Chapter 61: So Poor!

"When the War Ancestor returned this time, he must have been aware that quite a few of the humans within East Accommodation City are already controlled by the Celestial Demon Clan."

Zhao Fenxing had indeed witnessed the appearance of the War Ancestor that night. Even though she could tell that the War Ancestor, the ancient patriarch of the Wu family, was extremely familiar with Wu Shu, Zhao Fenxing had not asked any further questions afterward.

Bringing up the War Ancestor again this time, Wu Shu intended to disclose some matters concerning the War Ancestor to Elder Ai.

Therefore, Wu Shu continued, "As you both know, the Wu family of the Kun State has declined in recent times, with a dearth of talent within the clan, and successive generations of forging masters growing inferior to the last. The root cause lies in the fact that the members of the Wu family have long suffered from the toxic affliction of a bloodline curse. The very fact that the third ancestor of the Wu family, the War Ancestor, is still alive should have been a momentous occasion for all members of the Wu family to celebrate together. However, many people are unaware that behind this lies a multitude of reasons why the War Ancestor fell into a prolonged slumber. Judging by his return this time, it is not difficult to see that the War Ancestor's physical condition still requires long-term convalescence and recovery. Being able to take back some promising young juniors of the clan to nurture them, in my view, is already a monumental service rendered by the War Ancestor to the Wu family."

Wu Shu spoke at such length that Elder Ai, standing beside him, furrowed his brows repeatedly.

A millennium had passed, and by merely consulting the historical records of the powerful figures of the Thick Earth Continent, one could find numerous accounts of the War Ancestor's past achievements and his awe-inspiring reputation. Even though the War Ancestor's strength had greatly diminished now, in Elder Ai's view, an ancient monster who had lived as long as the War Ancestor could still exert a deterrent effect on petty villains from all directions simply by showing his face.

Yet, somehow, listening to Wu Shu's words gave off a completely different vibe.

Finally, assuming an air of profound maturity and sighing deeply, Wu Shu said, "Therefore, judging by the War Ancestor's physical condition, even if the demonic forces within East Accommodation City run amok, the War Ancestor will likely be powerless to stop them."

After chewing a piece of fruit pulp thoroughly and swallowing it, Zhao Fenxing looked as though she had seen right through Wu Shu. "Wu Shu, can you speak properly? Stop playing the poverty card and acting weak every other moment. Furthermore, this young lady will put it plainly here: even if abnormal situations arise in East Accommodation City this time, as long as Elder Ai is present, this young lady does not need people from your Wu family to protect her."

Chided thus by Zhao Fenxing, Wu Shu felt that what he had just said indeed sounded rather like feigning weakness. The main reason Wu Shu had informed Elder Ai about the Celestial Demon Clan was to let Zhao Fenxing and Elder Ai know that besides the Shadow Demon Clan, there were also members of the Celestial Demon Clan in East Accommodation City. If an emergency arose, they needed to protect themselves well and avoid being blindsided by the Celestial Demon Clan.

Wu Shu calmly replied, "Fenxing, bringing up the Celestial Demon Clan is because I hope Elder Ai will make preparations early, just in case the Celestial Demon Clan harbors other motives and moves against you. As for what the War Ancestor plans to do, you already know."

Seeing that Wu Shu had been compelled to explain his good intentions—which had prompted such remarks—solely because of a single sentence of hers, Zhao Fenxing felt a sweet warmth blooming in her heart. Having arrived on this journey, with Wu Shu now awake and through their brief time together, Wu Shu had clearly come to care deeply about Zhao Fenxing's words and actions. It could be considered a case of a fair maiden having sentiments and a worthy gentleman keeping her company.

Picking up another small piece of spiritual fruit, Zhao Fenxing said in high spirits, "You, oh you! Cultivating on the Forgotten Continent has truly made you dense. What I just said had no ulterior meaning whatsoever; I simply ate too many spiritual fruits and felt like uttering a few words to capture the feeling of enjoying life's pleasures."

This...

They were in the middle of a serious discussion, yet Zhao Fenxing's digression completely baffled Wu Shu. Could she not be serious for once?

In truth, Elder Ai was well aware that Zhao Fenxing cared little about the affairs of the Kun State or East Accommodation City. The reason she had come to East Accommodation City and appeared before Wu Shu was entirely due to the guidance of destiny. Here, the only person who could capture Zhao Fenxing's attention was Wu Shu. Witnessing Zhao Fenxing's playful diversion and the genuine importance Wu Shu attached to the matter in his attitude, Elder Ai secretly felt that Wu Shu was not a bad person after all—a man who deeply valued deep bonds of affection.

The beast-taming grand tournament was now nearing its conclusion.

Wu Jingtian of the Wu family in Emperor Kun City possessed formidable strength. The opponent he faced was a five-century-grade Azure-Green Python, which was quickly battered into a state of wounds all over under his ferocious attacks. It was precisely through this match that everyone gained a profound understanding of the might of the Wu family's Azure-Wood Sword Physique bloodline.

The final participant representing the Shadow Demon Clan was Feiyu, a direct descendant of the Shadow Demon Clan's Qianchen family. The spirit beast Feiyu had to face was a five-century-grade Soft-Bone Rabbit. Hailing from the Great Rift Valley, the Soft-Bone Rabbit possessed blistering speed and was adept at body-slamming techniques. Yet, under Feiyu's bizarre footwork and attacking methods, the Soft-Bone Rabbit failed to run more than a few paces across the battle arena before its body was immobilized by Feiyu. Ultimately, Feiyu walked up to the Soft-Bone Rabbit and sent it flying with a direct palm strike.

Enduring merely a single attack from Feiyu, the Soft-Bone Rabbit suffered severe injuries and could no longer continue the fight.

Following Feiyu's victory, the master of ceremonies of the Beast-Taming Hall immediately appeared on the battle arena and announced the match results: "Feiyu, the talented junior of the Shadow Demon Clan's Qianchen family, indeed possesses formidable strength. Facing a five-century-grade Soft-Bone Rabbit, he defeated it with a single palm strike. I hereby congratulate the future young master of the Qianchen family for delivering a brilliantly won match for everyone."

"Of course, after five matches, the match record for the Kun State stands at three wins and two losses, and the Shadow Demon Clan also holds three wins and two losses. Given that the young prodigies of both sides gave it their all, ending in a deadlocked score is originally something both sides should rejoice over. However, how can a grand tournament be deeply satisfying without a decisive victor? Therefore, I announce that two hours from now, the Kun State and the Shadow Demon Clan will each dispatch three young prodigies for an extra round of matches."

Upholding the principles of fairness and impartiality, the Beast-Taming Hall's adjudication of the results and announcement of the upcoming extra matches remained completely neutral in phrasing.

Upon witnessing Feiyu's previous performance, Elder Ai muttered in a deep voice, "Members of the Shadow Demon Clan's Qianchen family are exceptionally skilled in close combat, boasting a myriad of close-quarters secret techniques within their clan. Yet, why did the methods Feiyu just used appear so bizarre?"

Zhao Fenxing chimed in, "This Feiyu seems to have a problem."

At that moment, the voice of a Beast-Taming Hall maid rang out from outside the VIP room: "Lord Wu Shu, an extra round of matches is required for the grand tournament. His Highness Zhao Zhenlu invites my lord to step into the War Pavilion to discuss crucial matters."

Discuss crucial matters?

Upon hearing the maid's words, Wu Shu knew instantly that he would most likely have to step into the arena for the upcoming matches.

Without saying much more, he picked up a few pieces of spiritual fruit from the fruit platter on the table and followed the maid.

When Wu Shu appeared in the War Pavilion once again, the atmosphere within the pavilion was entirely different from before. At the very least, the direct descendants of the Eight Great Families no longer looked at Wu Shu with that arrogant demeanor they had previously displayed.

Zhao Renheng waved at Wu Shu as before, saying, "Wu Shu, over here."

Despite witnessing Wu Shu's strength, Zhao Bufan still felt inwardly displeased regarding his father's favor toward Wu Shu, muttering to himself, "Anyone who didn't know better would think Wu Shu was your biological son. I'm almost starting to suspect it myself. Just wait until we return to Emperor Kun City; I will definitely go complain to mother."

It was still evident that Zhao Bufan harbored resentment toward him. Pretending not to have noticed anything, Wu Shu quietly took a seat in the empty space behind Zhao Renheng.

Once Wu Shu was seated, Zhao Zhenlu, occupying the primary seat, began to speak: "Since everyone has arrived, let us discuss how we, the Kun State, should approach the upcoming three battles."

Directly producing the roster of demonic participants for the upcoming matches, Zhao Zhenlu continued, "The Shadow Demon Clan will send Feiyu, Ying Mei'er, and Fuxin. As for our side in the Kun State, I originally intended to step into the arena myself, but after witnessing Brother Wu Shu's prowess, I must admit—despite being a prince of the Kun State—that in terms of strength, I am inferior to Brother Wu Shu. Therefore, for the upcoming grand tournament, the Kun State temporarily designates Brother Wu Shu to fight on our behalf."

Wu Shu was not surprised by Zhao Zhenlu's roundabout way of getting him to fight. Retrieving a piece of fruit pulp and tossing it into his mouth, Wu Shu listened intently while chewing the pulp.

Inside the War Pavilion, although the sound of Wu Shu eating the spiritual fruit was not loud, it was observed by everyone present. Everyone knew that after consuming the spiritual fruit Wu Shu had produced, the pulp would transform into spiritual energy within the body, thereby replenishing the consumption of earth force.

Although this act of Wu Shu's certainly displeased Zhao Zhenlu, recalling that Wu Shu's participation had been specifically requested by the demons, Zhao Zhenlu looked at Wu Shu with concern and asked, "Brother Wu Shu, after your battle with the Golden-Haired Demonic Bear, has the earth force within your body still not fully recovered?"

Mentioning this matter caused Wu Shu's thoughts to shift rapidly. Wu Shu was inherently poor. The reason he kept eating the spiritual fruits provided by the Beast-Taming Hall was not only to recover from physical exhaustion but also because he wanted to increase the concentration of spiritual energy within his body by consuming more free spiritual fruits, thereby accelerating the elevation of his cultivation rank.

Feigning innocence as if he had no ulterior motives, Wu Shu cupped his fists toward Zhao Zhenlu and replied, "Reporting to Your Highness, the daily cultivation of our Wu family disciples can only rely on the ambient spiritual energy of heaven and earth. At present, recovering the consumption within our bodies can likewise only depend on absorbing heaven and earth spiritual energy to restore ourselves bit by bit."

Wu Shu made poverty sound so righteous that he truly opened the eyes of everyone present.

Gazing at each other in blank dismay, those assembled made Wu Shu wish he could tell them: *You people standing there talk without feeling any back pain! If you lacked the support of spiritual stones and pills from a powerful family behind you, you would truly understand the predicament I speak of.*

Poverty! If someone were to give Wu Shu a single low-grade spiritual stone, it would be a tremendous boost in his eyes. Of course, as a disciple of the Wu family, Wu Shu could not act like a beggar on the roadside, shouting to every passerby with money, "Kind and wealthy lords passing by, spare some spiritual stones!" Otherwise, his growth would genuinely become stunted.