0023 Erupts in Conflict

  In the Divine Continent, the classification of physical weapons is very clear. From the low-level Mortal-grade to the legendary and elusive Heaven-and-Earth-grade, there are eight grades in total. Each grade is further divided into four sub-grades based on the weapon's forging quality: Lower, Middle, Upper, and Extreme.

  The lowest level of human-made weapons are made from various metals smelted and forged. Generally, ten fold forging is considered low-grade, hundred fold forging is mid-grade, thousand fold forging is high-grade. As for the top-grade human-made weapons, they are made by mixing some higher grade materials into the metal iron, such as steel or copper. However, the amount of mixed-in high-grade material cannot be too much, otherwise the weapon will lose its balance and shatter to pieces.

  The higher the grade of the weapon, the greater its power naturally is.

  The metal iron includes the inner elixir of the iron-level metal beast, iron bones, and iron ore. The high or low quality of the metal iron determines the good or bad of the mortal soldiers.

  Although the mortal warrior is the lowest-level physical weapon on the Divine Continent, its value is also very expensive.

  A low-grade Human-tier artifact is worth 50,000 taels of white silver, a mid-grade one doubles that to 100,000 taels of white silver, and as for the top-grade Human-tier artifacts, they are even more astonishingly valued at 500,000 taels of white silver. The amount is truly staggering.

  To know that a sixth-grade family's annual net income is only 50,000 taels of white silver, and the annual income of a fifth-grade sect is also only one million taels. In other words, the annual income of a fifth-grade sect can only buy two extreme-quality mortal weapons.

  It's because things are valued for their rarity.

  The process of casting a mortal warrior is extremely difficult. First, not everyone on the continent of divine warriors can become a caster of weapons, but only those who possess the soul of a hammer warrior can become a caster.

  Secondly, the soldiers hunt and kill Iron-level metal beasts and dig up iron ore. These are all unrefined raw materials that cannot be directly used to cast weapons. Only after refining them can they be handed over to a casting master to be cast into weapons.

  Forging equipment requires a Forging Soul of Hammer Soldier, while refining raw materials requires a Refining Soul of Furnace Soldier.

  The soul of the hammer soldier and the refining master of the furnace soldier are extremely rare, only some powerful forces can afford to raise them, so the physical soldiers on the continent of God have always been at a high price.

  Foundry masters, alchemy masters, and even the sect's introductory masters are all extremely special occupations, which are also the standards for evaluating a power's level.

  The more powerful the force, the more special occupations it has.

  On the continent of Shenbing, there are a total of eight special professions. So far, only the five major ancient tribes of Shenbing and the most mysterious and terrifying Zhongdao Binghun Tower have forces that possess all eight special professions.

  These eight special occupations are the Smelting Master of Hammer Soul, the Refining Master of Furnace Soul, the Pharmaceutical Master of Dan Furnace Soul, the Escort Master of Mirror Soul, the Mining Master of Hoe Soul, the Herbalist of Glove Soul, the Treasure Identifier of Book Soul, and the most mysterious Spirit Communicator.

  The uniqueness of the medium lies not in his martial soul, but in his spiritual soul. In the Divine Continent where martial souls are paramount, spiritual souls are vague and elusive. However, there are a handful of warriors who are born with unique spiritual souls that set them apart from others. As their powers grow, their senses become more acute, allowing them to perceive things that even the most skilled appraisers cannot discern, such as ancient artifacts.

  ……

  "Roar!"

  The most dangerous central area of the Hanspring Mountains suddenly transmitted a fierce roar.

  "Ha! You think of running away now? Too late!"

  "Brush!"

  A flash of dazzling knife light, a fleeting glimpse, incredibly fast, like a blood-colored lightning bolt, as if a heavenly deity descended from the void.

  Shen Lai San Dao First Form - Heavenly God Descends to the Mortal World

  "Pffft!"

  This sound was extremely sharp and fierce, and the blood-colored light of the knife was also incredibly shocking.

  One sword, this huge black iron spider was nailed to the giant tree, on its pitch-black head, a several-inch-long knife wound, bright red blood splashing out, like a fountain.

  "One hundredth!"

  "Ah! This time it's correct!"

  In the dense forest, a girl in a purple long dress smiled happily at Li Ke, who was wearing white clothes. In just one month, they had completely immersed themselves in the world of hunting and killing high-level metal beasts, their coordination becoming more and more tacit and skilled.

  Fearsome perceptiveness, eerie swordsmanship, astonishing musical tones, and both possessing mysterious and unfathomable bodily techniques, the Iron-class high-ranking Metal Beasts were completely at their mercy, not even requiring a slight effort.

  One hundred high-ranking metal beasts of the Iron tier, this is a truly terrifying number. If it were another cultivator of the Refining Soldier realm's soldier path, even if they were seven or eight or nine ranks higher, they would still be unable to hunt and kill so many metal beasts in just one month.

  In just one month of joining forces, the two of them made a profit of 500,000 silver taels each from hunting and killing Metal Beasts alone. If they also counted the first-class, middle-class, and top-class spiritual grasses they had collected, each of them would have at least a net worth of over 1 million silver taels.

  Retracting the high-grade iron dan on the black iron spider's body and seven slender legs as thin as needles, Li Ke and Zhong Qing's gazes almost simultaneously turned in one direction, saying in unison: "Come out!"

  As they spoke, sharp and fierce auras rushed over, causing the surrounding trees to rustle loudly.

  "Who's there? Come out!"

  Li Ke drew his sword, and the Soul-Stealing Sword's light was oppressive.

  "Swish swish swish!"

  Three golden lights flashed out in succession, and in the blink of an eye, a turbulent and violent aura rushed forward, only to be stopped by the three golden lights, which surrounded Li Ke and Zhong Qing in the middle.

  "Jin Guang Men is hunting here, how dare you trespass, are you looking for death?!"

  Among the three golden lights, one of them wore a golden robe with a black circular wheel embroidered on his chest. The wheel's teeth were sharp and he had a majestic and tall stature. His cold eyes stared at Li Ke and Zhong Qing, his words laced with naked threats and murderous intent.

  "Hurry up and hand over all your Iron Dan and Iron Bone, otherwise you will die here!"

  "Also, kowtow and kneel down for me again, and that little girl, come here, let me have some fun with you, maybe I can spare your lives and make you my slaves!"

  Another slender and delicate young man gazed at Zhong Qing's body with a lustful gaze, saying in a low voice.

  "Golden Light Gate!"

  Li Ke's eyes narrowed, the cold spring mountain range stretched endlessly, he didn't expect to meet a disciple of Jinguangmen in this place, and it seemed that these three people were not low-ranking in Jinguangmen.

  Jinguang Gate is also one of the four major five-product sects in Hanshui region, similar to Shuangdao Sect. The main soul of Jinguang Gate's soldiers is the wheel, which is very strange and powerful.

  "Are we to die here? Are we to be your slaves? Preposterous! Is the Cold Spring Mountains yours, Golden Gate's? What right do you have to demand that we hand over Iron Dan and Iron Bone?" Li Ke sneered with a cold glint in his eye. Although the three people before him were not ordinary, he was no pushover either. When things came to a head, he would absolutely not back down.

  Especially when the other party is so overbearing and domineering.

  "Don't want to? Haha——then don't blame us, the three brothers of Golden Light, for being ruthless and merciless! The two brothers, get ready to make your move!" The last disciple of the Golden Light Sect sneered sinisterly, his face's three-inch-long scar also twisting into a ferocious expression.