Star Gate

Chapter 935: The Martial World is Everywhere (II)

Just listen to the young man!

Strange looks spread over everyone’s face. How was there someone like this in the world? He was blithely unconcerned after blowing up his strongest trump cards and said that it was a perfect opportunity to reorganize his new cultivation system.

Were these words that anyone would voice?

“It’s fine, really,” Li Hao repeated seriously when he saw everyone look at him. “I had no threads of a clue before and randomly cultivated all over the place. It’s only been five months since I’ve touched martial dao and my practice has been a bit haphazard.

“I lacked experience in my first attempt and didn’t have enough resources. Now that I’m starting over, I’ll be able to put it all in order in a month at most. Taking another step forward will be a guarantee then.”

No one made a sound. Even Yuan Shuo, the one with the shortest martial dao tenure among them, had cultivated for decades. Five months... Screw you, buddy!

"Not to mention, we’ve had great gains this time...” Li Hao chuckled.

“Don’t forget, there’s two more Saints outside!” Director General Wang couldn’t help but speak up. “This giant mine is not yours yet!”

What was the kid thinking!

“How many times will I be able to rely on the senior if I give this body to you?” Li Hao looked at the Black Armor.

The dean didn’t respond.

“Does the senior not want it?” Li Hao smiled. “Do you find it too weak?”

“It would be more valuable if it was already at the Empyrean King level. At present, it would be a waste to let me imprint my mental brand on it. I may not want this body later on.”

A body at almost the Empyrean King level was a similar level of strength to his physical body back in the day. The key was that this body would lack further potential... which he wouldn’t mind either, if it wasn’t for the many more years it’d take to finish the body. The second awakening might occur only after this process was complete. This was why those at the mine had continuously prevented the bramble rose and other plant spirits from breaking the mine.

“Why does it require so many more years for the body to be complete?” Li Hao frowned.

“It can’t draw too fiercely on the mine because the mine is tied to the second awakening as the catalyst. With energy in the outside world being extracted by other parties, the body can only be slowly nurtured one step at a time. Hence, speed is slow.

“Additionally, the scarlet shadow might have awakened only after the first awakening. It was probably improved via natural processes before that.”

The Black Armor had more or less fully explained the situation; Li Hao sank into deep thought as he looked at the body. Since the Black Armor found the body mediocre, would it be a waste to give it to the dean? But what else could he use it for?

Make it into soup? Or give it to the Ninth Division leader?

That was the first possibility that popped into Li Hao’s mind, but upon further thought, perhaps that one wouldn’t want it either. Additionally, this body was so strong that it may not be able to be transported. So if he had to bring the division leader here... would he be willing?

And there were two more Saints outside...

The Ninth Division leader wasn’t that strong. Based on their last conversation, ten trunks of Immortal plant spirits were sufficient to recover his physical body. That would put him at less than initial Immortal—what if he was revived with the body of a Saint instead?

Would he be able to outright recover his own body and not need someone else’s body?

“I think the senior should still take this body,” Li Hao said when his thoughts traveled here. “Use it as a temporary bridge if you’d like. Just imprint it with your mental brand so there won’t be any trouble in the future. We can at least prevent a repeat of what happened earlier, the one in which the enemy almost beat our mental strength into the ground.”

“You’re giving it to me?” murmured a surprised Black Armor. “Truth be told, that will be a huge waste. I don’t really like using someone else’s body either. Any Immortal would view this body as their greatest treasure.

“At present, there’s only mental strength left of a lot of people. An Immortal being in charge of this body would put them on par with any Saint. There should be plenty willing to pay any price if you offer this to them...”

As for him, he would at most treat it as temporary accommodations. He wouldn’t be that grateful to the young man.

“Then think of it as a puppet-shaped weapon,” laughed Li Hao. “It’s not a majorly significant treasure...”

Not a majorly significant treasure?

“Li Hao, this is a real treasure.” Director General Wang couldn’t help himself. “If you were to trade this for Water of Life, let me calculate... It’d be worth a small lake of Water of Life. So... one million drops wouldn’t be a high price!”

Li Hao blinked. One million drops? If each drop cost three thousand mysterious power stones, then this was worth three billion stones??

The young man swallowed hard. That was a lot!

“And I’m erring on the side of caution and underestimating the value!” Director General Wang almost rolled his eyes. “There are some treasures inside this body that are extinct now. The vast quantities of indestructible matter, for example, as well as Beguilement Grass and Captivation Perfume. If one successfully grows or creates them, the end product would be too priceless for Water of Life!

“Do you know what is entailed by Empyrean King??” he gesticulated wildly. “When it comes to the city lord of Battle Heaven, the invincible existence of my Wang family—and I’m not talking about the exalted emperor who visited, but our city lord. The greatest heights our city lord reached was peak Saint, not Empyrean King!

“Well, I don’t know if he later managed to advance further, but even if he did and even if he became Empyrean King... Apart from the Sword Sovereign of your family, an Empyrean King was invincible throughout Silver Moon!”

Did Li Hao not understand the significance of this cultivation level? It seemed that he didn’t think much of this body! Director General Wang wanted to smack him!

“I know that, and I’m not thinking any less of Empyrean King. I don’t have the right to,” Li Hao demurred. “I mean to say that this thing isn’t our own body and it doesn’t have much potential. The human body’s potential does not come from an external body or how many treasures we possess. For us, at least, the treasure of the human body comes from ourselves. There is limited value even in an exalted emperor’s body because it is not our own.”

Director General Wang started at his response.

“In that case, if you like this one so much, I will agree to you destroying your own body and changing for this one!” Li Hao continued.

The director general looked down at the physical body that he’d recovered not too long ago, then at the golden body on the ground. His mental strength of an Immortal and a body almost at Empyrean King should enable him to bring Saint-level power to bear.

He would be a Saint in the blink of an eye!

As for not having future potential... Was being a Saint not the pinnacle of life itself? There hadn’t been many Saints in all of Silver Moon Territory back in the day. The major families didn’t think much of Saints because they’d met exalted emperors. To the Wang family, the greatest they had among their number was the Saint level.

Director General Wang looked around in a daze. He would be a Saint if he put the body on!

But he quickly shook his head. “No no no, I like my own body the best. I don’t like someone else’s body...”

“You don’t like it?” laughed the Black Armor. “You must know that you’re no spring chicken anymore. Although you were a genius of your family, you only made it into initial Immortal after so many years. Even if we were still in the age of core origin, it’d take you almost one thousand years to become a Saint!

“You stand almost no chance in this age, but you’ll be one if you put the body in! Once you do, only your General Pagoda will be able to rival you in Battle Heaven, right?”

The director general silently looked upon the body, ultimately clenching his jaw with a shake of his head. “No, I don’t want it! I have recovered my physical body and am no longer in the state I was before. I would’ve taken an Immortal’s body if you gave one to me then, but now... I don’t want it!”

If none of you guys want it, give it to me! wailed the redwood off to the side. I want it!

A body in human form and one that was almost at the Empyrean King level, one that would fully reach that cultivation level in a few more years... It was a treasure of one’s dreams and all of these guys treated it as trash! If you don’t want it, I want it!

What a pity that it didn’t dare speak up. It couldn’t afford to offend either the Black Armor or Director General Wang. As for Li Hao... the young man also seemed out of its reach. It wasn’t that Li Hao was stronger than the plant spirit, but that he gave off an increasingly mysterious aura.

Take this fight, for example. The young man had quickly defeated the scarlet shadow after emerging from a special zone. The abilities of his nine elements had exploded at the same time and he’d dismantled several heritage weapons... Li Hao’s various actions shook the plant spirit.

The last time it was so fearfully reverent had been a very, very long time ago, when it glimpsed the Sword Sovereign from afar. This time, it felt the same toward a young man. Therefore, the redwood didn’t dare brashly open its mouth at the moment.

Li Hao said nothing further as well and swiftly looked at the Black Armor. “Take it for now, senior. Not to mention, its components such as the indestructible matter will still remain even if it breaks, right? We can break it when we need to and revive one hundred students, can’t we? We might not be able to handle Immortals, but we can do Apexes, right?”

The Black Armor blinked and said after a beat, “One hundred may be too many even when supplementing with a few other ingredients, but a few dozen should be fine...”

Li Hao was going to use the body of an Empyrean King to resurrect those weak Apexes? Even he was surprised by this decision.

“Then that’s perfect,” grinned the young man. “We can even recycle it for further use, that’s great! The senior said that the price for helping me once is reviving ten students. If I revive one hundred, that will be ten instances of helping me. Is my logic correct?”

The Black Armor was speechless.

“Although the senior helped me earlier, I hired you. Therefore, this spoil of battle is mine. Which means to say that the senior has to help me nine more times after this, right?”

The Black Armor was quiet and then... nodded.

“Then perfect, please make do with this for now, senior!” The young man grinned broadly. @@novelbin@@

“You do realize that I am nearly on par with an Empyrean King once I put on this body?” the Black Armor couldn’t help but elaborate. “If I have this level of strength in this age... You’ll be hard pressed to stand against me no matter how many powerhouses you call to your side...”

Aren’t you afraid?

“Can I stand against the senior now?” Li Hao took a deep breath. “We’ve got to take a chance at some point, don’t we? I’m also betting that, given how prosperous the senior’s era was, you won’t find anything of desire in this world. Aren’t I right? So let’s take a gamble! Isn’t that what we’re doing in this day and age? What if the Star Gate opens one day and we locate the main world? Won’t it be a happy ending all around after I send off the senior?”

The Black Armor turned over his words and nodded. He reached with his hand to claim the physical body.

“So I have to come back to life in the end...” he sighed emotionally.

“Why is the senior so insistent on dying?” Li Hao chuckled. The Black Armor didn’t respond. It wasn’t that he wanted to die, just that... the future seemed so bleak.