Forty-two

"Isn't the purpose of refining magical tools and weapons to fight wars? What else are they good for?" Cang Jianlong scratched his head. To him, all his efforts were directed solely toward combat; he was either fighting or preparing for a fight.

After packing the Element-Molding Pills into porcelain bottles, Ning Yue glanced at the remaining medicinal herbs and immediately let out a helpless, wry smile and shook his head.

"It's nothing," Mu Sheng gently shook his head. *Sigh, how am I supposed to bring this up? Should I really say I was frightened by what those Leifeng exam candidates said? What if this Young Master Zhao is just a fabrication of theirs? Wouldn't I lose an enormous amount of face?*

Zhang Ye silently gazed at the refugees being driven away by the soldiers. He clenched his pocket; he had only traveled halfway, yet a significant portion of his money was already gone. With only 105 copper coins left, it looked like he would definitely have even less than 100 copper coins by the time he reached Langya City. And even 100 copper coins wouldn't be enough—that was just the registration fee, not to mention meals and other expenses.

Ruan Hanping nodded and said with a smile, "Do you suppose that just because you've shared some secrets with me, I am bound to be your person?"

That man was immensely astonished. At first, upon hearing about a consultation fee of eight to ten thousand, he felt rather frightened, but when he later heard it was free, he immediately stepped forward, clamoring to experience what this vital energy was all about.

He was an employee hired by Zhang Ye to design blueprints, someone who knew how to use CAD, though his technical skills were rather mediocre. He was nowhere near achieving a master-level proficiency. If asked to design an aircraft graphic, a preliminary draft composed of about a thousand lines would easily contain a dozen mistakes.

"Zhongyi Universe?" Zhang Ye felt the name sounded rather peculiar, giving off a half-baked, awkward impression.

He saw the man in the projection being enveloped over the head by an octopus and instantly melting, starting from the head down. Meanwhile, that octopus grew larger and larger, eventually consuming the man entirely and transforming into a humanoid octopus.

Li Li had no idea when he had become like this; he had turned into a complete month-to-month spender, squandering his entire salary the very day it was paid out. He was utterly incapable of curbing his desires, preferring to spend lavishly to enjoy himself for a single day and then eat instant noodles for the remaining twenty-nine days.

Bai Xue smiled, wearing an expression of utter nonchalance, which caused the tavern keeper to breathe a slight sigh of relief.

***

Ye Xiaoxiao possessed only the strength of the eighth rank of ancient martial arts, and at this moment, she was entangled by two ninja—one of eighth rank and one of seventh rank—rendering her unable to break away.

Because they attended different schools, Zhuo Yue and Feng Yiheng hadn't been particularly close buddies back then, but Qu Xinyao had been quite well-known even at his school, and plenty of people from neighboring schools fancied her.

For a moment, Huan Niang was choked by his retort to the point of speechlessness. She simply opened the carriage door and walked toward the annex courtyard, though her hand was caught by him as he dismounted just behind her. Although the force wasn't particularly heavy, she had been walking in such a great hurry that it inevitably caused a slight strain.

The pressure exerted by a peak half-step Void realm expert was simply too overwhelming, the disparity far too vast. Shen Lang clenched his teeth tightly; he figured that Lu Ruolong only needed to lift a finger, and he would be done for.

During such a rampant plague, being able to acquire medicinal herbs at ordinary, everyday prices was an immense blessing for both the pharmacy and the common people.

That horse was startled by the sudden turn of events and instinctively reared its front hooves to dodge. Although it managed to avoid the strike, Princess Jiuluo, who was riding on its back, tumbled down in a flurry of rolls.

When Bai Lingrong came again the next day, she naturally failed to find Qin Qianying. Wanting to call him to ask where he had gone, she discovered to her dismay that she didn't have his phone number from start to finish. She could only wait at his apartment, hoping for his return.

Elder Feng could only let out a sigh, feeling perhaps this was simply a debt his family owed that girl.

The reason Fang Shaokun's expression was so grim was that three Fire Prison men were inside the power compartment, and they had actually managed to manually start up a reactor that had long since been shut down.

"Lin Na." Bina smiled. For the first time, she felt a glimmer of admiration toward her younger sister.

As for the Purgatory powerhouses, their physical bodies were inherently embodiments of positive energy. Far from being harmed by this baptism, they grew even stronger through it.

***

Space-borne sea mines were completely unlike the underwater mines and landmines from before the New Era; they were all capable of tactical maneuvers over short distances. Therefore, upon sensing a warship flying close, they would actively attach themselves to it and perish together with the enemy.

That Divine Lord also stated that the total quota for entering the divine temple was limited. If the other members of the Source God Mountain team brought back too many people they found outside, there was no guarantee who would actually be selected.

Wielding a pair of gigantic shears, he cast a tender, lingering look in the direction where his son had died, and then once again raised the massive shears high into the air.

In the mid-air where ordinary people could neither hear, see, nor sense anything, a person and a cat were falling alongside that severed hand.

With just two agile bounds, Xu Banxia reached out and scooped the flashing radiance into his palm.

The so-called observers were actually specialists tasked with clearing the battlefield. This operation was unlike any previous one; ordinary people might fail to distinguish the value of the spoils of war. Only by dispatching professionals could they identify what was truly valuable and strike early.

"I understand," Wendy said, though a trace of disappointment flickered in her heart. Still, she nodded in consent. Fulan had no objections either.

Catching sight of the crimson palm print on Qijie's face, even though they hadn't witnessed it with their own eyes beforehand, they all managed to vaguely guess what had transpired.