Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

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 made 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 revealed 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 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!”