Chapter 726: The Strangeness of Windrider Pavilion
Xia Zonghai ran off without looking back, and as speed was the specialty of the Skywings, he departed in less time than it took to blink. *Zing!* He was already bolting off as if he were competing in a hundred-meter sprint.
Xia Fei shook his head and entered Windrider Pavilion with numerous thoughts in his mind.
As he looked around, he found that Windrider Pavilion was actually rather large. It had a front courtyard, rear courtyard, and a side courtyard, and everything was arranged with picturesque disorder. The laughter of the children came from a distant row of houses, just like these kids playing around during a break between cla.s.ses.
Suddenly, a white silhouette shot at Xia Fei with a speed on par with his!
“Crafty Approach!”
Xia Fei’s reaction was very quick. He nimbly turned and smoothly reached out with his hand, grabbing his a.s.sailant by the neck!
*Bang!*
This person’s speed was not bad, but he clearly lacked experience when facing a foe, only relying on his physical agility to charge at the opponent. This sort of method was clearly futile against a veteran like Xia Fei, and the person was brought to the ground. Xia Fei had a hand clamped around his neck while raising his other hand high up in the air like a knife, prepared to deal a heavy blow at the slightest sign of any suspicious movement!
When he got a good look at the person who had charged at him, Xia Fei almost laughed. The attacker was none other than a chubby boy that was about ten years old, his fat face going red from the asphyxiation he was experiencing. He stared in shock at Xia Fei, his eyes unblinking.
At that moment, Xia Fei exuded a killing intent that only someone who had killed countless people could have. He made no attempt to hide this aura, so it penetrated the boy’s body, making him s.h.i.+ver.
Gasps of shock came from the distance. All of the children in cla.s.s had come out. Some had their mouths open wide while others covered their mouths in shock, and all of them were staring at Xia Fei.
“When attempting a sneak attack, you should attack from a forty-five-degree angle. Charging in from the front is suicidal,” Xia Fei suggested before letting the child go.
The little fatty fearfully patted the dust off his body and then dejectedly withdrew as his cla.s.smates jeered at him.
Xia Fei lit a cigarette and coldly stood in the courtyard, looking up at the sky. The weather at the summit was excellent, and there was an occasionally refres.h.i.+ng breeze blowing past.
“Are you Xia Fei?” An elderly voice tinged with delight came from behind him.
Xia Fei turned around and saw an energetic and thin old man. He was not very tall, but his eyes were s.h.i.+ning and there was a smile on his lips.
For some reason, the moment Xia Fei saw him, he immediately took him for a sly merchant. This man would be perfect as a shopkeeper at any store. He had such a devious appearance that it was almost a pity that he was not a businessman.
Xia Fei nodded. “This one is Xia Fei. Are you Grandpa Laos.h.i.+?”
Xia Laos.h.i.+ did not answer, instead circling around Xia Fei and looking him over. “Mm, mm, mm. Excellent physical agility and an abundant killing intent. You seem like someone who’s seen the battlefield before. You have an excellent foundation and outstanding talent. You’re a perfect seedling for cultivating law power. Xia Buyun was right to recommend you to this old man.
“Relax. As long as you’re with this old man, I can guarantee that you’ll almost immediately grasp the secrets to the Law of Speed and become a proper Skywing general…”
Xia Laos.h.i.+ praised Xia Fei to high heavens to the point that the latter even began to feel embarra.s.sed. He humbly said, “Grandpa Laos.h.i.+ flatters me. Seeing how these youths are so young yet already so fast, it seems that Grandpa Laos.h.i.+ truly is the best teacher in the Skywing Clan! Still, I recall that the Law Realm normally only begins educating children about law power when they’re twelve years old; these young boys and girls seem a little younger than that.”
Xia Laos.h.i.+ casually said, “Those are the rules for other people. We’re the Skywings. Outsiders are always trying to apply their rules on us.”
This was not the first time Xia Fei had heard something like this. It was as if the Skywings did not take the rules of the Law Realm seriously, that the Skywings were different existences that lived separate from the other clans.
Xia Laos.h.i.+ cunningly laughed, his eyes flas.h.i.+ng. “Your foundations are good and your talent is good, but there’s one crucial problem that needs solving. If you can’t resolve it, then there’s nothing that can be done.”
Xia Fei bowed. “What would this crucial problem be?”
Xia Laos.h.i.+ nodded as he rubbed two of his fingers together and laughed. “The crucial question is: Do you have the money? If you do, everything is negotiable.”
Xia Fei put on a helpless expression. It really was as Xia Zonghai said. All that praise earlier had not been sincere. Like how a businessman would boast about their products a little, Xia Laos.h.i.+ had done all that so he could get some money out of Xia Fei!
…
Xia Laos.h.i.+ truly was not open and honest in the slightest. He continued chatting with Xia Fei, attempting to determine how much money Xia Fei had.
Xia Fei had been a conniving businessman himself before, so he easily pa.s.sed over these topics. He could see that Xia Laos.h.i.+’s face was getting worse and worse as time went on.
As they entered the side courtyard, Xia Laos.h.i.+ pointed at a row of bungalows. “You have to pay the dorm expenses to stay at Windrider Pavilion. A normal room is ten grade 4 crystals a day, a standard room is thirty, a luxurious room is one hundred, a luxurious suite is five hundred…”
Xia Fei frowned, feeling like he had entered some black market inn. Since Windrider Pavilion was a clan school, taking money was inappropriate, and this was not even considering that the prices were more expensive than the most luxurious hotels in White Horse Constellation! This was no different from daylight robbery!
Considering Xia Zonghai’s words, Xia Fei said, “I don’t have any specific living requirements, so I’ll take the ordinary room.”
Xia Laos.h.i.+ pursed his lips and muttered under his breath, “Stingy miser.”
In truth, Xia Fei did have money. The Atlantis Clan alone had left him five million grade 4 crystals, but he did not have a habit of living in luxury. After all, he grew up as an ordinary person on Earth, someone who had even slept on the streets once. He would consider it a good time even if he only had a roof over his head.
Xia Laos.h.i.+ very reluctantly led Xia Fei over to a gloomy room in the corner. When the door was opened, Xia Fei found that, while the room was small, there was nothing wrong with it. Xia Fei had feared that Xia Laos.h.i.+ would be petty over his stinginess, but this was not the case.
Xia Fei nodded. “The room isn’t bad, so I’ll stay here, but when will the special training begin?”
Xia Laos.h.i.+ waved his hand. “What are you in such a rush for? We haven’t even finished negotiating the price. You’ll have to eat here, too, yes? Windrider Pavilion has ordinary meals, standard meals, luxurious meals, gourmet meal sets…”
Xia Fei did not let him finish. “I don’t have any specific wants for eating. Anything will do, and I can even consume Origin Crystals if necessary.”
Xia Laos.h.i.+ was angry, very angry. In his eyes, Xia Fei was a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, but it turned out that this lamb was scrawny and devoid of fat.
With a turn of his eyes, Xia Laos.h.i.+ developed another idea. He smiled at Xia Fei and said, “Why don’t we do this? I’ll give you two rooms, an ordinary room and a standard room. You can select from one of them. During lunch, I’ll give you an ordinary meal and a standard meal so that you can try both out. Everything will be at half price. What do you think?”
Xia Fei was originally planning to refuse, but he reconsidered Xia Zonghai’s words. Xia Laos.h.i.+ loved money, so he could not be too pitiful. Moreover, it was not as if he would be spending too much money. Thus, he agreed.
…
Shock!
Incomparable shock!
This seemingly ordinary room gave Xia Fei a wonderful surprise!
In this room, he felt like he was in the middle of a powerful energy field, his entire body instantly feeling comfortable and relaxed! It was like he was taking a bath while basking in the sunlight! Every cell in his body was singing in joy! Even the wounds on his body were healing at a visible rate!
Xia Fei was shocked into silence. He clenched his fists and felt his hands bursting with power! Boundless power!
“What’s going on here?! Too strong! This room is too formidable!” Xia Fei muttered.
Xia Fei suddenly realized a problem. If Windrider Pavilion’s ordinary rooms were like this, what would the luxurious room be like?!
*Whoosh~*
Xia Fei almost immediately shot over to the standard room next door, and delight appeared on his face!
Sure enough, this room was arranged similarly to the ordinary room, but it clearly contained more energy! It was like a net, an intricate net! It purified Xia Fei’s energy layer by layer, turning it into the purest energy that was easiest to absorb and use!
Even Oro was in disbelief. He could clearly sense the changes in Xia Fei’s body.
While Xia Fei was in shock, Xia Laos.h.i.+ arrived with two trays. Xia Fei walked out of the room in amazement and bowed to Xia Laos.h.i.+.
Xia Laos.h.i.+ appeared very smug. There was a cloud pine in the courtyard and a stone table and benches under the tree. He placed the two trays on the table and said, “Taste the food of our Windrider Pavilion. I guarantee that your appet.i.te will open wide.”
Xia Fei firmly nodded. He saw that both meals looked about the same, meat paired with vegetables and accompanied by some seafood soup.
Xia Fei took the chopsticks and placed some cauliflower in his mouth. To tell the truth, the cooking level was very average, and Xia Fei felt like it was a little too salty and even half-cooked.
However, a moment later, an unstoppable surge of energy rushed into his body. Let alone a grade 4 Origin Crystal, even a grade 5 crystal would be unable to match the purity of this energy! To make a true comparison, only the Origin Energy the Blood Crystal absorbed from the bodies of experts could compare!
After a moment of shock, he devoured the food like a wind sweeping away the clouds!
While Xia Fei could move his body as he desired, he was still carrying wounds that had yet to heal fully. He had just been resisting these internal injuries through sheer willpower. This food was not any sort of precious herb, but it had a healing effect completely comparable to those rare herbs!
Xia Laos.h.i.+ smiled. “Eat a little slower. That meal has just cost you five hundred grade 4 Origin Crystals.”
*Cough!*
Xia Fei was stunned and almost spat the foot back out. These two dishes and a soup cost five hundred grade 4 Origin Crystals? This was too unreasonable?!
Xia Laos.h.i.+ suddenly thought of something and asked, “Right, who brought you to Windrider Pavilion?”
“Xia Zonghai.” Xia Fei instantly cleaned up the food and replied as he wiped his mouth.
Xia Laos.h.i.+ gritted his teeth and resentfully said, “That kid Xia Zonghai still owes me more than three million crystals! To think he dare come by and not pay a visit! It seems like I’ll have to increase the interest rate again!”
Xia Fei came to a startling realization. Xia Zonghai and the others were all afraid of Xia Laos.h.i.+ not because of his rigorous training but because they were all heavily in debt to him!
One meal for five hundred crystals? This was the most ordinary meal, too. Anyone would go bankrupt from these staggering prices!
Suddenly, he heard Oro urgently say, “Xia Fei, Xia Laos.h.i.+ is probably an artificer! He belongs to the special cla.s.s of energy artificer masters!”