Chương 38: Connections Trump Talent—When the Weak Have No Say

The battle on the Su River had brought Su Zhe tremendous rewards. Tiger Roar Fiendblade Grade: Third-Rank Mortal Weapon Description: Forged using the fangs of a demonic tiger. When blade techniques are executed through this weapon, the roar of a tiger accompanies each strike, intimidating opponents and shaking their courage.

Equip Requirement: Mastery of the Fiend Tiger Godslayer Saber Equipment Traits: Enhanced Physique Enhanced Saber Comprehension Fiendish Aura (Third Rank): An oppressive killing intent capable of unsettling an enemy's mind. Strength of One Tiger (Third Rank): Grants the power of an additional tiger.

Special Gains: Martial Killing Move: Fiend Tiger Godslayer Saber Fragments of Huang Yuan's saber-combat memories Using the Su River itself as a weapon, Su Zhe had trapped and drowned the Prince Manor's Thirteen Guardians. From that battle, he obtained one Third-Rank Mortal Weapon—the Tiger Roar Fiendblade—as well as twelve Second-Rank Fiendblades. None of these items could be revealed publicly, so he stored them all inside the Creation Immortal Cauldron.

The Fiendblade's equip requirement was mastery of the Fiend Tiger Godslayer Saber. After digesting everything he had learned from the battle, Su Zhe finally pushed the technique to the Mastery Realm. His Savage Bull Hammer Art had also reached Perfection. In doing so, he unlocked its final martial killing move: Body of the Savage Bull When activated, his blood and qi surged through his body like a raging flood. His muscles swelled dramatically, his physique expanded, and his strength skyrocketed.

The endless circulation of blood and qi poured into his dantian, gradually opening a primordial inner world. Once he stepped into the Third Rank, he would be able to cultivate a strand of Savage Bull Inner Force. At that point, his raw strength would reach the power of nine bulls. With his current equipment— Tiger Roar Fiendblade Flood Dragon Silk Garment Fifty-Fold Forging Hammer Artisan Legacy Token —Su Zhe possessed the strength of one flood dragon, two tigers, and four bulls.

If he swapped the Artisan Legacy Token for the Demonic Scale Inner Armor, his strength would decrease slightly, but his defensive power would improve significantly. Each combination had its own advantages. Su Zhe was confident that even without relying on the Su River's terrain, he could now confront Huang Yuan head-on and kill him in open battle. His improvement was nothing short of astonishing.

After some consideration, Su Zhe spent another six taels of gold to fuse the Fiendblade into his body as a bonded treasure. At the same time, the ten drops of blood essence inside the Creation Immortal Cauldron had finally matured into Treasure Blood. He immediately used eight drops on the Fifty-Fold Forging Hammer. The result exceeded all expectations. The hammer underwent an extreme evolution and advanced into the ranks of a Third-Rank Mortal Weapon.

Besides its previous abilities, it gained a new trait: Practice Makes Perfect (Third Rank) Increases the success rate when forging Third-Rank and Peak Third-Rank Mortal Weapons. The hammer's enhancement to Su Zhe's physique and crafting comprehension also increased dramatically.

"Treasure Blood truly lives up to its name..." Su Zhe could not hide his excitement.

"The only problem is how painfully difficult it is to produce."

"And upgrading a Third-Rank Mortal Weapon into a Peak Third-Rank Mortal Weapon requires at least sixteen drops." The Fourth Immortal Aperture's abilities were simply miraculous. Yet they also stirred greed in his heart. At his current cultivation level—Second Rank, High Stage—he could force out fifteen drops of blood essence at once for the cauldron to nurture into Treasure Blood.

But if he wanted to elevate every Third-Rank weapon he possessed into Peak Third-Rank weapons, the amount of Treasure Blood required would be astronomical. It would likely take more than half a year. Without hesitation, he extracted another fifteen drops of blood essence and deposited them into the cauldron. After swallowing a Blood Qi Pill to recover, he looked toward the information displayed above the Creation Immortal Cauldron.

User: Su Zhe Innate Talent (Physique): Base Talent: Mid Grade-A Equipped Talent: Peak Grade-A Cultivation: Second Rank, High Stage A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"My base talent has risen from Low Grade-A to Mid Grade-A."

"And my equipped talent has reached Peak Grade-A..." Su Zhe frowned slightly.

"I've never even heard of such a classification." Then again, Lu County was simply too small. No one there could explain the finer distinctions among Grade-A talents. He sighed. Talent was one of the foundations of martial cultivation. Naturally, the knowledge surrounding it was immensely valuable. Unfortunately, Lu County was little more than a backwater. Even someone as powerful as Ironsmith Gang Leader Yang Dingtian only possessed an incomplete version of the Bone Reading Technique.

Knowledge regarding Grade-A talents—and especially anything beyond them—was almost nonexistent.

"Even a tiny place like Lu County produced talents such as Xiao Xunhuan and Yu Yi."

"Across the entire Tang Prefecture, with its eighteen counties and hundreds of millions of people, Grade-A talent can't possibly be the end of the road." Su Zhe's thoughts drifted farther. The Great Qian Martial Dynasty ruled the Nine Provinces. Tang Prefecture was merely one of four prefectures within Yang Province. The population of the entire empire likely exceeded ten billion. Far larger than Earth's population in his previous life. This martial world was mysterious beyond measure.

Even the birth rate of ordinary people seemed astonishingly high. After completing his cultivation, Su Zhe enjoyed a medicinal bath and felt completely refreshed. As a direct disciple of the Inner Sect, his authority was comparable to that of an elder. If he wished, he could reside in his own estate in Lu County and only report his movements to Sun Tiexin. Knowing how seriously Su Zhe valued his family's safety, Sun Tiexin had personally concealed the location of the Su Estate.

No one outside a select few knew where it was. Even Xiao Xunhuan and Guo Ju had tried to discreetly learn the location so they could deliver housewarming gifts and attend a celebratory banquet. Su Zhe refused them all. The disciples of Artisan Hall were straightforward people. They assumed their junior brother had purchased a modest residence and felt embarrassed about showing it off. Out of consideration for his pride, they never pressed the matter. Several more days passed.

Half a month had gone by since Su Zhe last took leave. During those two weeks, he had practically become obsessed with forging. Second-Rank Mortal Weapons flowed from his workshop one after another. In just fourteen days, he earned over seven hundred taels of silver. Then, without warning, Sun Tiexin summoned him to the Third Core Council Chamber of the Ironsmith Gang. After washing away the sweat from his latest forging session and changing into clean clothes, Su Zhe headed for the meeting hall.

This was the most important chamber in the entire Ironsmith Gang. Ordinarily, only the Three Giants could enter to discuss major affairs. Without a summons, neither elders nor disciples were permitted to step inside. As he walked, Su Zhe pondered the reason behind the summons.

"For the past few weeks, Wang Shan has practically lived beside Yu Yi, personally guiding his cultivation."

"Nearly all of the resources of the Breaking Army Hall have been poured into him."

"It shouldn't be related to Huang Yuan's death..."

"Then why summon me?" His thoughts shifted to a conversation from several days earlier. Sun Tiexin had suddenly asked him:"If you had the chance to make Wang Shan and Yang Dingtian pay dearly for something, what would you want most?" Completely baffled, Su Zhe had answered honestly:"Gold." Sun Tiexin had assumed he was simply greedy, said nothing further, and dismissed him. Even now, Su Zhe had no idea what his master had been planning. Inside the council chamber, the Three Giants sat at the head of the hall.

Sun Tiexin's face was dark with anger. White streams of breath escaped his nostrils like steam from a volcano. His dark skin had flushed slightly red. He was clearly furious. Standing before Wang Shan was Yu Yi.

"Disciple Su Zhe of Artisan Hall greets Master, Gang Leader, and Hall Master Wang." Su Zhe stepped forward and bowed respectfully. Yang Dingtian smiled warmly.

"I've heard you're now capable of forging Second-Rank Mortal Weapons?" Su Zhe had joined the Inner Sect less than two months ago. Yet he could already forge Second-Rank weapons. Such talent in the path of craftsmanship was virtually unheard of. Sun Tiexin had already reported it, but hearing it confirmed directly was another matter.

"Your disciple is slow-witted. Any small accomplishments I've made are only thanks to Master's careful guidance." Su Zhe answered humbly. The room stirred. Even Yang Dingtian's smile gained a deeper meaning. Martial artists valued innate talent above all else. The higher one's talent, the greater one's future achievements. Back when Su Zhe first practiced the Savage Bull Art, he reached Minor Mastery in a single attempt. The Three Giants had been impressed, but not shocked.

After all, he possessed the rare Beast Aspect known as Strength of the Bull. Though his talent was poor, it perfectly matched the Savage Bull Art. However, such coincidences could only carry someone so far. He could not spend his entire life learning bull-themed martial arts. For that reason, Yu Yi—with his Grade-A talent—had always been viewed as more important. Yet talent was not everything. The second pillar of a martial artist was comprehension. And comprehension was notoriously difficult to measure.

Now that Su Zhe had demonstrated such terrifying aptitude in the crafting arts, his importance within the Ironsmith Gang was no longer far behind Yu Yi's.

"Iron Bull, I'll remember this favor." Wang Shan suddenly spoke. Sun Tiexin snorted.

"Cut the act. Make the compensation worthwhile, or don't blame me if I flip the table." Wang Shan nodded before turning toward Su Zhe.

"Su Zhe, given your talent, you've heard of Swordforge Manor, correct?"

"I know a little. Master has explained some of it." Wang Shan got straight to the point. Pointing toward Yu Yi, he said:"Years ago, Xiao Xunhuan had an opportunity to enter Swordforge Manor, but unforeseen circumstances prevented it."

"The Ironsmith Gang now stands as the strongest force in Lu County. If no disciple enters Swordforge Manor this year, the Canal Gang will begin squeezing our influence."

"Your talent in craftsmanship is exceptional. But for martial artists, innate talent comes first."

"This year's recommendation slot will be given to Yu Yi."

"Do you have any objections?" Silence descended upon the hall. Su Zhe glanced at Yang Dingtian and Sun Tiexin. Their expressions differed, but neither spoke. His heart remained calm, though faint ripples stirred beneath the surface. Wang Shan continued:"Ordinarily, someone with your talent should compete for the position."

"But the Canal Gang and the local authorities are watching us closely."

"The Ironsmith Gang must take the safest path."

"With your abilities, another year of polishing yourself will only make you stronger."

"Next year's slot will naturally be yours." His tiger-like eyes locked onto Su Zhe.

"The interests of the sect outweigh personal desires."

"I hope you understand."

"Su Zhe... are you willing to accept this?" Yu Yi lowered his head. He remained silent. His shoulders trembled slightly. He couldn't bring himself to look at Su Zhe. His face burned with shame. No matter how he justified it, he felt he had betrayed the friend he considered a brother. By contrast, Su Zhe appeared remarkably calm. The Three Giants had obviously discussed everything beforehand. If there had been room to fight for the position, Sun Tiexin would have fought for it already. This wasn't really a question.

It was a decision. A notification. Nothing more.

"This disciple would not dare object."

"I will follow the sect's arrangements." Su Zhe's voice was calm. Not dare. The choice of words caused subtle changes in everyone's expression. A strange smile appeared on Wang Shan's face.

"Not dare..."

"Not willing, not unwilling. Not convinced, yet not openly defiant."

"You're quite the honest young man." Su Zhe's expression remained as still as an ancient well. Circumstances were stronger than people. Whether he was willing or unwilling, what difference would it make? If he said he was willing, everyone would know he was lying. If he said he was unwilling, he lacked the power to change anything and would only invite Wang Shan's suspicion. So he chose two simple words: I dare not. A modest answer on the surface. Yet it laid bare every thought in his heart.