Chapter 568 - Effect of Reputation
Several guards were chatting excitedly at the city gates, discussing which of Wind Mail City’s talents were likely to be selected. Some said Yu Xiaobai of Wind Trail Training Hall and others supported Zuo Chao of Cold Ray Training Hall. Everyone stuck to their own arguments, bragging about how they had seen these amazing geniuses with their own eyes.
Someone noticed that one guard had suddenly stopped moving and asked, "Hey! What happened, Old Xu?"
Old Xu seemed not to hear anything and stood motionless.
Some people panicked. "Hey! Hey! Old Xu, don’t scare us!"
One of them hurriedly patted old Xu’s face. It quivered and then his whole body shivered.
The crowd heaved a sigh of relief and someone shouted, "What’s the matter old Xu? How many people do you want to scare to death!"
Old Xu’s face flushed and he stammered, "I, I remember!"
Everybody was curious and yet disapproving. "What do you recall? What has surprised you?"
Old Xu stammered, "The, the person just now!"
The others were confused. "Who did you see just now?"
Old Xu swallowed his saliva, but was still agitated. He finally found his tongue. "That guy who laughed loudly when you said he was too old to participate in the selection. Later, we realized that he looked familiar."
Everyone reacted; they had a pretty strong impression of that person.
"That man? What happened?"
"Do you remember?"
"Who is he? You’re scared out of your wits."
Old Xu swallowed his saliva again. "Yes, Spear of Heavy Cloud!"
"Spear of Heavy Cloud?"
Everyone was stunned. In a short while, it became completely silent.
After a while, one of them looked a little unnatural and forcefully laughed. "Old Xu, do not scare me, what Spear of Heavy Cloud? Why not Sword of Lightning?"
Another man appeared as if struck by lightning. "Spear of Heavy Cloud!"
He finally recalled why he found that man familiar. He shivered and exclaimed, "He, he is Jiang Wei! Spear of Heavy Cloud’s vice division leader!"
"Jiang Wei!"
"Spear of Heavy Cloud’s vice division leader!"
The others gradually changed their expressions as they finally recalled and understood why they found him familiar. Some time ago, a mirage bean pod of the overwhelming battle between a blood elementalist division and Spear of Heavy-Cloud had been studied and analyzed by countless masters. Every important figure in Spear of Heavy Cloud had been repeatedly mentioned.
As the vice division leader of Spear of Heavy Cloud, Jiang Wei was naturally not left out.
Everyone expressed their disbelief and stood rooted.
That was Spear of Heavy Cloud!
And what more, the vice division leader of Spear of Heavy Cloud!
He came to such a small city like Wind Mail City…
All of a sudden, everyone simultaneously quivered and then regained their composure.
"Why would Spear of Heavy Cloud come to Wind Mail City? Would it be disadvantageous for us?"
"Come on, what do they see in Wind Mail City? Seems too good to be true!"
"To replenish resources?"
"We are so poor…"
"What should we do now?"
"Hurry up and report to the mayor!"
A few of them beckoned to each other and, without a care for the others, turned and ran towards the mayor’s residence.
He Min stood uncomfortably in the middle of the stage.
He was not used to having so many pairs of eyes on him, but unlike the others, he had nothing to gain or lose and thus was not as nervous as the other students.
In the centre of the stage was a half-man high, four foot tripod. The tripod was covered with layer after layer of delicate and meticulous elemental traces, through which light flowed slowly like water. The tripod was filled with colorful liquid like a beautiful python entrenched therein.
Not knowing why, the multicolored liquid in the tripod made He Min fearful.
He turned his face away and dared not look at the tripod.
The elementalist who stood beside the tripod was responsible for the testing. "Put your hand out."
He Min extended his palm.
The elementalist tester grasped his palm and gently scratched it. Fresh blood seeped out immediately and dripped into the tripod.
He Min had witnessed the first few people drip a few drops of fresh blood into the tripod without any reaction. He did not expect any reaction either and was getting ready to step down from the stage.
At that moment, the colorful liquid which had just engulfed the blood unexpectedly emitted dazzling lights.
Multicolored lights were projected from the tripod. Together with the rotating light beam, they transformed into a five colored flower representing the five elemental energies. Each petal floating on top of the tripod represented one of the elemental energies. All of a sudden, the five petals broke into five groups of fragmented lights and combined into a glowing cocoon.
A strange wave of sound burst out.
Five little dragons of different colors emerged from the broken cocoon and hovered around, chasing each other.
This strange vision lasted more than ten seconds before it faded and disappeared.
The mayor and a few men were laughing and chatting in the pavilion. Instinctively, they stopped and gazed uniformly at the stage. As the flower formed into a cocoon, the servant behind the well-dressed young man suddenly widened his eyes. Even his normally expressionless face displayed surprise.
The onlookers marvelled that they did not know what a five-colored flower signified, but this peculiar vision made them realize that it was extraordinary.
He Min stood blankly on stage while looking at the huge tripod in front of him, unsure of what to do.
Suddenly, loud panting sounds drowned out all other noises.
"Mayor! Mayor! Spear of Heavy Cloud is coming! Spear of Heavy Cloud is coming! "
"Mayor!It is vice division leader Jiang Wei!"
The guards’ shouts plunged the audience into silence, then in the next moment, they burst into an uproar.
"Spear of Heavy Cloud! Is it that Spear of Heavy Cloud?"
"Certainly! Didn’t you hear him say vice division leader Jiang Wei?"
On the stage, He Min heard the words "Spear of Heavy Cloud" and was dumbfounded. Spear of Heavy Cloud... Spear of Heavy Cloud was actually here!
Upon hearing the name "Spear of Heavy Cloud", the mayor became agitated and suddenly stood up. Wind Mail City was not near the battlefield, but neither was it considered far. His biggest worry was the possibility of a blood elementalist combat division approaching the city. The world-renowned combat division "Spear of Heavy Cloud" certainly could be a protective talisman in these troubled times.
Previously, he had been wondering how he could make connections with Spear of Heavy Cloud, but did not know where to begin.
Spear of Heavy Cloud actually took the initiative to come to Wind Mail City!
It was a golden opportunity !
The mayor was overjoyed with this chance of a lifetime and could not let it slip away. He wanted to inquire for more details, but the booming noise was just like an angry wave that could practically lift Wind Mail City up to the sky.
Jiang Wei and several other members looked at each other and were bewildered. They were almost drowned in the noisy boom, as if they were in the midst of a stormy sea.
One of his members silently mouthed the words, "Are we that famous now?"
Jiang Wei was uncertain and replied the same way, "I also do not know…"
He really did not know.
Due to time constraints, members who had previously been recruiting had all gone directly to the training halls at the fastest speed. After selecting recruits, Jiang Wei would immediately arrange another member to escort them to the camp and took the remaining members quickly to the next city.
They all underestimated the far-reaching impact of the mirage bean pod.
They were at the front line every day, tense and busy, with no time to pay attention to the various messages coming from the rear. All of them had only seen the mirage bean pod once. They could only judge feelings of the figures in the clip from their back views.
They didn’t experience the development of the whole incident. They had no idea that they have long been legendary in the eyes of the world.
So, when the tsunami-like noise overwhelmed them, they looked dazed and did not know what was going on.
"Quiet! All keep quiet!"
The Master by the mayor’s side projected his elemental energy and the thunderous sound silenced everybody.
The mayor anxiously asked several guards, "Where is he? Where is vice division leader Jiang Wei?"
The guards stuttered, "They said, said that they are here to see the selection…"
Noting the situation, Jiang Wei knew he must come out to clarify. "I am Jiang Wei, glad to meet the mayor and sorry for the disturbance."
All eyes in the field turned to Jiang Wei. Many were excited to see him. It was really Jiang Wei! He looked exactly the same as in the mirage bean pod!
As the initiator of the incident, Skyheart City had not expected this move to push the reputation of Spear of Heavy Cloud to an all-time high. Compared to any time in the past, this was the lowest point of Beyond Avalon as elementalists faced repeated defeats against the blood elementalists. Even the prestigious and illustrious Shi Beihai suffered a disastrous defeat to them.
The survival of Beyond Avalon was at stake. The unprecedented fear and despair overwhelmed the residents.
All of Beyond Avalon seemed to be drowning.
In this most desperate and darkest hour, Spear of Heavy Cloud’s victory had been like a ray of sunlight shining through thick clouds. It gave hope to everyone.
It was just like a drowning man finally clutching a rice straw.
The mirage bean pod which recorded the entire battle between Spear of Heavy Cloud and Ardent Flower Blood Division had shown everyone the enemy’s ferocity and Spear of Heavy Cloud’s strength. More importantly, it had been the first real head-on victory.
There was nothing more convincing and reassuring than this segment of mirage.
People could now understand that blood elementalists were not invincible and that they themselves were not entirely vulnerable.
This was how Spear of Heavy Cloud had caused such an unprecedented sensation and gained the greatest reputation.
Although the people were agitated, no one said anything. They consciously made a path through the crowd.
Jiang Wei was surprised by the great courtesy he received. He nodded his thanks to the crowd on both sides and walked out.
The mayor was very excited, but to be able to become a mayor, he definitely was a man of some caliber. He smiled and said, "Dear Mister Jiang, your gracious presence has brought glory to Wind Mail City! What do you mean trouble? If it is trouble, I hope you can make it everyday. Mister Jiang, you hardly ever come by, you should stay for a few more days."
Jiang Wei bowed slightly. "Thank you for your good intentions, I appreciate it; however, given the present situation, I really have no time. If I gain a victory in the future, I shall trespass on your hospitality."
"Oh! That is such a pity." The mayor sighed. He knew that Jiang Wei was telling the truth. He soon became somewhat curious and asked, "I wonder why you have made your trip here? As long as I can be of service, the whole of Wind Mail City would not hesitate to lay down their lives if needed."
The man in gorgeous clothes beside the mayor took on a ghastly expression. At this moment, he had been completely forgotten.
Jiang Wei thanked him again. "Thank you mayor. I am here to recruit some manpower to supplement the combat division."
He just finished speaking.
Boom!
The crowd blew up again.
"Me, Me, Me!"
"Choose me, choose me!"
"I want to participate!"
Jiang Wei felt like he was standing on an erupting volcano. The ground was shaking and he was a little dazed. His mind echoed the words that had just been spoken by his comrades.
Are we so famous now…?