From the moment he saw the slight upturn at the corner of Bai Shu's lips,

Gu Shen knew that the matter of "honing mental strength" was not as simple as he had imagined.

The next moment.

With a "boom!"

The golden divine domain suddenly enveloped him, and the mist in the entire inner mausoleum instantly dissipated… replaced by three blazing light realms gradually overlapping.

"There are no shortcuts to cultivation… If you want to take your mental strength cultivation a step further, you need to endure a greater intensity of pressure."

Bai Shu slowly extended a finger and pointed it at Gu Shen.

The golden divine domain was like a calm, vast lake.

At this moment, a pebble was dropped.

A golden circle emerged from the direction of Bai Shu's fingertip.

However, this golden ripple was not expanding, but contracting—

"This is?"

Gu Shen's pupils contracted slightly. This circle of gold embraced him, and as the golden ripples contracted bit by bit, his mental strength also began to be squeezed.

This feeling was like… blindness.

His vision was no longer vast.

For mental-type transcendents, their "eyes" were not that important, because even if they closed their eyes, they could still see the world…

For transcendents of the other two types, source matter cultivation preceded mental cultivation.

But for mental-types, it was the opposite.

Cultivating the mind was more important than cultivation itself!

This was also why Gu Changzhi wanted the Wine God Throne to be a "blind man," and why the Wine God Throne was in such pain… Gu Changzhi had asked the Wine God Throne to close his eyes and gather his mind in the golden divine domain.

Gu Shen now understood some of the Wine God Throne's feelings.

This circle of golden ripples finally hovered at the position of his forehead… transforming into a "golden circlet."

Gu Shen's mental strength was imprisoned in the shell of his spiritual sea. Under the effect of the "golden circlet," that wisp of blazing fire lit up with great difficulty, then helplessly extinguished.

If Gu Shen's mental strength was at the middle-to-upper level of a ninth-tier transcendent,

Then the pressure exerted by this golden circlet now… should be at the "peak of the ninth tier." Gu Shen felt that he could resist it, but it was extremely strenuous, and it was extremely difficult to even drive the blazing fire out of his body.

Of course.

This was under the condition that Bai Shu was holding back.

If he activated the divine power of the Fighting War Seed and exerted his full power, this golden circlet… should be able to directly tighten and crush the spiritual sea of a titled powerhouse!

"Do you feel the pressure?"

Bai Shu smiled and said, "Wearing this 'golden circlet' will limit your mental strength to a very small range… However, this is not a bad thing. The pressure of this golden circlet is not as strong as you think, only a little stronger than your current stage."

"I feel it…"

Gu Shen took a deep breath.

He clenched his fist, feeling quite unaccustomed.

His original mental strength could be released at will, and he could "see" within a hundred meters… but now, he probably couldn't even "release it at will."

He gave a wry smile and muttered, "In that case, it would be very inconvenient if a fight broke out."

"When I was young, I followed a teacher to practice the art of swordsmanship. Before he taught me, he presented me with such a 'mental tightening circlet.'"

Bai Shu said, "For transcendents, the more they cultivate in the later stages, the more they will rely on the feedback of 'mental strength,' because the speed of human eyes cannot compare with mental strength… and this will become a weakness."

Gu Shen held his breath and listened attentively.

"Truly top experts can master [Complete Flash], but you… are still a little short of [Complete Flash]."

Bai Shu glanced at Gu Shen and said calmly, "This is not because your cultivation state of mind is not enough. [Complete Flash] is a treasure technique left for the blind, and the more you see, the harder it is to learn."

Gu Shen was silent.

That's right… In the past year, his cultivation could be described as "smooth sailing." He cultivated his mind in the Spring Rain Temple and source matter in Qingqiu and Shenci Mountain, but the progress in "physical skills" was not great.

He had sparred with Shen Li quite a bit this year.

Obviously, the "spectator" mentality could not help Gu Shen completely comprehend [Complete Flash].

Now, after hearing Bai Shu's words, Gu Shen understood the reason why [Complete Flash] could not be comprehended.

"The more you see… the harder it is to learn…"

Gu Shen repeated it silently in his heart.

Bai Shu withdrew the three-layered golden divine domain. At this moment, the cemetery reappeared in its true form.

This inner mausoleum was originally "completely visible" in Gu Shen's eyes.

All the array patterns had been disassembled and comprehended by Gu Shen.

These array mists were easily deciphered by the sweep of mental strength.

But at this moment…

This thick fog completely covered Gu Shen's eyes.

He lost his vision.

Even Bai Shu, who was standing not far in front of him, could not see clearly…

"Actually, I shouldn't have given you this 'golden circlet' at this stage."

Bai Shu's voice came from the fog. He smiled softly and said, "It's just that I have never seen a genius whose mental strength surpasses his own strength by two major realms. Being able to reach this step is the result of opportunity, talent, and hard work combined… However, have you really reached your limit?"

This golden circlet gave Gu Shen a lot of mental pressure.

Originally, his mental strength operation was extremely stable and easy.

But now.

The golden circlet tightened, and he had to constantly run "Jingzhe," assisted by the complete Breath of Spring, to ensure the peace of his mind.

"Hoo…"

Gu Shen took a deep breath and reached out to touch the golden circlet on his forehead.

He didn't feel anything.

After the Fighting War Divine Domain dissipated, this golden circlet also dissipated… but when Gu Shen tried to summon the blazing fire, a "crisp tinkling" sound rang out on his forehead.

It was like gold fire quenching red iron.

Sparks flew from Gu Shen's forehead!

The vertical pupil opened by the blazing fire was blocked back by a complex and obscure golden light. That wisp of golden light meandered and wrapped around like a stream, forming a shrunken "golden circlet."

"Hiss…"

The pain of the spiritual sea being tightened surged in his heart.

Gu Shen subconsciously took a breath of cold air, but then, he calmed down.

Gu Shen looked at Bai Shu in the mist and smiled softly, "It's quite tight… a bit interesting."

He knew that this golden circlet was not torture.

But an opportunity!

His mental strength was two major realms higher than his current strength… This was already a shocking thing.

Gu Shen himself could not think of any other way to go further.

And apart from Bai Shu, who had fused the Fighting War Seed, probably no one in the entire Eastern Continent could help him break through this bottleneck.

What was Gu Shen most worried about?

It was mental breakdown!

The former Underworld King must have been an existence with extremely powerful "mental strength." The fact that he could use the Ruler of Truth as a weapon was the best proof… That kind of "Bug object" with no upper limit and entirely based on the transcendent's mental strength to perform was definitely a divine object that could achieve cross-border beheading.

The only requirement was extremely high mental strength.

And this golden circlet… gave Gu Shen a glimpse of hope for "going further."

Gu Shen's reaction surprised Bai Shu a little.

He said indifferently, "There is something I need to make clear to you. This golden circlet is easy to put on but difficult to take off… You should think carefully. Once you put it on, you can't take it off easily."

For other transcendents, the golden circlet could be put on or taken off.

But for the "Underworld King,"

This golden circlet was like a demon in the heart.

Either break through and go further.

Or resist and not give an inch.

"Since I've put it on, there's no reason to ask you to take it off." Gu Shen smiled, reached out and gently touched the golden light, and said softly, "From today onwards, I'll just wear it on my head… I will break free myself."

Gu Shen was not an arrogant person.

This golden circlet might be extremely difficult to break through, but expanding it by a circle… should not be difficult.

His mental strength could not leave his body at the moment.

But if he resisted for a while longer, he should be able to cover his whole body.

"Not bad. You are better than I thought."

Bai Shu smiled approvingly. He said meaningfully, "Wearing this golden circlet is not that bad… In a sense, it means that I have left a wisp of my divine sense on you."

This sentence stopped abruptly.

But the implication was obvious.

"Junior… understands."

Gu Shen took a deep breath and said gratefully, "Thank you, senior."

"You're welcome."

Bai Shu's figure swayed in the mist. He said softly, "When you become the Underworld King, I hope you can pull the souls of those who have lost control… back to reality."

A-009 was still in a state of losing control.

Obviously… even the "Fighting War Seed" could not complete the miracle of "reviving the consciousness of those who have lost control."

But Gu Shen was different.

The Underworld King was in charge of the iron law of life and death. The existence of those who have lost control was like a gray area not explicitly stipulated in this iron law… If Gu Shen could cultivate the "Pure Land" to great success, then saving the souls of those who have lost control seemed not impossible.

Gu Shen looked at the pair of golden pupils in the mist. Even without mental induction, he could still feel the heat in those golden pupils.

Someone had lost hope.

But now, they had picked it up again.

"Okay."

Gu Shen said earnestly.

Bai Shu smiled, turned around, and returned to the cemetery.

Just this one word was enough.

…

…

Bound by the golden circlet, Gu Shen felt like he had become blind.

He could hardly move in the inner mausoleum.

He had no idea which direction to go.

Fortunately… the mental link inside the spiritual sea had not been suppressed by the golden circlet, which meant that he could still communicate mentally with Chu Ling.

What happened in the golden divine domain.

Chu Ling did not see.

But at this moment… she felt Gu Shen's strangeness. This guy was wandering around in the inner mausoleum like a headless fly, and the blazing fire wanted to emerge several times, but was blocked by a golden light.

Was this… mental strength being restricted?

She quickly dispersed the circle of array mist covering Gu Shen and pointed out a direction.

"This 'golden circlet'… what is it?"

Chu Ling asked, puzzled.

"Let's just think of it as… a 'gift' from a certain new god."

Gu Shen was silent for a moment and gave this answer. At this moment, he couldn't help but recall the scene when he received this gift. At that time, Bai Shu had a more or less teasing smile on his face.

"That's really a… great gift."

Chu Ling could see the approximate effect of this golden circlet.

She said lightly, "If you encountered the 'Ghost Mask' incident at this time, you might lose some face."

Without mental strength.

The strange domain in the end car probably wouldn't be solved so easily.

Gu Shen coughed.

"I should still be able to beat it… although it will indeed be a bit embarrassing." He smiled, "But you underestimate me too much, don't you?"

"What, do you have a backup plan?"

"In this case, I usually take half a step back, back to the side of a trustworthy powerhouse…"

Gu Shen said solemnly, "I hope you will step forward heroically and slap the Ghost Mask's head with a slap, and then I will cheer for you in the rear."

"…"

It took Chu Ling a long time to come up with a sarcastic remark: "Is the dignified Underworld King eating soft rice?" (relying on a woman)

"You flatter me, you flatter me."

Gu Shen was not ashamed at all and sighed, "I like this word."

The next moment.

A shout rang out in the distance.

"Brother Gu!"

Because his mental strength was tightened, Gu Shen did not detect the existence of the speaker in advance.

At this moment, he looked in the direction of the sound.

A teenager carrying a large iron sword was running towards him.

"Shen Li, why are you here?" Gu Shen smiled.

He didn't expect that the little iron man would come to find him.

"Brother Gu… I heard that you finally returned to Nagano, so I rushed over as soon as possible."

Shen Li still had sweat on his forehead.

He wiped his sweat and looked at Gu Shen beside him with confusion, "Huh… where's Miss Chu?"

"She… is in seclusion, well, she won't be coming out for a while."

Gu Shen looked at the huge broadsword Shen Li was carrying on his back and vaguely guessed the other party's intention.

The little iron man excitedly unloaded the great sword, swung it around, and said, "This broadsword is a gift from Mr. Shan, named 'Da Que.' The master said that Da Que is an A-level sealed item!"

This sword exuded a burst of iron aura, this was not an ordinary object.

But a special iron weapon that had been fused with "mental strength," it was likely a sword refined from the Great Success [Iron Throne].

[Da Que] was very compatible with [Eater of Iron].

"So… you're looking for me is?"

Gu Shen pretended to be confused and asked slowly.

"Brother Gu…"

Shen Li took a deep breath, he held the great sword tightly with both hands, stood on the spot, and turned two heavy sword flowers.

"Whoosh—whoosh!"

Although the little iron man was not tall, he was born with great strength.

The figure of the thin teenager wielding the great sword seemed strenuous, but it was actually as smooth as a fish in water.

With natural great strength, plus the compatibility of [Eater of Iron], this [Da Que] was swung by him with a fierce wind sound.

Subsequently.

Shen Li inserted [Da Que] heavily into the grass.

He said spiritedly, "I'm here to fight you!"

Shen Li came to the door, of course, there was only one thing, fighting.

This was a pure martial arts fanatic.

Originally, Shen Li didn't pick his opponents, as long as there was a fight, he was satisfied, but after cultivating with Gu Shen in the Spring Rain Temple for a year, his vision for picking fights became higher and higher, and when his hands were itchy, fighting a few newcomers could no longer satisfy his needs.

The most important thing was that he didn't have a sense of proportion.

He only knew how to punch but didn't know how to stop.

No one in the same realm in the prison was willing to "spar" with Shen Li anymore.

For Shen Li, the biggest goal was naturally to defeat Gu Shen!

This year, he had nearly a hundred duels with Gu Shen, without a single victory.

From the initial dissatisfaction.

To the final respectful address of "Brother Gu," this change in attitude was all beaten out by Gu Shen's fists!

"Brother Gu… I am not the Shen Li of yesterday!"

The little iron man said solemnly, "I have been waiting for you to return to Nagano to have a fight."

"…"

If it were normal, Gu Shen wouldn't mind spending a minute to let Shen Li have a good sleep, but the situation was different now.

He touched the position of his forehead with a headache.

That wisp of golden thread appeared faintly…

He was probably unable to summon the blazing fire at the moment.

"Brother Gu, although I know that I will still lose this time…" Shen Li said seriously, "But I want to know… how big is the gap between me and you, please give me a battle!"

After speaking.

Draw the sword!

The sound of the heavy sword breaking through the air had just sounded.

"Wait…"

Gu Shen's voice interrupted Shen Li's movements.

The little iron man looked a little confused, but out of respect for Gu Shen, he didn't immediately act, but seriously waited for the rest of the sentence.

This scene had to make people sigh, Shen Li had amazing strength.

This Da Que was held up by him with one hand holding the hilt, pointing straight at Gu Shen.

"Mr. Shan only gave you such a sword?" Gu Shen opened his mouth with a smile and said, "There should be something else, right?"

"There are also protective sealed items, mental defense sealed items…"

Shen Li murmured, then he suddenly realized, grabbed the necklace in front of his neck, and said seriously, "Brother Gu, I understand what you mean. This battle is only about attacks, I'll remove all these sealed items!"

Gu Shen was silent for a second and said, "Besides these, there's nothing else?"

"Nothing…"

Shen Li frowned, a little confused.

"Maybe there's also an old mansion in Snow Forbidden City." Gu Shen reminded with a smile.

"Ah…"

Shen Li scratched his head with one hand and said, "There is indeed such a thing. Mr. Shan gave me a key, saying that I can go and take a look when I have time… it's just that the key is useless to me."

"Let's have a fight."

Gu Shen smiled and said, "If I win, you can give me that key."

"Easy to say! I'll give it to you!"

Shen Li laughed loudly and threw the key out, "I thought it was something, this thing… is useless!"

Gu Shen took the key.

The next moment.

Shen Li's figure flashed in front of him, the little iron man drew his sword extremely fast.

A heavy slash!

It seemed to split the void into two halves!

With a "boom" sound, the sonic wave rushed towards him!

Gu Shen took half a step back with a calm expression, frowned slightly, and looked at the fierce sword energy that was wrapped around his chest… the little iron man's killing power had indeed gone a step further.

With [Da Que], Shen Li should have no enemies in the seventh tier.

He tapped lightly with his finger and pressed it on the great sword.

Subconsciously, he wanted to use "Blazing Fire" to penetrate the iron weapon and shake Shen Li's soul!

But.

The moment the Blazing Fire swept out of his forehead—

The golden circlet appeared!

The suppression of the Fighting War Seed caused the Blazing Fire to be directly extinguished, Gu Shen grunted, the wisp of golden light on his forehead flashed and disappeared, and the stabbing pain in his spirit made him give up this attack.

Sure enough… he hadn't adapted to the golden circlet yet.

It was extremely difficult for the Blazing Fire to even leave his body.

This scene, in Shen Li's eyes, was a great encouragement!

The previous Brother Gu would never have made this muffled sound after taking this sword!

The little iron man was high-spirited, and his eyes seemed to shoot out essence, he held the hilt of the Da Que sword with both hands, jumped up in place, and then, like a club, slammed the great broadsword down—

Gu Shen dodged to the side.

This time, he tried to use the immature [Complete Flash]…

In the past, due to the side assistance of his powerful mental strength.

He could clearly capture the next moment's attack point of the enemy.

So the dodge of [Complete Flash] was extremely precise, but at this moment, Gu Shen's mental strength was fully restrained, and the only things that could make a judgment were his skin, hair, and intuition.

He finally understood.

The sentence that Bai Shu said, the more you see, the harder it is to learn.

[Complete Flash] without the assistance of mental strength was less accurate… and in actual combat, this slight difference would lead to a change in the entire battle situation!

With a "boom" sound!

Shen Li's smashing sword had great killing power, directly blasting a big pit out of the hilltop of the cemetery, and in the dust, a rather embarrassed figure swept out, Gu Shen covered his arm with one hand, and a very slight red bloodstain oozed out of the surface of his clothes.

He dodged the sword strike, but he didn't dodge the sword energy!

This [Da Que] was indeed worthy of the name "A-level"… After the sword fell, it swung out several meters of fierce killing intent!

Gu Shen was slightly injured.

"Brother Gu! I'm coming!"

Shen Li's fighting spirit was high, he dragged Da Que and ran at high speed.

He saw hope in this battle!

In the dozens of battles with Gu Shen, there had never been a single one that injured Gu Shen!

And the next moment, he met Gu Shen's "eyes."

Shen Li's heart skipped a beat.

Gu Shen's eyes were extremely calm, without the slightest panic.

This was the same as every battle in the past…

That eye seemed to have a wisp of blazing fire, Shen Li took a deep breath, he knew that Gu Shen's main means of attack was mental, and after looking at each other, he might be mentally attacked!

So Shen Li concentrated his mind and put all his attention on Gu Shen!

This sword must hit him!

This… was the only thought in the little iron man's mind at this moment—

Da Que was raised high and slammed down heavily.

And at this moment.

A huge iron shield suddenly appeared in mid-air!

Shen Li's pupils shrank, he realized that… Gu Shen was carrying an unnamed object, it was an extremely strange iron sealed item, without other traits, just hard!

This sword was slashed down without being able to dodge!

Gorgeous and dazzling iron filings and flames exploded in the air, and the dull explosion sound suddenly splashed around—

That person who jumped up high and one sword was shaken and flew out.

The hilltop of the cemetery returned to silence.

After a while.

Gu Shen patted his body and dusted off the dust.

He picked up the Da Que that had been thrown and landed behind him, raised it hard, and looked at it silently.

Well… it was indeed very heavy, but with the blessing of the [Iron Throne], he could also wave it.

This sword was very good.

It seemed that Mr. Shan had not mistreated the Underworld King's [Apostle].

Gu Shen came to Shen Li, who was dizzy, returned the Da Que, and said with a smile, "You fought well in this fight, it's a pity. It seems that as long as you work harder… you can defeat me."