Chapter 121: The Armor

After all, in their assessment, a seventh-rank being could destroy the Earth’s surface—not through prolonged, repeated use of abilities as previously judged, but by a single strike capable of obliterating the entire planet’s surface.

Whether a casual blow or a full-power strike, it doesn’t matter—but it must be a single strike.

However, whether sixth-rank or seventh-rank, to them it made no difference.

Because it meant humanity’s current power could never threaten them, not even achieve mutual annihilation.

Under these circumstances, who would truly care whether the other had reached seventh-rank?

They had only one Earth—if the Earth’s surface was gone, could humanity still exist?

That’s why the director of the Capital Tian Shu Bureau had reprimanded Su Mengyao—because fifth-rank and sixth-rank were truly different to them.

Fifth-rank could at least put up some resistance; maybe not overturn the table, but at least have the capacity to sit at it and negotiate; sixth-rank? There was absolutely none.

Right now, if Ye Xuan told them, “I don’t eat beef,” no one could say a word.

The power gap was too vast.

Unless Master Zhong could raise his compatibility with the Rock King Emperor template to one hundred percent, it was hard to say.

“Today.”

“Huh? What did you say?”

Su Mengyao stared blankly at Ye Xuan’s words—today?

“You mean you just obtained the Flame Dragon Armor summoner today?”

“Wait, I saw online that the owner of the Xizi Lake store in Hangcheng said he sold you a stone for two hundred yuan today.”

Could that store owner actually be telling the truth?

“Yes, that exact stone.”

Ye Xuan nodded.

Su Mengyao’s mouth hung open, her phone nearly slipping from her hand; her mind raced, desperately trying to process this absurd piece of information.

So Ye Xuan hadn’t appeared at Xizi Lake because he sensed the mutated python’s aura beneath it—he’d just gone there to buy something?

And the thing he bought just happened to be the Fire Shadow Stone from the Armor Hero world?

“Wait, wait.”

Su Mengyao rubbed her temples, then asked with a strange tone:

“So did you feel drawn to it, specifically go to Xizi Lake seeking this stone—or did you just go there for the scenery or to shop, then accidentally notice the Fire Shadow Stone and realize its uniqueness?”

If it was the latter, then it was pure coincidence—luck alone; but if it was the former, then the Fire Shadow Stone had chosen Ye Xuan as the Flame Dragon Armor’s master, which is why he felt drawn to it.

Yet although Ye Xuan had indeed protected many people, in Su Mengyao’s eyes, he mostly acted simply because he wanted to—not to protect anyone in particular.

He was a hero, but he couldn’t be fully defined by the two words “hero.”

Shouldn’t the Light and Shadow Armor’s criteria for choosing a master be different than this?

No, no, that’s not right either—if you say that, then the summoners in the Armor Hero series themselves are problematic; both Team One and Team Two have issues.

So is one of the requirements for Armor Selection that the master must have a distinct personality?

On the other end of the phone, Ye Xuan listened to Su Mengyao’s words, lost in thought.

“Feeling drawn to it? That’s not a bad way to put it.”

The fortune-pulling effect of the Hongyun Qitian Gu was also a kind of “feeling drawn.”

Su Mengyao fell silent on the other end for a full ten seconds.

It really was the Fire Shadow Stone choosing its master.

“Wait, no— you obtained the Fire Shadow Stone, so where did the Flame Dragon Armor summoner come from?”

“Where did it come from?”

Su Mengyao clearly remembered Ye Xuan using the Flame Dragon Armor summoner to transform in the video.

If he obtained the Fire Shadow Stone, then where did the Flame Dragon Armor summoner come from?

“Carried with me.”

“You keep that in your space ring?”

Su Mengyao doubted—wasn’t it possible Ye Xuan already knew the Fire Shadow Stone would trigger his intuition, and that two mutated pythons lurked beneath Xizi Lake, so he deliberately brought the Flame Dragon Armor summoner to transform into Flame Dragon Hero?

“. That’s none of your business.”

Ye Xuan said, exasperated—now you’re telling me what I can keep in my space ring?

“Has your Tian Shu Bureau found any Multiverse Treasures yet?”

“We’ve found a few Devil Fruits, but they’re all low-power ones. Why?”

Su Mengyao asked curiously upon hearing Ye Xuan’s question.

Multiverse Treasures aren’t easy to find.

The powerful ones—those who find them use them themselves; what gets reported and sold to Tian Shu Bureau are all junk items requiring a price.

Even the easiest to find—Devil Fruits—are the ones the discoverers themselves don’t want.

If the ability is uncertain, they’re willing to gamble on it; but if it’s confirmed as junk, then it’s junk—they can’t convince themselves otherwise.

“Oh, by the way, there are seven swords, but you probably don’t need them.”

Su Mengyao recalled the seven swords that had appeared across Great Xia—though only the one in the Capital Museum was unclaimed; the others already had owners.

Some people, after failing to gain recognition, were willing to sell; but most, even without recognition, wanted to keep them for their future children to try.

Tian Shu Bureau had only collected three swords so far; Ye Xuan likely had no interest in them.

“Seven swords? Which seven?”

Ye Xuan’s eyes lit up—he had no interest in Devil Fruits, but he was very interested in the swords Su Mengyao mentioned.

Although he already possessed the Dragon-Slaying Sword and Ryūjin no Ha, a swordsman’s desire for fine blades never diminishes just because he already owns some.

His interest in collecting swords far outweighed his interest in Devil Fruits.

“Have you seen Hong Mao and Lan Tu? The seven swords from that.”

“The Rainbow Sword, Ice Soul Sword, Rain Flower Sword, Thunder Rush Sword, Azure Light Sword, Purple Cloud Sword, Whirlwind Sword.”

“By the way, when those seven swords awakened, there were celestial phenomena in the sky—even if they weren’t very large.”

Su Mengyao didn’t hide it—there was nothing to hide.

Who was Ye Xuan?

The only two fifth-ranks in Great Xia, and with the Flame Dragon Armor’s enhancement, his power reached sixth-rank—the strongest human alive today.

They’d be lucky to have him; what could they possibly withhold from him?

Moreover, while the Hong Mao and Lan Tu world wasn’t weak, it wasn’t strong either—excluding the final installment where Hong Mao lost all his power and had to retrain, even at his peak, Hong Mao couldn’t match Ye Xuan.

And the strength belonged to Hong Mao himself; the Rainbow Sword had only a minor connection, and the same went for the other swords.

“By the way, you still haven’t said why you’re asking about them.”

Su Mengyao added.

Knowing Ye Xuan as she did, if there wasn’t a reason, he wouldn’t ask such a question.

“I have two Devil Fruits, but they’re useless to me.”

“If your Tian Shu Bureau has something I want, we can make an equal exchange.”

“But the seven swords…”

Ye Xuan was quite interested in them; although the Hong Mao and Lan Tu world wasn’t high-tier, in the wuxia realm, it wasn’t low.

And purely in terms of swords, their quality was among the strongest in wuxia.

(End of Chapter)