"Is the deal confirmed?"

Lu Nanzhi could hardly believe her ears.

She glanced at the time.

It had only been fifteen minutes since she left the [Conference Room].

Hua Zhi's negotiation style had always been swift and decisive, but fifteen minutes was only enough for everyone to sit down and make an opening statement, not even enough time for the tea to cool.

"Yes, it's confirmed… They have ready-made materials over there, no need for preparation. It's just that the transportation will take some time. In about three days, they will be transported to the Great Metropolis District by airship."

"Ready-made materials?" Lu Nanzhi said with interest, "The materials on the list are not easy to find. To be able to agree immediately, and without preparation… it seems that 073 is indeed a remarkable person. How did you persuade him?"

"Actually, there was no need to persuade him… 073 is very interested in our identity." Gu Shen said, "So he agreed to this deal."

Lu Nanzhi pondered, and then laughed: "I see… so you pushed me out?"

Gu Shen also smiled, "This is both a trust transaction and a probing game. Aren't you curious… who exactly is that person from the Northern Continent?"

……

……

The handover between the Great Metropolis District and the Northern Continent was three days later.

At the fastest speed, it would take seven days for the materials needed by the tomb keeper to arrive.

During this time, Gu Shen hoped that he could have some "peace and quiet."

He did not return to the residence prepared for him by Luo Yu, but wandered alone in the Snow Forbidden City, aimlessly walking, observing and appreciating the traces of time left by this ancient city.

The Snow Forbidden City indeed had a historical charm. The Qing River flowed down from the plateau, giving rise to many tributaries, one of which, the Ning River, ran through the Snow Forbidden City, like a straight sword piercing the map, thus dividing the entire ancient city into eastern and western halves.

Viewed from above, it was an incredibly symmetrical figure.

Horizontal was horizontal.

Vertical was vertical.

Gu Shen lay on the railing of an old bridge, watching the surface of the Ning River freeze into ice. A wisp of flame silently spread out from between his eyebrows, dyeing his pupils a golden color.

He looked at the river, and the river water slowly flowed inside the ice.

Changye snowed all year round, but the Snow Forbidden City was not as cold as imagined. It should have been twenty degrees colder here, the cold wind sharper than a knife, but there was an invisible warm force blooming underground like a lotus flower.

Years ago, before the construction of Qingzhong… the Snow Forbidden City was not like this.

Because that tomb gathered a large amount of transcendent source quality, condensing order, that there was now the current "blessing."

"Chunyu Temple must be very noisy now."

He stared at his reflection on the ice surface of the Ning River, um… it was a golden-eyed youth with nothing but handsomeness.

Too many things had happened today.

Defeating Shen Li and comprehending the second scroll of the breathing technique, Guyu (Grain Rain), either of these two things was enough to cause a sensation.

The transcendent beings who wanted to "visit" probably crowded the small Gu family villa.

"At least a hundred people, right?" Gu Shen muttered.

"To be precise, one hundred and seventy-four people."

The voice of Chu Ling came from his mind, along with recording images from three cameras at different angles…

"This number is still increasing. It seems that many of them are prepared to squat there, waiting until you return, not giving up until they see you." Chu Ling smiled and said, "One hundred and thirty-one of them are transcendent beings from the Prison Institute. Congratulations, Gu Shen, this should be considered famous in Changye, right?"

"Famous in Changye…"

Gu Shen's face twitched slightly. He didn't feel any joy at all. On the contrary, he only felt a headache.

Everyone who "visited" was trouble.

Especially those transcendent beings from the Prison Institute.

Basically, without even thinking about it, these were transcendent beings who wanted to challenge him.

In a place like Changye, a love of war prevailed.

If you couldn't show absolute crushing strength… you couldn't gain absolute pure respect.

"The video of your battle with Shen Li in the dojo has been uploaded to the Deep Water Zone… many people have watched it." Chu Ling said, "Interestingly, most commentators are not convinced. They think that 'Shen Li' let the water out."

"Shen Li let the water out?" Gu Shen shook his head with a smile when he heard this news.

In the battle with [Iron Eater], he fought to the very limit.

In the end, he used [Iron Throne] to complete a counter-attack with a single blow!

The powerhouses at the scene did not see the abnormality of the Blazing Fire… Across a blurry image, Gu Shen didn't think that the group of online viewers in the Deep Water Zone could see anything.

"The main reason is that the Chief Inquisitor of the Prison Institute came forward." Chu Ling said, "Regarding your comprehension of the [Guyu Scroll], many transcendent beings from the Prison Institute said that they could not accept it…"

Understandable.

This was a "signature object" of the Prison Institute that countless transcendent beings wanted to see.

"The biggest controversy in the Deep Water Zone right now is… you and the Bai family's 'White Sleeve', who is more powerful."

Two comparison images appeared before Gu Shen's eyes.

One was the scene when White Sleeve comprehended the Guyu Scroll, and the other was the image of him comprehending it in the dojo today… The former was shrouded in a white, holy light, making the whole person appear cold and sacred, like a god.

The latter, on the other hand, seemed to be shrouded in the darkness of black mist, looking a little depressing.

"Judging from the comprehension time, you are both 'monsters' with little difference, but White Sleeve's mental brilliance is completely different from your color… This has caused a lot of controversy."

Chu Ling tried to retrieve White Sleeve's files, but unsurprisingly, the files of this young man, who the Bai family had invested a lot of effort in cultivating, were tightly sealed.

She said with some regret: "White Sleeve is considered to be the leading figure of the younger generation in Changye with 's-level' strength. He refused the invitations from the Three Institutes, and also refused the grading test request from the Eastern Continent Federation."

"Those people in the Deep Water Zone are discussing me and White Sleeve?" Gu Shen narrowed his eyes and asked with a smile, "What are they discussing?"

"Of course, they are discussing… what would happen if you two fought."

Chu Ling said without any tact, "According to the current information, your chances of winning are 0, because White Sleeve is already at the eighth or even ninth level of the Deep Sea. And this will be the case for a long time to come."

According to the stages divided by the Deep Water Zone.

One to three, four to six, seven to nine, ten to twelve, a total of four stages.

White Sleeve had already reached the end of the third stage.

And Gu Shen… had just entered the second stage.

This fight was meaningless. It was a complete crushing of strength, but the two people were simply too talented to be compared together.

And unfortunately, the race between geniuses often depended on who started first.

Gu Shen was progressing.

White Sleeve was also progressing.

"For a long time to come, my chances of winning against White Sleeve… are 0?"

Gu Shen啧啧 sighed.

He knew that this was the deduction analysis from the [Source Code], without any personal feelings… but this sentence sounded really sad.

It also made people curious about who exactly that Bai family's pride, who had been praised to the sky, was.

Did he have three heads and six arms?

"Of course."

From the other side of the bridge in the distance, a clear and cold voice came.

The frozen Ning River was no longer peaceful.

The undercurrent under the ice surface began to surge.

A woman wearing a black feather cloak slowly walked towards Gu Shen, and she spoke in a matter-of-course tone.

"No matter when you fight Little Sleeve… you only have this one way to lose."

The Bai family's witch came to Gu Shen and smiled gently, as if making a declaration.

"Little Sleeve's talent and ability… is unimaginably powerful."

"He is someone you can never defeat."

……

……

(Only one update tonight, adjust the state, and start preparing for more updates tomorrow.)