349: Guardians of the Universe (two and a half chapters)

"What? You're unwilling?"

The White Fatty Old Man saw Lin Yang lost in thought after he proposed taking him as a disciple, and immediately grew a little anxious: "Are you afraid this old man isn't strong enough? Don't worry, this old man is very powerful! In the past, countless people begged to be this old man's disciple, but this old man never agreed. You definitely won't regret becoming this old man's disciple!"

Lin Yang was speechless. "Senior, what are you thinking? This junior has personally witnessed your power!"

Although he didn't know how powerful this old man truly was, he was certainly unimaginably strong.

Under normal circumstances, being able to become the disciple of such a powerful existence would be something he'd eagerly pursue!

However, the Silver-haired woman had said that if she didn't return after the competition, he could then consider taking a master.

Deep down, he still trusted the Silver-haired woman more.

So, facing the White Fatty Old Man's sudden proposal to take him as a disciple, he was somewhat hesitant.

The White Fatty Old Man frowned immediately upon hearing this. "If that's the case, then what are you hesitating about?"

"This junior..." Lin Yang opened his mouth, hesitated for a moment, and slowly said, "Senior, could we wait until after the competition to formalize the apprenticeship?"

"Wait until after the competition?" The White Fatty Old Man's frown deepened. "Why wait until after the competition? What's the difference between becoming a disciple now and then?"

"This..."

Lin Yang was a bit puzzled.

He didn't understand why the White Fatty Old Man's attitude had suddenly changed so drastically, so intent on having him become his disciple.

Seeing the White Fatty Old Man's determined expression, Lin Yang thought for a moment and truthfully said, "To be frank, Senior, Yue You Senior once instructed this junior before she left that if I were to take a master, I should wait for her return. But if she hasn't returned after the competition, then this junior can decide on my own."

The White Fatty Old Man was stunned for a moment, then showed a hint of vexation:

"That brat clearly knows about your special nature, yet she said nothing to this old man. She even anticipated this old man taking you as a disciple, but still left such a remark. She's definitely doing it on purpose, absolutely trying to mess with this old man's mind! It's infuriating!"

The White Fatty Old Man grew angrier as he spoke, then suddenly stomped his foot. The Tiangong Base violently trembled, as if struck by an earthquake.

A deep footprint was left directly on the special material floor of the base.

Lin Yang clicked his tongue in amazement.

This old man's temper was far too great.

Cang Miao, standing nearby, had a fervent look in his eyes. The power of the White Fatty Old Man's casual stomp made him yearn for it.

After venting his anger, the White Fatty Old Man took a deep breath and looked at Lin Yang again: "Are you so obedient to that brat's words? Or are you saying you don't trust this old man?"

"This..." Lin Yang instantly felt a cold sweat.

He really couldn't answer that!

No matter how he replied, the White Fatty Old Man wouldn't be satisfied!

"Hmph, fine, seeing your cowardly appearance, this old man won't make things difficult for you. Let's talk about it after the competition then!"

The White Fatty Old Man saw Lin Yang's awkward silence, fumed in secret for a while longer, but ultimately decided to temporarily put aside the idea of having Lin Yang become his disciple immediately.

"Thank you for your understanding, Senior!" Lin Yang breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hmph, do you have anything else? If not, this old man will go prepare your Gene Potion and extraordinary characteristic material."

The White Fatty Old Man snorted lightly, though this time the cold snort carried a hint of arrogance.

Mainly, he was now a bit reluctant to trouble Lin Yang. If he forced Lin Yang to choose now, it might leave a rift in Lin Yang's heart.

Upon confirming that Lin Yang had three extraordinary activities in his body, and one of them was spatial activity, he had already regarded Lin Yang as his disciple. Naturally, he didn't want to cause any unpleasantness over this matter.

In any case, he had made up his mind: even if the Silver-haired woman returned after the competition, she couldn't stop him from taking Lin Yang as his disciple!

No one would stop him!

Whoever blocked him, died!!

The White Fatty Old Man's eyes flickered as he thought fiercely.

Lin Yang then said, "Senior, do you know how to change bone age?"

"Change bone age? What do you want to do?" The White Fatty Old Man asked, somewhat surprised.

"Uh... it's like this, this junior is a bit young right now. Becoming a Medium Super Gene Warrior at just over twenty years old is a bit hard to explain..."

Lin Yang explained.

"Oh... right, you're quite thorough in your considerations, kid."

The White Fatty Old Man nodded slightly, looking at Lin Yang with satisfaction, then suddenly said with a hint of pride: "As expected of the precious disciple this old man chose, cautious in his actions!"

"..."

Hearing this, Lin Yang couldn't help but open his mouth, wanting to say something, but ultimately said nothing.

This old man was really a bit too narcissistic, wasn't he?

He hadn't even agreed to become a disciple yet!

"Heh heh, precious disciple, what kind of look is that? Don't worry, your master is omnipotent. A mere bone age alteration technique is simply effortless! Just wait here for a moment, your master will be right back."

The White Fatty Old Man glanced at Lin Yang's strange expression, didn't mind it, and said with a chuckle.

Without giving Lin Yang a chance to speak, his figure vanished directly.

Leaving only Lin Yang and Cang Miao looking at each other.

The atmosphere was a bit strange.

A moment later, Cang Miao lightly coughed and spoke first: "Congratulations, Commander, on gaining a master!"

"...I haven't agreed to become a disciple yet!" Lin Yang said, speechless.

"Heh heh, Commander, from the look of this Senior, I'm afraid you'll have to become his disciple whether you want to or not after the competition. He probably won't let you off easily!" Cang Miao grinned from ear to ear.

"...Alright, stop chattering. Go eat your fishtail meat and do your training." Lin Yang grumbled... Half an hour later.

The White Fatty Old Man suddenly appeared in Lin Yang's training room.

"Precious disciple, this is the Medium Super Gene Potion you need."

The White Fatty Old Man handed a Gene Potion directly to Lin Yang, then solemnly took out a wooden box.

"Inside here is an extraordinary characteristic material."

The White Fatty Old Man said, opening the box to reveal the extraordinary characteristic material inside.

"This is an Extraordinary Spatial Characteristic Material. This item, your master originally intended to keep for his own use in the future, but now, your master gives it to you. As long as you successfully fuse with it, you will also be able to control spatial characteristics!"

"Extraordinary Spatial Characteristic Material?" Lin Yang was startled.

He wasn't the ignorant novice he once was.

Extraordinary characteristics come in various types, and Extraordinary Spatial Characteristic Material is one of the most precious extraordinary characteristic materials!

On one hand, it's because of its rarity, and on the other hand, it's because spatial characteristics are extremely powerful!

An Extraordinary Spatial Characteristic Material is worth far more than several other extraordinary characteristic materials, and it's priceless!

Now the White Fatty Old Man was directly giving him an Extraordinary Spatial Characteristic Material.

To be honest, this still surprised Lin Yang somewhat!

Because the characteristics possessed by an Extraordinary Warrior are not impossible to enhance.

And to continue enhancing them, one of the most convenient and fastest methods is to continue fusing with the same extraordinary characteristic material.

The more times the same extraordinary characteristic material is fused, the stronger the power of the extraordinary characteristic will become!

Naturally, one's own strength will also increase, and while strength increases, lifespan will also be further extended.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, Extraordinary Warriors are extremely careful and value extraordinary characteristic materials that match their own characteristics, and would never casually give them to others.

Let alone Extraordinary Spatial Characteristic Material.

For Extraordinary Warriors who control Extraordinary Spatial Characteristics, the difficulty of advancement is far greater than for other Extraordinary Warriors.

The biggest reason for this is that Extraordinary Spatial Characteristic Material is hard to come by, being too scarce.

Therefore, Extraordinary Spatial Characteristic Material is even more precious to Extraordinary Warriors who control spatial characteristics!

Even for the closest of relatives, they might not necessarily give Extraordinary Spatial Characteristic Material to their descendants!

But the White Fatty Old Man gave him an Extraordinary Spatial Characteristic Material without a second thought!

This surprised Lin Yang and also touched him, after all, he hadn't even agreed to become a disciple yet!

Looking at the box containing the Extraordinary Spatial Characteristic Material that the White Fatty Old Man handed him, Lin Yang was momentarily stunned, hesitating to take it.

Seeing this, the White Fatty Old Man said somewhat unhappily: "Why are you standing there? Didn't you ask your master to find you an extraordinary characteristic material? Don't you want it?"

"..." Lin Yang was speechless.

He did want the White Fatty Old Man to help him get an extraordinary characteristic material, but he never thought about getting an Extraordinary Spatial Characteristic Material.

This item was too precious!

"Senior, I..."

Lin Yang opened his mouth, wanting to refuse.

Not to mention he hadn't even become a disciple yet, even if he had, such a precious Extraordinary Spatial Characteristic Material, he would be too embarrassed to just accept it!

However, the White Fatty Old Man did not give him a chance to refuse and directly said, "Stop being so wishy-washy! Do you still want to enter the top ten?"

"Of course, I do," Lin Yang replied.

"Then that's that! You want this old man to help you get an extraordinary characteristic material that can aid in battle, and spatial characteristic material is the most suitable!"

The White Fatty Old Man glared:

"The power of spatial characteristics is immensely strong and most suitable for combat. If you want to break into the top ten in this final, other extraordinary characteristics might not be able to do it!"

"But..." Lin Yang still wanted to say something.

The White Fatty Old Man waved his hand and forcefully shoved the box into his hand: "No 'buts'! There's nothing to 'but' about. You happen to be able to fuse with spatial characteristics, and this old man just happens to have Extraordinary Spatial Characteristic Material. Isn't this killing two birds with one stone?"

"..."

Looking at the box that was forcefully shoved to him, Lin Yang was momentarily speechless.

"Alright, go take the Gene Potion, and then try to fuse with this Extraordinary Spatial Characteristic Material. This time, you and I, master and disciple, will work together to strive for the top ten!"

The White Fatty Old Man made an encouraging gesture to Lin Yang, no longer giving Lin Yang a chance to decline, and his figure disappeared again.

"This..."

Lin Yang looked at the Gene Potion in his hand and the Extraordinary Spatial Characteristic Material that had been forcefully shoved to him, standing silently for a while.

The White Fatty Old Man left immediately after giving the items, instead of staying to observe, which clearly showed that he did not want to pry into Lin Yang's secrets.

This was an attitude the White Fatty Old Man was conveying.

Otherwise, when fusing with the Extraordinary Spatial Characteristic Material, the White Fatty Old Man would certainly not have been at ease letting him do it alone.

The reason he left directly was to show Lin Yang that he would not inquire about his secrets.

This moved Lin Yang somewhat.

Swish!

Suddenly, a figure flashed before his eyes, and the White Fatty Old Man reappeared. As Lin Yang looked on with some astonishment, he chuckled and, without explanation, shoved a specially made box into Lin Yang's hand, chuckling as he said:

"Almost forgot, my dear disciple, although you have two or three types of extraordinary activity entangled in your body, the concentration of activity isn't high. This contains some spatial active material. Before you fuse with the Extraordinary Spatial Characteristic Material, absorb these active materials first to increase your success rate!"

After saying this, the old man disappeared again with a "swish."

Lin Yang looked at the box of active materials that had been added to his hand, stood there for a long while, then entered the training room... Ten days later.

Lin Yang had absorbed more than half of the Medium Super Gene Warrior Potion's effects.

The White Fatty Old Man reappeared, sized up Lin Yang, and exclaimed, "My dear disciple, your physique is truly excessively special. In just ten days, you've already absorbed half of the potion's effects."

After that, the White Fatty Old Man's expression became serious, and he asked again, "The Cosmic Competition is about to begin. Do you want to register in your Home Universe, or should this old man find you a powerful universe?"

"This... Senior, is there a difference between the two?" Lin Yang asked with a solemn expression.

The White Fatty Old Man had mentioned this before, but at the time, he was astonished by Lin Yang's speed in absorbing the potion and his extraordinary characteristics, so Lin Yang hadn't had a chance to ask.

The White Fatty Old Man replied directly, "Your Home Universe has not produced a Cosmic Competition top 100 contestant for nine consecutive times. And it just so happens that your Home Universe has a competing universe called Universe No. 364."

"The strength of this universe is much greater than your Home Universe. According to the rules of the Cosmic Competition, if no one from your Home Universe can enter the top 100 this time, or if the overall ranking is not higher than Universe No. 364's overall ranking, then after the competition, your Home Universe will face a post-competition contest from Universe No. 364."

"Post-competition contest? What does that mean?" Lin Yang asked, puzzled.

"A post-competition contest means that Universe No. 364 can, within certain compliant limits, invade and plunder your Home Universe, and the superior universe to which your Home Universe is attached may not obstruct or rescue. Such post-competition contests usually focus on hunting down the participating contestants, so if you choose to compete in your Home Universe, you will become Universe No. 364's primary target for assassination after the competition."

The White Fatty Old Man explained.

"Oh... there's such a rule?" Lin Yang muttered.

"Yes, this is a form of natural selection, perhaps. Only the strong can survive. After all, although the Ten Thousand Universes are vast and boundless, resources are not infinite," the White Fatty Old Man said.

"Then... can't I just represent my Home Universe and make it into the top 100 this time?" Lin Yang slowly said.

"Theoretically, yes, but that Universe No. 364 has something going on. This old man took the opportunity to investigate for you these past few days, and it seems they've reached some undisclosed transactional cooperation with certain high-ranking officials of the Universe Alliance. This time, they seem to be targeting your Home Universe."

The White Fatty Old Man looked at Lin Yang and slowly said, "Even if you make it into the top 100, it's likely you won't be able to avoid the post-competition contest phase."

"Targeting my Home Universe?" Lin Yang's eyes narrowed.

"Yes, so this old man advises you to compete in another universe, to temporarily avoid this high-level struggle. The content of this transactional cooperation is highly confidential; this old man couldn't even uncover specific information. Forcibly investigating would alert those guys from the Universe Alliance."

"With your special physique and talent, you just need some more time to become a true powerhouse. There's no need to get embroiled in this conflict now."

The White Fatty Old Man offered his advice.

"This time, high-ranking officials of the Universe Alliance are involved, which means the waters behind this cooperation run deep. If you represent your Home Universe in the competition and spoil their plans, they won't let it go. You'll get into a lot of trouble."

"The high-ranking officials of the Universe Alliance are all heartless fellows. They will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. If you represent your Home Universe in the competition and enter the top 100, you will, to a certain extent, hinder their normal and compliant arrangements for the post-competition contest. Their first priority will be to eliminate you!"

Lin Yang was stunned.

There's this too?

"My dear disciple, this master thinks you have nothing to consider. Anyway, the post-competition contest is a form of resource plundering; it won't involve widespread slaughter of the entire universe. With your potential, you have infinite possibilities in the future. There's no need to be targeted by the high-ranking officials of the Universe Alliance now."

Seeing Lin Yang deep in thought, the White Fatty Old Man spoke again.

Lin Yang was silent.

To be honest, he didn't have much sense of belonging or affection for this Home Universe; he only had affection for Blue Star.

As long as this post-competition contest didn't affect Blue Star, he truly didn't care.

But... this was, after all, his Home Universe, and Blue Star was here!

Having him represent another universe in the competition felt somewhat like betraying his homeland.

Moreover, since high-ranking officials of the Universe Alliance were personally involved, who knew what they wanted to do in this Home Universe.

What if it also involved Blue Star?

Although Blue Star was currently folded into cosmic space by the White Fatty Old Man, if those high-ranking officials of the Universe Alliance personally intervened, Blue Star would absolutely not be able to remain unscathed.

So... "Senior, I'll still compete in my Home Universe."

Lin Yang spoke.

"Are you sure?" The White Fatty Old Man frowned.

"I'm sure!"

Lin Yang nodded.

"This is my Home Universe. If I represent other universes in the competition, although I can temporarily avoid it, my identity will still be revealed in the future."

"At that time, not only will I be unable to face my Home Universe, but those high-ranking officials of the Universe Alliance will certainly worry about me retaliating against them, and they will still target me. So, I might as well compete head-on. As long as I achieve a high enough ranking, they will still be somewhat apprehensive."

Hearing this, the White Fatty Old Man fell silent.

After a long while, a glint flashed in the White Fatty Old Man's eyes, and he slowly said:

"Good, truly worthy of being this old man's dear disciple. The Home Universe is a person's root for standing in the Ten Thousand Universes. Although this old man doesn't think your choice to fight for your Home Universe now is the wisest, I am also very pleased that you haven't abandoned your Home Universe."

"Then, please senior, take me to compete."

Lin Yang's gaze was burning.

The next instant, just as Lin Yang spoke these words, a sudden mechanical voice sounded in his mind.

"Congratulations, Host, you have triggered a special system mission — Cosmic Guardian."

"..."

— —

A five-thousand-word long chapter, two and a half pages!

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