Chapter 1 Gu Shen

"Xie Zheng."

Gu Shen spoke softly, his voice echoing in the depths of the dojo's quiet chamber.

Xie Zheng, who was using his soul to transform into a blacksmith hammering a sword embryo, suddenly paused.

This was the Second Tribunal's dojo!

Ordinary outsiders weren't even qualified to enter, and there were several artifact barriers enveloping the place... There were only a few people in all of Nagano who could easily break through the barriers and transmit their thoughts!

"Little Gu?"

Xie Zheng raised his head with excitement, instantly guessing who it was.

"It's me."

Gu Shen stepped out, appearing in the quiet chamber with a smile.

Sparks flew in the dark room, gradually settling down.

The flat sword embryo emitted waves of scarlet heat under the hammer of Xie Zheng's soulfire.

Gu Shen glanced at it and praised with a smile, "This sword is not bad."

Although it was only a prototype, it faintly exuded a baleful aura.

If it were forged into shape and infused with the power of origin, it would be at least a high-quality S-grade artifact!

When he initially took Xie Zheng under his wing, he hadn't provided much substantial help. However, the "forger" profession was simply too popular, and all five great families maintained excellent relations with Xie Zheng.

Take this artifact, for example.

Once this sword was completed, the five great families would compete to snatch it. Such an artifact could completely elevate the strength of a family's top combat power to a new level!

Xie Zheng, who possessed the "forging inheritance," now held an extremely transcendent position within Snow Forbidden City!

But he remained clear-headed, never arrogant, and examined himself daily.

Xie Zheng was a poor boy who crawled out of the piles of corpses in the tundra. His journey had been both bumpy and fortunate.

He knew that although he was "somewhat skilled," the five great families had treated him with such courtesy for so many years mainly because of Gu Shen's influence!

He was a genius personally protected by Gu Shen. With that alone, no one dared to cause him trouble.

"Sir, why are you here?"

Xie Zheng quickly got up to greet him.

He hadn't seen Gu Shen in a long time.

He even suspected... Little Gu might have forgotten about his disciple.

"The previous battles were too busy, and I couldn't spare the time."

Gu Shen said with a smile, "Actually, I've been paying attention to your movements in Nagano all along. Xie Zheng, you've worked hard these years."

Forging artifacts for the five great families was no easy task.

He could tell that Xie Zheng's soul hadn't rested in a long time.

The blacksmith transformed by soulfire seemed tall and upright, but in reality, he faintly radiated "exhaustion"...

Perhaps this was why Xie Zheng's mind-force had progressed so quickly?

Give Xie Zheng a quiet dojo, and he could immerse himself in forging for years without sleep.

It had to be said that this guy was indeed the best inheritor of the "forging inheritance." Mr. Turing's eye for talent was always accurate!

"..."

Xie Zheng was stunned for a second.

Although he was in the quiet chamber, Xie Zheng had been paying attention to what was happening outside!

In recent years, the flames of war had been raging, and the situation had been turbulent.

He wasn't good at fighting, so he used his forging inheritance to continuously send newly forged artifacts to the front lines... Now the war was finally over, and Nagano had returned to peace and tranquility these past few days!

All of this was because of his teacher!

"Sir..."

Xie Zheng's eyes were faintly red. He said in a low voice, "I'm not working hard. You're the one who's been working hard."

"Tsk."

Another voice sounded in the quiet chamber.

Luo Er spoke casually, saying, "I can't stand this scene. The war is already over. Is it really necessary to be like this?"

Only then did Xie Zheng notice that there was a blurry figure behind Gu Shen, standing in the shadows of the quiet chamber, making it impossible to see its outline clearly.

This scene made the hairs on his back stand on end.

He wasn't good at fighting and had no other strengths... Except for his powerful mental strength, which allowed him to perform soul peeking across realms.

But the figure in front of him was like a black hole.

No matter how much spirit he sent over, it was like a clay ox entering the sea!

"This is my senior sister."

Gu Shen said helplessly, smiling as he said, "Her title is 'Tian Tong.' You should have heard of her, right?"

"Senior Aunt Tian Tong."

Xie Zheng immediately called out obediently.

Tian Tong? Of course, he'd heard of her! A legendary figure within the Tribunal! She entered Pi Yue Fortress with Mr. Zhou Jiren and sacrificed herself for the greater good of humanity!

Over the years, their black and white portraits had been hanging in the Tribunal, and they were presumed to have "died in the line of duty."

It wasn't until Gu Shen returned from the [Old World] that these three were confirmed to be "alive"!

Most importantly...

Tian Tong Luo Er had displayed her "fire seed" to the World Council, which was the "Grain Fire Seed" from the starship civilization era!

The dark room was extremely quiet, and Xie Zheng felt as if he could hear his own heartbeat!

Thump! Thump!

So... standing in front of him now were two Divine Seats?

"Alright, no need to be nervous."

Gu Shen saw that Xie Zheng's spirit was already tense, and he said with a smile, "We're all family here."

Even if he said that, how could Xie Zheng really relax?

He suddenly remembered Gu Shen's seemingly unintentional praise earlier, cautiously looked at the fiery red sword embryo, and tentatively asked, "Sir... if you like this sword, I'll personally deliver it to you after it's forged."

"No need."

Gu Shen shook his head.

His previous praise was genuine, but it didn't contain any deeper meaning.

Now, where would he need an artifact?

"How can a teacher ask his disciple to give gifts?"

Gu Shen said gently, "As everyone knows, I have a free and easy personality. These years, I've been wandering outside the five continents and never really taught you anything... In fact, there's only so much I can teach you. For all these reasons, it's hard for me to bear the title of 'teacher' from you."

Xie Zheng was obsessed with forging, and Gu Shen was afraid that all he could teach him was the domestication of mind-force.

On this point, he had always felt guilty.

"This object is my gift to you."

Gu Shen held out a lightly clenched fist, signaling Xie Zheng to reach out and receive it.

Xie Zheng was stunned in place. He was an honest man. Although he understood Gu Shen's meaning, he shook his head and refused, insisting on not taking it.

"Sir... you've already given me great kindness..."

"If you truly acknowledge me as your teacher, then accept it."

Gu Shen said lightly, "After accepting it, I want you to do something for me."

Xie Zheng couldn't refuse, so he could only extend his palm, facing upwards.

Gu Shen slowly opened his palm and placed a ball of scarlet light and fire in Xie Zheng's palm. The temperature was scalding. The moment it touched his hand, the latter's eyes widened.

Even if Xie Zheng was honest, he could guess what this "light and fire" was.

"???"

He looked up at Gu Shen in astonishment, staring at his teacher in disbelief, too shocked to speak.

The "gift" Gu Shen gave him was a fire seed!

"This thing... is too precious..."

Xie Zheng's speech was no longer smooth.

"Precious?"

Luo Er, who was standing to the side, spoke at this moment.

She crossed her arms and scrutinized the man in front of her in the darkness, saying softly, "Xie Zheng, in fact, this fire seed isn't as 'precious' as the world says, but it's definitely much 'heavier' than you can imagine."

"Because in seven years, a super-giant originium storm will arrive at the Great Wall..."

"Currently, there's a high probability that human civilization will be destroyed in that storm, repeating the mistakes of the starship civilization."

"Receiving the fire seed is equivalent to receiving the fate of the entire human race."

These words were like a heavy hammer striking Xie Zheng's heart.

He stared blankly at Senior Aunt Tian Tong and then looked at Gu Shen.

"Sir, is this... true?"

"It's true."

Gu Shen asked softly, "What I said earlier, that I wanted you to accept it and then do something for me... is related to the originium storm seven years from now. I want to build an unprecedentedly towering Great Wall in the Northern Continent to resist this massive storm that will destroy the starship era. I... need someone to refine this 'Molten Iron Fire Seed' and realize this miracle."

As soon as these words were spoken, the quiet chamber became so silent that one could hear a pin drop.

Xie Zheng's expression changed as he clutched the fire seed tightly, his voice hoarse as he asked, "Seven years... is our time really enough?"

Seven years was too short.

Xie Zheng knew very well that this time was not enough to complete the "miracle" Gu Shen spoke of. Melting the fire seed alone would take an unknown amount of time!

Gu Shen looked directly into Xie Zheng's eyes, his tone decisive.

He only said one word.

"Enough."

Xie Zheng took a deep breath and accepted the fire seed.

……

……

"Seven years, is that really enough?"

"If we only have 'seven years' in the real world, then of course it's not enough."

Falling snow drifted down, landing on the shoulders of the two people walking on the tundra.

Meng Xizhou wore a thin gauze dress.

"In the Starship of the Master of Molten Iron, there's a time dojo. Gu Shen brought the dojo back to the frontier of the Northern Continent... The time we have is far more than seven years."

"So, we have seventy years, or a hundred years, or even longer..."

Gu Nanfeng asked softly, "Do you think this time is enough?"

"..."

Meng Xizhou was silent.

She knew what Gu Nanfeng meant.

The starship civilization was more advanced than the five continents by more than a hundred years.

Despite being so powerful, it was still destroyed.

Even if there was a time dojo, what could they do... The dojo could only accommodate a few dozen people at most.

"In any case, we should try if there is a glimmer of hope."

She looked at the man beside her and said softly, "Now there are vacant God Seats in the Five Continents. With your strength, you can completely obtain a fire seed of your own."

Meng Xizhou knew that Gu Shen was choosing suitable owners for the fire seeds these days.

With Gu Nanfeng's own talent, coupled with his relationship with Gu Shen, she believed that Gu Nanfeng had a good chance of competing for one.

"When I was young, I always fantasized about being a 'savior' who could save the world."

Gu Nanfeng said softly, "I would practice swordsmanship ten thousand times all night long. After going to the Northern Continent, this delusion did not disappear. During those eight years, I was more hardworking and strived harder than anyone else. I thought about returning to the Eastern Continent and relying on my own strength to unite the Gu family and ease the burden on the Old Master's shoulders."

Meng Xizhou was stunned for a second when she heard this.

"This isn't a delusion." Her eyes were incredibly gentle, "Didn't you... already do it?"

"Yes."

Gu Nanfeng shook his head and murmured, "But this is a delusion. The world doesn't need me. No matter how hard I try, I can't stop what is destined to happen."

After the Central Continent War ended, he was responsible for presiding over the reconstruction of Nagano, and the Gu family regained its supreme glory as the leader of the five great families.

Now, Gu Nanfeng could be said to have realized his greatest lifelong wish.

However, the light in his eyes was much dimmer.

These days, he often went to the Old Master's grave to pay his respects.

Although the war was won, the person he respected and loved the most had passed away forever.

Previously, due to the war, he couldn't spare the time to think about it and could only hide all his sorrow in his heart... But now, he felt deeply exhausted.

"I'm sorry, I might need some time to be alone."

Gu Nanfeng stopped and said mournfully, "As for the fire seed... I think there's someone who's more suitable than me."

He knew that Meng Xizhou had come to him this time mostly for the fire seed.

Qinglong had been defeated.

The Sky Fire Seed was currently vacant...

His [Storm Cut] was actually the Wind Strike Technique, which was very compatible with the [Cloud Mirror] authority. If he had the chance to touch this fire seed, there was a high probability that he could become a Divine Seat.

But Gu Nanfeng rejected Meng Xizhou's kindness.

Everyone in the world knew that the relationship between Gu Nanfeng and Meng Xizhou was definitely not that of ordinary friends, but they had never made it clear due to the war.

Now that the war was over, if Gu Nanfeng could melt a fire seed, the two would be truly "well-matched."

"..."

Meng Xizhou wanted to say more to persuade him to stay.

However, a series of messages came from her mind-force. Looking at the figure in the distance in front of the snowy plains, she finally chose to remain silent.

Holy light fell.

Meng Xizhou's figure disappeared at the end of the snowy plains.

Gu Nanfeng forced himself to resist the urge to turn around. At this moment, he felt the disappearance of the vast light behind him and breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Isn't this... very tiring?"

Suddenly, an unexpected voice came from the side.

Gu Nanfeng didn't realize when the owner of the voice had come to his side.

"Gu Shen?"

A gust of wind suddenly rose, and snow and mist filled the air. A figure emerged from the end of the snow and mist.

It was as if he had been standing here all along, waiting for Gu Nanfeng's arrival.

Gu Nanfeng's expression was a little flustered, "You... when did you come?"

"I came a long time ago."

Gu Shen said lightly, "I heard what you said very clearly."

"???"

Gu Nanfeng's eyes were complicated.

Gu Shen had arrived a long time ago... It was one thing for him not to notice, but Meng Xizhou was a dignified Divine Seat. She didn't notice either. What realm had Gu Shen reached now?

"Don't worry. I don't have the habit of eavesdropping on lovers' conversations."

Gu Shen said calmly, "I just happened to be strolling around the tundra. It was a coincidence that I ran into you... Well, Miss Meng is already gone. To be precise, I only ran into you."

"Is that so? That's quite a coincidence."

Gu Nanfeng smiled, lowering his eyebrows. He prepared to use the same trick again to end the conversation, "Since you've already heard it, Gu Shen, I want to be alone..."

"You're putting on a very tough act, aren't you?"

Gu Shen suddenly spoke, interrupting Gu Nanfeng's words.

Gu Nanfeng's tone stagnated, and he frowned, "What... are you talking about?"

"Regarding the fire seed and many other things, you must be pretending to be confused very hard, right?"

Gu Shen said calmly, "I heard your conversation, and I heard it very clearly."

"After the war ended, you never contacted me once. Knowing that I was in Nagano, you ran to the tundra and didn't even go to the Old Master's grave to pay your respects. You're deliberately avoiding me. Was it a coincidence that I met you here? It wasn't as coincidental as you avoiding me."

Having said this, it was basically like revealing his hand.

But Gu Nanfeng still shook his head, continuing to pretend to be confused, "I don't understand what you're talking about."

"You know that I'm choosing the owner for the vacant fire seed."

Gu Shen raised his eyebrows, "To tell you the truth, there are only a few fire seeds, and they basically all have owners. Now there's only the Sky Fire Seed left."

"I'm not interested in the fire seed." Gu Nanfeng tried to make his tone sound very indifferent.

"No one is not interested in the fire seed."

Gu Shen smiled and said, "You just don't want to compete with Bai Xiu."

"I said earlier that you were putting on a tough act, and it's not meant to be derogatory. There should be few people in this world who know you better than me. You've always hidden your emotions in the deepest part of your heart. You don't think there's still someone who doesn't know that you like Miss Meng, do you?"

"The war is over, and Meng Xizhou wants to be known to the world."

"But you have to wait a little longer. At least you can't give it to her now."

Gu Shen said these words very bluntly, like a knife directly piercing Gu Nanfeng's chest.

Gu Nanfeng's face suddenly paled by a few shades.

Gu Shen continued, "You're worried that if you reveal the slightest thought of wanting the fire seed, Meng Xizhou will fight for you and end up snatching Bai Xiu's opportunity... You've personally seen how hard Little Xiu has worked these past few years, running around for the Five Continents' future, painstakingly searching for the fire seed. Now there's only this one fire seed left. For Meng Xizhou, you can fight for everything in the world, but you don't want to fight for this one thing."

"So, what 'tired' and 'wanting to be alone' are actually delaying tactics."

Gu Shen shrugged and said, "From what I know of you, after Bai Xiu melts the fire seed and everything settles down, you'll come back."

"..."

Gu Nanfeng was silent for a long time. He didn't argue. He had nothing to say.

In this world, there was indeed no one who knew him better than Gu Shen.

"Sometimes, there's no need to live so hard."

Gu Shen sighed softly.

He came to Gu Nanfeng's side and said, "Extend your hand."

"......?"

Gu Nanfeng's pupils contracted. He had already anticipated what Gu Shen was going to do next.

Gu Shen took out a fire seed.

This fire seed was wrapped in a layer of clouds, emitting a silvery-white glow, and there were faint whistling sounds lingering around it!

The Sky Fire Seed!

"Since you understand me, you should know that I will never accept it."

Gu Nanfeng said in a hoarse voice.

"Want to bet? I bet you will definitely accept it."

Looking at Gu Nanfeng's perplexed eyes, Gu Shen smiled and said, "... Precisely because I understand you that I am meeting you alone on this occasion."

After a slight pause, Gu Shen said, "Brother Nanfeng, although you and I are extremely good friends, the distribution of fire seeds is a major event involving the fate of the entire human race. How can it be blocked by one person's words? My selection of the fire seed owner depends entirely on the fate curve and the degree of compatibility... The reason why I gave you the Sky Fire Seed is because you are the most compatible with this fire seed."

"???"

Gu Nanfeng frowned and took several steps back.

"What about Little Xiu... If this fire seed is given to me, what will happen to Little Xiu?"

"Don't worry, he has one too."

Gu Shen raised his eyebrows and smiled, "Take it well... Don't worry about Little Xiu. That guy has an even heavier burden on his shoulders."