Star Gate

Chapter 131: The Commonalities of Martial Masters (III)

“If your teacher’s heart can be fully repaired, then so can my injuries. It’s just...”

“No ifs, ands, or buts!” Li Hao declared solemnly. “If chief says that you’re confident of rising to Dominator, I can have my teacher stand guard and heal your injuries. With two Dominators in the ranks, everyone will know how strong the Silver City Night Watchers are! We will triumph in all directions and make an example out of these guys!”

This guy seems more like the director than me, Liu Long grumbled to himself. He hesitated after looking at the serious Li Hao.

“Chief, martial masters should continue to press forward with indomitable will after entering Dominator of Thousands! Being overcautious is not the path to success! My teacher said this to me once and I treat them as absolute words of wisdom. I hereby gift them to you, chief!”

“Pressing forward with indomitable will...” Liu Long’s eyes danced around and he raised an eyebrow. “I am confident if my wounds can be healed! My physique has reached the necessary requirements since I’ve absorbed so much mysterious power. All I lack is the comprehension of the aura and the fact that I can’t use my full strength since I’m injured.

“If I can recover and your teacher is willing to give me some pointers at critical moments, I’m sure I can become a Dominator!”

He suddenly brimmed with confidence!

Li Hao was pulling random phrases out of a hat. For martial masters, marching inexorably onward was only to be expected after they set foot into Dominator. If they felt they didn’t stand a chance, then they really wouldn’t as that would mean the aura would fail to materialize.

Liu Long suddenly recalled the wave that he saw all those years back. Indomitable and unyielding! It was just soft and gentle water, but it blasted forward like a cannonball. Unflinching and undeniable. Once it started shrinking back and faded into the sea, the wave’s aura began to disappear and leave it as languid water again.

“Chief, if you can enter Dominator of Thousands...” Li Hao suddenly chuckled. “When my teacher became a Dominator, he used his aura to guide me into Slayer. You and I both practice the Nine Forged Force. Perhaps your breakthrough will also help me, this is an act of mutual gain!

“I think my teacher wouldn\'t mind exerting himself a bit more if I can also improve. I’m his final disciple, after all!”

He and Yuan Shuo both practiced the New Book of Five Styles, while he and Liu Long both practiced the Nine Forged Force. Thus, Li Hao could sense both auras and could guide others. As for other people, they might be able to perceive a thing or two, but wouldn’t be able to help much since they were not of the same school of teaching.

Therefore, what he said wasn’t false. If Liu Long succeeded, Li Hao did think that it would help with his own future breakthrough to Dominator. Experiencing two kinds of aura beforehand was a precious opportunity that occurred only once in a thousand years.

“I have no heir and the Nine Forged Force is almost lost in my generation!” Liu Long said somberly. “Since you’ve already learned Twice Forged.... I won’t take you for my disciple. However, you are the martial heir of my family! If I can set foot into Dominator and grasp the aura of the Nine Forged Force, I will naturally not keep anything from you.”

He had no descendants and Li Hao was his martial dao heir! Since he was the heir, the young man should experience the might of the Nine Forged Force.

“Also, if I fully recover and set foot into Dominator... I only said I couldn’t rival your teacher because I was injured! My abilities are less comprehensive than your teacher’s, but if my method erupts in full force, your teacher will not be able to stand up to it!

“Nine Forged is the layering of nine times!” Liu Long suddenly declared confidently. “Your teacher borrowed a few powerful supernatural objects to kill that Solar, but I might not need to! I am sure I can break through a Solar’s defenses, but of course I am less than your teacher in other areas.”

He didn’t mind revealing his weaknesses, but he also didn’t want his family’s heritage method to be belittled, especially by someone who’d inherited two styles such as Li Hao. He wanted to tell the young man that while your teacher is strong on a holistic level, I’m stronger when it comes to offense!

Li Hao thought rapidly—break through a Solar’s defenses? Really?

Upon further consideration, that might actually be true. After all, the layering of internal force nine times may not be any less than blade energy. His teacher was indeed a comprehensive powerhouse—the strength of the New Book of Five Styles lay in their all-encompassing balance, but his teacher had also said he wanted to practice the Nine Forged Force as well. That method was outstanding in terms of explosive power!

Of course, Yuan Shuo never mentioned having Li Hao teach him. Martial masters placed a high importance on heritage. They wouldn’t brashly pick up someone else’s knowledge by themselves, even if it complemented their own.

“Chief, do you want to give it a try?” Li Hao asked excitedly. “Success means that we’ll be able to strip them of their mysterious power, no matter what level of accomplishment you achieve. Sis Liu, Chen Jian, and Wu Chao will stand a chance of crossing over to the supernatural! There’s more than one thousand cubes of mysterious power from that Solar alone. With those three Sunflares... it might be two thousand cubes total!”

Killing supernaturals for their power was the dumbest move possible, but for those sorely lacking, this was the most direct and straightforward idea. Two thousand cubes was an astronomical amount.

Li Hao’s mind flew through calculations. If his teacher went against Qiao Feilong and the chief went against the three Sunflares... No, it’d be best if the entire department went with Liu Long. They should use hot weapons to soften the enemy first—it’d be best if they could injure the enemy as thus.

The enemy was most easily killed when they scurried for shelter.

All of Silver City’s Night Watchers would greatly increase in strength if the operation succeeded. There wasn’t much issue with employing hot weapons. They just needed to eliminate these people before other powerhouses sensed the weapons. No one would care how many hot weapons were deployed, and people usually didn’t think much about those who could die to hot weapons.

True experts wouldn’t fall to hot weapons, unless it was a special time and place.

Liu Long’s emotions surged. Kill a Solar and Sunflares! Set foot into Dominator! His mouth turned dry and he looked around in a transfixed state. He’d found it difficult to kill Darkmoons a few days ago, but now the kid invited him to kill Solars and Sunflares.

Am I crazy or is he crazy?

Liu Yan and the others were right—Li Hao was an immensely perverted guy deep in his bones.

“In that case, give me three days!” Liu Long intoned. “We’ll brainstorm a way to take care of this ourselves if I can break through in three days! If not, we can’t delay things either. Qiao Feilong must have ulterior motives in mind. We cannot warm a snake in our embrace and permit him free rein. We go to Director Hao if I don’t succeed after three days!

“I believe that he’ll take a stand, but I do understand that you have your reservations. Just remember, Li Hao, that something is yours if you live to claim it. If you are not... then nothing is yours.”

Those were the same sentiments that Yuan Shuo had expressed. The young man suddenly felt that the thoughts of martial masters were very similar. If someone like Liu Long wasn’t at the Inspectorate, he’d be a local tyrant in the outside world.

Martial masters possessed strong self control. they didn’t lose their senses of self despite enormous power due to obtaining power step by step. They were very clear about what they needed and wanted.

Perhaps this was the greatest difference between martial masters and supernaturals—conviction!

Martial masters seemed to have more abundance and clarity in their conviction. While Li Hao hadn’t come in contact with too many supernaturals yet—Wang Ming was the one he was most familiar with—he did seem to perceive a lack of strong conviction.

Three days!

Liu Long felt that he could break through in three days. If not, hope was too dim and it was better to let the Night Watchers take care of the matter then.

“Good!” Li Hao nodded. “This matter should not be delayed, chief. Why don’t we go see my teacher now?”

“Let’s not be in such a rush!” Liu Long chuckled. “That will raise too much attention! You’ve already gone a few times today, so it’s not the best timing to visit now. Plus, I also need to make some preparations. Let’s go tomorrow!

“I will pay an official visit to Yuan Shuo tomorrow, extending him an invitation to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony in three days! Inviting everyone to attend the ceremony will be a perfect distraction. It will relax Qiao Feilong’s guard. He’s not a supernatural, so he’s not on the list of attendees. That’s the best time to kill him!”

He’d already settled on a date!

“The ceremony will take place at night! Night Watchers, y’know, are suited to operate at night. That will perfectly exclude some unpredictable factors within the city!”

Nighttime was suited for killing.

Li Hao nodded, not saying anything further. He turned and left, suddenly calling back, “Aren’t you worried that I’m lying to you, chief? That the enemy might be stronger, or that teacher might move against you after we kill Qiao Feilong?”

Wasn’t Liu Long the least bit worried about this? That his own side would turn on him?

“Am I afraid of that?” sneered the man. “If I was that much of a scaredy cat, I’d be long dead! I have some accomplishments to my name in Silver City only because I am willing to trust others!”

He either didn’t trust someone, or didn’t doubt someone he trusted. It was because of that he didn’t kill anyone when traitors infested the law enforcement team. Mu Sen had to oversee the deed for him.

Liu Long’s pros were apparent, as were his significant cons. Yuan Shuo was a more cautious and prudent sort. To put it bluntly, he was more treacherous and cold-blooded.

That was right, cold-blooded! Of that, Li Hao was well aware of! His teacher being good to him didn’t mean he was the same with others. Li Hao knew that he received this treatment because his teacher had lost all hope three years ago and treated him as a direct lineal disciple, teaching the young man all of his knowledge. In the past, this kind of disciple was the equivalent of a son, or one even more important than a descendant.