Temper the Body First

Su Yu entered Heaven-Severing Valley. And at this very moment, on the human side, in the Great Xia Prefecture camp at the headquarters of the Demon Suppression Army, Marquis Xia arrived. He had personally rushed to the All-Heavens Battlefield. He was not alone; he had brought several Sun Moon Realm experts with him, including the ancestor of the Wu family—Wu Lan and her sister's great-grandmother. Inside headquarters, Marquis Xia wore a grim expression. Always fond of smiling, he could not smile now. Huang Teng and Wu Qi were trapped on the Desire Sea Plain, in danger of perishing. Great Xia Prefecture had indeed invested heavily in Huang Teng. Resources and money were minor matters. Huang Teng was a prodigy being groomed to take over the Demon Suppression Army; the Xia family had even intended to cultivate him into the next commander of the Dragon Martial Guard. Now that Huang Teng was in crisis, the Xia family had no choice but to step in. Even though there was an intimidating amount of business in Great Xia Prefecture, and even though the Multi-Divine Character Academy was about to open, he still had to come. Back in Great Xia Prefecture, Chief Hu, General Zhao, and a few others were overseeing affairs, with Marquis Xia's son Xia Xinyi and Xia Huyou assisting in administration. At a time like this, the downside of the Xia family's sparse lineage became glaringly evident. There were indeed several powerhouses in the branch families—such as Xia Yunqi; Xia Changqing, vice-head of the Great Xia Civilization Academy; and Xia Yuwen from Xia Changqing's line. All were considered powerhouses and geniuses, yet none could put Marquis Xia's mind at ease. With a darkened face, Marquis Xia pondered for a moment before speaking. "How is Huang Teng right now? Has any word come in?" The commander of the Demon Suppression Army sighed softly. "Yes. He is trapped in Heaven-Severing Valley." "Heaven-Severing Valley?" Marquis Xia breathed a slight sigh of relief. The boy certainly knew where to run. "His Heaven-Cleaving Blade has been practiced well. Inside Heaven-Severing Valley, his blade technique can receive an amplification. If his comprehension of the blade is strong enough, he can even borrow a bit of my old man's power, which will give his strength a boost." Even as he felt relieved, he could not help cursing, "Fool! Instead of fleeing east, he ran west! Beyond Heaven-Severing Valley, there's heavy monster race activity, including gods and demons. There are also several ancient cities out that way, with no telling how many experts lurk within or how many realms they lead to. What was that boy thinking?!" At his side, Wu Yuehua's mother said coolly, "Marquis, you might as well just say my Wu Qi dragged Huang Teng down!" "Old Madam, you misunderstand," Marquis Xia said with a wry smile. "I didn't mean that. These youngsters are hard to keep in line! The main issue is that it's far too troublesome. Old Madam, you know the situation on the Desire Sea Plain. The stronger someone is, the easier it is to get lost. On the Desire Sea Plain... to be free of desire is to be unyielding! As long as one has desire, one is easily influenced there. The more powerful one is, the more easily one runs into trouble and danger. We could certainly dispatch people to the rescue, but if a Sun Moon expert goes, it's very easy to get lost..." Yes, lost. Walking along, a Sun Moon cultivator might suddenly find themselves outside East Rift Valley, or near some ancient cities to the west, or run straight into enemy powerhouses. In short, on the Desire Sea Plain, the stronger one was, the more vulnerable one was to disruption. This was also why many geniuses loved to fight on the Desire Sea Plain—too much strength invited too much danger here. Not just the Desire Sea Plain; in fact, the entire All-Heavens Battlefield had similar issues to some extent. Of course, if an Invincible was stationed there, such disruptions would be far milder. As they spoke, a general hurried in from outside the hall and urgently reported, "Marquis, my lords, intelligence has arrived from the Desire Sea Plain!" "Speak!" Marquis Xia commanded at once. "General Huang Teng and Researcher Wu Qi are trapped in Heaven-Severing Valley. On the demon side, Tianduo, a prodigy of the Primordial Demon race, is leading a large force of demon experts and geniuses preparing to enter Heaven-Severing Valley to encircle and slay them. However... an unexpected turn of events occurred along the way." The reporting general said rapidly, "Cui Lang of Great Ming Prefecture suddenly appeared, and right in front of geniuses from the myriad races across the heavens, he slew Red Armor of the Black Armor race! Having previously killed Qing Armor as well, he has now executed both of the Black Armor race's experts on the Heaven Hunting Ranking! Cui Lang's rank rose to 18th on the Profound Ranking. He has now been forced into Heaven-Severing Valley. Marquis, should we contact Great Ming Prefecture to coordinate a rescue?" "..." Marquis Xia was stunned for a moment. Cui Lang? More like Su Yu! Holy crap! This kid really knew how to stir up trouble. Hadn't he only arrived here a few days ago? How had he suddenly killed both of the Black Armor race's geniuses? As the head of the Xia family, he had some understanding of the various races. Both geniuses of the Black Armor race were strong enough to slay enemies above their own cultivation realm. Making it onto the Heaven Hunting Ranking was in itself an endorsement of their prowess. Between the two, the weaker one, Qing Armor, had no trouble dealing with ordinary ninth-layer Lingyun experts, while the stronger one, Red Armor, was fully capable of battling Shanhai cultivators from weaker races. And they were killed by Su Yu just like that? This brat... fuck! The more he thought about it, the scarier it seemed! How old was he? Nineteen! Marquis Xia's expression shifted slightly. "Cui Lang entered Heaven-Severing Valley?" "Yes!" Cui Lang had entered! Su Yu had entered! Marquis Xia felt conflicted. Was it to rescue Huang Teng and Wu Qi? To tell the truth, on the Desire Sea Plain, even if the Xia family mounted a rescue, unless King Daxia or Xia Longwu went—unaffected by disruptions—anyone else, including Marquis Xia himself, would likely suffer interference if they set foot there. Sometimes, with poor luck, stepping on something might easily teleport someone to places like Tianmie City. Geniuses, on the other hand, had fewer such concerns. "Su Yu went there." For a moment, Marquis Xia was at a loss for words. That brat truly was a trouble magnet. His cultivation was so weak... All right, not weak at all. When he himself was nineteen, he hadn't even reached the Soaring Realm, yet this kid had fought his way to 18th on the Profound Ranking. And that was with an incorrect age recorded; otherwise, Su Yu would definitely be on the Earth Ranking. If he ever killed a Shanhai, he would undoubtedly make the Heaven Ranking, purely because of his youth. He was significantly younger than Huang Teng and the others! As he was mulling this over, the old matriarch of the Wu family asked in confusion, "Cui Lang of Great Ming Prefecture? Why did he rush to Heaven-Severing Valley? To rescue them? Or... to throw his life away?" Since when were people from Great Ming Prefecture so bold? The reporting general shook his head. "That is unclear. Cui Lang has already entered Heaven-Severing Valley, and we are still investigating the specifics. As for the Demon Suppression Army, Vice-General Chen Long has already led a squad toward Heaven-Severing Valley. General Chen's strength is quite solid and he isn't very old, so it shouldn't be too difficult for him to reach Heaven-Severing Valley smoothly." Chen Long indeed wasn't old; leading a team, he would have a much smoother journey. Someone older might lead a team straight into oblivion. "Chen Long?" Marquis Xia pondered. "His cultivation is a bit weak. Even though he has entered the Shanhai Realm, the Desire Sea Plain is currently teeming with geniuses from every race. Chen Long might not even match some of the top-tier Lingyun experts once he gets there. He only broke through to the third layer of Shanhai not long ago." At this thought, he suddenly added, "Isn't this Chen Long... a friend of Su Yu's father?" The commander of the Demon Suppression Army, who had remained quiet until now, spoke up. "He was Su Long's old subordinate. After Su Long was discharged back then, he took over the captain position and was subsequently promoted all the way to vice-general of the Second Legion. With the Second Legion about to be reorganized, I was planning to appoint him as its commander." With that, he glanced at Marquis Xia, hesitated briefly, and still said, "Marquis, though Su Yu has left Great Xia Prefecture, Su Long is still serving in the military, and Chen Long has fought for many years, dedicating much to Great Xia. I hope... the Marquis will not hinder this matter because of that!" "..." Marquis Xia was completely speechless. When did I ever say I was going to hinder it? Whenever anything happens, every single one of you makes me the scapegoat! Did I say I wouldn't promote him just because he was Su Long's old subordinate? "Cut the nonsense!" Marquis Xia snorted. Thinking it over, he said, "Shanhai is not enough, yet Sun Moon faces too much risk..." He turned to look at someone and said, "Old Zheng, you go!" Zheng Ping! Head of the Great Xia War Academy, who had recently advanced to the Sun Moon Realm—and Wan Tiansheng's old rival. Zheng Ping looked rather elderly, but in truth he wasn't very old at all. The powerhouses of Great Xia Prefecture were generally not old; Zheng Ping was only just past seventy this year, which made him quite young for the Sun Moon Realm. Hearing this, Zheng Ping chuckled. "Fine, I'll go! Marquis, at critical moments, it's still us war fighters you have to rely on. Civilization Masters are useless. Marquis, in the future, Great Xia War Academy will need a bigger budget allocation." Marquis Xia snapped testily, "I'm sending you to save people, not to commit suicide!" The commander of the Demon Suppression Army could not help asking, "Marquis, is a Sun Moon expert really necessary?" "Yes!" Marquis Xia said somberly, "Earlier, it might not have been necessary, but now it definitely is. Even Sun Moon might not be enough. Unfortunately, those who are too powerful easily run into trouble. In any case, be careful lately. Originally, Huang Teng had a thirty percent chance of making it out fine. Now... he'd be lucky to have ten percent!" Do not underestimate Su Yu's knack for stirring up trouble. Originally, it might have been only the demon race encircling them. Before long, perhaps the god race would go, the monster race would go, and a whole slew of myriad races would follow. The greater the genius, the more easily they attracted trouble—this was an iron rule. Back in the day, Xia Longwu had stirred up plenty of trouble on the All-Heavens Battlefield, let alone Su Yu. Huang Teng could draw out the Primordial Demon race; did they think Su Yu was less capable? When these words were uttered, the expressions of the others turned peculiar. What did that mean? Earlier there was a thirty percent chance, and now only ten percent? Whom was he talking about? Whom was the Marquis distrusting? Though they didn't know the full story, hearing Marquis Xia speak like this, the commander of the Demon Suppression Army said anyway, "Then we must trouble Academy Head Zheng." "No trouble at all. Huang Teng is my student to begin with!" Zheng Ping said with a laugh, "Even if the Marquis hadn't mentioned it, I was already planning to go check on the situation. Having just advanced to the Sun Moon Realm, I haven't had a chance to show off my skills yet. This is just the right opportunity to meet some old fellows! I wonder if any old fellows from the god and demon races are heading there." "There definitely will be!" Marquis Xia said affirmatively, "That's certain. Given the chance to kill Huang Teng, they won't pass it up! Besides... in any case, even if you go, be careful. Also, if you can conveniently rescue Cui Lang of Great Ming Prefecture, do so. But if it gets too dangerous... abandon him. He won't die that easily." A top-tier monstrous genius didn't die so easily. Moreover, that kid had so many tricks up his sleeve, which he was certain of; if nothing else, his breath-concealment ability completely outclassed Huang Teng. Zheng Ping was somewhat puzzled, but still nodded. "All right, Marquis, I know what to do!" "Do we need to notify Great Ming Prefecture?" The commander of the Demon Suppression Army asked, "Great Ming Prefecture might not be paying attention to the Desire Sea Plain. Mainly, they previously had few geniuses active over there, so Great Xia Prefecture's information is much more well-informed than theirs." "Give them word!" Marquis Xia added, "It would be best to notify Zhu Tiandao. Even if word can't reach him, make sure it reaches Ye Hongyan, who is stationed at All-Heavens Prefecture." Others might not know Su Yu's true identity, but Ye Hongyan was very likely to know. She was Niu Baidao's wife, and it was said that when Su Yu visited All-Heavens Prefecture, he had stayed at her manor for two days. If so, she most likely knew. "Understood!" The commander nodded. That would be easy to deliver; she was stationed just outside the passage, making it very simple to pass the message. Once she was notified, it would be easy to inform Zhu Tiandao. ... Not long after. All-Heavens Prefecture. The Ye Manor. With a strange look in her eyes, Ye Hongyan looked at the messenger from the Demon Suppression Army. Only after a long pause did she say, "I understand. Tell your Marquis that I know what to do!" "Understood!" The messenger said nothing more and departed swiftly. Once he left, an expression of disbelief washed over Ye Hongyan's face. Su Yu hadn't left that long ago, right? He had only entered the All-Heavens Battlefield about half a month ago in total, and already he was stirring up trouble? Cornered in Heaven-Severing Valley? "What a trouble magnet!" Nursing a headache, Ye Hongyan was speechless. After a moment's thought, she decided to relay the message to Zhu Tiandao. In Ye Hongyan's eyes, this kid Su Yu was probably even more important than Huang Teng. The Xia family was having a massive headache over Huang Teng; how much more so for Su Yu? This time, Zhu Tiandao would probably have a headache of his own. She sent a message with a communication talisman, and soon sent another via a second communication talisman. One was direct to Zhu Tiandao, but there was a risk that long-distance messages might fail to be received. The other was a relay secret order sent to Great Ming Prefecture's envoys stationed within the nearby Great Zhou Prefecture, to be passed along layer by layer, prefecture by prefecture, which could also reach Great Ming Prefecture very quickly. This was a dual safeguard to prevent important news from being lost in transit. ... Not long after she dispatched the message. Within Great Ming Prefecture. Tiandu Prefecture. The Castellan Manor. Zhu Tiandao picked up the communication talisman, glanced at it, and felt a throbbing toothache! Damn you! You haven't been gone long, have you? You bastard, you immediately went off to provoke top geniuses and got cornered in Heaven-Severing Valley! That damned place borders the Central War Zone, and past Heaven-Severing Valley is basically monster race territory. The Black Armor race... their realm passage is located nearby. You went and wiped out their people in one fell swoop; aren't you afraid someone will come straight out of their home realm to slaughter you? "You little bastard, if you kill people, at least do it discreetly! You actually slaughtered them in full view of everyone! Where in Great Ming Prefecture do we have anyone like that?!" With behavior like this, his identity would be exposed sooner or later! Zhu Tiandao was helpless; sending people now might not make it in time. Fortunately, his eldest grandson was over there. He quickly sent a transmission back, telling Ye Hongyan to relay his military order to Zhu Hongwen, mobilizing experts from the Heavenly Dao Army to mount a rescue. Otherwise, Zhu Hongwen might not even know that a Great Ming genius was trapped on the Desire Sea Plain. "The Desire Sea Plain... in that cursed place, it's better to pray for your own good fortune; one can hardly rely on reinforcements!" Shaking his head! Zhu Tiandao sighed. He knew that place; he had been there a few times. It was rather sinister. It didn't affect young geniuses much, but for the elderly, the influence was severe, easily eroding them with desires or even causing them to sink into delusions. Some people had their minds so overwhelmed by desire the moment they stepped onto the Desire Sea Plain that they got themselves killed outright. "Great Ming Prefecture's Cui Lang..." Chuckling, he sent a transmission to Niu Baidao: your nominal disciple had better not come out of seclusion. If he comes out, he'll probably have a breakdown. Su Yu has already fought your way to 18th on the Profound Ranking—exciting, isn't it? In a few more days, he might even become an Earth Ranking genius. There aren't many Earth Ranking geniuses across the myriad realms. Cui Lang has truly made a name for himself across the heavens this time! ... And things were just as Zhu Tiandao expected. On Yuexin Island. After thinking it over, Niu Baidao still went to find the secluded Cui Lang—the real Cui Lang. Briefly explaining the situation, he consoled him, "Before Su Yu's identity is exposed, don't go outside. If you do... now that you're on the Profound Ranking, your ranking on the All-Races Cult's hit list has probably climbed as well. You, Cui Lang, might be worth several hundred thousand merit points now. Watch out or you'll get assassinated!" "..." Cui Lang was speechless, utterly numb. After a long time, he suddenly said, "Prefect, I hate you!" "..." Niu Baidao was speechless. Why hate me? It's not like I forced you to lend your identity to him; you happily lent it to Su Yu yourself. What good does hating me do now? Niu Baidao consoled him, "It's fine. What's the big deal about an Earth-rank weapon smith? What's the big deal about 18th on the Profound Ranking? With Su Yu's reckless style, running wild like this, his identity will definitely be exposed within half a year. When that time comes, it won't have anything to do with you anymore. Of course, you even earned a reputation; at least both the Human Realm and the myriad races of the heavens know there's a Cui Lang now." No big deal! Once his identity was exposed, everyone would naturally go after Su Yu instead of you, so don't be afraid. Cui Lang gritted his teeth. "Prefect, when that time comes, even if I go out in the flesh, won't everyone still suspect whether this is Su Yu in disguise?" "..." That seemed true! Better to kill a thousand by mistake than let one escape! Regardless of whether it was the real Cui Lang or the fake Cui Lang, as long as it might be Su Yu, killing him wouldn't be a loss. Niu Baidao consoled, "It's fine. You don't leave Great Ming Prefecture much anyway, so just avoid going to the All-Heavens Battlefield." Utterly insincere consolation! Cui Lang was dejected. I was an idiot to lend my identity to Su Yu! This fellow really knows how to ride the waves even better than me—he might as well rename himself Su Lang! Still, thinking carefully, it felt a little thrilling too. At least the myriad races now knew of Cui Lang's great name. Dangerous though it was, hadn't he made a name for himself? In a lifetime, didn't people just strive for lust, fame, and fortune? Now that he had fame, what else did he have to fear missing out on? After comforting himself for a bit, Cui Lang figured: It's nothing, I'll just keep cultivating in seclusion. It's fine, I'm not scared. ... Su Yu had no idea that Great Ming Prefecture and Great Xia Prefecture were sending people to the rescue. At this moment, he had completely entered Heaven-Severing Valley. In any case, he was in no great hurry. The moment he stepped into Heaven-Severing Valley, streaks of blade qi drifted around him as though they had come alive. Su Yu felt no immense pressure; rather, he felt somewhat at ease. These strands of blade qi were quite friendly toward him. Activating the Heaven-Cleaving Blade! With 144 apertures erupting, Su Yu manifested his own blade qi, which was anything but weak—it was powerful. The lingering blade qi left behind by King Daxia swirled around him, showing signs of merging with his own. As the two currents of blade qi clashed, the vibrations made Su Yu's body tremble. It felt invigorating! Su Yu pondered for a moment, and his mind stirred. In the next instant, heaven yuan qi materialized, swirling around him as he began using the blade qi to temper his body. Meanwhile, in his sea of will, he continued absorbing the lingering resonance of the divine characters. The divine character "Transform" showed signs of advancing. Sure enough, advancing on the All-Heavens Battlefield felt somewhat easier. Tempering the body with blade qi! Su Yu did not absorb King Daxia's blade qi; using it to temper his body felt much more exhilarating. More and more blade qi gathered around him. Faintly, special insights surfaced as well. "Sharpness!" "Indomitable momentum!" "Certain death!" Insights manifested one after another in his mind. This was the conviction left behind by King Daxia in the past. His blade strike had been just like that—aiming to slay the opponent without fail, to strike down the target without mercy. Even though it had failed to do so, the conviction carried by that strike was undeniable. The fact that the blade qi in Heaven-Severing Valley had not dispersed for centuries—Su Yu suspected it might also have something to do with King Daxia's failure to kill that foe; the blade qi still carried a touch of indignation and resentment. Su Yu sensed it clearly! Failing to slay his opponent, King Daxia had been left with regret and indignation after that strike. He wondered which top-tier powerhouse had taken that slash from King Daxia; most likely, even if they hadn't died, they had been gravely wounded. Entangled within Heaven-Severing Valley was another power as well. It carried a sacred flavor! "An expert of the god race!" Su Yu's eyes flickered. An expert of the god race. In the next instant, he restrained his blade qi and abruptly began circulating a cultivation technique of the god race. The cultivation technique of the Primordial God Race! The moment he ran this technique, rumbling boomed as blade qi erupted, quickly opening bloody lacerations across Su Yu's body. Yet right at that moment, a burst of sacred power erupted, instantly healing those wounds! What sought to kill him was King Daxia's blade qi, while what healed him was that sacred power—which likely originated from the Primordial God Race. Only an Invincible among the Primordial God Race could fight King Daxia to such an extent, survive without being killed, and cause King Daxia to retreat in regret. After testing it out, Su Yu was instantly overjoyed. Although King Daxia's blade qi was terrifying and wounded him in an instant, the sacred power was not weak either, swiftly repairing his physical body. "This feels amazing!" "Tempering the body like this is fantastic!" Su Yu felt as though he had discovered a treasure trove and was ecstatic. Quenching his body with blade qi, repairing it with sacred power, and devouring heaven yuan qi—cultivating here was definitely far faster than outside. Without further hesitation, Su Yu circulated the god race technique. If the blade qi grew too fierce, he would switch to the Heaven-Cleaving Blade. That way, he had no fear of accidentally killing himself. Excellent! This was exactly the place he had been looking for. Here, he might be able to complete multiple body temperings. He wasn't leaving! No matter who came, he wouldn't leave! Su Yu advanced while cultivating, taking the opportunity to search for Huang Teng and the others. Huang Teng had also practiced the Heaven-Cleaving Blade, and Su Yu could faintly sense a weak resonance: that guy was somewhere in a nearby area. ... At the same time. Huang Teng frowned slightly and glanced behind him, saying with some puzzlement, "Someone came in behind us." "Is that strange?" Wu Qi said indifferently. It would be strange if no one came in. Did you really think those guys would let you off? "No!" Huang Teng said with a grin, "I mean it's rather strange. It feels like whoever entered is stirring the blade qi here. Could they know the Heaven-Cleaving Blade too? But... very few people know the Heaven-Cleaving Blade. Did someone from the Xia family come? Xia Yuwen?" Otherwise, people from the Xia family were either too strong or too weak, or had someone outside the Xia family arrived? He was curious! Of course, even if this person knew the Heaven-Cleaving Blade, he still found it strange. One moment, the blade qi here converged toward that direction as if in affinity; the next moment, another power gathered there instead, and he had no idea what was going on. The blade qi seemed to repel it too! What a bizarre fellow! Someone from the god race? Or what? At this moment, even Huang Teng couldn't tell for sure. He said rapidly, "Keep moving forward. Don't linger in one place for too long. Find a weak point and be ready to break out at any moment!" Wu Qi nodded and asked with some curiosity, "You say the newcomer knows the Heaven-Cleaving Blade?" "Sort of, but not quite. Moreover... if they really do know it, the blade qi here belongs to King Daxia. If their version of the Heaven-Cleaving Blade isn't the top-tier version, it would be hard to provoke a resonance. The Xia family hasn't passed down the top-tier Heaven-Cleaving Blade to many people, right?" Huang Teng wasn't too clear on the details either—whom the Xia family had passed the Heaven-Cleaving Blade to, and who had received the top-tier transmission. In any case, what he practiced opened 144 apertures. Word had it that nowadays King Daxia's research into the Heaven-Cleaving Blade was no longer limited to 144 apertures, though whether a Divine-rank technique had emerged, no one knew. "The top-tier Heaven-Cleaving Blade?" Wu Qi thought about it and shook her head, but soon thought of someone and said with a faint smile, "I'm not sure about others, but I do know someone who knows it." "Who?" "Su Yu." "Him?" Huang Teng thought for a moment, then nodded and laughed. "I haven't met him, but I've heard of him. He's quite something. Bai Feng's student, also from a commoner background. I was just wondering: if he ever meets me, will he take revenge on me? After all, I beat Bai Feng up three times." Wu Qi couldn't be bothered to reply. Go ask Su Yu yourself. "Su Yu... most likely wouldn't dare come here." Huang Teng continued with a chuckle, "Speaking of others, what do you think is the deal with Cui Lang of Great Ming Prefecture?" Just moments ago, the sub-ranking had trembled. He had checked it: Red Armor was dead! Cui Lang of Great Ming Prefecture had reached 18th on the Profound Ranking. How strange! He hadn't believed it; when Qing Armor was killed, he had checked it too, and didn't believe it either. At this moment, something faintly clicked in his mind. "Cui Lang, Su Yu, Great Ming Prefecture, Heaven-Cleaving Blade..." He murmured, then asked, "Wu Qi, how long ago did the sub-ranking change?" "Half an hour ago." "Half an hour... It was around then that I noticed the blade qi in Heaven-Severing Valley acting strange." Huang Teng muttered, "Cui Lang killed Red Armor, and right after that, a guy who knows the Heaven-Cleaving Blade entered this place. Cui Lang killed Red Armor... If he killed him nearby and seized the chance to flee in here, then that means... the one who knows the Heaven-Cleaving Blade is Cui Lang?" Wu Qi's eyes flickered. "Cui Lang?" Huang Teng nodded slightly. "Otherwise it's too much of a coincidence. Red Armor just died, Cui Lang just fought his way to 18th on the Profound Ranking, and immediately an expert who knows the Heaven-Cleaving Blade appears here. Who else could it be?" He added, "Is Cui Lang close to Great Xia Prefecture? Would the Xia family pass the top-tier Heaven-Cleaving Blade down to him?" "..." Never! Wu Qi said in her heart. No matter how loosely the Xia family handed out the Heaven-Cleaving Blade, they wouldn't treat the top-tier version like cabbage and pass it out indiscriminately so that even Cui Lang could learn it. "A weapon smith!" Huang Teng turned his head to look at her. "Didn't you tell me before that Su Yu has a very good relationship with Teacher Zhao Li?" Wu Qi nodded. "And this Cui Lang specializes in hammer techniques, seemingly Teacher Zhao Li's Expanding Will Art." Wu Qi nodded slightly again, her brow knitting. "You mean..." "Just a guess!" Huang Teng laughed. "I'm just wondering: is he truly a genius to this extent? Count it as a year from his enrollment to now. A year ago, he was still at the Open Yuan Realm. A year later, he's fought his way onto the Profound Ranking? No, if it's true, he should be on the Earth Ranking!" Wu Qi didn't know what to say. After a long silence, she said in a low voice, "Don't make wild guesses!" She was panicking inside! Impossible! How could that brat progress so fast? I don't believe it. Cui Lang is Cui Lang, and Su Yu is Su Yu. They definitely aren't the same person! Just a few months ago, she had visited the Great Ming Civilization Academy and warned Su Yu to treat her younger sister better, or she'd beat him to death... Now, you turn around and tell me this fellow, who might be even stronger than you, is Cui Lang? I don't believe it, and I won't accept it. Wild guesses! This Huang Teng is just acting clever and talking nonsense. Can't Cui Lang simply be a bit strong? Are you jealous of Cui Lang? Huang Teng shrugged. It was just a guess, not a crime. Still, there were indeed many suspicious points. In any case, if they actually ran into him, they would know. Wu Qi was also gloomy. She asked in a low voice, "Then should we join up with him?" "No!" Huang Teng shook his head. "Without knowing who came, without confirming their identity or strength, we shouldn't join up! If he's weak, our presence could easily drag him to his death; if he's strong, we could easily drag him down!" "Here, everyone acts on their own. Unless we're forced together, we can see how things go and cooperate then. You're a battlefield veteran too; don't make such mistakes." Wu Qi couldn't be bothered to argue. Only because you claimed it was Su Yu did I consider joining up. If it wasn't Su Yu, she couldn't care less about joining up with anyone. Dragging others down was bad, and burdening themselves was bad too. "If your guess is true, then he might have come to rescue me!" Huang Teng looked at her with utter astonishment. "You... you take both master and disciple?!" "..." Boom! An ice blade slashed across Huang Teng's face, leaving a reddish-purple welt. Wu Qi glared at him coldly. Huang Teng said speechlessly, "You said it yourself! He actually came here to save you? I thought I was the only one in the whole world who would come. This is risking one's life! For him to come rescue you... it's too complicated! Back then, did Bai Feng want to do that thing with you..." Wu Qi looked at him coldly. "Vile!" "How is it vile?" Huang Teng felt aggrieved. You said it yourself, not me. "If he came, it was because of my sister!" "Taking both sisters?!" Huang Teng's jaw dropped. "The Twin Wu Aperture Fusion Art... the two of you sisters? Wasn't one of them supposed to be his senior sister?" "..." "Shut your mouth!" Wu Qi hissed in a low voice and said nothing more. She didn't want to speak another word to this shameless bastard! Huang Teng felt even more aggrieved. You were the one who brought it up, and I was merely drawing conclusions from what you said. Yet you got angry! Women really were difficult to deal with. And was the newcomer really Su Yu? To be honest, he didn't quite believe this guess himself, but he could faintly sense that the other party knew the Heaven-Cleaving Blade. If not Su Yu, could Cui Lang really know the Great Xia Prefecture's top-tier Heaven-Cleaving Blade? ... While Huang Teng was guessing, Su Yu was certain that Huang Teng was just ahead of him. "Did that guy sense me?" "He's still running... Does he not want to join up with me?" Su Yu thought about it and decided it didn't matter. I can't even be bothered to save you anyway. Whatever. I'll temper my body first. I'm almost at the thirteenth tempering. We'll talk after I finish tempering. If you die before I'm done, don't blame me for not saving you. In the next moment, Su Yu turned into a golden shadow and vanished on the spot. On one side of the gorge, there was now an extra, broken golden saber. The Metal Spirit race's metal morph! Many had died in this place; broken items and skeletal remains were scattered throughout the gorge. He had it much easier than Huang Teng. Given his current state—his breath-concealment technique combined with the "Shade" character, the "Transform" character, and the "Quiet" character—hardly anyone could detect him. First, temper the body, then talk. If anyone else came in, he'd hack them to death as they passed by! In pure combat strength, he might not necessarily beat Huang Teng, but when it came to survivability, Huang Teng couldn't even compare. Not joining up? He was more than happy to have an easier time.