Chapter 216: The Contest That Complied with the Rites of the Gentleman

Faced with Li Shun's blunt question, the monster did not seem offended in the slightest.

Only the venomous snake hanging from his left ear suddenly stretched its slick body taut, its forked tongue flicking as it stared fixedly at Li Shun.

"You wish to know my name..."

"Then we shall see whether you can pass the test!"

Before the words had even finished, the colossal divine battle-axe radiating brilliant golden light was already descending from above, carrying enough force to tear the void apart.

Li Shun's eyes widened.

In that instant, he felt as though the entire world were collapsing and vanishing.

Wherever his gaze fell, there was nothing left but endless, murderous golden qi. It transformed into billions upon billions of razor-sharp swords, crisscrossing through the air as they roared and slaughtered everything in their path.

He did not even have time to form a single thought before his soul was already pierced by ten thousand swords.

Li Shun suddenly jolted awake, his soul plunging back into reality.

He gasped for breath, only to find that the colossal figure which blotted out the heavens still stood firmly in its original position. He had maintained his initial posture, as though he had never moved even half a step from beginning to end.

The divine being merely looked down at him and slowly shook his head.

"Mortal, you are too weak. This is not a place you should set foot in. Go back down the mountain."

With that, he gave Li Shun no chance to argue.

The two horned dragons, one crimson and one azure, coiled beneath his feet simultaneously raised their heads and unleashed earth-shaking roars.

A vicious gale carrying an aura of destruction swept toward Li Shun head-on.

Before such overwhelming might of heaven and earth, Li Shun was no more than a speck of dust, a tiny ant. He had no way to stabilize himself at all.

The world spun around him as he tumbled and fell helplessly through the raging astral winds.

By the time he finally managed to steady his consciousness, he was astonished to discover that he had been forcibly thrown all the way back to the foot of Mount Buzhou!

Li Shun dusted himself off somewhat awkwardly before abruptly raising his head and gazing toward the summit of Mount Buzhou, hidden behind layers of clouds and mist.

"It seems that although the oppressive aura emitted by the native gods of the Primordial World is far weaker than that of the Outer Gods, their strength has nevertheless reached an utterly inconceivable level."

"Forget about that deity himself. Just the two vicious dragons beneath his feet are already far beyond what I can contend with right now."

"A snake hanging from his left ear, two dragons beneath his feet..."

"If my guess is correct, that divine being should be the Western God of Metal, the legendary [Ru Shou]."

"The Buzhou Heavenly Gate?"

The magnificent gate standing deep within the sea of clouds behind Ru Shou once again surfaced in Li Shun's mind.

Although he had just been blown away from the summit by a vicious gale without the slightest ability to resist, there was not the slightest trace of retreat in Li Shun's eyes. ŗἈΝՕBËȘ

With a thought, the principles within his body surged and churned.

He immediately rode the wind upward, shooting from the ground like a rainbow as he sped straight toward the summit of Mount Buzhou.

When he had climbed on foot, firmly keeping his feet on the ground, it had taken Li Shun a full seven days to reach the summit.

But flying through the air...

He arrived in an instant.

"Hm? Why have you returned again?"

Ru Shou, holding the colossal battle-axe, lowered his eyes slightly and looked down at Li Shun, whose body appeared incomparably tiny compared to his divine form.

"You truly refuse to heed reason. I have already told you. You are too weak."

Li Shun stood in the void, neither hurried nor flustered.

Instead, he calmly straightened his clothes and respectfully bowed.

"Many thanks to the High God for your guidance just now. This junior has already discerned your identity."

"You must be the legendary God of Metal who commands the western domain and governs slaughter and martial force, Ru Shou."

Ru Shou's stern face, seemingly cast from bronze, remained utterly expressionless.

His indifferent eyes continued to lock onto Li Shun.

"I have received the decree of the Heavenly Emperor and am stationed here to guard this place. Only those who pass the test are qualified to cross the Buzhou Heavenly Gate."

"It is obvious that you, mortal, possess pitifully weak strength. Forget about passing the test. You are not even qualified to touch its threshold."

"You should leave immediately."

The astral winds surged violently.

Li Shun stood beneath the divine might, yet not the slightest intention of retreat appeared on his face.

He abruptly raised his head and spoke solemnly.

"May I ask the High God, if I were fortunate enough to defeat you, would that count as passing the test?"

Ru Shou seemed to have heard the greatest joke in the world.

He froze for a moment before suddenly erupting into thunderous laughter that shook the Nine Heavens.

"Defeat me? With that ant-like mortal body of yours?"

"Mortal! While I have yet to lose my temper, hurry up and get down the mountain! Otherwise, even if I violate the Heavenly Emperor's decree, I will split you in two right here for your arrogance!"

Ru Shou's voice was chilling.

The two dragons beneath his feet also sensed their master's killing intent and began roaring furiously at Li Shun.

Yet beneath this overwhelming divine might, Li Shun continued to maintain his respectful bow. Neither servile nor arrogant, he calmly continued.

"High God, please calm your anger. When this junior said 'defeat you,' I naturally did not mean competing with you under the vastly unequal cultivation and foundations we possess at present."

"High God, I once heard that the ancient sages and worthies taught the following principle: a gentleman has nothing he must necessarily contend with others over. If he must compete, then it should be a contest under equal conditions."

"During a competition, both sides exchange bows, yield to one another, and then engage in combat. Once the contest is over, they step down from the stage and face one another openly and without resentment. That is the proper competition of gentlemen, one that accords with the Great Dao."

"Right now, High God, you command the autumn season, wield the divine battle-axe, and possess divine might capable of shaking the far western lands. As for my mortal body, it is as fragile as a fallen autumn leaf."

"To overwhelm someone through sheer force means relying on the majesty of a lofty god to forcibly suppress a mortal from the lower realm."

"If High God were to directly crush me with your murderous divine might, capable of slaughtering all things and sweeping away everything before it, would that prove anything beyond the vast gulf between a heavenly god and a mortal? Would it prove anything beyond the immense weight of your innate divine power?"

"How could that make the people of the world sincerely marvel at your exquisite understanding of the Law of Metal and the origin of weapons and warfare?"

"Those who force others to submit through brute strength do not win genuine submission. Others merely yield because they lack the strength to resist. But those who make others submit through noble virtue and pure reason earn true happiness and sincere submission from the depths of their hearts."

"High God, you represent the purest righteous qi of Metal between heaven and earth. Surely you would not disdain fairness and rely solely upon absolute strength?"

"Therefore, if High God could restrain your divine pressure to some degree and suppress your cultivation until it is exactly equal to my current realm, then let us cast aside the enormous distinction between heavenly god and mortal and compete solely through the variation of our techniques and our understanding of wielding weapons."

"Even if I were to be cut down by your divine battle-axe in such a contest, I would gladly extend my neck and accept death without the slightest complaint. I would submit from the bottom of my heart, completely convinced."

"And if High God could emerge victorious while possessing equal strength, would that not perfectly demonstrate your supreme mastery over weapons and warfare?"

"If that is so, High God, why not restrain that edge capable of severing all things and engage in an upright battle of gentlemen with this junior?"

Li Shun spoke with such endless eloquence and righteous conviction that his arguments were laid out with impeccable logic, leaving almost no opening to refute him.

Ru Shou, hovering in midair, actually found himself gradually withdrawing his killing intent as he listened.

This ancient deity vaguely sensed that something was not quite right.

Yet after carefully considering Li Shun's words, he unexpectedly found that this seemingly sophistical argument did contain quite a bit of reason.

Besides, even if he forcibly suppressed his cultivation to the same level as this ant, there was absolutely no possibility that he would lose.

After all, with his divine nature and instinct alone, how could he possibly be defeated?