Forty millenniums of cul.., p.448
Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 448
"You are now a pain in the ass for the Temple of Immortals, and they are very likely to summon a lot of assassins against you in the Edge Sharpeners' Meeting.
"It is quite risky for us to lend you money right now. Naturally, the interest rate is slightly higher.
"If you are not satisfied by the proposal, I suggest we talk about the deal several months after the Edge Sharpeners' Meeting, when the Temple of Immortals' plots will have proved futile.
"I believe that your credit level will have significantly improved, and your interest rate will plummet by then."
Li Yao considered carefully.
The large sum of money he was trying to collect was exactly meant for the Edge Sharpeners' Meeting.
The Edge Sharpeners' Meeting was the most professional meeting for all the refiners in the Flying Star Sector. Other than the exhibition of the latest magical equipment, a lot of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures would be auctioned, some of which were extremely rarely-seen.
The inventory of part of the materials to be auctioned had been published in advance.
Li Yao was determined to bid for twenty or so of them no matter what their price was!
Reading the proposal carefully again and again and calculating for a long time, he confirmed the details with Zhao Hongguang for the last time. "The money will all be in position before the Edge Sharpeners' Meeting?"
Zhao Hongguang smiled. "Of course."
Li Yao took a deep breath and extended his hand to the vice manager of the Cross Wind Union Bank. "Deal."
He was more and more looking forward to the Edge Sharpeners' Meeting.
…
Eleven days later, in the Edge Sharpeners' Meeting at the central area of the Heavenly Saints City…
"Wow!"
The moment she stepped out of the interview car, Yi Feilan felt that a thousand colors crashed into her eyes, and ten thousand sounds were vibrating her eardrums.
Her head was dizzy, and her lips were dry.
She was a journalist from 'Entertainment Weekly', but she was like a country bumpkin who was visiting the city for the first time and felt like she had forgotten to bring her brain with her.
In space, she had never seen such a spacious man-made area that looked like a real planet, nor had she seen so many obstreperous people who had packed the entire area with barely any gaps for her to squeeze through!
The Edge Sharpeners' Meeting was divided into the sales area, the auction area, the lecture area, and the forum themed on the arts of refining in the next millennium.
Each of the areas had dozens of halls and open-air demonstration zones.
As far as one's eyes could see, every direction was teeming with people, making the place look like a lively grocery market.
The air was so hot that it seemed like it would start burning at any moment.
As if worrying that the scene was not fervent enough, hundreds of enormous light beams were floating in midair, and the broadcast balls that had wings and were boosted by power rune arrays were flying everywhere, promoting the latest products released in the Edge Sharpeners' Meeting as loud as possible.
"The annual product release conference of the Feathered Snakes Brotherhood has finished. The latest generation of 'Dragon Snake Sword', the flagship model of flying swords, will be up for sale in half a month!
"The new Dragon Snake Sword employs the latest 'Phase Phantom' technique. The trajectory of the flying sword is much more complicated and unpredictable, and the minimum spiritual energy that it requires and the telepathic thought reflection area have both been greatly improved. It is now being tested in the No.6 test field!"
"'Furious Sun', the super-large power rune array co-developed by the Burning Sun Alliance and the Star Fighters Alliance, has been released! Designed for crystal warships, 'Furious Sun' utilizes the groundbreaking hexagonal turbo boost structure and can improve the speed of the current crystal warships of the Flying Star Sector by at least 5%!
"The Furious Bears Union and the Iron Stream Crystal Suit Center have introduced their 'Heavenly Lord', a heavy, powerful crystal suit. It is going to be displayed in the No.4 exhibition hall. Ten lucky dogs will be picked after drawing lots to wear 'Heavenly Lord' in person and feel its invincibility in the test field!"
Yi Feilan felt that her legs could not support her anymore. At a loss, she clutched the seasoned journalist near her who had seen the scene multiple times. "Brother Mo, there are so many booths here. Which one should we get started with? Boss said that we must look for the thrilling news. What is thrilling news? I have no idea!"
'Weekly Entertainment Magazine of the Blue Sky Space Zone' had always been focused on gossip news. Yi Feilan was a green hand who had only just graduated this year. She did not have any idea about magical equipment or refiners at all.
However, the Edge Sharpeners' Meeting was a great event in the circle of refiners. The magazines, large and small, in the Flying Star Sector all sent their reporters. Yi Feilan's magazine was not an exception.
Compared with Yi Feilan, the old journalist, Mo Lin, was much calmer. Although he did not know much about magical equipment and refiners, either, he had done a lot of preparation work. Besides, after decades as a journalist, he had quite a lot of connections in his trade.
While communicating with his friends in the Edge Sharpeners' Meeting via a light beam and asking about the most valuable news, Mo Lin intentionally dragged his tone and said, "The thrilling news is of course the most attractive news. But our magazine is not specialized in magical equipment. Our readers couldn't care less about the performance of the magical equipment. So, it will be best if we can dig out some interesting news…
"Here it comes!"
Like a hound that saw a rabbit, Mo Xin's ears were suddenly perked up, and he exclaimed in shocked, "Air change! A young genius only fourteen years old has performed an air change, allegedly the most marvelous technique among Exos! He's in the No.2 test field. Let's go!"
Mo Lin immediately ran off.
Baffled, Yi Feilan followed him. While running, she received the background files that Mo Lin sent over and finally realized what was going on.
What was being displayed in the No.2 test field was a new crystal suit co-developed by the Refining Department of Flying Star University and the Silver Heart Crystal Suit Center.
However, it was not the crystal suit that caused such a buzz, but the tester.
The crystal suit had three models in total: high-speed scout model, melee combat model, and stealth-sniper model.
Generally speaking, the tester would retreat to the side of the arena and change to the second model with the help of staff after displaying one model.
However, during the test, the tester used air change, which was known to be a 'godly skill' among Exos, and switched to the melee combat model from the high-speed scout model in only several seconds.
He put on the stealth-sniper model in the same way.
The entire changing process took less than four seconds. It was indeed fluent and flawless!
When everybody was wondering which renowned expert was wearing the crystal suit, they were all shocked!
After the Exo took off the facial cover of his protective mustard-seed suit when he finished demonstrating the three models, the spectators discovered in shock that he was a young man!
"Fourteen-year-old, unparalleled genius!"
"The strongest newcomer of the Flying Star Sector this year!"
"A rising new star, and a legend that has just begun!"
Together with the shocking titles was a face that was handsome, indifferent, and somewhat wild.
The face alone was enough to conquer all the females from 16 years old to 160.
Looking at the picture on the light beam, Yi Feilan somehow understood why Brother Mo decided to interview the young man.
Such a pretty face would definitely be a favorite of the loyal readers of their magazine!
However, the young genius seemed to be favored by a lot of reporters.
The outside of No.2 test field was packed with people. They were all journalists who were carrying large crystal processors and microphones and eyeing each other suspiciously.
Hardly had Yi Feilan caught her breath when she saw a man dart out above the journalists' heads in her direction.
"Hooray!"
Yi Feilan almost cried in joy. It was the young genius who was running at her!
He was trying to avoid the journalists and failed to distinguish where he was going.
Gritting her teeth, Yi Feilan sprinted at the young man.
However, due to an obstruction she neglected, she fell off on the ground right before the young genius.
The young genius frowned. He was still young and not shameless enough to run away immediately after seeing the pitiful appearance of the girl. He helped her to her feet.
"Thank you."
Yi Feilan's face was red, and she breathed heavily. "Wu Mayan, nice to meet you. I am—"
Wu Mayan extended his fingers and said coldly, "Half a minute, two questions."
Yi Feilan rolled her eyes and said quickly, "Alright. You are only fourteen years old, and you are already able to perform the marvelous 'air change'. It's incredible. Can you tell us your training tricks?"
Emotionlessly, Wu Mayan replied, "That was not air change."
Yi Feilan bulged her eyes. "It wasn't? But—"
"Compared to the real air change," said Wu Mayan, who was quite frustrated, "what I just performed was crap."
"Well…"
Yi Feilan calmed herself down and raised the second question. "Wu Mayan, you are the well-acknowledge genius in Heavenly Saints City, and you have reached a level higher than many forty-year-old Cultivators at only fourteen. But you are as calm as ever and do not have the arrogance that is typical for young geniuses at all. May I ask how you have been adjusting yourself? As a young genius living in public eye with barely any peers in the entire Flying Star Sector, it is extraordinary of you to keep the inner peace!"
Wu Mayan glanced at her, his lips twitching, as if part of his hateful memory was triggered. He pushed her aside and walked away without looking back.
While walking, he gnashed his teeth. "If you are savaged in a living hell for half an hour every night no matter how dominating you are during the day, you will be as peaceful as me!"
Chapter 668: I Want a Master! |
In the circle of refiners, the Xie family of West Rock was a major family with a history of hundreds of years. Naturally, it had its own booth in the Edge Sharpeners' Meeting, where quite a few new flying swords and shields were exhibited.
After only three days since the Edge Sharpener's Meeting began, a lot of sects had come to negotiate or consult. One of them even placed a large order of a thousand super flying swords. It was indeed a great sign for the business.
Xie Qianhe was 59 years old and one of the top experts in refining in the Xie family. However, he did not work in the family business; he served as the deputy director of the technical department of the Silver Heart School, one of the three crystal suit centers.
Right now, Xie Qianhe's face was gloomy, and he was in the worst mood.
Pa!
In the hotel where the Xie family was staying, he slapped a table and glared at his daughter, frowning hard. "What? You want Sand Scorpion to be your master?"
"Yes!"
Xie Anan raised her head high and stared back at her father, whom she had always revered. She summoned her courage and said, "Father, I want to be Sand Scorpion's true disciple and study the arts of refining from him!"
Looking at his daughter in disbelief, Xie Qianhe blurted out, "Anan, 'master' and 'teacher' are very different. In modern society, a Cultivator can have thousands of teachers. You pay tuition fees, and they teach. Fair deal with no arrears. The relationship is done as soon as the course is over.
"But 'master' is a whole different conception!
"If Sand Scorpion really becomes your master and you his true disciple, you will have to inherit his ideology and methodology completely. Your refining skills will be seriously affected by him, and it will be quite troublesome if you want to look for a different master in the future."
"I know."
Xie Anan nodded solemnly as she said, "I know it is not a joke to be a true disciple. That's why I want to ask you to propose the request for me. It will be the best if grandpa can talk to Master Sand as the leader of the Xie family, if that's possible."
Xie Qianhe found it amusing. "Anan, what's wrong with you? I don't have any bias against the Iron Plateau natives, and I can't thank Sand Scorpion enough for saving your life. But isn't he the best warrior of the six tribes of Iron Plateau? Does he know anything about refining?"
"Master Sand is quite adept at refining!" Xie Anan's eyes were shining when she talked about Li Yao's skills in refining. She raised her head and said, "Master Xue Yuanxin of the Ares Laboratory holds Master Sand in very high regard. Besides, Master Sand has produced the Combat Ability Detector and the Aurora Chain Gun. My own progress over the recent half year is based on his enlightenment, too!"
Xie Qianhe coughed and looked at his wife next to him.
Dong Hanxiang, Xie Anan's mother, was from a noble family of refining. She hugged her daughter and said with a smile, "Anan, Master Sand Scorpion is your life-saver. It's natural that you pay attention to him more and admire or even worship him.
"As the best warrior of the six tribes of Iron Plateau, he definitely has things that are worth respecting.
"However, when it comes to the arts of refining…
"You are too young to know the clandestine rules in the circle of refiners.
"Yes, rumor has it that Master Sand is actually an expert in refining, and Master Xue Yuanxin spoke very highly of him. Besides, he is the patent owner of the Combat Ability Detector and part of the Aurora Chain Gun.
"Hehe. Such news can only fool outsiders. Most people in our circle are rather suspicious about it.
"It has happened before that some rich guys who didn't know the first thing about refining spent a fortune on acquiring other people's patents and claiming them as their own achievements.
"You also know that your master Sand Scorpion's Glorious Sunlight Group has a large refining center under its name. Then, who can tell whether the patents in his hand were developed by himself or by the employees of the refining center?
"As for the remark of Master Xue Yuanxin, it's even simpler. Praising each other when a project succeeds is quite normal. Master Xue's Ares Laboratory and the Glorious Sunlight Group have been cooperating neatly. It was only natural that Master Xue complimented him on the occasion. You wouldn't expect Master Xue to accusing him of being a pretentious rookie, would you?"
Unconvinced, Xie Anan craned her neck and said, "But—"
Dong Hanxiang pressed her shoulder and continued. "Yes, we've all seen your rapid progress in person. But according to you, Master Sand Scorpion only taught you some of the most rudimental training methods. There is nothing extraordinary about them.
"On the contrary, your father and I think that his training methods are too cruel and violent. Only a dummy like you could've persisted for so long. We didn't know it in the beginning, or we definitely would've told you to drop it.
"Such cruel training will naturally increase your capability right now, but it will do your future growth no good in the long term."
Seeing her daughter's awful face, Dong Hanxiang hurried to add, "I'm not saying that Master Sand doesn't know anything about refining. I do believe that he has many secret arts that can be traced back to Iron Plateau. Some of them may be new to you, and that's why you were hooked.
"However, such secret arts are merely tricks after all. They are not the real methods to practice refining.
"We don't object that you ask him questions or even study several techniques after him.
"However, is it really a rational decision to be his true disciple?"
Xie Anan's eyes bulged, and tears were swirling in them. She bit her lips and said, "Mom, Dad, why can't you believe me?"
Dong Hanxiang looked at her husband and coughed. She said, "It's not that we don't believe you. In—in fact, you father has already found the perfect master for you!"
"What?" Xie Anan was dumbfounded.
Xie Qianhe smiled. "I was going to tell you later as a surprised, but it doesn't hurt if you find out now.
"You know Master Huangpu Bo in the Silver Heart School I work in? He is an elder of the Huangpu family, a noble family of refining that has existed for a thousand years. He is a renowned expert in the circle of refiners.
"Over the past year, I've been working on the same project with Master Huangpu, and I have a good relationship with him. He told me that he was planning to recruit one last disciple now that he had grown too old.
"Not long ago, I showed your performance in the family competition to Master Shiyi. He was quite amazed by your hand speed and asked about you a lot.
"It was definitely a pleasant surprise. Everybody knows that Master Huangpu's eight true disciples are all big shots today.
"If you become the last disciple of Master Huangpu, won't it be much better than being the disciple of Sand Scorpion?"
Xie Anan gasped and stepped back in disbelief. She stuttered, "Ma—Master Huangpu is willing to recruit me as his disciple?"
Xie Anan had heard the thunderous name of Huangpu Bo multiple times before. The expert was equally renowned as Master Xue Yuanxin in the circle of refiners.
Xie Anan felt that her head was dizzy, and it was hard to keep steady.
Xie Qianhe was very satisfied about his daughter's reaction. He nodded and said, "Master Huangpu did not make any promises, of course. He only said that he would like to meet you during the Edge Sharpeners' Meeting. But in my opinion, since your hand speed is 15% faster than two months ago, there won't be any problem as long as you perform normally when Master Huangpu interviews you."
Xie Anan opened her mouth but failed to come up with anything. Then, she seemed to have made up her mind. Her eyes shining like a star, she slowly shook her head and said, "Dad, Master Huangpu thought highly of me because of my hand speed. But my hand speed is actually Master Sand's work. I still want to study after Master Sand and pass on his arts of refining."
