Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

Li Yao had never thought that a scar-faced, ferocious-looking man could be more sycophantic than a eunuch when he put on a fake smile.

However, when he heard the exclamations of the bystanders, he understood why Zhao Tongtian changed his face so drastically.

“It is him—Master Chu!”

“It’s Chu Chongjiu, the expert of refining from Firefly who has been appointed to stay in the Dragon Snake Space Zone!”

“What? Is he the legendary ‘Misty Hands’ Chu Chongjiu?”

Li Yao realized that the intimidating old man was a Cultivator from Firefly. No wonder he was so majestic, and even ‘Thunder Lion’ Zhao Tongtian was so respectful and servile about him.

Although the people on Firefly and the outcasts of the Uranian Ring Sector, the Water Crystal Sector, the Nether World Sector, and the Forest Ocean Sector were all refugees, they were certainly not at the same level.

As the saying went, the leanest elephant is still bigger than a mouse. Firefly, despite having been fleeing in fear all the time, was from the center of the cosmos and the heartland of the civilization of mankind after all. They were naturally high and mighty!

When they escaped, a lot of state-of-the-art training techniques, as well as the powerful magical equipment from the Star Ocean Imperium ten thousand years ago, had naturally been taken with them.

Although they had drifted in the universe for a thousand years, the system of the powerful magical equipment and training techniques was still being passed on, not entirely cut off.

Even the Star Glory Federation was greedy about the cutting-edge techniques, technologies, and magical equipment on Firefly, not to mention the stray dogs in the Dragon Snake Space Zone who had run into a dead end!

Therefore, however murky and lawless the Dragon Snake Space Zone was, few people dared mess with the Cultivators from Firefly.

On one hand, their fists were huge enough. The Cultivators from Firefly, equipped with the crystal suits and magical equipment from the center of the cosmos, certainly boasted a much higher combat ability than the defeated soldiers did. Every one of them could beat three locals at the same level.

On the other hand, Firefly was trading with the Star Glory Federation from the Dragon Snake Space Zone. This place was a station of commerce. Tremendous rare materials and Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures were gathered and dispersed there. The daily profits were astronomical. Too many people earned their living through Firefly. Why would they stop themselves from making money?

Therefore, even if some people lost their rationality and attacked the Cultivators from Firefly, the Chamber of Commerce and the local forces would often find the criminals and mince them apart before the Cultivators from Firefly did!

The Cultivators from Firefly were such a superior group among all the forces in the Dragon Snake Space Zone.

Since Firefly was trading with the Dragon Snake Space Zone and the Star Glory Federation, naturally, a lot of the businesses involved the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures and the magical equipment, which required professional knowledge about material science and the arts of refining.

Chu Chongjiu was the manager responsible for the relevant affairs in the place.

The Four Sectors Magical Equipment Center was the biggest magical equipment store in the Dragon Snake Space Zone. Chu Chongjiu had shown up quite often in the place and communicated with a lot of famous refiners of the local area. He was quite renowned in the circle of the local refiners. Therefore, he was immediately recognized by the refiners.

“Master Chu…” Zhao Tongtian almost lowered his head to his feet. Rubbing his hands, he tried to smile. “How was the quality of the ‘Jade Emperor Essence’ that the Thunderbolt Exo Society collected for you last time? Does it suffice? If not, just say the word. I’ll definitely bring a few of them of higher purity however difficult the process may be!”

“It will do for now. Of course, it is not as pure as the Jade Emperor Essence collected from the natural paradises at the center of the cosmos, but it is already considerate enough of you to retrieve such goods in the countryside at the edge of the universe.”

Chu Chongjiu’s face was gentler than before. He waved his hands and said, “Get back to your business now, folks. What are you still doing here? I’ve ordered the No. 9, No. 12, and No. 15 lanes to test a few pieces of magical equipment. Why are you blocking all the lanes? Huh. This crystal suit is not half bad. Is it yours, Captain Zhao?”

“Just call me Zhao. I’m no captain in front of Master Chu!”

Zhao Tongtian hurriedly described the argument that had taken place just now.

‘Mist Hands’ Chu Chongjiu’s expertise in the arts of refining was even better than that of Nie Siyuan, the manager of the Maintenance Department. He might not help anyone adjust their crystal suit even if he was paid a fortune. How could Zhao Tongtian miss such a rare opportunity?

“Master Chu, how should we…” Sha Yongming, the local refiner who was responsible for the maintenance and debugging work of the ‘Azure Thunder’, stepped forward. He bowed deeply to Chu Chongjiu in embarrassment, apparently begging for the help of the newcomer.

It was obvious that he was not so confident in himself now, knowing that something must have gone wrong with his maintenance. He was unwilling to report the issue to his master, at least not until it was resolved perfectly, in which case his punishment would be less severe.

“That explains a lot. It’s not a big deal.” Chu Chongjiu smiled. Scratching his thick, hard mustache, he said, “Sha, your master has been working as the director of magical equipment in the ‘Ace Game’. Too many pieces of magical equipment pass through his hands on a daily basis. There’s no need to trouble him with such minor affairs. Zhao, if you trust my handiwork, just let me help you take a look at it!”

“We couldn’t hope for anything better!”

Zhao Tongtian and Sha Yongming were both overjoyed. They bowed deeply to Chu Chongjiu.

“Haha. I’m happy to have the chance to appreciate such a treasure, too!”

Touching the shell of the ‘Azure Thunder’, Chu Chongjiu’s eyes were glowing as he quickly nodded. “Wu Yaxuan is the most distinguished refiner in the younger generation of the Star Glory Federation. He is also the first super genius between the age of thirty and fifty who is capable of designing and crafting a crystal suit on his own.

“Although ‘Solar Eclipse’ Jiang Shaoyang has not recruited him as a disciple, everybody knows that it is only because of the seniority issue. His position in Jiang Shaoyang’s team is even more important and stable than Jiang Shaoyang’s few true disciples. The one who will inherit the whole essence of the arts of refining of the Refining Department of Deep Sea University, represented by Jiang Shaoyang and also ‘Supernova’ Jiang Sheng, will surely be this genius Wu Yaxuan!

“This is the first time that the super genius of refining has crafted a crystal suit independently. Despite the rigid and immature parts, many of his creations and sophisticated handiwork are even astounding to me!

“Well, well, well. Just look at how the crystal reactor is embedded. In short, unbelievable!”

While commenting, Chu Chongjiu raised his right hand, releasing bright blue spiritual waves, which raised up the ‘Azure Thunder’ like tentacles.

This place was a test field of magical equipment. Hundreds of examination platforms that boasted different functions had been established in the field in the first place. With his left hand behind his back, holding the crystal suit with his right hand, Chu Chongjiu fixed the crystal suit on an examination platform unhurriedly.

The refiner lowered his head. His fingers were jumping softly. The breastplate and the panels of the crystal suit were all opened amid cracking noises, revealing the internal rune arrays and components that were as precise as a clock.

Chu Chongjiu seemed to be enjoying a piece of marvelous music that nobody else could hear except for himself. Waving his head, fascinated, he exclaimed nonstop. After keeping the bystanders waiting in silence for five minutes, he finally opened his eyes at ease and said, not entirely satisfied, “Not bad. Not bad. I didn’t know that I could run into such a talent at the remote edge of the cosmos!

“Sha, this is too much for you. Not everybody is capable of maintaining a crystal suit personally forged by Wu Yaxuan. You’ve done a good job. Your completion rate is well above ninety-seven percent. I’ll certainly praise you appropriately after I meet your master later!”

“Thank you for your compliment, Master Chu!” Sha Yongming took a deep breath in relief. He was almost crying in joy. With Chu Chongjiu’s promise, he probably would not be punished because of his recklessness!

“Master Chu…” Zhao Tongtian was rather embarrassed.

“Why are you in such a hurry? I’m not done yet!” Chu Chongjiu glanced at him in dissatisfaction, making the ‘Thunder Lion’ shudder again. He then looked at Sha Yongming peacefully. “Sha, do you understand why I said that your completion rate is only ninety-seven percent? Where is the three percent negligence?”

“Forgive my ignorance,” Sha Yongming said hesitantly. “I’ve done the job according to the maintenance manual in every detail. All the parameters have met the standard. However…”

“Parameters are dead, and humans are alive. Crystal suits are dead, but crystal suits can be alive!” Chu Chongjiu said. “The life of a crystal suit is the style of its creator, the extremely personal mark that the Armadominus pours into it when the crystal suit is combined by them! When other people are maintaining and adjusting a crystal suit, they must operate by following the original ‘traces’, ‘style’, and ‘mark’. Otherwise, the best they can expect is to repair the ‘body’ of the crystal suit. They will never be able to wake up the ‘soul’ of the crystal suit!”

“If I may tell you, Master Chu…” Sha Yongming emboldened himself and said, “My master taught me exactly the same thing before. I know that Wu Yaxuan is the true disciple of ‘Solar Eclipse’ Jiang Shaoyang, who has completely inherited Jiang Shaoyang’s style in refining, namely aggressiveness, radicalness, and boldness. When I performed the maintenance and debugging, I handled everything through relatively aggressive and radical approaches. I wonder, what have I done wrong?”

“Indeed, Master Chu.” Zhao Tongtian scratched his head and asked, “What has gone wrong?”

“You don’t know the entirety of the refiner’s background.” Chu Chongjiu smiled mysteriously and said, “Sha, you only infer that Wu Yaxuan has inherited ‘Solar Eclipse’ Jiang Shaoyang’s aggressive style because he is Jiang Shaoyang’s most distinguished heir, but have you ever considered whether or not there is any difference between the styles of the de facto master and disciple?

“Let me tell you. The answer is yes, and the difference is very significant!

“The reason is very simple. While Wu Yaxuan did distinguish himself in Jiang Shaoyang’s team, his path of refining actually originates from his mother, Master Xie Anan of the Refining Department of the Grand Desolate War Institution!

“Speaking of Master Xie, although she is also a renowned top-tier expert in the circle of refiners in the Star Glory Federation, she does not seem as influential as the leading characters such as ‘Solar Eclipse’ Jiang Shaoyang, who all have unique styles. Many people think that Master Xie is not creative enough and that she is only a passer of knowledge but not a pioneer. Getting to the bottom of it, they believe that she is mediocre compared to the real geniuses in terms of ‘talent’, which is critical for any refiner.

“However, I hold a different opinion to them. I think very highly of Master Xie, who has such an inimitable style of refining that few similar refiners could be found in the entire federation. Her style is even different from that of her master, ‘Fiend Star’ Li Yao, the extraordinary genius in refining in his time. If we have to describe her style in one word, I think it will be ‘flawless’!”

Li Yao, who was pricking his ears eavesdropping, was astonished that his name was mentioned. “Ha?”