This match was actually very important for Gu Shen.
After gathering his spiritual power, he was also very curious: just what level was his strength really at?
Shen Li really was a good opponent.
Little Iron Man fought without any deceit, just like his greatsword, straightforward, and relentless.
And against such a fierce type of Transcendent, Gu Shen had a hundred ways to claim victory, after all... even without Chi Huo, he still had many treasures on him.
Nameless iron armor, Spirit Ring, Truth Ruler, including the Ghost Veil he had just acquired...
These objects were top-notch battle treasures; they could produce miraculous effects at critical moments.
Seeing himself in Shen Li, Gu Shen noticed his current "shortcomings."
In a real melee, he feared he could only come to a draw against a fellow Strong Attack Type Transcendent.
Whereas if facing Bai Xiu of the same level, without relying on the "Thunder Realm Walker," he should be able to dominate completely.
Shen Li rubbing his head, grimacing as he sat up.
He chuckled bitterly, "Why do I feel you have weakened? Is it just my imagination?"
This kid’s combat intuition was still very strong.
Gu Shen smiled and shook his head, saying seriously, "No, actually, you’ve gotten stronger."
This was not a comforting lie.
Iron Eater was a nature particularly fierce ability; this kind of ability, particularly at the third stage, often results in the Transcendent’s spiritual power lagging behind their own essential quality.
In other words... the more physically fierce the ability, the more prone it is to "spiritual discontrol."
And yet, Shen Li’s spirit was remarkably stable.
In this aspect, among his peers, he was already a "strong" one in a hundred!
Any Extraordinary Cultivation requires "spiritual stability" as a premise... otherwise, even if one’s cultivation reaches the level of the Netherworld King, what use would it be, it would still be worthless in the end.
The "Great Que" bestowed by Mr. Shan was an artifact that perfectly matched the Iron Eater.
For a top-level sealing artifact, the more stable the "spirit," the stronger the power the artifact can display!
This perfectly matched artifact... in Shen Li’s hands, still had a lot of potential to be tapped. But for now, he had just received it and hadn’t had the chance to fully develop it.
"This sword... is extraordinary."
Gu Shen handed back Great Que and smiled, "I think once you fully master Great Que, you might not need to challenge me..."
"Ah?" Shen Li took the sword, slightly startled.
"Go challenge Gong Zi!"
Gu Shen said seriously, "Trust me, by then, you’ll have a good chance to knock that guy down... Doesn’t the thought of being able to beat Gong Zi under the guise of a friendly match feel exhilarating?"
Little Iron Man was already fantasizing about stepping on Gong Zi.
"By the way, Brother Gu..."
Shen Li quickly shook his head.
He remembered something important and asked with a heavy expression, "Do you know why Mr. Shan holds me in such high regard?"
Gu Shen raised his eyebrows.
He naturally pretended not to know, playing with the mansion key in his palm and murmuring faintly, "Hmm?"
"It’s because... the Netherworld King..."
When Shen Li spoke these words, he lowered his voice.
He looked at Gu Shen, not sure if it was psychological, but even though he used spiritual communication, he still felt a chill rise behind him whenever he mentioned the Netherworld King.
It is said that the Divine Throne was within the cemetery?
Could it be that even the heart’s whispers could be heard?
Regardless... Little Iron Man, after careful consideration, added a highly respectful title.
A flicker of amusement passed through Gu Shen’s eyes.
Gu Shen restrained his facial expression and curiously asked with a mind voice, "The Netherworld King?"
"You should not call out the name directly! It could lead to big trouble!"
Shen Li became a bit frantic and quickly glared as he said, "You should add two respectful words... It’s said that the Netherworld King holds grudges!"
Gu Shen’s smile became somewhat stiff.
"It’s what my teacher told me..." Shen Li, feeling somewhat guilty, said, "A few days ago, at the funeral, it was because of a strand of Divine Thought left by Lord Netherworld that Mr. Shan took a special interest in me."
Gu Shen had already guessed.
That day, the other Judges hadn’t noticed the fluctuation of the spirit of fire... but Shen Li’s teacher, the Fourth Judge, with his extremely keen spiritual power, must have detected the unusual source.
Guessing was not the point.
Gu Shen even hoped it would be guessed... The more people who figured it out, the better.
"Isn’t this a good thing?" he asked with a beaming smile.
"Good... good my ass!"
Shen Li clenched his teeth, his face turning red as he said, "My teacher and Mr. Shan now think I’m the ’Apostle of the Netherworld King,’ with houses and sealing artifacts given to me which I had to accept, but actually, I’ve never even seen the face of the Netherworld King... How would I know what nonsense he’s holding back?"
Gu Shen’s expression subtly changed.
"These words, I can’t tell anyone else... If Mr. Shan finds out, I’m doomed!"
After venting, Shen Li took a long breath of relief.
this secret had finally been told to the most trustworthy person he knew.
Brother Gu was immensely capable, perhaps he could think of a way to help.
Anxiously, he looked towards Gu Shen.
And what he saw was a pair of smiling eyes reflecting Chi Huo.
That gaze... was a bit strange.
Every time he was about to bet something with Brother Gu, Gu Shen would look at him with that kind of gaze.
"Do you remember... in the cemetery, you were unconscious for a while?"