Creation of the Universe

Before leaving, Shen Zhan told Li Youcai, "If you say so, then this Eight Trigrams Immortal Pillow is an heirloom of your family. Who knows, the residual soul in the jade pillow may be one of your ancestors."

Li Youcai was stunned. He had no idea that there was such a person among his ancestors.

Tang Muqing asked in surprise, "If that's the case, then the Li family has had cultivators before, and their cultivation levels are not low, but why haven't any of their descendants embarked on this path?

Isn't it strange that they don't even know about this past of their ancestors?"

Shen Zhan replied calmly, "This is not surprising. Perhaps something happened to the senior in the Jade Pillow, such as a catastrophe, being hunted by enemies, or other major events that could affect the fate of a family.

From the resentment in the remaining soul of the white-haired old man, one can imagine that he must have died unwillingly and carried a strong hatred.

So after him, the Li family stopped practicing cultivation for generations, to avoid repeating the same mistakes that would have led to the destruction of the entire family."

Such things are not uncommon in Shen Zhan's experience. Struggles for power and profit, family feuds and grudges are the eternal themes in the world, especially for those who have cultivated themselves and have great abilities.

The greater their abilities, the greater their ambitions. Often, a family will prosper due to the success of one person, but at the same time, if one person makes a mistake, the entire family will disappear silently from the world.

Li Youcai swallowed a few times with lingering fear, then asked Shen Zhan for advice: "My benefactor, what should we do in this situation? To be honest, we moved here to avoid disaster, but it seems we have to find a place to live elsewhere this time."

Shen Zhan saw that Li Youcai was a good person and had stayed overnight at his home, so he told him, "If it's just an ordinary grudge, you can avoid it if you can. But if it's a family feud that's been going on for generations and hasn't been resolved by you, you can't avoid it. You should make plans early and at least have the ability to protect yourself."

This sentence reminded Li Youcai, but also made him feel uneasy.

"But we are all ordinary people. How can we protect ourselves?"

Shen Zhan said, "To untie the bell, you must find the one who tied it. Go and investigate your ancestors to see what they are hiding from their descendants."

"Also, if you have nowhere else to go, then go to Wubei City and find a man named Jia Xing. Tell them I sent you there, and you will naturally be treated with courtesy."

Li Youcai was extremely grateful to Shen Zhan. He asked his family to pack up quickly, and after explaining everything to the villagers, he set off to leave.

Shen Zhan and his four companions continued on their journey. This time they got the horses left behind by the bandits and could take the official road all the way to the territory of Weihai. The venue for this trial conference was the world-famous Sword-Forging City.

Xia Wenxiu had heard of Sword Forging City a long time ago, but had never been there. She casually mentioned it, "I heard that there's a sect in Sword Forging City that excels at forging weapons. They've forged many magical weapons, which are deeply loved by the royal family and nobles. They've also become famous for this and are known as the world's number one sword-forging sect.

I wonder if I can see with my own eyes the weapons forged by this sect this time. It would be even better if I could get one!"

Dong Ping immediately poured cold water on him and said, "I know. That gate is called 'Xuanjinmen'. Sword Casting City got this name because of the existence of Xuanjinmen. However, the weapons they forge are extremely valuable. Most of them are bought by people of high status. We definitely have no chance of getting them. But maybe they are just named after it and don't live up to the reputation."

Tang Muqing also joined the discussion, saying, "Since Xuan Jinmen is so famous, it shouldn't be just a name. What do you think, Mr. Shen?"

Shen Zhan replied calmly, "I don't know if Xuan Jin Men's reputation is in vain, but the title of the world's number one swordsmith certainly shouldn't fall on them. I once witnessed the incredible craftsmanship of a swordsmith, and ever since then, he has been the unrivaled number one swordsmith in my heart."

"Ah! Is there such a master? Who is he?"

When Tang Muqing asked for the man's name, Shen Zhan couldn't help but feel a little sad, because after three hundred years, the world had changed so much, and he knew that this old friend might no longer be alive.

"It's better not to mention his name. You certainly haven't heard of him, but the famous swords he forged may give you a chance to see them in the future."

After traveling for several days, a tall and majestic city appeared in front of the four people. It was the Sword Forging City.

"We're finally here. It's been drizzling all the way. I really want to find a place to take a hot bath right away!"

Dong Ping sighed.

Shen Zhan rode his horse forward, leading the four people to enter the city. However, he found that the city gate was divided into two queues. One queue of people entered the city in an orderly manner, while the other queue was blocked outside and did not move forward for a long time.

Several rough men guarding the gate were shouting, "Ordinary people line up on the left to enter the city. Sect members coming to participate in this trial conference must line up on the right. Only those who meet the requirements can enter the city."

Shen Zhan felt something was strange, so he dismounted and went forward to check. He discovered that there were several people from a certain sect chopping and hacking at a fist-sized piece of gold with knives and axes. They gritted their teeth and tried their best, but in the end they were judged as failures for some unknown reason and could not successfully enter the Sword-Forging City.

Seeing this, Tang Muqing asked someone nearby, who explained, "Those blocking the entrance are disciples of Xuanjin Sect. They've threatened that any disciples from the sect who want to participate in this trial conference will need to prove their abilities before entering the city."

"You can enter the city by your own ability. What kind of ability do you have?"

"Then you have to use your spiritual power to create a mark on that piece of gold. Only then will you be qualified to enter the city. Those who can't do it will have to return home."

Tang Muqing nodded. "I see. So how many people have successfully entered the city so far?"

But the other party just shook his head and said, "No one has ever done that."

"what!"

This result is shocking. For a cultivator, crushing a piece of gold with spiritual power may require people who have reached a certain level of cultivation. But if it is just to leave a mark on the gold, it should not be that difficult.

Shen Zhan said, "Let's go up and meet them."

Tang Muqing, Xia Wenxiu and Dong Ping all thought that thanks to the Earth Spirit Fruit, their cultivation had improved to varying degrees, and they felt that it should not be difficult to create a mark on the gold.

They walked forward confidently, and the Xuanjin Sect disciple suddenly laughed and said, "You guys want to try it too? Better not waste your energy. You're just wasting everyone's time."