Chapter 129 - The Growing Youths
– Meanwhile in the secret chamber at Blue Flame Pavilion –
“How many kinds of materials have you tried?” Staring at the refinery furnace where spiritual essence light flashed, Li Haoran asked with a frown.
“Altogether 168 kinds,” Chen Rong said while recording information into a jade slip. “The ordinary bronze and iron are not fit for engraving array formations. Among the available materials, the Wind Ripple Iron has the closest properties, but it’s too hard and lacks flexibility…”
Each gun was an exquisite instrument, and the structure as well as the materials were meticulously selected. However, these materials were obviously not fit for the engravement of array formations.
Converting guns into spiritual artifacts that were used by cultivators was obviously not so simple.
“After trying so many artifact materials, you just can’t find anything suitable?” Li Haoran considered for a moment. “Last time, Mr. Fang mentioned that he would teach us high-school-level physics and chemistry, right? Put aside the things that you’re doing and learn more basic knowledge…”
…
“Your academy launched a large-scale dorm check?” Fang Qi’s face twitched.
He was sitting with Xu Zixin and Shen Qingqing in a restaurant not far from the Dongguan Book Forest.
Although not as luxurious as the Wind and Moon Pavilion, this restaurant wasn’t a small shop.
On a small platform to one side on the second floor, a grey-haired old man in a blue robe waved a folding fan and said, “Do you know who the three saints in Celestial Warrior are?”
It was clear that this senior was a storyteller here.
“Three saints?” Many people on the second floor froze for a moment. Is he going to tell the story of the three saints battling on the Immortal-Exterminating Ridge’?
“It’s said that this part of the story is enthralling.”
“I wonder if such figures exist in the real world!”
“…”
Fang Qi filled his wine cup while he listened to the story with disinterest. After all, he was a guy who came from the information era. “Ugh, is this the most popular novel here?”
Obviously, the audience members were listening to the story to kill time while they enjoyed their meals and wine, and they didn’t look too enthusiastic about it.
Shen Qingqing looked embarrassed; she had liked the novel before. But after playing the games in Fang Qi’s shop, she now found that Celestial Warrior was not nearly as enthralling as the grand and novel world of Diablo and the romance and conflicts in the Legend of the Sword and Fairy.
Long before Fang Qi traveled through time and space, terms such as ‘Three Saints’ had been discarded since they were cliché.
“We probably can’t go to the shop to play games in a short time.” Xu Zixin looked reluctant. “Lately, the academy is watching us closely.”
“They even resorted to the ultimate method of dorm checking…” Fang Qi nodded. “You indeed need to be more careful.”
“Sir, you don’t look angry at all. Why?” Shen Qingqing asked curiously.
“Ugh… That’s not something unusual.” Fang Qi looked cool and turned back to his meal.
[TL Note: In China, it was common for students to get caught while playing at internet cafes when they are in boarding schools.]
“Sir, try this! The Yuan Yang Nine Pattern Fish at this place is superb!” Shen Qingqing was not only a gamer but foodie as well.
“By the way, are there more delicacies coming to your shop?”
“Delicacies?” Fang Qi thought for a moment while he grabbed a piece of fish into his plate. “I guess so.”
“Really?” Shen Qingqing looked pleasantly surprised, but she felt deflated quickly. “I hope that one day I can go into your internet cafe to eat delicious snacks and play games without worrying about being caught.”
“Me too.” Remembering their good old days, Xu Zixin also felt lost and nostalgic.
“That day will come,” Fang Qi said.
After they left, a busboy came over to clear the table and found a book.
It must have been left behind by those customers. After clearing the table, he glanced at the old man who was telling the story that he had heard many times and casually picked up the book with the strange name of Diablo.
[A wanderer… Yes, a dark wanderer…
It seems ages have passed since I was in the Rogue Citadel…]
The busboy read the reminiscent beginning and wondered, Well! It’s a novel?
With nothing else to do, he read on with some curiosity.
After reading only a few paragraphs, he found that this novel was totally different from Celestial Warrior which he had heard many times.
Monsters? What are these powerful creatures?
Angels? What kind of world is this one?
The citadel is destroyed? Then… the humans won’t have a place to live! What can they do? The busboy read on with interest.
…
In the internet cafe, Xue Daolv rolled up his sleeves and said, “Come on! Let’s play a few rounds of Counter Strike.”
There were two men behind him. One of the was wearing a white Daoist robe, and the other was wearing a deep blue Daoist robe.
“Junior Brothers, I’ll show you what RUSH B is today!”
Su Tianji’s face twitched while she thought, Yesterday, you wore a mask to come here. Today, you turned into an experienced player?
“Senior, how come the young girl in your family is not here today?” Xue Daolv had planned to compete with the grandfather and granddaughter of the Nalan Family but realized that Nalan Mingxue wasn’t here.
“Lingyun Academy?” Hearing the explanation from the people around him, Xue Daolv thought for a moment.
Despite his high status, it wasn’t right for him to mind other people’s private business.
“Forget it! Today, we’ll play among ourselves!”
“Humph! I say, that old Qin Bing is just jealous!” Ouyang Zhen snorted, “He can’t bear to see others become successful, can he?”
Everyone knew that the games in this shop benefited cultivation. However, if it continued to grow, the Lingyun Martial Arts Tower at Lingyun Academy obviously would lose its lofty status.
“Will those little ones come in the future?” An Huwei wondered.
Without these young ones shouting and cheering before the big screen or behind their chairs, they felt like something was missing.
“Senior, don’t you want to help your granddaughter?”
“It’s her own business, and she will handle it well.” Nalan Hongwu narrowed his eyes slightly.
…
“Ms. Nalan, do you think that we will get to go to the internet café without worrying about being caught like before?” Soaking in sweat, Lan Yan bent down and panted with fatigue as a black sword lay beside her on the ground.
If it were in the past, she wouldn’t be able to practice sword techniques with Nalan Mingxue for such a long time; she sensed her great improvement.
Standing opposite to her, Nalan Mingxue’s smooth and white forehead was also covered in sweat, and a silver sword hovered in the air a meter above her right shoulder.
The sword control technique!
Although she was still far from mastering this technique like Fang Qi did, she could now use it in battle with proficiency!
“Of course we will!” She nodded with conviction while bright lights flashed in her beautiful eyes. “I heard that the national examination is drawing near. I think it’s time for me to put some of my plans into action.”
…
When Song Qingfeng came out of the cultivation room, his presence was totally different!
Not only did his cultivation strength grow, but his eyes looked sharper and more intense!