A World Worth Protecting

It was a fair and beautiful day, with the Sword Sun hanging up high in the firmament!

After leaving the region of the stronghold, Chen Yutong’s cruiser was charging through the skies. The mountain ranges and forests shrunk in size as they flew. As they flew passed the region, the sadness that they had experienced during the Beast Tide Battle in the stronghold also seemed to dissipate gradually.

The deceased couldn’t be brought back, and the only way forward was to transform their experience in the stronghold into a ripple in their hearts that would forever be a part of their lives—a part that couldn’t be erased.

Zhou Penghai and Sun Fang had both suffered severe injuries. Even though the pills helped in their recovery, they still looked pale. However, it could be visibly seen that they had become more relaxed and less uptight. They retracted their gaze from the stronghold and redirected it in the direction of Ethereal Dao College with a look of anticipation in their eyes.

The reward from the military was usually in the form of recognition and medals. The Dao College gave tangible rewards, and so did the Federation, and they did so all in one go after they recorded, checked, and calculated everything.

Their hearts filled with anticipation for their return to the Dao College, and the duo chatted softly. After experiencing the life-and-death crisis together, Sun Fang and Zhou Penghai, who were initially rather distant from each other, began to grow chummier.

Chen Yutong, on the other hand, sat beside Wang Baole, speaking with a smile on his face while patting Wang Baole’s shoulder, “Junior Brother Baole, you rendered great meritorious services this time. Your name will definitely be made more prominent upon your return to the Dao College. This is especially so as we are representing the Ethereal Dao College, and the deeds that we have done this time are considered to have brought pride to the Dao College.”

Listening to Chen Yutong’s words, which were obviously meant to comfort him, Wang Baole took a deep breath and sorted out his emotions. He gradually began chatting heartily with Chen Yutong. The duo talked about matters regarding the Dao College, and even called Sun Fang and Zhou Penghai over for a leisurely chat.

Time passed slowly, and a few hours gradually went by. The return journey was as smooth as the departing journey. As they neared the protectorate of Ethereal City, the four of them stood up, looking at their destination—the Green Forest Lake—as it began to appear before them.

“We’re home…” Zhou Penghai and Sun Fang said at the same time. They hadn’t experienced that feeling before, but after the life-and-death encounter in the stronghold, a sense of familiarity surfaced in their hearts as they saw the Green Forest Lake. It was as if they were returning wanderers.

Wang Baole felt the same kind of emotions as them, and he walked towards the front of the cruiser. Riding along the winds, the cruiser didn’t slow down and was like a flash of silver lightning charging directly towards the Green Forest Lake.

The cruiser’s quality was one of the best that Wang Baole had seen. That was especially so as they didn’t need to lift a finger to fight the remaining beasts that appeared on their journey, as their cruiser could just crash into them and chase them away.

At the same time, it could safely disregard weather changes that weren’t too extreme.

As they neared, the Green Forest Lake was completely revealed before their eyes. The cruiser gradually slowed down as it passed straight through the fog surrounding the Upper Academy Island. After stopping inside the fog for a brief moment so that the array formation could verify their identities, the cruiser gradually emerged out of the fog and landed on Upper Academy Island’s Public Square.

Right then, on the Public Square of the Upper Academy Island, there were already tens of people standing there. The Pavilion Head of the Dharmic Armament Pavilion, as well as the four deputy Pavilion Heads, were all present. In front of them, Chen Yutong’s Master and the Dharmic Armament Pavilion Elder, who was extremely fond of Wang Baole, were also present. He had a smile on his face and was brimming with pride.

There was a middle-aged man dressed in a long red robe that was closely surrounded by all of them. He was… one of the three Deputy Sect Lords of Ethereal Dao College!

He was standing with his hands behind his back and a smile on his face, and he watched Wang Baole and company as they greeted him upon emerging from the cruiser.

Wang Baole was exhilarated, and so was Chen Yutong, Zhou Penghai, and Sun Fang. The four of them had just emerged out of the fog when they saw the high officials from the Dharmic Armament Pavilion. They stepped off the cruiser and immediately greeted them.

“Greetings, Master. Greetings, Deputy Sect Lord. Greetings, all Pavilion Heads!” Chen Yutong seemed to be aware of who the red-robed middle-aged man was, and immediately greeted him loudly in an agitated manner. As he bowed deeply, he also reminded Wang Baole and company to do the same.

Deputy Sect Lord? Wang Baole was mildly taken aback. After realizing what Chen Yutong was hinting at, as well as who he was referring to, Wang Baole immediately greeted him again. Zhou Penghai and Sun Fang were even more surprised, as to them, the Deputy Sect Lord was an important character that they looked up to immensely.

“Today, all of you don’t have to be so uptight and formal!” The red-robed middle-aged man laughed, before raising and waving his right hand. He helped the four of them up from their knees gently. After that, the Deputy Sect Lord from Ethereal Dao College stepped forward, patting Chen Yutong and Wang Baole’s shoulder with appreciation.

“You’re a good chap, not bad! You have brought glory to Ethereal Dao College this time!”

The Deputy Sect Lord appeared to be someone very straightforward in his actions. To him, Wang Baole and company had returned after experiencing near-death. Their battle in the stronghold was considered a major deed even in the military. Even though it wasn’t considered the most major one when considering the first to the seventh lines of defense, the Ethereal Dao College has always been partial in their reward and punishment system since its establishment.

Therefore, he was acting according to the orders of the Sect Lord to reward the four of them, and to encourage other disciples by using the matter as an example. He even planned to have Wang Baole and company become role models to influence others. He began to speak in a cheerful tone.

“Tell me what your wishes are. If I can fulfill it, I will see it come to fruition today!”

Listening to what the Deputy Sect Lord said, Wang Baole and company’s eyes lit up immediately. They were all tempted, but Chen Yutong and the other two knew clearly that Wang Baole should be given the most credit. Even though they could still voice out their wishes, they couldn’t be too overboard. As such, after much thought, they replied.

Sun Fang had a simple wish. He wished for a cave abode since the number of cave abodes in Dharmic Armament Pavilion was limited. Most of the cave abodes were prepared for the Armament Soldiers, and even if one was an Armament Disciple, one wasn’t given the entitlement unless he was an Armament Disciple that had as much power as Zhou Penghai, or was an eight-inch Spirit Root individual like Wang Baole.

Therefore, to Sun Fang, a cave abode was something of great importance.

Zhou Penghai, on the other hand, chose to convert his reward to bonus points for the Armament Soldier assessment, which was the most important matter to him. After all, if he were to depend on his own capabilities, he wasn’t confident of successfully becoming an Armament Soldier. However, by converting the reward into bonus points, his self-confidence grew to more than seventy percent.

Chen Yutong’s wish was different from the rest. He didn’t want any reward. By doing so, he would receive even more benefits that would aid in his rise to become a Deputy Pavilion Head. Chen Yutong even winked to Wang Baole after voicing out his wish.

The Deputy Sect Lord smiled upon hearing the trio’s wishes. After agreeing to all of them, he looked towards Wang Baole.

“What about you, Wang Baole?”

Wang Baole’s thoughts were running about in his mind. He noticed Chen Yutong’s wink and knew that he was hinting to tell him that not wanting anything would perhaps grant him with a bigger reward. He had wanted to do so but suddenly thought about the stories in the high official autobiographies. He blinked his eyes, thinking about how prominent the Deputy Sect Lord in front of him was. Every word someone like him said would definitely catch the attention of others.

That was especially so as he was about to take part in the Armament Soldier Assessment, which was something of major importance to him. If the Deputy Sect Lord could put in a few good words for him, his attempt in the Armament Soldier Assessment would definitely be smooth sailing. With that thought, Wang Baole began to speak, as if he was testing the waters.

“Deputy Sect Lord, I do not know what reward to wish for. Right now, my greatest desire is to become an Armament Soldier, but matters like these cannot be exchanged using a reward.”

Upon hearing his words, the Deputy Sect Lord raised his eyebrows. With a slight smile, he sized up Wang Baole before falling silent. He turned back to look at the Pavilion Head and company and said, “This sly fella… Based on his capabilities, I’m sure all of you know that he didn’t need to exchange the reward for the title of an Armament Soldier. It is definitely within his reach!”

The Dharmic Armament Pavilion Head and others all revealed a smile on their faces and immediately agreed with the Deputy Sect Lord’s words. However, they were all secretly surprised as they stole several glances at Wang Baole. Wang Baole’s words didn’t directly imply that he wanted to exchange the reward for the status of an Armament Soldier, but he had managed to use the opportunity to express his wishes. The Deputy Sect Lord went with the flow, and through that, not only did Wang Baole not waste his reward, he also gained internal confirmation of his future status as an Armament Soldier to a certain extent.

That simple sentence revealed his intelligence. It wasn’t simple and didn’t make others feel disgusted about him either, which made it even more valuable.

Chen Yutong’s Master, the Elder from the Dharmic Armament Pavilion, smiled even wider.

Seeing that everything was going according to plan, Wang Baole was exhilarated. He bowed deeply towards the Deputy Sect Lord with cupped fists, and when he raised his head, he inhaled deeply and said in a low voice, “Thank you, Deputy Sect Lord! I don’t know what kind of request is most suitable as of now and would need your guidance. I will listen to all your orders!”

The moment Wang Baole spoke, Chen Yutong opened his eyes wide. As the group from the Dharmic Armament Pavilion looked towards Wang Baole, they were even more surprised than before.

In reality, Wang Baole’s choice was far superior compared to Chen Yutong’s choice of not wanting any rewards. What he did allowed him to build a closer relationship with the Deputy Sect Lord…

“Interesting.” The Deputy Sect Lord looked at Wang Baole with a meaningful glance. From his eyes, it could be seen that he was in deep thought. After a moment, he smiled slightly, having already made a decision.

“Having been in Ethereal Dao College all these years, I have received close to a hundred pieces of fragments from the heavens. All of them are unique and incredibly valuable, and they can be used even by True Breaths. Even at the Foundation Establishment or Core Formation stage, they are still usable with formidable powers!

“Now, there are less than twenty types of them left in the Dao College. I remember that one of the heritages is related to Dharmic Armament, and is named Heated Burst!

“Would you accept it?”

Hearing the Deputy Sect Lord’s words, the people from the Dharmic Armament Pavilion were all taken aback. The four Deputy Pavilion Heads from the Dharmic Armament Pavilion had their eyes wide in shock, and even the Pavilion Head trembled. They were in disbelief, their feelings of envy about to overflow in their hearts. It seemed like the Deputy Sect Lord’s decision had far exceeded their expectations.

The Heated Burst technique was something that even they had strongly desired. However, they were unable to possess it, as the heritages were different from the Array Runes Pavilion’s Lightning Domain.

Even though the five Lightning technique heritage from the Lightning Domain were also extremely powerful, they could be mastered by many people. Unique techniques like the Heated Burst, once mastered, could be considered a special talent instead. It was extremely special, being recorded on a fragment. Once someone imprinted it, it would be erased from the fragment and cease to exist, making it difficult for others to master it again!

That was what made it unique and one of a kind!

Even Chen Yutong’s Master revealed a look of surprise in his eyes. To everyone in Ethereal Dao College, the value of the heritage mystic techniques made them envious.