Teacher, Hammer Me!

Behind an artificial rockery in Yangxing Garden. Su Yu stared at Zheng Yunhui for a long time. Zheng Yunhui met his gaze with complete composure, his face calm and unperturbed. "Did you fleece Liu Hong for something?" "Nope!" Zheng Yunhui denied it flatly. "Do you really think I'd believe that?" Su Yu rolled his eyes. "Speak. How much did you ask of him in the end?" "Ten thousand points, like I said," Zheng Yunhui replied, exasperated. "Is that not enough? Do you have any idea what ten thousand points mean? You could kill a whole crowd of Lingyun experts with that!" Su Yu gave a cold snort. "Ten thousand points? If you really only asked for ten thousand, then I’d be a total idiot to believe it!" "Believe it or don't!" Su Yu said no more. Taking a deep breath, he said, "I don't care what figure you claim. My teacher and I get eight thousand of it. That's not asking for much, is it?" "Not asking for much?!" Zheng Yunhui bristled like a spooked cat. "Then I won't even make back my principal for Sky-Breaking Slash..." Su Yu simply watched him in silence. *Cut the act! Do you really think I'm a fool?* However, Su Yu couldn't show his face to negotiate with Liu Hong himself; he had to rely on this guy. How much Zheng Yunhui had pocketed for himself was something Su Yu didn't know, but it was guaranteed not to be a small amount. After a moment, Zheng Yunhui cleared his throat and gave a dry laugh. "Eight thousand is a bit steep. How about seven thousand?" "I'm calling off the duel..." Su Yu got to his feet, turning to leave. Zheng Yunhui panicked and hurriedly said, "Wait! Eight thousand, eight thousand it is..." "Nine thousand points!" "?" This time Zheng Yunhui was genuinely frantic. "Su Yu, that's going too far!" "You agreed too quickly!" Su Yu snapped. "I threw out eight thousand, and you caved without batting an eyelid. You bastard definitely pocketed the lion's share! For all I know, what you're giving me is just spare change!" "I..." Zheng Yunhui was speechless. After a long pause, he finally said, "If you raise the price again, we're done! Nine thousand, fine, nine thousand! Say another word, and the deal is off!" "Deal!" Su Yu pressed no further. In a solemn voice, he asked, "Did Liu Hong suspect anything?" "Probably not?" Zheng Yunhui muttered. "If he suspected anything, why would he send over resources..." Su Yu's gaze turned sharp as a blade! Zheng Yunhui coughed lightly and grinned. "Don't mind that. That was just the deposit I took. It's included in my cut, not an extra kickback." He continued, "He gave me the goods this morning..." At that point, he looked at Su Yu with a peculiar gleam in his eyes. "I never imagined you were hiding your strength so deeply! Fifth stage of Qianjun. How long until the sixth?" "Still early." Su Yu was unwilling to say more. Zheng Yunhui chuckled and didn't press him, but his regard for Su Yu grew by a notch. He had previously thought that Su Yu's victory over Chen Qi was just luck. Now it seemed the guy might not have even gone all out back then! "After we finish fleecing Liu Hong this time, how about we charge into the Top 100 Rankings together next month?" "Too early." Su Yu shook his head. Until he reached at least the seventh stage of Qianjun, he definitely wouldn't attempt the Top 100 Rankings. Perhaps he would even wait until the ninth stage! Either he didn't attempt it, or he did so with overwhelming strength—enough to crush those bastards, enough to crush Huang Qifeng. "Forget it then. In any case, I'll be challenging the Top 100 Rankings next month." Zheng Yunhui's tone turned somewhat serious. "Also, I have a feeling I'm not the only one leaking word on the black market. Su Yu, did you leak it to anyone else?" Su Yu replied calmly, "No. By the way, if someone else offers a higher price than Liu Hong, sell to them too! We can split the proceeds when the time comes!" "..." Zheng Yunhui frowned. "What are you trying to do?" "Make money!" Su Yu replied without hesitation. "It's fake anyway. Does it matter who we sell it to? It's best to sell right when our duel ends. Fast and decisive. We can't drag this out. If it drags on any longer, the academy will catch wind of it. Once too many eyes are on us, we won't be able to pull it off." "Understood!" Zheng Yunhui did some mental calculations before saying, "Four days from now, then. Let's pick a spot on the twentieth! And... I feel like you're pretty underhanded. I need to stay on guard in case you set a trap for me and actually beat me. On that day, I'm definitely going all out!" Su Yu said indifferently, "So will I! If you really lose, there's nothing I can do about it! You already know all my trump cards. If you still lose, do you expect me to go easy on you? Since Liu Hong will be watching, and possibly others, do you think people won't see through it if weaklings like us pull our punches? Do you take them for fools?" Zheng Yunhui grew much more solemn. Initially, it had just been a game to him. But hearing Su Yu put it like that, his gravity deepened. This was no longer just a game! He was a genius, a monstrous talent who swept through his peers! Su Yu wasn't even at his cultivation realm. If he lost to Su Yu, the blow would be devastating. "Su Yu... in that case, when the day of the duel comes, let's both cast everything else aside and fight with everything we've got. I don't need you holding back for me. If you really win... then so be it!" Zheng Yunhui rose, his aura surging with high spirits. "To be blunt, what's a few tens of thousands of merit points... compared to my conviction of absolute victory! You should be the same. Don't lose sight of the original intention of cultivation for mere merit points. Our goal... is to grow stronger!" "Strongest among our peers, capable of fighting above our realm!" Zheng Yunhui looked at him with great solemnity. "Four days from now, I will go all out, showing no mercy!" "Likewise!" Su Yu replied. "A few tens of thousands of merit points..." Su Yu added, sighing with weary amusement. "You gave yourself away. Try not to contradict yourself next time." "..." Zheng Yunhui's imposing aura vanished instantly into sheer awkwardness. Su Yu didn't bother wasting another breath and turned to leave. Behind him, Zheng Yunhui called out in a low voice, "Hey, it really isn't that much! Don't be so petty. At worst, I'll deduct the merit points for Sky-Breaking Slash, and we'll split the rest according to the original plan!" "Whatever you say!" Su Yu threw back over his shoulder as he walked away quickly. *** Returning to the Research Center, Su Yu let out a soft breath. *Grow stronger!* In dueling Zheng Yunhui, he genuinely wanted to test his own strength and see if he could truly contend against the monstrous prodigies of this generation. As for the Wanshi blood essence, he didn't plan to use it right from the start. *Zheng Yunhui might advance to the eighth stage of Qianjun. I'm no match for him in pure cultivation realm...* In terms of martial cultivation, he lagged behind Zheng Yunhui. If Su Yu wanted to win, he could only rely on divine characters and martial techniques. At the same realm, the other guy was already a prodigy; on what grounds could Su Yu expect to surpass him? *There are also divine characters and cultural weapons...* *It would be best if the 'Blood' divine character could advance. Then I'd have a genuine trump card!* Just how powerful a tier-two divine character was, Su Yu didn't know. He only knew that once it advanced, it would definitely be stronger than his current 'Kill' character. *Four days. Right now, I've opened sixty-three apertures. I still need nine more to advance to the sixth stage of Qianjun...* Without reaching the sixth stage, how could he fight Zheng Yunhui? *Too bad I can't enter the Yuanqi Secret Realm again.* He lacked merit points; going in right now would be too much of a loss. Out of his two hundred and forty-six merit points, Su Yu had spent sixty-six over the past few days to purchase Wanshi-rank Ironwing Bird blood essence. Now, only one hundred and eighty merit points remained. *Money flows away like water!* With so few points left, taking a trip to the secret realm would leave him with only eighty points—just enough for eight drops of Mountain-Breaking Ox blood essence. That was far too wasteful. *One hundred and eighty merit points. Keep a bit for cultivation, and use the rest... to temper my cultural weapon!* At this thought, Zhao Li crossed Su Yu's mind. He needed to make a trip to the Weapon Forging College! His cultural weapon was only a crude embryo; it was not yet a truly formidable cultural weapon. Reaching out with his hand, a small black blade flew out from the blood essence pool, gleaming bright and clear, before instantly vanishing into his sea of will. *** Zhao Li had told Su Yu to come for lessons whenever the date ended in an eight, but during this period, Su Yu had been extraordinarily busy. He simply hadn't had the time to come. Arriving at Zhao Li's research institute once more, Su Yu found the place utterly deserted. Last time, there had been quite a few people watching and observing, but this time, not a soul was in sight. The main gates were tightly shut! Su Yu knocked on the gate for a while before Zhao Li emerged, looking unkempt and disheveled. Seeing Su Yu, he looked him up and down and said indifferently, "Today isn't the eighth. Why are you here?" "Teacher, I'd like to temper my cultural weapon." "Temper your cultural weapon..." Zhao Li frowned. "In such a hurry? You haven't even finalized your primary divine character. Are you sure you want to temper it now? You haven't settled on which divine characters you'll use and which you'll discard, yet you want to temper it? Erasing attributes later on won't be easy." As he spoke, Zhao Li walked inside. Su Yu followed him in. Beyond the gate lay not the enclosed corridors of the Wen Tan Research Center, but a large courtyard, past which was Zhao Li's actual research institute. Old Zhao's courtyard-style institute looked rather more lived-in than the Wen Tan Research Center. However, it seemed untended and somewhat lacking in vitality. "Have you attended any Forging faction classes lately?" "A few..." Su Yu said somewhat awkwardly. "Lately, I've been busy cultivating, and I was also made the monitor of the advanced class, so my time has been rather tight. That's why..." "No need to explain!" Zhao Li entered the research center. Rather than heading to the grand hall from last time, he stopped in the living quarters and casually sat down. "Want some tea?" "No need, Teacher. Let me boil the water..." Su Yu hurried forward to help, finding the kettle and setting it to boil. Zhao Li didn't stop him. Looking somewhat fatigued, he leaned back in his chair and exhaled. "Have you outlined your divine character battle technique framework?" "Yes. A saber." "How many base divine characters?" "..." Su Yu's hand slowed as he filled the water. "A lot." "A lot?" Zhao Li looked surprised. Turning to Su Yu, he asked gravely, "A lot... more than twenty?" "...Yes." Zhao Li gripped the armrests of his chair, a strange glint in his eyes as he asked solemnly, "Do your teachers know?" "They think it's eighteen." An interesting answer! *They think it's eighteen...* "Why didn't you tell me it was eighteen?" "Because I need to ask you to forge my cultural weapon, Teacher. I need to explain the attributes, and I might need your help in the future. I want my cultural weapon to suit me as closely as possible..." "How many divine characters do you have right now?" "Four, all human divine characters: Blood, Thunder, Kill, and Battle..." "Oh?" Zhao Li was rather astonished. "Judging by the literal meaning, they're all offensive divine characters! Did you choose them deliberately, or by accident?" "By accident." "Then that's quite interesting. Kid, you're naturally suited for the offensive path. Even your divine character battle technique is outlined as a saber. You're a born combat-type divine character master!" Zhao Li sighed with emotion, then added, "Tell me their attributes." "Blood Drain, Illusion, Lightning, Killing Intent, and Battle Intent!" "Excellent attributes!" Zhao Li praised him again. "Battle Intent and Killing Intent might sound intangible, but they're precisely what the offensive path requires! Daring to battle, daring to fight, daring to kill! You've seen blood, kid, so you understand the importance of aura. Before the clash even begins, your momentum is already established! With dense killing intent, opponents of the same realm will find themselves knocked down a whole tier!" Zhao Li nodded approvingly. After a moment of contemplation, he asked, "What's your willpower fullness degree?" "Fifty-five percent." Indeed, fifty-five percent. He had advanced to the Yangxing Realm during the monthly exam half a month ago, yet Su Yu had only grown by five percent since then. His speed had slowed down! Furthermore, during this period, his primary focus had been on opening apertures. Even though this speed would be considered rapid by others, to Su Yu, it felt sluggish. Growing by one percent every three to four days meant not even ten percent in a month, and it would only become harder later on. At this rate, reaching ninety-nine percent—with the progress slowing even further—would likely take him another full year. "Not bad!" Zhao Li, on the other hand, found it quite fast—extraordinarily fast, in fact. "Under normal circumstances, before reaching the Tengkong Realm, ten percent of willpower can sustain one divine character. In other words, sustaining ten divine characters below the Tengkong Realm is already considered impressive—that's the limit. "Naturally, some people are exceptionally gifted or possess fortuitous treasures that allow them to sustain more. "Your divine character battle technique requires over twenty base divine characters..." Zhao Li suddenly gloated, "Kid, I feel like you've got no hope of reaching the Tengkong Realm!" Su Yu smiled sheepishly, at a loss for words. Zhao Li didn't harp on it. Standing up, he said, "We'll drink tea later. Come, let's temper your cultural weapon! You'll lend me a hand..." "Teacher, I don't know how!" "It's simple. Maintain control over your willpower the entire time and attach your divine characters to the weapon. You can't materialize them yet, but attaching their ethereal forms to the weapon is still possible. That way, I can observe their attributes more closely and forge a cultural weapon tailored to you!" "Understood. Thank you, Teacher!" Su Yu was overjoyed! *Tempering the cultural weapon!* *** Ten minutes later, the two stood in the spacious hall from last time. Right now, it was in utter disarray, with various materials strewn haphazardly across the floor. Without sparing them a glance, Zhao Li said, "Bring out your cultural weapon!" Su Yu's weapon appeared! It hovered in midair! Zhao Li took a look and nodded. "Not bad. As I said, that filtration room of yours is well-suited for nurturing cultural weapons. Given a bit more time, this weapon embryo could advance to the Profound rank! "However, you don't need the Profound rank right now. If it were truly Profound rank, you might not even be able to wield it. "So there's no need to let it advance. At most, stop nurturing it once it reaches the semi-Profound rank!" Zhao Li spoke, then turned serious. "Attach your divine characters. Unleash their maximum power and bring out their attributes!" As soon as his words fell, Zhao Li's vision blurred slightly! *An illusion!* Zhao Li was somewhat taken aback. Rather than shattering the illusion, he observed it closely, and soon, a hint of surprise crossed his face. *A powerful illusion!* He was at the seventh stage of the Lingyun Realm, yet even he felt a faint influence. This seemed significantly stronger than an ordinary tier-one divine character. Next, within the illusion, thunder erupted in all directions! Killing intent surged! Battle! Kill! "They're all strong..." Zhao Li was astonished. All four of this kid's divine characters were remarkably potent. Human divine characters were generally weaker, yet this boy's characters weren't weak in the slightest. This illusion, in particular, felt almost too powerful for a tier-one divine character. "Keep it up!" Zhao Li barked. "Display all your attributes. I will temper the cultural weapon based on them!" The next instant, a wisp of flame flickered in his hand, melting a chunk of pitch-black metallic ore from the ground. "This is used to stabilize cultural weapons. You're a combat-type divine character master; your weapon needs to be tough enough! "This material is called Xuanhuang iron. Commit it to memory!" While melting the material, he produced a hammer and began forging. *Clang, clang, clang! Clink, clink, clank...* Amidst the ringing cadence, a thin film formed over Su Yu's small black blade. "Ah!" Su Yu let out a low gasp, feeling a sharp stinging sensation. "Keep the divine characters attached! This material is bonding with the weapon and your divine characters. Pain is entirely normal, but forging it like this makes it far more attuned to you. The weapons you buy outside, forged by ordinary blacksmiths, aren't sufficiently attuned to your own divine characters!" "Thank you, Teacher..." Su Yu thanked him through gritted teeth, feeling as if his head were about to split apart. It was excruciating! Zhao Li ignored him; he wanted to see how long this kid could endure. With fifty-five percent fullness, sustaining four divine characters at full blast while Zhao Li forged the weapon on the spot and scorched his willpower—lasting five minutes would already make Su Yu impressive! *This kid is resilient. I'll give him ten minutes!* *After ten minutes, I'll wait for you to beg for mercy!* *** *Clang, clang, clang!* A series of hammer blows rang out, accompanied by Zhao Li's commentary. "This is Dazzling Light Stone; it makes illusions more vivid!" A pool of liquefied mineral melded into the weapon, searing Su Yu's willpower! Every time the massive hammer struck the cultural weapon, the blade remained unscathed, but Su Yu felt as though the hammer were smashing directly into his skull! Five minutes, eight minutes, ten minutes... Su Yu was drenched in sweat, his face pale. Zhao Li glanced at him and said indifferently, "Can you still hold on? You can withdraw your divine characters if you want. It just won't be quite as attuned and smooth to wield, but it'll still work!" "Teacher... I'm fine!" Su Yu panted, his clothes long soaked through with sweat. A puddle had formed on the floor beneath him. Sweat dripped continuously! "Then keep going. Tell me when you can't take it anymore!" Zhao Li resumed, though a growing sense of regret welled up inside him. *A pity... what a true pity!* *Why couldn't you have joined the Forging faction?* Still, knowing that all of Su Yu's outlined characters were offensive in nature, he recognized that the kid was better suited for combat. He just felt somewhat unwilling—he had taken a liking to this boy even before school started! Neither the elder nor the youth spoke another word. Zhao Li hammered in silence, while Su Yu trembled from head to toe, clenching his teeth as he bore strike after strike. Gradually, Su Yu began to feel dizzy. He didn't notice that while the massive hammer had initially been striking the cultural weapon, it was now hammering empty air—or rather, striking his willpower! Zhao Li remained silent! The colossal hammer flew through the air, delivering soundless blows! *Tempering the spirit!* *Expanding the spirit!* Without enduring a thousand strikes and ten thousand forgings, how could one become strong? Without being tempered, how could one become tough? Willpower was also a material—a forging material! Only through endless tempering could one forge the strongest willpower and the strongest sea of will among their peers! *Forging weapons... is also forging people!* Zhao Li thought to himself, *How many of my strikes can you take?* He had accepted many students. Last time, he had mentioned to Su Yu that one of his students had already reached the Lingyun Realm. He was a hundred and twenty years old! Over the years, he had accepted fourteen disciples. Ever since the last one graduated, he had stopped taking disciples. He had poured his heart and soul into teaching every single one of those fourteen students! He had given each of them this single opportunity. When forging their cultural weapons, after five minutes, they would receive this chance—to temper their spirit! Out of fourteen, twelve had lasted past five minutes, proving that Zhao Li's eye for talent was not faulty. Among those twelve, three had fainted after a single strike. Of the remaining nine, six had failed to last beyond three strikes. Among the final three, the one who endured the most had taken nine strikes—and that was his strongest disciple, the one who was now in the Lingyun Realm! Perhaps this truly was an indicator of potential: the more one could endure, the greater their future prospects. Zhao Li didn't know for certain if that held true, but observing his students, history seemed to bear it out. Three strikes! *Boom!* Tinnitus rang in Su Yu's ears, and his vision swam. Four strikes! Su Yu's sweat fell like water, dripping rhythmically. Five strikes, six strikes... The enormous hammer descended again and again! Thunderous reverberations echoed through Su Yu's mind! His sea of will remained steady as Mount Tai; his willpower was pulverized by the hammer blows time and again, only to regenerate in the blink of an eye! Pain! Su Yu didn't understand why it was this painful. *Is weapon forging always like this?* *Is this the only way to forge the strongest cultural weapon?* "Te... Teacher..." Zhao Li's body gave a slight shudder. *Damn it, this kid can still speak?* *What kind of monster is this?!* "Teacher..." Su Yu stammered tremulously, "Once this cultural weapon... is forged... can it... rival a Profound-rank weapon?" "More or less!" "Then... then is it very expensive?" "..." Zhao Li cursed under his breath and said in a low voice, "Of course! A low-grade Profound-rank cultural weapon is worth over a thousand merit points! Yours is only peak Yellow rank. If you hold out long enough to forge it to rival a Profound rank, its value will jump from a hundred points to a thousand..." "An... an increase... of nine hundred points?" Su Yu was stunned, his willpower trembling from the shock. "Hold on! It's not enough yet. You have to take at least... at least thirty strikes!" Zhao Li cursed internally. *Money-grubbing lunatic!* "Then... that's thirty merit points per strike..." Su Yu was dazed. In the next moment, his spirits soared and his fighting will ignited. He roared at the top of his lungs, "Teacher, hammer me!" The "Battle" divine character blazed with dazzling radiance! His battle intent was overwhelming! How could Su Yu not be thrilled? *Thirty merit points per strike! Teacher, hammer me quickly, don't just stand there!* "..." Zhao Li was dumbstruck. *Damn it! I'm here teaching a student, not training an accountant!* *You sure calculated that clearly, didn't you?!* "Hold on then... thirty merit points per strike!" Zhao Li was speechless, but he cast his reservations aside. The kid had even ignited his battle intent, his divine character radiating light—what more was there to say? *Boom!* Another strike! "Two hundred and ten points!" Su Yu bellowed! He recalled taking about seven hits from the massive hammer. There had been many strikes before that too, but they had felt different; Su Yu sensed that only these later hammer blows truly counted. Zhao Li actually felt like beating him up, but now was not the time. *Rumble!* "Two hundred and forty points..." *Boom!* *Boom!* Again and again, Su Yu roared until his throat was hoarse. This was his motivation. *I'm poor!* *I don't have the money to buy cultural weapons!* If he could forge a weapon comparable to the Profound rank, he could use it all the way until the Tengkong Realm. What was a little pain compared to that? "Three hundred and ninety points..." Su Yu's voice tore, his face flushed crimson, veins bulging across his skin! Zhao Li's expression shifted. Thirteen strikes! Saying thirty strikes had merely been a joke. Was this kid, Su Yu, going to have his sea of will shattered by the hammering? "Is your sea of will fine?!" Zhao Li shouted. "It's... it's fine... Teacher, hammer me!" Zhao Li was thoroughly shaken. *Even this isn't enough to shake him? And he's still asking for more!* *Boom!* Another strike descended. At that moment, Su Yu's sea of will trembled faintly. The golden booklet rippled, and from beyond it, a colossal force crashed in, actually nudging the booklet. In his daze, Su Yu didn't register it. Jolted by the immense shockwave, the golden booklet shifted by a fraction of a hair. In that very instant, Su Yu's sea of will seemed to expand by a tiny sliver. Zhao Li's body shook as well. The giant hammer seemed to meet a recoil force, vibrating slightly. "Huh?" Zhao Li froze. *The sea of will's barrier?* *This guy only touched the barrier of his sea of will just now?!* *And here I thought he had reached it long ago!* A sea of will varied in size according to one's strength—though that was a perception rather than a physical space. Right now, his giant hammer had shaken Su Yu's sea of will, signifying that it had finally struck the barrier of his sea of will. "He only reached it now..." Zhao Li was stunned; he had genuinely assumed Su Yu had hit his limit long before. In that case, this kid had only truly begun expanding his sea of will just now, making his willpower even stronger. This strength wasn't about the fullness degree, but breadth! Endurance! The sea of will was like a bottle, and right now, Zhao Li was expanding it. The bottle was growing larger. "Then don't blame me for not holding back!" Zhao Li was also drenched in sweat. With a low shout, he gripped the giant hammer directly and brought it crashing down! *Boom!* "Four hundred and fifty points..." *Boom!* "Four hundred and eighty points..." *Boom! Boom! Boom...* "Teacher... sl-slower..." Su Yu felt like he was losing count, his entire mind swimming in confusion. "Count my ass, keep taking it!" Zhao Li's face had gone pale as well. Utilizing the Will Expansion Art in this manner drained his own willpower severely. Strike after strike! With a final *thud*, Su Yu collapsed to the ground. He had passed out! Zhao Li also slumped to the floor, panting heavily and soaked in sweat. He stared at Su Yu with a bizarre expression. *Damn it, I've seen a ghost! Is this guy even human?* "How many strikes was that? Twenty-eight?" Zhao Li muttered. To his utter shock, the unconscious Su Yu seemed to stir, mumbling in a feverish daze, "Eight hundred and seventy points... twenty-nine... Teacher... give me one more strike..." *Smack!* Zhao Li slapped him unconscious again! *Sleep properly, damn it! You're still keeping track of the money?! Have you lost your mind over profit?!* If he hammered any further, this kid's sea of will really would collapse! "Twenty-eight... no, twenty-nine strikes!" Zhao Li muttered, finding it hard to believe. Back then, the disciple who had endured nine strikes had reached the Lingyun Realm before turning fifty. Then what heights could Su Yu reach after enduring twenty-nine strikes? Although this didn't necessarily determine ultimate potential, still... Zhao Li rubbed his temples, a headache coming on. *Shanhai? Sun and Moon? Or... the unfathomable Eternal Realm?* "I definitely didn't sleep well last night, so I didn't hit hard enough today. Otherwise, three strikes would have finished him off!" Zhao Li grumbled to himself. *I refuse to believe it!* Still, this kid... was truly terrifying. Terrifying resilience, terrifying potential. *I nearly hammered you to death, and you still remembered to keep count. I have to hand it to you.* Thinking back, Zhao Li didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Was this purely immense potential, or was it driven by an overwhelming lust for wealth? *His willpower is clearly so weak, yet he held out until now. Utterly terrifying! Unyielding, tempered through a thousand trials!* If other people's willpower was steel forged once, Su Yu... had started out at the level of hundred-fold refined steel! *Something's wrong. Where did he get such incredible resilience? It feels as if... as if he had already undergone hundreds or thousands of tortures before!* Zhao Li scratched his head, pulling out strands of hair. Just how old was Su Yu? A kid in his teens—how could he feel as though he had already been tempered hundreds or thousands of times?