Ch 226 - Ch 230

Chapter 226

In that moment of distraction, Zhou Weiqing couldn't help but look down at his chest . He knew that without question, the change in his body had to be connected to Fat Cat's level up . Although he did not know what happened when he was unconscious, but it was obvious that he had definitely gained a lot from Fat Cat, not to mention that he had not experienced any of the usual pain when breaking through to this key Death Acupuncture Point .

Lifting his hands, he stroked Fat Cat on the head, and said with much emotions: "Thanks, Fat Cat . So you got rid of my clothes in order to help me… Thank you . "

Fat Cat, who had been stewing in anger, was startled by the sudden touch . Hearing his words, she did not know why but she suddenly felt an unspeakable sense of warmth . Such a feeling was new to her, not having even felt that from her father .

As they spoke, Zhou Weiqing had walked out of the cave . At first, he had been planning to praise Fat Cat more, but the moment he stepped out and saw the scene in front of him, his entire body shuddered in shock . In a flash, he charged forth to Shangguan Bing'er, who was lying on the ground .

"This… what happened?" Zhou Weiqing held Shangguan Bing'er in his arms, blood-red flashing into his eyes, and a fierce killing intent erupted from his body . As he held her, his Heavenly Energy poured into her .

The scene in front of him had indeed given him a big shock . The floor was filled with blood and littered with corpses of Heavenly Beasts . In the Heavenly Bow Unit, he had attended several missions facing Heavenly Beasts, and he naturally had a lot of experience in dealing with them . On first look, he could already tell how powerful these Heavenly Beasts were . Furthermore, each and every one of his companions were sitting or lying on the ground, wounded, how could he remain calm!?

With the infusion of Zhou Weiqing's Heavenly Energy, Shangguan Bing'er recovered a little . Amongst the team members, she was one of the rare few who had remained injury free, and the reason she collapsed was because of sheer exhaustion and the stress of the previous battle . Seeing that Zhou Weiqing was in front of her, safe and well, she heaved a sigh of relief . Snuggling in his arms, feeling his warm embrace, she finally relaxed as her eyes reddened .

"Little Fatty, I thought I'd never see you again . It's great that you are okay . "

Zhou Weiqing held her closely, a strong sense of fear filling his heart, causing his face to go pale . He could not imagine losing Shangguan Bing'er, and he had never felt such terror before .

"Little Fatty, I'm alright, just a little exhausted, you should go look at the rest . These three days, in order to protect you and Fat Cat, we have gone through at least a few dozen battles . Just a moment ago, there was this black clad young girl, she almost killed us all . "

Zhou Weiqing quickly cleared his head; he was no fool after all, and had only just been distracted by the sight of Shangguan Bing'er on the ground . He immediately understood that these Heavenly Beasts attacks had been due to Fat Cat's Level Up, and the rest of the team had spent the last three days fighting to defend them . Three days! For Shangguan Bing'er to be so exhausted to fainting, he could imagine how tough the fighting had been .

Carefully, he placed Shangguan Bing'er back onto the ground in a comfortable spot, before quickly heading to Lin TianAo .

It had to be said that Lin TianAo was indeed worthy of his title as the leader of the team . His injuries were serious, but he was still the only one who managed to sit there cross legged, meditating and cultivating to heal himself .

Just that resilience and determination alone, it was far beyond anyone .

"Leader, how is it?" Zhou Weiqing looked to Lin TianAo concernedly . He was rather taken aback, as Lin TianAo was currently pale and ashen, with uneven breathing and his muscles twitching, clearly in a large amount of pain . Zhou Weiqing knew very well how powerful his defense was, and for him to take such damage in the fight, it was clear how violent the fight had been .

Zhou Weiqing did not have the Lie Attribute, and could not help heal Lin TianAo . The only thing he could do was the infuse him with Heavenly Energy, to help him in his process of self-heal .

Sitting behind Lin TianAo, Zhou Weiqing placed both his palms onto Lin TianAo's broad back, slowly infusing his own Heavenly Energy .

As soon as he did so, Zhou Weiqing found something peculiar . In Lin TianAo's body, there was a strangely familial energy, and as Zhou Weiqing infused his own Heavenly Energy, the feeling grew stronger .

Very quickly, a cool refreshing energy returned through Zhou Weiqing's palms into his body, and the attribute wheel in front of his eyes automatically rolled to the grey area, signifying the Demonic Attribute .

"What's going on?" Zhou Weiqing was caught by surprise . Could it be that when he broke through the second portion of the Immortal Deity Technique, he could control the Devour technique outside of the Demonic Change? But… it was Lin TianAo in front of him, he did not want to Devour him!

Just as Zhou Weiqing was trying to puzzle things out, the cool energy entering his palms grew stronger . Furthermore, he quickly realised that this energy was not what he first thought; it was definitely not Lin TianAo's Earth Attribute energy, but an icy cold Demonic Heavenly Energy!

As the Demonic Attribute Heavenly Energy was drawn away by Zhou Weiqing, he could obviously feel that the tensed muscles on Lin TianAo's back relaxing a little, and he was also able to sit up straighter . This pure Demonic Heavenly Energy was also mixed in with some Darkness Heavenly Energy, and as soon as Zhou Weiqing drew it in, it was absorbed by his thirteen Death Acupuncture Points, being transformed into his own, and Zhou Weiqing could feel that his Heavenly Energy had actually grown, along with his cultivation level!

"I'm alright now . " Lin TianAo released a breath . Earlier on, when Little Witch had struck his Assembly Shield with her final blow, it had almost been destroyed . These three days, Lin TianAo had been the mainstay of the entire team, the pillar holding them together, and the drain on him was just too immense . If not for that, Little Witch would not found it so easy to deal with him . After sustaining such a heavy injury, the thing that was of the greatest problem to Lin TianAo was just that cold Demonic energy . As soon as it had invaded his body, it had started nibbling away at his energy, damaging his meridians . He had to spend a large amount of Heavenly Energy just to suppress it, but was unable to clear it . With that, he was unable to put his focus on healing the other injuries . He knew that if this continued, even if his other wounds were healed, the Demonic Energy would remaining in his body, continuously leaving him with a major injury .

Just as he was getting worried, Zhou Weiqing arrived, and as his hands were placed on his back, Lin TianAo could feel the hugely problematic cold energy get drawn away by Zhou Weiqing . Without that Demonic Energy, he heaved a sigh of relief, as he could now focus on healing the rest of his wounds .

"Weiqing, head over to the other side to look at Drunken Bao . He sustained the heaviest injuries, and he is also plagued by the Evil Energy . Save him first, then Little Four and Crow . Ye Paopao is just exhausted, and Xiao Yan burnt his own life energy to summon the Flame of Life, and he can only slowly recuperate by himself . "

Even at such a time when he was so heavily injured, Lin TianAo was still a responsible team leader . He knew it wasn't time to ask Zhou Weiqing about how he was able to deal with the ice cold Evil Energy in his body, and it was much more important to deal with everyone's injuries .

In the next hour, Zhou Weiqing finally managed to draw all the Demonic Energy within all his companions' bodies, alleviating much of their injuries . At the same time, the mass influx of Demonic Energy was also like a tonic to himself, giving a huge boost to his cultivation level .

As the team gathered together, only then did Zhou Weiqing realise the seriousness of the matter . Among the seven of his companions, the only one who remained uninjured was Shangguan Bing'er . Ye Paopao had just awoken, but he had sustained some injuries during the past three days of fighting . However, both he and Crow's injuries were still relatively light . Especially Crow, whose main toll here was the invasion of the Demonic Energy, which was already drawn out by Zhou Weiqing . However, the rest of the team was in dire straits .

Drunken Bao was severely injured, and although Zhou Weiqing had helped him draw out the Demonic Energy in his body, it had already one the damage within . Added to his other injuries, it would take a long time for him to recover . The next worst was Xiao Yan, whose meridians had sustained quite a serious injury . In order to fight with Little Witch, he had burnt his life force to summon the Fame of Life . He did not sustain a lot of injuries, but it had drained his vitality and life force, and both he and Drunken Bao were in a coma . Little Four was only slightly better than the other two; just like Lin TianAo, he had sustained internal injuries and would require some time to recover .

Out of the entire eight members of the Fei Li Battle Team, four out of the five main team members were heavily injured . Yet, it was barely twenty days to the Heavenly Jewel Tournament! Twenty days was definitely not enough time for the four of them to complete their recovery .

Zhou Weiqing slowly and quietly harvested the various materials from the dead Heavenly Beasts . Despite knowing that his team members were safe now that he had drawn the Demonic Energy from their wounds, his brow was still furrowed . In order to protect him and Fat Cat, these seven companions had not abandoned him, fighting with all their lives for three whole days . No matter what happened, this put him in severe debt to them . More importantly, in order to protect him, with the four main team members injured, especially Lin TianAo, what would they do for the Heavenly Jewel Tournament?! They had come to this tournament with high hopes to enter the top four, especially for Lin TianAo who was already twenty nine years old, it could be said that this was his last chance, and something he had worked towards for the past few years . It had been that final thing he wanted to accomplish before returning to Zhou Weiqing to be his Lifetime Follower .

…

Since Fat Cat had already completed her level up, the aura drawing the Heavenly Beasts was no longer up . As such, they rested in the clearing for the next three days, managing to recover from the worst of the situation . Xiao Yan and Drunken Bao finally woke up, and though no one blamed Zhou Weiqing, he could still see the depression in all their eyes .

As night dawn, they sat around the fire, eating the dinner that Zhou Weiqing had prepared . Everyone remained awkwardly silent .

All of a sudden, Drunken Bao who had his head lowered down with a slight reddish tinge in his eyes raised his head and said: "Leader, let's go back home . "

With so many injuries, how could they possibly continue attending the Heavenly Jewel Tournament?!

Chapter 227

"Leader, let's go back home . " Such a simple line, yet it caused everyone's face to change, their expressions turning ugly . Little Four's fist gripped tightly, a vexed look upon his face . Xiao Yan closed his eyes, sighing softly . Crow was still relatively okay, as she was still extremely young and could always join the next Heavenly Jewel Tournament, but she still looked disappointed .

Lin TianAo looked at Drunken Bao, and after a while, he sighed deeply, shaking his head . Softly, he said dejectedly: "Man proposes and Heaven disposes . You are right . Rather than forcefully go ahead and be humiliated, we might as well go back . I will take full responsibility for this matter . "

"Wait!" Just at that moment, Zhou Weiqing suddenly stood up in an abrupt motion, looking around at the disappointed faces of his companions . He said solemnly: "We can't go back like this, we need to attend the Heavenly Jewel Tournament . "

"En?" Drunken Bao looked at him, brow furrowed . "Under such a circumstance, what's the point of attending? Our purpose isn't just to attend . With our injuries, I'm afraid we will not even be able to get past the first round, let alone the later stages, or even dream of the top four . It would be a humiliation . "

Zhou Weiqing drew in a deep breath . He had already thought the entire thing through before speaking up . He knew how important this tournament was for the five members of the Heavenly Jewel Master Academy, especially the seniors, and it could be said to be their dream . Yet, this dream was almost dashed because of himself and Fat Cat . If they went back like this, he would never be able to live with himself, and the rest would have to live with this regret as well, and this was definitely something he did not want to see . At that point, the heroic character that he had inherited from Admiral Zhou rose up in his chest for the first time, and he made up his mind that he would definitely attend this Heavenly Jewel Tournament, even if he had to reveal his Alexandrite Cat's Eye Jewel . It might bring him a lot of trouble, but if he didn't do it, he would regret it for life .

Of course, he had also pondered through the possibilities before finally coming to his decision . After all, the mysterious white haired young lady Tian Er had said previously that the Heavenly Snow Mountain had their eyes on him . If he got into trouble from the Alexandrite Cat's Eye Jewel being revealed, he could either join the Heavenly Snow Mountain or even the Heavenly Demonic Sect if there was no other choice .

"We shall continue to join the Heavenly Jewel Tournament . I will be the mainstay member . " Zhou Weiqing said solemnly .

As soon as he said that, everyone looked at him in surprise .

Little Four's eyes revealed a hint of appreciation, but he sighed and said: "Bro, it's ok . I know that you feel terrible about this situation, but it is not your fault . No one expected this to happen, and sometimes bad luck just strikes . "

Zhou Weiqing shook his head . Currently, his eyes did not have the usual mischievous light within, instead a cold calculating brightness as he said: "We have eight of us in the team, and from the looks of things, the four of you are heavily injured . However, both I and Shangguan Bing'er are totally uninjured and will have our full combat powers . Crow and Ye Paopao should also recover in a few days . As such, by the time the Tournament starts, the four of us will be able to fight in the tournament . From the look of your injuries, Leader should take about a month or so before he recovers to prime condition, and Little Four, you should be about the same as well . As for Xiao Yan and Drunken Bao, they are much more severely injured, and will probably take a longer time . As long as the four of us are able to get pass the first two rounds, then our entire team's combat ability will have recovered to at least eighty percent . If we can last til the top eight, we would have recovered almost ninety percent . Who's to say we will not have the ability to forge on into the top four by then? The most difficult fights for us will be the first two rounds, but if we get relatively lucky with draws, we might get some weaker teams . We definitely still have a chance . "

Listening to his analysis, everyone's face changed, and a glow of hope seemed to rise in their hearts .

Zhou Weiqing continued: "Senior Ye Paopao is a four-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master, and his cultivation level is definitely enough to attend the Heavenly Jewel Master . Crow, with her natural abilities, can be almost compared to a five-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master in terms of direct attacks . Bing'er might not be extremely powerful, but as a ultimate agility Heavenly Jewel Master, her speed is way beyond most non agility Five-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Masters . Furthermore, though her offensive capabilities might not be too powerful, but she can pretend to be a Beastmaster to bring a Low Level Zun Stage Icy Soul Heavenly Bear on the field, coupled with her archery, that is a formidable force already . "

Drunken Bao said solemnly: "Even so, that might not be enough . You know how important this tournament is, even if we ignore the top teams, those smaller Empires will still send their best and most brilliant Heavenly Jewel Masters . "

Zhou Weiqing smiled faintly and said: "There's still the mainstay member – me . I have the confidence that as long as we are facing any team that isn't backed by one of the Great Saint Lands, I will be able to suppress two or more of our opponents . Although I do not wish to deal you a blow, I have to say now that Senior Little Four, previously when I beat you, it was not luck at all . "

As soon as Zhou Weiqing said that, Little Four's expression turned strange . "Weiqing, are you trying to comfort me or provoke me?! Are you saying that you think you are stronger than me?"

Zhou Weiqing grinned and said: "Heh, definitely stronger than you!"

Little Four said with a glum look on his face: "You, this fellow, you're bullying me that I am injured now and can't test the truth of your words for myself . I know that your intentions are good, and you want us to join the tournament, but we cannot bet your lives on such a chance . After all, in the Heavenly Jewel Tournament, in order for the competitors to be able to be able to unleash their full powers, killing is not against the rules . "

Besides Lin TianAo, who looked to be deep in thought, and Shangguan Bing'er, who was sitting down calmly and expressionless, the rest of the companions looked at Zhou Weiqing with a look of disbelief on their face . Even Ye Paopao was no different .

Previously, Ye Paopao had felt that his power was not bad . However, in the last three days of fighting, he had realised that there was just an immense, almost insurmountable gap between his power levels, and the members of the Heavenly Jewel Master Academy . Their unity, teamwork, their awareness, reactions, combat abilities, even powerful skills, those were something he sorely lacked . At this point, hearing Zhou Weiqing saying that he was more powerful than Little Four, he did not believe it at all .

"Crow . " Zhou Weiqing ignored Little Four, turning to Crow instead .

"What?" Crow replied, sitting on the floor and looking at him uncertainly . She had not sustained injuries in the fight, and had only been affected by the Evil Energy of Little Witch . Since it had been drawn away by Zhou Weiqing, coupled with a whole day of rest and her strong physique, she had pretty much recovered already .

Zhou Weiqing looked at her, his mouth curved in a smile as he said: "Let's compete in physical strength . "

"What?? You want to compete in physical strength with me?!" Crow's eyes bulged . Her expression was clearly saying 'Bro, are you ill?!' She was not the only one, all the rest were staring at Zhou Weiqing with a similar expression .

Chapter 228

Zhou Weiqing nodded and said: "Come on then! My Physical Jewel is also the Strength Attribute . We're both at the three-Jeweled cultivation level, why not compete?"

Little Four laughed heartily and said: "Weiqing, you are asking for trouble? Isn't it just a tournament? Crow's legendary hammers… even boss will get a headache!"

Right at point, Lin TianAo suddenly spoke out . "Crow, go ahead . Compete with him . "

"Ahh?" Everyone looked at Lin TianAo with surprise .

In truth, Zhou Weiqing's analysis had really tempted Lin TianAo . Just like what Zhou Weiqing had thought, this Heavenly Jewel Tournament was extremely important to Lin TianAo, and could be said to be his goal these last few years . Three years ago, when he had attended the Tournament for the first time, he had been left with an extremely deep impression . The next three years he had spent working his heart out, all so that he could once again ascend the stage and bring honour to the Fei Li Empire .

Crow stood up slowly, looking at Lin TianAo curiously: "Leader, are you sure? Although he has some meat on him, but… to compete in strength with me…"

*Poooh* Ye Paopao had been drinking water at that time, and he spat out a whole mouthful in laughter, his mouth twitching . "What do you mean, has some meat on him…"

Lin TianAo smiled faintly and said: "I have my reasons for doing so, just try for yourself and find out . "

As they spoke, all of a sudden, Crow lifted her right hand, striking out towards Zhou Weiqing abruptly .

Zhou Weiqing was close by to her, and with her height, she barely needed to take a step before reaching him .

Zhou Weiqing did not dodge, instead swiftly stepping to the left with his left foot, bending down in a slight crouch as he positioned himself . With a low grunt, he also lifted his right hand, fingers spread out as he received Crow's hand with his own .

Their palms struck together with a meaty slap, and their fingers interlocked tightly .

Everyone's gaze fell upon the two, as they silently watched the struggle .

Crow had absolute confidence in her strength, and grabbing onto Zhou Weiqing's hand, she pulled hard, thinking to fling his entire body up .

"En?" As soon as she exerted strength, a look of surprise appeared on her face . Despite her pulling, Zhou Weiqing did not budge at all, his right hand steady as bedrock, with nary a motion .

As a member of the Gold Crow Tribe, and an outstanding one, Crow had a terrifying strength . Although she had pulled rather casually, it was already more than several thousand jin of power . This was more because of her own estimation of Zhou Weiqing's capabilities as a three-Jeweled Strength Heavenly Jewel Master .

Regarding Crow's surprise, Zhou Weiqing's mouth twitched upwards in a small smile .

Crow's competitive spirit was aroused, and she shoved her right leg firmly on the ground as a pivot, shouting out: "Come here!" Her entire body rippled as she focused her strength, her right arm flexing as she pulled back hard in a burst of power .

Zhou Weiqing also gave a low shout, his eyes glittering as the muscles of his entire body tightened, his arm muscles taut as his entire power was focused on his right hand .

*Bang* A small explosion rang out as the clothes on Zhou Weiqing's right arm actually shredded into pieces, revealing a strong, robust arm . Currently, the muscles were rippling, full of power and beauty .

Facing Crow's sudden explosive pull, Zhou Weiqing only swayed a little, yet was not pulled back at all .

At this point, shock was displayed on all the members of the Heavenly Jewel Master Academy, as well as Ye Paopao . If the first time could be explained by Crow underestimating Zhou Weiqing, the second pull was clearly already with a considerable amount of power, yet it had still been easily blocked by him . The members of the Heavenly Jewel Master Academy had all experienced Crow's terrifying power first-hand; and just those two pulls alone was definitely beyond what any normal Strength Attribute Heavenly Jewel Master could withstand .

Not only did Crow inherit the power of the Gold Crow Tribe, she had also inherited the power from her father's side, the strength of the barbarian tribe . In this marriage of strength, her physique was one of the most outstanding in the tribe, yet she had still not managed to move Zhou Weiqing .

"Again!" Zhou Weiqing shouted out . Facing Crow's power was also extremely strenuous for him; before the benefits he had gained during Fat Cat's level up, he would definitely have been moved by Crow by now . However, this time, all of Zhou Weiqing's potential had been drawn out, allowing the remaining power of the black pearl to be completely diffused into his body, fusing together with him . As such, Zhou Weiqing had finally completely inherited the powers of the black pearl . With the huge boost to his physique, his strength was no weaker than the top genius of the Gold Crow Tribe, Crow .

Zhou Weiqing's shout also awoke Crow's battle thirst . She had never lost in a contest of strength before, and with a shout, the sleeve of her right arm also shattered, as her entire arm was covered in a layer of gold light . Taking a huge gulp of air, her entire body seemed to expand a degree .

The power of her pull increased yet again, and this time, both their hands gave a faint creaking sounds as their bones strained .

Icy Mist glowed as their Physical Jewels both appeared around their wrists . Without question, their strength had been boosted to their max, all the way including their Physical Jewels .

In truth, by this point, everyone had a clearer understanding of Zhou Weiqing's true strength .

However, Crow was still Crow after all, and under her full power, Zhou Weiqing's body was slowly pulled forward, his upper body slowly moving towards her direction . Although it was just a little movement, but without question, in terms of pure physical strength, Zhou Weiqing was still inferior by a tiny margin . Just as everyone thought that she had won this match, all of a sudden, a blood red light shone forth from Zhou Weiqing's eyes, and in the next moment, a clear black layer of tiger tattoos slowly enveloped his arms . His already huge, taut muscles grew even larger, and even his palms seemed bigger .

Stamping his feet on the ground so hard that the ground seemed to reverberate, a terrifying strength exploded forth . At that moment, it seemed as if Zhou Weiqing was lifting an entire mountain, as he forcibly pulled Crow over to his side as his arms flexed in a push pull motion, then an abrupt upward swing, as he actually lifted up the over six hundred jin heavy Crow!

Ye Paopao, Drunken Bao, Xiao Yan, Little Four, all four of them stared in disbelief at the scene in front of them, their mouths gaped open as they couldn't trust their own eyes . In a while, Little Four muttered to himself: "A monster… is this a monster?"

It was exactly because they knew Crow's strength so well, having witnessed her immense unyielding power along with her legendary axes and that insane offensive power, that it caused such a visual impact on their senses to see Zhou Weiqing beat her in a strength contest!

With a swipe of his right arm, Zhou Weiqing threw Crow over to the side, and as Crow landed heavily on her feet with a loud thud, only then were the shocked spectators jolted from their reverie .

At the moment, Crow's face was also a mask of disbelief as she stared at her hands, stunned . Looking at Zhou Weiqing, and then back at her hands, she was temporarily unable to process the situation .

A Heavenly Jewel Master of the same cultivation level… she had lost in terms of strength?!

As the tiger tattoos subsided and slowly disappeared from Zhou Weiqing's arms, he shook his head . In truth, he did not know how they managed to appear in the last moment to provide him with the last burst of required explosive strength, as he normally had to fully enter the Demonic State to access such power . At that instance, he had felt as if his strength was sufficient to topple mountains and fill the seas .

Shaking his arms to stretch his muscles, Zhou Weiqing grinned and said: "How about that? Bro Little Four, if you had bet with me again just now, don't you think you would lose again? Heh heh . "

Indeed, in comparison to his first victory over Little Four, this victory of his over Crow in a feat of strength was even more unbelievable to the audience .

Little Four struggled to defend himself: "This… this… Even if you have the strength, it still isn't the same! Crow has her legendary axes, you have seen their power, it is that combination that destroys everything in their path!"

Zhou Weiqing grinned and said: "I may not have axes, but I have my hammers! Look!" As he said that, he extended his arms, shrugging them in a swift motion, and a brilliant dark-gold protective shroud of the Legendary Equipment burst forth as his twin hammers appeared in his hands .

As the twin hammers glowed brightly, the smiling and crying face enameled on them giving forth a powerful aura . Holding the huge hammers in hands, the 1 . 9m tall Zhou Weiqing looked like the bronze statue of a war god, standing proud and tall in front of them valiantly .

Just in terms of looks alone, the twin legendary hammers were slightly smaller than the legendary axes, but were in terms of design, they looked better .

Little Four muttered: "How can those compare with Crow's Legendary Axes? Is it silverware which looks good but made out of wax, great to look at but useless?"

Xiao Yan glanced at him and said passively: "It's terrifying to be so uncultured . That light just now showed that those hammers are Consolidated Equipment created by God Tier Consolidating Masters . I agree to join the Heavenly Jewel Tournament . " After saying that, he closed his eyes, sitting back with a faint smile on his face for the first time since the battle in the forest .

Drunken Bao said with a helpless look on his face: "These youngsters nowadays are absolutely terrifying . One pair of hammers, one pair of axes, if they stand at any entrance, they can be the guardian spirits, it will definitely be a good sight . I also agree to continue with the Tournament . "

Zhou Weiqing hefted the hammers meaningfully as he grinned at Little Four: "Bro Little Four, do you want to try out the feel of my hammers?"

Little Four quickly shook his head: "Don't, don't… I agree alright! Damnit, I'm tricked by you, this scoundrel, once again . Sinister and crafty! That's you in a nutshell!"

Just as Zhou Weiqing was grinning smugly to himself for getting the team's approval, all of a sudden, Crow walked over to his side . The two metre tall, top beauty of the Gold Crow Tribe, looked at him exuding tenderness and feeling in her eyes as she said sweetly: "You… you hurt my arm just now 1 Weiqing, come to our Gold Crow Tribe . Although I already have a fiance, there are still many unwed girls in the tribe! They love such strong men like you . It doesn't matter, they will not ask you to take responsibility, you just need to leave your seed in the tribe . How about that?"

Zhou Weiqing's face muscles twitched as he looked at Crow . After a moment of silence, he finally said with a glum, woebegone look on his face: "Big sis, I'm terrified . Please let me go . "

Hearing his reply, everyone burst out laughing, and even Shangguan Bing'er was giggling to herself . Little Four was laughing so hard he almost burst open his wounds again, hurting yet laughing until tears ran down his cheeks . However, in that moment, their battle spirit had been invoked once more . Heavenly Jewel Tournament… here we come!

Chapter 229

When the Fei Li Battle Team resumed their travels, they had changed to three horse carriages, which Zhou Weiqing had ran to the closest town to purchase . In truth, they only numbered eight, and a large horse carriage should have been sufficient . However, since there were four wounded, Zhou Weiqing decided to just splurge a little and buy three . Crow, with her immense weight, and Shangguan Bing'er would share one as the only two females . As for the other two carriages, each held three members, with Zhou Weiqing and Ye Paopao each taking care of two injured companions . This way, they would be able to get sufficient rest during their travels, and also heal faster .

At this time, Zhou Weiqing found that he missed Ming Hua . How good it would be to have a Life Attribute Heavenly Jewel Master with them right now, to help with all the wounded .

Even though the horse carriages were each pulled by four strong horses, the speed of travel was naturally a lot slower than on horseback . By the time they reached the ZhongTian City, fifteen days had already passed, and it was only five days til the start of the Heavenly Jewel Tournament .

In the distance, a large canyon was right ahead, and there were obviously a lot of people crossing it . According to the carriage driver, they were about to reach the ZhongTian City .

Lin TianAo gave the instructions to the carriage drivers to stop all the carriages, and got everyone to get off .

"Boss, are't we about to reach the ZhongTian City soon? Isn't it better to rest once we reach the city?" Drunken Bao asked curiously .

Lin TianAo smiled faintly, and said: "Raise your heads and look up, I want to let you all know where the Heavenly Jewel Island is . "

Only then did everyone look upwards, and when they did so, an intense shock impacted them deeply .

They were currently on the main road, and from their position, they could clearly see about a few dozen li away, a huge, thick stone pillar rising up into the sky and disappearing into the clouds . Just with the naked eye, they were unable to truly estimate how huge the stone pillars were, but just standing there seeing sixteen of these huge pillars rising into the sky, it was a rather stunning scene . Even the Little White Tiger, Fat Cat, peeked her head out from Zhou Weiqing's bosom to stare at the scene, a cold light flashing in her eyes .

That is the ZhongTian Mountain, and it is the greatest landmark of the ZhongTian Empire . Within the sixteen Heavenly Pillars lies the entire ZhongTian City, while right on top of the sixteen Heavenly Pillars is the Heavenly Jewel Island of the Heaven's Expanse Palace . The ZhongTian Empire has always been proud to call themselves the Center of the Mainland, and they indeed do have the right to be proud . Such a miraculous scenery is truly only found here .

"That is too shocking . These huge pillars are like a chain linking the world to the skies, the name of Heavenly Pillar is indeed apt . " Little Four exclaimed in admiration .

Zhou Weiqing stood there with his head raised, thinking to himself . No wonder the ZhongTian Empire was considered the strongest empire in the entire mainland . From the ZhongTian City in the belly of the hill, to the Heavenly Jewel Island at the top, they could be considered the most miraculous places in the world . He felt a greater sense of expectancy towards the Heavenly Jewel Tournament, and couldn't help but wish they could get into the fight soon . No wonder everyone was so eager to get to the top four! Even if there wasn't that insane prize, everyone would still be eager to ascend the Heavenly Jewel Island to have a look! What kind of strange sights would they see?

Lin TianAo said passively: "We are about to reach the ZhongTian City, and we have barely a few days left before the tournament starts . I will now proclaim Zhou Weiqing as the temporary team leader, and the tournament matters will be determined by him . "

Zhou Weiqing looked at Lin TianAo in surprise, and he nodded back, giving an encouraging look .

Drunken Bao said: "Boss, that isn't necessary right? Even if your wounds aren't healed, there would be no affect on directing everyone!"

Lin TianAo shook his head and said: "No, now that Weiqing is the mainstay, he is the clearest about his own and Bing'er's powers . I will be at his side to give advice, but I trust that he will not do anything that he does not have confidence in . I think he is very suitable to be the temporary leader . "

After the last dozen or so days of rest and recovery, the entire team was in much better state . However, the few with serious injuries, especially the internal ones, were still not in any shape to fight . Even though Heavenly Jewel Masters had strong physiques, it was still impossible to recover from such injuries in a short period of time .

Lin TianAo nodded to Zhou Weiqing and said: "For the Tournament, each round is held every three days, allowing contestants to have some rest between rounds . From the state of our injuries, it will take at least ten days to recover . Xiao Yan and Drunken Bao are in worse shape, so they will probably take much longer . As such, you will have to lead the uninjured members to get through at least two rounds . This is extremely difficult, but I hope that you will be able to do so . Perhaps, our team can ride on your high personal luck, and we will not meet any tough teams too early . "

Zhou Weiqing nodded and said: "There is no point making any guarantees to everyone, but I will definitely do my utmost . Come on, let's get into the ZhongTian City and find a place to stay, so we can have a good rest . "

In the past few days, although they had been on the road the entire time, but it could be said to be the most hardworking Zhou Weiqing had ever been . Since he had pledged to be the mainstay, he felt a huge weight on his shoulders . Even though his Heavenly Energy had raised up a level to the first stage of Heavenly Shen Energy, he was still after all a mere three-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master . From the state of the members of the Heavenly Jewel Academy, he could tell that those who joined the Tournament would likely be at least four to five Jeweled, and perhaps even greater .

Even though it was sharpening one's spear only just before entering battle 1, it was still good to work hard and improve every bit he could before the fight started .

Although they could already see the Heavenly Pillars, the distance was rather deceptive . By the time they reached the ZhongTian City, it was already late in the evening .

As they finally reached close to the city and saw up close how huge the sixteen thick pillars were; each pillar was at least a few thousand metres in diameter, and the ZhongTian City's walls were using these sixteen pillars as a base and built around . Without even guessing, everyone knew that this was definitely the largest city in the entire mainland . As they neared it, they could not even see the borders . Zhou Weiqing was extremely sure that even the entire Heavenly Bow Empire was not as huge as this city, which was more than five thousand square kilometres large!

For most cities in the world, farming and other agricultural industries were all outside the city walls . However, this ZhongTian City was just too huge, and even their agriculture industries were within the city! Just the huge, thick wall alone was at an unknown, immense cost, and the entire ZhongTian City was just like a small empire of its own right . The air above the city was currently shrouded in mist, and the sun could only shine in through the sides, and no one could see the Heavenly Jewel Island right high above .

After reaching within range of the ZhongTian City, it was already dark by the time they entered the inner city . The inner city was the heart of the entire city, and just the inner city portion was already much larger than the Fei Li Empire's capital city, Fei Li City .

When the entire team had settled down, it was already past midnight .

As the temporary leader of the team, Zhou Weiqing had chosen an unassuming looking, small inn for them to settle down . The reason for this was not to save money, but to ensure that they could have peace . Without question, with the Heavenly Jewel Tournament nearing, the entire ZhongTian City was bustling and busy . With the young powerhouse of the world gathering here, they were all rivals after all, and if they met, there was bound to be friction between them . With so many of them injured, especially Lin TianAo, it was definitely not the right time for them to get into any unnecessary clashes . As such, Zhou Weiqing would rather stay in a simple, ordinary inn, allowing his injured teammates to get their required rest . After all, there was still five more days until the Tournament started .

Their first night in the ZhongTian City was uneventful, and the next morning, after everyone had their breakfast, Lin TianAo called everyone to his room . He was the only one who had attended the Heavenly Jewel Tournament before, and it was time for him to inform the entire team about the rules and things to be noted, especially to Zhou Weiqing, who was now the temporary leader .

Lin TianAo looked at his companions seated around him, and said seriously: "The Heavenly Jewel Tournament is about to start . Xiao Yan, Little Four, Drunken Bao, for the first two rounds of the Tournament, you all do not to attend . My wounds are slightly lighter, and I will join Weiqing and the rest to attend . Of course, I will not take any action unless absolutely necessary, lest my wounds worsen . "

"In the entire mainland, there are over thirty Empires, small and large . Out of those, to be able to find and gather at least five young Heavenly Jewel Masters, there are about twenty or so Empires . The entire tournament is split into two sections, the preliminary heats and the finals . In the preliminary heats, all the teams will be split into four large groups by drawing lots . Each group will have a seeded team, which will be consisted of the Four of the Five Great Saint Lands, with the exception of the Heavenly Demon Sect . Of course, to the outside world, the proclamation is that the seeded teams are from the previous champions . Of course, all these years, the top four has always been amongst those supported by the Great Saint Lands . In the preliminary heats, it will be a round robin series . That is to say, in a group, every single team will have to fight with every other team in that group . "

"In the preliminary heats, each group will have the top two teams with the best results advancing into the finals, that is the top eight of the entire Tournament . After which, they will fight once more to determine the top four . The finals between the top four will be held in the Heavenly Jewel Island itself . "

Zhou Weiqing said: "It seems the Tournament is rather straightforward then . "

Lin TianAo smiled and said: "Indeed, it is very straightforward, yet at the same time, extremely difficult . The seeded team in each group usually gets the first in the group to advance, and the other Empires will have to fight their might just to get the second position in the group . Three years ago, we fought for all our might, at the cost of two seniors becoming permanently disabled, before barely making it to the second round . Without question, we were easily beaten in the top eight match . In order to safely enter the second round, we definitely have to beat every other team in the preliminary heats . "

As a notion struck him, Zhou Weiqing said: "Do you mean to say, we will forfeit the match against the seeded team of our group?"

Chapter 230

Lin TianAo nodded and said: "That is definitely the choice of all the other teams, that is to ensure that we maintain sufficient strength to beat all the other Empires' teams to get into the top eight . "

"After all, these seeded teams are extremely powerful . Even if we really had the power to defeat them, it would likely come at a severe costs, how could we possibly beat the other teams to enter the top eight then? Let alone the top four . "

Zhou Weiqing nodded his head . However, in his mind, a seed of an idea grew . Perhaps if the circumstance permitted it, it might not be necessary to wait until the top eight to fight with the seeded team .

"The tournament rules are as such, but what about the actual fighting? Is it single combat or team based?" As Zhou Weiqing pondered on the matter, he asked Lin TianAo for further details .

Lin TianAo said: "The preliminary heats are four matches of single combat, and one two vs two match . For the finals, it is elimination style . That is to say, each team will send five members out, taking turns to fight in single combat . The victor stays, and the loser is eliminated, until one side has all five eliminated . As for the top four onwards, I am not sure what the style is . "

"For the four single combat matches in the preliminary heats, no one is allowed to represent their team twice . However, in the two vs two match, members who have represented in the single combat matches may fight once more . "

The Heavenly Jewel Tournament rules and styles were rather simple, and with Lin TianAo's explanation, the team quickly understood it . This was the main reason why Lin TianAo had agreed to Zhou Weiqing's suggestion to carry on . At the preliminary heats, it was actually possible to fight with only four members, though that would be extremely tough . Especially so for the members who would have to fight twice in the two vs two .

"During the preliminary heats, it is only necessary to win three out of the five fights . The first two single combat fights are carried out first, then the two vs two, followed by the last two single combat fights . As such, as long as the first three fights are all wins, it is possible to have the four members fight once each only . "

Zhou Weiqing nodded and said: "I understand . "

Lin TianAo continued: "Weiqing, the registration point is near the ZhongTian Empire Royal Palace's entrance, and you can already head there to register for our team now . I have already passed you the required documents yesterday, so you can head there directly and get our team plaque . We will remain here to heal up and cultivate, and we'll go to draw lots for the group stage the day before the tournament begins . "

"Alright, you all have a good rest here, I'll head out now . Bing'er, come along with me . "

"I want to go too!" Crow grabbed hold of Shangguan Bing'er's arm, an excited look on her face . Although she had a huge physique, she was after all still very young, and still had the disposition of a young girl . Now that she was at this totally new, mysterious place, she was extremely curious . Shangguan Bing'er was grabbed by her, and the two standing together just put their huge difference in size into perspective once again .

Zhou Weiqing laughed heartily and said: "Alright, let's go together then . Come on . "

The ZhongTian City was indeed extremely large . Last night, they had entered the city when it was already dark, and the size had not struck them so hard . Although it was still early in the morning, when they exited their inn, the sheer hustle and bustle of the city hit them right in the face . The buildings along the streets were all tall, with most being three stories or more . The buildings were rather quaint and old fashioned in design, with various different statues and carvings around the walls and roofs, and they were clearly not new, with an ancient yet mysteriously artistic air to them . It was indeed a very different feel, and the arts and culture of the city was quite clearly much deeper than compared to the Fei Li City .

As they walked along on the street, Crow definitely drew a lot of attention; even Shangguan Bing'er's beauty was almost ignored due to that, as almost every passerby stared at Crow as they walked past .

Towards the strange gazes, Crow seemed oblivious, as she walked on coolly without any sense of embarrassment, even shouting out at times: "What are you staring at, haven't you seen a beautiful lady before?"

Zhou Weiqing's skin was thick himself, and naturally he didn't feel any sense of embarrassment either . Holding on to Shangguan Bing'er's soft little hand, he looked around at the various shops curiously . Many of the specialty local goods in the ZhongTian City were alien to him, and he had not even heard of them . Of course, what attracted him the most were those specialized food stores . The various smells caused his stomach to growl, sparking his appetite . However, he decided to ignore it and complete the registration first; after all, he couldn't leave his injured companions hungry in the inn while they enjoyed themselves . When they returned, they could buy some food back and let everyone enjoy together .

It was easy for them to find the Royal Palace, a quick question to a passerby got them the directions and before long they were there . Although the inner city was still large, but at least it was nothing compared to the entire outer city as well . Before long they were in front of the ZhongTian Royal Palace, right smack in the middle of the inner city .

"They are truly the top Empire! Such a magnificent palace!" Looking at the wide main plaza in front of the Royal Palace which was more than a square kilometre large, Zhou Weiqing couldn't help but exclaim to himself . Right in the centre of the plaza, there was a thirty metre tall, large statue, which attracted their attentions as soon as they reached the plaza .

The statue was of a man, with long hair down to his shoulders, a wide and strong build, with a set of huge wings stretching out behind his back . The thing that attracted Zhou Weiqing's attention instantly was his hands, where there were twelve pearls carved around the wrist . Although they weren't coloured due to it being a statue, but the number alone said volume! It signified the 12 Changes of the Heavenly Jewels being completed, a God Tier powerhouse of the greatest level! Could it be that in this ZhongTian Empire, there was actually a twelve-Jeweled, God Tier Master?

The Plaza in front of the Royal Palace was not restricted in access, and they could see that there was a constant number of people walking towards the large statue and worshipping it . Looking at their devout faces, it was without question that the person depicted by the statue was of extremely high status in the ZhongTian Empire .

They quickly stopped a passerby to ask, and they soon found that the statue was of the Founding Emperor of the ZhongTian Empire, and his name was Shangguan Yulong . Not only did he found the ZhongTian Empire, he had also created the Heavenly Jewel Island and the Heaven's Expanse Palace, and he was indeed the true Dynasty Emperor of the ZhongTian Empire . The entire statue was carved from Diamond Rock, and would stand strong nigh forever, and since the time it had been erected, it had stood there weathering the elements for over two thousand years, overlooking this ZhongTian City .

"Bing'er, the Royal Family of the ZhongTian Empire has the same family name as you!" Zhou Weiqing smiled at her .

Shangguan Bing'er furrowed her brow slightly, before saying: "Mother has never been willing to talk to me about Father . When I was in school, I asked my teacher once, and he said that Shangguan is definitely a family name from the ZhongTian Empire . It is highly likely that my father is really from the ZhongTian Empire . When I was very young, before I can even remember anything, mother had already taken me along and left home, so I have never seen father before . "

Zhou Weiqing held her gently in his arms, and said softly: "Bing'er, don't feel sad . When there is time, I'll accompany you around the ZhongTian Empire to search for your father . You're so beautiful; I'm sure looking for your father will not be difficult . "

"En…"

Zhou Weiqing then turned to Crow, who was staring fixedly at the statue, saying: "Come on Crow, let's go . We need to register our team . "

Crow sighed appreciatively and said: "That statue is certainly so robust and well built… if only the heavens will gift our Gold Crow Tribe some robust men…"

"Come on, let's go . I'm sure the heavens will gift them to you . If the heavens do not do so, when we return, I'll help you look!" On hearing Crow's desire for men, Zhou Weiqing did not feel that it was funny at all . He could totally understand the feeling, the desire from Crow, the worry in her heart about the survival of her tribe… something he could truly identify with!

The registration point for the Heavenly Jewel Tournament was right near the entrance of the Palace, and the ZhongTian Empire had indeed placed much importance on the tournament, actually building a new building specially for the registration, with a large sign at the top with the words Heavenly Jewel Tournament engraved in large gold words .

The registration process went very smoothly, as Zhou Weiqing led the two girls into the building . With the invitation and identity documents from the Fei Li Empire that Lin TianAo had passed to him, he quickly registered for their team and got their team plaque . He was also informed to report back at the Plaza for the drawing of lots three days later . At the same time, he also received the details and keys to the living arrangements that the ZhongTian Empire had arranged for them . Of course, Zhou Weiqing did not think of moving their team over; after all the rest of the teams would likely be there, and it was not an opportune time for them to get into any possible conflicts .

Just as the three of them completed their registration and were heading out, they ran into a group of people who were just heading in .

The group consisted of over a dozen people, and they were clearly here to register as well . The strangest thing was that the leader of the team was actually someone that both Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing'er recognized!

A few years back, not long after Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing'er had met, after his Heavenly Jewels had Awakened, they had met with an assassination attempt on Shangguan Bing'er . The leader of that assassination attempt had been Bai Jiu, the ninth prince of the Kalise Empire . At this moment, this same person was right in front of them .

As soon as both sides met, Bai Jiu started . Towards Zhou Weiqing, he did not have a strong impression, but he naturally easily recognized Shangguan Bing'er . After all, she was not only his enemy Empire's youngest genius and only Heavenly Jewel Master of their generation, she was also a beauty of the highest order, and he had a strong impression of her . Besides, she had also been the target of his assassination previously .

"It's you?!" Bai Jiu stared at Shangguan Bing'er scorchingly, then lifted his head to look at the words 'Heavenly Jewel Tournament' . "What a joke, your Heavenly Bow Empire can actually enter the Heavenly Jewel Tournament?"

Standing beside Shangguan Bing'er, Crow said uncertainly: "We are representing the Fei Li Empire . "

Bai Jiu's handsome face immediately showed a hint of disdain . "I never thought that the youngest genius of the Heavenly Bow Empire, their only Heavenly Jewel Master, Miss Shangguan Bing'er, would actually abandon your country and defect to the Fei Li Empire! Haha, looks like our Kalise Empire will soon be able to take over the Heavenly Bow Empire! Zhou Shui Niu has truly no successor!"

Zhou Weiqing raised his brow and asked: "Are you saying that you are representing the Kalise Empire to join the tournament?"

His attention was not on Bai Jiu; after all, according to his memory, Bai Jiu was only a Physical Jewel Master, and not a Heavenly Jewel Master . With his current cultivation level and power, Bai Jiu was definitely not a threat to him . The ones he was taking note off were his companions . They were all about thirty years of age or younger, each with a stable, profound aura and cold expressions . Although they looked rather ordinary on the surface, Zhou Weiqing could sense some danger from them .