Holding Someone Over a Barrel, Hymn of Life

"Young friend Jiang, it's been a long time." The figure slowly approached Jiang Xiu and Na'er, and it was none other than Yu Guanzhi, the commander of the Central Legion.

"Greetings, Commander Yu." A glint flashed in Jiang Xiu's eyes. He truly hadn't expected that this person would be the first to come knocking on his door.

Yu Guanzhi's originally serious face was now filled with a warm smile. He pointed to Na'er to the side and said meaningfully, "I wonder if you could have a private chat with young friend Jiang?"

Na'er frowned, cautiously looking at Yu Guanzhi, her Communication Soul Tool in her hand poised to fire; her master hadn't left yet.

"It's alright, Na'er. You go find the teacher first. I'll chat with Commander Yu for a bit and then I'll be there shortly." After a moment's consideration, Jiang Xiu gave Na'er a reassuring look and let her leave first.

"Okay, let me know if anything happens." Na'er's eyebrows relaxed, she nodded slightly, glanced at Yu Guanzhi, and then strode away, disappearing into the private passage.

Jiang Xiu had something to do, and as long as it was safe to do so, she naturally wouldn't disturb him.

Yu Guanzhi flicked his right finger slightly, and a dot of ink instantly spread out in front of him, encompassing Jiang Xiu and himself in a short breath. Then, with a flash of ink, the two of them disappeared into the private passage.

"Don't worry, this is my territory," Yu Guanzhi said with a faint smile, looking at Jiang Xiu in front of him.

Jiang Xiu was naturally familiar with the aura of a domain, and he had also heard a little about the domain of this Divine Pen Douluo.

All around him was a beautiful painting, with ancient trees reaching for the sky, melodious birdsong echoing from time to time, and even Soul Beast of considerable bloodline chasing each other in the distance. Everything seemed so real.

This is Yu Guanzhi's domain, the Heaven and Earth Scroll. All the living beings here were drawn by Yu Guanzhi himself. Within the vast Federation, Yu Guanzhi can be said to be the number one in terms of individual team battle ability. He once guarded an Abyssal Passage by himself with these fictional Soul Beast he created.

Seeing that Jiang Xiu showed no sign of panic, Yu Guanzhi's opinion of Jiang Xiu rose even higher. He then smiled and said, "There may have been some unpleasant misunderstanding between us earlier. Here, I would like to apologize to young friend Jiang."

Jiang Xiu raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He hadn't expected Yu Guanzhi to be so humble as to apologize to him. Such a shrewd person was indeed worthy of surpassing his master and becoming the number one person in the Federation Military Region.

"Commander Yu, the matter from back then has been resolved, and I haven't taken it to heart," Jiang Xiu said with a slight smile, waving his hand as if he didn't care.

Of course, whether or not he took it to heart, that was something that couldn't be told to Yu Guanzhi at this moment.

"Young friend Jiang, we are all from the same brotherhood. It's best to let this small matter pass." Yu Guanzhi smiled upon seeing this.

Jiang Xiu glanced at the time and said meaningfully, "Commander Yu, just say what you need to say. I have to see my teacher later."

"Well... it's like this, I'd like to establish a cooperative relationship with you, Yu Family. If you can break through to the Divine Craftsman level in the future, I hope you can give priority to crafting Four-Word Battle Armor for our Yu Family," Yu Guanzhi said warmly.

"I see. But let's not talk about whether I can reach the Divine Craftsman level in the future. Even if I can, we still need to consider the order of arrival. After all, other families also have contracts. This makes things difficult for me." Jiang Xiu suddenly realized, then took out the thick stack of contracts and said with difficulty.

They're just asking him for things without any real knowledge; do they really think Jiang Xiu is a philanthropist?

"We're all brothers in the same legion, so we should naturally consider each other first. I don't need much, just ten or eight Four-Word Battle Armor will do. You can rest assured about the reward, young friend Jiang," Yu Guanzhi.

Jiang Xiu generously replied, "If I break through to the Divine Craftsman level in the future, this will be no problem. Commander Yu, you only need to give me ten or eight divine artifacts."

"What?!" Yu Guanzhi's lips twitched violently when he heard Jiang Xiu mention the reward. He almost fell off his seat. Did they really think divine artifacts were as common as cabbages? The Yu Family only had three divine artifacts in total.

Yu Guanzhi suppressed his thoughts and smiled again, saying, "Young friend Jiang, how could you make such a joke?"

"You were the one who joked with me first." Jiang Xiu gave a standard smile.

He just throws around ten or eight pieces of Four-Word Battle Armor; does he really think he's some kind of donkey from a production team?

"Ahem, ahem, I was being presumptuous." Yu Guan coughed a few times, his face neither flushed nor his heart skipped a beat, and said, "Then, young friend Jiang, what do you wish to do, or what are your conditions?"

"I've heard that Commander Yu possesses a divine artifact with life attributes. If you acquire it in the future, our transaction should be much easier," Jiang Xiu said slowly and meaningfully after a moment's thought.

It's true that Yu Guanzhi wants him to create Four-Word Battle Armor in the future, and it's also true that he wants the divine weapon in Yu Guanzhi's possession.

During this period, although the Divine Realm disappeared, all the major powers possessed divine artifacts, each with its own unique power.

The artifact Jiang Xiu was referring to was none other than the Life Attribute Artifact, one of the three great artifacts of the Yu Family — the Hymn of Life.

This divine artifact was crafted by a powerful being thousands of years ago. Several tons of precious Life Stone were consumed in its creation. After the powerful being passed away, this Hymn of Life was taken over by the Federation and later fell into the hands of the Yu Family family.

The reason he wanted this divine artifact was entirely for the purpose of sealing the Golden Dragon King Origin within his body.

Each time he breaks through a layer of the Golden Dragon King Origin Seal, he absorbs the immense Bloodline Power within the Golden Dragon King Origin. However, while receiving this Bloodline Power, his body also suffers varying degrees of erosion and impact.

If he had a life-restoring artifact capable of healing internal injuries, he could go all out when breaking through the seal, letting the immense Bloodline Power temper his body. He could even use this Hymn of Life to heal himself in a short time if he was injured in battle in the future.

He has no shortage of offensive means; what he lacks are defensive means.

Looking at Jiang Xiu in front of him, Yu Guanzhi suddenly felt a headache coming on. He really hadn't expected that Jiang Xiu, an eleven-year-old boy, would be so shrewd and not fall for his tricks at all, just like an old fox.

Shouldn't a teenager of this age, having achieved so much, be extremely prone to acting impulsively and overly enthusiastic?

"Young friend Jiang, how about we change the terms?" Yu Guanzhi asked.

"Sigh, Commander Yu, your repeated refusals clearly indicate you don't want a genuine cooperation. I think we should just let this matter rest and discuss it again when I break through to the Divine Craftsman level." Jiang Xiu sighed regretfully, then prepared to get up.

He naturally didn't believe that his few words would make Yu Guanzhi produce a divine artifact, but it was still good to plant a seed in Yu Guanzhi's heart beforehand.

"Young friend Jiang..."

"Commander Yu, please call me Master Jiang from now on. We're not familiar with each other," Jiang Xiu said, shaking his head, and continued walking outside.

"Then don't forget to prioritize forging Four-Word Battle Armor for our Yu Family," Yu Guanzhi said, rising to his feet.

Don't worry, I've already forgotten.

"That's good... Hmm?"

Yu Guanzhi heard the word "don't worry," he thought Jiang Xiu had agreed, and his face lit up with joy. But the next moment, his expression froze.

Just then, Jiang Xiu was almost out of his territory. Yu Guanzhi gritted his teeth, steeled his resolve, and called out, "Wait, let's discuss this some more."

Jiang Xiu paused, a sudden thought striking his mind.