Chapter 154: Accident

“Welcome to the venue of the Donghuang Forging Tournament. This event is co-sponsored by the Forging Association and the Xianlu Magic Potion Shop—”

Even from the sponsors’ names alone, the significance of this forging tournament was clear.

Since this was a tournament organized on short notice, there weren’t many spectators at the scene—mostly reporters and professor-judges.

But the judges weren’t here to score or evaluate. Their real purpose was to prevent cheating.

After all, the forging techniques involved in this competition had already surpassed the professors’ understanding by a wide margin.

“This tournament will see one hundred and twenty-eight of the world’s top Craftsmen face off in a peak showdown—

Of these, the Forging Association will field sixty-four participants, while the Xianlu Magic Potion Shop will send another sixty-four.

The two sides will be split into two camps. Craftsmen on the same side may collaborate, or forge independently.

Both camps will have the same total amount and types of materials.

Forging time is set at six hours. After six hours, weapons from both camps will go head-to-head in pairs; the shattered ones are eliminated.

The last surviving weapon will represent its camp as the champion.

Now, both sides, please select your materials.”

During the Material Selection phase, each camp could choose sixty-four kinds of forging materials.

After successful selection, your camp would receive these sixty-four materials—and so would the opposing camp.

This ensured absolute fairness.

“All materials for this tournament are provided by the Lancelot Family.”

Oh, little Joanna showed up to bask in the limelight, too.

“Everyone, please select freely and without restraint. No need to save money for our family.” In the sky, Joanna declared proudly, “We’re loaded.”

As the world’s largest materials distributor, ever since the Xianlu Magic Potion Shop had made its recipe public, they’d become one of the biggest winners.

Although they hadn’t reached the dizzying wealth of the Xianlu Magic Potion Shop, they were still in a solid second place.

And Joanna was the Lancelot Family’s sole designated heir.

Unlike Cluru, if any uncle or distant relative dared to plot against her for power, she’d simply unleash a blast of dragonfire and cremate them on the spot.

No one in the family dared cross her.

She was loaded, all right.

I waved to Joanna in greeting.

The awkward moment happened just then—Musicheng also raised his hand at the same time, greeting Joanna.

The Mu Family had been long-time partners of the Lancelot Family; the two sides had enjoyed a smooth, seventeen-year-long collaboration.

Both families owed much of their current scale to each other’s contributions.

And I—my Xianlu branch was now the Lancelot Family’s new favorite.

Old allies and new partners.

No matter which side Joanna responded to, her attitude would be heavily over-interpreted.

Yet as the Lancelot Family’s representative, Joanna had to make a choice that would reflect the family’s stance.

“Miss Joanna, is your father well? It’s been a long time since we met—when will you invite him out so we can catch up again?” Musicheng said with a smile.

Musicheng had mentioned the current family head; Joanna couldn’t ignore him even if she wanted to.

She nodded and said, “My dad’s doing well.”

Then she flew over to me.

Musicheng’s raised hand froze in midair.

“Where have you been?” Joanna landed in front of me, beaming brightly.

“You disappeared for two months—these past two months, there were only three people in our class team. It was exhausting.”

“Just took a break.”

Joanna clasped my hands, swaying from side to side like an ordinary little girl, her entire body expressing the joy of reunion.

This kind of gesture… In the past, I wouldn’t have dared even imagine it.

But now, it didn’t feel strange at all.

Sigh.

“Do you want me to help you cheat?” Joanna winked. “I can tamper with their materials.”

“If we need to rely on cheating to win, what reason does the Lancelot Family have to keep working with Xianlu?” I laughed.

“Obviously, we don’t need it.”

“As for reason… because we’re friends, of course.”

“Friendship outweighs profit?”

“? Isn’t that how it should be?”

“No, that doesn’t sound like the rational answer a great family heir should give.”

“Thanks to you, the Lancelot Family doesn’t have to worry about survival anymore, so I can say whatever I want.” Joanna said with confidence.

“It doesn’t matter if we earn a bit more or less. Besides, you have way more potential than the Mu Family.”

“You’ve got a sharp eye.”

Once Joanna was seated in the Central Judge’s Seat, Musicheng and I each sat to her left and right.

Musicheng seemed a bit displeased.

After all, even though Joanna responded to him first, it was perfunctory at best.

This meant the Lancelot Family was clearly more optimistic about Xianlu.

But Musicheng didn’t show his displeasure; only a faint ripple of color flickered in his aura.

On the surface, he remained calm and amiable.

“Now that both teams have finished choosing their materials, it’s time to move on to the pre-forging Design Stage…”

“The Design Stage lasts thirty minutes. Both teams, please make haste to decide on your forging strategies.”

This phase was important too.

Because the tournament rules allowed all sixty-four members of each team to work together.

So, should they concentrate their materials to craft one exceptionally powerful Weapon, or make sixty-four weapons and go for a numbers advantage?

It was worth debating.

Soon, both teams made their decision.

Both sides chose a compromise—each group would forge sixteen weapons.

Flames flared, and forging began.

The forging process wasn’t much to watch, nor was there much to say; it was just a bunch of rookie greenhorns who hadn’t even reached the Qi Refining stage.

Did anyone expect them to forge something worthy of a heavenly tribulation?

I was bored to the point of dozing off, leaning against Cluru’s shoulder, growing drowsy.

But, since this forging competition was too important, I still forced myself to stay alert and observe both sides.

Just in case anyone tried to cheat.

“There is one hour left in forging time. Both teams, please watch the clock.”

The first five hours of forging went smoothly.

No matter how you looked at it, the forging techniques from the Xianlu Crafting Shop were overwhelmingly superior.

But just after Joanna’s one-hour reminder—

The master Craftsmen from the Forging Association suddenly exchanged glances and nodded.

A power that was not Fairy Spirit Power suddenly surged through them!

“!”

I shot up in astonishment.

“Lingli?!”

It wasn’t Fairy Spirit Power!

It was Lingli!

They were cultivators!

Although not a single one had undergone Marrow Cleansing, and their meridians were as clogged as a sewer… this was unmistakably Lingli!

Genuine Lingli!

Even if that Lingli could only struggle through their meridians at a snail’s pace, it was still a massive advantage over Fairy Spirit Power when it came to forging!

But how could they possibly have Lingli?

Could it be that the Mu Family also had cultivators??

This was serious.

Because the Xianlu’s Craftsmen didn’t have Lingli.

To avoid turning Earth into a brutal cultivation world, I hadn’t taught them cultivation methods.

I had adapted forging techniques that required Lingli into versions powered by Fairy Spirit Power, and taught those instead.

Even though this method was stronger than any others in the world… it was still much weaker than the original.

If we came up against a true Refiner, we’d be doomed!

And now, we had!

Not far away, Musicheng could finally no longer hide the smile at the corners of his lips.

He knew—his victory was certain.