Chapter 127 Treasure?

"Treasure?"

Gong Zi frowned, somewhat disbelieving.

The iron armor that Gu Shen had brought out looked quite ordinary… just a thin iron armor, nothing more. The Federation had plenty of sophisticated ironworking techniques; the Gong family could find ten thousand such armors.

Was this really a treasure?

He shifted his head slightly and noticed that Shen Li's eyes were wide.

From the moment Gu Shen walked out of the room with the iron armor, the *Shitie Zhi Tu* (Iron-Eating Disciple)'s eyes had been shining, fixed on the lifeless object… like a starving ghost seeing a feast.

"Can I have a taste?" Shen Li swallowed, politely requesting.

"No, you may not," Gu Shen politely refused.

The little iron man let out a wronged "Oh," and the half-risen body could only stiffly sit back down, but his eyes were still red, seemingly struggling against the "appetite."

Gu Shen looked at the restless Shen Li, feeling helpless. His posture changed from holding to embracing, as he was really afraid that this indiscriminate fellow… might suddenly jump up and take a bite of the iron armor.

"This is the… treasure that Brother Gu mentioned?"

Seeing Shen Li like this, Gong Zi, who had previously been skeptical, suddenly became somewhat convinced.

The *Shitie Zhi Tu* had very high standards for iron materials, and this iron armor could elicit such a reaction from Shen Li… it must be extraordinary.

"Brother Gong… you can try it on."

Gu Shen didn't explain, but directly handed the iron armor to Gong Zi.

Gong Zi slowly put the iron armor over his clothes.

Gu Shen smiled.

He patted Shen Li's shoulder and said softly, "Give him a punch, and you can have a lick."

Gong Zi: "???"

The next moment, Shen Li stood up with a whoosh, instantly throwing a punch!

The brute force of the *Shitie Zhi Tu* was terrifying. With such an instantaneous burst, this punch could probably smash a car. Gong Zi's pupils constricted, and he only heard a muffled thud against his chest.

A "buzz" resounded!

A gust of wind swept through.

Shen Li frowned. His punch on the iron armor hadn't moved it at all!

He glanced at Gu Shen, and after seeing the latter nod, he exerted more force with his fist, this time using the ability of the *Shitie Zhi Tu*!

"Rumble!!!"

The sound of wind roaring echoed in the courtyard.

The point of contact between Shen Li's fist and Gong Zi's chest rippled with countless gusts of wind!

The thin iron armor rippled wave after wave. It was due to the devouring characteristic of the *Shitie Zhi Tu*. Gong Zi felt that the iron armor on his body was about to be sucked away by Shen Li's fist –

Yet, such terrifying force.

Almost none of it actually landed on him!

This iron armor completely absorbed Shen Li's attack!

"Alright… stop."

Gu Shen casually reached out a hand and grabbed Shen Li's iron wrist. The storm in the courtyard instantly dissipated, and the two were separated… Shen Li looked shocked.

Not only because of the strange properties of the iron armor, but also because of… Gu Shen's casual "grab"!

His *Shitie Zhi Tu* had already been activated. The immense brute force contained in his punch, like water thrown out, could only be poured out in one go and was difficult to retract completely.

Yet, with this "grab," the activation of the *Shitie Zhi Tu* was interrupted, and the poured-out brute force was caught back!

This was truly a method that Shen Li couldn't understand.

It could only mean one thing.

Gu Shen… had become stronger again.

…

…

"This iron armor… is incredible."

Gong Zi lowered his head and looked at the complete and flawless iron armor.

Although with his strength, he could have withstood Shen Li's punch even without this iron armor.

After all, he was at the seventh level and had already condensed a "domain," while the little iron man was still hovering in the second stage.

But in battles between transcendents, sometimes what determined victory was an unexpected "surprise attack"!

The explosive power of the *Shitie Zhi Tu* was extremely strong, and it already had the strength to surprise and injure him!

"How was this iron armor made?"

Gong Zi's eyes were filled with amazement and curiosity.

He took off the iron armor and examined it carefully, but it looked very ordinary: "Brother Gu… can you tell me the process? I'll have the Gong family try to produce it later."

As the eldest son of the Gong family, he wouldn't be greedy for ordinary objects.

This iron armor… was indeed extraordinary, but without the existence of transcendent source matter, it couldn't be considered a sealed item, and it was ultimately just an ordinary object.

When he said this, Gong Zi had already prepared himself.

If the making of this iron armor required a sky-high cost, such as consuming special steel with a million-to-one ratio to make a corner of the sleeve… that was fine too!

He must make one for himself.

With such terrifying defensive capabilities, no matter how much it cost, it would be enough to make just one!

"Currently… there is no process, it cannot be replicated, it's one of a kind."

Gu Shen shook his head and said in a deep voice, "Regarding the technology, Grandpa Gu is also researching it…"

A look of surprise flashed in Gong Zi's eyes, followed by a hint of regret. He forced a smile and said, "Since Grandpa is also researching it… then I won't interfere. I hope to hear good news."

Gu Shen didn't need to lie to him.

So be it.

This item was indeed a "rare worldly object," but it was not meant for him.

Gong Zi was still very open-minded about this.

"From what I know of Han Dang, for a big competition like the Newcomer Tournament, they have already made their move and are definitely aiming for the final championship. These people won't rest until they achieve their goals, even if it means using some underhanded methods."

Gu Shen took a sip of tea and said, "I believe Brother Gong knows more about the style of the Zhu Wang lineage than I do."

Gong Zi slowly nodded.

He had grown up in Snow Forbidden City and knew the three institutes very well.

Zhu Wang was able to dominate the Nagano Tribunal for more than twenty years because of his "iron-blooded ruthlessness." This was the style of this lineage, swift and decisive, brave and good at fighting. Once they set their sights on something, they would never let go!

The style of this lineage was well-known in Nagano.

This time in the Newcomer Tournament, it was clear that Lian Zhou was aiming for the championship. The gifts and methods from his master's lineage would be indispensable.

"The 'instantaneous physical kill' in the duel video is most likely a high-level sealed item. I always find it a bit strange… Lian Zhou is already at the seventh level. Dealing with those low-level transcendents should be a crushing victory. Why would he need to offer such a big weapon and expose his methods in advance?" Gu Shen narrowed his eyes and voiced the doubt in his heart.

Hearing this, Gong Zi also fell into thought.

That's right.

A seventh-level transcendent, dealing with third and fourth-level opponents, was already a piece of cake.

Why be so… brutal?

Perhaps, this was what Zhu Wang wanted others to see?

"Whether it's for 'deterrence' or for other purposes…" Gu Shen said in a deep voice, "If the 'Iron Armor' can defend against this kill, Brother Gong will have the advantage of one more sealed item."

In the Newcomer Tournament, you can only bring one sealed item to the stage.

This was for the sake of fairness.

To prevent some "young master" from a large and wealthy family from throwing out a pile of sealed items as soon as the fight started, regardless of the situation, directly winning by quantity and creating a crushing situation.

One sealed item per person allowed different transcendents to prepare their strategies for after they took the stage based on their abilities.

Of course… this method couldn't achieve complete fairness either.

Some people would always have "extremely powerful" sealed items, or "extremely powerful" abilities.

But to master and perfectly wield them was not an easy task.

"Thank you, Brother Gu, for the gift. The Gong family will remember this favor…"

Gong Zi put the Iron Armor back on, increasingly fond of it, and said seriously, "In a few days, I will face Lian Zhou directly. If Brother Gu is free, please do me the honor of attending and watching the battle, and winning the championship with me."

Winning the championship together… This was said very sincerely, beautifully, and gave enough face.

Gu Shen smiled and said, "Definitely."

Watching the two of them saying nice things, Shen Li waited for a long time.

It was finally over.

He carefully poked Gong Zi and looked at the Iron Armor with anticipation, "That…"

"He promised to let me lick it."

Gong Zi: "???"

Shen Li stared at Gong Zi's chest and said seriously, "Just once, really just once."

…

…

Late at night.

In a desolate mountain north of Nagano.

There were slight rumbling sounds, echoing continuously.

Light snow splattered!

The bright moon hung in the sky, and a wisp of invisible shadow shuttled through the mountains, stirring up falling snow, and the snow air in the forest rustled down.

A figure sat cross-legged on a large rock, closing his eyes to rest.

Without seeing how he moved –

The wisp of invisible shadow instantly shattered a giant tree that two people could hug, piercing and breaking its heart, and then thousands of tree fragments burst out in an instant. The entire ancient tree was cut into thousands of pieces within a second!

"Swish, swish, swish…"

The wisp of shadow slowly stopped and hovered in front of Lian Zhou.

Lian Zhou slowly exhaled a long breath, instantly bursting out with huge killing power. His mental power was also greatly consumed… He stretched out his palm, and the small shadow revealed its true form under the refraction of the moonlight.

It turned out to be just a paper scissor!

"Very good, you have initially mastered the paper scissor… Although it can only unleash one hundred and eight kills, it is enough."

Han Dang slowly walked out of the darkness. He stood with his hands behind his back, looked at the collapsing ancient tree, and said softly, "You performed well in today's duel. The following promotion should not be difficult."

"Thank you for your praise, Senior Brother."

Lian Zhou gently looked at the paper scissor in his palm. He said quietly, "It's just that the paper scissor consumes mental power too quickly… Fortunately, today's opponents were not strong enough, and no one has seen the clue yet."

"After today, it will be much easier." Han Dang said lightly, "If there are no accidents, as long as you take the stage, your opponent will abstain and surrender. Except for the final, you shouldn't need to consume mental power to fight… You still have several days to rest."

In today's duel, Lian Zhou's methods were unusually cruel!

All opponents were resolved with "paper scissors"!

He had reached the seventh level.

But… he did not use his own abilities.

Not because he didn't want to, but because… he couldn't!

Bai Xiu returned to Nagano.

Bai Xiu gave up the Newcomer Tournament.

These two news spread too suddenly… Overnight, many geniuses had the idea of ​​competing for the Tinder dream!

It's just that this time, two seventh-level transcendents appeared in the competition.

The appearance of these two seventh-levels was actually a big blow to other geniuses, especially those sixth-level peak transcendents.

There was a huge gap in the middle, an insurmountable bottleneck.

Without breaking through the border, it would be difficult to compete with seventh-level transcendents.

And Lian Zhou, in order to "win" this time, chose to forcibly break through this bottleneck… Zhu Wang gave him extra access to the seventh level of the Deepwater Zone. He should have stayed at the "sixth level" for longer.

This was actually a taboo act explicitly prohibited by the Federation!

The practice of transcendents must first ensure sufficient "stability", and the spirit and body must be synchronized and coordinated.

Borrowing power that does not belong to oneself and comprehending the next step of the scenery in advance may lead to a situation.

That is… out of control!

This was the reason why Lian Zhou used "paper scissors" to cut down enemies. He had to appear strong enough and cruel enough to make the other party directly abstain… In the face of the real final, overusing the seventh-level power that did not belong to him, as well as the third-order domain, might lead to "out of control" situations.

Even if there was only a little clue, it was easy to be noticed!

"The guys from the Federal Security Council are unusually active in every year's Newcomer Tournament. They can't wait to stare at every player in this competition and complete the indicators for the whole year." Han Dang said calmly, "If there are no accidents, the opponent in the final should be one of the young masters from the Gong family and the seventh level from the Command. If you're lucky, you only need to fight one game. You only need to offer 'paper scissors' to break the defense, and then use your ability to win easily."

Lian Zhou looked complicated.

He rubbed his eyebrows and slowly asked, "Senior Brother, if this paper scissor can't defeat the enemy…"

"Impossible!"

Han Dang immediately shook his head and said very surely, "This is a near-S-level forbidden sealed item, given by the teacher. Even if the young master of the Gong family can withstand one attack, he can't withstand the second burst… As long as you have enough mental power, you will definitely be able to win!"

"Okay…"

Lian Zhou took a deep breath and said, "I will practice harder these few days."

"Well, if you can comprehend the paper scissor to the realm of two hundred kills earlier, even if you encounter a transcendent at the eighth level of the Deepwater Zone, you can instantly cut him into pieces. Even if those two seventh levels have any trump cards, they are no match for you." Han Dang looked indifferent and slowly said, "Remember… no matter what, you must win the Newcomer Tournament! Not just for the sake of the master, but for yourself!"

This sentence implicitly contained a wisp of mental power.

Lian Zhou's expression froze.

His eyes were slightly scattered for a moment, and then became more condensed, as if a wisp of black light had gathered.

Lian Zhou's whole body of energy was gathered up, becoming stronger.

He lowered his head, silently looked at the paper scissor in his palm, and whispered to himself.

"No matter what…"

"I must win…"

…

…

During this time.

The eyes of the entire Nagano were focused on this Newcomer Tournament.

Although Bai Xiu did not participate in the competition, many amazing players emerged in this competition… Many loose cultivators were favored by the three institutes and five major families. Some were eliminated, but still received olive branches from the three institutes and five major families.

Snow Forbidden City was very lively.

Chunyu Temple was very quiet.

It formed a sharp contrast with the entire lively city.

In this small courtyard, the snow fell silently, and the flowers bloomed silently.

Gu Shen practiced quietly, enjoying the rare peace.

His life was fulfilling and busy. He regularly went to the Shrine Mountain to eat flowers, checked the latest search results of the Copper Man Lamp, returned to Qingzhong to consume source matter, and practiced array patterns.

He seemed to be alone, but in reality, he was not alone.

During "deep sleep", he would come to 001 and watch the sea with Chu Ling, and he would also come to the Four Seasons Wilderness and swing a shovel with Tie Wu to dig deep pits.

The big pit in the Four Seasons Wilderness was getting deeper and deeper… Gu Shen had a feeling in his heart that the date for planting the seeds was not far away.

And like Gu Shen, who was busy and didn't care about the "Newcomer Tournament", it was not just one person.

The villa area of ​​the Gu family seemed to be full of such "weirdos".

Lu Nanjin was practicing swordsmanship in the Fenglai Temple. She was an even more "closed" person than Gu Shen. Sitting in the Fenglai Temple, she didn't ask about spring, summer, autumn, or winter, and didn't hear about frost or snow outside the window, as if everything outside was irrelevant to her.

It was precisely this kind of "quiet cultivation" that caused an incredible qualitative change in her swordsmanship realm.

After leaving the capital, Nanjin's ten years of accumulated hard practice of swordsmanship finally broke out, and the wooden knife suspended in the sky above the Fenglai Temple contained an amazing power.

Even Gu Nanfeng was amazed by this woman's amazing progress.

The third "weirdo" was Gu Nanfeng.

Since the family banquet with Grandpa Gu, Gu Nanfeng had become a truly busy person. Luo Fatty would occasionally return to the villa area to clean the Qianlong Temple courtyard for the young master and deal with some accumulated trivial matters.

But during this period, Gu Nanfeng had hardly shown up.

At the end of that family banquet, the old man gave Gu Nanfeng a "letter". No one knew what the so-called gift in the letter was.

But Gu Shen could probably guess some.

When he contacted his wife regularly, he heard from Lu Nanzhi that the Gu family had been in contact with Huazhi recently… It was obvious that the old man had been persuaded in the negotiations at the family banquet not long ago.

Half of the Gu family's power could not represent the entire Nagano, but being willing to have contact with Huazhi was enough to explain the will of the "old faction."

This was a good thing.

If all went well, it wouldn't be long before Huazhi would send a "mission" to Nagano to observe, learn, and cooperate with the Gu family in some sense… It was not difficult to guess that the gift that the old man gave to Gu Nanfeng was the opportunity to "regain control of the Gu family's power."

A "young master" who had been away from Nagano for eight years, returning from North Continent, no matter how strong he was, he would need time to gather people's hearts.

Surrounded by wolves, the old faction of the Gu family could only help Gu Nanfeng to a limited extent.

He needed to rely on his own strength.

Turn the tables little by little.

Cooperation with Huazhi was the biggest opportunity so far!

If business cooperation could be achieved, the economic pressure of the old faction of the Gu family would be greatly relieved… And Gu Nanfeng, who promoted the success of all this, would get the first batch of supporters, and the old man's full retreat would have a logical reason.