Upon hearing the words of the elder, Chang Gongyan, Zhenhua instinctively furrowed his brows and said, "The association is a place for blacksmiths to exchange ideas. Friendly competition is naturally welcome, but your grandstanding might have a negative impact."
Chang Gongyan replied in a deep voice, "I merely wish to verify whether the Blacksmith Association lives up to its reputation. I didn't think too much about it. Could it be that President Zhenhua, as a Divine Craftsman, fears that he has no worthy successor?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding crowd immediately became restless. Scolding and criticism erupted, and even curses were heard. Chang Gongyan's words were not only a provocation against Zhenhua but also an insult to the members of the Blacksmith Association. It was no wonder they couldn't remain calm.
Zhenhua raised his hand, and the noisy crowd instantly quieted down. All eyes were on him, waiting to see how he would handle the situation.
"How would you like to compete?" Zhenhua asked. In reality, he was backed into a corner and had no choice but to accept. Someone had come to his doorstep to challenge him, and if he refused today, the reputation of the Blacksmith Association within the federation would be ruined. Therefore, he had to accept the challenge.
Upon hearing this, a hint of joy appeared on Chang Gongyan's face. He pointed to the young girl beside him and said, "This is my disciple, Lin Yuhan. She will represent me in a forging competition. As long as any blacksmith under the age of twenty in the Blacksmith Association can defeat her, we will concede defeat."
"Oh?" Zhenhua glanced at Lin Yuhan and smiled. "What if you lose? What if you win?"
The elder spoke with a solemn tone, "If we win, we ask for nothing more than for President Zhenhua to admit defeat. If we lose, my disciple and I will voluntarily join the Blacksmith Association and follow your orders!"
Listening to Chang Gongyan's righteous speech, Jing Shaoyu couldn't help but feel like laughing. This old man was truly cunning. On the surface, the outcome seemed fair, but in reality, he was trying to get something for nothing. How could the reputation of you and your disciple compare to that of Zhenhua? If you lose, you join the Blacksmith Association, suffering no loss and even gaining a position. If you win, you tarnish the reputation and prestige of the Divine Craftsman. How shameless.
"This isn't fair, this isn't fair!" The people present were no fools and immediately understood Chang Gongyan's intentions, shouting loudly.
"Everyone, quiet!" Zhenhua said, his tone calm, but his already limited goodwill towards Chang Gongyan had now dropped into the negative.
The vast hall of the Blacksmith Association immediately fell silent.
"I accept your challenge," Zhenhua said. "If you lose, there's no need for you to follow my orders. Let's just exchange forging experiences in the future. All blacksmiths under the heavens are one family, striving for the pinnacle of forging. Everything else is just vanity."
These words were filled with magnanimity, showcasing Zhenhua's stature as the president of the Blacksmith Association and a Divine Craftsman, while also highlighting the pettiness of Chang Gongyan's schemes. Upon hearing this, Chang Gongyan's expression immediately changed. He looked into Zhenhua's deep gaze and instinctively averted his eyes.
Zhenhua didn't pay attention to Changgong Yan's reaction and turned to his subordinate, saying, "Prepare two forging platforms."
"Yes!"
This was a matter concerning the reputation of the Blacksmith Association, so the members of the association didn't dare to slack off. Soon, two forging platforms were steadily placed in the center of the hall.
"May I ask which young talent from President Zhenhua's side will step forward?" Changgong Yan asked in a deep voice, his eyes scanning over Jing Shaoyu, Mo Hentian, and Tang Wulin behind Zhenhua. After all, they were the closest to Zhenhua and the youngest among them.
Zhenhua smiled faintly and said, "Xiao Mo, you go."
Hearing Zhenhua's call, Mo Hentian stepped forward expressionlessly, while Tang Wulin felt a twinge of disappointment, as he had been eager to participate.
"Yes, Master," Mo Hentian said, then stood in front of his forging platform. His address to Zhenhua drew curious glances from the surrounding blacksmiths, as not everyone in the Blacksmith Association had the privilege to call Zhenhua "Master."
Seeing Mo Hentian, Changgong Yan felt a sense of unease. This boy didn't even look as old as Yu Han. How could this be? Yu Han was a once-in-a-century prodigy. Could this boy be even more talented than Yu Han? Was that possible?
Mo Hentian had a baby face, making his fourteen-year-old self appear only eleven or twelve, which was quite deceptive and thus caused Changgong Yan's concern.
Lin Yu Han stood opposite Mo Hentian, and when she saw the handsome boy who was younger than her, she was slightly taken aback. She thought to herself, "Why are all the blacksmiths in the association so good-looking? It's usually hard to find a blacksmith with decent features, but today I've seen three such handsome young men at once. What luck!"
To be fair, Jing Shaoyu, Mo Hentian, and Tang Wulin standing together were indeed a sight to behold, which explained why Lin Yu Han couldn't help but feel a bit infatuated.
Zhenhua turned to Changgong Yan and asked, "Brother Changgong, how do you propose we conduct this competition?"
Changgong Yan had clearly come prepared, having already decided on the approach. Without any pleasantries, he directly said, "The simplest comparison for blacksmiths is undoubtedly metal purification. How about we conduct two rounds of metal purification? In the first round, we choose a metal, and in the second round, you choose another metal. We'll then purify them in sequence and see who achieves better results.
All present here are undoubtedly experts, and President Zhenhua is a Divine Craftsman. I believe judging the purity of rare metals shouldn't be too difficult, right?"
"Good, let's do as Brother Changgong suggests!" Zhenhua agreed without hesitation, then stepped back to leave the stage to the two youths.
Just as Changgong Yan was full of confidence in Lin Yu Han, Zhenhua had absolute faith in Mo Hentian. Otherwise, he wouldn't have risked offending Feng Wuyu to take him as his disciple! In Zhenhua's eyes, Mo Hentian was the most likely candidate to inherit his legacy as a Divine Craftsman. Although Tang Wulin was also excellent, he still fell short in the face of absolute talent.
After all, only a Divine Craftsman could truly understand the unparalleled advantage of the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul in the art of forging.
The competition between the two sides began quickly. For the first round, the rare metal they were to forge was Blue Pregnancy Copper, chosen by Lin Yuhan. This was clearly her favorite rare metal, as her forging hammers were a pair of Spirit Forged Blue Pregnancy Copper hammers.
Lin Yuhan's forging skills were impressive, but when Mo Hentian chose to directly use his Sky-Hate Hammer Martial Soul, the outcome of this match was practically decided. Unless Lin Yuhan could perform Soul Forging, how could she possibly compare to Mo Hentian?
When Chang Gongyan saw Mo Hentian release his Sky-Hate Hammer Martial Soul, his expression turned extremely grim. Although he didn't recognize the Clear Sky Hammer, let alone the Sky-Hate Hammer, that didn't stop him from understanding the enhancing effects of a hammer Martial Soul on forging. Especially when Mo Hentian released his Martial Soul, the four Soul Rings that appeared alongside it—two purple and two black—made Chang Gongyan's vision darken.
Jing Shaoyu wasn't particularly concerned with the forging process. He calmly watched Mo Hentian's movements, occasionally glancing at Tang Wulin's expression. The young man was indeed feeling the pressure, looking rather dejected.
The first round ended quickly, with Mo Hentian winning without any dispute. His finished product was not only of higher purity but also completed in less time than Lin Yuhan's.
Chang Gongyan knew they had already lost this match, and it seemed there was no need to continue with the second round.
However, the second round proceeded anyway.
For the second round, it was Mo Hentian's turn to choose the rare metal, and naturally, he selected his favorite—Original Gold.
Since Mo Hentian was exceptionally familiar with Original Gold, the second round ended very quickly. With just three strikes of his hammer, Mo Hentian completed the Spirit Forging of Original Gold, leaving Lin Yuhan utterly stunned and completely devoid of any desire to continue.
The outcome was clear, and the competition was over.
"We lost," Chang Gongyan said with a bitter smile.
Zhenhua remained calm, showing no signs of mockery. He said, "Forging isn't about winning or losing; it's about finding the joy in it. Brother Chang Gong, you're always welcome to join the Forging Association. I won't force you."
Chang Gongyan nodded with a bitter expression.
Jing Shaoyu, who had been feeling drowsy, suddenly became extremely alert. A sense of foreboding washed over him—a warning of imminent danger!
He abruptly looked up toward Zhenhua and Chang Gongyan's position and shouted, "Be careful!"
(End of Chapter)