Chapter 48: Invitation from Grand Desolate War Institution  

Strivon / Ash Editor: Geoffrey / Lancent

“*Inhale…..”

Li Yao felt like his palm was gripping a piece of red-hot coal. Even though he had endured a month of torment with “Give Up”, he was caught off guard and was forced to take a deep cold breath in pain!

“Your grip strength isn’t bad. I squeezed the hands of seven or eight students a moment ago. All of them cried tears of pain on the spot! One had even wet his pants… You Southeastern students are far too weak, not being able to take a single strike, you’re actually an exception!” Ding Lingdang withdrew her hand as she spoke, being completely pleased.

Li Yao shook his hand. He was pained to the point of being speechless.

He finally realized, at this time, why there wasn’t anyone who dared to come look around at the Grand Desolate War Institution’s booth.

If he had known of this earlier, it would have been better to go along with Zheng Dongming to Sky Fantasia Academy’s booth and gaze at the classical beauties…..

While his mind was running wild with imagination, a fragrance of earthly nature assaulted his nose all of a sudden. Ding Lingdang had moved closer to him abruptly. Two lips faced each other, two noses faced each other, and two pairs of eyes faced each other. Two female, beast-like eyes were staring wide and large. Those eyes were fiercely gazing fixed at Li Yao from a hair’s distance away.

“What, what are you up to?”

Li Yao was completely stupefied. His entire back was covered with cold sweat. This female beast was way too bold and straightforward. What she has done so far was simply unimaginable.

However, Li Yao was not your typical kind of person. He grew up in the Artifact Graveyard. What sort of weirdo has he not seen?

This kind of “always being led by the nose” feeling really was a bad feeling. Ding Lingdang’s aggressiveness completely awakened Li Yao’s core and fundamental nature — the vicious Vulture.

He no longer retreated. Rather, he strove forward to face her, refusing her even an inch of ground.

“If you glare at me, I’ll glare at you too. It’s not like that you would eat me under the sun in broad daylight!”

If he was face to face at hand’s reach with a different girl, like the painting classical beauty from a moment ago, this would have been an extremely alluring and exciting moment.

But from Li Yao’s perspective, he did not feel the least bit of attraction to the opposite sex coming from Ding Lingdang.

This was because of the far too violent and fierce expression coming from this girl. It was like a shining blade. The unconcealed murderous aura bubbled forth, ferociously stabbing into Li Yao’s eyes. The aura drove constantly inside Li Yao’s mind. Rushing across and crashing directly, it bombarded recklessly without reason against Li Yao’s central nervous system.

It was 10 seconds. A short 10 seconds of confrontation and it was as if Li Yao had engaged endlessly in direct combat!

Right when his two legs grew weak, when he was unable to hold on any longer, Ding Lingdang suddenly retracted her gaze. She grinned, exposing two pure-white canine teeth.

Her mouth was very large, as were her eyes, nose, and ears.

Her smile seemed to possess a peculiar charm, like the splendid sun that appeared suddenly after days of rainy clouds. It made one forget about their troubles in an instant, making one feel crisp and bright.

“Little brother, you’re quite amazing… Even in the Grand Desolate War Institution, there aren’t that many students of the lower grades who dare to face eye-to-eye with me for so long! Not bad! Not bad at all! You possess strength and spirit rarely seen in a high-school student. And your awareness is incomparably sharp. Most importantly, you will still able to resist while being enveloped by my strong killing aura. Good. This is really good! I’ve waited so long and I finally ended up with you!”

Ding Lingdang waved her fist with strength, suddenly causing air the circulate around.

Li Yao’s head was covered in a cold sweat. It seemed that the other person had misunderstood something. But if he were to say that he just came here to play around willy-nilly… wouldn’t he be beaten to a pulp of meat?

Ding Lingdang patted Li Yao’s shoulder, causing Li Yao to grimace in pain. Paying no mind, she said, “Little brother, these two eyes of senior sister have never been mistaken before… You are the real deal! A man of steel! Those dazzling flying swords, artifacts…. They’re all used by pussies. Real men of iron should become Body Practitioners by tempering their own bodies to become powerful artifacts. Use a body filled with blood-racing heat and a pair of iron fists to strike open a giant land under the heavens! Come then! Come to our Combat Department of our Grand Desolate War Institution! Here lies the paradise for hot-blooded men. We’re completely different from those pussy-ass universities!”

Li Yao summoned the courage to speak, “I’m terribly sorry. Miss… Sister Ling. My dream is to become a Refiner, so I’m preparing to apply for Deep Sea University!”

“What? A Refiner?”

In a flash, Ding Lingdang’s eyes bulged to twice their size. Not caring about anything else, she roared and thundered, “With this good of a body, with this great of willpower, you don’t want to be a Body Practitioner, but rather some Refiner? This is simply a reckless waste of talent!”

Li Yao’s head hurt as if he had been hit. He retreated to the edge of the booth without batting an eyelid. With a humble gesture, he said, “I’m truly sorry, Sister Ling. Everyone has a different understanding of the road of cultivation. Maybe in your eyes, a refiner is not a powerful profession. But where I was born and raised, everyone would seize tools and weapons for the sake of survival. They racked their heads to assemble weapons from scrap… In our hands, even if it's half a glass bottle, even if it's a piece of paper, they can all be crafted into fatal weapons! Those who know only to use their fists do not live long. Only those who can seize materials and craft them into weapons can continue living on! It’s precisely because of this that I feel Refiner is an extremely incredible profession. To become a Refiner is my dream. I cannot apply to your school’s Combat Department. I thank you for your certainty in me.”

With a slight jump, he leapt out of Grand Desolate War Institution’s booth. He turned around and was just about to leave.

“Hey…!” Ding Lingdang suddenly shouted, freezing him.

Li Yao’s body went rigid and his heart thumped… This female T-rex wouldn’t come chasing after him right?

Fortunately, Ding Lingdang did not have the intention of chasing after him. She stepped one foot onto a barbell bench. Extending a finger, she said, “Little brother, don’t make this decision so rashly. Go back and think it over carefully. You can ask around and see what the circle of cultivators think about our Grand Desolate War Institution. As everyone knows… the Federation has a total of Nine Elite Universities. Eight of them breeds Cultivators. Grand Desolate War Institution… is the university that only breeds warriors!”

Li Yao was stunned. He gave her a quick nod and turned around to squeeze into the crowd.

Looking at his back, Ding Lingdang licked her lips. She spread open her hands and then squeezed tightly. The air in the palm of her hand exploded with a “Bang!”.

“Let’s wait and see. You’re this strong and buff. You’re just made to be a part of our Grand Desolate War Institution. I, Ding Lingdang, will capture you for sure!”

…...

In order to leave a deep impression of the Nine Elite Universities on the exam takers, the Exchange Convention lasted for the entire day. The hold continued being brightly lit and filled with a bustling atmosphere all the way until 9 PM,

Anyways, Li Yao had already chosen the university he most aspired. After blazing and ravaging a meal at the affiliated Buffet in the Distant Expanse, he returned early to his assigned single room to rest.

On the way back, all that appeared in his mind was Ding Lingdang’s face that was full of vitality. This girl, who couldn’t be considered that pretty, was the type to leave a deep impression on a person in just a mere half a second.

However, even if her behavior was special and her words cause one’s blood to heat and boil, it was still impossible for Li Yao to apply to the Combat Department of the Grand Desolate War Institution.

His path had already been determined — and that is the Refining Department of Deep Sea University!

“Tonight, I’m going to get a good night’s rest so that I can put on a good performance at the competition tomorrow. I will win over people by blowing their minds with my brilliance. I will catch the eye of Deep Sea University's scout, Xie Tingxian!” Li Yao made a resolution to himself in his heart.