Chapter 479 - 295: City of the End (Part 2)

Chapter 479: Chapter 295: City of the End (Part 2)

She recalled that it had only been two years since Yu Fei participated in the Celestial Pride Positioning Competition. Back then, he was just a second-stage rookie, but now, he was an existence she couldn’t fathom at all.

There were Martial Artists from the seven major institutions’ Celestial Pride programs in the Shenxiao Army, and it was common to find those in the Gang Qi Realm who could contend with Grandmasters. Yu Fei, however, was the cream of the crop even among the Celestial Pride Class. She estimated that she would be no match for him.

Lord Honglian also seemed to think very highly of Yu Fei. All of this indicated that this handsome young man’s strength and status were anything but simple.

She recalled what Meng Jun had said back then—that the Celestial Pride Positioning Competition was the only chance they had to put these prodigies in their place. ’Who would’ve thought he’d be so right,’ she mused.

"Most of those people are graduates from Tianwen—ordinary graduates, I mean, not Celestial Pride Martial Artists or Positioning Competition students. Within Tianwen, the ’Technology Points’ system they implemented is even more useful than Merit Points. ℴℴ𝘮

By continuously developing new theories or technologies, these individuals can obtain corresponding privileges and academic support. It’s a structure unique to Tianwen."

"As you know, even among the seven major institutions, prodigies like you are relatively rare. Most people are just ordinary Martial Artists with decent overall aptitude. Here in the City of the End, they can take on research assignments from above or start their own projects. If their work has practical value or catches the eye of an expert, it’s a one-way ticket to success."

"The main city district is too expensive to live in, so over time, they started building their own shelters and labs around the perimeter. The conditions are harsh, but it’s cheap."

"Plus, the seven major institutions conduct regular patrols to protect them."

Yu Fei grew pensive. It seemed Tianwen and Shenhan had completely different styles.

Shenhan prioritized combat power above all else. Its students were required to carry out all sorts of battlefield missions to familiarize themselves with corps-level and squad-based combat.

Tianwen, on the other hand, focused more on academic research.

"We’re here. Let’s enter the disinfection zone first."

The disinfection zone was a mandatory checkpoint for entering the main city district. After a group of over one hundred people had gathered, they were led into a sealed chamber. They were subjected to ultraviolet light and then a disinfectant spray before finally being allowed to enter.

"We’ve arrived! This is the main city district!"

The main district was vastly different. Countless giant lamps on the dome above illuminated the area, making it as bright as day. The people coming and going weren’t wearing heavy protective gear; he even saw some walking around in casual clothes.

"The main district is shielded from supernatural radiation, which is why the cost of living is so high. The Shenxiao Army has a temporary garrison here that can accommodate 500 people. Let’s go!"

They arrived at a barracks area in the eastern part of the city. The area wasn’t very large, consisting of three attached apartment-style buildings.

Luu Yuxin led him directly to a laboratory on the top floor. There, she solemnly cupped her left fist and struck it against her right chest. He recalled that this seemed to be the military salute of the Shenxiao Corps.

"Lord Commander, I have brought Yu Fei!"

"Mm, good job. You’re dismissed."

"Yu Fei, wait a moment. Let me finish processing these materials first."

Crimson flames ignited in Zhuo Feiming’s hands as she began to further refine the various beast hides that Tang Lihui had disassembled. Strangely, the hides melted in the flames, turning into pools of differently colored liquids, which were then poured into special transparent vessels.

Wearing protective goggles, Zhuo Feiming used the lab equipment to check various parameters. Then, she tossed in some unknown powders and crystals, causing the solutions’ colors to unify and a sediment to form at the bottom.

Zhuo Feiming traced a strange rune with her right hand and sent it into the mixture, triggering an even more violent elemental reaction among the materials.

Yu Fei watched, mesmerized. He was a simple warrior who only knew how to hack and slash, having never been exposed to this kind of knowledge.

The Martial Arts Extraordinary World was about more than just fighting and killing; it also held many profound and wondrous inherited arts.

Noticing his interest, Zhuo Feiming offered some guidance. "Whether it’s technology, alchemy theory, or runic techniques—you’ll have plenty of time to learn and experiment with these arts after you’ve reached the peak of the Martial Path."

"Little Junior Brother, you’re already in the Gang Qi Realm, with the path to Grandmaster right before you. It’s not the time to get distracted. When you eventually hit a bottleneck in your strength, you can explore these other fields to gain new insights. For now, they are minor pursuits."

"A Martial Artist’s life is long; you’ll always need something to pass the time. Once you’ve reached a higher realm, you’ll have a much better perspective, and learning these things will be easier.

It’s like many of the professors at Tianwen. They didn’t start out as researchers, yet their achievements far surpass those of Martial Artists who were professionally trained in those fields. This is the reason why."

’So Miss Zhuo is basically saying I should focus on grinding my main level first, then work on my crafting professions after I hit the level cap,’ Yu Fei realized.

"Understood, Miss Zhuo."

Yu Fei was quick to accept her advice.

Seeing that he was genuinely interested in the smelting process, Zhuo Feiming gave him a simple explanation of the craft.

"The beast hides and Scale Armor you provided all have different physical properties and strengths. After being enhanced by Xiaohui, those differences were magnified. On top of that, your crude killing methods left the usable parts in all sorts of strange conditions. Fortunately, they all come from high-level desolate beasts, so the base material is still quite good."

"So, after my refining and tanning process, I’ll melt all these materials together to form a single, complete sheet of base material. Only then can I craft a suit of combat armor that’s actually usable. Understand?"

Zhuo Feiming made it sound simple, but the process involved the extraordinary methods of a Martial Saint and master craftsman—the ability to turn the mundane into the miraculous.

"Thank you for your hard work, Miss Zhuo!"

’If they weren’t both students of Ye Shuping, a Martial Saint would never have agreed to make such ’low-end’ combat armor for him, let alone upgrade *Zhanming* again,’ he thought.

That’s right. To Zhuo Feiming, a Tier-7 suit of combat armor and a Grandmaster-level spirit weapon were both low-end products.

The corners of Zhuo Feiming’s mouth lifted into a smirk. She glanced at him and said:

"Don’t just thank me with words. I know you have a spatial storage ability. As you’ve seen, this Heavenly Palace Ruin is filled with supernatural radiation. It’s hard to get a decent meal here. Conventional ingredients can’t be transported from the Cross-Border Black Fog to the City of the End. You must have brought a lot of food with you, right? Take it all out later and treat your Senior Sister."

Yu Fei hadn’t actually considered this problem, but he did indeed have a considerable amount of food stored in his spatial inventory.

"No problem, Miss Zhuo. I can provide enough food for ten thousand people, but it’s all the heat-and-eat instant meal type, and the energy content is relatively low. Is that okay?"

His supplies were all stored from before. They were fine for Martial Artists below the Gang Qi Realm, but for anyone at the Grandmaster level or higher, they were probably only good for a taste. The ten thousand servings of food only took up about half of his total reserves.

"Ten thousand servings?" Zhuo Feiming’s eyes lit up. "No problem! But first, leave a thousand servings for me. I’m so sick of energy bars I could puke!"

"Energy bars?"

Seeing Yu Fei’s curious expression, Zhuo Feiming flicked her wrist and tossed him a tube of dark yellow, semi-solid energy paste.

Yu Fei caught it and frowned.

"Why would they make it this color?"

He curiously took a bite. The texture was like soft plastic, and it was sticky and gooey in his mouth. It was a little disgusting.

Yu Fei couldn’t understand it. Energy bars were bound to have a poor texture, but to make the color so nauseating as well? It felt like a crime against humanity.

The thing wasn’t without its merits, though. It contained a high amount of energy, and one tube could last a long time. It also seemed to have some medicinal components that could speed up the recovery of one’s Inner Qi.

Zhuo Feiming pursed her lips. "You know why it’s dark yellow?"

Yu Fei shook his head, and his Senior Sister continued indignantly, "Because they added way too many damn preservatives! The V-α24 model preservative is a blackish-yellow color. Those tech-heads at Tianwen think making energy bars is too much trouble, so they just dump in an excessive amount of preservatives all at once."

"One batch can be stored for a hundred years! They justify it by saying high-level Martial Artists have strong bodies and a few preservatives won’t hurt them. They add the stuff like it’s a primary ingredient. Damn it, it’s just despicable!"

Hearing Zhuo Feiming’s explanation, Yu Fei immediately threw away the rest of the energy bar.

He decided he would leave a batch of his treasured, high-quality ingredients for his Senior Sister. For a Titled Martial Saint, this was too miserable a way to live.

"Miss Zhuo, haven’t they ever tried any plant cultivation projects in the City of the End? If they can build an environment that’s shielded from supernatural radiation, didn’t they ever think about growing some vegetables or something?"