Chapter 407: Meteor ball training complete!
In a private room, Xia Fei was currently pitting himself against 1286 meteors. These colorful b.a.l.l.s of light were ever changing in size, dimming and glowing erratically. Sometimes, they would stop in front of Xia Fei as if they were goading him, and when Xia Fei was about to try and catch them, they would get in a whirlwind of movements, rapidly distancing themselves from Xia Fei, moving so irregularly and evasively.
After he reached the Legendary rank, Xia Fei’s speed had essentially more than tripled from before. This also caused his meteor ball training to level up abruptly, and in just twenty-over days since, Xia Fei had managed to level up his training from level 2 to 5! The crowded meteors dancing busily in mid-air was the best evidence of this.
Just having fast speed was not enough to conquer these meteors; dexterity in both physical and mental reaction, a nimble and swift physical agility and positioning were also crucial, and this included superhuman a.n.a.lytical judgment.
It must be said that this meteor ball training provided a comprehensive improvement in both body and mind. Compared to before, Xia Fei’s Crafty Approach was even more unbelievable. Not only was he moving swiftly, he was even able to twist and bend his body in a way that defied what was humanly possible, so much so that even Phantom was left breathless when he saw it.
Xia Fei’s Crafty Approach originated from the a.s.sa.s.sin Sect, yet he was currently many times more accomplished in it that he had even created his own version of the technique! From a certain sense, it would not be an exaggeration to call Xia Fei’s new Sly Thrust a pioneer technique of its kind!
Compared to Crafty Approach from the a.s.sa.s.sin Sect, Xia Fei’s Sly Thrust was like a super version. Those familiar with the technique might be able to see a vague shadow Sly Thrust, but after Xia Fei’s alterations, his present technique was already vastly different from its origin. In fact, it could even be considered as a rebirth of the original technique!
If the a.s.sa.s.sin Sect’s Crafty Approach was a piece of land, then Xia Fei’s Sly Thrust was more like a verdant forest which had grown out of that piece of land! By absorbing the nutrients provided from Sly Thrust, synthesizing with the light given off by the meteor ball training, and the careful nurturing that Xia Fei had given it, a completely new, enhanced, and superior technique was born!
Xia Fei’s new Crafty Approach was exceptional, but it was not something anyone could learn. This was due to the fact that the foundational requirement for the technique was far too high; aside from Xia Fei, it was most likely impossible for anyone else to replicate it successfully.
*Clap!*
The last of all 1286 meteors had finally been caught, and the level 5 meteor ball training announced its completion!
Xia Fei used his sleeve to wipe sweat off his head as he waited for the level 6 meteor ball training to begin.
Phantom was rejoicing from the sidelines. “Xia Fei, you can totally give your Sly Thrust technique a new name and tell the people you’ve managed to come up with a new martial arts technique!”
Xia Fei nodded as he softly replied, “There’s no need for all that. I have no intention of pa.s.sing on this new martial arts technique to anyone else, anyway.”
Phantom shook his head. “How could you say that? This martial arts technique is at least considered Heaven tier, maybe even reaching the s.p.a.ce tier. Since you’re the originator of this martial arts technique, then you can very well be recognized as grandmaster of a founding sect! The position a grandmaster holds is very different from that of a common warrior.”
“Grandmaster?” Xia Fei said to himself. “What use is that? A name isn’t going to increase my combat strength. Even if I’m not a grandmaster, people who need to die will still die.”
‘Confident? Bully? Arrogant?’
Phantom stroked his chin as he wondered. Xia Fei’s temperament had changed quite a bit from before, and that cold murderous aura he had was becoming more and more concentrated, while his self-confidence had also increased many times over.
After waiting for several minutes and the level 6 had not yet begun, Xia Fei pondered if perhaps the meteor ball device had run out of power. This device was powered by a Heart of Spirit, and Xia Fei had fitted in a Purple Heart of Spirit. Logically speaking, it should not run out of juice so soon.
He got near and suddenly realized that there were a few extra rows of small words on the box, meaning that he had unknowingly completed the meteor ball training. He could not help but feel insatiated.
Phantom chuckled. “Your Sly Thrust has already reached the realms of a grandmaster, and the meteor ball has already been used to its limit. Perhaps that’s all the ancient civilization technology can help you till.”
Xia Fei nodded, stepping out from the room without another word.
“Crafty Approach is the first martial arts technique you’ve completed cultivation of, and now it’s been brought to an even higher realm with the help of the meteor ball. As such, it is evident that, be it in terms of rank or martial arts technique, there’s no set limit on the state that either realm can reach,” Phantom said.
Xia Fei agreed. “I’ve been thinking about this matter as well; the end of martial arts studies seems to be related to a warrior’s standing. You said before that if my Crafty Approach transforms, I would be considered a top expert even in the a.s.sa.s.sin Sect, so what about now, after I got the meteor ball?”
Phantom pondered the question. “After obtaining the meteor ball, you managed to improve the Sly Thrust technique to a state that surpa.s.ses the standards of past and present masters in the a.s.sa.s.sin Sect. Even the strongest Crafty Approach pract.i.tioner from the sect can only be considered inferior to you.”
Xia Fei then pressed on. “And what’s the reason for that? Isn’t it because the meteor ball is a training device created by the ancient civilization, and the ancient civilization’s technology and martial arts standard far surpa.s.ses the Pan-human Alliance of today? That’s why I have a chance of improving my martial arts technique training beyond that of the Alliance’s standard. There’s also my speed special ability; you’ve previously mentioned that it’s the hardest to train and cultivate out of all possible abilities and that the moment I reach the Legendary rank, I will be able to look upon the entire Alliance with contempt.
“Now that my speed ability has indeed reached the Legendary rank, and it’s surely a very rare achievement across all the Pan-human Alliance, what of the ancient civilization? What of that circle of experts Yujiang mentioned? Just where do I stand?”
Phantom was silent for a good while before responding. “You’re right. Martial arts studies are much like climbing a mountain, and only by making it to the peak can anyone catch sight of a higher peak. As for which peak will be the highest, only someone who has climbed the tallest mountain will know the answer to that. Anyone beneath will forever be blinded by the steep cliffs.
“No matter the case, your speed ability has already reached the Legendary rank, while your Crafty Approach and Beast Spirit Codex are at their max right now; these abilities and techniques you have will surely place you among the absolute top-tier in the entire Alliance. Even your psychokinesis isn’t far off. As for where the highest peak is, you’ll know about that one day, so it’s best not to be arrogant.”
Xia Fei shook his head. “I wasn’t trying to be arrogant by saying all that; rather, I am full of antic.i.p.ation for the future.”
“Antic.i.p.ation?”
“That circle of experts that Yujiang mentioned and the mysterious Three Great Laws—I’m very much looking forward to learning more about all that.”
“So why did you reject their request? Wouldn’t it be good if you went ahead and began learning about the Three Great Laws then?”
“You don’t understand; I still have plenty of baggage in my heart, and while learning the Three Great Laws is great, I know better than anyone else that for a warrior to rank up rapidly, it’s important for them to do so without any baggage whatsoever.
“If I accepted their offer and joined them back then, I would hardly be at ease. Quantum Holdings, Uncle Porter, old man Qin Mang, and my old homeplanet Earth—they are all baggage holding me back. Even if I truly got the opportunity to learn the Three Great Laws, I would never be able to devote my whole heart and soul to its cultivation. When one’s heart is in a mess, everything they do will require twice the effort to achieve half the work; this is something you ought to understand.”
Phantom promptly laughed. “Sure enough, you’re considering this far more holistically than I am. A half-hearted cultivation will easily go awry, and when that time comes, there will be nowhere or no one for you to cry to. It may seem like you rejected an opportunity, but in reality you’re just paving the way for greater progress in the future.”
“Martial arts studies emphasize greatly on gradual improvement. Even if one is talented and outstanding, nothing good can come out of blindly advancing forward. Learning about the profound Three Great Laws while one’s home is being ravaged by the flames of war, I doubt it will be an easy experience for anyone.”
“I support you! Use these three years to accomplish everything you wish to do so that you can make progress unburdened!”
The two of them chatted as they entered the command deck. Ever since the last time, neither Xia Fei nor Phantom had mentioned Avril again. The former had managed to overcome the pain and sadness of loss and found the strength in him to carry on. Since Xia Fei was showing such perseverance and patience, Phantom would of course not deliberately pour salt to the wounds.
Everyone carried scars in their heart, and finding the strength to carry on despite the wounds was what made it most admirable. People who wallowed in their injuries would sooner or later be eliminated; this was true on Earth and even more so in this dangerous universe.
Vampire’s command deck was a lot narrower than the Impaler. After all, the latter was a cruiser, while the former was a mere frigate. They were essentially two orders different. In fact, the distinct difference in size was made evident given how Vampire would normally be stored in the Impaler’s hangar bay.
Ever since Duabi and his troops managed to give pursuit and hunt down Xia Fei, he had kept a lookout for any suspicious signal source he might be giving off, and because he had a fairly solid foundation in machinery, he very quickly realized the flaw in the Estamel cloaking device.
Wars.h.i.+ps depended on wormholes to traverse across the universe, and the bigger a wars.h.i.+p, the greater the energy required to create the temporary wormhole used, which in turn made it that much easier to be detected.
While the Estamel cloaking device was capable of opening a stealth wormhole, the Impaler would let out an enormous energy fluctuation due to the immense energy source needed. This made its energy signature very different from what the common wars.h.i.+ps would produce, and once detected, the enemy could very easily track it accordingly.
Xia Fei discovered this flaw and was upset over the fact that he did not have any suitable parts or materials on hand, so he could not try and rectify this flaw. However, he had a burst of inspiration and moved to park his Impaler amid a hidden magnetic field, piloting the Vampire in its hangar bay and renewing his a.s.sault on the insectoids. The Black Bat radar was badly damaged, so Xia Fei removed parts of the transmitter and fitted it onto Vampire, just in case anything cropped up that he wanted to inform the Alliance about. Disa.s.sembling it entirely would have taken too much work, and besides, since about ninety percent of the Black Bat radar had been rendered useless, there was really no use in taking it down, either.
Fortunately, the Black Bat radar was structured as a combination of units, and the transmitter was as small as a small box which was easily connectable to a normal radar.
Of course, the Estamel cloaking device was also fitted onboard Vampire, since it was what Xia Fei depended his survival on.
With the help of Pod and those semi-intelligent robots, the entire retrofitting process did not take more than three hours to accomplish. It was done extremely efficiently, and these robots that he had lucked upon already became Xia Fei’s most capable a.s.sistants, coming up big in such a crucial time.
Vampire was an agile and nimble s.p.a.cecraft, and with the Estamel cloaking device’s unique function, who cared if there were three fleets defending a planet? Xia Fei could very easily sneak past that blockade of s.h.i.+ps without them being any the wiser of his presence!
While the insectoids were still speculating if Xia Fei would accept Arendaz’s challenge, Vampire had already landed, and he very calmly slew the insectoid in question before departing without leaving a trace or making a fuss.
Uti would never have dreamed that, though Xia Fei had barged into the insectoid territory all alone, he had actually brought along two wars.h.i.+ps!