Chapter 164
Chapter 164
Meanwhile…
At the Dwarves’ settlement.
After completing the Sacred Weapon, Rob, Harrison, and the other Dwarves returned home to rest.
Forging a set of equipment for Zhou Ming would not be difficult, and they could do it without leaving their settlement.
Whoosh!
Before long, a silver-haired, silver-eyed man arrived through the teleportation array.
[Dragon Domain Guardian ยท Yun An] (God-Tier Boss)
“He’s here!”
Rob and Harrison’s hearts tightened.
“Chieftain Rob, just look at what you’ve done!” Yun An said helplessly. “The trouble you caused today nearly drove the Dragon Domain and the Light Faction to tear into each other!”
He had pointed Zhouyou Shijie in the right direction and helped him make contact with the Dwarves. There was no chance the gods would let that go unquestioned.
If he had not prepared the identity of a “victim” in advance and presented himself as someone who knew nothing, there was no way the matter could have ended peacefully.
“Yun An, we’ve thought this through carefully!” Rob said in a deep voice.
“Hm?”
Yun An raised an eyebrow. “Thought what through?”
“Today, the Hope Faction extended an invitation to us and offered extremely attractive terms,” Rob said, repeating the lines Zhouyou Shijie had taught him. “Compared with our agreement with the Dragon Domain, their terms are better and give us far more freedom.”
“Oh?”
Yun An’s expression turned solemn. “Are you saying… you intend to breach our agreement?”
“No!”
Rob shook his head. “We’re considering whether to terminate the agreement, not breach it!”
“I see!”
After only a moment’s thought, Yun An understood. “You’re worried I’ll demand compensation, so you’re pressuring me first!”
“What pressure? I have no idea what you’re talking about…”
Harrison’s heart skipped a beat as a bad feeling swept over him.
The Dragon Domain Guardian was far too cunning. Ordinary tricks could not fool him!
“Don’t worry. I have no intention of demanding compensation. My only condition is that you don’t cause another commotion on this scale, or I won’t be able to clean up the aftermath,” Yun An said, his gaze meaningful.
He had only known that Zhouyou Shijie wanted to contact the Dwarves. How could he possibly have known in advance that the man intended to forge a Sacred Weapon?
More absurdly, he had actually succeeded!
This was a momentous event worthy of being recorded in the history of the Destiny Continent!
“It worked!”
Rob and Harrison exchanged glances, delight plain in each other’s eyes. Naturally, they readily agreed to Yun An’s condition.
At that, Yun An smiled as well, though his smile held a deeper meaning.
Those lines had obviously been taught to them by Zhouyou Shijie. Yun An knew that perfectly well.
The problem was that demanding compensation would inevitably leave the Dwarves dissatisfied. They might even decide that the Dragon Domain was looking down on them and lacked the proper attitude for a partnership, causing resentment to fester.
When that happened, Zhouyou Shijie would likely seize the opportunity and extend a genuine invitation to the Dwarves.
In other words, it was a no-win gambit played entirely in the open.
Forgo the compensation, and keep the Dwarves steady.
Demand compensation, and the Dwarves would grow resentful.
Even knowing the other side’s goal was to win more favorable terms for the Dwarves, Yun An had no choice. He had to prevent the worse outcome.
“Zhouyou Shijie.”
Yun An sighed inwardly in admiration. “What a terrifying man!”
…
Early the next morning.
The sky was clear, and a pleasant breeze stirred the air.
After a luxurious stretch, Zhou Ming got out of bed, ate breakfast, and drank two cups of warm water. Then he put on his gaming helmet and continued his journey.
Whoosh!
Amid a brilliant flash of white light, Zhou Ming appeared inside Snowflake City.
“Well? Did you find any clues?” Qianying asked.
“I did!”
Zhou Ming smiled and nodded, then explained everything Ning Wushen had told him the day before.
“Using Ning Wushen’s power to achieve cross-domain teleportation…”
Qianying understood, then sighed. “No wonder all my efforts to find a cross-domain teleportation item led nowhere. I never expected that we would need his help.”
“Ning Wushen and I are on very good terms, and he’s willing to help. Now we only need to obtain either the Yasakani no Magatama or the Spear of Longinus,” Zhou Ming said frankly, unable to suppress a surge of emotion.
No exaggeration, this unfathomably powerful expert was the guiding light of his life.
It was hard to imagine what truth Ning Wushen faced that could frighten even him…
“That won’t be easy.”
After some thought, Cangxuan decided to pour cold water on their optimism. “Unless I’m mistaken, the Yasakani no Magatama is a national artifact of the Sakura Region, and the Sakura Region and Eastern Region have never gotten along.”
“That’s true.” Renee nodded in full agreement.
If they tried to seize it by force, it would be the same as taking on the entire Sakura Region head-on. With the Hope Faction’s current strength, they might not lose, but there was no chance of winning an overwhelming victory either.
“Hey, hey, hey!”
At that moment, a white-haired old man could no longer resist stepping forward. “Have you all forgotten that there’s a remarkably nimble old fellow among us?”
Swish, swish, swish!
Everyone turned to look at him in unison, waiting to hear his brilliant idea.
“In a straight fight, I’d have a hard time defeating any one of you!” Yun Wuyou straightened his back proudly. “But when it comes to sneaking around, I’m an expert!”
“You mean… steal it?”
“Exactly!”
Yun Wuyou stroked his beard and said with pride, “We’ll just borrow it without anyone noticing!”
“Having Senior Yun’s assistance is truly my good fortune!” Zhou Ming struggled not to laugh.
His companions truly were a collection of rare talents.
“When do we leave?” Anticipation shone in Qianying’s eyes. She could hardly wait to return home.
Zhou Ming replied, “As soon as the Dwarves finish my equipment set and Cangxuan’s Weakened state ends, we’ll set out!”
…
Zhou Ming did not head out to level afterward.
With a Sacred Weapon in hand, he badly wanted to begin leveling at rocket speed, but there were more pressing matters at hand.
Once everyone else had dispersed, he pulled Cangxuan and Ye Zhibei into a corner.
“Brother Zhou, what is it that you can’t say in front of everyone?” Ye Zhibei asked uncertainly. He assumed some secret matter had arisen that required his attention.
“If you reject my request in front of everyone, I’ll be embarrassed. But if you force yourselves to agree, that would be meaningless too, and it isn’t what I want,” Zhou Ming explained.
Cangxuan asked curiously, “What matter could be so serious that you’re worried we’ll refuse?”
“To tell you the truth, the class I obtained through the God-Demon Orb came with a unique exclusive ability!” Zhou Ming took a deep breath and displayed the ability before them.
[Revelation] (Exclusive Ability): Unlocks a second class.
“Hiss!!”
Cangxuan and Ye Zhibei sucked in sharp breaths at the same time.
A second class!
They had never even heard of such a heaven-defying ability!
“You called Cangxuan and me over because you want to…”
“Exactly!”
Zhou Ming’s heart pounded as he said with complete solemnity, “I would like to ask both Sword Saints to become my mentors!”
Here, Zhou Ming paused before adding, “Please don’t force yourselves. I know the class represented by the title Sword Saint must be extraordinary, but it isn’t something I absolutely have to obtain. My second class slot is empty anyway, which is the only reason I had this idea…”
“Hahaha…”
Hearing that, Cangxuan and Ye Zhibei exchanged glances and burst out laughing.
Zhou Ming looked startled. “Why are you…”
“Brother Zhou, don’t think of us as so petty and selfish,” Ye Zhibei said frankly. “We’re all ordinary mortals. None of us possess Immortality, nor are we Imperishable. Eventually, we’ll return to dust. It would be a shame for every powerful technique we possess to disappear with us.”
“A class is only a class. Possessing one doesn’t mean you’ve mastered its abilities.”
Cangxuan picked up the thought. “My strongest methods did not come from my class. They belong to me alone. I imagine the same is true for Brother Ye and Brother Zhou. A class merely shows you through the door.”
As the saying went, a master showed the way, but cultivation depended on the individual.
Every generation to bear the title of Sword Saint pursued a different path. Their understanding of the sword and their styles of battle were never the same.
Passing their classes on to Zhouyou Shijie and allowing him to refine the path he wished to follow was no great matter to them.
“Then you agree?” Zhou Ming asked, relieved and full of anticipation.
He understood what the two Sword Saints meant.
In truth, his real goal was to push his offensive power to the absolute limit.
There was no need to pursue perfection in every aspect. Overwhelming force alone could shatter every technique!
“This is hardly a difficult request for us!”
Ye Zhibei shook his head with a laugh, then seemed to remember something. His expression turned odd. “However, Sword Saint is only a title. Cangxuan and I studied under different masters and possess different classes. Whose inheritance do you want?”
Cangxuan remained silent and looked at Zhou Ming in confusion as well.
Zhou Ming took a deep breath and gave a shocking answer. “I want…”
…