Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Grand Elder, why is the flying sword soaring into this thundering calamity?”
Elder Wu regained his sight. Even with his knowledge, he was unable to tell what caused the flying sword to react this way, hence the question at the Grand Elder.
“Some high-tier artifacts defy the law of nature, hence they will go through the so-called thundering calamity. It is a phenomenon where one’s cultivation reaches a certain height and must go through the calamitous path of thunder to ascend beyond.”
The Grand Elder actually kept the truth from Elder Wu in order to protect Zhang Zhi. A high-tier artifact would never attract the heavenly thunder, the phenomenon happened because Zhang Zhi’s sword was an epic-tier artifact and it made the heavens jealous, hence the thunderous punishment.
The group of cultivators were in deep thought. It seemed like Zhang Zhi’s sword was the best of the high-tier artifacts.
It was then that an irritating voice sounded, “Move away! Why are you people standing here like idiots?”
Ouyang Changtian was kept outside the blacksmith by the crowd earlier, he finally squeezed himself through while the group was stunned and made it to the front.
He tidied his slightly messed up robes and said arrogantly, “Who is Zhang Zhi? I am Ouyang Changtian, and I am here to challenge you to a sword forging competition. I won’t use my status to oppress or bully a junior like you, so we will merely forge a mid-tier artifact and see who is the best forging master in Lingtai Sect!”
All the cultivators shifted their attention from the sky to Ouyang Changtian and responded strangely. Someone among the group started clapping and soon the entire group applauded Ouyang Changtian.
How could the group not cheer for Ouyang Changtian for his boldness? He was bold enough to challenge Zhang Zhi, who had just forged a high-tier artifact in front of everyone’s eyes.
On top of that, he even said he would not bully Zhang Zhi using his status, so the competition would be about forging a mid-tier artifact. It was obvious that the best Ouyang Changtian could forge was a mid-tier artifact.
He had no idea that Zhang Zhi’s sword was already a mid-tier artifact before it was even completed.
Ouyang Changtian failed to sense the ridicule from the crowd, he laughed proudly at the cheers and applause, “Hahaha, thank you everyone! Zhang Zhi, get out here and accept my challenge!”
It was then that the golden lighting up in the sky caught his attention, it shook him for a while before he said, “A dark cloud up in the sky? Which idiot is this unlucky? Hahaha…”
“Changtian…” The Grand Elder could no longer bear Ouyang Changtian’s stupidity.
“Who the f*ck calls me by name? I am Elder Ouyang to you!”
Ouyang Changtian was so arrogant at the moment he arrived, he did not even pay attention to who was in the blacksmith. He thought some junior had called him by name and it infuriated him.
He looked to the source of the voice and wanted to know which idiot had called him by name. When he finally saw the person who did it, he was stunned and his legs turned into jelly, forcing him down on his knees, “G-Grand Elder, why… are you here?!”
The Grand Elder chuckled. He originally planned to remind Ouyang Changtian to stop embarrassing himself because he was one of the executives within the sect but he got scolded instead.
Fortunately, the Grand Elder had a good temper and he did not mind Ouyang Changtian’s rude behaviour, he said, “Changtian, go home.”
The Grand Elder did not speak his mind entirely but the second part of his words should be, ‘Don’t embarrass yourself here.’
Ouyang Changtian was stunned. He came all the way to the blacksmith just to rejuvenate Treasured Court’s reputation, he would never leave unless he got what he came for.
He said with a heavy tone, “Grand Elder, I heard the blacksmith here is quite impressive. Changtian has an itch for competition and wanted to see who is better, me or Owner Zhang.”
It was then that Zhang Zhi came to the front while wiping his hand, “Elder Ouyang? I’ve heard a lot about you and now that I’ve met you, you are a lot better than rumoured. You really have a well-deserved reputation.”
Ouyang Changtian looked up at Zhang Zhi. He was surprised when he finally got a better look, he got so angry that he wanted to strangle Zhang Zhi to death, “It’s you! You are the one who snatched my gold!”
“Huh?” Zhang Zhi did not expect the middle-aged man who did not have enough money for Firelord Gold would turn out to be the renowned Elder Ouyang.
Zhang Zhi instinctively took a step back and stood behind the Grand Elder. He knew the Grand Elder had a kind temper and his status was higher, it was natural for him to stand behind the man to seek protection.
“Elder Ouyang, one of the rules in the market is first come first served. It seems like the way your sect does things still has space for improvement.”
The Grand Elder got a general understanding of the conflict between Ouyang Changtian and Zhang Zhi. He flushed.
First come first served was the general rule in picking scraps and Ouyang Changtian’s persistence somehow put him in shame.
“That’s enough, Changtian,” bellowed the Grand Elder. A hint of the Nascent Soul power was unleashed at the same time.
Ouyang Changtian was no match for such power, his mind suddenly got heavy and he almost collapsed on the ground.
He dared not misbehave but he did not want to back down either. He thought the Grand Elder was helping an outsider instead of a fellow executive elder, so he tossed the challenge letter at Zhang Zhi.
“Zhang Zhi, are you bold enough to accept my challenge? If you lose, give me back the Firelord Gold!”
He wanted to use this competition to beat Zhang Zhi ,and regain Treasured Court’s glory and the Firelord Gold. He was killing two birds with one stone!
Since the challenge letter was shown, the Grand Elder had no reasons to stop him anymore. Even though he wanted to protect the dignity of the executive elders, Zhang Zhi had already picked up the letter.
“If I lose, I have to give you the Firelord Gold? Sure, not a problem. What if you lose, should you put something valuable on the betting table as well?” Zhang Zhi said with a smile as he looked at the challenge letter.
“Haha, I’ve been smithing for 50 years, I’ll never lose!”
Ouyang Changtian noticed the other disciples were signaling him with their eyes, as if they were trying to tell him something. He bellowed, “What’s wrong with you people, something wrong with your eyes?”
Since the Grand Elder was also present, the disciples dared not make a sound. They wanted to signal Elder Ouyang to stop but unfortunately, the man failed to understand the situation.
“Okay, fine. If I lose and that’s a big IF, I’ll give you a Qi Concentration Pill. That’s just a thought for you by the way,” said Ouyang Changtian with a chuckle.
The term ‘Qi Concentration Pill’ ignited the fire in many disciples’ hearts. It was a supplementary pill that would help a Peak Foundation Building cultivator break into Golden Core stage easier.
Even though it was not as valuable as Firelord Gold, it was a useful pill for cultivators who were stuck at a bottleneck.
Zhang Zhi had no idea what a Qi Concentration Pill was but judging from the envious gaze from the ground, it must be good. He nodded and said, “Okay, what’s the competition about?”
“Starting from today, we will forge a flying sword in three days’ time. Whoever comes up with a higher tier flying sword wins. Of course, it must be at least a mid-tier flying sword to be qualified.”
Ouyang Changtian chuckled, “Don’t tell me you can’t even forge a mid-tier artifact.”
Many cultivators facepalmed in embarrassment, they could not bear looking at Ouyang Changtian embarrassing himself. Even Elder Wu sighed in regret, he walked up to him and tapped his shoulder to express sympathy.
“What’s with the reaction?” Ouyang Changtian was confused and stunned, even the Grand Elder shared the same look with the others.
“You’ve already lost before the competition even begins!” Zhang Zhi put his hand up.
The flying sword that was fighting the thundering cloud in the sky shone brightly and dispersed the dark cloud. With a loud caw, the flying sword flew back into the blacksmith and landed in Zhang Zhi’s grip. It was shining brightly, as if he was holding a small sun.
“T-This…” Ouyang Changtian was petrified by the golden flying sword. He was a master in forging, of course he knew what was happening.
The Grand Elder then said, “This is the high-tier flying sword that Zhang Zhi just forged. You don’t have to doubt it because we all here witnessed the birth of this flying sword.”
Ouyang Changtian was choked by his own words, he mumbled and tried to speak but not a single word escaped his mouth. His legs turned soft and he fell on the ground on his bum, he was deeply stunned for a long while.
Zhang Zhi was not concerned by Ouyang Changtian’s reaction. He was looking at the sword in his hand. Aside from its power, the golden look alone won his fondness.
After going through the so-called thunderous calamity, the sword felt even stronger. Everyone felt chills down their spine by looking at it but the sword was emanating a burning glow.
The strange feeling could not be described by words.
Zhang Zhi noticed Han Ling’er’s burning gaze and gave her the sword, “Here.”
Han Ling’er opened her mouth wide, she was so excited that she looked like she won the lottery. She stuttered, “Can I… really hold it?”
“Sure.”
Han Ling’er stayed back to guard him while he forged, so giving her the sword for a look would not hurt.
Han Ling’er carefully took the sword. The happiness almost knocked her out cold.
‘Oh my goodness, this is a high-tier flying sword, not even a Golden Core expert can get his hands on this! I did not expect to hold it in my hand! Is this what happiness feels like?’
The others were jealous of Han Ling’er. Even though they could not own the sword, holding it and feeling it would satisfy them just as much.
Even though the Grand Elder was a Nascent Soul expert, he too wanted to hold the sword in his hand. After all, he knew the sword was not just a high-tier artifact but an epic-tier legendary sword.
He tightened his lips and embarrassedly said, “Friend, can I have a look as well?”
“Sure!” Other than payment and charges, Zhang Zhi was a generous person. The old man did not only offer him the Rootless Immortal Water for quenching, he even helped cover up the sword’s true tier, so he must be a good person.
Han Ling’er admired the sword with Zhang Zhi’s permission but she quickly gave it to the Grand Elder even though she had not fully enjoyed it, the elderly man
was the Grand Elder of the sect after all.
The Grand Elder admired the sword and praised it repeatedly, showing his satisfaction.
“Friend, may I know whether it has been named?”
Zhang Zhi knew the Grand Elder wanted to name it when he asked the question.
The other cultivators were extremely excited as well. If the flying sword was named by the Grand Elder himself, it would be as valuable and famous as the Sword of State! It would reign over the domains under Lingtai Sect without a problem.
Even Han Ling’er signaled Zhang Zhi with her eyes, hinting at him that it was a great opportunity.
Zhang Zhi knew having the Grand Elder naming the sword was a good thing. However on second thought, he forged the sword out with his sweat and hard work, why should he let others name it?
It was like his wife giving birth after being pregnant for 10 months and the next door neighbour, Wang, came over and gave his son a name! Zhang Zhi did not want to be cuckolded, so he rejected the offer, “I’m sorry, it has already been named.”
Everyone sighed in disappointment and criticized Zhang Zhi for being an idiot. It was just a name yet he did not even want to give the Grand Elder the opportunity.
The Grand Elder felt pity as well. He was not eyeing the sword but since the sword was the one and only epic-tier artifact in the whole eastern domain, or even the entire cultivation world, if he was able to name it, it would also be graceful enough.
A moment later, the Grand Elder said with a sigh, “Sigh. I see the ancient presence of a Tripedal Crow in this and I thought of naming it as such. Since my friend said it has been named, then forget about it.
The Grand Elder smiled after he sighed. Even if Zhang Zhi wanted to name it, there was a high chance that he would name it Tripedal Crow but since the Grand Elder mentioned the name first, he would still be the first to indirectly name it.
He had been living for a few centuries now, other than his cultivation, his life experience was also better than anyone else.
The cultivators who understood what the Grand Elder was trying to do almost burst out in laughter, the Grand Elder really was an interesting man.
The crowd looked at Zhang Zhi curiously, wondering if he would really name the sword Tripedal Crow. If he did, the Grand Elder’s little trick would work.
Zhang Zhi rolled his eyes white at the Grand Elder. He took the sword back and said, “The name of the sword is not as simple as Tripedal Crow.
“Hoho?” Grand Elder was a little disappointed for being wrong, but he was curious about the name.
Was there a name even more suitable than Tripedal Crow?
He asked, “Friend, what did you name it?”
“This sword is shiny and elegant, so I decided to name it… Nouveau Riche!”