Chapter 1 The Snow Forbidden City

The Snow Forbidden City, Federal Building.

"Junior Brother Han... is an S-rank who has only been cultivating for half a year really worth all this trouble?"

In the meeting room, occupied by only two people, a young woman with long, loose hair was applying lipstick and shaping her eyebrows in front of a mirror.

Without even looking up, her eyes fixed on her reflection in the mirror, she chuckled softly, "Even though we're from different factions, we're still both members of the Tribunal... Are you worried he'll take your job in the future? Or are you worried he'll take Zhu Wang's job?"

Although they appeared to be of similar age.

The woman's words were merciless.

She was directly addressing the name of the second-ranked adjudicator in Changye.

One must know... the position of Grand Adjudicator is quite controversial. The impeachment storm against Zhou Jiren has occurred more than once, and there are even rumors that the Federation wants to add a Grand Adjudicator position.

And Zhu Wang is the only candidate for the new Grand Adjudicator!

"Miss Bai Lu..."

Even more bizarre was that Han Dang was not angry at all, but smiled gently, "Although Gu Shen is my junior brother from the same institute, he is introverted and doesn't like to fight. I don't want him to have too peaceful a life in Changye. There are people beyond people, and heavens beyond heavens. If the Bai family is willing to teach him this lesson, then I am willing to pay for this tuition."

"You really are... generous, kind, and considerate to young talents."

Bai Lu narrowed her eyes, staring at her newly transformed face in the mirror, unable to tell whether it was praise or sarcasm.

After a simple touch of makeup, her original elegant and beautiful face became somewhat charming.

She tossed her hair, and large waves fell with the wind.

"After all, he is an S-rank... his actual combat experience may be relatively small, but his overall combat power is still there. Your estimate is the fourth to fifth layer of the Deep-Sea Zone?" Bai Lu said lightly.

"At most, the fifth layer of the Deep-Sea Zone." Han Dang said with certainty, "There are many combat geniuses in the Bai family. Any one of them can defeat him as long as they are in the same realm."

"That's not easy..." Bai Lu rubbed her fingers, looking a little embarrassed.

"I can add money." Han Dang smiled slightly, opening his mouth leisurely.

Bai Lu shook her head.

"Vulgar... too vulgar... Does the Bai family still need these vulgar things?"

"I'll triple the original amount."

Han Dang thought for a while, raised three fingers, and asked softly, "Miss Bai is right, but after thinking it over, the only things I have that can move the Bai family should be these vulgar things... I don't think anyone would dislike having too many vulgar things. After all, the Bai family also has vulgar people, right?"

Bai Lu was slightly stunned when she heard this.

The two looked at each other and smiled.

Everything was understood without words.

"Then this matter is settled."

After finalizing this deal, Bai Lu put on her holographic glasses, narrowed her eyes, saw some interesting information, and smiled softly, "Junior Brother Han, the Junior Brother Gu you painstakingly care about... seems to be quite different from what you just described."

Han Dang frowned slightly.

He also put on his holographic glasses, and his mind linked into the Deep-Sea Zone forum.

The transcendents in the Snow Forbidden City were boiling.

Everyone was discussing a piece of information... Gu Shen, the new S-rank of the Tribunal, had just arrived in Changye, and on his first day, he proactively challenged the same realm genius under the Fourth Judge of the Prison Institute!

Han Dang noticed that Bai Lu's gaze was a bit strange.

You call this introverted?

...

...

Gu Shen didn't expect that his challenge would attract so much attention.

The Eastern Continent Federation had spent a lot of money to build a large number of transcendent cultivation dojos in the Snow Forbidden City. The members of the three institutes had their own exclusive dojos, where they could carry out different cultivations... and the challenge location was inside the Fourth Judge's dojo.

Lu Nan Jin and Gu Nan Feng set off with Gu Shen to the dojo.

As soon as they arrived, about half an hour later, hundreds of spectators poured into the dojo.

"The Tribunal, the Prison Institute, the Command Institute... many people have come, and there are some 'famous' big figures."

The commotion was too great, and Luo Fatty was also alarmed.

However... the first news that Luo Yu got was that a group of uninvited guests was going to force their way into the villa complex.

This news scared him badly.

He set off immediately, made a phone call, turned around halfway, and rushed to the dojo. At this moment, he finally rushed to his young master's side in a hurry. Seeing that his young master was safe, he breathed a sigh of relief, quickly wiped the sweat from his face, and asked in a low voice, "Young Master, are you planning to turn the sky of the Snow Forbidden City upside down?"

Luo Fatty recognized the big figures who had come to this dojo.

Many of them were "adjudicators," "commanders," and "judges" who had achieved fame in Changye City, the mainstays of the three institutes!

Gu Nan Feng held the wooden knife and smiled softly, "Relax, no one here has recognized me yet... This momentum has nothing to do with me."

He looked at Gu Shen beside him.

"Brother Luo, I'm sorry for troubling you."

Gu Shen quickly explained the ins and outs, and then smiled, "Who would have thought that the people from the Prison Institute would come to make trouble for me early in the morning... It's not good to fight, and it's not good not to fight, so I had no choice but to do this."

Luo Fatty was slightly stunned.

After listening to him, he was very ashamed.

What does "it's not good to fight, and it's not good not to fight" mean... This Tribunal's S-rank has a really sturdy personality. This has already been fought to the Fourth Judge's dojo. This is obviously fighting, and fighting to the end!

After waiting for a while, Gu Shen vaguely became a little impatient.

"Senior Brother Zhou, the people from your teacher's lineage are arriving a bit too slowly."

He turned his head to Zhou He and said, "The news of this challenge has spread... the spectators have filled the dojo, so why hasn't the challenger arrived yet?"

Zhou He said coldly, "Don't worry, wait a little longer. My talented junior brother... just finished closed-door cultivation and is on his way. He'll be here in ten minutes at most."

"He wants to drag it out a little longer, so that more people can see..."

Luo Fatty frowned and advised in a low voice, "Brother Gu, you've only been cultivating for half a year. There are more disadvantages than advantages to challenging someone... If you win, it's only right, but if you lose..."

Gu Shen is an S-rank!

If he loses, it will be terrible!

"Since it's a battle of the same realm, why care about the cultivation time." Gu Shen said casually, "As long as we're in the same realm, what if the other party has been cultivating for ten years longer than me? If he wants to drag it out, then let him drag it out... Let Changye see how I win!"

With Gu Nan Feng here.

The most important "fairness" of this battle can be guaranteed!

The reason why he wants to counterattack today, and even fight to the Fourth Judge's door, is first to prove that his "S-rank" is justified, and second... Gu Shen doesn't want to fall into a passive position.

Han Dang wants to play dirty?

Fair duel, a fair and aboveboard challenge in the same realm... Gu Shen is naturally not afraid.

But if he doesn't take the initiative to attack today, those hidden knives and arrows in the dark will be very difficult to defend against in the future.

"Don't worry..."

Gu Nan Feng said softly, "The things you're worried about won't happen."

This sentence is the greatest guarantee.

He will be responsible for monitoring the entire venue and ensuring that there will be no dirty tricks in today's duel.

As soon as these words came out, Luo Fatty knew... what the young master's purpose was in this trip. It was obvious that the young master really regarded Gu Shen as a "friend." He was going to use the name of the Gu family to add some weight to this duel.

Realizing this, Luo Yu stopped talking and just stood obediently to the side, silently sending a message to his old master through the communicator.

...

...

"...He's here!"

Gu Shen narrowed his eyes, watching the crowd in the dojo bustling and making way for a path.

The momentum of this challenge was very grand, but Zhou He's teacher, that is, the "Fourth Judge" of the Prison Institute, had not come forward from beginning to end. The reason was simple.

This was a dispute between students.

Zhou Jiren didn't come forward.

Naturally, he wouldn't either.

The outcome of this fight was also determined by the strength of the disciples themselves. The news that Zhou Jiren was going to North Continent was already well known among the high-level officials in Changye City... If he came forward today, and Zhou Jiren didn't, then even if his disciples won, they would inevitably be criticized.

"Shen Li, the little junior brother under the Fourth Judge, a power-attack transcendent, with a talent rating of A, has been cultivating for one year and three months. The last Deep-Sea Zone test was a month ago. He has reached the fifth layer of the Deep-Sea Zone and can break through to the sixth layer at any time."

The file information that Chu Ling pulled up floated in front of Gu Shen's eyes.

"Power-attack, ability [Iron Eater]?"

One piece of information caught Gu Shen's attention.

This is an ability to use iron elements... similar to [Iron Throne], but not quite the same.

Tie Wu's [Iron Throne] can perfectly control the separation and condensation of iron elements. After cultivating to great success, he can even strip and reorganize the elemental form. Because the power that can be used is more pure, it is classified into the category of [Nature System].

The ability of [Iron Eater] is simpler and more direct.

Shen Li can control visible iron objects and integrate them into his torso. In other words... he himself is a humanoid sealed object that melts ironware. Every punch and kick is like quenched iron.

This is simply a humanoid self-propelled weapon!

In a one-on-one, arena battle, this is almost an invincible ability.

When I hit, my fists are all iron fists.

When I defend, my body is as strong as an iron plate.

And when Shen Li appeared... Gu Shen suddenly understood. He finally understood why he had been made to wait so long.

A young man, not much different in age from him, wearing a special iron armor, slowly stepped onto the dojo's arena in the eyes of everyone.

Gu Shen glanced at Zhou He with a complicated expression.

The latter looked calm, ignoring the eyes of everyone.

Shen Li was in closed-door cultivation just now?

Even a blind man could see that this guy was preparing ironware before the battle!

"Little Junior Brother... you're finally here!"

The most excited person when he saw Shen Li was Chu Jue. He quickly stepped forward, patted the armor, making a heavy muffled sound, and felt a full sense of security.

Chu Jue secretly looked at Gu Shen and reminded in a low voice, "This kid is extremely good at close combat... His fists and feet are quite good, and he seems to be able to ignore mental shocks. You must be careful. Even with this armor... you still have to be cautious."

Shen Li listened all the way, without any reaction, just glanced at Chu Jue coldly.

"..."

Although they were from the same lineage, Chu Jue didn't dare to speak after being seen by this look. Thinking of this little junior brother's "ruthless deeds," he very sensibly swallowed all the words that followed.

Shen Li dragged his body, came to the front of the stage, took a deep breath, held his breath, and supported the stage with both hands.

"Crack..."

Shen Li slowly stepped onto the stage, and the iron armor draped over his body actually merged with his skin as he stepped onto the stage, little by little, penetrating inward, melting like ice and snow... After a few seconds, only a strong iron wind lingering around him remained.

Gu Shen narrowed his eyes, watching Shen Li press his hands down, pressing out dents on the dojo's battle arena.

Is this the ability of [Iron Eater]?

This guy has been preparing for so long... he should have melted more than one iron armor, right?

...

...

In the capital, Gu Shen experienced several battles.

Most of them were battles of life and death... whether in dreams or in the real world, if he was not careful, after losing, his soul might be broken or his life might be destroyed.

Facing the Long Lasting Foundation, facing the apostles... in battles with great pressure, Gu Shen could clearly feel the changes in his combat power.

His combat power became stronger, and it seemed that it had nothing to do with comprehending the realm.

After completing the enlightenment of the Great Hypnosis... he hadn't even conducted a "transcendent trial" in the Deep-Sea Zone.

Because... it was meaningless.

The activation of the Ruler of Truth became more obedient to his heart.

The Blazing Fire was also more skilled.

Just as Gu Nan Feng said, even without the Deep-Sea Zone, transcendents can still cultivate, and what they need to do in the early stage... is to find a "beacon" that belongs to them.

This is a path of exploration.

What kind of ability is Blazing Fire... is it a mental ability?

No, definitely more than that.

Gu Shen vaguely felt that if he followed the transcendent trial of the Deep-Sea Zone, the ability of Blazing Fire might be "limited to this."

On the way north, Lu Nan Jin asked Gu Nan Feng, what is the best way to cultivate?

Young Master Gu's answer was very simple.

Nothing else--

Fight!

Break through the limit, live if you succeed, die if you fail... this is the most crazy way to cultivate, but it is also the most useful way to cultivate.

The first time Gu Shen saw Shen Li, he knew that not everyone in Changye was like Chu Jue, with only an external appearance and no strength.

This is definitely a person who has experienced many battles!

Although young, his eyes are fierce.

The iron wind floating above the dojo faintly mixed with a bloody smell.

"Gu Shen... this duel... is not right!"

Chu Ling, who was constantly investigating the files, suddenly became serious.

"Shen Li was ordered not to leave the Snow Forbidden City's Eye of the Storm surveillance area... because during the last B-level containment mission, he killed the mission target, a total of four out-of-control people, all of whom died under the attack of [Iron Eater]."

"This mission has attracted the attention of the Federal Central Security Council, and they have decided to implement supervision on Shen Li and observe him for a period of time... In other words, he is not in closed-door cultivation, but is 'confined' under the Fourth Judge."

"Just now, the Fourth Judge released the permissions... only then was he able to leave the confinement room!"

Gu Shen's pupils shrank slightly.

Shen Li, who was on the arena, made eye contact with him, and the black in his eyes was like a piece of black iron.

No salute.

No sound.

The next moment--

The stone ground of the arena suddenly exploded, and Shen Li shot out like a cannonball, crashing heavily into Gu Shen!

...

...

(A bit of writer's block, sorry for the long wait)