Chapter 1257-1260
Chapter 1257 – I Am Proud
When Ma Rulong looked at the people dressed in Cultivator clothing, he discovered that they weren't breathing. He couldn't help but look at Zhao Hai and say, "Little Hai, are they dead?" Zhao Hai nodded and said, "They're dead. They should be the people that sold the food and wine."
Ma Rulong nodded, then he turned his head to these people and said, "Are you the ones who put poison into our food?" The group of Undead simultaneously said, "Yes."
Ma Rulong let out a long breath. Then he turned to Zhao Hai and said, "Little Hai, aren't you worried that you'll kill the wrong person?"
Zhao Hai smiled faintly and said, "If I made a mistake, then I made a mistake."
Hearing Zhao Hai, Ma Rulong along with Xiong Li and the others sucked in a cold breath. Zhao Hai's tone seemed like he didn't treat human life seriously. They remembered that Zhao Hai was someone who killed a lot of people back in the lower realms. Killing a few people was no big deal to him.
Ma Rulong took deep breaths to calm himself down. Then he turned his head to the Undead Cultivators and said, "Where are you from?"
After which, some of the Undead replied, "We're from the Three Mountains Alliance." Ma Rulong expected this answer. Zhao Hai and the Three Mountains Alliance now had a big enmity. For the Alliance to retaliate was reasonable.
Then the other Undead replied, "We're from Extreme Cold City." This was also not unexpected. Zhao Hai wiped out Li Chuchen, leaving Extreme Cold City with no benefits to gain in the competition. It was natural for them to hate Zhao Hai.
Finally, one Undead was left. Although this person was already dead, one could still see that he already looked like death when he was alive. Upon seeing this person, one would feel uncomfortable. This Undead opened his mouth and said, "I'm from the Demon Realm's Sacred Blood Sect."
Upon hearing this person, Ma Rulong couldn't help but frown. Zhao Hai and the Sacred Blood Sect had no enmity. For the Sacred Blood Sect to participate in dealing with Zhao Hai only meant that they were already considering Zhao Hai as a threat.
When he thought of this, Ma Rulong couldn't help but turn to Zhao Hai. Seeing Ma Rulong look at him, Zhao Hai couldn't help but smile. Then he waved his hand to store the Undead and at the same time he said, "Team Leader, it seems like it's impossible for me to not offend the Sacred Blood Sect."
Ma Rulong sighed and said, "Demon Cultivators are much greedier than ordinary Cultivators. This time, they rely on Tu Mietan to get them benefits the same way the Machine Field relies on you. It's no wonder that they treat you as their biggest opponent."
Zhao Hai smiled faintly and said, "It's good that they see me as an opponent. I just don't know if they can afford having me as an enemy."
Ma Rulong pursed his lips and didn't say anything. If others were to say those words, then nobody would believe them. But since it was Zhao Hai, he has the qualifications to say so.
Zhao Hai looked at Ma Rulong and said, "Team Leader, these two Undead Mages, I'll take them away as well. You can have someone else take their place. But I think we should just leave it to robots. After all, people staying in this place is too dangerous. We're not counting on this place to make money as well. And I'm afraid we wouldn't be able to collect information. So we might as well have robots taking care of this place."
Ma Rulong nodded, "I'll take care of this. You can take those two away."
Zhao Hai nodded and then took away the two Undead Mages.
At this time, people had already lost interest in celebrating. The two robots were left to clean up the courtyard while Zhao Hai and the others returned to their room to rest. Then Zhao Hai went to the Space.
To be honest, Zhao Hai didn't really expect the Sacred Blood Sect to deal with him. He didn't want to provoke the people from the Demon Realm yet, but it seems like this was no longer possible.
Laura and the others naturally knew about what was happening outside. Seeing Zhao Hai return, they greeted him and then they all sat down. Meg brought Zhao Hai tea as Laura looked at him and said, "Brother Hai, what do you plan to do now?"
Zhao Hai just sneered and said, "What else can I do? I'll deal with Tu Mietan first. Doesn't Tu Mietan want to deal with me? Since it's come to this, then let's see how it turns out. And I reckon I'll be sent to the Six Realms Battlefield after the competition. I'll look for trouble with the Sacred Blood Sect there."
Laura nodded and said, "That's also good. But Brother Hai, I think what you should do right now is study the Cultivation Realm's methods and also the way to use those magic artifacts, like flying sword techniques. Even if they can't help you much, at least you have some knowledge about them."
Zhao Hai nodded and said, "Alright, I'll use the next few days to study. I'll begin once I had Third Brother's Divine Fire Dragon Art analyzed by the scanner."
Laura wasn't against this method. With Zhao Hai's current ability, it would be very simple for him to learn these things. However, Zhao Hai would need some time to find a suitable technique for him.
At this time, Lizzy opened her mouth and said, "Brother Hai, you need to teach them a lesson in the tournament. Let them know that you aren't easy to mess with."
Zhao Hai smiled faintly and said, "Rest assured, I will. This time I need to teach them a very good lesson. Otherwise, they'll get troublesome. I must call Helain Da and ask about this."
The women nodded and didn't say anything. They had long since been used to the Undead. To them, Undead and Robots were the same.
Zhao Hai waved his hand and Helian Da appeared in front of him. Helian Da's wound had already vanished. He was standing there respectfully.
Zhao Hai could see that Helian Da's strength hasn’t regressed, it had been preserved. He's now a Core Formation Undead.
Zhao Hai nodded, then he said, "Helian Da, can you still practice?"
Helian Da nodded, "Replying to Young Master. I can still practice my original cultivation method. And my gold core hasn't been affected at all."
Upon hearing Helian Da, Zhao Hai stared. He was confused about this so he called Cai'er over and said, "Cai'er, what is this about?"
Cai'er appeared beside Zhao Hai and said, "Young Master, this is the benefit that the upgraded Space provided. They can preserve their original strength. The other Undead can also practice cultivation methods. Young Master, you should know that the Space has been turned into a small universe. Naturally, it has the same energies present outside. The Space's Undead are also different from the Undead outside that only has the dark attribute."
Zhao Hai nodded. And since there's no need to tell Cai'er that he understood, he allowed Cai'er to go on.
Cai'er continued, "But the Space is different. Everything in the Space follows Young Master's wishes. And since you have already recognized the Undead as an independent race, the Space's Undead became different from the Undead outside. In fact, the Undead are now like the Beastmen and the Elves. And by becoming independent, their attribute is no longer tied to the dark element. Now, they can practice any cultivation method they want. That's why Helian Da is like this."
Zhao Hai stared, he didn't expect his action to have this much impact. The Undead were now able to practice any cultivation method. However, Zhao Hai was still puzzled, he looked at Cai'er and said, "But before, the Undead still cannot practice. Their progress is still the same as the Undead outside."
Cai'er nodded, "That's correct. But that is because Young Master's level is too low. Even if the Space has been turned into a small universe, its level is still too low to allow the Undead freedom in cultivation."
Zhao Hai smiled bitterly. In the end it came to levelling. Only by levelling up could he become strong. Once the Space reaches a higher level, everything else would follow. It seems like upgrading the Space was still his only way forward.
What Cai'er said about Zhao Hai's wishes being followed by the Space was only half right. The Space did indeed base its laws according to Zhao Hai, but these laws can only be implemented if its level was high enough. There were still a lot of laws not being implemented in Zhao Hai's Space.
However, Zhao Hai believed that if he continues with upgrading the Space, then he would have a universe that belongs entirely to him. What he wishes would be law of that universe.
Zhao Hai let out a long breath. Then he nodded and said, "So that's the case. Alright, make them cultivate. Right Cai'er, distribute the cultivation methods we gained to the people in the Space. The methods of the Space are too simple. Now that we have more advanced cultivation methods, let's have them practice it as well. Give it to the Undead as well. The more powerful we are, the better."
Cai'er nodded. Then Zhao Hai looked at Helian Da and said, "Tell Cai'er about your methods and techniques later. Tell Li Chuchen and the others about this as well. You can keep your magic weapons, but your methods need to be recorded."
Helian Da nodded, then he followed Cai'er out.
But before the two left, Laura called out, "Cai'er, ask them about the Cultivation Realm's situation. Especially the relationships between the Sects. We need to know which sects are allied and which one have grudges with each other." Cai'er nodded before leaving with Helian Da.
Zhao Hai smiled and said, "It's good that you think these things carefully. I wouldn't have thought about this. With you here, I'll have more presence of mind."
Laura smiled and said, "You're alone outside dealing with those people. If we can't handle these things for you, then wouldn't we be useless?"
Zhao Hai gently hugged her without saying anything. They had been together for so long that they no longer need to speak to convey their emotions.
Lizzy and the others were in the hug as well. Their destinies were now tied together. There's nothing in this world that can separate them.
Then at this time, there was a flash of white light before Margaret appeared in the Space. Margaret had been spending her time lately in the Ashley Family. This was because the family had been very busy in the past several days.
Zhao Hai's name was too attractive at this time. From how he, along with Xiong Li and the others snatched the top six in the elimination round to his declaration of brotherhood with Xiong Li and the others, all of it has been passed back to the Machine Field. The realm was currently in awe of Zhao Hai's performance. At this point, Zhao Hai's popularity had reached a level that was unimaginable.
Zhao Hai became the hero of the Machine Field. No one cared that he's an ascender nor did they mind him killing the other participants. What everyone was focused on was the fact that Zhao Hai made history, something that the Machine Field would remember for many years to come.
And this brought unimaginable benefits to the Ashley Family. People who had nothing to do with the family suddenly established diplomatic relations with them. Families who were hostile to them immediately resolved their misgivings. The entire Machine Field's eyes were directed at what the family would do. The space outside Ashley Family's planet became very busy. Numerous space platforms were built in order to accommodate the ships flying to and from the planet. It seems like the Machine Field had turned frantic.
The Machine Field was suppressed for too long, and they badly needed a hero to look up to. Now Zhao Hai was here. Not only did he win first place in the elimination round, he also killed Li Chuchen, in addition to his many exploits. These things caused the Machine Field to heat up.
Because of this, it was impossible for Margaret to return to the Space. She was Zhao Hai's woman, so people would want to meet her. Every day, misses and madames of families asked to meet her. Their number reached hundreds, causing Margaret to be exhausted.
Today she had a rare break so she immediately ran to the Space to take a good rest.
Just as Margaret entered the Space, she saw Zhao Hai sitting there with Laura and the others in his embrace. Seeing Margaret appear, Zhao Hai smiled faintly and opened his arm to welcome Margaret. Laura and the others couldn't help but laugh.
Zhao Hai patted Margaret's head. After some time, he said, "Margaret, you've worked hard."
Margaret shook her head and said, "It's not that hard. Brother Hai, you have to see it for yourself. The entire Machine Field is going insane with happiness because of you. It makes me very proud to be your woman."
Chapter 1258 – Core of the Formation
Time passed and five days went by in a blink of an eye. A lot of things happened in these five days. One of the most important things was the release of the top 100 rookies in the elimination round. And as expected, Zhao Hai and his brothers occupied the top 6 in the ranking.
Because of the rule of the Six Realms Beginner Competition, the results couldn't be changed. Otherwise, not only the Machine Field, but the other realms would protest.
Once the list was released, it could no longer be changed. Even if someone quits now, it would only be counted as forfeiting. Then their names would be placed at the bottom. It was impossible for others to substitute them.
Because of this rule, once the official list went out, Xiong Li and the others forfeited immediately. The committee for the competition reviewed their request and accepted their withdrawal. Before the official matches even started, five people were already ranked at the bottom five of the leaderboard.
The only person from the Machine Field who didn't forfeit was Zhao Hai. It was also impossible for Zhao Hai to quit. After all, he was planning to win the whole tournament.
Regarding the Machine Field's shameless approach, the other realms didn't have any problem with it. On the other hand, what the Machine Field did was good for them. Everyone knew that the Machine Field's people weren't easy to deal with. It was said that it wasn't only Zhao Hai who was a monster, the others were quite strong as well.
Now that five of the Machine Field's participants had withdrawn, this meant that the weakest of the 100 were now bumped up by five places. This was good for the other realms.
At the same time, the Machine Field felt that this decision was acceptable. After all, being able to take place in the top 100 was already a historic accomplishment. In addition, Zhao Hai didn't withdraw. They still had someone representing their realm in the competition. Therefore, the fact that Xiong Li and the others withdrew wasn't much of a problem to them.
Compared to Xiong Li and the others' forfeiture, the Machine Field paid more attention to another news, it was Zhao Hai's killing of Helian Da.
Helian Da publicly declared his revenge on Zhao Hai. This was something that the entire Cultivation Realm was aware of. But Zhao Hai was currently living well, while Helian Da disappeared. Even an idiot would know that Helian Da has been destroyed by Zhao Hai.
This information was world-shaking for the Machine Field. Helian Da was an expert in the Core Formation stage. If Zhao Hai could easily deal with an expert like that, then how easy would it be for him to take the top spot in the competition?
This fact was also very significant for the Cultivation Realm. They didn't expect Zhao Hai to be able to deal with Helian Da. Helian Da was a known Core Formation Expert. Even common Core Formation Experts would behave in front of him. But now, Zhao Hai eliminated him. In other words, it was impossible for Core Formation Experts to deal with Zhao Hai. So now, would they send a Nascent Soul Expert to deal with Zhao Hai? That is only if the Cultivation Realm had no concern about their face.
Zhao Hai was just a rookie!
This made the Cultivators feel awkward. Cultivators were very concerned about saving their face. Sending a Core Formation Expert to deal with Zhao Hai might be a little bit justified. But a Nascent Soul Expert? If they really use a Nascent Soul Expert, then they would be laughed at by the other realms.
Moreover, the Cultivators had yet to know about Zhao Hai's real strength. If Zhao Hai really had the strength to fight a silverback gold-winged bug, then even if they send out a Nascent Soul Expert, then they might not even be able to deal with Zhao Hai. Because of this, the Cultivators were stuck on what to do.
Meanwhile, Zhao Hai rarely appeared outside in the past few days since he was closing up. Ma Rulong had already accustomed to Zhao Hai's habit of closing up. This time, he didn't meet with Xiong Li and the others. He just approached Dongfang Yu for his Divine Fire Dragon Art and fire dragon sword technique. Other than that, he spent the entire time inside the Space.
What Zhao Hai practiced this time was mainly the manipulation of flying swords as well as using the various magic artifacts. He has Liquid Silver that can be turned into almost any mag artifact. This type of transforming ability would have great uses in later fights. Therefore, Zhao Hai wants to gain a small mastery of it.
Originally, Zhao Hai didn't know much about magical artifacts. He had obtained some formations to control them before, but he was clueless about their specific applications. After all, he wasn't a Cultivator and never learned any of this. Even if the Universal Scanner was very formidable, it cannot analyze unless there was sufficient data.
But now things were different. Not only did Zhao Have Li Chuchen, he also had Helian Da, a native of the Cultivation Realm. Helian Da was born in Jade Mountain under a Cultivator family. He has received a lot of education since at a very early stage.
In fact, Zhao Hai was an elementary level Cultivator. He even has the best Cultivation Methods as well as knowledge about formations. What Zhao Hai needed right now was a good teacher to instruct him in how to fight like a Cultivator. And Helian Da was that good teacher.
In the last few days, Helian Da instructed Zhao Hai about the Cultivation Realm's formations, how to use them, and their various applications. Then Cai'er had these methods analyzed by the scanner before handing it over to Zhao Hai.
But since time was short, Zhao Hai was unable to study all of these things. However, since these things had been saved inside the Space, he would be able to use it all the time. This was Zhao Hai's biggest advantage.
Besides these formations, after getting the fire dragon sword technique, Zhao Hai used the scanner to make him the most compatible sword technique.
To be precise, this cannot be regarded as a full set of sword techniques. Instead, it was a set of combinations of methods that could allow Liquid Silver to exhibit its maximum potential.
Zhao Hai was very optimistic about this method. He researched how to manipulate flying swords and found how unique they were. Although he took Liquid Silver out before and had it fly, opportunities to use it to attack the enemy was very few.
Now that he saw the methods to control flying swords, Zhao Hai has to recognize how formidable the Cultivation Realm was. The ease of use was incomparable. With this newfound ability, Zhao Hai's ability to use Liquid Silver has increased significantly.
Actually, there were a lot of formation methods in the Cultivation Realms, and there were also a lot of formation methods to use in controlling flying swords. But the key to mastering control over flying swords and magic artifacts lie in their formation cores.
As long as Zhao Hai makes use of this formation core, he can use Liquid Silver like a flying sword. These formation cores apply differently to different weapons. Take the golden light sword, for example, because of the materials used being of the earth element, its formation core was tailored to benefit the earth element. Therefore, the sword was able to have increased attacking power and speed.
However, Zhao Hai doesn't actually need to get a hold of so many formations. He only needed to grasp these formation cores and replace the others with the Machine Field's magic formations. Moreover, its resulting might wasn't any worse than the original.
Zhao Hai spent the past few days practicing how to control Liquid Silver with this new method.
Naturally, since Liquid Silver was Zhao Hai's life source weapon, it didn't need a formation core to be operated. But now that it had a formation core, it seems like it had been installed with a small computer. It was now much easier for Zhao Hai to control it.
After days of uninterrupted practice, Zhao Hai was now able to control Liquid Silver as though it was an extension of his arm. This allowed Zhao Hai to add some more variations in his attacks. Liquid Silver was made with special materials and special methods. Even if it was placed in the Cultivation Realm, it can still be considered as a high-ranked weapon. These kinds of weapons would be treasured items in sects. But Zhao Hai has one currently in use.
It can be said that at this moment, Liquid Silver's abilities were being displayed to their full potential. Zhao Hai's attacks were now more comprehensive. In addition to his fist techniques, Zhao Hai now has Liquid Silver for offense. Moreover, Liquid Silver can use the Space to return to Zhao Hai's side. This increases Zhao Hai fighting strength. Compared to before, it can be said that his strength has increased by close to a double.
Five days later, Zhao Hai headed out to attend the ranking tournament. At this time, Xiong Li and the others were also heading back to the Machine Field under Ma Rulong's arrangements. Not only Xiong Li and the others, besides Zhao Hai and Ma Rulong, only ten team leaders were left. The rest of them had returned to the Machine Field.
Zhao Hai knew that Xiong Li and the others were going to study their newly acquired Cultivation Methods. This was also what he wanted to see.
After going out, Zhao Hai went with Ma Rulong. What they needed to do right now was head to the transmission formation in order to go to the Void Arena.
When Zhao Hai and the rest of the Machine Field's delegates headed out, they immediately attracted the attention of Seamount City's Cultivators. They knew where Zhao Hai was headed, so their vision followed behind him. However, nobody dared to cause trouble. Those who dared to look for trouble were known to be killed.
Zhao Hai had already made several moves that caused everyone to know that he wasn't polite to his enemies. He made it known that he wasn't someone that could be offended.
While Ma Rulong and Zhao Hai headed to the transmission, they chatted with each other.
Zhao Hai looked at the Cultivators around them then looked at Ma Rulong and said, "Team Leader, Boss Xiong and the others, have they been sent back properly?"
Ma Rulong smiled faintly and said, "Rest assured, they're fine. I heard that after returning, they immediately closed up. They should be practicing right now. You don't need to worry."
Zhao Hao nodded. Then he said, "We already reached an agreement. After the competition ends, we'll go to the Six Realms Battlefield to have a stroll. I really want to see how strong the experts of the other realms really are."
Chapter 1259 – Void Arena
When Ma Rulong heard Zhao Hai, he couldn't help but look him in the eyes. Then after some time, he sighed and said, "Alright, I'll take care of it. Don't make me lose face."
Zhao Hai smiled and didn't say anything. At this time, the group arrived at the transmission formation. Although the formation was managed by someone from the Seamount Faction, they didn't dare provoke Zhao Hai's group. They had decided to not mess with Zhao Hai anymore.
When the group stepped on the transmission formation, a white light flashed before they disappeared. Seeing the group vanish, people in Seamount City began to hum in discussion. It was because of Zhao Hai that they didn't dare make a sound.
If someone were to tell them that they would be frightened of the Machine Field's people before this, then they would laugh at it as though it was a joke. But now, they were even too scared to talk. This was because of how the Cultivation Realm had been looking down on the Machine Field.
However, after Zhao Hai arrived, the people from the Cultivation Realm began to understand that there were some people from the Machine Field that they couldn't annoy.
…
A white light flashed as Zhao Hai and the others appeared on a huge slab of asteroid. Just as they appeared, a voice greeted them, "So it's the Machine Field. Please take a rest."
Zhao Hai and the others looked at the direction of the voice and saw a Cultivator standing not far away from them. Also, they actually know of this person. It was the person who was sent to Seamount City to calculate the points.
Fan Yi was a member of the Six Realm Beginner's Competition's committee. He was specifically responsible for receiving visitors and team leaders this time. Naturally, it's possible for him to be there when the Machine Field arrived.
Ma Rulong held his fist and said, "Thank you for the trouble." Then he followed Fan Yi to where they would be resting.
The asteroid that they were in wasn't very big. It also had a transmission formation that would lead them to a larger asteroid not too far away. On this larger asteroid was a house. However, this house wasn't built but instead it was carved.
The shape of this asteroid was originally an irregular oval. But now, the upper half of this asteroid was carved into the appearance of a house.
Looking at this house, Zhao Hai couldn't help but smile as he said, "This place is very good. I expected us to live in a cave, I didn't think that it would be a house. Powerful experts of the Cultivation Realm are truly formidable. Such a huge asteroid was actually carved into this structure. It's extraordinary."
Fan Yi interjected with pride, "Mister Zhao Hai, actually, this region was filled with smaller asteroids. Because of those small asteroids, this region was filled with danger. These asteroids would hit larger asteroids, creating more asteroids. Later on, after the Void Arena was made, all those small asteroids had been cleared. The surrounding gravity had been changed as well to ensure that no asteroids collide."
Zhao Hai nodded and said, "Putting it into perspective, the power of the Cultivation Realm's top experts is really admirable. Just a few moves from them greatly improved our lives."
Fan Yi didn't boast this time, instead he smiled and said, "Mister Zhao Hai got first place in the current ranking and has the strength to face a silverback gold-winged but alone. You can already be considered as a powerful expert in the Cultivation Realm. If Mister comes to the Cultivation Realm, you can already establish your own school."
Zhao Hai smiled faintly and said, "This Zhao Hai doesn't have such huge ambitions. Open a sect and establish a school? Hehe. A lot of Cultivators see me as an enemy. If I really moved here, I'm afraid I'll be killed before establishing a school."
Although Ma Rulong didn't interrupt Fan Yi and Zhao Hai's conversation, he was actually nervous. When he heard that Zhao Hai admired the skills of the Cultivators, Ma Rulong became nervous for a moment. Zhao Hai had been in the Machine Field for less than a year. If it weren't for Margaret, then Zhao Hai wouldn't have anything tying himself to the Machine Field. If we moved to the Cultivation Realm, then the Machine Field would be losing a lot.
However, Zhao Hai's next words reassured Ma Rulong. It was impossible for Zhao Hai to move to the Cultivation Realm, Ma Rulong was certain of it.
As long as Zhao Hai doesn't move to the Cultivation Realm, everything else would be a breeze. Ma Rulong had this mentality because Zhao Hai was just too powerful. He could kill Core Formation Experts, much less those weaker.
With Zhao Hai present, the practitioners in the Machine Field would have hope. If Zhao Hai really moved to the Cultivation Realm, then the spiritual impact to the Machine Field would be huge. Although Ma Rulong had been in the Cultivation Realm all this time and had limited understanding about the current state of the Machine Field, he knew that Zhao Hai's reputation in the realm had reached an unprecedented height. There were now a lot of young people who look up to Zhao Hai as their idol.
If Zhao Hai were to suddenly join the Cultivation Realm, then it would be a huge shock to External Halls of the Machine Field. This would make people think that the Machine Field had no future for them. Once that happens, then people from External Halls might move to the Cultivation Realm as well. This would spell disaster for the Machine Field.
Whether Ma Rulong wanted it to be or not, but Zhao Hai was now the banner of the Machine Field. This young man had a huge influence on the youth of the Machine Field.
This particular house was prepared for the Machine Field. People from the other realms had their own places arranged for them. So after leading Zhao Hai's group here, Fan Yi left.
To be honest, the decorations of the house wasn't very good. It can even be said to be simple, very true to the style of the Cultivation Realm. In the Cultivation Realm, gorgeous houses were almost nonexistent. This was because beautiful houses would make people distracted. And being distracted was the last thing that a Cultivator wanted.
On the other hand, Cultivators would build their houses on geographically beautiful places. This was also one of the obsessions of the Cultivators.
After picking a room, Zhao Hai entered it and looked at its interior. There really wasn't anything great inside. The room was very simple. It only had a table, a chair, and a few ornaments. The lack of aesthetics would make people speechless.
Zhao Hai went out of his room and then stood on the roof to look at the surroundings of the asteroid. Around the asteroid were other asteroids. However, these asteroids seem to have their own trajectory that didn't interfere with others. Moreover, on these asteroids, Zhao Hai could see that houses were being carved out. There were even some where rows of seats were carved. It seems to be made for spectators.
And in the center of these asteroids was a very large asteroid. This asteroid was enormous. It can even be classified as a small planet. However, this asteroid wasn't a complete sphere, only half of one. This was because this asteroid's top part was cut cleanly and turned into a platform, this asteroid was the Void Arena.
At this time, Ma Rulong walked besides Zhao Hai. He looked at the Void Arena and said, "I heard that the Void Arena is formed by a single sword from a Sword Cultivator. Such strength can only be reached by a salvo from a battleship fleet."
Zhao Hai nodded and said, "Right. The Cultivation Realm is indeed very powerful. Especially their use of magic artifacts, which is beyond the Machine Field's technology. I think we should study the Cultivation Realm's formations and use them in our battleships."
Ma Rulong nodded and said, "A lot of people wanted to do that. But unfortunately, after Senior Leng Wuyeng's matter, the Cultivation Realm had increased their pressure on the Machine Field. If they discover one of us studying their formations and manage to escape back to the Machine Field, the Cultivators would do all they can to chase them down. Therefore, until now, we don't have much information about the Cultivation Realm's formations. Additionally, the Machine Field has too few high-level materials. So even if we use the Cultivation Realm's formations, we still wouldn't be able to match the Cultivators. So even if we can use the Cultivation Realm's formations, some still opt to use magic formations. Because of this, people drifted away from using the Cultivation Realm's formations and instead just used them as reference to improve magic formations."
Zhao Hai nodded and said, "That can be a good thing. What's good for others isn't necessarily good for us. Only those that suit us matter. We can just take all of what's good about other methods and discard the rest. With this, the Machine Field can slowly develop."
Ma Rulong nodded. Although his face had no expression, his heart was actually glad. This was because Zhao Hai was speaking about the Machine Field as though he belonged to it. This meant that he regarded himself as a person of the realm. For Ma Rulong this was very good news.
Zhao Hai continued, "However, I don't agree with the attitude of the Higher-ups. They seem to think that the practitioners of the Machine Field are inferior compared to the other realms. Therefore, their attitude towards us is neither cold nor hot. From what I can see, the Machine Field has the strength to compete with the other realms ever since it was formed. However, the realm's higher-ups are always focused on mechs and battleships, ignoring our Mages and Warriors."
Ma Rulong looked at Zhao Hai but didn't say anything. Zhao Hai looked at Ma Rulong and said, "I reckon it's because mechs and battleships are too tied up to a lot of people's interests. Because of this interest, the higher-ups decided to suppress Mages and Warriors. After all, who wants to lose their benefits?"
Ma Rulong looked at Zhao Hai in a bit of shock. He didn't expect Zhao Hai to say these things. To be honest, Zhao Hai sounded like a Machine Field native. Immediately, Ma Rulong's image of Zhao Hai blurred once more. It seems like another layer of fog was covering his true identity.
Chapter 1260 – Doesn't Want To Change Too Much
Changes in terms(my bad): Demon Realm -> Devil Realm(Mo), Beast Realm -> Demon Realm(Yao), Elves -> Sprites, still reading forward to see if Spirit Race = Elves. No precise description given yet.
Zhao Hai told Ma Rulong this in order to see his response. If Ma Rulong was shocked, then this meant that he guessed right. If Ma Rulong was confused, then this represents that Zhao Hai's guess was wrong, or that Ma Rulong was unaware of this matter.
In the end, Zhao Hai was able to get his answer – he guessed right!
Upon seeing Ma Rulong's shocked expression, Zhao Hai couldn't help but bitterly smile. It seems like the higher-ups of the Machine Field suppressed people for a long time already. Moreover, this wasn't news otherwise Ma Rulong wouldn't have such an expression.
As for why some Ascenders had yet to know about this, Zhao Hai had some guesses. First was that they haven't felt any suppression done to them. Another reason was that the Ascenders had not reached a high enough position in the Machine Field. High positions in the Machine Field had always been controlled by the natives. Things like suppressing Ascenders couldn't be done on a large scale, otherwise Ascenders might revolt.
After Ascendants ascend to the Machine Field, they will find out that the environment that they ended up in was much better compared to before in all aspects. They would also find out that if they wanted benefits, then they would have to work hard practicing. Because of this, Ascenders place great importance in cultivation. If these Ascenders were to find out that their path ahead was being blocked by the Machine Field's higher-ups, then these Ascenders would certainly revolt.
In the Machine Field, various great families would have external halls. And the majority of the members of these external halls were ascenders. This was a collective strength that cannot be ignored. If these Ascenders were to revolt, then the damage to the Machine Field would be enormous.
Most importantly, if these Ascenders were to revolt, the other realms would certainly add fuel to the fire. The Machine Field would be destroyed in no time.
Because of this, although the Machine Field was suppressing people, the methods they used were different. They wouldn't make it clear that they were suppressing you, they would even lift an Ascenders status sometimes. This would make Ascenders think that the realm was looking out for their well being.
The higher-ups of the Machine Field had always done this, and they had done their job well. They haven't been found nor highly suspected. So when Zhao Hai expressed his view, Ma Rulong was shaken.
Zhao Hai looked at Ma Rulong, he smiled bitterly and said, "I think the legacy left behind by Senior Leng Wuyeng was very good. Mechs and Battleships during his time couldn't compare to what they are now. So the main strength of the Machine Field at that time are the Mages and Warriors. It seems like Senior Leng Wuyeng took note of the losses incurred during that time. During the war, 13,000 battleships were lost. With each battleship being manned by about 1000 people, they lost more or less 13 million people. On the other hand, Mages and Warriors that died during the war numbered 200 to 300 million. Such casualties showed the true fighting force of the Machine Field. It can be said that during that war, battleships were mere blockades against the Cultivators while the Mages and Warriors sacrificed their lives to drive them back. If it weren't for this reason, Senior Leng Wuyeng wouldn't have tried to make Liquid Silver during the late stages of his life. He wants to enhance the strength of Mages and Warriors. Senior Leng Wuyeng doesn't want the Cultivation Realm to suppress the Machine Field. He wanted the Machine Field to be treated at the same level as the Cultivation Realm, or even higher."
After speaking up to this point, Zhao Hai stopped, then he sighed and said, "But afterwards, people only saw how small the losses incurred by the battleships and mechs, so they see them as formidable. They failed to see the true fighting force of the Machine Field. After that, large scale improvements were done to Mechs and Battleships while practitioners were marginalized. Moreover, the manufacturing of Mechs and Battleships gave enormous benefits to those in the supply chain. Those higher-ups probably knew about these benefits. So they didn't promote cultivation and instead backed the production of Mechs and Battleships. Because of this, the Machine Field became the weakest realm when it came to Cultivation. Moreover, people in the Machine Field look down on practitioners. People only saw our practitioners being defeated time and time again by the other realms. The people failed to see that the resources allocated to the Machine Field's practitioners was only 1% compared to the resources allocated by the Cultivation Realm to its Cultivators."
Ma Rulong looked at Zhao Hai, he didn't know what to say. Even he didn't remember these casualty numbers, but Zhao Hai did. Ma Rulong couldn't help but be surprised.
Most importantly, if Ascenders were to hear about what Zhao Hai said, the consequences might be dreadful.
Ma Rulong didn't say a word for quite some time. When his emotions had calmed down, he looked at Zhao Hai and said, "Little Hai, if you thought about this, then why didn't you tell anyone?" He found out that his voice was a bit dry, the words that came out of his mouth didn't sound like his.
Zhao Hai glanced at Ma Rulong and then turned to the Void Arena and said, "Tell anyone? What benefits would it bring me? What good would it do to the Machine Field? To be honest, although the Machine Field has been suppressing the Ascenders, its treatment of commoners is very good. If the Machine Field turns its effort to the practitioners, then the situation of its commoners might become the same as those in the Cultivation Realm. If I spread the information out, then Ascenders might cause a disturbance. When that time comes, the commoners would be the ones suffering the most. And if the Machine Field is conquered by the other realms, then the commoners would live horrendous lives. Therefore, if I gain enough ability in the future, I'll try to change things in a way that preserves the current lifestyle of the commoners."
Ma Rulong felt relief. At the same time, the way he looked at Zhao Hai changed. Before, he would look at Zhao Hai with appreciation and maybe hope. But now, he looked at Zhao Hai in awe.
Ma Rulong was aware of Zhao Hai's potential. Not even a year after he ascended, Zhao Hai was able to eliminate a Core Formation Cultivator. This was something that most people wouldn't achieve in their entire lives. After seeing Zhao Hai close up multiple times, Ma Rulong thought that he was a cultivating madman. But after hearing Zhao Hai's words, Ma Rulong was made aware that Zhao Hai wasn't just a cultivating madman, he was also a person who thought about the Machine Field's affairs. And it seems like his contemplations had run very deep.
Ma Rulong was shocked by Zhao Hai’s sheer potential. In the past, he thought that Zhao Hai's cultivation speed was monstrous. But now it seems like he was still underestimating Zhao Hai. It wasn't his cultivation speed that was monstrous, Zhao Hai himself was a monster!
Ma Rulong wiped a cold sweat from his forehead then he said, "I didn't expect you to have thought this far. But unfortunately, things have already gone to this point. Ever since Senior Leng Wuyeng passed away, nobody has been able to succeed him. There have been some people who tried to change the state of the Machine Field, but all of them failed. Because of the Mechs and the Battleships, the Machine Field's higher-ups had formed an airtight network with each other. So even if they had some internal fights now and then, their cumulative strength can still shake the realm. They're fully capable of suppressing anyone."
Zhao Hai nodded, "I understand. I don't intend on changing the Machine Field's current status quo, but I just want practitioners to be treated better. Why should we choose one over the other? If the Machine Field has strong battleships as well as powerful practitioners, then how could the entire World of Cultivation underestimate us? If given the chance, we might even conquer all the realms."
Ma Rulong didn't say anything. Although he was excited by Zhao Hai's words, he knew that this couldn't be achieved in a short time. After all, cultivation cannot increase in one or two days. Zhao Hai wasn't monstrous enough to take the entire World of Cultivation in a blink of an eye.
At this time, Fan Yi flew over to the roof and then gave the two a bow before saying, "The tournament is about to begin. Please follow me, we need to draw lots for the Machine Field."
Zhao Hai and Ma Rulong nodded. They were aware that the ranking tournament of the competition was the same as the Machine Field's. But besides drawing lots for one's opponent, the distribution of seats needed to be drawn as well. Once selected, that spectator spot would belong to whichever realm drew it, no other realm was allowed to sit there.
It can be said that people from all walks of life were watching the tournament. Even some people from the Machine Field came. But since they were afraid of disturbing Zhao Hai, they waited for their spectator seats
Zhao Hai's assigned seat was at a small asteroid. There were a few dozen seats here but less than a hundred. Besides Zhao Hai, Ma Rulong, and the remaining team leaders, nobody else was here. The same treatment was given to all participants.
Zhao Hai looked all around them and discovered that there were several asteroids around them. Sat on them were people wearing Mage and Warrior Clothing. It was clear that this group of asteroids had been drawn by the Machine Field.
Before this, Zhao Hai heard that a lot of people from the Machine Field came to watch. However, he didn't expect so many people. From what he can see, there's no less than a few thousand people from the Machine Field watching.
One must know that it wasn't easy coming to the Cultivation Realm from the Machine Field. For so many people to come certainly surprised Zhao Hai.
Ma Rulong looked at their surroundings, then he sighed and said, "I didn't expect this many people to come. In the past, whenever the Six Realms Beginner Competition was held here, almost nobody from the Machine Field came. Besides the participant and the team leaders, there's no one else. The Machine Field's delegates looked solitary in the empty region while the other realms were surrounded by their people. Ah, let's forget about that…."
Zhao Hai smiled faintly and said, "That's because everyone has no hope of winning before. But now that there's hope of winning, all of them want to see it for themselves. Oh, the drawing has begun."
Sure enough, just as Zhao Hai finished talking, a robot appeared on the Void Arena. Then the eyes of this robot projected upwards, revealing two people. Upon seeing the two combatants, Zhao Hai immediately lost interest. Since none of the two were him, he didn't care. He just sat down and didn't bother himself with the fight.
On the other hand, Ma Rulong and the others kept standing. They were looking straight into the arena. Before long, two people appeared. These two looked like Cultivators. Although this was the Six Realms Beginner Competition and people from the other realms were among the top 100, the top ranking was still being dominated by the Cultivation Realm. Of the top 100, 85 of them were from the Cultivation Realm. As for the remaining 15, six were taken by the Machine Field, three were from the Devil Realm, two from the Demon Realm, two from the Spirit Realm, and two from the Sprite Realm. In this case, two Cultivators facing each other wasn't strange.
The battle siren immediately rang. What differentiates the Void Arena compared to other arenas was the fact that it didn't have any protective barriers. Because of this, people could see the action with their eyes. Those strong enough could even hear what's happening in the arena.
However, because of the sheer size of the Void Arena, it was impossible for the two to go out of bounds. And because of how huge the arena was, the two combatants have great freedom in their actions.
After the two combatants entered the arena, they didn't talk much and just attacked immediately. It can be seen that this wasn't their first battle. Both parties were aware of how strong the other was. Because of this, the clash between the two was quite lively.
Zhao Hai didn't say anything about battle as he just sat there with a smile on his face. Meanwhile, Ma Rulong was looking at the battle with a calm face. Although the two Cultivators were showcasing their impressive strength, Ma Rulong couldn't sense any malice from their moves. It was as if the two were conversing instead of fighting.
Ma Rulong turned to Zhao Hai and said, "Little Hai, can you see this? They seem to be sparring."
Zhao Hai smiled and said, "They are indeed sparring. Cultivators dominated the top 100 for many years. So all they had to do was decide on who was the strongest. But now, the top positions were taken by people like me and Tu Mietan. Naturally, those people would want to deal with us, so they won't reveal their abilities this early."