Crippled Joe flew into a rage, shouting, "Quinn, you’ve thrown away every last bit of Grandpa Cripple’s fine tradition and gone off to learn reckless heroics from Butcher the pig-slayer. Sooner or later, you’ll be chopped in half just like a pig… Butcher, what’s with that look? Put the knife down, let’s talk this out—I'm only thinking of Quinn’s own good…"
He gingerly pushed the knife away from his neck.
Quinn Shepherd grinned, "Don’t worry, Grandpa Cripple, I know my limits. So-called Emperor’s Throne methods are just techniques created by our predecessors—not our own. Their real power depends on your own insight and cultivation, so they’re already a grade lower, dropping from Emperor’s Throne down to High Heaven Hall. Plus, Everpeace’s reforms—Heavenly Court never went through those. Young Master Cyrus Qi’s Emperor’s Throne method hasn’t been through reform either, so it drops another grade, from High Heaven Hall down to Jade Capital."
With just a few words, he had demoted Emperor’s Throne methods by two full grades.
Crippled Joe retorted coldly, "Even Jade Capital methods are still several grades above True God methods! First it’s True God, then Jade Pool, then Execution Platform, and only after that do you reach Jade Capital!"
Quinn said confidently, "A self-created True God method, because it’s my own, can unleash its full power—it’s a whole grade higher, comparable to a Jade Pool method. And with my Overlord Body, I’m basically on par with Execution Platform methods. The gap isn’t that big."
Crippled Joe was left speechless.
Granny Sue said, "Cripple, that’s exactly why you still haven’t crossed the Divine Bridge into the Heaven Palace. You’re too timid, always second-guessing yourself, afraid you’ll fail. But with your cultivation, you could cross the Divine Bridge anytime. Good thing Quinn didn’t learn from you—he’d never amount to anything if he did."
Crippled Joe couldn’t bring himself to get angry at her. He huffed, "Go ahead and spoil him. I’ll say nothing more—just watch, he’ll get himself killed sooner or later!"
But even as he said this, he was still deeply concerned about Quinn. Back when Granny Sue picked Quinn up by the river, Crippled Joe was the first in the village to accept him. Whenever Granny Sue got fed up with Quinn wetting the bed and tried to give him away, it was always Crippled Joe who patiently ‘stole’ him back, time and again.
As Quinn grew older and had no playmates, it was this mischievous old man who often kept him company—though mostly by bullying him: snatching the candied hawthorn Granny Sue bought for Quinn, stealing the toys Grandpa Mark made for him, always making Quinn cry until Granny Sue would beat him up. Only then would he be satisfied.
Back then, the Village Chief was sunk in despair; Grandpa Blind’s dao-heart had been shattered by Aiden Starr; Granny Sue worried about Tyson Li’s heart-devil seed lurking in her own dao-heart; the Mute Smith kept to his forge, silent as ever; Apothecary was tangled in a mess of romantic debts; Deaf refused to talk to anyone; Grandpa Mark saw Quinn and thought only of his lost wife and children; Butcher, knowing the truth of Heaven, was half-mad most of the time.
None of them had worked through their own demons yet. Only Crippled Joe, exiled to Oldridge Village by the Imperial Preceptor, was truly unburdened—which is why he could devote himself wholeheartedly to Quinn.
Across the field, Demon Sovereign Furylo glanced at this noisy bunch, surprised. Among gods and demons, even enemies usually kept things polite and formal; this kind of daily squabbling, like in Oldridge Village, was a rare sight.
"Zechariah Lee, you’ll need to be careful when facing Young Master Cyrus Qi."
Furylo didn’t stop Zechariah. He said, "Now that you’ve finished your apprenticeship, I’ve nothing left to teach you. Your other master, Logan Cross, is the same—going forward, you’ll have to rely on yourself. This duel with Young Master Qi is your heart’s wish. I won’t stand in your way—go."
As the Demon Sovereign, Furylo possessed an uncommon magnanimity. Even as adversaries, his conduct earned respect from both sides.
Zechariah Lee bowed his thanks, then looked at Young Master Cyrus Qi; in his eyes, saber-light seemed to clash and spark.
His saber arts were newly forged—he was desperate to test his strength in real combat!
"Furylo, your disciple won’t be a match for Young Master Qi."