Star Gate

Chapter 702: Gains and Reports (I)

It was only one day of conversation with these martial masters, yet Li Hao felt that he’d gained quite a bit. Although he was no longer a martial master, it didn’t matter. There were similarities when it came to great dao.

The young man thought that his master might not leave this time, but Yuan Shuo stood up as well.

“I’m going back to Silver Moon! You be careful here. I’m going to converse with those old antiques and possibly change the overall situation for you. I was too weak back in the day and didn’t dare go back. I am no longer weak, so I ought to look in on those existences!”

Li Hao’s eyes widened, but Yuan Shuo waved him off. “There’s no need to say too much. Just remember that you are my disciple, not someone else’s disciple. Remember what is primary and what is secondary, that is all!”

He left with a jaunty air and didn’t look back.

“Your master says that he knows where the rest of the Jadelight sword method is,” Jadelight chuckled and looked at the young man. “I feel quite regretful that I didn’t have time to exchange sword dao reflections with you over these past two days. But the days ahead are long. There will be chances to after my Jadelight sword technique improves!”

“Are you coming or not?” Yuan Shuo called out impatiently.

Jadelight smiled, vanishing as a streak of sword light. That left only a few people in the large room—Li Hao, Hong Yitang, Hou Xiaochen, Yu Luocha, and Light Sword.

“Golden Spear’s gone,” Yu Luocha suddenly said.

“What?”

Manager Yu raised the transmission pendant in her hand. “Golden Spear sent me a message saying that he’s leaving. He didn’t make his farewells to the Silver Moon Guards. He’s regretful that he didn’t participate in the battle, but also felt that he wouldn’t have been able to help much. He said he wants to take a look outside. He won’t come back if he cannot break his internal demons!

“The message concludes with his gratitude toward the director for helping him all those years ago. He also asks that Li Hao takes care of the Silver Moon Guards... and that is all he said.”

The group blinked. Golden Spear... was gone. They were surprised, but it also made sense.

Hou Xiaochen sank into deep thought and sighed softly after a while. “Leaving... is just as well! He should take a look at the rest of the world! It will indeed be hard for him to break the intent that I left behind in him. I didn’t mean to do so, but he is unable to set things aside. He thinks too much and is too upright. If it was He Yong... he wouldn’t think so much... Golden Spear always felt that he owed me something...”

Hou Xiaochen shook his head with some regret. If Golden Spear didn’t return after this parting, that meant he would never return. Or he might find a place to live out the rest of his days. The Three Spears of Silver Moon might become a footnote in history.

But if he could return, then he would be very different from before. That Golden Spear would be once more renowned throughout Silver Moon’s martial world and the head of the Three Spears. He would still be the fifth ranked among the Record, but looking at third place.

“I’ve decided to stay, how about you?” Hong Yitang looked at Light Sword. The woman had been with him all this time. “How about you go to Silver Moon? My wife’s asked a few times why you keep following me...”

Light Sword started, as did the others! They all looked at Hong Yitang.

“She really did ask me!”

“You think too highly of yourself, Hong Yitang!” Light Sword raged! What do you mean by this?!

Hong Yitang didn’t explain further. What he said was the truth, so stop following him! It was one thing when she was a man, and it would have been fine if she was as ugly as before. But now... at the very least, she looked like a middle-aged auntie!

Those not in the know might think that Hong Yitang had peculiar tastes!

“I’m not leaving,” Light Sword snorted. “I’m staying to help Li Hao and also to take care of my excess of light energy. When I reach a balance between my yin and yang, you won’t be good enough for my notice!”

“......” Li Hao ducked his head, deathly afraid that he would burst out laughing. But her words made him scratch his head. You want to follow me? Yu Luocha, Jadelight, Little Ye... are all very pretty. Even the women by Ying Hongyue’s side are good looking. Why does Auntie Light want to follow me?

Hou Xiaochen took Manager Yu with him, leaving with a grand flourish. He wouldn’t be involved in this matter any further, it had nothing to do with him. Besides, would Light Sword really be prettier after her yin and yang were balanced?

He didn’t think so!

Of course, he wouldn’t voice those thoughts out loud. That would be too antagonizing.

Hong Yitang didn’t mind after this. “I’m going to take a turn around the city, I leave Light Sword with you. If my daughter asks about it, you have to bear witness for me that there’s nothing between the two of us!”

He vanished as well.

Light Sword sneered and looked at Li Hao. “Li Hao, you have to believe me that once my yin and yang are balanced, neither Yu Luocha nor Black Spider will match up to me!”

Li Hao rapidly bobbed his head! Who would’ve thought that a group of aunties would jealously fight with each other? This was terrifying!

He started laughing after Light Sword stormed off and squeezed Panther’s cheeks. “Aren’t Silver Moon martial masters interesting, Panth?”

The dog nodded with resignation. It didn’t know whether or not they were interesting, but they could certainly absorb energy. The dog hadn’t siphoned off much sword energy over the past two days. It was best that they were gone!

The young man fell silent after laughing for a bit, wanting to consider his future.

......

The supernatural coexisting with martial dao was Li Hao’s current status. The discourse between the martial masters had given him some inspiration. All of this stemmed from problems with martial dao. He chose to stay in Skystar City not just for martial dao, but for other reasons as well, such as to cultivate the heart.

Martial masters train the heart was his most recent reflection. His aura would grow stronger if he followed his heart.

After running through some plans, Li Hao breathed out gently and outlined what he wanted to do next. He looked at Panther; the dog looked back at him.

“What are you still looking at me for?” Li Hao rolled his eyes. “The seniors are all gone. How are you so stubborn?”

The dog didn’t hand over the storage rings when everyone was here. It didn’t want the loot to be taken by another!

In actuality, only He Yong had the desire to split up the spoils. No one else was interested.

Panther barked incessantly, seeming to say that it was doing this for Li Hao’s own good. The young man had consumed no end of wealth over the past two days. He’d burned mysterious power stones like they were worthless. A short conversation of dao between martial masters had costed Li Hao hundreds of thousands of stones.

There were too many martial masters and all of them were powerhouses. The rate at which they absorbed energy was frightening.

However, the young man did not lack for money these days. He’d obtained quite a bit from the executions, but this occasion was different. All of the dead were heavyweights and quite a few of them were Arcanus. Li Hao was curious if these people had good treasures on them.

The dog spat up some storage rings—not that many, just approximately two dozen. However, they seemed much more high quality from a single glance.

Li Hao picked one up at random, not knowing whose it was. He sucked in a sharp breath when he sent his consciousness into it. Who’s was this?

It only contained a dozen mysterious power stones, but each of them felt bigger and stronger than the one Hong Yitang had taken out. If Hong Yitang’s was worth three thousand regular pieces, then one of these was worth ten thousand. Incomparably dense energy swayed within, moving like water currents.

Although they were the equivalent of several hundred thousand stones, mysterious power stones of the caliber weren't easily traded for. They were impossible to find on the market and could only come from ruins. It was only the most premier ruins that would contain them.

Powerhouses are certainly different!

There weren’t many mysterious power stones or other items apart from a small flask. Water of Life was almost standard issue for heavyweights of this level. There were ten drops inside. Li Hao truly wondered which poor soul had owned this storage ring that they’d died without using a single drop.

Further investigation revealed one more item that was very conspicuous among the general cultivation resources. He took it out for a closer look. It was a piece of amber that seemed to have a drop of something blood-red flowing inside it. It looked to be a phoenix or a roc bird...

“What is this?” Li Hao looked at it with confusion. Panther’s nose twitched and it merrily lifted its head upward at the young man. Li Hao looked down at it.

“Arf arf arf!” Panther barked urgently. It even drew a small gash on its body to make blood flow...

“Essence blood from a major monster spirit?” A thought struck Li Hao.

“Arf arf arf!” Panther hastily nodded. That’s right, this was blood from a major monster spirit! It didn’t know how it’d come about, or maybe it’d been traded for...

“Sky Roc Mountain or Phoenix Mountain...” Li Hao mused. Those two divine mountains were ruled by flight type monster spirits. There didn’t seem to be particularly strong monster spirits among those of the ground or water. It was the flying types that’d produced two major monster spirits. Was it the land and sea monster spirits keeping a low profile, or was there another reason behind this?

This drop of blood might belong to one of them.

Li Hao was well aware that the blood of monster spirits could strengthen the body. Yuan Shuo had bitten into Panther’s blood last time to extract some blood to fortify his organs.

“Do you want it?”

“Arf!” Panther nodded. Monster spirits hunting others of their kind was their nature since the ancient times. Monster spirit blood contained power that was much more nourishing to the dog than sword energy.

“Here you go!” Li Hao didn’t spend further time wondering who it belonged to. He tossed it to the dog, who swallowed it with one gulp. There were no names written on the storage rings, but judging from the items inside, it might’ve belonged to the North Sea King. Yet if that was the case, the pirate was too poor! He had some treasures, but it paled in comparison to the identity of the greatest pirate of the North Sea!

“Maybe... he traded his treasures for the opportunity to break through to Arcanus?” Li Hao guessed. This was most likely the story. In that case, then the new crop of Aracanus were likely to all be very poor. They would’ve had to pay a price for their newfound strength.

The possibility pained Li Hao. What a shame! Why else would the greatest pirate of the North Sea be so poor?