Tribulation of Myriad Races

The group continued chatting while traveling.

They finally arrived on the 22nd of May.

Feng Ji was escorted back by General Zhao at around the same time. Nobody knew if the Invincibles were already there. Great Xia had yet to make any announcement about the public trial.

The people in Su Yu’s group dispersed. Some went to visit their friends while some headed toward the prefect’s residence to ask about the trial. As for Su Yu, he followed Little Li to Great Xia Cultural Research Academy.

Great Xia Cultural Research Academy.

Weaponsmith Faculty.

Inside his research center, Zhao Li was busy working on a puppet. He had been ignoring everything as he worked on his project. It had been a very long time since he last left his research center. He didn’t mind as the academy felt very dead as of late. It had gotten quite lively recently, but that was not the type of liveliness he wanted to see.

These days, he had been spending his time working on his own research. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Zhao Li couldn’t be bothered to do anything and acted like he heard nothing.

Outside, his first student had a helpless expression as he yelled, “Teacher, you have a guest.”

He wasn’t interested in showing any cultural weapons to his teacher. If this was in the past, he would have ignored this request. But he felt like his teacher could use a slight diversion right now. The fact that this visitor was a genius weaponsmith from Great Ming made his decision even easier.

“Not interested.”

“Teacher, it’s a weaponsmith from Great Ming. He claimed to know Junior Brother Su. He’s also a profound weaponsmith. He sent one of his weapons over. Do you want to take a look at it?”

“Great Ming?” Zhao Li impatiently said, “I thought Great Ming has always looked down on Great Xia weaponsmiths? Why is one of them here?”

“He has been stuck between the early and middle stages of the profound grade. He’s looking to learn from weaponsmiths with different lines of thought so that he can break through. He’s here to see you after learning about your ability. He’s also an unofficial student of Principal Niu so he knows Junior Brother Su.”

“Su Yu…”

Zhao Li muttered. So this visitor knew that kid? After thinking for a bit, he opened the door. His first student was overjoyed.

Looking at his teacher once again, his teacher seemed to have aged considerably. Grief welled in his heart as he said, “Teacher, you need to take care of yourself. You need more rest…”

“Cut the crap!” Zhao Li said, “Do I need you to teach me? If you’re capable enough, just enter the earth grade. That way, I can stop worrying about you. Where’s the weapon? If it’s a piece of trash, that visitor better fuck off. I don’t waste my time on garbage.”

His student didn’t dare to tarry and hurriedly handed a case over. When Zhao Li opened the case, he blanked out. That was a saber. A small, black saber. This weapon greatly resembled what he gave Su Yu back then. But it was not the same weapon. This weapon had forty-five golden stripes on it. It was a pretty decent weapon.

After studying the weapon for a bit and seeing that it was forged through Great Ming’s orthodox teachings, he curled his lips and said, “Standardized forging method. It’s too ordinary. This is the same as the many mass-produced weapons Great Ming has been producing. The Heavenly Forge King has ruined so many good talents with his bullshit teachings. Everyone in Great Ming is like a mold made from the Hundred Dao Pagoda. Does the Heavenly Forge King think that everyone can become the next heaven-grade weaponsmith just by imitating him?

“If that’s really possible, Great Ming would have produced new heaven-grade weaponsmiths long ago. If Hu Qi hadn’t learned from him, she would have reached the same level as that Zhao fellow in Great Zhou by now. But instead, she has fallen far behind him.”

Yes. The Hundred Dao Pagoda’s weaponsmithing teachings originated from the Heavenly Forge King, the sole heaven weaponsmith of humanity. Zhao Li believed that just because that path suited Heavenly Forge King, it didn’t mean that everyone was compatible with it.

Mass-producing weaponsmiths like this would only result in the creation of unflexible weaponsmiths. As far as he was concerned, all these weaponsmiths were the same as factories only capable of mass manufacturing standardized products. It was imperative that a weaponsmith had their own ideas and considerations when forging weapons. They should be more flexible in their thinking. Thus, he had always looked down on the weaponsmiths of Great Ming.

His student hurriedly said, “This is actually pretty good. He’s only thirty-five. And this weapon is only a step away from reaching middle profound grade. He can probably become a high profound weaponsmith before forty.”

“Tsk. Even if he becomes a high profound weaponsmith, he will still remain one of the mass-produced weaponsmiths of the pagoda.”

Zhao Li curled his lips in disdain. But when he turned the weapon around, he blanked out. Several tiny words were carved on the back of the weapon.

“The day I become a Cloudbreach will be the day the earth weapon is forged.”

Zhao Li’s student saw those words as well. He laughed, “This Cui Lang is quite ambitious. I’ve long heard that he’s an arrogant and boastful individual. So that’s true, after all. Is he saying that he will be able to forge an earth weapon after entering the Cloudbreach Realm? If it’s really that easy, there will be earth weaponsmiths everywhere.”

Zhao Li remained silent. He silently rubbed the saber. With the saber’s design and the words carved on it, he knew who the visitor was. That damn kid had returned. That was fast. It had only been about half a year.

Cui Lang!

Zhao Li resisted the urge to smile and continued speaking with his standard ugly expression, “Whatever. He is barely acceptable, I guess. Since he’s from Great Ming, get him to see me. What rubbish is this thing here? There are too many errors. If it wasn’t for these stupid mistakes, this weapon could have reached the middle profound grade. Of course, he’s still slightly better than you. If you keep failing to become a peak profound weaponsmith, you should get ready to pack up. Don’t tell anyone that you’re my student after that.”

The student was overjoyed to hear that. His teacher had finally agreed to meet someone! As for the harsh words of his teacher, he ignored all of them.

He said, “Alright. I’ll notify him to come here immediately. Please wait a moment, Teacher.”

“Hurry up.”

The student was too preoccupied to think about those words. If he had stopped to think, he would wonder why his teacher was in such a rush. Generally, Zhao Li would remain indifferent even if an Invincible was here to see him.

After his student left, Zhao Li smiled. But he instantly stopped smiling before turning around. Was this a weapon forged by that kid? Incredible. Profound grade! The kid’s weaponsmithing skills were pretty good. He knew he was right about the kid’s talent. How much time had that kid spent on weaponsmithing?

With only some casual practice, the kid had reached the middle profound grade. If the kid had focused on learning weaponsmithing from Zhao Li, he could have reached the earth grade by now. He might even be the second ever heaven-grade weaponsmith of humanity.

What a pity. Why did the kid insist on cultivating multiple characters? Sigh.

Zhao Li sighed regretfully. He should have forced the kid to become his student back then. Bai Feng? He should have slapped that bastard to death before stealing his student. Just look at what Bai Feng did! He had dragged Su Yu into the massive crisis of the multiple character faction!

Multiple character faction…hmph! It was only a matter of time before that faction was destroyed. Most people might be confused about the current circumstances, but Zhao Li wasn’t most people.

He could see that the multiple character faction would be destroyed sooner or later. Why? Because Hong Tan was opening the Multiple Character Faculty. That would be the source of disaster.

Why had Su Yu returned at this time? Zhao Li frowned. It was far too soon. Then again, this might probably be the right timing. If the kid waited one more year before returning, Hong Tan and the others might not be around anymore.

After thinking about all that, Zhao Li smiled. No matter what, it was still good to see the kid back again.

***

At the same time.

Su Yu walked into the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy, looking around curiously like it was his first time there. He smiled and said, “Senior Brother Wang, I heard that there are some myriad race students here. Why aren’t I seeing any of them around?”

Senior Brother Wang, Zhao Li’s student, answered, “They generally only stay in their own faculty. We don’t really mix around that much.”

“Oh.” Su Yu said regretfully, “What a pity.”

He continued walking through the familiar path. On the way, he saw some familiar faces. Not far away, Lin Yao was walking alone with his head lowered. He smiled as he looked at all these familiar faces.

He had returned! After half a year, he had returned to this place. Alas, he was no longer Su Yu. He was Cui Lang. He was a profound weaponsmith. He was an outsider here to visit Zhao Li. He was no longer genius student Su Yu of Great Xia Cultural Research Academy.

Looking at the distant Heart Cultivating Pavilion, he smiled again. Was that spy-loving principal spying on him right this moment? Could the principal see through his disguise? With the same smile on his face, he followed Zhao Li’s student deep into the academy.

***

At the same moment, Heart Cultivating Pavilion.

Someone appeared before Wan Tiansheng’s eyes. At first, he did not pay too much attention to that person. But the instant Su Yu stepped into the academy, Wan Tiansheng smiled. Why was that kid returning right now?

That was a pretty good disguise. Alas, the kid had forgotten that he had left something on the kid back then. He wouldn’t notice anything if he hadn’t been paying attention. What a pity. Could that kid hide from him?

Feng Ji had just been escorted back. Chen Yong was about to be declared a traitor. Hong Tan was about to open the Multiple Character Faculty. Why was that kid back? So the kid was already a ninth-stage Skysoar. At that moment, Wan Tiansheng blanked out slightly.

Ninth-stage Skysoar? Cloudbreach…battling Mountainseas. But what stage was the kid in when that happened?

Wan Tiansheng had not paid too much attention to that. He only knew that the kid was a Cloudbreach when that happened.

Wan Tiansheng was stunned. Just…how far ahead in the future had he seen? He had sacrificed a hundred years of lifespan to see the scene of the kid battling Mountainseas as a Cloudbreach. But what was the kid’s stage?

When would that happen? The kid was already near the Cloudbreach Realm! Wan Tiansheng sat straight in shock. The look in his eyes changed. He had thought that after sacrificing a hundred years of lifespan, he would be able to see ten or even twenty years in the future…

But Su Yu had returned. And he was on the cusp of Cloudbreach. Wan Tiansheng stood up and gazed into the distance. There, several incomparably powerful auras could be felt. A regular person couldn’t feel anything, but he knew that Invincibles were on their way here.

Invincibles…Cloudbreach…Mountainseas…

He became absent-minded.

Great Xia Cultural Research Academy!

Mountains of dead Mountainseas! That was the illusion Su Yu was presented when he entered the Heart Cultivating Pavilion. Wan Tiansheng had also seen the same scene.

Great Xia Cultural Research Academy…Great Xia Cultural Research Academy!

Wan Tiansheng walked to the window and overlooked the academy. Looking down at Su Yu, the look in his eyes changed completely. After a long while, he cursed. Was the future he saw actually such a near future?

Holy shit!

He had sacrificed a hundred years of lifespan to get a glimpse of such a near future? Just how long had it been since then? So a hundred years of lifespan was only worth a glimpse of an event six months in the future? No way…right?

Wan Tiansheng’s face sank. He felt like everything was running out of control. That shouldn’t be possible. What would happen this early to cause that event? He was still unprepared! When would that happen?

“Kid, you’re a damn bringer of calamity!”

He felt completely helpless. He started doubting life itself. Was this going to be the catalyst of that event? After all, everything that should be present was present, including Invincibles.