Chapter 85: Mining Clan High School
Translator: Ash Editor: Geoffrey
For the next three days, Li Yao spent all his time doing restorative training. He was working hard to restore his body back to its peak state in the shortest span of time.
To sum it up, it was just eating and sleeping.
Eating the high-energy compressed food that was specifically made for the military.
It was military specialized because it was for the cultivators preparing to hunt in the Demon Beast Wasteland. Just a fingernail-sized piece was enough to fuel a low-level cultivator with enough energy to fight for an entire day. Every hour, Li Yao would force himself to eat a jar full of this highly energy-compressed food before he would use to assimilate it, subsequently converting the food into the most basic energy used to repair his over exhausted body.
After eating, he would sleep in the special "Deep Sleep Chamber" inside Peng Hai's private training room. An hour of sleep within the Deep Sleep Chamber was equivalent to sleeping normally for an entire day and night!
In order to restore his body to its peak condition as soon as possible, for the past few days, Li Yao only slept; he didn't attempt to assimilate Ou Yezi's memory fragments in his dreams.
Every second, Li Yao felt his energy and stamina increase by a point as though each crack in his bones was being repaired every second, further advancing his body’s strength!
After three days ——
In the "Small Grayfield", Li Yao was jogging with ease. During the jog, he would sometimes alternate between jumping, squatting, and shadow boxing.
Each of his punches left an afterimage behind.
Li Yao had already recovered his vigorous and healthy physique. Compared to before his coma, he was now three centimeter taller. His body was neither skinny nor did it have excess fat. His build was well-proportioned such that it was perfectly symmetrical and filled with muscles but not to the point that it could be considered in excess. He had a streamlined body like the pebbles that had eroded under a waterfall for hundreds of millennia. Each and every bone was symmetrically arranged on his rock-hard skeleton.
Because he had not basked in the sun for quite a while, his skin was slightly pale, but it had a healthy luster to it, overflowing with a powerful aura.
"I've now completely recovered. I feel stronger than before the coma. If I test my Spiritual Root Development Quotient, I am confident that it has progressed by at least 20-30%!"
Li Yao took a long, deep breath. Under the gravity that was ten times stronger, each step sprung him 4-5 meters forward.
He squinted his eyes and felt the steady flow of power in his four limbs and bones; Li Yao was completely satisfied with his new body.
Ding Lingdang mockingly said, “The Spiritual Root Development Quotient is purely an imaginary number. In the Grand Desolate War Institution, only chicks would be crazy about Spiritual Root Development Quotient day and night — an unyielding man would only believe in their own fist!"
Li Yao was surprised for a moment as he slowly clenched his pair of fists.
"Makes sense. Even if my Spiritual Root Development Quotient tumbled down to 1%, I will not give up! Since that’s the case, let’s forget about whatever development quotient. Let's go for a run!"
"Wait!"
Ding Lingdang lifted her wrist and shone a hologram from the mini crystal processor. "You are forgetting the most important thing — signing up for the college entrance examination! I have already checked things over. The examinee has to register his identity in order to take part in the college entrance exam. It is quite troublesome, but you’ll have to run around to several places and get a comprehensive body exam along with several other tests."
"So troublesome!"
A frown appeared on Li Yao's face as he carefully went through the introduction on the hologram. He discovered that what Ding Lingdang said was correct. In accordance with the "College Entrance Examination Identity Registration Process", even if all went well, an entire three days would be spent to complete the registration process, and if even a single thing went wrong, it could drag on for one or two weeks, which was a normal occurrence.
The college entrance exam was just less than one month away and every single second was immensely valuable. He didn't want to waste too much time on this matter.
"Perhaps I can ask the 'Disabled Serviceman Association' to help me shorten the registration process."
Thinking of this, Li Yao turned on the mini crystal processor and launched the spiritual crane messenger.
He was preparing to send a message to Chairman Zhao of the Floating Spear City's Disabled Servicemen Association to ask if there was any way to shorten the process, but instead he received a message from Grandpa Wang of "Old Wang's Secondhand Shop".
Grandpa Wang had an order to repair a large-scale magical equipment framework. The individual who was supposed to help repair it was busy and could not come, so he was asking Li Yao to lend a helping hand.
Li Yao hesitated for a bit as he prepared to refuse.
However, Grandpa Wang has always been good to him. After the death of the old man, Grandpa Wang had treated him like his own son. When he was in the coma, Old Wang also came to visit him at the hospital many times. When he knew that he was awake, Old Wang had specifically invited him to a feast at his home, but as Li Yao was busy with cultivation, he had turned down Old Wang’s invitation.
As a matter of fact, he also felt quite sorry for the old man.
Thinking up to this point, Li Yao agreed to Old Wang’s proposition. He planned to spend half a day to accompany the old man.
On the one hand, he was going to help him, and on the other hand, he could also let the old man see for himself that he was quite alive and kicking, that he was still a fine strong man, besides it would also free the old couple of worries.
Upon discussing it with Ding Lingdang, this girl turned very excited. She readily proposed to start the Crimson Flame Battle Shuttle to send him off, though Li Yao, without an ounce of hesitation, flatly refused her. Using the transmission formation, Li Yao returned to the Heaven Origin Sector and took the underground crystal rail to quickly reach Grandpa Wang's address.
"Floating Spear City's Mining Clan High School?"
After an hour of trekking, Li Yao arrived at a shabby high school entrance in the slum on the northwest side of Floating Spear City — the "Limestone District".
Approximately a hundred years ago, the northwest district of Floating Spear City used to have several crystal mines with abundant reserves. Several sect's mining companies cooperated with one another and turned the Limestone District into a very prosperous mining district.
During that period of prosperity, this place was home to the hundred thousand miners and to the couple hundred thousand families. They had their own schools, hospitals, and various public facilities.
The Mining Clan High School was established at that time.
However, the prosperity was short-lived. With the gradual depletion of the lodes, all the sects withdrew one by one, leaving the couple hundred thousand unemployed miners and their families behind. Those who had the money, connections, or another means to earn money left one after another, thereby leaving only a few ten thousand unemployed miners who didn't have any other skills behind. These miners and their families continued to eke out their meager existence here.
The Mining Clan High School had also become the worst high school in Floating Spear City. Compared with the Crimson Nimbus Second Senior High School, which was one of the private schools with top quality facilities, the difference was simply like heaven and earth — they were not in the same world.
Li Yao entered the campus. The campus seemed as though a cultivator had wantonly devastated the area, leaving only wreckage in its wake. Every building seemed to have been neglected over the years and have never been repaired. The playground too was also full of potholes. A rustic strength testing machine was placed in a corner. Looking at its model, it was surprisingly an antique from a hundred years ago. It appeared as if it would fall apart just from a light breeze.
The various basic facilities of this school were built a hundred years ago and, with the passage of time, were now long beyond their lifespan. Multitudes of problems could be found in every equipment.
Grandpa Wang was commissioned to repair the large-scale crystal tube system that was used to adjust the temperature in the classrooms.
The crystal tubes were like snakes, passing through each classroom to the next before finally converging at the array glyph room behind the teachers’ building.
In the array glyph room, a two-pole array glyph system composing of the “Freezing Glyphs” and the “Fire Glyphs” was installed. During the summer, the "Freezing Glyphs" would activate and blow cold air through the crystal tubes, while during the winter, the "Fire Glyphs" would activate and blow hot air through the tubes. In this manner, the classroom could be kept at room temperature, as if it were Spring, in all four seasons.
Because of thermal expansion and contraction caused by the alternation between hot and cold temperatures, the crystal tubes were vulnerable to cracks. Although the maintenance of the tubes was not complicated, as the crystal tubes were entwined and passed through a few dozen classrooms, to completely repair the entire tube network was not only very time consuming but arduous as well.
Grandpa Wang was way past his working age, and he couldn't see properly. Now that this kind of project fell into his lap, he had no choice but to call Li Yao for help.
This kind of maintenance work was quite ordinary. As the two were familiar with each other, they had no need to greet or say anything. Li Yao rolled up his sleeves and stuck out his buttocks as he and Grandpa Wang began to check and perform maintenance on the crystal tubes, classroom by classroom. After a long, arduous maintenance that spanned half a day, the two were covered in dust from head to toe. Finally, all the crystal tubes had been cleaned out from the inside out, and the broken tubes had been replaced with new ones.
Li Yao pressed his ears to the crystal tubes and listened for a while before confirming that the sound was normal and the array glyphs were operating very smoothly — the task was complete!
Li Yao pursed his lips as a grin appeared on his dark face, revealing the snow-white teeth inside.
"It's done. Grandpa Wang, this time, I’m not going to calculate money with you. Treat it as my respect for Grandma Wang. If there is nothing else, then I'll take my leave first."
"Wait."
Grandpa Wang laughed like an old fox as he dragged Li Yao out of the school building. Inside the playground stood a chubby, old man.
"This is the Principal of the Mining Clan High School, Mao. He is an old classmate of mine."
"Nice to meet you, Principal Mao."
Li Yao blinked his eyes. He found it a little strange. The maintenance of crystal tubes was not some big project. At best, it was worth a couple thousand bucks, yet Grandpa Wang dragged him out to meet the Principal, why?
Principal Mao and Grandpa Wang glanced at each other. The two were a little embarrassed. After a moment of silence, Principal Mao squeezed out a little smile on his face and said, "Student Li Yao, it is like this... I heard Old Wang say that you have withdrawn from Crimson Nimbus Second Senior High School and were thinking of registering your identity in order to apply for the college entrance examination. However, perhaps you don’t know, but the process to register one’s identity is extremely complex. Besides, you still have not yet found a suitable place to train. So if you don't mind, I was thinking it might be better for you to join my Mining Clan High School. The entire registration process will be handled by the school, and you can also train here. As you can see, although the training equipment are a little old, they are all in working condition and are maintained quite well. It would be better than what you might find at home! As for the cost, you don't need to worry. Old Wang and I have been friends for many years, so I will not take a single penny from you!"
"What, Grandpa Wang, you..."
Li Yao realized that this was the real intention of Grandpa Wang for calling him here. He could not help but feel warm in his heart.
Grandpa Wang coughed twice.
"Little Devil, this old man has heard everything about you. You have offended people at Crimson Nimbus Second Senior High School who have power and influence, they forced you to drop out, and you... also had a little accident. I'm afraid you won’t be admitted to a top university, but you should not give up. It is better for you to train here and vie for a good technical school. After you have graduated, you can come back and formally join me as my partner. I don't have a son, and the few grandsons I have are not interested in magical equipment maintenance. The day when my two legs can no longer support me, I'll leave my secondhand magical equipment shop to you. Don't say it doesn't bring in money! It can somehow bring food to the table. What do you think?"
Li Yao took a long deep breath to slow down his throbbing heart.
Grandpa Wang didn't know that he had already recovered his strength, and even more, he didn't know about the shocking mutation that had taken place inside his brain. Everyone believed that his spiritual root had ruptured and he was completely crippled.
Even so, Grandpa Wang didn't give up on him, still thought about him sincerely, and even helped him find such a school!
Although it was the worst high school in the entire Floating Spear City, Li Yao knew that Grandpa Wang had done the best he could.
A warm feeling slowly filled up Li Yao's chest.