Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 440
Hum!
The seeming unattractive Ares Extension hummed in a sound resembling a bell being tolled. Ripples were spreading out on the surface of the magical equipment even though it was solid, each of which were a different color but equally brilliant.
As the ripples spread out, the damage of the balls of lightning were evenly dispersed to every part of the extension.
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
Next to the test platform, the hundreds of light beams floating in the air were displaying different figures.
The changes in the tens of thousands of numbers reflected the performance of the Ares Extension precisely.
The hums gradually died down. The energy of the ball lightnings was fully released, and they perished without a sound.
The surface of the bright grey Ares Extension, on the other hand, had purplish electric arcs popping up that looked like lightning that was raging in the cloud silently!
Hiu!
Pa!
BOOM! CRACK!
A moment later, the other powerful aggressive magical equipment had finished charging. Thunderbolts, lightning, flames, acid, frigid rains… Attacks of spiritual energy in various forms stormed upon the Ares Extension!
The figures on the monitoring light beam were continuously changing. Cracks began to appear on the Ares Extension. However, most of the attacks were absorbed by the Ares Extension as the ripples spread out!
Every attack dyed the Ares Extension with a new color. At first, it was only enshrouded in several electric arcs. Then, a few bouncing flames were added, followed by clusters of deep blue that represented freezing coldness.
When all the attacks came to a stop, the originally unattractive Ares Extension was enveloped in a colorful and dazzling mist and couldn't have looked more splendid!
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
On the light beam, countless figures jumped crazily and assembled into various equations, which then calculated thousands of results. A translucent 3D human model appeared on some ten light beams, too, while the system analyzed every organ in great details.
Finally, all the blinking figures jerked hard. One of the light beams flew out in front of everyone and enlarged itself. The eventual conclusion was demonstrated on it.
"According to the calculation of the crystal processor, in the saturated bombardment over the past thirty seconds, the Ares Extension absorbed 74% of the attacks perfectly. The virtual user inside the Ares Extension broke three ribs, with his liver slightly injured. The overall combat ability of the user has been lowered by 7%. He has suffered 'minor injuries', which will not affect any subsequent combat!
"More importantly, the special material—Super Bendable Steel—employed by the Unparalleled Extension can absorb most of the damage. The user can unleash all of it and return the attacks to where they come from with a telepathic thought!"
"We've made it!"
It had been half a year since the major setback of the explosion of the No.1 furnace.
Over the past half year, every refiner in the Ares Laboratory had been dedicated to the research day and night.
Several deep sleep capsules lay in a corner of the laboratory. When they were too tired, they would crawl into the deep sleep capsules and rest for an hour or two, before they got back to work crazily again.
The craziest researchers had not been away from the Ares Laboratory for months. Their skin was even paler than paper.
Right now, the seed on which everybody poured their sweat and blood finally produced fruit!
Even the most solemn scholars were waving their fists and crying in joy like teenagers who had just won a bet.
Every refiner was holding back their tears and hugging their working partners passionately.
Li Yao was embraced by quite a few refiners.
"Master Sand, we've made it!"
"Master Sand, you are indeed the bringer of good fortune of the Ares Laboratory. Without you, our plan would have been delayed for another two to three years!"
"Master Sand, the insane ideas that we came up with have all been realized. Hahahaha. All realized!"
"Your skills in forging are indeed marvelous. Are they secret arts from Iron Plateau? If you hadn't tempered the materials in person time and time again, we wouldn't have been able to develop sixteen different models of the Super Bendable Steel so quickly!"
Although many people in the outside world were still questioning Li Yao's aptitude in refining, the refiners in the Ares Laboratory knew the formidability of the 'idiotic magnate from Iron Plateau' after working together for six months.
However, since everybody was devoted to the research work, they'd never had the time or the energy to explain to everyone.
Xue Yuanxin nodded his head in approval, too. He complimented sincerely, "Master Sand, it's been a rough journey. You are unquestionably the second refiner for the Unparalleled Extension!
"With the Unparalleled Extension as well as the three models of Super Bendable Steel that you invented yourself, you will definitely rise to fame shortly in the circle of refiners!"
"You are too kind." In the warm ambience, Li Yao felt his eyes well up. He replied honestly, "Both the Super Bendable Steel and the Unparalleled Extension were developed by everybody together after arduous efforts day and night. The credit goes to the entire Ares Laboratory!"
Li Yao meant what he said.
Six months ago, he had never expected that he would encounter so many obstacles in the development of the Super Bendable Steel and the Unparalleled Extension.
Every refiner in the Ares Extension was a genius, a weirdo, and a maniac.
Amazing ideas were popping up in their heads every day.
"Will the stealth ability be increased after we join the extractant of Night Light Chrysanthemum into the Super Bendable Steel?"
"Can we combine the nine-star chain distribution of power rune arrays with the triangular distribution of power rune arrays? If we succeed, the maximum acceleration of the Unparalleled Extension will be improved by more than 3%."
Li Yao was exactly the same. His brain was like a volcano that was hurling out burning-hot notions and creative ideas unstoppably every day.
After joining such a team, Li Yao felt that he was fish that had swum into an ocean. They never let go of any seemingly impossible thoughts but would confirm or overthrow the hypotheses with countless experiments. They never stopped pursing the perfectness by revising their original plan unceasingly. When everything was impeccable, they would break apart the impeccable plan and start all over again.
In the end, Li Yao had forgotten how many times they had tried before they got sixteen kinds of 'Super Bendable Steel' with slightly different attributes and finally crafted the Unparalleled Extension that could return the enemy's attack back at them!
While everybody was thinking highly of him and considered him to be a genius refiner, he respected the refiners from the bottom of his heart, too.
Over the past half year, he had learned many things from everybody.
It was needless to mention Xue Yuanxin, who was a real skilled Armadominus as well as a creation-type Cultivator in the Nascent Soul Stage. By learning from him, Li Yao had grasped a lot of tricks in developing Ares Extensions and precious skills in the refinement of crystal suits.
Other refiners were all the experts of their field. Material science, structural mechanics, operational research…
Even the Building Foundation Stage Cultivators often had several amazing skills themselves. Li Yao had benefited a lot from them by learning from them modestly.
After working for half a year in the most professional refining team in the Flying Star Sector, he was able to combine everyone's theories before he conducted the final practical operations. His level of refining made yet another shocking breakthrough!
Not only did he make progress in his refining, he also improved his combat skills a lot.
There were many experts in the Combat Department, the Flying Sword Department, and the Battlesuit Department. They were mostly in the Core Formation Stage and were seasoned warriors. Their matches with Li Yao often ended with handshaking in peace, and they'd all learned valuable lessons from each other.
There were also several Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators who were like boundless oceans. The few tutorial battles alone in which he was an assistant were enough to make Li Yao feel that his trip to Flying Star University was definitely worth it.
After half a year of polishing and training, although he hadn't formed his core yet, Li Yao estimated that his maximum combat ability was at least double his ability half a year ago.
He was no longer scared of Fengyu Zhong, a real Core Formation Stage Cultivator, even if they were wearing the same crystal suits, because he was very confident in his combat skills in any crystal suit now.
Besides, the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit was being deeply modified in the 'No.2 Laboratory of the Glorious Sunlight Refining Center'.
Li Yao was looking forward to a second head-on clash with Fengyu Zhong after the modifications of the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit were complete!
"Master Xue, now that the Super Bendable Steel and the Unparalleled Extension have been successfully refined, please don't forget our deal from the beginning," said Li Yao with a smile.
"I won't. Definitely won't." Xue Yuanxin was in a quite good mood. He waved his hands and said, "The Glorious Sunlight Group has invested so much money in my program and accelerated my research significantly. Besides, we've signed a contract a long time ago. We will absolutely supply the Super Bendable Steel and the Unparalleled Extension for you in advance later!"
After pausing briefly, the old man rubbed his fists, his eyes shining with joy. "We will have to run a field test now, won't we?"
Chapter 656: Unparalleled Desperation! |
Ding Hao was startled when he stepped into the Swirling Stone Domain, a world fragment.
The Swirling Stone Domain was a super-large test field for magical equipment with a diameter of more than a hundred kilometers. The ground was riddled with holes that would jet high-pressure air currents every once in a while and blow up the rocks into sky, forming a tornado of stones. The environment was quite rough. Generally speaking, only the most important magical equipment would be tested there.
Ding Hao was a postgraduate of the Battlesuit Department in the middle level of the Building Foundation Stage. He was among the most distinguished postgraduates and could stay at school to instruct students if he wanted to.
He had signed a contract with the school and was a magical equipment tester.
Whenever a piece of new magical equipment was developed by the Refining Department, professionals such as himself would be asked to run tests on them.
After he got the job, Ding Hao had tested about fifty kinds of magical equipment, some of which were large and some small, but he had never seen so many spectators before.
In the auditorium around the test field, which was covered by a translucent defense rune array, not only were the experts and professors of the Refining Department seated, there were also many teachers from the Battlesuit Department, the Flying Sword Department, and the Combat Department. Everybody was whispering to each other in high spirits.
Ding Hao even spotted the dean of the Battlesuit Department, who was chitchatting with a dry, short old man that had a disproportional head.
If his eyes were not deceiving him, it was Xue Yuanxin, one of the most respected refiners in the world!
It appears that the magical equipment to be tested today will be extraordinary.
Ding Hao's heart was beating fast. He raised his head and found that six Exos were already standing in the middle of the test field in full crystal suits. They were doing last-minute checks with the help of assistants.
Ding Hao's pupils shrank violently.
He knew all the six Exos. They were top experts of the Combat Department, the Flying Sword Department, and the Battlesuit Department and also some of the magical equipment testers who were on par with him, if not better!
While he was baffled, they were looking at him, too. Somebody even exclaimed.
At first, Ding Hao thought that they were surprised to see him. But soon, he sensed an invisible mountain behind him that was moving close and making him barely able to breathe.
Turning around, Ding Hao was greatly shocked.
Master You Wenjun!
A tall, handsome man with starry eyes brushed past him. The invisible aura around the newcomer forced him to step back uncontrollably. It was not until he walked ten meters away that Ding Hao returned to normal. He took a long breath with complicated thoughts.
Master You Wenjun was one of the strongest experts among the faculty of the Combat Department. He was in the beginning level of the Core Formation Stage.
Not only was he a teacher in Flying Star University, he had also participated in the competitions in crystal suit arenas multiple times. He had once held a seventeen-game winning streak. It was said that he was engaged in the bloody battles with space pirates in the riot of the Temple of Immortals, too!
No wonder his aura was so daunting. Such seasoned warriors with abundant real-life experience were far better than the rookie college students such as Ding Hao.
You Wenjun went to the preparation area in a corner and put on a special crystal suit that had been installed with sensors and charged with only half the spiritual energy with the help of the staff. The crystal suit had only 30% of its original strength.
Ding Hao was bewildered. It seemed that even You Wenjun was a tester, too. Or rather, they were going to be 'testees' as the targets for the new magical equipment!
Five minutes later, another batch of testers crowded over. They were mostly students in their junior year and senior year and, therefore, were relatively weak. The majority of them were in the high level or peak of the Refinement Stage. After everybody put on their crystal suits, their battlesuits were uttering clanging sounds, making the preparation area rather lively.
Ding Hao observed and discovered that the team of testers were made of thirty Refinement Cultivators, nine Building Foundation Stage Cultivators including himself, and a Core Formation Stage Cultivator, You Wenjun.
Everybody was in their crystal suit, and their coldly shining blades formed a sharp metal forest. Centered around You Wenjun, the scorching air was bursting out, making them look like an invincible iron army.
Forty fully-armed Exos in total. What kind of magical equipment needs a team of so many testers?
Ding Hao was growing more and more dubious.
A while later, after a beep, the detailed information about the test was transmitted to their crystal processors.
Ares Extension?
Ding Hao's eyebrow was furrowed. He was aware that Ares Extensions could significantly increase the combat ability of a crystal suit. But one versus forty?
Were they serious?
Hu—
A blowing wind passed by the sky of the test field, which was now enveloped in dust and smoke. The three red lights on one side of the test field turned green one after another. Ding Hao's crystal processor reminded him that the test had begun!
Instantly, Ding Hao tensed out of natural instinct, while he crouched and gazed at the center of the test field with the other thirty nine Exos.
Shua! Shua! Shua! Shua!
Thirty Refinement Stage Cultivators went to the flanks and surrounded the center.
In the center of the test field, a short-distance teleportation array emanated ivory brilliance, which rippled out like a melting candle before it was slowly condensed into a tall body. The Ares Extension known as 'Unparalleled' was revealed to everybody.
Is this the Unparalleled Extension?
Ding Hao eyed his opponent with scorn.
There was no telling what the crystal suit that the Cultivator surrounded by forty Exos was wearing, but it was covered by a layer of weirdly-shaped, pearl-grey strengthening plugins. Perhaps based on the principles of biomimetics, the plate of the extension was arced and looked like the shell of insects. The overall height of the Cultivator was almost four meters.
Standing amid crystal suits that were less than 2.5 meters, it looked rather cynical.
Ding Hao had studied a lot of structures of the classic Ares Extensions and watched a lot of videos where the Ares Extensions went on a rampage.
Most classic Ares Extensions all looked dominating and magnificent.
In comparison, the Unparalleled Extension before him had nothing except inner beauty, if put nicely, or was quite dumb and ugly, if put more frankly.
Can such an Ares Extension withstand the collective attack of forty Exos? It will be quite hilarious if we blow it up into pieces a moment later.
Hardly had the idea occurred to Ding Hao when earsplitting explosions broke out inside the test field. More than ten crystal suits lunged at the Unparalleled Extension with dazzling exhaust flames behind them!
In the introduction of the test, the thirty Refinement Stage Cultivators were responsible for the first wave of attacks. They did not think too highly of the unattractive Unparalleled Extension either and simply decided to take it down together!
However—
So strong?
Ding Hao shuddered, and his back was soaked in sweat.
Half a second ago, 'King Kong Battlesuit', a super heavy crystal suit with enormous defensive capability, passed by him like a falling star while it was blown backwards and did not hit the ground until it was fifty meters away. A hole the size of a basin appeared on its chest from which dazzling sparks were bursting out. The Exo was cramping, unable to stand on his feet. The redness popping up from his head suggested that he had been 'killed'!
However, Ding Hao did not notice how his opponent launched the attack at all!
The user of the Unparalleled Extension was attacking the Refinement Stage Cultivators like a hungry tiger mauling lambs. It looked heavy and stupid, but it was actually amazingly agile. In unpredictable curves, it divided the thirty Refinement Stage Cultivators like the sharpest scalpel. Every half a second, one of the crystal suits would be blown away brutally.
