“Here, inject Yuan Power, press this, boom!”
She demonstrated very seriously, her expression solemn. For some reason, however, Ji Bozai found it amusing, the corners of his eyes crinkling with mirth.
Ming Yi’s face turned stern as she coldly glared at him, making a slicing motion across her neck.
He always underestimated the importance of divine weapons, daring to be distracted even on the battlefield. One day, he might not even know how he died.
Seeing her like this for the first time, Ji Bozai was taken aback. He composed himself and continued walking forward with her.
He had never seen Ming Xian on the battlefield, so he had always struggled to connect Ming Yi with Ming Xian. But that moment just now gave him a glimpse of reality.
This young girl was once a hero who dominated the battlefield.
An odd feeling gripped his heart as Ji Bozai pursed his lips, staring at her back.
How could someone so small and thin shoulder the weight of such a large city?
As they entered another area of dense fog, Ji Bozai suddenly reached out to stop Ming Yi.
“Someone’s here,” he whispered.
Luo Jiaoyang and the others became alert, while Ming Yi immediately reacted, stepping behind Ji Bozai.
Ahead, where the superior divine weapons were buried, an ambush had been set. Nothing could be seen clearly in the thick fog, but they could faintly sense killing intent.
Ji Bozai summoned a protective shield, covering both himself and Ming Yi. He then raised the Fire Tree Silver Flower, aiming it at where he felt the killing intent was strongest and pressed down.
Boom—
A massive burst of Yuan Power, like a firework, tore through the fog and crashed into the sand. Someone in the mist moved, stirring up a gust of wind.
Fan Yao, focusing on the direction of the wind, pressed down on Thunder of Ten Thousand Weights. The enormous Yuan Power, carrying the weight of a mountain, flattened a dune in front of them.
“Brute force,” someone sneered in the fog, then activated their divine weapon. Several ghostlike shadows quickly darted from the sand to their side.
Ji Bozai’s hand moved swiftly, cutting down the ghostly shadows on the ground. Chu He and Luo Jiaoyang also sprang into action, rushing into the thick fog to engage the enemy.
Ming Yi wanted to stop them but couldn’t in time, forced to watch helplessly as the five of them scattered.
In Zhu Yue City’s arena, the most dangerous thing was for the team to separate. These people lacked experience.
Fortunately, Ji Bozai didn’t run off. Noticing the disappearance of the others’ breathing, he frowned and lifted her onto his back. “Hold on tight.”
Their protective shields instantly merged into one, and Ming Yi could even feel his aura flowing through her spine.
Her ears burning, she mumbled, “Head towards the thickest fog. We don’t have enough people, so we can only wait until the other teams have mostly finished fighting, then go to where the moonlight is brightest to finish up.”
Ji Bozai grunted in agreement, carrying her as they dodged attacks from all sides and ran towards the dense fog.
As their surroundings gradually changed from chaotic to calm, Ming Yi sighed in relief. Feeling slightly awkward, she jumped down from his back. “Let me explain the specific usage of the Fire Tree Silver Flower to you.”
Ji Bozai set her down, one hand guarding her back while the other held out the Fire Tree Silver Flower in front of her.
Ming Yi took out the tools she always carried and began modifying some parts on the spot. As she worked, she explained, “This was Master She’s handiwork from three years ago. It helped Chaoyang City win the Divine Weapon Hall round back then, but with the emergence of newer superior divine weapons, it’s fallen behind a bit.”
“Remember these modifications I’m making; they’ll be useful in close combat.”
The fog was so thick that they had to stand very close to see each other. As Ji Bozai watched her nimble fingers, he suddenly said in a low voice, “Even without your extremely strong Yuan Power, you’re still an excellent weaponsmith. Chaoyang City truly doesn’t know what they’re missing.”
Her deft hands paused for a moment as Ming Yi lowered her eyes awkwardly. “Chaoyang City doesn’t lack excellent weaponsmiths.”
Although Master She Tianlin only took her as his sole apprentice, he was also an instructor at the Yuan士 Academy. Chaoyang City’s Yuan 士 Academy had over a dozen young weaponsmiths; they didn’t need her.
Moreover…
“It’s not Chaoyang City that doesn’t appreciate me, it’s just those few people,” she sighed. “How can a city be at fault?”
Ji Bozai disagreed, “The thing you’ve always protected, if it can’t protect you when you need it, then that’s its fault.”
“You, with no sense of city honor in your heart, won’t go far in the Six Cities Tournament,” Ming Yi said, looking him in the eye as she handed him back the modified divine weapon. “The Six Cities Tournament may start by comparing Yuan Power’s strength, but in the end, it all comes down to belief. Those who fight for themselves never last as long as those who fight for their city.”
Absurd.
Ji Bozai thought she must have been enslaved for so long that she had developed these strange ideas.
The most important person in this world was himself. How could his belief in fighting for himself possibly lose to her fake “fighting for the city”?
He put away the divine weapon, and they continued moving to find a new hiding spot.
Ming Yi wore embroidered shoes with shallow openings, and sand kept pouring into her shoes and socks. In the past, she would have whined coquettishly, pouting and asking to be carried instead of walking. But now, she didn’t even look down, and when she really couldn’t walk anymore, she simply took off her shoes and carried them in her hand.
Ji Bozai waited the entire way, but she never asked for help.
Helplessly, he stopped her and crouched down. “Get on.”
Ming Yi shook her head. “If I can’t make it out of this sand arena, then I’m too weak and deserve it. How can I ask you to carry me?”
He clicked his tongue impatiently. “Didn’t you say this trial is about individual performance and teamwork? If I go out alone, Old Qin will lecture me endlessly. Come on, get on.”
After frowning at him for a while, Ming Yi hesitantly climbed onto his back.
In the past, she had always been the one to rescue her teammates. This was the first time she was being rescued, and she felt a strange sense of shame.
But as she got used to it, she realized how convenient it was. Ji Bozai’s Yuan Power shield was so thick and reassuring that she didn’t even need to watch her back.
Old She used to say that relying on others was irresponsible and not something she should do, that there was no one more reliable than herself. So Ming Yi had grown accustomed to shouldering everything alone until the very end. Suddenly having someone to lean on felt… quite nice.
The two successfully avoided the most intense battle areas in the thick fog. When the time was right, Ming Yi directed Ji Bozai towards the place where the moonlight was brightest.
The survivors would all converge there. As long as they were alive under the moonlight when the moon reached its highest point, they would be ranked as the top three cities in this round based on their arrival order.
When they arrived, there were still over a dozen people fighting in the moonlight. Some students wielded extremely powerful divine weapons, causing great destruction.
Ming Yi looked around but didn’t see Luo Jiaoyang and the others. Just as she was about to suggest that Ji Bozai hide again, a sharp-eyed student shouted, “Ji Bozai is over there!”
The dozen or so people immediately stopped fighting and turned their divine weapons toward them. A kaleidoscope of Yuan Power exploded, all heading in their direction.
When there’s someone much stronger than the others on the field, everyone tends to unite to eliminate that person first. Ming Yi could understand this.
But attacking Ji Bozai was one thing—why were several waves of powerful Yuan Power aimed directly at her?!