Qin Ke had once said that there was a special power called Night Spirit in the Dark World, which traveled eastwards to the Chinese World fifteen years ago in search of a secret blueprint for weapons. One of the two leaders of Night Spirit organization, an Invincible Realm master, Tian Xin attacked personally but was obliterated by a Patriarch of a top sect in Zhongzhou State from nearly 20,000 meters away with just a gunshot!
That gun was called Human Emperor.
The top of the 12 Murderous Weapons in the Dark World.
Now, listening to w.a.n.g Yuetong, Li Tianlan finally knew that the legendary Human Emperor was a Murderous Weapon of w.a.n.g family of Beihai.
That sentence gave him a much clearer idea compared to a whole lot of concepts instilled into him by Ning Qiancheng.
Masters of the Invincible Realm were the peak combat capability of the Dark World. The birth and death of any Invincible Realm masters could affect the whole situation of the Dark World. Li Tianlan was unsure if w.a.n.g family of Beihai had an Invincible Realm master today. However, the shot using Human Emperor 15 years ago showed that they had the ability and strength to at least eliminate a master of the Invincible Realm.
Li Tianlan naturally knew the status of such a family in Zhongzhou State and in the Dark World.
“Coincidence. Mine is a melee weapon and definitely cannot be compared to your prestigious gun.”
Li Tianlan leaned back onto his bed and smiled, playing with the two sandalwood boxes in his hand.
“Senior brother, eat your medicines first. They are already activated and will be useless if not consumed within a few hours.”
Putting the Human Emperor back into its original position, w.a.n.g Yuetong sat down in front of Li Tianlan, smiling. “Eat first, I have something to tell you.”
“Everything?”
Li Tianlan felt a bit pitiful as he had wanted to leave a bottle of potion for himself since he did not have strong family support from families such as the w.a.n.g family of Beihai. These medicines can easily protect his life in the future. Thus, the idea of the medicines rendering useless in a few hours made him sad.
“Just eat. These two medicines complement each other. I still have some “Life-prolonging” with me and I can give them to you later. However, I don’t have “Heal” anymore as I have not enough credits.”
w.a.n.g Yuetong said with a soft voice as she smiled. She was confused about her feelings towards Li Tianlan herself. It was definitely not loving but Li Tianlan was indeed special, or even mysterious, in her eyes. That was why she could not help but get closer to him. Even if nothing happened in the future, the powerful giant w.a.n.g family of Beihai would not care about such an investment given Li Tianlan’s potential. It was always good to build good relationships.
Li Tianlan hesitated for a while before nodding and consuming liquid from both containers.
Besides them, Ning Qiancheng, who had known w.a.n.g Yuetong for a long time but was not close to her, finally could not help himself and cough. He asked awkwardly, “Yuetong, do you still have Life-prolonging medicine? If it is convenient, I would like to have some. Of course, I won’t just take it for nothing and I can exchange it using other items.”
He knew much more about the world than Li Tianlan and knew that Life-prolonging medicine was much rarer than Healing medicine.
Even though it could also stabilize injuries, Life-prolonging medicine’s main ability laid in that it could balance the body conditions of an individual. To put it simply, it could balance the strength, speed and explosive power of the martial artists, making attacks more efficient while reducing damage to the body. The effect of the medicine was six months long and this item could be considered a luxury item even in the w.a.n.g family of Beihai.
The Life-prolonging medicine was a specialty of the w.a.n.g family of Beihai. From research to development, this was already the sixth generation. Even in the black market, such medicines were rare in supply. Even when trading with Zhongzhou State government, the w.a.n.g family of Beihai could only provide one to two hundred bottles per year. It was no exaggeration to say that no masters below Thunder-shocking Realm had the right to use Life-prolonging medicine in the entire Zhongzhou State if not for young core members of the w.a.n.g family of Beihai, like w.a.n.g Yuetong herself.
Such a luxury item was now used as an ordinary healing drug for w.a.n.g Yuetong to give to Li Tianlan. While complaining about the wastage of this precious item, Ning Qiancheng had the illusion that w.a.n.g Yuetong brought many Life-prolonging medicines to Sky Academy. Thus, he became thick shinned and asked cautiously. If w.a.n.g Yuetong was willing to trade, even for just 3 to 5 bottles, masters of the Border Praetorian Corps could be safer when hunting beyond borders.
w.a.n.g Yuetong glanced at Ning Qiancheng, with what resembled a smile at the corner of his mouth.
Ning Qiancheng’s face turned somewhat red but unreserved expectation and desire shone through his eyes as he stared at w.a.n.g Yuetong.
“Sure. I can make a deal with you within twenty bottles.”
Looking at the shocked and delighted expression of Ning Qiancheng, her seductive lips slowly curved up as she slowly lifted her demands. “I want 10 standard Mad Shots. If your general agrees, I am willing to give you 20 Life-prolonging medicine.”
Ning Qiancheng’s mouth twitched as he was rendered speechless for a moment.
Just like how the Life-prolonging medicine was a private property of the w.a.n.g family of Beihai, Mad Shot was also a private property of their general, or rather, the private property of the entire East City family.
East City family was also a top family of Zhongzhou State and was known for being the head of weaponry, holding a supreme status and prestige in Zhongyuan Province. Mad Shot was East City family’s new invention for the past years and the proudest work of East City family.
Mad Shot was a not a medicine, but a gun.
To be exact, it was an energy gun that could pose a huge threat to masters of the Fire-flaming Realm and even threaten those in the Thunder-shocking Realm!
Mad Shot shot fast and had a strong power. Even masters of the Fire-flaming Realm could be seriously injured when shot. Even though such a powerful energy gun was far worse than the 12 Murderous Weapons of the Dark World, it was still heavily sought after by many forces. That was because Mad Shot could be ma.s.s-produced. Even though each Mad Shot was expensive, the ability to be ma.s.s-produced surpa.s.sed all monetary concerns.
Right now, all Mad Shots produced by East City family were given to Border Praetorian Corps. For three years, 60 Mad Shots were held in the hands of real sharpshooters of Border Control Corps, with experts secretly protecting each of them. If all 60 guns were to be fired together, any master under the Invincible Realm would turn numb with fear.
It was definitely a huge steal for w.a.n.g Yuetong to exchange 20 Life-prolonging medicine with 10 Mad Shots.
“Impossible.”
Ning Qiancheng did not even hesitate and replied immediately. Without considering the value of the deal, even if it was worth it, he would not be able to make the decision for the trade of 10 Mad Shots.
“See, Mad Shot is a treasure in your eyes, and “Life-prolonging” is a treasure in my eyes too. Looks like there is no deal.”
w.a.n.g Yuetong chuckled and turned to look at Li Tianlan. “Senior brother Tianlan, how do you feel?”
“Hot.”
He continued, “But very comfortable.”
This was his first time consuming high-tech genetic water in his life. In under a minute after the consumption, he felt a warm sensation that got rid him of all pain in his body.
“That is normal. Senior brother, if nothing goes wrong, you can be discharged tomorrow and heal before the official start of cla.s.s. Let’s go out and play tomorrow, alright?”
“You should go out and walk.”
Before Li Tianlan could even reply, an old voice rang from the door.
Princ.i.p.al of Sky Academy, Zhuang Huayang, stood at the door to the ward. Squinting his eyes, he smiled gently. “I came in seeing that you did not close the door. You don’t mind, do you?”
“h.e.l.lo, princ.i.p.al.”
The three straightened their bodies and greeted together.
“Hi, hi.”
Zhuang Huayang nodded as he entered the ward, moving slowly. His demeanor now was completely different than the absolute master who defeated Gu Yunxia with one move a few hours ago. He looked at Li Tianlan’s face carefully and stopped at the two sandalwood boxes next to Li Tianlan, laughing. “Looks like you are ok now. The girl here gave you many private goods from the w.a.n.g family of Beihai?”
“Only a bottle of ‘Life-prolonging’. Princ.i.p.al, you mock me.”
w.a.n.g Yuetong gave a dissatisfied grin and complained bluntly.
“Is there anything for me, princ.i.p.al?”
Li Tianlan sat at the front of the bed and asked straightforwardly, without going rounds. From the flittering eyes of Zhuang Huayang, he was sure that the visit was more than just a princ.i.p.al caring for his students.
“I need to talk to you alone regarding some matters.”
Zhuang Huayang smiled very casually.
w.a.n.g Yuetong and Ning Qiancheng were not fools and naturally knew that the princ.i.p.al was chasing them away. However, w.a.n.g Yuetong kept turning around when she left, showing great interest in their conversation.
“A smart girl, but too curious.”
Zhuang Huayang whispered as he stared at w.a.n.g Yuetong, smiling as she left.
Li Tianlan heed no attention to the comments but instead stared straight at Zhuang Huayang’s eyes, waiting for him to start the conversation properly.
However, Zhuang Huayang kept quiet.
He slowly walked in front of the window, and seemed to be deep in thought as he stared at the endless sea outside.
Li Tianlan was not in a hurry too as his experiences in the border and the maze in Beijiang wilderness had trained his patience and calmness to be far beyond his age. If Zhuang Huayang insisted on not speaking, he could stay an entire day and night with this old princ.i.p.al.
“Tianlan, do you want to be a vessel for a certain family or a certain power?”
Li Tianlan did not expect Zhuang Huayang to be talking about this as he antic.i.p.ated the topic about entrance maneuver and Gu Yunxia. From any angle, this topic was beyond what a school leader and a student should be talking about.
Li Tianlan lowered his eyelids slightly and replied calmly, “I don’t understand you, princ.i.p.al.”
“Very simple. With your potential, you can grow and become a core member of a super-powerful organization easily in the future before long. Perhaps, you will have a super high status, live an extremely glamorous life, and even realize dreams that could not be accomplished by yourself.
“However, you will lose yourself and become someone without a stance. The stance of that super-powerful organization will be your stance. You will not care about what you want but instead be concerned about how to maximize interest for that organization. Your hatred, your grat.i.tude, your love will all need to be recalculated and put aside in face of the bigger picture. You can only become a glorifying, outstanding chess piece with no freedom and stance of your own. Are you willing to live your life like this?”
Zhuang Huayang turned around, staring directly at Li Tianlan with an intense gaze but a calm expression. However, his tone was full of pressure.
Li Tianlan kept silent for a full five minutes before replying calmly, “My grandfather once told me to rather be a farmer than a vessel.”
“Real knowledge.”
Zhuang Huayang nodded with a smile. He thought about it for a while and continued, “If you have a friend that had an extremely good relationship with you and the two of you created a large sect together that was imparted down for hundreds of years or even longer. Generations of people worked hard in this sect but the power had always been in the hands of you and your friend’s children. Do you understand if I explain it this way?”
“I can understand.”
Li Tianlan spoke with a calm voice but his heart was tumbling on the inside. He was sure now that this was not a casual chat with Zhuang Huayang, and perhaps he had already known about his ident.i.ty. It was apparent that he wanted to tell him something today.
“At least you can understand.”
Zhuang Huayang took out a cigarette and lit it up. Taking a deep breath, he continued, “For hundreds of years, you and your friends’ descendants control the power of this sect. However, suddenly, something happened to your friend’s descendants. A martial arts sect that had profound implications was destroyed in a second. Your descendant was met with some matters of his own and could not help out. The end was clear; the descendants of your friend were banished but your descendant had successfully controlled the power of this super-powerful organization. Would you be guilty if it was you?”
“Perhaps yes.”
Li Tianlan lowered his head to drink, hiding all his expressions. He spoke calmly but with a hint of indifference, “But guilt like this can’t change anything.”
“Yes, it cannot change anything at all.”
Zhuang Huayang nodded in approval and supported thoughtfully with a sentence of agreement before continuing, “Perhaps we can make this even simpler. Let’s not mention any descendants, let’s talk about you. If you have complete control of power in this large organization and you discover one day, suddenly, that your closest and most reliable, but yet the comrade that suffered the most downfall was having a trend of re-emergence, what would you do?”
Li Tian kept quiet.
“Will you help him with all your heart, helping him restore his former status, and share your power with him?”
Zhuang Huayang’s eyes became sharp as his questions became more difficult to answer.
“I will if he is my friend.”
Li Tianlan slowly opened his mouth, his usual calm tone becoming repressed and bitter.
“However, he is only your ancestor’s friend. The relationship that had continued for hundreds of years had long diminished throughout the generations. How much was left in your generation? Was it only following tradition or was it simply a need for cooperation? Now that the other family had suffered a downfall and that you had the full power, how will you choose to react to the rise of the other family?”
Zhuang Huayang spoke with a calm and leisure tone. But the answer behind this question was so hard cold that it was chilling to the heart.
Li Tianlan remained silent.
He had nothing to say.
“Let me answer for you.”
Zhuang Huayang squinted his eyes and smiled with a cold tone. “If it was me, I would definitely be not willing to see the rise of the other family. If I help them, the rise of their family is the equivalent of me sharing power with another person. If I do not help them, their success could easily divide the power I have now. Thus, I will not only help them, but also stop them from developing with all that I can. If I am more malicious and sinister, I will use all my power now to completely crush them and make them disappear completely.”
Li Tianlan’s hand shook and more than half of gla.s.s water spilled out from his hand.
“Thus, if this defeated power wants to make a comeback. Not only their enemy, but even their best friend will also become their direct rival or even a deadly enemy!”
Zhuang Huayang said in a cold voice.
Li Tianlan took a deep breath and poured all the water in the cup down his throat before saying, “An exciting story.”
“Only a story? Student Tianlan? What if this is the truth?”
Zhuang Huayang stared at Li Tianlan with mocking eyes and asked.
Li Tianlan stared back at Zhuang Huayang, with complete calmness and stillness such as stagnant water in his eyes.
“How many Invincible Realm experts are in Zhongzhou State today?”
Zhuang Huayang stared into Li Tianlan’s eyes and asked.
Li Tianlan’s eyes glimmered slightly as he asked in return, “Not four?”
“Of course not.”
Zhuang Huayang laughed out loud, “To be precise, there are five experts of the Invincible Realm in Zhongzhou State today. There is one more that is forgotten by most people.”
Staring straight into Li Tianlan’s eyes, he explained, placing emphasis into every word. “This forgotten expert of the Invincible Realm is called Li Honghe, the representative of that fallen sect. Tianlan, do you want to hear a more realistic story?”