In the midst of Qi Ze's caring gaze, akin to that of a guardian watching over mentally challenged children, Yan Junyu managed to finish his meal and clean the kitchen.
"Tidy yourself up," Qi Ze handed the young man a toothbrush, instructing, "Brush several times. In the future, when you cook, make sure to close the kitchen door and set the exhaust fan to maximum power."
Yan Junyu received the toothbrush with a mixed expression of amusement and exasperation. If it were anyone else exhibiting such a disdainful look, he might have felt offended, leading to a heated confrontation. Yet, in the presence of the boy, he found himself entirely devoid of resentment.
"By the way, do you know the other three people? What backgrounds do they have?" Qi Ze peered in from the doorway of the restroom.
"I know them; they are just like you, international students who took the exams and got into the school from other planets. Wang Miao comes from Debang Star, a water type ability user, majoring in command. Lin Hao is from Vulcan Star, a dual ability user of earth and wood, studying in the mecha combat department. Mo Tianlei is from Haqin Star, a metal type ability user, also in the mecha combat department. Their backgrounds are clean; we haven't found any connections to the Mu family yet."
After spitting out the foam from his mouth, Yan Junyu warned, "But you still need to be cautious and avoid contact with strangers. The Mu family isn't known for their generosity; their methods are varied and endless. Even though they won't move against you anytime soon, they'll remember this clearly. If I have to leave for a combat mission, you should stay in the dormitory as much as possible and have Ouyang Ye take care of any matters that arise."
Qi Ze wasn't a person who didn't appreciate goodwill; he tried his best to patiently listen to Yan Junyu's nagging.
"Isn't it obvious? I've hired several mercenary teams to protect Qi Ze; one more or one less makes no difference," Ouyang Ye interjected, barging into the bathroom. After all, he wasn't about to let Young Young Master Qi spend too much time alone with Yan Junyu.
Yan Junyu didn't argue with him, simply saying, "If you have enough money, you can hire more. The Mu family holds the largest armory in the empire; there are plenty of ability users willing to sell their lives for them."
"I know; isn't your Yan family one of them? You're also Mu Ran's fiancé," Ouyang Ye said, dragging Young Young Master Qi out as he spoke, muttering discontentedly, "Come on, let's have less contact with him. He pretends to be nice to you but might secretly be plotting revenge for Mu Ran."
Qi Ze waved at Yan Junyu, allowing himself to be pulled out. He could tell whether someone's kindness was genuine or fake and didn't readily assume the worst in others.
Yan Junyu washed his face with cold water and stood still for a moment. The veins on his forehead, which had been restrained for a long time, began to pulsate one after another. The same age, the same sharp tongue, how could Qi Ze be so endearing, while Young Master Ouyang was so infuriating? It was fortunate that he had good self-control; otherwise, he would have acted long ago.
Gathering his inner strength, he was about to go downstairs when the doorbell rang.
"Hello, I'm Mo Tianlei, I just turned eighteen this year, and I'm a metal type ability user. In the days to come, I hope we can all support each other. You must be Qi Ze? You're really small, indeed a carbon-based lifeform! Stay away from me in the future; I'm afraid that a single push might end your life. I heard that carbon-based lifeforms are very fragile, with skin softer than tofu."
A cheerful voice came from outside, but the words were as inconsiderate as Ouyang Ye's, suggesting that he, too, was someone with a sharp tongue.
"What are you saying, kid? Do you believe I won't poke you to death as well?" Ouyang Ye immediately confronted him.
Then a gentle voice chimed in, "Please don't take offense. Tianlei is just this kind of straightforward person, saying what's on his mind, but his intentions are good. He just fears that he might unintentionally hurt Classmate Qi Ze."
"Only in his dreams could he hurt my little darling; he has too high an opinion of himself," Ouyang Ye grumbled, but Yan Junyu had already descended the stairs, saying warmly, "Hello, I'm Yan Junyu. I'm currently going through graduation procedures and have taken a position at the school, so I'm your advisor. However, I'm only responsible for Qi Ze. If you have any problems, contact Lin Jinming; he will help you solve them."
"Thank you, Instructor Yan." The two newcomers immediately opened their smartbrains to receive Instructor Lin's contact information.
Qi Ze lay on the sofa, seemingly undisturbed, holding a tablet in his hands, as if playing a game. He lazily glanced at the entrance, his eyes suddenly gleaming with a sharp light.
"What's your name?" He pointed at the handsome youth behind Mo Tianlei.
"Hello, my name is Wang Miao. I'm a water type ability user, studying in the command department," the youth approached, extending his hand in a friendly gesture.
Qi Ze sat up straight and shook hands with Wang Miao, his eyes seemingly inadvertently sweeping over the metal plate on his chest. Wang Miao, with his acute senses, immediately removed the plate and placed it in the boy's hand, smiling, "This kind of metal plate is common in our school. Our names are etched on it. If we die in battle in the future, our comrades can use this plate to identify us and send it as a memento to our loved ones. Although technology has advanced, and identity can now be confirmed through DNA alone, this tradition has been preserved in our school. The plate, after all, is tangible, leaving something to remember us by, unlike DNA, which dissipates once a person dies."
"Did you engrave this yourself?" Qi Ze scrutinized it carefully, praising with a smile, "Your handwriting is beautiful."
"Thank you, it's just so-so. If you like it, I can engrave one for you too."
"No thanks; I won't die on the battlefield," Qi Ze waved his hand.
Wang Miao's smile froze for a moment, feeling that this sentence, intended as a compliment, sounded rather unpalatable. But he quickly contained his emotions, retrieving the metal plate from the boy's hand, hanging it around his neck, and tucking it into his collar with great care, patting it gently.
Ouyang Ye and Mo Tianlei continued their bickering on the side, not sensing the undercurrents, but Yan Junyu's eyes darkened, lost in thought. Qi Ze wasn't a particularly warm person; when someone came in, he would at most glance at them as a greeting, without taking the initiative to inquire about their names. He had been like that with Mo Tianlei, but something seemed off when it came to Wang Miao. This special treatment might not be evident to others, but Yan Junyu knewâQi Ze was interested in Wang Miao, but not in a positive or neutral way. It was an interest laced with caution and malice.
"You've been traveling for over ten hours on a spaceship; you must be tired. Go to your rooms and rest. You can report from eight in the morning to six in the afternoon tomorrow; arrange your time as you see fit. There are ingredients in the refrigerator; if you're hungry, you can cook for yourselves. Just make sure to close the kitchen door tightly and set the exhaust fan to maximum power," Yan Junyu subtly reminded them.
"Thank you, Instructor. We're not hungry; we'll just take a nap," Wang Miao politely declined, while Mo Tianlei plunged into the kitchen, urgently taking out the meat, poking it with a skewer.
Qi Ze rubbed his forehead, finally deciding to return to his room, vowing never to come out during meal times again. Ouyang Ye pinched his nose and fled.
In his bedroom, after confirming there were no surveillance devices, Qi Ze reminded him, "Don't forget your identity as an ability user. Even if the meat smells terrible, you must endure it. Look at Yan Junyu, how elegant and graceful he is. He faced the stench of the meat without flinching, even eating it bite by bite. Why can't you do the same? If you do this for too long, who wouldn't become suspicious? I'm warning you in advance; if you arouse suspicion, you'll have to grit your teeth and eat that stuff in the future. I won't take care of you."
"I never imagined that the meat of a frenzied beast could smell so bad when cooked. I used to envy ability users, but now I feel a bit sorry for them. If I had known that being an ability user meant enduring such suffering, I wouldn't have come to the Imperial Academy as an exchange student," Ouyang Ye lamented. Seeing Young Young Master Qi raise an eyebrow, as if about to scold him, he promptly assured him, "But rest assured, Young Young Master Qi. I won't slip up. To protect you, I'd even eat shit if I had to."
"Then, show me by eating some," Qi Ze said, disgusted even by the thought, immediately changing the subject, "Mo Tianlei is a straightforward person; you can befriend him. Stay away from Wang Miao."
"Why?" Ouyang Ye chimed in, "I agree with you; I also think Mo Tianlei is better than Wang Miao. Wang Miao came in and tried to get close to you right away, which is quite annoying."
"This is a solid argument; I give you 110 points," Qi Ze ground his teeth, about to properly train this person when the doorbell rang. It was Yan Junyu. Sitting down on the sofa, he cut straight to the chase, "Is there something wrong with Wang Miao?"
"There's no problem yet, but it's about to be," Qi Ze didn't fully trust Yan Junyu and didn't divulge too much. Large families like the Yan's were never short of devious schemes; he had to be cautious.
Yan Junyu's good mood couldn't be sustained any longer. He understood that he was different from Ouyang Ye. Ouyang Ye had been pulled into the boy's heart, while he remained excluded, even during the time he had pursued him. The matters that Ouyang Ye could openly discuss, he wouldn't reveal a single word to him. It seemed that the blessings he was born with brought him not only glory and status but also helplessness and melancholy.
"Just be careful, and if you need anything, come find me," he wanted to say many things, but in the end, he could only manage this simple warning.
"Alright, alright. We can handle our own affairs; you can go," Ouyang Ye pushed him out, slamming the door shut. He then asked, "What's the problem with Wang Miao? How did Yan Junyu figure it out?"
"He didn't notice anything wrong from Wang Miao; he observed me. This Yan Junyu, his powers of observation are too keen. I didn't expose any flaws, did I?" Qi Ze touched his cheek, looking suspicious.
"Not at all; you were perfectly normal. Yan Junyu is just too cunning; that's why I said we should be cautious of him. He's the most dangerous person in this whole house. Think about his relationship with Mu Ran; how could he help you instead of his own fiancé?"
Qi Ze waved his hand irritably, "Stop bringing up Yan Junyu's marriage. I can tell that his relationship with Mu Ran is, at most, that of childhood friends. There's something wrong with Wang Miao's metal plate; it seems to seep out demonic energy, but the concentration is low, causing negligible harm to ability users. To ordinary people, however, it's a slow poison."
"What's demonic energy?" Ouyang Ye's face visibly changed.
Since it's something that exists in the Black Eye Galaxy, it should have a specific name in that system. Qi Ze typed in some keywords and searched the Star Network, concluding, "Demonic energy is probably what you call radiation contamination here."
Radiation, a back-and-forth electromagnetic energy, has the potential to cause illness or even death if it exceeds a specific amount. However, as human gene levels continue to rise, resistance to radiation also increases, with the exception of carbon-based lifeforms, who are still easily infected by radiation.
Knowing that there was a carbon-based lifeform in the dormitory and still moving in with a source of radiation, the intent of this person was clear.
"Damn it, Wang Miao is trying to murder you! I'm going to check it out!" Ouyang Ye immediately took out a mini radiation detector and put it into his pocket. He was a martial artist with a strong immunity to radiation pollution, but before he left, his uncle had reminded him to bring the detector to prevent Young Young Master Qi from being secretly attacked. Now, it seemed that the old fox was indeed an old fox, as his prediction had come true.
If a carbon-based lifeform is exposed to a source of radiation pollution for just a few seconds, the disease will embed itself in their bones, slowly developing and worsening. By the time the radiation is completely gone, the disease will already be deeply entrenched, made worse by the vulnerability of carbon-based lifeforms. Ninety-nine percent of the miracle drugs on the market are not suitable for them, leaving them to await death. By the time they realize something is wrong, the culprit will have already eliminated the evidence; where could they seek justice?
"This must be the Mu family's doing; they're so devious!" Ouyang Ye shook with anger. Leaving the room, his expression suddenly opened into a smile, making him look like a naive and simple-minded young master. He found an excuse to knock on Wang Miao's door and chatted amiably, as if they were particularly compatible. Seeing Wang Miao yawn repeatedly, he then bid farewell and left.
Back in the bedroom, he took out the detector and immediately cursed, "Damn Wang Miao, it's nuclear radiation, and it's over 8000 mSv. He wanted you dead with a single exposure! Young Young Master Qi, do you feel uncomfortable? I'll take you to see a doctor right away."
"No problem. The moment I saw the demonic energy seeping from the plate, I wrapped myself in spiritual energy. This level of demonic energy is useless against me," Qi Ze waved his hand, scoffing, "I blame him for not having the slightest caution toward me, even daring to take off the plate and show it to me. I cast a spiritual gathering array on it; in a few days, the demonic energy around will gather around Wang Miao. No matter how strong his physique is, he won't be able to withstand it."
"Can radiation be gathered?" Ouyang Ye rubbed his chilly neck, feeling that Qi Ze's methods of killing were no less than the Mu family's.
"Energy dissipates, but it also gathers," Qi Ze pointed upstairs, reminding, "Stay away from Wang Miao for a few days to avoid bad luck."
"I understand," Ouyang Ye obediently agreed, lingering for a while, unwilling to return to his room. Finally, he found a topic, "By the way, Young Young Master Qi, the basement of this dormitory is shared by six people. How will you forge artifacts?"
"I'll forge them in my own room," Qi Ze didn't mind revealing some of his methods in front of Ouyang Ye. If Ouyang Ye wanted to make a living in the empire, he was his only support, and as far as the empire was concerned, there should be no one who could offer a higher stake to entice him.
Qi Ze extended his hand, and the originally narrow room expanded to a size hundreds of times larger. A palace mysteriously appeared behind the floor-to-ceiling window, with shadows of black, the glow of red candles, the green of stone slabs, and the white of columns, all appearing solemn and grand, simple yet majestic.
Ouyang Ye was stunned, taking a long time to utter two words, "Space Folding." To overlay such a vast space in reality without the aid of any medium, and to place this alternate space precisely in the current coordinates in the stream of time and space, without moving forward or backward, was undoubtedly touching the realm of a deity.
Ouyang Ye once again refreshed his understanding of this golden thigh. Those unspoken desires grew even more extravagant.
"This is the legendary portable space?" he struggled to ask, "Young Young Master Qi, what does your family do? Are they deities?"
"We've had a few deities," Qi Ze waved his hand casually, "I'm going to forge artifacts. You should go to bed."
"Can I stay and watch you forge?" Ouyang Ye shamelessly asked. Deity family, my god, I hit the jackpot when I was picked up by Young Young Master Qi. He thought for a moment and continued, "Wind Forest and Fire Sea also likes watching you forge." Yes, it's Wind Forest and Fire Sea who likes it, not me.
"As you wish," Qi Ze took out three stones from his Qiankun Bag and a jar of golden sand, neatly arranging them on the ground.
"Isn't this a spatial ore? We have it in the Black Eye Galaxy," Ouyang Ye pointed at the stones.
"It was originally an ore from your Black Eye Galaxy. I bought it with star coins."
"And what about this sand?"
"It's stellar sand. When a small universe is about to collapse, all the stars in the sky will sense it and fall one after another. Collecting them results in stellar sand." Recalling the beautiful scene of falling stars, Qi Ze couldn't help being lost in thought. He had accompanied his father, wandering through countless small universes with dissipating spiritual energy, only managing to collect a small jar of stellar sand. At the time, he didn't think it was particularly precious, but now, recalling it, he felt a sense of sorrow.
"Young Young Master Qi, wait a moment. Did you say these are stars in the sky?" Ouyang Ye cleaned his ears, his expression a mixture of incredulity. Even if he was a complete dunce at school, he knew how big a normal star was. There was no way it could be collected and placed in a jar of less than two liters. Young Young Master Qi must be joking!
"To be precise, they are stars that are about to fall, carrying the power of time and filled with the desire to reverse time. Using them to create spatial items allows the alchemist to more precisely control the time ratio," as Qi Ze spoke, he picked up a stone and drew a strand of fire element from the air, guiding it into his palm. With a soft bang, white flames danced and surged in his palm, gradually enveloping the stone.
Even with fire ability, Ouyang Ye was forced back several meters by the terrifying heat. He only knew that Young Young Master Qi was proficient in using a green cauldron, but he didn't know that without the cauldron, he could control the flames even more skillfully. He was like a cauldron himself, continuously absorbing the surrounding fire elements. The hard stone had already melted into water, shaped bit by bit by his slender fingertips into the form of a ring and etched with many mysterious runes.
The flames rose higher and higher, illuminating his beautiful face pale, yet he didn't feel the slightest discomfort. He opened the jar, scooped out a handful of golden sand, and slowly sprinkled it on the surface of the ring.
Only now did Ouyang Ye believe Young Young Master Qi's words. Those golden sand grains were indeed stars, emitting the roar of falling as they plunged into the flames in the dazzling starlight. The stone ring, originally black, displayed the traces of meteors passing by, so dazzling and mysterious. Behind Young Young Master Qi, a starry sky appeared, first one star after another twinkling, then gradually falling. The scene was gorgeous yet tragically resolute. The so-called power to reverse time and space came from this unwilling wail of extinction.
Everything in the world has a spirit, humans do, and so do objects. Refining artifacts is about bestowing life to inanimate objects, though challenging, it is also great. Qi Ze remembered his father's teachings and couldn't help but smile at the corner of his mouth. He increasingly focused his mind, sprinkling the starlight slowly and evenly.
After about two hours, the flames in his palm gradually extinguished, and a black ring with silver patterns was forged. The client hadn't sent any blood, so Qi Ze had to mix in his own blood. Once the client confirmed receipt and dripped in blood, his blood could serve as a medium to help the ring choose its master.
Ouyang Ye rushed over, urgently asking, "Young Young Master Qi, can this ring store living creatures? What's the time ratio? See, my birthday is coming up soon. Can you give this ring to me as a gift?" If he could obtain a ring that could store living creatures, he would no longer need to contact a spaceship for pickup when he hunted high-grade frenzied beasts in the wilderness, saving at least several million in transportation costs. The higher the grade of the frenzied beast, the more it needed to be caught alive to preserve the energy in the flesh as much as possible. Otherwise, once the prey died, the energy would also dissipate. After working hard and risking his life, he'd only sell it for a few tens of thousands of star coins; who would do such a thing?
Ouyang Ye had already planned it out. During the summer vacation, he would also join a hunting team and go to the primitive planet to catch frenzied beasts for money. This ring would be perfect for that purpose. A savior, Young Young Master Qi was truly his great savior, able to create anything he wanted. No wonder the online store's introduction was written so arrogantly; he had a solid foundation!
"The time ratio is one day outside, ten years inside the ring. This speed of time flow is perfect for cultivation, but unfortunately, the volume is too small, only half a square meter, not big enough to hold someone as large as you, and it's already been reserved by someone else. Behave, I'll make one for you next time. This one is for sale to make money," Qi Ze packed the ring, preparing to send it out after the other two were made. Refining artifacts was truly a lucrative business, but it was also extremely expensive. Without a sect supporting him from behind, he could only work harder.
"What? To be sold for money? If this gets out, the entire empire will be in an uproar!" Ouyang Ye felt his head spinning.
"Do you think someone who gets the ring will let it be known to the outside world? He can't find me, so he'll have to keep this hot potato tightly sealed. If this person bears ill will toward me, he absolutely won't be able to see the sign of The Supreme Divine Creation Sect on the Star Network, so you can rest assured," Qi Ze put away various materials into his Qiankun Bag, asking, "By the way, does the Black Eye Galaxy have spiritual artifacts with time attributes? This jar of stellar sand might not be enough."
"There is. The empire once discovered a meteorite with time attributes, which is now stored in a museum. There should be others in other places, but they haven't been found yet. I'll have my uncle keep an eye out for you, and once we get a definite lead, we'll buy it. That thing isn't very useful, but it has high collection value, so it's extremely expensive," Ouyang Ye warned in advance.
"I'm not afraid of the price, only that it doesn't exist," Qi Ze waved his hand indifferently.
"Indeed, you're too capable of making money," but also too capable of spending it. Ouyang Ye silently added in his heart.