“An ordinary forging furnace won’t be able to do anything to me,” Shi Changsheng murmured, disdain flashing in his eyes. But he still said tactfully, “If there’s anything you don’t understand, ask away. I’ve always liked to support the younger generation…”

Zhou Shu rolled his eyes. “You said this is the Zhuling Grotto-Heaven?”

“Of course. What else could it be?” Shi Changsheng said. “This place, including these forging materials, belongs to me.”

“Wrong.” Zhou Shu shook his head.

“Wrong?” Shi Changsheng was stunned. “Impossible. I’m the master of the Zhuling Grotto-Heaven. How could I be mistaken?”

“I don’t care what it was called before. But now, it and these forging materials are no longer yours. They belong to me,” Zhou Shu said calmly.

“You…” Shi Changsheng was furious. “Junior, don’t push your luck! I can ignore everything else, but if you want to snatch my grotto-heaven, I won’t let you off!”

“Your grotto-heaven? Will it answer if you call it?”

Zhou Shu felt like a cunning bully. It was just a sword, but it had jumped out and told him that the Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament space and the forging materials he had painstakingly dug out belonged to it. It would be strange if Zhou Shu believed it.

Not to mention whether what the Longevity Sword said was true or not, how could he give up what already belonged to him?

“You…” Shi Changsheng was furious. Back then, not to mention calling him, he could easily throw these people in the grotto-heaven out!

But now…

Shi Changsheng sighed.

“Junior, we’re both humans. Why are you being so confrontational?” Shi Changsheng said in a low voice. “We’re all from the same race. Can’t we sit down and talk?”

“Wouldn’t it have been easier to adopt this attitude earlier?” Zhou Shu’s lips curled up into a smile. “You have to be beaten up before you’re willing to speak properly.”

You’re just a sword, yet you’re so arrogant?

“Senior Shi, right?” Zhou Shu smiled. “Friends are often made after a fight. Tell me, what’s your background?”

He lifted his foot, picked up the Longevity Sword, and placed it in front of him. He sat down on a pile of forging materials and pretended to talk as an equal.

Shi Changsheng rolled his eyes. Damn it! Why are young people nowadays so immoral?

He’s clearly a first-rank martial artist, but why could he suddenly erupt with such powerful combat strength?

If not for the fact that I’m not at my peak, hmph—

Shi Changsheng snorted in his heart and said, “Everything I’ve said is the truth. I am indeed the master of this Zhuling Grotto-Heaven, Shi Changsheng!”

Zhou Shu shrugged. “Alright, I’ll take it that you are indeed the master of this Zhuling Grotto-Heaven for now. Then, why did you become like this?”

“What do you know?” Shi Changsheng glared at him. What kind of person are you? Since you’re ignorant, you shouldn’t spout nonsense!

“This is called becoming one with the weapon!” Shi Changsheng said. “This is the highest realm of forging!”

Zhou Shu was speechless. Do you think I don’t know how to forge?

“You won’t understand even if I tell you about this. Your realm is too low.” Shi Changsheng waved his hand. “You just need to know that I’m still alive and well. That’s enough.”

“My realm is too low?” Zhou Shu was speechless. No one in the Ten Nations Continent would dare to say such things to him.

It wasn’t that Zhou Shu was bragging, but with his current strength, the Great Qin emperor wouldn’t have any objections if he said that he was the number one person in the Ten Nations.

Zhou Shu couldn’t be bothered to argue with Shi Changsheng. “By the way, what did you say about the Awakening realm? What realm is that?”

“You’re not exactly weak, but you don’t even know about the Awakening realm?” Shi Changsheng looked at Zhou Shu in confusion. “Has the Martial Dao declined to such an extent?”

Frowning, he asked, “What era is this?”

“What era?” Zhou Shu pondered and casually gave out the reign year of Emperor Yuan Feng

“Great Xia? The Ten Nations?” Shi Changsheng frowned as if he had never heard of this before.

Zhou Shu was also puzzled. Could this Shi Changsheng be someone from a thousand years ago?

At the time, Great Xia didn’t exist.

Shi Changsheng looked at Zhou Shu and asked, “You said that the highest cultivation level in your Ten Nations Continent is only first rank?”

“That’s right. There are experts above the first rank of the Martial Dao in the Demon Realm. They’re called Great Demons. It’s said that there are Demon Kings above Great Demons,” Zhou Shu said.

He also looked at Shi Changsheng thoughtfully.

Shi Changsheng’s eyes flickered. After a while, he said, “Above the first rank of the Martial Dao is the Earth Immortal realm. And above that is the Awakening realm, the realm of grotto-heaven masters.

“It corresponds to the Demon King realm.”

“This is the grotto-heaven you are talking about?” Zhou Shu pondered. “You said that you were once the master of the Zhuling Grotto-Heaven. Are you at the Awakening realm? Is the Awakening realm so weak?”

Shi Changsheng was speechless. I’m weak?

I’m not weak at all!

Something’s wrong with you, young man!

“I was at the Awakening realm back then. But now, I don’t have much strength left,” Shi Changsheng said. “If I was at my peak, with your strength, you wouldn’t be my match.

“I see that you’re only a first-rank martial artist. How can your combat strength be close to the Awakening realm? Is this a secret martial technique of this era? There was no such domineering secret technique back then.” Shi Changsheng took the opportunity to ask.

“Senior, the new generation surpasses the old,” Zhou Shu said. “The Martial Dao has always been improving.”

“The highest realm is only the first rank of the Martial Dao. You call this progress?” Shi Changsheng sneered. “In my era, Earth Immortals were just ordinary. Only those at the Awakening realm could be considered overlords.

“First-rank martial artist, hehe…”

“Overlords?” Zhou Shu glanced sideways at Shi Changsheng.

Shi Changsheng was a little angry. I was an overlord back then! If I hadn’t met an unreasonable fellow like you, would I have fallen into such a state?

A mere first-rank martial artist… Even if I’m not as good as I was back then, I can still kill you with one strike!

You are clearly only a first-rank martial artist. Who knew you would be so strong?

Ordinary Earth Immortals are probably not your match.

“Senior Shi, were there many Awakening realm cultivators in your era?” Zhou Shu gave Shi Changsheng some face. After all, he was an old monster from countless years ago.

“How is that possible!” Shi Changsheng said. “The people in the Awakening realm are overlords. Even in our era, there were only thirty-six grotto-heaven masters.

“But they should all be dead by now. Sigh, if they can’t live forever, so what if they are in the Thearch realm? They only have ten thousand years to live, right?” Shi Changsheng mentioned another realm.

Thearch realm!

“There’s a realm above the Awakening realm?” Zhou Shu asked.

“That has nothing to do with you. Don’t try to find out more. There’s nothing to be gained by knowing.” Shi Changsheng shook his head.

“In your life, it’s already a blessing to be able to cultivate to the Awakening realm.

“That’s all I can say. You still haven’t told me who you are.”

“Me?” Zhou Shu smiled. “Great Xia’s King of the South, Great Qin’s Side-by-side King, Great Liang’s Country Protector King, and the owner of the Huaxia Pavilion, Zhou Shu.”

Shi Changsheng: “…”

He looked at Zhou Shu with a strange expression. Do you think I’m a fool? Back then, we also had countries.

Great Xia, Great Qin, and Great Liang sound like three nations.

How can one man be a king in three nations?

Could it be that the world has become unfamiliar to me?

“Old Shi, you said that you’re the master of this Zhuling Grotto-Heaven. Then if someone dug a hole in your house, shouldn’t you mend it?” Zhou Shu said.

Shi Changsheng: “…”

“Do you think I have that ability now?”

If I had that ability, the first thing I would do would be to kick you out of the grotto-heaven!

The forging materials I’ve worked so hard to accumulate for so many years are almost all dug up by you!

“So, you’re still lying to me. As the master of the Zhuling Grotto-Heaven, you can’t even do this?” Zhou Shu said in annoyance.

“Even if I could, I wouldn’t bother,” Shi Changsheng said. “It’s already on the verge of death and has no value in repairing it. Why don’t we let nature take its course and let it leave calmly?”