Chapter 295 — Second in All the World

Ling Yuxiu and Si Yunxiang blinked, looking at this cowherd from the Wasteland, thinking, "He always boasts so loudly, and now he actually knows humility—how rare..."

"At most, second under heaven."

Shen Mu said modestly, "I am no match for Grandpa Mojiang in our village. Grandpa Mojiang is the best blacksmith for ten li around. At the market, when my cleavers and his cleavers were set side by side, his always sold first."

Shan Youxin sighed. "To think such divine blades existed—I would love to buy them and study them, keep them in my collection. To think they were hidden away in a small village market. I truly wish I could buy them all up. Hierarch, this time in improving the Superintendency Works, you must teach us. Please!"

They escorted Shen Mu into the Superintendency Works like stars surrounding the moon. Behind them came Ling Yushu, Ling Yuxiu, Si Yunxiang, and the Minister of Works. The four exchanged wide-eyed glances, all somewhat taken aback.

The Minister of Works sighed and said, "The Hierarch of the Dark Demon, the Grand Academy's first Grand Scholar, the renowned Divine Physician Shen, and now second under heaven in forging and treasure-refining—this Grand Scholar truly is full of surprises. What other talents does he have that no one knows about?"

Ling Yuxiu suddenly remembered and hastily said, "He paints very well! He once painted a picture for me and stamped it with a talisman seal, saying that without the seal, the me in the painting would come to life and walk right off the canvas and run away."

Si Yunxiang also remembered. "Our escape from Long Jiaonan's hands was also thanks to his painting. He painted a sea storm, and a ship breaking through wind and waves, and then an identical storm appeared on the sea, and a ship appeared as well, carrying us away!"

Ling Yushu looked at the Minister of Works. "Does the Pavilion of the Painting Sage have such ability?"

The Minister of Works shook his head. "The talents of the Pavilion of the Painting Sage can only paint what looks like what—some with spirit and charm, some with skill of brush—but none can paint something and have it come to life. The Hierarch of the Dark Demon truly is..."

He shook his head. "Truly too surprising. How can one person simultaneously attain such profound mastery in so many crafts? And still remain so humble? Such virtue is astonishing."

"Is the cowherd humble?" Ling Yuxiu did not quite understand. The cowherd was clearly arrogant, carrying himself as though he were second under heaven.

Si Yunxiang was also rather unconvinced. Their Holy Hierarch had never had anything to do with humility. When she wanted to challenge him, he would wear an expression that said you cannot beat me, you need more practice.

"He is already very humble."

The Minister of Works said with feeling, "If I had even one or two tenths of his skill, I would boast myself to be first under heaven. Yet he never proclaims it, never shows off. Only when others ask does he speak the truth—not claiming to be first under heaven, but second. I have never seen such a humble man!"

Ling Yushu was also astonished beyond measure. This Hierarch of the Dark Demon was more outstanding than he had expected: "Such an exceptional youth—my sister seems..."

He now actually worried whether his sister was worthy of such an exceptional Hierarch of the Dark Demon, then hastily shook his head: "What am I thinking? That brat had better not try to get close to my sister!"

They walked into the Superintendency Works and saw Shen Mu and the others measuring the structure of the great furnace. The Ministry of Works officials brought out all manner of calculating tools—some measuring, some calculating, bustling to and fro, paying them no heed.

After a long while, the crowd gathered around Shen Mu, watching him use primal qi to draw diagrams, sketching in the air the new structure of the great furnace, the mechanical structure for forging and casting, and several three-dimensional diagrams of humanoid mechanical structures. The others hastily took notes, then fetched the needed materials.

The Superintendency Works was a scene of seething activity. The deafening sound of forging rang out. Shen Mu, while forging, explained his forging methods to those beside him, and the Ministry of Works officials nodded continuously.

After a long while, Shen Mu and the others produced the first forging machine—a humanoid mechanical puppet with eight arms, its chest a large pill furnace that could be fed with medicinal stones to drive the puppet. The upper half of the puppet was of molten composite dark gold and dark copper, constantly flowing over its surface. When the composite gold-copper flowed to the hands, it could transform into a great hammer or a steel drill, pincers, and the like, and its strength was immense, capable of exerting a pressure of several hundred thousand catties.

The person operating it beside the pill furnace felt only slight heat, still bearable. Operating from there, one could manipulate the mechanical puppet to forge gold and copper into shape.

The runes and mechanisms employed in this puppet were extremely complex. When Ling Yushu saw that Shan Youxin and the others had recorded thick stacks of books, piled together half a man's height, he could not help but be awed.

He stepped forward and leafed through them, filled with admiration. The books were mostly runes transformed from divine powers. Shen Mu had taken divine powers and dharma arts that could be found anywhere and applied them to forging. The phrase "learning in order to apply it" had been brought to its fullest expression by him!

"This Hierarch deserves the word 'sage.' He is not like the wicked sort such as Fan Xuanshu!"

Ling Yushu's heart was full of emotion. Seeing Shen Mu resting to one side, he walked over and smiled. "Hierarch, if I were to join the Heavenly Sage Sect, what position could you give me?"

Shen Mu looked up, surprised. "Were you not worried that if you joined the Heavenly Sage Sect, the emperor would become wary of you?"

Ling Yushu was somewhat stirred. "He has his Imperial Preceptor of Jingping. I too need my own Imperial Preceptor of Jingping! If I ascend the throne in the future, you shall be my Imperial Preceptor Shen of Jingping!"

Shen Mu rose and shook his head. "Jingping is not my homeland. I am a man of the Wasteland—does Your Highness still remember? I am one of the gods' abandoned people. I cannot be your Imperial Preceptor of Jingping. Do you have the courage to defy the gods' command and make the people of the Wasteland your subjects as well?"

Ling Yushu was struck dumb.

"You are not your father. He dared."

Shen Mu patted his shoulder and walked toward Shan Youxin and the others, saying, "He dared to brave the world's great condemnation and carry out reform. The first time he met me, he no longer regarded me as one of the abandoned. You can only preserve what is. Even now you still think of me as an abandoned person from the Wasteland. Your Highness, if you have the emperor's ambition, then I will be your Imperial Preceptor of Jingping. But—do you?"

Ling Yushu thought of Emperor Yanfeng's words and deeds, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He knew he could not do it.

It was not that Ling Yuxiu was unworthy of such a man—it was that he was unworthy of an Imperial Preceptor of Jingping like Shen Mu.

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