Chapter Thirteen: The Spirit of the Stele

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The two brothers, Wu Zuo and Wu You, were twin stone-born siblings whose bickering was truly unmatched by ordinary folk. What Wu You said was indeed worth Wu Shu’s attention. After all, the stone stele before them was a fragment of the Forgotten Continent. If absorbed by Wu Zuo and Wu You, it would undoubtedly benefit them greatly.

Wu Shu was also well aware that the situation at Lone Summit was complicated, so the existence of Wu Zuo and Wu You must not be exposed. The stone stele in the square could be silently taken, but only without revealing their strength. It was important to remember that Wu Shu had a fatal weakness: his current physical cultivation was too weak. Even if he could rely on spirit stones to battle a strongman at the Savage Bull Realm, it would be difficult for him to contend with someone above that level. Beyond the Savage Bull Realm was the True Body Realm, where the physical power of such experts could not be compared to the combined strength of hundreds of savage bulls.

The True Body Realm was said to embody the strength of ten thousand bulls.

According to Zhao Fenxing, in the Eastern Empire, many cultivated both physical and earth power. If a True Body Realm expert also possessed true essence earth power, facing such a formidable opponent would be lethal for Wu Shu unless he could set up an array beforehand. Otherwise, a single encounter could be fatal.

In short, Wu Shu, knowing the stone stele before him was a treasure, wished to remain as low-profile as possible. After all, the matter at hand was not one worth risking everything over.

Just as Wu Shu intended to keep a low profile, Wu You suddenly spoke up, “Wu Zuo, do you remember that incident over ten years ago? A green-glowing stone stele floated past us not far away. At the time, I felt an oddly familiar sensation.”

Wu Zuo exclaimed in surprise, “Wu You, you’re right. That stele must be the very one before us. If I’m not mistaken, it has a stone spirit. The voice that entered Wu Shu’s mind when it came into the square was from this stele’s stone spirit.”

At the mention of the stone spirit, Wu You grew tense. “Wu Shu, you are the Star Lord of the Forgotten Continent, and now this fragment of that land has appeared before you, possessing a stone spirit. If we miss it today, we might never encounter it again. This stone spirit must be able to sense Wu Zuo and me.”

Wu Shu replied wearily, “If such a small stone spirit can sense your presence, why haven’t you noticed it?”

Indeed, as a star spirit-level existence of the Forgotten Continent, why hadn’t Wu Zuo and Wu You detected the stone spirit in the fragment immediately?

For the sake of pride, Wu Zuo and Wu You answered in unison, “It’s just a worthless little stone spirit, hardly comparable to us. The aura of powerful beings like us can envelop an entire continent.”

Wu Shu scoffed inwardly.

With their back-and-forth banter, Wu Shu couldn’t tell if they were telling the truth or not. Helpless against their persuasion, he feigned stretching his waist and neck as he approached the stele. Upon nearing it, Wu Shu casually remarked, “Hmm, impressive! To think such a masterful expert could write such extraordinary characters. ‘Heart Forging Hall’—these words not only exude grandeur but carry profound depth, truly reaching the height of artistic meaning.”

As he spoke, Wu Shu’s voice was loud and sincere. His flattery was so convincing that even the stone spirit within the stele nearly revealed itself. Because of Wu Shu’s words, Li Jianfeng, Ying Meier, and the others examined the stele carefully. To them, it appeared merely an ordinary stone.

As for the three characters, ‘Heart Forging Hall,’ they were crooked and uneven, almost as if carved by a child just learning to write. Even without knowing Wu Shu’s earlier words, Li Jianfeng felt that while Wu Shu’s talent in arrays was unparalleled, his literacy skills left much to be desired.

Ying Meier couldn’t help but chuckle loudly at Wu Shu’s comical behavior, nearly dying of laughter.

The group’s reaction pleased Wu Shu greatly. Their taking the inscription as a joke better reflected a mutual recognition among heroes. The stone spirit inside the stele, however, was filled with anger at the others’ attitude. In its eyes, the characters it carved far surpassed mundane perception, and only someone as extraordinary as Wu Shu could truly appreciate their refined essence.

After circling the stele once more, Wu Shu added, “Such an unparalleled divine stone would be wasted if left here. No, I must bring this stele back to my clan so that my peers can learn what a true celestial stone from beyond the heavens looks like.”

Having wasted so much breath and set such a prelude, Wu Shu’s sole intention was to take the stone stele openly and without drawing undue attention.

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When Wu Shu reached out with both hands to move the stone stele, many onlookers smirked. Several demonic clan disciples sneered, “Is this guy stupid? We’re halfway up Lone Summit with so many treasures to snatch, and he insists on hauling a worthless stone.”

“With a third-level physical cultivation, how did such a weakling even get here?”

Even the demonic clan disciples behind Ying Meier sighed inwardly, “Young Mistress Meier must have made a serious mistake this time. This pretty boy might look better than most, but his strength is weak, and now it seems his wit isn’t sharp either.”

...

The stele was genuinely heavy. For someone with Wu Shu’s third-level physical strength, moving it was impossible. After several attempts from different angles, the stele remained immovable.

Seeing Wu Shu’s futile efforts, the demonic clan’s mockery grew more rampant. Without Li Jianfeng’s connections among the humans, many would have openly derided Wu Shu as a useless embarrassment.

“Humans have so many useless ones.”

“Not just many—there are more useless humans than worthless stones in this world.”

“A worthless stone for a worthless human.”

...

The demon clan’s jeering nearly infuriated the stone spirit within the stele. It was a composed spirit, already mature like a child, and being so belittled stirred its fury.

Unable to move the stele, Wu Shu sighed, “If this stele could rise by itself, I wonder if you’d still be laughing.”

At these words, the demons laughed even harder.

Then, with a creaking sound, the stone stele actually lifted off the ground. Not only the demon disciples but even Li Jianfeng and the human onlookers were stunned, unable to believe their eyes.

Delighted, Wu Shu stepped forward and patted the stele, saying, “Impressive!”

Seizing the moment, he continued, “If this stone could shrink to the size of my palm and fall into my hand, those who laughed would surely feel their faces slapped without knowing why.”

Some cunning demon disciples speculated that the stele’s rising was due to Wu Shu secretly manipulating it, accusing him of putting on a solo act to deceive everyone.

One of them laughed openly, “Kid, stop the act. No matter what you do, you’re still a useless weakling, and that stele is still just a worthless stone.”

No sooner had he spoken than the stele suddenly shrank to the size of Wu Shu’s palm and mysteriously landed in his hand. Once in hand, Wu Shu felt none of its previous weight—it was as light as a feather.

Suddenly, the voices of Wu Zuo and Wu You echoed in Wu Shu’s mind, “You brat, did you get our permission? How dare you pledge allegiance to Wu Shu on your own?”

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Pledged allegiance?

This stone stele was indeed extraordinary. This time, Wu Shu had truly hit the jackpot.

Wu Shu’s heart blossomed with joy. To gain such a reward upon first arriving at Lone Summit was truly uplifting.

After voluntarily entering into a contract with Wu Shu, the stone spirit inside the stele, unwilling to entertain Wu Zuo and Wu You’s reproaches, said, “Master, my name is Xiaoling. I was once the mountain spirit of the Heart-Subduing Hall on the Forgotten Continent. After its destruction, I scattered here to the Earthland Continent.”

Heart-Subduing Hall?

Wu Shu knew well the significance of the Heart-Subduing Hall on the Forgotten Continent. Speaking of it, one must mention the Land of the Gods on that continent. Long ago, the Forgotten Continent was filled with formidable beings and god-level warriors capable of destruction on a massive scale. However, with the birth of a certain youth, the previously balanced power structure was shattered. The youth was born with a divine body and possessed divine power at the peak God King level.

Even on the Forgotten Continent, where powerful figures abounded, God King-level warriors were rare—and to have one with a divine body at the peak of that rank was unprecedented. Such power completely overturned the continent’s power hierarchy. Wu Shu knew that it was because of this individual’s emergence that the Heart-Subduing Hall appeared in the Land of the Gods, symbolizing supreme status.

As for why the Forgotten Continent was destroyed despite such a unique existence, even Wu Zuo and Wu You, star spirits of the Forgotten Continent, did not know the reason.

Upon learning that Xiaoling was the mountain spirit of the Heart-Subduing Hall, Wu Zuo and Wu You’s earlier arrogance vanished without a trace.

Mentally, Wu Shu remained calm and said, “You claim to be from the Forgotten Continent and even from the Heart-Subduing Hall in the Land of the Gods. Xiaoling, are you bluffing? We are master and servant now. You ought to guess Wu Zuo and Wu You’s identities. If you dare deceive me, the consequences will be severe.”

Wu Shu was curious about the Heart-Subduing Hall. It was the most mysterious existence on the Forgotten Continent, unparalleled. To cultivators, a being born with a divine body and peak God King power was beyond a lifelong goal—it demanded an eternal, relentless will to progress.

Of course, Wu Shu didn’t expect Xiaoling to reveal any monumental secrets. After all, peak God King-level powers were well beyond the reach of a mere stone spirit.

Challenged thus, Xiaoling responded indignantly, “Hmph, Master, you have quite the temper. If you weren’t somewhat discerning, I wouldn’t bother appearing before you. Know this: all of Xiaoling’s destined ones are prodigies. Weaklings at third-level physical cultivation don’t even deserve a glance.”

What nonsense?

Wu Shu was speechless at Xiaoling’s absurd retort.

Yet, he could tell Xiaoling likely knew some secrets about the Heart-Subduing Hall. With such arrogance, it surely harbored enticing mysteries.

Xiaoling was quite the chatterbox. Before Wu Shu could reply, it muttered, “Master, it’s not that Xiaoling looks down on you. For a late-blooming cultivator to survive on Earthland Continent is already a miracle. Not to boast, but those geniuses at your age all possess strong innate bloodline powers. They don’t fuss over physical cultivation, often lazing at home. When bored, they go out to spar with so-called peerless prodigies—not real battles, just casual fights for fun—then return to sleep again.”