Chapter 1
Continent of the Five Elements. Southern Fire Empire, western region, Lihuo
City.
In the Southern Fire Empire, Lihuo City could at most be considered a
medium-sized city, but despite its small size, it was famous in every other
aspect. While the garrison was a mere 2000 soldiers, its security was better
than most other cities. It was hard to find a single speck of dust on its
broad red granite streets. Red granite is a special kind of rock, which can
only be made using the Southern Fire Empire’s special production technique.
Not only is Red Granite extremely fashionable and artistic, it is also very
durable: as long as nobody tried to destroy it, it could last for hundreds
of years without any imperfections.
In the Southern Fire Empire, Lihuo City.
Evening was ending, and the sunset had arrived, basking the city in a red
glow. Lihuo City calms down as people stop working, and start to rest. At
this time, the late night entertainment is just winding up.
Flaming Passion, one of the most popular bars in Lihuo City, was located on
the principal street of the golden district. Like many of the buildings in
Lihuo City, it was red. But the red of this building was even brighter than
those that surrounded it. The bar occupied a grand two-floored building, and
an outdoor plaza that was situated right at its doorway. This plaza was what
attracted the majority of the bar’s customers.
This outdoor plaza was about 500 square meters, and in the center there is a
circular bar, ten meters across, made of stone. Every evening, Flaming
Passion Bar’s most famous bartender will come to this bar and mix drinks for
the customers. Even on rainy days, there is never a lack of customers, as
they could easily pull up a canopy large enough to cover the entire plaza.
Since the Southern Fire empire never experiences winter, this patio has
never been unoccupied, even during the night.
Right now, the bartenders of Flaming Passion were in position, as the
customers slowly filled the outdoor plaza. This time was in fact the busiest
point of the day.
An old man wearing a luxurious red gown walked towards the outdoor plaza. As
soon as he stepped into the plaza, a waiter greeted him, leading him deep
into the central area of the plaza. This section was composed of ten tables
which directly surrounded the bar; all of these tables were reserved for VIP
guests. There was no doubt that this old man dressed in a red gown was a
VIP. Not only was he a VIP, but he was guided to the best table in the
entire patio, the one that faced the street!
This red gowned old man had short white hair, a brandy nose, small eyes, and
a skinny build. No matter what feature you looked at, there was nothing you
could call extraordinary. However, whenever that small pair of eyes blinked,
a faint red glimmer flashed through his eyes, making one’s heart tremble.
“Yang-lao, the usual?” A middle aged man in a ceremonial robe arrived next
to him, bowing graciously as he asked. Only the VIP’s could elicit such
treatment out of the bar owner.
Yang-Lao was bored, he said, “Besides your Flaming Passion here, nothing
else in the world can catch my interest.”
The owner smiled slightly and said, “Please wait a moment.” before turning
to the central bar and signaled to the oldest bartender. The bartender knew
exactly what to do. He took a clean shaker made of crystal, and prepared the
first and most important order of the day. In an instant, all sorts of
liquor were poured into the shaker, the bartender then put in a filter and
sealed it nicely. The bartender shook the shaker so vigorously that it was
almost as if it was performing the ‘happy flying dance’.
Since the shaker was made of transparent white crystal, one could clearly
see the colors of the liquor blend and mix during the shaking process. The
bartender
The moves of the Flaming Passion Bar’s veteran bartender were as smooth as
water. When the scent of the cocktail reached the nearby customers, they
applauded and smiled happily. Yang-Lao was no exception, and nodded to the
bartender, his eyes still on the cup; impatiently waiting to taste the
drink.
The glass was quickly brought to Yang-Lao, who directly took the glass from
the hands of the waiter. Yang-Lao took a small sip, completely ignoring the
fact that the liquid was still burning. He took a deep breath before looking
at the bar owner, “Good! Only this drink, which burns with passion, has the
right taste. Even after drinking this every day for five years, it still
enchants this old drunken tard. No wonder your business is so prosperous.
The bar owner said with a respectful smile, “As long as you’re pleased with
it.”
Right at this moment, a voice broke the pleasant scene, “Humph, You call
that a fine liquor? It is nothing but rubbish!” The voice wasn’t very loud,
in fact it was slightly coarse and powerless, yet despite that, it was
filled with an unshakable arrogance.
“Hmm…?” The bar owner and Yang-Lao both turned simultaneously to look at
where the voice came from. They were astonished to see a little beggar with
a petite figure and worn out clothes squatting near the table. They had no
idea how he entered this place. But his eyes were focused on the cocktail,
his weary eyes were filled with dissatisfaction. The bar owner slightly
wrinkled his eyebrows, glancing at one of the nearby waiters with
displeasure. The waiter had only just noticed the little beggar, and he
hastily walked over to the owner and said, “Sorry, I didn’t see him enter.”
The bar owner waved his hand, signifying to get rid of this little beggar as
quickly as possible. But he didn’t want to use force in front of Yang-Lao
and disturb his business.
The little beggar stood up, his face dirty while he had a diminutive figure.
He seemed to be around 11 or 12, with disheveled hair, and an unpleasant
smell surround him, which indicated the countless days since his he had last
bathed.
The waiter was repulsed, and was about to drag him out when Yang-Lao spoke
up, “Wait.” There was no need for the bar owner to do anything, the waiter
already knew to stop. He looked at Yang-Lao, puzzled.
Yang-Lao looked at the little beggar, “Little friend, you said that this
glass of Flaming Passion is no good? I don’t know where you could have
tasted something better, but please tell me about it.” For Yang-Lao,
searching for fine liquor was the passion of his life.
The owner quickly said, “Yang-Lao, what could a mere beggar know? Don’t let
him disturb your drinking mood.” The people in the Southern Fire Empire love
to drink and thus, the competition in the bar industry is extremely fierce.
The owner was scared that this little beggar will say that another bar has
better liquor and lure his honorable guest away. Yang-Lao drank here
everyday for the past five years, the amount of profit generated of him
alone was uncountable.
Yang-Lao shot a glare at the owner, he clearly understood the thoughts of
the bar owner. He then turned back with a smile and said, “How about this,
little friend, do you have any suggestions on how to improve this drink? If
what you say is the truth, this gold coin will be yours.” A gold coin landed
on the table. One must know, the Flaming Passion was the most famous
cocktail of the Burning Passion bar, and is worth one gold coin per a cup.
This very same gold coin could feed a family of three for a month in Lihuo
city.
But to everyone’s surprise, the beggar didn’t even look at the gold coin,
but raised his hand and pointed at the central bar and proudly said, “If you
wish to drink a real ‘Flaming Passion’ then let me go there and provide the
necessary ingredients.”
“You can mix drinks?” Both the bar owner and Yang-Lao questioned
incredulously. The nearby waiters couldn’t suppress their laughter and
snickered. One must know that the position of bartender was very highly
regarded in the Southern Fire empire. Without the accumulation of
experience, how could one become a remarkable bartender? In everyone’s eyes,
the filthy little beggar was trying to play a trick on them.
Yang-Lao’s expression became serious, “Little friend, do you know what the
most important value that a person must have? It’s his honesty.”
The bar owner relaxed. He believed that the beggar was only talking big,
nothing more, and that he wasn’t a threat to his bar.
The little beggar with both hands on his back, coldly said, “Why don’t we
let the facts speak?”
Yang-lao frowned, “Can you really mix a cocktail that is better than this
Flaming Passion?”
Anger flashed in the eyes of the little beggar, “If I cannot, I will give
you my life.”
Seeing the anger in the eyes of the little beggar, Yang-Lao was surprised by
the impression of unquestionably strong self confidence and arrogance within
this thin little body. He was clearly only a small beggar, but where did all
the confidence come from?
At this point, the event had already attracted the interest of many people.
They became curious as to what the little beggar would make, and they had
already started chanting “Let him try it.” The bar owner bowed down and
whispered into Yang-Lao’s ear, “How about we let him try it?”
Yang-Lao nodded lightly and looked at the little beggar, “I hope you will
give me a surprise. Bar owner Zhao, give him the ingredients he asks for, I
will pay for them.”
The bar owner, Mr. Zhao, smiled and said, “There is nothing of much value
which he can use, how could we let you pay for it?” In order to get one
Yang-Lao’s good side, he was willing to absorb the loss in profit. He waved
his hand at the waiter, signalling for him to bring the beggar to the bar.
Hearing their conversation, the beggar didn’t wait for a second. He turned
and walked towards the central bar. The bartenders in the bar naturally
didn’t believe that the little beggar that came out of nowhere could be any
kind of threat. So they all willingly let him enter the bar, and watched his
actions with interest.
The veteran bartender who made the Flaming Passion mockingly smiled, “Little
friend, should I introduce you to all the liquor here?” While pointing at
the liquor cabinet behind the bar, which contained hundreds of different
fine liquors.
Another young bartender’s mouth twitched, enigmatically saying, “Nowadays
even beggars dare say that they can mix drinks. I really don’t know what the
boss is thinking, letting such a filthy beggar come back here. Is he not
afraid that the beggar will mess up the bar?”
A senior bartender glared at him, and said with a low voice, “Don’t speak so
loudly, don’t you see that Yang-Lao has taken an interest in that little
one? Otherwise why would the boss let such a little beggar enter the bar so
easily?”
The little beggar seemed not to pay any attention to them. He straightened
his thin and small back perfectly, and the eyes burned with arrogance. He
walked to the bar, and ordered what he needed, not even sparing a glance for
the young bartender. “Tomato juice, freshly pressed lemon juice,
worcestershire, sauce, tabasco, chilli oil, and some salt and pepper.”
The young bartender from before couldn’t resist a tsukumi and asked,
“Are you going to cook, or mix a cocktail.”
At that time, Mr. Zhao and Yang-Lao had arrived at the bar, hearing the
words of the young bartender, Zhao’s face darkened and he said, “Do what he
said, don’t you have the slightest discipline?”
The young bartender from before glared at the beggar thinking, “I anticipate
your failure.” He turned around and left to get the ingredients.
Again, the beggar didn’t react to the exchange. It was as if he didn’t hear
or see anything. He turned around and walked to the sink in the middle of
the bar and started to wash his hands. He was very focused, he first wet his
dirt caked hands, then took some liquid soap, rubbing both his hands
carefully; washing each of his fingers with patience, not even the gap
between his finger and the fingernail was ignored. Every part of his hand
was washed with caution and care, not even the wrist was spared. After
cleaning both of his hands, they contrasted quite starkly with his dirty
face.
The veteran bartender who made the Flaming Passion, was at first startled,
and then became dignified and serious. Seeing the actions of the little
beggar he slowly nodded. Being a bartender was not all about mixing drinks,
one must also respect the liquor they are mixing, the customers and even
themselves. He saw a thread of sincerity in the corner of the little
beggar’s eyes. It was very clear to him that the little beggar really didn’t
hear the remarks directed at him earlier, he was completely absorbed in the
task of preparing the drink. This was something that was hard for even him
to do, but this 11-12 year old beggar was doing it as if it was the most
natural thing in the world. With just one look at the cabinet, his sincere
and crazed eyes were filled with attachment as he decided which drink to
use. Just his hand washing process taught the veteran bartender a lot about
the little beggar.
There was a hint of a smile on the face of Yang-Lao, talking to himself,
“Interesting.” After washing his hands, the little beggar went to take a
bottle of liquor from the liquor cabinet. The bottle he chose was stored in
the highest slot, and he could only barely reach it, standing on his toes.
By the time he had retrieved the bottle, the ingredients he requested were
laid out for him on the board. One could see how long it took him to wash
his hands.
The veteran bartender took the initiative to put a shaker made from polished
crystal in front of the beggar. The beggar opened the shaker, took out the
filter, and for a moment displayed a nostalgic look, as if he is recalling
something.
The customers had already crowded around the stone bar, they were all
anxious to see what this little beggar could make. The little beggar raised
the bottle of liquor, pouring its contents into the shaker.
-end-
Chapter 2
The transparent white liquor was poured into the shaker unstably; the little
beggar’s hand was slightly trembling, but luckily the liquor did not spill
from the shaker. Yang-Lao, Mr. Zhao and the bartenders recognized the bottle
of liquor the little beggar chose as Wyboro: a very strong liquor without
fragrance, but sweet and pure. It’s very commonly used as a base, or
foundation, for a cocktail.
The measurements that the little beggar used could clearly be seen through
the transparent crystal shaker: 3/10 volume of the Wyboro liquor followed by
6/10 tomato juice, 1/10 fresh lemon juice, and lastly t topped off with the
beggar’s own special blend.
After mixing these condiments, the little beggar picked up the filter, a
helpless expression crossing his face. He put the filter into the shaker
whilst sighing secretly, it has been a long time since I’ve used these, but
right now I’m left with little choice.
Covering the lid, the little beggar held the shaker in his hand. The
disparity between the size of the shaker and his hand made his grip on the
shaker strenuous at best; causing those who had a bad opinion of him to bite
their thumbs in glee.
Everyone knew that the most important part of creating a cocktail was the
ingredients, followed closely by the skill of the hand during the mixing
process. The ingredients that the beggar used were more suited to be used as
a dish, as for the skill of his hands, he could barely hold the shaker. No
matter how you looked at the situation, the cocktail he produced would be of
inferior quality. But just as everyone was thinking of this, the beggar’s
hand began to move.
He weighed the shaker in his hand and backed up half a step, with his left
arm tucked behind his back, his eyes resonating like the stars in the sky.
Five fingers spread abruptly as he flung the shaker in his right hand,
straightening his hand to stick closely to the side of the shaker whilst
spinning it like a gyroscope in the heart of his palm.
The little beggar slowly lifted his hand, the shaker in his palm still
spinning at high speed without pause, as if it was attracted to his palm.
Due to the great amount of tomato juice within the shaker, the liquor had
long since been dyed red, but the shaker still spinned rapidly, just like a
red disk resting on his palm.
Astounded voices rung in waves. This little beggar was obviously not as
simple as the majority had believed.
An even more bizarre scene was yet to come; the little beggar’s hand holding
the shaker slowly tilted upright, and the unceasingly spinning shaker
naturally moved along with it, showing no inclination of slowing down or
dropping from his palm whatsoever. Moving his hand from high to low and from
low to high, he created a scene of an early morning sunrise followed by an
afternoon inclining into night. During this entire process the shaker kept
spinning faithfully in the heart of his palm, a feat none of the present
bartenders could hope to accomplish, never even having seen it before. The
bartender who mocked him before had his eyes stretched wide open, closely
staring at the sun-like red disk. But he could not figure out how the little
beggar accomplished this feat, no matter how hard he looked.
The Yang-lao was the only person who could tell how the little beggar
accomplished this feat; with his sharp gaze he picked up that the little
beggar not only moved his palm with his arm, but also by making precise
minute movements that utilised his whole body. His palm was constantly
adjusting, contracting and expanding, his five fingers slightly vibrating
like the rhythm found in waves. As his palm adjusted, his fingers followed
the shaker, keeping it spinning by lightly touching its sides , keeping it
upright. Picking up on the technique might be easy but actually doing it was
exceedingly difficult; even the slightest disturbance in the rh
Just when the crowd thought that the little beggar had finished mixing the
cocktail with this dazzling move, he suddenly extended his left hand which
he previously had tucked behind his back, simultaneously flinging the high
speed spinning shaker into the air with his right hand. The shaker came down
like a falling meteorite, as the customers let out astonished shouts.
But the little beggar’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. His two
hands seemed to disappear, one could only see insipid shadows, and this time
not even Yang-lao could see his actions clearly. The crowd could feel their
eyesight blurring, that falling sun rose again, followed by another, and yet
another! The customers couldn’t believe their eyes, they could see three
suns rising and falling simultaneously!
Just as the crowd thought there was surely something wrong with their eyes,
the shaker landed on the bar with a light bang.
The little beggar didn’t open the shaker impatiently; instead he swiped his
eyes over the crowd, enjoying the shocked gazes derived from his Three Suns
Reflects The Moon technique. The edge of his mouth tilted slightly upward,
and the arrogance in his eyes intensified. Only the dripping sweat on his
forehead exposed the difficulty of what he had done.
He naturally and gracefully twisted apart the cover of the shaker without
wiping the sweat on his forehead; he did not want to dirty his hands. He
poured the slightly viscous red liquor at an angle into a martini glass;
there was not a drop too much or a drop too little, exactly filling the
martini glass to the brim.
With the thumb of his right hand vertically supporting the martini glass and
his forefinger wrapped around the stem, he portrayed a perfect standard
posture without a single fault to nitpick on, he placed the cocktail before
Yang-lao.
At first glance this cocktail did not have the boastful and dazzling
appearance of the Flaming Passion that the previous bartender had made,
lacking the decoration of the extravagant flame. But this cocktail gave one
the impression that a demonic aura restrained within its blood-red depths.
Yang-lao purposely received the cocktail as the voice of the little beggar
rang beside his ear, “The true flame should be raging on the inside, and not
stay outside as simple decoration. The true flame should ignite your inner
passion, and not your sight. This is the real Flaming Passion.”
Yang-lao lifted the glass to eye level, by whiffing slightly he could
surprisingly pick up a faint bloody scent. This scent was the result of
mixing tomato juice, lemon juice and alcohol. The little beggar didn’t say
it, but this Flaming Passion cocktail was also known by another name; Bloody
Mary.
Yang-lao’s gaze suddenly became scorching hot, and he brought the glass
towards his mouth to take a sip. The customers and the bartenders stared at
his face while waiting for his evaluation; a cocktail is judged by its taste
and not how it is mixed, after all. A dazzling technique used to create an
unappetizing cocktail is fundamentally meaningless.
As the first sip entered Yang-lao’s mouth his expression froze and he became
lifeless; even his inner restrained breath seemed to momentarily vanish as
his face flushed red.
Suddenly, without any warning, two raging flames were lit behind his pupils.
“Good, a good flame should ignite from inside one’s heart.”
Mr. Zhao asked nervously, “How is the cocktail, Yang-lao?”
Yang-lao looked at him with an expression of excitement he couldn’t conceal,
“This is the most distinctive cocktail I have ever sampled, it gave me the
most mind-blowing sensation I have ever gotten from any liquor; It truly
allowed me to experience a taste of flame igniting one’s inner heart. Only
after tasting it can one appreciate its uniqueness. If one is forced to
judge this cocktail, there is only a single word that can adequately
describe it.” He paused for a moment, swiping the crowd with his eyes, then
with a resolute voice he said, “UNMATCHED!” Yang-lao seemed to be afraid
that someone would snatch the drink away after he said those words, and
quickly emptied the glass with one gulp. Immediately after that a blazing
feeling akin to seething anger surged up violently within him, as if a flame
was ignited within him and burned deeply, hot but strangely comforting. His
body’s thirty-six million pores seemed to have stretched themselves wide
open. After drinking this single cup of liquor he unexpectedly felt that he
had frittered away his life. The word “Trash” that the young beggar had used
to describe the first Burning Passion cocktail seemed undeniably fitting.
Yes! He’s been drinking nothing but trash his entire life!
No one doubted the judgment of Yang-lao; he was not only one of their
highest esteemed long-standing customers, but also one of the select most
powerful authorities in Lihuo City. Mr. Zhao seemed astonished and the
bartenders could not utter a word, while the customers were in an uproar,
countless different discussions spread throughout the outdoor plaza.
Someone suddenly asked, “Hm? Where is the little beggar?”
Regaining his senses at once, Yang-lao looked around frantically, but the
little beggar who had been behind the bar was gone. He turned around and
hurriedly grabbed Mr. Zhao, “Where is he?”
“Ah? I don’t know!” The moment when everyone had been focused on Yang-lao
tasting the cocktail, the small and frail body of the little beggar really
didn’t attract much attention; he must have vanished during that time.
Not bothering with Mr. Zhao further, Yang-lao moved to the entrance of the
bar with a flash. He then vanished completely, leaving behind a cloud of red
smoke.
The little beggar directly left the bar after presenting the cocktail to
Yang-lao and saying those words. He slowly walked down the street filled
with feelings of frustration and disappointment, in no real hurry to leave.
To think that just a while ago he was hailed as the unequaled Great God of
Liquor, but now he has sunk to such a low status. With a long sigh and an
expression unfitting an eleven-twelve year old child, the little beggar
shook his head. This was the reality.
His real name was Li Jie Dong, and he was not from this world. In his
original world, at the young age of 32 years, he was well known all across
the world as the one and only God of Liquor. He created countless legends in
the world of bartending and sommelier. Originally, the most honorable Medal
in the world of sommelier was the five star Jinzuan International Medal, but
solely for his sake they added the 6 star HuangZuan International Medal;
simply because his accomplishments were unmatched.
In his previous world Li Jie Dong lived a short life, filled to the brim
with the obsession of liquor. When he was invited to taste the newly
discovered thousand year old liquor, Li Jie Dong could naturally not resist
the call of his heart and took a sip of the paste-like amber colored liquor.
And thus he never woke again.
Li Jie Dong did not regret it in the slightest, if placed before the choice
again he would undoubtedly choose the same way, regardless of the outcome.
The taste of that godly cream like liquor still echoed in his memory. Before
losing consciousness he only had one thought; even death was worth it!
But he did not die, whether through luck or misfortune he himself could not
tell. After waking he discovered that he was no longer the Great God of
Liquor Li Jie Dong, but was instead a child named Ji Dong who lived on the
streets, begging in order to survive. Strangely enough, the memories of Ji
Dong remained, pitiful in their pure innocence. But the point that made Li
Jie Dong feel the most helplessness was that even the world he resided in
had changed.
He’s been here for a month already, and thanks to the memories of Ji Dong he
didn’t have difficulty with the language, so communicating was not a
problem. But he, the unequaled Great God of Liquor was forced into a
struggle of survival, something that would have been unimaginable in his
former world. Li Jie Dong was not the type of man who would blame god and
the heavens. Instead he thanked the heavens for giving him another
opportunity to live; at least his memories and attachment towards fine
liquor were unaffected. He took three days to get used to his new identity.
And since this was a new world, he could no longer consider himself to be Li
Jie Dong, and thus decided to use the original name of the little beggar he
seemed to have become: Ji Dong.
The memory of Ji Dong was pitifully short; everything before the age of five
was blank. After the age of five his memories consisted of living on the
streets as a beggar. The only item in his possession that seemed to have a
bit of value was a piece of jade attached to a red string around his neck,
with the name ‘Ji Dong’ written on it. Even his cassock clothing was riddled
with god knows how many patches.
Due to the memories of Ji Dong treasuring this piece of jade, he could not
bring himself to sell it. However, he still needed to survive somehow. As
the Great God of Liquor begging was out of the question, so he quickly found
the most popular bar in Lihuo; the Flaming passion bar.
Ji Dong observed the Flaming Passion bar every day, slowly getting to know
this new world. Unfortunately, the knowledge he was able to acquire was
limited; all he could find out was that his current location was in the
southern country of the Five Element Continent, and that this country used a
flame as a blazon.
Ji Dong felt fortunate that the people here loved to drink. Every day, he
would go to the Flaming Passion bar and observe carefully. For survival
during this time he relied on ten rock-hard steamed buns and dried meat
stockpiled at a nearby bridge by the previous owner of his body.
Ji Dong’s observations were obviously not limited to sight; he also has
smell and hearing. What he needed to know was how the liquor of this world
differed from his former world in flavor and characteristics. Considering
his status as a beggar, he could obviously not go up to the bar to taste
them. Luckily Ji Dong retained his six senses after crossing over to this
world, which were much sharper than those of ordinary people. There was a
reason why the International Sommelier Association awarded him the Six Star
HuangZuan International Award, which no one had ever been honoured with
before. That reason was the Six Sense Liquor Tasting Method, which he
founded. In Ji Dong’s theory, liquor tasting does not only rely on tasting,
but must also incorporate the sense of smell, the sight, the sound and the
distinct texture, all of which holds equal importance. Although in reality,
he was the only one capable of such a feat in his previous world.
-end-
Chapter 3
In light of his status as a beggar, Ji Dong could obviously not go into the
Flaming Passion bar to taste their liquors; he could only watch carefully,
smell keenly and listen attentively. He had to solely rely on his keen
senses and his accumulated experiences as the God of Liquor. By smelling the
flavours of the cocktails when bartenders are mixing and observing the
changes in expression and bearing of the customers who were drinking these
cocktails, as well as carefully scrutinising their comments, after spending
a whole month Ji Dong was able to figure out the taste of most of these
cocktails, and was able to compare them to the cocktails of his old world.
If anyone knew that he could analyze the cocktails’ attributes as well as
mixing them from just this, their jaw would hit the floor from astonishment.
Moreover, the recipe of the Flaming Passion extremely strict, after arriving
to a new world, Ji Dong could already rely on his observational skills to
accurately adjust the amounts of the ingredients used, further affirming his
worthiness of the title ‘God of Liquor’.
As for Yang-lao, he was Ji Dong’s main object of observation. If he wanted
to secure his future subsistence needs, he naturally needed a decent plan.
Moreover, thanks to his pride and self-esteem as the God of Liquor, he would
never be able to settle for a normal bartender’s position. And that’s the
reason why Ji Dong chose Yang-lao.
Yang-lao visited the Flaming Passion daily, and with Ji Dong’s accurate
discerning judgment he could tell that this regular patron not only had a
rich sommelier experience coupled with an extreme attachment towards good
liquor but also held an extraordinary social status. Ji Dong’s appearance
today was not random, but an act derived from a carefully thought out plan.
The precise infiltration into the outdoor plaza, the moment he chose to
raise his voice; all of it was thoroughly orchestrated by Ji Dong. Even the
precise moment he left the bar was calculated, everything with the intent of
loosening the reins in order to grasp them better.
The sigh Ji Dong heaved was not entirely thanks to his status being reduced
to that of a beggar, but rather due to the state of his body. In his old
world he was tall and handsome, but in this world he was not only a thin and
small child according to his young age but also very weak from
malnourishment.
He had decided on the mixing technique Three Suns Reflects The Moon after
giving careful consideration to his body’s condition. This technique would
be considered easy for his old self, but because of this weak body he almost
lost control today; even though the three suns had appeared, the moon
didn’t.
The mixing was barely a success, but of course, no one could tell.
The high level of concentration required for the mixing procedure caused his
body to consume a great deal of strength. Feeling a strong sense of fatigue,
even his steps are unstable. An outstanding Bartender needs an outstanding
body. Otherwise, no matter how good their techniques were, it could never be
displayed to the fullest. Ji Dong is now facing this helpless awkwardness.
“Little brother, please wait a moment.” Ji Dong only sees a red shadow
flashes pass and suddenly Yang-lao has stood in front of him.
This speed, is it even possible for a human being? Ji Dong looks at Yang-
lao and can not help but feel greatly surprised. He is sure, the speed Yang-
lao flashed to him easily surpassed the world cup winner of the 100 meter
run of his old world. With Ji Dong’s exceptional hearing, he could determine
that Yang-lao was still tens of meters away from him when he initially
called out to him. It was simply unbelievable how he just appeared in front
of him in an instant! However, from how Yang-lao has addressed him, Ji Dong
knows that he had Yang-lao looks at the small and weak stature child with
dirt-covered face who stands in front of him. He can still hardly believe
that this malnourished little beggar is the one that has mixed the cocktail
from before. But the truth has played out in front of his own eyes, there’s
nothing he can do but to believe it.
“Little brother, why are you in such a hurry?”
Ji Dong glanced at him for a moment, “The cocktail has been mixed.
Why shouldn’t I leave?”.
Yang-lao sighs in admiration, “The Burning Passion that you mixed is the
most highlighted cocktail that I have had in so many years of drinking. But
I am curious, since you have such skill, why are you still……”
Ji Dong naturally picks up on the meaning behind his words. His inner
arrogance subconsciously kicks in, making him stand tall, “Liquor is an art,
to measure it with money is a stain on it. Even if I’ve already lost my
family, even if I’ve lost my home and became a beggar, do not presume that
simply anyone can drink the cocktails I’ve mixed. I made that cocktail today
only because I can see that you are someone who loves drinking, and with
hopes that you will no longer be charmed by that trash.”
Although these words are spoken by a child of merely eleven-twelve years
old, but due to the glass of Flaming Passion previously, Yang-lao does not
have the slightest doubt in him. He rubs his hands together, and with a
slight fluctuation in his expression he seems to have come to a decision,
saying, “Little brother, I will not beat around the bush. I hope to drink
cocktails mixed by you every day, but I don’t know if I have the honor for
this.”
“You? What makes you worthy?” Ji Dong raises his chin, looking up at Yang
lao, his eyes are not apprehensive in the least.
Yang-lao meets his gaze head on, “I am worthy because I live my life solely
in the pursuit of fine liquor, and also this,” while speaking, his eyes
start to shine and his body released an indescribably enormous amount of
pressure. Ji Dong’s chest feels a burst of constraint/numbness, and he
unconsciously takes a step back.
A garishly bright light abruptly bursts with Yang-lao’s body as the core,
and under his control, this red light only boils within a meter surrounding
his body. The air within a radius of three meters around Yang-lao shows
distortion like rippling water waves, and an enormous flaming red phantom
appears behind him. The phantom took the shape of a gigantic bird, the
flaming red wings spread open, displaying the form of the motion of flying
sky high. The red glow around Yang-lao’s body is also cast with golden edge.
This god-like aura surrounding him gave off a presence akin to a deity
descending upon the world. The pressure that Ji Dong feels is precisely
coming from this formless prestige.
Immediately after, a red light converges at the top of Yang-lao’s head,
materializing into a crown-like thing, which has a blinding white. The
moment that crown appears, it becomes the core of Yang-lao’s presence that
he has previously emitted, surpassing even the presence of the gigantic
flaming bird phantom behind him by leaps and bounds. The crown looks
abnormally dazzling; its 5 cm wide cylindrical base was topped with nine
sharp triangles, and the peak of each of these triangles was adorned with a
perfectly round ruby like tiny balls. And right below that circle facing
front, there are three whole red pentagrams as well as one half pentagram,
shining beautifully with the same luster of the nine balls at the peaks of
the crown. And the most eye-catching feature is the undulating flame blazon
inscribed on the peak of the crown’s triangle, that flame is as if it’s
alive, flatuating at the sharp point if the crown. Ji Dong can only see the
front of the crown, and as such can not tell if each of the triangles have
this marvellous living flame blazon, but he can vividly notice, that this
crown-like thing contains an extremely terrifying energy.
Ji Dong is dumbfounded, staring idly, did he just perform magic?
Yang-lao’s transformation caused the temperature in the surrounding air to
rise sharply, the surging waves of heat caused Li Dong’s vision of the
surroundings to weaken. Yang-lao is very satisfied with Ji Dong’s shocked
expression and says with a smile, “How is it? Do I have the right to taste
your fine liquor now? But rest assure, I am not threatening you, I just want
to tell you that I have the ability to change your fate. My name is Yang
Bing Tian, I am the principal of Lihuo city’s Lihuo Academy. I am the Five
coronas of the Yang Crown-Bing, Fire Element, Seventh Ranked Grandmaster.”
TL: “Bing” is one of the sexagenary cycle. It’s an ancient calendar and each
“stems” has its element. For exp: “Bing” and “Ting” is fire element. It is
something like zodiac.
While saying that, he lifted his right hand, the white crown slowly floated
down, landed on his hand without making contact and slowly started to
rotate. Only now could Ji Dong see, that the crown has nine sharp triangles.
The five in the front were branded with flame-like patterns, but the ones
behind them were plain. Could it be that these patterns are the five coronas
he mentioned just now?
Ji Ding pointed at the crown on Yang-lao’s hand and asked with a dull voice,
“Can you tell me what that is? Also what is the meaning of Five coronas of
the Yang Crown-Bing, Fire Element, seventh ranked grandmaster? I don’t
understand what you are saying.”
This time it’s Yan Bing Tians’ turn to be surprised. He stares at Ji Dong
with wide eyed astonishment, “You, it can’t be that you don’t even know what
a Wizard of Yin Yang Crown is?”
So Hot, so hot, his thoughts and focus involuntarily spun around these
words. The immense heat made Ji Dong’s vision blur, his head felt heavy, his
legs felt light causing his body to sway slightly, but he somehow mustered
his energy to shake his head and mutter, “I don’t know.”
A flash of understanding goes through Yang Bing Tian’s eyes, “It’s no wonder
that you do not know; as a beggar you’d have no interaction with this neck
of the woods. Hm? What’s wrong, little brother….”
Ji Dong was weak and malnourished to begin with, coupled with not eating
properly for a month resulted in almost complete exhaustion after he mixed
the cocktail. After being thoroughly roasted by the scorching heat in front
of him and buffeted from all sides with that extreme aura, Ji Dong’s body
finally gave out on him. His vision blacked out as his consciousness slipped
away. The last thing he remembered was something that felt like an arm
supporting him, stopping him from falling to the ground.
When Yang Bing Tian caught Ji Dong his appearance had already reverted back
to normal. He sensed Ji Dong’s weakened pulse and lightly sighed, “How could
such a pitiful child mix such a special cocktail, and at such a young age?
Perhaps he comes from a rich family that went bankrupt? First things first,
I’ll take him with me.” He picked Ji Dong up without hesitation, and with
light steps vanished from the bridge in the blink of an eye.
Ji Dong slowly regained consciousness amidst a feeling of extreme
disorientation. How long has he been asleep? Breathing deeply, an intense
aroma filled his sharp sense of smell and made his breath catch. Is this….
the smell of chicken soup?
Even after sleeping for what seemed to be a long time, the weak and
powerless feeling had not left his body. He opened his eyes slowly, and
after a glance at his surroundings Ji Dong realized that he was in an
unfamiliar location.
The room was bright and tidy, only about 20 qm big. It was not overly
luxurious, with a few simple ornaments. The most eye-catching ornament for
Ji Dong was the fresco lining the roof which depicted an extremely realistic
Fire Phoenix, its body ablaze and its wings stretched in flight. The longer
you looked at it, the more lifelike it became. A golden color surrounded the
image of the Fire Phoenix, reminding Ji Dong of the golden aura that Yang
Bing Tian emitted before. At that moment Ji Dong finally recognized the
bright figure behind Yang Bing Tian. It’s a Fire Phoenix!
“You’re awake.” Yang Bing Tian said with a gentle voice. Ji Dong propped
himself up, looking at Yang Bing Tian sitting on the other side of the table
next to the bed. There was a casserole on the table as well as some pasted
meat and two buns. He looked at himself and discovered that he had been
bathed and clothed, leaving him feeling relaxed and refreshed, albeit a bit
shaken.
Looking at the food on the table Ji Dong asked, “Are these for me?”
Yang Bing Tian Smiled and nodded, “Eat first, your body is very weak.”
Ji Dong unceremoniously picked up the empty bowl and opened the casserole
filled with what his nose had undoubtedly confirmed as chicken soup.
Different to what Yang Bing Tian had expected, the starving Ji Dong did not
wolf down the entire meal in a matter of seconds. He ate one bun by tearing
it and slowly chewing it piece by piece, of the pasted meat he only had
three to four slices, but chicken soup he drank two bowls. His eating style
was not as elegant and noble as the nobility’s but his natural movements
gives off a harmonious feeling.
“Why don’t you eat more?” Yang Bing Tian asked.
Ji Dong shook his head, “I haven’t had a decent meal in a long time, so my
stomach isn’t used to it anymore. If I eat too much it will be bad for my
body.”
Yang Bing Tian was startled, he could not help but be astonished by Ji
Dong’s overly mature reaction. “Are you willing to tell me your story?”
After the two bowls of chicken soup settled in his stomach, Ji Dong felt
some strength return, comfortable warmth spreading through his limbs. He
looked at Yang Bing Tian, “There isn’t much to tell, really. I came from a
liquor loving family that went bankrupt, leaving me destitute and orphaned;
I eventually wandered to this city. You want to know why I can mix cocktails
right? The answer is simple; it was a family tradition.”
Long before he implemented his plan at the Flaming Passion bar, Ji Dong had
thought of what to answer to such a question; keeping it simple and without
embellishment would make the lie harder to see through, and so he said as
little as possible. He reckoned that such a simple explanation wouldn’t
arouse Yang Bing Tian’s suspicion, but even if it did, so what? Yang Bing
Tian was ultimately not interested in his identity, but in his ability.
As Ji Dong expected, after hearing his explanation Yang Bing Tian brows
wrinkled a little. He looked at Ji Dong long and hard, but could not further
discern anything from his placid expression with a little arrogance and
sadness.
“It seems like you are a child with a bitter fate.”
His hands resting on the table, Ji Dong said with a low voice, “I don’t need
your pity. You took me in to mix cocktails for you, nothing more.”
Yang Bing Tian looked at him with a smile that was not quite a smile,
“Are you willing?”
Ji Dong answered, “First you need to tell me what the transformation you
went through was all about, and secondly, what is a Yin-Yang Wizard?”
Chapter 4
Hearing what Jidong asked, Ying Bing Tian couldn’t help but say, “Looks like
your family was truly devoted to liquor, and doesn’t have a care for the
world around it. Here in our five element continent, there is a special
profession which every person wishes to be. No matter which government you
ask about, their power is evaluated by the number of people of this
profession; the Yin-Yang Wizard.”
“Yin-Yang wizard? Then are you are a Yin-Yang wizard?” Ji Dong doubtfully
asked, his heart was ignited with curiosity.
Yang Bing Tian noded and said, “Yes, I am a Bing, or fire element Yin- Yang
Wizard. The level of a Yin-Yang wizard determines their future. Military
officials, and even literal officials must reach the level of being about to
coagulate the Yin Yang crown, or they won’t have any hope of being promoted
to important position. All Five Empires on the mainland are all like this.
Do you understand why I was surprised by your ignorance of my profession?”
Ji Dong asks in a slightly anxious tone, “Well, what ability does this Yin-
Yang Crowned Wizard specifically possess?”
Yang Bing Tian explains, “The abilities of a Yin-Yang crowned wizard are
extremely vast. First, their battle ability: a Yin-Yang Wizard who has a
bachelor’s degree can condense and form a Yin-Yang Crown, and has the
fighting strength of at least ten adult soldiers. The most powerful Yin-
Yang wizards, are existences that can defy the heavens; and can easily wipe
out a whole city. The levels and theories of the Yin-Yang wizards are simply
too vast to explain in so little time. But if you you are willing to stay, I
can ensure that there will be people to teach you about them in the future.
Do you still remember what I told you? I am the principal of the Lihuo
academy. The Lihuo academy is an academy which is specialized in educating
fire element Yin-Yang wizards. You possess an intimate knowledge of liquor,
and your aura indicates that fire is your natural element. Regardless of
your aptitude, with my help you’ll be able to stay and study in the academy.
But in return, you must work part-time, mixing cocktails for me. But I am
not unreasonable, your living, tuition and all other expenses will be fully
paid by the academy. What do you think?”
Ji Dong thought deeply about Yang Bing Tian’s offer.
Yang Bing Tian smiled and said with great self confidence, “Our Lihuo
academy is one of the best academies for novice Yin-Yang wizards. Most
students attend our academy for six years, and every year we only recruit
60 ten years old students. Your look like you more or less fit our
requirements. There are over a thousand students that apply for our school
every year. The entrance exam is extremely strict, and we will only accept
the utmost gifted students. Therefore the graduation rate is as high as 30
percent, ranking us within the top 10 among all the primary Yin- Yang Wizard
academies of the entire continent.”
“You’re proud of a graduation rate of only 30 percent? May I ask, what is
the requirement to graduate?” Ji Dong curiously asked.
Yang Bing Tian patted his forehead and said helplessly, “I forgot that you
don’t know much about Yin-Yang wizards. Novice Yin-Yang wizard’s graduate
when they can condense a Yin-Yang Crown. Only students who can reach the
tenth level, and are able to condense the Yin-Yang Crown successfully, will
be allowed to graduate. Once you acquire a Yin-Yang Crown, you will become a
true Yin-Yang wizard. Later on, it will be easier pick up any profession you
choose, and even without working the empire will grant you a certain amount
for living expenses. As for the graduation rate you asked, a normal novice
Yin-Yang wizard academy would be proud of a 10% graduation rate.”
Ji Dong noded and said, “Then it means if I beco Yang Bing Tians eyes showed
a trace of satisfaction, “That is only natural. Who knows how many people
want to enter our Li Huo academy, some go as far as to throw away their
pride to stand out from the crowds and enter our academy. With that said,
does that mean you agree to the proposal?”
Ji Dong got up, “Thanks for the hospitality.” While saying that, he started
to walk to the door.
Yang Bing Tian was at first startled for a moment, but quickly reacts,
“Wait. What do you mean by this?”
Ji Dong stopped his steps, without looking back he said, “The graduation
rate is only 30%, I’m not willing to give up six years of my life for such a
small probability. If I want a carefree life, why shouldn’t I just work for
a bar?”
Yang Bing Tian frowned strongly, “Then what do you want? Money?”
Ji Dong abruptly turned around, “I told you that my cocktails can’t be
measured with money. I can accept your proposal, because I am indeed
interested in the profession of the Yin-Yang wizard. But I have a few
conditions.”
Yang Bing Tian also stood up, and slowly walked until he was in front of Ji
Dong, and arrogantly said, “Child, it has already been years since someone
dared to speak to me in this manner.” His voice was gentle, but his eyes are
showing glimpse of anger. Yang Bing Tian had a high status not just within
this Li Huo City, but also within the entire Southern Fire Empire. That’s
why he can’t bear being contradicted by a small beggar, whom he picked up
from the streets. It was almost as if he was asking, ‘What qualifications do
you have to discuss conditions with me?’
Ji Dong raised his head and looked directly in Yang Bing Tian’s eyes, which
were emitting great pressure, “Are you implying that I don’t have the
qualifications to make conditions? Be at ease, I will not take advantage of
you in the slightest bit. What I ask of you, is absolutely not worth less
than double of what I’m going to repay you in return. It is simple, the
Burning Passion I mixed today was still rubbish. ”
Yang Bing Tian was startled, “That cup of liquor was rubbish?”
A trace of sorrow flashed across Ji Dong’s eyes, he says, “Due to my weak
body and young age, I simply can’t make use of my entire mixing skills. I
know one thousand nine hundred and sixty-four sorts of basic cocktail
recipes and three thousand one hundred and sixty-two variants of special
cocktail recipes. If you gave me enough time and materials, then the number
will also steadily increase. That is why I have the qualification to talk
about conditions with you, because in this six years you will never drink
the same cocktail twice. Also, the quality of all the liquor I will make
will be better than the one you drank today. If I cannot do that, you are
welcome to throw me out anytime. Now, do I have the qualifications to impose
conditions?” When he said the last word, his voice was already overfilled
with pride, and even a few chokes in it.
In his old world, he was the glorious Liquor God of the Generation. When had
anyone doubted him? Even though Ji Dong had already accepted his new
identity, his pride and arrogance was ingrained in his bones and did not
allow him to bow his head to anyone. Even if he knew that the person before
him might change his fate, he wouldn’t back down one bit. Just like in his
previous life, he never begged for anything, but instead relied on the
nutrients that his body provided to survive. Yang Bing Tian was really
shocked by the pride and arrogance of this kid before his eyes, but if what
he said is true then he absolutely has the right for that pride. He suddenly
remembers about a person and subconsciously asks, “What is your relationship
with the Bartender Guild master lord Du Si Kang, the Liquor God?”
“Liquor God?” Ji Dong’s mouth twitched, but he quickly calms down, “I have
no connections to him. Didn’t you say that Yin-Yang wizard is the most noble
profession? Then why would you call a Bartender ‘lord’?”
Now that Yang Bing Tian’s mentality has settled down, he smiles, “That is
because lord Du Si Kang himself is the ‘Six Yang crowned, Ren, water element
Heaven ranker’, a famous Yin-Yang wizard from the North Water Empire, he’s
the strongest wizard of the present age. His accomplishments are above even
mine. Additionally, there is a huge difference between a five crowned and
six crowned Yin-Yang wizard, so it is natural for me to address him as lord.
Now tell me about your conditions.”
TL: Ren is one of the sexagenary cycle. It’s element is water.
Ji Dong strove to forget the memories of his old world, and silently told
himself, you are Ji Dong now, and no longer the Liquor God, Li Jie Dong, so
since you have come to this world, you should live by the rules of this
world and climb the summit again.
Resolving his beliefs, Ji Dongs eyes were clear of uncertainty, “I have all
in all three conditions. First, I need a room which is specially designed
for me to mix cocktails. Additionally, you have to buy every liquor that can
currently be found on the market. Only If this is fulfilled, I will be able
to promise that my cocktails are of the highest quality. Nobody except you
may enter the bar room without permission. I will be mixing cocktail there
frequently and I shall not be disturbed by anyone. You are also responsible
for refilling any of the lacking liquors and ingredients. And of course, all
the expenses will be paid by you.”
Yang Bing Tian laughed and said, “This is a must. I promise you.”
Ji Dong plainly continued, “, my second condition. I will only mix one
cocktail for you everyday, and all my additional expenses, besides cocktail
mixing, will be all paid by you.”
Yang Bing Tian was startled and asked with a bit of embarrassment,
“Why will you only make one?”
Ji Dong gave him a quick look, “Could you possibly not know, that such a
fine taste should not be tasted often? One glass of liquor should be enough
to let you to enjoy the flavour for a whole day. If I cannot do that, what
do you need me for?” It seems that Yang Bing Tian is influenced by the
strong self confidence of Ji Dong, “Good, I believe in you, I will agree to
this conditions. But your expenses per month can not exceed twenty gold
coins. My wages are also limited.”
Ji Dong nods, “Finally the third condition. According to what you said, I
will enter Lihuo academy and learn there. In that case, you must do your
utter most to help me complete my studies, which is to condense the Yin Yang
crown you talked about, and thus graduate smoothly. If within this six years
of time, I discover that I have no hope of condensing the Yin Yang crown, I
will leave at anytime. ”
Yang Bing Tian looks at Ji Dong somewhat astonished, “Boy, are you really
only 11 or 12 years old? You have such meticulous thoughts; you are about to
catch up with this old man here. I can assist you in your training process,
but apart from helping you condense your Yin Yang crown, I will not teach
you any magical skills. I need to make this one point clear beforehand.”
“Magical skills? What are those?” Ji Dong asked with suspicion.
Yang Bing Tian said, “One can only possess magical skill after condensing
their Yin-Yang Crown. Frankly, magical skills are just the physical
manifestation of the powers that reside in your body. Usually, Yin-Yang
Wizards become a disciple of a master and try to learn magic. Occasionally
some will buy expensive skill books as substitutes. However the most
powerful skills are those that are the most suitable for the user. It is
almost impossible to learn any powerful skills from a book. The most
powerful skills are normally self-created, as they are the most suitable.
But to be able to create a skill requires a series of fortunate events.”
Ji Dong asks, “With that said, are you not willing to accept me as a
disciple?”
Yang Bing Tian’s eyes showed a trace of arrogance, similar to Ji Dong’s
earlier, “This is one thing and that is another, you can mix cocktails quite
well, but to become my disciple, you need to show at least a sufficient
amount of talent. A Yin Yang Wizard is extremely strict in accepting a
disciple, and so far, I only have one.”
Ji Dong raised his right hand, and stretched it to the front of Yang Bing
Tian.
“What are you doing?” asked Yang Bing Tian looking at the hand before him.
Ji Dong said, “Deal.”
Yang Bing Tian laughed and shook his head helplessly, as a Five Crowned fire
element grand master, he was actually at a clear disadvantage when
negotiating with a kid. He really couldn’t believe it, but thinking about
the thousands of cocktail recipes Ji Dong spoke of, he can only store this
little unhappiness in his heart.
He claps onto the slim and small hand of Ji Dong, “OK, with this we have a
deal.”
Ji Dong says, “As a liquor lover, this is perhaps one of your wisest
decision in your entire life.”
Yang Bing Tian smiles, “I hope so too, but we shall wait and see what you
are capable of. At the very least, you are the youngest person to ever make
me agree to his conditions.”
Ji Dong asks. “When will I be admitted into Lihuo academy?”
Yang Bing Tian said, “You are already inside Lihuo Academy right now. As the
principal, I, of course live inside the academy, this is one of my resting
rooms. However, from today onwards it will belong to you. I will pay some
people to build a bar here, and try to prepare what you need as soon as
possible. The school will start in two days. So first take care of your body
in these two days.”
Lihuo academy isn’t very big, and after living here for two days Ji Dong had
already figured out basically everything about Lihuo academy. The whole
academy had two teaching blocks, and two dormitories, two sports fields with
a diameter of 150 meters. Additionally it had 10 test areas. Ji Dong didn’t
know the purpose of the 10 testing areas. They looked like large
storehouses, but were completely round.
After properly eating for two days, Ji Dong’s spirit was much better than
the state before Yang Bing Tian took him in. When he looked at himself for
the first time in a polished metal mirror, he could clearly see his
appearance for the first time after being newly reborn. Compared to his old
world, the difference could only be described as the difference between
heaven and earth. He couldn’t look more average than he already was; the
only thing Ji Dong could say about himself was that at least he wasn’t
missing anything.
Yang Bing Tian proved himself worthy to be the president of the academy, his
efficiency of handling things is extremely high. Only one day was needed to
fully allocate the liquor cabinet. All sorts of fine liquor filled the
cabinet, including some from Yang Bing Tian’s personal collection in his own
residence. Yang Bing Tian lived on the top floor of one of the two teaching
blocks. So there was plenty of space for Ji Dong to live in the lobby that
was given to him and he didn’t have to stay in the dormitories.
~~~To Be Continued~~~
Chapter 5
Li Huo academy only had one holiday each year; it started in the beginning
of summer and ended three months later with the coming of fall. The
temperature in the Southern Fire Empire got really high, and it became too
hot to do anything. Right now, it is still holidays for the school, so
that’s why the campus is really empty; one rarely met another person.
Originally, Ji Dong thought that with the new school year approaching, and
the entrance exams, which Yang Bing Tian had mentioned, being around the
corner, that more students would be gathering at the school. Unfortunately,
Yang Bing Tian had also said that the entrance exam, which Ji dong really
wanted to try, was currently put on hold so Ji Dong had to wait a bit longer
if he wanted to get in, obviously those who passed the exam held at the end
of each term were allowed to enter the academy.
After running a few laps around the sports field, Ji Dong’s clothes were
soaked in sweat. His body was still in a bad condition and even with the
good nutrition he received, he’d still need more than just a few days to
improve. No matter if it was for bartending or in order to become a Yin-
Yang Wizard – which was something he did have interest in– he needed to
train so that his own body strength could recover to that of an average
person.
“School is going to start tomorrow. It’s been a long time since I have been
so excited about something. A Yin-Yang Wizard… I wonder what sort of job it
will be?”
While thinking, Ji Dong returned to the teaching block. Right after entering
his room, he saw Yang Bing Tian sitting there waiting for him. His face
bluntly showing that he couldn’t wait for his drink. Yesterday, after
everything was ready, he mixed another cocktail for Yang Bing Tian. After
drinking it, the attitude of Yang Bing Tian became even more gentle towards
him. A great person from Ji Dong’s former world once said, ‘Actual practice
is the sole criterion for judging the truth.’ After drinking the cocktail
made by Ji Dong, he began to think that agreeing with Ji Dong’s conditions
was a brilliant decision.
“Ji Dong, what cocktail are you going to mix today?”, Yang Tian Bing asked
right after he saw Ji Dong returning. He immediately stood up and moved
closer.
Ji Dong answers, “First I’ll take a bath, then I’ll mix a cocktail for you.”
After agreeing to something, he will never give less than he agreed to
– this is Ji Dong’s integrity.
Yang Bing Tian urged, “Then please be quick.School starts tomorrow and I
still need to measure your Yin-Yang attribute, and see which department
suits you.”
“Yin-Yang attribute? What does that mean?”, asked Ji Dong curiously.
Yang Bin Tian replied, “Judging from the breath of your body, I think your
nature is of the fire element. However to determine your element is a lot
more complex, the fire element is divided into Yin and Yang, with one being
Yin-fire and the other, Yang-fire.
“Both have their own traits. The branch of the fire element I am training in
is Yang-fire. One who practices such is also called a Bing Fire Element
Wizard.If they practice Yin-fire, then they are called a Ding Fire Element
Wizard.”
Ji Dong said, “Fine, then I will first take a shower.”
The more Yang Bing Tian explained, the more interested Ji Dong became in
Yin-Yang Wizards. He slowly and vaguely began to understand that the
Yin-Yang Wizard’s attribute distribution system had something to do with Yin
and Yang, the five elements, and the Ten Heavenly Stems from his former
world. He only knew a few things about the Ten Heavenly Stems, having never
really studied them much. Bing and Ding were representative of the fire
attribute, and, according to the common sa
Outside of Ji Dong’s chamber is a bathroom. He took a quick shower, and
changed into a new set of clothes. The moment he left the bathroom, he could
see that Yang Bing Tian was already impatiently waiting for him, unable to
sit or stand still. Ji Dong had seen this kind of situation many times in
his previous life, and completely understood Yang Bing Tian’s eagerness. He
immediately went behind the bar without saying a word.
The moment Ji Dong’s hand touched the shaker, he became another person. What
Yang Bing Tian admired most, is Ji Dong’s extremely high level of
concentration while mixing a cocktail.
Even though Ji Dong’s body condition is still a mere shadow of his former
self, his level of cocktail mixing is still as excellent as it was in the
past, it has truly achieved a realm where one would never want to drink any
other liquor ever again. Simply said, with the same materials, but with a
different person mixing it, the taste would be completely different, even if
they mix with the same proportion of ingredients.
Yang Bing Tian held his breath in order to not disturb Ji Dong while
watching him completely focus.
The movements of Ji Dong were very quick as he doesn’t need to look, blindly
reaching his hand out to the liquor cabinet behind him grabbing everything
that he needs. As the liquor god of his generation, he can remember the
placement of every liquor on the shelf after a single glance, never
forgetting where they are.
2/10 of green fennel wine, 2/10 of bacardi rum, 3/10 of yellow gin… in
addition to that Ji Dong fills the final 3/10 with the flavouring and
appetizing red wine vermouth, which he specially told Yang Bing Tian to buy.
After placing all the bottles back in their original locations, he tosses
the shaker up in the air – even Yang Bing Tian didn’t notice exactly when he
covered the lid of the shaker. What Ji Dong is using is an ordinary crystal
shaker, this was also his favorite in his former life. Even though a crystal
shaker easily breaks, it affects the taste of the cocktail the least.
Compared to a metal shaker, it is much better.
“Too bad, I don’t have ice.”, Ji Dong muttered to himself, lifting up both
of his hands at the same time. One could only see the crystal shaker rolling
back and forth on his palms, creating the image that his two hands were
sticking to the shaker like magnets. While it is continuously rolled, Yang
Bing Tian could clearly see that the color of the cocktail inside started
changing.
The whole mixing process was short, when the shaker finally dropped from the
air, it started to spin on the table like a gyroscope. Even
though the crystal shaker was filled to the brim with liquor, the liquid
still displayed a spiraling state.
“Even though this kind of technique is quite simple, it can get rid of all
the foam in the liquor, so it doesn’t even need to be filtered.”, Ji dong
said while stopping the shaker with a single touch of his finger.
Afterwards, he opens the lid and poured the cocktail into a thickened top
and bottom highball glass. The moment the last drop enters the glass, the
whole cocktail changed into an extremely bizarre color. At first, the most
upper part became pink which slowly spreads downwards. As the color
gradually became lighter, the liquor started to turn into a pale blue,
becoming sky blue the moment it touched the bottom of the glass. This glass
of liquor, was as if it was gradually formed by two colors.
“Mixing is an art. When a bartender is mixing he will merge his emotion into
the cocktail. That’s why, if the bartender has a different mood, the same
kind of cocktail will have a different taste. Please try it, this cocktail
is called: Charm. Sip it in appropriately small portions.”
“Charm? What a charm!”, Yang Bing Tian gasped in admiration from the bottom
of his heart, taking the cocktail glass. After the first sip, he became
completely conquered by the charm of this glass of ‘Charm’. Immediately upon
flowing into his mouth, the liquid turned slightly sour sweetness. With
every sip he took the taste changed, just like the color previously did. The
last drop of the blue liquor completely turned into an elegant, charming,
uncommon texture of perfection. The combination between the dense but
exciting taste of fennel oil and gentle juniper berries took Yang Bing Tian
into paradise, making him feel as if he was walking on clouds.
Ji Dong didn’t ask for a comment after Yang Bing Tian tasted the cocktail
and only sat down beside him, showing off the confidence of a Liquor God.
Yang Bing Tian put away the highball glass with extreme reluctance. If Ji
Dong had not sat down beside him, he would have had the urge to lick the cup
clean with his tongue.
“Absolutely perfect. You were right, delicacy cannot be tasted too often,
being able to enjoy this once a day is already my greatest satisfaction.”
Barely regaining his senses, he looked at Ji Dong again, the wrinkles on
Yang Bing Tian’s face already piling up due to a smile.
“Didn’t you want to test my Yin-Yang attribute?”, Ji Dong reminded him.
“Oh, I was too deeply immersed, I totally forgot about that”, Yang Bing Tian
said with slight laughter and embarrassment. His wrist vibrated and one
could only see a flash from the red gem on his bracelet. Immediately, a
transparent thin rod appeared in his hand.
The rod were 13 inches long and seemingly made out of crystal, engraved with
something looking like vine lines, ending on one side with a blue small ball
and with a red one on the other.
“Come, hold your left hand on the blue side and your right hand on the red
side. Afterwards, relax your body.” Yang Bing Tian said, pinching the middle
of the crystal rod as he handed it over to Ji Dong.
Ji Dong did as instructed and Yang Bing Tian pressed his hand onto Ji Dong’s
forehead. Yang Bing Tian’s hand instantly transmitted a boiling flow into Ji
Dong, which rushed towards every corner of his body. The burning feeling
gave him unspeakable discomfort, while the crystal rod in his hand slowly
started to change. The blue color spread from the sphere his left hand was
holding onto the other side, and the red colored side in his right hand did
exactly the same, making them head to the center of the rod. Upon seeing
that both colors spread at the same speed, Yang Bing Tian frowned
involuntarily.
Quickly, the two color progressed towards the center, meeting exactly where
the mark was engraved in it.
“This cannot be possible…”, Yang Bing Tian mumbled, taking back the hand
which is was pressing onto Ji Dong’s forehead. He focused his eyes towards
the center of the crystal rod and firmly stared at the point where the two
colors met, with a completely black gaze.
Ji Dong returned the crystal rod to him, “I don’t mind if you call me a
talent.” It’s rare to see Yang Bing Tian this startled, that’s why Ji Dong
could not hold himself back from making fun of him with that sentence.
“Talent? You are a true talent! But a talent in being trash. After so many
years of teaching, I’ve never seen someone as thoroughly useless as you.”
TL, it’s a pun by YBT, 天 才 is genius/talented (natural born
genius/talent), 天⽣的废材 is natural born useless person/talent.
“What did you say?”, Ji Dong became startled and asked. Even though this
body is slightly weaker than normal, he cannot believe that he is useless
trash.
Yang Bin Tian pointed at the crystal rod, “Look, you really are a fire
element, this is a fire element testing rod, the color blue represents the
Yin-fire and red represents the Yang-fire. If one insist to call you a
talent, there is nothing wrong about that. A Yin-Yang balance, to actually
have Yin-Yang balance! It’s the first time I see someone having a perfect
balance between Yin and Yan in my sixty years of life.”
“What is wrong with a Yin-Yang balance? Isn’t that the healthiest for a
person if one’s Yin and Yang are in balance?”, Ji Dong asked, who did not
understand the problem.. Yang Bing Tian laughed bitterly, “That is not
wrong, for normal people, a Yin-Yang balanced body would be a sign of a long
life. You can’t even find one in ten thousands of people. But for us
Yin-Yang Wizards, a Yin- Yang balance is even rarer than a pure Yin or a
pure Yang. Do you remember? I told you that we will choose the cultivation
method according to your Yin or Yang attribute. Generally speaking a normal
commoner, has a Yin-Yang ratio of 6 to 4, either leaning more to the Yin-
attribute or the Yang-attribute. However, we will not accept students with a
ratio of 6 to 4, because if the discrepancy between the Yin and the Yang
attribute is too small, it would be very difficult for them to condense the
Yin or the Yang Crown. Additionally, even if they manage to condense the
crown, they will have to face difficulties in their further advancement. .
The ratio needs to be at least 3 to 7, which only raises the chance to
condense a Yin-Yang crown to 30%. I for example, have a rare ratio of 2 to
8. With a yang attribute occupying the eighty percent, and only after
continuous cultivation could I achieve today’s result.”
Ji Dong was a bit startled, “Then it means a pure Yin or pure Yang body has
the best quality of becoming a Yin-Yang Wizard?”
Yang Bing Tian shook his head and answered, “That is not correct either,
because the pure Yin and the pure Yang body are too extreme, the person will
die before the age of 20, so they are not suited to train to become a
wizard. Only if a male and a female who both have the opposite attributes
undergo a Ying-Yang harmonization before the age of 20, will it be possible
for them to train. But they can never separate from each other again or else
they might suddenly die. Due to that, the best body for becoming a Yin-Yang
Wizard is a body with a 9 to 1 ratio, with an extreme deviation towards one
side. This is what we Yin-Yang wizard call an exceptional genius.”
Ji Dong took a deep breath and spokeslowly, “Then can you tell me, which
attribute I should choose, if I want to train to become a Yin-Yang Wizard?”
The wrinkles on Yang Bing Tians face twitched, “It is difficult. Because you
are innately Yin-Yang balanced, there is no way to train the superior
attribute. If you really want to be a Yin-Yang Wizard, you will need to
train the Bing and the Ding fire attributes simultaneously. Furthermore, you
will need to maintain the Yin-Yang balance till the very end.
Even though I really wish to drink your cocktails, I cannot lie to you. The
cultivation speed of the 3:7 ratio is double than that of the 6:4, and that
of the 8:2 is the double of the 3:7. People gifted with the attribute ratio
of 9:1 have 8-fold of training speed in comparison with the 6:4 ratio.
However, your ratio is 5:5, the cultivation speed of your single attribute
is 1/16 of the speed of 9:1. If you train both simultaneously, your training
speed will drop even further to 1/32.. Under this condition, you have almost
no chance to condense the Yin-Yang Crown. To top it all off, a Yin-Yang
Wizard who cannot condense the Yin-Yang crown before his or hers 18th
birthday, won’t have another chance in their whole life.”
TL: I have replaced “3 to 7” with “3:7” so it’ll be less confusing to read.
“Thank you for telling me this.”, Ji Dong said, expressing respect in his
eyes towards Yang Bing Tian for the first time. Yang Bing Tian is
undoubtedly very dependant on the delicious cocktails mixed by Ji Dong, but
he still did not lie to him and told him the whole truth. He is indeed
worthy to be a paragon.
Yang Bing Tian gently patted Ji Dong’s shoulder, “Actually, bartender is
also a great profession, even if you don’t want to mix cocktails for the
common folk. I can introduce you to the Bartender’s Guild, with your level,
you can surely shine in the world of bartenders.”
Ji Dong shaked his head, “Thank you for your good will, but I still want to
give it a try.”
“Are you saying…?”, says Yang Bing Tian, widened his eyes. However, he could
see the perseverance as solid as a golden rock within Ji Dong’s eyes.
“I want to try and become a Yin-Yang wizard. If I am not gifted, then I will
compensate for it with 32 times the effort.” Since I have already come to
this magical world, why not try to live a new way of life? Even if I fail,
what is there to lose?
Chapter 6
“Right now, I am 10 years and 9 months old, which means I still have about 7
years to condense my Yin-Yang crown. Even if I do not succeed, you could
still introduce me to the Bartender Guild later on. Until then, I will mix
even better Cocktails.”, Ji Dong resolutely and decisively said. Age, is the
memory left in this body.
Yang Bing Tian asked with a serious expression, “Are you sure?”
Ji Dong firmly answered, “If you do not try, how will you know if you will
succeed?” He has never been a person who easily admits defeat.
Yang Bing Tian nodded, “Ok, I will do my uttermost to help you. I will not
drink your cocktails for nothing. If you really can train two attributes at
the same time and condense a Yin-Yang Crown, no matter what happens in the
future, you will already have made a new path in the Yin- Yang world. Go and
take a rest first, I’ll go back and think about this thoroughly.”
Walking out of Ji Dong’s room, Yang Bing Tian murmured to himself while
closing the door, “What kind of family was able to raise this sort of child?
Not only does he have bartending and mixing skills that are not the
slightest bit inferior to an advanced bartender, but he also possesses such
a firm and persistent will. Perhaps he really can turn waste into treasure…”
Early morning, the first thread of sun shone into a room, but Ji Dong was
already awake. Ji Dong had developed the habit of sleeping and getting up
early. Furthermore, this day was the first day of school. Ji Dong quickly
ran down the building, and decided to jog a few rounds to exercise.
But as soon as he left the building, he discovered that he would not be able
to jog today. Even though the sun just rose, the academy, which was still
empty yesterday, had turned abnormally lively. A lot of kids his age, or
older had come to the academy with their parents, making the dormitory
building even livelier.
Even though he couldn’t go for a jog, Ji Dong still felt the need to
exercise. He started stretching right where he stood. There was an advantage
of being young: even though the body was weak, its flexibility was high.
After exercising a little, he had warmed up, and he felt as if he grew a
little stronger.
“Hey, are you one of this year’s newbies as well?” A melodious voice sounded
behind Ji Dong. Ji Dong turned around, only to see a youngster, who was
about his age, wearing somewhat average clothes. Even though he had the same
plain clothes as Ji Dong, his appearance was much more appealing; he had a
pinkish tender and delicate face from which water might leak from a pinch
and two black shining eyes that were teeming with life. While his short and
neat hair added vigor to his appearance.
“I am a Ding-fire element first year, what about you?” Asked the young kid,
while naturally walking up to Ji Dong’s side, and hugging his arm putting on
an intimate face.
“You are from the Ding-fire department? Are you a girl?”, replied Ji Dong a
bit shocked. Since ten-year-old children haven’t really developed yet, it
was hard to differentiate between males and females.
“Rubbish, brother, I’m a pure male. Do I need to pull down my trousers to
show you? Who told you that you must be female to posses the Ding-fire
attribute?” said the youngster angrily.
Ji Dong frowned, he wanted to say something, but a bright voice interrupted
him. “Hey, Bi Su you sissy, are you here? I’ll surely beat you to death this
time around.” An aggressive youngster who is one head taller than Ji Dong
and the youngster beside him, ran in his direction. The youngster’s hair was
so red that it dazzled the eyes, and his broad shoulders were like that of a
small calf. His target was apparently the one beside Ji Dong, he dashed to
them wi
“Who cares if he’s your boss or your brother, I’ll beat both of you at the
same time.”, stated the red haired youngster, as he dashed at Ji Dong is
standing. Since Ji Dong is in front, the punch comes right at him.
He instantly knows that he is being used. But the youngster named Bi Su is
holding onto his clothes tightly, so he can’t dodge it even if he wanted to.
In his former world Ji Dong was a fighting master. Since at that time he was
tall and handsome he was liked by all the girls in his school, and he
couldn’t avoid the jealous rage of the other boys. Due to them, he had a lot
of fighting experience, and even though he doesn’t know any martial-arts, he
can hold his own in fights.
Seeing the fist of the red haired youngster approaching, Ji Dong knew that
he would be hit. Even though it wouldn’t knock him out, it would still be
very uncomfortable. So Ji Dong acted before the punch hit him, being used is
still better than being beaten. He lifted his right leg, and performed a
straight forward kick. While you are bigger than me, my leg is still longer
than your arm.
Peng, accurately and unmistakably Ji Dong’s foot hit the lower abdomen of
the red haired youngster, who is really valiant. As a result of Ji Dong’s
body not being in a very good condition, he falls over from the powerful
impact, but he successfully repels his opponent.
“Ouch, that hurt!” Ji Dong did fall down, but he wasn’t the one who shrieked
miserably. Bi Su who held onto his clothes from behind, ended up being used
as a cushion for Ji Dong..
Ji Dong stood up quickly, and threw himself at the red haired youngster.
Attack is the best defence. He knew that the red haired youngster was not an
easy opponent, since he made Ji Dong fall. Ji Dong continued to fight even
though he knew that he was being used by Bi Su since the red haired youth
believed that they were working together. Bi Su seeing Ji Dong throw himself
at the red haired youngster, was startled at first. But he didn’t run away,
and soon after, he joined the fight.
Now that it was a 2 vs. 1; even though that red haired youngster was bigger,
he couldn’t gain an advantage. Ji Dong was constantly coming from the front,
while Bisu, very trickily, always was looking to always hit his weak points.
While they were still very young, and didn’t have much strength in their
fists, the red haired youngster doesn’t dare to let them hit him. He ended
up defending his ‘jewel’ from all the attacks, only occasionally fighting
back.
“What are you guys doing?! Stop right now!” an angry voice thundered over
the sports ground. Before Ji Dong even realized that he was sent flying, he
found that he had solid ground under his feet again. He saw a big, tall guy
holding him and Bi Su in each hand, while Karl was standing up again.
Bi Su was very proud of being ahead and he stared at Karl with disdain. Karl
on the other hand was so angry he was shooting flames from his eyes as he
charged forward but was stopped by the tall sturdy man who held him by the
shoulder so that he couldn’t even take a single step forward.
“You guys are not bad! It’s the first day of school and you are already
fighting. Stand steedly.” Said the big and tall guy. His short red hair
resembled Karl’s, but compared to him Karl was like a small dog. From this
guy’s look he was about 30, and if you described Karl as a small calf then
this guy would be the strongest bull, leopard head, ring eyes, he was
intimidating without anger.
“You guys like to fight? Very good, a Yin-Yang wizard who doesn’t like to
fight is not worthy being one. But the three of you are quite brave, daring
to openly fight on the sports ground, and break the school rules! You will
have enough opportunities to fight later on! The three of you don’t need to
take part of the term opening ceremony, instead you will run
20 laps around the sports field. The last one to finish, will run 5
additional rounds and if you can’t do it, you can go home to your mothers.
This is your opening ceremony, starting now!” Bi Su was the first one to
start, and without the slightest hesitation. Ji Dong is secretly cursing his
bad luck, but he had already clearly decided; it was impossible to turn back
time, since it’s an entirely new start of his life, the make it one. He
helplessly started running. The red haired Karl stared at the two with a
furious expression, and also began running.
Li Huo academy has two sport fields, one for the Bing-fire department and
another for the Ding-fire department. They were running on the Bing- fire
department’s sports field, which isn’t big. Each lap is around 200 meters
long, but 20 laps totaled to 4000 meters. This is a great challenge for a 10
year old child, especially for someone with a weak and small body like Ji
Dong.
Meanwhile, a lot of old and new students saw the whole scene. The older ones
were smirking secretly, while the new students were staring at the doughy
middle aged man with fear.
Looking around angrily, the middle aged man roared furiously, “What are you
looking at? Are you also interested in running laps? Otherwise, scram to the
hall in teaching block and take part in the term opening ceremony. Now!
Hurry up! I will count to ten, and anyone who is left will join them.”
Hong—–, every student no matter of which year, immediately dispersing.
Everyone scrambled towards the teaching building, creating a scene of chaos;
nobody want to be punished.
The strong man touched his face, “Am I really that scary? My face is just a
little more fierce-looking. Hmph”
While saying that he watched the three people running, paying close
attention to Ji Dong’s condition. He smiled and murmured, “These three
little guys aren’t bad. Fighting on the first day of the new school term,
they really remind me of my own charisma back then. Very good. Especially
that small weak guy, throwing a fierce kick like that, he doesn’t seem
tough, but the he way he fights is the opposite. Hmm… Why didn’t I see this
student during the entrance exam last term? While running, the difference of
their body’s inner quality was shown perfectly. Without question, the red
haired Karl had a calf like body wasn’t just for looks. Each of his steps
was filled with a lot of strength, making his body shoot forward like a
bullet. He initially started last, but he quickly overtook Ji Dong and Bi
Su. Even though Bi Su couldn’t compare to Karl, Bi Su’s light steps allowed
him to follow Karl very easily.
While Ji Dong followed last, his performance could only be described as
awful. At the beginning everything was ok, since in the past few days he was
steadily training. For him, running three or four laps was no problem, and
he could just about follow the other two.
But after five rounds later, Ji Dong started to breath heavily. Both legs
felt like being filled with lead and became heavier and heavier, sweat began
soaked his clothes. Slowly the distance between Karl and Bi Su began to pull
further and further away.
After nine rounds, Karl had already lapped Ji Dong once, but instead of
slowing down, he steadily increased his speed even further.
Bi Su also overtook Ji Dong once, but Bi Su continued following Ji Dong.
Looking at him curiously, he asked, “Brother, your body is almost at its
limit! How did you pass the stamina test at the entrance exam? Anyway, thank
you for helping me out back them.”
Ji Dong glanced at him while gasping for air, “I will forgive you since you
didn’t run away when we were fighting, just forget about it.”
Bi Su slaps at his own not so strong chest, “Me run away? Do I look like
that sort of person?”
Ji Dong was in a bad mood and replied snappily, “A little.”
“Uh… come, let me help you a bit.” said Bi Su, reaching to support Ji Dong’s
right shoulder, trying to carry some of his bodyweight.
With a move of his body, Ji Dong avoided Bi Su’s hand, “No need, I still can
keep going. Continue at your speed, you don’t need to mind me.” The middle
aged strong man stood in the middle of the sport field, clearly having seen
the situation, “What are you guys doing? Hurry up and run, or do you want me
to add more to your punishment?”
Bi Su puts out his tongue, and sped up, once again following Karl.
After fifteen rounds, Ji Ding’s stamina was clearly used up. As a result,
his pace was steadily decreasing, but he showed no signs of giving up. If he
wanted to become a Yin-Yang wizard, he needed to work 32 times harder than a
genius, and Ji Dong plans to start working hard with this punishment.
The middle aged strong man in the middle of the sport field watched the
three running, at the beginning he was most pleased by Ji Dong, who fought
with direct and valiant movements.
However, just as he started to run, he could see Ji Dong’s problem very
clearly. Karl and Bi Su have very fit bodies, and running 20 laps is no
problem for them. But on the other hand, that small and weak student is
clearly having trouble finishing the laps. How did he pass the entrance
exam?
But shortly after, the middle aged man changed his opinion. His experience
told him, that Ji Dong had run out of stamina long ago, but he was
continuing, without complaint.
What a great persistence and willpower. Even though he has terrible stamina
that can’t compare to the other two, his persistency made the middle aged
strong man approve.
When Ji Dong finished his sixteenth lap, Karl and Bi Su had already finished
their twentieth lap. Unexpectedly Bi Su sped up at the end, finishing at
almost at the same time as Karl.
Ji Dong continuously and persistently took a step after another, and
suddenly he he discovered that his body had become lighter, and running was
not as hard as before. A divine light flashed through my mind, could I have
broken through the limit?
He knew that in this sort of exercise, the human body would encounter a
limit, and if you broke through this limit, it was like overcoming oneself.
Afterwards, his steps become a lot lighter, and breathing was no longer a
problem. The run from the 17th through 20th laps was much easier, he
stubbornly persisted and finished the 20th lap.
But the punishment was not finished yet, after all, the last one to finish
had to run 5 additional laps. Suddenly, when Ji Dong had just started his
21st lap he saw a shadow following him.
“What do you want?”, asked Ji Dong, after turning his head and seeing Bi Su.
Bi Su smiles,“All this happened because of, how could I leave you to
shoulder the punishment alone? Let’s do it together.”
Even before he finished speaking, Ji Dong discovered that the readhead Karl
was running beside him. Karl said while running, “I am not accompanying you,
I only want to prove that can run as many rounds as you can. ”
Even saying that, but the speed of Karl was still the same as those of Ji
Dong. Bi Su also maintained Ji Dong’s speed, as the three of them headed
forward together.
Chapter 7
“That is enough, all three of you come here.” The teacher waved his hand at
Ji Dong’s group. The three of them looked at each other and rushed over to
him.
When he stopped, Ji Dong felt as if his whole body was floating. It was
almost as if his two legs didn’t belong to him. After all, the feeling of
dripping water was really comfortable.
The valiant teacher looked at the three of them and grumbled, “Today, I
taught you a lesson, so remember this clearly: Fighting is fine, but before
fighting, you need to come to me. I will find a place for you where you can
fight to your heart’s content.”
Bi Su put on a sweet smile and quickly said, “Teacher we won’t dare fight in
the future.”
“Not dare? Weren’t you enjoying the fight just now? I don’t dislike naughty
and mischievous students, rather I hate lazy students. If you wish to win
every fight, then train harder in the future. My name is Xia Tian, like the
blazing Summer. I am the head instructor of the Bing-fire department, and I
am also the headteacher of the first year Bing-fire department. You better
remember my name. You youngsters are from the Ding-fire department, right? I
hate sissy talk the most, so from now on, speak more resonantly. Do you
understand?” TL: The teacher’s name is Xia Tian, which means Summer.
“We understand.” Bi Su hurriedly answered loudly, but in his heart, he
cursed. This guy in front of him was an older and bigger version of Karl.
Xian Tian snorted, “Get lost. There’s no need to go to that boring term
opening ceremony. After receiving your school uniform, you can go back to
your dorm rooms and stay there. Let me remind you that one of the academy’s
strictest rules is to stay on the academy grounds at all times.”
“Yes sir.” the three of them answered at the same time. They looked at each
other and clearly saw the happiness in their eyes. They were all pleased
that they didn’t have to go to the boring opening ceremony. Bi Su and Karl
even cheered, pulling Ji Dong while running towards the teaching blocks.
Seeing them running off, a smile showed up on the fierce-looking face of Xia
Tian. “These three little brats are still full of vigor. I hope they are
astute students.”
Just as the three of them were about half the distance to the teaching
blocks, Bi Su coughed and said as his eyes flickered from Ji Dong to Karl,
“Hey… Karl, how about we end today’s incident here?”
Karl snorted, “Sissy, you want to run after gaining an advantage? You kicked
me during the entrance exam when I ran ahead of you, and you took first
place from me in the sports section. I haven’t paid you back for that.
Anyway, today you guys beat me up, and you want it all with just that?”
Bi Su smiled, “Hehe, those are things of the past. Also, who doesn’t want to
win? You can only blame yourself for your carelessness. You can’t beat the
two of us!”
Ji Dong glanced at him and said plainly, “Don’t drag me into this. I only
got to know you a second before he ran at us.”
Even though Karl had a valiant appearance, he was absolutely not a
feeble-minded person, and he understood Ji Dong instantly. But just when he
was about to go after Bi Su, Ji Dong stopped him by grabbing his arm, and
continued, “But, one could say we would not have come to know each other if
we didn’t fight, so how about this? If he kicked you, you can kick him now.
As for the fight today, you started it so the responsibility falls on you.
So after you kick him, those things will be of the past and we can be
friends.”
“What? Brother, how could you sell me out!” Bi Su turned around and tried to
run, but his shoulder was firmly grasped by Ji Dong.
“You need to take the responsibility for what you have done. Do you want to
have Karl as a friend or an enemy in the future?”
Seeing such a calm Ji Dong, Bi Su was startled for a moment, but then he saw
that Karl eager to get into action. He said helplessly, “Ok, I was unlucky
today. I originally wanted to use you, but I never thought that I would just
become your cushion and still end up being kicked. Big brother Karl, please
be gentle with me.” [E/N: Cushion is referring to when Ji Dong fell in the
previous chapter] While speaking, Bi Su hugged his head with both hands and
rascally turned and squatted on the ground with his butt facing Karl and Ji
Dong. Ji Dong felt both amused and embarrassed. This guy really was a
buffoon…
Karl’s leg was already raised up, but he could not bring down his leg. He
ended up stretching his leg under Bi Su’s butt and lifting it hard, making
him stand again.
“Doesn’t matter anymore, I’m too lazy to care about it.” said Karl, a little
angry, while glaring at Bi Su.
Upon not receiving a kick, Bi Su immediately straightened, like a snake that
slithered up the stick. “Then does that mean we will be friends from now
on?”
Karl snorted. “Who is friends with a sissy?”
Bi Su was furious. “Even a sissy has rights. A sissy is also a human, do you
think I want this! Who let my Yin attribute occupy more than eighty percent
of my Yin-Yang attribute? Because of the Yin-Qi, my voice is higher pitched,
but I am definitely a man.” Tl: imagine this be said with a feminine voice.
Karl was surprised. “You are a 2:8 Ding-fire element?”
Bi Su’s expression changed quickly after hearing Karl ask, he was very
pleased. “Of course. To be exact, my Ding-fire occupies eight and a half. To
describe it with a few words, that is to say I am a genius. In this year’s
newbies, I’m probably the one with the best talent among the Ding-fire
class.” Tl: 8.5:1.5
Karl feels too disdained to care about it. “Isn’t it just 8.5 Ding-fire
attribute? I am also of the 8.5 Bing-fire attribute. Look, what is there to
brag about?”
Hearing them quarrel, Ji Dong couldn’t help but smile. “Then what are you
two doing now?” Even though he was calm on the outside, he was actually
really surprised. According to headmaster Yang Bing Tian, the two kids in
front of him were, without question, truly genius-level Yin-Yang wizards. It
was almost certain that they would condense their Yin-Yang crowns.
Karl redend. “I only dislike his manner. Oh right, I still don’t know your
name. Are you from the Bing-fire department or from the Ding-fire
department?”
“I am called Ji Dong. To be exact, both of you are my fellow students. I am
cultivating in Bing and Ding simultaneously.”
“That can’t be possible.” Karl and Bi Su said at the same time.
Ji Dong said plainly, “Never heard of Yin-Yang in balance? If one allowed
you guys to say that you are geniuses, could it be that I am not allowed to
say that I am a waste-genius?” While saying that, he had already entered the
teaching block first.
Bi Su and Karl looked at each other and there was no longer hostility in
their eyes, but seeing the bleak figure of Ji Dong, they hurried to catch
up.
Bi Su couldn’t help but ask, “Ji Dong, are you really Yin-Yang in balance?
But how did you get accepted into the academy with your attributes?”
Ji Dong answered naturally, “From the back door. I am a servitor. I only
hope to test it with my own strength. Who said that you can’t become a
Yin-Yang wizard with Yin-Yang in balance? I only need to train with 32 times
the effort.”
“32 fold? And only? You are not a lunatic, right?” Bi Su stared at Ji Dong
stupidly.
Karl glared at Bi Su. “You are the lunatic. Ji Dong, I support you. My mom
once said, ‘If you tried your hardest, you will have no regrets even if you
fail.’ If you need help, just tell me.”
Bi Su said in order to not be outdone, “Same with me. We are brothers from
now on.”
Ji Dong looked at both of them. He did not speak but stretched out his right
hand, while Karl and Bi Su almost placed their hands on top of his at the
same time, though Bi Su was slightly quicker to respond. Three hands of
different sizes were stacked together. Their gazes met, and they laughed
together.
When they came to the dean’s office to get their school uniforms and
time-tables, there was a brief interlude. Bi Su and Karl had agreed in
advance that they would get it according to their own attributes. However,
Ji Dong was going to receive two attributes. When Yang Bing Tian specially
made an entrance notification for him, the teachers in the Dean offices
looked at him as if they were looking at a monster.
“Opening ceremony in the morning and class in the afternoon? The school is
inhuman! They don’t even let us rest!” Bi Su cried as he looked at the
time-table.
Ji Dong swept his eyes across him. “If you dare, shout even louder.”
Bi Su mumbled to himself, “I was just whining a bit. But, this afternoon
class isn’t bad, it’s a rare Bing-fire element and Ding-fire element
combined class. There aren’t more than a few classes like this for an entire
year. Then what should we do now?”
Karl said, “Go to my dorm, nobody is there now anyway.”
Bi Su twisted his mouth. “Forget it, you Bing-fire elements are all male
students, it’s no fun. My dorm is better. Our Ding-fire element consists
mostly of female students, and many of them are beautiful too! I’m the only
one in my room, unlike you guys who squeeze four into a room.”
Karl said, “Sissy, you can forget about it. If we go to your Ding-fire
department, even I am going to be tainted by your Yin-Qi.”
“I say, Karl, if you call me a sissy again, I’ll fight you with everything I
got.”
“Enough, stop fighting. Let’s go to my place. My place is most peaceful.
I’ll treat you both to drinks.” Ji Dong’s words caused Bi Su and Karl to
quiet down, and both of them looked at each other and asked in a low voice,
“You can drink at your place?”
Ji Dong asked puzzled, “What’s wrong?”
Karl mysteriously said, “Liquor is forbidden in the school, and before we
entered the school gate, we were all searched. I was lucky though and
because of my young age, they did not search me thoroughly., But the higher
graded students, they were very strictly searched! If you really have
liquor, you’ll be my boss starting from today! My father has taught me to
drink since I was five, but since coming to school, I’ve been deprived of
alcohol.”
Bi Su pulled Ji Dong’s left arm. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go.”
Ji Dong brought Karl and Bi Su to his room, which was on the top floor of
the Bing-fire department teaching block. He conquered their hearts the
moment they noticed the liquor cabinet that was filled with hundreds of fine
wines. Of course, there was also some soya sauced meat that Yang Bing Tian
had prepared for him. While Ji Dong absolutely disapproved of eating while
drinking a cocktail, since it was during his lunch he didn’t make a fuss.
As afternoon came, the scorching sun burned high in the sky. Li Huo
academy’s first classes had just now started. Karl and Bi Su both sat at the
back of the classroom, and as expected. They were both smiling foolishly
while listening, and if one looked closely at either one of them, they would
definitely notice that these two boys were disoriented. Ji Dong decided not
to sit with them, and instead, he sat the front so that he could hear the
teacher better. After all, putting in 32 times the effort was not an easy
feat.
Bi Su said in a low voice, “Karl, after we drank that liquor, big brother
said that the teachers will not be able to tell if we had drunk. Is that
true?”
Karl said annoyed, “Smell yourself and you will know. Can big brother lie to
you!? But I have never drunk such a good cocktail. The flaming sensation…
Bi Su said, “Say, big brother, will we be sober soon? I am still a little
shaky.”
Karl was a little sober now. “That is because you cannot hold your liquor as
well as me. Look, I am fine already. I’ve decided that from now on, I will
follow brother Ji Dong, so I may eat meat and drink good liquor.”
“You two, be silent at once! If you still dare to whisper among each other,
then you can go outside and run rounds under the sun.” A resonant voice
resounded in the medium sized classroom, and the disordered class quieted
down immediately. Without looking, Ji Dong knew who came in by his manner of
speaking.
The students of the Bing-fire and Ding-fire department consisted of 61
people altogether, and of course, Ji Dong was an additional student. The
rest of the classes consisted of 30 students for each department, and the
same happened for the other grades. Therefore, the whole Liho academy has
about 360 students.
Even though Ji Dong had two uniforms and two timetables, he wore the
Bing-fire department uniform today. The Bing-fire department uniform was red
while the Ding-fire element uniform was blue, but they didn’t have any
differences other than that. They both looked a little tacky; with the words
“Lihuo Academy” printed on the back. The uniforms were clearly not refined.
Karl and Bisu said that the school fee was 50 gold coins for a single
academic year. So if one were to pass the entrance exam, some could not
afford the high cost to even attend the school. Additionally, they had to
cover for their own living expenses.
The Five Elements continent’s main currency was the gold coin, but every
country had their own way of producing the gold coin. 1 gold coin was equal
to 10 silver coins or 100 copper coins. It was said that there were also
interchangeable coins throughout the continent. These coins were named Five
Elements Coins; one Five Elements Coin was equal to 100 gold coins.
Teacher Xia Tian walked up to the podium. He was wearing a red robe, the
same as headmaster Yang Bing Tian’s robe. But his bulking muscles couldn’t
be concealed by the robe, and he emitted a valiant atmosphere. Intimidating
these kids, who were around ten years old, was not a problem.
Another teacher walked up to the podium alongside Xia Tian; she was tall and
only half a head shorter than Xia Tian, while a long blue dress outlined her
beautiful stature perfectly. She looked to be around 27-28 years old, but
her expression was somewhat cold.
Xia Tian’s radiant gaze fell upon the 61 Students. Suddenly, he slammed the
table strongly, producing a thunder-like rumble and causing the thick wooden
podium to groan. All the students were surprised by the teacher’s sudden
action. The teacher with the blue dress couldn’t help but wrinkle her brow.
– end –
Chapter 8
“Who said you could sit down? Everyone stand up at once!” Xia Tian roared
angrily. All of the students stood up hurriedly. The students had taken
their seats randomly without caring about their uniform color. As a result,
the mix of red and blue among the students looked chaotic from the podium.
All of you from the Bing-fire department go to the right, and the rest of
you from Ding-fire move to the left. All of you are so young but are already
trying to woo the girls, hmm? Now, I will count to five. If any of you are
not sitting in order, then get the hell out of this room!”
Under Xia Tian’s roar, no one dared to disobey him, and the sixty-one
students shuffled in a disorderly fashion, quickly exchanging seats with one
another. Ji Dong left his gaze upon the expression of the Ding-fire
department teacher. Even though Xia Tian’s teaching methods were very
strict, there was no change in her expression during the chaotic shuffle.
She had clearly experienced Xia Tian’s teaching methods before and already
become accustomed to it.
“Now, I will call out your names. Those who are called, stand up and answer
in a loud voice with ‘HERE’. Bing-fire department, Karl.”
“HERE—” Karl had abruptly stood up, popping up from the back of the seats,
and he had shouted in a loud voice, making the students turn and stare at
him.
Xia Tian was very pleased and nodded. “Just like this. Make sure you guys
continue just like this.” Xia Tian quickly named all 30 of the Bing-fire
department students.
“Last one, Ji Dong.”
“Here.” Ji Dong was in the front and he stood up. Even though his voice was
not as loud as Karl’s, there was something in his voice which made him seem
equally determined.
When Ji Dong stood up, Xia Tian and the female teacher focused on him
intensely. Xia Tian was somewhat surprised. “You are Ji Dong?”
“Yes.” Ji Dong’s answer was simple but powerful.
Xia Tian nodded. “Sit down.” Xia Tian’s expression was strange after knowing
his name, but he didn’t even have to guess that it had something to do with
his Yin and Yang being in balance.
I am Xia Tian. From now on, I will be the one leading the first year Bing-
fire department. If you don’t train hard, then don’t blame me for being rude
and kicking you out at any time. I will not let any of you waste the money
your parents worked hard for. This here is the Ding-fire department teacher,
Qiu Tian. She will now call attendance for the Ding-fire department
students.”
Ji Dong almost started laughing. He thought: “What kind of names are these?
One is called Xia Tian (Summer) and the other, Qiu Tian (Autumn). They match
up quite well! He just didn’t know if there was also a Chuen Tian (Spring)
and Dong Tian (Winter) in this academy.”
“Ji Dong.” The first name Qiu Tian called was his.
“Here.” Ji Dong had just sat down but needed to stand up again. Except for
Karl and Bi Su, everyone else thought they misheard the name and just stared
at him stupidly with odd expressions on their faces.
Qiu Tian smiled in response, and her smile was beautiful, just like her
voice. “Don’t worry, everyone. Ji Dong is a special case. His cultivation
method is different from all of yours. This is just an new attempt by the
academy. Ok, you can sit down. , Bi Su.” “Here.” Bi Su said, in his feminine
tone, and he stood up at lightning speed while looking at Qiu Tian with
shining eyes. “Nice to meet you, Sister Qiu Tian.”
Qiu Tian chuckled. “You need to call me teacher.”
Bi Su was about to say something, but then he saw Xia Tian’s eyes filled
with killing intent. He hurriedly sat down, a
Taking attendance was done with quickly. Ji Dong turned a blind eye toward
the students who kept staring at him. Even though teacher Qiu Tian didn’t
say it out loud, anyone who knew even a little about Yin-Yang wizards knew
that one could only cultivate both types if they had Yin-Yang balance,
without question that is a top notch trash. Of course, many of them were
still curious, as having Yin-Yang balance was even rarer than someone with
the 9:1 ratio, which is the one worthy of being called an absolute genius.
After attendance was taken, the class officially started. Xia Tian turned
around to write five phrases on the board. What he wrote was:
East – Jia, Yi, Wood. South – Bing, Ding. Fire. Mid – Wu, Ji. Earth.
West – Geng, Xin. Metal. North – Ren, Gui. Water.
After he finished writing, he turned around, while teacher Qiu Tian
naturally walked to his side. Xia Tian swept his gaze through the students.
“Today is your first lesson in the Li Huo academy. This is even one of the
few special classes where both departments take it together. Now, who can
tell me the meaning of the five phrases I have written?”
Perhaps it was due to the rough and fierce voice of Xia Tian frightening all
of the 10 year old kids or other reasons, but most of the students ended up
blankly staring at him.
Ji Dong, who was sitting in the front, raised his hand without hesitation.
Since he was wholeheartedly devoted to his path of cultivation, he would
definitely need to absorb as much knowledge as possible, as his necessary 32
times of effort was no joke. Also, he needed a foundation with which to put
his efforts towards.
Xia Tian nodded towards Ji Dong. “Ok, you may answer.”
Ji Dong stood up and said, “The five phrases teacher wrote represent several
things. First, the five directions: East, South, West, North, and Middle.
Second, the five elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. And lastly
would be the ten heavenly stems: Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin,
Ren, and Gui. For example, combining these phrases, I could say some things
about our fire element. The fire attribute is of the south, and in the ten
heavenly stems, Bing and Ding are both fire elements; however, from Yin and
Yang, Ding-fire and Bing-fire are different. This is why the south
Ding-Bing-fire could also be called south Yin-Yang fire, as Ding and Bing
are just different names. From this, we could also say that it would be the
same for the other elements. From the ten heavenly stems, the odd numbers
would represent the Yang attribute, and the even numbers signify the Yin
attribute. Another example would be Jia-Yi-wood. Jia-wood is probably
Yang-wood and Yi-wood would be Yin-wood.”
Xia Tian nodded in praise. “Very good, you may sit down now.”
Everything Ji Dong said was what he had known about the five Yin-Yang
elements from his past life, what he had heard previously from Yang Bing
Tian’s mentions about the Yin-Yang Wizard, and then combined with what Xia
Tian had written on the board.
Xia Tian said, “What Ji Dong have said is correct. Our continent is known as
the Five Elements Continent, but what exactly are the five elements? Those
would be wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Each of them are divided in
Yin and Yang, thus they become the 10 attributes. These 10 attributes are
known as Yin-wood, Yang-wood, Yin-fire, Yang-fire, Yin- earth, Yang-earth,
Yin-metal, Yang-metal, Yin-water, and Yang-water. These are also the 10
departments that we Yin-Yang wizards are divided into.
After that, he stopped for a moment, but then he continued and wrote twenty
other words on the board.
“The whole ten attributes of the Yin-Yang wizard consist of only this many.
The ten heavenly stems could be compared with the five elements and
Yin-Yang. Ji Dong explained this concept clearly. Jia and Yi belong to wood,
also known as Yin-Yang wood. Bing and Ding belong to fire, and they are also
Yin-Yang fire. When the ten heavenly stems are substituted into our Yin-Yang
wizard classification, their actual names come out. These names are: The
Jia-wood element, Ji-wood element, Bing-fire element, Ding-fire element,
Wu-earth element, Ji-earth wood element, Geng-metal element, Xin-metal
element, Ren-water element, and Gui-water element.
“Almost all the people in our Southern Fire Empire are of the fire element.
That is why our Li Huo academy only contains the Bing-fire and Ding-fire
department, which you all belong to. The other eight departments are in the
other empires.”
Xia Tian drew a big rectangle on the board and divided it into five parts.
He modeled his parts after the five directions: top, bottom, left, right,
and middle, at the very bottom of the rectangle he wrote: Southern Fire
Empire.
“Suppose that our continent is this rectangle. Our Southern Fire Empire is,
of course, on the south. South is of the fire element, making it the best
habitat for us people with the fire element. With this, I believe that you
guys will be able to guess how the other empires arose. Towards the north
would be the Northern Water Empire. In the west would be the Western Metal
Empire. Residing in the east is the Eastern Wood Empire. And lastly, the
middle contains the Middle Earth Empire which has occupied the largest area
of land. Our continent name also comes from this alignment of the five
empires.
While saying that, he wrote the other names on the other four parts. At the
same time, he marked a location on the west side of the Southern Fire
Empire. He pointed at it and said, “This is our Li Huo City.” “Is anyone
having trouble understanding what I just explained just now? If there is
something you don’t understand, speak up now. Such fundamental things will
not be explained again in the future.”
Ji Dong couldn’t help but to admit that teacher Xia Tian, who had a rude
style and a violent temper, was so rational while teaching. What was
supposed to be deep and profound was unexpectedly explained easily through
the combination of his words and drawings. The students who was able to pass
the entrance test are absolutely not dumb, thus no one raised a question.
“Good! Since there are no questions, then we will continue. Listen carefully
boys from the Bing-fire department, as what I will explain next is our own
Bing-fire attribute.”
While mentioning his own Bing-fire attribute, Xia Tian was in high spirits
and his voice was somehow even louder than before. “Bing-fire represents the
Yang-fire. Yang is akin to strong. And this may turn to strength and then to
fire, which is like having the intense rays of the sun, which contain an
immense heat, radiate. Bing means sun in the ten heavenly stems. We of the
Bing-fire attribute all shine like the sun, while also being a wild and
violent fire. In the ten departments of the Yin-Yang wizard, we are only
second to the Geng-metal department in attack power; however, when it comes
to a full burst attack, we overtake them. According to the rule of mutual
destruction, our Bing-fire would mutually destroy the Geng-metal. Because of
these three things, we could claim to be the strongest attackers among the
Yin-Yang wizards. Every one of you must remember the word ‘manly’, which is
to become Yang-strong. This does not only include your ability, but also
your attitude. Only after you fully integrate your inner manliness could you
possibly display the strongest and the most ferocious of the Bing-fire
attribute.”
Teacher Qiu Tian then walked to the side of Xia Tian, and with a smile, she
said, “Teacher Xia Tian just explained the Bing-fire attribute to the
Bing-fire department students. Now, I will explain the Ding-fire attribute
to the rest of you. As fire, but because of Yin-Yang, they are
differentiated. If one were to say that Bing-fire was the day, then our
Ding-fire would be the fire of the night. Ding-fire is the candle flame, the
dark flame, the fire of a stove, lamp fire of houses, the beauty of fire, we
are the fireworks that blossom in the sky, and the single spark that can
start a prairie fire. Bing- fire illuminates all living things, while
Ding-fire illuminates one region. Ding-fire is soft and mellow, while its
inner nature is bright and harmonious. Even though we are not as violent as
Bing-fire, we have the strongest adhesive and corrosive nature among the ten
elements. Even though we cannot be compared to the Bing-fire in terms of
explosive attack power, once an enemy were to be hit by our Ding-fire, they
would burn eternally. Bing-fire and Ding-fire both have their own
specialties, just as the other eight elements do. All five elements counter
each other, there is no absolute strongest element; however, I will tell you
that when you cultivate to the extent that you could violate the rule of
mutual destruction of the five elements, no matter what element you have,
then you would become the strongest.
Teacher Xia Tian went back and handed the class over to Qiu Tian. Teacher
Qiu Tian continued on. “What I will be teaching now is the most important
content of this lesson. Everyone listen carefully. If you don’t understand
anything, please ask immediately as this lesson will concern whether or not
you can graduate from Li Huo academy and become a Yin-Yang Wizard.”
After that, the smile on Qiu Tian’s beautiful face vanished, and she said
seriously, “I think most of you have already heard about the Yin-Yang crown
and that you also know that it represents the Yin-Yang wizard. I will now
teach you what the Yin-Yang crown stands for, their specific rank
classifications, and their functions.
While saying this, Qiu Tian came from behind the desk and suddenly stopped
beside Xia Tian and nodded at him. There was a 5 meter distance between
their shoulders, and the two of them slowly raised their hands at the same
moment, with the palms of their hands facing upwards.
“Whoa!” The students gasped and expressed their surprise. On the palms of
Xia Tian, scarlet red flames were being emitted. But the flames from Qiu
Tian’s palms were blue. The dazzling and beautiful lights that shined from
the flames were attracting the eyes of every student. An intense red light
and a dense misty blue light were being released individually from the two
teachers. Ji Dong, who was sitting in the front row, thought the red light
emitting from Xia Tian’s body was very similar to that of Yang Bing Tian’s,
as if it were a kind of invasive blaze. That blazing red flame rose the
temperature of the air around it rapidly. On the other side, the blue light
from Qiu Tian’s body and the flames surrounding her hands were without any
temperature. Based on appearances, the blue flames were far from the red
flames released by Teacher Xia Tian, which were filled with the sense of a
vast and overwhelming blaze. But these blue flames gave one a deep
impression of fear, a fear so deep that one would feel chills upon seeing
the flames. This demonstration obviously represented the Yang-fire’s
Bing-fire and Yin-fire’s Ding-fire. No matter which flame was releasing
their magic power, both the red and blue light were covered with a slight
golden edge.
A transparent figure appeared behind both Xia Tian and Qiu Tian. The colors
of the two figures matched the magic power emitted from their bodies. At
this moment, Ji Dong discovered the difference between them and Yang Bing
Tian. Also of the same Bing-fire element, the vermilion bird that appeared
behind Xia Tian was much fainter than that of Ying Bing Tian’s; Yang Bing
Tian’s release of the vermilion bird gave off a slight feeling as if it were
real and not transparent, but the one residing behind Xia Tian was merely a
faint current of air.
The shadow behind teacher Qiu Tian was not a fire bird… It was actually a
gigantic coiling blue snake that was equally illusory to Xia Tian’s bird and
could not be seen very clearly.
– end –
Chapter 9
Ji Dong looked at teacher Qiu Tian with great surprise. In his memories,
there was another name for the north Bing-Ding-fire, which was the North
Vermilion Bird Bing-Ding-fire; this was similar to the south Azure Dragon
Jia-Yi-wood. In other words, from his memories, Bing-fire and Ding-fire
should have had the Vermilion bird as their symbol. But if this was the
case, why did a blue snake appear behind Qiu Tian when she was a Ding-fire
department teacher? Also, this snake was odd, as it seemed to have a pair of
wings, of which their color was very faint.
A red light and a blue light separately condensed on top of both teachers’
heads, and a crown appeared above both of them. When their crowns
materialized, they instantly became the center for the release of magic.
The crown that appeared above Xia Tian was similar to Yang Bing Tian’s. It
was thoroughly white and enshrouded with a gold tint. Nine spikes were set
on it, with a red-colored bead embedded in each spike. The only differences
were the flame patterns and the quantity of pentagrams in front of the
crown. Xia Tian had red flames branded on only three spikes on the front of
his crown, and the pentagrams on the circle below amounted to four, an
entire half more of a pentagram compared to Yang Bing Tian.
On the other side, the crown which appeared above Qiu Tian was something Ji
Dong saw for the first time. That crown was thoroughly black and enshrouded
with a gold hue. It had nine spikes on top of it, only that on each spike,
there was a blue-colored bead instead. It also contained only three spikes
with flame brandings, though they were blue as well. The circle below
displayed two and a half pentagrams. His entire body was shrouded in a red
glow, and with the blazing flame on his palm, Xia Tian seemed like a
descended fire deity; his former extremely valiant look had become even more
tyrannical, and even his eyes smeared with red. “Can you see? These are the
complete fighting modes of the Ding-fire attribute Yin-Yang Wizard and the
Bing-fire attribute Yin- Yang Wizard.”
As he spoke, Xia Tian raised his hand and waved. The crown from his head
flew down and landed on his hand. “10 elements of Yin-Yang wizards:
5 elements belong to Yang and 5 elements belong to Yin. What I’m releasing
right now is the Bing-fire element Yang crown, and what teacher Qiu Tian is
releasing is the Ding-fire element Yin crown. Whether it’s the Yang crown or
the Yin crown, it remains the source of the Yin-Yang wizard’s power. Whether
one could condense a Yin-Yang crown is also the most fundamental requirement
of a Yin-Yang wizard.
While holding his own Yang crown in one hand, one finger pointed toward the
5 diameter ring under the crown. “Whether it is the Yang crown or the Yin
crown, it divides into four parts as a whole. First, the ring you see now is
called the Crown Ring, it’s the base of the Yin Yang crown. Each Crown Ring
has nine spikes, we call them Crown Peaks, which are also the nine points of
the triangulars on top. When they combine, they will form the most basic
Yin-Yang crown. I’m sure you all saw the 4 stars on my Crown Ring. It’s
called the Crown Star, and as for the flame brandings on the peak of the the
crown, we call them Coronas. These four parts represent the level of a
Yin-Yang wizard.”
“Crown Star – it represents the fundamental level of the Yin-Yang wizard. It
has 10 levels, from the first to the tenth. Remember this, one Crown does
not represent 1 level, but 2. For example, this Yang crown of mine has 4
Crown Stars, which means I’m namely the 8th level. I have the Bing-fire
element red flame brandings on 3 Crown Peaks, this is called Three Coronas.
How many of such brandings on the Crown Peaks will equal the amount of
Coronas. Each time one cultivates the Crown Star to the fifth one, which
means the 10th level, that means
Teacher Qiu Tian attracted the Yin crown from her head to her hand, and she
took over Xia Tian’s speech. “Regardless of any element a Yin-Yang wizard
may have, we receive the same level classification. According to one’s
accomplishments, one will have different titles.”
“Such as you students who have recently started to cultivate or the students
who have not yet condensed their Yin-Yang crown are collectively called an
Apprentice. If one is from the Bing-fire department, then one will be a
Bing-fire Apprentice. If it’s the Ding-fire, then they would be a Ding-fire
Apprentice. When all of you obtain your own Crown Star, you can add your
levels onto your title. For example, a student with half a Crown Star will
be called a level 1 Bing-fire Apprentice or level 1 Ding-fire Apprentice.
When you cultivate to reach the fifth star, a level 10 Apprentice, you will
condense your own Yin-Yang crown, and your title will change with it. By
that time, you will possess one Corona. The 5 Crown Stars will disappear
following that. When you once again cultivate to reach 5 Crown Stars, level
10, you will be promoted again and reach 2 Coronas. We Yin-Yang wizards’
titles change according to the number of the Coronas. From the lowest rank:
Apprentice, Scholar, Master, Great Master, Grandmaster, Great Grandmaster,
Heaven Scholar, Heaven Master, Heaven Lord, and Exclusive Title.”
Xia Tian continued, “As a result, my title of the entire kingdom of Yin-
Yang wizards is: 3 Coronas of Yang Crown – level 8 Bing-fire element – Great
master. And teacher Qiu Tian’s title is: 3 Coronas of Yang Crown – level 5
Ding-fire element – Great master. Today, this will be your first lesson,
theoretical knowledge will be explained until here. Now you may ask if there
are any questions. Teacher Qiu Tian and I will answer your questions.” Qiu
Tian and he kept their magical powers, and following that, the Yang crown
and Yin crown disappeared.
The first student who had a question was Ji Dong, an ordinary 10 year old
kid. Furthermore, this is actually his first time within this environment,
and he would have been somewhat shy; however, this would never occur with
the new Ji Dong, whose mentality was older than 30 years old. Right after
Xia Tian finished his explanation, Ji Dong raised his hand so he could ask
questions. “Teacher Xia Tian, I have three questions. My first question
relates to the ten titles of the Yin-Yang wizard you mentioned before. What
is the exclusive title at the last rank? That should be the one you would
get when you achieve the ninth crown, right?”
Xia Tian stared blankly at him, then he couldn’t help but laugh. “You think
very far, young chap. The ninth crown is something that only exists in
legends, and is the final goal of us Yin-Yang wizards. But to be frank, you
don’t need to know about that. Since you asked, I will tell you that the ten
elements of Yin-Yang wizards have exclusive titles for those who could ever
manage to reach the ninth crown. Our Bing-fire element’s exclusive title is:
Sheng Guang. For the Ding-fire department, it is: Tai Yi. As for the other
elements, even I don’t know about it.”
Ji Dong showed a somewhat thoughtful expression. “My second question is
about the two spirits that appeared behind both the backs of you and teacher
Qiu Tian. There was an illusion and yours was a gigantic red Bird, but
teacher Qiu Tian’s seemed like a very long winged snake. Why is that so?”
This time, teacher Qiu Tian answered his question. “Ji Dong, your
observation is very detailed, but you are biting off more than you can chew
at this point because we are still only on the first lesson. Your question
will be answered next lesson though. We will explain about this department’s
totem and the uses of the Yin-Yang Crown. When the time comes, you will
understand everything.”
Ji Dong nodded. “I have one last question. Even though you and teacher Xia
Tian are divided by the Bing-fire department and Ding-fire department, I
just discovered that no matter if it is the Yin crown or the Yang crown that
is released, there is something similar. Regardless of whether it is your
Yin-Yang crown or your magic, the edge will always glow a golden hue. Why is
that so?”
Upon hearing Ji Dong’s question, both Xia Tian’s and Qiu Tian’s expressions
changed. They looked at each other with in surprise, and then Xia Tian said
in a deep voice, “You do not need to know these things for now. If you can
truly become a Yin-Yang wizard, and furthermore, pass the entrance exam for
an advanced academy and cultivate there, one of the teachers there would
inform you.” Ji Dong always observed things carefully by relying on his
observation skills, which exceeded that of an ordinary person. When he
mentioned the golden edge that emanated from their Yin-Yang crown or magic,
both Xia Tian’s and Qiu Tian’s expressions changed unnaturally; there seemed
to be some excitement in their gazes and some insipid fear. But since they
did not want to explain it, he could only wait and ask principal Yang Bing
Tian about it later tonight.
Xia Tian said, “Ok, this lesson has been going on for a good amount of time.
You all may now have free time to talk amongst yourselves, and no matter
what question you have, you can always ask us. Ji Dong, come with me.” He
was already walking out of the classroom by the time he finished talking.
Qiu Tian stayed inside to look after the students and to answer any
questions they may have had.
Ji Dong followed Xia Tian and left the classroom. Xia Tian walked straight
to the next floor without saying a word or looking back at Ji Dong. Ji
Dong’s heart slightly moved, it seemed that the impression Xia Tian had of
him during the punishment run was not bad, but now Xia Tian seemed to be
containing some resentment. Could it perhaps have something to do with him
alone?
Xia Tian led Ji Dong toward the 2nd floor of the Bing-fire department
teaching block and they entered a medium sized classroom. There were no
chairs or desks inside this room, and it was about 31 square meters large.
However, there were 10 praying mats on the ground, as well as a Bing-fire
phoenix pattern marked on the door.
Xia Tian pointed at the praying mat in the middle and said, “Sit down
cross-legged.”
Ji Dong did as he was told, and Xia Tian sat down face to face in front of
him with his bell-like, flickering, and big eyes staring at Ji Dong. If it
was another 10 year old kid, they would surely be panicking; however, Ji
Dong was not willing to back down one bit even when he was facing Yang Bing
Tian. Even though Xia Tian had a bold and powerful appearance, he was still
unable to seize Ji Dong’s resolution. Xia Tian snorted coldly. “No wonder
your fitness was that bad when I punished you this morning. So you entered
using backdooring… I really don’t understand the principal though, finding
such an odd kid out of nowhere and still wanting to foster you with all his
power.”
Backdooring? Ji Dong felt very awkward having had this word used towards
himself, but he did actually enter the Li Huo academy through backdooring…
Since he had no way to retort Xia Tian’s opinion, he could only keep quiet,
but there wasn’t any dissatisfaction in his gaze either.
“Because of the principal, I will have to give you the chance to learn, but
despite that, I’m warning you in advance; if you don’t show any results
after a year, I will kick you from the Bing-fire department. Even the
principal cannot stop me.”
Ji Dong still didn’t say anything whatsoever. Guarantees and explanations
had no real meaning because only strength and results are the most
important.
Upon realizing that Ji Dong had still not uttered a single word and his gaze
was still the plain, apathetic one from the beginning, he couldn’t help but
felt somewhat baffled. Xia Tian reached out to his chest and took out two
things. These two things were presented in front of Ji Dong’s eyes. As Ji
Dong stared at them, he discovered that these two objects in front of him
were actually two special gems in the shape of two crowns. One of them was
white and the other black. They looked similar to the Yin-Yang crowns that
Xia Tian and Qiu Tian had released earlier, except that they were a hundred
times smaller, the size of a gold coin. The white gem glowed slightly red,
while the black gem released a dull blue light. The only big difference
between them was that the two gems had a grey light edge, rather than gold.
Just this one tiny difference made the gems release a clearly different
presence compared to the ones the two teachers had released earlier.
“Teacher Xia Tian, what are these?” Ji Dong asked curiously.
Xia Tian looked at the two gems with a serious expression, and his eyes
revealed a slight desire for them. “You don’t need to know what they are.
You only need to know that they will greatly assist you on your path to
becoming a Yin-Yang wizard. These two gems are from the private collection
of the principal and have no relation to the academy. I really don’t know
why the principal favors you so much… How much did your family bribe the
principal, to make him bring out this pair of crystal crowns? Both of these
gems are of the lowest quality, but they are still worth several thousand
gold coins and aren’t even for sale in the market. To have made him take
these out and then donate them to you, who is a piece of Yin-Yang balanced
trash, is truly a waste.
Hearing Xia Tian’s words, Ji Dong couldn’t help but to praise Yang Bing Tian
in his mind. This guy is truly someone who abides by his promises; he
unexpectedly took out such precious items because he promised to do his best
to assist him into becoming a Yin-Yang wizard. Looks like I will need to
take out some of my true skills and mix him some high quality cocktails to
show my appreciation.
Due to Xia Tian’s constant disrespect towards him, Ji Dong’s haughtiness was
incited. He said coldly, “Teacher Xia Tian, since the principal gifted these
gems to me, whether it is a waste or not has nothing to do with you. Also, I
don’t have a rich family that could possibly bribe the principal, as I am
merely an orphan. If you were truly curious about why the principal would
give me such a treasure, you would have to ask him yourself. I respect you
because you are a teacher, but is it truly acceptable for you, a teacher, to
constantly harass the frail heart of a student like this?”
“You…” Xia Tian gave Ji Dong, who had puffed out his chest in defiance, a
monstrous look. But suddenly, he found this whole talk laughable. He, the
student-proclaimed demon god, had already punished an entire third of the
students. Even those who had already condensed their Yin-Yang crown would
tremble in fear when they saw him. However, this ten year old, whom he had
already punished in the morning, was speaking confidently and was even
criticizing him. He actually found this quite interesting.
– end –
Chapter 10
“How did I not see before that you had such a weak spirit?” Xia Tian was
engrossed in Ji Dong, his expression turning even more dreadful than his
previous monstrous and devil-like manner.
“Li Huo academy rule number nine: Those who contradict the teacher ought to
be punished. After we finish this talk, you will have to run on the track
field until I am satisfied. Of course, I admit that what you said earlier
was right, as I was definitely excessive with my words and actions. This is
why I will punish myself and will run alongside you while also restricting
my use of magic.”
Ji Dong was surprised. He actually appreciated Xia Tian’s bluntness and his
willingness to admit his wrongdoings. But what kind of terms were these?
This punishment was obviously unfair!
Ji Dong’s physical ability was that of a weak animal, and Xia Tian was a
bull. Even without his magic, Xia Tian would obviously feel no weariness
even after running a hundred times around the field. Despite the unjust
punishment, Ji Dong cared much more about the two crystal gems in Xia Tian’s
hand and didn’t say anything.
Xia Tian became more serious as he held a crystal crown in each of his
hands, and he said in a low voice,
“You do not need to know the origin of these two crystal crowns. Normal
students would start their cultivation with sensing the existence of the
Bing- fire element or Ding-fire element under our guidance. One could only
absorb the essence of the element during cultivation if one were able to
sense their particular element, which would then allow them to increase
their power. Bing-fire and Ding-fire are incapable of being fused; like that
of water and fire; however, since you are of the Yin-Yang balance, the
peculiarity of having a perfect balance causes the two fire elements to
interfere with each other and oppose another.
Normally, you would be unable to cultivate at all, but these two crystal
crowns, which will give you the power to sense both Bing-fire and Ding-
fire, will allow you to cultivate as long as you absorb both fire elements.
Compared to other students, you will be a month ahead. I will now use my
magic power to activate these two crystal crowns, forcing their energy to
enter inside you. You will need to focus deeply on sensing these two
different magic powers.
Also, in the future, there will be no one that could possibly assist you
with cultivating afterwards, and you will only be able to rely on your own
efforts. I hope you will be able to bring out the willpower you had during
this morning’s punishment run and be diligent with your cultivation.”
“Yes, sir.”Ji Dong straightened himself and answered seriously.
“Close your eyes. Place both hands on your knees. Relax, and no matter what
you feel next, don’t move.”
Ji Dong did as Xia Tian ordered, and he closed both of his eyes. Because he
had dedicated his life to liquor for 20 years in his past life, he had a
very high amount of concentration, to the extent that very few people could
even be compared to him. The moment he closed his eyes, his spirit and mind
became calm.
Xia Tian held the Crystal Crowns with both hands, and as his eyes shone, Ji
Dong immediately felt the scorching heat from the Bing-fire element’s
magical power. Once again, the 3 Coronas Yang Crown appeared on the top of
Xia Tian’s head. Two sources of fiery red flames instantly rose from his
palms, and the Crystal Crowns instantly brightened, each coagulating a lump
of dazzling luster. Xia Tian took a deep breath while stretching both of his
hands out with lightning speed. Suddenly, he pressed onto Ji Dong’s chest,
stamping the two lumps of radiance directly onto him.
Ji Dong’s body shivered upon contact with the two crowns. He could only
experience a scorching and tepid heat taking over his body as
Yet the tepid heat flowed smoothly through his veins like springwater,
travelling into each and every part of his body. While the scorching flow
was bursting throughout his body, paining him greatly over short bursts,
that tepid flow felt as if it was solidifying his blood, increasing the pain
to even greater amounts. His whole body seemed to be falling and was
calcined by a gigantic Yin-Yang furnace at the same time.
Without question, that scorching flow was definitely Bing-fire magic being
released from one of the crystal crowns and that tepid flow was Ding- fire
magic. After the two airflows were forced into Ji Dong’s body, they
immediately diffused within the meridian channels of his body. But the heat
energy became wild and was suddenly supple. Ji Dong’s body unconsciously
spasmed, his hands on his knees firmly grasping his own pants. Regardless,
he was grinding his teeth and was bitterly holding it in.
Xia Tian was just as nervous as Ji Dong could have been at this moment. It
was not the first time he had used one of these crystal crowns, but giving a
single person both a Yin and Yang crown was definitely the first time. As he
began sweating, he nervously watched the changes on Ji Dong’s face. He had
already felt that the power of the crystal crowns had altered Ji Dong’s
body, but he did not know to what extent.
He didn’t dare to infuse his Bing-fire into Ji Dong to help him because Ji
Dong might not be able to bear the immense power that would form from his
own magic combined with the energy from the two crowns. At this moment, Ji
Dong could only rely on his own power to absorb the energy from both crowns.
“Hang in there. This crystal crown can give you everything you desire. It
will activate your double attribute and even strengthen your body’s
physique. If you can’t even endure these small pains, why do you even want
to be a Yin-Yang wizard? You will obviously get better in a little while.”
A little pain? This was supposed to be only a little pain?? But Ji Dong
didn’t have time to focus on these words. All he could feel was that time
was slowing, and what Xia Tian had spoken of had taken an eternity.
The sweat surrounding his skin had turned into steam and rose high into the
air, and strangely, it had a slight fishy smell to it. That was because his
body had a lot of impurities within it, but under the strong energy of the
Yin-Yang fire, all of these impurities were quickly purified and became that
fish scented steam. The bursting and tepid energy within Ji Dong was at it’s
peak. Xia Tian could clearly see that on the top of Ji Dong’s forehead, two
bright lights were slowly shining into existence.
Two halves to a star shaped crown condensed slightly apart from one another,
one a bright red, and the other a vivid shade of blue. They began to meet in
the middle of Ji Dong’s forehead and fused into a whole star which was
semi-red and semi-blue. When the two halves combined, the color was very
faint. But now, with the gradual fusion of the energy within Ji Dong’s body
from the two crystal crowns, this special star slowly became clearer.
Xia Tian showed a pleased expression upon the sight. He thought, “As
expected… it would only succeed if both fires were to be absorbed at the
same moment. Because of his Yin-Yang balance, the magical energy that
resided within the two crystal crowns was not wasted even a single bit. Any
normal student would merely be a level one Bing-fire or Ding-fire student,
but he is both at the same time. While watching the crown star slowly finish
its transformation, a small expectation arose within Xia Tian’s heart.
If this small kid in front of him truly condenses his own Yin-Yang crown,
then what kind of scene would be made when someone realized it? After all,
only with a true Yin-Yang crown would he become a real Yin-Yang wizard.
With the forming of the Crown Star, Ji Dong relaxed as the two devastating
energies calmed down within his body and slowly collected towards his chest.
Ji Dong could sense that both energies separated into two halves. The red
light was concentrated on the right side of his chest while the blue light
resided on the left.
At the same time, he noticed that if he concentrated deeply, he could sense
the same energy within the air, only it was much thinner than what resided
inside his body.
When he opened his eyes, he discovered that his Bing-fire uniform was
completely drenched, as if he had just taken a dip in a pool. Even though he
sweated heavily, he didn’t feel exhausted at all, and it was actually the
opposite… He felt completely full of power.
As he awaken, Ji Dong felt that he was full of power, but he also felt that
the two powers within him were different from one another. On his right
side, he felt a bursting strength, but on his left, he felt as if his body
had become much tougher and more endurance.
Since coming to the Five Elements Continent, Ji Dong had always been
struggling in extreme weakness, it was only recently that he was able to
fill his stomach. Now that he had fused with the two crystal crowns, he
truly felt the presence of strength within him. Both his spirit and mind
were empowered, unlike the condition before when he would feel too tired to
accomplish anything.
While looking at Xia Tian, Ji Dong said sincerely, “Thank you, teacher Xia
Tian”
Xia Tian waved his hand and said,
“Like I said, these two crystal crowns were from the headmaster. If you want
to thank someone, then thank him instead. Now that you have taken your first
step to becoming a Yin-Yang wizard, you should attempt to control the
Bing-fire and Ding-fire magic within your body. Just look in the mirror and
if you control it, a crown star should appear on your forehead. Both halves
of this crown star should represent that you are a level one Bing-Ding dual
fire apprentice.”
“How did I become a level one this quickly?” said Ji Dong surprised. Xia
Tian was annoyed. “Hmhp! You are just lucky. Without these two crowns, I am
afraid that you would have never been able to possess magical power at all.
From now on, it will not be so easy like today. Remember that when you
cultivate, you must absorb both Ding-fire and Bing-fire in equal amounts so
that would not affect your body, if you absorb too much from one side, you
would eventually disturb your Yin- Yang balance and all your efforts would
become wasted.”
“Then how should I cultivate, teacher Xia Tian? Since I am already a level
one Bing-Ding dual fire Apprentice, could you teach me a cultivation
method?”
Xia Tian snorted. “Didn’t I already teach you one? Just sit down cross-
legged and relax your entire body. Use your mind to sense the magical power
of your dual elements, which are the magical powers you currently posses, or
in other words, your body has become like a magnet. You only need to rely on
your mind to sense and absorb the disassociated Bing-fire and Ding-fire
elements within the air.
This is the cultivation method. The first ten levels of the Yin-Yang wizard
are the most difficult ones to climb. One could rely on one’s own body and
his mind to condense it, but this was definitely a slow and boring process.
Many people couldn’t finish cultivating their Yin-Yang crown not because
their innate talents were not high enough, but because they could not endure
the way of cultivation. As a consequence of cultivating both Bing-fire and
Ding-fire, you will need to invest more time in cultivation compared to most
students.”
“Thank you, teacher Xia Tian. I will remember your words. I will devote much
more effort than normal students, and I will use my results to prove it to
you. Can I start my punishment now?”
A smile appeared on Xia Tian’s face as he saw Ji Dong sitting there with a
pained face, as he had endured the pain and refused to yell out in agony; he
could truly see the amount of resolution this child had. In addition to
this, Ji Dong had previously told him that he was an orphan. His malice
towards him using the backdoor method to enter the academy lightened a fair
amount. “You can forget about today’s punishment, after all, if you don’t do
it then I also don’t have to do it. Your magic power has also just reached
level one, go back and start cultivating, after that, take a good rest. If
you have any questions in the future, just come and ask me. I live in the
Bing- fire dormitory’s top floor, room 501. Now go.”
When Ji Dong stood up, he discovered that he really likes the Li Huo
academy, and he also liked the straightforward and passionate Xia Tian who
was unable to stand the slightest sight of fools. After bowing to Xia Tian,
he left.
The sky was already dark, and it was almost night. Once again, it was time
for dinner.
In the Headmaster’s office, Yang Bing Tian welcomed a guest.
“Good evening Headmaster Yang.” The visitor was about 40 years old, and he
was dressed in a long, red gown. He has a slim body with bright spirited
eyes. On the right of his chest was a blaze symbol which center on a golden
halo. It does not represents strength, but his identity. Only members of the
Yin-Yang wizard guild of the south fire empire would be dressed up like
this.
“Good evening, please take a seat” Yang Bing Tian lead the visitor to the
couch.
“Headmaster, I am a staff member of the Yin-Yang wizard guild of our empire,
this time I am here on behalf of the guild. I have something for you. The
President knows that you like to collect different kinds of Yin-Yang magical
skill scrolls. Recently, the guild obtained a Yin-Yang magical skill scroll
from a Yin-Yang wizard who was in dire straits, we are able to sell it to
you for the original price.
“Yin-Yang magical skill scroll? Bring it out and let me take a look at it.”
Yang Bing Tian’s eyes brightened and urged the other party to take out the
scroll. if one says that tasting fine liquor is his lifetime favorite hobby,
then the second to that would be collecting Yin-Yang magical skill scrolls.
Yin-Yang magical skill scrolls were actually special scrolls imbued with
Yin-Yang magic. Normally, it attach most importance to assisting type of a
Yin-Yang magical skill, because the offensive or defensive type scroll need
to store a massive amount of magical power, which is why the making is
rarely successful.
Methods of making this scroll has been lost, so the Yin-Yang magical skill
scrolls that could be bought are almost antiques, Yang Bing Tian didn’t
collect these scrolls in order to use them, he just wanted studied them with
an appreciative attitude.
The middle-aged man lifted his hand and touched one of the red colored gems
inlaid in his waistbelt. A foot-long scroll had already appeared in his
hands. He carefully held the scroll with both hands and presented it towards
Yang Bing Tian.
Seeing this scroll ,Yang Bing Tian’s eyes lit up. He is a knowledgeable man
and just by seeing the exterior of this scroll , he can deduce that it is
centuries- old.
The scroll’s entire surface appeared to be of a dark yellow color, it is
unknown what material made it. On top of it, there are fine dark stripes,
there is some very unique writing on it, which the writing is not part of
the modern world. Especially the wave motion of a rich magical power that
was released from it, no one would doubt the formidability that this
Yin-Yang scroll had portrayed.
The middle aged man saw Yang Bing Tian’s admiring look, and said smiling:
“After a detailed study by our guild, this scroll is known to have come from
a thousand years ago by a Great Master that was specialized in making
Yin-Yang magical scrolls.It is called the Random Teleportation Scroll. The
most unusual characteristic was that, it was made after at least 5 elements
of Yin-Yang magical powers were poured into it. This is an extremely
valuable collection.
“Ah! Is this Random Teleportation scroll the kind that is known as the most
useless, yet could store the most amount of Yin-Yang magical power by using
the principle of mutual destruction of the 5 elements?” -end-