I Pick up a Lost Godhood-Chapter 67 - 65: The Mature Woman’s Teasing

"Haha, it must be fate that we met. I’m already making a pair of hammers for this kid Suo Ming, so it’s no trouble to forge a sword for you, too. Modesty aside, your Uncle Lin isn’t just bragging—when it comes to forging, my skills are second to none in all of Tongming City."

Lin Ying said with pride.

"Your skill is very impressive, Uncle Lin, but I already have a sword, so I won’t need one," Wang Meng said. For him, any other sword was just a tool that needed to be serviceable. ’In my heart, there is only one sword—and no other.’

"Don’t be so formal with me, kid. Take it out, let me have a look," Lin Ying said with a hearty laugh.

Lin Ying had left the Holy Hall after his Elemental Power reached the Thirtieth Layer, choosing to pursue his cultivation in the mortal world. He had since put down roots in Tongming City, but he still possessed the characteristic boldness and passion of a Holy Hall Disciple.

Resigned, Wang Meng took out his broken sword.

Lin Ying took the sword, his eyes lighting up. He gently caressed the fractured blade. "What a fine sword! A shame, a true shame. The smith’s skill was masterful, but it seems they weren’t satisfied with their creation, and so it was left broken."

Wang Meng smiled and retrieved the broken blade. "I just use it for training, Uncle Lin."

Lin Ying shook his head. He knew that even with his high level of skill, there was a vast gulf between him and the smith who had forged this blade, so he didn’t press the matter.

Perhaps because he had an appreciative audience, Lin Ying forged with great enthusiasm, and the two of them would chat from time to time.

After about five days, the left hammer was complete. Suo Ming, watching from the side, had eyes that practically glowed.

"Here, kid. See how it feels."

Suo Ming took the hammer and swung it a few times. "This is incredible, Uncle Lin! I feel like I could smash everything in sight!"

"Haha, the right hammer should be about ready by the time you get back. Remember, be careful out there. You two are mainly going to observe the spectacle and gain some experience."

Lin Ying advised.

Suo Ming nodded. An auspicious glow had appeared on Wuling Mountain, said to be from a Thousand-year-old Wumu Essence—the very thing Wang Meng was searching for.

’Based on the descriptions, it’s likely only five hundred years old at best,’ Wang Meng judged. ’But that’s more than enough for me right now.’

A Thousand-year-old Wumu Essence was incredibly important for a Five Elements Wood Master, allowing them to get twice the results with half the effort in their cultivation. Above the Twenty Layers, focusing on the Five Elements became essential. It was normal for someone like Li Tianyi, backed by a powerful family, to have started cultivating his Five Elements since childhood.

News of the Thousand-year-old Wumu Essence’s imminent appearance spread like wildfire, attracting countless covetous Cultivators. It didn’t matter if they were a Five Elements Wood Master or not; it was a treasure, so there was no losing out if they managed to snag it. Besides, such a valuable item could surely be traded for whatever they truly desired.

When the two of them set out early the next morning, they discovered the roads were crowded with other Cultivators. Clearly, the news was out. The emergence of any Spiritual Object is always accompanied by a strange phenomenon that’s impossible to hide. After that, it’s just a matter of everyone fighting for it based on their own abilities.

The world of Cultivators had its unwritten rules. For a treasure like this Thousand-year-old Wumu Essence, the contenders should be below the Fifty Layers. If someone above that level were to make a move, it would be considered utterly shameless, and they would be despised. If you steal an opportunity from another’s disciple, their powerful backer certainly won’t stand idly by.

Cultivators around the fortieth layer were the main contenders. When seizing a treasure, the most important factor wasn’t raw power, but intelligence, followed by luck. Those below the fortieth layer were most likely just there to try their luck or watch the spectacle.

So, everyone went with the attitude of just giving it a shot. Who knew on whom good fortune might smile? Only a minority had powerful backers; the vast majority had to rely on themselves.

The path of cultivation was a narrow, treacherous bridge—survival of the fittest. No one understood this better than Wang Meng did now.

"Boss, these guys are all so strong! No wonder everyone says it’s better to wait until after the Twenty Layers to go out and get experience."

The whole way, Suo Ming acted as if he were surrounded by enemies, proceeding with extreme caution. It made Wang Meng want to laugh and cry at the same time, but the big guy wouldn’t listen to reason.

"That Female Demon Cultivator was staring at us for a long time just now. Boss, you think she’s going to ambush us up ahead? Her Elemental Power looked to be over the Twenty Layers."

They hadn’t gone much farther before Suo Ming spoke up again, his voice laced with paranoia.

THUMP...

"You blockhead. Since when did you have so much nonsense to spout? The art of ’plundering Yang to nourish Yin’ is an unorthodox path, and only a minority of Female Cultivators practice it. Besides, what is there on us worth plundering?"

"I don’t know what’s wrong with me, Boss. As soon as I’m out in the open, I just get... tense."

Suo Ming scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.

"Alright, alright, stop being so paranoid. If you keep this up, you’ll actually draw someone’s attention, and they’ll finish us both off."

"Right, right. I need to look tougher!"

Suo Ming puffed up his chest, trying to put on the same intimidating front he had back at Hengshan Hall, which perhaps made him feel a little more confident.

Wang Meng could only shake his head. ’What a simple-minded Big Guy.’

"Gentlemen, this humble lady is all alone on the road. Might I travel with you for a time?" A bewitching voice drifted over, the kind of sound that could make a man’s bones melt.

As she spoke, a woman dressed in black, who was quite attractive, caught up to them.

The neckline of her robe was cut daringly low, revealing a swathe of snow-white skin. The "assets" within were clearly generous.

To Wang Meng, a woman like this was no different from a roadside stone. But surprisingly, to Suo Ming, she was also just a roadside stone. "No! You’re too ugly!"

Suo Ming declared without a moment’s hesitation. His words nearly made the black-robed woman choke. Her pace faltered, and she slowed to a stop as Wang Meng and Suo Ming activated their Divine Movement Talismans and sped away.

"You really think she’s ugly?"

"Yeah! Look at her! Her chest is huge, her face is so long... she looks like a Snake Demon. Of course she’s ugly."

Suo Ming said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Wang Meng was speechless. ’This guy really does live in his own world.’ Come to think of it, even though Little Xiu was a mortal, she possessed a far more vibrant Spiritual Qi than that woman.

Every Cultivator had an aura. Some were murky, some were mediocre, some were lively, and some were domineering. That woman’s aura was exceptionally murky, a sign of deep depravity.

"Boss, that dame is catching up from behind! Should we run?"

"What’s there to run for? It’s not like she’s our creditor," Wang Meng said with a laugh.

"You two little bastards up ahead, stop for me this instant!"

As she spoke, several Fire Talismans exploded on the path just in front of them. She was a Talisman Cultivator.

With an elegant, spinning flourish, the black-robed Female Demon Cultivator landed before them.

Cheng Lili was a rather infamous Female Demon in the Tongming Realm. She hailed from the Ten Thousand Demons Sect and was an expert at plundering Yang to nourish Yin. At her level, however, she couldn’t just drain any random man. If she were to "service" someone, it would have to be someone of the Ancestral Master Level, or an Elder at the very least. She had no interest in inexperienced brats like these. She, too, was here for the Thousand-year-old Wumu Essence. Yet, when she ran into these two on the road, she’d gotten a strange and inexplicable feeling.

Cheng Lili sized them up. ’Two total rookies,’ she thought. ’Their Elemental Power fluctuations are pitifully low. And they dare show up for this?’ A bewitching smile bloomed on her face, and her eyes practically crackled with electricity.

Those who practiced Bewitching Techniques for plundering life force always possessed a certain Enchantment effect. It was useless against true experts, but on hot-blooded young disciples like these, it was a sure thing every time.

This time, however, Cheng Lili completely miscalculated. The burly Body Cultivator actually wore a look of disgust, while the other one showed no reaction at all. ’...Are these two even men?’

Suo Ming was, of course, disgusted. The Bewitching Technique worked by amplifying base instincts. Since Suo Ming already found her repulsive, the technique only intensified his revulsion. He was one step away from pulling out his hammer and attacking.

"Is there... something we can help you with, Miss?" Wang Meng asked with a smile. ’I have no idea what the proper forms of address are in this Small Thousand World.’