Chapter 533: A God Among Blades (Second Update!)
The Woodcutter Sage looked across the battlefield. Several demon gods had brought their most prized disciples. Those young demon prodigies radiated a terrifying, murderous aura, their physical bodies incredibly powerful and formidable—clearly seasoned experts who had survived life-and-death trials.
He had dealt with the demon race before and knew well the strength of this species. Purely in terms of physical bodies, even the cultivators of the Supreme Heavenly Court, who possessed the potential of true gods, were somewhat inferior to the demons.
Moreover, because the Supreme Heavenly Court was constantly engaged in battles, often waging war against the demons, it was difficult to form academies and schools like those in Yankang, nor could large-scale sects be established. Therefore, gods often selected outstanding talents and personally taught them.
This approach had both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage was that with personal instruction from gods and demons, the cultivators became extremely powerful, each one an elite. The inheritance of techniques and divine abilities in the Supreme Heavenly Court had no gaps, and god-level cultivation methods could be passed down. For example, Sang Hua was personally taught by her father, Sang Ye.
The disadvantage was that a person only learned what their master taught them, making it difficult to learn the unique skills of others. For instance, Sang Hua cultivated only Sang Ye's techniques and divine abilities, never learning anyone else's. Even if she learned a little, others would not teach her as diligently as Sang Ye did.
Not learning others' techniques and divine abilities certainly allowed for specialization, but it also meant that, in Qin Mu's view, the divine techniques and abilities of the Supreme Heavenly Court had made little progress, lagging far behind those of Yankang.
Qin Mu could see this, and naturally, the Woodcutter Sage could as well.
The Woodcutter Sage glanced at Qin Mu again. Qin Mu was still forging iron, which puzzled him. "I noticed him in danger on the battlefield, so I used a divine ability he could comprehend. He learned it instantly and escaped safely. Logically, this disciple of mine should be exceptionally talented, having cultivated the techniques I passed down to a state of perfection, which is why he could grasp my divine ability in an instant. But now, why is he so unreliable? Could I have misjudged him?"
Just then, another god approached, bowed, and said, "Heavenly Master, the Seven Stars realm experts of the Supreme Heavenly Court have been brought here!"
The Woodcutter Sage looked at the young experts of the Supreme Heavenly Court approaching and nodded slightly. "Let them in."
Sang Hua looked around, her eyes suddenly brightening. She said to Qin Mu beside her, "Hey, Thresher, that girl is called Yu He, the number one cultivator in the Seven Stars realm!"
Qin Mu pulled a sword from the wall of fire, examined it, found it wasn't ready, and shoved it back in.
Sang Hua was excited and continued, "Yu He is a disciple of the True God Pang Yu. She passed the Spirit-Suppressing Tower trial and, in the battle of Shi City, killed three young demon prodigies at the True Demon level. She's hailed as the number one in the Seven Stars realm! That woman with her hair piled high like a small tower—she's very beautiful!"
The Black Tiger God looked over. The woman named Yu He had a cold expression. She removed earrings from her ears and bracelets from her wrists, tidying her clothes, clearly ready for a life-and-death struggle at any moment.
"Not bad. She's a true expert."
The Black Tiger God praised, "She removed all unnecessary accessories to ensure her movements are unimpeded. She's clearly battle-hardened."
Sang Hua suddenly exclaimed excitedly, "Thresher, look, look! All ten of the Seven Stars realm's top cultivators are here... No, two are missing. Did they die in battle?"
Qin Mu was focused on forging iron. Suddenly, he shook his body, transforming into the true form of the Chen Star Lord—red-haired with a serpentine body—drawing in a stream of water vapor to cool the flying sword. Then, he grabbed the sword, infused it with his primal energy, and rubbed it between his hands, compressing the gleaming blade into a small pellet.
He nodded in satisfaction.
Sang Hua was thrilled and said, "Look, that's Shu Yao! His master was the True God Yan Shuo, but the last time True God Yan Shuo fought a decisive battle against Fu Ri Luo, he unfortunately died... Still, Shu Yao is incredibly formidable, carrying on his master's style. His techniques are domineering, his divine abilities fierce, and he follows the path of becoming a saint through physical cultivation!"
The Black Tiger God looked at Shu Yao. The young man had a steady demeanor, unshaken even if the sky fell. Even facing so many gods and demons, he remained expressionless. The Black Tiger God praised, "He's much more composed than Thresher. Thresher's face has changed colors many times along the way. This Shu Yao is also an expert."
Shu Yao and the others approached. He was a very composed young man, with a steady bearing and an extraordinary presence.
The people beside him were also extraordinary. Every one of them, male or female, carried a thick aura of slaughter, likely just coming off the battlefield.
Sang Hopped with excitement and said to Qin Mu, "Every young expert who has come out of the Spirit-Suppressing Tower is a legend! Over there is Huang Yue, who has been through many battles and has a brilliant record! He's also a disciple of True God Pang Yu, the fastest to pass the Spirit-Suppressing Tower, though his ranking is a bit lower—third place!"
Qin Mu put away the refined flying sword and stuffed all the other swords from the pellet back into the fire, busily working.
The Black Tiger God looked at Huang Yue. Huang Yue was clearly a martial arts fanatic. Even in this situation, he was still cultivating, never forgetting to activate his techniques as he walked. Wisps of cloud floated above his head.
His technique was very unique. He had already cultivated a primordial spirit, and although he hadn't yet achieved spirit projection, he could already have his spirit refine primal energy.
The clouds above his head were an anomaly caused by his spirit refining energy.
"This person's cultivation is extremely profound!"
The Black Tiger God's eyes lit up, and he praised, "Another martial arts fanatic. His mind is pure, without other distractions. His single-minded focus naturally makes his mental state strong enough! Thresher, and you, little girl with the long braid, you should both learn from them."
Sang Hua knew he was giving her advice and quickly nodded.
The Black Tiger God looked at Qin Mu. Qin Mu had taken out another pile of flying swords, inserted them into the fire, and was striking them with a clang, refining out the impurities.
The Black Tiger God's face darkened.
Yu He walked over, her gaze falling on Qin Mu, who was busy forging swords. She frowned slightly and asked Sang Hua, "Junior Sister Sang Hua, who is this?"
Sang Hua looked at her with admiration and smiled, "This is Qin Mu, from another world. Qin as in 'threshing grain.' Senior Sister, in the battle of Shi City, you became famous throughout the world..."
Yu He's expression dimmed, and she said, "But Shi City still fell into enemy hands. The demon race's strength is indeed greater than ours, but the cultivators of the Supreme Heavenly Court are not weaker than the demons! They only rely on their greater numbers!"
Shu Yao walked over, gave Sang Hua a gentle smile, and said, "Little Sister Sang Hua, you haven't entered the Spirit-Suppressing Tower yet, have you? I can see that your cultivation and strength are now extraordinary, much improved from before. You'll definitely pass the Spirit-Suppressing Tower trial."
Sang Hua felt greatly encouraged.
Shu Yao looked at Qin Mu, frowned slightly, and asked in a low voice, "And this is?"
"Thresher Qin Mu."
Yu He said helplessly, "He's from another world. A bit eccentric. He came here to forge iron."
Sang Hua's face flushed slightly, and she said in a low voice, "Qin Mu is very powerful. He has a gate I've never seen before. Wherever it passes, nothing grows, and he killed many demon experts. He also has a Taiyin Jade Eye, which even shot Fu Yu Xiao to death. His mathematical skills are extremely high, but his medical skills are even higher, and his blacksmithing is better than his mathematics..."
"Fu Ri Luo's disciple, Fu Yu Xiao, was shot dead by him?"
The crowd was startled and looked at Qin Mu, who was still forging iron. Yu He said calmly, "Senior Brother Qin's treasures are extraordinary."
The others nodded in agreement. Fu Yu Xiao was famous among the younger generation, an expert at the Heavenly Being realm. For Qin Mu to kill Fu Yu Xiao must have been due to the power of that so-called Taiyin Jade Eye.
Sang Hua quickly said, "It wasn't entirely the treasure's merit. It was mainly because of Thresher's high mathematical skill. He said he used mathematics to calculate Fu Yu Xiao's next move, which allowed him to shoot Fu Yu Xiao dead with the Taiyin Jade Eye..." As she spoke, even she lost confidence.
"Mathematics?"
The crowd shook their heads. Huang Yue said indifferently, "What use is mathematics? It doesn't enhance combat power at all and only takes up cultivation time."
The Black Tiger God coughed and said in a deep voice, "You all should calm your minds first. There will be a fierce battle ahead! Just now, my master fought Fu Ri Luo several times, and they were evenly matched. So he proposed this contest—let the younger generation compete to decide the ownership of Li City! Whether we can retake Li City depends on your abilities!"
Shu Yao glanced at Qin Mu, who was still forging iron, and frowned. "How can this senior brother calm his mind while forging iron here?"
The others nodded in agreement.
The Black Tiger God said helplessly, "Bear with him. His mental state isn't as strong as yours, so he needs to forge iron to steady his mind."
Suddenly, Huang Yue stared fixedly at the opposite side, his voice a bit hoarse. "Zhe Hua Li, Fu Ri Luo's most prized disciple! I encountered him on the battlefield. At that time, in the darkness, I almost died at his hands. Fortunately, reinforcements arrived."
Shu Yao also stared at that young demon expert. The long knife on his back clanged and hummed, and he said in a low voice, "I've fought him too. I lost. Maybe only Senior Sister Yu He can defeat him..."
Yu He's gaze fell on Zhe Hua Li. She shook her head and said, "I encountered him on the battlefield just now. We only exchanged two moves before the battle formation scattered us, but those two moves were enough for me to judge his strength. I'm not entirely confident I can defeat him... When you fight him, you must be careful!"
The Black Tiger God looked at the young demon expert on the opposite side and was slightly startled. That was a gentle and refined young man. Just from his appearance, there was no sign that he was a demon.
"No, he's not a demon—he's a human!"
The Black Tiger God's heart trembled, and he immediately knew Zhe Hua Li's background. He said in a deep voice, "He's not just Fu Ri Luo's disciple. He's come down from the upper realm!"
Yu He, Shu Yao, and Huang Yue were shocked and were about to ask for details when the Black Tiger God leaped up, landed on top of a nearby palace, and said to the Woodcutter Sage, "Master, that Zhe Hua Li's origin is wrong. He's not from the demon race; he should be from the upper realm!"
The Woodcutter Sage nodded, looked across, and said in a deep voice, "Fu Ri Luo, it seems you also have some connection with the so-called Heavenly Court. This disciple of yours came down from the upper realm. I wonder which upper god's disciple he is?"
Fu Ri Luo laughed heartily and said leisurely, "Zhe Hua Li has the most solid foundation. His demonic skills rival mine in my youth, and his abilities are outstanding. He is my most valued disciple. But you're not wrong. His background is significant. He has another master, one you might know. This man is a god among blades, calling himself unparalleled. He has fought you before."
The Woodcutter Sage's expression darkened slightly, and he nodded. "Divine Blade Luo Wushuang, the Supreme General of the Lingxiu Army. He is indeed an old acquaintance. I just didn't expect you to have allied with him."
Qin Mu, who had been forging iron, suddenly perked up his ears. He put down his hammer, raised his head, and asked Sang Hua, "What army? What Wushuang?"
Sang Hua quickly said, "Lingxiu Army, Luo Wushuang."
Yu He said calmly, "My master, True God Pang Yu, mentioned him. Luo Wushuang is a divine blade from the ancient era, a True God. His blade skills are incredibly powerful! He only has one arm, but his blade techniques are superb!"
Qin Mu was stunned. Suddenly, he remembered that night forty thousand years ago when he encountered Luo Wushuang of the Lingxiu Army.
That night, he stood on a crate, covering the retreat of the Shanghuang people, and cut off the arm of Luo Wushuang of the Lingxiu Army.
Could these two Luo Wushuangs be the same person?
Qin Mu immediately looked at Zhe Hua Li. Shu Yao smiled and asked, "Senior Brother Qin, the thresher, why have you stopped forging iron?"
Qin Mu didn't answer. Across the field, Zhe Hua Li immediately sensed his gaze and looked up. Their eyes met. Qin Mu's gaze fell on Zhe Hua Li's back. There was a long knife there, very eerie, very evil. On the hilt was an eye.
That eye suddenly opened wide, staring at Qin Mu.
Zhe Hua Li saw Qin Mu's face, was slightly stunned, and showed an expression of disbelief. He took a portrait from his bosom, looked at it, then looked at Qin Mu again, and suddenly revealed a delighted expression.
Qin Mu's gaze was fixed on that eerie blade. He said in a deep voice, "Little Sister Sang Hua, if I told you that I was the one who cut off Divine Blade Luo Wushuang's arm, would you believe me?"
—The third update will be at eight o'clock.