The steering system however was a bit annoying, it required extreme precision in using one's Qi to guide and steer this thing. Anyone without a diagram will have a hard time driving this thing and will need to take a while before they understand how to move this thing.
I continued reading through the diagram and was more and more vexed at the properties of such a shuttle. It had so many unnecessary little things that just make this thing more of a chore to drive than an actual racing shuttle.
The two of us moved forward until we arrived at a massive opening, outside the city. I couldn't even sense the time or distance we moved as I was so absorbed in reading through the manual.
"I would probably hide that now," Xiao Feng said.
"Oh, right," I said and hid it away.
"There is no need to be so wary about it, most people here have something like this, it's not allowed but at the same time, the academy looks the other way when it comes to things like this. Procuring information is also a part of this test, just don't make it blatant," Xiao Feng said.
"Right," I said and looked around.
In front of the city was this enormous opening where about a few thousand shuttles were all placed in it. the number of participants however was far more than the shuttles. This meant one thing, this will be a race to get to a shuttle, it's not going to be simple.
"I can't go beyond this place," Xiao Feng said.
And looking under me there was a massive line that seemed to separate people in two.
Xiao Feng didn't cross it.
"Only people with the Academy's token can move through this line. Anyway, you'll have to rush to the nearest shuttle if someone takes the one that you have your eyes on, don't fight them, and go to another one you'll have to hurry," he said.
"Okay, I got the gist of that," I replied.
Looking around, I saw even more people funneling into the area. Soon came a few guards and a man with an oppressive feeling surrounding him.
He wore full purple robes and had a magnificent symbol printed on the back of his robe, it was two dragons surrounding an empty throne, braided in gold.
"I guess this is the purple robe you're talking about," I said.
"Yes. Now go, it's going to begin soon," Xiao Feng said.
I then moved away from Xiao Feng and stood in wait along with a massive crowd.
It took a couple of hours before the man in purple robes spoke.
"Welcome to the Heavenly Academy's First Test!" the man said, "No need to make this any longer, get to your shuttles!" the old man said.
There was no prep no pep talk nothing, it was just, go!
And I took advantage of that since most people were still registering what the man had said.
I teleported immediately, there was no need to run, and placed a hand on a shuttle.
I was a fraction of a second faster than another cultivator who touched the shuttle right after me.
The token inside my robes vibrated but I was too busy with something else to think about that.
Looking into her eyes, I was momentarily stunned, there was someone as beautiful as this in this world?
The woman scowled and huffed then turned and teleported away.
I was a bit surprised as she didn't even fight against me but realized why immediately after, the moment I touched the shuttle, it was bound to me, and no one else can move it or take it.
The token I had had already registered the shuttle as mine and no one is going to bother with taking it away from me.
The glass on the bullet-looking shuttle opened up for me to slide in, and just as I sat inside it closed back on me.
Hundreds of shuttles took off, and hundred more followed after, while many cultivators were desperately trying to take other shuttles for themselves.
I waved my hand to manifest the steering inscription only to realize a grave error I seem to have overlooked…
I can't move this thing…
It needs Heavenly Qi…and I have Poison Qi.
…
Well..
This is going to suck.
Looking around, the people around me seemed to be disappearing bit by bit, and some were too annoyed at the fact that I got a pod and they didn't, and I still couldn't move it.
"Shit!" I cursed.
"Shen Bao what's wrong?!" asked Xiao Feng.
"Issue with the vehicle," I said.
Sooner than I thought, someone knocked on the glass of my pod.
"You seem to be struggling. What's the matter? Almost everyone took off, and a lot of people are not finding it enjoyable that you took a spot and can't even drive this," the purple-robed man said.
I looked him in the eyes and said, "Can I do modifications on the vehicle?" I said.
"Do whatever you like, but you must use your issued vehicle to arrive at the facilities, you cannot use any external tools, or additional equipment you brought with you however, still doing modifications on the vehicle will only take a lot of your time," the man in purple said.
"Right, how about rewriting some inscriptions and using spirit stones?" I asked.
"Spirit stones? I don't know what you're trying to do, but if its only to the limit of touching on inscriptions and using spirit stones… then knock yourself out, don't add anything else, especially not saint Qi, not that the machine will even function using Saint Qi, but it is unfair to the rest," he said.
"Okay, good enough for me," I grinned and pulled a brush from my pouch and then began by deleting everything written on the board.
This made the purple-robed man perplexed.
"You want to lose that badly?" he questioned.
"I have my ways, you can watch if you like," I said.
Then began rewriting inscriptions with a speed so fast that smoke began rising with every stroke.
I made sure to implement gravitational and spatial law in my inscriptions to apply even more complex commands that can be executed using simple maneuvers.
I continued working on the machine for what seemed to be hours. Several other cultivators already gave up on me even moving from my spot, and many complained that I didn't deserve the pod. However I continued working, and for some reason, the man in purple robes was too focused on me to even bother with the other people's nagging and whinging.
The people who took off before me had probably already reached their first destination. With a few more to go, while I'm still stuck on the starting line.
Xiao Feng sent me even more desperate divine messages, to try and move the vehicle, and even asked if my pod was working or was actually damaged. Only to have the test administrators admonish him for thinking that they'll actually present a defective machine to the contestants.
I was actually feeling sorry for him since I couldn't fully explain my situation to him. But it's okay I'll make this work.
Soon, when the sun was about to come down, and more than six hours had gone by, I was finally done inscribing the full formation needed to have this damn coffin move.
I then took a carving tool and stabbed a hole into the center of the steering wheel. Which looked like a barbaric thing to do after I had made a pretty scholarly presentation of myself writing inscriptions like a godly being.
"Xiao Feng, care to spare a few Top-Grade spirit stones?" I asked through divine sense.
"Euhh, yeah…how much? Though I doubt that will be of any help bribing the administrators."
"No, no brine, I just need about a hundred," I said.
"Huh, just that, okay," he said.
Soon a pouch came flying towards my pod from beyond the line, I was impressed with the precision of his throw.
"What is that?" asked the purple-robed man.
"Few spirit stones, you can check yourself," I said after I handed him the pouch.
Once he inspected the pouch and scuffed at the lowly amount of Top Grade Spirit Stones in them, he shrugged, "What are you going to do with that?" he asked.
"Oh, batteries," I said.
The word was probably strange to him, but my next words were more than enough to have him shocked.
"Move a bit to the side, the kick is gonna be strong," I said as I lowered the pod's glass.
I then stamped the accelerator, and the whole pod roiled and groaned like a beast that has been asleep for far too long and was rudely awakened.
"CYA AT THE FINISH LINE!" I shouted, then the whole pod blasted forward like a torpedo on steroids.
The dust it created behind it was enough to blind anyone who was close to the point of impact.
But I won't be taking the blame for that I already notified him to back away a bit.
The speed was incredible, though nothing comparable to my hoverboard, this thing was ungodly fast.
I broke the sound barrier in less than two seconds and was already flying at several Mach Speed.
With this speed, I'm more than able to recoup the time difference.
Bitches, better move aside, Shen Bao is coming in hot!
