With a smile on his face, Xia Fei returned to his work room. From inside his ice coffin, Lionheart King Oro curiously looked at him. Xia Fei had no need to keep Oro within the ring while they were in the Hidden Realm. The robots were very obedient. As long as Xia Fei told them not to enter his work room, they would not go in.
“What are you so happy about?” Oro asked.
“I’m happy because Avril is happy. Her voice is so beautiful that even the robots are entranced by it. From this, you can see that music would never differentiate between allegiance or species—that it is a common language shared by all sapient lifeforms.
“I’m thinking that if I could listen to heavenly music every day after getting off work, my life would be living the life of a god,” Xia Fei smiled and said. His mind was still on Avril’s beautiful singing. That melodious sound was like a clear river in the middle of nature that lingered on, bringing his mind above the clouds.
Oro pursed lips. “Mad. Definitely mad! Using the most lethal soundwave ability to sing! Avril’s talent is the highest-ranking sound ability, Vacant Spirit! I really don’t know what you’re thinking, wasting such a good talent and even smiling about it.
“That’s Vacant Spirit! A weapon granted by the heavens, the sound ability with the most penetrating power and the largest attack range! Vacant Spirit is the most profound and mysterious of the sound abilities, too, its gorgeous sound intoxicating. Not only can it deal sonic attack, it can also make the opponent see illusions! It kills without leaving a trace, much more beautifully and more skillfully than your speed ability and psychokinesis!” Oro angrily said.
Abilities had always been double-edged swords. The key was how they were used. Taking Xia Fei’s speed ability as an example; if used in a track-and-field competition, it would not hurt anyone, but when it was used with Crafty Approach, it would then be the deadliest weapon.
It was easy to see that abilities could develop in many different directions, and choosing different paths would produce completely varied results. Oro, who had discovered the potential of Avril’s ability, immediately told Xia Fei about it, but Xia Fei did not tell Avril this.
At present, only Xia Fei, Oro, and Phantom knew about the incredible offensive potential of Avril’s ability. She was being left completely in the dark, truly believing that her ability could only be used for singing.
Xia Fei frowned. “I don’t really want to see Avril fight.”
Oro chuckled. “In many cases, things will happen whether you want them to happen or not. Back at Snake Isle, did you want to get into trouble?”
“No.”
“Then it’s clear. Even if you don’t hope for Avril to confront danger, danger will inevitably find her, particularly an innocent child following a dangerous individual like you. One day, when you end up in trouble, you may end up dragging her in with you.
“It’s not too much to have the ability to protect oneself, and a brain region that is 81% open is enough to make her an excellent warrior. What’s so bad about a husband-wife duo? You can kill instantly, and Avril can act as your support. I really don’t get it. Is your brain just paste?” Oro chattered, firmly believing in the reasonability of his argument.
Xia Fei smiled. “Killing is a cruel business that requires a heart of steel. Forget it. I’ll think about it. Let’s finish drafting the cultivation method for the Law of Life.”
Oro felt helpless. It was clear that Xia Fei was very protective of Avril, and it was this protective nature that caused him to hide things from her.
In truth, Xia Fei’s thinking was very normal. No man wanted their woman to get involved in blood and gore, but Oro was a Lionheart. The Lionhearts regarded strength above everything else, and all of its people, men or women, young or old, pursued that. Music, art, tea? The Lionheart Race cared not for such elegant things.
The busy work continued. Everyone knew that the Law of Life could massively increase a person’s lifespan, even up to immortality. Xia Fei and Oro had already been busy in the room for two days, designing a suitable cultivation method for Avril.
Avril’s seventh brain region had only recently opened, so she had no strong foundation to speak of. Xia Fei and Oro were grappling with how to explain a complicated subject in simple terms so that Avril could cultivate the Law of Life.
Xia Fei possessed decent cultivation, and if things went well, he could reach a lifespan of more than five hundred years without a problem, and as his rank increased, he could even go beyond five hundred.
What about Avril’s lifespan? One hundred? Two hundred?!
The two of them shared a deep affection, and if they wish to live a long life together, the gap between Avril and Xia Fei needed to be minimized. Therefore, the Law of Life became the number one choice. Thus, when Xia Fei learned that Oro knew the Law of Life, which could increase one’s lifespan, he began to think about opening Avril’s seventh brain region. This was so she could cultivate the Law of Life.
However, Avril was a beginner, so Xia Fei and Oro racked their brains to draft a good cultivation plan for her.
Although Oro was currently serving Xia Fei, he was nonchalant when it came to Xia Fei’s plans for Avril. He felt like this was an incredible waste of talent, and this was not even talking about her outstanding ability, which was on par with top-class abilities like the defense, lightning, and sensory type abilities. Not using it was truly a pity.
“Are you sure that this will work out?” Xia Fei asked.
Oro nodded. “Relax. Think about who I am! Give this method to Avril and everything will go smoothly. This method is too simple, though. Given your decent foundation, it’s not a good fit for you.”
Xia Fei replied, “I won’t cultivate the Law of Life.”
“What? You’re looking down on the hallowed Law of Life from the Demon Race?!” Oro asked in frustration.
Xia Fei shook his head and countered, “Did you become an immortal expert because you cultivated the Law of Life?”
Oro snorted. “Hmph! I relied on my own cultivation to reach the immortal level. It was all real skill!”
Xia Fei chuckled. “I’ve thought about it. While the Law of Life is good, it can easily make one lazy. Even if I want to become immortal, I must do it like you did, achieving it through cultivation and through my own efforts. Hence, I won’t learn the Law of Life.”
Oro was startled. Xia Fei spoke in a very firm tone. It was evident that he had made up his mind to reach immortality through his own strength.
It was admirable courage; it was rare to see such a firm attitude of being able to resist temptation. With a gain came a loss. The Law of Life was a shortcut that took one past difficult barriers, but while the path was flat and smooth, it also missed out on some beautiful vistas and the enlightenment that came from overcoming challenges.
Xia Fei had chosen for himself the narrow and winding road. While it was difficult, no other path could compare when it came to its sights and experiences.
It might seem like an incredibly stupid decision, but it was actually the smartest!
Warriors could only mature by constantly challenging themselves.
Xia Fei once more reviewed the cultivation plan installed into the microcomputer, and then he excitedly left the room.
Oro watched him leave, a strange smile on his lips. “Xia Fei, you and Avril will one day thank me for this method.
“Sheesh! What’s going on with me lately? It seems that I’ve become the kind-hearted sort, but that couldn’t be. I’m a big demon lord. How could I be showing concern about others?” Some time after Xia Fei left, Oro muttered this to himself.
…
Cultivation was an entirely new experience to Avril. She asked no questions about the cultivation method Xia Fei had given her, for she trusted him, believing that even if the entire world abandoned her, he would not.
Love made people blind, resulting in the saying about how love made a woman’s IQ trend to zero. Fortunately, Avril loved Xia Fei, and reality had proven that her choice of Xia Fei was the wisest decision she had ever made.
Life in the Metal City was dull, and though the robots thought of every way to make Xia Fei and Avril feel like they were home, there was still a significant difference between here and the bustling Panhuman Alliance. After all, this was a society of workaholics, and entertainment was very lacking.
Every day, Xia Fei and Avril would go to the cultivation chamber. Avril had been limited to four hours of cultivation. Rushing to make progress was taboo for a beginner, and gradually making progress was the correct path.
Meanwhile, the madman Xia Fei stayed in the cultivation chamber for a whole sixteen hours, and this was in a situation where he had to keep Avril company. Otherwise, it would have been child’s play for him to spend seven days and nights cultivating.
“Just a little more!” Phantom said some what vexingly. “The Law of Primal Chaos is the most helpful; you would’ve probably died ages ago without it. Put in some more strength! Breaking into level 3 of the Law of Primal Chaos will increase your power more than just a little bit!”
Xia Fei wiped the sweat off his face and sternly said, “The pattern won’t form. I’m only missing one percent, but this seemingly isn’t a problem of energy but rather of technique.”
“What’s wrong with the technique?” Phantom questioned.
Xia Fei shook his head. “It’s as if there’s an invisible wall that I can’t get past no matter what. Let me calm down and think about it first.”
Looking at the time, Xia Fei said, “It’s lunchtime. I’ll go and eat something with Avril in the meantime.”
In truth, with the energy of high-tier Origin Crystals, eating meals became an extraneous affair, but Avril and Xia Fei still had a habit of eating a little something and having a little love talk. Xia Fei could also use the time to understand how Avril was faring.
All sorts of delicacies had been served in the dining room. The Hidden Realm had planets hospitable to life, but as the robots did not need to eat, those pure organic ingredients had never been touched. It was only when Avril and Xia Fei arrived that these ingredients finally had a purpose, with the various green-colored dishes capable of making one drool with desire.
Lunch was a time of talk and laughter. Avril and Xia Fei were extremely intimate, and the attending Pod was happy to see this. To have the king of robots serve them, one could say that Xia Fei and Avril was being shown a lot of respect.
As they were chatting, Dimsky came in, looking very worried.
“Edgeless’ tracking module has been removed, so you can use it now,” Dimsky said as he stood next to Xia Fei, “but that other suit of armor of yours, Silver Desert, is not as fortunate. The damage to it is severe, and repair is impossible. I’m thinking about using this liquid metal to make something else.”
Xia Fei nodded. Edgeless was his greatest defense, and he was naturally happy to hear that it could be used again. As for the liquid war armor Silver Desert, Xia Fei had not held out much hope for it. Salvaging what they can to forge it into something else would be getting as much value out of it as possible.
“You’re worried about something?” Xia Fei asked with a smile.
Dimsky sighed. “There’s something that I don’t know if I should tell you.”
“Speak your mind.” Xia Fei’s answer was very simple.
“That exploration fleet led by Butcher sent another report. It concerns Eden…” Dimsky looked at Xia Fei solemnly.
