Star Gate

Chapter 718: VIP Customer (III)

“So the Human King also has his own martial legacy?” Li Hao asked with curiosity.

“Of course, who among the powerhouses doesn’t?” responded Troop Leader Jiang. “But I recommend that you... just ignore the specific terminology used. Pay attention only to the core knowledge. What you have right now is normal enough, but some disciplines... have... really embarrassing names!”

“What is the Human King’s legacy?”

“Not telling you!”

“......” Again??

The Seventh Troop leader rummaged through his memories to satisfy some of Li Hao’s curiosity. “We’re not at liberty to discuss the teachings of the Human King and others, but we can talk a bit about the monster spirits. It might also have something to do with your dog...” He looked mischievously at Panther. “What do you think about the method name ‘Eating In All Directions’?”

“The hell?”

“Hahaha, you think it sounds silly too, don’t you?” Troop Leader Jiang roared with laughter. “But I tell you, this method counts in the top three of monster spirit history, even if we start counting from the beginning of time!”

Off to the side, Panther blinked with faint recognition. It... seemed to have some memory of this name, it had something to do with devouring. However, all it had was faint remembrance and nothing about the actual cultivation method.

Eating In All Directions?

What a good name!

“Top three in monster spirit history?” Li Hao sucked in a sharp breath.

“Yes!” chuckled Troop Leader Jiang. “What do you think? Some battle methods are so much stronger than you can imagine, but their names are mediocre. They sound like something you’d find by the side of the road, but they’re actually powerful beyond belief!”

Li Hao was at a loss for words. This was gossip, wasn’t it? So it seemed that even soldiers like to gossip. He understood Jiang Shixun’s meaning.

“The Seventh Troop leader is correct. Experimentation and innovation is what those of us in this age all lack. It’s only my master who likes to study and do research.”

He could somewhat sympathize with other people now. Creating new martial methods was a monotonous, uncomfortable, and incredibly difficult affair. Whether it was martial masters or supernaturals, they liked to follow a prescribed routine. It was best if there were ready-made methods to study.

This age lacked innovation because no one liked to engage in it!

Or rather, no one was aware of the need to do so. It might have something to do with the environment, or it might have something to do with the lack of education. There were few with such ideas around Li Hao—his teacher was one of the very few.

Take Ying Hongyue and the rest, for example. They only knew to seize the Five Styles if possible. They didn’t create anything for themselves.

While Jiang Shixun hadn’t given him any cultivation pointers, he gave Li Hao a direction. The more the young man came in contact with these people, the more he felt that New Martial was truly a great time period. Even a troop leader would tell one to modify and create their own material, not to just outright ask about everything, that one was not a child.

They would tell you that the times were different, the human body was different, and the focus of martial learning was different. There was no need to proceed according to the old rules, even if a battle method was created by an invincible powerhouse, the so-called Battle King.

In Jiang Shixun’s words, those methods were easily overturned. Rules and the mundane world were made to be broken.

This was what Li Hao sensed here. To break the restraints! There was no need to think that a cultivation method was very strong. There was no strongest method, just the most appropriate method. Even if a technique was created by a grandmaster, that didn’t matter either. One believed that they would create an even stronger method!

I need to shatter the god in my heart because I am the god!

Such a thought rose in Li Hao’s heart as he suddenly felt that he’d gained quite a lot on this trip. It wasn’t the usual material gains that one might think of, but a deeper elaboration of martial dao understanding.

......

Li Hao left with Panther after he bid farewell to the three troop leaders. He was going to depart the ancient city. When he reached the tree tunnel, he looked at the altar and walked over after some thought.

“Director General Wang says that the senior needs too much energy, that the little bit I offer now isn’t very useful. But I am grateful for the senior’s support last time with the drop of Water of Life...”

He brought out numerous mysterious power stones and shoved them all in. Vast quantities of stones were devoured by the tree. Ten thousand, twenty thousand... the altar showed no reaction even after five hundred thousand. Li Hao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry!

“So that Water of Life after the little I put in last time really was just fishing for more...” If he’d been greedy on his last trip and continued to offer more mysterious power stones, he likely wouldn’t have drawn any reaction even if he exhausted everything on him. The tree really had been scamming him!

Laughing helplessly, he put a bit more in until he only had six million stones left.

“I don’t have the ability to support the senior’s full revitalization, so just have a taste for now! Your awakening will not be a problem after I take down the royal family and the mines of Skystar Town. I also look forward to the day in which Battle Heaven is fully active again...”

He turned and left. Some branches rustled in the dark, quite at ease.

......

Inside the city lord’s manor.

Director General Wang watched from a high vantage point and smiled at a point outside the city. “It looks like he did indeed stumble across some wealth. General Pagoda just enjoyed a full meal. Although it won’t do much, it’s still a gesture of the young man’s good intentions.”

He didn’t have Li Hao leave everything behind because there was no need. Li Hao was still weak, so perhaps revitalizing the little tree now would be more helpful to him. General Pagoda was a bottomless hole. There would never be enough for the tree.

“Master Guardian, can we trust the plant spirits at the discarded imperial palace?”

“No matter if we can or not, they will not do anything to Li Hao at the moment,” the old turtle answered ponderously. “Li Hao gives them enough benefits, so why not continue to rely on the young man for awakening and strengthening? Killing the young man won’t result in any benefits. Compared to animal spirits, plant spirits are still a bit more reliable.”

“Master, you forget that you yourself...”

“I am a weapon!”

Very well then! The director general laughed and looked in the direction of the barracks. There was a Gold Armor hovering over that locale.

“It looks like the Ninth Division leader also holds more expectations for the lad as well.”

No one was disappointed by Li Hao becoming supernatural. On the contrary, they held more expectations. This was a noticeable sign of growth that they found nothing wrong with. Li Hao also seemed to have more of his own thoughts on this trip. Only someone like this was worthy of inheriting the legacies of the New Martial era.

People died, but ideas did not. The strongest of powerhouses would only be a weapon of war and not a heavyweight if they did not have their own thoughts.

The old turtle didn’t respond; it turned the massive pagoda in another direction instead to take a look. “You need to work harder,” it said after a while. “If the unexpected didn’t happen to that one back in the day, he would’ve long risen to reserve commander. Although his body has decayed, his mind grows ever stronger! As expected from someone who graduated from Demonic Martial!”

“So what about Demonic Martial?” sniffed Director General Wang. “It was my Capital Martial that was ranked number one among all the universities back in the day!”

“......” The old turtle couldn’t be bothered to respond. How was this still a point of contention?

“Does the guardian not agree?” asked the director general when he didn’t receive a response.

“It has nothing to do with me.” The old turtle refused to be involved. Demonic Martial had produced the Human King, Capital Martial produced His Imperial Majesty, and Southern Martial clamored that they were the first beneath the world instead. What would a weapon be doing in that squabble?

Not to mention, this was Battle Heaven. Whether it was Demonic Martial or Capital Martial, they did not come first. The army commander graduated from Southern Martial! Thankfully, none of the highest characters were present at the moment, or legs would be broken upon hearing this talk of school superiority.

The mice will play when the cat is away. It was only under these circumstances that the director general dared to voice these words.

......

Li Hao walked out of Battle Heaven. Although the cliff face shimmered, the Night Watchers on duty did not sense anything. Li Hao was a troop leader and raised very little fuss when he entered. Neither did he want anyone to know that he’d been present, so he swiftly vanished after leaving the ruins.

......

Less than one hour later, Li Hao appeared in the mountain cave that the little tree was in.

“You’re here!” rustled the little tree. “I turned all of the mysterious power stones and origin weapons that you sent into Water of Life. There were 120 drops total, did you get them?”

It was rather apprehensive as it wondered why Li Hao was here. Was the human visiting because it’d given too little? But... it had to embezzle some, ahem, collect some processing fees to nurture itself, didn’t it?

It was a reasonable fee! The boy wasn’t here because he felt that he’d gotten the short end of the stick, was he?

The little tree swayed with newfound nervousness because it knew now that Li Hao was a very important customer. After the human supplied so much energy last time, the little tree had thought that would be it for a few years.

Who would’ve thought that tenfold that would come a few days later! Should it give more to such an important customer like this one?

“I haven’t yet, but that’s alright.” Li Hao smiled. “I’m here because I want to ask how many mysterious power stones will the senior need to fully recover?”

“Fully recover?”

“Yes, to command the strength of an Apex again, that of a true divine...”

“Eh?” rusted the little tree. “A lot!”

“One million stones?”

“Not enough.”

“Ten million?”

“...perhaps... just about... But there’s no hurry. You can take your time collecting that sum and I’ll repay you once I’m recovered...”

“No worries!” Li Hao grinned. “I’m also here to ask that if there is no more core origin dao in the outside world, will it still be possible for the senior to emerge?”

“No more?” hesitated the little tree.

“Most likely!”

“Then... unless I restrict my strength, I’ll probably collapse if I emerge in my prime!”

As he thought!