<h4>Chapter 550: Puzzled</h4>


    Trantor: EndlessFantasy Trantion Editor: EndlessFantasy Trantion


    Ye Chong became a national celebrity overnight because of this battle.


    The entire Su City was trembling in excitement! The entire Eastern Cloud country too was trembling in excitement! News of the battle spread like wildfire form the nation''s capital to every corner of the world. Western Frost and Northern Lands had already received the news. Other smaller countries would soon follow.


    The world was shocked!


    Xuan Nin was the creme de creme of all shooters. Ye Chong''s victory over the man cemented his reputation as a Master in Close Range Combat.


    Residents of Su City were all excited. Ye Chong''s method ofbat was strange, but they were all grateful to have witnessed that historic battle! Besides, Ye Chong never imagined what a marvelous experience his battle with Xuan Ning was to the audience. When the battle ended, Ye Chong had already amassed a great deal of followers.


    The first ever Master of Close Range Combat in Eastern Cloud, and in the world, hade from Eastern Cloud. This was the pride of every citizen of Eastern Cloud. The people saw Ye Chong as one of the most important people in Eastern Cloud. However, to members from other countries, Ye Chong was a man they respected, feared and hated. A Master in Close Range Combat was not of a particr interest to them. However, some of them, like Mu Shen, quickly found out the worrying news that Ye Chong was epting arge batch of students.


    For now,bat became the most popr choice of upation, but the otherbat schools were only superficial in nature. Only Master Ye''s school was considered realbat.


    There was no need for advertising. Ye Chong''s personal brand was already strong. Young people who missed out on Master Ye''s first batch of student intake were now eagerly waiting for the nned second intake.


    Compared to Ye Chong''s explosive impact, Duan Qian''s emergence as one of the Top Eight contestants was only average news. Duan Qian was nicknamed "Young Ye", but he hated the nickname as much as he respected the man himself.


    No prodigy would settle for being in ced second.


    People in Eastern Cloud began to eagerly participate inbat. That was what Sun Sieha intended all along. Soon after, Sun Sieha announced a series of initiatives to encourage the trend, such as distributing standardbat training manuals written by Ye Chong. The


    manual found its way to other countries in no time, and would be the most important piece of literature in the next few centuries.


    At the same time, the military announced stricter requirements for recruitment in terms of physical fitness. They also advertised positions for people good inbat with alluring benefits, but no one had answered the ad so far.


    A storm was raging in Eastern Cloud. Many events that ured in this time heralded the beginning of a new era. Shrewd people like Mu Shen would realize that Eastern Cloud was slowly amassing greater and greater power.


    Ye Chong did not care. When the demonstration contest ended, he returned to his manor immediately, leaving Duan Qian no opportunity to ask him about studying under him.


    When Ye Chong returned to his manor, the first thing he did was call for Sha Ya. Ye Chong asked Sha Ya, "What''s Darkniss like?"


    Sha Ya took a curious nce at Ye Chong. She did not know why Ye Chong called her urgently to ask about this. "Darkniss? Why are you suddenly interested in the ce?"


    Despite asking the question, Sha Ya knew that Ye Chong would not answer her. She paused for a moment, then answered, "Darkniss is a strange and dangerous ce. Usually, only shooters at Level 7 or 8 can enter and survive Darkniss. Surrounding Darkniss is the Desert and the Mist.


    There is always dust in the air in the Desert. It''s a wastnd, where wildlife is rare. However, creatures that call the Desert home are strong. However, as long as you avoid the terrible ones like the sandscorpions, shooters at Level 6 and above should be able to do just fine. The Desert is not too dangerous, but it''s impossible to fly in a fighter in there because of unpredictable sandstorms.


    After the Desert is the Mist. The ce is as humid as the Desert is dry. The Mist is actually a forest, shrouded in very thick purple mist. The foliage is dense. Without strong parapsychic sense, it''s better not to enter the Mist, since visibility is too low. There are many wild animals in the Mist. Most of them are insects, the rest are usually small. However, the creatures there usually move in groups. There are also many dangerous nts in the area, making it an overall dangerous ce."


    Ye Chong asked, "The mist, it''s purple?" Sha Ya nodded. "Yes."


    Upon seeing Ye Chong going quiet again, Sha Ya continued, "After the Mist, you enter the heart of Darkniss. Darkniss is underground, where the light never shines. You can see red moltenva everywhere in the ce, flowing like rivers. Darkniss has no sun, but there are more nts there than even the Desert. I''ve always found it odd.


    "The animals in Darkniss are all very strong. Any slip ups can turn out to be fatal. There are gravstones everywhere in Darkniss. Gravstones are a unique resource found only in Darkniss."


    Ye Chong knew that this so-called gravstone was actually metal. They most likely exist in the form of metal ores in Darkniss.


    "Shooters who enter Darkniss usually collect gravtones. They are rare materials that can be exchanged for better weapons from weaponsmiths. The amapo wood you sawst time is also from there. Darkniss is rich with natural resources. Since the geography and environment there is vastly different, the things you find there are also very different from what we usually have out here. Unfortunately, few people can survive Darkniss. The Mist and the Desert that surround the ce make Darkniss imprable by flight.


    Ye Chong suddenly remembered the red-tailed beast sent from Western Frost. He asked, "Have you ever seen a creature with a red arrowhead tail?"


    Sha Ya thought back to her experiences, and then shook her head. "No, never. There are too many kinds of lifeforms in Darkniss, and they are all very strong. We try to avoid their territories as much as possible. The creatures in Darkniss always kept to their territories, and will never exceed their boundaries."


    "Oh." Ye Chong was intrigued. "They never go beyond their territories?"


    Sha Ya nodded. "That''s right. It''s a strange thing. Ever since Darkniss was discovered, people worry about the creatures escaping the ce into our world. You know, there are too many powerful creatures in there. To date, we have recorded more than a few species that are as strong as a Level 8 shooter. Some are even stronger still. No one knows if there are even stronger creatures in there. If these creatures escape to our world, no country will be prepared to defend itself.


    "However, from the beginning until now, nothing like that has happened. Oh, now I remember something. There was a sighting of a giant wrapped in gravstone armor in Yedda City. That creature disappeared soon after it appeared. Duo Ka and his friend were worried about it, but …" Sha Ya always felt sorry for Duo Ka''s group, but since Ye Chong was involved with the deaths of those shooters, she quickly stopped herself from speaking further.


    Suddenly, she remembered that Ye Chong was also in Yedda City at the time. She asked, "Didn''t you hear about it?"


    Of course Ye Chong knew of it. That giant in ck armor was Ye Chong''s mech, Celest. Ye Chong now understood why he was attacked by Duo Ka when he flew Celest in the forest.


    "I did," Ye Chong answered, feeling a little awkward. He quickly focused back on Sha Ya''s words. If these territories were real, why did the red-tailed beasts escape the ce? Ye Chong would not believe that the vicious red-tailed beasts would obey these territorial boundaries. They were inherently aggressive and prone to expanding their territory. Besides, from the way the red-tailed beasts yearned for pure energy in his own world, it seemed more than odd that the red-tailed beasts would leave this ce. The had so much energy lying around for them.


    However, the fact remained that the red-tailed beasts had never left Darkniss. It was strange.


    Since Sha Ya knew nothing about it, Ye Chong found the whole problem shrouded in mystery. The only way he could find answers was to enter Darkniss himself.


    Nevertheless, it was a little early to actually visit the ce. If even Level 8 shooters had to tread carefully in the ce, Ye Chong could imagine how dangerous it was. Without sufficient preparation, Ye Chong would not embark on this journey. He would never put his life at risk so easily.


    Since all the mystery originated from Darkniss, Ye Chong had to start nning. The students that he had neglected before now had his full attention. It was impossible to enter the inner parts of Darkniss by himself. If the red-tailed beasts really lived in Darkniss, he would expect them to move in packs.


    Ye Chong was allowed five thousand people for his own security detail. That was what he and Sun Sieha agreed to when they first met. In the more recent agreement where he agreed to help Sun Sieha encourage closebat in Eastern Cloud, Ye Chong had asked to choose them personally. He could also pick them from any of the soldiers in the military, barring high ranking officials and soldiers of the 1st Legion.


    Five thousand was enough. He could not afford to pay for more. Despite his wealth, it would still cost him a lot to care for five thousand soldiers. He could hardly expect Sun Sieha to provide him with allowance.


    Money was not the most important issue. More important was the fact that all the shooters did not meet his requirements. Ye Chong thought that their midrangebat abilities were not very useful. The fighter aircrafts were also too primitive. Ye Chong did not want to train them into close range mech pilots like him. Long rangebat was more advantageous in this world. There was enough energy and suitable raw materials to that end. However, Ye Chong had never seen anyone as physicallycking as these shooters since he left the trash.


    Their weak bodies could endure flying a fighter aircraft, but not a mech, especially in making sudden turns. Ye Chong would not have this.


    Given the circumstances, Ye Chong could only train his soldiers personally. That was why Ye Chong began to pay great attention to their training routine.


    Once Ye Chong set his eyes on them, the students suffered. Training became more and more vigorous, in the form of all sorts of training routines that were weird and unheard of. The 20 thousand students suffered like never before. They ran every day till their legs gave way. Their limbs trembled when they ate their meals.


    Ye Chong also prescribed a heavy dose of medication to prevent injuries and strengthen their bodies.


    There was a fluorescent green liquid that smelled like vomit. Each student held a cup of this liquid in their hand. They all had weird and suffering expressions stuck on their faces. Even the devil instructor, Liao San, could not help but pity them. He thanked the stars for being assigned as an instructor and not a student!


    Gui Gui could empathize with them as well. She tossed a rare look of pity at the female students, who looked about ready to cry, but could not help taking a few steps back. The smell was terrible.


    Everyone had their eyes on the tform above, where Master Ye was standing without emotion. The students had been isted from the outside world throughout their training, but news of Master Ye''s victory over Xuan Ning still found its way in here. Ye Chong''s reputation skyrocketed to new heights. People worshipped him. Morale was high amongst the students.


    This green liquid, though …


    The fluorescent green liquid was still steaming hot, but the nauseating smell was wearing


    their nerves down.


    The first to drink it was Shu Mo''er! She shut her eyes and swallowed everything in her cup in one go.


    This surprised everyone, including Ye Chong.


    With the first example set, the rest of the students no longer resisted. They chucked the liquid quickly like it was bitter medicine.


    The truth was, despite the nauseating smell, the taste was actually not that bad.


    The liquid turned out to be very effective. There were fewer people injured after their medication. From then onwards, the liquid became a daily prescription.


    Ye Chong looked downwards at the suntanned young people. Their bodies were much stronger than when they first started, but still far from Ye Chong''s ideal. The process cannot be rushed. How many of these 20 thousand people could pass? Ye Chong had no idea. He announced the next student intake to shorten the time between intake rounds.


    Nevertheless, Ye Chong was impressed by the military behavior that the students had adopted. This wasrgely thanks to Liao San, who acted as chief overseer. His actions had influenced the 20 thousand students. Since he was a military man at heart, he had managed the students in a military style.


    Liao San thought it was a waste of his talents as a Vice Captain of the Royal Guards to serve as an overseer of the students, but he always executed his duties withplete dedication.


    As expected, the students were familiar with the military way of doing things. It was exactly what Ye Chong needed.


    Since the celebration and the National Combat Tournament hade to an end, Ye Chong could finally focus on other things. He wanted to modify his manor again. It was too sparsely armed for an actual base of operations.


    …


    Sun Sieha looked at Xuan Ning, still unconscious, and felt terrible. Xuan Ning was a powerfulbatant, but Sun Sieha appreciated the man more for his general capabilities and loyalty. He had groomed the shooter personally to be who he was today. Additionally, Xuan Ning was an honest man with a military air about him. Sun Sieha liked him very much.


    How could he be so careless, allowing a crazy person to fight against Xuan Ning? Sun Sieha was vexed. "He''s a madman, a killer!" Sun Sieha cursed Ye Chong repeatedly.


    In the end, however, he was the one at fault. Sun Sieha knew exactly what kind of man Ye Chong was. He also knew Xuan Ning just as well. He was too focused on how to elevate Ye Chong''s reputation to consider the personalities of these two men.


    Xuan Ning was serious, straightforward and ready to kill. Ye Chong was even more serious, more straightforward and more ready to kill!


    The sh between them was inevitable!


    Sun Sieha was also puzzled about something else - Ye Chong''s second student intake. Ye Chong had asked for the intake, and Sun Sieha had agreed to it happily. However, now that he had time to think about it, there was something strange about the whole deal. Ye Chong was not interested in taking students at first. He had to offer quite a few things to get the man to agree to it. Now, however, Ye Chong had asked for another batch of students. Of course Sun Sieha was puzzled!


    Sun Sieha could not understand the motive behind Ye Chong''s actions.