Eternal Heavenly Emperor

Luo Ping stroked his chin, fell into deep thought for a moment, and said, "Right now, if Xue Li and I joined forces, perhaps we could barely manage a tie with Cao Jingwen."

What?

Chu Hao couldn't help but be shocked, almost standing up.

It must be known that whether it was Luo Ping, Ling Tianhe, or Xue Li, Shi Lingyue, they were all super geniuses, and they had all reached the Eighth Tier Peak. In terms of strength, they were not the slightest bit inferior to Cao Jingwen.

But the second and fifth Core Disciples joining hands could only barely manage a tie with Cao Jingwen, so how strong was this number one Cao Jingwen?

Managing to stand out from Yunliu Sect and surpassing so many geniuses in Tianhe County to win the title of the Four Talented truly was not an empty reputation.

"How can he be so strong?" asked Chu Hao.

"Talent," Luo Ping held up a finger, "It's all about talent. Someone like me, placed in Yunliu Sect, can rank second, but in the entire Tianhe County, I might not even make it into the top thirty."

"So don't look at Cao Jingwen being first and me being second, the rankings within Yunliu Sect don't mean a thing. If you want to step onto a broader stage, then from the start, you need to set your sights far."

"Moreover, Tianhe County is just a small place in Cang State, and the entire Sky Martial Star is boundlessly vast."

Speaking up to this point, Luo Ping couldn't help but feel deeply moved, his eyes shining with a bright light.

Although Chu Hao didn't have much of a good impression of most people in Yunliu Sect, he wouldn't reject everyone outright; at least for now, Luo Ping was very much to his liking. His own desire to fight surged as he said, "I really want to step out and see for myself."

"I think you'll have a chance to fight Cao Jingwen in the future," said Luo Ping suddenly.

Chu Hao laughed and said, "Doesn't Senior Brother Luo think too highly of me?"

"Not at all," Luo Ping patted Chu Hao on the shoulder, "You've merely taken three months to ascend from a Tenth Tier Martial Disciple to the Four Meridians Early Stage. Although the two Seven Flower Fruits played a part, just threading through four meridians in three months is already quite impressive."

"I believe your talent is definitely above that of Cao Jingwen. Compared to Cao Jingwen, I fall far short, yet you—within a year, you may be able to catch up with me, and within two years, you might be able to challenge Cao Jingwen."

"I really want to see your peak clash with Cao Jingwen."

Luo Ping guzzled down his drink, his eyes alight, seemingly already envisioning the collision of two unparalleled geniuses as the perfect accompaniment to his liquor.

Chu Hao put down his chopsticks, and after a good while, he finally smiled broadly and said, "Thank you."

"Hahaha, come on, let's drink, let's drink," laughed Luo Ping loudly, continually pouring drinks for Chu Hao, clearly intending to get him drunk.

The next morning when Chu Hao woke up, he found himself in an unfamiliar room, got up, and felt his head splitting with pain.

He couldn't help but bitterly smile. Senior Brother Luo was indeed a lush, drinking as if it was water and forcibly getting him drunk. However, Ling Tianhe mentioned that Luo Ping cultivated the "Drunken Dream Heart Sutra," which was why he was always drinking; it was related to his cultivation technique.

After drinking a glass of clear water, Chu Hao began his cultivation. Once the Star Force began to circulate, the throbbing in his head gradually subsided.

Three hours later, he stopped and exhaled a breath of turbid air, feeling refreshed and no longer uncomfortable in the slightest.

In another two months, he would be able to completely expand one meridian and reach the Five Meridians Early Stage. However, compared to Ling Tianhe, this was far from sufficient. It was not just three minor realms behind; Ling Tianhe was a super genius on his own. To defeat him, he'd have to reach the Seven Meridians.

Otherwise, being called a Core Disciple would be far too cheap.

Chu Hao sighed to himself. With only two months' time, where could he find two more Seven Flower Fruits?

His inevitable battle with Ling Tianhe was unavoidable, and he was not in the habit of conceding without a fight. Since there were still two months left, he determined to try everything possible.

But first, he decided to visit Bingyuan Pavilion.

Chu Hao went to Bingyuan Pavilion, but Guo Zhen still hadn't returned. However, Guo had recently sent a letter saying that he had taken on a task at the main store, was now cooperating with his Master in forging a Divine Weapon, and it would be some time before he could return.

Before he could inquire further, Guo Yushuang had already clung to him, and Chu Hao hastily employed all means to make his escape, returning to the River Down Courtyard.

"Senior Brother Chu." When they saw Chu Hao, everyone gathered around him. Despite all being older than Chu Hao, they all addressed him as Senior Brother, their faces alight with fervor.

In the world of Martial Artists, the strong are revered.

Yesterday was so damn satisfying.

Chu Hao greeted everyone with a smile and then went to check on Fu Xue. The Female Tyrannosaur possessed an incredibly powerful physique, having recovered a lot in just one day, and she had already begun to cultivate the Minor Formless Mysterious Skill.

The two discussed the cultivation technique, confirming what they had learned with each other, each gaining much insight.

This technique, in addition to enhancing the spiral speed of the Star Force, also has eight layers, with the first layer being the entrance level, which is easy to master. But reaching above the third layer becomes difficult, and above the fifth layer... even the former Eternal Spirit Sect had few who accomplished that.

Only the founding ancestor, the sweeper disciple of the "War God of Old", had reached the Eighth Tier.

This was recorded in the Cultivation Technique, for a simple reason: some principles of martial arts exceeded what could be articulated with words. The sweeper disciple of old often saw the War God and thus gained deep insights from such a mighty being, representing the mysteries of heaven and earth.

Without such insights, others naturally couldn't reach the Eighth Tier realm.

Fortunately, Chu Hao and Fu Xue had just started their journey and didn't have to worry about problems beyond the Fifth Tier.

Chu Hao's strength lay in his ability to derive and analyze, while Fu Xue's understanding was almost as strong, coupled with an incredibly terrifying martial arts intuition. Some things she didn't even need to think about - her instincts would tell her what to do.

Their collaboration perfectly complemented one another, enhancing each other's strengths. After three days of discussion, Chu Hao had already progressed the Minor Formless Mysterious Skill to the Fourth Layer, while Fu Xue had reached the Third Layer.

As reflected in the quality of their Star Force, it had become more consolidated, subtly elevating their realm. And this was merely the Fourth Layer, considering the Minor Formless Mysterious Skill was just a Middle-Grade Earth Level technique.

What if they were to cultivate the Infinite Mysterious Skill?

Chu Hao and Fu Xue both longed for that possibility, but they soon realized that cultivating high-rank techniques required certain realm requirements.

Earth Level techniques were fairly accessible, achievable as soon as one became a martial master. However, Heaven Level techniques were different, requiring at least a War Venerate to qualify.

The Infinite Mysterious Skill, created by the War God, surpassed even Heaven Level in rank, rumored to be understandable only by a War Emperor or even War Emperor.

Of course, Chu Hao and Fu Xue didn't need to worry about that—they didn't even have access to Heaven Level techniques.

Similarly, with martial techniques, higher-rank techniques required more robust and purer Star Force to operate.

Therefore, whether it's a Cultivation Technique or Martial Technique, suitability is the utmost importance.

Thanks to Luo Ping and Xue Li speaking out, no one dared to trouble Chu Hao, or else they would also find trouble. So, with Cao Jingwen not taking a stance, the Native Faction chose to endure—who would dare ignore the Core Disciples ranked second and fifth?

Apart from cultivating daily, Chu Hao still went to Bingyuan Pavilion to forge iron, to continue strengthening his physique. On the other hand, he genuinely wished to improve his forging skills, aiming not only to produce Thousand-layer Iron but also to forge sharp blades and create Treasure Artifacts.

Sharp blades were merely the nascent form of Treasure Artifacts and had to be embedded with a ferocious beast's inner core to be elevated to a Treasure Artifact.

However, the process of embedding an inner core was extremely intricate and demanding. Therefore, although Tianhe County had many excellent blacksmiths, very few could be considered Tool-Forging Masters.

Take Guo Zhen, for example—he was just a blacksmith, not a Tool-Forging Master, as he hadn't mastered the technique of embedding an inner core.

For the time being, Chu Hao focused solely on forging Thousand-layer Iron.

This was the first step, the foundation of the foundations.

Not all blacksmiths are Tool-Forging Masters, but all Tool-Forging Masters are also blacksmiths, for only weapons they have forged themselves are fully understood, allowing for a certain success rate when embedding an inner core.

—Although the probability of failure was still higher.

Just as with martial arts, the way of Tool-Forging also deems the foundation to be of utmost importance, something that must never be neglected.

Unfortunately, Guo Zhen hadn't returned, and his Mad Demon Hammer Technique was only form without the methods to guide Star Force, unable to unleash its full power. Yet even so, after seven days, he made further progress and managed to forge iron with 32 layers.

The next steps would be 64 layers, 128 layers… Just five more advancements, and he would be able to produce real Thousand-layer Iron.

But at that moment, Guo Zhen finally returned.

"Chu Hao, come, hurry with me," the sturdy man rushed in. Before Chu Hao could even respond, Guo Zhen grabbed his arm and started pulling him away.

"Master Guo, where are you taking me?" Chu Hao didn't even have time to put down his blacksmith's hammer.

"Don't ask, it's urgent, just come with me," Guo Zhen didn't look back, pulling Chu Hao forward.

"Dad, Dad," Guo Yushuang came over just in time and hurriedly called out to Guo Zhen, given several months had passed since she saw him. But obviously, her concern was not just about her father as she continued, "Where are you taking Brother Chu to?"

"Girl, go back and mind the shop," Guo Zhen was already pulling Chu Hao outside, where two extremely majestic horses stood at the entrance, each as tall as two men stacked upon one another, exhaling flames from their mouths and even their hooves ablaze.

Fiery Flame Horses.

These were ferocious beasts, with adults typically being at the martial master level, some even reaching the Eighth Tier Peak. Although relatively tameable to be used for transportation, their astounding price tag and the exorbitant cost of their daily feed were enough to make anyone grimace.

Guo Zhen had brought back two Fiery Flame Horses to pick up Chu Hao, signaling the absolute urgency of the situation.

"Dad, I want to come too," Guo Yushuang insisted. Her father had already been gone for four months and now he was taking Chu Hao too? Absolutely not.

"Don't make a fuss," Guo Zhen rolled his eyes and quickly urged Chu Hao to mount the horse.