by <unknown>
On the hologram, a scene of a turbulent river stream filled with countless ugly gray carps appeared. Within the river stream, the carps scurried along the stream as they struggled with one another to move forward. Within these struggling carps, there was one that was not like the others; this gray carp suddenly jumped above the stream and over a magnificent and grand dragon gate. The entire screen shone in dazzling streams of colorful light as the carp transformed into a golden dragon, rising into the sky and soaring to the highest heaven!
A carp leaping over the dragon gate in just one move.
This was the starting screen of the site used to fill out the college entrance examination matriculation form.
Like rain droplets falling in a storm, the name of every university fell from the top of the hologram one by one. The names of the Nine Elite Universities especially stood out from the rest as they shone in a dazzling glow.
"Click click click click click!"
Li Yao entered his student ID on the virtual keyboard before his score suddenly appeared on the hologram.
Along with his score was a long series of texts which provided a thorough analysis of his score as well as recommendations for a dozen of the top professions in the federation.
This was the system's built-in analysis function. Li Yao didn't even spare it a glance and directly closed the tab as he switched to the selection interface.
His gaze swept through the name of each and every university one by one and finally came to a halt at "Deep Sea University".
Li Yao stood still as he looked at the name for a very long time.
At this time, he heard the whistling of the wind.
No, not just the wind, he also heard the sound of fire crackling as a small sun tore through the darkness and rose into the sky.
Narrowing his eyes, Li Yao raised his head to look. God knows when a Crimson Flame Flying Shuttle wrapped in raging flames had appeared in the sky. Sitting inside the hatch was Ding Lingdang, who sat with her long and slender legs crossed as she gazed at him with a restless look.
Li Yao gave a smile, revealing his sharp canines as he curled his fingers at Ding Lingdang, motioning for her to "Come down!"
Ding Lingdang’s eyes widened, sending the message of "Who is afraid of coming down!?"
She lightly leaped up and rose a few dozen meters high into the sky before landing right in front of Li Yao.
The two stood nose-to-nose and lip-to-lip with one another. Breathing at each other’s face as their hearts pounded in synchronization.
"Sister Ling, I'm very thankful to the Grand Desolate War Institution for trusting in me. I will never forget how diligently you have tried to help me train for the college entrance exam in past this month!" Li Yao said straight from his heart.
"Enough with your nonsense. Didn't I say that as your friend, I will always support you no matter which university you ultimately choose? The Deep Sea University is the ‘Holy Land of Refiners’. You will be able to achieve your dreams there, so choose without hesitation. Don't be shilly-shally like a b*tch!" Ding Lingdang nibbled her lips.
Li Yao looked at her as he spoke, "Sister Ling, are you really going to support me no matter what I choose? No matter how crazy it is?"
"... Yes, but if you choose the Deep Sea University's Refining Department, you must do your best to become the strongest refiner, so the time I used to help you train this month is not wasted! Remember! You must become the best, not the second or the third—but the best! If you are even a bit lacking, I will smack your head!" Ding Lingdang earnestly said word by word.
Li Yao burst into laughter from the bottom of his heart, revealing a crescent row of white and shining teeth on his black face. Then, his next action shocked the hell out of everyone on the scene.
He suddenly stepped forward and embraced Ding Lingdang!
Everyone was immediately dumbfounded!
Among the recruitment staff of the Nine Elite Universities, Ding Lingdang could definitely be considered the strangest figure. Many knew that not only was she extremely powerful, she would also let her temper speak for itself. She was the kind of girl who would act first, talk later. No one dared to easily provoke her.
They never would have expected that Li Yao would have heaven-defying guts!
"S-so cool! He truly deserves to be the college entrance examination champion! He is truly a god among men!" Many men had their eyes almost jump out of their sockets.
Ding Lingdang stared with wide-opened eyes. As a cultivator at the peak level of the Refinement Stage, she obviously had thousands of ways to extricate herself from Li Yao's arms. However, she didn't know why she just listlessly stood there firmly held in Li Yao’s embrace.
An inexplicable fragrance wafted out from Li Yao's body and tickled its way into Ding Lingdang's nose.
No matter how much Ding Lingdang was drenched in fragrant perspiration, she would never give off this kind of sweaty smell. In her over twenty years of life, she had never once smelled such a scent.
Ding Lingdang had no idea what to do; her mind gave birth to a sliver of vacantness, a kind of vacantness which she had never experienced even when faced with demon beasts far stronger than her.
"What is this stinking brat doing in broad daylight!? If you want to do something, at least wait until you go home!" Ding Lingdang angrily roared in her heart.
Li Yao hugged her only for half a second before letting her go. He took a step back and solemnly said, "Sister Ling, ever since I was a child, I have been all alone. Besides the dead old man, I have no other relative. But, I have decided! From this moment onwards, I will treat you as my sister!"
"... Sister my ass! That’s so nauseating!" Ding Lingdang instantly felt goosebumps all over her body.
"But—"
In the depths of Li Yao's eyes appeared dazzling brilliance while words weighing a thousand kilograms poured out of his mouth, "My dream has always been to become the best refiner. That's why I can not choose the Grand Desolate War Institution's Combat Department. For that, I'm truly sorry!"
"It's alright, I..." Ding Lingdang averted her gaze,
She didn’t know why, but besides the feeling of disappoint, there was surprisingly also a sense of loss in her heart.
Feeling as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, Xie Tingxian laughed and said, "Student Li Yao, you have made the right choice. After you have become the second ‘Supernova’ in 20-30 years, you will definitely look back and not regret today’s choice!"
"For my dream, I will never regret. However... the second ‘Supernova’?"
Li Yao just smiled and did not speak another word. His pair of hands quickly bounced over the virtual keyboard, and in a single breath, he had completed the matriculation form.
“Ding Dong!” With a loud and clear sound, a row of clear and large characters shining above everyone's head emerged on the hologram. At the center, two words were the most conspicuous.
"Refining Department!"
"Congratulations, Student Li Yao! On behalf of Deep Sea University, I welcome you to the holy land of ref..." Finally, the stone over Xie Tingxian's heart was lifted as a smile crept across his face.
"Professor Xie, I'm sorry. I'm really, really, really sorry." Without even getting the chance to finish, Xie Tingxian was cut-off by Li Yao, who had an ashamed look on his face.
Xie Tingxian blinked a few times. For a short while, he didn't understand what Li Yao meant.
At this time, he discovered that the silence around him was a little strange. Everyone's face revealed a completely horrified look.
"Refining Department" The row of small characters over those two large words seemed to be somewhat strange.
Xie Tingxian narrowed his eyes and only then did he discover the entire text that had emerged in the hologram—
"Grand Desolate War Institution, Refining Department!"
Chapter 97: The Farce and the Miracle |
"..."
The smile on Xie Tingxian's face completely turned sti
ff as his beard trembled. For a long time, he was rendered speechless.
Ding Lingdang's pair of pretty eyes opened widely, and her lips quivered as she opened and closed them again and again; she was shocked to the extreme.
Every recruitment staff, reporter, student, parent, and every onlooker was as though they had been struck by lightning. For a good while, they were unable to speak.
After half a minute, as if a spiritual energy bomb had been detonated at the center of the crowd, the entire crowd burst into an uproar!
"Grand Desolate War Institution's Refining Department? Is there some mistake? Does the Grand Desolate War Institution even have a Refining Department? Isn't it a college specialized for training battle-type cultivators?"
"It does have one, but the Grand Desolate War Institution's Refining Department is among the four worst departments in all the 'Nine Elite Universities'. It is small in size, and its level is too low—it’s simply the department which no one would choose on their own volition. The students from the previous years who needed to be removed from the prestigious departments were transferred there."
"Is he crazy? Instead of choosing Deep Sea University's Refining Department, why did he go and choose Grand Desolate War Institution's Refining Department?"
"Even if he wanted to choose the Grand Desolate War Institution, he should have at least chosen the Combat Department! Why did he choose the Refining Department? Has he simply lost his mind?"
"What the hell is going on inside his brain!?"
Many had the urge to pull out their hair with force. No matter how much they wracked their brains, they could not understand what made Li Yao make such a crazy choice—it was simply ridiculous!
Xie Tingxian was just like a statue carved out of stone; his silence lasted for an entire minute before he woke up from his stupor as the wrinkles on his face finally stretched when he forcefully smiled and said, "Student Li Yao, you always manage to do things outside of everyone's expectations. Every one of your actions makes everyone flabbergasted."
Li Yao sincerely apologized, "Professor Xie, I'm truly sorry. I truly didn't expect for you to come. Deep Sea University is truly a good university, and I also think that you and Dean Chu have the ability to train me to be the second ‘Supernova’!"
"However, I don’t want to be just the second ‘Supernova’, but rather the first ‘Fiend Star’. That's why I chose the Grand Desolate War Institution!"
Xie Tingxian heaved a long and deep sigh.
"You had once said that your dream is to enter the 'Holy Land of Refiners'. Who would have known that you would give up your dream in a spur of the moment—it’s simply not worth it, Student Li Yao!"
Li Yao smiled as he said, "Professor Xie, you are wrong. I have not done this in the spur of the moment, and not even a second had I given up on my dream. At present, Deep Sea University's Refining Department is certainly the Holy Land of Refiners; however, someday in the future, perhaps this glory will belong to Grand Desolate War Institution's Refining Department. Who can say for sure?"
"What?"
Xie Tingxian was stunned, Ding Lingdang was stunned, and all the recruitment staff of the Nine Elite Universities were completely stunned.
Li Yao calmly and unperturbedly said, "That's why... I have been apologizing to you. My decision to join the Grand Desolate War Institution's Refining Department is not so simple."
"In the near future, I will lead Grand Desolate War Institution's Refining Department and issue a challenge to Deep Sea University's Refining Department. I am going to take away the supreme honor—the title of 'Holy Land of Refiners'!"
"I am going to let the entire federation, the entire Heaven Origin Sector know that the Grand Desolate War Institution does not only have the Combat Department as its first-class department, they will also have the Grand Desolate War Institution’s Refining Department—the best Holy Land of Refiners!"
With an extremely sincere look, Li Yao gave an incredibly crazy declaration, causing every listener to think that maybe there was something wrong with their ears. His declaration also instantly made Xie Tingxian absent-minded.
"W-what is he saying? Does he even know what he is saying?"
"Young man, just because of a slightly good score, you forgot how high the heaven is and how deep the earth is. Don't be too proud, and don’t be too overconfident. It would be best for you to temper your disposition!”
"You want to lead the Grand Desolate War Institution's Refining Department to challenge the Deep Sea University's Refining Department? Wouldn’t that be the equivalent of a group of mice challenging an elephant?"
"What mouse and elephant? It’s just a group of ants challenging a dinosaur!"
The majority of the recruitment staff from the "Nine Elite Universities" had been angered.
Xie Tingxian's silence lasted for ten seconds before he could not help but burst into laughter. "Student Li Yao, the young needs to dream, but they should clearly know the difference between dreams and delusions—you are too conceited."
Li Yao's eyes remained as clear as water. Shaking his head, he said, "Professor Xie, I'm not arrogant. The only thing I am... is afraid. I'm just afraid, very, very afraid!"
"Afraid?" Xie Tingxian was confused.
"Yes, afraid. I’m afraid because the strength of Deep Sea University’s Refining Department is crystal clear. Deep Sea University’s Refining Department is as though it is a deity who is shouldering the entire heaven as it stood upright. Even if I don’t issue a challenge, the mere thought of issuing a challenge is already near impossible."
"If in this second I don’t say it, I’m afraid when tomorrow arrives, I won’t be able to—no, there’s no need to wait for tomorrow. In the next hour, the next minute, the next second—I would completely lose my courage to issue a challenge to this deity!"
"But now that I have spoken in front of so many ladies and gentlemen of 'Nine Elite University', this completely crazy idea had been made public. I will no longer have any hesitation, I no longer need to afraid of any conflict, I no longer need to be afraid of getting involved, and I no longer need to be worried about retreat or giving up."
"Perhaps I will become the biggest joke or perhaps I will create a miracle that no one expected. There is no other path for me; I can only do every in my power and bite the bullet — I can only stride forward!"
Xie Tingxian was moved. "I understand. It seems you are not arrogant—you are just too young, too impulsive, too naive! A miracle is called a miracle because the chance of its occurrence is immensely small, so immensely small that perhaps the chance of it happening is only one in a thousand, perhaps even one in ten thousand!"
Li Yao smiled. From the depths of his eyes came a shine that was as dazzling as the stars. "Whether it is one in thousand, one in ten thousand, or even one in a billion... As long it is not zero, isn't it fine?"
Xie Tingxian remained silent. He just heaved a long sigh and with a deep regret boarded the flying shuttle.
Xie Tingxian left.
"Sister Ling!"
Li Yao let loose a deep breath. The smile on his face was as magnificent as the blossoming of peaches. He turned towards Ding Lingdang and said, "My choice... did not make you too disappointed, right? Do not worry! As long as there is time, I will still go to the Combat Department..."
Before he was able to finish the latter part of his sentence, Ding Lingdang, like a mother leopard, had already violently pounced on him like a bolt of lightning as she grabbed onto his collar and forcefully started shaking him.
"Smelly brat, you had already decided to choose the Grand Desolate War Institution, right? Then you pretended some bullshit of leaving far away and never meeting again, causing this grandma to be in melancholy for a long time and also f**king sigh incessantly! Why did you not just say so!?"
"I wanted to give you a pleasant surprise..."
"Surprise my ass! F**k! You were playing with my feelings! Do you think I will not smack your head!?"
[First V
olume [Hundred Day Training] finished]
Next Volume [Wild Storm] Prequel:
"Crystal armor—the greatest magical equipment in the modern cultivation world. It is known as the ‘King of Magical Equipment’, the ‘Magical Equipment Among Magical Equipment’. Even for Deep Sea University’s Refining Department, refining a new type of crystal armor is not an easy task."
"Just by the virtue of the waste department you call the Refining Department of your Grand Desolate War Institution, you—these wastes—want to refine crystal armor?"
"What? This piece of scrap is the crystal armor you have refined? This is completely rotten! This idiotic piece of black sh't is simply nothing more than a pile of waste!"
"Such a pile of waste and you dare to call this "Profound Bone Battle Armor'!? May I ask from which angle does this pile of waste look 'Profound'?"
"I’ll help you name this pile of waste. Don't call it ‘Profound Bone’—call it 'Rotten Bone'!"
Deep within the Grand Desolate, an unfathomable storm was brewing—a one in a billion miracle is about to make its debut!
Chapter 98: Taking the First Step |
Three days later in a shabby little station in the western area of Floating Spear City.
In just three days, Floating Spear City had been turned upside down.
On the second day of the Disabled Servicemen Association's victory parade, Crimson Nimbus Sect had announced that it would be restructuring the personnel of “Crimson Nimbus Second Senior High School”, the educational institute that was directly subordinate to it.
Both the principal and the head instructor had been transferred to a primary school under the Crimson Nimbus Sect.
And Trustee Helian Ba had been found to have committed several acts of malpractice during the period when he assumed the position as a trustee of the Crimson Nimbus Sect and as well as other four posts within the Crimson Nimbus Sect.
The Crimson Nimbus Sect had immediately taken emergency measures and had sent an investigative team led by two Elders to investigate the issues regarding the Helian Family. Furthermore, they even called for a press conference and had once again reaffirmed that they were one of the righteous factions in the long line of history of the Star Glory Federation. They would absolutely not tolerate any kind of illegal behavior and would definitely deal with it strictly and severely.
