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Chapter 289: It Would Be a Pity To Destroy The Great Destroyer Sword (2)

When the sabers collided earlier, Yao Qing had cut off his opponent's saber, and his confidence returned a little.

Since he had severed the opponent's saber, it meant that the opponent was not invincible.

At the very least, he didn't have the strength of a great demon.

Otherwise, the opponent would have suppressed him!

This human is very strong, but not strong enough to make me despair!

Yao Qing's battle intent surged. His strength actually increased slightly!

Zhou Shu sighed inwardly.

The standard Spring Embroidered Saber couldn't withstand such an intense battle.

After all, Yao Qing's weapon was a heaven-grade weapon. How could a standard weapon resist it?

Not to mention the Spring Embroidered Saber, even the Great Destroyer Sword wouldn't be able to fight a heaven-grade weapon without being damaged.

The more Zhou Shu thought about it, the more depressed he became. As a forger, he was actually at a disadvantage in terms of weapons!

If he had a heaven-grade weapon now, would Yao Qing still have a chance to fight back?

His strength was actually dragged down by the weapon in his hand.

Even the Great Destroyer Sword couldn't unleash his full strength.

In the past, his opponents were too weak, so this flaw was not obvious.

But now, this flaw was infinitely magnified when he fought the thick-skinned Yao Qing.

"Hmph!" Zhou Shu snorted and visualized the Five Mountains' True Form in his consciousness.

His divine sense transformed into five mountains that crashed into Yao Qing's head.

The power of his divine sense was invisible. Although Yao Qing could vaguely sense it, before he could react, he felt a pain in his head, as if he had been hit in the head by a sledgehammer. His vision darkened.

Oh no!?Yao Qing's heart sank. He was also very experienced in combat. Almost without thinking, his spiritual essence erupted.

Boom—

At this moment, the Great Destroyer Sword had already bypassed his long saber and slashed heavily at his chest.

Yao Qing's burly body flew back high.

This was not the power of Zhou Shu's sword, but him using the momentum to jump back and reduce the power of Zhou Shu's sword.

As he jumped back, Yao Qing waved his heaven-grade saber.

His eyes were unfocused, his expression savage.

But his slash made Zhou Shu unable to pursue him effectively.

Boom!

Yao Qing landed heavily on the ground, his eyes red, his breathing heavy.

"You can't kill me!" Yao Qing said in a low voice.

He gathered his thoughts and focused.

"Although you're almost as strong as a great demon, you're not a great demon after all. Such an attack is only effective the first time. It won't work now that I'm prepared!"

It was rare for Yao Qing to talk so much.

Although he said that Zhou Shu's divine sense attacks were not effective against him, his behavior showed that he was not completely unconcerned.

Zhou Shu didn't comment on this and snorted coldly. "We've had enough fun, Yao Qing. Take another blow from me."

His aura suddenly shifted.

In Yao Qing's eyes, boundless flames suddenly rose from Zhou Shu's body. He seemed to be riding a dragon in the flames.

A monstrous dragon slammed into him.

Yao Qing's expression changed.

Just as he was about to attack, he felt an immense force coming from his chest.

Crack!

Yao Qing felt a few of his ribs break. His chest surged, and he spat out a cloud of blood.

He rolled in the air, trying to control himself. He turned into a black shadow and fled into the camp.

"Hmph!" Zhou Shu didn't continue to pursue.

He snorted and took a deep breath. His face cleared.

The power of the God of War Catalog was indeed extraordinary.

But the consumption was also huge. Zhou Shu had used the God of War Catalog as a bridge to fuse his divine sense, true qi, spiritual essence, and even the Astounding Heavenly Eighteen Swords Technique and the Heavenly Saber Art into one, which was why he was able to severely injure Yao Qing.

But Yao Qing's reaction was also quick. He finally realized that he was not fighting alone. He still had an army of 5,000 demons…

Zhou Shu narrowed his eyes and looked at the demon army's camp for a while.

This time, although he didn't kill Yao Qing, his injuries wouldn't recover in a day or two. He should be able to stall for a few more days.

Zhou Shu had used so many methods this time. Speaking of which, this was his ultimate goal.

Even he could not easily kill an army of 5,000 demons.

The opponent couldn't kill him, but at the same time, he couldn't stop the charge of the army of 5,000 demons.

If Yao Qing really ordered the 5,000-strong demon army to attack, with the current strength of the Huaxia Pavilion's Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament branch, they would definitely lose.

To have the newly built camp immediately occupied by the demon army, Zhou Shu couldn't afford to lose face!

Fortunately, Yao Qing's personality was the same as what he had learned when he entered the dream.

With both soft and hard tactics, he had indeed forgotten to deploy his army directly.

Although Zhou Shu couldn't kill him, he had at least severely injured him.

The rest would have to wait until his injuries healed.

Zhou Shu snorted. In the Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament, he was constantly getting stronger.

A few days later, when Yao Qing's injuries healed, Zhou Shu would become even stronger.

At that time, he might be able to take down Yao Qing!

Yao Buqi stood there like a wooden statue. He looked at Zhou Shu's back with a complicated expression.

Yao Qing was defeated!

This lunatic Yao Qing was actually easily defeated by this human!

How can this human be so strong?

He is clearly only a third-rank martial artist.

Yao Buqi was starting to panic.?Will my plan still work?

Zhou Shu watched for a while and confirmed that the demon army had no intention of taking action. Only then did he turn around and walk toward the Huaxia Pavilion's Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament branch.

Yao Buqi hesitated for a moment. Before Zhou Shu could speak, he obediently followed.

This human had even easily defeated the martial madman Yao Qing. With his spiritual essence sealed, it was impossible for him to escape.

In that case, why ask for trouble?

A wise man submits to circumstances. I'll suffer for a few more days and then perfect my plan to catch a turtle in a jar!

Our Demon Realm is so powerful. It makes no sense that we can't even deal with this human!

At this thought, Yao Buqi's thoughts came alive again.

…

In the camp of the Demon Realm army, Yao Qing wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his face distorted from the pain.

His brow furrowed, and he groaned.

"You're strong, but not invincible!" He stared in Zhou Shu's direction, his eyes filled with fighting spirit. "If I defeat you, I'll have the ability to challenge Yao Wudi!"

"Milord, when do we attack and rescue Lord Yao Buqi?" a demonic beast outside asked in beast language.

"Yao Buqi?" Yao Qing snorted coldly. That kid is already a traitor. It's not important whether we save him or not!

Besides, he had learned a lot from fighting that human twice. Opportunities were hard to come by. If they broke through his camp, there was no telling where he would run off to.

"Let everyone conserve their energy. In a few days, it will be the best time to attack," Yao Qing instructed.

Humanoid demonic beasts had a respected status in the Demon Realm. When he said this, the demonic beasts didn't dare to doubt him at all and followed his instructions.

On the other side, Zhou Shu had already returned to the Huaxia Pavilion's Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament branch.

"Deputy Master Shi!" Zhou Shu shouted.

"Here!" Shi Songtao looked up from the corner of the wall and answered loudly. He was still dressing the high walls in iron and working diligently.

"Follow me into the mountains. I want to find some forging materials!"

"Now?"

Not only was Shi Songtao a little surprised, but Yin Wuyou, Mei Wushang, and the others were also surprised.

Now that the Demon Realm's army was at the border and could attack at any time, they were going to the mountains to find forging materials?

"I wounded the commander of the Demon Realm army. I don't think they'll attack in the next few days." Zhou Shu knew Yao Qing's personality very well. He explained, "In the next few days, I'm going to find some forging materials to upgrade my Great Destroyer Sword."

"Upgrade the Great Destroyer Sword?!" Shi Songtao exclaimed. "Your Highness, you can't be rash! No one has ever succeeded in upgrading a weapon. The Great Destroyer Sword is the number one weapon in the Yellow-grade Armament Manual. It would be a pity to destroy it!" Chapter 290: Searching for Mineral Mines, A Lone Army (1)

Shi Songtao's words made Mei Wushang and the others nod in agreement.

Although they weren't forgers, they knew that no weapon had ever been upgraded.

They had all heard of the reputation of the Great Destroyer Sword.

It was a yellow-grade weapon that had killed a first-rank martial artist!

It was the number one existence on the Yellow-grade Armament Manual!

If they had the Great Destroyer Sword, they would worship it. There was no way they would try to upgrade it.

If it failed, the Great Destroyer Sword would be destroyed.

"Your Highness, think it over carefully," Shi Songtao advised in a low voice. "Even ordinary black-grade weapons can't compare to the Great Destroyer Sword. If you need a black-grade weapon, I have one. Take it and use it. Don't destroy the Great Destroyer Sword."

As a forger, Shi Songtao couldn't bear to see a good weapon destroyed like this.

This was the Great Destroyer Sword, a divine weapon in the hearts of many forgers.

"Who said I'm going to destroy the Great Destroyer Sword?" Zhou Shu said strangely. "I'm upgrading the Great Destroyer Sword, not destroying it."

"What's the difference?" Shi Songtao countered.

"Upgrading the grade of weapons only exists in legends. Weapons are fixed once they're successfully forged. A slight change can cause an imbalance, and the weapons will collapse…"

"I know these theories better than you." Zhou Shu shook his head. "Since I want to do this, I'm naturally confident of succeeding."

"Your Highness, you can't joke about this. Once you fail, it'll be too late for regrets," Shi Songtao said anxiously.

Once the weapon collapsed, it would be basically impossible to repair it.

"I never joke about forging," Zhou Shu said.

"Just follow my orders. Time is limited. I need you to help me refine the forging materials."

Shi Songtao opened his mouth, his emotions suddenly complicated.

He suddenly remembered that ever since Zhou Shu became famous, he had never failed.

If he could really upgrade the Great Destroyer Sword to black grade, it would be the first time since the existence of forging.

It would be an earth-shattering event.

If he, Shi Songtao, could participate as an assistant…

His face flushed with excitement.

Although Shi Songtao was confident before, he had never thought of leaving his name in history.

But now, this opportunity was right in front of him. If they upgraded the Great Destroyer Sword successfully, he would definitely leave a deep mark in the history of forging, even if it was only as an assistant!

"Don't worry, Your Highness. I'll definitely complete the mission!"

Shi Songtao's words made Yin Wuyou, Mei Wushang, and the others speechless.

Your attitude has changed too quickly, hasn't it?

"Zhou Shu, if you go to the mountains, what about here?" Yin Wuyou didn't think of stopping Zhou Shu. To her, she only needed to support what Zhou Shu wanted to do.

It was just like how Zhou Shu had decided to build a camp here. Actually, there was danger here, and it wasn't a good place to build a camp.

But Yin Wuyou agreed without hesitation and didn't raise any objections.

"I've already sealed Yao Buqi's spiritual essence. With his strength, he won't be able to break the seal," Zhou Shu said.

"As long as you keep an eye on him, those demonic beast miners won't dare to rebel.

"The demonic beast army shouldn't attack for a few days. You just defend well as you've been doing.

"As for the rest, we'll talk about it when I get back.

"At least a day or two, three or five days at most, I'll definitely be back."

Zhou Shu led Shi Songtao deeper into the forest.

The most important material needed for the upgrade of the Great Destroyer Sword was blood silver, which had long piled up in the camp.

As for the other materials, they were not expensive materials. They could be easily found in the warehouse of the Forging Division.

But here, they were separated from the main group and couldn't obtain the supply of forging materials. They could only search for them themselves.

"You're clear about the forging materials, right?" Zhou Shu said to Shi Songtao. "Not too much, just find eight to ten kilograms of each."

"Don't worry, Your Highness. I'm familiar with the materials. As long as the mineral mines exist in these mountains, I'll definitely be able to find them!" Shi Songtao patted his chest.

Shi Songtao wasn't lying about this.

He came from a forging family and was different from Zhou Shu's predecessor, who had been a low-level worker for several generations. His ancestors had all been proper forgers.

As far back as Shi Songtao could remember, he had followed his grandfather and father and learned about various forging materials.

Searching for mineral mines was part of learning about forging materials.

When Shi Songtao was young, he had often wandered in the forest with his grandfather.

Shi Songtao had been to almost every mountain forest in Great Xia.

If he hadn't met Zhou Shu, he would be the well-deserved number one weapon forging genius of Great Xia.

He had talent, inheritance, and worked hard. He was proper protagonist material.

Unfortunately, he met Zhou Shu and was reduced to becoming the head steward of the Huaxia Pavilion…

Still, he seemed to be enjoying himself.

…

Whoosh—

Shi Songtao's hands were red as he waved a flame. The thorny weeds were burned away, revealing the rock beneath.

He pressed his hands against the rock. With a sizzling sound, a handprint several inches deep appeared on the rock.

Shi Songtao knocked casually, and the burned rock fell away, revealing the structure inside.

Chapter 291: Searching for Mineral Mines, A Lone Army (2)

He picked up a piece with his fingers, rubbed it, and then moved on.

Shi Songtao had to admit that he was liking this Iron Smelting Hands Technique more and more.

If not for the fact that it was too difficult to cultivate, it would be the perfect match for forgers.

Not only was it convenient to smelt forging materials, but it also saved a lot of trouble when searching for mineral mines in the wilderness.

If not for the Iron Smelting Hands Technique, Shi Songtao would have had to prepare a bunch of special tools. Even clearing a path through the forest would have been enough to give him a headache.

Unlike now, with a wave of his hand, he could open a path by burning his way through.

Moreover, the Iron Smelting Hands Technique had one advantage over Xu Shi's Eight Quaint Fire Divine Art. Its power was more controllable.

In contrast, the Eight Quaint Fire Divine Art could only set fires, but people's hands couldn't be turned into tools.

Zhou Shu followed Shi Songtao and searched for mineral mines. Zhou Shu wasn't as good as Shi Songtao in this aspect. He had no knowledge of this.

The so-called professional things were left to the professionals.

Zhou Shu didn't interfere with Shi Songtao's search for mineral mines. He was holding the Great Destroyer Sword, and his hands were as red as Shi Songtao's, as if they were made of magma.

He ran his palm over the body of the Great Destroyer Sword, doing something to it.

After entering the Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament, Zhou Shu had used the Great Destroyer Sword to kill many demonic beasts.

The Great Destroyer Sword had already completed a hundred kills, so the upgrade condition had been unlocked.

On the page of the Great Destroyer Sword in the Legendary Armament Canon, the label after the words 'Great Destroyer Sword' had already become 'Black'.

The upgrade conditions also returned to zero.

According to the past, when the Great Destroyer Sword became black grade and completed a hundred kills, the conditions to upgrade it to earth grade would be unlocked.

Zhou Shu didn't care about this for the time being. He recalled the upgrading conditions of the Great Destroyer Sword.

The theory behind weapon upgrades was not difficult.

It was to increase the quality of the weapon itself so that it could withstand more star paths.

This was just like how people became first-rank martial artists. In theory, it was very simple. After accumulating enough spiritual essence and breaking through a few barriers, they would become first-rank martial artists.

It sounded simple, but actually doing so was almost impossible.

Everyone knew you only had to make a hundred million to be rich, but the question was whether you could.

To improve the make of a fully formed weapon, more forging materials had to be incorporated into it.

Forging was to achieve a harmonious balance of various forging materials and bring out the characteristics of the materials without them conflicting with each other.

A fully formed weapon meant that it had already reached a state of equilibrium. At this point, if more forging materials were integrated, it would make the original equilibrium unbalanced.

The result of the imbalance was that the weapon would shatter with a bang.

Therefore, it was necessary to find the balance again during the weapon upgrade.

But a weapon was made up of many forging materials. The quantity of each forging material and the change in temperature during the forging process would affect the balance.

Every single move would affect the entire upgrade. Not only did people have to know countless forging materials like the back of their hand, but their control of heat during forging had to be at the peak. In addition, they also had to have an abnormal calculation ability.

After all, upgrading weapons was different from forging weapons. All the forging materials had to be integrated as soon as possible. There was no room for delay or hesitation.

It was necessary to calculate the reactions of the various forging materials in an instant before it could succeed.

Speaking of which, Zhou Shu's grasp of forging materials had yet to reach this level, including his control of heat and the required calculation ability.

But he had a cheat.

With the Legendary Armament Canon, he knew every step of the upgrade of the Great Destroyer Sword like the back of his hand. He didn't need to calculate and study it himself.

As long as he was given the required forging materials, he would be able to forge successfully.

"Your Highness, I found something!" Shi Songtao shouted excitedly after more than half a day.

"Very good. Move aside a little," Zhou Shu said.

Shi Songtao didn't understand, but he still stepped aside slightly.

"Back up a little more."

Shi Songtao took another few steps back.

Zhou Shu stepped lightly with his right foot and punched out.

He punched the stone wall of the mineral mine while using his Iron Smelting Hands Technique.

Boom!

There was a loud bang and a blast of hot air.

Under Shi Songtao's dumbfounded gaze, a ten-foot-square stone on the stone wall had disappeared into fiery red magma.

"Purify the material next," Zhou Shu said calmly.

Shi Songtao nodded numbly.?We both use the Iron Smelting Hands Technique. Why is His Highness so powerful when he uses it?

His mind almost stopped working as he mechanically purified the forging material.

The ore had already melted into magma, which saved him a lot of trouble.

While Shi Songtao was working, Zhou Shu cut a piece of wood and wrote the name of the forging material on it before casually inserting it into the ground.

[This mine belongs to Zhou Shu.]

The space where the Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament took place was ownerless. Whoever occupied a place first would own it.

After inserting the sign, the mine would belong to Zhou Shu.

When there were enough miners, he would send them here to mine!

This repeated over the next two days.

Every time Shi Songtao discovered a mineral mine, Zhou Shu would insert a sign with his name.

Then he would take some forging materials, either by smelting a piece with the Iron Smelting Hands Technique or directly smashing a small mountain with a punch.

As long as he could quickly gather enough materials to upgrade the Great Destroyer Sword, there was no need to worry about anything else for the time being.

Toward the end, Shi Songtao was completely numb to Zhou Shu's actions.

He didn't even bother to calculate the value of the mineral mines he'd discovered.

When the amount of money people had reached a certain level, it was just a number.

Shi Songtao even suspected that if they could really bring all these forging materials back to Great Xia, then the position of the richest man in Great Xia would have to change.

However, Deputy Master Shi had no concept of money. He had never been short of money since he was a child. What he thought of now was to leave his name in history and become the idol of countless forgers in the future.

He wanted to help Zhou Shu successfully upgrade the Great Destroyer Sword!

And this didn't seem to be far away. Zhou Shu was only missing two types of forging materials!

Shi Songtao was full of motivation now. In these mountains, there was an abundance of forging materials. He could definitely gather all the forging materials!

…

Thousands of kilometers away, a group of armed soldiers was stationed in a forest.

The army of thousands was silent, which showed how well trained they were.

If Zhou Shu were here, he would definitely recognize that the commander of this army was his sworn brother, Mi Ziwen!

Cough cough—

Mi Ziwen coughed a few times. When he moved his hands away, there was a pool of blood on his palms.

"General!" the deputy general said worriedly.

Mi Ziwen shook his head. "You haven't been able to contact the great general?"

"For some reason, all the voice transmissions have failed. I can't contact the great general." The deputy general shook his head. "The scouts we sent out didn't find the great general and the others. General, we seem to be alone."

The deputy general looked worried.

The situation of the war was beyond everyone's expectations. The strength of the Demon Realm army was too strong. Before the Great Xia army could react, they were split up.

If not for Mi Ziwen's quick reaction, he might not have even been able to keep these thousands of people alive!

Even so, the price he had paid was not small. Even he had been seriously injured.

Fortunately, they were temporarily free of the demon army's pursuit.

"How are the supplies?" Mi Ziwen asked grimly.

"There's not much food left," the deputy general said bitterly. "There are still a lot of forging materials, but we don't have any forgers in the army. Even if we have the materials, we can't repair damaged weapons. General, should we abandon the forging materials and advance light?"

When they first entered the Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament, the army had brought a large amount of forging materials with them. After all, the Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament lasted for three years, so it was impossible not to replenish their weapons.

But the forging materials were heavy. In this situation, continuing to carry them was a burden to the army.

"We can't get rid of the forging materials." Mi Ziwen shook his head. "Everyone's weapons are severely damaged. If they are not replenished, our combat power will greatly weaken. These forging materials are the foundation. As long as we can find a forger on our side, these materials can save lives."

Mi Ziwen looked up into the distance and muttered to himself, "Second Brother, where are you now?"

Suddenly, he remembered something and took out a palm-sized porcelain bottle.

Zhou Shu had given him this porcelain bottle before he entered the Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament. He said that it could save his life in a critical moment.

Chapter 292: Mi Ziwen's Breakthrough, the Upgrade of the Great Destroyer Sword (1)

A critical moment, is it now??Mi Ziwen wasn't sure.

His injuries were actually far more serious than the deputy general saw.

Back then, in order to cover the retreat of the army, he had fought a demonic beast with the strength of a second-rank martial artist.

The fact that he didn't die on the spot was already the result of his best efforts.

He had only broken through to the third rank of the Martial Dao not long ago. Even if he faced a third-rank demonic beast, he would be powerless, let alone a second-rank one.

If not for the fact that the second-rank demonic beast could not be bothered to chase after him, he would probably be a corpse now.

Although they had temporarily escaped the pursuit of the demonic beast army, Mi Ziwen could also feel that his injuries were gradually worsening.

In order to stabilize the morale of the army, he couldn't let his injuries be known to the public.

But this was not the way to go. If he didn't find another army before his injuries erupted, once he fell, this army would become a lone army. The outcome could be imagined.

He had already tried all the healing pills, but they were useless.

Now, he could only place his hopes on the porcelain bottle Zhou Shu had given him.

Second Brother is only a Forging Master.

Mi Ziwen smiled bitterly. He thought that perhaps his second brother cared about him and had bought the pill from somewhere. It was very thoughtful, but the effect of the pill…

Mi Ziwen was rich enough to rival a country. How could he not have any pills that could be bought with money?

No matter what, it's a gift from Second Brother. After consuming Second Brother's medicinal pill, I'll kill a few more demonic beasts before I die.

Mi Ziwen looked weak, but he was still a man who led an army to war. He was ruthless to his bones.

Even if he had to die, the Demon Realm had to pay a sufficient price to kill him!

Without hesitation, Mi Ziwen opened the porcelain bottle and swallowed the pill inside.

"Deputy General!" Mi Ziwen was about to give orders.

Suddenly his voice stopped, and the expression on his face seemed to freeze.

The deputy general cupped his hands and was about to answer when he suddenly noticed Mi Ziwen's abnormality.

Before he could react, Mi Ziwen's clothes suddenly expanded without any wind. The spiritual qi of heaven and earth surged into his body like the wind.

A visible spiritual energy vortex formed above Mi Ziwen's head.

The deputy general's mouth fell open.?Did the general break through?

Mi Ziwen was stunned. He had no idea what was happening.

The spiritual qi of heaven and earth automatically surged into his body at a speed far faster than his usual cultivation.

Moreover, he could feel that the bottleneck between the third rank and the second rank had silently disappeared.

His own cultivation had actually broken through to the second rank of the Martial Dao without him noticing!

The sound of silkworms biting into mulberry leaves came from his body. Mi Ziwen felt that his body was constantly metabolizing.

Under the transformation, the power of a second-rank martial artist that had been entrenched in his body for many days was forcefully squeezed out of his body.

His injuries were recovering!

A storm was raging in Mi Ziwen's mind.

With his injuries, he felt that his life was in danger. He was mentally prepared that he might not be able to keep his cultivation like his teacher.

But now…

The second rank of the Martial Dao!

Mi Ziwen had just broken through to the third rank not long ago. There was still a long way to go from the third rank to the second rank.

Mi Ziwen was not even confident that he could break through to the second rank in this lifetime.

What's going on??Mi Ziwen thought.

He thought of how mysterious Zhou Shu had been when he handed him the pill.

Although he still had some doubts, he was now certain that the changes in his body were the effect of the pill.

He thought again of Meng Bai's changes.

Meng Bai's injuries had recovered, and he had broken through. The official explanation was that he had encountered a divine doctor in Great Qin and had been cured.

Meng Bai even said the same to Mi Ziwen.

Only now did Mi Ziwen realize that his teacher might have taken this pill back then.

Defying all conditions and directly breaking through one rank…?Mi Ziwen thought.

A breakthrough will bring about changes in the body. Most injuries can naturally be healed without medicine.

It was the same for Teacher, as well as Her Highness. At the time, she was seriously injured, yet she broke through to the second rank. There's also Sun Gongping from the Marquis Weiyuan residence…

Mi Ziwen was an intelligent man. In an instant, he had thought of several people.

He had not thought about it carefully before. Now that he thought about it, they must have taken this pill too.

Mi Ziwen couldn't help but gasp.

There were many pills in this world that could increase cultivation, but most of them had side effects.

And such pills were usually ineffective for Grandmasters.

After all, from the third rank to the second rank, it was no longer just the accumulation of spiritual essence.

But the pill Zhou Shu had given him allowed him to break through to the second rank. Moreover, this pill could have even allowed him to directly advance to the first rank!

Mi Ziwen could feel that the medicinal power of this pill didn't hurt him at all. It might not have the side effects of those cultivation-enhancing pills!

Thinking of this, Mi Ziwen was even more shocked.

Once others knew about this kind of pill, the consequences would be unimaginable!

He didn't blame Meng Bai for not telling him the truth. In his place, he would never have told anyone about such a thing.

Chapter 293: Mi Ziwen's Breakthrough, the Upgrade of the Great Destroyer Sword (2)

He even thought that if he were Zhou Shu, he wouldn't even tell his wife, children, and parents about this pill.

This pill was too heaven-defying!

Not to mention that his second brother was the King of the South, even if he was the emperor, he probably couldn't stop the greed of others.

Second Brother, you trust me too much.?Mi Ziwen smiled ruefully.

The more he understood the cruelty of the world, the more he knew the power of the Breakthrough Pill.

To be honest, for a moment, Mi Ziwen was even tempted.

Who could refuse a pill that could defy all conditions and allow one to directly break through?

I owe you a huge favor, Second Brother. How can I repay you?

Mi Ziwen rubbed his brow and forced himself to forget about the pill.

A pill allowed him to advance from a third-rank martial artist to a second-rank martial artist. More importantly, under such circumstances, the increase in his strength greatly increased his chances of survival.

Zhou Shu had saved his life.

Even if he was his brother, he owed him too much.

Mi Ziwen was already considering how he should repay his brother when he saw him again.

"General!" Seeing Mi Ziwen remain silent, the deputy general couldn't help speaking.

"Deputy General!" Mi Ziwen also came to his senses. He restrained his aura and spoke as he stabilized his cultivation.

Actually, he didn't need to stabilize his cultivation at all. The effect of the Breakthrough Pill was heaven-defying. Once he broke through, his cultivation became very stable. It was even better than ordinary cultivation breakthroughs.

Defying all conditions and directly breaking through was not as simple as it sounded.

"I had a sudden epiphany just now and made a slight breakthrough in my cultivation. I've probably attracted the attention of the demon army nearby.

"Pass the word to move immediately!

"Bring all the forging materials. Don't leave anything behind!"

The order was given, and thousands of soldiers disappeared into the forest a moment later, like a drop of water blending into the sea without leaving a trace.

Mi Ziwen, the successor of Great Xia's God of War, lived up to his reputation!

Not long after they disappeared, a demon army appeared. Among the army, there was an existence with a powerful aura that was not inferior to an ordinary first-rank martial artist.

If Mi Ziwen and his army were still here and faced this demon beast army led by a first-rank martial artist, the outcome could be imagined.

While Mi Ziwen was leading the army, battles were happening everywhere in the Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament.

The ten nations' armies were at a disadvantage. Many of them had even been wiped out.

In contrast, the Huaxia Pavilion's Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament branch seemed to be in the eye of the storm and was temporarily calm.

The 5,000-strong Demon Realm army led by Yao Qing was stationed dozens of kilometers away from the Huaxia Pavilion's Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament branch. They neither left nor attacked.

Seeing Zhou Shu and Shi Songtao return, Yin Wuyou, Mei Wushang, and the others, who had been uneasy, heaved a sigh of relief.

They had felt very strange just now.

There were clearly only a hundred of them, but the 5,000-strong demonic beast army didn't dare to attack them.

This had already puzzled Mei Wushang and the others.

What puzzled them even more was that there were hundreds of demonic beasts mining without rest in the camp!

This simply made Mei Wushang and the others admire Zhou Shu more than anything.

When Zhou Shu was not around, they were unable to feel at ease.

Not to mention the 5,000-strong Demon Realm army in the distance, just the hundreds of demonic beasts in the camp were not something that a hundred of them could deal with.

When Zhou Shu wasn't around, Yin Wuyou's sword never left Yao Buqi's neck.

She wasn't as confident as Zhou Shu. Even if Yao Buqi's cultivation was sealed, he was still a first-rank martial artist. She didn't dare to relax for a moment.

"Did this kid create any trouble?" Zhou Shu glanced at Yao Buqi.

Yin Wuyou shook her head. "No."

Yao Buqi glanced at him and closed his eyes.

Why should I run?

My plan to catch a turtle in a jar has not failed yet!

"Everyone, work hard for a while more," Zhou Shu said. "Deputy Master Shi and I will be forging. Keep an eye on them. If anything happens, deal with it first.

"When I come out of seclusion, we'll get rid of those guys outside!"

"Don't worry, Your Highness. As long as we're alive, we won't let anyone disturb you!" Mei Wushang said solemnly.

Zhou Shu nodded and led Shi Songtao into a stone house.

Shi Songtao had no complaints. To be able to personally see Zhou Shu upgrade the Great Destroyer Sword was definitely an opportunity that he could only wish for!

On the surface, his forger rank was higher than Zhou Shu's.

But Shi Songtao knew that he was far inferior to Zhou Shu.

Forget him. He even thought those Grand Craftsmen couldn't compare to Zhou Shu.

So what if they could forge heaven-grade weapons?

Who among them could upgrade a weapon?

Shi Songtao would definitely be able to forge a heaven-grade weapon in the future.

But Shi Songtao knew that he wouldn't be able to upgrade a weapon no matter how much time he was given.

In the stone room, Zhou Shu sat cross-legged. He used his divine ability Unparalleled Benevolence again and shared the Iron Smelting Hands Technique with Shi Songtao.

Recently, the power of his Iron Smelting Hands Technique has improved again. His divine ability Unparalleled Benevolence was unparalleled. It was enough for Shi Songtao to have half the cultivation of his Iron Smelting Hands Technique.

"Prepare the materials as I told you," Zhou Shu said.

Upgrading a weapon was no different from performing a major surgery.

Zhou Shu could actually do it alone, but with Shi Songtao's help, he would save some time.

Leaving the chore of handling the forging materials to Shi Songtao, he just had to focus on the Great Destroyer Sword.

Shi Songtao nodded solemnly. His hands turned red as he began to deal with the forging materials they had collected from the mountains over the past few days.

Zhou Shu began to refine the blood silver.

The blood silver turned into liquid threads in Zhou Shu's hand.

Zhou Shu flicked his fingers, and the liquid threads continuously wrapped around the Great Destroyer Sword.

Before long, the Great Destroyer Sword was wrapped in a huge cocoon.

The cocoon seemed to be made of silver lines that continued to wrap around the sword.

The entire scene looked abnormally gorgeous.

"Crimson steel!" Zhou Shu shouted.

Shi Songtao came to his senses and raised his hands. The melted crimson steel flew toward Zhou Shu.

Zhou Shu circled his hands, and the fiery red solution turned into countless raindrops that accurately landed on the cocoon.

With a soft squelch, the fiery rain melted into the cocoon.

The silver filaments on the cocoon seemed to slowly turn red.

"Turmeric crystal!" Zhou Shu shouted again.

Shi Songtao cooperated again.

Zhou Shu kept calling out the names of forging materials, and Shi Songtao cooperated very well. As long as Zhou Shu shouted, he would immediately throw out the corresponding forging materials.

One by one, the forging materials were sprinkled on the cocoon.

The silkworm cocoon had already become colorful, making one lose themselves in it.

Shi Songtao could see that the solution formed by each forging material landed in a different position on the cocoon precisely.

He could never do this. He didn't even know how many calculations Zhou Shu had done in his mind. This was simply unbelievable.

"The upgrading of a weapon is a process of reformation. Most importantly, it is the matching of the properties of the forging materials," Zhou Shu said slowly as he moved.

Shi Songtao knew that Zhou Shu was giving him pointers. He held his breath and focused. He firmly remembered every word Zhou Shu said.

Just as Zhou Shu and Shi Songtao were immersed in the stone room, another demon army suddenly appeared and headed straight for the Huaxia Pavilion's Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament branch.

Chapter 294: Cat and Mouse, Rules of the Demon Realm (1)

[The Heaven Halberd you forged effectively completed a kill. The divine ability Unstoppable For a Thousand Miles has improved by 30%.]

[The Spring Embroidered Saber you forged effectively completed a kill. The Visualization of the Five Mountains' True Form has improved by 10%.]

…

[The Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber you forged effectively completed a kill. You receive a Breakthrough Pill.]

Messages flashed before Zhou Shu's eyes, and his aura fluctuated.

Shi Songtao was terrified that the colorful cocoon in his hand would explode.

But Zhou Shu's expression was incomparably calm, as if nothing had changed. His hands were as steady as a mountain as he meticulously continued his movements.

Ever since the Legendary Armament Canon had first given him benefits, Zhou Shu had experienced it more than a hundred times.

In the beginning, his soaring cultivation would make him lose control.

But now, he was used to it.

Especially since he entered the Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament battlefield, he had been receiving benefits from the Legendary Armament Canon almost every moment. If he didn't get used to it, he would be annoyed to death.

Now, unless the benefits were too great and exceeded the limits of his body, he could completely ignore them.

After mastering the Dragon Elephant Prajna Technique and Golden Bell Shield Technique, his body had long become tempered steel. The limit of his endurance was far beyond imagination.

Zhou Shu's mind and movements were unaffected, but this didn't mean that he was unaware.

Forget about the standard weapons. After all, the soldiers who had the standard weapons he had forged were scattered everywhere.

But there was only one Heavenly Halberd, and it was with Mei Wushang.

And Mei Wushang was in this camp at this moment!

The moment the Heavenly Halberd completed a kill, Zhou Shu understood that the camp was under attack.

His Great Destroyer Sword was halfway through its upgrade. He couldn't stop it halfway, so he could only endure it and speed up the forging.

He prayed that Mei Wushang and the others would last a little longer.

He still didn't know what went wrong. Why did Yao Qing attack ahead of time?

On the high walls of the camp, Mei Wushang waved his Heavenly Halberd and killed the demonic beasts approaching the city.

Beside him were several injured Great Xia soldiers.

But they were still fighting for their lives.

Under the walls were endless demonic beasts charging crazily.

If not for the iron-clad walls, these demonic beasts would have completely drowned Mei Wushang and the others.

Even now, they weren't doing so well.

Yin Wuyou stood in the middle of the city wall. She held her sword against Yao Buqi's throat with one hand and continuously slashed out sword lights with the other.

Even at this moment, she didn't dare let go of Yao Buqi.

Once Yao Buqi escaped, the hundreds of demonic beasts in the camp would immediately rebel.

If they were attacked from both sides, they could only die.

Dozens of kilometers away, Yao Qing stood there with another humanoid demonic beast beside him.

The humanoid demonic beast was as thin as a bamboo pole, and his legs were surprisingly long. From afar, he looked like he was stepping on stilts.

The man was smiling sardonically.

"Yao Qing, is this the camp blocking your path?" the skinny humanoid demonic beast said with disdain. "You're not deliberately going easy on them, are you?"

"What did you say?" Yao Qing's face darkened.

"Yao Qing, I know you don't get along with Yao Buqi. But this time, there are strict orders from above. We have to work together. Since you received Yao Buqi's distress signal, why didn't you save him?

"Are you trying to get someone else to do your dirty work?"

The skinny humanoid demonic beast stared at Yao Qing coldly.

"If I wanted to kill Yao Buqi, why would I need someone else's help?" Yao Qing snorted. "Yao Ji, don't judge me with your thoughts!"

The skinny humanoid demon beast, like Yao Qing and the others, was qualified to have the surname Yao. His name was Yao Ji.

"Then tell me. How did less than a hundred humans who aren't even first-rank martial artists stop you?" A cold light flashed in Yao Ji's eyes. "With these iron walls?"

"You should ask Yao Buqi how they managed to capture him alive," Yao Qing said coldly, his eyes obscure.

He had never gotten along with the younger generation of the demon race.

Yao Ji was mocking him again.

He couldn't be bothered to tell Yao Ji that there was an unbelievably strong expert in this camp.

Yao Qing felt a little strange.?Why hasn't Zhou Shu appeared yet?

Is he like me and pretending to be alright when he's actually hurt?

Yao Qing's eyes flickered as he sneered silently.

He wanted to see how that human would react after Yao Ji's men slaughtered this camp.

If Yao Ji could probe the true strength of that human, it would be a good thing.

Yao Qing was not without his schemes.

Yao Ji rolled his eyes. Seeing that Yao Qing was silent, he was a little disappointed.

He deliberately mocked Yao Qing, not because he had nothing to do but because he wanted to probe for information about this camp.

He didn't believe that Yao Qing had stayed behind because he wanted to save Yao Buqi.

If that was the case, he wouldn't be here.

Wouldn't it have been better to pretend not to have received Yao Buqi's distress signal?

There had to be something going on that he didn't know about.