You Come, I Go; The Military's Divided Factions

"Commander Yu, I just remembered I forgot something. Please continue."

Three seconds later, Jiang Xiu, with a gentle expression, turned around and sat back on the stone bench with a smooth, flowing motion.

Yu Guanzhi was stunned. He hadn't expected that there was anyone in the world who could change their expression more smoothly than him. He couldn't help but look at Jiang Xiu with admiration, as if a sect patriarch had seen a peerless genius.

After years of hard work and struggle, he knew very well that in this world, face is both the most valuable and the least valuable thing, especially when you are weak, face is worthless.

Immediately, Yu Guanzhi slowly sat down and said earnestly, "Ahem, young friend Jiang, I believe you understand that every divine artifact is a family's heirloom, and it's impossible to give it away easily. Even as the head of the Yu Family family, I have to discuss it with the elders. And in principle, unless it's for a major event, a divine artifact cannot leave the family."

"So what do you mean?" Jiang Xiu met Yu Guanzhi's gaze and asked softly.

"I can give you some Life Crystal first, young friend Jiang. These are some rare and precious materials left over from the creation of the artifact 'Hymn of Life,' and they also possess abundant life force."

Yu Guanzhi spoke slowly, while his palms clenched slightly. A bright green light flickered, and a rich life force instantly emanated from them, carrying a refreshing fragrance, like the very source of life. Even a slight whiff of it was enough to invigorate one's spirit.

As the azure light dimmed, a crystal the size of a thumb came into Jiang Xiu's view. The crystal was as clear and transparent as crystal, with ripples rippling inside, as if it were constantly alive, and the rich life force originated from it.

"These Life Crystal are the Extraction material from the original Life Stone. It takes thousands of kilograms of Life Stone to Extraction just one Life Crystal. These were originally intended to be used to forge the Hymn of Life artifact, Ode to Life, but after the forging was completed, some remained, so they were preserved."

"Life Crystal also have the effect of prolonging life, healing injuries, and keeping the dying alive. For Soul Master with the life attribute, they are rare treasures that are only seen once in a hundred years."

Yu Guanzhi placed a Life Crystal on the table and began to explain, a hint of heartache flashing in his eyes.

What he said was true. Back then, that great being used tens of thousands of tons of Life Stone, all of which Extraction into Life Crystal, in order to forge the artifact "Hymn of Life". Therefore, the materials could only be more, not less.

It can be said that the Life Crystal in front of him are the most basic materials of the artifact of Hymn of Life. After thousands of years, there are very few Life Crystal left. He only has two in his hand.

"Hmm? Young friend Jiang, say something." After Yu Guanzhi took out the Life Crystal, he found that Jiang Xiu was just looking at him quietly without saying a word.

Jiang Xiu shook his head slightly, somewhat regretfully saying, "Commander Yu, how can such a Life Crystal be compared to a divine artifact? It seems we'll have to wait until I break through to the Divine Craftsman before we can discuss this further."

After saying that, Jiang Xiu prepared to get up.

He was very tempted by the Life Crystal, but he knew that this was definitely not Yu Guanzhi's bottom line.

They're all old foxes, still playing games with him. Although the Life Crystal can cause a huge uproar in the outside world, it's not something that the Yu Family, a large family with a thousand-year history, cherishes.

"Wait..." Yu Guanzhi quickly pressed Jiang Xiu's shoulder, making him sit down again. At the same time, a hint of helplessness appeared in his expression. This was even more difficult to deal with than those old foxes he had encountered. He couldn't gain anything from this at all.

"In principle, it's impossible to give you the artifact ' Hymn of Life,' and you're currently only a Grandmaster-level blacksmith. Even as the clan leader, it would be difficult for me to convince the others to give you the artifact. How about we have an open and honest discussion?"

Looking at Jiang Xiu, Yu Guanzhi's expression turned serious, and he spoke earnestly.

"Okay," Jiang Xiu nodded slightly, indicating that he understood. Indeed, as Yu Guanzhi said, he was only a Grandmaster at the moment, and the future was still unknown.

Seeing that Jiang Xiu had agreed, Yu Guanzhi breathed a slight sigh of relief and continued, "So let's make a deal: if you can break through to the Saint Craftsman level within the next five years, I can lend you the artifact ' Hymn of Life ' for three years."

"And once you truly break through to the Divine Craftsman level, for every set of Four-Word Battle Armor you forge for the Yu Family, I can lend you the Hymn of Life for another three years. How about it?"

This was a well-thought-out plan. In this way, once Jiang Xiu broke through to the Divine Craftsman, the Yu Family would have priority in crafting the artifact. Even if Jiang Xiu stopped at the Saint Craftsman level in the future, he would only have allowed Jiang Xiu to use the divine artifact for three years.

Moreover, this can't be considered a freebie, since Jiang Xiu's teacher is a true Divine Craftsman. This can be seen as a way to indirectly bring the Yu Family and Zhen Hua closer together through Jiang Xiu.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiu's heart stirred. This condition was indeed acceptable, so he slowly extended his hands, "For each set of Four-Word Battle Armor forged, the usage period will be extended by ten years."

"Ten years?" Yu Guanzhi shook his head slightly and waved his hand, saying, "Six years at most."

"Deal." Jiang Xiu smiled slightly and immediately agreed.

"Damn it, I gave too much!" Yu Guanzhi thought to himself, but he couldn't take back what he had said, so he had to accept it.

Jiang Xiu extended his hand, "Then, Commander Yu, it's settled. We'll see in five years."

Reaching the Saint Craftsman level in five years means that his cultivation will also reach the Soul Saint level within five years. However, he is not worried about this. The Underworld Emperor was able to break through to the Titled Douluo at the age of nineteen. Now that he has the Golden Dragon King Origin, he will only be faster than him.

"It's a deal." Seeing that the agreement had been reached, Yu Guanzhi finally felt relieved. He was about to extend his hand to shake hands with Jiang Xiu when he discovered that Jiang Xiu's hand was not meant to shake hands with him, but instead he grabbed the Life Crystal on the table and stuffed it into his pocket in an instant.

"Thank you for the Life Crystal, Commander Yu. I won't stand on ceremony." With the Life Crystal in hand, Jiang Xiu extended his hand again and shook hands slightly with Yu Guanzhi.

"It's alright, we have a long-term cooperative relationship ahead of us." Yu Guanzhi laughed on the surface, but inwardly cursed the little fox.

"When the Hymn of Life' reaches me, whether it will be surnamed Jiang or Yu is still up in the air. Commander Yu, as you said, we are all from the same brother legion. I believe you won't care about this little thing in the future..." Jiang Xiu thought to himself with a gentle expression.

In an instant, the area within the Heaven and Earth Scroll was filled with smiles, and the atmosphere gradually became harmonious.

Yu Guanzhi poured two cups of tea and invited Jiang Xiu to taste them.

There are no absolute enemies in the world, only those who prioritize their own interests.

"By the way, I heard that Commander Yu, you're also running for the Federation election five years from now?" Jiang Xiu asked pointedly, taking a sip of tea.

"Oh? I didn't expect you to be interested in this, young friend Jiang?" Yu Guanzhi gave Jiang Xiu a deep look, then casually said, "I don't really care about elections or anything like that. What I care about is being able to contribute more to the Federation and alleviate the suffering of the people."

He knew that Jiang Xiu was not only Zhen Hua's disciple but also Dong Zi'an's apprentice, and at this crucial moment, he certainly wouldn't reveal anything.

The Divine Craftsman is the Divine Craftsman, and the legion is the legion; they are separate matters. He wouldn't confuse the two.

Jiang Xiu simply laughed off Yu Guanzhi's words. He didn't know if Yu Guanzhi was sincere about the last two sentences, but he was sure that the first sentence was just a random fabrication.

After all, everyone in the Federation knows that Yu Guanzhi, the commander of the Central Legion, wants to rise to power and has frequent conflicts with his mentor's Western Legion. In preparation for the Federation election five years later, they are even more eager to outdo each other.

However, Jiang Xiu didn't care. Instead, he said meaningfully, "Commander Yu, perhaps as you say, our two sides are brotherly legions, and there is no fundamental conflict between us. We can even stand on the same front."

Upon hearing this, Yu Guanzhi frowned slightly, and his gaze toward Jiang Xiu became more suspicious.

His mention of brotherly legions was merely an attempt to ease tensions between the two men; everyone knew that the rivalry between their Central Legion and Western Legion was the fiercest.

But based on his previous conversation with Jiang Xiu, he believed that Jiang Xiu was not making this up without reason.

Yu Guanzhi chuckled and asked, "If we stand on the same side, who will our opponent be?"

Jiang Xiu looked up at Yu Guanzhi and said meaningfully, "Of course, whoever is the strongest is our opponent."

Upon hearing this, Yu Guanzhi's head buzzed, his bull-like eyes widened instantly, and a figure immediately appeared in his mind: Chen Xinjie!