My Ares Son-in-Law

Qin Zhenyue's forehead instantly beaded with sweat, his face turned ashen white at a visible speed, and his breathing became erratic... He was using his own soul as a guide to lock onto the source of the silver pillar of light from among the myriad energy fluctuations.

Sudden……

"Crack!"

With a crisp cracking sound, a fine crack appeared on the surface of the bronze compass.

Qin Zhenyue's body swayed violently, a sweet taste rising in his throat, but he gritted his teeth and refused to loosen his grip. His hand seals changed again, and his voice was hoarse but firm: "Blood essence as the bridge, soul as the eye, give me... to manifest!"

"boom!"

Before he could finish speaking, the bronze compass suddenly exploded!

It wasn't a simple shattering; it was an explosion containing violent spiritual power!
Bronze fragments, carrying a sharp burst of energy, scattered and flew in all directions. The blue light of the runes on the observatory instantly dimmed, and most of the runes lost their luster, as if they had been forcibly erased by some terrifying force.

Qin Zhenyue was struck as if by a heavy hammer, and he flew backward, spitting out blood that left a shocking trail of blood in the air.

"Old Qin!" Li Shicong reacted with lightning speed, catching Qin Zhenyue's falling body in a flash. At the same time, he squeezed the jade bottle with his fingertips and stuffed a perfectly round Nine-Turn Rejuvenation Pill, which emitted a golden halo, into Qin Zhenyue's mouth.

The female Taoist priest and the old man in military uniform also acted simultaneously, pressing down on Qin Zhenyue's back from the left and right. Their pure true energy flowed into his body like two warm currents, stabilizing his disordered qi and blood.

The cloaked old ghost raised his hand and grabbed, unleashing a chilling suction force that forcibly gathered the scattered compass fragments together. However, the runes on the fragments were already blurred and indistinct, clearly indicating that this Zhou Tian Yi sub-instrument was completely ruined.

A full quarter of an hour later, Qin Zhenyue slowly opened his eyes. His face was still pale, but he was no longer in danger of dying.

He pushed away Li Shicong's helping hand, sat cross-legged on the runes of the observatory, regulated his breathing for a moment, and then spoke in a hoarse voice: "This person's fate... is not within the scope of the celestial divination."

"What do you mean?" Li Shicong frowned and asked in a deep voice.

"It means that Heaven does not govern him, reincarnation does not record him, and fate cannot predict him."

Qin Zhenyue wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes still lingering with the lingering fear of the terrifying backlash he had suffered during the calculations.

“When I forcibly peered in just now, what I saw was not his past or future, but an endless void. No, something more terrifying than the void... a backlash powerful enough to devour one’s soul. If I had pushed back three more breaths, what would have exploded now would not have been the compass, but my soul.”

The scene fell into a deathly silence; even the wind seemed to stop.

The old man in military uniform said in a deep voice, "In the history of the Dragon Kingdom, there have only been three people who could not even calculate the Zhou Tianyi Ziqi."

"I know." Qin Zhenyue gave a bitter smile, his tone heavy.

"The first is the founding father of the nation, the second is Xiao Chen, the 'God of War' who recently disappeared, and the third... is that mysterious big shot who suddenly appeared in the capital, rose to prominence in a short period of time, and even the top families have to be wary of him."

Upon hearing the words "War God Wang Xiaochen," Li Shicong's pupils suddenly contracted, and his heart skipped a beat.

The news that his son, Li Changcun, had hurriedly reported three days ago flashed through his mind: a young man in the western region, who was ignorant of his own limitations, was impersonating the God of War.

He didn't take it seriously at the time.

The God of War, Wang Xiaochen, was an upright man who cherished talent. Over the years, he had mentored quite a few young people. However, there were always a few who were arrogant and presumptuous, relying on his connections to swindle and deceive. Every year, a few of them would emerge. Sending someone to warn them would make them behave themselves.

But what if... what if the being that caused this extraordinary phenomenon tonight, which even Zhou Tianyi couldn't predict, is Xiao Chen, who is impersonating the God of War?

Li Shicong's breathing became rapid, and a layer of cold sweat seeped out from his back.

"Brother Li?" Qin Zhenyue noticed his unusual behavior and asked with a frown.

"It's nothing." Li Shicong forced down the turmoil in his heart, stood up, and looked intently at the western horizon. "Old Qin, you take good care of your injuries. Leave things here to them. As for the western region... I'll go there myself."

He paused, his tone carrying an undeniable decisiveness: "If it really is that person, since he dared to cause such a commotion within the Dragon Kingdom, he probably... has no intention of hiding any longer."

……

At the same time, inside the quiet room of Cangfeng Pavilion.

Xiao Chen sat cross-legged in the center of the room, his eyes slightly closed, a faint aura of starlight surrounding him. A sword lay horizontally before him—the Reverse Scale Sword.

The sword has been returned to its sheath.

It was no longer the hastily crafted black jade scabbard, but a thousand-year-old ebony wood that Qin Xianglan had searched for overnight, which she begged Ouyang Ye to quickly forge with his own life-force fire.

The wooden scabbard is jet black, with no deliberately carved patterns on its surface. The naturally formed textures subtly match the dragon scale patterns on the Reverse Scale sword, as if it were born for this sword.

Even with the sword sheathed, one could still feel a surging power slowly pulsating within it, steady and enduring, like a sleeping ancient dragon silently accumulating strength.

"Mr. Xiao."

An aged yet devout voice rang out, and Ouyang Ye immediately knelt down, raising his hands high to hold a set of neatly folded clothes, his forehead pressed tightly to the ground, not daring to even breathe:

"Sir, your sword-forging skills have long surpassed the ordinary and reached the highest level, far exceeding all weapon forgers throughout the ages! I... I humbly request that you accept me as your disciple! Even if I am only a nominal disciple, I will be willing to serve you tea and water and clean the weapon-forging room in the future!"

Xiao Chen slowly opened his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the clothes in Ouyang Ye's hands...

It was a brand new black Zhongshan suit made of extremely rare silkworm ice silk, which was cool to the touch and had such fine stitches that they were almost invisible. It was clear that Ouyang Ye had prepared it in advance, showing great care.

"Put the clothes down." Xiao Chen's tone was flat and emotionless. "The matter of becoming his disciple is out of the question."

“Sir!” Ouyang Ye suddenly looked up, his old eyes bloodshot, his voice urgent and tearful.

"I have been forging weapons for sixty years, traveling all over the country, and I thought I had reached the pinnacle of the art of weapon forging. But today, after witnessing your divine skill of star forging, I realize that I was just sitting in a well and looking at the sky, and I hadn't even touched the door!"

"Please, sir, give this old man a chance. Even if... even if you only teach me one-tenth of your skills, I am willing to serve you for the rest of my life!"

“You can’t learn it.” Xiao Chen reached out and took the clothes, his fingertips brushing against the cool Heavenly Silkworm Ice Silk. His tone remained calm. “The Star Forging Technique requires one to possess Star Veins and draw upon the power of the stars in the heavens. You don’t have that talent. Forcing yourself to cultivate it will only damage your soul.”

Ouyang Ye trembled, and the light in his eyes dimmed instantly, as if all his strength had been drained away.

Yes, a star vein. That's a top-tier talent that only exists in ancient texts and legends, appearing only once every thousand years. What makes him, an old man with half his body buried in the ground, think he can hope for such an opportunity? (End of Chapter)