by <unknown>
How much time would he have to waste on these people?
Therefore, right now, Guo Yu's top priority was to restore his reputation as a 'tough man'.
Li Yao was his best choice for this purpose.
Since the Occult Children spent most of their time in the Occult Orbs or Empyreal Star City, they did not know much about what was going on in the outside world.
However, they did read news or browse through the Nexus once in a while, and they knew that two people of the younger generation in the Grand Desolate War Institution were quite famous, Li Yao and Ding Lingdang.
More importantly, this 'Vulture Li Yao' seemed even more well-known than Ding Lingdang in the outside world.
Guo Yu was not a fool. Now that Ding Lingdang had advanced into the middle level of the Building Foundation Stage, he would be no match for her for a long time. Of course, he didn't dare to challenge her easily right now.
As for Vulture Li Yao, despite his fame, he had just entered the Building Foundation Stage two months ago, which meant he was totally a green hand for Building Foundation Stage Cultivators. Naturally, Guo Yu could beat him up without any trouble!
Since the guy was equally renowned as Ding Lingdang, teaching him a good lesson equaled to slapping Ding Lingdang in the face, didn't it?
Fascinated by the idea, he grinned hideously and said, "Alright. Let me duel with the guy in the arena tomorrow, so that I can tell this Vulture Li Yao in person the difference between Occult Orbs Fellowship and the outside world!"
"Guo Yu, are you sure?"
Long Chengde said suspiciously, "I've read news and some posts from online forums. Vulture Li Yao is also one of the youngest Building Foundation Stage Cultivators in the federation. He is even more popular than Ding Lingdang in the outside world. Don't… fall into the same ditch again."
The last few words were uttered in a very low voice, so that they were the only two who could hear them.
Guo Yu's face changed. His eyes suddenly turned bloodshot.
"Deputy captain, rest assured. I've studied the file of this Vulture Li Yao. He is a hybrid-type Cultivator. His first career is as a refiner. His major in college is also refining. Most of his popularity comes from the magical equipment he crafted.
"In combat, the guy is a big fan of tricks and traps. He is a good Exo. But his personal strength is not that impressive.
"Besides, he just entered the Building Foundation Stage one month ago. I mean, after such a short time, how strong can he be? I've been in the Building Foundation Stage for four years! Even Ding Lingdang has been in the Building Foundation Stage for two years!
"In terms of popularity, he is much more popular than Ding Lingdang.
"In terms of strength, he is far from Ding Lingdang's level!
"Now that the delicious meat has been fed to my mouth, how can I not enjoy it?
"I don't believe that everyone in the Grand Desolate War Institution is as crazy as Inferno Witch Ding Lingdang. That would be nuts!"
The more he thought about it, the more excited he got. His voice grew louder and louder. Several Orb Patrollers nearby heard his declaration.
This was a fairly large training room, with a lot of advanced training facilities from the Occult Orbs, which was why many Star Teams liked to train in this place.
Hearing the conversation of these two people, many Orb Patrollers gathered around.
"Another newcomer from the Grand Desolate War Institution has joined Occult Orbs Fellowship?"
"He is even more famous than Inferno Witch Ding Lingdang in the outside world?"
"It's time to enjoy a good show!"
…
At the same time, in a shabby, low-level training in the west of Empyreal Star City.
"Hooo…"
Standing below a squat rack, with a 30-ton barbell which had been made by the high-density rocks in the Occult Orbs on his back, Li Yao crouched and exerted his strength. His thigh expanded immediately. Veins bulged under his jade-like skin like furious dragons jumping out of the sea.
Two ripples of air spread out from his feet. He stood straight again and took a long breath.
The reading on the light beam nearby was '99'.
The gravity here was five times the standard gravity of the Heaven's Origin Sector.
In front of Li Yao stood ten training machines that looked like ten cannons. With the electric arcs dancing and rune arrays triggered, clusters of twisted air were fired from them and dashed at Li Yao.
These were air cannons, which could absorb the air into their bores through electromagnetic forces and rune arrays before condensing it into one thousandth of its original volume and firing it out at a speed close to that of sound.
At a short distance, it amounted to the full-strength strike of a Refinement Stage Cultivator.
Once it hit anything, the cannonballs of air would disperse automatically without any trace, which made the machine a very clean and convenient training facility.
Normally, Cultivators would use air cannons to train their dodging ability.
But here, Li Yao had lined ten air cannons, aimed them at himself, and set the firing speed to the highest, which was one shot per second.
Every second, ten air cannonballs would hit body heavily.
Yet, he didn't even bother to activate his spiritual shield. He was merely withstanding the attacks with his flesh which had been built up by the Thousand Tempering Hundred Refining technique.
In such a way, he was training his ability of resistance. Yet, he was not entirely satisfied.
He was used to Ding Lingdang's heavy punches. Attacks in the level of the Refinement Stage were nothing but scratches for him.
Under the bombardment of the ten air cannons, Li Yao went on with the dull strength training. Soon, his sweat gathered into a sparkling pond near his feet, which was then blown away when he exerted his strength, turning into mysterious mist circling him.
Suddenly—
"Beep!"
Team Lingering Wind had texted him back, inviting him to take a 'simple test' in the arena tomorrow where Guo Yu would duel with him. Nothing would cross the line. It would be all about friend-making.
Li Yao smiled and tossed his mini crystal processor away. He resumed his tedious training by smashing a training machine.
It seemed that Bi Ran was right. Team Lingering Wind was indeed up to no good. They were planning to fool him over and teach him a good lesson.
However, it was also a good opportunity for him!
Although the mainframe crystal processor of Empyreal Star City had told him that many teams were recruiting new members, Li Yao couldn't help but notice that they were mostly tail-enders in the Rank of Stars.
Even if he were to join such second-tier teams, they would never dare to explore the more dangerous Occult Orbs anyway.
Li Yao's target was a stronger team that ranked among the top 50, or even better, the top 30.
It was not easy to join such teams.
A team was always made of four to six members, which meant that there were no higher than six hundred people calculating all the top 100 teams. In comparison, there were almost 1,500 Orb Patrollers in the entire Empyreal Star City.
The remaining thousand or so Orb Patrollers were benchwarmers. They had to gain reputation by dedicating their best performance in order to prove their value to the Star Teams and be recruited by them.
For newcomers, it was even more difficult to attract the attention of the Star Teams, because their time was limited by the daily consumption of contribution points.
Although Li Yao was sort of a celebrity in the outside world, people in Empyreal Star City did not care much about the fame and achievements in his past. They believed more in what they saw with their own eyes.
Therefore, although Guo Yu's invitation was ill-intended, Li Yao still said yes to it.
Guo Yu wanted to gain reputation, and so did Li Yao!
"In order to impress the best teams of Empyreal Star City with a gra
ndeur presentation within the shortest time possible, Guo Yu will be my perfect stepping stone!
"Besides—
"How dare you ambush my woman from behind?
"Ding Lingdang was lenient and merciful enough to let you stay in the ICU for only half a month after beating and burning you.
"But don't presume that you'll get away so easily when you are snatched by the vulture!"
…
The following morning, in the No. 17 arena in the east of Empyreal Star City…
As the most popular training facilities among Orb Patrollers, there were dozens of arenas in Empyreal Star City. The one of the largest scale was even an entire Occult Orb which had been modified after being fully developed.
Although Orb Patrollers could also participate in 100% life-like simulated combat in the Great Illusionary Land, they often preferred to enjoy the feeling of hitting and being hit in the real world.
Duels in the arenas were all conducted according to the standard of real-life combat. Everyone would carry real weapons. Their safety would be ensured by the Judge Ball floating in the air.
The Judge Ball was a kind of ancillary magical equipment in the era of the Star Ocean Imperium. It had dozens of crystal cameras on its shell, as well as a crystal processor with amazingly high computational ability inside its body. During a duel, it would float in the air and monitor the progress of the duel.
When its crystal processor calculated that the battle was getting out of control and there was a 99% likelihood that either party would die, a spiritual shield would immediately appear and block the fatal attack.
As for the attacks that were not fatal, the Judge Ball would simply ignore them.
As a result, although few had been killed in an arena, it was not unusual for somebody to get terribly wounded.
Such extremity and excitement were also what Orb Patrollers liked most.
After all, the medical facilities in Empyreal Star City were far more advanced than those of the outside world. Even the most severe injuries could be cured within one month after lying in a med bay.
When Li Yao walked into the No. 17 arena, a lot of people had already gathered in the place.
Not just the members of Team Lingering Wind, many people from other Star Teams and many on the waiting list had also crowded into the arena.
Most of them knew a thing or two about his accomplishments in the outside world which seemed to be even impressive than Ding Lingdang's. Therefore, they couldn't hold back their curiosity and came to watch his duel with Guo Yu.
Chapter 362: Return of the Witch |
"Is he Vulture Li Yao? He seems rather plain. But I'm told he's quite something in the outside world. He is a brutal man as famous as Ding Lingdang in the younger generation of the Grand Desolate War Institution!"
"He is indeed quite popular. But his popularity is mostly based on refining. He once developed a piece of magical equipment named 'Demon Beast Detector' which has become a best-seller. He also participated in the Project Mystic Skeleton. It is said that he is an excellent Exo."
"But I doubt his own strength."
"After all, he's only just past twenties and entered the Building Foundation Stage only two months ago. Talented as he may be, he is still too young and inexperienced to be a match for Guo Yu."
"Then why did he agree to duel with Guo Yu?"
"Hehe. I'm guessing that it is because he is new to this place and he doesn't have the slightest idea how deep the water here is. Even though he has been forewarned, such a guy must've enjoyed a peaceful growth the whole time without suffering any major failure. He has no idea how tough Occult Orbs Fellowship is. I'm afraid that he considers the duel to be a chance for him to rise to fame."
Fixed on by the curious eyes of many Orb Patrollers, Li Yao walked toward the members of Team Lingering Wind neither too fast nor too slowly.
"Mr. Li Yao, you're here!
"I picked this arena in your favor. There are all kinds of magical equipment debris and weapon scraps inside. The arena will provide standard mustard suits. No personal magical equipment is allowed. Ten free-of-harm minutes will be granted for both parties to prepare items that they deem to be of use. Such a place is best for a talented refiner like yourself."
Guo Yu grinned happily. "We'll stop when we need to. This is all about friend-making. Many Star Teams are paying close attention to the duel. With a marvelous performance, you'll definitely become one of the most desired newcomers in Empyreal Star City!"
Li Yao had studied the No. 17 arena carefully last night.
It was a medium-size arena whose name was 'Burning Tank'. The place was a simulation of a post-war battleground which was scattered with fragments of magical equipment and dead bodies of demon beasts.
The most distinctive part of this arena was that nine burning crystal tanks were placed loosely on the battleground which were likely to explode at any time. They were the biggest variables of the arena.
Ostensibly speaking, Guo Yu had indeed picked a battleground in his favor, where his advantages in maintenance and modification could be best made use of.
However, after studying multiple combat videos of Guo Yu's, Li Yao discovered that he was actually a jack-of-all-trades who was adept at many different kinds of weapons and familiar with both guns and melee armaments.
Burning Tank was a battleground where his specialties could be best carried out, too.
Li Yao nodded his head and smiled. "Cool. Let's start."
…
At the same time, in the star shuttle launch base on the ground.
"BOOM! CRACK!"
In the sky, dark clouds were rolling, and gold arcs were dancing. A giant swirl formed, which constricted violently and spat out a round star shuttle. The star shuttle rushed downward on the track rapidly, until it was blocked in the end after breaking through dozens of spiritual nets.
The star shuttle was originally made of colorful crystals. But right now, there was nothing but blackness on its shell where white smoke was popping up. It seemed to have just been picked up from magma.
"CRACK! CRACK!"
In an earsplitting shriek, the shell of the round shuttle opened slowly, unveiling an oval cabin door.
"Star Shuttle No. 23 has been recovered successfully. Team Blue Bronze is back!"
Dozens of workers and doctors hurried to the star shuttle carrying medical magical equipment.
From the oval door, a girl no taller than 1.5 meters whose hair was in the color of emerald crawled out swiftly, followed by a hideous-looking yet extremely tall, muscular man. The third team member and the forth held each other up while they were getting out, both of whom were carrying a lot of guns and heavy magical equipment.
The fifth team member was wearing a crimson mustard suit. Her messy short hair seemed to have been gnawed by dogs. Yet, her eyes were sparkling, and there was unfulfillment in her face. She immediately attracted everyone's attention when she appeared.
"Ding Lingdang, Queen of Fire!"
"Why is her scent so much more intimidating than the day when she left? It's been only several days; yet her Cultivation seems to have improved significantly. She looks like a tyrannosaur which is growing at an exponential speed. How terrifying!"
Listening to people discussing themselves, the ugly muscled man turned around and smiled at Ding Lingdang.
"Lingdang, your surprisingly fast growth has scared everyone!
"I wonder why Team Blue Bronze was so fortunate as to be joined by such a genius like yourself. Perhaps the soul of our deceased captain is indeed watching over us from the heavens.
"In this trip to the Occult Orbs, Yan Zi might've been killed without your excellent performance."
Ding Lingdang smiled and said, "The honor is mine to join Team Blue Bronze. Everyone wouldn't be entering the Occult Orbs so frequently in the first place if I weren't here. Of course, I had to do my best. Thankfully, the trophies of this trip are quite satisfactory. The nine Fire Ganodermas that I devoured are mostly
digested now. The remaining Fire Ganodermas can be exchanged for contribution points. They should be enough for the rank of Team Blue Bronze to ascend more than ten."
The ugly man nodded his head.
"The cooperation of our team is almost perfect now. The most important thing next is to recruit a new member to make us a full team again. Only a full team has a chance to squeeze into the top 10 in the Rank of Stars, so that we'll be able to explore 'the place' in half a year.
"However, we can't be too prudent in the selection of the new teammate. I would rather keep the team in the size of five than recruit a useless crap that will be a burden for the team.
"Thankfully, you are a superstar right now. There are many people who are willing to join Team Blue Bronze. Let's sort out their resumes when we're back to Empyreal Star City."
The doctors examined them and found no anomaly in their bodies. Considering that they'd also brought back a lot of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, this was an extraordinarily fruitful trip to the Occult Orbs.
Talking and laughing, the five of them walked out of the launch base. Yet, a conversation between two workers caught their attention.
"What? A newcomer from the Grand Desolate War Institution is dueling with Guo Yu?"
Ding Lingdang suddenly stopped. Smalls snakes of fire were flowing around her body. There was anger in her eyes, as she rubbed her fists and said, "Guo Yu doesn't know what he is doing. What's the meaning of this? Finding a random guy from the Grand Desolate War Institution to vent his anger on because he can't find me?"
The ugly, tall, muscled man, who was the incumbent captain of the team named Hong Tong, replied, "Guo Yu suffered a tremendous failure because of you. Of course, he needs to make up for it. Otherwise, he would never be able to hang around with other Orb Patrollers anymore. Since you were not present, and he would be no match for you even if you were, it was apparently a good idea to challenge another newcomer from the Grand Desolate War Institution to a duel!"
"Of all dates, Guo Yu picked the day when we return from the Occult Orbs to duel with the new guy of the Grand Desolate War Institution. It's obvious that he is trying to humiliate us. Let's go there and check it out!"