Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

  Chang’an Base City was the only large and primary base city in the northeast. Its status was akin to a provincial capital 30 years ago.

  Its massive population came with many powerful fighters and different forces. There were countless geniuses born here every year.

  “Many forces have gone to great lengths to get this one place by either buying it directly or secure it through personal connections.”

  Jing Biao spoke slowly. “Many people, high up in the company management and originated from Chang’an Base City, used their personal connections just to get this one place.”

  “So intense a competition?”

  Ling Jiu was discouraged. “My chance would be slim if that is the case.”

  “You will have little hope if you are just an ordinary genius. I am here in Lantian Base City is just a formality. But things would be different if you are a super genius.”

  Jing Biao let out a smile. “The purpose for the company to organize the Super Training Camp is to build a network of talents and train top fighters for the company. So if you are strong and terrific enough, you would emerge a victor.”

  “What should I do, sir?” Ling Jiu quickly asked.

  “After a round of selection process, there are four contenders for the last place. Five if including you.”

  Jing Biao grinned. “The other four contenders have the support of four major forces behind them. You are at a disadvantage in this respect. The only way to win is to defeat them!”

  “Defeat them?”

  Ling Jiu was startled.

  “Yup! Defeat them! Only by defeating them could you prove yourself that you are more talented than they are and could secure the place for yourself.”

  Jing Biao guffawed. “And that will depend on whether you are gutsy enough.”

  “I would like to give it a shot, sir!” Ling Jiu nodded.

  “Very well!”

  Jing Biao let out a smile as he patted Ling Jiu on the back. “Get ready. I will arrange for a sparring session as soon as possible.”

  “Yes, sir!” ……

  For the following period, Ling Jiu stayed back home to practice his cultivation.

  He was still not confident enough despite having the ability to defeat a Level-5 arcanist. After all, he was still a Level-4 arcanist.

  \r \r \r

  “It would be nice if I could ascend to Level-Five before going to Chang’an Base City.”

  With this thought in mind, Ling Jiu browsed the mall as he wanted to find a treasure of heaven and earth like the Snowdragon Bile to enhance his strength.

  But he was disappointed.

  Effective treasures of heaven and earth were too expensive; he had got not enough contribution points.

  Those treasures of heaven and earth that he could afford were basically useless.

  He shook the thought from his mind and focused on practicing his cultivation.

  A week had passed quickly.

  Today, Ling Jiu got a call from Luo Jia.

  “Ling Jiu, Mr. Jing has made arrangement. He asked you to pack up and follow him to Chang’an Base City tomorrow morning.”

  “Understood, Miss Luo!” ……

  The next morning, after saying his goodbye to his family, Ling Jiu hopped on to Jing Biao’s maglev airship and headed toward Chang’an Base City.

  “Ling Jiu.”

  Jing Biao smiled at him. “We will arrive in Chang’an Base City in half an hour. Before we get there, I need to tell you about the other four contenders.”

  “Thank you, sir!”

  Ling Jiu was grateful.

  “These four guys are not just any contenders. Three of them are from Chang’an Base City’s three major forces, namely Yang Group, Ai Family, and Chang’an Military District.”

  Jing Biao smiled. “The Yang family has spent 50 billion dollars to buy a place. But of course, that young chap from the Yang family is talented in his own right.

  “And I don’t have to tell you how powerful the Ai family and Chang’an Military District are. The last contender is the toughest; he is the child of the company’s vice president.”

  Ling Jiu instantly frowned.

  The power structure of Pangu Arcana Combine was like other arcana establishments, and the person at the helm of the company was its founder, Emperor Might.

  Emperor Might was Pangu’s director and president, who had the ultimate say in the company. His words could never be disputed.

  Under Emperor Might were four vice presidents.

  And under the vice presidents were departmental managers and base city managers.

  Judging from this power structure, the vice presidents wielded immense power in Pangu Arcana Combine.

  “Let us start with the guy from the Yang family.”

  Jing Biao continued. “His name is Yang Tian, a Level-Four arcanist, specializing in Mighty Mammoth Form, which is one of the nastiest Direbeasts.

  “After attaining Mighty Mammoth Form, Yang Tian has gained a tremendous increase in strength and defense ability. He could increase his strength one-hundredfold. His strength is terrific.”

  “Mighty Mammoth Form! One-hundredfold increase in strength!”

  There was an interesting look in Ling Jiu’s eyes as he found that this ability was like his Tungsten Form.

  “Ai Shangcheng from the Ai family is a Level-Four arcanist, whose main specialties are Fire and Wind Manipulations. He could manipulate a special kind of fire: Undying Skyfire, the temperature of which can be as high as five-thousand degree Celsius, extremely lethal!”

  “Five-thousand-degree Celsius?”

  Ling Jiu almost felt breathless at hearing that, considering the surface temperature of the sun was only 6,000ºC.

  “Chu Ding, from the military district, is a Level-Four arcanist with Vajra Wolfclaw and Sonic-speed Arcana. His Wolfclaw is tough and sharp, and he can move as fast as sonic speed.”

  “The last one was Chang Jiandong, a Level-Five arcanist, whose arcana are Gigantization Arcana and Hundredfold Gene Arcana. He could turn into a ten-meter-tall giant, increase his strength and defense ability tenfold and his Gene Arcana in his body a hundredfold.”

  “A hundredfold increase in Gene Arcana is also considered an arcana?” Ling Jiu was puzzled.

  “Of course.”

  Jing Biao nodded. “Chang Jiandong’s physique is different from normal people in that his Gene Arcana is a hundred times that of normal people. Just like in comics, the unusually high amount of chakra is also an arcana.”

  “All right.”

  Ling Jiu had gotten the picture.

  The Gene Arcana is the MP of an arcanist. The stronger the Gene Arcana was, the more tenacious an arcanist would be in combat.

  Strong was not the word for a hundredfold increase in Gene Arcana.

  “Not half bad at all for an ability. It would be terrific if I replicate this ability!”

  He now realized he already had five types of arcana.

  Putting the life-saving Shadowform arcana aside, his Earth and Gravity Manipulations, Teleportation and Tungsten Form were superb, especially terrific when they were used in combos.

  The only downside was that they consumed too much Gene Arcana. If he could replicate Chang Jiandong’s Hundredfold Gene Arcana, it would be a perfect complement to the shortcoming of his existing arcana.

  “Too bad that there is another month to go before I can perform another replication.” Ling Jiu sighed.

  As Ling Jiu was silent, Jing Biao thought he was stunned. “Feeling the pressure, eh?” he laughed.

  “A little. But that won’t deter me!” Ling Jiu let out a confident smile. “I am confident of crushing them!”

  “Very well!”

  Jing Biao looked impressed. “That’s how a young man should be—spirited and confident! I am looking forward to it, Ling Jiu!”

  “I won’t let you down.”


  Chapter 73: Arriving in Chang’an, Bumping into Acquaintances

  Half an hour had passed, and the airship arrived in the air above Chang’an Base City.

  Outside the window, was a bird’s-eye view of a massive city in a great land—Chang’an Base City. In contrast, Lantian Base City looked like a backward village.

  Looking down from above, there were skyscrapers, and streets and shops that were filled with people. There were also aircraft flying around.

  Aircraft was a rare sight in Lantian Base City. But here in Chang’an Base City, maglev motorcycles and cars were common.

  They were as common as private cars, shuttling around on the air above the base city.

  “There are fifty to sixty thousand arcanists living in Chang’an Base City, besides the many wealthy people. So aircraft is a common sight. Flying in the city doesn’t require stealthy mode to be turned on, which is slightly different from the situation in Lantian Base City.”

  As they spoke, the airship had come above a 30-story building, which was the branch of Pangu Arcana Combine in Chang’an Base City.

  “Here we are!”

  The two alighted and came unhindered to the general manager’s office, where they met up with Ai Tianfan, the general manager of Pangu Chang’an.

  “Oh, you two are here, Jing Biao!”

  Ai Tianfan showed up and welcomed them with a smile.

  “Just arrived.”

  Jing Biao pointed at Ling Jiu. “This is the kid I have brought from Lantian Base City.”

  Ai Tianfan looked at Ling Jiu and held out his hand. “I have heard about you long ago, kid. Good to see you.”

  “What a pleasure, Mr. Ai.”

  Ling Jiu held out his hand.

  “What a fine young man!”

  Ai Tianfan patted Ling Jiu on his shoulder, then sat Jing Biao and Ling Jiu down. “I have arranged a spar as per your request, Jing Biao. I can call them over and start the spar any time.”

  “Then let us make it this afternoon.”

  Jing Biao glanced at Ling Jiu. “I think he needs a good rest after the journey. Let him have something to eat and replenish his energy before the match.”

  “You really look after this kid, eh, Jing Biao!” Ai Tianfan bantered.

  “We have a rare thoroughbred from Lantian. It will only be proper for me to take good care of him. Besides, it is also my duty to select the right elites for the Super Training Camp.”

  Jing Biao looked at Ling Jiu. “It is your free time until three in the afternoon when you have to come back to the company.”

  “Yes, sir.”
……

  \r \r \r

  Being fresh off the boat, Ling Jiu looked forward to exploring Chang’an Base City. After all, this was the ancient capital city of thirteen dynasties, rich with cultural and historical significance. Besides, it was also the only large base city in the northeast.

  It was a must-visit place.

  “Maybe I should get something to eat first.”

  Ling Jiu took out his mobile phone and searched for food places. Just then, two girls emerged from the company building.

  They were a perfect ten. The only fly in the ointment was that one of the girls was wheelchair bound.

  Ling Jiu could not help but take a second glance at seeing the desirable girls. He found that one of them looked rather familiar.

  “Missy?”

  Ling Jiu could not help but call out.

  The pretty girl pushing the wheelchair suddenly stopped in her tracks. When she spun around and saw Ling Jiu, she appeared startled. “It is you, Ling Jiu!”

  “Yeah. I didn’t expect to see you here!” Ling Jiu chortled. “I guess someone up there really wants us to see each other!”

  “Indeed!”

  Ai Yuhe reached to draw her hair to the back of her ear and smiled. “Are you here in Chang’an Base City for work or pleasure?”

  “For the Super Training Camp selection.”

  Ling Jiu was forthright. “The selection will only start in the afternoon, and I am hungry now. Since you are a local, do you have any suggestions?”

  “Super Training Camp selection?”

  Ai Yuhe and the desirable girl in a wheelchair exchanged a look. They both saw the surprised expression in each other’s eyes. “You have asked the right person. I know exactly where to find good food in Chang’an.”

  “Tell me, what is your preference? Hotpot? Veggies? Seafood? French, Japanese, or local food?”

  Ai Yuhe was hospitable.

  “Local food!”

  Ling Jiu smiled. “Roujiamo[1], Paomo[2], Biangbiang noodles[3], Hele buckwheat noodles[4], or anything. I am not that particular with food.”

  “So these are your favorite, eh? Then you should go to the food street!”

  Ai Yuhe beamed. “Dapiyuan, West Yangshi, Dongxinjie Street, and Dachejia Alley are the famous food streets in Chang’an. The nearest would be Dapiyuan and West Yangshi.”

  “Then I will choose Dapiyuan. Thanks for the recommendation, Missy! I will go now.”

  “You are going alone?”

  Ai Yuhe’s eyes flashed.

  “It’s not like I have a choice.”

  Ling Jiu shrugged. “But I wonder if I have the honor of having lunch with you two pretty girls?”

  “Sure. I am very much free!”

  Ai Yuhe chortled. “But first, let me make a call!”

  She took out her phone and dialed. “I am sorry I can’t have lunch with you. I have met a very important client.”

  “Done.”

  Ai Yuhe hung up the phone and winked at Ling Jiu with a bright smile. “We are ready to go, young man!”

  “Did you not agree to lunch with that person? Is it okay for you to stand him up?” The desirable girl in a wheelchair said.

  “I never said that I would have lunch with him. It was my dad. He took things in his own hands and made the date for me!”

  Ai Yuhe blinked. “I couldn’t find an excuse to decline earlier. But now it is different.”

  Ling Jiu had almost embarrassed himself by thinking that she was interested in him.

  “Let’s get inside the car, ladies!”

  “You have got a maglev airship now, eh, parvenu!”

  Not long after, they arrived at Dapiyuan, found a place, and waited for food to be served. “This is my bestie, Yang Ling-er,” Ai Yuhe said.

  The girl in a wheelchair rolled her eyes at Ai Yuhe. “You have finally remembered me. I thought you had forgotten me already!”

  “Come on. I will not forget you even if I forget myself!”

  Ai Yuhe reached to pinch Yang Ling-er’s tender face, then pointed at Ling Jiu. “This is Ling Jiu from Lantian Base City. He might look young, but he is already a billionaire!”

  “Nice to meet you, Miss Yang!”

  “The same to you.”

  The three of them chatted away as they ate.

  Ling Jiu and Yang Ling-er talked little. It was Ai Yuhe who did much of the talking. She looked particularly happy today.

  “Did you mention you are taking part in the Super Training Camp selection, Ling Jiu?” Ai Yuhe asked.

  He nodded.

  “Have you learned about your opponents?”

  “I read their files. They are all awesome and seemingly with powerful backgrounds.”

  “So, are you confident of beating them?

  “I wouldn’t have been in Chang’an if I weren’t confident enough.”

  “I feel so much more at ease to be around you compared to the other guys. I hope you will get the place!”

  “Thank you.”

  “Yuhe!”

  Just then, a suppressed angry voice barged in. “Didn’t you tell me you were meeting a very important client? Don’t tell me that this pretty boy is that client of yours!”

  [1] Meat sandwiched in bread https://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-hamburgers-rou-jia-mo/

  [2] Hot stew of chopped-up steamed leavened flat bread, cooked in lamb

  Chapter 74: Being Made a Romantic Rival, Gigantization Arcana

  Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

  Ai Yuhe looked back and saw a strapping young man walking into the restaurant.

  “Didn’t you tell me you were meeting a very important client? Don’t tell me that this pretty boy is that client of yours!” The young man pointed at Ling Jiu, resentment filling his eyes.

  He felt he had been cheated.

  How could this pretty boy be a very important client?

  “He is that important client. What’s wrong with it?” Ai Yuhe furrowed her brows.

  “An important client? A pretty boy?”

  The young man sneered. “Yuhe, I have gone through a lot of trouble, even getting help from Mr. Ai, just to have lunch with you.”

  His eyes reddened. “But you stood me up for a pretty boy! Yuhe, what is your relationship with this pretty boy?”

  “Do I need your permission to have lunch with anyone at all, Chang Jiandong?”

  Ai Yuhe continued. “So are you done yet? Why do you have to act this way every time? Fine. Please leave immediately since you are not listening!”

  “Leave? I will. But before that, I want to know who this pretty boy is and why you stood me up because of him.”

  While speaking, he suddenly grabbed at Ling Jiu. “Follow me out there, you pretty boy!”

  The young man’s move was quick and brutal. Ling Jiu did not see it coming and was caught by his throat.

  The powerful grab lifted him and flung him out of the restaurant.

  Luckily, Ling Jiu could react agilely to this sudden occurrence. He did a somersault in midair, avoiding an embarrassing fall by landing on his two feet. Even then, he was furious.

  ‘I am here just to have lunch, yet someone sees me as his romantic rival!’

  ‘Are you stupid or something?’

  “Are you mad, Chang Jiandong?”

  Ai Yuhe got to her feet angrily.

  “Give me a moment, Yuhe. Let me deal with this pretty boy first!”

  After saying that, he darted out of the restaurant with fury in his eyes. “Don’t you know my rules, kid?”

  “Rules?”

  Ling Jiu had a stern look in his eyes.

  “The last time a pretty boy tried to chat up Yuhe, I broke his legs. The one who came before that last one became paralyzed after being hit by a truck!”

  \r \r \r

  Chang Jiandong smirked. “And you are even more awful. How dare you ruin my hard-fought chance! How do you like to die?”

  “I have no idea about what your rules are. But I know you must be an idiot!”

  Ling Jiu looked at Chang Jiandong, as if he was a retard. “A person like you wants to date a girl? Perish the thought! If I were Miss Ai, I will not consider you, even if all the men in the world have died. You are a retard, idiot!”

  “You must have a death wish!”

  Infuriated, Chang Jiandong stomped his foot on the ground, which cracked in an instant. Using a terrific bouncing force, he launched himself at Ling Jiu like a bolt of lightning.

  “Child’s play. You are wasting your time!”

  Ling Jiu sneered as he raised his right hand slowly. “Shinratensei!”

  Boom!

  A burst of horrible power sent Chang Jiandong flying backward.

  “Punk!”

  Chang Jiandong kipped up to his feet. The next moment, his body ballooned rapidly, and he turned into a ten-meter-tall giant in just a matter of a few breaths.

  His body was as tall as a three-story building with his knotted muscles looking like a wall of steel. Blue veins popped up on his forehead.

  Chang Jiandong looked like the Titan mentioned in the myth, exuding a terrifying, murderous aura. The coldness in his eyes was intimidating as if it could freeze everything over.

  “You have pissed me off, kid!”

  His voice was forceful like a great bell, carrying endless anger. “I will smash your bones and crush your skull to let you know the consequence of pissing me!”

  “Chang Jiandong!”

  Ai Yuhe had now lunged out in furious. “Are you done yet?”

  “Yuhe, this pretty boy is harassing you. I won’t let him off!” Chang Jiandong said coldly.

  “Whatever he does to me has nothing to do with you!”

  Ai Yuhe was extremely infuriated. “And let me tell you, I will not even consider you, even if all the men in the entire world have died! Don’t harass me again. Otherwise, we won’t be friends anymore.”

  “How could you treat me like this for the sake of this pretty boy, Yuhe?”

  What Ai Yuhe said came like a bolt from the blue. He looked at her in disbelief; she had never said such a thing to him last time. He was in great distress.

  Meanwhile, Ai Yuhe utterly went bananas at hearing what Chang Jiandong said. Can’t you understand how I treat you has nothing to do with Ling Jiu?

  But she had still underestimated how stubborn Chang Jiandong was. After a moment of daze, Chang Jiandong suddenly glared at Ling Jiu.

  “It is you! It is all because of you! You shameless pretty boy! Yuhe wouldn’t have treated me like this if not for you! I will kill you!”

  Ling Jiu had no word for it. How could anyone be so stupid?

  “Die!”

  Chang Jiandong roared as he flung a punch at Ling Jiu. Despite in Gigantization form, his movement did not slow down but become even faster.

  “Truly a retard!”

  “Shinratensei!” Ling Jiu waved.

  Boom!

  Chang Jiandong was flung again even though he was now a ten-meter-tall giant with a tenfold increase in his strength. He still had a glass jaw in front of Shinratensei.

  Ling Jiu could already suppress a 30-meter-tall Titan Tempest Ape with his Gravity Arcana, let alone a person like Chang Jiandong.

  “D*mn it!”

  The battle became meaningless. No matter how enraged Chang Jiandong was, he could not get near Ling Jiu.

  It became a lopsided battle, as Shinratensei had completely suppressed him.

  “Knock it off!”

  As Chang Jiandong lunged back after being sent flying again, Ai Yuhe made her move, freezing him on the spot.

  “Let’s end it here!”

  Ai Yuhe did not even bother to look at Chang Jiandong as she turned to Ling Jiu. “We will go to another place.”

  “Sure.”

  They paid and left the restaurant. It was not until they had gone a far distance could Chang Jiandong free himself. He fell to his knees and howled. “No! No! No……” ……

  “I am sorry for what happened just now!”

  Ai Yuhe forced a smile after switching to another restaurant. “I didn’t expect that this problem of mine would get you involved. I am sorry about that!”

  “It’s okay! I bet anyone would have gone mad in facing such an admirer.”

  Ling Jiu waved with a smile. “But I am surprised by how mad you could be. You terrified the hell out of me.”

  As Ai Yuhe blushed, Yang Ling-er quickly came to her rescue. “She has a soft temperament. Just that she was really pissed just now.”

  “I can see that.”

  Ling Jiu nodded in acknowledgment. “We lose our temper now and then.”

  “Let’s not talk about this anymore. It ruins the mood.”

  Ai Yuhe looked at Ling Jiu. “You are not half bad at all. I am surprised that you could have him in the palm of your hand. Don’t forget that he is one of your four greatest contenders!”

  “I just got lucky.”

  Ling Jiu let out a faint smile. “I wouldn’t be so confident if you were my opponent. Your Dimension Arcana is the best-in-class!”

  “It is all right.”

  The incident earlier had spoiled their mood. They no longer had the appetite. So after getting a quick bite, they went out for a walk.

  It was the time for Ling Jiu to return to the company. Ai Yuhe and Yang Ling-er knew what he was going to do, and were eager to tag along.

  So they were back to the company together.