Chapter 37: Stingy part 1
Even though Master Tang was focused on Yun Yingzhi, the livestream cameras couldn’t possibly stay on him alone.
As the cameras panned and switched, Master Tang kept his eyes glued to Yun Yingzhi. In his heart, he marveled countless timesāthis participantās material processing technique was incredibly seasoned.
Then, as time ticked by, a question mark slowly formed in Master Tangās mind.
Following that was a whole row of question marks.
Master Tang looked confused.
Master Tang looked shaken.
Master Tang looked utterly shocked.
What Master Tang didn’t know was that because of his frequent and varied facial expressions, the livestream chat was being flooded with a wave of “Hahahaha” comments.
Previously, Master Tang had thought the materials Yun Yingzhi hauled over were quite numerous. Now, they seemed even more so. Based on the materials Yun Yingzhi had already processed, it appeared to the Master that these were enough to manufacture at least ten or more Grade Five and Grade Six source weapons.
His eyelids twitched as he thought: The competition only lasts about ten hours in total. This participant couldn’t possibly be planning to manufacture that many source weapons during the contest, could he?
Under normal circumstances, didn’t everyone just make one?
Suddenly, Master Tang recalled the question Yun Yingzhi had asked him before the preliminaries started.
Did he really want to pull wool? Surely… surely not?
Even if he had pre-designed blueprints, wanting to manufacture so many source weapons in one go required serious thought. Yet, it was obvious that the moment the competition began, Yun Yingzhi hadn’t even paused to think; he had simply bolted down the path of emptying out the material vending area.
In Master Tangās shock, he watched as Yun Yingzhi processed pile after pile of materials.
Master Tang thought to himself: Good heavens, good heavens. Just how much does he want to exploit this deal?
Master Tang shifted his gaze to the other participants.
Clearly, some were very interested in Yun Yingzhi and were still staring at him, but most had dispersed and begun manufacturing their own source weapons.
Looking around the entire venue, it seemed Yun Yingzhi was the only one attempting to pull wool.
Master Tang set off, observing the entire manufacturing process of the participants further away. When he saw something interesting, he would stop, nod, and show a bit of satisfaction.
Stopping and starting, then stopping and starting again.
He cast his gaze further, scanning the room. From quite a distance away, he spotted a familiar figure.
The padded set with the black background and red peonies was particularly eye-catching.
That participant who seemed intent on pulling wool during the preliminaries was actually…
…hauling materials again.
Wait. He had almost emptied out one vending machine earlier. Were those materials not enough for his fleecing?
Driven by curiosity and a face full of shock, Master Tang walked toward Yun Yingzhi once more.
Upon closer inspection, Master Tangās lip twitched. He felt he had underestimated the boy.
It turned out that while he was checking on other participants, Yun Yingzhi had hauled another wave of materials mid-way. Now, there was a dense, massive pile of materials in front of him.
Master Tang thought that Yun Yingzhi must have had extensive experience processing materials since a young age; otherwise, he wouldn’t be doing it so well.
He calculated in his head: while the Master wasn’t paying attention, the boy had processed enough materials to manufacture nearly twenty Grade Five and Six source weapons, right?
No, could he really manufacture that many?
Suddenly, a broadcast notification chimed.
[Will all participants please stop their work. We are now entering the lunch break.]
With the notification, all participants ceased their tasks and, following the prompts, began heading outside.
The lunch break lasted one hour.
Participants could eat a free lunch at the venueās cafeteria or solve the matter on their own.
Yun Yingzhi stretched his back and glanced at the materials he had processed. There were many. He thought to himself that these materials were probably enough for him to manufacture eight or nine types of source weapons.
He was profoundly shocked, and then thought: People really do need to be pushed.
He had known before that his manufacturing speed was fairly fast, but he had never known where his absolute limit was. Today, under the temptation of pulling wool, he felt his limit had been discovered.
If he were at Alvinās studio, it would have taken at least two or three times as long to process this many materials. Today, under the lure of low prices, he had essentially gone “Super Saiyan.”
The charm of money was truly powerful.
Yun Yingzhi set down his materials and patted his belly, realizing he was starving. He quickened his pace and rushed toward the cafeteria. To ensure he had better focus for the afternoon, he decided to find a place for a quick nap after eating.
Being well-rested would lead to higher efficiency.
Suddenly, a notification sounded from his personal optical brain. it was a private message from Yun Yinghui.
Yun Yinghui was asking for his participant serial number.
Yun Yingzhiās eyelids jumped. His first reaction was shame. He didn’t want his brother to see his “Large Red Peony” three-piece set. But on second thought, his brother was so busy that, theoretically, he shouldn’t have time to watch the Star Brilliance Competition.
Furthermore, the competition was split into many venues. During the first day’s livestream, everyone had to share camera time. With so many participants, he didn’t think he would get much screen time at all.
Completely failing to consider just how eye-catching his padded outfit was in Venue 1, Yun Yingzhi sent his serial number to Yun Yinghui without a single psychological burden.
Then, thinking of the price of the materials, he happily continued messaging, determined to give his brother a surprise.
After sending the messages, he continued his rush to the cafeteria.
Along the way, thanks to his excellent hearing, he heard people whispering about him: “Yeah, thatās the one. The specialist at pulling wool.”
“My master is a high-level source weapon manufacturer. He was shining so brightly in the livestream today! Master has been watching him and told me to contact him. If heās willing, he can work part-time at my masterās studio.”
Yun Yingzhiās footsteps paused. The words “shining so brightly” echoed in his mind, and he felt a bit apprehensive. According to them, if he was that noticeable, was it possible his brother might see him?
Once again, Yun Yingzhi regretted wearing the padded outfit.
Forget it, forget it. Don’t overthink. Gege is so busy, he shouldn’t have time to watch the livestream.
Despite thinking this, he sent another message to Yun Yinghui, tactfully requesting that he shouldn’t watch the stream. Then, he received an ellipsis in reply.
Yun Yingzhiās eyelids twitched.
After rushing into the cafeteria, the “disguised” Yun Yingzhi began to eat voraciously without any inhibitions. He was the father of two cubs, after all; it was normal to eat a lot.
He heard someone whisper, “Wow, that Participant A13167 can really eat!”
Yun Yingzhi was a bit unhappy. Perhaps the two cubs in his belly took after Elvis-dianxiaāthey were very bad-tempered. Lately, he had noticed that under the influence of the cubs, his tolerance was getting lower and lower.
Thinking that no one could strip off his “vest,” he glared back and said, “What’s wrong with me eating a lot? Am I eating your family’s rice?” His cheeks were burning hot, but that didn’t stop him from being a “sharp-tongued retort” machine.
The participant who had whispered about his appetite: “…”
He had a point. For a moment, the person was speechless.
Yun Yingzhi: “I can eat even more!”
He tilted his chin up slightly, hugging his food container as he continued to scoop up the free food provided by the organizers.
In any case, no one here knew his true identity. He could completely disregard his image.
After finishing lunch, Yun Yingzhi rushed into the lounge, laid down, and fell asleep instantly.
Seeing this, the other participants sighed in their hearts: He can eat and sleep. Since heās competing in Venue 1, he must be a student from one of the academies, right?
A bell rang, and a groggy Yun Yingzhi thought to himself: I wonder what classes are on this afternoon. I don’t want to go; I want to keep sleeping.
Wait!
He wasn’t in class; he was currently fleecing the Yaoming Group!
With the mindset of pulling wool, he forced himself to sit up. There were less than five minutes until the afternoon session began.
Subtly, he heard someone whisper, “Thatās the guy. His mental fortitude is amazing. It’s the preliminaries today, and Iām so nervous I can’t eat or sleep, but that ‘Wool-Pulling Emperor’ eats by the basin-load and falls asleep the second he hits the pillow. Truly impressive!”
“He can eat and sleep!”
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