As others focused on the unfolding events on stage, Yan Junyu was the first to notice Qi Ze's appearance. He stared unblinkingly at Ouyang Ye, his eyes filled with pure joy and anticipation. His skin was much paler than before, yet his eyes were darker, brighter, as if adorned with countless stars. And the person he gazed at returned the look, a single phrase enough to make him break into a smile of utmost purity.
This smile was so familiar, instantly making Yan Junyu's head buzz. For a moment, he felt his heart was about to explode, but the next second, all discomfort vanished. He rubbed his temples, and when he looked again, the slender figure had disappeared.
He immediately stood up, his steps following uncontrollably, but was blocked by Yan Bo, who asked, "Where are you going? The competition has just started."
Where was he going? Yan Junyu looked around in confusion, realizing he couldn't answer this question.
"I want to go to the rest area for a smoke." He patted his jacket pocket.
"Let's go, let's go, we'll go together. Laozi nearly died of fright because of Ouyang Ye. A perfect control of elemental powers at just the beginning of level four, what a fucking monster! Ouyang Tao still wants to hand over the inheritance rights to Ouyang Duanhua; I say he's dreaming. After this match, who knows what changes will occur in the Ouyang family." Yan Bo took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and continued, "I want to poach Ouyang Ye. What do you think?"
"Let's talk about it after the competition. Ouyang Duanhua won't take it lying down. Once those two brothers meet, one of them is bound to die." Yan Junyu stated.
The two of them slowly walked away, while the contestants below were readjusting their state, the fearful ones contemplating retreat, and the fearless ones eager to try. Ouyang Duanhua and several close associates went to the medical room to inspect Tang Mingzhou's body, their faces more solemn than ever.
"The residual elemental power on the body is still very intense. If it's not expelled quickly, there's a high possibility of a secondary explosion." A mental power physician was conducting a post-mortem examination, his tone somewhat tense. "If the two remaining elements are in conflict, such as water and fire, metal and wood, wood and earth, the power can cancel each other out, and the damage wouldn't be so severe. But the problem lies in the wind and fire aiding each other. The power after the fusion of the two elements is too strong, turning Young Master Tang into mincemeat in an instant. Even a 3S-level mental power user couldn't save him. I'll purify his body first, then he can be prepared for the funeral."
He then warned, "In the future, when you encounter Ouyang Ye on the arena, you'd better not get hurt, or you'll suffer the same fate as Young Master Tang."
Ouyang Duanhua didn't respond, but his close associates displayed fearful expressions.
In the third-floor private room, the head of the Tang family had left with red eyes. Tang Mingzhou was not his only son, but he was the most promising one. With Tang Mingzhou's death, no one was left to uphold the Tang family's reputation. How could he not be filled with hatred? But what good was hate? As long as Ouyang Ye continued to win, all the major legions would extend their olive branches. Once he went to the Imperial Star for further education, he would soar like a dragon in the sea, beyond the reach of even his father, let alone the petty nobles of Neptune?
"Tsk, when will Little Ye's hot temper cool down?" Li Yu shook his head, lamenting and complaining, "Look, the Star Network is in an uproar."
Sitting beside him, the head of the Meng family teased, "Arrogance necessitates a capital. I like the way Ouyang Ye displays his brilliance. Hey? The online sentiment has changed, Ouyang Ye's number of fans has reached ten million, so soon!"
Li Yu sneered, "Whether he's famous or not doesn't matter; I only hope he doesn't go down the wrong path. As a superpower, one should devote oneself to the military, to protect the country. What's the point of relying on superpowers to bully weak carbon-based beings?"
Ouyang Tao was both annoyed and resentful, but he had to maintain a calm exterior. He had never anticipated that this eldest son of his possessed such high talent. If properly nurtured since childhood, he would have become the backbone of the Ouyang family. What did a potential value higher than 3S mean? It was something most people dared not even dream of.
But now, Ouyang Ye had already distanced himself from the Ouyang family, and he had stubbornly handed over the inheritance rights to Ouyang Duanhua. If the two brothers clashed in the arena this time, regardless of who died, he wouldn't be able to explain it to the elders. And if the two great geniuses of the Ouyang family ended up injuring each other, how would the other families react? Taking advantage of the situation was a certainty.
Considering the various possible scenarios in the future, Ouyang Tao despondently realized that no matter which situation occurred, the outcome would be negative and irreparable. He gritted his teeth and sent a short message to Ouyang Duanhua, instructing him to definitely kill Ouyang Ye on the arena, so that the Ouyang family's losses could be controlled to the smallest extent possible.
Ouyang Duanhua was at least someone he had raised himself, who wouldn't turn against him, but Ouyang Ye was uncertain. What was the loss of one genius? The world had never been short of geniuses.
Li Yu also smiled and sent a message to his nephew, telling him not to hold back. The two families had reached a point of irreconcilable enmityâ
The first match was so intense that the following competitions seemed dull by comparison. Yan Junyu lost patience after watching two rounds and left ahead of schedule. Subconsciously, when Qi Ze and Ouyang Ye left, he couldn't stay anymore.
He went to the training ground to find Wang Xuan, holding a form.
"This is your new mecha?" Standing in front of the seven-meter-tall silver giant, his breath couldn't help but pause for a moment. A familiar yet awe-inspiring feeling washed over him, hard to suppress.
"No, it's still the old one. I scraped off the paint and replaced a few parts, and it turned out like this." Wang Xuan tapped the mecha's exterior, his face brimming with uncontainable joy.
Yan Junyu circled the mecha twice, pointing to a certain spot on the foot and asked, "What's this?"
Wang Xuan took a look, shook his head, and said, "I don't know either; it might be the master mecha craftsman's exclusive signature."
"Where did you find the master mecha craftsman?" Yan Junyu's tone was somewhat urgent.
"Ouyang Ye found him for me; I'm not sure who he is specifically." Wang Xuan was clueless about it.
Yan Junyu rubbed his temples, then looked at the four mysterious ancient characters again, finally handing over the form, "This is a recommendation letter for direct admission. You fill out a new one and send it directly to the Imperial Military Academy's Mecha Combat Department. I've already made arrangements over there, and they'll handle it soon. Last time, when I had an accident, someone took advantage of the chaos to take your place, but I've gotten it back now. Don't take it to heart, train well, and compete well."
"Thank you, Instructor. Give this spot to someone else. I want to get in on my own." Wang Xuan pointed at G9, his eyes full of ambition. After a few days of adjustments, he was confident in this mecha.
What Yan Junyu admired most about Wang Xuan was this character of self-reliance, so he didn't persuade him much, quickly taking back the form and canceling the direct admission spot. The person he recommended should enter with real ability, leaving no room for others to pick up the scraps.
"Can I try this mecha?" He stared at G9, the look in his eyes containing heat. For some reason, he couldn't help but like it immensely the moment he saw this mecha, just as he had when he saw Ouyang Ye's sword. And they seemed to be crafted by the same master.
"Please go ahead, Instructor." Wang Xuan warned, "It's very sensitive; be careful not to use too much force."
"Can it be more sensitive than the Type T mecha?" Before stepping into the cockpit, Yan Junyu joked, but soon found himself proven wrong. This mecha's sensitivity was comparable to the latest combat mechas, with no delay between a thought and an action. Using it was no different from using his own body.
After doing a few high-difficulty maneuvers and circling the sky a few times, Yan Junyu jumped off the lift and couldn't wait to open the energy compartment to see what modifications the master had done to the mecha.
Wang Xuan explained with a chuckle, "Instructor, you don't have to look; the master's techniques are too amazing. You can't tell from the surface. I had someone test it; this G9 hasn't lost any weight, the weaponry hasn't been modified, and the energy converter is the oldest type of compression catalytic one, but whether it's reaction speed or endurance, it's increased significantly compared to before, its performance comparable to new mechas. The master is very skilled, definitely a big shot in the Empire, you'd know if you asked around."
If he could find out, why would Yan Junyu be so concerned? But he said nothing, only photographed the four characters on the foot and saved them in his smartbrain.
"Compete well. If nothing goes wrong, this year's champion is definitely yours." Before leaving, he stated.
"It's not necessarily so. I heard that Ouyang Duanhua just bought a T12, with quite fierce firepower. And his own strength isn't weak. Our chances of winning are about fifty-fifty." Wang Xuan was humble.
"Ouyang Duanhua?" Yan Junyu spoke with a smile that wasn't a smile, "Whether he can leave the arena alive is a problem. Anyway, don't think too much, just perform at your normal level." He left at a moderate pace, leaving Wang Xuan baffled. But after he read the latest news on the website, he understood, feeling quite surprised by Ouyang Ye's true strength, and gaining a few more points of warlike spiritâ
After returning to the dormitory, Yan Junyu began studying Ouyang Ye's battle videos, his eyes inexplicably focused on the long sword. He separately edited the clips where Qi Ze appeared, replaying them over and over. In just two months, Qi Ze had grown taller, his features more open and refined, becoming even more exquisitely beautiful, to the point where using the word "demonic" to describe him was not an exaggeration.
With his hands in his pockets, his back straight, he naturally exuded a bit of pride and ease when he looked down at the entire arena, as if accustomed to standing at a high position. This was completely different from the timid and fearful him in his memory but firmly captured Yan Junyu's attention. When Qi Ze smiled, he immediately froze the frame, then wiped his face in embarrassment.
His heart felt empty, but occasionally there were a few heartbeats, yet he didn't understand how these mixed emotions were generated or where they came from.
"Beep beep beep beep." The weak buzzing sound pulled him out of his distress. He immediately answered the call, asking, "Hello, Professor Li, have you found the text I sent over?"
Professor Li's figure appeared on the holographic screen, nodding, "I've got some clues. It is indeed an ancient Chinese script, known as Dazhuan. Because it's too old, there are very few records left by the archaeological community, and most of them are kept in the royal museum, not recorded in the central database. We repeatedly compared existing rubbings and finally translated it."
"What do these four words mean?" Yan Junyu barely suppressed the urgency in his heart.
"Supreme Divine Creation." Professor Li explained while sending over the relevant information, "In ancient times, there was a Daoist work called The Great Profound Scripture, which expounded on Daoist thought. At the heart of it is the word 'Profound,' and it constructed a pattern for the generation of the universe, explored the laws of development of things, and its teachings covered all aspects of everything, an extremely grand work. Because it's been so long, I can't make an accurate interpretation, but I can tell you that 'Great Profound' has a grand meaning, encompassing concepts such as the universe, time, and space, and contains the mysteries of Daoist thought. The meaning of the two words 'Divine Creation' is easy to understand; you can see it in the information. Looking at the four words as a whole, this should be a Daoist sect called 'Supreme Divine Creation,' focusing on forging techniques. You know, our Chinese nation is very reserved and modest, especially the ancients, but this Daoist sect dared to name itself 'Supreme Divine Creation,' showing the level of its forging techniques. I dare say that it was a very powerful sect in ancient times, with great prestige."
Yan Junyu thought about it, asking, "Are there any records about this in the related ancient texts?"
"No." Professor Li's expression was gloomy, "You know, when those people left, they took away most of the archaeological materials and relics, leaving us very little. By the way, where did you see these four ancient characters? Can you tell me?"
Yan Junyu evaded the topic vaguely, hung up the communicator, and immediately intruded into Qi Ze's personal webpage, changing his avatar to the system default landscape photo, and setting it to an unchangeable mode. Regardless of whether Qi Ze was related to the mecha master or the Supreme Divine Creation Sect, he didn't want his actions to bring him any trouble.
After changing the avatar, he felt it wasn't secure enough, so he quickly wrote a set of defense programs and secretly implanted them into Qi Ze's smartbrain. No one knew that aside from being a soldier and the young clan head of the Yan family, Yan Junyu was also a top hacker. The number of people in the Black Eye Galaxy who could break his defense program was negligible.
After finishing all this, he searched for information on various mecha masters and confirmed that "Supreme Divine Creation" had never appeared before. Whether it was a person or a group, it was still a mystery. But what was certain was that Qi Ze must have some connection to it. All of Ouyang Ye's changes occurred after meeting Qi Ze. Was this just a coincidence?
Yan Junyu's mind was in a chaotic mess, forcing him to shut off his smartbrain, to wash his face in the bathroom, and then to restart studying Ouyang Ye's battle videos.
"Hey, still watching?" Yan Bo pushed open the door, saw the image projected on the wall, and laughed, "This video is currently popular throughout the entire Galaxy, especially the part where Tang Mingzhou explodes, it's the essence of the whole thing. The organizers urgently recruited two mental power physicians to be on standby below the stage, afraid something like that might happen again."
"Superpowers who have comprehended elemental powers are indeed terrifying. If you get hurt by them, you're either half-dead or severely injured." Yan Junyu shook his head, "I originally thought Ouyang Duanhua had a higher chance of winning, but now it seems that Ouyang Ye is the dark horse of this competition."
"He was originally a dark horse. Two months ago, who would have thought he was a dual-element wind and fire superpower? By the way," Yan Bo opened his smartbrain and brought up the official website of the martial competition, teasing, "Look at the time he registered, right after Qi Ze was seriously injured by Ouyang Duanhua. If not for this kind of stimulation, he might have concealed it for a while longer. A crown of anger for a blue face, I didn't expect Ouyang Ye to also be a man of passion."
Yan Junyu's brows slowly furrowed and then slowly relaxed. He turned off the video, returned to his bedroom without a word, originally intending to go to bed, but for some reason, he sat cross-legged on the floor, his hands pinching the air in a very strange position.
This series of actions happened naturally, as if it had become a habit, even an instinct. He was stunned for a while before crawling up, lying back in bed again, but tossing and turning, unable to sleep. In a haze, he seemed to arrive at a spacious hall, inside which stood a stone tablet, its aura ancient and grand. A young man in a black robe knelt in front of the stone tablet, murmuring, "The way of heaven is vast and boundless, the Great Profound shapeless and formless. Tranquility cannot be seen, the sect has perished."
From his thin back, from his endless mournful voice, Yan Junyu felt an indescribable helplessness and confusion. Uncontrollably, he stepped forward, wanting to pat the youth on the shoulder, but suddenly stepped into a void and woke up.
It was just a dream. He sat up halfway, and even though his head was about to explode with pain, he couldn't help but recall the details of the dream repeatedly. The youth's back was so familiar, every word he said, and even his elegant, unrivaled accent, echoed in his ears.
"The way of heaven is vast and boundless, the Great Profound shapeless and formless. Tranquility cannot be seen, the sect has perished." He couldn't help but repeat, his heart tightening with it, getting out of bed and immediately turning on his smartbrain, recording the verse.
The Chinese language has many cases where pronunciation is the same, and despite pondering over it many times, he couldn't confirm if he had written it correctly. He had no choice but to mark the pronunciation under it and send it to three ancient text professors. According to his current literary level, he knew all the characters when read separately, but when combined, he was completely at a loss. This was the most confusing point for him.
Dreams reflect reality, as the saying goes, what one thinks about during the day, one dreams about at night. Seeing the stone tablet on Qi Ze's personal webpage, and then dreaming about it at night, was normal. However, he had absolutely no ability to write such poetry. There were countless people in the Empire who could write poetry, but writing poetry in classical Chinese was something even many professors in higher institutions couldn't do, because the meanings of some ancient words had been lost, with nowhere to look for them.
Something that had no place to refer to appeared in a dream, which would be fine if it was just a randomly assembled text, but if it had a specific meaning, it was a bit unusual.
Yan Junyu stared at his smartbrain, patiently waiting for the replies from the professors. Fortunately, Professor Li was interested in the Dazhuan he had sent him, saw this poem first, and quickly looked up ancient text dictionaries to find its origin. About an hour later, he called Yan Junyu, "Young Master Yan, this isn't a poem, it's a scripture."
"What's a scripture?" Yan Junyu frowned.
"Because there are very few reference materials, most of my explanations are guesses and may contain some errors, you'd better consult a few more people. A scripture is a type of ancient literary style, serving as a book of standards for ideas, morals, behaviors, or a treatise on a specific aspect of something, mostly used by religious organizations to publicize their doctrines. These few sentences are probably excerpted from a Daoist scripture. I made this inference because the text contains words like 'way of heaven,' 'Great Profound,' 'trancquility,' 'sect'..."
Yan Junyu listened with a lowered gaze, seemingly calm on the surface, but his heart was in turmoil. He never expected that these few sentences actually had a real origin and were related to Daoism. And he had never been in contact with similar things before, so where did his inspiration come from, to the point of being unforgettable even in his dreams?
Or, thinking on a deeper level, was that dream merely a dream, and not reality? Every detail of the hall, even the embroidery patterns on the youth's robe, were still clearly imprinted in his mind, far beyond what a vague dream could fabricate.
Considering this, his thoughts tumbled, interrupting Professor Li's endless research, directly asking, "What's the specific meaning of this scripture?" Instead of the so-called literary value, he cared more about the youth's emotions. When he recited these sentences, his voice was clearly choked with sobs, indicating that his situation was not good.
Professor Li hesitated, "The specific meaning is also half guessed, half estimated, not very accurate, Young Master Yan, you should just listen. 'Way of heaven' is a rule in Daoist thought that controls the laws of everything, it's extremely ethereal and grand, that's the meaning of the first sentence 'the way of heaven is vast and boundless,' 'Great Profound' is also an abstract concept, so it's 'shapeless and formless'..." Explaining a lot, he emphasized, "The last sentence is the key. No matter which Daoist sect these scriptures belong to, they don't exist anymore. Not disappeared with the flow of history, but disappeared at the time, perhaps some kind of incident occurred, or even worse, they were slaughtered by another sect, both are possible. These scriptures should be left by the survivors of this Daoist sect as a memorial, to commemorate their ancestors."
Hearing this, Yan Junyu's calm face finally showed a few signs of emotion. He thanked Professor Li repeatedly, hung up the phone, and pondered for a while, forced to make a bold assumption. The hall, the youth inside it, the archaic stone tablet, and the scriptures to commemorate ancestors, perhaps were not a dream, but something he had seen with his own eyes and heard with his own ears.
Then the question came, where had he seen it? And where had he heard it? Aside from the two months of lost memory, he couldn't find a more reasonable explanation. The youth's back was facing him, his body shrouded in shadows, but Yan Junyu had a strange sense of familiarity and intimacy. He thought, he must find him as soon as possible and regain his memory.