by <unknown>
However, the light wings tattooed on his back by the Spirit Tattoo Artists had allowed him to overdraft his life force and stimulate all the spiritual energy stored in the light wings at the last moments of his life, enabling him to soar into the clouds and launch an incomparably gorgeous strike!
The Grand Desolate War Institution's Arts Department was a place that was dedicated to fostering Spirit Tattoo Artists. In the entire federation, it was a one of a kind department that could compete with the similar departments of Sky Fantasia Academy.
The Iron Fist Club, the Chaos Edge Hall, the Lancets, the Glyph Devils... These were the four student unions that were the backbone of the Grand Desolate War Institution.
80% of the university's education funds and resources flowed into these four student unions, and they were given priority to the university's best professors, courts, and equipment.
As for the remaining meager 20%, that was left for the other departments to compete for.
Most of the radicals even believed that the Grand Desolate War Institution was placed last among the "Nine Elite Universities" because they were being dragged down by a dozen other ordinary departments, believing that they might as well completely cut off these ordinary departments and only retain the Iron Fist Club, Chaos Edge Hall, Lancets, and the Glyph Devils. Maybe then their ranking could be a bit higher!
‘First of all, I need to bring the Refining Department to the same level as the four major departments…’ Li Yao thought.
At this time, sounds of light footsteps came from behind him. A boy with short hair that was no longer than an inch asked in awe:
"Excuse me, fellow student. Your spiritual energy fluctuations are very strong. You would not... happen to have already awakened your spiritual root and become a cultivator, right?"
"Wow!"
Just as he had said this, all the freshmen came over and looked at Li Yao in curiosity.
Everyone had long heard that the "Nine Elite Universities" was a place of hidden dragons and crouching tigers and had innumerable geniuses gathered. They didn't expect to see a monstrous talent in real life before they had even entered the campus!
Li Yao was feeling a little embarrassed from the hot and fiery gazes of everyone as he nodded: "Yes, but I've just awakened it, so my level is very low. I am just at the 1st level of the Refinement Stage, that's all."
"Just awakened..."
The body with short hair pondered for a moment, seemingly thinking about something. His eyebrows started twitching as he cried, "You would not happen to be that monster—who had awakened his spiritual root on a platform and then beat a 3rd level Refinement Stage cultivator to the point that he was so miserable that one could not bear to look at him?!"
Li Yao was surprised for a moment. He had not expected that this matter would have already spread so much.
Thus, all the freshmen became mad!
A contest between cultivators would set off fluctuations of spiritual energy that could not be perceived by ordinary people, but as these freshmen’s Spiritual Root Development Quotient was over 80%, they were naturally able to perceive it.
So everyone knew that on a temporary station, a small scuffle between two cultivators had taken place.
However, at that time, a majority of the people were being inspected, so they too didn't know the exact details. They only knew that a recently awakened cultivator had beaten a 3rd level Refinement Stage cultivator into a pig—or perhaps a boneless, pickled pig head.
On the train, everyone was continuously discussing that the 1st level Refinement Stage cultivator was too fierce and wondering god knows where this monster had popped out from.
But how could they have expected that he would turn out to be their fellow student, and even more so a freshman who was just going to enter the Grand Desolate War Institution!?
At this moment, everyone had different kinds of looks in their eyes when gazing at Li Yao; their gazes were filled with envy, worship, fanaticism, and fear...
"The Grand Desolate War Institution is worthy of being the best combat institute in the federation. Even such a fierce person had chosen the Grand Desolate War Institution. I have certainly not enrolled in the wrong university!"
"Ah, the pressure is too great! In the future, we will be studying together with such a fierce student. How could we compare with such a monster?"
"Fellow student, you are thinking too much. Such a fierce person like him would, for sure, be personally guided by the 'professors' themselves, whereas ordinary freshmen like us will only get 'lecturers'. We simply have nothing to compare!"
"Does anyone know whether he is actually a body practitioner or a sword cultivator?"
The short-haired boy's face was full of worship as he said in excitement, "Fellow Student, if I can study together with you, then that would my greatest honor! Can you tell me—whether you are from the Iron Fist Club or the Chaos Edge Hall?"
Once this sentence exited his mouth, a majority of the students divided into two groups while maintaining their composure.
Most of the students on the left side had shiny skin that was reflecting a metal-like gloss. Furthermore, each and every joint was oddly big, their fists were flat, and when they clenched their fists, their fists were like warhammer that had been repeatedly tempered.
Whereas, most of the student on the right side had sharp as a blade looks in their eyes, their hands were covered in calluses, many of the students even had their fingerprints completely polished, and weapons of varying lengths hung on their waists.
They were the members of the Iron Fist Club and the Chaos Edge Hall respectively.
TLN:
[1] - You may all be wondering which city is this, or how come the name has been changed. Actually, the raws were like ‘furious waves city’, so for a better flow, we decided to change the name a bit, but as I read this chapter, it was mismatching with the first couple paragraphs of the chapter, so we have decided to change the name of ‘Wild Storm City’ to ‘Wild Waves City’. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Chapter 128: Chaos Edge and Iron Fist |
The Grand Desolate War Institution, which had taken root in the Demon Beast Wasteland, was a university that always advocated for combat and competition. As the two strongest student unions of the Grand Desolate War Institution, the Iron Fist Club and the Chaos Edge Hall had been fighting for various resources, and over the past century, had become mortal enemies who would stand in sharp opposition to each other.
Most of the time, the Iron Fist Club had slightly suppressed the Chaos Edge Hall, with the exception of a few decade ago when "Fiend Blade Peng Hai" was the president of the Chaos Edge Hall—or as one could also say, when he was the "president of the sword cultivators student union". During those two years, the Chaos Edge Hall had suddenly risen to prominence.
However, after Fiend Blade Peng Hao graduated, Chaos Edge Hall gradually became dispirited.
Especially in recent years when "Ding Lingdang", this ferocious dragon in human form, suddenly appeared and became the president of the Iron Fist Club, Chaos Edge Hall had simply been suppressed into a meat pie.
They were somehow maintaining their somewhat feeble existence as they wait for Ding Lingdang to graduate. Of course, Chaos Edge Hall hoped that they could make a comeback!
If Li Yao took the road of a sword cultivator, then Chaos Edge Hall would very likely rise again, and perhaps the brilliant and prosperous era of "Fiend Blade Peng Hai" would appear again.
And if Li Yao was a body practitioner, then it goes without saying that for the next couple years, Chaos Edge Hall could perhaps only follow behind the Iron Fist Club's ass and take whatever was left behind!
Therefore, all the students were nervous to the extreme as their eyes were completely glued to Li Yao's mouth, holding their breath, waiting for him to answer.
Li Yao scratched his head in embarrassment: "Sorry, ladies and gentlemen, I neither belong to the Iron Fist Club nor am I a member of the Chaos Edge Hall. I belong to.
.. the Starfire Union."
"Starfire Union—what's that?"
Many of the freshmen blinked their eyes; for a long while, they didn't react.
"Such a fierce person is actually not a member of the Iron Fist Club and Chaos Edge Hall? The Starfire Union sounds very domineering. Is it some hidden department in the Grand Desolate War Institution which specializes in recruiting super fierce people like him?"
"What hidden department? Do you think you are reading a novel? How could there be that kind of thing!?"
A few freshmen opened the freshman manual on their crystal processors and searched carefully. A moment later, they showed an extremely disappointed look, seemingly as if a petrification spell had been cast upon their bodies.
"What is it? What department does the Starfire Union belong to?" a student standing nearby curiously asked.
"It's the… Refining Department!"
"Ah? The Refining Department that is called the worst department of the Grand Desolate War Institution?"
Everyone was dumbfounded.
Li Yao, already carrying the Dark Star Rock and the Black Wing Sword on his shoulder, walked out of the train station without even waiting for them to ask any more questions, leaving a tall and enigmatic back behind for everyone.
The short-haired boy patted the shoulder of the freshman who was as dumb as wooden chicken and said with a sigh:
"You don't need to think too much about it. How could we know what goes inside the head of a straight A student?"
...
On a small square just outside the train station, the atmosphere was extremely cold and oppressive. A dozen groups of people, like an army, stood in an orderly manner, forming up a dozen close order formations.
Wherein, amidst every close order formation, a big banner fluttered.
They all came here to welcome the freshmen into their respective student union.
At the front, there was a group of over a hundred students whose average height was about two meters, with skin that exuded a metal-like gloss and eyes that were brimming with radiating vigor, much like countless glittering stars!
Their upper bodies were almost naked, thereby revealing their rock-like muscles. Most of them wore a set of thick armor, the majority of which was laden with bloodstains, weaved from beast skin. They simply looked like barbarians who ate raw flesh and drank the blood of animals!
Amidst this group of "barbarians", a huge banner, whose flagpole appeared to be made of the dozen meter long spine of a huge demon beast, was hoisted. Painted upon this flag was a huge iron fist that was smashing the skull of a ferocious demon beast into pieces!
The image seemed to be exaggerated and was drawn in rough strokes; it simply seemed as if a brute and valiant soldier had arbitrarily painted it with his hands, yet it was filled with a majesty that seemed to make everyone’s blood boil and even set the onlookers' fists ablaze.
This was the battle flag of the Iron Fist Club!
A robust, bald giant whose height exceeded 2.3 meters stood upright under the battle flag.
Even amidst the group of robust and muscular men, he could be called a crane standing amongst chickens.
It was as if a fierce mammoth had suddenly appeared amidst a group of iron-armored rhinos!
The giant had a vivid iron fist tattoo engraved on his bald head, and the tattoo was exactly the same as the image on the war flag. Although his entire body was covered in ferocious and grim tattoos, half of his body had been covered by leather armor. The partly hidden, partly visible appearance gave the impression of a ferocious tiger who had camouflaged itself very well slumbering in a jungle, making it even more terrifying.
"All body practitioners from the Combat Department, gather under the Iron Fist Flag!"
The Giant let out a terrifying shout that was just like billowing thunder propagating from the center of the close order formation.
"He is the president of the Iron Fist Club, Hua Tianxiong, an 11th level Refinement Stage expert. Rumor has it that by the virtue of the cultivation exercise he cultivates, the tattoo at the top of his head can be triggered once his anger rushes to his head, allowing his strength to soar to the peak of the 13th level Refinement Stage and maintaining it for a dozen seconds—such frightening strength is second only to the last president of the Iron Fist Club, Ding Lingdang!"
"If we follow such a fierce person, we can definitely get a lot of the resources allocated by the school!"
"Let's go!"
The eyes of a dozen or so freshmen who had chosen the "Combat Department's Body Practitioner Department" lit up with pleasure as they sprinted along the road and joined the ranks of the Iron Fist Club.
At the same time, a cold sound which seemed like the one coming from a poisonous snake also rang in ears of the freshmen.
"All the freshmen who have chosen the Sword Cultivator Department, likewise, gather under the Chaos Edge Hall's war flag!"
This voice sounded a lot different than the earth shattering roar of Hua Tianxiong; it was like the voice of a monarch which did not seem to linger for too long and was like a fleeting glare of a sharp blade.
Li Yao gathered all his attention as his five senses, like a tide, spread open, and only then did he find an ordinary young man, who had a pale complexion and a slight hunchback figure, standing amidst a group of a hundred people that was right behind the Iron Fist Club.
All of these hundred or so people wore a light gray robe, and all of them, on their backs, waists, or in the cuffs or their boots... wherever one could carry a weapon, carried something that was akin to a stick that was wrapped in cloth and was emitting a faint, cold aura.
Their temperament was also much similar to these cloth wraps, seemingly extremely average, revealing not even an iota of their abilities.
However, only their eyes seemed to be occasionally twinkling like the stars in a manner akin to the naked edge of a sharp blade, making everyone shudder.
This slightly hunchback young man made Li Yao feel terribly cold. Just one glance at him and Li Yao felt like he had fallen into a cave of ice as he felt a slight sting coming from his bone marrow.
"He is Xu Ge, the president of the Chaos Edge Hall, an 11th level Refinement Stage sword cultivator. He is going to be our boss for the next few years. Let's behave neatly so that we leave a good impression on him!"
A dozen or so freshmen who had chosen to become sword cultivators walked with heads held high and chest out as they joined the ranks of the Chaos Edge Hall.
Behind the Iron Fist Club and the Chaos Edge Hall were the Glyph Devils and the Lancets.
The member of Lancets were medical students, and a white coat was their standard uniform.
However, it was different than the ordinary white coats; the white coats they wore had a vivid bloody skeleton embroidered upon it. Amidst the fierce gales, the jaws of the bloody skeleton seemed to be laughing at death.
The members of the Glyph Devils, instead, wore an airtight robe that only revealed their face, which was completely engraved with tattoos. They were like colorful chameleons who were hiding their true appearance.
Only a few dozen freshmen were left after the Lancets and the Glyph Devils had received their freshmen, a majority of which looked ugly and repulsive and had pitiful strength.
These freshmen were those who had chosen the ordinary departments besides the four key departments.
Watching the other freshmen happily joining the four key departments one by one, these freshmen of the ordinary departments let out a sigh. They did not have any intention to conceal their envy and disappointment.
Standing amidst this group, Li Yao gave the impression of a grim wolf, whose fangs were stained with blood, standing amidst a group of pugs; it looked indescribably repulsive.
At this moment—
Li Yao's glabella twitched. He suddenly felt that the air in front of him was a little strange.
A thought struck Li Yao's mind as he spontaneously retreated a step, and at the same time, he sli
ghtly bent his knees while spiritual energy surged into his legs so that every strand of his muscles was ready to erupt at any moment.
At the very same moment Li Yao retreated, two black figures from within the group of Iron Fist Club and Chaos Edge Hall whizzed out like a flash and appeared before Li Yao.
They were precisely the bald giant, Hua Tianxiong, and the hunchback young boy, Xu Ge, both of whom were experts of the 11th level Refinement Stage!
A sliver of surprise appeared on the faces of the two at the same time. They had never expected that Li Yao's senses would be so sharp that he could predict their appearance in advance.
"Very good, you, sure enough, are someone who Professor Ding has his eyes on!"
The bald giant, Hua Tianxiong, jovially laughed as he measured Li Yao from head to toe with a satisfied look in his eyes. Nodding his head, he said, "Student Li Yao, your reputation has already spread in the entire campus before you have even arrived at university. It would truly be a pity if someone like you, who has beaten a 3rd level Refinement Stage cultivator unarmed, is not developed in the direction of a body practitioner! You are always welcome to take a look at the Iron Fist Club. I and Master Ding Lingdang will always be waiting for you. If you are interested, it would not be difficult in the least to make a transfer!"
Before Li Yao could even respond, the hunchback Xu Ge sneered:
"Hua Tianxiong, Student Li Yao's talent in refining is obvious to all. If he joined your Iron Fist Hall, wouldn't it be truly wasteful? I, however, am different. I did not come here to ask Student Li Yao to join my Chaos Edge Hall. I just hope that Student Li Yao will consider developing in both departments. He could learn to refine as well as take the courses of a sword cultivator at the same time. It would not be difficult for him to take a 'dual degree'!"
As Xu Ge took a glance at Li Yao, his eyes sparkled like a poisonous snake who had found a little green frog as he revealed his true intention:
"Of course, if Student Li Yao is willing to take the road of a sword cultivator, then we will still welcome you—I know student Li Yao has a senior brother-junior brother relationship with 'Fiend Blade Peng Hai'. And as Senior Peng Hai was once the president of our Chaos Edge Hall, then this could be considered fate. Perhaps someday, Student Li Yao could possibly become the next president of Chaos Edge Hall and lead our Chaos Edge Hall to thoroughly pummel the Iron Fist Club, reproducing the brilliant era of 'Fiend Blade Peng Hai'!"
