Chapter 70: Preparing for War
Chapter 70: Preparing for War
After an exchange, Li Yi put down the token in his hand and showed a wary expression.
“Dragon Raising Head, Golden Carp, Six Strategies Qi?”
Connecting the dots, he slowly pieced things together. He took a deep breath, and the caution on his face grew more solemn.
The once-a-decade opening day of the Dragon’s Burial Ground was called “Dragon Raising Head.”
On the day of Dragon Raising Head, only those below Level 1, namely Lower-Rank Spell Disciples and Sword Songs, could enter.
Moreover, there were limited spots, only six hundred.
Due to being in a favorable position, Dawn Cliff received the most spots, thirty of them, which were the so-called “Golden Carps.”
The reason “Golden Carps” were so coveted was because of what Zhangsun Shenji called — “Six Strategies Qi.”
Six Strategies Qi was not one, but six types: “Civil Strategy Qi,” “Military Strategy Qi,” “Dragon Strategy Qi,” “Tiger Strategy Qi,” “Leopard Strategy Qi,” and “Hound Strategy Qi,” each originating from six giant beasts.
The effect of these six qis could be integrated into the Magic Vortex to generate a unique talent — “Elemental Commander”!
Elemental Commander was a talent that could only be awakened when one’s bone structure had reached a certain level.
And, it was an extremely powerful talent!
Among the Celestial Human Aspects, the strongest types, such as the “Physique of Gonggong” and the “Physique of Zhurong,” owed their greatest power to possessing the talent — “Elemental Master”!
For example, the “Physique of Zhurong” naturally carried the talent — “Master of the Fire Element.” The same fireball could achieve more than three times the power, range, and demon-breaking effect of an ordinary fireball! Needless to say, “Elemental Master” could also intertwine with fire-based secret arts, producing countless profound mysteries.
“Elemental Commander” was two levels lower than “Elemental Master,” with “Elemental Lord” in between, but it was still quite astonishing.
After all, Celestial Human Aspects were said to occur only once in a hundred years.
The Six Strategies Qis had attributes respectively — earth, wind, water, fire, thunder, and star, all relatively common attributes.
But things were not that simple.
“Do not compete for the Six Strategies Qi. Once you enter the Dragon’s Burial Ground, do nothing at all. The first thing you must do is hide!!!!!!!”
This was Zhangsun Shenji’s advice, or rather, his command.
Li Yi could sense Zhangsun Shenji’s strong tone from the numerous exclamation marks.
According to his description, Dragon Raising Head had another name: “The Day of Bloodshed.”
The Six Strategies Qi was sentient. It was said it could transform into flowers, grass, beasts, or even sand and stones, hiding silently. Only those it acknowledged could detect its presence.
But those not acknowledged also had a way to obtain it.
Once plucked, this qi would emit a sky-filling rainbow light, but it took a full day to completely refine it.
At that time, it was needless to say, there would be bloody battles, with the winner taking all.
Almost every year during Dragon Raising Head, the number of casualties was terrifyingly high, nearing thirty to forty percent. In particularly bad years, it could even reach half!
Moreover, as far as Zhangsun Shenji knew, the truly talented, those with noble natural gifts and bloodlines, did not need the Six Strategies Qi at all and would definitely not become “Golden Carps.”
“Golden Carps” were actually people within the academy who appeared strong but had limited potential. Perhaps they could seize a one-in-a-thousand chance through this baptism of blood, sloughing off their old skin to transform into a dragon!
Most people only saw the glorious side and felt envy, unaware of the piles of bones left behind by the one who succeeded.
“You are not even a Spell Apprentice. Your strength is too weak. Reckless competition will definitely lead to death!”
“The person who recommended you as a ‘Golden Carp’ is almost certainly your enemy. You must be very careful!”
As Li Yi was pondering, a light flashed in the token, and two more lines of text appeared.
He couldn’t help but smile wryly. It was indeed a close friend, like a mind reader. Without even facing each other, Zhangsun Shenji could guess his thoughts.
…
“Even just for self-preservation, the power I currently have is still insufficient.”
Li Yi carefully assessed his equipment and means and arrived at a rather unpleasant conclusion.
After all, inside, there were almost all Lower-Rank Spell Disciples and Sword Songs, and outstanding ones at that.
The gap in level was not something that could be easily bridged.
“Dragon Raising Head is in fifteen days. Let me calculate…” After deliberating for a while, he tapped the table with the Demon-Sealing Brush and said helplessly, “It seems the cultivation of ‘Siren Splits the Tide’ has to be set aside for a bit… Those puppet sketches must be put on the agenda immediately!”
After finalizing his plan, the following days kept Li Yi extremely busy.
On the fourth day, people received Li Yi’s messages one after another and hurried over.
“This ‘Ax-Wielder’ of yours is immensely strong, but its movements are slow, making it easy for others to find its weakness and sneak attack… Therefore, I added a bearing mechanism at its waist. When an opponent gets close, its upper body rapidly spins while holding the axe, repelling the opponent. I’ve named this function — ‘Counter Helix’!”
Li Yi pressed his finger on the blueprint and explained.
“Master Li Yi, you are truly a genius!” Puppeteer Bai Yufeng praised, but in his heart, he was actually a bit disappointed. “Counter Helix” could solve an immediate problem, but what he truly wanted were powerful components like “Five-Tone Viscera.”
Li Yi was well aware of this.
“The White Crystal, I have prepared it…” said Bai Yufeng, turning his Sumeru Ring.
“No need. I’d like to exchange it for magical equipment… Do you have any outdated magical equipment? I’d like a piece.” Li Yi stopped him, secretly sighing in his heart.
Plans couldn’t keep up with changes. The Softshell Turtle Dream Art would have to wait again.
“Outdated magical equipment? I do have a few pieces…” Bai Yufeng rotated his ring. Several lights flickered and fell to the ground.
Among them were a pendant, a ring, a headband, a mask, and boots.
Li Yi’s first glance landed on the blood-red mask.
— A Werewolf Mask, with the effect of a lycanthropy spell, transforming into a werewolf. For someone like Li Yi, already tough-skinned, it was very beneficial.
Then, his gaze fell on the unremarkable boots: “These are…”
“Wind-Walking Boots!” Bai Yufeng said with a smile. “These boots have the effect of the ‘Wind Stride Spell,’ quite effective. I only replaced them because I got a new magical item that isn’t compatible with them.”
“I want both of these magical equipment pieces.” After thinking for a moment, Li Yi proposed, “In exchange, I can help you improve another puppet blueprint. But, you might have to wait a while…”
“No problem.”
“You trust me that much?” The other party’s readiness surprised Li Yi.
“I think, compared to this equipment, you probably value your reputation more.” Bai Yufeng’s reply was very appropriate and pleasing to hear.
Subsequently, three more people came, most leaving quite satisfied.
As for Li Yi, he gained three more pieces of equipment.
An Aura Pendant, which could release “Aura Armor” to resist spell damage, but it was very limited against physical damage.
Stone Fist Gauntlets, which could apply the Level 1 spell — “Stone Fist” to the fists.
Additionally, the most important were three second-grade Talismans — “Hurricane Spear.”
Talismans, unlike Runes, were consumables but had immense power.
A single talisman could unleash terrifying force.
The Hurricane Spear’s power was close to a Level 2 spell. As a life-saving measure, it was barely sufficient.
On the fifth day, Li Yi sent two messages.
“I want to modify the ‘Reverse Halberd.’ Are you willing to help? If so, please prepare the following materials…”
As expected, that very night, Zhao Xu and Yuan Ang, carrying the prepared materials and covered in dust, arrived one after the other.
“I’ve already completed the sketches. Time is too tight, so they are a bit rough…”
Li Yi couldn’t hide his tired expression. A large sheet of draft paper was spread out before the two.
The two travel-worn individuals stared in shock.
“This, this is modification? How is it different from completely reforging it?” Zhao Xu sighed, his expression complex and a bit resentful. “Also, some modifications are purely for changing the appearance, without any practical use… My humanoid puppet, you’ve actually changed it into a beast-form puppet!”
This “Reverse Halberd” could be said to be his heart’s work, his proud creation. Seeing it changed beyond recognition naturally left a sour taste in Zhao Xu’s heart.
Li Yi could understand his feelings. It was like if you wrote a beautiful piece of calligraphy and someone scribbled over it. Of course, it would be unpleasant.
He had to briefly explain the reasons and circumstances.
“In the Dragon’s Burial Ground, it’s said there are Rule-generated dragon qi masks, so people won’t recognize each other. But the Reverse Halberd’s features are too distinctive, making it easy to be recognized. Don’t worry, once I return alive, I’ll change it back…”
Zhao Xu nodded and said no more.
“After the modifications, this puppet, in many aspects, is already close to a Level 2 puppet!” The chubby guy had been staring at the blueprint and voiced his doubt. “Brother Li Yi, can you control it?”
“If I can’t control it, someone else can…” Li Yi smiled mysteriously, thinking to himself, someone else? That might not be quite accurate.
Without further explanation, he clapped his hands and said loudly.
“Enough talk, let’s work! We only have ten days. Looks like none of us will be getting much sleep…”