âAn ordinary forging furnace wonât be able to do anything to me,â Shi Changsheng murmured, disdain flashing in his eyes. But he still said tactfully, âIf thereâs anything you donât understand, ask away. Iâve always liked to support the younger generationâ¦â
Zhou Shu rolled his eyes. âYou said this is the Zhuling Grotto-Heaven?â
âOf course. What else could it be?â Shi Changsheng said. âThis place, including these forging materials, belongs to me.â
âWrong.â Zhou Shu shook his head.
âWrong?â Shi Changsheng was stunned. âImpossible. Iâm the master of the Zhuling Grotto-Heaven. How could I be mistaken?â
âI donât care what it was called before. But now, it and these forging materials are no longer yours. They belong to me,â Zhou Shu said calmly.
âYouâ¦â Shi Changsheng was furious. âJunior, donât push your luck! I can ignore everything else, but if you want to snatch my grotto-heaven, I wonât let you off!â
âYour grotto-heaven? Will it answer if you call it?â
Zhou Shu felt like a cunning bully. It was just a sword, but it had jumped out and told him that the Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament space and the forging materials he had painstakingly dug out belonged to it. It would be strange if Zhou Shu believed it.
Not to mention whether what the Longevity Sword said was true or not, how could he give up what already belonged to him?
...
âYouâ¦â Shi Changsheng was furious. Back then, not to mention calling him, he could easily throw these people in the grotto-heaven out!
But nowâ¦
Shi Changsheng sighed.
âJunior, weâre both humans. Why are you being so confrontational?â Shi Changsheng said in a low voice. âWeâre all from the same race. Canât we sit down and talk?â
âWouldnât it have been easier to adopt this attitude earlier?â Zhou Shuâs lips curled up into a smile. âYou have to be beaten up before youâre willing to speak properly.â
Youâre just a sword, yet youâre so arrogant?
âSenior Shi, right?â Zhou Shu smiled. âFriends are often made after a fight. Tell me, whatâs your background?â
He lifted his foot, picked up the Longevity Sword, and placed it in front of him. He sat down on a pile of forging materials and pretended to talk as an equal.
Shi Changsheng rolled his eyes.?Damn it! Why are young people nowadays so immoral?
Heâs clearly a first-rank martial artist, but why could he suddenly erupt with such powerful combat strength?
If not for the fact that Iâm not at my peak, hmphâ
Shi Changsheng snorted in his heart and said, âEverything Iâve said is the truth. I am indeed the master of this Zhuling Grotto-Heaven, Shi Changsheng!â
Zhou Shu shrugged. âAlright, Iâll take it that you are indeed the master of this Zhuling Grotto-Heaven for now. Then, why did you become like this?â
âWhat do you know?â Shi Changsheng glared at him.?What kind of person are you? Since youâre ignorant, you shouldnât spout nonsense!
âThis is called becoming one with the weapon!â Shi Changsheng said. âThis is the highest realm of forging!â
Zhou Shu was speechless.?Do you think I donât know how to forge?
âYou wonât understand even if I tell you about this. Your realm is too low.â Shi Changsheng waved his hand. âYou just need to know that Iâm still alive and well. Thatâs enough.â
âMy realm is too low?â Zhou Shu was speechless. No one in the Ten Nations Continent would dare to say such things to him.
It wasnât that Zhou Shu was bragging, but with his current strength, the Great Qin emperor wouldnât have any objections if he said that he was the number one person in the Ten Nations.
Zhou Shu couldnât be bothered to argue with Shi Changsheng. âBy the way, what did you say about the Awakening realm? What realm is that?â
âYouâre not exactly weak, but you donât even know about the Awakening realm?â Shi Changsheng looked at Zhou Shu in confusion. âHas the Martial Dao declined to such an extent?â
Frowning, he asked, âWhat era is this?â
âWhat era?â Zhou Shu pondered and casually gave out the reign year of Emperor Yuan Feng
âGreat Xia? The Ten Nations?â Shi Changsheng frowned as if he had never heard of this before.
Zhou Shu was also puzzled.?Could this Shi Changsheng be someone from a thousand years ago?
At the time, Great Xia didnât exist.
Shi Changsheng looked at Zhou Shu and asked, âYou said that the highest cultivation level in your Ten Nations Continent is only first rank?â
âThatâs right. There are experts above the first rank of the Martial Dao in the Demon Realm. Theyâre called Great Demons. Itâs said that there are Demon Kings above Great Demons,â Zhou Shu said.
He also looked at Shi Changsheng thoughtfully.
Shi Changshengâs eyes flickered. After a while, he said, âAbove the first rank of the Martial Dao is the Earth Immortal realm. And above that is the Awakening realm, the realm of grotto-heaven masters.
âIt corresponds to the Demon King realm.â
âThis is the grotto-heaven you are talking about?â Zhou Shu pondered. âYou said that you were once the master of the Zhuling Grotto-Heaven. Are you at the Awakening realm? Is the Awakening realm so weak?â
Shi Changsheng was speechless.?Iâm weak?
Iâm not weak at all!
Somethingâs wrong with you, young man!
âI was at the Awakening realm back then. But now, I donât have much strength left,â Shi Changsheng said. âIf I was at my peak, with your strength, you wouldnât be my match.
âI see that youâre only a first-rank martial artist. How can your combat strength be close to the Awakening realm? Is this a secret martial technique of this era? There was no such domineering secret technique back then.â Shi Changsheng took the opportunity to ask.
âSenior, the new generation surpasses the old,â Zhou Shu said. âThe Martial Dao has always been improving.â
âThe highest realm is only the first rank of the Martial Dao. You call this progress?â Shi Changsheng sneered. âIn my era, Earth Immortals were just ordinary. Only those at the Awakening realm could be considered overlords.
âFirst-rank martial artist, heheâ¦â
âOverlords?â Zhou Shu glanced sideways at Shi Changsheng.
Shi Changsheng was a little angry.?I was an overlord back then! If I hadnât met an unreasonable fellow like you, would I have fallen into such a state?
A mere first-rank martial artist⦠Even if Iâm not as good as I was back then, I can still kill you with one strike!
You are clearly only a first-rank martial artist. Who knew you would be so strong?
Ordinary Earth Immortals are probably not your match.
âSenior Shi, were there many Awakening realm cultivators in your era?â Zhou Shu gave Shi Changsheng some face. After all, he was an old monster from countless years ago.
âHow is that possible!â Shi Changsheng said. âThe people in the Awakening realm are overlords. Even in our era, there were only thirty-six grotto-heaven masters.
âBut they should all be dead by now. Sigh, if they canât live forever, so what if they are in the Thearch realm? They only have ten thousand years to live, right?â Shi Changsheng mentioned another realm.
Thearch realm!
âThereâs a realm above the Awakening realm?â Zhou Shu asked.
âThat has nothing to do with you. Donât try to find out more. Thereâs nothing to be gained by knowing.â Shi Changsheng shook his head.
âIn your life, itâs already a blessing to be able to cultivate to the Awakening realm.
âThatâs all I can say. You still havenât told me who you are.â
âMe?â Zhou Shu smiled. âGreat Xiaâs King of the South, Great Qinâs Side-by-side King, Great Liangâs Country Protector King, and the owner of the Huaxia Pavilion, Zhou Shu.â
Shi Changsheng: ââ¦â
He looked at Zhou Shu with a strange expression.?Do you think Iâm a fool? Back then, we also had countries.
Great Xia, Great Qin, and Great Liang sound like three nations.
How can one man be a king in three nations?
Could it be that the world has become unfamiliar to me?
âOld Shi, you said that youâre the master of this Zhuling Grotto-Heaven. Then if someone dug a hole in your house, shouldnât you mend it?â Zhou Shu said.
Shi Changsheng: ââ¦â
âDo you think I have that ability now?â
If I had that ability, the first thing I would do would be to kick you out of the grotto-heaven!
The forging materials Iâve worked so hard to accumulate for so many years are almost all dug up by you!
âSo, youâre still lying to me. As the master of the Zhuling Grotto-Heaven, you canât even do this?â Zhou Shu said in annoyance.
âEven if I could, I wouldnât bother,â Shi Changsheng said. âItâs already on the verge of death and has no value in repairing it. Why donât we let nature take its course and let it leave calmly?â