You and I Will Fight Again Another Day!

"Th-this is Shou-Lao?"

Lei Gong sprang to his feet and stared fixedly at the golden dragon.

From within that golden dragon, he sensed a power identical to Shou-Lao’s—the power of the Iron Fist.

But the power Master Wang had received from Shou-Lao was not even a third of what that golden dragon possessed!

Lei Gong’s mind shook violently. He knew there was only one explanation for this:

Master Wang had converted the True Qi within his body into Shou-Lao’s power—the power of the Iron Fist.

That was impossible!

Only a true immortal could truly wield power on Shou-Lao’s level. Otherwise, one could only become a vessel.

Although Master Wang’s realm was profound, his cultivation was still at the Master level. Even if his realm had reached the Grandmaster level, he could not possibly do this, unless…

Wait!

Lei Gong suddenly thought of something, and his eyes abruptly narrowed.

No, that was impossible!

Could it be that Master Wang’s realm was not Grandmaster, not Earthly Immortal, but that of a true immortal?

Comparable to Wu Fengji, the strongest Iron Fist?

The limit of this universe?

Th-this was far too unbelievable!

A figure in azure robes suddenly appeared beside Lei Gong.

Looking at Master Wang before him, the Jade Emperor did not show the slightest expression, but towering waves surged deep within his heart.

A Grandmaster remained in a state of harmony between Heaven and man at every moment. These three days of consolidation had finally allowed him to understand what an Earthly Immortal was—

Since they were called "immortals," they naturally had something to do with divinity. What they cultivated was the spirit.

After breaking through, the body underwent transformation, and so did the soul. The three spiritual souls and seven corporeal souls fused into one, becoming the primordial spirit.

He had only just refined a trace of primordial spirit. When it left his body to observe, he had thought he could easily see through Master Wang completely, only to find that he still could not.

An even more powerful primordial spirit blocked his probing.

The Jade Emperor let out a faint sigh.

What did it mean to be a frog at the bottom of a well?

His former self had been exactly that.

Ordinary people never understood what greatness was, always thinking the gap was not that large.

Only the higher one’s cultivation and realm became could one understand Master Wang’s strength. The primordial spirit bound within his flesh was actually so unimaginably powerful that even Shou-Lao within the dragon egg fell short.

"Master Wang…"

The Jade Emperor wore a bitter expression. "You should be called Immortal Wang…"

Only now did he understand that none of this had anything to do with the Sorcerer Supreme Ancient One. Refining Shou-Lao’s power was entirely Master Wang’s own ability.

This man had the cultivation of a Master but the realm of an immortal. Could he be an immortal who had suffered tribulation, perhaps even an exiled immortal banished to the mortal world?

The Jade Emperor’s heart burned.

If he wished to advance further, he would probably still have to make Master Wang comfortable and obtain his true teachings.

In a daze, the twin dragons returned to Old Wang’s body and vanished without a trace.

All of his True Qi continued to transform. Soon, only the power of the Iron Fist remained within Old Wang, and golden light burst from his entire body.

The reason the Iron Fist was called the Iron Fist was that it could gather Shou-Lao’s power in the fist, rendering it indestructible and making flesh and blood as hard as steel.

The almost tangible golden light draped itself over Old Wang, making him look like a golden Buddha statue.

When concentrated in the hands, it was called the Iron Fist. So what should Old Wang be called now?

Iron Man?

Ten breaths later, the golden light withdrew inward and returned to his dantian.

Old Wang rose to his feet, his heart filled with joy.

Shou-Lao’s power had served as a catalyst, allowing him to convert his True Qi into a higher-grade form of energy.

Although the total amount of True Qi was less than one percent of what it had been before, his overall strength had increased by more than tenfold.

"Master Wang, what level are you at now?" the Jade Emperor suddenly asked.

Old Wang froze.

He did not know what level he counted as either.

His soul was at the level of an immortal, his body at the Grandmaster level, his cultivation at the Master level, and his True Qi was also at the level of an immortal.

As for his overall strength…

Old Wang glanced at the Jade Emperor.

I should be able to crush him, right?

Sensing Old Wang’s gaze, the Jade Emperor hesitated.

He had broken through in a single battle and become a Grandmaster. He had been confident that his strength could overwhelm Master Wang’s, so he had never considered fighting him. Bullying the weak with strength was not what a Master would do.

What he needed most now was consolidation and adaptation—tempering himself with time until all three spiritual souls and seven corporeal souls had transformed into primordial spirit, until his body had completely undergone the transformation from mortal to immortal and become an Earth Immortal body. Only then could he truly wield a Grandmaster’s power.

Master Wang’s strength had increased, so he should have been delighted to encounter a worthy opponent and fought without restraint.

But now…

Seeing Old Wang eager to give it a try, the Jade Emperor backed down.

With their auras resonating, one could judge who was stronger even without making a move.

It seemed he really could not win…

"You and I will fight again another day." The Jade Emperor nodded to Old Wang, then turned and left.

Forget it. Seclusion, seclusion. I will not emerge until the transformation is complete!

By his calculations, the transformation would take no more than a year.

Master Wang’s cultivation was still lacking by quite a bit. He should have no chance of advancing to Grandmaster within the next ten years.

When they fought then, his chances of winning should be greater.

Yes, that was settled!

Watching the Jade Emperor disappear, Old Wang was slightly stunned. "Why was he in such a hurry? It’s fine if he doesn’t want to fight, but I still have something to discuss with him…"

Lei Gong: "…"

He could understand the Jade Emperor’s feelings. In truth, he also wanted to enter seclusion.

The problem was that before leaving, the Jade Emperor had sent him a strand of divine sense specifically to remind him that the two of them could not both enter seclusion—it would be impolite. Unless Asgard invaded or K’un-Lun was destroyed, he was not to bother him. If anything came up, he was to decide it himself.

Jade Emperor, did you ever consider my feelings?

So what if you’re stronger than me?

You always pick on the soft ones. How could you have the nerve?

Lei Gong sighed helplessly. Looking at Old Wang, he forced out a smile. "Master Wang, what else do you need?"

"It’s like this."

Old Wang repeated Ancient One’s words and said, "Ancient One foresees that a crisis is approaching. An unprecedented disaster will sweep across Earth, the Nine Realms, and perhaps even the entire universe. So she hopes to cooperate with K’un-Lun and cultivate both magic and martial arts."

A world-ending disaster?

Cultivating both magic and martial arts?

Lei Gong’s expression turned solemn as he frowned in thought.

Master Wang was likely an immortal descended into the mortal world and would not lie. Neither would the Sorcerer Supreme.

The Sorcerer Supreme could see the past and future. Since she had said so, it was almost certainly true.

K’un-Lun’s overall strength was inferior to Kamar-Taj’s. Since even the Sorcerer Supreme had begun seeking aid, K’un-Lun needed to prepare early as well.

Troubled times, truly troubled times.

Cooperating with Kamar-Taj would benefit them both. It was a win-win situation, so there was no reason to refuse.

Not to mention their connection through Master Wang.

Lei Gong nodded. "I agree. Within three days, I will personally visit Kamar-Taj and discuss the details with the Sorcerer Supreme."

Old Wang smiled and cupped his fists. "Master Lei Gong, it is time for me to leave as well."

Martial artists acted decisively and did not dawdle.

He had done what needed to be done, and he had enjoyed nearly all of K’un-Lun’s delicious food and fine wine. There was no reason to remain.

Lei Gong understood this as well and nodded. "Master Wang, you are the Immortal Iron Fist and K’un-Lun’s gatekeeper. I hope that when K’un-Lun needs you, you will lend us your aid."

"I will."

Old Wang smiled. "Then, farewell!"

He stood with his hands behind his back. In an instant, wind rose and clouds gathered, transforming into auspicious clouds.

Matt and the other two hurriedly climbed onto the clouds and flew into the distance.

The Kunlun Gate opened on its own. Lei Gong watched Old Wang and the others depart before asking Shou-Lao to close it.

A single gate separated two worlds, but it could not block out the conflicts of the outside world.

In this age of great contention, the tide of the era swept over everything. Even if K’un-Lun sealed itself away, it could not remain detached. The only thing it could do was contend.

"I should enter seclusion too."

Lei Gong sat cross-legged and began cultivating in seclusion.