Meanwhile.
Inside Divine Weapon Peak.
"What body-tempering martial art did you teach Li Mo?"
Han He casually probed for information.
Even though he believed Murong Xiao couldn't possibly lose, knowing yourself and your enemy was the only way to win every battle.
But Shang Wu's next words nearly made Han He spit out all his tea:
"Body-tempering martial art? I didn't teach him one."
"You didn't?!"
"He only opened his meridians yesterday. When would he have had time to learn body-tempering?"
Shang Wu propped her chin on her hand and yawned, bored out of her mind.
Han He's old face twitched.
You didn't even know what martial art your own disciple was practicing, and you still dared to let him into Divine Blade Cave?
He'd thought Shang Wu had prepared some kind of secret weapon to win their bet.
And Li Mo, too.
Could he have grabbed some second-rate martial art like Iron Shirt and started practicing it like a fool?
Just then.
"Master! Master!"
"Something's wrong!"
Murong Xiao hurried into the courtyard, his back soaked with sweat.
Not from exhaustion, but from panic.
"Weren't you practicing? What happened?"
Han He looked at his disciple and furrowed his brows.
He'd always thought his disciple had a calm and collected nature. That was why he'd felt comfortable letting him go down to the second level of Divine Blade Cave.
So why was he in such a tizzy now?
Divine Blade Cave was right under his nose. What kind of serious trouble could possibly have happened?
"Brother Li went into the third level of Divine Blade Cave!"
"Master, hurry and save him!"
Murong Xiao said urgently.
He looked so panicked that anyone who didn't know the truth would have thought his own father had fallen into a river.
"Brother Li? Which Brother Li?"
Han He didn't understand at first.
"Elder Shang Wu's direct disciple, Li Mo!"
Han He: "?"
Shang Wu: "Huh?"
Li Mo had made it to the third level?
The third level was where the famous weapons were stored.
Neither the killing intent left behind by the former weapon masters nor the sharp aura naturally filling Divine Blade Cave was something a Blood-Qi Realm cultivator could withstand.
The blacksmiths in the courtyard all sucked in a sharp breath.
They worked with weapons every day, and many of them didn't dare stay long on the third level.
A Blood-Qi Realm cultivator going down there was as good as dead.
"Wait a minute."
"How did he get down there?"
Han He jumped to his feet, alarm and disbelief on his face.
To reach the third level, he would have had to pass through the second.
A martial arts novice who'd only just entered the Blood-Qi Realm and had no body-tempering experience shouldn't even have been able to reach the second level!
But Murong Xiao clearly wasn't making this up.
"This disciple doesn't know..."
Murong Xiao shook his head.
"Perhaps he has a rare treasure that can ward off the sharp aura."
Han He pondered for a moment and came up with that possibility.
"He should be all right, shouldn't he?"
Shang Wu sobered up instantly. Uncertain, she fished the Concentric Bell out of her robes.
The bell hadn't rung.
Han He said gravely,
"On the third level, your disciple was probably robbed of his senses by the killing intent the moment he went down!"
"With a rare treasure protecting him, he might be fine for a short while..."
As soon as the words left his mouth,
a red figure shot out like a meteor.
Where she'd been standing, all that remained was a huge hole in the ground.
"Hey, what just whooshed past?"
The inner-sect steward at the entrance, who was handling registrations, rubbed his eyes.
"Who are you? Register!"
"Take a good look at who I am!"
"Oh... it's you..."
Han He hurried after her.
If a direct disciple died in the cave, even a sect elder like him would be held responsible.
"Shang Wu, don't smash my Divine Blade Cave to pieces!"
He shouted after her.
It was understandable. Once, a disciple who'd just entered the Inner Breath Realm had wandered onto the third level of Divine Blade Cave, and the killing intent had clouded his mind.
An Inner Scene expert could move faster than a flash of fire.
Truly, blazing fast.
Shang Wu made no attempt to hide her aura. Her scorching heat even overwhelmed the sharp aura of the weapons.
As a result, many martial artists on the first and second levels of Divine Blade Cave shivered in fear.
In no time at all,
Shang Wu reached the third level.
But she suddenly stopped in her tracks.
"Huh?"
The tension in Shang Wu's face slowly eased, giving way to confusion.
"Shang Wu, my disciple just saved yours from certain death."
"How are you planning to repay this favor—"
Elder Han He descended with his hands clasped behind his back.
But before he could finish, the words caught in his throat.
This elder had been in charge of Divine Weapon Peak for twenty years.
When he saw what lay before him,
he froze on the spot.
He'd been thinking that at last, Shang Wu, that madwoman, owed him a favor. Surely she wouldn't come to Divine Weapon Peak to mooch off him again.
He never imagined
he'd witness a sight he would remember for the rest of his life.
The young man sat on a blue stone, surrounded by dozens of weapons. Every one of them radiated a gentle, submissive air.
Without exception, they were all famous weapons.
Every disciple entering the inner sect was allowed to choose a weapon from Divine Blade Cave. If they were lucky, a famous weapon might acknowledge them as its master.
Of course, most people could only choose a weapon from the first or second level.
For an ordinary disciple, having even one famous weapon acknowledge them was an enormous stroke of fortune.
After all, even most of the elders from the various peaks used weapons that were merely famous.
Dozens of famous weapons acknowledging the same person at once?
Han He would sooner believe that, as an Inner Scene master, his eyes had gone bad with age.
"Gulp—"
Han He swallowed.
"I knew this kid wasn't brainless."
"Looks like he's practicing just fine."
Shang Wu gave a little snort, her lazy air returning.
Han He was speechless.
Who had just charged off and nearly crashed into someone several times?
At this point, he had no time to argue with Shang Wu. He stared at the young man surrounded by famous weapons, scrutinizing him again and again.
Though he'd weathered countless storms, he couldn't help questioning his entire life.
"This kid really is practicing."
"And he's attracted dozens of famous weapons. The sharp, weapon-born killing intent throughout this area is almost entirely centered on him."
"Even someone in the Divine Observation Realm would have to think twice."
"And yet he hasn't suffered so much as a scratch..."
Han He himself was a master craftsman, exceptionally sensitive to weapons.
But the more he understood, the more he realized just how difficult this was for someone in the Blood-Qi Realm!
"By the way, old man Han He."
"Doesn't Divine Blade Cave have a rule?"
"Anyone whose skill is acknowledged by a famous weapon can take it away, right?"
Shang Wu wiped the corner of her mouth, her bright eyes gleaming.
She didn't even have a famous weapon herself.
Of course, that was because she had something better.
And now there were dozens of them!
If she took her precious disciple for a few more laps around the third level, maybe they'd find even more.
Han He: "?"
Are you here to stock up?
"You've got it wrong. Every disciple can only take one weapon from Divine Blade Cave."
"That wasn't the rule before."
"That was before. This is now!"
"The Clear Heart Pill's effects are wearing off."
Li Mo stopped circulating his technique.
He opened his eyes and looked into the distant gloom, where the light glinted cold and sharp.
Just now, when he'd circulated the Extreme Weapon Slaughter Body to its limit, he'd inexplicably sensed something.
The feeling was faint, but it was definitely there.
Something deeper inside Divine Blade Cave was calling to him.
"Cough. Li Mo, you can choose one of these famous weapons to take with you."
Elder Han He's voice came from behind him.
Only then did Li Mo come back to himself and notice the two people behind him.
Elder Han He looked helpless.
His master, meanwhile, was drooling at the weapons circling him.
Why were they here?
"Thank you, Elder Han He, but I don't plan to choose a weapon for now."
Li Mo cupped his hands.
His father's greatest hobby was collecting all sorts of weapons. He often said that he dreamed of owning a famous weapon.
Li Mo knew just how precious they were.
But the thing was...
He hadn't learned any weapon techniques yet. He couldn't just pick a famous weapon at random and then go looking for a martial art to match it.
"Exactly, disciple. No need to rush."
As Shang Wu spoke, she turned back with a beaming smile and chuckled, "Once you can make it to the fourth level of Divine Blade Cave, we can take our time choosing."
"Isn't that right, Elder Han He?"
Han He's eyelid twitched violently.
The fourth level held what could be called Divine Weapon Peak's deepest hidden treasure and lifeblood.
"Let's get down there first before talking."
"It's only a matter of time."
Seeing the loathsome old man come away crestfallen, Shang Wu smugly patted her disciple on the shoulder.
That pat made her notice something was off.
"Hmm? Little Mo, how did you get harder?"
"Guess why I came to Divine Blade Cave."
Li Mo had a complaint on the tip of his tongue, but he didn't know whether he should spit it out.
Hmm, Extreme Weapon Slaughter Body really was astonishingly effective.
At the very least, getting smacked by his master now no longer hurt.
By his initial estimate, his physical strength had increased by at least thirty percent compared to before—and this was only his first day of training.
It would grow even stronger in the future.
"Once my physical strength improves, I'll go a little deeper."
"The thing that's resonating with me should not be on the fourth level. It should be even deeper."
Li Mo withdrew his gaze.
Before you continue