I Understand Now!

Inside the grand hall. A colossal stone statue loomed over the space. Tianmen, having escorted his guest inside, quickly said, "Just wait here. Whether you receive any revelation or not, no one can say." Su Yu asked in confusion, "Just wait here?" "That's right!" "Has anyone ever received a fortunate encounter here before?" "Naturally!" Tianmen pondered for a moment before saying, "Quite a few people have visited this place over the years. Some of them you might even know. Back in the day, Ye Batian came here, and Xia Longwu came here as well..." "Wait!" Su Yu frowned in disbelief. "Manor Lord Xia... wait a second, he came here?" Are you kidding? He sent Tianhe flying with a single slash—he actually came here? Did he force his way in after blasting Tianhe away? Tianmen fell silent, then nodded. "He came." Well, Su Yu had nothing left to say to that. "Did they both obtain benefits?" "No. When Xia Longwu came, he ended up waiting around until a Sun Moon dead spirit showed up. Afterward, he killed the dead spirit and fled!" "..." Su Yu froze. *Holy crap!* Manor Lord Xia waited around only for a Sun Moon dead spirit to show up? Are you sure this place holds fortunate opportunities and isn't just a death trap? Even an expert in the Sun Moon Realm would normally be corroded to death upon encountering a Sun Moon dead spirit, yet Xia Longwu had actually killed one... Su Yu asked quizzically, "If killing a Shanhai dead spirit summons a Sun Moon, wouldn't slaying a Sun Moon dead spirit summon an Invincible dead spirit? Do Invincible dead spirits even exist?" "I don't know." Tianmen truly had no answer for that. He explained, "After Xia Longwu decapitated the Sun Moon dead spirit, he retreated very quickly, and nothing further occurred. However, he was severely injured—perhaps he encountered something else. Things at that level are beyond a Shanhai like me to get involved in." Compared to peerless powerhouses like Xia Longwu, a Shanhai like him was insignificant. Not to mention him, even the city lord who tried to intervene had been swatted away with a single blade strike. If that blade had hit Tianmen, he would have died on the spot. Naturally, he had no idea what Xia Longwu had run into. All he knew was that Xia Longwu had been wounded. For an incomparable powerhouse like that to sustain injuries, one could easily imagine how perilous this place was. Of course, it was also true that real fortunes existed here. "Then who did obtain a fortunate opportunity?" "Ye Batian!" Tianmen explained, "When Ye Batian came here, he obtained a fortunate encounter! It seemed to be a cultivation art. No one knows the exact art, but after that, Ye Batian's strength skyrocketed, and he roamed the All-Heavens Battlefield unrivaled!" *Saying he was unrivaled is a bit of an exaggeration!*, Su Yu thought, a strange look crossing his face. *The Fifth Generation obtained a fortunate encounter here?* At that very moment, the stone statue desperately wanted to chime in: *It had little to do with me. That art wasn't anything special; it was mostly because Ye Batian was recklessly wild on his own.* *As for Xia Longwu, he was an absolute slaughter fiend. His severe injuries had little to do with me, either.* *That madman insisted on hacking his way straight into the dead spirits' lair. Even this statue felt helpless. He was lucky just to have survived.* *As for merely killing one Sun Moon dead spirit—that was just what you lot saw! By the time he killed his last one, you finally caught sight of it. Before that, he had probably slaughtered... around twenty of them?* *Fine, even this stone statue can't remember the exact count.* *His butchery nearly triggered a dead spirit riot. It was purely his good luck that he didn't die.* The stone statue contemplated in silence. *This stone statue is going back to sleep. You don't need to wait around.* Having said his piece, Tianmen spoke again: "Then I shall take my leave. It is best if only one person remains in this place. Whenever there are too many people, almost no anomalies ever appear." The stone statue continued to think to itself: *Because having too many people around is annoying. The only reason I haven't beaten you all to death is this stone statue's magnanimity.* *As for those select few who obtained fortunate encounters... some of them were purely boasting, and I didn't care to call them out.* *Others possessed monstrous innate talent. Regardless, I never gifted them anything; most of it was just what they comprehended on their own.* Tianmen departed. …… Inside the grand hall, only Su Yu remained. Well, not quite—there was also the little fur ball licking divine characters, along with a solitary stone statue. Su Yu glanced around. The entire grand hall was utterly Spartan. Of course, it was massive. The stone statue was at least thirty meters tall, yet resting within the hall, the surroundings remained cavernous and empty without the slightest hint of crowding. Moreover, the statue was seated cross-legged. If it stood up, it would be toweringly tall. The most conspicuous thing in the entire room was this statue. Aside from that, there was almost nothing else. Su Yu examined the floor, the walls, the ceiling... Everything seemed carved from a single seamless whole, appearing ancient and eternal. When he stamped his foot down, nothing budged in the slightest. He considered testing it with a saber strike, but worried about attracting dead spirits. Even though he wasn't afraid of them, provoking dead spirits inside someone else's territory was ill-advised. After surveying the rest of the hall, he turned his gaze back to the stone statue. It was gargantuan. Truly enormous! Just sitting cross-legged, it reached thirty meters high—the height of a ten-story building. One couldn't even take in the top with a single glance. At this moment, standing beside the stone statue, Su Yu looked like a tiny kitten. Su Yu scrutinized the statue carefully. The carving was remarkably lifelike. It was undeniably male, appearing humanoid, yet as Su Yu peered closer, it didn't seem entirely human. There seemed to be a tail behind its buttocks. He couldn't see it clearly, so he strolled around to the back. However, all he could see were the robes draping over the posterior, which were also sculpted in vivid detail. Even so, the tip of a tail peeked out ever so slightly. "A tail?" Su Yu muttered under his breath. Not human, then. Far too many races possessed tails, making it impossible for him to determine its exact identity. "It has existed for countless years. Was it carved by an ancient powerhouse? Could it represent the original master of this ancient city?" Su Yu fell into deep contemplation, staring at that tail for a while. Only a small section was exposed, leaving its full length unknown. After inspecting the tail, he circled back around to the front and took another look, remarking with a peculiar expression, "Back in the ancient era, the fashion style was quite trendy. It even deliberately exposes the chest—and on a man, no less!" The stone statue continued dozing. *Bullshit! What a load of absolute nonsense!* Su Yu glanced all around, reaching out to feel the thigh. Even the leg hairs were rendered with startling realism—each hair was quite long, though thoroughly petrified. Lifelike as they were, they carried a distinct weight of history. He gave one a fierce tug, but nothing happened. This stone statue was indeed exceptionally sturdy. The stone statue continued to sleep: *There have been people who attacked me, but someone who starts plucking my leg hairs the moment they walk in? Genuinely never. Are you bored out of your mind?* Su Yu continued his inspection and flew upward. He wasn't particularly afraid, nor did he treat the statue with excessive reverence. Records stated that the statue hadn't broken even when attacked by Tianhe, proving its extreme resilience, and Tianhe hadn't suffered any retribution either. Xia Longwu's crisis likely had little to do with the stone statue itself. Flying up to the head level, Su Yu landed upon the statue's shoulder. Right now, he wasn't even as tall as the statue's head. If the statue stood, it would be around fifty to sixty meters tall, with its head alone spanning at least seven or eight meters. Su Yu's height was barely equal to the statue's neck. Standing on the shoulder, he walked around the neck. As he passed under the chin, Su Yu felt something blocking his way. Looking up, he realized it was likely a beard. He threw a punch into the whiskers. *This fellow's beard is sculpted so realistically!* *Who sculpted this?* *To successfully carve a material this resilient, the sculptor's strength must have been terrifyingly formidable!* *Resilient material...* Su Yu jolted slightly! *Resilient material!* A brilliant light flashed in his eyes. A resilient material! This... this thing was hard for even a ninth-stage Sun Moon expert to damage. Could it... could it be an extraordinarily rare weapon-forging material? Su Yu's gaze abruptly shifted. Was this the fortunate opportunity? A supreme opportunity? A fortune for forging divine armaments? He swallowed dryly, then suddenly jumped down, abandoning his harassment of the statue's beard. Landing swiftly on the floor, he looked it up and down, his eyes gleaming with shifting thoughts. *I can't carry it away, nor can I lift it...* *Then... what if I use this as the foundation to forge an Earth armament?* An Earth armament would definitely be no problem! What about forging an embryonic Heaven armament? Could he carry it away then? Even if he couldn't take it with him, this remained an overwhelmingly potent material. If he forged it, perhaps he could leave a thread of his imprint inside, maybe even managing to move the statue. If that worked, given its peerless hardness, hurling it as a giant boulder could bash plenty of powerhouses to death! Su Yu's heart surged with excitement. Was this his true opportunity? A peerless treasure for armamentsmithing! "What a pity... Teacher Zhao isn't here. Otherwise, if Teacher Zhao and I joined forces..." Su Yu muttered to himself. They might truly have been able to forge a Heaven armament. Even if it turned out to be an immovable Heaven armament, where else could one find such supreme forging material? This thing was so sturdy that not even ninth-stage Sun Moon experts could dent it. It was the ultimate armamentsmithing material, allowing one to experiment with whatever techniques one pleased. Su Yu's eyes shone brightly. This truly might be his grand opportunity. Forging a formidable weapon... or even following Old Zhao's example by fusing a divine character into it, forging it as his natal civilized armament! The quality of this material easily surpassed many Heaven armaments! In any case, he possessed plenty of divine characters and didn't distinguish between main and secondary ones. Fusing one divine character inside shouldn't be an issue at all. At that thought, Su Yu's eyes lit up completely. If he could truly smelt and take this stone statue away—holy crap! With a quality on par with a divine armament, even without special traits, its sheer sturdiness alone would carry him all the way to the Invincible Realm without issue! *Boom!* A plume of flame ignited as a tier-four "Fire" divine character began roasting the stone statue. At this moment, Su Yu couldn't care less about dead spirits; he had found his true fortune! The stone statue quietly kept its eyes shut. *What is he doing?* *He's burning me!* *Could it be to test my sturdiness...* Just as the thought crossed its mind, a massive hammer appeared in Su Yu's hands. The next instant, he flew above its head and brought the hammer crashing down with a resounding *boom*! That single strike sent a violent shockwave through Su Yu's body, yet instant delight washed over his face! What magnificent material! Even his "Shock" divine character felt an intense recoil! *I've struck gold!* If this thing truly became his natal civilized armament, Su Yu was certain his strength would skyrocket. Enduring a ninety-nine character divine character battle technique would pose no difficulty whatsoever. From then on, he would never need to worry about his civilized armament again. Five divine characters—Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—emerged, and he activated his armamentsmithing technique! *Rumble!* Hammer blow after hammer blow rained down as Su Yu sweated profusely. He was going to forge this stone statue. Even if he couldn't melt it down, it didn't matter. As long as the Expanding Will Art could resonate and produce the slightest bit of harmonious force, he could merge his divine character inside and align them in unison! Perhaps he could then wield this stone statue, casually hurling a boulder to crush a Shanhai cultivator just for fun. At this moment, the stone statue was momentarily dazed. *He's... forging me?* Yes, it finally realized Su Yu's intention. *He's treating me as material to forge a weapon!* *Fuck!* This was the first time in history. People had burned him, hammered him, and battered him, but absolutely no one had ever treated him as forging material, attempting to use him as the foundation to create an earth-shattering weapon. Perhaps it was because no armamentsmith had ever come here before. Even the stone statue felt a bit dazed. Come to think of it, could he truly forge a divine armament out of me? After some thought, if someone were strong enough, it was indeed possible. Forget petrification—even without it, living refinement methods existed. Forging living beings into armaments! The stronger the medium, the more formidable the resulting armament. Just like Hu Qi—last time, she had captured a Sun Moon expert and forged them straight into an armament! Right now, the same logic applied. If Su Yu were powerful and lucky enough, perhaps he really could forge this stone statue into an unmatched stone armament of supreme might. From a conceptual standpoint, Su Yu's logic held up. It only came down to whether he could forge it successfully! Not only that, but Su Yu's current forging also served to temper his own physical body, consolidating his realm and vibrating his flesh. Both the "Shock" divine character and the Expanding Will Art helped him purge impurities from his physical body and willpower. Having reversed his origin qi multiple times and recently broken through his physical limits consecutively, Su Yu took this chance to temper himself as well. Even if he couldn't complete the armament, such prime material was exceptionally rare. He could unleash every single technique in his arsenal. Ordinary materials would shatter after a few blows from the Mind Expansion Hammer. This thing, however, was marvelous—it probably wouldn't crack even after tens of thousands of strikes. Su Yu hammered away madly! He was in high spirits; this was truly wonderful stuff. He began adjusting his vibrational frequency, striving to synchronize with the stone statue. After hammering it for a while, he noticed something fascinating: the stone statue was genuinely exquisite material. Under vibration, it produced a unique, subtle frequency. Su Yu sought to achieve harmony and embed his divine character, continuously adjusting himself in the process. Once, twice... Su Yu tuned himself slowly. Gradually, the vibration frequency accelerated, and as Su Yu hammered while keeping his eyes locked onto the statue, a strange look emerged in his eyes. He was still modulating the frequency, vibrating his own body. As the vibrations carried on and on... Su Yu suddenly felt all the pores across his entire body open wide! His bones, flesh, and origin qi began vibrating in unison. An indescribable enlightenment surged into his mind, and he muttered, "A breathing technique... a method for respiring origin qi!" His gaze completely transformed! He was merely forging a weapon, yet he had actually comprehended a cultivation art—an exceedingly peculiar art. It wasn't an aperture-opening art, but a respiratory breathing art that inhaled and exhaled origin qi to accelerate cultivation. Su Yu was astonished. This... this technique had no racial restrictions! Simply because it required no coordination between origin apertures. It was purely a matter of one's own internal vibrational frequency! In his shock, Su Yu finally understood what a fortunate encounter meant. Had the Fifth Generation obtained his technique in this exact same way? Could the Fifth Generation have hammered away at this stone statue as well? And received an art's legacy in the process? Inhale! Exhale! Su Yu continued forging, his giant hammer crashing into the stone statue in rhythm with the vibrational frequency. A large quantity of death qi inside him that hadn't been fully expelled earlier was now driven out of his body, alongside dead, blackened blood seeping from his pores. In for a penny, in for a pound—Su Yu simply retrieved several portions of Heaven Yuan Qi, letting it drift around him as he relished the joy of forging. …… "Three hundred ninety-eight..." Meanwhile, the stone statue silently counted. *This kid has hit me three hundred and ninety-eight times.* *Yet he does possess some comprehension. By sheer fluke, he actually grasped my breathing technique.* He was alive; he had always been breathing, cultivating, and respiring origin qi—others simply couldn't see it. No one had ever done this before! Forging him, then tuning their own frequency to match his—Su Yu's original goal had been to fuse his divine character inside, which just happened to align with his breathing technique. By sheer coincidence, he had learned his breathing art. This was an exceptional method used by ancient warriors to strengthen their physical bodies. And he was no ordinary ancient warrior; his breathing art was immensely powerful! Under petrification, forget Sun Moon cultivators—even an Invincible might not necessarily breach his defenses. All of this owed much to the sheer potency of this breathing technique. Right now, while Su Yu's grasp was incomplete, he had undeniably grasped its fundamentals. The stone statue was caught completely off guard! *What is this supposed to be?* *You forge me, and then you learn a piece of an ancient breathing art? So you mistreat me, and you're the one who gets rewarded?* *Also, he has quite a lot of Heaven Yuan Qi, doesn't he?* The stone statue absorbed it covertly. Su Yu sensed nothing amiss, only noticing that the Heaven Yuan Qi was depleting at terrifying speed. The ten portions he had just brought out were gone in the blink of an eye! *Holy crap!* Su Yu felt a pang of heartache. This breathing art was astonishingly strong, yet it truly seemed to enhance his physical body, feeling exceptionally formidable! While his explosive power hadn't increased much, Su Yu felt his body's endurance threshold expand. Those ten portions of Heaven Yuan Qi hadn't gone to waste. It was just a bit too costly! "A powerful breathing art... high consumption is only natural!" Still thrilled, Su Yu retrieved more Heaven Yuan Qi and continued forging, breathing in and out as his physical body steadily strengthened. With the death qi and dead blood purged, he felt completely refreshed! His willpower grew vigorous! At this moment, Su Yu began operating the Longevity Art—the Immortal race's life-energy stimulation method. Soft popping sounds echoed continuously as he discovered that combining it with this breathing art invigorated his physical body even further. This was an impromptu experiment on his part. Meanwhile, the stone statue, which had initially been secretly absorbing the Heaven Yuan Qi... suddenly lost all interest. *Damn it all!* *First you forge me, and now you're farting like an Immortal! I can barely tolerate this fellow anymore—what kind of garbage is this!* *Didn't this brat want to leave?* *Hurry up and get the hell out!* *What a nuisance!* …… Right at that moment, it opened its eyes. Yet Su Yu remained entirely oblivious, still immersed in the joy of cultivation. Just as he swung his hammer down once more, it suddenly struck empty air! He froze for a fraction of a second, instantly raising his guard. Right now, he no longer seemed to be in the grand hall, but within a separate dimension. "Who is it?" Su Yu scanned his surroundings, but detected no movement or presence. Even his "Calamity" divine character remained motionless—or rather, all of his divine characters had fallen dead silent. Su Yu was greatly alarmed! Was this the so-called fortunate opportunity—or a calamity? Where was he? Wasn't he in the rear hall of the Prefecture Lord Manor? Why had he suddenly appeared here? Just then, an ethereal, distant voice resonated from the heavens and from every direction, rattling Su Yu's ears so violently they felt ready to burst. "Mortal! State your wish!" That majestic, soul-shaking voice sent profound shock through Su Yu's heart. "Senior... what manner of esteemed expert are you?" "Mortal, state your wish!" The thunderous voice crashed down once more, nearly rupturing Su Yu's eardrums. Su Yu's mind stirred, and he hurriedly asked, "Senior, a wish... could the fortune here be the granting of a wish?" "Yes!" Receiving a response brought Su Yu no joy, only trepidation. *A living being?* *Not an automated mechanism?* Su Yu was terrified inside, but dared not show it. He asked gingerly, "Senior, is any wish acceptable?" "Speak!" "I want to annihilate the God and Demon realms..." Silence. Complete, utter silence. Sensing the stillness and fearing he had invited trouble, Su Yu hastily added, "That wish was too grand. Then... could Senior bestow upon me one million strands of Mystic Light of Heaven and Earth?" "..." Still silence. Su Yu probed cautiously once more. "Then... could Senior grant me one million Heaven Yuan Fruits?" "Or perhaps... a mass of willpower that can elevate me straight into the Sun Moon Realm, the pure kind?" "..." Receiving no answer at all, Su Yu wanted to curse aloud. You told me to state my wish, so why aren't you replying to anything? Right at that moment, the grandiose voice boomed again: "State a wish that matches your own strength!" *Damn it, you're spouting nonsense.* *Wasn't your wish to get out of Tianmie City as soon as possible?* *Why are you being so completely unhinged!* Yet in Su Yu's view, if he could directly wipe out his enemies, he wouldn't need to leave the city in the first place. That was his true desire; leaving the city was merely a reluctant last resort. With that in mind, hearing the requirement for a wish matching his own strength... Su Yu thought it over and asked cautiously, "Senior, I have killed a peak Shanhai. Does that count as peak Shanhai strength?" *What kind of nonsense is this?* Even now, Su Yu didn't know where he actually was. Yet to an outsider's eyes, he was still standing right where he had been. The stone statue gave no reply. Su Yu continued, "Could Senior bestow upon me one thousand Shanhai dead spirits? The kind that obey my commands." *This should match my strength, right?* *If this works... one thousand Shanhai dead spirits would be enough to slaughter a whole swarm of Sun Moon cultivators. Why would I need to run? When the myriad races' Sun Moon experts arrive, I can wipe them all out!* Naturally, he was also testing the waters. Where in the world had he ended up? It gave off a terrifying feeling! Could it be related to dead spirits? Could he really be granted command over a host of dead spirits? The more he interacted with this Tianmie Ancient City, the more fearful and mysterious it seemed. What a bizarre city! Meanwhile, the stone statue desperately wanted to slap him to death! *All you do is make absurd, impossible demands! Do you want to leave the city or not?* Failing to receive an answer, Su Yu realized the other party couldn't do it. A bit helpless, he thought: *Looks like... it isn't quite as omnipotent and mysterious as I imagined; it can't even grant that.* Of course, since he was under someone else's roof, he decided to ask for something the other party might actually be able to provide. "Could Senior bestow upon me one hundred traversal talismans for traveling through the ancient city?" "..." The stone statue was left petrified! *What does he mean?* Then it understood! This kid didn't want to simply walk out of the city gates; he felt that might put him at a disadvantage. A talisman allowing arbitrary traversal through the ancient city was vastly superior to just leaving through an exit. Leaving the city required using the gates. Coming in or going out, everyone would be watching. Strong powerhouses were likely already stationed outside right now. If Su Yu walked out through the gates, explaining himself would be difficult. Yet if he could teleport straight outside... Even the stone statue had to admit the kid's plan was thoroughly comprehensive. He had thought of far more than it had. If he could traverse freely back and forth, he could slip outside and even blend into the crowd as an innocent onlooker enjoying the spectacle. Nobody would ever suspect he had escaped through another location! In that single moment, even the stone statue found itself thinking through the implications. *How did this kid think of so much in an instant, planning his escape routes down to the last detail?* *Yet demanding one hundred traversal talismans right off the bat—what are you daydreaming about!* *Did such things exist?* Naturally they did, but from the ancient era until now, no one had ever asked for them. With city gates available, who would ever need a traversal talisman? Receiving no reply, Su Yu cursed inwardly! *Not even this?* *What kind of fortunate encounter is this?* *Don't tell me this is just some phantom trick trying to frighten me.* He grew exceptionally wary, attempting to vibrate his "Blood" divine character to test things, only to find he could barely sense it. Alarm washed over him again. *Never mind, I must have truly intruded upon some mighty expert's domain.* After a prolonged silence, the stone statue's grand voice boomed: "Three traversal talismans. They can transport you away from any arbitrary location. However... the talismans have a time limit and will dissipate within three days!" With those words, the separate space vanished! Su Yu's vision blurred, and when he opened his eyes, he was slightly taken aback. He was still in the middle of forging. The stone statue was still the stone statue, and the grand hall was still the grand hall. Nothing was out of place! His heart shuddered slightly. Floating beside him were three jade talismans, manifested out of thin air. Su Yu dared not overthink it. Lowering his head, he stowed his hammer and said solemnly, "Thank you, Senior, for the generous gift!" He had no idea what this truly was. Whether it was the work of an expert or an ancient city mechanism, politeness cost nothing; he should show respect first. He voiced his thanks, but no answer came. Su Yu didn't mind. Holding the three jade talismans, joy welled up inside him. With these, he could depart whenever he pleased. Three of them, usable within three days—even with a time limit, it didn't matter. Little did he know, the stone statue only wanted him to scram as quickly as possible. He was an absolute nuisance! *Three days at most—get the hell out of here.* *As for anything else, I can't be bothered to waste words.* After his initial delight, Su Yu's thoughts turned over: *How did that fortunate encounter come about just now?* *From forging!* This single session of forging had yielded massive gains: that mysterious respiratory breathing art, plus these three jade talismans, which he could test later. In other words, if he continued forging, there might be further benefits. Could this place be like the Pavilion of a Hundred Dao, where one could exploit loopholes for fortune? At that thought, he resumed his forging, hammering away with ferocious intensity. If he could carry this stone statue away, that would be even better! The stone statue was thoroughly dumbfounded! *Fuck!* *I gave you what you wanted, and you still won't scram?* *Did you get addicted to hammering me?* *If you could actually forge me, I would have lived all these years in vain!* Utterly speechlessly, the stone statue said nothing, but its vibrational frequency intensified. *Boom!* Su Yu's physical body shook violently, blood oozing from his pores. "The vibrational force grew stronger!" The stone statue was deeply satisfied. *Keep forging, then. I'll vibrate you to death.* Yet Su Yu's eyes shone like lanterns. "As expected, there are still fortunes to be had! The vibration... the vibrational force intensified, which will help me temper my physical body even better!" *Boom!* With another strike of the hammer, Su Yu's physical body resonated once more. His "Shock" divine character began vibrating continuously, and even the Mind Expansion Hammer began to tremble. Su Yu felt immense, crushing pressure. Could this be considered a cultivation art? A vibration art? An offensive technique? The giant hammer could vibrate as well; Zhao Li's Mind Expansion Hammer utilized vibrations when crafting civilized armaments. However, Su Yu hadn't mastered it deeply, and Zhao Li's hammer wasn't originally designed for killing. Yet this vibrational force felt entirely capable of slaughter—devastatingly potent at that! *This is a formidable cultivation art!* Convinced he had grasped another art despite not fully understanding it yet, he wasted no time igniting his "Fire of Inheritance" divine character, drastically boosting his comprehension. Su Yu continued his frenzied hammering. Time and again, his physical body cracked under the vibrations, only to absorb Heaven Yuan Qi and mend. Gradually, an extraordinary vibrational power began echoing from the giant hammer as well. *Boom!* With another hammer strike, Su Yu bore the brunt of the vibrational force once more, but his body no longer fractured. Instead, a sense of pleasure washed over him. Yes, this was the feeling! It counted as an offensive art, yet had no fixed mantras or formulas. It relied entirely on personal comprehension! At this moment, Su Yu had comprehended it. A technique of terrifying destructive power! With a single downward strike, within an imperceptible fraction of an instant, the hammer vibrated seventy-two times, stacking its force cumulatively! *Rumble!* With Su Yu's physical strength exceeding ten thousand apertures, that single hammer blow—with layer upon layer of force compounding—boosted his overall strength by over ten percent. That was already an astonishing figure! Su Yu was overjoyed. Truly, this was an extraordinary opportunity! The more he forged, the more fortunes he unlocked. Outsiders had no clue! Meanwhile, the stone statue was left entirely slack-jawed. *I vibrated you hoping to shake you until you coughed blood and ran away, yet you... you actually treated it as a cultivation technique to study?* Well, to him, it was merely punishment meant for Su Yu. Yet every single movement he made was interpreted by Su Yu as an insight, an experience, a fortunate encounter. The stone statue was utterly lost for words! *His comprehension is sharp, his talent is remarkable, and that divine character is quite decent as well, aiding his understanding and forcing an enlightenment... Though this is hardly a real technique, it does count as a combat trick.* Su Yu already possessed a foundation; both his "Shock" divine character and the Mind Expansion Hammer utilized similar techniques. Thus, he was able to grasp something—comprehending things the stone statue had never intended to teach, or rather, a method of power application. Having unlocked immense fortunes in succession, Su Yu swung his hammer with even greater enthusiasm, ecstatic beyond measure! Exhilarating! This place was a genuine treasure trove. Mystic Light of Heaven and Earth, willpower masses, divine characters, Sun Moon Xuanhuang Liquid—he could acquire all of those through killing, robbing, or purchasing; there was always a way. Yet where could anyone buy this breathing art, this vibration art, or these traversal talismans? Su Yu felt that what he had obtained was the true supreme fortune! A monstrous stroke of luck! No wonder the Heaven Hunting Pavilion claimed this place held the greatest fortune of all. The stone statue, on the other hand, felt utterly exasperated. This time, it truly hadn't taught him anything. Just like Ye Batian and the others who had claimed fortunes here, it hadn't deliberately given away anything. It was all their own wild imaginations leading to personal realizations, after which they declared this place held supreme opportunities! What kind of fortune was there here? A lethal crisis was more like it! Unfortunately, no one ever believed that. Once Su Yu went outside, when his strength grew formidable in the future and he gained further insights, he too would likely tell others he had attained immense fortune in this ancient city. Would future generations doubt it? Not in the slightest! And Su Yu himself would likely never doubt it for the rest of his life, because he had genuinely reaped tremendous benefits. Such was fortune! Vibrating, continuously vibrating; hammering, endlessly hammering. Su Yu used the opportunity to temper his physical body, comprehend the vibration art, and experience the breathing technique. Aside from a slightly heavy consumption of Heaven Yuan Qi, there were zero downsides, only benefits. Su Yu was thrilled! A land of supreme fortune—this place was truly magnificent. While his current strength might be insufficient, just like with the Pavilion of a Hundred Dao, he could return to fleece it again once he grew stronger! Perhaps when he reached the Shanhai Realm, a single hammer strike could pound out a complete set of divine techniques! When he reached the Sun Moon Realm, a single strike might pound out a divine armament... What a truly wonderful place! Su Yu hammered away, and as he struck, his "Shock" divine character even advanced, breaking straight into the third tier! This divine character, which he hadn't learned that long ago, had reached the second tier under Old Zhao's guidance. Now, upon mastering the vibration art, it had actually broken through to the third tier! With every hammer strike, the vibrational force grew even more potent! "What a fortune!" Su Yu was overjoyed once again. His harvest was simply massive. As for peril, there was none left—he could leave at any moment, so what danger could there be? *Boom!* He brought the hammer down once more, only for his vision to blur. The stone statue had completely run out of patience. Hammering was one thing, but that member of the Ancient Devouring God Race inside this kid's head had apparently sensed something beneficial and delicious, sneaking out to take a bite out of its tail! *Fuck your ancestors!* Though it couldn't chew through, the Ancient Devouring God Race didn't bite physical flesh—they bit willpower! What a nuisance! The stone statue had no choice but to blast him out of the hall and force him to scram. Enough was enough! Once the person was repelled outside, it tucked away its slightly exposed tail. Next time, it wouldn't let anyone see the tail! As for whether Su Yu would be puzzled by the missing tail the next time he visited... that was his own problem. …… Having been blasted outside, Su Yu stared at the closed doors of the grand hall, slightly taken aback. Seeming to have understood something, he looked thoughtful, then bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Senior, for the guidance. Bite off more than you can chew—I understand the lesson now!" Indeed, he had learned plenty; he shouldn't be overly greedy! Whether the entity inside was an automated mechanism or an ancient senior, casting him out was likely intended to teach him this exact truth: do not let greed get the better of you! *I understand completely!* Beside him, the little fur ball, which had also been blown out, wiggled its body, looking dazed and confused. *I felt like I was about to eat something really fragrant!* *I should have eaten faster!* *I was too slow!* Just as it felt it was about to taste something, it had been blasted flying. Of course, it dared not say this aloud. It sneaked a glance at Fragrant One. Perhaps it had been blasted out because it tried to eat something yummy... Better keep that to itself. If it spoke up, Fragrant One might beat it to death. …… Inside the Prefecture Lord Manor. Tianhe was slightly taken aback. *The grand hall's doors closed?* *What is going on!* This hall had never once shut its doors. Why had it closed today? What did that mean? Did the stone man in the back refuse to let him leave the city? How strange! Tianhe couldn't make sense of it. Back when Xia Longwu had visited, slaughtering dead spirits to the point of nearly inciting a riot, the stone statue hadn't closed the doors. Today's action was completely unexpected. Yet Su Yu... wore a radiant, beaming smile, looking as though he had reaped a tremendous harvest, showing no signs of having been driven out. Did he actually gain something? *Baffling, truly baffling. Whatever, that's the stone statue's business, nothing to do with me.*