hotmtlnovel Chapter 121 Back and Forth, the Divided Military Forces
Chapter 121 Back and Forth, the Divided Military Forces
Chapter 121 Back and Forth, the Divided Military Forces
"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, his movements as smooth as flowing water.
Yu Guanzhi was stunned. He never expected that there was anyone in the world who could change his 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.
Having struggled for so many years, 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 should also understand that every divine artifact is a family's heirloom and cannot be easily given away. Even as the head of the Yu family, I have to discuss it with the elders of the family. In principle, unless it is a major event, the 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 crystals first, young friend Jiang. These are some rare and precious materials left over from when the artifact 'Life Praise' was created, and they also have rich life force."
Yu Guanzhi spoke slowly, while his palms clenched slightly. A bright green light flashed, and a rich life force instantly emanated from them, carrying a refreshing fragrance, like the 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 Crystals are the materials extracted and condensed from the original Life Stones. It takes thousands of kilograms of Life Stones to extract just one Life Crystal. These were originally intended to be used to forge the divine artifact, the Life Praise. However, after the forging was completed, some remained, so they were preserved."
"Life crystals also have the effect of prolonging life, healing injuries, and keeping the dying alive. For soul masters 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 stones, all of which were extracted into life crystals, in order to forge the divine artifact, the Life Praise. Therefore, the materials could only be more, not less.
It can be said that the life crystal in front of him is the most basic material of the Life Praise artifact. After thousands of years, there are very few life crystals left from the original period, and 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 level before we can talk about it again."
After saying that, Jiang Xiu prepared to get up.
Although he was very tempted by the life crystal, he knew that this was by no means Yu Guanzhi's bottom line.
They're all old foxes, still playing games with him. Although life crystals can cause a huge uproar in the outside world, they are not cherished as much by a large family like the Yu family that has been passed down for thousands of years.
"Wait..." Yu Guanzhi quickly pressed Jiang Xiu's shoulder to make him sit down again, while a hint of helplessness appeared in his expression. This was even more difficult to deal with than those old foxes he had encountered, and he could not profit from it at all.
"In principle, it's impossible to give you the artifact 'Praise of Life,' and besides, 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 relented, 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, the Life Praise, 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 three more years of Life's Praise. How about it?"
This was a well-thought-out plan. In this way, once Jiang Xiu broke through to the Divine Craftsman level, 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 artifact for three years.
Moreover, this can't be considered a freebie, since Jiang Xiu's teacher is a true master craftsman. This can be seen as a way to indirectly bring the Yu family and Zhenhua closer together through Jiang Xiu.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiu's heart stirred. This condition was indeed acceptable. So he slowly stretched out his hands and said, "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 Title Douluo level at the age of nineteen. Now that he has the Golden Dragon King's 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 reach out and shake hands with Jiang Xiu when he realized 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 he cursed the little fox.
"Once the Life Ceremony reaches me, whether he will be surnamed Jiang or Yu is still uncertain. 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 realm of the Heaven and Earth Painting 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 are also running for the federal 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 reduce the suffering of the people."
He knew that Jiang Xiu was not only a disciple of Zhenhua, but also Dong Zi'an's apprentice. At this critical moment, he certainly wouldn't reveal anything.
The master craftsman is the master 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 made up.
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 order to win the Federation election five years later, they are even more competitive.
However, Jiang Xiu didn't care. Instead, he said meaningfully, "Commander Yu, perhaps as you said, we are brother 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.
The brother legions he mentioned were merely an attempt to ease tensions between the two men; everyone knew that the competition between their Central Legion and the 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!
(End of this chapter)