Chapter 1 "Someone?"

After all, Shao Qiming was also a transcendent cultivator. In addition, he had already controlled the drone to activate its optical camouflage and began collecting information about the surroundings. Therefore, he quickly heard the voices coming from the distance.

Listening to the shouts that were still echoing from afar, his expression was quite emotional: "I could accept hearing those beasts speak Chinese in the Beast God Realm last time, but I didn't expect people in another world to speak Chinese as well. It seems that Chinese is indeed a universal language across multiple worlds."

This was a joke. Shao Qiming naturally knew that the Divine Tree World and Earth were closely related. Their histories were almost identical before the spiritual energy was cut off, so the similarity in language was not worth mentioning.

"It's a tourist group." Su Zhou listened for a while and confirmed their identity: "It sounds like the old Taibai Mountain area ruins were turned into a tourist attraction and museum? But I clearly remember that there was a volcanic eruption back then..."

But he quickly convinced himself: "Pompeii has been excavated, so digging up a ruin, or even rebuilding a memorial hall, is not difficult."

"Let's observe from a distance and see what the situation in this world is."

The drone's camera scanned the nearby area from a high altitude and transmitted the video to their agent terminals.

This place was in a mountainous forest area, and it was snowing heavily, resulting in low visibility. Therefore, no one saw them descending from the sky. The sound came from the east side, where there was a clear mountain path with cable cars and rest platforms. There were many people on the cable cars, indicating that the tourist attraction was quite popular.

At the rest platform, a group of people were gathering, including adults and children, presumably families taking advantage of the holiday to climb the mountain and enjoy the snow scenery. A female tour guide with an orange hat was counting the number of people at the front, but strangely, she did not have a megaphone.

Children were playing on the platform, waving inflatable toy swords. Upon closer inspection, Su Zhou realized that they seemed to resemble the original Blade of Extinction... But considering the Blade of Extinction's image and significance in this world, it was not surprising.

"That woman has some cultivation foundation."

Shao Qiming controlled the drone's camera to focus. He saw that the tour guide actually had Awakening Realm cultivation, and he frowned slightly: "Could this be a world where cultivation is popularized?"

"They are all Baijia (Hundred Schools), so the policies should be similar." Su Zhou carefully observed the crowd. He noticed that most people had metal assistive devices, especially the children, on their legs and backs, along with a dedicated small backpack and assistive facilities that were almost like exoskeleton armor.

After a while, he exclaimed in amazement: "Good heavens, a true qi backpack and assistive walking devices? Everyone here has cultivation, and some of the stronger ones have Awakening Realm cultivation. Not bad at all! It seems that the Divine Tree World's technology is indeed developing in the field of true qi machinery."

"What should we do next?" Shao Qiming asked as he continued to control the drone to fly in other directions, scanning the surrounding terrain.

"Let's go back to the old place and take a look, to the Sword Forging Museum."

Su Zhou replied calmly: "Let's see how much time has passed and how their history is recorded—through the tourists, we can also better understand the current state of this world."

Since they had considered the clothing issue in the Divine Tree World, Su Zhou and Shao Qiming had prepared several different sets of clothes, including ones that were approximately appropriate. After changing, the two detoured to the unmanned rear and began heading towards the museum at the end of the mountain path.

As they passed the rest platform, the tourist group had finished gathering. When a teenager of about fifteen or sixteen years old saw Su Zhou and Shao Qiming passing by, he was stunned for a moment, and then excitedly whispered to the woman beside him.

"Mom, look, there are two people over there who aren't using walking-assistance true qi machines!"

The teenager's tone was surprised. The "walking-assistance true qi machine" he mentioned was a circle of smooth metal mechanisms covering his legs. It was clear that it could assist the user's movements by channeling spiritual energy, making it easier to walk and climb mountains.

Because it required a constant flow of spiritual energy during use, this device also had a certain effect on training one's control over spiritual energy, at least allowing people to control the stability of their spiritual energy output so that they would not use too much spiritual energy at once and cause themselves to jump up.

The first time Su Zhou saw it, he thought the design was very ingenious and could be considered for bringing back to Earth for use as a civilian device. Of course, that was all. This was only for transportation. The Earth side had better methods of spiritual energy conversion, but they were generally used in war machines such as exoskeleton armor.

"Don't talk about others! What did the school teach you?"

The teenager's mother scolded him in a low voice. She naturally had a walking-assistance machine as well. The woman subconsciously glanced at Su Zhou and Shao Qiming, and then was slightly shocked: "They're both handsome young men... Huh, with my strength in the Houtian Realm, I can't see through them at all, and this steady-as-a-mountain aura, as if they're one with the surrounding world—could it be that these two are Xiantian Realm martial artists?!"

"Is it reversing aging?"

Realizing this, the woman thought of the extraordinary senses of Xiantian Realm martial artists and immediately felt a little embarrassed. She stepped forward with her child to apologize: "I'm sorry, gentlemen, my child is still young and speaks without thinking..."

"It's okay." Su Zhou smiled and waved his hand, deliberately displaying a bit of his strength, letting the woman breathe a sigh of relief and return to the tourist group.

He was thoughtful: "It seems that in the current world, while Xiantian martial artists are indeed rare and their status is considered superior, it hasn't reached the point where there needs to be a clear distinction between superiors and inferiors. Ordinary people can face them without being obsequious."

"It seems that this world is much more peaceful than I imagined. Baijia, Zhou Buyi, and the others, may have actually done what they said they would."

Meanwhile, Shao Qiming continued to use the drone to record everything he saw in the Divine Tree World.

With heavy snow falling, Su Zhou continued forward.

The place called 'Divine Sword Scenic Area' was actually quite crowded. Along the way, Su Zhou saw many people with their relatives and children, or lovers, coming and going. They either took the cable car or hiked up the mountain. There were even elderly people in their seventies and eighties telling stories about their childhood, about when the scenic area was first built - the construction of this scenic area actually only happened in the last sixty years or so. At that time, most of the Taibai Mountain was buried by volcanic ash, and in their childhood, they and their parents worked together to excavate various relics and ruins from underground, sending them to the Alliance's official Relic Reconstruction Office.

"This place can even be said to be the birthplace of the Alliance official, the predecessor of the Baijia Council!"

The old man smiled and held his granddaughter's hand, pointing to the inscriptions and statues along the road: "In the past, the elite soldiers of the Baijia Council forged divine swords here and launched a counterattack against the last emperor of the An Dynasty! Look, these statues are all of the elite soldiers who were stationed here back then, not a single one is missing!"

As he narrated this history, two young people passed by the old man.

"Could there be a statue of you?"

Shao Qiming was quite excited about this, but Su Zhou himself just made a few ordinary humming sounds, concentrating on observing the statues that were already appearing on both sides of the mountain path.

"It really is that group of people from back then, I recognize almost all of them... Ah, they even have dead people. That young swordsman who sacrificed himself during the National Preceptor's fortress attack was also remembered."

"Isn't that Grand Craftsman? Looking closely, he's a little more handsome than the real person, but the physique is exactly the same, just as strong!"

For ordinary people, the mountain path was considered long, but for Su Zhou, he reached the very top in no time.

At an open platform at the top of the mountain, Su Zhou saw the end of the statues, as well as a huge, sword-shaped monument.

A stone-sculpted Blade of Extinction was shaped like it was inserted into the earth, and the blade was the body of the monument.

On both sides of this huge stone tablet stood two huge group statues... Martial artists battled grim-faced demon soldiers and demon generals, and Su Zhou was also among them. There he was, carrying a longbow and holding a long spear, facing a Taoist priest who held a sword and had wooden patterns on his body.

It could be seen that the monument was written with huge ancient characters in vertical rows.

[—New Calendar Year 1, Taibai Mountain, Winter, First Month, Kunlun successor Su Zhou and Riding Wind Sect Master Li Daoran, Vice Commander Weilie fought the demon army at the mountain pass, defeating them greatly.]

[The enemy numbered over a hundred, none returned, the Demon Dynasty's National Preceptor was beheaded at the volcanic fire lake, leaving no corpse.]

[Thus the northern border was pacified, and divine weapons were forged.]

Upon closer inspection, each statue had a corresponding name and description below.

The base of Su Zhou's statue was [Kunlun Martial Saint - Su Zhou], and [Traveled alone for thousands of miles, saving the people from fire and water], a remark that was more of a praise than a normal description.

Zhou Buyi, Li Daoran, Weilie, and even Han Xiaoqian were among them. The old man who had secretly defected to the demon army and sent out the news was not tied to the pillar of shame, but was still carved here as a member of the heroes.

"After all, they were comrades who fought together for over seventy years... They left a posthumous reputation."

Thinking of this, Su Zhou's expression was somewhat complicated. He stared at Han Xiaoqian's waist bag and medicine pouch, which was not facing any demon soldiers or demon generals, but stood alone on one side of the statue group, and couldn't help but chuckle: "History is indeed narrated by later generations—just from the order of this statue, I know that Zhou Buyi must have become the leader of the Baijia Council—although I'm in the front, the protagonist position of this statue group is him."

"Subtle flattery is also a part of history."

At this time, Shao Qiming was controlling the drone, enthusiastically taking several pictures of the statue group, most importantly of Su Zhou's statue, which even made Su Zhou a little anxious: "Hey, Qiming, why are you taking so many pictures of this?"

"When you go public in the future, I'll show these to Uncle Su and Aunt Ning! Don't worry, it's not a bad thing, they're all praising you!"

Shao Qiming could naturally see that Su Zhou had fallen into a moment of recollection just now. These statues were undoubtedly acquaintances he had met in this world, but unfortunately he didn't know any of them, so he could only take pictures as a memento.

"Speaking of which, this statue of you doesn't really look like you."

Following his friend's words, Su Zhou once again stared at his statue and then nodded: "Indeed, it's uglier than me."

Generally speaking, statues, due to the special nature of commemoration, will make some corrections to the person, making them more artistic and better-looking than the person. For example, Zhou Buyi, although he was just as refined back then, he was still very green, how could he be as wise and martial as the statue, with piercing eyes?

But Su Zhou was different. Because he was originally too perfect and good-looking, the sculptors who had not seen him in person and could only sculpt based on details retold by others, could only rely on imagination - but unfortunately, the sculptors' imagination was not as good-looking as Su Zhou himself.

Behind the Blade of Extinction stele and the statue group was the Sword Forging Museum. Su Zhou was originally thinking that if the museum charged admission, then he would probably have to sneak in - I have to pay to see my own museum? What a joke! He should be the one charging other people!

But the museum was actually free, so the two swaggered into it.

"—In the nick of time, the Kunlun alien saw the Demon Dynasty's National Preceptor summon heavenly lightning, so he leaped, flashing behind a demon general. He waved his hand, and the eight-foot-tall demon general was thrown up like a child, directly crashing into the heavenly lightning..."

"According to the personal description of the parties involved at the time, in that era when the world's spiritual energy was scarce, the Demon Dynasty's National Preceptor could use the body of a Houtian martial artist to trigger heavenly lightning, demonstrating the power of the Xiantian Realm. If he had advanced to the Xiantian Realm in a few more years, no one could have restrained him. Fortunately, with the help of the Baijia elites centered on Grandmaster Li and Chairman Zhou, the Kunlun Martial Saint killed the Demon Dynasty's National Preceptor at the volcanic crater—everyone, follow me, behind is the memorial site of the Demon Dynasty's National Preceptor's demise, children, don't run around..."

"It is said that the Kunlun Martial Saint's appearance was extremely mysterious, that day was a day of heavy snow..."

As soon as they entered the museum, a clamor of voices surged towards them. There were storytellers, tour guides explaining, and special introductory staff at the corresponding exhibition stands, Su Zhou looked around and saw weapons relics that had been preserved in glass cabinets and had obviously been buried in the ground for a long time, and the remains of damaged true qi forges.

There, a female guide was introducing to a group of elementary school students who were probably on a collective tour: "Everyone, look with me—this is the first-generation true qi forge! The true qi technology pioneers of that year, Grandmasters Shi Jiling and Mo Ganxiu, used it as a power source to forge the 'divine sword' that killed the An Dynasty's Demon Emperor, the Blade of Extinction!"

"Oh oh!" Immediately, the children cheered and waved inflatable swords that were probably given away by the museum.

The golden-red blade flashed with a beautiful color.

At that moment, even though the Blade of Extinction was still located in Su Zhou's personal space, he vaguely sensed a faint wave of faith force traversing space and time, attaching to the divine sword. The children's sincere aspirations, and the accumulated faith force in the entire museum, seemed to have finally found an outlet and began to pour into the real Blade of Extinction with a slow but unstoppable momentum.

And the blade of the divine sword also began to flash with a crystalline luster.

"Shi Jiling... So Grand Craftsman's name was this?"

But at this time, Su Zhou did not care about this. After hearing this name, he felt a little ashamed - he had been calling him Grand Craftsman for so long, he had forgotten to ask his name, and only learned the other party's real name in the museum at least a century later.

However, this was also a common occurrence.

Su Zhou and Shao Qiming strolled around the museum. Su Zhou recalled the past, while Shao Qiming enthusiastically recorded all the stories related to Su Zhou, including the extraordinarily exaggerated storytelling versions. Even Su Zhou, who was almost shameless, felt a hint of shame and asked Shao Qiming to delete them, but the other party said 'However, I want to say no!'

Through the things they saw and heard in the museum, the two also roughly knew how history had developed after Su Zhou left the Divine Tree World.