Chapter 182: as if in greater misery! (2)
Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations
Although his past two days had been filled with much danger, he had at least gotten through it relatively unscathed. For now, the Heavenly Demon Sect and the Academy would not come after him, and as long as he kept a lower profile, there shouldn't be any major problems. The most important thing now for him was to quickly purchase the various materials and ingredients for him to continue creating Consolidating Equipment Scrolls. After all, these scrolls were just pure profit, and he needed to keep earning as much as he could so that he had the finances when he eventually returned to the Heavenly Bow Empire.
The other reason why Zhou Weiqing had taken it upon himself to create Consolidating Equipment Scrolls for his classmates was a form of training. Just simply following the steps or the previously designed Scrolls which Huyan Aobo had taught him, there wasn't much to improve besides increasing experience in creating them. However, to custom design and create Consolidating Equipment Scrolls for others, it was a whole different ball game. It would need him to actually fully understand the basics, to design everything from the start. For example, among the six sets of scrolls he had created yesterday, the one which had taken him to longest to create was the one he had custom designed and created for Kou Rui. In fact, almost half the entire time he had used was spent on that set.
Ever since he had entered the Fei Li Military Academy, Zhou Weiqing had increasingly recognized the true importance of a Consolidating Equipment Master. Previously, he had known they were important in theory, but had not recognized the extent until he had witnessed it for himself. As such, becoming an outstanding Consolidating Equipment Master was now of even more importance to him than even becoming a powerful Heavenly Jewel Master. After all, only an outstanding Consolidating Equipment Master would be able to recruit many powerful Jewel Masters to stand by his side… and this was just exactly the key to the Heavenly Bow Empire's growth in the near future. Although the Fei Li Empire was much stronger, it was not his home, and in Zhou Weiqing's heart, no country in the world could replace the standing of the Heavenly Bow Empire. That was the beauty of one's motherland.
"Dearest, it's time for class…" Zhou Weiqing dipped his head down and kissed Shangguan Bing'er on the cheeks.
Shangguan Bing'er opened her eyes blurrily to see a mouth heading down towards her, and in shock she quickly dodged aside. Jumping up, she remembered where they were, and blushed deeply as she told Zhou Weiqing: "Little Fatty, this is in academy grounds, you should control yourself…"
Zhou Weiqing was delighted, saying: "Does that mean… when we're home later at night, I do not need to control myself…?"
Shangguan Bing'er giggled and said: "Enough of that, I'm immune to your tricks now. Let's go to class now, come on!"
The class in the afternoon was personal military training, and was held right in the main square. Personal military training was to build up their solo fighting capabilities, and not just in terms of Jewel Masters fighting. Among other things, there was fighting styles, hand to hand combat, hiding and concealment, ambushes, sniping and assassinations, luring the enemy and other various individual combat tricks and capabilities. In the Fei Li Military Academy, this was one of the most important classes. Every year, this was one of the three most important exams to pass, with the other two being battle analysis and strategy, and they had to be passed with a single try. For other classes, there was still the opportunity of a re-exam, while if any student failed any of this three main classes, they would be expelled from the academy.
The Fei Li Military Academy Main Square was extremely huge, and the commoner class one's students were gathered on the left side of it. On the other side, there was another class gathered there… clearly they were also there to take the personal military training class. It was a senior noble class of around 40 or so students, and many of them looked towards Zhou Weiqing's class when they gathered.
"Form Squad… Attention!" Ming Hua's voice rang out, and all twenty nine of the commoner students immediately arranged themselves into two rows. Zhou Weiqing and Ma Qun naturally ended up at the back of the rows.
When Zhou Weiqing looked at Ming Hua, his eyes lit up. She had changed into a rose red attire, with her hair tied behind her head. At this point, she no longer had any hint of her previous seductive look, but had a valiant, battle ready look, full of fighting spirit.
Ming Hua's gaze swept across the faces of her students, and after confirming that they were all present, she nodded and said: "This morning's test will be graded and returned to you within two days, though I believe many of you know how you have done deep in your hearts. I do not care what school you are from previously, but from now on, you are part of our illustrious Fei Li Military Academy, and you will study hard according to my requirements. Otherwise, I will not hesitate to expel anyone who fails at the end of the year. The students who do not finish their entire four years will not be allowed to mention that they are from our academy. Class Monitor…"
Zhou Weiqing quickly stepped forth. "Here!"
Ming Hua glanced at him and said: "Lead everyone to run ten rounds around the main square. You all have fifteen minutes to complete the rounds, and those who do not finish within the stipulated time will have to run another ten rounds."
"Yes." Zhou Weiqing agreed. The main square was about eight hundred metres per round, though that was quite some distance, but to him, the ten rounds would be as easy as taking a stroll.
"Teacher, do we Elemental Jewel Masters have to run as well?" At this moment, a soft, timid voice sounded out. It was a young girl, one of the students whom Zhou Weiqing remembered vaguely as one of the rare Elemental Jewel Masters in the class. She was of the Water Attribute, and her name was Ye Tingxue. Her looks were just above average, and she was a gentle, timid girl, her frail appearance seeming as if a gust of wind would blow her over.
Ming Hua glanced at her and said passively: "I said everyone, didn't you hear?"
Ye Tingxue was startled into almost crying. She was a two-Jeweled Water Attribute Elemental Jewel Master, and though her physique was stronger than an ordinary human with her Heavenly Energy, she knew it would be impossible for her to run eight thousand metres in fifteen minutes. With the addition of the ten rounds penalty, she would be in deep trouble.
It wasn't just her. All the six Elemental Jewel Masters in the class revealed troubled looks on their face.
"Attention! Right Turn." Zhou Weiqing shouted out loud, glancing at Ming Hua. He laughed in his heart, thinking to himself: Is this the ��problem' you have set me? You have severely underestimated me!
"Ma Qun, Kou Rui, Yan Zhexi, Shangguan Bing'er, each of you bring along a Elemental Jewel Master classmate, while I will bring two." Zhou Weiqing called out, before picking two of the male Elemental Jewel Master youths. His method was rather simple, grabbing each of them under his arms, before running at the head of the class.
The four he had called out did not hesitate – Shangguan Bing'er went to Ye Tingxue, while Yan Zhexi and Kou Rui each quickly went for the last two female students. As for Ma Qun, he was too slow, left with the last student who was a rather heavyset male. Ma Qun scolded inwardly: Ugh, I'm just a little too slow, such a disadvantage! However, he did not hesitate as well, pulling that classmate along as he ran on. As for the rest of the Physical Jewel Masters, they naturally had no problem running, and all twenty nine of them charged forth along the running track.
A hint of surprise appeared in Ming Hua���s eyes. She had not expected Zhou Weiqing to react so quickly, and with a wry twist to her mouth, she stood there recording the rounds.
As Zhou Weiqing ran, he called out to the rest: "Our commoner class one is an entire group which works as one together. No matter what we do, we cannot leave anyone behind. If we are on the battlefield, our backs are given to our most trusted comrade in arms. Perhaps, we are still unable to reach that state, but let us work towards that together. Everyone just needs to remember that we are one. One for all, and all for one! 1" As he said that, he thought to himself: The best will be for all of us to move over to our Heavenly Bow Empire together too! Heh heh!
Before long, they had completed the first round. Just as they were starting on their second round, all of a sudden, there was a loud 'Aiyah' sound, and one of the students fell down.
Although Zhou Weiqing was right in front, he has been keeping track of his classmates behind him. Turning around, he saw one of his male classmates fallen on the floor, his hands clutching his belly, his face a mask of pain. In front of him lay an arrow without the arrowhead.
"Stop!" Zhou Weiqing shouted loudly, and all of them stopped, turning to the other class also going through the lesson at the other side of the main square.
The noble class was currently practicing their archery, and their target was about a hundred yards or so away, while their entire class was at the side of the main square. No matter how you looked at it, it was impossible for them to have shot in this direction. Even if there was no arrowhead, but being shot at such a close distance, one could imagine the pain.
The next moment, on of the noble students shouted over mockingly: "Aiyyaahh… I'm so sorry, my arrow went astray. This junior, are you okay?"
The teacher of the noble class was not around, and they had been practicing their archery by themselves. After saying that, the noble student continued mockingly: "A moving target is indeed much more fun than a boring set target. If you all are interested, you can try! Haha!"
His words caused the rest of the noble students to laugh uproariously, while the commoner students glared angrily at him.
Ming Hua was currently in the midst of recording the rounds ran, and was also startled by the sudden incident. Luckily, the arrow had no arrowhead, or the student might have been heavily injured or killed.
"Bastards, are you asking for death?" Ming Hua shouted angrily.
The noble students were rather afraid of her. After all, the name of 'Flower of Hades' Underworld' was notorious, and they immediately quietened down.
Right at that moment, Zhou Weiqing walked towards Ming Hua, murmuring something in her ears. Ming Hua furrowed her brow for a second in thought, before nodding to him. All of a sudden, she turned and walked off. Some of the more quick thinking members of the commoner class one revealed evil smiles as soon as they saw that.
Zhou Weiqing returned to his classmates, picking up the arrow and walking to the noble student who had spoken and calling out in a fake, kindly voice. "Senior, here is your arrow. I've picked it up for you." His words were slow and with a hint of flattery, as if trying to fawn on the noble senior; and he had a big smile on his face. All of a sudden, he flicked his hand, sending the arrow forward.
At that point, he was fifty feet from the noble students when he threw out the arrow. To the surprise of the commoner class one students, the arrow seemed to be even faster than when shot from the bow earlier, and it sped through the fifty yards in the blink of an eye.
A loud pained cry sounded out as the arrow shot forth right into the noble student who had just turned around, and furthermore, it embedded itself right deep into an unmentionable place…
Chapter 183: as if in greater misery! (3)
Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations
"Ahhhh!!!" The scream seemed inhuman as the noble student jumped up almost two metres into the air, his entire body shuddering while in mid air while his cries were like that of a pig being butchered.
Zhou Weiqing stared at noble students in shock, exclaiming in surprise: "Aiiyahhh, what is going on? I was so kind to help you pick up the arrow, why did you use your buttocks to receive it?! That must be some special martial arts you have trained in… Respect, much respect, it is amazing! Just too amazing!"
Everybody stopped, shocked. The students of commoner class one had a very strange look on their faces. Looking at the honest looking smile on Zhou Weiqing's face, all of them were delighted snidely in their hearts, but at the same time feeling a cold in their heart. That was indeed the smile of the devil!
Ma Qun muttered: "Is this the legendary 'Breaking the Chrysanthemum' 1?? Boss Zhou, you are too savage!"
Zhou Weiqing glanced at him and said: "You can eat anything, but you can't anyhow spread rumours!"
"I was just returning the arrow to him. Who knew that this dear Senior of ours had such a powerful martial arts, to actually use that body part to receive the arrow… What has that got to do with me?"
Right at that moment, someone among the noble students shouted out: "Shoot the bunch of common bastards!" And the other noble students actually picked up their bows and shot towards the commoner students.
Although all the commoner students were Jewel Masters, yet the nobles still looked down upon them. In their eyes, for these lowly commoners to retaliate against them, it was unforgivable. Despite the arrows in their hands being mere training arrows, with over forty of them firing, it was still a rather powerful and frightening sight. This was especially so with them being so close to each other, and immediately the commoner students were aghast, with some of the more quick thinking ones dropping down and covering their heads, reducing their likelihood of being shot. Some others just glared angrily at the noble students.
After all, although these commoner students were Jewel Masters, very few amongst them actually had Consolidated Equipment or Stored Skills.
Right at the moment, a sudden figure flashed like a shadow, and everyone else could only see a green brilliant light in the air, and the rain of arrows disappeared.
Shangguan Bing'er landed softly beside Zhou Weiqing, her hands full of arrows, not a single one missing.
Ever since they had entered the Fei Li Military Academy, Zhou Weiqing had drawn all the attention, and everyone had overlooked Shangguan Bing'er as just a pretty face. Now, as she displayed her power, only then did everyone realise that this beauty who had been under Zhou Weiqing's protection could more than hold her own ground.
Catching an arrow in mid air was not as simple as firing one, not to mention the fact it was a whole rain of arrows. Not only did it require an unbelievable speed, it was also the vision, judgement, type of movement, consciousness; all of that together in an impressive mix. Furthermore, when she did so, she still looked amazing and it seemed so easy, as if she had done something trivial.
"You all are too much! We're all schoolmates, and yet you actually fired arrows at us. What happens if someone gets hurt!?" Shangguan Bing'er was very even-tempered and seldom got angry. However, this time, seeing how far these noble students had went, she couldn't help but take action.
Zhou Weiqing was also amazed. In terms of long distance, straight-line running, with his Demonic Right Leg he was able to keep up with Shangguan Bing'er. However, in terms of short distance, dodging and rapid changes in movement, he was far from her capabilities. After all, Shangguan Bing'er was a three-Jeweled pure agility Heavenly Jewel Master.
However, the noble students did not seem to hear her words, and already their second salvo of arrows had already been launched. It was as if they had already fixated upon the commoner class one students as their targets.
Shangguan Bing'er moved swiftly once more in a flash, she threw out the arrows in her hand, and they flew out in, separated in mid air, and all everyone heard was a continuous chain of *ting* *ting*, as each and every one of the arrows she threw out actually struck an enemy arrow.
This time, even the noble students started, shocked. Was this even humanly possible?!
"Boss, what do we do?" Kou Rui asked Zhou Weiqing softly.
Zhou Weiqing said coldly: "Beat them up! Whoever doesn't take action, you can get lost from our class now, our commoner class one does not have useless cowards!" As he said that, he charged forward in front of everyone. While in mid air, he actually managed to catch up to the arrows which had collided in mid air and were falling down, catching some of them and flung them out. Another few cries of pain sounded out.
"Beat them up!" Ma Qun roared in anger, charging closely behind Zhou Weiqing. The other commoner students were already boiling in rage from the attack; after all, which of them had not been bullied by nobles from young, even after they had become Jewel Masters? Currently, being used as targets by these arrogant nobles, they couldn't contain the anger anymore. With Zhou Weiqing at their head, all twenty nine of the students, even the Elemental Jewel Masters, charged forth towards the noble students.
A distance of fifty yards, Zhou Weiqing closed the gap in two large bounds. Seeing him charge forth so quickly, the noble students tried to shoot him. Alas, who was Zhou Weiqing? He and Shangguan Bing'er had definitely not wasted their two years in the Heavenly Bow Unit. He was at the core a Heavenly Jewel Master Archer, and in terms of just archery alone, it was possible that there wasn't anyone in the Fei Li Empire who could match him!
Arrow after arrow reached him, was caught in his hand, and flung back to their source. By the time he had reached the nobles, almost half of them were already on the floor.
Amongst the noble students, barely a quarter of them were Jewel Masters, and most of them were not of high cultivation level. In fact, this class was one of the weakest amongst the entire second level classes. Shooting arrows from afar was still something they could handle, but once it came to close combat, they were almost pushovers in comparison.
Zhou Weiqing was the first to smash into the enemy lines, almost like a tiger dashing into a crowd of sheep. He did not even make use of any Heavenly Energy, in fact reining in some of his physical prowess. Even so, every noble student he struck flew back!
There were eleven Jewel Masters in total amongst the noble students, but none of them were three Jewels. The highest cultivation level amongst them was two Jewels, and they were also all either Physical Jewel or Elemental Jewel Masters, with not a single Heavenly Jewel Master. As Zhou Weiqing flew deeper into their crowd, he activated his Touch of Darkness Skill.
This was one of his first few Skills, and was also one that he was most practiced and well versed at. As the darkness tentacles shot forth from the ground quietly, in such a chaotic mess, almost nobody noticed him releasing the skill. Before any of the eleven noble Jewel Masters had released a single skill or Consolidated Equipment, they had been gripped by the tentacles and bound together. With their cultivation level, they were unable to resist his skill. For ordinary Jewel Masters, even a five or six Jeweled Master would be hard pressed to give Zhou Weiqing a lot of trouble.
What happened next was naturally our dear Zhou Little Fatty charging amongst the rest of them like a bull in a china shop. His strength was tyrannical, and one strike caused the eleven Jewel Masters to fly apart, all injured to different extents. How could they possibly put up any other resistance after that?
"Beat them up!!!"
By this time, the rest of the commoner class one reached, the anger burning in their hearts causing them to forget their fear, and Zhou Weiqing's ferocity also sparking the excitement in their hearts.
In a matter of moments, the entire main square was filled with chaos, cries of pain sounding out all around.
Without question, it was a one sided massacre, and before long, all forty of the noble students were fallen on the ground.
Ming Hua was hidden at the side, staring dumfounded. Earlier, Zhou Weiqing had just told her that he wanted to teach them a little lesson, and asked her to hide away for a while. This had originally only been a minor conflict between two students, but somehow it had escalated into a mass battle in a blink of an eye. Such a clash between classes was unheard of since the start of the Fei Li Military Academy!
Seeing all the noble students had been knocked down onto the ground, groaning away in pain, Zhou Weiqing stopped. Looking around at the main school building, he immediately shouted out: "Everyone, stop now! It's time! Quick, everyone lie down on the ground and roll around."
"Huh? What? Boss, what are we doing?" One of the male students asked curiously.
Zhou Weiqing said exasperatedly: "Are you a fool?! We are the victims! How can it be that the victims are fine, and the culprits are beaten up?"
Ma Qun was the first to fall down onto the ground, laughing with glee in his heart. This Boss Zhou is certainly bold, beating up these nobles and acting the victim in the next instant! I love it!
As comprehension slowly dawned upon the class, they quickly followed suit. Although many of them felt this was rather shameless, none of them wanted to be expelled from school after all, and they all listened to Zhou Weiqing's instructions, falling onto the ground and rolling around. Only the few female students were too embarrassed to do the same, looking at Zhou Weiqing pitifully.
Zhou Weiqing: "Alright, fine, the girls can just sit on the floor. However, you all need to cry and call out… as loud as possible. Boys, all of you roll around as much as possible! Make yourselves as dirty as possible! Oh right, quick, use some of their blood and rub it over yourselves! We need to cry out, as if in greater misery!"
As he said that, the class monitor had led by example. Rolling around on the ground, crying out aggrievedly at a huge volume.
Shangguan Bing'er's voice drifted into his ear: "You better not dirty your clothes too much, if not you wash your own clothes later!"
Only then did Zhou Weiqing stop his plan to wipe mud and blood onto his clothes, but his cries just turned more real. If anyone heard it, it was so sorrowful that they would weep in compassion! Such a skill was something he had trained since young age under the 'tutelage' of his father, Admiral Zhou. Currently, he took up his act once more, his experience in acting showing!
Influenced by their monitor's amazing acting, all of the commoner class students starting crying out exaggeratedly. The entire main square of the Fei Li Military Academy seemed like a battlefield, filled with pained cries and sobbing.
At the side, Ming Hua closed her eyes helplessly. The only thought in her mind was: Holy Heavens! How am I going to clean up this mess…
Just like what Ming Yu had predicted previously… Zhou Weiqing's arrival had indeed made things at the academy really… interesting.
Chapter 184: Consolidating Equipment Master Followers (1)
Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations
One hour later, both Zhou Weiqing and Ming Hua were standing in the Principal's office. Along with them were two others, one was the noble student who first had his buttocks pierced by Zhou Weiqing's arrow, while the other was the class teacher of the noble student class.
At the moment, the only sound was the noble student's moans. Perhaps because this fellow had been struck in such a position, he had gotten relatively lucky during the beating earlier, as no one else touched him. At least, he had gotten off without any other bruises or broken bones.
Principal Cai Cai's expression was her usual calm, and her expression was unreadable. "Alright, tell me what went on?"
The noble student immediately cried out: "Principal, it's him! He instigated those commoner bastards to beat us up! And…and… he … he used an arrow to shoot my buttocks… he shot it all the way in… so deep!"
As soon as he said that, not just Cai Cai, Ming Hua and the noble class teacher's faces changed, even Zhou Weiqing's face twitched as he held in laughter.
Zhou Weiqing thought to himself in his heart: Bro, please do not say it in such a misleading manner… what shot it all the way in…
"Get out!" An angry light sparked in Cai Cai's eyes and she said solemnly.
The noble student wanted to say something else, but was quickly forced out by his class teacher.
Silence fell upon the entire office, so much so that even a pin dropped would have been heard. Cai Cai turned her gaze to Zhou Weiqing and said: "I never expected that we would meet so soon again, Zhou Weiqing. Speak then, what happened."
Zhou Weiqing used his sleeve to wipe his 'tears' as he said mournfully: "Principal, you must give us commoner students justice! You've heard that senior calling us commoner bastards… you can see what kind of attitude they have towards us. At that time, we were listening to Teacher Ming Hua's instructions to run around the main square's running track. At first, there was no issues, but all of a sudden, the seniors suddenly shot an arrow at one of our classmate. Even then, we did retaliate, and I even returned him the arrow. Who knew that the seniors suddenly said that moving targets are more fun than a set target. After that, they started shooting at us. I have to admit my mistake after that; as the class monitor, I needed to protect my classmates, as such I braved the arrow rain to argue with that. Who knew that the seniors said I was inciting trouble and starting beating me until I fell down. Under such circumstances, my classmates ran over to try and stop the fight, but was also beaten by the seniors. Alas, I have to say that these seniors do not have good physiques, although they were beating us up, they even fell down. Of course, I also have to admit that when we were being beaten, some of us resisted in self defence. Luckily, Teacher Ming Hua returned at the right time, otherwise I'm afraid…"
As he said that, our Class Monitor Zhou started sobbing, tears streaming down his cheeks. If the noble class teacher hadn't seen the injuries on his students, he might have even believed Zhou Weiqing.
Cai Cai looked towards Ming Hua and the male teacher and said: "Ming Hua, Wu Zhengyang, what about you two? What happened? As teachers, why weren't you there during class, allowing the two classes to fight?! Such a terrible situation has never happened in all the long history of our academy!"
Ming Hua lowered her head, with an aggrieved, wrong expression on her face, but did not say anything. Zhou Weiqing quickly said: "Principal, you cannot blame Teacher Ming Hua for that. Her 'Aunty' 1 came, and she had to go to the toilet. You know…"
Ming Hua and Cai Cai both flushed red, both glaring at him angrily. Cai Cai said angrily: "Why do you know everything huh? You get lost too!"
Zhou Weiqing quickly said: "Wait a minute, Principal. How about this? Although this situation isn't our class' fault, the noble seniors were still injured. I will pay all their medical fees, and will also bear all the punishment. Please do not punish my classmates, after all they were only dragged into the matter to save me. I'll also pay for my classmates' medical fees." As he said that, he placed a wooden box containing a set of Mid Level Consolidating Equipment Scrolls on the table. He then gave a polite bow towards Cai Cai before leaving the office.
The male teacher, Wu Zhengyang, furrowed his brow and said: "Principal, I have also looked into the situation and understood what happened simply. This situation is indeed started by my students, and it is their fault for starting it. However, these commoner students are indeed too savage. Out of the over forty students in my class, more than twenty have bones broken, and a few of them were severely injured. Even if they were in the wrong, there was no need to be so savage. The words of that student cannot be believed, when I reached the main square, although the commoner students seemed miserable, but their wounds were not serious at all. In the end, all of them managed to walk off themselves, while my students had to be carried away."
Ming Hua gave a cold laugh and said: "Teacher Wu, are you trying to say that my students should have been carried away, both sides to the point of death, before the situation is fair?!"
Wu Zhengyang said angrily: "Ming Hua, do not try to obscure the matter! Even if this situation has a wrong-doer, it is on both sides! Furthermore, my students have taken such a loss and injuries! All of them are from noble families, and if this isn't handled properly, it might give our academy a bad reputation."
"Enough…" Cai Cai interrupted Wu Zhengyang, saying passively: "I have already heard enough. Here is my decision."
Both Ming Hua and Wu Zhengyang immediately had a stern expression on their faces.
Cai Cai said sternly: "The noble student who started everything with the first arrow shall be expelled from the academy. As for the rest of the noble students, they will be given a big warning mark. If they break any other school rules, they will not be given another chance and expelled instantly. As for Zhou Weiqing, he will also be given a warning mark. As for the rest of the commoner class one, they will be given a scolding."
"What? Principal, that is not fair!" Wu Zhengyang cried out angrily: "My students' wounds are so heavy, yet their punishment is heavier! Principal, you…"
A cold light flashed in Cai Cai's eyes and she said coldly: "Wu Zhengyang, are you questioning my decision? Yesterday, Dean Xiao gave the order for the noble students not to touch the commoner students, and even gave a serious warning to their heads. Yet, today this happened. What does that mean? It means that these noble students aren't taking us seriously. If we do not deal with them seriously, where will our authority be? Since you already said that the matter started with your student, then what else is there to say? Furthermore, Ming Hua had a reason to not be there… but what about you? What is your reason for not being with your students during class times? If you were there, would this have happened? You now have two choices, the first is to take a pay cut for a year, and be investigated by the academy. The other is, I will allow you to tender your resignation."
When she said those words, Cai Cai's tone was stern and resolute, a cold light dancing in her eyes.
Wu Zhengyang's face changed quickly, and he finally said weakly: "As per Principal's instructions."
"Leave then." Cai Cai waved her hands. Wu Zhengyang turned to leave, and as he did so, Ming Hua could clearly see his body quivering a little.
After Wu Zhengyang left, only Ming Hua and Cai Cai were left in the office. Ming Hua sat down onto the chair, saying exasperatedly: "Sister Cai Cai, that little brat Zhou Weiqing is just such a trouble maker. How could you let him off so easily?"
Cai Cai said: "What else could I do but to let him off? Whether or not he was faking it, at least in terms of the basic reasoning, he is still on the side of reason. Hua Hua, you really had it today?"
"No, that little rascal was just talking rubbish." Ming Hua flushed red.
Cai Cai's brow furrowed. "That Zhou Weiqing is really not anything good as well. If not for the fact he is a Consolidating Equipment Master, I would have sent him to the Heavenly Jewel Master Academy. Go back and give him a serious warning, if he causes trouble again in school, I won't forgive him so easily."
As she said that, Cai Cai opened the wooden box that Zhou Weiqing had left behind, taking out a scroll to have a look. "Mid Level Consolidating Equipment Scroll… He sure is willing to spend on that. I heard that he also sold two sets to Ye Paopao this morning. Hua hua, you need to keep a close eye on him, and if he causes trouble again, I will deal with him seriously!"
…
When Zhou Weiqing returned to the class, he was greeted by cheers and hails like a returning hero.
"Boss, you are just too great! I have always wanted to beat up those noble bastards! This time I really had a great time, I even broke two of their legs."
"Haha, indeed! That felt so good. Especially when those teachers ran over to see us crying on the ground, and thought what had happened to us."
"Damn, I was too kind! I should have used Heavenly Energy when hitting them. Next time, if there is another opportunity, I shall not let it go!"
If the original relation between Zhou Weiqing and his classmates was just a matter of getting benefits from him, then this brawl had changed it. Everyone seemed closed to one another, especially after Zhou Weiqing had led them in that final acting scene that was still so fresh in their minds. They were also given the image that following Zhou Weiqing not only meant no worries for Consolidating Equipment, Skill Storing, but also being free of bullies! In that instant, Zhou Weiqing's image and presence in their hearts grew immensely.
"Little Fatty, is everything okay?" Shangguan Bing'er asked concernedly.
Zhou Weiqing laughed heartily and said: "It's all settled, do not worry, there should be no big problems. After all, they were the ones who started the trouble. In any case, if any teachers ask you about your injuries or status, all of you just insist that you sustained internal injuries. Hmph. Whoever dares to provoke and come after our class, we will let them get more than what they bargained for. Only if we hit them where it hurts, then will they learn to fear us. Alright, since we can leave early today, let's all leave then. Remember to train and cultivate hard when you return to your dorm rooms; if you want to feel good like today, the most important thing is strength! After all, might is of extreme importance in this world. As for Consolidating Equipment and Skill Storing, do not worry about it as you can leave it to me, you all just have to concentrate on cultivating hard.
"Yes, boss!" Everyone shouted out almost at the same time, giving Zhou Weiqing a scare. In the next instant, the entire class was filled with joyous cries. That cry of boss was indeed heartfelt.
Chapter 185: Consolidating Equipment Master Followers (2)
Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations
After milling with their classmates for a while, Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing'er left the academy. He knew that this turn of events would spread his name even further throughout the academy, and the noble students would hate him even more. WIthout question, this would bring him some more trouble, but at the same time, it would also hasten the process of bringing the commoner students to his side. Alas, he would not know until the time came whether or not how many of them would actually follow him back to the Heavenly Bow Empire. Well, he had planted the seeds and placed his bets, and he could only take things step by step from now on. The ultimate key still lay in him improving his Consolidating Equipment Master level. With his Spatial, Time and Wind Attributes combination, with sufficient Heavenly Energy, it was possible for him to start working towards becoming a High Level Consolidating Equipment Master. As for being a Consolidating Equipment Grandmaster, it would at least require him to be at minimum the four-Jeweled cultivation level, while a Zong Stage Consolidating Equipment Master would have to be at least six-Jeweled. That was something that would not be possible in a short period of time.
"Bing'er, let's find some place to buy more materials for Consolidating Equipment Scrolls, I've finished all of my current materials…" Zhou Weiqing told her.
Shangguan Bing'er said: "Then we need to go home first�� look at you, all dusty and dirty, how can you go out and buy things like that!"
Zhou Weiqing looked at Shangguan Bing'er who was also covered in dust, and grinned: "Bing'er, shall we two bathe together?"
Shangguan Bing'er looked at him exasperatedly and said: "You can bathe together with Da Huang and Er Huang!"
Very quickly, both of them returned to their home. Naturally, such manual work like drawing water was taken up by Zhou Weiqing; there was a well in the courtyard where he could draw the water from. He first helped Shangguan Bing'er draw a bath full of water so she could start bathing first. Of course, this fellow had thoughts of peeking, but Shangguan Bing'er's hearing was too good, and she had been well trained and experienced in the Heavenly Bow Unit, and his success rate was just too low.
By the time he had drawn a bath for himself, he returned to his room, grabbed hold of the little white tiger Fat Cat, and threw it into the bath.
"Wuuu Wuuuu" Fat Cat cried angrily, struggling to get out, but Zhou Weiqing had quickly stripped off his clothes, jumped in and hugged it.
"Little Fat Cat, it's time for you to get a bath! You're much cuter when you're washed a nice clean white! Sigh… Bing'er refuses to take a bath with me, so I'm left with you to join me. After all, you're at least a female. Arrghhh, how can you bite me! See if I don't smack you good…"
After playing around for a while, Zhou Weiqing finally finished his bath. As soon as he opened the door, Fat Cat bolted like a bolt of lightning back into the room, ignoring Zhou Weiqing's calls.
Zhou Weiqing was wearing a fresh set of clothings, and he twisted his mouth in disdain and said: "It's just a bath, what's there to be embarrassed about."
Shangguan Bing'er stood in the courtyard combing her long hair, and said to him exasperatedly: "You're bullying little Fat Cat again! You're so bad, hmph. Be careful one day it turns big and beats you up!"
Zhou Weiqing grinned and said: "No it won't, Fat Cat's my beloved pet. No need to fret, it will forget by the time we return." As he said that, this rascal looked upon Shangguan Bing'er's fresh beauty after her bath, and couldn't help but take a big gulp of saliva. Moving closer, he tried to get intimate with her, but she quickly sidestepped him swiftly.
"Wuuu wuuu, wuuu wuuu…" Fat Cat cried out angrily in the room, scratching the walls with its claws. Ahhh! AHHHH! I want to kill that shameless rascal!
Zhou Weiqing said to Shangguan Bing'er: "We should bring Da Huang, Er Huang and Fat Cat along when we go out, just in case those noble students try to take revenge, we will still be able to fight back."
Shangguan Bing'er nodded and headed back in with the Spatial Ring to store Da Huang and Er Huang. As for Zhou Weiqing, he grinned and headed back into his room.
"My dear Fat Cat, come on, come to bro's embrace… Bro will bring you out to play!"
"Wuu wuu." Fat Cat turned its head around, ignoring him.
Zhou Weiqing gave a humph and said: "Hurry up, don't make me repeat myself, or when we return tonight, I'll give you a biology lesson!"
Fat Cat glared at Zhou Weiqing for a moment, but gave up in the end, jumping onto his shoulder unhappily before dropping down into his arms.
After the bath, Fat Cat smelled good, and was soft and comfortable in his arms. Twitching a little, it settled comfortably, and did not make any other sound. Only then did Zhou Weiqing walk out satisfied.
The reason why he wanted to bring along the two Icy Soul Heavenly Bears and Fat Cat was due to his fight with Ming Wu. He had truly realised how weak he was compared to many in the world. The two bears were at least Zun Stage Heavenly Beasts, and in terms of combat potential, they were no weaker than he or Shangguan Bing'er. As for Fat Cat, it was even stronger, having given him many surprises before. With them along, if any unforeseen dangers arose, they would at least be better able to react and escape.
In such a large city like the Fei Li City, it was definitely not difficult to find a place to buy things. After asking around, Zhou Weiqing quickly found a suitable place.
Right in the east of the city, there was an area where all Jewel Masters gathered to trade, and was commonly called the Jewel Master Trade Center. It was set up by the Fei Li Empire, and was used by all Jewel Masters to trade for all their requirements, and had almost everything stocked up. In fact, even the Skill Storing Palace sold Skill Storing qualifications here.
The Jewel Master Trade Center was not a single building, but was an entire area. Within this area, there were over a hundred shops selling various goods or materials that Jewel Masters required, just like a bustling market area. It was barely 2 kilometres from the academies, after all the academy students were also a big portion of the market.
"Hello, may both of you please show your membership cards?" Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing'er had just reached the entrance of the Jewel Master Trade Center when they were stopped by the employees. The entire Trade Centre was surrounded by a tall wall enclosure, and the only way to enter was through the four large doors each on a side of wall. The one they entered through was the south door.
"We need membership cards to buy from this place?" Zhou Weiqing asked the employees curiously.
The employee saw their academy uniforms and smiled, saying: "Yea, all the guests purchasing anything from this area require a membership card. It also acts as a gold storage card, and all transactions here can only be done using it. This is to prevent anyone from causing trouble in the area, especially in the auction houses. It is extremely easy to register for a membership card, with the membership fees of a basic level member being a thousand gold per annum. The membership fees are waived for Heavenly Jewel Masters, however no matter what, there is a requirement to top up at least ten thousand gold coins. If you top up more than a hundred thousand gold coins at once, you will be upgraded to a mid level member; so on and so forth." Seeing that Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing'er were wearing commoner uniforms, he did not elaborate further on the expenses of a high level member or beyond.
Zhou Weiqing said exasperatedly: "They sure know how to earn money! Well, we'll register for two mid level member cards."
The employee was rather surprised that commoner students would have so much on them, but quickly and efficiently registered the cards from them. Zhou Weiqing planned to buy quite a lot of things, so he decided to top up two hundred out of the five hundred thousand he had gotten from Ye Paopao today, in preparations for his massive purchases later.
Holding the blue mid level membership cards, the two of them finally entered the Trade Center.
The buildings of the shops within the Trading Center all looked alike, all two-storey little buildings with a red roof and white walls, rather unique from the rest of Fei Li City. Of course, they did differ in size, but none of them actually had names, with just a big number in front of their shop. The lanes in the Trade Center were rather wide, paved in brick. Horse carriages were not allowed in here, as such there was a lot of space on the roads, and on the crossroads there were some simple but elegant carvings erected, adding some culture to the overall look.
Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing'er had just started looking for a shop to enter when they were attracted by a small crowd in front of them. There weren't that many people in the trading center, but they saw a crowd of several dozens when they turned a corner.
"Let's go have a look as well." Zhou Weiqing pulled Shangguan Bing'er forward excitedly. Although their fees seemed rather exorbitant, he still had quite a good impression of the entire area, at least there was some guarantee of the quality of items purchased, at least in terms of no fakes.
As the two of them quickly walked towards the crowd, Zhou Weiqing was able to easily see what was going on due to his height advantage. It was a shop, numbered 76, and there was a sign hung outside the door, with the words – 'High Level Consolidating Equipment Master Yun Li, Lower Level Zun Stage Heavenly Jewel Master – Accepting Followers.'
Under the sign, there was a long wooden desk, and the person seated behind was a man of around thirty years of age. He was dressed in a Heavenly Jewel Master robes, with short black hair and relatively handsome features. His eyes had an arrogant hint in them, and as he sat on the chair looking upon the crowd.
On the table, there was also a small wooden sign, with this written upon it: "Followers Requirement: 3 Jeweled or higher Heavenly Jewel Masters, or Five Jeweled or above for other Jewel Masters. Priority for Lifetime followers, those below thirty years of age, or ladies. Accepting five followers in total."
This was the first time Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing'er had seen something like this, and they were extremely curious. Zhou Weiqing turned to a middle aged man near him and asked: "This big bro, what does he mean by that? I can understand accepting followers, but why are there so many restrictions? What does Lifetime Followers mean, and are there different sorts?"
The middle aged man said in reply: "Master Yun Li is the youngest High Level Consolidating Equipment Master in our entire city; naturally he has the draw to have more stringent requirements for his Followers. There are two types of Followers usually, the first is Temporary Followers, and the other would be Lifetime Followers. For the former, they would only sign a temporary contract, sealed by a Darkness Attribute Heavenly Jewel Master, and would only be a follower for a certain stated period of time. As for Lifetime Followers, as the name suggests, it would be similar to the lifetime bonds that entail entering the Skill Storing Palace. Naturally, the higher level or higher the potential of a Consolidating Equipment Master, the higher the requirements they have for Followers. Master Yun Li is still so young, and will definitely become a Grandmaster or even a Zong Stage Consolidating Equipment Master in the future."
"To become his follower is definitely an honour. Little brother, you are also a Jewel Master right, but it's likely that your cultivation level isn't sufficient for Master Yun Li. What a shame, Master Yun Li has just started his look, and it's likely that before long, those who want to apply will likely flock here, and must pass Master Yun Li's test first…
Chapter 186: Consolidating Equipment Master Followers (3)
Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations
A notion struck Zhou Weiqing and he asked: "Is there some limit to the number of Followers a Consolidating Equipment Master can bind?"
The middle aged man replied: "Not really, there isn't a direct limit. However, a follower's cultivation requirements and daily needs are paid for by the Consolidating Equipment Master. As such, it is very rare that a Consolidating Equipment Master would bind more than five Followers, as it would put too much pressure on them as well. However, their Followers are likely powerful beings in their own right. For example, those Zong Stage Consolidating Equipment Masters, most likely their Follower are also Zong Stage Heavenly Jewel Masters or the like, and they may not even want ordinary Jewel Masters as their Followers. It's possible Master Yun Li has something urgent to do, otherwise with his potential, he wouldn't be accepting ordinary Jewel Masters to be his Followers.
Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing'er exchanged looks, and he muttered to himself: "That's possible?! Damn! I have lost out indeed!" If he had known this earlier, he wouldn't have given his classmates such a great deal, instead coming out to gather more Followers!
Although he was currently only a Mid Level Consolidating Equipment Master, he was not far from reaching the rank of High Level, and would not take much time in doing so. Furthermore, his speed in creating Consolidating Equipment Scrolls far outstripped any others, and was more than sufficient to support a large number of Followers.
"Lost out in?" The middle aged man looked at Zhou Weiqing curiously.
Zhou Weiqing said: "Big bro, is it that every shop can display a sign like that to gather Followers?"
The middle aged man nodded and said: "Yes, it is a great way for the shop to gather fame and more business, of course every shop would want to be chosen by a Consolidating Equipment Master to host them."
Zhou Weiqing's eyes twirled as he said: "Then I shall look for a shop too." As he said that, he grabbed hold of Shangguan Bing'er and turned to leave.
"Wait, wait. Little bro, what do you mean?" The middle aged man held hold of Zhou Weiqing in surprise. "Do you mean to say that you are also a Consolidating Equipment Master? You're looking to get some Followers?"
Zhou Weiqing grinned and said: "Yup! Why? Do I not look the part?"
The middle aged man furrowed his brow and said: "You really do not. Little bro, you look to be barely twenty. Let me tell you, normally Disciple level Consolidating Equipment Masters aren't able to attract many Followers. After all, no one can be certain of your future potential. It is only at least a Mid Level Consolidating Equipment Master that has qualification to start attracting Followers. Naturally, the younger and the higher rank, the higher quality the Followers attracted."
Zhou Weiqing stuck his chest out and said proudly: "I AM a Mid Level Consolidating Equipment Master. Who made the rule that someone young cannot be a Consolidating Equipment Master? Big Bro, thanks for your tips, but please do not hold me back. I'm going to look for a shop to do the same, otherwise all the outstanding Heavenly Jewel Masters might be taken up!"
The middle aged man stared in shock before saying: "You… you're really a Mid Level Consolidating Equipment Master?" In his memory, he had never seen or heard of such a young Mid Level Consolidating Equipment Master.
Zhou Weiqing said: "Of course!"
The middle aged man said: "Then come with me." As he said that, he turned around, leading Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing'er to the shop right beside, with the number 77 on it.
"Little bro… let me ask you one more time… you really are a Mid Level Consolidating Equipment Master? Do not joke around with me okay, or my face will be all thrown out!"
Zhou Weiqing looked at the shop numbered 77, and said: "Big Bro, this shop is yours?"
The middle aged man nodded and said: "Yes it is. Sigh, today's business is terrible, that lucky fellow from 76 has gotten it all. If you really are a Mid Level Consolidating Equipment Master, then there's nothing else to say. If you open your stand in front of my shop, I will give you a 20 percent discount from now on when you buy from me… that's the treatment of a High Level Membership Card!"
Zhou Weiqing grinned and said: "Alright, that sounds good. I'll set up a stand in front of your shop then. I'll need a table like that, and the sign can just be the same as his. Besides that, could you please get me a small wooden sign like his, but I'll write that one on my own."
The middle aged man nodded and said: "That's simple, I'll go prepare it now. Let's introduce ourselves first, My name is Qin Feng, you can just call me Bro Qin."
Zhou Weiqing said: "My name is Zhou Weiqing, you can just call me by my name. Bro Qin, I'll trouble you to help me prepare the items then."
Qin Feng looked deeply at Zhou Weiqing, his heart rather perturbed. If this young man was lying to him, then his reputation would be ruined. However, he was also under much stress, as lately the shop 76 had been taking all the business around due to the influence of Master Yun Li. In the past month, he had barely gotten ten customers. The rent in this Trading Center was after all extremely expensive, and his number 77 shop was one of the larger ones, and had a rather frightening monthly rent. If this lack of business continued for too long, he would have to close down.
Naturally, Zhou Weiqing saw the hesitation in his eyes, and smiled. Lifting up his hands, he circulated his Heavenly Energy and released his Heavenly Jewels.
Three Icy Jade Physical Jewels appeared on his right wrist, and three Gold-Green Cat's Eye Jewel (disguised) appeared on his left wrist, displayed out for Qin Feng to see.
"Upper Level Heavenly Shi Master, Spatial Attribute, that is at least the basis of a Mid Level Consolidating Equipment Master, right?" Zhou Weiqing smiled and said.
Seeing the three pairs of Heavenly Jewels on Zhou Weiqing, Qin Feng's eyes brightened. In the Jewel Master world, power was of utmost importance, and for Zhou Weiqing who looked so young to already have three Jewels already spoke volumes. A Heavenly Jewel Master wouldn't usually go around lying to others, let alone when there wouldn't be any self benefit in doing so.
"It's my fault for being too suspicious. Little brother, wait here, I'll prepare everything quickly." After saying that, Qin Feng rushed into his shop.
As soon as he left, Shangguan Bing'er turned to Zhou Weiqing and asked uncertainly: "Little Fatty, why are you looking for Followers now? We currently do not need any Followers right?"
Zhou Weiqing grinned and said: "There aren't that many Heavenly Jewel Masters, and if they Follow someone else, they will be lost to us. Since we are already here, we might as well get a few Heavenly Jewel Master Followers, that will also be the roots of our Heavenly Bow Empire's future. Bing'er, do not worry, your husband is extremely talented, and my speed at creating Consolidating Equipment Scrolls is also much faster than normal. Even with a conservative estimate, I can easily maintain a hundred Jewel Masters' Consolidating Equipment and Skill Storing needs without any problems."
Shangguan Bing'er looked at Zhou Weiqing and said gently: "I just do not want you to experience so much hardship. Little Fatty, I can feel that you are under a lot of stress, and if possible, let me share some of it okay?"
Zhou Weiqing fell silent a while, before saying solemnly: "Bing'er, do you know the feeling I had when I see how weak our country is? That feeling of urgency? Everybody looks down on us, even when we come to our ally, Fei Li Empire, our nobles are treated as commoners. I do not know what I can do in the future, or how well I can do, but I will do my utmost to strengthen our Heavenly Bow Empire. My father said to me once, only when there is stress and pressure will you have the motivation to work hard, and this is so true. In truth, you do not have to do anything else, just staying by my side and letting me see you everyday eases my fatigue and makes me feel much better."
Shangguan Bing'er held hold of Zhou Weiqing's hands, smiling gently.
Qing Feng was indeed extremely efficient in doing things, and very soon the table Zhou Weiqing had requested for was placed out, along with the small wooden board, brush and ink for him to write. As for the large sign to be hung outside, it was being created in the shop, and should be done pretty soon.
There were more and more people gathering around Yun Li to watch, and the interviews and tests had begun. Zhou Weiqing thought for a while, before picking up the brush and writing furiously.
As soon as the large horizontal sign was complete, Qin Feng got his two employees to hang it up. On it was written: 'The Continent's youngest Mid Level Consolidating Equipment Master, Zhou Weiqing, is recruiting Followers!'
The sign was not exaggerated at all, at least it was what Qin Feng had determined with his own eyes. However, when he saw what Zhou Weiqing had written on his wooden board, he sucked in a deep breath, thinking to himself in exclamation: That's too exaggerated!
"Accepting Followers, no limit on numbers, but only looking for 2-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Masters and higher. Want to have Consolidating Equipment Sets? Want to have Socketing Scrolls? A future God Tier Consolidating Equipment Master is now before your eyes. Your opportunity is here, do not miss it!"
For the rest of the words, it was still fine, but Zhou Weiqing had written the words 'God Tier' in an extra huge font. If it were up to Qin Feng to describe, this little rascal was literally treating God Tier Consolidating Equipment Masters like cabbages 1!
Alas, before Qin Feng could persuade him to change the words, Zhou Weiqing had already started shouting into the crowd: "Come, have a look! A Future God Tier Consolidating Equipment Master is looking for Followers! It's a once in a lifetime opportunity, if you pass this up, you will regret it for life!"
As Zhou Weiqing shouted, he swaggered over to his seat behind the table to sit down, with an arrogant air that was more than a match to the High Level Consolidating Equipment Master Yun Li at the other side.
With his shouting, he actually managed to draw much attention. However, most of the people swept a glance at his sign and turned back disdainfully. The words 'God Tier' had in fact gotten the reverse reaction.
"I say… Old Qin… where did you get this clown? Let's not say whether or not he is even truly a Mid Level Consolidating Equipment Master, even if he is, what does he take God Tier Consolidating Equipment Masters as? Even if he wants to blow his own trumpet, he should boast about something more believable!"
Right at that moment, a middle aged man of over forty who was not far from them sniggered and mocked at Qin Feng.
Qin Feng glanced and him and gave a cold humph: "Zhou Changxi, can you tell the future? How do you know that my little bro here cannot become a God Tier Consolidating Equipment Master in the future? Have you ever seen such a young Mid Level Consolidating Equipment Master? I'm afraid that even Master Yun Li wasn't the same level as him at this age." By now, Qin Feng was already forced into the same boat as Zhou Weiqing, and had no choice but to defend him. After all, he had already brought him out to fight, naturally he would do so to the end. This Zhou Changxi was the boss of the shop number 76.
Zhou Changxi laughed and said: "Very good, very good. Bro Yun Li, did you hear that? They claim that there's a genius Consolidating Equipment Master here that's even more talented than you!"
"Oh?" A cold, proud voice sounded out, and as the crowd parted, Yun Li walked over, an arrogant look on his face.
Chapter 187: Battle Between Consolidating Equipment Masters! (1)
Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations
As Master Yun Li walked slowly towards Zhou Weiqing's desk, he saw the words written on the sign, and a look of scorn and disgust appeared in his expression. Lifting his hands, the air seemed to twist and ripple, and the sign was actually torn into pieces.
"What are you doing?" Shangguan Bing'er cried out angrily, but was held back by Zhou Weiqing.
Zhou Weiqing looked at Yun Li lazily, and Yun Li said coldly: "I could not care less whether or not you want to gather Followers here, but do not insult the name of God Tier Consolidating Equipment Masters. How old are you? Are you even twenty? You dare claim you are a Mid Level Consolidating Equipment Master?"
Zhou Weiqing smiled and said: "Claim? Have you even tested the fact?" Yun Li scoffed disdainfully, turning to leave, as if speaking to Zhou Weiqing was an insult to him.
Zhou Weiqing laughed and said loudly: "So you're just a braggart who talks loudly but has no real ability."
Yun Li turned back savagely, a cold light in his eyes. Around his right hands, four pure Dragonstone Jade Physical Jewels appeared, denoting his Attribute of Agility, just like Shangguan Bing'er. As for his left hand, he did not hide his Elemental Jewels, it was naturally four Gold-Green Cat's Eye Spatial Jewels.
"Little Brat, what did you call me a useless braggart?"
Zhou Weiqing twisted his mouth and said: "Yes, I did. You're just a High Level Consolidating Equipment Master, yet you're so arrogant, who do you think you are?" 1
Yun Li's right hand lifted up swiftly like a bolt of lightning, as if wanting to take action, but he forcibly stopped himself. With a deadly cold in his eyes, he snarled: "If this wasn't in the Trading Centre where we aren't allowed to take action, I would have made you pay for your words. If you dare, come out with me."
Zhou Weiqing laughed heartily and said challengingly: "Why? You can't rebut my words and you want to kill me off instead? To think you call yourself a Consolidating Equipment Master. If you dare, let's compete with our Consolidating Equipment Master skills."
Hearing his words, Yun Li calmed down instead, saying solemnly: "How do you want to compete?"
Zhou Weiqing said: "I'll come up with the competition. If I lose, I do not need you to take action, I will commit suicide. If you lose, I want you to become my Lifetime Follower. I'm using my life to bet against your freedom. My Consolidating Equipment Master rank is lower than yours, it isn't a stretch for me to be the one to come up with the competition right? Of course, if you do not dare, you can just get lost, and stop acting like a big shot in front of me."
"Bro Yun Li, calm down, do not fall for his tricks." The boss of shop 76, Zhou Changxi, had arrived beside Yun Li, whispering to him in caution.
Yun Li waved his hands, stopping Zhou Changxi. He was extremely confident in his own abilities as a Consolidating Equipment Master. After all, he had the name of the youngest High Level Consolidating Equipment Master, and it had boosted his confidence to the peak.
"Alright, I will bet with you. As long as it is a competition to do with Consolidating Equipment Scrolls, I will accept it." Although Yun Li was rash, he was no fool, ensuring that Zhou Weiqing could only come up with a competition regarding Consolidating Equipment Scrolls. In his eyes, even if Zhou Weiqing was really a Mid Level Consolidating Equipment Master, he would still not be able to compete with him in this regard.
Zhou Weiqing smiled and said: "Alright, in that case, I won't take advantage of you as well. We should compete in three different competitions, and whoever wins two will win it all. I will come up with the first two competitions, and you will come up with the last one, that is fair right? Everyone around here shall be our witnesses. I believe that with Master Yun Li's status, he will keep his word right."
Yun Li gave a cold humph and said: "I agree, you can come up with the first competition now. Just do not be too afraid to commit suicide later."
Zhou Weiqing was just about to open his mouth, but was suddenly stopped by the worried Shangguan Bing'er. "Little Fatty, how can you bet your life with him… you…"
Zhou Weiqing's face changed and he said angrily: "When men are speaking, why are you interrupting, move aside." As he said that, he gave Bing'er a signal with his eyes.
Despite that, Shangguan Bing'er was still uneasy, and wanted to continue saying something, but Zhou Weiqing had already spoken out on the first competition."
"Old Bro Yun Li, I am a Mid Level Consolidating Equipment Master, while you are a High Level one. As such, let's compete on creating a set of Mid Level Consolidating Equipment Scrolls
Originally, Yun Li thought that Zhou Weiqing would give some weird problem, and didn't expect such a normal competition. As such, he couldn't help but feel that victory was going to be easy, and gave a cold humph before saying: "Fine, as you wish. How about this, as long as you prove that you are a Mid Level Consolidating Equipment Master, even if you lose, I do not want your death. Let's change it to the same bet, you will become my Lifetime Follower, lest anyone says I am taking advantage of you." He had calmed down a little, and if Zhou Weiqing was really a Mid Level Consolidating Equipment Master, it would be much more beneficial for him to have him as a Follower than to kill him off.
He was still sneering scornfully in his heart, after all creating Consolidating Equipment Scrolls quickly was his speciality, after all he was an Agility Physical Jewel master. Adding to the fact he was of a higher rank, he could not see any possibility that he would lose this first competition.
Hearing Yun Li say that, Shangguan Bing'er relaxed a little, finally giving up the notion of stopping Zhou Weiqing. Although she knew in her heart that Zhou Weiqing would not bet his life without absolute confidence, she was still extremely nervous. Now that she heard Yun Li say that he wouldn't take Zhou Weiqing's life, she finally calmed down and would no longer try to convince him. From Zhou Weiqing's trademark smile on his face, she could tell that he had some sneaky plan up his sleeve.
Zhou Weiqing turned towards Qin Feng and said: "Big Bro Qin, could you please prepare the required Consolidating Paper and materials for Consolidating Ink? I will create it myself later, and I'll pay for them."
Qin Feng laughed heartily and said: "That small amount of money isn't anything, our Shop 77 will provide the materials for free."
If one had to pick the happiest person in the entire area, it would definitely be Qin Feng. No matter who ultimately won the competition, it had no great effect on him. However, this bet between two Consolidating Equipment Masters would naturally draw a huge crowd, and his shop 77 would naturally benefit from the attention as well. With that increase in business to look forward to, it was an easy decision to just provide some free materials. Naturally, Zhou Changxi would not lose to him, and also provided Yun Li with free materials as well.
In a matter of minutes, Yun Li's table had been moved over, and both sat down facing each other. Without further words, both took out a sheet of Consolidating Paper, and started their designing a Mid Level Consolidating Equipment Scroll.
The design that Zhou Weiqing drew was the bow he had made for Kou Rui yesterday. That bow was modified from his Overlord Bow, removing the socket, reducing some power and draw. The Overlord Bow was a Grandmaster level Consolidating Equipment Scroll, and even after modification, it was still one of the more complicated ones amongst Mid Level Consolidating Equipment Scrolls.
Chapter 188: Battle Between Consolidating Equipment Masters! (2)
Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations
Seeing Zhou Weiqing focus fully on designing a Consolidating Equipment Scroll, only then did the surrounding audience believe in his Consolidating Equipment Master status. Originally, none of the audience had believed he could win, but now their hearts were rather shaken. After all, Zhou Weiqing looked unbelievably young for a Mid Level Consolidating Equipment Master. His future potential was immeasurable.
In terms of design, as a High Level Consolidating Equipment Master, Yun Li was naturally quick to complete a Mid Level Consolidating Equipment Scroll Design. As for Zhou Weiqing, he also slowed down on purpose, completing his design a few minutes after Yun Li.
As the two exchanged their designs and examined it closely, both their faces changed. Zhou Weiqing's design was naturally rather complicated, but Yun Li's design was no simple one either, a huge shield. Zhou Weiqing could instantly see that it was a shield suited for an Earth Attribute Heavenly Jewel Master, and only for Heavenly Jewel Masters. It was right at the limit of Mid Level Consolidating Equipment Scrolls, just a fine line from being a High Level Consolidating Equipment Scroll. This Yun Li might seem arrogant and rash, but he was in truth very cautious. After all, this bet was regarding his own freedom.
Yun Li lifted his head to look at Zhou Weiqing, and Zhou Weiqing did the same thing. As they looked at each other, Yun Li said solemnly: "Let's begin then."
Zhou Weiqing said: "Alright."
After the simple agreement, both turned around simultaneously, each telling the respective shopkeepers the required ingredients.
"3 Plumed Feathers from the Red Sword Bird, a Blue Peak Stone, a Waxy Jade, a gram of diamonds, a Heavenly Core from a Great Earth Monitor Lizard…" Zhou Weiqing quickly listed out the various items that he needed. "… they need to be ground together into dust, and also prepare a bowl of Great Earth Monitor Lizard Blood."
Qin Feng quickly noted down the materials required, and headed back into the shop to prepare them. After all, these were just the materials for Mid Level Consolidating Equipment Scrolls, and this was the heart of the Trading Centre, and they definitely had many materials stocked up.
At the other side, Yun Li had also told Zhou Changxi the materials he required, and while Zhou Changxi and Qin Feng were busy preparing the materials, Zhou Weiqing and Yun Li both looked at each other once more.
Yun Li said calmly: "Looks like I have underestimated you. Just from the design alone, I admit that you are truly a Mid Level Consolidating Equipment Master."
Zhou Weiqing laughed heartily and said: "Then do you want to know how old I am? I don't mind telling you… I am not even seventeen years old yet. Have you ever seen a sixteen year old Mid Level Consolidating Equipment Master? If you haven't, what basis do you have to say that I won't become a God Tier Consolidating Equipment Master in the future?" Zhou Weiqing naturally did not waste the chance to strike at his opponent's confidence.
Yun Li's face changed slightly, but he continued saying coldly: "It's still too early to say anything. We shall know after our bet is concluded."
Zhou Weiqing grinned, a sly look on his face.
After a short wait, both sides had finally prepared the ingredients for the Consolidating Ink, and the final preparation of the Ink had to be done by the respective Consolidating Equipment Masters. This was one of the most important skills of a Consolidating Equipment Master, not only having to infuse the Spatial Attribute Heavenly Energy at the right times, and having the exact right amount to join the mix.
In this aspect, naturally Zhou Weiqing could not compare to Yun Li. After all, he had more than ten years experience ahead of Zhou Weiqing.
By the time Yun Li had completed his Consolidating Ink and had started on his first scroll, Zhou Weiqing was still carefully creating his Consolidating Ink. Shangguan Bing'er and Qin Feng furrowed their brows in worry. As for the surrounding audience, all of them remained dead silent, knowing that under such a circumstance, they should definitely not do anything to disturb either of the Consolidating Equipment Masters hard at work. Not to mention the fact it was common courtesy, just the danger of offending a talented Consolidating Equipment Master was not something that they could afford to do.
In creating any new set of Consolidating Equipment Scrolls, the first sheet was naturally the most difficult. Seeing that he had completed his Consolidating Ink way before Zhou Weiqing, Yun Li felt at ease. He did not try to rush things, and took his time to carefully draw the first Consolidating Equipment Scroll. He wanted to put stability as his priority, at least for the first one, and once he got used to it, he could pick up his speed.
According to his estimate, to complete such a set of Consolidating Equipment Scrolls would take him about eight hours. This was already the limit that a High Level Consolidating Equipment Master like him could reach, and in expending such energy and effort in doing so at such high speeds, he would have to rest at least half a month to fully recover to his peak.
After all, creating Consolidating Equipment Scrolls took a toll on the spirit, otherwise Huyan Aobo would not be just creating 2-3 sets per year.
Zhou Weiqing was the only exception to this. To him, as long as he had completed a Consolidating Equipment Scroll once, from the second onwards it was a robotic process. With his Time Attribute's fine control, he did not need to put his full concentration, that was the reason why he could churn them out at such speeds. Unless another person had to two great attributes like him, Time and Spatial, only then would they be able to duplicate his process. Yet, the Time Attribute was one of the rarest attributes, and how could Yun Li possibly guess that he had it.
Soon, an hour had passed. By then, Yun Li had already spent much time just drawing the scroll, and Zhou Weiqing had just managed to finish creating the Consolidating Ink.
Just like Yun Li's focus on stability, Zhou Weiqing was the same. However, his stability was focused on creating his Consolidating Ink; after all, as long as he did not have any errors with his Consolidating Ink, how could anyone compare in speed to his creating of Consolidating Equipment Scrolls?
Besides Qin Feng and Shangguan Bing'er who were worried for Zhou Weiqing, and Zhou Changxi on the other side who was full of glee, all the other audience members were just watching happily, glad to widen their horizons. After all, it was a rare chance to be able to just watch a Consolidating Equipment Master at work, let alone two! As such, no one was willing to leave, and as more people gathered to watch, a huge crowd was soon present.
Zhou Weiqing soon started on his first scroll, while Yun Li was already more than halfway through his first. It had to be said that Yun Li was indeed very talented in creating Consolidating Equipment Scrolls, with nary a sign of making a mistake despite it being his first time. His hands were stable and firm, unwavering and calm. It seemed that it would not be long before he completed his first scroll. He truly befitted his reputation in the Fei Li City.
Zhou Weiqing did not have the time to watch his opponent. After all, creating the first scroll was something just as important to him. Taking a deep breath, his twelve energy whirlpools at his opened Death Acupuncture Points whirling at top speed, frantically drawing in energy from the atmosphere, as his attribute wheel moved to the silver area, and a dim silver light dimly encircled the tip of his Consolidating Brush. Dipping it slightly into his Consolidating Ink, he started on drawing on the first scroll.
When creating the first scroll, despite having the Wind and Time Attribute to aid him, Zhou Weiqing was no faster than Yun Li. This was the difference in experience between a Mid Level and High Level Consolidating Equipment Master.
Another hour passed…
A gold flash filled the area, and Yun Li let loose a breath. His first Scroll was finally complete.
Due to the pressure from the bet, Yun Li felt like this was the first time he had concentrated so hard, and gone so fast in creating a new Consolidating Equipment Scroll. He felt that he had improved. He mused to himself that he was yet another step closer to reaching the status of Grandmaster, wondering if he could do so before the age of thirty-five. If he managed to do so, he might even have the chance to attempt to break through to the Zong Stage Consolidating Equipment Master before the age of fifty, which would even give him the chance to attempt at reaching God Tier!
He took a quick glance at Zhou Weiqing. Being very experienced with the design that he had given Zhou Weiqing, he naturally could tell with a glance that Zhou Weiqing was only a third into the scroll.
Filled with a fresh burst of confidence, Yun Li was confident he had the win in his grasp. In his happiness, he did not even stop to rest, starting immediately on his second scroll. There was an obvious increase in speed when he did so, as his brush swiftly swept across the scroll, silver light flashing. In a matter of minutes, his second scroll was complete.
In creating a set of Consolidating Equipment Scrolls, he naturally grew faster as he gained more experienced. Another hour passed, and Yun Li had just finished his sixteenth scroll, while Zhou Weiqing had only just finished his first scroll.
At this moment, everyone, even Shangguan Bing'er and Qin Feng, were sure that Zhou Weiqing had lost. After all, Shangguan Bing'er had never personally seen him creating Consolidating Equipment Scrolls.
Lifting his head, Zhou Weiqing let loose a breath of relief. Looking at Yun Li, he was also rather surprised, thinking to himself – That guy is really something, being able to make almost twenty scrolls in such a short time! Turning his head, he saw Shangguan Bing'er with a concerned, almost despairing look on her face. He flashed her a sneaky grin, before turning to his second scroll.
With a thought, under the cover of his sleeve, the three Elemental Jewels of his lit up. Of course, with the Ring of Concealment's effect, their glow was changed to that of the Spatial Gold-Green Cat's Eye.
In Zhou Weiqing's eyes, three superimposed attribute wheels appeared, resting in the green, silver and colourless areas respectively. Amongst his six attributes, his Wind, Spatial and Time Attributes were activated. Without question, this took up much Heavenly Energy, but with his Immortal Deity Technique regenerating at max speed, he had no issues supporting himself for the next two hours. With a quick dip of his brush, he refilled it with Consolidating Ink, and as the entire process of creating the first scroll flashed through in his mind, in the next instant, his entire body seemed to become a robot as it moved swiftly.
His right hand moved quickly, under the increased speed of the Wind Attribute, the control of the Time Attribute, it was as if his brush came to life, moving like lightning. Within ten breaths, a gold light flashed, and his second Consolidating Equipment Scroll was complete.
Chapter 189: Ten vs Nine! (1)
Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations
As the gold flash of completion appeared and disappeared swiftly around Zhou Weiqing's hands, almost nobody noticed it. After all, most of the surrounding audience were focused on Yun Li, who seemed the much stronger Consolidating Equipment Master, watching his flowing motion as he created Scroll after Scroll.
Only Qin Feng and Shangguan Bing'er noticed Zhou Weiqing's second scroll's completion, especially the vast disparity in speed between the first and second. Both of them started, their faces changing. Before they could react, another gold light flashed, and Zhou Weiqing's third Consolidating Equipment was complete.
In terms of being pleasing to the eye, Zhou Weiqing's actions were definitely not comparable to Yun Li's, which was smooth like flowing water. Instead, his was rather stiff and somewhat robotic. However, in terms of speed, he had shot way above Yun Li, completing an scroll seemed to be just going through the motions, without needing any gathering and focus of spirit. Not only did it greatly conserve his spirit, it also was unbelievably fast.
Shangguan Bing'er's hands flew to her mouth, while Qin Feng's eyes almost fell out of their sockets. At this time, he suddenly felt that the unbelievably arrogant words of Zhou Weiqing's signs were not arrogant or exaggerated after all.
The current Zhou Weiqing was like an assembly line, churning out Consolidating Equipment Scrolls. His face was expressionless, his eyes narrowed in concentration, and his hands were in a steady rhythm as sheet after sheet of Consolidating Equipment Scrolls were completed in his hands, the gold light signifying the completion constantly lighting up. The constant flash of gold light was just too frequent, and soon attracted the attention of some of the audience. As more gazes turned towards Zhou Weiqing, their eyes remained frozen upon him, even the boss of shop 76, Zhou Changxi.
Yun Li was currently deeply immersed in the creation of Consolidating Equipment Scrolls, his entire body, mind and soul engrossed in the process as he grew more adept with each completion. As such, he was not aware of anything else around him. Before long, he had completed his twenty fifth scroll. In his heart, he was still thinking that he should start looking for other Consolidating Equipment Masters to compete in such a way. Under such stress and pressure, he could clearly feel that his technique was improving, in such a vast amount that normally was only accompanied by a huge amount of experience. Of course, even if he looked for others to compete with him, he wouldn���t place such a heavy bet.
After completing his twenty fifth scroll and placing it at the side, Yun Li gave a small sigh of relief. In his mind, Zhou Weiqing should be much slower than him, and he did not feel any sense of urgency. Lifting up his head towards Zhou Changxi, he said: "Bro Zhou, could I get some water please?"
Alas, when he lifted up his head, he immediately realised that the atmosphere around him was extremely weird. Furthermore, Zhou Changxi, who was standing close by, seemed to not even hear his words, his eyes transfixed on the opposite side. It wasn't just Zhou Changxi, as everyone around was staring dumbfounded and dazed at the other side, many of them revealing looks of disbelief.
Yun Li's heart sank suddenly, and he hurriedly turned to look as well. When he did so, he just happened to see a flash of gold light, and Zhou Weiqing placed a completed scroll at the side. Not only that, he clearly saw a stack of completed scrolls there, more than double what he himself had completed.
This isn't possible! That was the first notion that appeared in his mind. He almost slammed the table and walked off, but he quickly stopped when he saw Zhou Weiqing creating his next scroll.
It was a machine-like movement with seemingly nothing to praise, yet what made Yun Li's jaw drop was the sheer speed of his movement. In barely the time it took to take ten breaths, another flash of gold light appeared around the Consolidating Paper once more, and yet another Scroll was completed.
By this time, Yun Li did not even bother continuing creating his own Scrolls. Standing up suddenly, he strode towards Zhou Weiqing's side. He could not believe his own eyes, could not believe that Zhou Weiqing's speed could actually reach such an unbelievable pinnacle. Although they were only creating Mid Level Consolidating Equipment Scrolls, Yun Li was sure that even Zong Stage Consolidating Equipment Masters would not be able to create them at such speeds! This totally overturned all his knowledge about creating Consolidating Equipment scrolls… the knowledge and experience that he had immersed himself in for more than sixteen years!
Zhou Weiqing's creation continued. This time, Yun Li saw it clearly. Zhou Weiqing's motions were fast, but he still managed to intricately pause at the areas which required it. Although it did not have a smooth, flowing feel to it, the truth was that it was successful! Yet another scroll was completed.
No matter how much he did not want to believe it, the truth was displayed in front of his eyes. Yun Li had already expended much of his spirit, and now he felt his brain go dizzy. He wished that he was dreaming, yet it was so clearly displayed before his very eyes. He suddenly thought that perhaps agreeing to this bet had been the worst decision of his life.
This young man in front of him had a strange method of creating Consolidating Equipment Scrolls, a method he had never even heard of before. If he had to describe it, there was only one word: Insane! 1
Zhou Weiqing's creation method naturally did not consume much spirit, and he knew that Yun Li had come to his side. In the middle of creating his next scroll, he was still able to look up and smile at him.
Six Scrolls per minute, this was Zhou Weiqing's absolute limit. From the time it took from the completion of the first scroll to the last scroll, he had taken less than half an hour.
Putting down his brush, Zhou Weiqing noticed the deafening silence around. After packing up the completed scrolls and stacking them neatly, he looked up once more towards Yun Li and gave a confident smile. "Bro Yun Li, how is it? Have you already completed your set?"
Yun Li did not even return to his seat. After all, he had only finished 25 Scrolls. At this moment, his face was deathly pale, looking at Zhou Weiqing with a strange expression on his face. His lips were tightly pursed, and his hands gripped tightly in fists. After a moment, he finally let loose a sigh.
"I have lost. Although I do not know why or how exactly I have lost, I have to admit it. Can you please tell me how you did it? In my nearly twenty years in the Consolidating Equipment Master world, I have never seen or heard of anyone who can create Consolidating Equipment Scrolls at such a speed. That is already beyond the realms of common logic."
Zhou Weiqing smiled faintly and said: "I'm afraid that sometimes common logic isn't always accurate. If I told you that this is an innate talent of mine, do you believe me?"
Without hesitation, Yun Li said: "I believe you. Looks like I have underestimated the people of the world. I sincerely apologise for tearing your sign early. I admit that you truly have the potential to become a God Tier Consolidating Equipment Master in the future."
The moment Yun Li said that, there was an uproar in the surrounding crowd. By now, the audience had come to their senses from the shock, and their looks at Zhou Weiqing had all changed. Originally, there had been barely about twenty to thirty people watching the start of the competition, but the number had now grown to almost sixty! This was quite a huge number, after all the people who could enter the Trading Center were mostly Jewel Masters, each of whom had paid the membership dues! Under normal circumstances, it was nearly impossible for so many people to gather in front of a shop. However, none of them felt that this had been a waste of time. Not only had they witnessed an epic battle between two Consolidating Equipment Masters, the rare opportunity to actually see them at work, and even more so, they had witnessed the birth of a miracle!
When the words 'God Tier' came out of Yun Li's mouth, some of the younger Jewel Masters were eager and itching to sign up. If they could become a Follower of a future God Tier Consolidating Equipment Master, that was an absolute honour. This would be the same in the entire Boundless Mainland, no matter where they were.
Hearing Yun Li's words, Zhou Weiqing laughed heartily and said: "Thank you Bro Yun Li, however, losing confidence is not a good sign just before a fight. Our bet is after all being a Lifetime Follower. Bro Yun Li, if you lose confidence now, you will have already lost half the battle."
Yun Li took a deep breath, closing his eyes. When he opened them again, they were filled with an unprecedented fighting spirit. In a solemn voice, he said: "Before the final result is out, none of us can say who will win. Come on then, let's see what your second competing topic is?"
Zhou Weiqing nodded and said: "Very well, we can always exchange pointers after this duel is over. As for the second competition, it shall be our creation ability. Each of us shall take out a design that we believe is the toughest we have, and we will create each other's design, and use that as a comparison. We do not have to succeed, but whoever is closest will win."
Yun Li's eyes narrowed and he said: "You want to fight based on our teachers?"
As soon as Zhou Weiqing gave the topic, Yun Li had understood the underlying meaning. Every Consolidating Equipment Master had a few designs that they were unable to create yet, mostly from their teacher, school or clan, and it was usually what they were working towards as well. As such, when Yun Li mentioned competing teachers, it would mean comparing who had the higher quality design. The higher ranked and quality the design, the tougher it would be to complete, perhaps not even being able to create the Consolidating Ink. In that case, it would be an even higher chance of winning.
Yun Li drew a deep breath, a light shining in his eyes. Zhou Weiqing suddenly had a bad feeling, as he could see a massive confidence suddenly fill Yun Li's eyes. Hmmm… Could this fellow also have designs for a Legendary Set? Zhou Weiqing thought to himself. If that were true, he could be in trouble! After all the third round would be Yun Li coming up with the topic! However, after a split second of panic, he calmed down once more. After all, even if they both had Legendary Set designs, as unlikely as it seemed, the worst case scenario would thus be a draw. If he then lost the 3rd battle, the overall result would still end up as a draw.
Just as Zhou Weiqing thought his way through that, Yun Li said solemnly: "What if we both aren't able to even create the Consolidating Ink?"