Chapter 148 A Gift and Respect

“Miss Mu?”

Luo Er saw the figure standing before the small courtyard of the Spring Rain Temple.

Mu Wanqiu's expression was still somewhat dazed.

She didn't know... why Gu Shen had called her here.

All she knew was that news of the super-giant source storm had put the Five Continents' higher-ups back on alert. The Northern Continent was in a complete mess. If it weren't for Gu Shen's summons, she would still be dealing with a mountain of trivial matters for the Legion…

Only Gu Shen could get her to move.

"This... is the ‘Netherfire’ Master you chose?"

Luo Er's voice was complex.

These words confused Mu Wanqiu even more.

"Netherfire Master?... Me?"

She stood blankly at the door, pointing at herself.

"That's right."

Gu Shen said earnestly, "This is the Netherfire Master I chose... Mu Wanqiu, stop looking, it's you."

"???"

Mu Wanqiu was completely stunned.

She had traveled all the way to Nagano, intending to question Gu Shen about the important matter that required her presence.

But the first words out of his mouth left her dumbfounded.

"I violated my own ‘Soul Oath,’ and as punishment for breaking the oath, I will lose control of the Netherfire."

Gu Shen said casually, "I've called you here today to give you this seed of fire."

In the six hundred years of the Five Continents' history, nothing like this had ever happened.

The Fire Seed Master was still alive, yet the Fire Seed itself was changing hands!

Mu Wanqiu looked at Gu Shen with a complicated expression. She couldn't help but feel that Gu Shen's tone was so calm, so indifferent, and even carried a hint of relief and ease?

As if the Nether King Fire Seed was a burden!

This was a Fire Seed! A Fire Seed!

If it were released to the outside world, billions would fight and kill for it, shedding blood and breaking bones.

Gu Shen held out two fingers.

He gently tapped the wisp of fire between his eyebrows, while simultaneously stimulating the power of Heart Flow to agitate and separate it.

The black flame entwined within the blazing fire, almost fused with it, trembled at an extremely high frequency!

Adding "Fire Seed" to the Soul Oath was actually a trap Gu Shen had set for the Deep Sea.

Even if the Deep Sea hadn't mentioned it, Gu Shen would have added it.

As far as he was concerned...

Netherfire was truly a troublesome burden.

The two flames, originally intertwined and inseparable, began to detach and peel away under the fate-driving force of the "Soul Oath." After a moment, the pitch-black Netherfire was completely extracted by Gu Shen.

"Swish!"

The blackness in Gu Shen's eyebrow flames completely dissipated!

At this moment, he was no longer the supreme "Nether King Throne."

For six hundred years, many Thrones had relied on Fire Seeds to achieve breakthroughs in the level of their lives, but…

To regress into a mortal was truly unique to Gu Shen.

"This Fire Seed... is yours now."

Gu Shen smiled as he picked up the wisp of black flame and tossed it in front of Mu Wanqiu.

Mu Wanqiu was dumbfounded, subconsciously reaching out to hold the flame. Even now, she hadn't reacted to how this Fire Seed had arrived before her in just a few seconds. But she could clearly feel... the "Apostle connection" between herself and Gu Shen rapidly weakening, and finally dissipating into smoke.

The Nether King Fire Seed had truly become an "unclaimed object!"

Yes, the "Nether King" that Gu Shen had chosen was Mu Wanqiu. From the moment they met in the Doru River mission, Gu Shen had taken a liking to her.

Both were S-rank transcendents.

【Judge】was actually more compatible with the Nether King Fire Seed than Blazing Fire.

"You really gave up the Netherfire... Little Brother, are you crazy?"

Luo Er looked at this scene in disbelief.

The power of the Fire Seed was the highest temptation in the world. Countless transcendents dreamed of obtaining and fusing with a Fire Seed…

She knew that her Little Brother had always been different.

Luo Er wasn't surprised that Gu Shen didn't care about the Netherfire.

What she couldn't understand was…

If Gu Shen gave up the Netherfire, how would they face the super-giant storm in seven years?

"Eldest Sister, giving up Netherfire is just the first step of the ‘best strategy.’"

Gu Shen said gently, "What is gained must be lost… Some things can only be better obtained if they are lost."

He looked at Mu Wanqiu and asked, "Have the arrangements for the Northern Continent been properly made?"

"Yes..."

Mu Wanqiu's voice was very soft. She tightly grasped the Fire Seed, gradually regaining her senses. "The reconstruction work on the Great Wall is being pushed forward. It will take at least five years to integrate all the Black Silver into the city walls. In addition, all three starships have been placed in the Guburg battlefield. As for the Time Dojo's formation matters... Mr. Rust Bone is in charge of it."

"Very good."

Gu Shen nodded.

"Gu Shen—"

Mu Wanqiu suddenly spoke, gritting her teeth as she asked, "Are you really going to give me the Netherfire?"

Although she had been Gu Shen's Apostle for many years…

Mu Wanqiu had always harbored a regret in her heart.

She had actually wondered if she could have become the new Nether King without Gu Shen.

It was only too normal to have such thoughts.

She had been just as dazzling in the era dominated by Gu Shen of White Sleeves. If it had been another era, then she really would have become the "Nether King."

But she had met Gu Shen.

Mu Wanqiu could afford to lose. In her heart, she knew that she wasn't Gu Shen's opponent. But if she had the chance again, she would still choose to compete with Gu Shen!

"What are you talking about?"

Gu Shen shook his head and said calmly, "The Netherfire is already yours."

"..."

Holding the Fire Seed, Mu Wanqiu gritted her teeth and said, "What is this supposed to be? Is it charity for an Apostle?"

"Of course not."

Gu Shen's expression was extremely serious as he said, "Over the years, I have never regarded you as an ‘Apostle’ in the traditional sense. Miss Mu, you are my most respected opponent, and also a leader who is more suitable for ‘Netherfire’ than I am. Giving you this Fire Seed is the optimal solution to resist the source storm for the entire human civilization."

In seven years, the source storm would reach the Great Wall.

Mu Wanqiu was certainly aware of this news.

She really wanted to contribute her own strength, but unfortunately... this natural disaster was too powerful. If she wanted to contribute her own strength, she would have to become a Throne.

"You can treat it as my thank you gift to you."

Gu Shen said gently, "Thank you for being willing to work so hard for me as a ‘Nether King Apostle’ all these years…"

Whether it was the Ice Sea's dormancy, or the escape beyond the void.

Gu Shen had always been a hands-off shopkeeper.

The information-matching task for Golden穗花 (Golden Spike Flower) had always been completed by Mu Wanqiu.

In fact, the two Apostles he had accepted early on had both made great contributions… But Little Iron Man was really unable to take on the task of inheriting the Fire Seed. Netherfire would probably not recognize him, and Gu Shen knew Shen Li's character. Even if he threw the Fire Seed to Shen Li, the latter would only throw it away as a bad omen and not even touch it.

This Fire Seed was a "thank you" to Mu Wanqiu.

Gu Shen paused and said, "If you are unwilling to accept this thank-you gift, then treat it as the respect of an ‘opponent.’"

"The respect of an… opponent?"

Mu Wanqiu blankly held the black flame.

"You have always regarded me as your most important opponent, haven't you?"

Gu Shen smiled and said, "You must have put in a lot of time and effort to defeat me… By fusing this Fire Seed, you and I will fight again, and perhaps you really will have a chance to win me."

Mu Wanqiu's eyes lit up.

She stared intently at Gu Shen, sensing something unusual.

Although he had lost "Netherfire"... what was frightening was that the aura on Gu Shen's body had not weakened.

At least, the pressure that Mu Wanqiu felt had not decreased.

She only felt that the turbid aura of disaster on Gu Shen's body had dissipated a lot! But his spiritual sea was still unfathomable!

What was going on? Even facing the origin itself didn't seem to have such a powerful oppressive feeling?

"If I fuse with Netherfire, I will become a Throne." Mu Wanqiu frowned and said, "Are you sure that you can still fight me at that time?"

"... Perhaps."

Gu Shen smiled and said, "But one thing I can be sure of is that if you don't fuse with Netherfire, you won't be my opponent no matter how many more years you cultivate."

"???"

These words angered Mu Wanqiu, and she directly pressed the Netherfire into her brow!

【Judge】and Netherfire were a natural match.

In addition, she had been Gu Shen's Apostle for many years… With this gentle press, the entire Netherfire merged into Mu Wanqiu's heart!

The huge phantom of the white-robed judge emerged. The clothes of this great ghost were ignited with dim flames. As a gust of wind blew, the dim flames flickered, and a white robe also turned pitch black.

"Gu Shen, you wait for me to finish fusing with Netherfire—"

Mu Wanqiu left the Spring Rain Temple with Netherfire, officially beginning to fuse.

"Phew... I finally managed to give it away."

Gu Shen put his hands behind his back, his face showing relief.

Luo Er's expression was complicated.

Just now, Gu Shen had given away a Fire Seed... How could this guy be so happy?

Luo Er remembered something and was a little worried: "Netherfire carries a lot of ominousness. Will it be a problem for Mu Wanqiu to fuse with it like this?"

Gu Shen shook his head.

"I've absorbed almost all of the ‘dirty stuff’ left by the former Nether King."

He said gently, "Since I've already borne the punishment of the ‘Soul Oath,’ then it doesn't matter if my heart sea is dirtier. What's left for Xiao Qiu now is an extremely pure Netherfire. She only needs to be responsible for fusing it, and there are almost no negative side effects."

Luo Er's expression changed.

She didn't know why.

She saw the shadow of Mr. Gu Changzhi on her Little Brother.

"Now... you've given away ‘Netherfire,’ what's the next step of your plan?"

"Continue."

Gu Shen raised his head and looked at the shining sun outside the courtyard.

He said softly, "If we want human civilization to have the strength to fight the ‘super-giant source storm’ in seven years... then we need to let every Fire Seed find its suitable master. So the next plan is to continue giving away Fire Seeds."

The situation on the Five Continents was stable now. Almost every Fire Seed had its own master.

But the "Smelting Iron Fire Seed" that Gu Shen brought back from the starship had not been recognized by anyone.

So this Fire Seed had been kept in Gu Shen's hands.

He slowly turned his palm over, and a faint crimson color emerged from the burning Blazing Fire.

"Smelting Iron Fire Seed…"

Luo Er frowned: "Who are you planning to find to inherit this Fire Seed?"

Human civilization's development model was different from that of starship civilization.

The forging techniques for sealed objects were very backward.

Even the 【Neutralizers】 that the Ancient Text Society brought from Sang Continent were only proficient in ancient texts, and didn't know the forging techniques of the starship era. Their Heart Flow cultivation was even more mediocre.

In Luo Er's view, this Fire Seed... didn't seem to have a suitable inheritor in the Five Continents.

But in fact, from the moment Gu Shen saw the Smelting Iron Fire Seed.

He had already decided on the candidate.

"Don't let the fertile water flow into other people's fields." (idiom: keep the benefits within the family/group)

Gu Shen blinked and smiled, "A few years ago, I took in a cheap disciple. I'll just happen to bring Eldest Sister to see him."

……

……

Snow Forbidden City, the Second Arbiter's Dojo.

Second Arbiter Xie Zheng had rarely carried out outside missions since joining the Tribunal... The reason was simple. His teacher was Gu Shen, the Grand Arbiter of the Eastern Continent. With the protection of that great figure, almost no one would make things difficult for Xie Zheng. The Gu Clan naturally took care of him in every possible way.

Of course, taking care of Xie Zheng wasn't just because of Gu Shen.

This guy was really a "forging prodigy" that was hard to find in a hundred years.

Although Xie Zheng rarely went out, he wasn't a fool. He knew the ways of the world and would always send some gifts to the Gu Clan's ancestral hall and the other major families every year. He called them "small gifts," but they were all high-quality sealed objects, and their effects were excellent. In the transcendent era when inland wars broke out, these were very precious "gifts."

Back and forth, this Dojo had become a very special existence in the Tribunal.

Xie Zheng's Arbiter ranking had remained second for many years.

Who was first didn't matter.

What mattered was that no one would challenge Xie Zheng. This Second Arbiter's Dojo had already become a sacred place of the Tribunal.

This Dojo only accepted one disciple each year, and it wasn't Xie Zheng who personally instructed them, but Xie Zheng's disciple, Liu Quan, who took in disciples on behalf of his teacher and taught the forging inheritance skills... Even so, the various families still broke their heads and tried desperately to get their family members into this Dojo.

Not to mention anything else, if they could cultivate a "forger," then the problem of the family's internal shortage of sealed objects would be solved.

Today, this Dojo welcomed two "strange" guests.

Gu Shen didn't use his origin, nor did he use formations.

He and his Eldest Sister left the small courtyard and walked over just like that.

In order to avoid attracting attention, the two of them changed their appearances with spiritual power.

Fortunately, the Dojo was empty and deserted.

"This... is the ‘Smelting Iron Inheritor’ you chose?"

Several barrier-sealed objects were set up in the Second Arbiter's Dojo. These sealed objects were of high quality and were not bad.

But for powerhouses like Luo Er and Gu Shen, they were just a piece of white paper.

The two silently entered the Dojo without making a sound. They saw a figure sitting cross-legged in the dark in the deepest quiet room, crackling and sparking with countless golden lights. A majestic and tall soul, as small as a small mountain, emerged behind him. The soul wielded a heavy hammer and was repeatedly hammering a rough iron sword blank.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Each hammer strike sent a large amount of firelight flying.

The whole room shone.

Luo Er's expression was surprised. She didn't expect that such a low-key and powerful mental-type transcendent was living in Snow Forbidden City.

Behind the thin man, there was a condensed majestic soul shadow. The figure had three heads and six arms.

In this quiet room, in addition to the rough iron sword blank, there were several sealed objects that were being hammered and chiseled.

"Sixth-layer Heart Flow."

Gu Shen smiled softly and said, "Although his transcendent strength is not high... this guy's mental state cultivation height is absolutely outstanding. In the entire Five Continents, probably only Silver Fox General in his peak period can suppress him."

That's right, the new Smelting Iron Fire Seed inheritor that Gu Shen had taken a liking to...

Was Xie Zheng.

The child who was picked up from the tundra by Mr. Turing and personally taught to grow up.

Gu Shen looked at the man who was silently cultivating and hammering sealed objects in the quiet room, his eyes gentle.

"Mr. Turing's forging inheritance and the Smelting Iron Master are of the same line."

"In a sense... Xie Zheng's forging skills come from the Smelting Iron Master, the previous master of this Fire Seed."