Legend of the Supreme Soldier - Chapter 541

e Chong took a look at Sun Sieha, saw him nod, and released the man in his grasp. Once George was released, he immediately fell kneeling to the ground, coughing violently with his hands to his throat. As Ye Chong had suffocated him for too long, his face looked purplish due to the lack of oxygen.

He threw a hateful look at Ye Chong for having embarrassing him so greatly in front of all the other nobles.

Ming Xiao saw the look George gave Ye Chong, and frowned. He thought to himself, “What a foolish boy! Can he not see where the wind is blowing? This is not a man he can afford to be enemies with!” Ming Xiao and Aliz were close, so Ming Xiao decided to warn his friend about his son, and hope that George would not cause further incidents.

Some of the important figures in the government were disappointed as they watched the handsome young man react inappropriately. George had seemed to be a smart man, but in the end he proved that his was little more than his looks.

As George coughed violently against the silent background, all the other guests looked at Ye Chong in surprise. The noble ladies who had stared at him with hatred now squirmed in their own corners, looking very afraid. The others who had tried to advise him or scold him were now terribly regretful of their actions.

“Haha,” Sun Sieha laughed, but the coldness behind his voice reminded all the guests of the rumours of their King’s severity and willingness to kill. All the guests turned fearful, including Ming Xiao, Prince Desnio and Duke Warren.

Ye Chong stood where he was with an air of nonchalance. He was more wary than afraid of Sun Sieha. He understood that his relationship with Sun Sieha was one of equals. While he may seem to be under many restrictions imposed by Sun Sieha, the truth was in fact the opposite. Ye Chong did not need Sun Sieha, but Sun Sieha needed Ye Chong. From this perspective, Sun Sieha was the one who was more restricted, instead of Ye Chong.

Besides, with the recent breakthrough, Ye Chong was now feeling at his best. He had nothing to be afraid of. This did not mean that he would act carelessly, however. Staying calm was second nature to him, even now.

For example, he was now trying to figure out the reason for Sun Sieha’s invitation to this evening ball, and would even visit his manor just to do that.

Sun Sieha must have some good reason for this.

The truth was, Ye Chong had no experience in politics. He could only figure things out through careful thinking. He could not be confident of the results of his deductions, but he was sure that he would one day understand what it was all about. When that day came, he would be able to conduct himself more appropriately. He would become better, and stronger! Growth was achieved through accumulation of knowledge and skills over time.

Never stop thinking, never stop trying – that was Ye Chong’s belief.

“I’ve only been King for a while, and seldom had time to see you all. It’s nice to see all of you having a good time,” Sun Sieha said, but his plain words were full of authority. No one dared to raise their heads. Of course, the notable exception was Ye Chong.

“Haha, enjoy yourselves to your heart’s content, no need to be nervous. Well, as long as your work is finished, the occasional indulgence in leisure is not a bad pastime. However …” Sun Sieha raised his voice at the end, building suspense in his audience. Some of the guests shuddered.

Sun Sieha looked around him, satisfied with the response that he invoked, and continued slowly, “As long as you have completed your duties, it is fine. If anyone were to overindulge and neglect their duties … Haha, well, I suppose I need not elaborate,” Sun Sieha said with a pleasant face, but the guests were all terrified.

“Oh, by the way, let me introduce to you,” Sun Sieha motioned to Ye Chong, “This is Master Ye Chong, Eastern Cloud’s most remarkable weaponsmith. With Master Karu’s recommendation and my approval, the man will be appointed as our country’s Chief Weaponsmith.”

The nobles know now who the young man really was! Some of them thought of how Master Karu, their former Chief Weaponsmith, was willing to pass on his title to this young man. It meant that Master Karu approved of the young man’s capabilities.

There were also nobles from other countries amongst the guests. They immediately felt wary – did this mean that Eastern Cloud was having a huge cabinet changeover?

“You may not know this, but Master Ye Chong is also a close range combat expert. I believe you’ve seen his demonstration,” Sun Sieha said with a smile, “In fact, before I met Master Ye Chong, I never thought that anyone could possibly pose a threat to shooters. However, not too long ago, I saw someone who could. This was when I first saw Master Ye Chong. He was fighting against 12 Level 6 shooters! The shooters suffered seven casualties!” Sun Sieha dropped the bomb in the evening ball. The guests huddled together in quiet discussion, giving Ye Chong looks of fear and wariness. George, who had just straightened himself, looked terrible. He now knew how strong his opponent was.

Only someone as strong as a Level 8 shooter could hope to fight against a dozen Level 6 shooters all at once. Even a Level 7 shooter could barey manage it. Moreover, this young man had injured or killed seven of the 12. That itself was shocking. Could this young man actually be as strong as a Level 8 shooter?

The taciturn young man suddenly became an enigma to his bewildered audience. He was like a huge beast that came out of the wild, staring down at his prey.

Sun Sieha was happy with the guests’ reaction of curiosity mixed with fear. He wanted this to happen. As a member of the Royal family, he knew the power of the nobility. He also knew that tonight’s evening ball would cause a huge uproar amongst the nobles.

“Your Majesty, I don’t believe it!” Someone uttered suddenly. This bold and loud voice drew stares from the other guests. The ones who knew the voice chuckled quietly to themselves. They were in for a good show.

The man who spoke was more than six feet tall. He had broad shoulders, muscular arms and large hands. His square face had a pair of bushy eyebrows, under which two eyes shone brightly.

“You don’t believe it? Do you question my words?” Sun Sieha’s face immediately turned dark. His gaze sharpened with threat.

“Mang, you idiot, how dare you? Apologize to His Majesty!” Ming Xiao, who had remained passive throughout, finally spoke up. Mang was one of his soldiers. At a tender age of 18, he was physically impressive and had above average skills in parapsychic control. He was already a Level 6 shooter. Ming Xiao liked his straightforward nature, and frequently had him by his side. However, the man was poised to cause trouble tonight.

Sun Sieha waved at Ming Xiao to silence him. He eyes locked onto Mang sharply. The atmosphere in the function room tensed up. All the guests held their breath. The new King was known to be unmerciful. Who would dare to disagree with the King openly? Many of them were worried about Mang. It would not surprise them if the King ordered for the man to be executed right then.

The young King was long known for his violent tendencies. When he was Crown Prince, the previous King had ordered his son to first serve as Brigade Commander as part of his training. Once, when his subordinates were late for a meeting, the then Crown Prince had killed 18 soldiers with his own hands. From then onwards, everyone knew that Sun Sieha was not to be messed with. As His Majesty roamed the land in search for talents, his ruthless nature showed. Many shooters died in his hands. The King did not have a good reputation amongst the independent shooters out there.

However, no one doubted the power of the Royal Family. The military force was under his command, while the government officials had expressed their loyalty to him. Besides, with Prince Desnio’s full support and his own ability as a Level 8 shooter, the present King had even more supporters than his father before him. With a competent and fair ruler, everyone knew that Eastern Cloud was about to rise above her rivals.

Their King had absolute power in Eastern Cloud!

If anyone dared to speak against His Majesty, it would be an act of suicide!

Time seemed to slow down in the evening ball. The guests sweated nervously. Mang seemed to realize that he had made a mistake, but still he straightened himself despite his flushed cheeks and kept his mouth shut.

“You don’t believe me?” Suddenly, the King softened, as though he was only asking something inconsequential.

Mang was taken by surprise, but he replied on instinct, “I – Of course I don’t! Only a Level 8 shooter can hold himself against a dozen Level 6 shooters. This young man is strong, but how can he be more powerful than a Level 8 shooter?” The guests agreed quietly with Mang. They had the same suspicion, but not the imprudence to simply voice it out.

The King continued, “How can I make you believe me?”

“Unless – Unless …” Mang was stuck with the question. He panicked, but quickly figured out something, “Unless he can defeat a dozen Level 6 shooters again, right before our eyes!”

When the guests heard Mang’s suggestion, they all shook their heads inside. Things were not quite so simple. Every battle was different, and there were many reasons for the outcome to go one way or the other. In a different location, against the same number of opponents, the result would surely be different.

Sun Sieha smiled coldly and said, “That’s a bit unreasonable, don’t you think?”

Mang blushed even deeper. He also realized the holes in his reasoning.

“However,” Sun Sieha continued with a cold smile, “I think it’s a wonderful idea.” He suddenly turned to Ye Chong and asked, “Ye Chong, what do you think?”

Ye Chong finally realized why Sun Sieha wanted him at the evening ball. Since it was part of the agreement they had last time, Ye Chong had no reason to reject the idea. He nodded and said, “Sure!”

Was this guy crazy?

The nobles looked at Ye Chong with disbelief. They never imagined that Ye Chong would agree to such an unreasonable request!

Sun Sieha looked at the nobles and smiled, “I’ve heard that there are many Level 6 shooters amongst you. Choose any 12 of them. Let us witness a demonstration of this lesser known form of combat. However, it’s a little dull to simply enjoy the battle. We should have a betting pool, with no limits on the betting amount. Hmm, let’s have the Prince be the organizer.”

The sensible Prince Desnio stood forward and bowed to his guests, “Since His Majesty requested it, well, let me organize this round of betting. Don’t worry, we have top notch facilities for combat, and a great variety of weapons to choose from. There will also be pre-match massage services and snacks for everyone. Of course, special services will also be seen to, if you’re interested.”

The guests chuckled at Prince Desnio’s introduction. Even Sun Sieha smiled.

Soon, 12 Level 6 shooters were named. They include experienced combatants from the military, like Mang, but most of them were young nobles. George was one of the better known young nobles, and his prowess as a shooter was also widely recognized. The most surprising candidate was Shu Man’er. No one expected the seemingly fragile young woman to be a Level 6 shooter.

The experienced shooters threw careful looks at Ye Chong. They saw how quick the young man was earlier. Nevertheless, they were confidence of themselves. An experienced Level 6 shooter was much stronger than their less experienced counterpart. The veterans felt that Ye Chong could only stand a chance against a dozen newly promoted Level 6 shooters.

As the young nobles, they were all eager to jump straight into battle. They did not believe that Ye Chong could defeat 12 Level 6 shooters all by himself. Some of the noble families chose their strongest disciples to represent them, hoping to draw favourable attention from the King.

Sun Sieha smiled almost imperceptibly, seeing how eager the nobles were. He started by saying, “Well, since we’re betting and I actually suggested it, I’ll place my bet on Ye Chong. How much should it be? Let’s go with a 10 million.”

Duke Warren was keeping a close watch on the King’s behaviour. He caught the smile on the King’s face, and looked at the hesitant nobles in the function room. Duke Warren had an inkling of what to do next. He smiled and said, “Since we’re betting, I will make my bet too. I bet 10 million that the 12 shooters will win.” He then stood to the side quietly. He was happy to see a quick glance from the King towards him, but kept it to himself.

Ming Xiao stroked his chin and grinned, “Your Majesty, I’ll place my bet as well. 10 million against Master Ye Chong. I believe that Master Ye Chong is capable, but a dozen Level 6 shooters is still quite a challenge.” The Legate’s eyes gleamed with mischief.

“Place your bets now! You can only place one bet. No changes in the betting amount!” Prince Desnio announced loudly to his guests.

With Duke Warren and Ming Xiao taking lead, the rest of the nobles no longer hesitated. They did no bet a lot, but all of them wanted the chance to win a bet against their King. It did not matter how much they win in the end. After all, how many people can boast about winning a bet against His Majesty?

Ye Chong suddenly spoke up from beside Sun Sieha, “50 million on myself.” Sun Sieha’s smile froze awkwardly. Ye Chong placed a bet of 50 million, but he only betted 10 million. Even if he won, he could only get a sixth of the betting pool. He was about to raise his bet, then remembered that Prince Desnio said the amount cannot be changed. The King felt the loss acutely.

Just then, George spoke up as well, “I bet 50 million! The shooters will win!” George threw a vengeful glare at Ye Chong. Ming Xiao frowned again, thinking about how insensible the young man was.

As expected, Ming Xiao saw His Majesty’s eyes narrowed a little. This was bad. The boy was about to cause trouble. When the match was over, he will send people to drag the young man back to Aliz.

The rest of the nobles were excited by the bets from Ye Chong and George. Shu Man’er spoke up with her clear voice, “I bet 20 million.”

“10 million from me!”

“10 million!”

…

The nobles who had someone representing them in the shooters team placed the most bets to show their support. Each of them contributed no less than 10 million in the betting pool. 10 million was a negligible sum to them. It would not do well for their reputation to bet too little, but betting to much would be an offence to the King. They were not as foolish as George.

In the end, the total amount in the betting pool surprised even Prince Desnio. “Well well, this is great. Let me announce the betting amount in the pool. We have 60 million betting for Master Ye Chong. As for the 12 shooters,” he looked around at his guests and continued, “they have 160 million going for them. Haha, it’s a spectacular betting pool.”

Sun Sieha calculated his winnings and threw a bitter glance at Ye Chong. All that easy money was snatched away from him, but there was nothing he could do about it. He felt miserable just thinking about it.

rince Desnio’s mansion was located in the metropolis of Su City, where every inch of land was priceless. Even with his wealth and power, it was impossible to have a battleground here in the capital. The Prince had a battleground about 30 kilometers from the capital, however. The distance was not an issue for the excited nobles.

As the guests all head towards the battleground, Ye Chong naturally went in the King’s vehicle, accompanied also by three important figures of the government. This honour given to him was a chilling statement to the other nobles.

“I regret to inform that the battleground was only last used when His Majesty was young and staying with me. It had been neglected since. However, not to worry, everyone, the facilities in this place are definitely the best available in Eastern Cloud. Of course, the available terrain options are not as advanced as in professional battle rings. Your understanding is much appreciated,” Prince Desnio introduced his place, relaxed in his role.

It was a huge battleground, with an area of about five or size square kilometres. Desnio and his guests were now entering the audience chamber. Here was a huge screen that showed the actual battleground. If Ye Chong were here, he would have been greatly surprised. The feed lacked the resolution offered by 3D holographic imaging, but it was still impressive. The audience chamber was luxuriously decorated. There were plush sofas for everyone, and the servants had already prepared finger food and drinks for the guests. The live feed on the screen was only 2D, but it was still very clear. Besides, they had used more cameras to provide the audience with more viewing angles of the match.

The nobles took their places, leaving the front seat for His Majesty. The King was present at this duel hosted by Prince Desnio, accompanied by both Duke Warren and Sir Ming Xiao. The nobles quickly realized that this was probably the grandest match ever organized in the history of Eastern Cloud. Many of them looked very excited, for they had chanced to be present in this occasion too by pure good luck.

As the host of this match, Prince Desnio stepped up to the speaking podium. He sat down and drank some water, preparing himself.

“The battleground is now set for Option One of the available terrains, in what we know as the Hills. I believe that you’re all very familiar with this one. However, ours is not the standard Option One, but a slightly modified version of it. Ah, I believe you know why. This is a terrain that many people are familiar with. To ramp up the suspense, we have made some alterations to the terrain. If anyone thought that being familiar with the terrain would serve as an advantage, they would be seriously mistaken.”

Sun Sieha studied the familiar battleground on the screen, his expression softening as he felt nostalgia creeping into him. He had loved to play here when he was younger. As he grew older, it became an important place for him to train himself in combat. This was a place full of memories.

Prince Desnio continued chattily, “This is a medium sized battleground that can accommodate up to 40 shooters. Since the lands are hilly, it serves as a test for not only a shooter’s aiming and parapsychic skills, but also their ability to assess their environment and strategize accordingly.

“Hah, I believe you can’t wait for it to begin now!

“I’ll be brief. To make things interesting, Master Ye Chong and the 12 shooters will draw lots and enter the terrain from two different entrances. This means that they won’t know where the other side is. Each side must try to locate and defeat the other in this complicated terrain.

“The 12 shooters are all armed with professional V shaped fluorescent guns used for matches. The shots will leave a fluorescent mark on the target, which will only fade away after three days. To date, no one has been able to remove this fluorescence, so there will be no issues on fairness. Alright, our mod team has already made some minor modifications to the guns of the 12 shooters. The shooters have checked their weapons, and there are no issues to report.

“A gun is like an extended limb of a shooter. Hence, every shooter must be very familiar with their weapon, as every qualified shooter would be. Old Ming once told me that his soldiers must all be very familiar with their guns, even if it means being less familiar with their wives. But if you want to do that, hehe, you have to sleep with your gun instead of your wife for three years. All of you here who work under Old Ming, better watch it, don’t just huddle close with your wife and forget about your gun, or else, hehe …”

A few snickers came from the guests. Ming Xiao was Legate of the 1st Legion in name, but as the second most important figure in the government next to the King, he also had many nobles backing him. Ming Xiao was not offended, but grinned widely at the tease. Beside him, Duke Warren only humped coldly, unimpressed with the joke.

Sun Sieha looked at the two rivals and smiled without comment.

“Alright, back to the match. Well, our Master Ye is a man of character. Hmm, of strong character, I suppose! I don’t know about his weapon building skills, but seeing Master Ye’s moves earlier, I think no one doubts his combat abilities. Master Ye Chong was able to throw a butter knife made of silvercore wood and pin the fast moving snowhound on the ground. My servant reported to me nervously that the butter knife had embedded itself five centimeters into the ground after it went through the snowhound. You can imagine how much strength it takes to do that. An accurate and powerful shot. We look forward to Master Ye’s performance.”

Pince Desnio looked up at his guests and continued slowly but confidently, “Master Ye Chong has demonstrated to us another form of combat – close range combat. There are no parapsychic waves, no guns involved. Master Ye Chong has overhauled everything we’ve come to understand about battle. If Master Ye Chong can win against these 12 Level 6 shooters, then …” Prince Desnio paused and looked around at his guests solemnly, “A new form of combat will be presented to us. It does not rely on parapsychic sense or guns, but only on physical strength and techniques. This is what I think I believe Master Ye can break the dominance that shooters have in our world.”

The people listening from below, especially the military men like Ming Xiao, began to feel the gravity of the situation. Their expression turned serious. Despite the incredulity of it, what would happen if Ye Chong really won this match?

Anyone who could win against a dozen Level 6 shooters would be strong enough to be called a master in his trade. Even in Eastern Cloud, such a person was not easy to find.

They must consider the possibility of Ye Chong’s form of combat and its implications in their line of expertise.

“Fortunately, we will witness this importance match live on screen. Moreover, Master Ye is of Eastern Cloud, and our Chief Weaponsmith. No matter what happens due to Master Ye’s demonstration in combat, we, Eastern Cloud country, will be the first to realize it, and the first to respond to it. Once we succeed, we will be leading the world into this new age!”

Prince Desnio’s speech had invigorating. Moreover, it managed to intrigue even the nobles who were not interested in shooters or the like. Even Sun Sieha’s eyes were gleaming with anticipation. Making Eastern Cloud stronger was an ambition that he thought about day and night.

“Master Ye does not have any weapons with him. I’m curious, how will he fight against the shooters? However, Master Ye does not look nervous at all. He’d not worried about himself, but we’ll see about that. I think that this is going to be a very memorable battle.

“Both sides are now making their final preparations. In the meantime, let me talk more about this terrain. As I mentioned earlier, the battleground is based on our standard Option One, the Hills, but with slight modifications. Option One is a hilly terrain, known for its complicated landscape. Mine, in particular, has mountains built with actual mountain rocks, making the area even harder to navigate. The terrain is extremely complicated. Parapsychic waves will be affected greatly, since the feedback will be less accurate than usual. Only an experienced shooter can decipher useful information from inaccurate parapsychic feedback. Besides, a shooter needs to be physically fit enough to navigate the terrain, since there is a lot of climbing involved.

“Alright, that’s all for introduction of the terrain. Our combatants have all entered the battleground.”

Everyone, including Sun Sieha, shifted their gaze towards the huge screen.

“Aha, Master Ye and the other 12 shooters are entering from entrances that are directly opposite to each other. This means that they will need some time to locate the other side. For now, let’s relax and take a drink,” Prince Desnio narrated lightly, but no one looked away from the screen.

“Let’s start with our 12 young shooters. Hmm, not bad, they’re maintaining a neat formation. In fact, the best place to be right now is somewhere high enough for vantage point, where their parapsychic waves will not be too severely affected. However, in this terrain, climbing is going to be difficult no matter where you are. Ah, Mang looked like he’s trying to climb, but he’s given up quickly. Without the right tools, it’s hard to scale up the mountains here.

“Our beautiful Miss Man’er looks fantastic in her combat uniform. I think many of our young men here must feel even more drawn to her now. Despite her meek outlook, Ms Man’er is actually a Level 6 shooter. Truly a surprise to us. But from the way she conducted herself steadily in the battleground, I think we’re all convinced that she’s the real deal.”

Prince Desnio knew the taste of his audience. The camera panned and zoomed towards Shu Man’er. The guests responded immediately with some whistles from the younger crowd.

Sun Sieha looked at Shu Man’er on the screen and suddenly thought of something. A cold look flashed in his eyes. He signalled for one of the nearby servants to approach him and whispered some orders to the servant. The servant bowed and listened, then rushed out to see to the task he was entrusted with. No one but Duke Warren and Ming Xiao, who were sitting beside the King, noticed this little exchange.

On stage, Prince Desnio was continuing, “Personally, I think that this battle will end up with both sides meeting each other without expecting it.”

“Alright, let’s move on to our Master Ye, the man of surprises. What kind of surprise are we in for now?”

The screen shifted towards Ye Chong.

“Master Ye is not in a hurry. He seems to be used to this kind of environment. Oh, just to keep everyone from second guessing, let me make some clarifications here,” Prince Desnio affected an air of seriousness, “this is the first time I’ve seen Master Ye. The man has never been to my battleground before.”

Some of the noble ladies hid their smiles at the Prince’s act.

The night was turning out to be quite enjoyable. The women settled comfortably in a warm room, sitting on plush sofa cushions with their pet dogs on their laps as they listened to the Prince’s narration. It was a cosy experience. The younger noble ladies could not help looking at the young King, sitting at the front, as they tried to devise ways to get closer to him.

“Master Ye seems to be quite relaxed, or at least he looks relaxed. Oh, looks like Master Ye is thinking of going to a higher point. The hills are quite difficult to climb. Hmm, Master Ye did not bring any tools with him. In fact, Master Ye continues to surprise me. I have no idea what he’s about to do next. Let us wait and see.”

Suddenly, the Prince gasped audibly in the audience chamber. The audience cried out in surprise at nearly the same time. “Ah! Master Ye has begun climbing! Heaven, he’s fast, very fast! He’s just like a monkey, no, he’s even better than a monkey. Without any tools, the man is scaling up the nearly vertical cliff. It’s incredible! It’s just incredible!”

The audience could not help but stood up to watch Ye Chong on the screen. He had truly shocked them all. Ye Chong was climbing a rocky hill that was over 30 meters high, with an almost vertical ascent. Despite this, Ye Chong was scaling up the hill with apparent ease.

To the audience, this was an impossible feat. They would not have believed it possible without seeing it for themselves. Since Ye Chong was moving too quickly, they could not see how Ye Chong could scale up the cliff without the aid of any tools.

“Ohh!” Prince Desnio was wild with excitement. With his huge build, he looked like a huge chimpanzee in frenzy, “This is amazing! Master Ye has brought to us a surprise like no other. Heavens, this is not humanly possible. Even with the right tools, I’m sure that no one can climb the hill so quickly. Now that he’s reached the peak, Master Ye has an advantage in the match. If he was a shooter and with a laser gun in hand, I’m sure that we can already announce him as the winner.”

“However, the crux of the matter is, our Master Ye is not, in fact, a shooter, and he has no weapons with him. Right now, I’m thinking about our shooters, who always thought that physical fitness is not important. If they were to watch this match, I’m sure that they will realize their mistake. If a shooter is physically strong, well, not to the point of Master Ye here, but if the shooter can at least climb up to a high enough vantage point, then the advantage gained from it, hmm, need I say more?”

The audience considered Prince Desnio’s words, especially military personnel like Ming Xiao. This frequently ignored problem was now brought to surface. It was because they were witnessing Ye Chong’s extreme way of combat that they were able to reflect on their thought bias with seriousness.

A thin smile appeared on Sun Sieha’s face. No matter the outcome of the actual match, he had won where it mattered. Perhaps the match was enough to convince people that it was wrong for shooters to neglect physical strength in favour of parapsychic control, but he could already see their conviction wavering.

Just then, the servant who left earlier returned to the audience chamber. He presented himself before the King and whispered something by his ear. He spoke quietly enough that even Duke Warren and Ming Xiao, who were sitting beside the King, could not hear him. Even so, both men sat facing the screen, pretending to be absorbed in the match.

After the servant was finished, Sun Sieha’s smile turned a touch colder. He waved away the servant and directed his attention back to the huge screen. Now, both Duke Warren and Ming Xiao noticed the ghastly look that flashed in the King’s eyes. They were both chilled by what they saw, but pretended to see nothing at all.

e Chong did not have to think much about the match. The terrain that Prince Desnio described as complicated was not a hindrance to him. Back on the trash planet, he had travel in much worse places every single day.

He soon located the 12 shooters. He headed towards them without delay. Ye Chong moved easily across the hilly terrain. His seemingly fragile body was packed with explosive strength. His legs were like springs, launching him higher and further than any normal human being!

“Heavens! What’s that I saw? What was that?” Prince Desnio stood up in excitement and exclaimed, “Is that running? Or is that flying? I can’t imagine anyone able to jump around like that so freely. He’s so fast it’s like a lightning bolt. This goes against all laws of gravity. Has Master Ye trained his legs to possess this much power? It’s incredible! Oh, I’d like to have Master Ye as my teacher, so that I would one day be able to run like that too. I’ll walk the borders of Eastern Cloud with my own legs!”

All the nobles were just as excited as Prince Desnio. They stared at the screen with bulging eyes. Many of the younger nobilities even considered asking Ye Chong to be their teacher. Ye Chong’s amazing abilities had left them thoroughly impressed.

Prince Desnio was excited, but he still had a shred of calmness left in him. “Master Ye’s performance is beyond our imaginations, but it is still too early to decide who will win tonight’s match. After all, our shooters are equally capable. Their parapsychic senses are almost at the speed of light. Who will emerge as the champion tonight? Master Ye, or the shooters? No matter the outcome, we can be sure that both sides will clash into each other magnificently.”

Ye Chong’s face was as expressionless as usual. He ran towards the 12 shooters. His movements reminded the audience of a leopard running through the woods – fluid and powerful.

In fact, this was easier than facing against the 12 shooters last time. Before this, it was an open plane in his courtyard whereas this time it was a hilly environment that heavily favoured Ye Chong. Even without his recent breakthrough, Ye Chong was sure he could deal with three shooters at a time with no issue, much less in his current improved state.

After the isolated training was over, Ye Chong had rested for a few days. Now, when he ran, he could feel so much energy flowing through his body. He ran faster and faster, hearing the wind bellowing loudly in his ears. As Ye Chong accelerated, his body moved like a spirit on the huge screen, leaving a long afterimage behind his fleeting figure.

The audience members were all on their feet by now. They had never seen anything quite like this! Of all the people in the audience chamber, only Sun Sieha was sitting calmly, enjoying his red wine. On one side, Duke Warren was standing up, gaping at the screen. On his other side, Ming Xiao was not faring any better. He had crushed the wine glass in his hand into pieces, splashing red wine all over his attire. The man was oblivious to it all, however, as he continued to stare at the blurry figure on the huge screen.

The distance felt a little short for Ye Chong.

The 12 shooters were already in sight as Ye Chong slid down from above a hill. He did not slow down as he slipped past the hilly terrain that stood in his way. He slithered forward like a black bolt of lightning. It must be terrible to run into any obstacles at his speed, but Ye Chong did not seem to care. Besides, he was without a scratch so far! He controlled his trajectory easily, avoiding all the sharp protrusions along his way.

As he approached the shooters, Ye Chong moved even more carefully. The shooters were no threat to him, but he would take no chances.

He began to vibrate all his body parts at high frequency. His strong body was the only reason he could execute such an impossible feat.

His figure now appeared like an unrecognizable blob on the huge screen. No one knew what was happening, except for Sun Sieha. It was enough to command an even greater sense of mystery in Ye Chong for all the nobles who thought themselves well learned.

Ye Chong stepped lightly, approaching the shooters with a Z shaped manoeuvre. The complicated terrain made it an excellent battlefield for Ye Chong. He could easily find anchor points to make his next leap.

Ye Chong’s first contact was with George. Perhaps the man was still feeling vengeful, but he was leading the shooters team right then. He had the most excruciating experience today. “Excruciating” was no exaggeration. The man did not seem to realize that his enemy was just close by yet. He was still searching carefully with parapsychic sense.

George was one of the best shooters in his generation. A duel was a common way for nobles to resolve conflicts, especially for the young. Naturally, for people of higher status like Duke Warren and Ming Xiao, the extent of the duel escalated to an entirely different level.

George was familiar with the Hills. He was deeply humiliated earlier tonight. Never had he been humiliated in front of so many people before. Most importantly, he would leave a bad impression in the King.

It was simply terrible!

The thought of that twice cursed b*stard made George grind his teeth in anger.

Humiliation – it was a monumental humiliation! He must avenge for it with his own hands!

He was completely defenceless just now, but he thought that was because his opponent had ambushed him. That was against the rules of combat, lacking the grace that nobles should have. The d*mned bumpkin! George could not stop cursing Ye Chong.

He also did not forget Shu Man’er. His glance turned towards Shu Man’er, who was not far from her. The woman had dared to leave him in such disgrace. He will see to it that the Shu Family paid the price. He never thought much of the Shu Family.

Suddenly, he saw a blur in his vision.

“What was that?” He blacked out before he could even react.

Ye Chong struck out fast, landing a chop on George’s jugular vein and rendering the man unconscious.

It all happened so quickly, but the veterans like Mang responded just as quickly. Mang called out, “Everyone, look out!” Now was the time when the difference between the experienced shooters like Mang and the nobles showed. The nobles all reacted clumsily, unsure of what to do next. The veterans had already begun firing on instinct.

They could not lock on to Ye Chong, but they also knew that it would be very difficult to avoid being shot at in this narrow space around them. They fired without thinking about their comrades, knowing that the fluorescent beams were harmless. What they aimed for was the team’s win. As long as they could defeat Ye Chong, it did not matter if anyone on their side got shot. Shu Man’er surprised everyone by also having her gun out almost immediately. Her flawless face showed calm and seasoned competence. Nevertheless, she had not fired yet for some reason.

Despite their experience, the shooters were no match for Ye Chong, especially because this was the latter’s specialty – close range combat.

Before the shooters responded properly, Ye Chong had lifted George and threw him towards them like a sandbag.

George’s body twisted in the air and was shot by hundreds of fluorescent beams. The fluorescent beams were harmless, but it could beams could penetrate clothing and leave a mark on his body that would not disappear for at least three days. In just a few seconds, George’s body was already covered with hundreds of fluorescent spots, glowing through his clothes.

The noble ladies hid their smiles behind their hands. Some of the middle aged women looked like they wanted to just pounce on him.

Wham! The sandbag that was George landed on a shooter. By now, poor George had hit a few rocky protrusions, leaving him almost unrecognizable.

On the huge screen, the camera captured clearly the fearful expressions of the shooters. The nobles lost any pretence of calmness by now. What were the shooters up against? Ming Xiao looked positively flustered. Mang was a soldier under him, and he knew that the man would not show such an expression unless something extremely unsettling had happened.

What were they up against?

Mang felt his heart skip a beat. If he was not seeing it for himself, he would have thought the other guy was just a spirit or something. That was the only way to explain why he could not lock on to the guy with his parapsychic sense. Nevertheless, Mang was an experienced combatant. He did not panic. Instead, he suppressed his fear and began to think – the opponent must be doing something to avoid his parapsychic aim, but what could that be?

Ye Chong did not give him the chance to figure it out. He disappeared behind a hill.

His disappearance relieved the tension in the shooters. They exchanged looks of confusion and fear.

Shu Man’er was looking very pale. She had her back against a rocky pillar, which gave her a sense of security.

Suddenly, a hand appeared from behind her. She felt numbness in her neck, and slumped down to the floor. Her laser gun fell onto the ground.

The shooters’ parapsychic waves were already spread around them. They still could not sense Ye Chong, but they could easily notice Shu Man’er dropping to the ground .Before they could actually turn towards Shu Man’er, the woman was already sent flying towards them.

Upon seeing Shu Man’er with her eyes tightly shut, two of the nobles exchanged a look – they could not possibly fire at her. Both of them nodded and spread out their arms, hoping to catch her. If she were to hit the rocks just like that, how could the beautiful woman possibly take it? Even if she only got a scratch, it would be a most regrettable injury!

Seeing Shu Man’er looking so pitiful, the only thought that came to them was this – they did not mind losing if they could save Shu Man’er.

Thus, they sacrificed themselves!

Shu Man’er was flying with so much force that it threw them both back against the rocky cliffs. Both men vomited blood and blacked out with Shu Man’er in their arms.

Mang was caught by surprise. It all happened so quickly that he could not stop the two shooters before they went out in such a ridiculous fashion.

“D*mn!” Mang cursed loudly. Their opponent was despicable!

Many of the nobles shared Mang’s sentiment. They felt sympathetic, seeing Shu Man’er being tossed towards the two shooters. Many of the younger men even protested out loud, but were stopped by their seniors.

Sun Sieha smiled reluctantly and set down his glass. “Can’t the man win more gracefully?” He thought to himself. With Ye Chong’s skills, he hardly needed to resort to these base tricks to win against the young shooters. That would have helped him more with his plans ahead. Now, everyone became more interested in Shu Man’er instead of the important things. Those young men looked angry enough to storm the battleground.

That d*mned Shu Man’er! His plan would have gone perfectly had she not interfered. Sun Sieha’s gaze sharpened for a moment. He would allow no one to play tricks with him …

…

Ye Chong did not know what Sun Sieha was thinking about right then. He was still fighting according to his own weird and unpredictable strategies. He must consider the most efficient, safest and fastest way to end the battle.

…

Ambush! It was an ambush! Ye Chong never showed himself at all. He always attacked from difficult angles, like from behind or above them. Anything around them could become a weapon for him. Even tiny rocks turned wicked and harmful in his hands.

Mang was hit by a tiny rock on the forehead and blacked out straight after.

The most terrifying thing was not the tiny rocks imbued with wicked intentions, but the fear that continued to haunt every one of them. Danger lurked in every dark corner. The enemy was like a spirit that could appear out of nowhere. The fear was paralyzing!

Strength and wickedness – these were the main themes of the glorious match that night.

n the end, it was hard to tell who won the match. Ye Chong’s unique way of battle was surprising to everyone, but his ambushing style also left a bad taste in many of the guests. In particular, the way he threw Shu Man’er was received with strong disdain and disapproval by many young shooters.

The only thing that Sun Sieha was grateful for was how the match was poised to become the hottest topic amongst the guests of the evening ball. Based on his experience, word of the battle will reach the entire capital by tomorrow. He did not really care if they liked Ye Chong. He only wanted them to be more interested in close range combat.

The night’s event came to end. All the guests looked excited. Some of them could see the larger picture behind this duel, while others only saw it as impressive entertainment.

The guests bid each other farewell courteously and gracefully, and left on their vehicles.

Ye Chong sat beside Sun Sieha. He was happy with today’s foray. The boring evening ball turned out to be fruitful after all. That was all that mattered for the pragmatic Ye Chong.

Just when Ye Chong thought Sun Sieha was going to send him back his manor, a servant approached their car and said, “Your Majesty, she’s here.”

Sun Sieha’s eyes turned cold as he nodded to the servant.

After that, a woman was brought to them. Ye Chong saw that it was Shu Man’er.

Shu Man’er was only rendered unconscious during the battle, but did not sustain injuries. She looked a little haggard.

Upon seeing Sun Sieha, Shu Man’er panicked and quickly went down on her knees, “Your Majesty!”

Sun Sieha ignored her. He looked at Ye Chong with a smile and said, “You probably don’t know this, but her elder sister is Shu Mo’er, the Level 6 shooter that you fought against last time.”

Ye Chong listened without expression.

“The Shu Family, well, it’s not especially powerful or something, but it does have these two capable sisters. I’ve had all the Level 6 shooters who survived last time investigated. That is how I came to know that Shu Mo’er is Shu Man’er elder sister. Who could have known that the famous beauty, Shu Man’er has an equally impressive elder sister? Tsk tsk, if those young nobles found that, the Shu Family will find itself busy with visitors.”

Sun Sieha spoke casually, but his eyes were cold and stern.

“I left Shu Mo’er alive because of her teacher, Mei Wu. You see, Mei Wu and I have a shared history. I spare her student out of respect,” Sun Sieha had an unreadable expression when he said this, but he quickly gathered himself.

“Humph, but the sisters are wrong to assume that having Mei Wu’s support allows them to get away with things,” Sun Sieha’s voice turned cold as he continued.

Shu Man’er shuddered.

“Look at me,” Sun Sieha ordered.

Shu Man’er lifted her head. Her pale face framed a pair of eyes filled with terror

“You have good looks,” Sun Sieha complimented with a nod, “and talent. A Level 6 shooter at such a young age. There is potential in you.”

Shu Man’er bit her lips and shuddered again.

“It’s really a pity!” Sun Sieha shook his head regretfully, “You made a terrible and malicious decision despite being so young.” He turned to Ye Chong and continued, “You’re not aware of this, but she exchanged the energy crystal in her laser gun for the duel to a radioactive crystal. Hehe, no one knew about it! Radioactive crystals can fire laser beams with high radioactivity. You won’t feel it when you’re shot, and it’s not noticeable by the audience. However, you’re in for a nasty ride later. Your bones will slowly turn to mush. It’s like a slow acting poison.”

Ye Chong felt chilled by this discovery.

“Shocking, isn’t it? I was also surprised when my subordinate reported to me. It’s not every day you encounter such a malicious trick. I’m wonder, though, does she always have radioactive crystals on her? But I can’t be bothered to investigate further. Keeping and using radioactive crystals without permission is a crime that’s enough to make the Shu Family suffer,” Sun Sieha said with a smile to Ye Chong.

“Forgive me, Your Majesty, please forgive me!” Shu Man’er sobbed as she pleaded, knocking her forehead on the ground repeatedly.

Sun Sieha ignored her completely and continued slowly, “There are people in this world who assumed that they’re smart, while everyone else is foolish. The truth is, she is the one who is foolish and naïve, don’t you think?”

“Please forgive me, Your Majesty!” Shu Man’er was crying.

“Your Majesty, she is here now!” A guard announced with a cold voice. At the same time, they all heard Shu Man’er gasping, “Elder Sis!”

“Man’er! Why are you here?” Shu Man’er asked , surprised.

Shu Man’er knew that she had screwed up mightily this time. She grabbed Shu Mo’er’s dress and cried again.

Shu Mo’er noticed Ye Chong then. She looked back at her sister, who was now crying all over the place, and seemed to deduce something from it. She cried out accusingly at Ye Chong, “You, what did you do?”

“How dare you? Show your respect to the King!” The guard yelled at her, then kicked Shu Mo’er from behind her knees. Shu Mo’er cried out in pain and fell onto the floor on her knees.

Sun Sieha smiled coldly at her and said, “Shu Mo’er, I am not killing you now in consideration of your teacher, but don’t think I will not do it in future. No one can stop me, not your teacher back then, and definitely not you!”

Sun Sieha seemed to recall something unpleasant from the past. His expression twisted menacingly before he finally got a hold of himself. However, his eyes were still shining threateningly when he said to Ye Chong, “I give these two women to you.”

“I don’t want them,” Ye Chong said calmly.

Sun Sieha was taken aback. “Do you know what other people are willing to do to obtain these two sisters? Why won’t you have them?”

“They’re a nuisance,” Ye Chong replied with one lifted eyebrow.

“A nuisance?” Sun Sieha was surprised, but laughed out loud, “Haha, indeed! You’re absolutely right, absolutely! However, I, Sun Sieha, never accept returned gifts.” The King said this with an air of dominance.

Ye Chong could not be bothered to respond. He stepped out of the car and said, “Remember to send the money over.” He then vanished into the night.

Sun Sieha watched with amusement as Ye Chong made his exit.

He then turned back to the two women and said coldly, “From now on, you are both his. I don’t care how you do it, but you must stay with him. If you can’t achieve this, humph, then the Shu Family has no reason to continue existing. If you can get him interested in you, then you’ll both be rewarded. Of course, the Shu Family will also benefit. You know what to do.” The King took one last look at the two sisters of the Shu Family, then waved them off. The two women left escorted by the King’s guard.

Shu Mo’er looked very pale. Her arms were around her young sister, who was crying herself into a mess. Her lips were already bleeding from biting too hard on them. A late night breeze caressed her long hair. Her determined gaze showed how humiliated, lost and hopeless she felt.

…

Yi Ju Planet was now a very busy place. Skyscrapers covered the land, bringing life to the once quiet and desolate planet. It was now one of the most modernized planets in the vicinity. High end commercial centres and the advanced academic institutions could be found on this planet.

The Sang Tribe did not expand rapidly, but even so, they already had 52 planets under their power. These 52 planets had Yi Ju as their center. The area became a newly established territory, known by people now as the Yi Ju Zone.

Since Ye Chong was not there, the Sang Tribe could only decide through a vote on how to respond to the request for assistance from the Three Aristocratic Families. As expected, about 80 percent of them did not agree to travel so far to their aid. However, Sang Pu and his team gave them enough reason. …

…

Qiu Man’s competence in governance and Sang Pu’s military strength allowed the commercial centre known as the Yi Ju Zone to flourish like never before. The greatest benefit they derived from this position was having enough funds. Newcomers who chose to move to the Yi Ju Zone also brought in plenty of resources and, more importantly, advanced technology.

As for the research organizations which were short of money, it was decided that the government would extend financial assistance to them, even in the form of loans. This was because Qiu Man had enough funds. She had been trying to figure out how to spend the money in a way that could encourage growth in the place. This was one of the measures she had come up with.

Aried was short, and had been looked down by others because of this ever since he was a young boy. Nevertheless, he was an unconventional genius. This was because his theories were not acknowledged by any known research center, which refused to fund him because of his weird ideas.

He arrived on Planet Yi Ju to escape the red-tailed beasts. He saw the new policy in place to help academics, and decided to just try it out.

To his surprise, he passed the initial and a few subsequent interview rounds, and finally made it to the final round of interview. He also managed to meet a few legendary figures in the Yi Ju leadership, including the legendary beauty, Ms Qiu Man.

“Ms Qiu Man is more beautiful than the rumors suggested!” Aried thought to himself.

Qiu Man was used to this kind of attention. She coughed softly and smiled at the man, “You must be Mr Aried. A pleasure to meet you. We have looked over your proposed subject, ‘V-shaped Spatial Techniques’. We were not familiar with your subject before this, so we have asked for opinions from a few experts in spatial science. They all agreed that your proposal is interesting. They cannot prove that it will work, but it is worth a look. Hence, we have decided to invest in your project.”

t almost felt like a dream came true for Aried, as he stood before this brand new laboratory filled with facilities of all wonders he saw every night. And he was coming with a filled pocket, a plump pocket full of gold to assist him in verifying the beliefs, the hypothesis in his mind, even though by terms he would have to let go of most of his research outcomes to his counterpart. It was still a deal, if it was not their sponsor, he would still be living in his dreams which never would manifest into reality.

He was also assigned an apprentice by Qiu Man, named Sang Kan.

It was a curious addition to his laboratory since the Sangs were the brightest family on the entire Yi Ju planet. They were the true ruler of the planet as they filled up majority of the authoritative level of hierarchy. They once vanquished yet they had recently resurfaced, out of the blue. They remained mysterious in the eyes of the people, with their Collision army rocking the world.

Sang Kan was assigned as an assistant but he was more like a student in the lab. He lacked the foundation of Space Science, however that did not obstruct him as Aried liked this little shy boy who put actual effort in learning. He was a quick and intelligent learner too, technically a perfect student for a 60-year-old researcher like Aried. Aried hoped that Sang Kan would be able to be his successor at one point, so whenever this young boy asked anything, Aried would be more than passionate in providing answers.

The Sangs were almost everywhere on Planet Yi Ju. One could see them serving every industry with their common tenacious diligence despite having a weak education background. Most masters adored the Sangs and that led to a bunch of green-eyed monsters in the apprenticeship.

The Sangs were developing rapidly, as countless medication as well as apparatuses were being transported to Sang Family Village which had received a complete overhaul by then. The population was blooming, life standards were elevating, yet their gratitude towards the great teacher, Ye Chong remained. They would probably still be living in the caves if the teacher never came.

Compared to those established aristocrats who had lived comfortably in glory for too long, the Sangs were hard workers. And today, a growing trend of emigration could be discerned among them, especially the youngsters who were required to first complete combat trainings at Archipelago since the old chief still recognized military training as the essential of their living. In the meantime they were also required to complete basic academic training.

So once the training was completed, emigration would occur. Those who passed the examination would head to Planet Yi Ju under the escort of the cargo fleet. On the planet, they would be distributed to all sorts of industries under apprenticeships of all known masters.

They lived up to Ye Chong’s spirit as they swarmed upon the mechanic industries, while there were hardly anybody striving for the philosophies.

Every Sang worked intensely in the industry, as they had been abandoned by the world for too long. They had to chase after the footprints of the century as their blood boiled with their innate will to fight. It was a similar spirit to Ye Chong. Their lives had improved and no way they would want to turn back. They would charge, they would advance forward, with more glories and gold!

The name of their great teacher had slowly faded away from the mind of the residents on Planet Yi Ju, yet remained in the heart of every Sang who strived in search of their supreme spiritual leader.

The search was never once on halt all these years. The Sangs had invested a considerable amount of workforce and assets yet there was no voice coming from their leader in the outer space.

It was heartbreaking.

Well, little the Sangs knew, their supreme leader was also the same heartbroken somewhere at the other corner of galaxy.

…(Back to Ye Chong)…

Early in the morning, people crowded Ye Chong’s manor. They were of the nobility who grew extreme interest in his style after witnessing the battle that day. They would like to be his apprentices and with their prestigious social status in Sun City, they believed they could gain their teacher’s attention with a petition!

That was what Sun Sieha would love to see. He was over the moon.

In the midst of the fiasco, Shu Mo’er and Shu Man’er stood among the crowd, without a single fatigue visible on their expression, as their chilly charm captured the attention of all young men around.

Everything went as Sun Sieha predicted. The outcome of the duel had reached the entire city in one night, the story grew sensationalized the more lips it reached, that Ye Chong had literally become an entity as if the demon in the latest version of the story. Nevertheless, the noble family had seen opportunities, potential in this devilish young man, especially under his majesty’s constant effort of promoting hand-to-hand combats. So they sent all their best descendants to join the martial arts festival.

Mastering parapsychic sense would almost unavoidably involve one’s talent, and not everyone was gifted with such talent, including a majority of the noble descendants in the city. Under the “helpful” culture promoted by forces in Eastern Cloud, they were humiliated by those gifted shooters of the upperclass. It was darkness ahead for their future, until a spark showed up and illuminated the entire world for them, someone who was able to defeat 12 Level 6 shooters singlehandedly with brute force, someone named Ye Chong.

Passion had warmed the entire city.

And when Shu Man’er came to the scene with her sister, the atmosphere had only intensified further.

“Is that Shu Man’er? Wait, two of them?”

“Shu Man’er has an elder sister?!”

“Wow you are slow on the news, man. Yes she has a sister and both of them are Level 6, under the same master. Shu Mo’er was once unknown to the people only because she had been training at the outside alone.”

“Tsk, such sisterhood. How many men’s hearts must they shoot this time?”

“Meh. They would shoot everybody except you. Didn’t you know? They want to be Master Ye’s apprentice. If you want to at least have a glance upon their fairness you have to be fast, since they could be having a wild goose chase. Mhm? Well, Master Ye did not seem interested in taking them. Why, you ask? Think with your knees, what kind of a figure was Master Ye? He’s the top craftsman in this Eastern Cloud! He could earn a full bank account even by just crafting a toy! Do you think he needs to carry out tuition classes for extra cash? Don’t you remember he leisurely won a hundred and fifty millions in the last duel? Even the ruler feels like a hobo, that he would speak with cautious courtesy as he talked to Master Ye in person. He has both fame and money, no one would want to mess with him. So? What conclusion can we get? Taking in apprentices is totally unnecessary and bothersome for our Master Ye. Don’t forget Master Ye had said it before, only 20 apprentices at most. Be there or be squared. Don’t be sorry if you just so happened to be the person after the next when there was only one slot left. Imagine if you get it, you get to be with the two beautiful sisters. Those eye candies are more than convincing, so you see… hmm?? Where did yo- Hey! Don’t get on your mark yet! I’m not done yet!”

…(Back to Ye Chong’s manor)…

“Hey! Master! Take me!”

“No! Take me! I’ll clean the floor!”

“I’ll clean the floor and the bathroom!”

“I’ll clean the floor and the bathroom and the lawn!”

“I’ll clean everything, including maste- wait, stop punching me, ah!”

There were a giant crowd awaiting for the great one to speak. And the great one was having a headache figuring out a solution. Formerly, he only intended to take a mere few members of nobility as apprentices, as agreed to the conditions with Sun Sieha. Then that “few” members had become that “few flocks” of members. He could see at least 3000 people standing by the gate, while there would be new fans joining ever few so often.

Out of sudden, an unmarked fighter machine zoomed towards Ye Chong’s manor, Ye Chong could tell it was Sun Sieha’s.

It soon landed at the lawn. It was in fact Sun Sieha who exited the crane and he was alone this time, there was no guardsman.

“I think this is more than what you told me,” said Ye Chong as he glanced at the crowd outside.

“Hah!” Responded Sun Sieha, “Hah! It’s just … an accident. I really have no idea these youngster could be so fanatic about your achievement.”

“I might have decided to cooperate with you on an agreement,” Ye Chong was expressionless, “But this has clearly gone overboard.”

Sun Sieha sighed helplessly, “I did not expect these to happen. I thought the crowd would appear only after you had won the national tournament at least. But the popularity grew so rapidly. I do no think it is plausible to turn down everything at this point. It would be a good chance to massively take in apprentices though, don’t you think?”

“This is beyond what we have agreed,” shook Ye Chong.

“Alright then. What’s your proposition?” Sun Sieha obviously could do nothing to Ye Chong. He thought Ye Chong was a typical simple boy but in actuality Ye Chong was such a plotter, a cunning one too! Sun Sieha could not criticize, both instances they had dealt contained no loophole, which left Sun Sieha no choice but to obey whatever proposed. It was a terrible feeling for a lord to bow before another lord.

“If you are doing something beyond the agreement, you’re against it. For that, you have to pay.” Ye Chong began proposing, “I have no issue in taking in these people, with conditions however.”

“What conditions?” raised Sun Sieha’s brows.

“First, based on the current situation, I do not see the need in participating the tournament, thus I would like my entry to be revoked.”

“Hmm…” Pondered Sun Sieha, “Not much of a problem, still you have to at least perform something during the tournament, like a showcase with a Level 8 shooter. Also, you have to come and attend my ceremony. I mean, basic exchange of courtesy? You would spare some pride to me right?”

“Okay.” Ye Chong was fully agreed on this. He would no longer need to invest pointless efforts on that national tournament. He would save time and time was the most precious to him.

“Moving on, I have total free will to make ultimate judgement upon these people.”

“Sure!” Sun Sieha was nonchalant, “No problem! Kill as many of them if you wish, all of them would never be succeeding the family business. Nobody would be against you just because you killed a few nobodies.”

“Third, once any of them had completed my training, I own the priority in choosing them, while all the procedures in our agreement formerly remained unchanged, my authority remains.”

“Okay, sure,” replied Sun Sieha promptly. He was joyful that the master did not make a preposterous offer this time fortunately.

t certainly felt great for Ye Chong to finally reach an agreement with the ruler of the city, especially when it was a win-win situation. Both of them got exactly what they wanted.

Apprenticeship? No problem. It was the bread and butter in Ye Chong’s story.

It was not the first and surely not the last.

The processor had helped him undergo the first selection process to kick out impotent students but still there were about 1800 pupils to be further selected. Ye Chong did not seem pleased with the number of people.

And so, one week right before the ceremony, a news had blown up the entire city – the master craftsman of Eastern Cloud, a legend who defeated 12 Level 6 shooters with his own fists, had announced the official opening of recruitment for apprentices. It was not a rumor nor it was an urban legend cooked up during somebody’s teatime. It was a fact, a pronounced order from the lord of the city himself, the royalty.

The brewing rumor before had been verified, and obviously the residents were immediately convinced. The rumor landed in the city like a bomb as the citizens heard the story of Master Ye defeating those advanced shooters while being unconvinced. It was too horrifying that it felt fictional until the royalty confirmed everything and Master Ye became a celeb soon after and there was a huge crowd at Master Ye’s place, a very large crowd in fact.

The announcement detailed Master Ye’s intention of picking up new apprentices, with a “requirement” which felt more like a “giveaway” to most of the citizens upon hearing it. Technically, one just had to be below 16 years old while having a healthy, functional body to join the audition. Once being admitted and passed the selection process, one would be given not only wages from the royalty monthly, but also an opportunity to work for the government right away given that one passed the final trial.

Those in poverty had seen a silver lining in the sky. The youngsters were lured by the stable income as well as free accommodation and food, unlike those born with a silver spoon who were not particularly attracted enough to hit the street and force themselves through the crowd to read the announcement on the wall. However, upon hearing the news through their own network they remained interested as it was the sole pathway towards a bright future for those untalented in their family.

Crowds were flooding towards Ye Chong’s manor, almost smashing the gate. Sha Ya with her ray gun was standing next to Ye Chong with a tensed expression, feeling lightheaded as she imagined if an actual uprising could happen, which a Level 8 shooter like her could never handle single-handedly.

There were at least a thousand of them.

“Hey kiddo! You started yet? Ain’t nobody have the whole day for this! Make your move already!”

“You heard him!”

The crowd had grown restless as seeing the master standing still for the entire time.

That was when a flock of something came with an aerial wail.

It was a flock consisted of 40 transport units as well as 120 combat units, with a crest of royalty glossing under the sunlight.

“Wow! It’s the royal military! Man that’s wicked cool!”

“Wow!” Exclamations were heard as the people lifted their head upon the sunny sky. Those were the royal guards, although they did not form a huge organization, they were the best shadow fighters under his majesty, mysterious and hardly seen by the people.

As mentioned, they were supposed to be the last line of defense for his majesty, and they should not be here unless declared state of emergency. The royal guards’ sudden debut was surprising to the nobles, as they had yet witnessed such a huge operation in the past. 40 transport units, 120 combat units, clearly one would not have witnessed that unless an invasion occurred.

Before the people could react, the combat units dispersed themselves. Like ants crowding a sugar cube, they circled around those transport units while they gradually landed forcing the people away on the ground.

People were curious as they were marveled at the shining crest. The royal guards were truly mysterious, even to those members of noble family. The transport units were visibly pricey for their design and the maximum weight they could withstand, and to be honest, even the first military force of the country only owned 80 of these, while on this probably insignificant occasion the royal guards had sent off 40, which displeased Du Feng and his mates a bit.

“Formation!” The guards shouted on top of their lungs as people saw the armed men marching off the transport units with no mercy in their eyes. The royal guards were astonishingly efficient as 4000 of them got into their formation in 3 minutes.

“Dang…” Du Feng muttered as he watched from the hill faraway.

“As expected from the ultimate defense line of his majesty,” said Li Gui grimly, “You could feel the violence from a single stare. I feel the weakest of the force would have shooters of at least Level 6.”

“Hmph,” Du Feng snorted, “I can’t nitpick anything. I mean, look at their equipment. Tsk, tsk, they just came in 40 giant crafts while we were looking like hobos standing here with our plastic toys.”

“I must agree,” nodded Li Gui, “We aren’t at the same level as those royal guards. I do envy those fancy stuffs they have but it’s pointless to drool at them. I’m more curious of the purpose of their visit here, to be frank, especially when the royal guards only move upon his majesty’s order. Why would his majesty send so many guards here? Did he intend to annihilate Master Ye?”

“Nah… Too much of a hassle to just ‘annihilate’ that Ye guy. A flock of combat units could have bombarded him into ashes, they don’t even need to get into their formation,” Du Feng rebutted.

The transport units blasted off into the air again, as the combat units tailed them zooming into the distance faraway.

At the front of the formation, there stood a buffed man with a scar which reached to his left eyes from the corner of his lips, looking like a giant centipede resting on his face. It was stunning and menacing… especially with his warrior physique standing there at a height of 185 centimeters.

His cold eyes glance around, his right hand was lifted, with his index finger pointing at the sun.

An order had been given.

The two frontmost rows of the guards disassembled themselves from the formation and had withdrawn their guns.

“Siege!”

“Siege!!!!!” The leaders of the both rows screamed as the guards began running, spreading as they hit the path ahead. The ray guns were aimed at the people, as they surrounded the entire crowd. People could not help but to back off a bit with a wryly smile seeing the cruelty in the guards’ stare. There were several waves of parapsychic attack and people were overwhelmed, not even the talented Shu sisters could stand against the waves, let alone those untalented folks who were shaking on their feet.

The scarred commander expressionlessly trooped towards Ye Chong through the opening at the crowd. He gave a formal greeting, bowing, “Instructor Liao Sang reporting for duty upon his majesty.”

Ye Chong responded with a nod, “From now on, you and your subordinates would be under my command until you receive a return order from his majesty.” The scarred man reminded Ye Chong of that super sniper back in the free space zone, the bodyguard of the little boy, who also had a scar across his face, just not as bulky as Liao Sang.

“Yes sir!”

Th arrival of royal guards was a salvation to Ye Chong’s plight, as it made every folk behave themselves. The commotion subsided as everyone knew what would be the consequence if any of them threw an egg at Master Ye.

Ye Chong waited, sitting still till 4 o’ clock in the afternoon, while staring at the crowd of 20 thousand outside. The young men were restless at first, but they learned to be patient as they knew there would be an audition, and they would have a better performance if they preserve their stamina by resting on the ground. There were people who once disbelieved the announcement of royalty which seemed too good to be true, but the dramatic debut of the royal guards convinced them in every bit.

Did the royal guards solely serving the king actually came all the way here, with theatrical entrance, only to assist Master Ye in the audition? Where else could one find such grandness of a school open day?

Nevertheless, that was when the people felt a little uneasy. The fact that the king was so convinced of Master Ye’s capability and sent his best men for assistance, then there is no doubt Master Ye would have very high standards in recruitment. Their fate would be at his great mercy and the likelihood of getting through the first stage had dampened.

And then… in the midst of intensity, Ye Chong stood up.

Attention stormed upon him as people hurled their gazes at him with a rapid turn at their head, including the scarred man, who had been fairly curious of this Master Ye ever since he got the order from the royalty. He had never gotten such unusual order from the royalty before in his entire life serving the king. What kind of mission was this anyway? It’s not that he had better missions to do, in fact they had hardly receive any interesting order as they spent most of the time training in the field, which eventually made them the stronger military forces compared to the standard guards.

So finally they got something to work on and it turned out to be a mere leisure for Instructor Liao.

It was certainly strange to Instructor Liao for Master Ye was able to earn this much of trust from his majesty when his majesty was a person of discipline and paranoia. He had barely trusted anybody, well, not to an extent that he would give his guards away on a whim for a recruitment drive.

Instructor Liao was intrigued, but not from a political aspect. He just wanted to see who Master Ye was, the one who finished 12 Level 6 shooters single-handedly that managed to convince his majesty.

Heavy breaths could be heard in the midst of sudden silence, as people anticipated the great master to announce his requirements.

…

… …

“So…” Ye Chong begun.

… … …

… … … …

… …

“All of you have been admitted. We’ll meet here at 6 a.m. tomorrow. Latecomers would not be entertained. Dismiss.”

“What?”

“What did the master say?”

People were dumbfounded as rustles were perceived at the crowd. “Am I drunk? Or is the master drunk? Or is everybody drunk?”

“The master orders dismissal! So move now!” Instructor Liao raised his voice impatiently upon seeing rustling crowd. “You have 10 minutes! Anyone who stays after that would be immediately executed!”

And there was nobody at the last syllable uttered, well, except the Shu sisters.

“Knock them out,” said Ye Chong as he pointed at them.

“Yes sir!” Instructor Liao sauntered to the sisters to deliver a surprising blow at their necks. They blacked out before they realized. “Gui Gui!” Instructor Liao did not even bother to take a look at those beauties as he shouted his soldier. Gui Gui had a pale face of a ghost, as if albino that even her fingers were pale as snow. It was quite a contrast to those well-tanned men in the armor. Her eyes were cold as ice, her actions were smooth as the glaze, which appeared rather threatening to the soldiers.

“Get these girls to your camp. Anyone who dares to taste them would be sliced!” Instructor Liao shouted.

Gui Gui responded with a formal bow, “Yes sir.” She sauntered to the fainted sisters and lifted them to her shoulders and retreated to her former position in the formation after all.

Gui Gui’s existence was an eye-opener to Ye Chong. He had raised his own army before so he knew how an army worked. It was rare to see a female blending so well in the army especially when it consisted a majority of males. The discipline was there and there was unity among them. One could clearly see the standard of this army.

So the next problem would be a proper training ground that could accommodate a crowd of 20,000. However, it was not that difficult to solve.

That aside, there had not been much progress in his research. Though he did achieve something, including the instance where he finally crafted a few processors from scratches, despite being pretty substandard for its low level of processing ability according to the record in the microchips. Rather useless if one would say. It was not difficult to craft yet it was made out of Ye Chong’s blood and sweat and that was under the assistance of those fancy stuffs like the organic cellular unit of these processing units he scavenged from Spectre. It might take him centuries before he made one out if without these stuffs.

The processors he made might not be powerful but he found somewhere to use them.

Ye Chong utilized the materials available and crafted simple mechs based on the design of a few engineering units. He attached the processors to them and made them into servant units. They served different functions so they had different designs. They lacked intelligence so they served one single function each but these were more than enough! They would help the mundane work!

The layout of his manor had already been plotted under the assistance of his detection system. Chen the processor had provided him the optimal proposal for the construction, all he had to do was to insert these partitioned tasks to each servant units, then magic would happen.

That sounded like a breakthrough by Master Ye but he never had the chance to test these units and he was given this major project to handle. So he only could use these units right away, to build a giant training dojo that could accommodate the large crowd. Well it was not an exquisitely designed dojo to begin with. So it was not entirely unmanageable. If he had those standard engineering units he could have finished the construction in 30 minutes.

But he only had these simple bots.

Instructor Liao was setting up the base camp. He and his army did not need help from Master Ye. Setting up camp was the bread and butter for military.

The night came slowly as the soldiers chatted happily round the campfire. It was a joyful trip with such a simple mission, especially when their routine consisted of march-till-fall activities back in the training camp.

Gui Gui sat at one spot silently. Her pale face convinced people they were as if sitting by her ghastly flame. Nobody had the courage to sit next to her. She was the only female in the army and people feared her, not even Instructor Liao would get closer to her. The sisters remained unconscious as placed at the wilted patch of grass nearby.

Instructor Liao gave a fierce bite at his drumstick and he closed his eyes. A strong wave of psychokinetic spread to the surrounding, reaching everybody who zipped their mouth all of sudden and began meditating nearby.

“Listen up punks! If any of you ever fall asleep meditating tonight, I’ll give him a taste of my personal training the morning after!”said Instructor Liao fiercely. “Close your eyes! In silence! Meditate. Nobody open their eyes till informed!”

“F*cking hell, you incapable kiddos and your lack of training just pisses me off every time.” Instructor Liao threw his anger as he brandished the bitten drumstick which was then tossed into his huge mouth to be chomped, along with the bone, into a million pieces while he strolled out of the camp.

Gui Gui, who seemed to sense something, got up and tailed after.

Instructor Liao gave her a nod upon seeing her. They headed to the southwest corner of the manor agilely like beasts on a runaway. Such speed from capable shooters.

At one bush on the slope, they peeked something shocking.

There were a handful of strange things gathering up into a team.

The leader seemed to be a spider-like creature, with 8 long feet and a flat broad cavity. It was a machine, with a pronounced height about 5 meters, a breadth about 10 meters. It looked terrifying.

“What the hell are those things?” Instructor Liao could not help but to inhale as he trembled a bit.

Gui Gui’s eyes enlarged for a brief moment and she responded softly, “Looks like a new kind of machine to me.”

And out of the blue, the spider reached its blade-like cavity to the ground. Before Instructor Liao and Gui Gui said something, glaring lights came from the blade and peeled the ground off!

Both of them were shocked to complete silence and their eyes enlarged like saucers.

The beeping continued as the spider creature reached its beam of light across.

A floating truck equipped with shovel were following after, moving those rocks sliced off the ground, further polishing the rocks underground. In the end a rocky training dojo could be identified. The process went on as the beam shifted to the edges and shaped the dojo into square.

Then there was a 4-legged machine about half a meter tall coming into the scene with its square box on its back, with a broad beam discharging from below which left a row of perfectly circular dent on the ground. It looked like a … mini pile driver?

The two soldiers continued observing, only to see more and more strange machines joining the construction. They were small and had bizarre designs yet somehow the two soldiers could perceive the functions at one glance.

But well, what the heck? Was this construction going a bit too fast?

Instructor Liao glanced at his clock. What? It had only been an hour and there was a dojo coming out of nowhere? That looked more like a paranormal activity to both of them by then.

“Holy crap. Those are pretty good stuffs!” said Instructor Liao, rubbing his palm eagerly with his eyes peering at that spider machine. Who cares if it sliced the ground well? It would be the best machine for slicing people! Instructor Liao might be from the highly regarded royal guards but he had never laid his hands on such an interesting machine before.

So many stuffs to get! Especially that strange liquid! Instructor Liao could sense the surface of the rocks growing stronger by times! The liquid could be the key to an unbeatable stronghold! Simply spray them at the walls then their stronghold would not even bulge under the deadliest shot! Talk about a great defense!

“Who was that?” asked Ye Chong as he heard something. He did not notice them before because of the distance and he was concentrating on his work, but it was that loud voice of Instructor Liao that alerted him.

“Hah! It’s us, Master Ye.” Instructor Liao was not feeling shy at all, as he greeted Ye Chong normally. Gui Gui pondered awhile before she followed the instructor.

Ye Chong took a look at both of them who nodded at him and he got back to his work. The dojo had just been coated with a layer of strengthening reagent. It was not completed yet. It still needed another reagent or the pillars would break because of the temperature change.

The miniature mobile sprinkler was looking like a floating cocoon in the air as Ye Chong caught it and began pouring in a pale greenish liquid.

“Master Ye, what is this? What does it do?” asked Instructor Liao interestingly, approaching Ye Chong.

“These are strengthening reagents,” replied Ye Chong as he poured the fluid. “It further strengthens the structure of a material specifically, unlike the normal reagents.”

“Oh…” Instructor Liao nodded although he wasn’t sure if he understood. “That sounds great! Can it strengthen the structure of a human body too?”

Ye Chong sealed the lid tight and sent the sprinkler off to the training ground.

“Back off,” instructed Ye Chong.

“Why?”

“It’s highly toxic.”

Instructor Liao was smiling as the corners of his lips shook, while Gui Gui was already nowhere to be seen nearby…

iao San could not help but to return to the base camp with bitter resentment.

Curses! If it was not because I had no other choices…

He whined, expressing his hatred towards the merchant who had just pulled a daylight robbery upon him. Fifty million? Was he out of his mind? Was he aware of how many tons of weapon one could purchase with fifty million? Those thieves at the logistics were as if angels compared to this satanic entity!

If he did become the head of the logistics, hell knows what could happen…

Liao San shuddered at the thought of it.

Well, the story was not as terrifying as Liao San had described. Liao San only enquired Ye Chong regarding those funny toys he had at his lawn, whether Ye Chong could sell to him one of them. Ye Chong did nod to the request promptly, “Only at a cost of fortune,” he said. Liao San was overjoyed, it was not going to be a problem as long as the pennies could seal the deal for him. The royal guards had all the money they wanted so no hassle if it only involved money. Yup, not a problem, till Ye Chong made his offer directly, “50 million, per piece.” There were 5 of them, so that would be a whooping 250 million for all 5. “Oh, and you only get to make the purchase once. Only once, I would not sell them anymore after this.”

Such bargain…

Liao San froze at the offer. This was not a daylight robbery anymore. This was clearly a daylight pillage! The royal guards might be very well-off, that did not mean they would agree on a mindless deal! No way in their pride they would withdraw that large portion of their funds just for a few pieces o- “Well apparently you aren’t that interested, I’m sorry…” That was when Ye Chong shrugged, looking regretful. Liao San almost launched his fists on that pretentious thief! But he remembered that this very thief was also the very master who defeated 12 Level 6 shooters single-handedly. His fury then was nowhere to be found.

Eventually he just watched Ye Chong nonchalantly leaving on his moving sprinklers.

In actual fact, he had not recovered from the shock just now. Ye Chong did finish constructing a training ground within two hours. If only such efficiency was found in military construction, the kingdom would be formidable, terrifyingly formidable. Well, if he had those machines in the first place that is.

This became his fantasy at last. Even the military would hesitate at the price of these machines. It was 250 million after all, only to be boomed into nothing by a single missile from the enemy if unlucky.

Unlike Liao San, Ye Chong found his offer rather reasonable. These automated engineering units contained far more precise and advanced design compared to those he sold to Sun Sieha. Well, even the cannons were sold at 20 million. How would these fully automated engineering machines be much cheaper then? It took Ye Chong great effort to craft them too, since most minerals in the recipe were not local. He had to eye those in his inventories, which were limited from the beginning. But he did not, he had to preserve them. So he succumbed to the use of woods at the place, though obviously both the quality and versatility would be very inferior compared to metals. These wood pieces might add up to something but the process was not simple. Moreover, the machines had a built-in processor, low grade, a good stuff still. 50 million was totally fine for the magnificence.

Ye Chong did not feel anything in particular regarding the rejection. He was not in need of filling up his pocket anyway. His pockets were both full in fact, with the 150 million he won from the gamble last time and the monthly income of 40 million from the royalty. He had not maximized these newly crafted machines too. He would not want to sell it away only to go through the tedious process of crafting new ones again.

Currently, Ye Chong’s manor was too crude to be called a base so, there will be renovation. An underground base it would be! It would not only be much safer, but a more concealed spot too. Furthermore, he only needed these machines to do all the jobs for him. He did also think of adding more members to the construction team so he could get his base faster.

…(Meanwhile back at Sun Sieha)…

“What?!” The moment when his majesty heard the report from Liao San, the entire palace could hear his raging scream. “Liao San are you from Stone Age or something? Have you never seen this much of money at our royal account before? And you backed away from a mere price like this?” Unlike Liao San, his majesty could well recognize the value behind these machines. He would buy them at any cost, even twice the price Ye Chong offered. He had heard from Master Karu before, Ye Chong did possess a craftsmanship of technology 50 years ahead of them at the very least, thus the high respects towards his every craft as they were rather intrigued to study them.

The only chance to buy probably the greatest invention of the decade had just been swept to the drain under the hasty decision of his own man. How would his majesty not rage at this?

Five forty in the morning, there was an army of people standing before Ye Chong’s manor. No one would certainly miss such a great chance of ascending as one of the talented members of the society for they lacked the gift in mastering parapsychic sense. They also thirsted strength, authority, wealth, glory like the shooters but it was that lack of gift which had given them the capital punishment of their life in the first place so Ye Chong’s tutorial came like a silver lining in the sky for them.

The crowd cloaked the manor like a cluster of dark clouds, yet there was only silence, concealed in a certain obedience as the royal guards watched with stern solemnity.

It was 6 in the morning as Ye Chong nodded at Liao San.

“Time’s up!” Liao San’s scream echoed in the midst of silence, brutally like his voice rang, the guards broke into a line of formation, blocking the latecomers after the master’s nod.

“Order!” Ye Chong raised his voice. “You have 30 minutes to break them into groups of 50, each with a leader.”

Liao San had an eyeroll upon seeing the slothful folks. It was not an easy chore to place these slow rolling eggs into different baskets but Ye Chong was the commander, his order stood and absolute obedience was expected from Liao San. Liao San was still an experienced commander after all, “Yes sir!” Liao San replied on top of his lungs as he turned to the folks with a threatening glare, “The 400 of you punks get over here! Each of you pick a number of 50, by hook or by crook, I want to see groups here!” Well he had 4000 subordinates, so he only needed to that the 1/10 of them to get the lambs into the pens.

The 400 soldiers came out of the team promptly as they sprinted towards the people at a speed of a beast, a brutality of a beast too. If someone decided to not obey them, violence would be served. The soldiers sank into the crowd and dragged a number of ladies, putting them into a team, including the Shu sisters.

In no time 400 teams could be discerned at the field.

Ye Chong was going to hold a class of 20,000. Assuming he did recruit the students by traditional interview and the mundane meet-and-greet, it would take him forever. So these are the things to be discarded for efficiency, especially when these people came from all walks of life, all colors of soul, a military approach would be better, something that was considered bread and butter for him – just like the time he did with the Sangs. The approach would be the most secure, with the least likelihood of seeing rebellion.

The group of people marched into the newly built training ground. No doubt they were fascinated by the magnificence, they had never seen a training field such colossal, a visual impact clearly it was. There were all sorts of strange machines, the ground was polished like mirror yet felt sturdy like rocks. “Such budget…” some people whispered. They could not imagine the potential amount of investment behind this foundation. Moreover, the training ground was situated at the valley between two slopes, making it more mysterious.

As there were the actual military soldiers leading their way, everybody got into their position almost immediately after. Ye Chong was on the stage of rock at the front of the ground.

It was going to be an assembly, with a speech from Ye Chong. Everybody expected that as they lifted their head, including the royal guards who were as curious of what inspiring words would come from the great master.

Ye Chong gave a look around. “I am Ye Chong, and I’ll be your teacher today onwards,” he spoke slowly, “which means, the entire valley would be off-limits. Nobody would be allowed to leave. Training would be touch but no failure would be allowed, no one would be retreating, no one I repeat.”

The folks were shocked but they remained calmed as pressured by the constant glare from the soldiers nearby.

“All of you might have not been exposed to close-combats, but it is totally fine, learn it today onwards but I must warn you, it would have a much higher physique requirement compared to those shooter trainings. So, for starters, there would be physical training to boost your base stamina.”

“Move!”

The crowd boiled as they were shouted to jog. Well, that sounded really simple, even the folks felt bewildered, annoyed of the pointless-looking training.

That lasted till the close-50th round of the jogging session, during which most of them almost tripped themselves fainting, that was also when they were informed that food would not be provided to anyone who failed completing the run

Liao San skillfully pressured these folks like his own soldiers and it was quite a sight to see a crowd of twenty grands running in the dusty field. One could hear the roaring gasps along with the frantic splashes of the soldiers’ whipping.

These folks were just a bunch of spoiled brats grown up in wealth and their physique was weak to begin with. A number of them just suffered a force shutdown and collapsed during the run. But no unconsciousness could salvage them as a splash of cold water was given by Liao San, “RUN!” The command rang thunderously again.

On the first day, only 1/3 of the crowd could finish the run, which most of them consisted of those from the poverty. They were fed generously, though they were still fatigued. That was when they understood the joy of a hard-earned meal. However, they knew it well enough, that the training was just the beginning. Oh well, it was fine, the bowl of rice turned more sumptuous as they looked at the so-called noblemen lying dead on the ground.

The training course on the second day was again a run of 50 rounds. There were improvements as more people were able to complete the course.

Liao San had loved every second of the training. It was so fun to mess with punks this many, especially when they were the spoiled nobilities who reacted ridiculously towards any form of harsh commands.

Life in the valley was as boring as one could imagine and the folks had been charred by the sun in the past few days. Their lips were cracking, even the lovely girls like Shu sisters. Gui Gui was heartless enough to press them moving. Their fair white skin had been grilled gracelessly.

“I wanna go home!”

“Please, let… let me die!”

“Did I ask you to leave?”

The boys were whipped to forget the incompetent thought, putting them to the ground. And nobody asked to leave after that.

The run of 50 rounds had become something effortless for everyone on the 7th day, and Ye Chong decided to increase it to 80. “Take over everything from here,” said Ye Chong, “The next thing I will check on this team would be the result, and that would be only when everybody could run 300 rounds and every hundred rounds should not take more than an hour and half. That would be the passing line. It better be within a month.”

Alright, that sounded tedious indeed, even to a trained soldier like Liao San who frowned upon it. Ye Chong had a lot of works to do and that was the entire point he asked Sun Sieha to send his royal guards to the place.

In the next few days, Ye Chong crafted a few more engineering units and they had dug 20 meters into the ground under his manor.

That was one thing off the list and now there would be a festival by Sun Sieha. That posed zero attraction to Ye Chong but Sun Sieha sounded persistent in his words, “Oh well, I’ll go and check this festival out…”

On the day, Sun Sieha sent his men to pick Ye Chong up.

Ye Chong got to the palace which had been furnished with bouquets of flowers and a fresh red carpet all the way to the throne. The guards were well-dressed as their chests rose high as their spirits. The conference room was occupied by guests who were clearly from the similar majesty, acting as the noblemen themselves.

Ye Chong had again, attracted everybody’s attention the moment he entered the room. He was the cover story of the recent news after all. Nevertheless, he was a person hard to get hold of. He did not bother to have complete interaction with anybody than his majesty. The lord clearly adored this fine young man and the wealthy ladies were intrigued as well.

Ye Chong picked a corner and got himself seated, as he could feel the constant stares from the people. That certainly did not feel good, he rather became the invisible man of the party room.

He closed his eyes as he maintained his breath in relaxation.

The ladies seemed unimpressed by his lack of socialization as they retrieved their passionate stares and resumed their gossips.

“The lord is here!” Announced one guard as Sun Sieha walked into the room. Loud applause was heard as people stood up, the royalties bowed, “Long live the lord! The greatest birth of them all! God’s with the lord!”

“It’s more important to have all of you to be with me.” Waved Sun Sieha politely.

The following schedule was mundane. Technically the royalties led their family to greet Sun Sieha while Sun Sieha would return them some warm compliments. It felt like a reunion during the new year and the repetition bored Ye Chong while the interviews, of those fathers presenting gifts along with their beloved sons or trustworthy military commander, made Ye Chong question the meaning of his existence.

“The Western Frost is here!” Announced the guard, disrupting the friendly atmosphere of the conference room. Western Frost… the country had been Eastern Cloud’s nemesis yet they had sent a man there on a festive night of Eastern Cloud’s greatest leader. What was the meaning of this?

A moment of hostility was found in Sun Sieha’s glimpse, “Oh,” he forced a smile, “Such rare guest, let him in.”

The messenger was a middle-aged man, with nothing unique discernible in his physical appearance, while a cage in dark cloak followed, about 5 meter tall.

“Mu Chen came under the command of my lord from Western Frost, to greet your majesty a happy birthday.”

Sun Sieha grinned stiffly, “Please, get up.”

“How was the king of Western Frost? I’ve been hearing news of his illness.” Concerned Sun Sieha, as part of the act of making conversation.

“Our king has been in the pink of health. Your Majesty had our gratitude. I do wonder however, of where Your Majesty had perceived such news.”

“In the pink of health eh…” Sun Sieha nodded. “Great. I still would be amused in the next few years then. I must say your king is rather a decent opponent to play with, unlike the fool in Southern Land. I’ll certainly be lonely if I would lose such an opponent.” The words came sharp.

“Long live King Sun Sieha!” shouted the royalties as impressed by words of his majesty.

Mu Chen’s expression changed. He had heard various stories of the new king in Eastern Cloud, though quite a number of them were degrading. He was informed that the new king had charisma and it was totally justifiable while also terrifying as Western Frost would have a hard time dealing with this king.

“Thank you for the compliments, Your Majesty. As ordered by my lord, I have come here to deliver this wonderful gift.”

“Oh.” Sun Sieha gave a smile, “I must say I’m rather intrigued, of what gift your lord has prepared for me. It must be great, so great…”

“My lord has told me that Eastern Cloud is a land rich of crops, unlike Western Frost which had been blissed by the frigidity… However, our men are the bravest, for our shooters were able to venture deep into Darkniss and capture this mysterious beast, only to be given to Your Majesty as a token of our diplomacy. I heard that only the true brave ones could overcome such beast and I had never seen the strange beast before. I deeply apologize for the abruptness for we were short of time. I was not able to inquire Your Majesty regarding this beast. I believe that Your Majesty is fully aware of such beast, even have witnessed it before, since … Eastern Cloud has also a handful of brave ones? So please, your majesty, enlighten me, a mere nobody as well as the other people from Western Frost, who are also intrigued of your greatness.”

“I see.” Sun Sieha snorted, “There was such strange beast? Well, show me then, let me see how strange it is.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Immediately.” He pulled the cloak away.

Sharp gasps were heard in the crowd, even the ladies dropped their cups and fans.

Ye Chong sprung from his seat, his eyes were glaring.

red-tailed beast! It was a red-tailed beast! Ye Chong could not believe his eyes. This was the creature, alright. It was a juvenile, with a pair of light red eyes on its angular head. It was young, but the eyes betrayed its vicious nature. The creature looked worn out. The five-meter tall cage was too small for it, such that it must curl in on itself to fit inside. There were no visible injuries on its body. The light red colored arrowhead tail was not fully mature yet. The red-tailed beasts that Ye Chong had seen before had arrowhead tails that were crimson red in color. The maturity of a red-tailed beast was not determined by its size, but by the color of its tail – the redder the arrowhead tail, the stronger the creature.

The only thing that surprised Ye Chong currently was that this creature had five fingers. By his experience, an eight-fingered red-tailed beast was the pinnacle of strength, while six-fingered red-tailed beasts were equivalent to a human tribe’s chieftain. Five-fingered red-tailed beasts were not very strong, but they were still quite capable of destruction. This particular red-tailed beast he was looking at had a blue tinge on its body, and he had never seen anything like it before.

Why would there be red-tailed beasts here?

Ye Chong was intrigued. He never expected to have red-tailed beasts in this world. He heard it clearly from the ambassador – Darkniss, the place where the creature was from. Ye Chong had heard of Darkniss a few times. He knew that there were metals there, the so-called gravestones that Sha Ya and the others had told him about. There were also plants like Gold Leaves in the place.

Suddenly, a bold idea came to Ye Chong – could the red-tailed beasts have entered He Yue Galaxy from Darkniss? Was Darkniss home of the red-tailed beasts?

Ye Chong found himself face with many questions.

Sun Sieha did not recognize the red-tailed beast. He asked with faint surprise, “So it’s a mysterious creature. Call Xuan Ning here, perhaps he’d seen it before.”

The other councillors were also curious of the creature. Few of them had ever seen any animal as big as this. The red-tailed beast looked worn out, but they could still imagine the strength that came with it.

Mu Chen maintained a thin smile on his face throughout.

After a moment, Xuan Ning arrived. He was a man in his thirties, with thick eyebrows on a pair of large eyes. He looked like an honest and respectable man.

“Xuan Ning, reporting for duty!” Xuan Ning saluted in military fashion.

“Alright. You’re here because I’d like you to have a look at this strange creature. It was captured in Darkniss. Have you seen it before?” Sun Sieha asked gently.

Xuan Ning looked towards the huge cage placed in the centre of the assembly room, and then quickly averted his gaze. “I have, Your Majesty.”

“Oh, tell us more.” Sun Sieha grew interested. He had travelled far and wide when he was young, but had never been to Darkniss, known for its dangers.

“Five years ago, when I had just reached Level 8, I decided to visit Darkniss. Darkniss is known to be home to many strong creatures, and is a good place for training. I invited two friends to come along. They were Level 7 shooters. The three of us made our preparations for the visit.”

Xuan Ning recalled what happened back then. Everyone in the assembly room was absorbed in his story.

“We entered the Desert from Dual Forest. The journey was smooth at first. The sandlizards did not hinder us. We moved quickly. Later, we encountered sandscorpions. That was horrible. The sandscorpions always appear in hundreds or thousands, spread out for dozens of kilometers. Fortunately for us, there were no sandstorms, or we would have laid down our lives there. After that, we entered the Mist, where a perpetual purple mist covered the area.”

Ye Chong felt his heart tightened. He had heard of the Desert and the Mist, but he never knew that the mist was purple in colour. However, even he was aware of it earlier, he would not have associated it with the red-tailed beasts, for he had not seen the creature here yet. For now, it was still too early to tell I the purple mist was the same as the one he had seen in his own world.

No one noticed Ye Chong’s unsettled look. They were all absorbed in Xuan Ning’s story.

“Visibility is low, but as shooters, our parapsychic sense helps us to navigate. In the Mist was a thick forest. Vines and branches surrounded us. Humidity was high, and there was no sunlight. It was a place that was difficult for shooting. We were lucky to have avoided anything really troublesome. There was only a pack of gliresaurs we had to deal with.”

Xuan Ning described his experience mildly, but his audience could imagine how terrifying the battle must have been.

“After we crossed the Mist, we finally entered Darkniss. There is no sunlight in Darkniss, but there are strange plants that give off light in there. There is also flowing lava that glows a fiery red here and there, painting a red tinge on anything you see in there.”

When Xuan Ning began to talk about Darkniss, his voice turned low and serious.

“Once we entered Darkniss, we proceeded carefully. We knew the place was dangerous. We walked along one of the lava flows that was about 20 meters wide. However, we had our first dangerous encounter on our first day in Darkniss. We were attacked by 14 black-striped gray dragons. They were huge, standing up to about seven or eight meters tall. The creatures were fast in the air, and had strong and sharp beaks and claws. All three of us were injured from that battle. The dragons swooped down from above. We shot them to death, but they were coming down too quickly. We were injured by the gravestones that were sent flying from their crashing into the ground. Fortunately, we were not too heavily injured, and the experience taught us to be more careful. We would never have survived the visit otherwise.”

Xuan Ning looked like he had not fully gotten over the encounter yet.

“After that, we encountered other creatures, but none were as strong as the black-striped gray dragons. On our 13th day in Darkniss, we lost our way. We were panicking. That was also the day we met one of this strange creature. Our records don’t have anything on it, so that was our first time seeing it. The one we met was stronger than this one in the cage. It was fighting against a pack of black-striped gray dragons. There were no less than 30 of the dragons dead on the ground when we saw them. The black-striped gray dragons were fast, but not as agile as the unknown creature. Its arrowhead tail was quick and deadly. The sharp beaks and claws of the dragons did not leave any marks on the unknown creature. We stayed in our dark hiding spot until all the black-striped gray dragons were killed by the unknown creature. We counted the number of dragon bodies on the ground. The tally came up to 55.”

The people in the assembly room were disturbed by Xuan Ning’s story. They realized now how powerful the creature in the cage was. Some of them almost called out for the guards. The red-tailed beast seemed to notice the fear and panic of the people around it. Its light red eyes gleamed condescendingly.

“Oh, so this officer did not catch the strange creature,” Mu Shen commented with mock surprise.

Xuan Ning ignored him entirely and continued, “This creature is not yet mature, but no human can catch it alive. I don’t think it’s possible without deploying a huge fleet of fighters.”

“Then how do you think this particular animal was caught?” Mu Shen asked Xuan Ning with a smile.

Xuan Ning replied coldly, “Aside from strong creatures, Darkniss also has all kinds of poisonous things. Any shooter who visited Darkniss would know that water puddles found in the place are not safe to drink from. I’ve seen a tumoric bear drank from a puddle where tiny blue flowers were growing. After that, the tumoric bear became weakened. Its body had a shade of blue, just like this creature we have here. I would guess that this creature had drank the same kind of poison, and was later found by someone. The fact that there are no visible wounds on this creature supports my theory. What do you think, Sir Mu?”

Xuan Ning spoke confidently, supporting his argument with sound evidence. He looked at Mu Shen sharply.

Mu Shen squirmed inside and replied with a softened tone, “As mentioned earlier, I know nothing about these things. Sir Xuan Ning has opened my eyes. Sir Xuan Ning is truly knowledgeable.” Xuan Ning’s deductions were accurate. The creature was not captured by them. It was a tribute from a few shooters who entered Darkniss to the King of Western Frost.

Xuan Ning was not interested in exchanging further words with Mu Shen. He bowed to Sun Sieha. “Your Majesty, I take my leave.”

Sun Sieha was pleased to see Mu Shen intimidated. He was familiar with the temperament of this particular subordinate of his. “Alright, you may leave.”

Xuan Ning turned to bow to the other nobilities in the assembly room. The nobles returned the gesture before Xuan Ning left the assembly room.

“Who is he?” Ye Chong asked the person next to him.

The noble recognized Ye Chong. He immediately replied respectfully, “Master Ye, he is the Commander of King’s Guards, one of the strongest shooters in Eastern Cloud. He reached Level 8 by the age of 25, and a man of great experience. He is said to be the shooter closest to reaching Level 9 in the past five decades.”

“I see.” Ye Chong nodded and turned away.

The noble finally had a chance to talk to Ye Chong, but Ye Chong did not give him a chance to continue the conversation. He simply closed his eyes again.

The remainder of the meeting was dull and uninteresting. Ye Chong began to feel sleepy.

Nonetheless, there was something important he had to do later – his demonstration show for the National Combat Tournament.

Ye Chong kept his word to Sun Sieha, and did his part to the letter. Sun Sieha admired this side of him.

That afternoon, the National Combat Tournament officially began.

…

Duan Qian had arrived in Su City five days ago. In these five days, he got to know the flourishing city. Duan Qian had delicate features, and an air of naivety typical of young people. However, he had a certain steadiness in him. Unlike other shooters, his gait was confident. He was here for the National Combat Tournament.

He had his eyes opened in these few days. Su City was crowded with people. There were Level 6 and 7 shooters everywhere. Half the people on the streets were shooters, and half of these shooters were at least Level 6.

Strong fighters from all over Eastern Cloud had come to gather in Su City, but no one dared to cause trouble. Duke Warren had assigned Xuan Ning, a close aide to His Majesty, to be in charge of security in Su City. Xuan Ning was a big name known to all shooters. He was the strongest of the strong, known not only for his strength that was close to Level 9, but also his ruthlessness. Thus, Su City became even safer than usual.

Duan Qian had registered for the Combat Tournament and received his schedule. He was due in the first round of the Tournament, for better or worse.

Where there was a competition, there would be a betting pool. However, no one could find any information on Duan Qian. To everyone’s surprise, the Shooter Association did not have his name in their records.

Duan Qian was not a shooter.

He was born in a family with combat history. His father was a nameless combat expert, who worked as a merchant. Since he was prone to sickness when he was young, he began to learn a few moves from his father. They were not particularly powerful moves, but they kept him healthy. Later on, he was found to be talented in parapsychic control, and sent to study under a capable shooter.

He was everything people expected from him. Even though he was the youngest student of his teacher, his parapsychic energy was the strongest. His teacher hoped that he would achieve Level 6 by age 16. That would be an achievement worthy of a prodigy in the world of shooters.

Duan Qian was not interested in being a shooter, however. His interest lay in combat. Once, he channeled his parapsychic energy into a combat move without intending to, and crushed a rock with his fist. That made him even more eager to study the combination of combat and parapsychic energy.

With this objective in mind, Duan Qian trained hard. His inborn talent helped him grasp some key points in this endeavor. However, his decision to go down this path was met with strong resistance from his parents and teacher. His father, who taught him combat in the first place, was against him. They thought that a shooter who could reach Level 6 by age 16 would have a much better future than a combat expert.

Nevertheless, Duan Qian persisted. He trained even harder so that his combat skills could one day be good enough to prove them wrong.

He did not give up on parapsychic control for combat. Instead, he trained his parapsychic control just as hard. Currently, his parapsychic control was just as good as that of a Level 6 shooter. Since his parapsychic control was strong, he could quickly detect his opponent’s intentions and changes in their parapsychic waves. Besides, his own parapsychic waves could interfere with other shooters effectively.

To qualify for the National Combat Tournament, he had fought his way from early local matches to Su City. His teacher and parents were shocked by his achievement.

Young people were often ambitious. Some wanted fame, others wanted money. Duan Qian wanted to let the whole world know that shooters were not the only strong fighters!

Duan Qian was now in the Tournament resting area. The Tournament would begin with a Demonstration Contest before his turn came.

The idea for a Demonstration Contest was conceptualized since long ago. It was mostly participated by long-time and well-known combatants, who would fight against each other and explain the intricacies captured within the battle. The concept was popular amongst the audience. For this national level tournament, the participants were most likely the top combatants in the country. True experts would have better insights in combat compared to amateurs – all shooters knew this. It was a rare opportunity to listen to these experts talk about their specialty.

…

(In Eastern Cloud Combat Stadium.)

The Combat Stadium could house 200 thousand people at a time. In terms of area coverage of any building structure, it was second only to Su City’s landing field. The national Combat Stadium was now filled to the brim with people. Sun Sieha’s arrival brought on the first wave of excitement in the stadium. The crowd cheered, and Sun Sieha felt invigorated by his people. He waved to them in greeting as his image was displayed on a huge screen for everyone in the stadium to see.

“Long live the king!” The voices from 200 thousand people thundered like a tsunami wave.

Sun Sieha’s body shook a little as his emotions overcame him. No king would be unmoved by the strong passion of his people.

Mu Shen was also invited to watch the tournament. He was briefly unsettled by the thundering cheers, but quickly composed himself.

“My brave warriors, let the fighting begin!” Sun Sieha’s short and powerful announcement marked the beginning of the National Combat Tournament.

Prince Desnio was tasked with hosting the Demonstration Contest and the first match by the king himself, probably because of his colorful narration of Ye Chong’s match last time.

“Alright, my friends, the wildly anticipated National Combat Tournament has just begun. I know that many of you have been waiting for this. Let me just say that that is exactly the same for me.

“First up is the Demonstration Contest. The Demonstration Contest this time is the most special out of all the ones we’ve held. I think you can all guess which two masters will be going on stage, right? Haha!” Prince Desnio grinned slyly.

“Let me ask you all, who is the most popular person recently in Su City? Is it His Majesty? Oh, no it’s not, even though it’s His Majesty’s birthday today.” Prince Desnio joked about Sun Sieha, but Sun Sieha did not mind his uncle’s jest. He smiled in return.

“It was one man against 12 Level 6 shooters, and that man now has 20 thousand students under him. The first Master in close range combat in our country, and possibly in the whole wide world – Ye Chong! Let me tell you, Master Ye is not only a Master in Close Range Combat, but also our Chief Weaponsmith. Today, you will all get to witness a form of combat that was never seen before. I guarantee that you will be surprised. Truth is, I’m a big fan of Master Ye, not just because he’s a strong fighter, but also because he’d won 10 million ao each from Legion Legate Ming Xiao and Duke Warren in a bet.” Prince Desnio added with humour.

“A Master in Close Range Combat? What kind of title is that?” Mu Shen thought to himself with disinterest.

And who will be Master Ye’s opponent? You wouldn’t have guessed it! Haha, it’s time to reveal the answer! Let us call out his name – Xuan Ning!” Prince Desnio cried enthusiastically.

“Oh, it’s Xuan Ning!” “Xuan Ning!” The crowd roared fervently.

Xuan Ning was a very influential figure in Eastern Cloud, with many loyal worshipers. He was the symbol of strength and power, a 30-year-old shooter in his prime, and a small step away from reaching Level 9. It was an achievement that few could hope to match.

The audience in the National Combat Stadium erupted in joy. It did not matter whether the combat matches later were up to expectation – the Demonstration Contest itself was worth the trip here.

Ye Chong and Xuan Ning entered the ring at the same time, and studied each other.

“Good day,” Xuan Ning greeted without expression.

“And to you,” Ye Chong returned the gesture with equal coldness.

This was only a combat demonstration. They were only required to show a few moves, not actually put up a serious fight. Sun Sieha’s request was simple – Ye Chong only had to show a few moves, and make them look stylish and pretty enough to dazzle the audience.

A mock battle was challenging for Ye Chong. After all, he never had the talent for pretending.

Duan Qian looked at the two men in the ring with excitement. He had heard about the appearance of a Close Range Combat Master in Su City, but had missed the deadline to be enrolled as Master Ye’s student when he arrived in Su City. Besides, rumors were hardly worth trusting.

He knew now that the man was real, and did not want to miss out. Rumors could be lies, but only true Masters could enter the Demonstration Contest. This meant that Master Ye’s abilities were convincing enough for His Majesty and the other experts.

Duan Xian felt a mixture of emotions as he watched the young man in the ring, who was only a few years older than him. On the one hand, he now knew that his decision was right – he was not the only one fighting for his path. On the other hand, this young man had qualified to be a Master, and he was awfully jealous of him.

Ye Chong and Xuan Ning would not compete in any special terrain. The ring was only a flat stone-paved stage of a thousand square meters.

Xuan Ning wore no expression on his face. No one knew what he was thinking. Ye Chong was the same. Both men looked serious.

They moved at the same time.

A strong and overpowering parapsychic wave spread out through the entire stadium. It came from Xuan Ning, a super strong parapsychic!

Duan Qian was shocked. Prince Desnio was shocked. All the shooters who were watching went pale. The strong parapsychic wave made them feel like tiny ants at the foot of a mountain, facing tremendous pressure from Xuan Ning’s power.

Only Sun Sieha and a few Level 8 shooters could maintain their calm, but their eyes betrayed their emotions. They all knew that Xuan Ning was strong, but this was beyond even their expectations!

Shooters below Level 4 had their parapsychic control damaged by this powerful wave of parapsychic energy. It would hinder their parapsychic training in future, but if they manage to overcome this obstacle, they would reach greater heights than they could ever imagine.

Xuan Ning was as powerful as his reputation suggested!

From the audience seats, Xuan Ning was the size of an ant, but everyone was now feeling afraid of the ant-sized human they were watching. Even some of the Level 8 shooters were studying Xuan Ning with mixed expression.

The strong parapsychic wave from Xuan Ning did not affect Ye Chong too much, since he had an equally strong mind to hold himself against Xuan Ning.

Ye Chong made his move.

“Alright, a performance it is,” Ye Chong thought to himself helplessly as he ran across the battle ring.

“Wow! He’s fast!”

“By God, is he flying?”

“Mama, look, superman!”

…

The audience grew noisy again. They had never seen such extraordinary skills! Ye Chong could cover seven to eight meters with every step. It was simply unimaginable for the common people, but they were seeing it right now with their very own eyes!

“My God!” Duan Qian’s hand went to his chest in utter surprise. He could hardly believe what he was seeing. His eyes were wide open as he followed the figure running in the battle ring.

Ye Chong remembered Sun Sieha’s request – be stylish, be dazzling. The truth was, Ye Chong did not have many stylish moves in his book. He had always gone for simplicity and efficiency.

Now he was stumped – how could he create this visual spectacle?

Xuan Ning was also surprised. He had heard of Master Ye’s means of combat, but he did not give it much credibility.He was startled by how fast Ye Chong was running right now.

The young man was skilled!

When he saw that Ye Chong did not intend to make a move on him, Xuan Ning knitted his brows and reigned in his parapsychic energy. The audience felt the pressure on them suddenly relieved.

Just when Ye Chong was wondering what would count as a stylish performance, he felt the parapsychic waves around him recede, and then abruptly, had a vague sense of being locked on to.

Ye Chong turned his attention to Xuan Ning. His eyes were cold and emotionless – his first reaction to anything that might become a threat to him.

Xuan Ning’s eyes were also directed at him, cold like a snake’s.

Ye Chong’s upper body vibrated – his entire upper body turned into a blur. That vague sense of being targeted disappeared immediately, and Xuan Ning’s eyes widened in surprise.

By now, Ye Chong had forgotten everything about Sun Sieha’s request to be stylish and whatnot. All he could see was the battle.

Ye Chong dashed forward like a bolt of black colored lightning, leaving a black zip of afterimages in the audiences’ vision.

The opponent was far stronger than Xuan Ning expected. He looked more alarmed as he lifted the fluorescent gun in his hand.

At the same time, an even concentrated parapsychic energy covered the entire battle ring. The audience did not feel it at all. The parapsychic energy coming from Xuan Ning was even more powerful than earlier. The range was smaller, but the energy was more focused, almost thick enough to touch it.

This was the true strength of a Level 8 shooter. They had almost full control of their parapsychic energy, managing the range of their parapsychic waves with great precision. Level 6 shooters could not achieve this. Besides, the strong parapsychic waves were difficult to interfere with.

Ye Chong’s eyes narrowed. Dozens of thin blue lines appeared in his vision.

At the same time, Ye Chong’s body turned almost fluid – he twisted and turned in seemingly impossible ways, but his moves were smooth, and his steps were quick and unpredictable. It was like watching a fish swimming in water, but it was also a chilling sight to behold.

Xuan Ning was alarmed – he found that he could not lock on to Ye Chong with his parapsychic sense.

If a shooter could not detect their opponent with parapsychic sense, then their defeat was almost certain. Xuan Ning braced himself. Ye Chong was getting very close to him now. That fleeting figure danced menacingly in front of him.

“He’s strong!” Xuan Ning thought to himself. However, he would not give up so easily. It was difficult to find such a strong opponent. He would not waste the chance.

He decided to use a technique that he had recently come up with, one that he had not fully mastered yet!

Xuan Ning was a Level 8 shooter. Non-shooters saw him as the most likely candidate in the world to become the next Level 9 shooter. In fact, he was only a hair’s breadth away from Level 8, but this infinitesimal step felt so far away. At this level of expertise, things were not so simple. One would either grasp the key to advance further, or not. The gap might take a single day or a decade to cross.

This was a key opportunity for him!

Before 200 thousand spectators, Xuan Ning did the unthinkable.

He closed his eyes.

Just as the fight had escalated, he chose to close his eyes! Was he mad? Some of the shooters in the audience stood up in surprise. Onlooking Level 8 shooters could not help but feel intrigued.

They could decipher more of what was happening in the battle than low level shooters. While the real truth was far from clear, they could see that a moment ago, Xuan Ning was at a disadvantage.

This was a huge surprise to the Level 8 shooters. They never imagined that Ye Chong could threaten a Level 8 shooter! Even the combined strength of a dozen Level 6 shooters could not hope to overcome a Level 8 shooter. Nevertheless, they now waited eagerly for Xuan Ning’s next move – what would he do now?

Xuan Ning, the shooter closest to Level 9, was worthy of his reputation. How some Level 8 shooters were stronger than their peers could probably only be truly understood by Level 8 shooters.

Now that Xuan Ning was at a disadvantage, he did something utterly unexpected. What was happening?

The answer was obvious to the Level 8 shooters – this was almost certainly Xuan Ning’s new technique!

No one doubted Xuan Ning’s talent. In fact, only geniuses can ever hope to reach Level 8. Everyone had different goals in their lives, but it was better to know the limits of one’s ability beforehand.

Xuan Ning closed his eyes, and the world around him quieted down.

All the noise around him faded. His parapsychic sense informed him of every detail in his surroundings. In this clear view of the world around him, there was a smudge that he could not lock on to.

A cold and eager smile appeared on his lips.

Ye Chong did not care what his opponent was trying to do. Never fight passively in response to the enemy – that was one of his principles in combat.

However, Ye Chong noticed abruptly that something was wrong.

The dozens of clear blue lines in his vision were disappearing at an alarming rate.

Ye Chong was caught off guard. He had never experienced this before, even with Sha Ya.

The blue lines in Ye Chong’s vision were always changing. Sometimes they were gone in the blink of an eye. If he did not make use of these openings, he would be locked on by his opponent.

Ye Chong had no time to figure out his situation. He tried his best to change his form according to the blue lines. The blue lines seemed to come to live – they were changing very quickly, giving Ye Chong less and less time to follow them.

Ye Chong lost his initiative in the battle. He must now follow the blue lines, which were the gaps between the opponent’s parapsychic sense. However, the blue lines were getting fewer and fewer. They were disappearing very quickly, giving Ye Chong lesser options and time to fit himself into these openings.

On the other hand, his opponent’s parapsychic waves seemed to have transformed. The blue lines in Ye Chong’s vision were no longer clear. Instead, they appeared blurred and sketchy, and the lines twisted constantly.

While Ye Chong focused on staying with the blue lines, he suddenly found himself getting further and further away from Xuan Ning.

For the audience, it was an odd sight to behold.

Xuan Ning stood unmoving with his eyes closed. Ye Chong never stopped moving, changing positions quickly. No one could see Xuan Ning’s parapsychic waves clearly. They did not know what he was doing. On the other hand, Ye Chong’s quick leaping motions and his long steps that reached over half a dozen meters captivated the audience.

Teenagers, especially, thought that the afterimages behind Ye Chong as he moved were simply too cool!

Ye Chong gathered his thoughts. He realized the severity of his situation. If this continued on, he would never get close enough to Xuan Ning. The shooter might not able to threaten him as well, but that would only result in a stalemate between them.

Ye Chong noticed the rocks that paved the battle ring, and realized his next move.

Ye Chong cried out abruptly – Mortal Roar!

An invisible soundwave rippled quickly outwards from his position.

Mortal Roar was not dangerous for a Level 8 shooter. Ye Chong knew that from his experience with fighting Sha Ya. However, Ye Chong did not intend for his attack to harm Xuan Ning. He only wanted his opponent to feel the vibrations.

Xuan Ning had never encountered this weird soundwave attack before, and was affected by it, as expected.

This tiny disturbance had amplified results in Xuan Ning’s parapsychic waves. The number of blue lines in Ye Chong’s vision spiked up immediately.

Ye Chong did not hesitate. He was standing at the intersection between two blue lines.

This opening was enough for him!

Ye Chong stomped his right foot heavily into the floor of the battle ring.

Boom! A low booming sound reverberated in the stadium, hammering into the hearts of the audience. Some felt like vomiting in the aftermath.

Something incredibly shocking happened in the battle ring.

Cracks appeared on the rock pavement, beginning from Ye Chong’s right foot and spreading outwards.

Xuan Ning felt the ground shook. He was greatly surprised, and could no longer maintain his calm.

Ye Chong stomped with his right foot again.

The tiny rock fragments on the ground bounced up.

Ye Chong yelled again. He aimed his right leg at a palm-sized rock and kicked.

The rock zipped towards Xuan Ning like a cannonball.

The audience was shocked. Prince Desnio was shocked. Duan Qian was shocked. Even Sun Sieha was shocked!

Xuan Ning was also shocked!

He aimed his laser gun and fired continuously at the rock. The rock was moving quickly, but he could still lock on to it. Nevertheless, his body could not react fast enough to avoid the rock! He could only hope that the rock was destroyed before it reached him!

However, amidst this emergency, he had forgotten something very important. The laser gun in his hand was not his usual weapon of choice – the top of the line Seahorse Eye. Instead, it was only a fluorescent gun used for contests! The fluorescent gun could only penetrate clothing to reach human skin, but it would not do a thing against a rock!

“It’s over!” Xuan Ning quickly realized his situation. His heart sank. He could detect the rock clearly with his parapsychic sense. The rock was so fast that it would injure him even at half the speed. If he was hit anywhere vulnerable, he might even die from it!

Where was the rock targeted at? His head, of course!

Ahh!

Xuan Ning’s eyes bulged. A thick vein popped up on his temple. At the brink of life and death, Xuan Ning demonstrated his astonishing potential.

Ye Chong suddenly felt the parapsychic waves around him disappear.

Boom!

The rock exploded three meters away from Xuan Ning, and sprayed a rain of debris outwards.

The entire stadium went quiet.

Xuan Ning stared with bulging eyes for five more seconds, and then fell backwards. He crashed heavily into the ground and fainted.

Ye Chong realized then that he had nearly killed Xuan Ning. This was indirect proof of Xuan Ning’s strength. The shooter made Ye Chong felt threatened. Ye Chong did not feel particularly regretful. He looked towards Xuan Sieha and shrugged helplessly.

A stylish performance was too difficult for him!

Sun Sieha was livid. He had almost had his strongest subordinate killed by that guy! D*mn, that idiotic worm, did he not understand that this was just a demonstration contest?

When he saw Ye Chong shrugged at him, Sun Sieha could no longer reign in his anger anymore. He roared at his councilors, “What’re you looking at? Where’s the doctor? Get a f*cking doctor to check Xuan Ning!” The infuriated Sun Sieha cursed in front of his councilors for the first time ever.

e Chong became a national celebrity overnight because of this battle.

The entire Su City was trembling in excitement! The entire Eastern Cloud country too was trembling in excitement! News of the battle spread like wildfire form the nation’s capital to every corner of the world. Western Frost and Northern Lands had already received the news. Other smaller countries would soon follow.

The world was shocked!

Xuan Nin was the creme de la creme of all shooters. Ye Chong’s victory over the man cemented his reputation as a Master in Close Range Combat.

Residents of Su City were all excited. Ye Chong’s method of combat was strange, but they were all grateful to have witnessed that historic battle! Besides, Ye Chong never imagined what a marvelous experience his battle with Xuan Ning was to the audience. When the battle ended, Ye Chong had already amassed a great deal of followers.

The first ever Master of Close Range Combat in Eastern Cloud, and in the world, had come from Eastern Cloud. This was the pride of every citizen of Eastern Cloud. The people saw Ye Chong as one of the most important people in Eastern Cloud. However, to members from other countries, Ye Chong was a man they respected, feared and hated. A Master in Close Range Combat was not of a particular interest to them. However, some of them, like Mu Shen, quickly found out the worrying news that Ye Chong was accepting a large batch of students.

For now, combat became the most popular choice of occupation, but the other combat schools were only superficial in nature. Only Master Ye’s school was considered real combat.

There was no need for advertising. Ye Chong’s personal brand was already strong. Young people who missed out on Master Ye’s first batch of student intake were now eagerly waiting for the planned second intake.

Compared to Ye Chong’s explosive impact, Duan Qian’s emergence as one of the Top Eight contestants was only average news. Duan Qian was nicknamed “Young Ye”, but he hated the nickname as much as he respected the man himself.

No prodigy would settle for being in placed second.

People in Eastern Cloud began to eagerly participate in combat. That was what Sun Sieha intended all along. Soon after, Sun Sieha announced a series of initiatives to encourage the trend, such as distributing standard combat training manuals written by Ye Chong. The

manual found its way to other countries in no time, and would become the most important piece of literature in the next few centuries.

At the same time, the military announced stricter requirements for recruitment in terms of physical fitness. They also advertised positions for people good in combat with alluring benefits, but no one had answered the ad so far.

A storm was raging in Eastern Cloud. Many events that occured in this time heralded the beginning of a new era. Shrewd people like Mu Shen would realize that Eastern Cloud was slowly amassing greater and greater power.

Ye Chong did not care. When the demonstration contest ended, he returned to his manor immediately, leaving Duan Qian no opportunity to ask him about studying under him.

When Ye Chong returned to his manor, the first thing he did was call for Sha Ya. Ye Chong asked Sha Ya, “What’s Darkniss like?”

Sha Ya took a curious glance at Ye Chong. She did not know why Ye Chong called her urgently to ask about this. “Darkniss? Why are you suddenly interested in the place?”

Despite asking the question, Sha Ya knew that Ye Chong would not answer her. She paused for a moment, then answered, “Darkniss is a strange and dangerous place. Usually, only shooters at Level 7 or 8 can enter and survive Darkniss. Surrounding Darkniss is the Desert and the Mist.

There is always dust in the air in the Desert. It’s a wasteland, where wildlife is rare. However, creatures that call the Desert home are strong. However, as long as you avoid the terrible ones like the sandscorpions, shooters at Level 6 and above should be able to do just fine. The Desert is not too dangerous, but it’s impossible to fly in a fighter in there because of unpredictable sandstorms.

After the Desert is the Mist. The place is as humid as the Desert is dry. The Mist is actually a forest, shrouded in very thick purple mist. The foliage is dense. Without strong parapsychic sense, it’s better not to enter the Mist, since visibility is too low. There are many wild animals in the Mist. Most of them are insects, the rest are usually small. However, the creatures there usually move in groups. There are also many dangerous plants in the area, making it an overall dangerous place.”

Ye Chong asked, “The mist, it’s purple?” Sha Ya nodded. “Yes.”

Upon seeing Ye Chong going quiet again, Sha Ya continued, “After the Mist, you enter the heart of Darkniss. Darkniss is underground, where the light never shines. You can see red molten lava everywhere in the place, flowing like rivers. Darkniss has no sun, but there are more plants there than even the Desert. I’ve always found it odd.

“The animals in Darkniss are all very strong. Any slip ups can turn out to be fatal. There are gravstones everywhere in Darkniss. Gravstones are a unique resource found only in Darkniss.”

Ye Chong knew that this so-called gravstone was actually metal. They most likely exist in the form of metal ores in Darkniss.

“Shooters who enter Darkniss usually collect gravtones. They are rare materials that can be exchanged for better weapons from weaponsmiths. The amapolla wood you saw last time is also from there. Darkniss is rich with natural resources. Since the geography and environment there is vastly different, the things you find there are also very different from what we usually have out here. Unfortunately, few people can survive Darkniss. The Mist and the Desert that surround the place make Darkniss impenetrable by flight.

Ye Chong suddenly remembered the red-tailed beast sent from Western Frost. He asked, “Have you ever seen a creature with a red arrowhead tail?”

Sha Ya thought back to her experiences, and then shook her head. “No, never. There are too many kinds of lifeforms in Darkniss, and they are all very strong. We try to avoid their territories as much as possible. The creatures in Darkniss always kept to their territories, and will never exceed their boundaries.”

“Oh.” Ye Chong was intrigued. “They never go beyond their territories?”

Sha Ya nodded. “That’s right. It’s a strange thing. Ever since Darkniss was discovered, people worry about the creatures escaping the place into our world. You know, there are too many powerful creatures in there. To date, we have recorded more than a few species that are as strong as a Level 8 shooter. Some are even stronger still. No one knows if there are even stronger creatures in there. If these creatures escape to our world, no country will be prepared to defend itself.

“However, from the beginning until now, nothing like that has happened. Oh, now I remember something. There was a sighting of a giant wrapped in gravstone armor in Yedda City. That creature disappeared soon after it appeared. Duo Ka and his friend were worried about it, but …” Sha Ya always felt sorry for Duo Ka’s group, but since Ye Chong was involved with the deaths of those shooters, she quickly stopped herself from speaking further.

Suddenly, she remembered that Ye Chong was also in Yedda City at the time. She asked, “Didn’t you hear about it?”

Of course Ye Chong knew of it. That giant in black armor was Ye Chong’s mech, Celest. Ye Chong now understood why he was attacked by Duo Ka when he flew Celest in the forest.

“I did,” Ye Chong answered, feeling a little awkward. He quickly focused back on Sha Ya’s words. If these territories were real, why did the red-tailed beasts escape the place? Ye Chong would not believe that the vicious red-tailed beasts would obey these territorial boundaries. They were inherently aggressive and prone to expanding their territory. Besides, from the way the red-tailed beasts yearned for pure energy in his own world, it seemed more than odd that the red-tailed beasts would leave this place. The planet had so much energy lying around for them.

However, the fact remained that the red-tailed beasts had never left Darkniss. It was strange.

Since Sha Ya knew nothing about it, Ye Chong found the whole problem shrouded in mystery. The only way he could find answers was to enter Darkniss himself.

Nevertheless, it was a little early to actually visit the place. If even Level 8 shooters had to tread carefully in the place, Ye Chong could imagine how dangerous it was. Without sufficient preparation, Ye Chong would not embark on this journey. He would never put his life at risk so easily.

Since all the mystery originated from Darkniss, Ye Chong had to start planning. The students that he had neglected before now had his full attention. It was impossible to enter the inner parts of Darkniss by himself. If the red-tailed beasts really lived in Darkniss, he would expect them to move in packs.

Ye Chong was allowed five thousand people for his own security detail. That was what he and Sun Sieha agreed to when they first met. In the more recent agreement where he agreed to help Sun Sieha encourage close combat in Eastern Cloud, Ye Chong had asked to choose them personally. He could also pick them from any of the soldiers in the military, barring high ranking officials and soldiers of the 1st Legion.

Five thousand was enough. He could not afford to pay for more. Despite his wealth, it would still cost him a lot to care for five thousand soldiers. He could hardly expect Sun Sieha to provide him with allowance.

Money was not the most important issue. More important was the fact that all the shooters did not meet his requirements. Ye Chong thought that their midrange combat abilities were not very useful. The fighter aircrafts were also too primitive. Ye Chong did not want to train them into close range mech pilots like him. Long range combat was more advantageous in this world. There was enough energy and suitable raw materials to that end. However, Ye Chong had never seen anyone as physically lacking as these shooters since he left the trash planet.

Their weak bodies could endure flying a fighter aircraft, but not a mech, especially in making sudden turns. Ye Chong would not have this.

Given the circumstances, Ye Chong could only train his soldiers personally. That was why Ye Chong began to pay great attention to their training routine.

Once Ye Chong set his eyes on them, the students suffered. Training became more and more vigorous, in the form of all sorts of training routines that were weird and unheard of. The 20 thousand students suffered like never before. They ran every day till their legs gave way. Their limbs trembled when they ate their meals.

Ye Chong also prescribed a heavy dose of medication to prevent injuries and strengthen their bodies.

There was a fluorescent green liquid that smelled like vomit. Each student held a cup of this liquid in their hand. They all had weird and suffering expressions stuck on their faces. Even the devil instructor, Liao San, could not help but pity them. He thanked the stars for being assigned as an instructor and not a student!

Gui Gui could empathize with them as well. She tossed a rare look of pity at the female students, who looked about ready to cry, but could not help taking a few steps back. The smell was terrible.

Everyone had their eyes on the platform above, where Master Ye was standing without emotion. The students had been isolated from the outside world throughout their training, but news of Master Ye’s victory over Xuan Ning still found its way in here. Ye Chong’s reputation skyrocketed to new heights. People worshipped him. Morale was high amongst the students.

This green liquid, though …

The fluorescent green liquid was still steaming hot, but the nauseating smell was wearing

their nerves down.

The first to drink it was Shu Mo’er! She shut her eyes and swallowed everything in her cup in one go.

This surprised everyone, including Ye Chong.

With the first example set, the rest of the students no longer resisted. They chucked the liquid quickly like it was bitter medicine.

The truth was, despite the nauseating smell, the taste was actually not that bad.

The liquid turned out to be very effective. There were fewer people injured after their medication. From then onwards, the liquid became a daily prescription.

Ye Chong looked downwards at the suntanned young people. Their bodies were much stronger than when they first started, but still far from Ye Chong’s ideal. The process cannot be rushed. How many of these 20 thousand people could pass? Ye Chong had no idea. He announced the next student intake to shorten the time between intake rounds.

Nevertheless, Ye Chong was impressed by the military behavior that the students had adopted. This was largely thanks to Liao San, who acted as chief overseer. His actions had influenced the 20 thousand students. Since he was a military man at heart, he had managed the students in a military style.

Liao San thought it was a waste of his talents as a Vice Captain of the Royal Guards to serve as an overseer of the students, but he always executed his duties with complete dedication.

As expected, the students were familiar with the military way of doing things. It was exactly what Ye Chong needed.

Since the celebration and the National Combat Tournament had come to an end, Ye Chong could finally focus on other things. He wanted to modify his manor again. It was too sparsely armed for an actual base of operations.

…

Sun Sieha looked at Xuan Ning, still unconscious, and felt terrible. Xuan Ning was a powerful combatant, but Sun Sieha appreciated the man more for his general capabilities and loyalty. He had groomed the shooter personally to become who he was today. Additionally, Xuan Ning was an honest man with a military air about him. Sun Sieha liked him very much.

How could he be so careless, allowing a crazy person to fight against Xuan Ning? Sun Sieha was vexed. “He’s a madman, a killer!” Sun Sieha cursed Ye Chong repeatedly.

In the end, however, he was the one at fault. Sun Sieha knew exactly what kind of man Ye Chong was. He also knew Xuan Ning just as well. He was too focused on how to elevate Ye Chong’s reputation to consider the personalities of these two men.

Xuan Ning was serious, straightforward and ready to kill. Ye Chong was even more serious, more straightforward and more ready to kill!

The clash between them was inevitable!

Sun Sieha was also puzzled about something else – Ye Chong’s second student intake. Ye Chong had asked for the intake, and Sun Sieha had agreed to it happily. However, now that he had time to think about it, there was something strange about the whole deal. Ye Chong was not interested in taking students at first. He had to offer quite a few things to get the man to agree to it. Now, however, Ye Chong had asked for another batch of students. Of course Sun Sieha was puzzled!

Sun Sieha could not understand the motive behind Ye Chong’s actions.