Star Gate

Chapter 752: Persuading With Fist and Reason (IV)

“At most, everyone’s support that day gave me a chance for direct frontal combat.” Li Hao looked at Yao Si. “It’s not that I would’ve been at their mercy without you!”

“So it was wrong of us to help you?”

“That is not the case!” Li Hao looked at him. “It only explains that Director Yao’s blood has not yet chilled. You made your move not for me, but for the world!”

“This is nonsense!” Yao Si snorted with an unfriendly look in his eyes. “Get out!”

He wasn’t willing to converse more with Li Hao, the kid was too obnoxious. He did not like the Li Hao of this day. The brat was outrageously pretentious and conceited! He’d grown too full of himself after his last victory. He’d even forgotten that it wasn’t a complete victory. If it wasn’t for restrictions imposed by the royal family, many of the Silver Moon contingent would’ve died in that battle.

“I know what Director Yao is thinking, that I am cocky and ignorant...” Li Hao looked at the man.

“So long as you know!” Yao Si frowned. “The young can be confident, but they cannot be arrogant. How much of the world have you seen, that you dare be so unbridled?”

“I think I’ve seen more of the world than the director has!”

“......” Yao Si truly flushed with anger now. He set down his tea cup and looked at Li Hao, a stern consideration in his eyes. He really was uncomfortable when the young man acted thus.

“I have seen my ancestor pierce through the firmament with one word!” Li Hao was unusually calm. “I have seen the Human King kill a celestial emperor! I have seen emperors march on the heavens! I have seen much, and all that I have seen should be much more and greater than what the director has!

“I have seen the cosmos shatter, universes shatter, and too much apart from that! The enemies were too strong and the Human King was caught in the fervor of battle. He killed everyone who did not bow their heads! Director Yao, you tell me if I’ve seen enough of the world!”

Yao Si’s expression changed slightly and he looked at the young man. A long while later, he slowly said, “I hadn’t thought that you’d seen all that... but how are you still so arrogant after having seen all that? What are you thinking of, Li Hao?”

“I think that all things have a beginning and since no one is willing to be that beginning, I will be! If you are unwilling, Yao Si, then I will step forward. Why can I not?”

“Do you think you can ignore all threats, danger, and all else just because you have seen much of the world?” Yao Si said coldly.

“No, I have seen much and my strength measures up to my knowledge. Apart from those who cannot emerge, who in this world can rival me?”

“Such arrogance!” Yao Si shouted. “Do you know how strong the old minister of Administration is? Do you know how strong the Skystar King is? Do you know how strong Ying Hongyue is?! You know nothing, yet you purport yourself to be invincible!”

Who in the world dared say they were invincible?? Not even Ying Hongyue! You’ve had too much to drink, Li Hao, to claim yourself as invincible!

Li Hao laughed and waved a mirror fragment into existence. It shrouded the surroundings and enveloped the director.

Yao Si’s heart skipped a beat in alarm, but he didn’t make a move. He simply stared down Li Hao. “What do you want? Are you going to use might to force me to abdicate? You think too much! Li Hao, I’ll show you what it means to be a true, premier martial master even if I have to break my supernatural locks!”

“Since the director is unwilling to accept what I’m saying, then I will use my fist to persuade you. Nothing is more convincing than the fist. Your group of martial masters always thinks so little of the heroes in the world!” Li Hao sneered. Wind and thunder gathered in his left hand, while the water and fire characters manifested in his right. Under Yao Si’s astonished eyes, four supernatural abilities instantly became one.

Sword intent manifested! The Lifeless Sword! Stellaris swung forth and slashed through the air. All four attributes exploded at the same time, BAM!

Yao Si waved a fist in response, shock on his face!

BOOM!

A massive collision rang out, sending Yao Si flying backwards and vomiting blood. He felt his throat—there was a blood mark there that seeped blood. Fire, water, wind, and thunder exploded in his body, badly damaging his organs.

“Pfft!” He coughed out another mouthful of blood and stared at Li Hao. He’d crashed through the wall of his office, violently wobbling the mirror fragment that could withstand the impact from a metamorphosis.

Yao Si didn’t mind; he simply stared incredulously at Li Hao. After a while, in which he wouldn’t stop vomiting blood, he said with difficulty, “Four... elements! Why... didn’t... I sense... any ripples... from water and fire...”

He coughed again and spat out blood mixed with pieces of his organs.

“Why must there be any ripples?” Li Hao casually directed some sword energy into Yao Si’s body.

“And... you... can still use sword intent...” Yao Si stared at the young man, a mad look filling his eyes. “Why??”

“Why?” Li Hao laughed. “Mysterious power is born from the supernatural locks and the locks themselves are of our personal strength. Why can I not use my own strength and deploy sword intent? Who says that supernaturals must be weaker? Who says that mysterious power must be an outside force? Who says that I, Li Hao, cannot take in mysterious power and convert it to my own use? The New Martial era could create a new path of martial dao. Why cannot I do the same?”

“......” Yao Si fell silent and struggled up with difficulty. He coughed a few times and looked at Li Hao. He didn’t know what to say in this moment. He hadn’t unsealed himself just now, but he possessed the strength of an Arcanus. And yet, he’d almost died to a single stroke from the young man. No, he would be dead if Li Hao hadn’t shown mercy!

Thus, Yao Si knew that even if he fully unsealed himself or broke the supernatural locks, he still might not withstand Li Hao. The young man was an Arcanus of four elements!

Yao Si laughed ruefully. When Li Hao asked who could rival him in this world, he’d said that many people could. That even he could when he unsealed himself. Li Hao had hit him upside the head and shown that martial strength wasn’t the one and only. What stunned Yao Si even more so was that Li Hao had set foot on another path. He’d inducted mysterious power into his body!

He might be the only person to do so in this world who could do so. Yao Si couldn’t believe it and didn’t believe it.

“Did... your teacher guide you to this?”

“No, teacher doesn’t know about it. Of course, teacher provided a lot of principles for me to consider, as did Battle Heaven, and a lot of other people. I just followed my thoughts in experimenting and the results prove that my tries were very successful!” Li Hao looked at the old man. “Director Yao, have I been crippled? It’s only been three years since I started training in martial dao. If I’m strictly counting the time that I’ve been a martial master, it’s only been four months! Do I, Li Hao, have the right to stand with the likes of Ying Hongyue?”

Yao Si remained silent. Did he? Of course he did! Being able to bring mysterious power into his body and retract his elements without giving off a single ripple made Li Hao an incredible figure, to say nothing of anything else. What a terrifying fellow, an invincible genius!

None of the old antiques were willing to venture into the world, so who in the lands these days commanded four elements? The one of the Ministry of Administration? Or of Armed Forces? Or the Skystar King? How about Ying Hongyue?

No matter who, while Li Hao could not be definitively hailed as invincible beneath the heavens, there weren’t many modern superhumans who could rival him. He had the right to be this arrogant! Someone with strength and potential was called confident, not arrogant.

Yao Si took a deep breath and said slowly after a long moment, “You’re the only one who can do so. Or rather, I should ask, is this a viable path?”

“It looks to be, but I’ve only just seen the signs and don’t recommend that you immediately imitate me. Even I don’t know what the future looks like, but at the very least, I’ve taken a step!”

Indeed, you’ve taken a step. Yao Si smiled wryly. As a premier martial master, he could see too many things and suffered quite a few mental blows as a result. Pure martial strength alone wouldn’t have convinced him, but a Li Hao who’d created a new path? Was this a new path?

He didn’t know—only a path accessible to all was a new dao. Otherwise, it was just an exception. His heart was in disarray from what he’d just seen.

“Director Yao, it will come true so long as you have the courage to!” Li Hao repeated. “I wish to lead the Night Watchers and ask for Director Yao’s support!”

“Promise me...” Yao Si sighed after a long moment. “That you will not lead them to their deaths if you do not possess full confidence.”

“I cannot! Full confidence is the stuff of legends. It all comes down to the fight and struggle to increase the odds of success. They do not exist at the moment of planning. Wanting to ensure a one hundred percent chance of success... is just to be an armchair theorist!”

Yao Si blinked.

“Director Yao should not speak of such unrealistic ideas,” Li Hao continued. “Not to mention, everyone knows that it’ll be a dangerous affair with me. I’m not forcing anyone to join me, they can do as they wish! They will be fighting for themselves, for their descendants, for their family, for their friends... is it just for me? If that is the case, then there’s nothing noteworthy about the Night Watchers!

“Or does Director Yao think that the title of Skystar King is worth something? It’s nothing in my eyes! It’s just that if no one wants to or can be it, then I am willing to put myself forward! Who else should do it, if not me?”

Who else should do it, if not me?

Yao Si shook, just listen to him! But his thoughts were vastly different now from what they were before. After some silence, he said slowly, “What... would you have me do?”

“The Night Watchers will join the Skystar Commander Office!” Li Hao intoned. “I’m going to establish another ministry, one known simply as the Skystar Commander Office. It’s going to be the tenth ministry! Director Yao will still be the director of the Night Watchers, it’s just that the Night Watchers will be a subordinate agency under the Skystar Commander Office!”

Yao Si looked wryly at the young man. “Are you not... afraid that I’ll leak your plans to others?”