Chapter 97: The Farce and the Miracle  

Ash Editor: Geoffrey

"..."

The smile on Xie Tingxian's face completely turned stiff as his beard trembled. For a long time, he was rendered speechless.

Ding Lingdang's pair of pretty eyes opened widely, and her lips quivered as she opened and closed them again and again; she was shocked to the extreme.

Every recruitment staff, reporter, student, parent, and every onlooker was as though they had been struck by lightning. For a good while, they were unable to speak.

After half a minute, as if a spiritual energy bomb had been detonated at the center of the crowd, the entire crowd burst into an uproar!

"Grand Desolate War Institution's Refining Department? Is there some mistake? Does the Grand Desolate War Institution even have a Refining Department? Isn't it a college specialized for training battle-type cultivators?"

"It does have one, but the Grand Desolate War Institution's Refining Department is among the four worst departments in all the 'Nine Elite Universities'. It is small in size, and its level is too low—it’s simply the department which no one would choose on their own volition. The students from the previous years who needed to be removed from the prestigious departments were transferred there."

"Is he crazy? Instead of choosing Deep Sea University's Refining Department, why did he go and choose Grand Desolate War Institution's Refining Department?"

"Even if he wanted to choose the Grand Desolate War Institution, he should have at least chosen the Combat Department! Why did he choose the Refining Department? Has he simply lost his mind?"

"What the hell is going on inside his brain!?"

Many had the urge to pull out their hair with force. No matter how much they wracked their brains, they could not understand what made Li Yao make such a crazy choice—it was simply ridiculous!

Xie Tingxian was just like a statue carved out of stone; his silence lasted for an entire minute before he woke up from his stupor as the wrinkles on his face finally stretched when he forcefully smiled and said, "Student Li Yao, you always manage to do things outside of everyone's expectations. Every one of your actions makes everyone flabbergasted."

Li Yao sincerely apologized, "Professor Xie, I'm truly sorry. I truly didn't expect for you to come. Deep Sea University is truly a good university, and I also think that you and Dean Chu have the ability to train me to be the second ‘Supernova’!"

"However, I don’t want to be just the second ‘Supernova’, but rather the first ‘Fiend Star’. That's why I chose the Grand Desolate War Institution!"

Xie Tingxian heaved a long and deep sigh.

"You had once said that your dream is to enter the 'Holy Land of Refiners'. Who would have known that you would give up your dream in a spur of the moment—it’s simply not worth it, Student Li Yao!"

Li Yao smiled as he said, "Professor Xie, you are wrong. I have not done this in the spur of the moment, and not even a second had I given up on my dream. At present, Deep Sea University's Refining Department is certainly the Holy Land of Refiners; however, someday in the future, perhaps this glory will belong to Grand Desolate War Institution's Refining Department. Who can say for sure?"

"What?"

Xie Tingxian was stunned, Ding Lingdang was stunned, and all the recruitment staff of the Nine Elite Universities were completely stunned.

Li Yao calmly and unperturbedly said, "That's why... I have been apologizing to you. My decision to join the Grand Desolate War Institution's Refining Department is not so simple."

"In the near future, I will lead Grand Desolate War Institution's Refining Department and issue a challenge to Deep Sea University's Refining Department. I am going to take away the supreme honor—the title of 'Holy Land of Refiners'!"

"I am going to let the entire federation, the entire Heaven Origin Sector know that the Grand Desolate War Institution does not only have the Combat Department as its first-class department, they will also have the Grand Desolate War Institution’s Refining Department—the best Holy Land of Refiners!"

With an extremely sincere look, Li Yao gave an incredibly crazy declaration, causing every listener to think that maybe there was something wrong with their ears. His declaration also instantly made Xie Tingxian absent-minded.

"W-what is he saying? Does he even know what he is saying?"

"Young man, just because of a slightly good score, you forgot how high the heaven is and how deep the earth is. Don't be too proud, and don’t be too overconfident. It would be best for you to temper your disposition!”

"You want to lead the Grand Desolate War Institution's Refining Department to challenge the Deep Sea University's Refining Department? Wouldn’t that be the equivalent of a group of mice challenging an elephant?"

"What mouse and elephant? It’s just a group of ants challenging a dinosaur!"

The majority of the recruitment staff from the "Nine Elite Universities" had been angered.

Xie Tingxian's silence lasted for ten seconds before he could not help but burst into laughter. "Student Li Yao, the young needs to dream, but they should clearly know the difference between dreams and delusions—you are too conceited."

Li Yao's eyes remained as clear as water. Shaking his head, he said, "Professor Xie, I'm not arrogant. The only thing I am... is afraid. I'm just afraid, very, very afraid!"

"Afraid?" Xie Tingxian was confused.

"Yes, afraid. I’m afraid because the strength of Deep Sea University’s Refining Department is crystal clear. Deep Sea University’s Refining Department is as though it is a deity who is shouldering the entire heaven as it stood upright. Even if I don’t issue a challenge, the mere thought of issuing a challenge is already near impossible."

"If in this second I don’t say it, I’m afraid when tomorrow arrives, I won’t be able to—no, there’s no need to wait for tomorrow. In the next hour, the next minute, the next second—I would completely lose my courage to issue a challenge to this deity!"

"But now that I have spoken in front of so many ladies and gentlemen of 'Nine Elite University', this completely crazy idea had been made public. I will no longer have any hesitation, I no longer need to afraid of any conflict, I no longer need to be afraid of getting involved, and I no longer need to be worried about retreat or giving up."

"Perhaps I will become the biggest joke or perhaps I will create a miracle that no one expected. There is no other path for me; I can only do every in my power and bite the bullet — I can only stride forward!"

Xie Tingxian was moved. "I understand. It seems you are not arrogant—you are just too young, too impulsive, too naive! A miracle is called a miracle because the chance of its occurrence is immensely small, so immensely small that perhaps the chance of it happening is only one in a thousand, perhaps even one in ten thousand!"

Li Yao smiled. From the depths of his eyes came a shine that was as dazzling as the stars. "Whether it is one in thousand, one in ten thousand, or even one in a billion... As long it is not zero, isn't it fine?"

Xie Tingxian remained silent. He just heaved a long sigh and with a deep regret boarded the flying shuttle.

Xie Tingxian left.

"Sister Ling!"

Li Yao let loose a deep breath. The smile on his face was as magnificent as the blossoming of peaches. He turned towards Ding Lingdang and said, "My choice... did not make you too disappointed, right? Do not worry! As long as there is time, I will still go to the Combat Department..."

Before he was able to finish the latter part of his sentence, Ding Lingdang, like a mother leopard, had already violently pounced on him like a bolt of lightning as she grabbed onto his collar and forcefully started shaking him.

"Smelly brat, you had already decided to choose the Grand Desolate War Institution, right? Then you pretended some bullshit of leaving far away and never meeting again, causing this grandma to be in melancholy for a long time and also f**king sigh incessantly! Why did you not just say so!?"

"I wanted to give you a pleasant surprise..."

"Surprise my ass! F**k! You were playing with my feelings! Do you think I will not smack your head!?"

[First Volume finished]

Next Volume Prequel:

"Crystal armor—the greatest magical equipment in the modern cultivation world. It is known as the ‘King of Magical Equipment’, the ‘Magical Equipment Among Magical Equipment’. Even for Deep Sea University’s Refining Department, refining a new type of crystal armor is not an easy task."

"Just by the virtue of the waste department you call the Refining Department of your Grand Desolate War Institution, you—these wastes—want to refine crystal armor?"

"What? This piece of scrap is the crystal armor you have refined? This is completely rotten! This idiotic piece of black sh't is simply nothing more than a pile of waste!"

"Such a pile of waste and you dare to call this "Profound Bone Battle Armor'!? May I ask from which angle does this pile of waste look 'Profound'?"

"I’ll help you name this pile of waste. Don't call it ‘Profound Bone’—call it 'Rotten Bone'!"

Deep within the Grand Desolate, an unfathomable storm was brewing—a one in a billion miracle is about to make its debut!