This chapter has been brought to you by me, and WanderingGummiOfDoom.

 

Chapter Three Hundred and Forty Eight – Scheming

Little yao art, a sixteen little yao art combination!

The rainbow colored light lingered in Nan Yue’s pupils. She had almost stopped breathing. Sixteen kinds of little yao art versus the fire yao art of Qian Liu Daren. The difference between the two was like comparing a child and a battle hardened warrior.

Standing aloofly among the rain of light, there was no joy on Zuo Mo’s face, nor smugness.

Nan Yue suddenly felt that Daren had a great presence.

Leng Yue and Chang Zheng’s were shocked, but the shock quickly turned to extreme passion and excitement. No one knew what Qian Liu Daren’s fire yao art was called, but no one cared at this moment.

Clear Skies Qian Liu was a name that was legendary for the yao.

They had not personally seen how Qian Liu Daren completed the prison-breaking battle three hundred years ago, how he had reformed “Vast Water Clear Skies,” they could only imagine from hearing the tales and histories. Yet today, another yao had activated the prison-breaking battle. A new legend was being created  front of them.

Zuo Mo’s grand and dazzling lights and the fierce combat in the battle just now made every yao present feel their blood boil.

A new legend was going to begin!

Even if this yao of unknown origins was so young that it was almost outrageous, no one doubted his power at this time.

“Do you recognize his movement technique?” Chang Zheng impatiently asked. Leng Yue’s eyes and knowledge were just a bit higher than his.

Leng Yue’s face was serious. “It’s a bit like [Nether Stepping Movement Art] but his feet have a golden aura. This does not match the records of [Nether Stepping Movement Art]. It is very strange. It must be another high level yao art.”

The organization of yao arts was chaotic and complex because too many kinds of yao arts existed throughout history. Additionally, after the thousand year war, yao arts gradually entered a phase of rapid development. All kinds of novel and wondrous yao arts appeared, and this also became a huge problem for the ranking system of yao arts.

As the large yao art houses developed, the house-taught yao arts gradually replaced the clan-taught yao arts. Due to this, the yao art rankings finally settled.

From the most basic little yao arts, to low-level yao arts, to intermediate-level yao arts, to the astonishing high-level yao arts, to the even stronger earth-level yao arts, and then to the sky-level yao arts. This complete yao art system was constructed. This system had an extremely strict division. It wasn’t just based just on the power of the yao arts but included such things as the difficulty of casting, and the amount of spiritual power used. There was a special bureaucracy whose purpose was to  judge the levels of yao arts.

Chang Zheng’s expression was solemn. “Can you guess which yao art house it is from?”

“Can’t see it.”

The use of clan-taught yao arts had declined. Even the young yao that came from the large clans mostly chose to enter a yao art house to learn. The famed clan yao arts of the past had been gradually merged into the yao arts of the various yao art houses, and became the ultimate skill of those houses.

Sky-level arts mostly existed in the legends. Almost all the experts, including all of the Sky Yao, had died in the great battle thousands of years ago. The earth-level and sky-level yao arts they knew were lost in the rivers of history.

What the largest yao art houses competed with were the high-level yao arts. These were the trademark arts of each yao art house. There were similarities between the basicand intermediate yao arts between some yao art houses but it was rare that high-level yao arts were the same between houses. Each yao art house was extremely careful when passing down their house’s high-level yao art. Only the most accomplished and core disciples had the qualifications to learn.

“This kind of level is probably also the peak if it’s in the Great Ten.” Chang Zheng threw his confusion to the back of his mind and praised.

Leng Yue asked in response, “Great Ten? These three hundred years, how come not even one of the students of the Great Ten activated the prison-breaking battle?”

“True,” Chang Zheng nodded his head, “this yao art house is going to be famous. It may even enter the Great Ten.”

“This guy may not be from a yao art house.” Leng Yue’s words were shocking.

“Not from a yao art house?” Chang Zheng turned his face in shock. “You mean that he’s using clan-taught yao arts?”

“Maybe.” Ling Yue’s gaze focused. “Look at his battle method. Does he look like one from a yao art house?”

Chang Zheng pondered this and an expression of agreement grew. “Since you mentioned it, I also had this feeling. It doesn’t seem like the stuff from yao art houses.” He responded very quickly and said with a smile, “I wonder which yao art house will benefit this time.”

Clan-taught yao arts like this were what the large yao art houses desired the most. In the great war thousands of years ago, the yaomo had lost, and greatly suffered. Countless kinds of knowledge had been lost. The lost knowledge had formed through countless years, and represented the highest level of yao arts. They were the brightest pearl of the entire yao art system.

The yao arts that were developed after the war had developed mostly from the remaining basic yao arts and intermediate yao arts. That was the origins of most high-level yao arts. But higher ranks? The legendary earth and sky-level?

A few thousand of years was too short for them to be redeveloped. Other than the top yao art houses, the great majority of yao art houses only had high-level yao arts. The yao art houses that possessed earth and sky-level yao arts had not gained them through their own power, but were just luckier.

The clan-taught yao arts of the past were the best part of the ancient yao arts. If they could regain these clan-taught yao arts, it would be of great help in understanding higher-level yao arts. Of course, there were differences between clan-taught yao arts. What they needed the most were those outstanding clan-taught yao arts.

If this yao really was using clan-taught yao arts, he was a tasty morsel for any yao art house.

[Nether Stepping Movement Art] was a high-level yao art and one of the trademark arts of the Dragon River Yao Art House.

The amazing scene just now, in Leng Yue’s perspective, this movement art was not worse than the [Nether Stepping Movement Art] of the legend. Even he couldn’t help start scheming.

Behind the back of each yao art house was the shadow of some large clans. When the thousand year war had just finished, due to the fact that the peak and high level individuals of each clan had been lost in high levels, it lead to the loss of large amounts of yao arts. Many clans encountered difficulties in their cultivation paths, and lacking guidance, they had to openly discuss and study with other clans. This marked the rise of the yao art houses.

As the Council of Elders supported and administered it, the yao art houses became even more popular. Now, a yao art house was like a rope that tied several, or even a dozen, clans together to become a singular being with a common purpose. This was also why the clans were willing to share their clan yao arts.

In the Ice Day Yao Art House that Leng Yue attended, the Western Mountain Cold Clan occupied a seat on the Council of Elders of the yao art house.

If he could recruit this yao into the Ice Day Yao Art House, then he would have contributed greatly! He wouldn’t just be able to receive the top art of the house, [Cold Day Ice Art], but maybe his clan would get another sea on the  art house’s Council of Elders.

Even though Leng Yue was usually proud and cold, his breathing sped up when he thought about it. He wrung out his mind thinking of what conditions he could use to persuade the other. He felt lucky about this prison-breaking battle occurred in the first prison. Otherwise, even thinking about recruitment was a delusion.

At his side, Chang Zheng looked with shock at his good friend. But then he thought and understood.

However, he did not think well of Leng Yue’s plan. In his view, those that could activate the prison-breaking battles were the top geniuses of each era. The two of them could see this, would the other yao art houses not? In terms of competitive power, how could Ice Day Yao Art House compare to those top yao art houses?

His gaze swept around, and found that there were more yao around now than before. He was very calm. He wasn’t from a large clan, just a normal student.

Light continuously flashed. In the blink of an eye, the surroundings were filled with yao.

This was really a spectacle!

Chang Zheng thought inside.

Nan Yue was still immersed in the grand battle and did not notice Teacher Chi drift next to her.

Seeing this, Chi could only cough.

The startled Nan Yue noticed Teacher Chi, and hurriedly bowed. “Teacher Chi.”

“Oh, Nan Yue!” Chi’s masculine face was filled by a smile, and he said intimately, “The role of the Chief Student Elder in the school is empty. Are you interested? You are very young, and it is rare for you to have the strength you do now. With great power, you have to be brave and take on responsibilities.”

Nan Yue stilled where she stood. Chief Student Elder meant being the elder of all the students. This was a role that every student dreamed about. The Chief Student Elder could receive the guidance of all the elders in the entire Council of Elders of the yao art house. When they graduated, they could enter the yao art house and take on a core role. Even though they were students, their status would be much higher than normal teachers.

This role was far too important so in the last seven years, the Purple Lotus Yao Art House that Nan Yue was in had kept its Chief Student Elder position empty.

Now Teacher Chi was telling her she could be Chief Student Elder?

She felt she was dreaming.

Taking a few deep breaths, Nan Yue tried to calm the excitement inside. This world changed so quickly. A few days ago, she was working to become a student of a teacher. Now, the position of Chief Student Elder was being offered to her.

All of this was so fantastical, and unrealistic.

But Nan Yue quickly calmed down. Her experiences of hardship caused her to understand worldly matters better than normal students. The calm Nan Yue did not need to waste much effort to understand Teacher Chi’s motivations.

Looking at the calm Nan Yue, Chi was slightly shocked. For the first time, he properly looked at this student that didn’t have outstanding talent. To be able to maintain calmness in the face of such a great temptation, she wasn’t average.

Maybe he had missed a good seed. Regret flashed through Chi’s mind but that dot of regret quickly disappeared. The role of Chief Student Elder was far above anything he could promise. However, he was also very clear if they wanted to compete for the mysterious male yao in the prison battlefield, the only advantage the Purple Lotus Yao Art House had was Nan Yue.

Compared to an expert that could activate a prison-breaking battle, a position of Chief Student Elder really was not anything. He believed those cunning and slippery elders of the house would see this clearly.

If he could help bring this matter to a favorable conclusion, would his efforts be unrecognized?

He looked with burning eyes at Nan Yue.

Translator Ramblings: Some major plot expansion to make up for last chapter. Essentially, the yao lost a great deal of knowledge but it has actually increased innovation. The problem is so much knowledge has been lost it is taking them a long time to recover and they are technically weaker than they had been before the thousand year war. Zuo Mo isn’t going to be the answer to this, he’s a very weak “yao” with great potential and some skills but he can’t make up for thousands of years of knowledge lost (*cough* someone could be a great help but they aren’t willing.) So we finally have the answer why the yao were so desperate in searching.

I have been slowly adding to the table of contents but the linkage tool in the editor crashes every three links or so making this a slow process. Please be patient.