Chapter 203 Wu Chutai's Choice and Ending
"In other words," Yu Cang hesitated for a moment before speaking uncertainly, "The four great families of the imperial capital... are trying to make peace with me?"
"Of course." Ren Zheng said as a matter of course, "You are now the recipient of the Flame Emperor Medal, and you have also entered the vision of many high-ranking officials of the Yan State. It can be said that as long as you don't die young, you will definitely become the top existence in the Yan State. Moreover, you are also a card maker of the Creation System. In terms of status, you are not much different from a mythical soul card maker. Maybe when Duan Feng achieves mythical status, he will even come to you for help."
Ren Zheng picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and continued, "The four major families seem particularly obsessed with embellishing Duan Feng's resume... It's hard to say whether this approach is good or bad. Regardless, it's foreseeable that if they don't deal with your relationship, you'll likely become an indelible stain on Duan Feng's life, so showing goodwill is inevitable."
"...It's really interesting." Yu Cang didn't know what to say.
"Actually, the Duan family told me about this a few days after the armament overhaul, but I refused. Now that you've broken through to level five, they've learned about it, so they've come knocking again." Ren Zheng said, "This time, the conditions they offered are quite generous, so I came to ask you first."
Yu Cang blinked: "What are the conditions?"
"I won't mention the money and some materials. They're not small amounts, but they're just extras. I suggest you don't take them, as they'll give you something to talk about." Ren Zheng paused, then said, "The most important one... is the Tianmen Secret Realm."
Yu Cang's pupils shrank: "Tianmen?"
Ren Zheng nodded slowly: "Yes, the mythical soul card, Tianmen."
This is the second myth in the history of Yan State and also the most powerful one.
Its true abilities, story, and creation time are no longer traceable. All we know is that Tianmen has been in a damaged state since it was found by Emperor Chang'an, and is almost unusable in actual combat. However, even so, it can still exert mythical abilities.
Today, there is a "Tianmen Secret Realm" in Tianmen, which accommodates almost all the spiritual beasts that have survived to this day.
The Tianmen Secret Realm is isolated from everything, and the only exit to the outside world is Tianmen itself. Therefore, as long as it is properly managed and controlled, there is no need to worry about Huang's invasion, and the remaining spirit beasts can live in peace.
Therefore, although Tianmen cannot be used for combat, the state guardian who controls Tianmen naturally possesses enormous influence.
The current owner of Tianmen is named Ling.
Ling Luochou Duan's Ling!
There are many hidden dragons and crouching tigers in the Tianmen Secret Realm, ranging from common and rare to legendary and even mythical spiritual beasts. This is a very terrifying force.
The ancestors of these spiritual beasts were all overlords in ancient times, but now they can only rely on humans for survival.
Their abilities are varied and almost all card makers of all attributes can be satisfied here, and the rhythm is of extremely high quality. The most important thing is that it is 100% safe here. If you encounter any danger, those spirit beasts will try their best to not let you get into any trouble.
If humans are injured in Tianmen, how can their spiritual beasts be any better?
Therefore, the Tianmen Secret Realm can be regarded as one of the highest-standard secret realms in Yan Country.
Of course, the review of Tianmen Secret Realm is also very strict.
Spiritual beasts have almost no resistance to the wilderness. Previous experience has shown that as long as they encounter it, no matter how powerful the spiritual beast is, it will be destroyed in this life.
Therefore, everyone who enters the Tianmen Secret Realm must go through numerous audits and an absurdly long isolation and assessment period before they can stay in the Tianmen Secret Realm for a short period of time.
Even if Yu Cang used his identity as the recipient of the Flame Emperor Medal and Ren Zheng helped him behind the scenes, he might not be able to get this spot - after all, Yu Cang and Huang had quite frequent contact, and there was someone like Qi'er around him.
It is the scarcity among the scarce.
Ren Zheng could even say that even Duan Feng, who was held in the palm of the hand by the four major families, might not have ever entered the Tianmen Secret Realm... because the guardian of the country named Ling was very principled. After getting the soul card, even the people in his own family seemed indifferent, not to mention Duan Feng next door.
And now, this opportunity is right in front of Yu Cang, and no one knows how they got it.
Because the conditions given by the four major families clearly stated that Yu Cang could choose some areas that were not open to the public to visit, and he could even stay there as long as he wanted within a month, and it didn't matter if he lived there.
This treatment is ridiculously high! Not to mention Yu Cang, even Ren Zheng has never heard of anyone using the Tianmen Secret Realm in this way.
Ling Zhenguo can indeed do this... but just like Ren Zheng will not use his influence easily, this kind of thing will become less and less useful the more he uses it. Giving Yu Cang an "outsider", I'm afraid the four major families will have to make arrangements.
Yu Cang opened his mouth but said nothing.
This condition was extremely tempting to him.
And it was just a duel, he wasn't asked to do anything excessive.
Yu Cang was a little dazed for a moment.
It turns out that without realizing it, my worth has become so high.
Can you get so many things just by playing a game?
Thinking of this, Yu Cang said, "Then, do I have to lose to Duan Feng in the duel?"
We have to give him some slack... Maybe we have to put on a show and let Duan Feng win in a more handsome way.
Otherwise he wouldn’t feel at ease taking the money (no).
"No need." Ren Zheng shook his head. "They probably didn't even consider the possibility of Duan Feng losing, so they didn't mention it. Besides, it doesn't matter. No matter what the outcome of your duel with Duan Feng is, they will definitely have a corresponding explanation."
Yu Cang uttered a sound.
Is there such a good thing?
You spend a lot of money to invite yourself to a duel, and you don’t even need to fake the match yourself. You can get a ticket to the Tianmen Secret Realm regardless of winning or losing?
Ren Zheng: "...what's that expression on your face?"
"Nothing, what's wrong?"
"Xiao Cang, I'm not trying to discourage you." Ren Zheng sighed, "If it were a normal duel... you might not be able to beat Duan Feng."
"Oh?" Yu Cang became interested. "How do you say that?"
"You should know that Duan Feng's talent is the same as Emperor Shenhua's talent back then."
"I've heard something about it." Yu Cang nodded.
But he didn't know what it was exactly.
Although Emperor Mythology is already a household name, his specific combat power, deck talents, and so on are definitely kept secret, and it is impossible to make it known to everyone in a big way.
Even the fact that Duan Feng and Emperor Shenhua had the same talent was information that Yu Cang had been investigating for a long time before he got it, and he still didn't know whether it was true or not... because it was very likely that the talent of Emperor Shenhua that the four major families knew about was also fake.
But in short, it is certain that Duan Feng has a "mythical appearance".
Ren Zheng was straightforward, with nothing to hide. He said directly, "Duan Feng's talent is called 'Symbiotic Soul'. Throughout history, it's arguably one of the talents that has the greatest impact on combat. As for whether it's the same as Emperor Mythology...don't ask about that. Even I don't know."
Yu Cang nodded: "I understand."
Ren Zheng explained, "Those who possess the Symbiotic Soul talent are born with a 'companion soul.' This companion soul can only be seen by the owner, but it can be directly affected by various Soul Cards. I've even heard that some people have trained this talent to the extreme, able to directly manifest their companion soul, which in turn affects other Soul Cards."
Yu Cang stroked his chin, lost in thought.
Ren Zheng continued, "Each companion soul has its own abilities—even talents. How can we play this game? That's fine, but there's another point: companion souls can help share the host's mental stress. In other words, Duan Feng's mental stress limit is at least double that of his peers. In an equal battle, if you're already at your mental stress limit and have no soul energy left, while they can still fight normally, how can we defeat them?"
"It's indeed difficult to fight." Yu Cang thought thoughtfully.
"Unless you can create a legendary on the spot like you did in the snowy mountains, even if you bring out your Mechanical Department in its prime, you're likely to fail." Ren Zheng shook his head. "But you also said that such an opportunity is rare."
Yu Cang let out a soft click of his tongue.
"Okay, I get it, old man." He stood up. "Anything else?"
"No, that's why I called you here."
"Then tell them that I agree to the duel." Yu Cang smiled, "Arrange it as soon as possible, otherwise, I may leave the ancient capital for a while."
Grandmaster Yun Yan has often come to chat with me these days and introduced me to the secret places over there.
He has been looking forward to it for a long time.
"Okay." Ren Zheng nodded.
Turning around, Yu Cang left the principal's office.
Got a good business.
To be honest, he didn't have the same obsession with this former senior as he did with Wu Chutai. When he participated in the college league, he simply wanted to beat him up.
But...if I accidentally win, they probably won't regret it.
…
Imperial Capital
A reception room.
Wu Chutai clenched his teeth and opened his eyes wide, with bloodshot eyes clearly visible in them.
He stared at the figure across from the reception table, the disbelief in his eyes clearly visible.
"What did you say?"
"Mr. Wu," the suited figure said calmly with a formal smile, "I've repeated this three times. I think I've made it clear enough."
"But this is impossible!" Wu Chutai stood up excitedly. "I've given Duan Feng so much! I designed his deck myself, and even gave away the military overhaul I've been preparing for years. How could you just stop using my resources like that?"
The smile on the suited figure's face faded slightly. He looked at the excited old man in front of him, his eyes gradually becoming cold. After a while, he snorted, "You don't know what's good for you."
Wu Chutai glared: "You!"
"Mr. Wu, it seems you still don't understand what I mean." He remained seated in his chair and spoke in perfect Mandarin, word for word, "Mr. Wu, you attempted to use your position as a mentor to seize Yu Cang's achievements and pin the blame on Duan Feng. Now that the matter has been exposed, we have decided to immediately halt all your resources and investigate all those responsible. As for the achievements you mentioned above—those were all Duan Feng's own research and there was no gift. I hope you understand and keep this in mind."
He raised his head slightly, and the light flashed through his glasses, making it difficult for Wu Chutai to see his eyes. Wu Chutai didn't understand how this person could say these words with such a firm tone, as if the truth of the matter was just like this.
Wu Chutai's lips trembled, and he wanted to utter a few words to refute, but the emphasis the man in the suit put on the word "keep in mind" suddenly sobered him up.
Refutation...what's the use of refutation?
What they decided, to him, was the fact itself.
After trembling for a while, he said unwillingly: "I... I want to see the head of the Duan family..."
"This is what the master of the house meant."
As soon as these words fell, Wu Chutai seemed to have all his strength drained away in an instant. He sat back on the sofa, his eyes dull, and fell into a long silence.
Seeing this, the man in the suit smiled.
"It seems you've remembered it." He stood up. "Someone will come to deal with your matter later. Don't forget what you need to remember."
After saying that, he turned around and walked out of the room without looking back.
In the room, Wu Chutai did not move. He slumped on the sofa with a blank expression in his eyes.
Why……
That’s right.
Yu Cang.
He said Yu Cang!
Wu Chutai looked ashen.
On the day of the major armament overhaul, he left early due to shame, so he did not see Yu Cang being awarded the Flame Emperor Medal. Naturally, his students would not take the initiative to tell him and bring bad luck to him.
By the time he realized this, it was too late.
Everything he had had been taken away from him.
Yu Cang...
That’s the Flame Emperor Medal!
If it weren't for this news, he would have thought that Yu Cang was a guy who was good at taking advantage of the situation and relied on Ren Zheng and some other backgrounds to defeat him.
If that were the case, he wouldn't be in such a miserable state.
It's just that my skills are not as good as others.
But now that Yu Cang has obtained the Flame Emperor Medal, the nature of the matter has changed.
The Flame Emperor Medal will not be awarded to you simply because of how powerful you are. To obtain this medal, you must demonstrate corresponding achievements and strength. However, considering the weight of this medal, a prototype of the mechanical system alone is not enough!
Yu Cang, what on earth have you done in the year since you left him...
Is it true that people can really do these things with their talents?
His eyes suddenly fluctuated.
At this moment, he hated Cang to the core, but he had to admit that behind the resentment... a hint of envy could not be erased no matter what.
How wonderful it is... With amazing talent, you don’t have to care about anything and you can get everything with your strength.
When did he...get rid of these mindsets?
suddenly.
The door was pushed open.
There was a figure standing at the door, but he didn't come in.
Wu Chutai's eyes fluctuated slightly. He recognized the person, but he didn't say anything.
Hu Chen spoke up: "Wu Chutai, I submitted an application to change my instructor yesterday, and the school approved it a year ago."
Wu Chutai: "..."
That’s great.
I submitted my application yesterday, but it was approved a year ago.
A year ago, this had not happened.
Hu Chen was not affected at all.
He knew that Hu Chen's family was rich, but they were just rich and had no power. It would probably be very difficult for him to achieve this.
It doesn't matter. It has nothing to do with him anymore. To be more precise, it has been gone for a year.
He waved his hand to indicate that he understood.
So Hu Chen turned around and left without any regrets.
Wu Chutai didn't say anything.
Hu Chen at least came over and talked to him in person.
As for the others——
Beside him, Wu Chutai's personal terminal kept ringing. He glanced at it and could tell without even a second glance that every message on it was probably a message to disassociate himself from the matter.
Two and a half years ago, Duan Feng joined his laboratory, and even earlier, the Duan family had chosen him, so over the years, the students he accepted all came with other intentions.
...Thinking about it this way, Yu Cang is probably the only student with a simple mind.
These students all have their own backgrounds to some extent, and it is difficult for them to distance themselves from others, but it is not difficult to do so.
I... am already all alone.
Wu Chutai continued to lie on the sofa and slowly closed his eyes.
A little tired.
suddenly.
He heard footsteps outside the door.
Hu Chen didn't close the door when he left, so the footsteps came straight in and stopped in front of Wu Chutai.
He then opened his eyes again...it was Wen Yang.
Wu Chutai's eyes fluctuated slightly.
Wen Yang, among his students, is a rare person with no background.
He heard a little about Duan Feng from somewhere, so he followed the clues and went to his house. He used all kinds of means, even some humiliating ones, to get Duan Feng to accept him and get him on board.
Wu Chutai knew from the beginning that Wen Yang was a snobbish person, and no matter what he did, he was very purposeful.
Someone like Yu Cang might not like it, but Wu Chutai didn't hate it.
It is people like this who can make him realize how right and pleasant it was for him to give up that ridiculous persistence when he was young.
Originally, Yu Cang would also be his means of gaining pleasure.
"What are you doing here?" Wu Chutai didn't want to pay attention to him.
Needless to say, what would a person like Wen Yang do in this situation?
Everyone else has a background and can get away, but he has a very shallow background. He must have come here to squeeze out the last bit of value from himself and cut his losses as much as possible.
"Get lost," he said.
But Wen Yang seemed not to hear and placed the several sets of documents in his hands on the table.
He said seriously, "Teacher, now that the senior brothers and sisters have left, our situation is very unfavorable. We don't have time to stay like this any longer. We must take the initiative!"
There was a slight change in Wu Chutai's eyes.
Wen Yang’s words…why were they different from what he imagined?
While he was stunned, Wen Yang continued, "Teacher, I have analyzed the four families of Ling, Luo, Chou, and Duan. Although their power has been at its peak in recent years, they have secretly offended many other families due to their barbaric growth. There may be forces among them that we can use.
"Let's put aside those small families that have already declined for now. For now, we must gain the support of the Wang family."
Wen Yang placed several documents on the table. Wu Chutai looked at them and saw that they were densely covered with annotations.
"Although the Wang family has kept a low profile in recent years, their influence is still considerable. Furthermore, their next heir has a good relationship with Yu Cang and expressed his dissatisfaction with the four major families back then. He is a potential target for us to win over. All we have to do is..."
Wen Yang spread out some information and talked freely, his expression remained calm throughout, without any sign of panic.
Wu Chutai was stunned by what he saw.
Suddenly, he interrupted Wen Yang's explanation with strength from nowhere: "Stop dreaming!"
Wu Chutai sat up and slammed his hands on the table. "You said you can win over the Wang family? Who do you think you are?"
“…”
Wen Yang paused.
After a while, he raised his head and looked directly into Wu Chutai's eyes: "Of course I am Wen Yang - Teacher. Back then, my talent, personality, and talents were all mediocre. How did you allow me to join your laboratory?"
Wu Chutai: "..."
"I can think of a way, no matter how humble." Wen Yang said firmly, "Everything depends on human effort, teacher—and we also have bargaining chips."
Wen Yang took out several documents and placed them in front of Wu Chutai.
"These are the evidence I've collected. With this, it's enough to prove that Duan Feng has been committing academic fraud and sucking the blood of his teachers over the past few years. Moreover, he's definitely not as perfect as the persona his family has created. As long as he manages it well, relying on these is enough..."
"Wen Yang!" a loud shout came.
Wen Yang paused, raised his head, and saw Wu Chutai looking at him with a sullen face.
"Do you know what you are doing?" Wu Chutai was a little panicked.
If he calmly accepts his destined ending like he does now, then although his career will be ruined, at least he won't have any trouble in his later years. Even after the storm has passed, if he is a little shameless, he can regain the protection of the Duan family, but he will not be able to show his face in public.
But if the Duan family found out that I was collecting evidence to bring down Duan Feng—
You may not even be able to imagine what will happen.
"I'm collecting evidence."
"Enough!" Wu Chutai stood up suddenly, pointing at Wen Yang, his fingers trembling slightly. "Do you think you can hide these little tricks of yours from the Duan family? Do you think you are the only smart person in the world? They are a wealthy family, and your little tricks and tricks are just leftovers from their tricks decades ago! You have only lived for a few years, and you want to fight a bunch of old foxes? Can you beat them?"
Wen Yang frowned, thought for a moment, and said:
"Why can't I fight—I haven't tried yet, and I haven't failed."
"You--" Wu Chutai was about to blurt out a swear word, but when his eyes met Wen Yang's, he suddenly froze.
Wen Yang's eyes were firm and confident, without a trace of hesitation.
This look... looks so familiar.
Back then, I was the one who refused to repent and was determined to use my talents to break the monopoly of the big family. I can see this look in my eyes every time I look in the mirror.
This was the look in Yu Cang's eyes every time he told him that he didn't need to take him to any project, and that he would rely on his own hands to create results that would satisfy him.
Wu Chutai's fingers trembled.
He realized one thing.
Even though Wen Yang is extremely snobbish, highly purposeful, and profit-oriented, even though he doesn't look like a student at all, but after all.
He is also a... young man.
Even though Wen Yang once knelt down to him in order to join the lab, even though he flattered him terribly in order to participate in a project... he still had his own pride.
He still wanted to reach the end of his own path step by step with his own strength.
Wu Chutai used to think that Yu Cang was like his former self before he was hit, and Wen Yang was like his transformed self.
But now it seems that they are just them, the kind of people that he despises the most now.
He looked at Wen Yang, his lips trembling, and suddenly, a fierce look filled his eyes.
"Get lost!" he cursed. "I don't have you as my disciple! From today on, we have no relationship... And those stupid achievements of yours, take them with you when you get out. Do you understand? Putting my name on them is an insult to my reputation! Pack up your achievements and get out of here. If you dare show up in front of me again, I will... beat you to death!"
Wen Yang frowned, clenched his fists, and suddenly said, "Teacher, what are you doing? I don't want to regret the decision I made!"
“…”
"I am your student after all."
"Shut up!" Wu Chutai waved his hand, sweeping all the documents on the table away. "You think you can collect evidence from the Duan family? Ridiculous... Stealing the evidence I worked so hard to collect, huh? Are you planning to use this to gain credit from the Duan family? Forget it! Get out of here!"
Wen Yang was silent.
After a while, he looked at Wu Chutai deeply, his eyes extremely complicated.
Turn around.
"...Wen Yang." Wu Chutai stopped him, "Humph... A scum like you, after leaving me, will definitely go find my sworn enemy Zhu Yuandong, right? Humph, I don't know why he's so interested in your mediocre achievements. I'm warning you, if you go to him, even if you can borrow his power, don't show up in front of me again!"
Wen Yang: “…”
He clenched his fists quietly.
After a moment's silence, he left as well.
In the room, Wu Chutai collapsed weakly on the sofa.
"...It's over." He carefully recalled Wen Yang's every move after he entered the room.
Haha...is this your method?
You have no background, so you rely on such childish means to try to get yourself out of trouble?
Hahahaha...it seems like something you could do.
But never mind.
Even if there is a slight possibility that Wen Yang’s performance just now was true... then just treat it as if it was true.
Being young... it's so good...
If possible, stay young forever.
(End of this chapter)
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