Volume Two: The Mortal Realm, Chapter 108: Xu Zixian

The old beggar lightly raised his right hand and traced a semicircle in the air. Guided by his energy, the orb, which had leapt forth and exploded at a mere touch earlier, now traced a fleeting arc before settling in front of him.

“So this little thing had the same power as that one just now?”

The old beggar examined the floating orb carefully, his eyes filled with curiosity, yet he shook his head. “What a pity, it’s all show and no substance.”

With that, he tossed the orb into the forest. Ye Mingke, whose mind excelled at covert calculations, instinctively calculated its landing spot and his heart skipped a beat. He was about to shout out a warning.

The orb the old beggar threw landed on the ground and exploded immediately. Unlike the previous orb, which exploded midair after Ye Mingke kicked it—causing minimal impact on the ground—this one detonated directly on the earth. Though the explosion was some distance away, the forest floor was now riddled with terrifying magical traps.

A burst of flame erupted in the pitch-black night, followed by a chain reaction of explosions. One after another, deadly and destructive sparks bloomed fiercely amidst the darkness, encircling them.

Realizing the danger after hearing Ye Mingke’s warning, the old beggar took a step back cautiously.

The fire roared through the woods, toppling many trees. When the flames died down, the old beggar, face smeared with soot, withdrew his protective aura. Thick smoke still hung in the air, and some embers continued burning in the forest. But since it was a snowy night, the fire quickly dimmed.

Several of them walked back and forth within the blast radius, coughing uncontrollably.

Most of the area remained shrouded in smoke when Ye Mingke suddenly sensed something amiss. Aru had been knocked unconscious by the explosion, so including himself, only three people were present—yet four coughs echoed nearby.

The extra cough was unfamiliar and was steadily approaching them.

“Hahaha, old man, you’ve always underestimated what I can create. How’s that for a surprise today?”

A reckless voice came from the direction of the unknown cough, laughter booming before it was cut short by a fit of coughing.

“Who’s surprised now? Little madman, if you’re going to make new gadgets, at least leave a secret signal. Were you trying to kill me or yourself?”

The old beggar cleared his throat and smoothed his hair, still disheveled from the shockwave, hands clasped behind his back. His tone was calm, embodying the demeanor of a grandmaster—if one ignored the singed hair and the numerous holes in his clothing.

At that moment, the voice drew near, entering Ye Mingke’s spiritual sight. Ye Mingke instinctively lifted his gaze toward the smoke ahead.

Through the drifting haze emerged a particularly tall figure, oddly shaped: slender and frail in the upper body, wearing a rectangular metal frame tightly enclosing his head, clad in iron-plated armor. He moved with a peculiar clanking rhythm, resembling a mechanical man.

“Old man, if I hadn’t slowed down, this prodigy—one in a hundred thousand years in this divine land—would’ve been murdered by you.”

“Didn’t I warn you that this forest was rigged with traps? You refused to heed my words, and now you’re paying the price.”

The iron-clad man walked slowly, taking a while to reach them.

Only then did he notice Ye Mingke and the figure behind him—Qiao Qiao—standing back to back. His previously familiar yet sharp tone turned cold.

“Old man, what’s going on? Didn’t I tell you not to bring outsiders here? This isn’t a good place.”

“He’s no outsider.”

The old beggar’s face lit up with undisguised pride as he spoke of Ye Mingke, as if deliberately flaunting something before the iron man.

“He’s the Human Emperor Body I’ve been searching for. You laughed at my prophecy about the Human Emperor, but this guy proves I wasn’t lying. And unlike you, who’s afraid of pain and too lazy to train, he’s different.”

“Look, I taught him for only five days, and he’s already innate. Don’t you regret rejecting me as your master back then?”

“Heh, you really found such a freak. This world truly defies logic.”

The iron man’s eyes, hidden behind his metal frame, studied Ye Mingke with a hint of surprise.

“Hey, monster, hello.”

He waved a hand wrapped in iron toward Ye Mingke, his tone light but his gaze not exactly friendly—more like a cold, curious examination of a strange creature.

“Hello, my name is Ye Mingke.”

Though feeling somewhat uneasy, Ye Mingke politely responded, recognizing this man as an old acquaintance of the old beggar and Liu Xi.

Seeing Ye Mingke introduce himself first, the iron man lifted his neck strained under the metal frame and declared proudly,

“My name is Xu Zixian. You can call me Xu Zi…”

“Ergou, long time no see…”

At that moment, Liu Xi, who had been standing nearby without meeting the iron man’s gaze, suddenly greeted him. She caught herself mid-sentence, sensing something was off, while the iron man’s words awkwardly faltered.

“Hahaha, right, Ye Zi, his parents gave him a proper name: Xu Ergou. All that ‘Xu Zixian’ nonsense is something he made up himself.”

The old beggar laughed heartily at the side, clearly enjoying the fact that the iron man was at a loss for words.

But the iron man paid little heed to the old beggar, straightening his back and solemnly addressing Ye Mingke again.

“My name is Xu Ergou, courtesy name Zixian, sobriquet Xu Zi. Friends may call me Xu Zi.”

His words were candid and filled with pride; he bore no shame in his humble birth name, speaking openly and confidently.

“Xu Zi,” Ye Mingke mused quietly—though seemingly ordinary, the name bore an extraordinary weight. In ancient times, the great masters who founded schools and laid down philosophies were called ‘Zi.’ This strange man dared to adopt such a title, brimming with arrogance. He must have his reasons.

“It is an honor to meet you today,” Ye Mingke nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

“Mm.”

Xu Zi nodded back, then averted his gaze. To the old master who sought to see him falter, he remained invisible, but when his eyes met Liu Xi’s gentle gaze, the iron-clad man instinctively looked away as if burned.

He turned awkwardly and began walking back toward the forest from which he had come.

He called over his shoulder, “You don’t understand the minefield. Follow my steps. Guests from afar deserve good hospitality tonight.”

“Forget it. We’ve traveled thousands of mountains and rivers to see you, you recluse. You’ve already welcomed us with your greatest specialty here. No need to trouble yourself further.”

The old beggar motioned for Ye Mingke and Liu Xi to follow him, walking behind Xu Zi as he couldn’t resist teasing.

“Heh, I’ve invented plenty of good stuff these past two years. You old fool better not regret it.”

Xu Zi fired back without hesitation.

Though their barbs flew back and forth, Ye Mingke found himself a little envious. The sharp exchanges between the old beggar and Xu Zi were a rare display of letting down their guard in front of those closest to them.

Though, admittedly, both had such cantankerous tempers that loosening up made them rather irksome.

“Alright then… Ergou, everyone says dogs run fast. Can’t you speed up a bit so this old master—the one and only with the Thirteen-Layer Martial Tower in the world—doesn’t have to turtle-walk with you here?”

“Damn, old man, since when did you break through that barrier? You’ve struck it rich this time—found the legendary freak you were after and broke through the bottleneck you've been stuck on for ten years.”

“That’s nothing. Though the Thirteen-Layer Martial Tower disappeared years ago, it’s no big deal for me.”

“Don’t turn around, with your bony frame and iron armor, turning back and forth would be a hassle.”

The old beggar laughed broadly at Xu Zi’s astonishment but feigned indifference, pushing the iron man back whenever he tried to turn.

“So? Regret refusing to be my disciple back then?”

“Think about it—this old master was once the leader of the martial world, now a towering figure at its pinnacle. After all that, when I finally got inspired to take a disciple, I got rejected? It really infuriates me!”

The old beggar recalled a few days ago, when after many years, he had again tried to take a disciple—only to be turned down once more. Though the reasons were valid, it still annoyed him greatly.

“Training in martial arts? Impossible. Never in my life.”

At that moment, Xu Zi’s irritating voice echoed from ahead.

“Old man, don’t deliberately remind me of how I refused to train with you back then.”

“Bare-handed fighting, killing and beating—it lacks beauty. Why would I envy such painful training?”

“I don’t need martial arts to be powerful; I have more important and meaningful things to do.”

“Though I don’t train, rest assured…”

His voice lowered, reverberating within the metal frame, ringing with the resolve of iron and steel.

“I will never forget the great vengeance against the Celestial who wiped out my village.”

“I have lived in this volcano for ten years to create a weapon that even the immortals will tremble before!”

“I will prove that mortals are not mere beasts who only grovel before immortals.”

“I will empower everyone in this world with the strength to slay immortals.”