90 Chapter 89: Return to Wu Ling Academy (1/2)

”…I guess she's busy…”

Glancing at my cellphone, I saw that Tang Qi Hong wouldn't be able to come out of training for the next week or so. She was learning how to forge spatial storage devices under Elder Hai Mo at the moment. As I was the one who made the request, I couldn't complain. Tang Qi Hong was learning this for my sake, after all.

Well, I wasn't that delusional to the point of flattering myself that Tang Qi Hong was doing it solely for my sake. I was sure she realized that the forging techniques for spatial storage devices were integral for a blacksmith and Spirit Engraver, and it was better for her to learn them sooner rather than later. Those things cost a lot.

Speaking of which, I had better keep my pieces of Void Whale safely. If the other students knew that I had them, they might try to rob me. I trusted most of my classmates enough to not stab me in the back, like Tong Xue for example, but that didn't mean I was naïve enough to believe in the so-called good nature that was innate in all human beings.

I had been burned more than once. I didn't want to get backstabbed again.

”Hmm, there won't be much blacksmithing or Spirit Engraving classes this week…I might as well go back to Wu Ling Academy today.”

The tournament was mere weeks away. Two weeks, if I remembered correctly. I had best focus on preparing for combat over blacksmithing. My current goal was to get into the Blood Blades, after all, not to forge a top-grade Spirit Armament. Tang Qi Hong, Zi Xiao Ji and Liang Shao Yang can handle all those. I was happy with fighting.

My goal was to attain enough strength to protect everyone. If I couldn't win a stupid tournament, how would I expect myself to defeat all sorts of formidable enemies who threatened my friends and families? All it took was one mistake…one defeat, and I might lose those precious to me forever.

That was why I was determined to be the strongest. And in order to achieve that goal, I had to begin with training myself to win the tournament. Or at least train myself so that I could gain as much combat experience as possible – in other words, strengthen myself to the point where I wouldn't get eliminated early.

That would be embarrassing.

All the combat training facilities are in Wu Ling Academy. I think I'll rent a room in the dorm there and stay in school for the next few weeks…other than the weekends, of course.

Spending time with my family was still important, after all. It would be meaningless to claim that I wanted to protect my family when I spent all my time training and ended up neglecting my relationship with them. Nonetheless, attaining the strength I needed to protect them was still my number one priority, and hence I had to start training in an optimal environment as soon as possible.

Making that decision, I hoped onto the Phoenix Express the following morning (the day after I returned to Tushan) and got ready for school. While I idled on my seat, Tong Xue showed up a few minutes later with Lian Rou.

”Oh! Fei Wu! You're here!”

”It's been a while. Where have you been?”

I waved back and watched as Tong Xue and Lian Rou took the seats in front of me. The latter, in particular, turned to look at me curiously. Evidently she had noticed my absence over the past few weeks. I was touched.

Knowing Tong Xue, though, he probably already knew where I went. The guy had his fingers in all sorts of intelligence communiques, fishing for information.

”Been fishing, haven't you?” he laughed. The irony was totally lost on him, I bet.

”Whaling, actually,” I corrected him with some relish. It was satisfying to prove him wrong, even if it was just a minor mistake. Okay, I was childish. But I was still technically correct. ”Whales are not fish, you know.”

”Ugh…I know.” Tong Xue held up both hands in resignation. Lian Rou looked from him to me, still puzzled.

”Whaling? You were hunting a whale?”

”Yeah, I was trying to reenact the story of Moby Dick.”

Both Tong Xue and Lian Rou stared at me blankly. Evidently they hadn't heard of Moby Dick before, or that story didn't exist in the world (then why was the ship named Mo Bi Di Ke then?).

I sighed. ”Never mind. I was hunting a Void Whale. I needed to get some cash for a project I'm working on.”

The Void Whale parts, as I said, were now safely secured and stored next to the Ice Soul Python armored scales. Both types of Spirit Mateirals were locked up tight and barred from the view of anybody, and as much as I trusted Tong Xue and Lian Rou, I didn't tell them that I actually took a few Void Whale parts for myself.

You never knew who was listening in on our conversation, after all.

”Oh…what sort of project are you working on?” Lian Rou's eyes were shining. She was, more than me and Tong Xue, a blacksmith and Spirit Engraver. Naturally she would be interested in forging projects.

”A personal weapon. I'm still not sure of the details yet, but I'll figure it out soon. Probably some sort of sword…”

”Right, you practice swordsmanship.” Tong Xue nodded. ”What was it? Heavenly Dragon Meteor Swordsmanship?”

Since the Chinese for Dragon and Draconic was the same, I wasn't going to quibble with him on that. Nonetheless, I glared at him. ”How do you know about that?”

Tong Xue grinned. ”I know everything.”

”Except that whaling is different from fishing, it seems.”

”Oh, come on! That's such a negilible difference!”

”Is it?” I raised an eyebrow. ”Why don't you try fishing and whaling, then tell me how they are almost the same.”

”Um, can you elaborate more n your personal weapon? So a sword, huh? Why don't you just get one from the sect?”

Lian Rou broke in before we could squabble further. I shook my head.

”No, I want to customize my personal weapon with some weird functions. I'm experimenting with several ideas in my mind, but I'm still not sure which one I want. A weapon that can combine offense and defense, for example.”

That was why I wanted the Ice Soul Python armored scales in the first place. Known as one of the sturdiest magical beasts, the Ice Soul Python's armored scales made a good ingredient for defensive equipment and armaments.

”Heh…sounds interesting. Make sure to show me when you're done!”

Lian Rou was nodding excitedly, her eyes shining. I wasn't sure why she was so enthusiastic about something an amateur was experimenting with, but I wasn't one to dampen others' spirits. So I merely smiled and nodded.

”Sure.”

”But there's only a couple of weeks left before the tournament,” Tong Xue remarked just when the Phoenix Express lurched into acceleration, throwing us back against our seats. The bus began to take off and soared into the air, surging forward at incredible speed. ”You won't be able to forge the weapon in time.”

”The weapon is not for the tournament,” I informed him. Tong Xue's eyes widened.

”Eh?! It isn't?”

I understood his concern somewhat. Usually the students in our academy would be working hard to procure high-quality weapons, or even mystical treasure weapons. The better the weapon, the larger the advantage the wielder had in a fight. Of course, skill came into play too, but if it was a match between two evenly skilled opponents, the one with the better weapon would have an edge, and thus a higher chance of winning.

Unfortunately, right now I couldn't afford to buy a high-quality weapon. I had spent all my money on martial arts manual. And while I normally would have earned a lot of money from the mission where I hunted a Void Whale, most of my rewards were in the form of the Void Whale parts I pilfered from our catch. Not to mention, I planned on using the rest of the cash for living expenses and other spirit materials for my intended weapon.

Furthermore, it would be a waste to buy an expensive Spirit Weapon, only to discard it or sell it off (at a lower price because it would be second-hand by then) once I had finished forging my personal Spirit Weapon.

”I'm thinking more long term. This Spirit Weapon is one for the future, something I can use for the next few years and not just for a single tournament.”

”Ah…that's very farsighted.” Lian Rou nodded in approval. Tong Xue frowned, but he didn't object. Perhaps he saw the wisdom of my decision, but he still had several doubts about it.

”Then what are you going to do about the tournament?”

”I'll participate in it…”

”No, I mean, what are you going to use?”

”Oh, you mean these?”

I drew my swords from my bag. Even though they were somewhat banged up after the Void Whale mission, I had fixed them up and repaired them as best as I could. As a blacksmith and Spirit Engraver of the Nine-tailed Fox Sect, we had to learn the basics of weapon repairs and maintenance. So I put them into practice after I returned to Tushan City.

Tong Xue made a face. ”You're using such cheap, poor quality swords?”

”Hey, they helped me out a lot against the Void Whale, you know?” I frowned at Tong Xue's casual dismissal of what I deemed were my comrades. ”And against the other students, I'll most likely use non-weapon skills.”

”Like your kicking techniques?”

”Well, obviously I have far more experience with my kicking techniques than I do with sword techniques.” Pushing up my glasses, I affirmed. ”Plus I'm not exactly bloodthirsty enough to use swords on the other students.”

”Don't be naïve,” Tong Xue reprimanded me. ”Your opponents will be doing their best to kill you, you know. Haven't you signed the indemnity form? You know the opponents won't be made to take responsibility even in the event of your death. We're allowed to kill each other.”

”Not unless we surrender first,” I reminded him. ”Killing an opponent who has surrendered will be deemed as cold-blooded murder and is punishable by death.”

”Of course, but do you think your opponents will necessarily wait for you to surrender?” Tong Xue rolled his eyes. ”They'll come at you with the intention to kill right from the start. Some of them are capable of killing others in just one strike.”

”You're right,” I conceded with a nod. ”I'll adjust my tactics according to the opponent. Obviously, if the opponent is strong and full of killing intent, I'll do my best with my swords. But…” I glanced at them before putting them back in my bag. ”…that doesn't mean my chances of surviving will be higher. As I said, I lack experience with the sword.”

That was why I took the mission. One of my primary objectives was to get used to wielding swords and actually putting the sword techniques I had learned from Heavenly Draconic Meteor Swordsmanship into practice.

The Void Whale had not let me down. Hell, most of the sea monsters I met out in the Void Ring had given me ample chance to practice my sword techniques in reality. While human opponents would pose a completely different challenge, I was sure that the combat experience I gained from slaying sea monsters was invaluable.

And I still had yet to mention the priceless lessons and advice I had received from sparring with Qiang Zhe. Even if it was just sparring sessions instead of actual combat, the reflexes I honed during those mock battles were just as important.

Qiang Zhe didn't go easy on me, after all.

I had also trained a little against Da Ge and Zhao Shi, exchanging moves with them, but as expected neither of them had reached the level Qiang Zhe attained with his decades of experience. Nonetheless, I also valued my duels with them. They would be closer to the opponents I would face over the tournament.

”So who do you think will win the tournament?” Lian Rou asked, shifting the subject away from me. Tong Xue grinned as he retrieved his tablet.

”The favorites are, of course, Bai Ning Xue and Zhu Jiao. As you already know, they are both Five Star Constitution cultivators, and Bai Ning Xue has even attained level 9. Zhu Jiao might still be at level 8, but we all know that's only because he hasn't taken the level 9 test yet. He might take it before the tournament, or after…”

”That's right. Those two are currently the strongest martial artists in our cohort.” Lian Rou nodded in agreement.

”Yup. Other than those two, we have a couple of dark horses. Du Lang, for example, has been progressing steadily…he's also level 8. Then there's Feng Tian Yong, who has broken through level 9 of the Sacred Phoenix Flame Body Formula.”

I cocked my head to the side as I listened. As usual, all these levels and numbers were meaningless to me. The only conclusion I got out of that was that Feng Tian Yong was incredibly strong at the moment.

”Li Chun Long is another one to watch out for. He has hit level 12 of the Solar Celestial Dragon Formula.”

Dude, can you speak in proper Chinese and not numbers? History and literature, not math and science, were my strongest subjects. Going off on these levels and numbers were just boggling my mind and meant nothing to me.

Tong Xue rattled off another list of names I had never heard of before and couldn't be bothered to remember.