Eternal Heavenly Emperor

"Miss Zhuo, you seem to be quite renowned," Chu Hao said to Zhuo Yunshan.

Zhuo Yunshan was slightly taken aback and replied, "You haven't heard of my name before?"

"No!" Chu Hao shook his head. He wasn't the type to flatter someone insincerely just to curry favor—Zhuo Yunshan was indeed beautiful, but he was not a man who bent at the sight of a pretty face.

Zhuo Yunshan couldn't help but giggle, saying, "There are indeed very few like Brother Chu! Yunshan does have a bit of a reputation, ranking 55th on the Fledgling Dragon List."

"Oh!" Chu Hao nodded, finally understanding why everyone was so respectful towards Zhuo Yunshan.

What did being ranked 55th on the Fledgling Dragon List mean?

You Zhiyuan was terrifying enough, yet he was only ranked 74th. However, Chu Hao had fought with Chai Kang for two or three days; the latter was ranked 28th on the Fledgling Dragon List. Although he was defeated early on and only scared Chai Kang off with the Jade Seal, now that he had reached the mid-stage of the Two Meridians and learned Thunder Dragon's Roar, the outcome of a confrontation with Chai Kang would be uncertain.

He only thought these words to himself; he smiled and cupped his hands to Zhuo Yunshan, saying, "I apologize for my lack of respect—so you're a genius ranked on the Fledgling Dragon List!"

"Brother Chu, please don't tease Yunshan," Zhuo Yunshan waved her hand, "Your sword strike earlier was earth-shattering, making Yunshan feel ashamed. This year, if Brother Chu participates in the Fledgling Dragon List ranking competition, he will surely achieve results no less than mine."

She initially admitted her inferiority, but soon after, she mentioned that the results would be "no less than hers," clearly showing her confidence in her own abilities.

This was the confidence that a genius should possess.

Of course, confidence didn't necessarily represent true strength; the real level of skill would only be known after a fight.

The two of them descended the mountain and soon returned to Red Maple City. Zhuo Yunshan left an address for Chu Hao, inviting him to visit the day after tomorrow afternoon. Many young talents would gather then to taste tea and discuss martial arts.

Returning to the inn, Chu Hao rested briefly before heading to the auction house.

He still wanted to buy some Star Shattering Pills.

To his disappointment, very few Pill Masters could refine this kind of Spirit Pill. The auction house received them at most once a month, with very limited quantities. Thus, he had to settle for some pills that accelerated meridian expansion and Star Force recovery.

As he was about to leave, he was informed that a rare Cultivation Technique would be auctioned at the large auction at the end of the month.

It was a Body Cultivation technique!

In this martial arts world where almost everyone cultivated Star Force, Body Cultivation techniques seemed to have been forgotten.

Indeed, Body Cultivation had significant advantages, such as always-present defense, and deriving strength from physical power rather than Star Force, making recovery much faster—after a day of fighting, a heavy meal would restore strength, and a night's sleep would leave one even more vigorous.

Cultivating Star Force was different; one either had to consume pills fervently or painstakingly absorb Star Stone essence. The higher the realm, the longer the Star Force recovery time.

It's easy to imagine. The bigger the water tank, the longer it takes to fill it up.

Why were there so few Body Cultivators then?

Because the cultivation was slow!

The human body had its limits; around a million catties of strength was almost the ceiling. Progress beyond that was immensely difficult. What did the Tenth-Tier Martial Disciple amount to? If two equally talented individuals, one cultivating Star Force and the other physical strength, were compared ten years later, the former might have become a Martial Sect disciple or even a Warrior, while the latter's strength would merely compare to the Seven or Eight Meridians Marital Master.

——Daily cultivation was always pushing beyond limits; how many could make rapid progress?

Generally speaking, only those Martial Disciples who couldn't sense Star Force would turn to Body Cultivation. But the path of Body Cultivation was just as consuming, demanding daily intake of highly nourishing substances, which even a Sixth Grade Sect like Yunliu Sect couldn't fully sustain.

However, miracles always existed in the world.

Some people were naturally adept at Body Cultivation, for whom limits didn't exist. Tens of thousands of years ago, a quasi-War God level Body Cultivator emerged, sweeping through all War Emperors with his fists alone, such that even War Gods could only suppress but couldn't kill him.

Because his defense was formidable, and his recovery ability was incredibly astonishing, achieving the unbelievable state of Blood Rebirth.

For a Martial Artist, losing a hand or an eye meant their martial path was half ruined. But that Body Cultivator could regenerate his body with just a drop of blood—how terrifying was that recovery ability?

Thus, on Sky Martial Star, there was a saying: encounter low-tier Body Cultivators, trample them; but if facing high-tier Body Cultivators, never engage in conflict, as they might seem defeated but could turn the tide in an instant.

Every Martial Artist longed to simultaneously cultivate body techniques, but few achieved success.

Chu Hao had wanted to start Body Cultivation for a long time but lacked the relevant Cultivation Technique—initially planning to acquire one from Yunliu Sect, his hopes were dashed after obtaining the Dragon Tooth Rice and the Mysterious Jade Seal.

With only five days left until the end of the month, Chu Hao, who planned on going to Yunsan Mountain several times to comprehend Sword Intent, naturally didn't mind waiting for five days.

He inquired about the base price, learning that the base price for the "Overlord Body Jue" was 200,000 Star Stones, but the final auction price couldn't be predicted—if two wealthier individuals were interested, even a piece of stinky tofu could fetch a BMW's price.

The money he had wasn't quite sufficient.

After some thought, Chu Hao decided to forge a few Treasure Artifacts to sell.

He acted immediately, spending two consecutive days in the blacksmith shop, taking only three hours each day to recover his strength and spirit through cultivation.

For him, forging an eighth-rank Treasure Artifact posed no difficulty at all. With strong derivation abilities, how could errors occur? Two days later, he produced two eighth-rank Three-Hole Treasure Weapons.

He didn't strive for perfection, using materials refined only to the 64th layer, but even this was impressive.

With the newly forged swords in hand, Chu Hao went to the auction house.

——If one wished to fetch a high price, the auction house was the best bet. As mentioned earlier, encountering wealthier individuals could lead to a substantial profit. Moreover, the three-hole designation made them top-grade eighth-rank Treasure Artifacts, so fetching a high price was unsurprising.

After some evaluation, the auction house set a base price of 40,000 Star Stones for each sword, and the higher the final auction price, the greater their commission.

Chu Hao agreed straightforwardly, knowing that offering others higher commissions would motivate them to push the prices up, benefiting him as well.

Checking the time, he realized it was nearly time for Zhuo Yunshan's tea gathering. He headed towards the address she had given.

Fifteen minutes later, he arrived.

It was a large estate, unusually quiet and elegant despite being in a bustling area. Two elderly individuals stood solemnly at the entrance, seemingly in their sixties, yet spirited with straightened backs.

Seeing Chu Hao walking straight ahead, one of the elders stepped forward, asking with a smile, "Young Hero, are you here for the tea gathering?"

Chu Hao nodded, saying, "I am Chu Hao, invited by Miss Zhuo."

"Ah, Young Hero Chu, please come in!" Both elders made a welcoming gesture.

Entering the gate, he was greeted by a young servant who said, "Young Hero, please follow me."

The servant led the way while Chu Hao followed leisurely, weaving left and right through long corridors. After turning a corner, the view suddenly opened up, revealing a large lake.

Under the gentle breeze, the water rippled, and dangling willow branches seemed to dance on the lake surface.

By the shore, a large canopy was set up where about a hundred people were seated, each tasting tea. Zhuo Yunshan sat at the head, conversing with everyone.

When Chu Hao approached, many people turned to look at him, their expressions showing bewilderment as no one recognized him.

"This is Brother Chu Hao," Zhuo Yunshan introduced him, having noticed his presence.

"Chu Hao?"

"Never heard of him!"

"He's not on the Fledgling Dragon List, nor does he seem like a rising star."

"Look at his clothes—they're dirty like a beggar's."

"Why would Fairy Zhuo know such a person?"

People couldn't help but whisper. Those invited by Zhuo Yunshan were either geniuses on the Fledgling Dragon List or recent rising stars, naturally holding themselves in high regard. Being grouped with ordinary people was beneath them.

Seeing Zhuo Yunshan's slight discomfort, Chu Hao smiled and said, "I was just forging artifacts in the workshop and forgot to change clothes upon leaving. Please don't mind, Miss Zhuo."

So, he was a Tool-Forging Master.

Hearing Chu Hao's explanation, everyone mentally sighed in realization.

In the martial world, two types of people held unshakeable statuses: Pill Masters and Tool-Forging Masters. As martial cultivation heavily relied on pills, a suitable Treasure Artifact greatly empowered a martial artist.

Therefore, these two types weren't distinguished by realm or strength but by the pills they could refine, or the artifacts they could forge.

Zhuo Yunshan likely invited him for his Tool-Forging talent.

Understanding this, some even considered befriending Chu Hao, as young and talented Tool-Forging Masters held great potential, possibly becoming masters like Feng Yezi in the future.

Zhuo Yunshan, however, was baffled. She had invited Chu Hao after witnessing his earth-shattering sword strike days before. But now he claimed to have been busy forging artifacts, which astonished her.

Human effort had its limits. Martial arts alone demanded a lifetime's dedication—how could one afford to also focus on Tool-Forging?

He must be casually dabbling, she thought. Otherwise, no one could achieve such excellence in both martial arts and Tool-Forging simultaneously.