Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations
Standing at the edge of the crowd, Ming Hua couldn’t help but stare dazedly at Zhou Weiqing. It had been a few months since she had last seen him, and he seemed taller and more muscled. As compared to before, his face did not wear his customary smile, and his eyes seemed to hide a deep sorrow. He did not look that much different on the surface, but to a mature and ripe young woman in her prime, the current Zhou Weiqing definitely had much more attraction.
“Is everyone okay?” Zhou Weiqing put an arm around Kou Rui’s shoulder. Sensing the warmth and enthusiasm from his classmates, a faint smile appeared on Zhou Weiqing’s face. At least, his efforts had not gone to waste; even after leaving for several months, his classmates had not forgotten him.
Kou Rui laughed heartily and said: “Boss, we have never been better. Our Commoner Class One is unrivalled in the Academy, and even those higher level noble classes do not dare provoke us. We are a full team, an ensemble, and if anyone dares touch any one of us, we will all work together and retaliate as one. This is what you taught us, unity is strength!”
Yan Zhexi also squeezed his way to Zhou Weiqing, saying: “Leader, you are finally back. We have not let you down! Currently, out of all twenty nine of our students, besides you and sister in law, the twenty seven of us remaining, no matter Heavenly Jewel Master, Physical Jewel Master or Elemental Jewel Master, we have all broken through to the Two-Jeweled stage. Amongst that, eleven of us have at least one Consolidated Equipment, and three Elemental Jewel Masters have also Stored one Skill. The Consolidating Equipment Scrolls and money you left behind has not been fully used, I will pass you the remaining left.”
Zhou Weiqing fell silent for a moment, then said: “Alright, how about this, all of you return to the class to wait for me. I have only just returned, and I need to report to Principal Cai Cai first. After that, I need to speak to all of you.”
Kou Rui laughed and said: “Okay, no problem at all. We will return to the classroom to wait for you, even if they need to go to toilet, they’ll have to hold it in!”
Yan Zhexi shouted out loud: “Commoner Class One, everyone, turnabout, return to class!”
A united voice of agreement rang out, and under the leadership of Yan Zhexi and Kou Rui, the entire class returned back to their classroom. However, Zhou Weiqing could clearly see a glow, a fire, in each and every one of his classmates’ eyes.
They have not forgotten me indeed… alas… it’s a shame but I have to leave soon.
Zhou Weiqing sighed inwardly. He believed that if he had even just one more year with them, he could totally win these classmates of his over to the Heavenly Bow Empire, to become his loyal men, and with their help, it would not be difficult to build up the Heavenly Bow Empire into a force to be reckoned with.
Alas, everything had changed so quickly, so suddenly.
Discarding those random thoughts, Zhou Weiqing focused in front of him, spotting Ming Hua. She nodded towards him and said: “You’re back. I’ve heard all about it, this time you have really proven yourself in the Heavenly Jewel Tournament.”
Zhou Weiqing smiled passively and said: “We’ll speak later, I need to go speak to the Principal first.” As he said that, he pulled Dou Dou along towards the stairway.
Watching his retreating figure, only then did Ming Hua react. What, I’m the teacher, but his tone is like ordering a maid around. This little fellow is even more arrogant than before!
…
Reaching Cai Cai’s office, Zhou Weiqing knocked on the door and waited. Soon, her voice rang out again, that noble yet slightly lazy sounding voice, comforting to the ears but seemingly always causing others to look up to her. “Come in.”
Zhou Weiqing opened the door and walked in along with Dou Dou.
Cai Cai was currently sitting behind her large office table, reading something, her brows furrowed slightly as if she were pondering hard about something. She was still as beautiful as she had been the last time he saw her, the noble regal beauty as if the mundane world could never touch her.
“What is it?” Cai Cai did not even look up as she asked.
“Principal Cai Cai, I am back.” Zhou Weiqing said solemnly.
“En?” Only then did Cai Cai look up subconsciously. When she saw Zhou Weiqing in front of her, a surprised but happy look crossed her face. “You’re finally back. Don’t you know that these few days, the entire Royal Family of the Fei Li Empire has been shaken by news from you?” A complicated look appeared on her face.
“Shaken because of me?” Zhou Weiqing started a little before asking curiously. “Why so?”
Cai Cai heaved a loud sigh, walking out from behind her desk. Pointing to the couch at the side, she motioned for Zhou Weiqing to sit down.
Standing beside Zhou Weiqing, Dou Dou had been staring transfixed at Cai Cai. When she walked to the front, Dou Dou immediately exclaimed in praise: “Big sister, you are so beautiful!”
Cai Cai couldn’t help but laugh in spite of herself: “Big sister? Weiqing, you still haven’t made introductions, this is?”
Zhou Weiqing said: “This is my friend Dou Dou, she came back with me this time. Principal Cai Cai, how is the situation in the Heavenly Bow Empire?” He could not help but to question her directly about the question that had been plaguing him the most, not even bothering about the other pleasantries.
After asking that question, Zhou Weiqing’s heart was trembling as he stood still. Originally, when Shangguan Xue’er had told him the terrible news, she had mentioned that the Heavenly Bow Empire was being surrounded and invaded, but not what happened after that for sure. Now that so many days had passed, whatever had happened would have already happened. No matter the guesses and expectations of what had already happened, but he would still maintain hope in his heart before everything was confirmed.
Cai Cai looked at Zhou Weiqing, but remained silent. Seeing her eyes, Zhou Weiqing’s heart sank to the depths. He knew that what he feared worst had likely happened.
Cai Cai sighed and said: “Originally, your father and the Heavenly Bow Empire Emperor had a chance to escape. They could have easily broken through the encirclement at the first chance before the Kalise Empire could fully surround them. However, they did not choose to do so, instead standing to fight to the end in the Heavenly Bow City.”
Zhou Weiqing felt as if he was blacking out, and he sat down heavily on the couch, his teeth chattering and his fists clenched hard.
Cai Cai said: “Weiqing, wait, hear me out first. Things are not at the worst possible yet.”
“En?” Hearing her words, Zhou Weiqing immediately opened his eyes wide.
Cai Cai said: “The Heavenly Bow City has already been captured, and the Heavenly Bow Empire destroyed. However, your father and the Heavenly Bow Empire Emperor are both still alive, at least for now.”
“Is what you said really true? Have they been imprisoned?” Zhou Weiqing was delighted, his eyes gleaming as he exclaimed loudly.
Cai Cai shook her head and said: “No, they are not imprisoned. With your father’s stubborn character, you know he would rather break than bend; how could he possibly be taken prisoner? At that time, when the Palace was about to fall, your father used all his power to unleash his most powerful Skill yet, something he had never used before – the Darkness Self Sacrificial Skill. Perhaps the stress and pressure he was facing was just too huge, and in that instance, Admiral Zhou actually broke through the nine-Jeweled stage, allowing him to use that final, most powerful skill of the Darkness Self Sacrificial Skills, the Darkness Consolidated Fate Denying Seal.”
Darkness Consolidated Fate Denying Seal?! Zhou Weiqing’s heart was filled with questions, as he had never ever heard of such a skill.
Cai Cai explained: “The Darkness Consolidated Fate Denying Seal is the highest grade seal amongst all the Darkness Self Sacrificial Skills. Even if a Heavenly King Stage powerhouse unleashes it, they may not succeed. With your father’s cultivation level, the success rate of it was actually less than twenty percent; perhaps the heaven’s had smiled down upon him at that moment, or perhaps your father’s sheer tenacity and determination then had pulled him through and he had actually succeeded.”
With the Darkness Consolidated Fate Denying Seal, your father actually formed an Absolute Seal around the entire Heavenly Bow City Palace, and a hundred metre radius around it. That Seal has an Absolute effect, and in that entire area, everything is Consolidated and frozen, including time, space and even life. It will last for a whole ten years.”
“Once this Seal has been unleashed, there is only two ways to break through it. The first, is to use at least ten times the power used for Sealing, in order to forcibly destroy it. In doing so, everything within the Seal will be destroyed, disintegrated into nothingness. The second would be to wait. In ten years, the Seal will be automatically cancelled, and all life forms within the Seal will be in a feeble, weakened state. In order to restore their life force, one would require the Divine Attribute’s restorative capabilities. That is to say, your father has made use of that Skill to stall for time, to leave a last hope and dignity for the Heavenly Bow Empire. I can only say that I have the utmost respect for your father indeed.”
Hearing Cai Cai’s words, a spark of hope was once again ignited within Zhou Weiqing’s heart. This time, it was a fiery blaze as he finally saw a possibility. At least, his father and godfather had not yet perished, and if father was there, it was highly likely that his mother was as well. No matter what, they were still alive, and his father had even managed to give him ten years of time to work with.
Ten years… ten years… It sounded long, but to Zhou Weiqing, it was just too short. In that ten years, he had to come up with enough strength and power to counter invade the Heavenly Bow City, occupy it. At the same time, he would also have to find a Heavenly Jewel Master with the Divine Attribute to help him, to save his father, godfather and others trapped within.
“Principal Cai Cai, will there be anyone from the Bai Da Empire who can destroy the Seal forcibly?” Zhou Weiqing asked worriedly.
Cai Cai shook her head and said: “No, your father had already broken through the nine Jeweled stage before unleashing the Seal. In order to have ten times more power than him, it will at least require a Top Level Heavenly King Stage powerhouse, or even a Heavenly Emperor Stage powerhouses. Furthermore, when destroying such a Seal, the backlash from it is extremely powerful. The Bai Da Empire does not have a powerhouse like that, and even if they did, it would be highly unlikely that they would do so and risk severe injury to themselves. To the Bai Da Empire, just a mere hundred metre radius of a city block around the Palace is nothing, since they already have control of the rest of the Heavenly Bow Empire. Furthermore, they just need to wait ten years, and they can easily kill off your father and the rest. Why would they bother to find a powerhouse to take such a risk?”
Hearing her words, Zhou Weiqing heaved a sigh of relief. Looking at Cai Cai, his eyes sparkled with hope once more, and he said gratefully: “Thank you Principal Cai Cai, this is the best news I have heard in the last few days.”
Cai Cai shook her head and said: “You do not need to thank me, I’m afraid that you will hate me in a while. I’m really sorry Weiqing, although I am the Princess of the Fei Li Empire, I was not able to help you.”
