Chapter 00098: The Divine Seeker (Additional Chapter for Alliance Leader Demon Cat)
# The Divine Seeker (Additional Chapter for Alliance Leader Demon Cat)
Chapter 98
Novel: After the Myth
Chapter 98: The Divine Seeker (Additional Chapter for Alliance Leader Demon Cat)
Li Wanran? The guard clearly recognized the name.
She was indeed one of Teacher Ding Huan's students.
Since they were both Ding Huan's students, there was no reason for him not to make this call.
Fang Chong was still in the training room, practicing his blade techniques.
These were taught to him by Lü Zi, and in return, he had taught Lü Zi the One Yang Finger technique.
At that moment, someone came in and said, "Fang Chong, a classmate named Li Wanran is at the gate looking for you."
Fang Chong was taken aback.
He hadn't expected Li Wanran to find her way here.
To be honest, he didn't want to see this opportunistic woman.
She always spoke of respecting Teacher Ding Huan, but when it came to personal gain, Ding Huan was just a name to her.
Her so-called respect was nothing more than empty words.
However, if he didn't meet her, she would likely go looking for Lü Zi or even come back here.
After a moment of hesitation, Fang Chong decided to make things clear.
"Fang Chong," Li Wanran forced a smile as she saw him come out.
"Let's sit in the coffee shop across the street," Fang Chong said, not intending to bring her into the academy.
After clearing things up, he needed to return to his training.
If he didn't reach the ninth level of genetic cultivation, he wouldn't be able to avenge his teacher at the human corridor defense line.
Li Wanran sensed Fang Chong's indifferent attitude and could guess the reason.
In fact, she had felt his coldness ever since she joined the Wumai Mountain Academy.
She thought such minor issues would be forgotten in a few days.
Once seated in the coffee shop, Li Wanran didn't beat around the bush.
"Fang Chong, did Teacher Ding Huan teach you and Lü Zi the later parts of the Thousand Veins Gene Technique?"
Fang Chong chuckled.
"Li Wanran, the first thing you ask after meeting me isn't about how Teacher Ding Huan is doing, but about the Thousand Veins Gene Technique. Honestly, is gratitude so insignificant to you?"
Li Wanran immediately grew anxious.
"Fang Chong, what do you mean? I've always cared about Teacher Ding Huan. He taught me cultivation, and I've never forgotten that. How can you say I'm indifferent?"
Fang Chong sneered, "Yes, you remember. But the first thing you ask isn't about how the teacher is doing, but about the Thousand Veins Gene Technique. It's like when you heard about a piece of spirit stone waiting for you, you immediately cast aside Teacher Ding's kindness."
Seeing Li Wanran about to retort, Fang Chong waved his hand.
"Don't rush to argue. I understand your point. All your gratitude is just lip service. When it comes to actually giving something back, you never think of doing so. You even joined an academy that secretly issued a warrant for Teacher Ding Huan's arrest, all for a piece of spirit stone."
"Wumai Mountain Academy had to issue the warrant. What does that have to do with me? I can't control their actions," Li Wanran frowned.
Fang Chong had no more words for her.
He stood up.
"That's it. I need to get back to my training."
"Fang Chong, did you and Lü Zi learn the later parts of the Thousand Veins Gene Technique?" Li Wanran pressed, growing desperate.
Fang Chong looked at her calmly.
"Yes, I did. Teacher taught me the entire technique, and I taught it to Lü Zi."
"Then teach it to me," Li Wanran said urgently, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, just like when the three of them studied together at Yujiang University, always sharing and teaching each other.
Fang Chong looked at her, speechless.
"Li Wanran, just like what you said earlier, what does Teacher Ding's technique have to do with you? Why should I teach you?"
Li Wanran grew angry.
"Fang Chong, even if you won't teach me, I can go find the teacher. He will teach me."
Fang Chong sneered, "All you know is how to take. You want the teacher to teach you this and that. Did you ever care that the teacher couldn't return from the human corridor defense line? Even if he did return, do you think he would teach a disciple who betrayed him? Are you out of your mind, or are we?"
With that, Fang Chong turned and left.
At the door, he paused and looked back at Li Wanran.
"Li Wanran, you betrayed the teacher for a single spirit stone. Lü Zi and I went to the Great Han Yi Academy and the Guardians. Each of us got more than ten spirit stones. Was it worth it? Also, when Teacher Ding taught me the Thousand Veins Gene Technique, he told me it was up to me to decide who to teach. I don't think it's worth teaching someone ungrateful, so I won't teach you."
Fang Chong was long gone, and Li Wanran slumped in her chair, her mind blank.
She tried to convince herself, but she couldn't.
Back then, she had joined Wumai Mountain Academy for that spirit stone.
But now Fang Chong said they each had more than ten spirit stones.
Wasn't that ironic? Moreover, Fang Chong had even earned the International Star Guardian title, a status far beyond hers.
The glory of her top-five ranking had long since faded.
From Fang Chong's words, Li Wanran guessed that Ai Xi must have earned the International Star Guardian title because Fang Chong had taught her the Thousand Veins Gene Technique.
After a long while, Li Wanran numbly walked out of the coffee shop.
Was she really so indifferent to gratitude? She thought back to her first lesson at Wumai Mountain Academy, when Qin Qiang had asked her about the Thousand Veins Gene Technique.
She laughed bitterly to herself, realizing that returning to Wumai Mountain Academy now held no meaning for her.
---
Ding Huan, Zhong Chi, and Qi Xin Yue quickly passed through one ruined city after another.
Although there were many beasts along the way, Ding Huan and Zhong Chi were top-tier experts.
Most of the beasts were killed before they could even get close.
Three days later, they arrived at Kalaba.
If not for Qi Xin Yue's slower pace, they would have arrived even sooner.
The coastal ports were all abandoned, filled with nothing but beasts and ruins.
The ships near the harbor were mostly dilapidated.
Ding Huan found a small wooden boat, and by the fourth day, they reached Bioko Island.
The entire island was teeming with various genetic beasts.
As for humans, they had long since disappeared.
The Federal International Museum wasn't hard to find.
The sole purpose of this museum was to house a spaceship.
In fact, it was the only museum built around its exhibit.
The museum's door had been destroyed by beasts, and the outer walls were torn and ragged.
Fortunately, the structure of the museum was still intact.
As soon as Ding Huan entered, he saw the spaceship.
To be honest, the ship wasn't particularly large, only slightly bigger than his previous Fifth Star.
It was no more than thirty meters long and about ten meters wide.
The ship was nothing like the spaceships from Earth.
There were no traditional modules like the orbital capsule, return capsule, or propulsion module.
In fact, the ship looked more like a regular boat that sailed on water.
From a civilization perspective, the technology behind this ship was clearly two levels above Earth's.
The ship was shaped like a pod, with a rounded front instead of a sharp point.
Although the hull was intact, there were many dents, and the propulsion system seemed to have been damaged.
This was likely why the ship had crashed.
The hatch was closed.
Zhong Chi couldn't see inside, but Ding Huan's spiritual sense could scan it.
To his delight, the interior of the ship was completely intact.
The cockpit, living quarters, sleeping pods, wellness chamber, and escape pods were all undamaged.
Had no one entered the ship after it crashed? That seemed impossible.
Even the Gene Alliance wouldn't have left it untouched.
"I've been inside this ship before. It's nothing special. Let me open it," Zhong Chi said, seeing Ding Huan's intense gaze.
He leaped up and pulled at the hatch, but it didn't budge.
"Huh?" Zhong Chi was surprised and was about to use more force when Ding Huan suddenly said, "Old Zhong, don't bother. This ship can't be opened by force."
"Impossible. I've been inside before," Zhong Chi insisted.
Qi Xin Yue explained, "The ship automatically seals its hatch if no one enters for a long time to preserve its contents."
"How long is 'a long time'?" Ding Huan asked.
"It could be a minute or a month, depending on the last person who left. Whether it was voluntary or forced also affects the time," Qi Xin Yue replied.
"Then how do we open it?"
"Only someone from the ship can open it using their palm print. Otherwise, the hatch won't budge. I think it's been sealed for a very long time," Qi Xin Yue said.
Ding Huan nodded.
Everyone had seen the contents of the ship before, so after it sealed itself, no one tried to force it open.
Doing so would damage the ship's structure, so it had remained sealed ever since.
"I can open it," Qi Xin Yue added.
Ding Huan looked at her skeptically.
According to her, she was just a prisoner on the ship.
How could she have the authority to open it?
Qi Xin Yue understood his doubt and explained, "To survive long-term on the Divine Seeker, you need the authority to open the hatch. Even though I was forced to come, on the surface, we were all teammates. So I have the authority to open the hatch, but not to pilot the ship."
She didn't mention that, although she was forced to join and had the lowest status, there was someone on the ship with even lower status than her.
"Just open the hatch," Ding Huan said, then added, "Miss Xin Yue, do you know what kind of energy this ship uses?"
(End of Chapter)