Although Zhao Hai was somewhat disappointed by what Zheng Li said, he didn’t let it show nor did he ask more. He knew that if he inquired too heavily on this subject, then people would be suspicious. The experts in the World of Cultivation are as common as clouds, he needed to tread carefully in these waters.
But at the same time, Zheng Li’s words enlightened Zhao Hai. If he wanted to know how to use Faith Power, then he needed to find core members of Sects and get the method from them. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to use Faith Power.
From what Zheng Li said, this Faith Power was a very good thing and it had many uses. Even if Zhao Hai has access to a large amount of Faith Power, he doesn’t have any means to make use of it. This was equivalent to having a gold ore deposit but not having the necessary tools to mine it.
The group didn’t discuss the subject further, Ma Rulong and the others were simply not interested. Zheng Li couldn’t care about it either, so the group quickly lost interest and then moved on to another topic.
After drinking two glasses of liquor, Zhao Hai looked at Zheng Li as he smiled faintly and said, “Mister Zheng, how long will you keep staying in Fabio Planet? Do you intend to stay here all the time?”
Zheng Li shook his head and said, “I won’t be staying here for long. I only stayed in Fabio Planet because I was provided a pill to reach Core Formation by the Great Sects. In exchange, I’ll stay in Fabio Planet for three years. I’m already approaching the end of my term. In a few months, I can leave Fabio Planet and be free. With my Core Formation stage, as well as my experience in Fabio Planet, I could become an elder in a sect. This will allow my family to leave the commoner life and officially enter a sect.”
Zhao Hai nodded and said, “Being able to know Mister Zheng today is fate. How about we become friends? I don’t know if I have the honor to be one of yours?”
Upon hearing Zhao Hai, everyone turned to Zheng Li, including Ma Rulong. This was because this proposition was quite important to them.
For the Machine Field, Core Formation Cultivators were extraordinary existences. And even in the Cultivation Realm, these people were considered to be minor experts. Such people generally placed among the upper half of the cultivation food chain. There were a lot of Core Formation Cultivators that wouldn’t even look at people from the Machine Field. It was as if they would lose their status if they look at people from the realm. It can be said that Zhao Hai’s proposal was a bit ambitious.
When Zheng Li saw Ma Rulong and the others looking at him anxiously, he couldn’t help but find it funny. He grew up in the Cultivation Realm so he knew how Cultivators see people from the Machine Field. Even commoners of the Cultivation Realm look down on the Machine Field. If Zhao Hai’s proposal was heard by other Cultivators, then it’s quite normal for them to be angry on the spot.
However, Zheng Li wasn’t an ordinary person. He clawed his way up from a Rogue Cultivator to where he is now. He knew clearly that commoner life in the Machine Field was much better than in the Cultivation Realm. Moreover, people from the Machine Field weren’t any worse than in the Cultivation Realm when it came to attitude. And since Zhao Hai had saved his life before, Zheng Li always had a sense of gratefulness towards Zhao Hai.
Zheng Li wasn’t an ungrateful man, so when he heard Zhao Hai, he couldn’t help but laugh a bit as he said, “Aren’t we already friends? If chance permits, we should drink more in the future.”
Upon hearing Zheng Li, Ma Rulong’s eyes shone while a smile also bloomed on Zhao Hai’s face. He laughed and then held up his glass as he said, “Alright, then let me offer this glass to Brother Zheng. “ Zhao Hai has already changed how he addressed Zheng Li from ‘Mister Zheng’ to ‘Brother Zheng’.
Zheng Li didn’t oppose, he also lifted his glass up and said, “This Zheng Li is honored to be your friend. Cheers!” Then the two clinked their glasses together before downing it down. Then they laughed.
The others in the courtyard felt the atmosphere and couldn’t help but laugh as well. Then the party reached its highest peak for some time.
While everyone was happily celebrating in the courtyard, other places didn’t share the same atmosphere. The bug tide that happened underground caused all realms to lose a lot. And at the same time, nobody thought that Suo Liancheng who scored 13 thousand would be knocked out from first place.
When everyone heard that the Machine Field’s participants had yet to return, they thought that they had all been annihilated. But as it turns out, six people survived and they all took the first six spots, pushing Suo Liancheng to seventh place. This was completely unexpected. Only a few people were calm, this included Suo Liancheng. He was now more certain that it was Zhao Hai who killed the five Cultivators from the Three Mountains Alliance.
Suo Liancheng was currently in his own courtyard, gently cleaning his golden sword. This golden sword was a special item only given to inner sect disciples. It was fast and had strong offensive strength. Using it alongside Ten Thousand Sword Sect’s Returning to Origin art made it an ultimate weapon. Sect disciples of the Ten Thousand Sword Sect used this sword to carve the name of the sect into the minds of the Cultivation Realm’s people. After Suo Liancheng joined Ten Thousand Sword Sect, he was quickly taken as an inner disciple and was given this golden sword to use. Seeing it as his responsibility to take care of it, Suo Liancheng would always take the time to clean it during his free time.
As his hand moved, Suo Liancheng’s heart calmed down. He was now more curious about Zhao Hai. The first time he got ahold of Zhao Hai’s information, he initially thought that it was fake. How could such a genius appear in the Machine Field? The information was certainly tampered with.
To be honest, Suo Liancheng didn’t care much that Zhao Hai had kicked him out of first place in the elimination round. Nor did he care about Zhao Hai killing other Cultivators. The Cultivation Realm was a cruel world. In this realm, life and death was as common as grass. If you stopped progressing, if your method wasn’t high enough, then you would die a dog’s death. What Suo Liancheng was anticipating right now was meeting Zhao Hai in the ranking tournament.
At this time, the gate to the courtyard was pushed open. A middle-aged person walked in. This person was wearing black clothing and had a longsword at his back. From what can be seen, the sword seems to be gold as well.
Suo Liancheng looked at the man and immediately stood up and gave his greeting, “Elder.”
The man nodded, then sat beside Suo Liancheng. He waved his hand and urged Suo Liancheng to sit down as well. The Elder looked at Suo Liancheng and said, “The Machine Field’s matter, do you know about it?”
Suo Liancheng sheathed his sword, then he nodded and said, “I do. They occupied the top six positions. How could I not know?”
The Elder nodded and then said, “Do you think there’s foul play involved?” Naturally, the Elder was very suspicious about the Machine Field.
Suo Liancheng shook his head and said, “I’m afraid that’s not the case. The Machine Field gained an extraordinary genius this time, Zhao Hai. I didn’t tell Elder of this before, but while I was underground, I ran across traces of a fight between two groups of people. All signs indicate that it was Zhao Hai fighting against the five people from the Three Mountains Alliance. Since those five didn’t come back, then this meant that Zhao Hai killed them. And since Zhao Hai can kill the five of them, then it’s natural for him to kill a lot of bugs. Also, it’s not impossible for him to divide his spoils among the others from the Machine Field. But things will be clear during the ranking tournament. If the other people from the Machine Field surrender immediately, then it’s Zhao Hai who gave them their bugs. But if they don’t, then this means that the Machine Field has somehow managed to produce six monsters.”
As soon as the elder heard Suo Liancheng, his eyebrows couldn’t help but furrow. Then with a surprised tone he asked, “Really? Something like that happened? Those five kids from the Three Mountains Alliance have the Five Element Formation. If Zhao Hai can kill them, then he’s certainly strong.”
Suo Liancheng nodded and said, “It’s not just the five people from the Three Mountains Alliance. I don’t know if Elder has already noticed, but someone has yet to come back. And that person has the capabilities to survive the elimination round.”
As soon as the elder heard this, his eyes lit up and then he said, “Li Chuchen?”
Su Liancheng nodded and said, “Right, Li Chuchen. Li Chuchen isn’t weak and he could handle killing bugs. But just as we entered the caves, he seemed to be anxious in heading towards a certain direction. It was as if he had somewhere to go. Li Chuchen had contact with the Machine Field’s Water Temple before his face was slapped by Zhao Hai. It’s possible that he gave someone from the Water Temple a way to track Zhao Hai. But unfortunately for him, he underestimated his enemy.”
The Elder nodded and said, “That’s highly probable. If that’s the case, then Zhao Hai is going to be a great rival. You need to be careful when you face him. But since he offended the Three Mountains Alliance as well as Extreme Cold City, I reckon he won’t be able to live long.”
After hearing this, Suo Liancheng shook his head and said, “I don’t think that will happen. Zhao Hai is very formidable. He was able to drive back a silverback gold-winged bug back in Base Number 5. At that time, everyone thought that he used a potion to increase his strength. But from how things stand right now, it seems like that’s not the case. Moreover, when he fought with the five from the Three Mountains Alliance, I felt the aura of a Nascent Soul Expert. This should be Mu Dan using a jade talisman to call an ancestor over. Zhao Hai was able to destroy the ancestor’s avatar, this shows that he is very strong.”
The Elder knit his brow and said, “Even a jade talisman is used? Then it seems like Zhao Hai is really difficult to deal with. Is there going to be a problem in the ranking competition?”
Suo Liancheng naturally knew that the Elder was referring to Zhao Hai. If Zhao Hai’s strength was really that great, then this tournament’s champion would be none other than him.
Suo Liancheng raised his eyebrows, then his fighting spirit rose as he softly chuckled and said, “I’m just looking forward to facing him. I hope that he won’t disappoint me.”
Seeing Suo Liancheng’s expression, the Elder gave a smiling nod. Sword Cultivators want nothing more than a good challenge!