Chapter 138: Violet Years
Chapter 138: Violet Years
“A Dao Transformation Armament?” Zhao Tianji’s eyes flickered, stunned beyond measure.
He had already guessed that Li Yi was not from a noble family, had no backing, and that his cultivation path relied entirely on himself.
Zhao Tianji himself had grown up exactly the same way.
He understood all too well the difficulty of tempering one’s soul and carving one’s bloodline without the support of a clan.
And yet, this youth before him had a profound soul and a formidable bloodline. Zhao Tianji felt that even when he was the same age, he probably wouldn’t have been half as accomplished.
In his view, even with day and night of bitter cultivation, Li Yi would have needed immense opportunity and luck to reach such a level. How could he have had time for anything else, let alone becoming an Armament Master, which consumed vast amounts of time?
“Master Wu Yi, I wonder what this boy’s talent is like as an Armament Master?” Zhao Tianji asked calmly, his expression unchanged.
In his mind, he already had a plan. Once Grandmaster Wu Yi said words like “lacking”, “mediocre”, or “passable”, he would go along with the flow, declare Li Yi unsuitable to be an Armament Master, and pull him over to his side.
“Outstanding!” Wu Yi’s evaluation made Zhao Tianji’s eyes go wide.
“Outstanding?” Zhao Tianji couldn’t help but give a dry laugh. “Master Wu Yi, I’ve never heard you praise someone like that before… Even your evaluation of Qin Yun, brother of Qin Yue, was merely ‘quite talented’.”
“If Qin Yun could design and create the ‘Profound Darkness Heart’, my evaluation of him would be the same,” Wu Yi said lightly.
“The Profound Darkness Heart?” Qin Yun’s eyes moved. Though he often stayed in the Outer Realm, he was also fully aware of the affairs at Dawn Cliff and Chang’an City. “That set of Profound Darkness Heart was designed by Li Yi? Wasn’t it said to be your first disciple, Yan He?”
He knew perfectly well what a huge storm that set of Profound Darkness Heart had stirred within the Dusk Capital! Many families with bloodlines similar to the “Jiangyue” Zhang Family had made their moves, and even many old monsters who hadn’t shown themselves for ages were startled. One could say it was a seething undercurrent.
“Oh, that was to protect him… He is still inexperienced, and becoming famous too early would be like pulling seedlings to help them grow,” Wu Yi said with a faint smile. “But I can confirm, that set of Profound Darkness Heart was designed by Li Yi alone. He was also the lead designer and creator.”
Wu Yi’s words left everyone present dumbfounded.
Zhao Tianji’s eyes were fixed in a daze.
He looked deeply at Li Yi, his thoughts complex and hard to put into words.
Zhao Tianji almost began to suspect that this kid was the projection or avatar of some Sin Abyss Demon Lord or Purgatory Monarch!
This level of talent was truly heaven-defying.
“Li Yi, would you be willing to become my Direct Disciple?”
After thinking for a moment, Zhao Tianji inwardly congratulated himself on his luck. He was often away, so the position of Direct Disciple often went unfilled. He never expected that upon returning this time, he would catch such a big fish!
“I am willing!” Li Yi was overjoyed in his heart, but his face remained neither humble nor arrogant as he calmly bowed.
His peripheral vision swept past several elders with varying expressions. The corner of his mouth rose into an almost imperceptible sternness.
I, Li Yi, am also a Direct Disciple now, and what’s more, a Manor Lord’s Direct Disciple!
“Wait, I also have something I would like to announce…” Wu Yi rose to his feet with a beaming smile, his gaze toward Li Yi filled with undisguised admiration.
At that moment, a soft exclamation suddenly rang out.
“The Third Prince has arrived!”
The dense crowd parted like waves before a ship, opening a path. Instantly, the focus of everyone’s attention shifted from Li Yi to that prince.
“What a grand entrance!” Li Yi’s eyes turned slightly cold. This was the first time he had experienced the power of worldly authority.
Under the gaze of thousands, a handsome young man arrived, strolling leisurely.
He wore a Moon Laurel magic robe that seemed to spill clear moonlight, with a Jade Toad pendant on his chest. On each hand, he wore three rings. Not many, but they were all Epic Equipment, their vast waves of Mana condensed into near-solidity. Even more eye-catching was a silvery, spiraling arc glowing on the right side of his neck, extending downward. Clearly, on his right chest, there was a Dao Transformation Armament hidden from view.
Even the boots on his feet were Epic Equipment—”Great Wind Boots”!
Li Yi had always been quite satisfied with his Wind-Walking Boots, but compared to this Third Prince, they seemed shabby.
Xiao Yu’s attire was clearly meticulously designed and well-coordinated, enough to show his status without being so extravagant as to be distasteful.
Behind him, Hu Xuanhai and the other Twilight Deep-Pupil members followed step by step, each carrying something.
“So showy…” Li Yi grumbled inwardly.
Li Yi felt uncomfortable, unaware that this Third Prince was similarly as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed a fly.
His planned time of arrival was supposed to be slightly later. He hadn’t expected Li Yi’s sudden appearance would cause such a stir, forcing him to appear early to dampen his limelight.
Xiao Yu secretly congratulated himself. Though he wasn’t sure what Wu Yi was about to say, he could guess a little. Fortunately, he had come out early. Otherwise, he might have been at a disadvantage.
Everyone had different thoughts, but Wu Yi’s expression was the most complex.
After hearing that Qin Yun and Su Xuan’er had withdrawn, he also received news that his nephew, Wu Xun, had been promoted three ranks in a row in the army. Wu Yi had no wife or children; this nephew was the sole pillar of his branch of the Wu family. This could be considered an enormous favor. He could also be sure that Qin Yun’s and Su Xuan’er’s respective families had also received compensation and would absolutely not harbor any dissatisfaction.
Xiao Yu’s maternal family, the Lü Clan, played these games of exchanging benefits to absolute perfection.
However, Li Yi, having no background and not being his official disciple, would be dealt with in a much rougher manner.
After his own hints, the other party had already agreed to “fair competition”.
But could there ever be absolute fairness?
One side was a scion of heaven, possessing deep-rooted resources and connections. The other side was utterly alone.
“Greetings, esteemed elders!” Xiao Yu’s expression was warm, his demeanor elegant. “Meeting you for the first time, I have prepared some small gifts. I hope you will not refuse…”
He waved a hand, and the stream of people behind him came forward one after another.
Here, one could see the depth of his resources. Every person on the dragon’s claws received a gift, not one more, not one less.
Even Morning Duck received a gift—a scale from an Ancient Dragon!
This display of throwing away gold like dirt, a momentum that could swallow mountains and rivers, completely overshadowed Li Yi’s moment in the spotlight in an instant.
“The purpose of my visit is to request to become a disciple under Grandmaster Wu Yi,” Xiao Yu said with elegant refinement, bowing again. “I have prepared a set of Armed Equipment made with my own hands. It is both a gift for my master and a calling card. I hope Grandmaster Wu Yi will not refuse!”
“Made with your own hands?”
These words caused many elders to begin whispering amongst themselves.
Hu Xuanhai stepped forward with a bow. Xiao Yu lifted the curtain, revealing a white Armed Equipment shaped like an arm guard.
“Huh?”
The moment the curtain was drawn, an unusual phenomenon occurred.
A misty, pale fog rose from nowhere, dewdrops floating, enshrouded by clouds and mist, spreading everywhere.
Deep within the fog, rainbow light swirled, beautiful and mysterious, a sight to behold.
“This Dao Transformation Armament is named ‘White Dew on Reeds’!”
“Oh? That’s quite a nice name…” Having received gifts, several elders naturally chimed in with a few words of praise. “May we ask, what is its effect?”
“Morning Dew!”
The moment these two words were spoken, everyone’s expression changed dramatically.
The “Morning Dew” effect was an extremely powerful attribute in the water element, on par with the “Heavy Water” effect.
The “Heavy Water” effect lay in condensation, condensing ten into one. The “Morning Dew” effect, however, lay in purity, spotless and dust-free.
“Morning Dew? Is it truly the Morning Dew effect?”
The few elders were first shocked, then their expressions turned strange.
Li Yi’s “Profound Darkness Heart” had the “Heavy Water” effect, while Xiao Yu’s “White Dew on Reeds” had the “Morning Dew” effect.
The opposing nature was easy to imagine.
“Truth or false, we can test it and see!”
Xiao Yu bowed. A flicker in the corner of his eyes landed on Li Yi. It held no contempt, but rather an arrogance that treated him as nothing.
“Oh? What a coincidence. I also have a set of Armament blueprints I wish to present to Grandmaster Wu Yi.” Li Yi’s eyes turned cold as he bowed and spoke.
“Blueprints? Of the Profound Darkness Heart?” Wu Yi was slightly taken aback, whispering.
“No, a different set,” Li Yi said with complete calm.
“A different set?” Wu Yi’s eyes widened into circles.
One must understand, designing Armament blueprints was absolutely not something one could just slap one’s forehead and achieve. The Profound Darkness Heart was already extraordinary. And now, after only a few days, he had designed another set?
“This Armed Equipment is called ‘Violet Years’!” Li Yi said quietly. “However, that name wasn’t given by me.”
“Violet Years? A good name…” Wu Yi, not yet noticing the nuance in Li Yi’s words, asked, “Who gave it that name? It has quite a flavor!”
“The name was bestowed by the great Dao itself!”
At these words, everything fell silent.