Chapter 191: Brewing Storm VI

Brother, does master really intend to join that tournament?” The second apprentice of Lan Yixing whispered to his senior.

“Don’t ask me. I have no idea what master is thinking. We can’t be avoiding the stage once we get there, I just fear if we did, we would…” The eldest apprentice lost his prudent nature the moment he mentioned this, as he sighed, his sight was fickle.

“Master is such a… sigh… whatever. Just leave me here. I can’t be gambling my pride. Frankly speaking I am not that into the martial arts, exchanging fists whatsoever. I had been following his teaching all these years and… sigh! Also, brother, I wanted to tell you something…” He turned down his volume, carefully he spoke, “I wanted to learn Circuit Engineering.”

“Circuit Engineering?” The brother frowned. He was aware of the fact that this younger brother in apprenticeship of his was not interested in the combats although he invested almost half of his youth on this collapsing dojo. Both of them joined Lan Yixing under a debt of gratitude. They begged to become his apprentices to return the favor. Lan Yixing accepted both of them as seeing their sincerity while he was actually looking for successors to his fists.

Who knows… both of them were never the candidates to begin with. They worked hard yet the progression was insignificant. They lost their passion after some time and grew lazier. It was a disappointment, a moment of sighing for Lan Yixing. He realized it would be fruitless even if he forced them so he stopped lecturing them.

They might not be talented but they were hardworking since the beginning. Their basics were great so the daily introductory courses were conducted by them at the dojo. Lan Yixing was troubled by his succession being unable to work out on his will, while seeing the two apprentices of his being fruitless as ever. He was muted and had become more withdrawn over time. He did not know how he should talk this out. He became less approachable in the end.

“Yes…” The volume was lower.

“Then are you heading to school?” The frown tightened, since that would mean this brother of his would be staying at school for the rest of his life.

“Yes.” It was nearly inaudible.

The brother sighed, “Have you told this to master?”

“Nope,” he shook his head as he replied. “I have a proposition for you! Could you please tell Master this for me?” His eyes were pleading.

“Ugh…” He looked at the puppy eyes, his heart softened, “Alright. I’ll help you. I’ll try. But you can’t go if master disallows.” The last line went stern, which was a rare nature for him.

u2028″Of course.”

Lan Yixing who happened to pass by overheard their exchange. He lifted his hand and he put it down. A moment of silence lapsed as his eyes lost the luster. He wavered back to his room soundlessly.

…

Ye Chong required a huge portion of his day to work on his alchemy and that was not the only thing on his priority list.

With the Biology course conducted by Shang these days, he understood the human anatomy much better and came to the realization of how amazing the Black Covers’ technique was as some of them aim the particular spot of human body to achieve desired effects such as to strike an instant death and to disable their mobility. The more bizarre part was Ye Chong could not find any proper reference to support these details, which obviously defined the Black Covers’ vaster understanding of human anatomy compared to the 5 major galaxies.

What Ye Chong had learned from the Black Coves were the basics, they were more sophisticated than most of the combats he had witnessed before however.

He had been convinced to the fact that Black Coves had the most sophisticated techniques of combat ever, till he came to the understanding of the fact that there would always be a hidden dragon in the valley, his perception got to change.

For instance, those techniques Lan Yixing taught to him hand by hand were discovered to be not as underwhelmed as he had assumed to be compared with Black Coves style, especially in the aspect of muscle-motor control, Lan Yixing had the upper hand of the show. The catch was these techniques also required a high level of execution, a demand on the strength of the motor, the reaction speed, the flexibility and so on.

Nonetheless, these did not form a challenge to Ye Chong. He could feel the potency of martial arts gradually as he mastered the gist of it.

The burst strength he could execute was 1.5 times of his past. He was the kind who wielded monstrous strength and now he had become the one fist killer. He could break an alloy gate with a mere punch like before. What differed was he believed that he could do it without shattering his fist this time. He could already manipulate his muscle to perform a drastic vibration to buffer the shock from breaking through the door. And that would be how his fist was going to be protected, a result of his tenacious research these days.

Lan Yixing only taught Ye Chong the basics too but it was that curiosity in Ye Chong to be able to further expand the basics into something astonishing as he discovered some intriguing yet practical techniques within.

Of course it was all thanks to Ye Chong’s inhuman physique. If it was not for body, Ye Chong would have not been able to experiment those basics enough to pick them up.

As much as he recognized his body, he took even more effort to practice these basics seemingly exclusive for him. He wondered, how strong could Lan Yixing be? If compared to those of the Black Coves, who would be stronger?

Lan Yixing in reality was totally unaware of Ye Chong’s ninja improvements. He was depressed. Lan family of the September was the well-known martial artists and now… they were heading to their demise, with no successor to bring the techniques to the next century. The conversation between his apprentices was heartbreaking indeed, yet he could not express his anger on them. He might be a reserved person but he was not unreasonable. Keeping the apprentices stuck with him would only put their youth into waste while hindering their path in the end.

He had made up his mind, to let them go, break free and do whatever they wanted, disregarding a wilting tree like him. Sigh… the combats, the martial artists… are they going to be extinct one day?

No! I can’t be letting the Lan family martial arts end here! Tenacity came in his eyes. Clenched his fists, making the cracking sounds loud, determination boiled in is blood. By hook or by crook, he had to make something happen during the tournament. It was the golden opportunity to make a turnabout!

But…

That was another headache. None of his apprentices seemed keen to join the show while he was also aware of their standards. Teaching newbies was not an issue, but… staging their skills was… embarrassing I guess.

Well I can’t be heading there all by myself.

Hua Tiankai was so great… His dojo was running well, with every of his apprentices being both talented and young. Look at me…

Sigh, what a puzzle.

Wait!

He remembered he had a new boy in his dojo. Yes! How could I forget that? He was just a new boy, a part timer! Unlike an official apprentice, even if he was underwhelming, people would not judge! “He is just a part time student who came to my dojo less than a month ago.” That was more than enough to decline the staging offer.

Yes, yes, yes. Lan Yixing fancied the idea. Right, that would be it! He spat his breath and confirmed bringing Ye Chong to the tournament. Well then, I should be investing sometimes to teach him a few new tricks. Although Lan Yixing did not believe Ye Chong to have the mastery to learn all these, well somehow it would comfort him better doing so.

Ye Chong who was indulged in his research had no idea that his fate had been decided by Lan Yixing without a word.

“Ye! Ye! Hah! I got it!” Shang was excited as ever.

“What did you get?” asked Ye Chong, his action remained as he felt the rhythm and changes in his flipping arms.

“I got you some Bing Bing news. I know why she came here for. Hah, Ye, interested? Intrigued? Wink wink, nudge, nudge.” Shang seriously sounded like a kid working up over an extra candy in front of his friends.

He could feel his hands weakened but he forced it up, “Not interested,” he replied expressionlessly.

“Ha~ Ye, stop lying, you can’t lie to me. Your heartbeat sped up just now. Hehehehe…” Ridiculed Shang.

Ye Chong was too busy to entertain as he knew his further responses would only get the artificial indulgence more excited. He concluded from his journey, the best method to deal with Shang was to shut up and show ignorance.

“Tsk…” Muttered Shang, “Ye, you are a boring person you know what. How could you ignore your beloved Bing Bing? Gosh, it would be a life misfortune for any woman to marry you! Yikes, such a senseless boy. Bing Bing came here for the tournament this time you know?”

“Tournament?” That was the keyword Ye Chong perceived from the line.

“Yeah, there would be lots of professional fighters I heard. Ye, this is a real life combating you know? One on one, man to man, flesh to flesh. Hehehehe, our Bing Bing is the VIP for the show. Tsk, tsk, tsk, as expected from her, all great and grace…,” complimented Shang.

“So…” He changed his tone, “Ye, how about we join this tournament?”

“No!” The answer was firm. That rush in his head had convinced Ye Chong the fact that he could never be eternally calm as Mu. Only the alertness from time to time could effectively reduce mistakes like this. Despite the fact that he was really interested to witness the real deals fighting, he still wished to reduce his exposure to the public.

“Ye… You really wanted to see your lovely Bing Bing all alone at the seat, watching those men fighting in blood and sweat without anyone to share her inner thoughts to? Ye, don’t you have a soft spot for ladies, a loving and gentle nature to humanity?”

“Mo Fei!” The scream interrupted Shang’s motivational talk.

Thank God! Ye Chong was appreciating the scream, he ran out of the gate and saw Lan Yixing at the outside.

“Follow me,” concisely Lan Yixing spoke, less talk more work as usual.

They got to his room. It was a spacious room but it was rather simple… or even crude. There was no adornment, although there was one practice room inside separated by one wall with his bedroom.

Lan Yixing led Ye Chong to his practice room.

“Show me what I have taught you before,” he spoke flatly.

As he said, Ye Chong performed everything he taught before. He tried controlling himself during the process. He did not want to frighten the master by showing some odd moves.

“Fair,” concisely the man commented. His expression unchanged, although it was an earthquake in his head. Did he miss out a lot on this boy? The basics might look simple but they were not simple to grab the gist within! Mo Fei somehow wielded the gist…

He calmed himself as he spoke slowly, “Today onwards, I would teach you a few new moves. Please learn them with determination.”

Chapter 192: Brewing Storm VII

s he exited from Lan Yixing’s room, Ye Chong’s mind was filled with Lan Yixing’s demonstration. Powerful! It was too powerful! Ye Chong was stupefied. He walked quickly and silently back to his room. What he wanted to do now was to imitate Lan Yixing’s demonstration earlier and identify the key to those moves. While Lan Yixing had already pointed out the places where he should take note of, achieving true mastery was not a simple process.

He closed the doors carefully but did not begin immediately. Instead, he began to rewind Lan Yixing’s words in his head. Ye Chong sat still like an old monk, and Shang sensibly left him alone.

Ye Chong sat like that for an entire 30 minutes.

Abruptly, Ye Chong’s eyes opened, and began to move!

…

Ye Chong inhaled deeply. He was too absorbed earlier to notice, but now he could feel the soreness all over his body. These two moves were very demanding; even with his body, just a few rounds of practice was enough to exhaust him.

However, Ye Chong was satisfied with the power of these two moves. He believed that, even against Black Cove mech pilots, he would be able deal with them with these two strange techniques.

However, there were always pros and cons to every technique. These two moves were powerful, but placed a heavy burden on his body. In this respect, combat and mech piloting were similar to each other.

No wonder Lan Yixing was worried for his apprentice. From his tone, these moves did not seem to be any advanced combat moves; even so, they were impossible for regular people. Just how powerful was Lan Yixing, and what did the real advanced combat moves look like? Ye Chong was beginning to look forward to them.

However, Ye Chong could not ponder at those questions just yet. He was now fully occupied with the two moves that Lan Yixing had just taught him. Ye Chong seemed to be deep in thought. As he grew more proficient with these two moves, he seemed to realize something amusing.

“Black Cove was not the only school of combat experts.” Such was Ye Chong’s realization.

Lan Yixing did not fully understand why he would indulge in Ye Chong’s interests. He thought of those instructions as consolatory since he had tried to teach them before to two other students, and neither of them had managed to master them. How could a new apprentice like Mo Fei be able to learn something so complicated?

Ths thought brought a mocking smile to his lips – to think that his gains and losses would affect him so much. Lan Yixing could not help but heave a long sigh.

Rui Bing sat beside Wei Yuan. Wei Yuan was mostly healed now. With current technology, as long as it was not instant death, injuries could usually be managed. Wei Yuan said nothing after he woke up, but insisted on staying beside Rui Bing at all times. Rui Bing was annoyed, but she was also moved inside. Wei Yuan’s pitiful look was endearing, and so she let him be. She also thought it odd – why would that mech leave Wei Yuan with her that day?

Could that mech’s pilot knew her? Impossible! The thought was quickly dismissed. Since young, her social ties were fairly simple and limited. She could not recall knowing anyone who could pilot a mech.

Suddenly, it was as if she was struck by lightning! A person’s figure began to emerge clearly in her mind!

Could it be him?

Rui Bing fell into a daze.

After a long moment, she recovered and laughed quietly at herself. What was with her? How could it be him? Such a coincidence was highly unlikely! Besides, the other party may just be simply getting rid of Wei Yuan, but happened to toss him in her direction.

Wei Yuan watched as Rui Bing’s icy profile changed into a myriad of expressions. He was curious, but kept his thoughts to himself. He already found out what happened that day from this seemingly cold lady. As for the details, Wei Yuan was always very careful with them, or he would not have recognized YC from his footwork. After some detailed questioning, he immediately realized that all was not what it seemed to be.

He would never believe that YC would rescue him, only to toss him aside. If that was the case, then YC would never have saved him in the first place. There must be a reason behind this. Wei Yuan’s first thought was that YC knew the beautiful and cold lady, and knew that she would be able to catch him too. Else, the whole exercise of rescuing him and tossing him aside, only for him to die from the throw, was a pointless one that YC would never do based on his personality that valued efficiency.

While he did not know YC, and had never had any direct contact with him, he still believed that he could understand YC to a certain degree.

On the other hand, who was the one who ambushed him? Why would YC save him?

Numerous questions nagged at him, but he could not make heads nor tails out of them. However, he was certain that this icy beauty was definitely related to YC, and the only link he had to YC.

While this may all just be a result of his imagination, he was unwilling to let go of this possibility, which may be his final hope. That was why he insisted on sticking around this beautiful and cold lady. He had spoke to his father and came up with an excuse. Fortunately, his track record of honesty helped in convincing his father that nothing was amiss. He then contacted the school and offered another excuse to apply an extended period of leave.

He must find YC, no matter what!

There was light knocking on the door, and Wei Yuan took a glance at the cold beauty sitting upright beside him. Rui Bing knitted her brow slightly, but did not move from her position. The knocking continued, and still Rui Bing did not move, but her displeasure was now apparent. No matter how obtuse Wei Yuan was, he could still recognize the icy beauty’s expression.

The visitor was was determined, and the knocking did not cease.

Wei Yuan took another glance at the icy beauty before going to the door himself and opening it.

Outside was a young man with delicate features and an easy expression. He held himself with great refinement, and smiled gently when he saw Wei Yuan behind the door. “You’re up now, Junior Brother? How’s your hand?” His gentle expression of care was refreshing.

“Yes.” Wei Yuan answered, and stood to the side for him to enter.

“Ah, Senior Sister Bing is also here.” The young man greeted Rui Bing with a smile. “So the beauty’s name is Bing. Her name is true to her nature,” thought Wei Yuan.

“Junior Brother Hua, is something the matter?” Rui Bing wore her usual icy expression, but one could read a certain dismissive tone in her words.

“There’s a fair on chemist spices, first of the year in the Bekaert township this afternoon. Shangmei would appreciate your company, if you are willing?” Hua Shangmei still wore a gentle expression with a charming smile, and he was looking very confident of himself.

It seemed that there was nothing in particular about this undeniably handsome young man that was offensive to Wei Yuan. However, when he noticed the fiery enthusiasm in his eyes, Wei Yuan still felt an unexplainable discomfort. In the end, Wei Yuan was only a 14-year-old. He worshipped YC, and had decided that this icy beauty who had saved his life definitely had a deep relationship with YC.

Seeing Hua Shangmei’s advance made Wei Yuan uncomfortable. He had unconsciously decided that Rui Bing was a lady friend of YC, and should not be tainted.

Rui Bing’s expression turned even colder, and spoke with some displeasure, “Junior Brother Hua, please mind yourself!”

For some reason, hearing those words made Wei Yuan, observing silently from the side, relax a little.

Hua Shangmei maintained his composure and apologized, “My apologies if I had offended you, Senior Sister. It’s just that Shangmei noticed that Senior Sister has been staying in your room every day, and wanted to relieve your boredom by inviting you for an excursion. Please do not be offended.” Even when apologizing, Hua Shangmei still behaved courteously without any awkwardness, making him difficult to dislike.

Rui Bing may not like him, but seeing his easy demeanor and refined ways made her pleased on Uncle Hua’s behalf, to have such a good student. However, Rui Bing had no intention of giving him hope, merely replying with her usual coldness, “Thank you for consideration, Junior Brother Hua. I understand. However, please do not bother me with such trivialities!” Rui Bing spoke ruthlessly, her firm attitude allowing for no misunderstanding.

Hua Shangmei’s expression immediately turned unpleasant!

Wei Yuan watched satisfyingly from the side. He did not like the fellow, and now that Sister Bing had spoke so mercilessly, Wei Yuan felt an irrational sense of joy. “Hmph, for someone like Sister Bing, YC is of course the only suitor!” he thought.

The room was plunged into an awkward atmosphere. Just then, Deng Chong rushed into the room and yelled loudly, “Second Senior Brother, Senior Sister Bing, we have visitors! We have visitors!”

By then, Hua Shangmei had already gathered himself. Seeing Deng Chong all excited, he took the chance to change topic, “By your looks, I’d say they must be someone interesting!” Deng Chong was a combat enthusiast, and had always wanted to fight against other experts. His excited look was enough to let Hua Shangmei understand the situation.

“Hehe, you know me best, Second Senior Brother!” Deng Chong grinned, and said something else that brought new gravity to the situation, “The Zuo family from Tian Luo is also here!”

“What?” Hua Shangmei gasped. Rui Bing’s eyes gleamed with sharp hostility!

Chapter 193: Brewing Storm VIII

he Zuo family of the Tian Luo galaxy was lesser known compared to the other aristocratic families of the same origin. However, when it came to their histories, the Zuo family had existed for about as long as the more famous aristocratic families. Besides, the Zuo family’s reputation in the field of combat was unmatched by other aristocratic families. In the age where combat skills could determine the balance of power, the Zuo family had made their mark in history.

The most astounding fact was that, in every generation, the Zuo family would produce one or several talented characters, and never suffered from the problem of succession. This was envied by may other combat related aristocratic families. The Zuo family gradually became more and more mysterious in the eyes of society.

As the social status of combat slowly faded towards oblivion, the Zuo family became less of a presence in modern society. Soon, many had come to forget this mysterious aristocratic family.

That was why when Hua Shangmei and Rui Bing heard that the Zuo family of Tian Luo were here, they were very much surprised. Whether it was the Rui family or the Tian Hua dojo, both were mere infants compared to the long history of the Zuo family. Even the Lan family of September could not be compared to the Zuo family.

The Zuo family’s unique combat techniques were difficult to determine, since every generation’s representative offered his or her own unique combat styles.

What could the Zuo family of Tian Luo offer to this dying field of combat?

For some reason, the cold face of that young man who defeated her came to Rui Bing’s mind. What level of attainment has he achieved now? Rui Bing wondered to herself.

Ye Chong’s life could be said to be almost happy and peaceful, or at least, he felt that it was actually not bad. Besides the strange illness he had, he had nothing to complain of. Lan Yixing had not taught any new moves to him ever since that day, and only reminded Ye Chong to practice diligently whenever he met him. Ye Chong had no regrets. His combat skills had always been acceptable, and his rich experience in actual combat was unrivaled by the likes of Lan Yixing. Besides, most of his battles were to the death, and that had made him even stronger. In the end, combat was still a way of attacking and defending oneself. Now, Lan Yixing had opened the doors to a whole new world for him to discover.

On the one hand, Ye Chong was amazed by this new world, and on the other hand, he was eager to investigate and study this world with his own ideas. Of course, this was largely due to his habit of figuring things out by himself. Ye Chong now wanted for Lan Yixing to accept him as a student. He saw Lan Yixing as a part of this unknown and mysterious world. Besides, from Lan Yixing’s demonstrations all this while, Ye Chong believed that he must have other powerful and secretive techniques. It was enough to hook his interest.

However, despite his interest, Ye Chong had no plans to put this into motion. Right now, he must lay low and avoid attention. After all, Black Cove must be waiting for him outside. Besides, his impulsive decision to finish off that mech last time must have attracted Black Cove’s attention.

Ye Chong was not wrong. His actions had caused tension amongst Black Cove’s men. This tension was noticed by the MPA and the Sanctuary, already aware of Black Cove’s unusual movements recently. The Three Forces had, for some reason, unanimously decided not to alert the local authorities. Life on Windstar went on as usual, the tourists excited for their travels, unaware of that hidden tension beneath.

When Rui Bing set her eyes on the people from the Zuo family, it was already lunch time.

Zuo Ling was a large man, his athletic body was matched with keen eyes that look as though they could penetrate anyone he set his eyes on. His half exposed chest showed solid muscles. His palm was wide and strong, framed with an edge of calluses. The wild and confident expression on his face, coupled with a half-smile, was sure to attract many a good beautiful ladies.

On his chest hung a black pendant, and Hua Shangmei recognized from his familiarity in mech combat that it was a dimension keystone. In the dining hall, Rui Bing was the only who did not realize this. Combat experts rarely had a dimension keystone with them, and since Tian Hua dojo was currently putting efforts into developing mech combat techniques, Hua Shangmei and others were exposed to these modern elements.

Could this Zuo Ling also be skilled in mech combat?

Wei Yuan did not think much of them. To him, no one was a match for YC in mech combat. Wei Yuan managed to secure a place at the dining table due to Rui Bing. He had decided to stay near Sister Bing at all times, as she was his only link to YC. Unless the situation demanded it, he would never give up. Fortunately, Sister Bing was willing to indulge him, or he would have to return home.

Zuo Ling’s arrival was treated with wariness by Hua Tiankai and others. An uninvited guest, and one from the Zuo family at that – how could done not feel wary? However, Hua Tiankai and his students were not just your average people, and welcomed the visitor with extended courtesies.

Zuo Ling may look arrogant, but his demeanor suggested an open mind and forthrightness.

“As expected, Mr Zuo is an expert!” Deng Zhong bowed to Zou Ling. He had lost uneventfully against the oppressive combat style of Zuo Ling. Deng Chong was straightforward in nature, and showed fine sportsmanship despite his loss.

“You’re too kind!” Deng Chong’s demeanor also won Zuo Ling’s approval.

Hua Shangmei and Zheng Zhongxing could only stare in disbelief. Deng Chong’s lost was acceptable for them, but they could not accept how Deng Chong was completely overwhelmed in his defeat, without even a chance for retaliation. They exchanged a horrified glance. Deng Chong was the best of the three of them, and if his match ended like this, it would be in vain for them to take up the challenge.

Was the Zuo family really that powerful?

Rui Bing still wore her cold expression, but her eyes were now glowing brightly. She was of course far more skilled than the three students of Hua Tiankai. She was certain that this man, Zuo Ling had attained “Jie”. He was the youngest she had ever met to have reached this level besides herself.

“Jie” was attained when a combat expert had surpassed the traditional boundaries of combat. These Jie experts had skills unrivalled by average combat experts, and they no longer rely solely on physical strength. Jie masters were the true experts amongst combat experts.

Jie experts were a mystery in the world of combat. As the field slowly faded into history, fewer and fewer combat experts reached this level of attainment. The power of Jie experts was also exaggerated by the public as almost invincible characters. However, Rui Bing dismissed those rumors. When she first met Ye Chong, she had just only attained “Jie”, but was still beaten by Ye Chong. Of course, that was mainly because she was new to this mysterious world, and her unfamiliarity with what her body was truly capable of.

Strength was not absolute! She realized this from experience. From then on, she improved herself even faster.

Similarly unfazed was Hua Tiankai. His constant expression betrayed none of his thoughts.

A thin, black threadworm wandered around in the virtual world. Passcode protected doors did nothing to stop its advance, since it could easily wriggle through the locks and enter the photon processor hyperlinked to the virtual world.

It browsed casually through the photon processor records, and suddenly gasped in surprise. The holographic recording before it was of Ye Chong’s training. If Wei Yuan was here, he would have found that the photon processor was actually his!

YC was a name that went viral recently, and anyone who had spent some time in the virtual world would quickly become aware of the name. He was no exception. As an elite Maverick, he was more familiar with the virtual world than the average person. However, he was not interested in mechs, and so was never interested in this character.

The recording before him, however, seemed to have renewed his interest. There was only one latest holographic recording of YC, the one that was on Richie. Here was another recording that was never leaked out. Could the owner of this photon processor be YC?

YC was very much a legend in the virtual world, rising into fame in just a few years, and recently, becoming even more popular. This was a rarity. The virtual world changed at a rapid pace, and new personalities were often quickly forgotten over time. Sustaining a reputation for more than two or three years was more than uncommon.

He was quickly disappointed by his findings. The owner of the photon processor was only a fan of YC. Nonetheless, finding the real identity of a virtual world user was not too hard for him. Besides, it was made easier by the fact that the probability of YC being a Maverick was very small.

It was undeniable that mech piloting and photon processors were entirely different fields. In today’s world, the depths of every field was enough to occupy a lifetime, and few would ever wanted to study in two completely unrelated fields. Even if such a person existed, the probability of this person mastering both fields was as unlikely as a planet being hit by a deadly asteroid. Since YC was an outstanding mech pilot, it was almost a certainty that he was not a Maverick.

First, he thought of going through the MPA’s database.

The MPA’s passcodes were ineffective against him, and he accessed their systems without difficulty. Such ease of access was still enough to make him, after all his trials and tribulations, pleased with himself. The MPA’s seemingly impenetrable fortress was just like home to him.

His success was mainly due to his unique calculations. His creative calculations allowed him to change his body size. From his initial appearance a hairy caterpillar, years of careful considerations and calculations finally allowed him to compress his appearance into an impossibly thin black threadworm. This was also the best result he obtained after numerous calculations. While it was not the ideal invisible presence he had expected, it was enough to satisfy him.

This state of presence of allowed him great freedom in the virtual world. No one could detect his presence, and the apparently watertight passcode protected doors were nothing to him. He had used his calculations to benefit from the virtual world, such as serving the group that he was a part of now. If not for his powerful skills as a Maverick, he would never be able to join the group, or even obtain the position that he had now.

However, he was greatly surprised to find that the MPA had no information on YC.

He was now feeling exceptionally nervous.

What did this mean? It meant that YC was very possibly a Maverick, or a friend of one. No matter the possibility, it was bad news for him. Besides, the other party could use an NR Training Center without registering. He was almost certain that he was looking at a very powerful Maverick.

In the virtual world, investigating a person’s identity in the real world was taboo, and among the Mavericks, it was a sure sign of provocation. As an experienced Maverick, he was familiar with all these unwritten rules.

However, he was not exactly afraid. He was at least confident of his own powers. It was just that the matter was becoming complicated, since his sudden curiosity had now caused hostility between him and another powerful Maverick. It was not a pleasant business.

Nonetheless, the events had progressed to this point, and he could only let it go and discontinue his probing.

Ye Chong was practicing in his room. His daily routine had become fixed, with time allocated for meditation and combat practice, followed by cleaning the training grounds, and then returning to his room for some alchemy. It was too bad that the room was a little too small for him to practice mech maneuvering.

Shang’s silence was welcomed by Ye Chong. Ever since Ye Chong installed a miniature pulsed signal device under Shang’s instructions one night in one of the houses near the dojo, Shang had spent of his much in the virtual world. This resulted in a peaceful environment for Ye Chong.

Ye Chong was counting the days until when Wang Weixing returned. Once he was back, he would find the doctor and cure his sickness, then he would travel to a planet where no one knew him and live a careful life, doing things that interested him. It would be such a carefree life.

Not daring to head outside, Ye Chong knew nothing of what was happening out there. He believed that staying in his room was the best option for the moment.

“Hmph!” Suddenly, the long silent Shang humphed coldly with a deadly undertone, enough to startle even Ye Chong. Ye Chong stopped what he was doing and asked, “What is it? Shang!”

Chapter 194: Brewing Storm IX

Ye, someone’s investigating you! And he’s good at what he does.” Shang’s sinister voice was very different from usual.

What was with Shang? Ye Chong asked carefully, “Shang, what’s with you?”

“Humph, that dmned bstard, to play his tricks when I’m around. He’s too arrogant, does he think I’m so easy to bully?” Shang’s cold voice quickly turned exasperated.

So that was it! This tone was more like Shang’s. Ye Chong continued on with what he was doing and said casually, “Shang, then you should take care of him!”

“Hehe, you know me best, Ye!” Shang was pleased. “Humph, while my computations are not as good as Mu’s, but in other aspects, hehe … If this guy wants to show off in front of me, then he’s found the wrong target!” Shang spoke his last sentence haughtily.

Ye Chong did not feel like pitying the guy. It was just his bad luck! Shang was usually happy-go-lucky, and may seem careless, but Ye Chong never doubted his abilities. While he may not be as powerful as Mu in terms of computations, Shang was a master in the art non-physical sciences such as psychology. The methods of threatening that he shared with Ye Chong and that entire scheme with the Sanctuary’s starship were all meticulously woven plans.

Mu behaved like a typical PSI, but was more powerful than others. He possessed the trademark rationality and computation-heavy mindset typical of PSIs. Shang, however, completely overhauled Ye Chong’s concept of PSIs. He was irrational, less competent in computations, but extremely well versed in non-logical areas like emotions and psychology. It was definitely an odd PSI.

In any case, one could be sure that Mu and Shang were both very powerful.

Powerful characters typically could not stand having their authority challenged. This behavior was clearly present in Mu and Shang.

“Just be mindful of what you’re doing!” Ye Chong said impartially, and continued with his practice.

Zuo Ling looked at Rui Bing openly with fiery eyes.

To think that this ice-cold lady was actually a Jie expert like himself! A Jie expert at such a young age was incredible. He had received strict training from the Zuo family since young, and his natural physique allowed him to attain Jie at such a young age. If not for the Zuo family’s resources, his achievements would only be just a dream. For a 26-year-old to attain Jie was a remarkable feat, even back in the old days when combat was popular.

Today, however, he had seen someone even younger than him, a Jie expert that came from an unheard of family. The Rui family? He was certain that it was not any one of the combat based aristocratic families with long histories; he had never even heard of this family before. What surprised him the most was that this Jie expert was actually a woman!

The female body was relatively limited compared to a man’s in terms of combat, and this limitation could only ever be removed by attaining Jie, since Jie experts no longer rely solely on physical strength in combat. However, without years of efforts, it was difficult to attain Jie. Based on the existing records of combat history, female Jie experts were few and far in between.

Her icy smooth charm and dignified manner was wrapped up in a white training garb that fluttered slightly in the wind. Her snow white skin was flawless, and her long, dark hair flowed down smoothly like a waterfall. Her faint red lips hid a certain warmth beneath. Her calm gaze was like a creek flowing through the glaciers, silent and chillingly unapproachable.

Zuo Ling was certain that he had never felt such desire, a desire to wrap her in his arms and melt her with his burning embrace! Zuo Ling was not a stranger to women; on the contrary, he had met and reciprocated countless of them. However, the icy woman before him was the first who had ever let him feel this way.

Zuo Ling’s open stare was vexing for Rui Bing. She humped coldly, pouring cold water on Zuo Ling’s feelings. He immediately gathered himself, and when he looked at Rui Bing’s leaving figure, the only thought that crossed his mind was this – Rui Bing, you must be mine! Zuo Ling fisted his hands tightly.

Hua Shangmei, Deng Chong and Zheng Zhongxing stared in stupefaction. They never imagined that the fragile looking Senior Sister Bing would be so powerful! Perhaps even their master would not be a match against her. In the friendly match earlier, Rui Bing had tied with Zuo Ling.

Hua Tiankai looked at Rui Bing’s retreating figure and felt happy for his friend who had passed away, but also felt shame when he thought of how his three students had performed.

Rui Bing sat alone in her room, her eyes on the clear water in her glass, but her heart was elsewhere. She could see his figure reflected in the water, looking calmly at her. For a moment, she felt lost in her feelings.

“Where are you?” Rui Bing murmured ever so softly to herself.

Ye Chong continued his practice, going through his dull routines every day. Shang, on the other hand, looked like he was up to something, busying himself with things.

Abruptly, Shang spoke to Ye Chong, “Ye, go to the virtual world!”

“Virtual world? What happened?” Ye Chong was baffled. Besides, where could he find a hyperlink helmet?

Shang continued to hasten him, and Ye Chong could only deploy Shang in the room. The room was small, and Shang could only curl into himself into an odd position.

“Strange, what’s with Shang today?” Ye Chong could not understand him. Usually, he would never submit to curling himself up like this. Why was he asking for it this time?

Ye Chong wandered as he opened Shang’s pilot cabin and entered. On the trash planet, Ye Chong had used Mu and Shang’s piloting helmet as a virtual world hyperlink. While it was nothing fancy, its functionalities were enough to make anyone envious.

Long deprived of the virtual world, Ye Chong felt a little excited.

His vision transformed, and Ye Chong found himself staring at a holographic feed. It showed a very thin black worm moving very quickly. At the side were a few other inset images of the black thread from multiple angles.

Shang laughed. “Hehe, Ye, that’s the guy investigating you!”

“Him?” Ye Chong pointed at the moving black thread, flabbergasted.

Shang was obviously satisfied with Ye Chong’s expression. “Yes, him!” He explained, “This guy used a unique way of calculation that made his appearance turn into a black threadworm.”

Seeing Ye Chong’s confused expression, Shang could not help but chastise, “Sigh, how could I forget that you know nothing about photon processors, that I would explain to you in those terms? This is surely my biggest mistake of the day!” Shang’s exaggerating manner made Ye Chong smile.

“What’s the use of this appearance?” Ye Chong had always asked when he could not understand something.

“It allows the worm to pass through most passcode protected doors, and avoids attention. Tsk tsk, the guy’s a genius, I’ll give him that, this degree of creativity must have been hard for him. Hmm, the calculations are carefully made, and the improvements are good. Unfortunately, he has met me!” Shang’s haughty tone made him sound like a villain.

It would definitely be very difficult to explain to Ye Chong what it meant to be a villain. However, Shang’s compliments to the guy made Ye Chong become wary of him. After all, he knew that it was not easy to squeeze out any good words out of Shang. This, he knew from experience.

Shang continued laughing connivingly. “Hehe, I found him just a few days ago, however, I don’t want to alert him. This guy must have sensed something, as he’s more vigilant recently. Hehe, while it’s easy to destroy his appearance there and then, but such an interesting fellow is hard to find, it’ll be such a shame to finish him off so fast!

“So, I followed him, and just now, it’s that door over there, you see? I placed some tracking larvae on it, hehe, those things are much smaller than him, and very hard to detect. It’s something Mu came up with …” Here, Shang seemed to realize that he had misspoke, and laughed it off before continuing, “Anyway, I can now follow his every movement. You see, he’s heading back right now!”

As expected, in the holographic feed, the black thread was heading towards the dark opening of a very large door.

“Tsk tsk, I don’t know who created this door, but it is sure amazing. If not for this guy leading us through, it will be hard for us to enter without alerting them.” Shang offered another round of compliments.

“It seemed that the other party is really strong,” Ye Chong thought to himself. He stared at the holographic feed, the image suddenly morphing as they went through the door. Unexpectedly, what was beyond was a jungle, an endless stretch of greenery. In truth, it was almost refreshing to see something that could only be found on some untouched planets.

“A multiarray matrix firewall?” Shang gasped in surprise.

“What’s this thing?” Ye Chong could not understand at all. However, based on Shang’s tone, he figured that this must be something incredible.

“It’s good stuff, rarely do people use this kind of calculation. It’s very complicated, even Mu might have a hard time if we want to break through it with brute force!” Shang grew excited. “Ye, looks like we’ve got ourselves a big one!”

The black threadworm was apparently very familiar with the territory, making its way through the forest without hesitation.

“Hehe, Ye, do you see that? That green-black grass, yes, the one with serrated edges, if anyone touched it, it will immediately activate at least 20 levels of authentication verification. If you’re determined to be an enemy, then you’re done for!” Shang then pointed to the numerous red fruits hanging from the trees in the holographic feed, vivid and enticing.

“Ye, these may look very appealing, but they’re nasty stuff. These torrent soursops are linked to each other. If you activated one of them, the rest of the fruits will all explode. Hehe, the torrents of signal pulses that follow will be so painful it will scar you for life. But that’s not the scariest of all, no, you see those thin vines? Yes, the ones with many tentacles on it. The pulse torrents would affect your real body by stimulating your brain, and these olfactory vines would then use those pulses to find you in the real world, which is where you are right now. Hehe, as for the consequences, I’ll leave that to your imagination!” Shang pointed out each of those threats to Ye Chong.

Ye Chong could feel a chill running down his spine.

Chapter 195: Brewing Storm X

he black threadworm’s body was malleable and surprisingly agile, and it moved very quickly. It was obvious that he moved more boldly once he passed the black door. He never would have guessed that his every move was monitored by someone else. He was familiar with the territory here, and believed that there would be no more than three Mavericks who could find their way through the traps without tripping any of them.

“Hehe, it’s good that we have him as a guide, or we’ll never pass through here safely. I can’t imagine anyone but Mu achieving just that. The inside man is always the hardest to defend against. This guy is most certainly involved with the designs of the trap algorithms around here. Hehe, that’s quite fortunate for us!” Shang said, pleased.

The myriads of trap algorithms involved were enough to puzzle Ye Chong. They were all hidden under beautiful exteriors, and by using these traps in creative combinations, their effectiveness was greatly increased. The more they looked harmless in the background, the more likely they were to be triggered by the enemy. Who would have thought that such a beautiful scenery was a cover for all sorts of fatal threats?

“What is this place? The security is so tight!” Shang’s words betrayed his curiosity towards this mysterious place. Even Ye Chong, who usually thought it dull to uncover other people’s secrets, was eager to find out the story behind this place.

Beyond the beautiful forest, the scenery expanded into a wide plain. A stream zigzagged across the plain, but what flowed was not water – it was a silver, viscous liquid with suspended particles twinkling like stars as the river flowed slowly along its path.

“Di micropulses?” Shang could not help another gasp.

What was this thing? Without any knowledge in photon processors, Ye Chong could only listen in puzzlement. The black threadworm plunged headfirst into the river without hesitation.

Knowing Ye Chong’s ignorance, Shang explained patiently, “Di micropulses are a kind of very mild flow of pulses, harmless to the human body, and any character in the virtual world. However, it can assimilate a wide spectrum of pulsed signals.” Shang could not resist expressing his admiration. “To think that someone would use Di micropulses in this way, genius! In the virtual world, almost all tracking devices rely on weak but continuous pulse signals to determine the target’s location. Di micropulses can not only assimilate these tracking signals, but also interrupt and damage the structure of the tracking device. It’s very much like a sterilizer, only it’s not for germs, but for tracking devices.”

“Oh, I see!”

“It’s too bad that you don’t understand these things. Sigh, to have you as a witness to all these good stuff, the designer must be disappointed.” Shang mocked Ye Chong before continuing “The designer is a genius! To use Di micropulses in this way, it’s incredible!”

However, Shang immediately affected a sinister smile. “Hehe, it’s really too bad, Mu’s tracking larvae are not your usual trackers! The probability of getting rid of those larvae is too small!”

As Shang predicted, when the black threadworm plunged into the river, the holographic feed shook violently, but resumed to normal after three seconds.

Shang said, “Looks like Mu’s work is always the best!”

Beneath the surface, the view was entirely different. The opaque silver was now a semi-transparent gray, clear as crystal. The twinkling particles moved like they were alive, chasing after each other, vanishing and appearing again, clustering and spreading out, bringing life to the quiet silver river.

The black threadworm swam in the river without hindrance, moving quickly through the liquid.

It did not surface, but continued along the edge of the river. After some time, the threadworm stopped abruptly and began to dive. The river did not seem very wide, but it went down deep, as they did not reach the riverbed for a long time. The view in the river, however, changed little by little. The tiny grain-sized particles were now as large as a thumb, and did not seem as lively as their smaller counterparts.

The black threadworm stopped again. He paused for a moment before swimming towards the edge of the river. As they approached the wall that contained the river, Ye Chong saw a tiny crack in the wall. The black threadworm wriggled into the crack without hesitation.

“Sigh, nothing in this world is perfect!” Looking at the crack, Shang seemed to deeply moved.

The crack did not extend much further. Soon, they reached the end, and saw light ahead of them.

The holographic feed suddenly opened up to the insides of a room. This crack seemed to connect the room and the river they saw earlier.

Once in the room, the black threadworm’s body began to transform, quickly expanding from its thread-like thinness into the size of an adult human. The effect was much like an elastic straw suddenly filled with air. In any case, it was an odd process.

Just then, the black object suddenly twisted and began to change its colors. When Ye Chong could finally see it clearly, the holographic feed was already showing a man in a black outfit.

Ye Chong gaped at the transformation.

“This expansion calculation is child’s play, nothing to boast about, unlike those calculations earlier, this is just embarrassing!” Shang spoke with disdain.

The man looked around him and muttered to himself, “Was it just my imagination? No one’s following? Sigh, I must be getting paranoid.”

Mu’s larvae were very useful, channeling even the slightest voices clearly.

The man in black began walking to his desk.

“Huh, that guy can actually sense that someone is following him, not bad!” Shang seemed to be surprised with the man’s vigilance.

“As I expected, inner security is lax compared to the outer security measures. Compared to the outside, this place is totally undefended. Sigh, such is human psychology!” Shang shook his head.

“Shouldn’t security be tighter on the inside than outside?” Ye Chong asked.

Shang explained, “It’s actually quite easy to understand. Their setup outside is actually quite advanced. Normally, if someone can break through the security outside, then it only makes sense that they can also plough through the security inside. After all, the probability of someone hitching a ride in like us is very small. Besides, there must be many people working here. Without those trap algorithms, the workers here could be more at ease. Ye, in this world, if you can break the strongest point of something, then that thing would be yours!”

“I see!” Ye Chong nodded, understanding him.

“Hehe, let’s check out what’s in this place!” Shang was back to his old carefree self, and Ye Chong could not help but smile at Shang’s enthusiasm.

The larvae silently left the man in black. Shang was now more interested in the place than the man himself.

“This is probably a top secret data center in the virtual world, most likely the database center for some organization. From the set up outside, those obstacles were designed not only to prevent outsiders from entering, but also to stop any internal signals from leaking out. If that guy had not found the crack in the river, the probability of someone discovering this place was close to nil. Usually, a place like this would have classified information!” Shang’s calmness made Ye Chong feel as though it was Mu he was talking to.

Ye Chong suddenly thought of something. “Then why do they want to use the virtual world?”

Shang explained, “Well, if the head of the organisation does not want to reveal his true identity to his employees, but must personally direct the inner workings, this would be an excellent option.”

The holographic feed changed again. Shang had already hacked their system, and right now, it was like an undefended city. Soon, he acquired the highest access rights to the place.

“I see!” Shang muttered to himself.

“What is it?” Ye Chong asked keenly, trying to keep up with situation.

“They’re secretly building warships!” Shang explained casually.

“Oh, warships, no wonder they’re so secretive,” Ye Chong replied with similar lightness. For the average person, this was definitely news of earth-shattering importance. To both of them, however, with their experience in dealing with a warship themselves, the news was not much of a surprise.

“Officially, they’re a massive group that produce mechs, the Prometheus Group, which also produces the Matte mech series. Ye, you must be familiar with this series. The main purpose of this place is as an information center, and the people here are mainly responsible for its security. Tsk tsk, the warship plans are deplorable, compared to the MPA’s Twin Moon Corvette, theirs suck. Er, there are also some classified documents here. Sigh, as expected, I say, the manager here is too reckless, murdering the person that was the backbone of their organization, it’s no wonder their technical expertise is so inadequate right now. Poor man, that Gao Shichang, to be set up and murdered like that!” Shang shook his head.

“Gao Shichang?” Ye Chong jerked like he was struck by lightning, and felt blood rushing to his head. “What did you say? Shang, say that again!” Ye Chong hoarse and low voice was overwhelmed with emotions.

Shang was obviously shocked. “Ye, what’s with you? Do you feel uncomfortable somewhere? Is it another episode?”

“Shang, say that again!” Ye Chong growled lowly like a beast cornering his prey.

Shang could not understand, and could only do as he was told. “They’re cover is Prometheus …”

“Not that, what you said later!” Ye Chong cut Shang off rudely.

“The one about Gao Shichang being set up?” Shang asked Ye Chong, perplexed.

“Gao Shichang … Gao Shichang … Gao Shichang …” Ye Chong muttered quietly to himself, his eyes glowing with reminiscence as bits and pieces of his life on the trash planet became clearer and clearer in his mind, the clearest of which was the thin, gentle figure who liked to see him smile.

“You know Gao Shichang?” Shang asked, surprised.

“Gao Shichang … Gao Shichang …” Ye Chong muttered, “Papa is called Gao Shichang …”

“Ah!” It was Shang’s turn to gasp in surprise. When he and Mu got to know Ye Chong, he was already living by himself. They only knew that Ye Chong had a father, but did not know that his name was Gao Shichang.

“Papa was set up and murdered! Papa was set up and murdered!”

That phrase repeated itself over and over in Ye Chong’s mind. His usually rock solid heart was now throbbing with pain.

“Ah, Ye, get out right now, someone’s coming!” Shang urged.

Ye Chong was lost in his thoughts, and did not seem to hear the mech.

Shang panicked. “Ye, get out of there now! Or you’ll be found out!” Seeing Ye Chong still in a trance, Shang slowed down and said, “Ye, don’t think too much about it, didn’t Papa and you lived together for years? His death was something you witnessed, maybe it’s just a coincidence!”

Shang’s words brought Ye Chong out of his trance. Indeed, he had lived with Papa for years and years, and had buried the man himself. Perhaps it was just a case of two people sharing the same name.

Shang hastened him. “Ye, get out right now, if you’re discovered, all our efforts will be wasted. I will find out everything about your Papa, so don’t worry, Mu will also help out. Besides, even if you want revenge for your Papa, let’s first deal with the current situation!”

Ye Chong had already mostly recovered from his initial shock. As he calmed down and began to think, he found himself agreeing with Shang. Whatever the truth was, he should first deal with the current ordeal.

Once he decided, Ye Chong hesitated no further. He pushed himself up and out of his seat, and bounced off his seat like a monkey. At the same time, the pilot’s cabin door opened up, Mu and Shang cooperating with him seamlessly. The ceiling grew nearer and nearer and, just as he was about to hit the ceiling, Ye Chong gave a gentle push with his hands against the ceiling. His arms bent at the elbows like springs, and straightened again!

Ye Chong rode with the momentum and landed at an even higher speed. He withdrew Shang even before his feet touched the ground. Just as he landed, Ye Chong contracted his abdominal muscles and bent down, landing on all fours like a cat, and just as silently.

Ye Chong stood up just when the door to his room opened.

Chapter 196: Brewing Storm XI

he one who entered was Lan Yixing. Lan Yixing took a look at Ye Chong and said, “Mo Fei, come with me.” He then left the room.

“Okay.” Ye Chong replied and followed. Ye Chong was still distracted by the information he just found out. Lan Yixing noticed his usually steady apprentice’s demeanor and was quite surprised.

“What happened?” Lan Yixing may have asked calmly, but one could read the concern in his tone. In truth, Lan Yixing was satisfied with this student of his – hardworking without complaint, and diligent in his training. While his innate talent was lacking, quite a ways from Lan Yixing’s ideal student, he understood that talent was not something one could control.

If he continued training like this, his effort would make up for it. Lan Yixing believed that this student of his would succeed him and pass down his skills. As for whether he could attain Jie, that was up to faith. After all, the path towards attaining Jie depended not only on effort, but also on luck and innate talent.

“Nothing.” Ye Chong replied dismissively, still occupied with his thoughts. His mind was still in a whirl. The new information had delivered a heavy blow to him. Compared to his new discovery, the MPA and Black Cove had nothing on it!

Fortunately, Ye Chong had good self control, and managed to maintain his basic rationale despite the situation.

Lan Yixing saw that Ye Chong did not wish to share his thoughts, and did not pursue further, only adding, “If you have any issues that you can’t solve alone, let me know.”

Ye Chong nodded, and felt his heart warmed up. Based on Shang and Mu’s investigation, Lan Yixing had a good relationship with the local authorities, so he could actually do something for Ye Chong if needed. However, Ye Chong’s problem was one that he could not help with. Besides, if Papa was really framed and murdered, Ye Chong would take care of it himself. He was confident in his abilities to do at least that much.

Lan Yixing headed outwards without a word, and Ye Chong did not question him, the two men occupied with their own thoughts.

When Ye Chong came to, he found himself out in the open on the streets, amongst pedestrians. Ye Chong paused, startled. Heavens, how did he arrive here on the streets?

The streets was not a good place for Ye Chong at the moment. From his last encounter with Black Cove’s Cosmic Flare, he understood that Black Cove was determined to get him this time. To think that Black Cove would openly search the streets for him against their usual secretive nature. It was a real possibility for him to see Black Cove mechs on the streets at any time.

Shang’s warning had him drenched in cold sweat.

“Ye, careful, 45 degrees from the radius vector, 20 kilometers from here, there are two MPA mechs, Messengers.”

Ye Chong felt his muscles tensed up. If anything went wrong, he would deploy Guardian and get the hell out of there.

However, Shang’s next warning made Ye Chong pale. “Ye, careful, 77 degrees from the radius vector, 23 kilometers from here, there are two Sanctuary mechs, Dawns.”

Ye Chong nearly stumbled. Heavens, he was running out of luck today.

Shang reminded him, “Ye, relax, you’ll get noticed if you’re too nervous. They probably haven’t found you yet.”

Ye Chong heaved a breath of relief at Shang’s words.

However, Shang immediately followed up urgently with words that filled Ye Chong with a sense of foreboding, “Ye, careful 35 kilometers straight head, two of Black Cove’s Cosmic Flares are coming this way.”

Ye Chong was ready to deploy Han Jia now. Now that the threat was well defined, Ye Chong became calmer somehow. His face betrayed no fear or uncertainty, only his pulse quickened slightly, not out of fear, but of excitement at the imminent battle!

“Hmph, these mechs are not enough to contain me!” He thought. However, he also knew that once he engaged with these mechs, he would also be the target of the formidable backup force that came with them. As for whether the mechs from the Three Forces would take turns or work together in engaging him, that was no longer an important concern.

He knew that if he could not even handle these mechs, he would not stand a chance.

Shang suddenly spoke up, “Ye, calm down.”

“What?” Ye Chong asked, but he was already relaxing inside. Even if Shang was usually a barrel of laughs, he would never joke in these situations.

Shang spoke with some uncertainty, “Ye, they are probably not working together.” Then, as though he figured out something, Shang continued excitedly, “Yes, they are not working together. I say, they all seem to be on high alert. Hehe, Ye, they must have noticed each other hehe, get ready for showtime. We might be able to see a battle between the Three Forces.”

A battle between the Three Forces was filled with uncertainties. None of the mech pilots would act hastily to trigger it. Their understanding of every other party’s skills and weaknesses were enough to make them wary of each other.

The command section from each of the three parties received their reports at roughly the same time, and issued the same command to retreat.

This was the first time the Three Forces encountered each other directly on Windstar.

Of the three commanding officers, the one who was most troubled was Hak. They had lost one mech without knowing who the culprit was. With two of the Cosmic Flares safely returned, he felt consoled slightly. The situation on Windstar was turning complicated quickly. Maintaining the strength of his forces was the only way to secure his power on the planet, and not be the first of the Three Forces to retreat.

Just then, the holographic news flash on his desk reported, “At 9 o’clock this morning, we will witness the opening of the largest martial arts tournament in the history of Windstar. What you’re watching now is a traditional martial art performance. This classical demonstration reminds us of the glorious days past when traditional martial art flourished …”

“Martial arts?” Hak twisted his lip in disdain. How could those flowery moves be considered as combat moves? It was his belief that Black Cove was the only true combat expert. The skills he picked up in the past at that place were enough to make anyone in the Five Galaxies envious! Perhaps, that was the only place that could give birth to real combat experts! While he was only allowed three weeks of training there, it was now difficult to find any opponents worthy of his attention. Hak felt a sudden wave of emotions – how could these people understand the true strength of Black Cove?

Looking at the performances in the holographic feed, Hak felt like he was only watching a bunch of clowns on stage, and turned off the holographic news flash out of disgust. The media only knew to exaggerate, and was not worthy of his time. He should focus on planning for the situation at hand, and not watching a bunch of clowns.

The martial arts tournament was only briefly covered in the holographic news flash, an indication of just how removed martial arts was from society. “Combat expert” was an unfamiliar term to most people, an almost archaic occupation. Compared to the annual mech pilot tournament, this was barely worth mentioning.

However, in the world of combat, the event was momentous.

Most of the older generation in the world of combat could not remember the last time such a grand tournament was held. The organizer this time was the Tian Hua dojo. Invitation was delivered not only to almost all dojos on Windstar, but also to famous combat experts on other planets. The tournament was organized with unprecedented splendor, but it still could not hide the awkward fact of the art’s decline.

Ye Chong sighed in relief as the mechs from the Three Forces retreated. Lan Yixing continued forward without stopping.

Ye Chong could only follow him and hope that they would reach their destination quickly, finish their business and return to the dojo as soon as possible. Wandering outside made him nervous. He tried to guess Lan Yixing’s intentions in bringing him outdoors, but could not make neither head nor tail of it. In the end, he gave up and settled on simply following Lan Yixing.

“Huh, is this not the way to Tian Hua dojo?”

He went there with Hua Shangmei last time, and now Ye Chong’s excellent sense of direction reminded him of the fact.

“Shang, why do you think he’s going to the Tian Hua dojo?” Ye Chong chatted with Shang, unwilling to dwell on the issue regarding Papa. This was not the time to be distracted, and Ye Chong must be prepared for any eventuality.

“Hehe, I know why, but I’m not telling!” Shang laughed cunningly, filling Ye Chong with dread.

Ye Chong kept quiet. Usually, Shang would give in to temptation and tell in the end. This time, however, Shang seemed quite determined and said nothing more, laughing devilishly all the while Ye Chong felt increasingly nervous. Nonetheless, Shang’s antic successfully distracted Ye Chong away from thoughts of his Papa.

Tian Hua dojo looked very different now. It was redecorated with vintage motives, bringing its visitors one large step back in time. A large holographic screen was affixed on top of the main entrance, showing a youth in white demonstrating a series of combat moves, his movements natural like flowing water, a harmonious blend of ying and yang, incorporating beauty and strength.

Wasn’t that Hua Shangmei? Ye Chong recognized the man in white garb instantly.

Hua Shangmei was a handsome man, and now looked even more elegant and dashing. In the holographic display were also a crowd of ladies watching Hua Shangmei with mesmerized eyes, occasionally squealing in excitement.

The students of Tian Hua dojo stood in two lines before the main entrance with discipline, all dressed in white. Hua Tiankai’s eldest student, Zheng Zhongxing stood by the door and smiled as he greeted the visiting combat experts. There was another door at the side for the audience. Anyone would enter and watch the performances and matches for free.

Ye Chong was developing a headache just by watching the large crowd. It was not that he never encountered grand events like this, but this was the worst possible moment to get involved.

Somehow, Shang’s devilish laughter seemed to suggest something else beyond that crowd. The mech only laughed, pleased with himself.

Chapter 197: Brewing Storm XII

he saving grace was how Lan Yixing was a mere owner of a mere dojo to the eyes of the public. His title of “Lan family of September” would only be effective to one who was well-aware of its existence like Rui Bing. The hospitality Lan Yixing received was not as great, and could be said was a total mismatch to his strength. He was naturally a person of low-profile however and that would be helpful for he was very much prepared this time, striving to bombard the crowd towards the end of the tournament to grab their attention, the later the stronger the effect.

As the participation was overwhelming and had gone beyond Hua Tiankai’s expectation, helplessly he also opened up the training room right next to the reception hall to accommodate the guests. Lan Yixing on the other hand, led Ye Chong to sat at one quiet corner of the hall.

“Shang, so this is the tournament between martial artists?” asked Ye Chong as he was left with an impression that Shang had somehow mentioned something like a fighting tournament on Windstar before.

“Mhm,” replied Shang.

Frankly speaking, Ye Chong was still a little intrigued of this mentioned tournament. After witnessing the capabilities of Lan Yixing, Ye Chong no longer held even a bit of disdain towards the martial arts practitioners from the 5 major galaxies. Imagining the fearsome dragons and tigers lurking in this hall, Ye Chong could tell some of them could be potentially on par with the experts at Black Coves.

Ye Chong was also highly confident of his learning ability, considering that with the involvement at the tournament this time, one could tell the speeding up benefits for his skills.

There were uninvited guests from the other planets, the dojo owner realized that and would like to express his respect towards them, as he called over one man to break the wall between the reception hall and the temporary hall. One buffed man with a tanned face offered his help proactively, one fist landed to the wall and it began cracking like a spider web, which soon collapsed into countless specks, piling a tiny ruin.

The punch had won over the thunderous applause of the entire hall.

“Such an attention seeker,” disdained Shang. “You even want to flaunt wall-breaking? Ye, his punch is even worse than the one you did last time. Man, talking about beginners, they have seen nothing.” That punch Shang quoted was from the time when Ye Chong broke the metallic gate in a spaceship barehanded. With his current strength, he was hardly interested in such a performer’s kind of behavior. Similarly, Lan Yixing who shared the same impression, carried on sipping that cup of tea he had been sipping since forever.

Well, that very punch made by that tanned face man obviously had stirred the emotion of the crowds, giving them expectation towards the tournament this time.

Both Lan Yixing and Ye Chong sat at the corner. They recognized nobody from the crowd. They put up their ultimate straight face. No doubt, nobody would bother to take the initiative to talk to them. Meanwhile, Hua Tiankai, being the host of the tournament, had become busier than the bees, more occupied than the waiter at the restaurant where Ye Chong was in, of course he would not remember Lan Yixing being there.

“Hah!” Shang shrieked excitingly, “I knew it!”

“What?” asked Ye Chong in confusion.

“What else? It’s Bing! Bing! Your Bing Bing yeah! Ye, move your eyes to the table at the center, what did you see over there? Did you see it? Wow, B-i-n-g-B-i-n-g…” The flooding excitement seemed to have jammed his audio-producing system… Ye Chong seriously hoped that.

His heart pumped hard once, as the silhouette of her wavy white garb flashed in his head. Well that was just one hard pump. Shang had already informed him the name of the girl being Rui Bing. What has Rui Bing to do with me though? That was the first thought sprouting in his head.

Nonetheless, the admiration lingered. Her standard of combats, her spirit of perseverance, and her demureness of posture, in that grace of eternity, those had left impressions in him.

He glanced at the direction of Rui Bing. That girl in her white garb was still her old self. Her posture on the seat did not even change, although that Wei Yuan by her side was a tiny surprise to him.

Speaking of Wei Yuan, he had been a headache to Hua Tiankai and his apprentices, for he had been somehow glued to Rui Bing since ages. It was Rui Bing who accepted his entry out of sympathy for his young age and pitiful look. She took good care of him. Wei Yuan had been staying with his father back when he was much younger, certainly he would have never experienced that nurturing aspect of a family. Towards Rui Bing’s motherly care, he was touched, thus his obedience day by day. They gradually grew on each other and Wei Yuan even requested Rui Bing to be his sister at one point, well, she nodded her head happily.

Rui Bing immediately discovered his role in this brother-and-sister relationship for somehow Wei Yuan detected her distastefulness towards those guys under Hua Tiankai. As soon as Hua Shangmei and his brothers in apprenticeship came to Rui Bing, Wei Yuan would jump into action and disrupt the entire scene, which was driving these boys crazy yet they were incapable of doing anything in the situation. And Rui Bing’s residence was enjoying better serenity than before.

The reality was, Wei Yuan identified Sister Bing surely being someone related to YC. Furthermore, those pretentious behavior of the boys were disgusting him. He feared Sister Bing losing something in the end, thus his disruption, joining the fun. It was partially out of his sense of protectiveness towards Sister Bing and the other half being the exaltation towards YC.

Thanks to Sister Bing, he managed to become the guest at the centermost table.

“Oh, Bing Bing, Ye… It’s your Bing Bing…” Shang sounded like he was moaning.

That was peculiar to Ye Chong’s ears, for he wondered what had made the artificial indulgence even more indulgent today, “Shang, according to the all the information I had been given at the moment, she does not seem to share any kind of relationship with me, but why do you keep saying that she’s mine the whole time?”

“Hah!” Chuckled Shang, “Ye, you would not have understood. It’s a woman after all, a deep study of life. She had already made her statement remember? She would marry no other man than you! Do you really think our Bing Bing would be telling a lie?”

“Our Bing Bing? Shang, your statement is contradicting!” reminded Ye Chong.

“Kek! Ye, aren’t what yours ours as well?” rebutted Shang.

Ye Chong agreed, “If she is truly mine, then your statement would make sense.” And he tried his very best to find the tape of that very moment of his life and replay it to see if he missed any- “But she does not seem to have mentioned something like marrying no other man than me. She only said she wanted me to marry her.”

Oh the pride in Shang’s laugh, “Ha! Ha! Ha! Ye, you seriously need to study more romance movies. Tsk, tsk, tsk, this is an effective rite of passage of humanity, the path to the colorful life. Once you got to my place, heh! With my level, clearly you would understand what ‘our Bing Bing’ mean… Hehehehehe!”

“I see.” Ye Chong could not comprehend a word Shang said as usual. Even though he was speaking English, it unavoidably gave him headache in the end. To retain his sanity, he chose to end the topic.

Since he had been sitting at the corner and Rui Bing never had the habit of looking around, absolutely not once she would notice that cold man. Surprisingly Wei Yuan had the habit, as he set his eyes upon everything around, they were so exciting! “I mean, look at those colorful mechs!” It was a shame for he only recognized mechs and not… humans.

Soon, the tournament commenced!

There were several sections in this tournament. It would begin with a group performance of trainees from Tianhua dojo, then the competition itself, followed by the exchange of the latest mech combats and lastly the explanation from the Master, being the drum-roll of the show.

The group performance was not impressive in the eyes of the experts. It was as if they were watching a bunch of dolls waving their limbs with the unnecessary heyhoos. The outsiders were enjoying every bit of the show however, it was lively and able to capture their interests on martial arts.

The first section was unquestionably successful, judging by the thrilled applause from the audience, with ear-piercing whistle and scream. The experts at the seat felt proud of the reaction as they straightened their back and set off an expression of their prime.

Ye Chong at the corner was enjoying his corner, not the show at all. He was in dead serious wonders on why it took forever for Lan Yixing to finish his tea. Shang in his head was laughing in an odd mechanical utterance. Sounds like a short-circuit or Shang was literally laughing blankly in his head he thought.

The competition part was the main event, the eye-catcher of them all. The participants were of great amount, considering how this would be the one-and-only golden opportunity for them to experience the kicks and punches pulled by the others. There were even a handful of fighters coming across the galaxies just to attend the tournament today.

The training room was renovated for the competition purposes and was furnished with a number of devices of advanced technology to allow the audience to view the field from all sorts of angles in clarity throughout the event. It seemed like Tianhua dojo had dumped in a large portion of their savings in this, with those hologramic projectors of the latest models in all sizes scattered at every corner of the stage. Every spectator was also given a helmet at their seat to choose the match they desired via signal transmittance.

The tournament this time was also the pioneer to martial arts streaming on the Virtual World network, though there were only 3 channels, Hua Tiankai tried his best.

An exciting teaser of martial arts was played and everyone had their blood boiling.

The sharp chimes of the copper bells clouded the galaxy with a sense of the ancient, informing the crowd that the match commencing.

The seniority at the seat were nodding their heads in the dark, as fascinated by the capabilities of this master in producing the right atmosphere.

The panel of judges of the tournament this time consisted of the few celebs or true experts among the martial artists, and here Rui Bing was, sitting by the table, being the only female at the panel. One could tell the inferiority of females in the field.

That was none of Ye Chong’s concern however, as his eyes fixed upon the matching participants. These participants were quite peculiar, with drastically different age groups and color of their apparels. Their movements were the most peculiar in his eyes, with most of them being never-before-seen to him.

Ye Chong in his helmet was selecting the match he found interests in. He had to admit that the latest model was the latest after all, for it could capture the frames at the highest definition possible, expressing details at its finest.

Like that rather underweight man for instance, his movement was inspiring. His body moved like a spinning top in the air of a great velocity, which formed an reinforcing airflow on his kick, moving like a whip. Once he hit the opponent he would grab that inertia to turn the tide of his.

His opponent was a tall, bulky man, who backed off consecutively as hit by his kick.

Such movement was the eye-opener to Ye Chong, as he complimented in his thoughts to express his amazement. This was a prime example of employing all the strength throughout his body to fight the foe while utilizing inertias in brilliance to make motions and changes in his moves. He would then become unpredictable to the foes. Brilliant!

Of course, such move was hardly a threat to Ye Chong, as he could simply think of more than 10 methods to solve this puzzle. But that did not necessarily kill his admiration towards it.

There were too many matches going on simultaneously with dazzling techniques being never-before-seen. He eventually requested Shang to record everything at once and intended to check them out after the match ended.

Ye Chong was fully occupied to the match as he disregarded the flow of time. Out of sudden, a tap on his shoulder woke him.

Chapter 198: Brewing Storm XIII

Follow me,” Lan Yixing’s voice rang before his ears.

Ye Chong removed his helmet hurriedly. The helmet was indeed a product of the advanced technology, such astonishing capability of dissociating the viewer’s senses from the outside world.

Before both of them came to a realization, the tournament had already arrived at the final match of the day. Every final match of the day would be considered as the show of the day, where Tianhua dojo would arrange two ace martial artists fighting against each other, which one of them happened to be Lan Yixing for today.

For the sense of majesty, the match would be carried out at the enormous colosseum which was usually used for major mech combats. This colosseum also happened to be the grandest field of Tinahua dojo, which its length and width both happened to be 3km respectively and the field was bounded by the spectator area. That sounded dangerous indeed. To cope with the possibilities of how the parts of exploded mechs would be flying at the spectators, the whole battleground was capsuled inside a protective field. The colosseum was another huge investment by Hua Tiankai even way before mech combats became a thing in his field. People would truly compliment his prescience and daring decision.

The spectator area was empty however. Considering how the schedule was a pretty tight one for the day and how it would cost some time for the audience to shift themselves between venues, eventually everyone succumbed to viewing the match via the projector or the helmet, including those judges at the table. It was inevitable keeping in mind that the colosseum was pretty distant from their seat. Tianhua dojo had taken that into account, no worries. Hundreds of sets of cameras were installed at every corner inside the colosseum. The audience could just feel the match right on their seat. If this was not a grand setting, what would be?

Lan Yixing, with his boy Ye Chong had entered the preparation room. Every participant would do their stretching or warming up here. There was a long narrow corridor which would lead them to the field directly.

“I’m going,” stated the master.

“Alright,” replied Ye Chong nonchalantly.

Lan Yixing glanced at Ye Chong, “You are the most diligent among all the apprentices I had so far. You are here to witness what true martial arts is.” The tone was indifferent as usual, but Ye Chong could discern the underlying passion. Lan Yixing was like a legendary dragon long sealed underground, and at that moment he would erupt and show them what tyranny truly was!

Ye Chong, in response, did not say a word. He only nodded his head, expressing curiosity towards the level of his master. He had yet seen his master in actual action other than teaching him a few tricks. His master had always been keeping everything under his sleeves.

“Ye.” Shang spoke, “His opponent is one by the name of Zuo Ling.” Zuo Ling? That’s a new name. It was not surprising to see Ye Chong responding so, since he was a newbie in the field. He barely knew anything about the artists. His mind could go blank if he were asked to name a few martial artists. Mu had once searched for information on close-combats in Virtual World yet similarly he had hardly any knowledge. Shang? Nevermind.

Coincidentally, a trainee from Tianhua dojo came into the scene, “Master Lan,” courteously he spoke, “You are the 77th seeded player in this match. According to the outcome of randomized matchup performed by our processor, your opponent would be the 1st seeded player, namely Zuo Ling.”

“Zuo? That’s his surname? Zuo Ling?” asked Lan Yixing. His soulless, dark eyes were suddenly lit by something as lustrous they grew. The wrinkles on his forehead twitched a little. Such detail did not escape Ye Chong’s eyes, as he wondered if Lan Yixing had something to do with Zuo Ling.

“Zuo family of Tian Luo?” The corners of his eyes twitched.

The trainee reacted in shock, “You knew the family too? I thought my brothers were pulling my legs when I heard it. So the family does exist? Are they really that great?”

“Yes,” expressionlessly he replied.

“So they are truly great…” The trainee’s face was filled with astonishment, “Well, you could prepare yourself at the moment. You may enter the field once prompted by the tune and announcement. Good luck.” He left the room afterwards.

“Zuo family! It really is the Zuo family… is this what they called ‘fate’?” Lan Yixing raised his head upon the ceiling, muttered, with a droplet of tear rolling from the eyes’ corners. Ye Chong of course was astounded by the act.

He regained his calmness very soon after. He turned to Ye Chong, his eyes were grim. A moment lapsed and he finally spoke, “Go to my room, on the second drawer from your left, there would be a red microchip inside, which contains all techniques from the Lan family. You get it right after the match begins and leave Windstar the quickest as possible, the farthest as possible! Never be caught by the Zuo family. Never.” His tone was flat, as if it had nothing to do with himself.

“He’s making a will,” reminded Shang, as he immediately deciphered the underlying meaning.

“Why?” Ye Chong agreed to Shang’s judgement as he asked quickly.

“Merely because he’s one of the Zuo family.” The words came calmly. Ding! Dong! An electronic tune played, “Mr. Lan Yixing, Mr. Lan Yixing, No.77, please enter the field right away.”

He turned away, headed to the corridor, “Make sure the Lan family techniques remain till the end of time.” And he disappeared at the glaring end of the corridor.

“This old guy probably has some issues with Zuo family. And the issues must be really, really bad.” Mumbled Shang and he became excited out of sudden, “Ye, let’s head back and grab the chip! Hehehehe, that’s an excellent item you know what!”

“No,” he disagreed as he shook his head. “We will go, after the match.”

“Oh, fine. This is in fact a match between the real deals. Would be a waste if we just miss it.”

“Shang…”

“Yes, Ye?”

“Could you control all the cameras in the dojo?”

“I could… but why? Do you have the need to do so?”

“Yes, just seize the control for now…”

The spacious ground glistered by the spotlight at every corner. The two participants stood face to face. That well-trained body of theirs suddenly felt so tiny on the field. The field was for mech combats after all, the spectator’s area was a little far away from the field. If anyone were to watch the match at the seat, he or she would probably only see two dots jumping around. This was also why Hua Tiankai decided to use the eyes of the cameras instead, which gave a much better view.

Lan Yixing shot cold stares at the man before him. Zuo Ling was still he himself, with that apparel of his, exposing half of his chest, flashing that iron hard muscles along with that easy smile on his face. The female spectators were screaming in their helmets.

Compared to Zuo Ling the macho guy, Lan Yixing was just a normal middle-aged man one could see every dusk on the street.

“Zuo family from Tian Luo galaxy?” Initiated Lan Yixing.

“Yes,” flinched slightly Zuo Ling, for the foe before him actually being able to identify his background at first glance. “And you are…?” He would not want to be reckless on this middle-aged man, in delay he asked.

“Hehe, Zuo family from Tian Luo galaxy, I had heard of names of your family. What a grand family back then.” His laugh was more terrifying than crying, as his expressionless face being squeezed into something a monster would shriek upon.

Zuo Ling captured the meaning right away. This man before him must have had bad blood with his family before. He took a careful glance at the man yet his mind could not get him a name. He did remember the trainee informing him that his foe happened to be Mr. Lan… something Lan…

Wait, Lan? Astounded Zuo Ling, “You are the Lan family of September?”

“Such memory for the family who actually remembers a nobody like ours. Hehe, it took me forever to hide from the family yet here I am today, right in front of another Zuo. Fate is capricious indeed,” Lan Yixing stared as he spoke word by word.

Zuo Ling’s heart pumping hard, since he was very much knowledgeable of the history of his family. Of course he was informed about the case with Lan family. Back during the prime time of Zuo family, in motivation of expanding the forces of his family, the members started plundering upon the other families in the dark, including the Lan family of September, which their muscle control techniques were the killer moves on their list. Zuo family did attempt a variety of test in imitating the technique but the development turned out to be rather insignificant. In the end, they took action, a radical action.

The Lan family was not the grand kind of family one would expect from movies, although they held members of an amount of hundred. Wait… based on the records of our family, under the magnificent plan of the operation, the family was plundered, members had been completely annihilated. There should not have survivors. Did my ancestors miss someone out? The operation was not a total success in fact, since the ultimate technique of the Lan family never came into their hands. They left the scene with a tiny clusters of microchips eventually. Nevertheless, those were more than enough for the family to make significant development in muscle control.

The irony was, when Zuo family expected the next era being theirs, the field of martial arts started degrading during the continuous raise of pilots in the galaxy, which lastly conquered the galaxy in absolution. The Zuos realized how the techniques were kept deep inside their zipped mouth. The techniques were locked up and never taught to the following generation. The microchips became the junk piling on the ground. Most of their own techniques had been lost from generation to generation. The family had broken down.

Zuo Ling could not really feel the tension from the record. He could feel the imperialism behind the plunder and conquer of his family however. He saw the need in it judging by the era in the past. The only confusing part was the man before him still had that hatred from generations before. Those plunder-and-conquer, bloodshed and murder were none other than historical incident to him, something already far and incomprehensible.

Well, no matter what, he was born under the Zuo family and he shouldered the honor of his family. Since he had come across a nemesis on such a formal occasion, alright then, he should be speaking with his strength, which he had great confidence of. The Lan family shall once again lose against the Zuo family, thought the man proudly.

Lan Yixing’s face returned to its calmer state as he took off the shirt he had been wearing all day long. And that was the moment of silence where everyone shut their mouth, including the judge, who were exchanging whispers vigorously at their table. Gasps were heard.

They simply did not expect Lan Yixing’s physique to be such a view… Not the slightest sight of the normal bits of muscle was seen on his body. His body was connected with bundles of strands of tendons about the width of thumb. It looked like countless yellowish brown snakes slithering over his body at one glance. The shape of the bundles was clear and obviously strong, that no one would doubt the strength within.

Even Ye Chong dropped his jaws. It was the first time he saw such abnormal form of muscles on a living man. He got to admit, such an appearance could provide actual visual impact to humanity.

Zuo Ling on the other hand lost the color of his face. Among every witness to such anomaly, he was probably the only one who recognized the threat those bundles could pull off. Most importantly, the muscles presented the man’s identity being the Jie expert, one who stood on top of his own field, the Jie expert of the Lan family… such appearance. Zuo Ling suffered the loss of confidence this drastically the first time.

Lan Yixing stood there. His expression stayed still. He had hidden his capabilities for long enough and today would be the day where he would disregard everything else and solve this resentment once and for all.

Both of them got into position. Not a single word was spoken.

The copper bell chimed long and gracefully. That clear sound resounded at the spacious field.

Almost simultaneously, both of them acted like two strikes of lightning as they crashed into each other. Wham! One thunderous roar, both of them switched positions right away, as if they had read moves of each other.

Both of their moves went so rapid that the audience could not capture the frames with their eyes. Gasps were even heard from the panel.

Ye Chong right at the side of the field had witnessed everything clearly. Both of them had exchanged fists and kicks 22 times upon contact. As they went so fast, audience could only capture that one wham, which in actuality was a heavy stack of 22 whams.

Zuo Ling was put into such disadvantage on the first match. One could tell that from that shaking left arm of his. With that master control of Lan Yixing over his own muscles, a crash would be the best way to begin the match, even Ye Chong could know a few methods to magnify the strength in seconds by times. Utilizing the knowledge with that bundles of alien flesh of his, Ye Chong would also be in slight fear.

Zuo Ling did not panic however. His expression was calmer than water as he lifted his right arm and formed a blade. His left arm rested behind his back, his leg slightly crossed… yes, it was a strange posture indeed.

Lan Yixing treated the action with nonchalance as the muscles on his shoulders wriggled disturbingly. Underneath the tight pants of his, the muscles were expanding. The audience could see the frightening strength in the muscles. Lan Yixing looked as if he had redistributed muscles of his entire body over the limbs. That lost in proportion was bizarre to Ye Chong as he turned deaf over Shang’s commentary.

A true fearsome manipulation over muscles! Fiasco brewed at the seats right when such a groundbreaking phenomenon happened, which science was disobeyed, burnt and tossed away.

The fighters on their seat were holding their breath in tension, as they anticipated the next move.

Chapter 199: Brewing Storm XIV

Jie expert!” a shriek escaped from one of the handsome fighters at the seat, shattering the dead silent of the spectator area.

Jie expert, the advanced form of the one in combats, possesses a kind of unique ability, like that attack from Rui Bing on Ye Chong back then, where he could feel being constricted by something. That was none other than a type of pressure exerted on his mentality, his body was as sound as one could imagine.

Jie experts were uncommon. And according to records, their abilities were even more uncommon, bizarre one could comment as.

Jie expert? Jie expert! They really exist! Every fighter on the ground stood up. Ever since the fall of their era, Jie expert had become the myth of their field. One mere fighter from a mere dojo could never have a chance to see a Jie expert in his or her entire life, although most likely they were just unaware of their existence. The population of Jie experts was far more motivating than they imagined. It was not surprising since this was an era where pilots flew in flocks on their mechs at the sky. The number had grown scarce, especially when their martial art techniques could be put hardly in other purposes than fighting itself. In the end martial arts practitioners would only be the bodyguards of some public figures. Moreover, these experts were isolated by nature, they would hide their abilities from people. So folks like spectators there might spend their entire life of not seeing the true practitioner like the Jie expert.

A battle between the Jie experts was already not something common one could see even during the prime time of martial artists. Such occasion on the stage currently was something once a hundred years probably.

The right palm of Zuo Ling transformed into a peculiar dark green which began spreading to his arms at a discernible rate.

Lan Yixing lowered his legs, squatted slightly, with his eyes on Zuo Ling.

He screamed! The air vibrated in waves, rolling over the surrounding. The definition of the cameras was great enough to capture the details of the waves.

The practitioners in their helmet were breathing in fear for one scream from a Jie expert could be this earth shattering.

The folks on the spectator’s area was stupefied as if they were viewing an action film made out of CGI.

Ye Chong’s pupils shrunk drastically, as his eyes could discern that wriggling movement of Lan Yixing’s muscles on his thigh even underneath the tightened pants.

Lan Yixing’s legs charged up.

W-

It’s too fast! It was astonishing even for a running man like Ye Chong as he realized with his speed he could at most touch the afterimages of Lan Yixing.

Lan Yixing launched himself like a cannonball and came before Zuo Ling in split seconds. That dark greenness of his palm had only grown over his elbow.

One violent punch! No technique, merely strength and velocity, coming from Lan Yixing under that enlarged arm of his wobbling vigorously. Ye Chong wondered if he could even take that punch in whole piece.

Zuo Ling clearly did not reckon such velocity from a middle aged man like Lan Yixing.

In panic his right palm slashed nothing as his body backed off swiftly.

Clink! A sound of hitting the metal resounded in the place, in the heart of the people.

Zuo Ling clumsily backed off. His face completely drained. That punch did not land with no harm. Ye Chong was in disbelief however, as that very punch Lan Yixing had pulled, judging by its impulsive force, could shatter even a door of titanium, let alone a fleshy arm. But… But Zuo Ling’s right arm was still intact. Ye Chong raised his brows.

Lan Yixing did not perform his next move immediately as he stood still before Zuo Ling, staring at that greenish right arm of his, “So this is one of the techniques your family has developed from Lan family’s muscle control I supposed. Such a shame that your family had never obtained the complete text, what they have speculated was a total mess.”

His voice trailed off as he jumped forward, although he did not reuse that peculiar technique of his just now. Ye Chong supposed that technique to be rather consuming to Lan Yixing.

Well, the master was in fact a master, afterall. He did a few normal moves, of masterly execution. Every move was performed flawlessly on spot, with that muscles of his waving in minuscule scope. Producing an explosive strength even on the micro level, it wowed Ye Chong.

Zuo Ling only regained his consciousness by then. He wielded that eerie looking arm of his glowing in dark green, the left arm at his back to be ready for any cheating move coming from the back. His style was as hard as Lan Yixing, as his knuckle was launched. The exchange of fists and kicks started once more, a satisfying sight to the practitioners on their seat. Those advanced practitioners however were in worry as the competition had become a competition of blood in their eyes. They feared the match would not end till one of them had their blood spilling on the ground and collapsed. If there was casualty right on the first day of the tournament, the tournament would be impacted negatively.

Hua Tiankai got up from his seat first off. Being the host of the tournament this time, he shall never allow casualty to happen. He walked to Rui Bing, who felt his movement from the back as she sprang up from her seat upon realizing it was her uncle.

“Bing my girl, they are going to hurt themselves if this goes on. I want them to stop the match right now, but I think they would not be convinced so easily, so I would like you to give this uncle of yours a little help,” stated Hua Tiankai.

“Okay,” she nodded her head.

“Hey, Sister Bing…” Wei Yuan snugged upon her at the side, “Tag me along.” Of course he would not miss the opportunity to watch the martial arts exchange in closeup, especially when he could watch his runner-up idol, Sister Bing (of course the first would be always YC) in action. He would kill just to get there.

The field had transformed into something else right at the moment.

Lan Yixing’s knuckles had the velocity increased strenuously, that it felt like a carbon copy of his ultimate before, only it behaved more partially and abruptly in silence.

The afterimages, in Ye Chong’s eyes, had reappeared. He anticipated the acceleration this time. As he was watching the match from a unique angle, he could clearly discern the fists of Lan Yixing, which the bundles of muscles squirmed like a group of snakes on his shoulder, all towards his arm. They squirmed so quickly that it felt like speed of lightning compared to the obvious charging-up action Lan Yixing performed before.

The fist directly hit on Zuo Ling’s chest as he failed to dodge. Crack. Ye Chong could hear the bones breaking.

The applause at the spectator’s area had transfigured into uncontrollable shrieks of fear. Right when they assumed Zuo Ling to be a gone case of the match, that left arm hidden behind his back finally came into action. That hammer-fist Lan Yixing landed on his chest, his eyes lustered as his chest softened dramatically like bog. Lan Yixing was confused by that sensation, it was as if he was smashing on a knead of dough.

Lan Yixing’s punch was still mightier, even if Zuo Ling had relaxed his muscles significantly. He whimpered in pain as he held his left arm wrapped upon Lan Yixing’s right hand like a strap of vines.

Such reflexivity. He broke the laws of anatomy and had somehow transformed into a mollusk.

The green color on his face flashed as his left arm of constriction also turned as dark green as the right arm. Snap! The right hand of Lan Yixing had been distorted. Ye Chong who knew something about the human anatomy could tell, the bones underneath the bundles of his muscle had been splintered.

Lan Yixing whimpered as his left hand launched upon Zuo Ling’s throat.

Zuo Ling also performed the same trick this old fox used. Wham, both of their palms struck together. Their bodies backed off in whimpers. Zuo Ling’s left arm which constricted Lan Yixing had literally impaired his right arm. They were close.

And then, they demonstrated a classic example of close-combats with bare hands, except it was bare hand, rather than bare hands.

“Hah! What’s up with Lan family? What’s up with the technique being a mess? The Zuos aren’t something you pesky little family could comprehend!” Zuo Ling’s hands moved rapidly as he teased in pride, although he did in fact have that price to flaunt. Jie experts were scarce by nature and for one Jie expert of his age while possessing more than one ability, he was probably the only one. As Lan Yixing had mentioned before, that hardening technique performed by Zuo Ling was in fact a technique coming from the Lan family’s microchips his ancestor has plundered. It was a definition of their deduction over the information they snatched. And the head of the Zuos was well-aware of the issue behind the technique. So the head eventually invented a softening technique as a counter to cover up the holes. Zuo Ling was undoubtedly the genius of it for he blended both the abilities in one.

The combination of muscular hardness and tenderness was the killer move for him. But he was still too young for he lacked understanding on the overall process of combats, as well as his control over it. He was incompetent to an experienced fighter like Lan Yixing who had spent the past decades on muscle controls, which led to such situation where both of them were wounded by each other in the end.

Well, technically, Lan Yixing had a worse injury. Zuo Ling was unharmed other than that fractured his rib while maintaining the upper hand in the match. Lan Yixing… technically had lost his right arm, which harshly halved his forces. And his right arm was still under the constriction by the foe. Bone-piercing pain could be felt even at the slightest movement he made, which caused him unable to formulate any kind of moves effectively.

The words from Zuo Ling were painful to his ears as they struck to the depth of his heart. His eyes clouded by wrath out of sudden. He was not a talker to begin with so he responded with silence, however his eyes had convinced Zuo Ling that he would not stay on the upper hand for long.

Ye Chong also captured that expression in his eyes, “Shang!” Screamed Ye Chong frantically in his head.

His body shrouded away like an arrow launched from the bow, all the way towards Lan Yixing and Zuo Ling. Shang who had been his most impeccable partner the whole time had interrupted every transmission of signal at the place.

“Let’s go!” Rui Bing shouted as he grabbed Wei Yuan in her hands and ran all the way down the field with Huan Tiankai who also reacted promptly behind.

It was almost when Rui Bing and Hua tiankai made their moves, the signal was cut off and the screen on every projector, every helmet went blank. The spectators at the intensity went silent. The staff who were in charge of the streaming on the Virtual world confusingly noticed their screen being blank as well.

It took a few seconds for those practitioners to react on the happening as one of them somehow shouted, “We are going there to watch!” And people started rumbling off their seats and ran all the way to the field.

A strange kind of feeling reverberated in Ye Chong for some reason.

Chapter 200: Brewing Storm XV

e Chong’s speed was amazing. He moved like a column of smoke. If anyone was there to witness such happening, one would be dropping the jaws on spot. “Is this the speed of a human at the greatest?” They would wonder.

Lan Yixing howled once, deep agony he was in, with a hint of feeling released.

The mist of blood clouded both men, with the sound of strings breaking rang within. No one could tell what had occurred inside, as they heard the whimpers coming from both of them simultaneously.

The fire in Ye Chong was extinguished. He retrieved his calmness in battle, where he felt like he had jumped off an erupting volcano right into the freezing lava, his eyes were tainted by the true desire to kill.

His velocity lifted countless afterimages, the tips of his toes exerted forces nonstop as he accelerated. His godliness speed was none of his business, as his eyes were all onto that cloud of blood at the center of the field.

Shush! A man flew out of the mist.

Ye Chong recognized that man at first glance. It was actually Lan Yixing, who no longer had that vitality before. His body was fully covered in blood. The bundles on his body were nearly all torn as they hung over his body, with blood dripping off the endings of those torn bundles to the ground.

Standing at the tip of his toes, Ye Chong readjusted the direction and grabbed Lan Yixing, whose eyes were dull and lifeless. The respiration and heartbeat ceased permanently.

Ye Chong took a drastic brake and put down Lan Yixing gently. In silence he stood.

The other man had rushed out of the mist and obviously it was Zuo Ling. Without hesitation, Ye Chong made his move.

Ye Chong never had the habits of explaining or talking big about his motive of pulling his punches. Getting into a fight suddenly was the bread and butter of his life. Zuo Ling might have appeared to be in a fluster, with most of his strength lost and being unable to hurt Ye Chong a little, Ye Chong still did not intend to forsake that good habit of his.

The last blow delivered by Lan Yixing was effective as ever. The bleeding pores over Zuo Ling body were of thumb sizes, 7 to 8 of them, which dyed Zuo Ling in flowing crimson. It could be Lan Yixing’s blood though.

Without a sound, Ye Chong shifted before Zuo Ling, his right hand stung upon Zuo Ling’s throat like a serpent.

Zuo Ling simply did not expect to be raided by some outsiders at such a nick of time. All he could do was to lift his head and go backwards while firing his hands, striving to hold that blow from Ye Chong.

Wham! That actual pressure in his hand! Zuo Ling was overjoyed as he caught it! He thought he had made that necessary move to turn the tide. Something was turned indeed, but not the tide. Crack! Crack crack crack crack! The force was exerted onto his arm. The sound of bones-cracking echoed in his ears and before he realized, an overwhelming pain seized his body.

Did that old fox Lan return? I could not name any other person who could wield such strength…

That was his last thought before he fainted.

“Stop it!” A profound voice of a man roared throughout the place.

Ye Chong did not plan to stop it. There would be no better chance for him to slaughter this weakened tiger. Literally any tiger that lost its fangs might as well be dead! His right hand sped up, lifted countless copies of itself, all onto the throat of Zuo Ling.

Ye Chong’s inhuman speed was once again demonstrated in front of people.

Without further ado, the throat of Zuo Ling obediently lied within his hands. A little bit of force on the neck. Crack. The bones shattered. The fainted man had become the fainted corpse. Ye Chong made a shake on his hand. Zuo Ling was lobbed in a fine curve and landed next to Lan Yixing.

In one day, two Jie experts had deceased right here.

Ye Chong turned to the running crowd towards him. His eyes were cold.

Rui Bing’s head exploded. Her steps withdrew abruptly, as she looked at that face countless times she had dreamed of… the same exact cold indifference remained with the same lonesomeness.

Rui Bing was ahead of the crowd but as soon as she held her steps, the crowds passed her by, where a majority of the practitioners turned their heads back, wondering why the judge had stopped moving out of the blue.

“Sister? Sister! Sister Bing!” Wei Yuan panicked, as he saw his Sister Bing acting all weird.

Rui Bing appeared as if bewitched by something, as his words never reached her, her eyes fixed upon Ye Chong.

The shout was from Hua Tiankai, the only person with the same position as Rui Bing. He shouted as soon as he saw Ye Chong, who was going to murder Zuo Ling. His voice failed to stop the tragedy from happening however. And he stumbled upon the speed of Ye Chong’s hands.

Horrifying… This is too much. Is he also a Jie expert? Wondered the master, as also a Jie expert himself. He did not have that frightening speed, but he was not convinced at the fact that a man could achieve such speed merely by his body. Truth was cruel however, as it smashed whatever he knew, convincing him that it was not a dream.

Zuo Ling’s fate had been set. Not even his scream could change a thing. He could tell that Zuo Ling was dead obviously, he was not even confident enough to survive under that kind of blow.

The fear was not felt for a long time since years back. And that fear was brought to him by none other than this young man standing right before him.

This young man, he is fatality itself! Commented Hua Tiankai right away! And what disturbed him more was the indifference on his face despite what he had done. Hua Tiankai was not the person who had not seen enough of the darkness yet that indifference of the young man was not something he had ever seen on those brutal murderers.

But, would I be backing off and let the boy do what he want? Casualty during a match could be negative but it was not that bad for one’s reputation in the field, but murder committed by a total outsider, and was performed in the dark, that was an absolute shame rubbed right on his face.

Still! He could not do a thing to the boy at the front!

Hua Tiankai remembered the face of this boy. He seemed to be the youngest under Lan Yixing’s apprenticeship. I think Shangmei had told me once that this boy was just a part timer… A part timer? Don’t be silly! Tell me which part timer could wield such strength? Judging from merely those moves this “part-timer” had performed, he was sure that the boy was not much weaker than his own master Lan Yixing. Or this so-called part-timer was an apprentice raised by Lan Yixing all this while in dark? That makes sense!

The practitioners took a cold breath the moment they witnessed Ye Chong’s moves when they arrived. Amazement was there, as they wondered if the person was a human.

Hua Tiankai did not wish to gamble with his move. If he were to make a talking-to at this moment, he could not guarantee that it would work. Losing reputation was something minor when one were to face such a killing machine. Keeping oneself alive would be the priority…

Ye Chong’s strength was imprinted in everyone.

Practically, he sort of over-imagined it. Ye Chong was powerful, Ye Chong seemed powerful but if they were to have a duel, the outcome would not be as predictable as one could assume. Ye Chong’s body was excellent, yet he lacked the skills, although the strike was so brilliant that people were immediately convinced by his inhuman speed of his hands.

Hua Tiankai could not help but to look for Rui Bing among the people. He planned to have a joint attack with Rui Bing, well the boy could be really great but under an actual aid, he should not be able to escape the dojo.

And there Rui Bing was, who stood at the crowd with a strange expression, after Lan Yixing took the effort to look hard. Hua Tiankai could tell from her expression, that she was too distracted to even hurt a fly. What happened to Bing? Hua Tiankai cracked his head to find no explanation for this. A Jie expert was usually unshakable at his or her will, unless a strong force was put onto. Very well, Bing must have been shocked by that monster. Relating to the fear he received before, Lan Yixing got a sound explanation for the phenomenon.

That did not solve his problem though. Providing that he could not even guarantee the safety of the participants outside the match, the tournament would never continue.

The chains of thoughts looked long-winded in text, but it was just a lightning connection in Hua Tiankai’s head.

Wait, his eyes went wide. He found a solution as he took out the communicator and whispered.

He glanced at the crowd, standing at the dead silent colosseum, where Ye Chong was leaving from soon. Ye Chong had completely lost interests on martial arts.

He took a look at Lan Yixing already lying on the ground dead. Although he did not assume taking out Zuo Ling as part of his responsibility, he did it anyway. The two Jie experts crashed the worlds of each other, depicting their strong characters and now they died, soundlessly they slept together.

“Ye! Stop daydreaming! A mech is heading towards here!” Shang suddenly boomed.

Ye Chong got down from the castle in the air as his thoughts ran rapidly, formulating a plan. Even if he left right away, he would not make it before the mech arrived. So almost immediately after, he called Han Jia out.

Han Jia landed before him, like the god from heaven as solemnly it stood before him.

Wait, a mech? The practitioners were confused by the scene, since a mech was like something from the alternate dimension to those who wielded fists and kicks as tradition.

“Ah!”

“Ahhh!”

Both Rui Bing and Wei Yuan screamed.

“YC!” Wei Yuan jumped, “He’s actually YC!”

The plot twist shocked Rui Bing awake and she instantly understood the entire situation. Worry grew in her over the emergence of YC. That mech of Ye Chong was familiar to her eyes, not till Wei Yuan’s scream she could never remember that it was the mech who tossed Wei Yuan to her.

So that was him!

Rui Bing’s heart shuddered.

He remembers me! He still remembers me!! Joy overflowed deepest inside her heart.

In the midst of gasp and glare, Ye Chong climbed into the cabin of Han Jia like a mutated ape, which was again amazing to the spectators. Wei Yuan’s eyes were lustrous. YC it is! Even the way he got onto the cabin was different than the others!

Is he running away? Hua Tiankai panicked, as he knew, if he was given 10 more, no, probably 8 more seconds, his eldest apprentice, Zheng Zhongxing would come with his mech zooming! That was the masterplan he had.

A practitioner could be great but not great as the metals. No way the boy would win as he stood against the mighty mech. So that was his plot, of taking a mech to smack upon the boy, although the stinky irony was, as a practitioner himself, he eventually relied on a mech, a machine to do the fighting for him. It was painful to his heart… well, maybe… it was the time for martial arts to fade out of history.

He was confident over the plan however. Zheng Zhongxing might be the weakest fighter among his apprentices, but he was one pilot with an advanced title before he came to join the dojo. The mech combats of Tianhua dojo would never develop if without his assistance.

His heart ran cold the moment he spotted that mech the boy summoned, fearing that the boy would truly run away with the mech. It would be too late by then.

Right when Ye Chong got onto Han Jia, a mech zoomed to the colosseum.

And that was when Ye Chong, to his astonishment, found out the mech being a similar close-ranged models like his Han Jia.

It is clearly a modified mech. The body should be of Judgement: Peace, well Peace was a rarely used model among the others in the Judgement series. Engines… Ye Chong could not tell so he could not make a comment, although he speculated them being the Hurricane series. A bright red main body of the mech, adorned by silvery stripes, eye-catching it was.

A shield with the shape of a burning flame, where the tips were glowing of cold sharpness. The arms, elbows and the knees of the mech were distinctly strengthened in terms of thickness. The thorns on the joints of the fingers were of mere darkness. Ye Chong did not show disdain over them as he too favored these tiny accessories to be added on his own mech, since these accessories would come in handy in all sorts of situations naturally.

The parts of the mech were premium in any sense.

But… strangely it was not armed in any ways. Ye Chong could not see any weapon there.

A close-combat model? Ye Chong wondered. Well, close-combat among mechs was a thing on the Virtual World as loved by numerous fans, but nobody really tried it in reality. That was the first close-combat model Ye Chong saw outside the virtual reality.

The mech took a perfect brake and stopped 300 meters away from Han Jia. Ye Chong could affirm to his speculation since a distance of 300 meters would be too close for a ranged model while being absolutely sound for a close-combat model to launch a blow.

Ye Chong’s expression was firm. There was no ripple on his water.