by <unknown>
She was a woman supported by competitiveness, and she would not allow herself to be eclipsed by anybody.
If Li Yao was a dazzling supernova, she had to be even more brilliant than Li Yao!
Hiss! Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!
After cleaning the last drop of Nerve Connection Liquids with a smaller sucker, Ding Lingdang walked to the black Colossus Fancy Phantom.
Her nose was raised high, and her lips were closed into a line tightly. She was obviously dissatisfied with her performance just now.
Compared to the magnificent Draconic Phoenix, Fancy Phantom looked rather shabby.
After the previous Colossi were assembled, the well-preserved, best-quality units and components had already been used up. The only things left were the half-broken, barely-usable ones.
Fancy Phantom was jumbled with such ragged parts and components that the federation managed to duplicate. It was a counterfeit product.
Although it was the one most recently made, it was actually the weakest Colossus and boasted the most unstable combat ability among all the Colossi in the federation.
When it was flying in the high sky and fighting at a distance, one might not notice it, but now that it had been moved underground, if it was observed carefully from a close distance, anybody would be able to tell the crudeness from the rough connection points, the joints that were exposed to the air, and the highly-uncoordinated hands and feet.
Crack! Crack!
Fancy Phantom's breastplate, which had been twisted and deformed by Draconic Phoenix, managed to be opened after a while of ear-splitting noises. A cluster of black materials flowed out to the ground, and Li Yao struggled out of it.
"You are truly awesome, honey!" His face bruised and swollen, Li Yao cheered. "My wife is truly a super training genius second to none in the world! After you entered the Nascent Soul Stage, you have been progressing faster than light!
"What was your last move exactly just now? It pierced my internal organs and almost blew up my stomach! Cough, cough. Cough, cough, cough, cough. I've got a stomach ache now. It seems that we won't be able to have any competitions of beliefs tonight!"
Chapter 1305: Ace of Aces! |
"Stop it. I know that I'm no match for you!" Pouting her lips, Ding Lingdang glared at Li Yao angrily. "Draconic Phoenix is the first Colossus that we discovered. When we repaired it, we used the best-preserved and the most powerful units. More than ninety percent of the Colossus is made of the primeval parts, which makes it essentially a remastered version of the original Colossus in the primeval era. It has the highest combat ability among all the Colossi!
"Fancy Phantom, on the other hand, is what we have jumbled up with the unusable 'leftovers' after we assembled the four Colossi and with our own technology of enormous spiritual puppets. The primeval parts on Fancy Phantom only make up thirty-five percent. Also, the final debugging hasn't been completed yet. It is still in the experimental phase, with a low combat ability and an unstable performance. It's already a miracle that the Colossus can fly into the sky without breaking apart!
"However, when I was driving such a powerful Draconic Phoenix and you were driving such a vulnerable Fancy Phantom, it took me a whole minute to shoot you down!
"Besides, you weren't trying your best at all…
"If we had swapped Colossi, you would've blown up my Colossus completely in less than three seconds, wouldn't you?"
"You are wrong, sweetheart," Li Yao said solemnly. "Who says that I wasn't trying my best. Under your incessant bombardment that felt like a raging flood, I was truly sparing no effort to resist you!"
"Do you think I'm blind?" Her arms akimbo, Ding Lingdang bulged her big eyes and bellowed, "You didn't even put on a mustard-seed combat suit, and you joined the battle in a T-shirt, shorts, and slippers. Is this your best?
"Hehe. I know that you are the strongest 'ace' in the three Sectors. Right now, the gap between you and me is still too wide. But don't you gloat! I'll catch up with you very soon and beat you in a fair and square competition!"
"You're truly wronging me this time. How am I gloating? Hehehehe!" Li Yao scratched his nest-like hair innocently but failed to control himself after trying for a long time. He put on an evil smile of satisfaction.
Little Black, resuming the appearance of a fat, round meatball, grew two short, silly wings on the two sides of its body, which were flapping hard while it hovered above Li Yao's head.
It seemed to feel that Li Yao's messy, furry hair would be very comfortable and therefore simply seated itself on it.
But it was a pity that Little Black was too 'obese'. Li Yao's hair was entirely pressed down because its weight, as if Li Yao was holding a ball right above his head.
In the past five years, the three Sectors had undergone groundbreaking changes, and Ding Lingdang had advanced into the Nascent Soul Stage after crazy training. Naturally, Li Yao had not been idle during that time.
He had been working in the development team on Kunlun as a leader. He was mainly responsible for the collection, research, recovery, and assembly of the magical equipment related to the Colossi.
The so-called Colossi were essentially 'crystal suits for Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators'. They shared some similarities to the general crystal suits for other Cultivators.
As an expert of crystal suit modification, Li Yao happened to be adept at the ancient arts of refining forty thousand years ago, which gave him an advantage when studying the primeval spiritual stripes and rune arrays. He soon became the core of the team.
When the Colossi were assembled one after another, he picked up his old job willingly again and worked as the 'test pilot' of the Colossi.
All the Colossi were driven by Li Yao first in the experimental phase before they were slightly adjusted and improved according to his feedback. Only after he nodded in approval and declared it to be qualified would a Colossus be considered completed and ready to be handed over to other Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators.
In the past five years, Li Yao had been dwelling in the world of Colossi and the primeval runes on Kunlun.
Therefore, although his barehanded combat ability might not be in the top three among the super experts in the Nascent Soul Stage, he definitely boasted the most abundant experience in operating and modifying Colossi, leaving the second place so far behind that the guy would not even catch his exhaust flame. He was the true ace of the federation!
If he used Draconic Phoenix, the strongest Colossus of all, perhaps the other four Colossi would have to attack together in order to suppress him.
Ding Lingdang understood the situation quite well. She naturally knew that her husband had gone easy on her.
Of course, if she pursued any further, Li Yao would certainly blink his innocent eyes and drag his tone while he said, It can't be helped. You have been operating Colossi for less than half a year. You can't trigger my full fighting will!
Ding Lingdang narrowed her eyes and sneered, "You are still chuckling? Fine. I'll teach you a lesson about chuckling tonight!"
She was no match for Li Yao in a Colossus, and she could not defeat Li Yao in a dazzling war of magical equipment with a crystal suit.
However, when the two of them engaged in a naked, close-distance battle barehanded, she, who was between a 'body practitioner' and a 'body fundamentalist', had overwhelmed Li Yao again after she advanced into the Nascent Soul Stage.
Li Yao's delight was replaced by frustration, and his smile froze on his face.
Had he seen it coming, he definitely would have refused the training match with his wife.
…
On the lift leading to the warehouse of the Colossi, the hundred students from the Refining Department of Flying Star University were all blushing in excitement. Some of them were almost crying!
Even to this moment, they still found it hard to believe that everything was happening for real and that they were not in a dream.
"Good heavens. Are—are we really going to meet the legendary Master Li Yao!"
"
I'm so nervous. I can't seem to catch my breath!"
"That is Master Li Yao! The Master Li Yao who defeated Xiao Xuance, the best expert of the Flying Star Sector; rescued the Flying Star Sector, sabotaged the Eye of Blood Demon; facilitated the alliance of the Heaven's Origin Sector, the Flying Star Sector, and the Blood Demon Sector; and even discovered the sanctuary Kunlun!"
"Vulture! Fiend Star! Sand Scorpion! Every nickname represents a legend, and so many legends are concentrated on one person!"
"Also, he is the well-deserved best Colossi operator in the three Sectors. The ace of aces! Even the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators who are one hundred years older than him have to drive the Colossi according to the 'Colossi Operation Manual' composed by him!"
"Rumor has it that with a Colossi, his combat ability is almost equal to an entire starship fleet, and he could suppress a small planet easily!"
"Do—do we really have the privilege of meeting Master Li Yao and even talk to him? I—I—I am so thrilled. I can't stop my tears. What do I do? What do I do?"
"Sister Anan, what kind of person is your teacher exactly? Is he very lofty and strict? Will he be impatient if I ask for his autograph?"
"Lofty?"
Pouting, Xie Anan thought for a long time and realized that, although her master could be described in many ways, 'lofty' was absolutely not one of them.
After pondering for a moment, Xie Anan said carefully, "Well, there is no need to be nervous. My master… should be quite different from what you imagine!
"On many occasions, if I don't remind myself intentionally, I forget that he is a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator, a specialist of crystal suits, and a grandmaster of the Colossi, and think that he, well, he is like a regular mechanic!"
Chi…
The lift slowly stopped in one corner of the warehouse where the Colossi were being maintained. With black smoke popping from the gaps on the floor, the lift soon retreated.
Under Xie Anan's lead, Long Yunxin and the hundred students walked out in a line. Feeling like 'pilgrims', they observed and studied, prudent and respectful.
The first thing that they saw was not the red, magnificent Draconic Phoenix but the unattractive black Fancy Phantom. Or rather, it was the people around Fancy Phantom that they saw first.
Most of them were seniors whose hair was white. Some of them were middle-aged men whose eyes were as sharp as the hawks' and whose hands were as smooth as jade. Regardless of their age, their intimidating aura was obvious to all, making them seem to be surrounded by tornadoes!
They are all top experts in the circle of refiners!
The students from the Refining Department of Flying Star University naturally knew the authorities of their trade.
"That is Professor Zhao Yimian, the authority on crystal reactors!"
"There's also Professor Sun Xiaolin, an expert in aerodynamics!"
"Look. That's Master Huangpu Bo, possibly the best Armadominus of the Flying Star Sector, and Master Xue Yuanxin, who specializes in the Ares Extensions!"
All the specialists had spent almost a hundred years in the world of refining. Every name was thunderous for any other refiner. If they lectured in any university, the campus would be empty because all the students would be listening to them!
However, at this moment, all the experts and masters were carefully observing Fancy Phantom like the most obedient elementary school students.
On Fancy Phantom, a young man was crawling up and down like a monkey. Now and then, he stuck his ear to the plate armor of Fancy Phantom before his hands blossomed like a lotus flower and drew twenty or so runes casually, concentrating the spiritual energy and pushing it into the machine!
Fancy Phantom seemed to be enlivened by the mysterious hands and would shriek with ever-changing pitch. A whole orchestra seemed to be playing deep inside Fancy Phantom's chest!
"Have you seen clearly my techniques, Fellow Cultivators?"
The young man who seemed rather unattractive and looked like a random college student smiled.
"This is the 'Snap and Listen' technique from the ancient arts of refining, which is the best skill when it comes to examining damage! The eighty-five basic gestures have been demonstrated to you just now. I believe that you all have your own unique secret arts. You can create even more sophisticated and unpredictable gestures with your own knowledge after absorbing my demonstration!
"On the axis on the left ankle of Fancy Phantom, there is a 0.05 millimeter gap between two beads, which affected the agility of the left foot and even the entire left leg. I assume that it is because the materials that the beads are made of have not been processed to deal with the super-high temperature. We must try to improve the procedures or even simply choose a different material to settle the problem once and for all!
"Alright. These are about all the problems that I have noticed. I'll entrust the examination of the details to you, Fellow Cultivators!"
The young man smiled and leapt down toward Xie Anan, Long Yunxin, and the hundred college students, with his slippers creating two crisp claps on the floor!
Chapter 1306: Civilization |
"…"
Seeing the casual appearance of the young man and the face that often appeared on posters on the street, all the college students were dumbfounded!
Is—is—is this the legendary Master Li Yao?
He was wearing a sloppy T-shirt that seemed half a size too big, with a huge '250' at the center. There was also a badge, a clenched fist, on the chest, which was surrounded by the caption 'The Grand Desolate War Institution has been established for two hundred and fifty years'!
It was obviously promotional clothing that had been distributed for free when the birthday of the school was celebrated.
From the somewhat lackluster number and badge, and the creases that could not be removed no matter how they were ironed, it could easily be deduced that the T-shirt had been worn for quite a few years. Even the regular cloth now looked like silk because it had been rubbed too much!
The creased T-shirt, the fat, striped beach pants, and a pair of sloppy slippers, along with a bag of tools mixed into various colors by the oil dirt and crystal powder dangling from his waist, constituted Master Li Yao's basic profile!
Having just finished the maintenance of Fancy Phantom, Master Li Yao not only had a pair of hands that were stained with dirt and all kinds of suspicious liquids that were emitting repugnant smell, but he also had a black-and-white face, like a panda that had only just woken up.
His appearance collapsed the image of their idol in many female student's hearts.
As it turned out… all the handsome and magnificent pictures on the posters were lies. They must have been rendered through countless modifications and edits!
He—he—he was actually so unattractive in real life!
Naturally, Li Yao did not have the vaguest clue what on the female students' mind.
"Miss Long!"
He was glad to meet an old friend from the Flying Star Sector, too, and greeted Long Yunxin with a smile.
With mixed feelings, Long Yunxin was lost for words for a moment.
She knew better than to pay attention to the appearance on the surface. Through the immense vitality dispersing from Li Yao's every pore and the stars that were hidden deep inside his eyes, she sensed a vast ocean!
Long Yunxin secretly sighed.
At this moment, she finally acknowledged, however reluctantly, that even if her vague feelings for Li Yao years ago had not been turned down on the spot, they would not have yielded any fruit.
They were living in two different worlds. The gap between their levels was too huge.
Her world was Flying Star University and the Flying Star Sector, or the New Federation that would include the three Sectors at best. That was the limit of her knowledge and the goal that she fought for.
However, below Li Yao's seemingly casual posture and his somewhat slobby appearance, a boundless world that could almost include the entire universe
was hidden!
His own world was so vast, mysterious, and marvelous that he was too fascinated by it to care about his image in the mortal world.
It was like how a falcon would not care for its every feather so that other people would be able to appreciate it because the falcon had a higher sky to break into and further clouds to conquer!
Making colorful feathers and uttering crisp shrieks were what sparrows and orioles should do.
Long Yunxin felt that she was a small sparrow right now, while Li Yao was a falcon that was soaring above the sea of stars. Although the two of them had spent some time flying together because of fate, it was inevitable that they would part in the end.
The one who was qualified to fly with a falcon to the end of the universe could only be another falcon!
After thinking through that, Long Yunxin suddenly felt her heart shake for a moment. An invisible rope was loosened instantly, and the problem that had troubled her for years was gone. She found herself able to confront Li Yao at ease now!
Taking a deep breath, Long Yunxin smiled and bowed back to Li Yao as an old friend before she said what they were there for.
"You are here to communicate with me on the arts of refining? Welcome, welcome. Of course, you are all welcomed here!"
Overjoyed, Li Yao blinked and said, "After all, I was a visitor scholar in Flying Star University for more than half a year, and I also developed an Ares Extension with Master Xue Yuanxin of your school! Flying Star University does mean a lot to me. Communication of the refining arts is definitely not going to be a problem!
"But there's a minor problem. I only just returned to the Heaven's Origin Sector from Kunlun, so I have a lot of old friends that I have to meet. My schedule for the day is full. How about the night?
"Tonight, we will have a good talk. Everybody will exchange their ideas and thoughts deeply and freely until dawn. How does that sound?"
The students did not expect that the legendary Master Li Yao would be so warm and easygoing. For a moment, they were all jumping and laughing in joy!
"However…" Li Yao smiled. "I want to ask a favor from you, too, which will possibly take an entire day. But don't worry. Your time will not be wasted for nothing. In fact, I'm hoping that you can help test a piece of brand-new magical equipment so that some experiment data can be collected!"
