by <unknown>
"Get to the point!" Mao Feng raised his voice.
The second refiner continued. "Do you recall that two days ago, a very rare thunder storm hit our camp? Several warehouses were affected by the weather. I assume that, interfered by the thunder, two crystal wires of the suit had a short cut, causing the chaos of the driving mode.
"The crystal processor shows that the suit is in the beginner mode with 30% sensitivity.
"However, after our double check, we've found that it is actually in the X-mode designed for the real experts. The difficulty for using it is twice that of the normal mode.
"In the X-mode, responses that the rune arrays give to spiritual energy are set at the highest level. Even the slightest movement of muscles, or a minor thought, will trigger a profound reaction in the rune arrays. Therefore, X-mode can significantly enhance the combat abilities of the wearer, making them 500% stronger or even more!"
Mao Feng breathed heavily. His eyes were keen and his throat became dry,
"Why was the problem not discovered previously?"
The first refiner answered reluctantly, "Chief instructor, you also know that the thunder storm two days ago caused great damage. Many middle-level and high-level crystal suits in the Inner Camp were influenced as well. We were all summoned to help fix them, so we only had the time to run the regular tests on the suits of the Outer Camp."
The second refiner added, "Also, this malfunction is too weird. Generally speaking, the drive mode hardly ever goes wrong, and when it does, even the least experienced cultivator will immediately know something is wrong the moment they put on the suit. If they'd reported the issue to us, we could've fixed it within several minutes.
"And reporting to us is the only thing they can do."
The first refiner grinned, "X-mode is devised for qualified, experienced, and proficient Exos. Newbies will find themselves hardly able to stand up in such a mode."
He stopped when he realized what he just said.
Looking at each other, the two refiners both saw the astonishment in the other's eyes.
Sweat started appearing on their foreheads.
"Alright. Your explanation is acceptable. Your reinforcement to the Inner Camp was approved by me, and it was me who agreed to only run regular tests too. I take full responsibility for this accident.
"Now try to repair the crystal suit. And remember, nobody else is to know anything about this incident without my permission."
The two refiners thought that he would be angry and vent his anger to them, but Mao Feng concluded the conversation and left in a hurry.
…
Half an hour later, in an analysis room filled with dozens of screens, Mao Feng bowed to an old man whose face was flushed due to too much drinking and said courteously, "Mister Xu!"
He respected the old man from the bottom of his heart, because the ugly old man, named Xu Tianyou, was a research-type cultivator, who not only was a cultivator at the peak of Building Foundation Stage, but also was a very rare 'Training Planner'.
A skilled Training Planner is adept at pedagogy, psychology, anatomy, and hundreds of other subjects. They can draft and design detailed training plans for different Cultivators based on their own conditions, so that their training efficiency can be maximized and their potentials can be fulfilled at the fast speed they can afford.
The Thunder Training Camp's second-to-none prominence, which could be indicated by the fact that even many battlesuit major students came here for improvement, was partly based on the impressive capabilities of Lei Tingwei, a strong man in the Core Formation Stage, and partly because of the comprehensive case-by-case training plans for the students created by the best Training Planners in the trade.
"Little Feng!"
Mr. Xu smiled, "You should know that I always write training plans for the Cultivators in the Building Foundation Stage in the Inner Camp. Why do you ask me to design a tailor-made training plan for a Refinement State Cultivator in the Outer Camp who barely knows anything about training? Who's this guy? Your cousin? Right, I heard something unbelievable on my way here. Words are that you were knocked out in the testing field?"
Mao Feng dared not to glare at Mr. Xu. Embarrassed, he tried to smile and said, "Mr. Xu, don't be hasty. I'll show you a few video clips. We'll talk about it later after you've evaluated his performance in the test."
Mao Feng waved his hand. All of the screens started playing simultaneously. They were clips from the cameras in the testing field, which had pictured Li Yao's every movement since he put on his crystal suit.
Mr. Xu glanced at the screens and said casually, "This student probably has never touched crystal suits before. Chances are that he has hardly ever done simulations or played crystal suit games. He knows absolutely nothing about crystal suits. A classic beginner.
"However, he is very good at learning from his failures, and he doesn't make the same mistake twice. Therefore, he has been improving fast.
"Look, he may have fallen over dozens of times when he first started, but they were all for different reasons.
"Ostensibly, he could barely stand or walk. But in fact, he was trying different ways of strength manipulation to test the best posture for standing and walking.
"Not bad. Not bad."
The more Mr. Xu watched, the more he started talking. He nodded his head without knowing. "His improvement is indeed magnificent. A moment ago, he was still unable to stand and now he's already jogging?
"However, it's not unusual that a student of no prior knowledge learns very fast at the beginning period.
"Based on these video clips, I can only say that he is a smart, somewhat talented student. Definitely not good enough for me to make a training plan for him."
Before he finished his sentence, Li Yao in the video clip started sprinting and rushed into the supersonic state!
"Huh?"
Mr. Xu raised his eyebrows and looked at Mao Feng suspiciously. He mumbled, "That can't be right. I remember that the tests for new students have been conducted in the beginner mode, which can only double a student's ability in the best-case scenario.
"The reason you come to me is that this boy is a genius at running and you want me to make a training plan that will boost his running potential?"
Mao Feng shook his head, he sighed. "Mr. Xu, you're wrong. The boy is not a genius runner."
"The Seven-step Rock Snake that he's been using was not set in the beginner mode, either. It was in the X-mode that only the top experts can manage."
"What?!"
Mr. Xu was shocked.
Chapter 234: No. 100 |
The atmosphere at the testing field was weird. All the students gathered together and whispered between each other, and their topic was, no doubt, Li Yao who was so extraordinary that knocked the chief instructor out the first day he entered the camp.
Although they were somewhat startled by Li Yao's amazing speed, they didn't think too much about it and merely regarded Li Yao as a speed-type Cultivator that lopsidedly focused on body moving techniques.
Many of them were already at the high level of the Refinement Stage. With an advanced body moving technique and the enhancement of the crystal suit, it was quite possible to run at supersonic speed and cause a sonic boom.
However, running at a supersonic speed for a moment and controlling the body at ease under it were completely different.
To dive into the supersonic state, a high level Refinement State Cultivator would be good enough.
But to maintain the combat abilities with self-control under the supersonic state, even many Building Foundation State Cultivator found it desirable yet unreachable.
Self-control always came first. A mature Cultivator wouldn't chase after extreme speed or strength that they couldn't manipulate.
Experienced fighters wouldn't allow themselves to stay airborne easily. Their legs wouldn't reach higher than their waist when they were kicking. All of this was to make sure they had absolute control over their body.
&
nbsp; "An idiot that forgot all the common sense despite his speed."
Many people had already tagged Li Yao as such.
"It is understandable. A young man in his twenties and also a badass in his college like him must've heard enough praise and compliments to be overconfident about himself.
"Suddenly, it turned out that he had no talent in crystal suits whatsoever, and everybody in the field has witnessed his disgrace. He must've been so angry that he wanted to show off his best skill.
"But everything went wrong and caused such a mess!"
Some other people thought they knew what was on Li Yao's mind.
"He's going to suffer big time. The chief instructor doesn't seem to be a lenient man. He must be grinding his teeth and hoping to cut Li Yao into pieces right now. There won't be a day that goes by without Li Yao regretting what he did in the next three months!"
"Three months? He has zero talent and he just pissed off the chief instructor. I'm sure that his ass will be kicked out of here in a moment!"
Right then, Li Yao returned to everyone's eyesight, causing a commotion.
"What, he's already back from the med bay?"
"He's fully recovered from such a huge impact in such a short time? His body is so strong!"
"But he looks dumb. Is his brain injured?"
Li Yao heard none of it and walked to his own spot, only to be blocked by a tall thin figure.
He raised his head. It was Yuan Yeshi from Deep Sea University.
"Li Yao, I recant my previous declaration."
With faint mockery in his face, Yuan Yeshi smiled, "I just said that I would set you as my target and focus my full attention on you in the next three months in order to eliminate you at the first chance. Now I take it back.
"Because it never occurred to me that your talent could be so 'intimidating' and your performance so 'excellent' that even the chief instructor was put down by you with a single move.
"I can't bear to eliminate a gifted, outstanding freak such as yourself.
"On the contrary, I very much hope that you can stay in the camp for a while longer and make more 'miracles' to broaden my horizon!"
Yuan Yeshi was extremely delighted.
It felt like when he jumped into a swimming pool of cold water after three hours under the sun in a hot summer.
Seven years younger than his sister, Yuan Yeshi had been raised and taught by her.
He adored his sister from the bottom of his heart and regarded his sister as an invincible, inviolable goddess.
And his sister deserved his homage. She became a disciple of Jiang Sheng, the Supernova, before she reached 30. Later, she was admitted as a researcher in the Refining Department of Deep Sea University and became known as one of the Novem Stellae.
Yuan Yeshi was very proud of his sister's achievements.
But a few days ago, his sister brought up the name 'Li Yao' seriously and describe him to be a rare genius in refining who deserved great attention because he might become the biggest competitor of the Novem Stellae within the next couple of years.
Obscure hostility filled his heart.
Right now, this genius, talent, and archenemy of the Novem Stellae in the future that his sister had been talking about could only stand there stupidly and listen to his scornful berating. It felt…
Nice! Nice! Nice!
While Yuan Yeshi was feeling nice, he suddenly noticed that Li Yao's eyes were moving up and down and clearly were not fixed on him. He raised his voice, "Hey! Are you listening?!"
Li Yao's eyelids shivered. A moment later, his unfocused eyes were focused again. He nodded slowly.
"Of course. You were saying that you would recant your previous declaration. Please. I'm all ears."
"You—"
Yuan Yeshi was infuriated. His neck seemed to be thicker than usual and his face was so red that his blood seemed like to be oozing out of his orifices at any moment. Speechless for a while, he ground his teeth, "Anyways, good luck, Li Yao. I'm looking forward to your performance."
Pausing for a moment, he finally resorted to his last move. He tapped his head as if he just remembered it. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I forgot again. I shouldn't have called you 'Li Yao'. Now that the test is over and the ranks are out, I should've addressed you as 'No. 100'!"
"No. 100 means you're the tail ender!"
This remark finally grabbed Li Yao's attention.
The starry brilliance that was burning in his eyes made Yuan Yeshi's heart skip a beat.
"Which number are you?" Li Yao asked seriously.
Energized, Yuan Yeshi seemed to be taller and replied in great satisfaction, "No. 2!"
"What, judging from your look, you want to challenge me? Drop the idea now. You may be a genius in the world of refiners. But in the world of crystal suits, the gap between us is too large for you to confront me."
"Just a No. 2…"
Li Yao was disappointed and didn't catch the latter half of the sentence. He shook his head, "I don't want to challenge a No. 2."
The starry brilliance in his eyes dispersed. He ignored Yuan Yeshi again and retreated to his own thoughts.
What he meant was obvious.
If he were to challenge someone, it could only be No. 1, the best candidate in the field.
He was not interested in the person in second place!
Yuan Yeshi felt his lungs were about to explode out of anger. He didn't understand where this tail ender's confidence came from. He was going to let it out when he noticed that there were more and more people coming close and watching Li Yao and himself like it was a show.
Yuan Yeshi frowned and glared at Li Yao, before he walked away unhappily.
Li Yao was still pondering, not because he wanted to annoy anyone, nor because he had a brain injury as many had expected.
It was because he was still in the euphoria of booming into the supersonic state in the crystal suit just now.
Every one of the pores on the body embracing the outside world, hot blood turning into steam through them, soul melting together with the crystal suit… It seemed like a single blow would destroy the entire world. The feeling was just—
IN-CRE-DI-BLE!
"The crystal suit is really marvelous.
"This the first time I ever wore a crystal suit, and I reached a supersonic speed and knocked a Building Foundation Stage expert out.
"What will I be able to do after I've fully grasped the mysteries of the crystal suit?"
Li Yao was completely hooked by the thought. He replayed the moment of pleasure in his brain time and time again. There was no time to deal with guys like Yuan Yeshi.
No. 100, the tail ender?
It doesn't matter!
What's more important is not who's fastest off the start line, but who's the first to pass the finish line!
At that moment, Mao Feng returned to the testing field furiously, together with some twenty instructors.
All of the students hurried to stand straight as a spear and didn't dare look around.
Mao Feng's eyesight seemed to be filled with electricity. It swept everyone and finally stopped at Li Yao.
And the intensity of electricity increased exponentially.
"Everyone must bear your rank in mind. The training camp has arranged different instructors for you according to your specialties and level.
"Don't be hasty if your rank is relatively low.
"An elimination match will be held one month from today in which you will be given a chance to challenge the students who are above you and assume their rank!
"No. 1, No. 4, and No. 5, you are all aware of the basics and prefer agility and melee. Therefore, the training camp assigned Liu Bingqin to you. Instructor Liu!"
A dry and thin female instructor walked out from Mao Feng's back. She piped, "No. 1, No. 4 and No. 5, come with me!"
Her appearance caused a minor chaos in the field. Many people sighed with jealousy and resentment.
Instructors of the Thunder Training Camp were all r
enowned strong men in the world of Exos.
The female instructor Liu Bingqin, though only at the middle level of the Building Foundation Stage, was adept at using crystal suits. She once fought a demon king for 300 rounds without any sign of failure, thereby gaining her reputation. She was also the top instructor in the Outer Camp.
In everyone's amazement, the three students walked to Liu Bingqin's back excitedly and stood straighter.
"No. 2, No. 3, No. 6. You will go with Instructor Murong Yuan."
"No. 9, No. 11, No. 15 and No. 17…"
"No. 78, No. 84, No. 86, No. 89, No. 92…"
After a moment, all 99 students were sorted out and standing behind their respective instructors.
Li Yao was the only one left on the field. Everyone looked at him with a peculiar expression.
Mao Feng waved his hand and shouted, "Alright. You all know your instructor now. Go with them and start your training!"
Chapter 235: Training in the Crystal Suits Graveyard |
Led by their instructors, the ninety-nine students vanished into the desert.
Li Yao and Mao Feng were the only two left in the empty testing field now.
Audacious as Li Yao may be, he felt uneasy under the chief instructor's murderous look.
"No. 100!"
Mao Feng shouted, "There's no need to wonder why you don't have an instructor. It's because your performance was so crummy that it has created a new lower limit of the Thunder Training Camp! Over all the years as manager of the Outer Camp, I've never seen a second weirdo such as yourself! You are not half qualified to receive regular training like the rest of them!
"Now, I'm giving you two options.
"Option one, get your ass out of here as fast and far away as you can, and stop wasting my time.
"Option two, stay in the training camp and start learning the most rudimental basics.
"During your training, I will crush you, torture you, suppress you, and spite you without any mercy. When I discover that you make a mistake, small as a needle as it may be, I will let you know what 'being dead is better than living' means and eliminate you ruthlessly!