Strongest Businessman of the Cultivation World

"Whoa! This is huge!"

Ikasa exclaimed as he moved closer to the enormous corpse. The dead beast towered over him even when laid sideways. He felt the warmth radiate from the dead body as he extended his hands to feel it.

Cautiously, Ikasa poked and prodded the Beast's corpse wherever his hands could reach.

"This does not feel artificial… So, why are they called the Steel Beasts?"

Ikasa wondered as his hands traveled through the natural fur on his back, neck, and abdomen. He finally reached the left limbs of the Steel Guardian Beast.

Here, his question was answered.

Ikasa felt hot metal under his fingers when he touched the limb. The texture was solid and smooth. To test its strength, he brought out the newly acquired ax and chopped it down with full force.

A loud clang resounded in his ears and the ax flew out of his hands due to recoil. Ikasa traced the place where it should have hit. Except for a small dent, nothing felt different to his fingers.

'This is a really strong and durable metal. Would the armors and weapons made from this metal be of Superior Grade at the minimum?'

Ikasa thought as he lovingly caressed it. He had already decided to bring those limbs back to Blacksmith Gu.

'My Gold Heart Guardians would look great in the armor made from this metal.'

Lost in his thoughts, Ikasa's hand wandered to the jaws of the wolf through the natural fur. He again felt the heat of metal in half part of the jaw while the other part from the snout felt natural.

Ikasa was startled by the discovery.

'Are these beasts really cybernetically modified?'

He moved his hands up to where the eyes of the Beast should be. He found empty metal sockets. Something cold, like a wire's end, pricked his frisky hands.

Ikasa withdrew his hand quickly and took a few steps back. His wild guess was turning out to be the reality. To know more about the beast he searched the area for the eyes of the beast.

Mu Shi had aimed only at the eyes from the beginning of his fight.

So, Ikasa guessed they might be the most vulnerable or the most important part of the Steel Guardian Beasts.

Gru!

Moony called while dragging a red eye the size of a football with him. Ikasa patted the little guy's head and picked up the eye. He found a wire connected to it that was not visible to his Spiritual Vision.

"Should I…?"

Ikasa looked at the wire in his hands and the wire in the socket. Curiosity bubbled up inside him.

'What exactly is the other wire connected to? Would it come back to life if I reconnected the wires?'

Questions like these occupied his mind. He hesitated for a brief moment.  In the end, Ikasa decided to take the risk.

'Curiosity may kill a cat, but it cannot bring back a dead beast to life!'

He took out his Serrated Sun Disc ready to cut the connection if the Beast showed any signs of revival. Then he carefully connected the open wires.

A few minutes passed but nothing happened. He moved closer and inspected the connection. Everything was in place.

Moony also came closer and jumped on the snout. He nudged Ikasa and tilted his head like a puppy.

Gru?

Ikasa shook his head as he muttered, "What was I even expecting? It is already a dead beast."

He patted the little guy and started to disassemble the wires. He reached inside the eye socket of the beast and pulled the thick wire.

Ikasa heard a loud 'click' and tugging at the wire became easier, as if something had been dislodged.

"Huh?"

He paused to observe the head of the Steel Beast. He noticed a slight change in the condition of the third red light in the Beast's Brain.

The light which had dimmed to the point of extinguishing, now shined a bit brighter. However, there was no change in the Beast's body.

Relieved that the beast was not coming back to life, Ikasa pulled out the wire and the object connected to it with one mighty tug.

What came out surprised Ikasa. He held a miniature brain coated with a thin layer of metal. He marveled at the exquisite craftsmanship required to coat it with a thin layer.

Every gyri and sulcus had been coated equally without any excess.

Ikasa turned the Brain around in his hands, holding the heavy object in front of his chest. Suddenly, the Brain flashed with bright light and connected to the slot in his chest!

His vision darkened and a screen appeared in front of his eyes. A circle expanded and contracted on the screen. He saw a few words written below the circle.

[Identifying…]

[Detected Specimen 1k3a.]

[Quantifying attributes...]

Suddenly, a Status Panel appeared before his eyes.

[Ikasa]

[Combat Power - 950]

[Pinnacle of Sense Realm.]

[Sense Training Status: 290/350]

[Cultivation Techniques: Around the Body in 80 Days > Tame Your Senses]

[Battle Techniques: Chop (High), Wind The Way (Top), Ax Kick (Top), Rock Solid Armor (High), Nutcracker Kick (Low), Sweeping Kick (Mid), The Forehand(Low), The Backhand (Low)...]

All of a sudden, the Status Panel disappeared. A figure of the hunchbacked old man, the one who had warned him in the ruins near Sal City, appeared before him.

Ikasa became uneasy upon seeing the man. He couldn't pinpoint the reason but the vibe given by this old man felt off.

[I have many things to say, but showing you would be easier.]

The projection of the man in his mind spoke and suddenly the scenery changed around him.

Ikasa was on a battlefield.

On one side stood cybernetically modified humans and beasts. They had tanks and mechs and various other gadgets and gizmos.

Astonishingly, they faced humans in ancient dressing, like those of the Cultivators!

The ancient people were vastly outnumbered and outgunned. Yet, they were the ones attacking the modern city of the Cybernetic Lifeforms!

A man flew out from the City and stood tall before the forces of the Cultivators.

Ikasa took a closer look at him.  He was shocked to recognize him as the hunchbacked Old Man! Though he was about 30 years younger, and not bent in the waist yet, the facial features matched unmistakably.

He started to pay rapt attention to the movements of the Man.

The younger version spoke something to the skies. Lightning flashed and the sky rumbled in response to his words. Soon, five ethereal figures emerged in the sky.

Ikasa immediately recognized them as the Absolutes!

The man looked at them in defiance. His eyes shone red as he agitatedly pointed at the Cultivators, the absolutes, and the City behind him.

Ikasa saw the figures in the sky flicker with fury. He felt the pressure emitted by them. He couldn't tell what happened but the Cultivators had started attacking the City!

All sorts of magical spells and abilities were thrown at the City, killing and maiming hundreds of cybernetic Humans and Beasts. The Cyborgs retaliated with their mechs, tanks, and fighter planes.

They shot missiles, laser beams, and kinetic rounds at the distant Cultivators. The Steel Guardian Beasts charged toward the Cultivators, intending to trample and mow them down.

The Mechs steadily flew behind them, shooting round after round of missiles and bullets. Their shots hit the Cultivators who could not shield themselves and reaped their lives.

Such cultivators formed the majority of the attackers. They used cold weapons to kill and neutralize the cyborgs and beasts but they could not match the Mechs, tanks, and Fighter Planes.

However, Cyborgs were not the only ones with peak firepower. A few strong men from the Cultivators flew up and challenged the Mechs.

Their mystical martial arts were so powerful that they bent the laws of nature! The Mechs were shot down from the sky as if gravity had changed.

One Cultivator thrust his palm at the opposite Mech immobilized on the ground. His palm gathered energy within a few seconds and formed a giant projection as large as the 10 Feet tall Mech.

Within seconds, the Mech was crushed and crumpled under the power of the martial skill!

If he had not seen with his own eyes, Ikasa would never have believed that a human cultivator could challenge a Mech!

The Cultivator fell down after executing such a powerful skill. Many of the Mechs were neutralized similarly, yet the Cultivators were still at a disadvantage.

They were getting slaughtered in this battle. That's when the Absolutes interfered.

The Absolute of Fire rained down embers and fireballs on the City. The Absolute of Wind fanned those flames, engulfing every structure in the fire.

The Absolute of Earth shook the ground below the tanks, making them immobile. The Absolute of Water directed streams of water into the systems of the Humans and beasts, short-circuiting them.

Ikasa watched the carnage, appalled by the actions of the Absolutes. He could not understand what motivated the Ultimate Beings to instigate the war.

The scene playing before him came to an end with a city going up in flames and myriad pieces of modern weaponry strewn across the battlefield.

The old hunchbacked man appeared before Ikasa again. His figure had turned considerably paler. Ikasa heard him say a few words as his figure faded.

[Don't… Trust… the Absolutes!]