Chapter 1129-1130
Chapter 1129 – Magnificent Performance
When Luo Zhi saw that Zhao Hai didn't reply, even set-up any defense, his expression turned ugly. His eyes became cold. Then he directed his killing intent towards Zhao Hai. He knew that Zhao Hai was a newcomer. And for those who killed only a few, being hit with a killing intent as strong as his would certainly make them panic. Then as long as they lost focus, an opportunity would appear.
Zhao Hai continued to look at Luo Zhi despite feeling the killing intent washing over him. He didn't care about the other party's killing aura. To Zhao Hai, this kind of pressure was pitifully weak.
Seeing Zhao Hao remain unflinching, Luo Zhi's heart tightened. Not responding to his killing aura only meant one thing, the other party was also used to killing. Such a person wasn't easy to deal with. And after remembering Zhao Hai's ascension, Luo Zhi's eyes turned murderous.
Luo Zhi was a realistic person. He wasn't a Warrior in the lower realm, but instead an Assassin. Because of this, he preferred his unusual sword.
Assassins experience a much crueler world than Warriors. In the world of Assassins, failure meant death. And you won't only need to watch out for your enemy, you also need to watch your back against your allies. This was because if you can't surpass your peers and become the most powerful person, then you would be left behind at any time. And being abandoned meant death.
Because of this mindset, Luo Zhi had always wanted to be the best. And if someone appears that might surpass him, then his choice was very simple. While the other party was still weak, he would kill them.
It was also because of this mindset that Luo Zhi became famous in the Ghost Symbol Camp. Those talents comparable to him were now dead. And now that Zhao Hai appeared, Luo Zhi began to feel a threat. He felt that Zhao Hai was going to surpass him, becoming a famous genius.
Although Zhao Hai wasn't in the same camp as him, they were in the same family. With the internal competition in the family, Luo Zhi would certainly kill anyone who might become his opponent.
Luo Zhi looked at Zhao Hai and began to feel threatened. He took a deep breath. Although he was threatened by Zhao Hai, Zhao Hai had yet to protect himself. Luo Zhi saw this as the best opportunity for him.
Luo Zhi calmed down his mood and then began to slowly raise his sword. The tip of the sword was aimed at Zhao Hai. Then he exhaled as he gripped the sword with both hands.
The build of the Luo Zhi's sword was the same build as huge swords in the lower realms. The actual sharp part of the sword was only 30 centimeters from the tip. As for the rest, it was no different as a flattened spear, it didn't have any cutting power at all.
Luo Zhi grasped his sword with his two hands as though he held a spear. He pointed his weapon at the calmly standing Zhao Hai. Seeing this stance, Zhao Hai finally opened his mouth and asked, "You want to kill me?"
Luo Zhi stared. He thought that Zhao Hai wouldn't speak to him. But now, Zhao Hai disrupted his rhythm by speaking. Although he had yet to attack, the mental battle had begun. Zhao Hai's few words just broke Luo Zhi's momentum.
Luo Zhi's eyes narrowed. He didn't know if Zhao Hai deliberately did this, but he didn't answer. Zhao Hai looked at Luo Zhi's expression and smiled faintly, "I saw the killing intent in your eyes. So do you want to kill me? Why? We work for the same family, why do we need to kill each other?" Luo Zhi coldly snorted and said, "We work in the same family. But you should know that if I kill you right now, the family will place more importance towards me, giving me more resources to cultivate quicker."
Zhao Hai nodded, then he replied, "So it's like that. This isn't the first time you did this? Killing people who seem to get in your way?" Luo Zhi coldly snorted and said, "Less talking, it's time for you to die!" Before Zhao Hai could move, Luo Zhi's sword qi was already stabbing towards Zhao Hai.
Zhao Hai waved his hand and whispered, "Shield!" After he said that, a five-layer formation appeared in front of him. Then a giant metal shield flew out of the formation, blocking Luo Zhi's sword qi.
A sneer appeared in Luo Zhi's face. He was a level 3 Warrior, so how could a mere five-layer formation stop him? Zhao Hai must be dreaming!
However, something shocking happened. When the sword qi hit the shield, the shield only lightly trembled. Then the sword qi slid from the shield and hit the life and death stage's barrier.
Luo Zhi stared. He couldn't believe that his full powered strike was deflected by Zhao Hai's five-layer formation. How was this possible?
It wasn't only Luo Zhi, those who knew Luo Zhi were also baffled. They knew that Luo Zhi wasn't someone who would show mercy. All of his moves were aimed with the intent to kill. He never sparred with another person, and those who asked to fight him were all dead.
After blocking Luo Zhi's strike, Zhao Hai didn't stop as he waved his hand, releasing a 10-layer formation. Then he whispered, "Turning Wind, Blade of Ice, Behead!" As his voice fell, a group of tornadoes began to appear. The tornadoes became bigger and bigger until they became 20 meters in diameter.
And inside these tornadoes were an uncountable amount of ice blades, all attacking towards Luo Zhi.
When he saw Zhao Hai's attack, Luo Zhi's expression changed. He immediately waved his sword and released sword qi towards Zhao Hai's tornadoes.
Since Luo Zhi's attention was on the tornadoes, he failed to notice Zhao Hai casting a 10-layer formation once more. The formation turned golden yellow and then it blinked with red light. Then Zhao Hai whispered, "Fire Arrows, Barrage of Ten Thousand, Release!" Just as Zhao Hai's voice fell, the magic formation set blasted out and released an uncountable amount of red fiery arrows, blasting towards Luo Zhi.
Luo Zhi had just broken through the ice blade-filled tornadoes. When he saw the arrow rain that Zhao Hai shot out, his expression turned manic. He frantically waved his sword in order to block every attack coming his way. But just as he blocked a red arrow, it suddenly exploded!
This explosion wasn't just a simple fireball. One should know that the arrow was made out of the metal element. That is to say that when the arrow exploded, shards of metal spread out. One of these shards found their way into Luo Zhi's eye. Luo Zhi screamed, the sword in his hand forgetting to defend.
What happened next was easy to predict. Arrow after arrow hit Luo Zhi's body, then they exploded. By the end of the rain of arrows, Luo Zhi's body could no longer be seen. His long sword left behind lying on the stage.
The area turned silent. Zhao Hai and Luo Zhi's fight was too short, not taking up even five minutes of time. Luo Zhi attacked first with his sword qi, which Zhao Hai defended and then Zhao Hai retaliated with two spells. And that was the end!
When the two began to move, the audience were loudly clapping. But by the end of the battle, everyone was silent. Nobody made a noise. This was because Zhao Hai's magic was both mesmerizing and terrifying!
Nobody could deny that Zhao Hai's magic was enchanting. His metal element shield, the icy tornado, and then the fiery explosive rain of arrows, all three were beautiful to look at.
And these three magics were as terrifying as they were beautiful. The shield was but a 5-layer formation, nevertheless it was able to fend off an attack from the level 3 Warrior. This showed how uncommon the formation set was.
The following two spells weren't much worse. Although the icy tornadoes were broken by Luo Zhi, the pillars of wind with ice shards in them looked like revolving pillars that seem to turn wild at any time.
Normal people might praise the spell for its beauty, but for Desbarres and the others, what they saw was the terror behind the spell. If anyone was surrounded by the magic, then they would be shredded as though they had been sent into a meat grinder. Upon thinking about the outcome, anyone would feel chills crawling up their body.
As for the rain of ten thousand arrows, once one was overwhelmed, their outcome wouldn't be good. This was especially true after the arrows exploded. The fire mixed with the fragments of metal looked much like fireworks.
And in the midst of these arrows was Luo Zhi, a level 3 Warrior. Upon receiving these spells, not even his body was left behind. Such spells were more than scary, they were terrifying!
I was a magnificent and terrifying display!
All those who understood what was going on couldn't help but think of Zhao Hai's spells as both magnificent and terrifying. It was like a beauty with a hidden terrifying trait. It was too scary!
The everlasting smile on Cadjo's face vanished. He heard the conversation between Zhao Hai and Luo Zhi. To be honest, he wasn't against Luo Zhi's procedure. Those who wanted to raise their head above others needed to tread on top of countless corpses. Cadjo just didn't expect Zhao Hai to be this powerful.
If Cadjo didn't know Desbarres, then he would've suspected Desbarres of bringing a level 5 Mage pretending to be level 1 for the competition. Those who can instacast ten-layered formations only belong to level 5.
Everyone inside the VIP room were also stunned. They didn't expect Luo Zhi and Zhao Hai's battle to end so fast. When Zhao Hai stepped down from the stage, Thunder turned towards Desbarres and said, "Desbarres, are you sure that he ascended four months ago?"
Desbarres smiled and said, "Of course. When he ascended, he was assigned to room number 2046. He memorized magic runes on his first day in the academy and then reached level 1 a month after. After that, he was sent for an exam to Tyro Planet. Patriarch should already know about all of these matters."
Chapter 1130 – Have Him Join the Ashley Family
Thunder Ashley nodded. Naturally, he knew about these matters. After all, they were related to his daughter. He just paid little attention to Zhao Hai in the past. And after Zhao Hai closed up, his name was never heard of again.
At this time, an Internal Hall manager asked with curiosity, "Desbarres. I know that the level of your Bone Symbol Camp isn't good. Those spells used by the kid, I haven't seen them before."
Desbarres smiled bitterly and said, "Alright, are you mocking me or praising me? And what do you know about the strength of the Bone Symbol Camp? I can only say that Zhao Hai is a genius. He has a lot of formation sets in his hands, and all of it were created by him. The formations he used already existed, but the sets were all made by him. I have seen some of his creations and to be honest, they are really really strong."
As soon as those present heard Desbarres, they couldn't help but stare. Then all of them looked at Desbarres with shining eyes. Desbarres saw their reactions and he bitterly smiled as he said, "I know what you are thinking. You want other Mages to learn Zhao Hai's formation sets? Forget about it. Zhao Hai is indeed willing to hand over his formation sets, but only a few individuals can study them. Don't forget, Zhao Hai is an all-element Mage. His formation sets have two or three elements in them. Their might is certainly huge, but if you're not an all-element Mage, then those formations are useless."
Everyone nodded upon hearing Desbarres. The formation sets Zhao Hai used were indeed from multiple departments. The power was great, but most Mages couldn't use it.
Everyone couldn't help but sigh. Thunder turned towards Desbarres and whispered, "Desbarres, tell me the truth. What is the kid's strength?"
Desbarres smiled faintly and said, "He should be level 4. But even I won't dare to fight him. I reckon I could lose to him."
Desbarres was a level 6 Mage. When Thunder heard this, his eyes couldn't help but narrow. Then he chuckled and said, "It seems like luck has finally come to you. You actually gained a treasure."
Desbarres smiled and said, "Right, I really picked up a treasure. In fact, he has more than you think. Patriarch, I'll report something to you later." Thunder blinked when he heard Desbarres. But he nodded and turned to look back at the stage. Thunder now wanted to know what Zhao Hai had that made Desbarres value him highly.
Before long, the 35 battles ended. The competition's first day had ended. All victors will rest for two days before competing again.
After the competition ended, Zhao Hai returned to his room to rest. Desbarres also issued a strict order stating that Zhao Hai shouldn't be disturbed.
Desbarres didn't return to the Bone Symbol Camp, instead he followed Thunder back into the family. Desbarres and Cadjo entered the study with Thunder. After Thunder waved his hand to invite everyone to sit down, he turned to Desbarres and said, "Fatty Des, tell me. There's no need to be mysterious."
Desbarres smiled faintly and said, "Young Master, it's good news. It is about Zhao Hai." When outside, Desbarres would call Thunder 'Patriarch'. However, when they were alone, he would call him 'Young Master'.
Thunder nodded and said, "This Zhao Hai is very good."
Cadjo also nodded and said, "He's calm. And not too forgiving either. He's a skilled kid."
Desbarres looked at the two and smiled, "Young Master, Smiling Demon. Remember the thing I have in the treasury? The item a Machine Field legend left behind?"
When Thunder heard Desbarres, his brows couldn't help but raise. Then he asked, "You mean the failed product? You still have it? I thought you sold it because you lacked money."
Desbarres smiled faintly and said, "It's more useful to keep it. Young Master, that thing has been completed by Zhao Hai. He's currently using it."
Boom! Desbarres's words were like a huge bomb exploding inside Thunder and Cadjo's minds. Since the two knew what the item was, they also knew the conditions of completing it. They thought that nobody in the Machine Field could complete it. And now, Desbarres told them that it had been formed. It was no wonder that they were surprised.
Desbarres saw their reactions and laughed, "What? You might not know, but Zhao Hai already completed it and is now using it as his staff."
Thunder stood up, he stared deeply into Desbarres and said, "Datty Des, don't joke with me. Did Zhao Hai really complete it? How did he do it? You should know that a lot of people worked together in the past, but they still weren’t able to complete it."
Desbarres nodded and said, "Zhao Hai has done it. But he took the clever route. He added a material in the production and engraved 131,490 formations in one go. This caused the final stage to succeed. Now, he called the thing Liquid Silver."
Thunder gawked, "It really succeeded? People thought of this method before, but they haven't found the appropriate material. What did he use?"
Desbarres smiled faintly and said, "Measureless Golden Sand!"
"Measureless Golden Sand! So it's measureless golden sand? No wonder." Cadjo called out in alarm. One must know that measureless golden sand was a very precious material. Who thought Zhao Hai actually had it.
Desbarres nodded, "Little Hai also gave me a bottle of it. I already stored it inside the treasury. But Liquid Silver is truly evil. After Little Hai completed it, it became his exclusive item. No matter what method we try, that thing is only a hunk of silver metal in our hands. But in Zhao Hai's hands, it became ever changing. It can turn into all kinds of weapons, it's godly."
Thunder nodded and said, "Divine Artifacts always recognize their owners, that's normal. Also, that thing had always been useless in our hands, it's good if it can be used by Zhao Hai. This way, he could give benefits to the Ashley Family. But Fatty Des, is Zhao Hai loyal to the Ashley Family? Won't he run to other groups?"
Desbarres shook his head and said, "Young Master, you can rest assured. After observing him for the past few days, I discovered that Zhao Hai is very sentimental. Since we've been treating him properly, he will not betray us. You don't need to worry."
Thunder nodded, "I have tried the refining method you brought back last time. Did you send a reward Zhao Hai? Right, I heard that he's still living inside the camp's building?"
Desbarres smiled bitterly and said, "Forget it, that kid is a training madman. I've already sent his reward over, but he had yet to move to his villa. He's inside the camp every day, training. I don't know how to handle him."
As soon as Thunder heard Desbarres, he nodded and said, "So it's like this. But I still think he needed to be rewarded. Fatty Des, we need to make him satisfied with the Ashley Family. We can't afford to have him leave."
Desbarres smiled faintly and said, "Young Master, I have something in mind. But I'm afraid you won't agree." When he heard Desbarres, Thunder stared. Then he waved his hand and said, "Tell me. He has limitless future. I'm willing to pay anything as long as we get to keep him."
Desbarres replied, "I don't want to restrain him. Instead, I want to have him join the Ashley Family. Only once he becomes one of us would he never leave."
As soon as Thunder heard Desbarres, he paused for a moment. Then his expression changed as he said, "You mean Margaret?"
Thunder and Margaret's relationship wasn't good. Of course, this issue was with Margaret. But even if Margaret wasn't intimate with Thunder, Thunder still placed Margaret next to his heart.
Thunder had five sons and three daughters in his entire lifetime; with Margaret being the youngest. His two other daughters had already married while Margaret stayed single. Margaret was Zhao Hai's instructor and had already experienced difficulties with him. This was the reason for Desbarres's suggestion.
Cadjo knit his brows and said, "Fatty Des, your idea is good. But with Miss Margaret's temper, I'm afraid she wouldn't agree."
Desbarres smiled faintly and said, "Of course I know about that. But I wasn't thinking of matching them immediately. Instead, we should let them develop feelings for each other. Also, the last time I saw them together, Miss Margaret already had little thoughts about Zhao Hai. Let's have them meet more often and see what happens."
When Thunder heard this, he relaxed. He always felt that he had been lacking towards Margaret. Because of this, he didn't want to force Margaret into things for the sake of the family. So after he heard Desbarres, he nodded and said, "Alright, then let's have them meet more often. Right, Fatty Des, don't tell anyone else about Zhao Hai's matter. We don't want him to suffer any accidents."
Desbarres nodded. To be honest, Thunder was being seen as a tyrant in the family. There are only a few people who he would listen to, among these were Desbarres and Cadjo. As for the others, he wouldn't even hear them out.
Thunder stood up and said, "The Ashley Family had always been lacking during the past beginner competitions. With Zhao Hai, I hope that we can reach greater heights."
All great families give priority to their benefits. If a person was useful for them, then they would give them importance. If they couldn't be used, then they wouldn't place them in their eyes. Thunder was the same person. If Zhao Hai cannot give him a satisfactory result, then he would deal with him with no hesitation. Then he would snatch Liquid Silver away.