Chapter 256 - 184: The Throne’s Troubles, Superpowered Weapons (2)

Chapter 256: Chapter 184: The Throne’s Troubles, Superpowered Weapons (2)

For an ordinary person, this wouldn’t be a problem. Limited by their lack of power, the worst they could do is fly into a helpless rage.

But a Martial Artist’s immense power is their own. Their destructive potential is simply too great. In the most extreme case, they might fight to the death for humanity one day, only to decide the next that humanity is too much trouble and might as well be destroyed.

This was how the term Chaotic Balance came to be. Order and chaos were like the two pans of a scale, tipping unpredictably from one side to the other.

Yu Fei cared deeply for the mortal world and had no ill feelings toward the Martial Arts Extraordinary World after his initial contact. This was a good thing. He only leaned toward this behavioral profile; he didn’t fit it perfectly. On this point, Ye Shuping trusted his own judgment—Yu Fei wouldn’t become so extreme as to endanger the human world.

The trouble was, according to all available data, Martial Artists with the "Wind Chaser: Chaotic Balance" profile tended to be one of two things: extreme or completely passive. Their attitude was akin to ’As long as it doesn’t bother me, do whatever you want. But if you get in my way, you can all get lost.’

Ye Shuping had higher expectations for Yu Fei. He felt the young man had the potential to solve the current problems plaguing the extraordinary world.

The current internal problems facing humanity could be boiled down to one thing: there were either too few Martial Saints, or too many.

It sounded contradictory, but this was the biggest problem in the Martial Arts Extraordinary World, as Ye Shuping had concluded after many years of observation.

If there were fewer than ten Martial Saints in the human world—or even twenty or thirty—it would be easy to unite them. Alternatively, if the extraordinary world had tens of thousands of Martial Saints, society would inevitably revert to its most fundamental model: organization. With structure and a division of labor, their power could naturally be consolidated.

But right now, the number of humanity’s so-called ultimate warriors was in an awkward middle ground—not too many, not too few. On the surface, they all seemed to get along, but in reality, each was out for themselves. The Supreme Council was more like a village gossip circle than a governing body, making it nearly impossible to pass any transformative resolutions.

If a decision harmed the interests of even a small number of Martial Saints, they would inevitably throw a fit and refuse to cooperate. They were all Martial Saints, after all—who was afraid of whom? ’Big deal,’ they’d think. ’I’m not playing anymore. What are you gonna do about it?’

Yu Fei had the potential to become the ultimate martial power, but Ye Shuping didn’t want the boy, once he became truly strong, to just stick his hands in his pockets and become a bystander who did nothing but play games and have kids. He hoped Yu Fei could unite all of humanity’s strength and lead them out of the stalemate in the ten-thousand-year war against the Exotic Origin Realm.

Of course, there was a slim chance Yu Fei could single-handedly defeat the foreign races. But what then? With no external enemy to unite them, wouldn’t humanity just tear itself apart?

Based on the analysis of the Wind Chaser: Chaotic Balance profile, Yu Fei didn’t possess the ability to unite the Martial Arts Extraordinary World. He wasn’t even cut out to be a good guardian of order. This did not bode well for human civilization.

’Sigh...’ The old man’s worries returned as he mulled it over. Even though he knew these so-called personality profiles weren’t entirely reliable, the mere thought of that outcome was distressing.

The worst part was that he had to keep this worry to himself. He couldn’t even confide in the super-intelligence, Dawnlight.

’This is agonizing!’

As a Ruler of the Ninefold Throne, Ye Shuping hated nothing more than things slipping beyond his control.

***

"You’ve mastered the theoretical knowledge of superpower weapons, I assume!"

"Reporting, Instructor! I’ve mastered all of it!"

"Good. Then I’ll ask, you answer. What is the maximum range of the ’Annihilator’? And its effective range?"

"Reporting! The Annihilator has a maximum range of 50 kilometers and an effective range of 5 to 10 kilometers. It’s a Level 1 medium superpower weapon. Paired with specialized sniper ammunition, its muzzle velocity can reach 3,000 meters per second!"

"And the Crimson Thorn?"

...

Three days after completing his assessment, Yu Fei reported to the Sentong Firing Range as instructed to learn how to use superpower weapons in preparation for the second assessment.

The details for the second freshman assessment had been fully released. Around November, they would be participating in an all-out superpower weapon battle.

Between the end of the first assessment and the start of the competition, they needed to pass all the qualifying tests at the Sentong Firing Range to obtain a Class B weapons license. If they failed, they would have to go into the battle empty-handed.

This news was sent to all students in the three classes simultaneously. The thought that Yu Fei already had a head start preparing for the second assessment immediately sent a wave of panic through them.

Li Jueyin had no choice but to temporarily halt all training outside of her fundamental Cultivation Technique and focus all her energy on her general studies. The other top students gritted their teeth and followed suit, and suddenly, the academic atmosphere among the freshmen became intensely competitive.

Since Yu Fei had already completed all his general studies courses early on, he was the only one currently training at the Sentong Firing Range.

His instructor’s name was Xia Lan. She had fiery red short hair and stood a little on the shorter side, just over 170 cm. Her voice was always brimming with soaring fighting spirit, and her words could make one’s blood boil with excitement—just like right now.

"Typically, we classify superpower firearms into three levels. Level 1 firearms are for Martial Artists in the first three realms, Level 2 for those in the middle three realms, and Level 3 for Grandmasters and above. Of course, there are also legendary, special-grade weapons made exclusively for the use of esteemed Martial Saints, but that’s a category completely beyond our reach.

Each level of superpower firearms still has various models. You’re a third-realm martial artist, so here at the Sentong Firing Range, you’ll need to learn about all the models of Level 1 superpower firearms,"

Xia Lan explained, clenching a fist to emphasize her point as she filled Yu Fei in on details not covered in his general studies.

It wasn’t what she said that was important. It was that the instructor was dressed rather scantily. Yu Fei found himself so dazzled by her ’headlights’ that he could barely hear her. His mind went blank, and his Qi Blood began to boil.

Proportions like hers didn’t seem entirely natural. Instructor Xia Lan had a habit of clenching her fist for encouragement, which always set off a series of spectacular ripples.

Xia Lan reached up to grab a superpower firearm from the top shelf, preparing to show him its major components. As she turned, the movement sent another set of ripples through the air. Yu Fei’s eyes were drawn to them against his will, and he couldn’t help but gulp.

Xia Lan hefted a massive, 1.7-meter-long firearm down onto the table. With practiced ease, she disassembled it into more than twenty parts of varying sizes.

Then, just as quickly, she reassembled it. Standing, she held the rifle unsupported and fired a single shot toward a distant mountain peak. A deafening, thunderous sonic boom washed over them. Visible distortions rippled through the air as dust billowed up, and Yu Fei’s ears began to ring.

Thanks to the effects of his Illusory Cicada Star Pupil, Yu Fei could see a yellow rock on the mountain, approximately five kilometers away, shatter into dust. The mountain was dotted with artificially placed stones of various sizes and colors, which apparently served as targets.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that while the recoil hadn’t moved Xia Lan from her spot, the resulting, pronounced undulations were now seared into his memory.

Xia Lan set the large rifle down, brushed her bangs aside, and shot Yu Fei a proud look. "So, what do you think? Not a bad little toy, huh?"

Yu Fei was confused. "Little toy?" he asked doubtfully. ’With its components, this gun is almost two meters long, and she calls it a little toy?’

"Of course," Xia Lan said proudly. "A nearly obsolete model like the ’Wyvern’ here, weighing less than 200 kilograms with an effective range of only five kilometers, is nothing more than a toy in the world of superpower weapons. Still, it’s pretty good for you rookies to practice on."

Yu Fei suddenly realized she wasn’t wrong. The enemies Martial Artists faced were bound to be much stronger. Ordinary firearms were useless—he himself could already ignore them, to say nothing of Martial Artists who had attained Inner Qi.

Martial Artists possessed incredible physical strength. Carrying a few hundred kilograms was a simple task, and a little recoil was nothing. That was how such terrifying weapons of slaughter came to exist.

"Alright, let me introduce you to its components first. I know you’ve already learned the theory in your general studies, but you haven’t gotten any hands-on experience yet. Some things you can only appreciate the fun of by trying them out yourself.

Level 1 and Level 2 Superpower Firearms have similar structures and are used the same way. Once you master the Level 1 models, you’ll be able to get the hang of the next level quickly, even after you advance to the Inner Qi realm."

Yu Fei’s expression stiffened. As Xia Lan spoke, she suddenly wrapped an arm around him and pressed him down toward the tabletop. Her small frame contained immense strength, leaving him no room to resist.

"Oof—"

Xia Lan’s expression was feverish. "Come on, record-breaking Mr. Yu! Take a look at my baby!"