Chapter 537: Isolated Training
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Sun Sieha left Ye Chong's manor in a good mood. People began to wonder why. In Su City, Sun Sieha's every move was under silent scrutiny. The councilors and officers were all trying to figure out their new, strict ruler. That His Majesty had visited the same place twice in three days and returned to the palace in a good mood each time was of course highly suggestive.
The more experienced people had already gotten hold of information regarding Ye Chong and his group, including their conflict with the 1st Legion. Details of that exchange were scarce, but it was said that 80 soldiers had lost their lives, that Du Feng had been held hostage, and that there was a Level 8 shooter in the manor. These three points were all shocking by themselves. To think that the owner of the manor had such power!
Besides, it was now known His Majesty's former butler, Ba Luomeng had served as witness to the purchase of the manor. This information suggested once again of the close relationship between the King and the owner of the manor.
The nobles, on the other hand, were surprised by the 1st Legion's reaction to their defeat.
Every noble knew of how Eastern Cloud's 1st Legion was too proud and overbearing. Their Legate, Ming Xiao, was a short tempered man. He did not bother to be respectful to anyone but the King himself, and easily took offense. Nonetheless, since he was a military top dog with rows of medals to show it, everyone in the government, be it the Prince or the most favored councilor in the cabinet, would be very mindful in dealing with him.
Contrary to their expectations, Ming Xiao had kept quiet about the matter, and did not retaliate. The arrogant and trigger-happy 1st Legate behaved like peacekeepers, never speaking of the battle again. Even Du Feng himself stayed passive.
This was shocking to all those who were familiar with the 1st Legion. Who in the world were they dealing with? There was not enough information to glean the manor owner's identity, but one thing everyone could agree to was this – no one can afford meddling with the man in question.
A mysterious manor, owned by a mysterious man – Ye Chong did not know that his name had already reached the ears of the top officials in the Eastern Cloud government. It was a piece of intel that was spread quietly but surely.
For now, however, everyone focused on two immediate matters – the King's birthday celebration three months later, and the weapons design contest a week after the celebration.
The first event was important, that went without saying. With a new ruler on the throne, it was a golden opportunity for the officials and nobles to leave a good impression. Those who performed well would be rewarded accordingly, but those who did not will suffer certain consequences. His Majesty, being the combat enthusiast, had also passed down the order to organize a nationwide combat tournament at around the same time. Anyone who won, no matter their profession, age, or methods, will be granted the title of Master, and could even have an audience before the King. If the winner was interested in becoming a government official, His Majesty would grant the position immediately. Of course, a huge monetary sum would be part of the grand prize.
The councilors were all unsettled by this. The tournament was not as simple as it seemed to be. Since the tournament would be just three days away from the quadrennial weapons design contest, Su City would be flooded with an unprecedented volume of visitors. The weapons design contest was attended by weaponsmiths from around the world. Some of them would even arrive at Su City a month ahead of time. For those who were looking for a better weapon, there was also the huge weapons trading market for them.
The councilors must first deal with the problem of security. With so many skilled weapon users entering Su City at once, they must ensure the safety of Su City and their King. This was the first issue that they must deal with.
No one knew why His Majesty suddenly fancied having this combat tournament. They all knew how this tournament would attract battle enthusiasts across Eastern Cloud like bees to honey. Perhaps Su City might not even be able to accommodate everyone by then.
Nonetheless, there was nothing they could do about it. His Majesty was intent on carrying on the event, giving the order without prior discussion. Those who tried to speak up were immediately discouraged by the cold look from their King. Besides, they had no reason to speak up. It was His Majesty's birthday celebration. Would it not be suicidal to be a killjoy right now?
Thus, they could only try their best to handle the situation.
…
Ye Chong frowned. Evern since Sun Sieha left his place, he fell into long period of deep thought. His shooting exercise had to stop. He was preoccupied with the discussion with Sun Sieha that day. If it really worked, then an important step in his plan would be completed earlier than expected. This was very important to him.
However, Ye Chong was not confident of it. This gave him a headache.
There were more people sneaking around the manor recently. Sha Ya had expressed her interest in the matter. However, Ye Chong ignored them. As long as they did not step into his property, he would let them be. If anyone tried to enter his manor, they will not leave the place alive.
Ye Chong called both Sha Ya and Kristen to him.
Sha Ya and Kristen shared a look of puzzlement. Ye Chong rarely asked for them.
"I'm about to undergo three months of isolated training. Kristen, I've given you everything you need to study in this period. You need only learn to understand them. Remember, you must understand them thoroughly. I will test you after my isolated training is complete. Sha Ya, you will join me in my training."
Sha Ya could not hide her surprise. Kristen acknowledged his orders. She will need a long time to figure out what Ye Chong had given to her. She did not mind Ye Chong's isolated training, for the man rarely came out of his building most of the time anyway.
On the other hand, Sha Ya was completely taken by surprise. She did not expect to be his training partner.
Ye Chong had arranged for this isolated training with a very specific goal in mind. He was preparing for Eastern Cloud's national combat tournament two months from now. Sun Sieha had visited him last time to discuss this matter. He hoped that Ye Chong would enter the tournament. Ye Chong had declined immediately at first. To him, time was too precious to be wasted on unimportant things like this.
However, Sun Sieha had come prepared. He made an offer that Ye Chong could not refuse. Soon, the ever pragmatic Ye Chong agreed to the King's terms.
Since he had agreed to participate, he must make the necessary preparations. Ye Chong had not come up with an effective strategy to fight against highly skilled shooters, and it bothered him. While making his entire body vibrate could shake off a shooter's parapsychic sense, a Level 8 shooter would be immune to this move.
A Level 8 shooter's parapaychic waves felt strong and dense. Ye Chong's quick movements could not hope to disrupt the waves.
Ye Chong had prepared one of the buildings in the manor for this isolated training. Of course, the training ground was essentially an empty building, the floor covered with a layer of wooden planks.
"This is your weapon," Ye Chong said and passed a small and silver laser gun to Sha Ya. The silver material had a good texture. The gun was simple, but with a streamlined design. Sha Ya felt it fit comfortably into her hands. She instantly fell in love it.
Ye Chong saw Sha Ya caressing the gun appreciatively. He said, "This laser gun is only at 10 Lux, harmless against the human body. If you're interested, I'll modify the gun after this training to about three million Lux. Take it as compensation for being my training partner. What do you think?"
"Done!" Sha Ya agreed immediately, feeling pleasantly surprised.
"The gun is no different than your average laser gun, aside from the energy grade."
Sha Ya loved the feel of the gun. She looked even more absorbed in the weapon as she tossed the silver gun around in her hands.
"You need to attack me with all you have. The laser gun can fire a thousand times after each recharge. All you need to do is to fight me like in actual combat. Do you understand?" This was Ye Chong's plan. He could not think of anything else. Perhaps through actual combat, he would be able to figure out some countermove.
Back when Ye Chong was negotiating with Sun Sieha in Yedda city, he had already had this idea when he asked for a Level 8 shooter. If Level 8 shooters were a kind of commodity, they would be very precious and invaluable. Without Sun Sieha's assistance, Ye Chong would find it very difficult to get a Level 8 shooter's help.
Initially, Ye Chong did not see finding an effective way to against strong shooters as a very high priority. It could be done later. However, Sun Sieha's visit had pushed this problem up the priority ladder.
Sha Ya nodded, understanding Ye Chong.
They stepped away from each other to gather distance, then Ye Chong signalled for Sha Ya to start.
Suddenly, Ye Chong felt an extremely powerful parapsychic wave locking onto him. He felt it immediately. It was like being watched by a snake, and it made him highly uncomfortable.
He moved! Ye Chong leapt away, bouncing off the wooden planks on the ground.
Fwoosh fwoosh fwoosh! Three laser beams hit Ye Chong between the eyebrows, throat, and heart, respectively. Ye Chong looked perturbed. It Sha Ya was using a normal laser gun, he would already be dead three times over.
Fwoosh fwoosh fwoosh fwoosh fwoosh fwoosh! Another six shots were fired, all of them landing on Ye Chong's body. Ye Chong looked simply terrible.
…
Kristen's life did not change much due to Ye Chong' isolated training. Whenever she passed by the building that functioned as the training ground, she would always hear non-stop explosions or sounds of impacts. Kristen was initially shocked by the noise, but had soon grown used to it.
Kristen shook her head and muttered, "They're both crazy, I'm not gonna be a part of it." She turned back and headed towards her own weapons workshop. After she sold her patent to Master Karu, her confidence got a boost. This encouraged her to try even more new things. She would try her best to understand the new knowledge she got from Ye Chong through experimentation.
Kristen could see that Ye Chong was uninterested in weapons. He was a mystery to her, but all the knowledge he imparted were solid gold. Kristen knew that this was an opportunity that should not be wasted, so she worked hard to make it count.
…
As the King's birthday celebration got nearer, more and more people came to Su City. The combat tournament that His Majesty announced earlier was now a hotly discussed topic in Eastern Cloud. Perhaps the true experts, like Level 8 shooters, did not need to prove themselves, but the tournament was very attractive for younger people who wanted to test themselves.
It had been very long since Eastern Cloud had a large scale combat tournament like this. The only way to become a government official of Eastern Cloud was through the military, starting from the bottommost rung. Since His Majesty would be watching the entire tournament, it was a splendid opportunity for the younger generation to gain fame and status!
Unlike in Su City, Ye Chong's manor was relatively peaceful.
In the training building, Sha Ya had felt growing admiration towards Ye Chong, who was trying hard to execute evasive manoeuvres. She had never seen anyone persist for so long through harsh training like this. Even she was starting to feel tired. She had not stopped shooting with her laser gun yet. Who knew many shots she had taken? After so many days, she had exhausted enough energy crystals to make a huge pile.
Nevertheless, Sha Ya held on. Every time she saw the tenacious figure trying to avoid her shots, she felt invigorated and motivated to carry on. For two whole months, she had not rest more than necessary. She aimed and fired every single day through sheer determination. Her hands were aching by now. After shooting so frequently and intensely for a long period, the act of shooting felt like second instinct. She could not fire much faster than before. The tiny silver gun had become a part of her, obeying her every thought.
She Ya realized that her stagnating skills were finally improving once again.
What about her training partner? She Ya wondered, looking at the shadow of the silent but determined man.