Chapter 229 – Time Flies
Although Skysea Alliance’s government did not investigate the prior incident, it also refrained from issuing an apology. Everything was swept under the rug.
With two of its main members incapacitated, class zero could no longer compete in the tournament.
“Mn.” Wu Zhangkong was roused by a hushed groan. He turned to the source of the noise without skipping a beat.
Gu Yue struggled to open her eyes. “Wulin…” The first word that tumbled from her lips was his name, albeit in a feeble manner.
Wu Zhangkong rushed to her side and pinched the veins on Tang Wulin’s wrists. “He’s fine. He’s right beside you. You’re still weak right now. Just rest.”
“Teacher Wu.” Managing to force open her eyelids, Gu Yue aimed her gaze at Wu Zhangkong. Her eyes were red with worry. She turned to her side to check on Tang Wulin.
Tang Wulin slept like a baby, free of the slightest inkling of pain.
“He’s tired,” Gu Yue muttered to herself as she yielded to the call of slumber.
Wu Zhangkong stared at the two blankly, brows knitted ever so slightly.
Gu Yue’s words had stirred his mind.
Ever since he took Tang Wulin as a student, it struck him that this disciple was the most hardworking of the batch. Wu Zhangkong often saw him jogging at the break of dawn, even before the roosters’ crow.
Despite his burdens and diligence toward cultivation, not once did Tang Wulin complain. Back in the spirit ascension platform, a lapse in his judgement had nearly triggered a cultivation deviation.
Then there was the tournament from several days ago when he was heavily injured but recovered in a single day. He then tackled another challenge which left him in his current state.
I’ve been too demanding of him. He has been too hard on himself as well.
He’s painfully aware of how much talent he lacks compared to Gu Yue, Xie Xie, and Xu Xiaoyan. This is what drives him forward; this is why he invests twice as much effort as all of them combined.
He’s fatigued in both body and mind. I’ve been overlooking that.
Wu Zhangkong stood up and walked over to Tang Wulin’s bed. Perhaps some adjustments are in order. At the very least, I will have to make some short-term revisions. They are still children after all.
Mu Chen had made a visit three days before with the purpose of confirming Tang Wulin’s state. Only after ascertaining his well-being did he turn heel toward Eastsea City. Mu Chen’s actions brought Wu Zhangkong to make a decision. Wulin can’t go on like this. I must discuss his future with this president.
As astounding as battle armor masters appearing in the tournament had seemed, in reality, it was merely a small episode. Without any follow-up, this hot piece of news sizzled away quickly.
Thus, class zero’s dazzling display was like a blossom from a night-blooming cactus, the petals withering away before dawn. Due to their amazing results in the first half of the round-robin tournament, they breached the top sixteen. However, that was as far as they could go; it was not as if they could continue to participate.
When Long Huantian and Zhang Zhenpeng pressed for more information on class zero, Eastsea Academy had already sealed off all relevant information, leaving the two clueless.
Class zero had disappeared—not only from the tournament, but from the Eastsea Academy itself. None of the students there ever heard from or saw them again.
☀
Three years later in Eastsea City, at Eastsea Soul Technology Park.
Two figures zipped through the park side by side, not a bit uncertain of the path to their destination. Once the figure on the left confirmed that they weren’t being tracked, he picked up his pace and dashed off in a blur. The other youth stepped up his pace to keep up.
“Damn. If this continues, I won’t know if it’s you or me who is the agility-type soul master here. Can you slow down a bit?” The youth on the right said helplessly.
While they appeared to be fourteen years old, they towered over their peers.
They both stood above 170 centimeters, their bodies toned and well-proportioned. Slender muscles rippled as they ran, faintly visible beneath their clothes.
Despite the swift pace, their expressions showed no sign of exhaustion; they had no problem maintaining this speed.
The teen on the left smiled. “Of course you excel in explosive sprints, but you’re no good at long distance.”
“How am I no good?” The one on the right was disgruntled.
His partner laughed. “Then let’s have a contest later. We’ll run from Eastsea City all the way to Skysea City. How about it?”
“Rejected!” He did not hesitate in his answer. “I’m not bored enough to do that. So I heard you’ve got enough contribution points now?”
“Mn. It was too easy. I’ve got enough now,” the youth on the left said, waving his arm dismissively.
The two kept running deeper into the park, and soon arrived before a cobalt-colored building.
Its exterior behaved like a lens, as if the glass panes were assembled specifically for this effect. The lens refracted light to produce a bizarrely beautiful scene. Light was refracted at every angle in a different way resulting in a new view with every slight adjustment.
The door, which was made of a similar material, was unguarded. The two placed their right hands atop it.
A blue light scanned their hands as a lazy voice sounded.
“Eastsea’s Little Wulin, Eastsea’s Little Xie Xie. You two sure are hardworking! You’re here again. Come on in.”
The two youths were precisely Tang Wulin and Xie Xie. In the past three years, they had matured substantially. Not only did they grow taller, their shoulders were now broader as well. Tang Wulin’s eyes were as large as ever, which, together with his increased height, served to accentuate his already handsome appearance.
Actually, Xie Xie wasn’t too lacking in the looks department himself. After all these years of intimacy with Tang Wulin, he no longer kept a cold demeanor and now seemed like a mischievous teen. Indeed, he was less attractive than Tang Wulin, and his eyes were not as large, but his gaze was lively and brimming with energy.
“Hello Uncle Cao,” Tang Wulin and Xie Xie greeted respectfully before entering. Undoubtedly, this was Eastsea City’s Tang Sect branch.
They passed through the familiar metal passageway, hopped on a special elevator, and soon arrived before a certain room.
Once more, a large screen appeared before them to scan their handprints.
Eyes blazing, Tang Wulin laid his palm on the screen.
An electronic voice said, “Verifying identity…”
The screen flashed with rows of data pertaining to Tang Wulin.
Identity confirmed: Outer sect disciple Tang Wulin.
Thirteen years, five months, and six days old.
Total contribution points: 14,670.
Available contribution points: 7,863.
Class four outer sect associate.
Martial soul: Bluesilver Grass.
Soul power rank: 28.
Control-type soul master. Soul Grandmaster.
Xie Xie followed suit, placing his palm on the other side of the screen. His data appeared a moment later.
Identity confirmed: Outer sect disciple Xie Xie.
Thirteen years, four months, and one day old.
Total contribution points: 1,554.
Available contribution points: 1,554.
Class three outer sect associate.
Martial soul: Light Dragon Dagger, Shadow Dragon Dagger.
Soul power rank: 33.
Agility-type soul master. Soul Elder.
Xie Xie broke down in defeat when he saw his contribution points. His twin martial souls and soul three soul rings allowed him to only lag behind Tang Wulin by one class. He had no way of mirroring that amount of contribution points.
He chose mecha crafting as his secondary profession and was merely a rookie first-rank mecha craftsman. The thousand or so points he managed to scrape together stemmed from contributing information acquired from his family, from doing odd jobs, and by collecting resources for the sect, among others.
On the other hand, the entirety of Tang Wulin’s points came from forging.
In these few years, he had managed to climb to the peak of the fourth rank, not letting the restraints on his soul power hinder his drive for practicing blacksmithing. On the contrary, it spurred him on. He had accomplished the goal he had set for himself in the past—first-grade thousand refining any metal available to him was now a piece of cake.
By relying on his high blacksmithing level, Tang Wulin accrued an incredible amount of contribution points, leading to his promotion to a class four associate.
The Tang Sect was split into the inner and outer sects. The outer sect had nine classes, all given the title of ‘associate’. The inner sect was divided into five halls: the Power Hall, Speed Hall, Defense Hall, Enforcement Hall, and Elder Hall.
Moreover, the outer sect took on the form of a company called the Dazzling Era Tang Sect Corporation. A class four associate would then be the equivalent of a company manager, while a class five associate would take on the role of a department director.
The Tang Sect was very strict when it came to recruiting disciples. Every single candidate needed to have a field they specialized in, as well as a recommendation from an outer sect associate of class six or above. One could only take the entrance exam after fulfilling these requirements.