered a beast tide, he could help them resist for a while.

Unconsciously, Li Yao began to strictly follow the standards of a cultivator too.

There was still a day’s time before the crystal train would due to arrive at Wild Waves City, which Li Yao had no intention of wasting. He sat with his legs crossed on the floor and started the crystal processor, before initiating the telepathic thoughts of the Heaven Origin Cultivators’ Nexus.

A resplendent half-step great illusionary land, in the blink of an eye, enveloped the small compartment.

A middle-aged, beautiful cultivation assistant, that was purely an illusion, looked at him smilingly and congratulated him in arousing tone, “Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Li Yao, for successfully passing the Refiners’ Registration Examination and becoming a powerful registered refiner. You have been granted a higher clearance level and the refining forum of the Heaven Origin Cultivators’ Nexus is fully open to you!”

At this moment, Li Yao was not only a 6th level Refinement Stage cultivator, he was also a registered refiner. Many sections that used to be gray at the beginning had completely transformed into resplendent, colorful rays of light as he was flooded with information, and their number had increased by a couple dozen times.

Ignoring that information, Li Yao directly entered the refining forum.

“Fellow Daoist Li Yao, as you have entered the refining forum for the first time, let me give you an introduction.”

The cultivation assistant continued, “This forum was built by the registered refiners’ association and is a specialized platform dedicated for exchange between the refiners. There are multiple sections in here where you can discuss academic issues with the other refiners or browse a large number of job offers, or receive a mission of your choice with huge pay, or improve your own rank. Of course, if you have any missions, or want to recruit like-minded refiners to complete complex projects, you can also post your requests here!”

Li Yao nodded. These things were common sense. He quickly skimmed past them.

“Whoosh!”

Behind the cultivation assistant appeared eight translucent block diagrams, each representing eight sections.

The world of magical equipment was immensely vast. In theory, all non-living entities powered by spiritual energy that could emit spiritual power were all magical equipment.

Such a vast world could not be completely mastered by a single refiner even if they exhausted their entire life. A vast majority of refiners could only master one or few aspects of this immeasurably vast world.

In the Star Glory Federation, the magical equipment is divided into eight ranks by their size.

First rank, mustard-level, also known as nanoscale, means holding Mount Sumeru within a mustard or accommodating the entire universe in a grain of rice.

A single nanoscale magical equipment is even smaller than a cell but once thousands and thousands of units combine together, they could display inconceivable abilities.

The Star Glory Federation has a powerful combat suit called “Nano Suit”, it is crafted using nano-scale magical equipment and weighs very little. It flows like a liquid but has the strongest defense. If it is worn together with a crystal suit, it can form a two-tier combat system.

If a cultivator wore a crystal suit over a nano suit, he could simply kill a god if a god blocked the way, kill Buddha if Buddha blocked the way. He would be invincible and ever victorious.

Second rank, the super small-scale magical equipment.

Super small-scale magical equipment have the size of flies, mosquitoes, or similar sizes. Once they gathered into a group, they could also become terrifying killing weapons.

Third rank, small-scale magical equipment, or also known as individual-type magical equipment.

This level is comprised of most widely used magical equipment. Flying swords, crystal suits, firearms, puppet warbeasts, are all small-scale magical equipment.

There were many refiners who studied small-scale magical equipment. Li Yao, too, was a specialist in this domain.

Fourth rank, middle-scale magical equipment.

The magical equipment of this rank has a length varying from seven-eight meters to twenty-thirty meters and can weigh dozens of tons to hundreds of tons. Crystal tanks commonly used by the military, as well as the flying shuttles that can carry dozens of people, are all middle-scale magical equipment.

Fifth rank, large-scale magical equipment.

Army carriers, patrol crafts, destroyers, are all large-scale magical equipment. When they open fire, their destructive force is comparable to that of a Golden Dan Stage.

Sixth rank, super large-scale magical equipment.

The main force of the army, battleships, flagships, aerial fortresses, are all super large-scale magical equipment. The federation army’s eternal flagship, the Distant Expanse that Li Yao had seen above the Far East Ocean, perfectly represents a super large-scale magical equipment!

Seventh rank, giant-scale magical equipment!

Once the magical equipment reached this rank, they tended to become complex, integrated systems that could cover the entire city, such as “Anti-demon beast defense system”.

The eighth rank is also the technical force of the Star Glory Federation and can touch the highest rank, the planetary-level! The planetary-level magical equipment’s ability can cover the entire mainland.

The “super-fast crystal train system” that ran through the entire Star Glory Federation was an out-and-out planetary-level magical equipment!

This type of magical equipment couldn’t be manufactured overnight. Even the super-fast crystal train system was still expanding, new rails were being built, connecting many more cities. Perhaps, it would take centuries to completely finish it.

As for the above planetary-level magical equipment, rumor had it that during the Star Sea Empire, cultivators could craft “star-level magical equipment” that could radiate the entire solar system.

However, in the “Armageddon Rebellion”, this technology was lost.

‘It’s truly regrettable.’

Li Yao heaved a sigh and entered the small-scale magical equipment section.

The background of this section was tens of thousands of classical magical equipment blueprints shining brightly in the pitch black night sky, like countless brilliant stars.

Rows after rows of information once again cascaded down in front of Li Yao. However, this time the information was more targeted, all of which was related to small-scale magical equipment.

A majority of the information was about some cultivator willing to spend a truckload of money to buy a small-scale magical equipment.

It also included specific requirements, such as speed, weight, attributes and so on.

Li Yao browsed for a bit. Much to his surprise, the highest bidder was willing to spend billions to buy a small-scale magical equipment.

Li Yao smacked his lips; no wonder it was said that the refining profession was one of the best careers in the world of cultivation.

So long as the refiner could craft three to five pieces of such magical equipment every year, he could have everything: money, contacts, and resources!

However, the cultivators who were willing to spend billions would naturally seek the best refiners. Li Yao assessed the request for a moment, and realized that he could not achieve the requested performance parameters; he could not even think of achieving them!

In addition, there were recruitment notices posted by major sects, universities, and registered refiner firms.

With Li Yao’s phenomenal performance in the Refiners’ Registration Examination, he could now be considered as a small rookie with some reputation in the refiners’ circle. It would be easy for him to find a good job be good future prospects.

However, Li Yao had already contacted his teacher.

And when Yuan Manqiu came to know that he had successfully become a registered refiner, she was extremely happy. Even when Dean Xiong Baili received this happy news, he was completely satisfied with his performance. He faintly revealed that after he graduated, if he stayed at the institute, he would enjoy the same treatment as Ding Lingdang.

Therefore, Li Yao’s gaze did not stay on the recruitment notices for too long and jumped to the rank assessment.

The registered refiners were divided into ten ranks, from one-star to nine-star.

The refiners from one-star to three-star were “elite refiners”.

A vast majority of registered refiner will stop at that level for their lifetime.

The refiners from four-star to six-star were “expert refiners”.

Refiners of this rank were experts and authorities of a domain. Their words carried irrefutable weight.

Li Yao’s teacher Yuan Manqiu, as well Supernova Jiang Shen, were expert refiners.

It was also the limit of ordinary refiners.

The refiners from seven-star to nine-star were “grandmaster refiners”. Not only did they have authority over a domain, they could completely establish new domain and sect. The super magical equipment they refined could also be called national treasures. Only they could be awarded such honors.

Even in the entire Star Glory Federation, grandmaster refiners could be counted on one’s fingers. Each one of them was in a prominent position; they were great figures whose names resounded throughout the federation!

“I wonder when I will become a grandmaster refiner!” Li Yao let his fallacy run wild.

He was neither an elite nor an expert, let alone a grandmaster. He was nothing but a whiteboard, “starless”, the lowest class.

“I want to elevate my rank as soon as possible. At least become an elite! Being a whiteboard is simply shameful!”

Only when he improved his rank could he participate in higher-ranked refining projects, only then could he purchase more heaven and earth treasures from the refining association, only then could he have the qualifications to discuss and compete with higher-level experts, only then could he have the qualifications to contend with Deep Sea University.

The method to improve one’s rank was also very simple.

Major universities, sects, loose cultivators, and armies posted many missions at the refining association.

And the association in accordance with the difficulty of the task assess them into different ranks.

As long as one could finish a “one-star refining mission”, he or she would automatically have his or her rank upgraded to one-star refiner.

“Soon it will be summer vacation.”

Li Yao pondered aloud, “In the summer vacation, on one hand, I can complete some tasks and improve my rank, and also earn some money, while I am it, to buy some heaven and earth treasures and refining tools. On another hand, I can only also temper my skills.

“After all, next semester, teacher will restart Project Mystic Skeleton. I also want to participate in it and contribute.

“A crystal suit is magical equipment with more intricate magical equipment built within; it is very difficult to craft. My current skills are probably insufficient to play any crucial role.

“Train, I must train madly. I must leave the ‘Fiend Star’ name on the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit!”

…

When the crystal train slipped into the Wild Waves City train station, it was already late night.

Li Yao didn’t return to the Refining Department but went to the faculty area with an excited look covering his entire face.

He went looking for Ding Lingdang. He wanted to tell her the great news.

He didn’t know why but after he became a registered refiner, the first person that appeared in his mind with whom he wanted to share this happiness was not Professor Yuan Manqiu but Ding Lingdang.

However, he resisted this urge.

It was meaningless to share such great news via the spiritual crane messenger. Of course, it must be face to face. While at it, he wanted to look the stunned expression on Ding Lingdang’s face and then listen to her compliments!

While thinking of Ding Lingdang, Li Yao’s corners of lips rose into a smile. Even he himself wasn’t aware that his eyes were radiating a wily radiance.

He knew Ding Lingdang would not be asleep.

She was a cultivation maniac. As long as it wasn’t between two and three in the middle of the night, she would not be asleep.

At the base of the small mountain, amid the sea of bamboos, Li Yao’s gait was like he was walking in his own garden as he greeted the parrot and small snake.

Immediately, he raised his eyebrows as the smile on his face stiffened.

As he raised his nose, he got a whiff of a faint intoxicating smell before his pupils constricted suddenly.

“It’s the smell of intoxicating immortal vine!”