A World Worth Protecting

“Yes, you heard right! This type of Dharmic Artifact is called Shut Up!” Wang Baole exclaimed in high spirits, his voice booming.

After Wang Baole set off the second set of fireworks, everyone in the sky and on Upper Academy Island involuntarily fixed their gazes on Wang Baole once again.

“What, is he determined to advertise his artifacts time and time again!”

“What on earth is this, a Combat Pavilion Tournament or a new product release?”

“Shut Up? What is he up to?”

Everyone had different expressions. This particular Combat Pavilion Tournament was especially different from previous years.

In the sky, those from the Military and Federation officials, as well as the senior management of Ethereal Dao College, also had unusual expressions. Looking at Wang Baole, they felt as though they were not watching a tournament but rather an unprofessional host putting up an amateurish live broadcast for the advertisement segment.

But the most terrified of all were Lu Zihao’s competitors, the man and the woman. The moment Wang Baole opened his mouth to speak, they had been shocked. But now, after watching his actions and hearing his words, they were dumbfounded once again. Were it not for the layer of protection that he had, they would have instinctively stopped him. Wang Baole’s actions made them faintly uneasy.

In a moment of panic, the burly fellow could not help but ask Lu Zihao, “What is he doing?”

Lu Zihao was wallowing in misery. He felt like his spotlight was being stolen by Wang Baole yet again. He kept quiet. In a bad mood, he swung his fist.

“That darn Fatty is playing tricks and creating trouble! He’s nothing to be afraid of! Big Black, Little Black, Little White, bite him!” exclaimed the female disciple from the Beast Taming Pavilion with a cold laugh, seeing that Lu Zihao kept quiet. Her eyes flashed, and with sharp movements, she manipulated her bloodthirsty wolves, making them run straight for Lu Zihao and bite him below his head.

While their battle ensued, Wang Baole’s advertising continued.

“Don’t belittle this object. This is a perfect second-grade Dharmic Artifact, its core being a Rainbow Spirit Stone. What more, this artifact is the sturdiest out there. I even carved over twenty thousand inscriptions on it! When you line this up with others, not only does it have an adjustable ability to lock onto target objects, it also produces fog…” As Wang Baole rattled on, his eyes grew ever brighter. With the wave of his right hand, three yellow masks instantly appeared!

These three masks looked like ducks’ beaks, except their color was uneven. They looked ugly, but upon careful inspection, streams of light emanated from their interior, releasing a strong suppressive force.

As Wang Baole spoke, he observed Lu Zihao retreating upon hearing the explosive roar of the three wolves. Worry instantly gripped him.

“And now, let me demonstrate!” Wang Baole declared, violently flinging the three duck masks across the space.

Having witnessed this, the female disciple sneered.

“I hate fatties the most!” she exclaimed, feeling irritated by Wang Baole’s pretentious air. With a wave of her hand, the three wolves were sent darting for Wang Baole!

But just as these three wolves were bounding for him, the three masks penetrated through the Golden Bell Shield, emanating a bright flash of light. In its resplendence, the masks released a suppressive force more shocking than previously. Furthermore, as they flew, the upper and lower lips of the mouths automatically came into contact, releasing weird, ear-piercing screams that instantly caught everyone’s attention.

The three wolves also reeled in shock. As they stopped in their tracks momentarily, the three masks suddenly gained momentum. At a speed much higher than before, they locked onto the three ferocious wolves, flying straight for them. No matter how much the wolves struggled, attempted to hide, or even howled, it was of no use.

Two of the masks had already covered two wolves’ mouths!

However, the last mask seemed to malfunction under the sudden surge of speed. It failed to lock onto its target. It did not fly toward the third wolf, circling midair instead, as though it was ineffective.

All this had happened too quickly. Before the female disciple could recover from her stupor, the two masks that had attached themselves onto the wolves’ mouths let out cracking sounds. In a flash, clamps formed on the masks, sealing the wolves’ mouths completely and permanently. The wolves were unable to completely open or close their mouths, and their howls stopped abruptly, as though they were strangled.

The wolves collapsed under the impact. When they got to their feet, their whimpers were stuck in their throats. In a panic, they clawed at the masks, to the extent that even scratch marks formed, but they could not get rid of the masks within that short period of time. With a puff, fog billowed from within the two masks, filling the wolves’ mouths. However, the effect of the fog was unusual—those two wolves only swayed but were still conscious.

The other wolf, although not affected by the mask, was evidently frightened. Fear flashed through its eyes, and it hurriedly retreated.

“Little Black! Little White!” the female disciple exclaimed. Her expression instantly changed to one of worry, and she rushed forward to help them.

At the same time, the observers on the sky viewing gallery were uninterested. These masks had their merit, but they were still considered to be ordinary, unlike the golden bead that Wang Baole had previously. Not to mention, one of the three masks had malfunctioned. This live demonstration was a failure in their eyes.

However, on Upper Academy Island, there were many boos from those who had witnessed the scene that unfolded. There was a heated discussion about what had happened.

“That was nothing. To think that one of them malfunctioned!”

“Seems like this Wang Baole is running out of tricks. What a failure!”

Wang Baole was also worried and started sweating. He knew that this must have been because he failed to consider many aspects when he manufactured the mask. Furthermore, he had some trouble with his inscriptions. In a panic, he hurriedly raised his right arm, and the mask that was circling the air returned to its master. He grabbed it.

“Ahem, that was just a small mistake. This Dharmic Artifact, Shut Up, which I have made, is adjustable. I have recorded a list of seven to eight types of ferocious beasts in it, which you can add on to. Look, all I have to do is readjust this a little, then all is well!”

Only, this time, when the mask flew off, it still did not lock onto the remaining wolf that was already stricken with fear. It flew into the sky. Wang Baole slapped his forehead and heaved a huge sigh. He knew that his advertisement had failed.

Seeing his disappointment, the boos from Upper Academy Island became louder. When observers on the sky grandstand retracted their gaze, all of a sudden… that malfunctioning mask—after circling the air once—flew straight for the female disciple, as though it had a new target sighted!

The uproar that followed was astonishing and ear-piercing. Immediately, those outside who had initially retracted their gazes looked over. One by one, they were greatly shocked.

The female disciple was full of anger. She had been helping to remove the masks from her wolves, but upon witnessing the remaining mask coming for her, her eyes widened. Instantly, images of herself wearing the mask filled her mind. It was too frightening for her; she felt like her brain would explode. With a high-pitched scream, she hurriedly backed away.

She was quick, but the duck mask was quicker. It whistled through the air and neared her in an instant. Just as it was about to cover the mouth of this petite, pretty girl, her face paled, and without thought, she took out many protective Dharmic Artifacts, blocking the mask immediately.

Among the roar of commotion, this exceptional mask stopped in its tracks despite cracking after penetrating a few layers of the female disciple’s protective Dharmic Artifacts. Before she could heave a sigh of relief, it suddenly exploded. A thick cloud of fog was released in the blink of an eye, which floated straight toward the female disciple.

Never mind the thick fog. To make matters worse, a thin rope, hidden in the fog, suddenly emerged from within the cracked mask. The female disciple’s expression changed once again. Although she could dispel the fog, she could not escape the rope. Soon, the rope had wrapped itself around her a few times, tying her hands behind her back.

“Wang Baole!” she screeched. She had heard his self-introduction earlier on. She was enraged, but she could only stand there struggling.

Wang Baole blinked, but he quickly came to his senses, immediately lifting his head toward the sky, coughing.

“Actually, I wasn’t finished. This Dharma treasure is not only adaptable but is also amazingly effective on humans…” he said but was instantly interrupted by the huge commotion in the voice transmission ring!

The number of voice transmissions skyrocketed, instantly hitting the roof.

Concurrently, on Upper Academy Island in the outside world, tens of thousands of people paid close attention to this battle, of which many cried out in alarm, their eyes shimmering with excitement. Even disciples of the Dharmic Armament Pavilion took a liking to this product.

Although there was an abundance of such adjustable Dharmic Artifacts in the Dharmic Armament Pavilion, the mask that Wang Baole had made—though not without flaws—evidently had unique characteristics. And sometimes, such characteristics could have unpredictable effects during actual combat.

“It can do that too! Absolutely wicked! Too crafty! Wang Baole, I despise you! I want to get three!”

“This Dharmic Artifact is amazing! To think it has three usages! First the face mask, followed by the fog, and lastly the rope! Simply impossible to guard against! It is worthy of being a formidable tool for bondage!”

“All of you have a screw loose! So what if it can tie someone up? This artifact is prepared for our Alchemy Pavilion! Though that fog was rubbish, once we replace it, this baby will be awesome! Whoever smells it will faint!”

“I want ten of them!”