Chapter 526 - Vicious Spiri (2/2)
The dragon let out a mournful cry. Cowed into submission, it finally circled around the heavy silver.
Tang Wulin stored his hammers away in a flash of light. His body swayed, teetering back and forth, but Gu Yue made it in time to catch him before he collapsed. She gently lowered him to the ground, letting him sit down to meditate. In hindsight, Tang Wulin was just happy he had eaten a lot for lunch.
He had spirit refined twice in a row. Two products of the highest tier. The first time he had nurtured life, and in the second ruthlessly fought down the rebound. Usually, accomplis.h.i.+ng such feats was enough to qualify him as a sixth-rank blacksmith. In truth, he would have long since reached the sixth rank had Zhen Hua not demanded he succeed in spirit refining an alloy first. Tang Wulin's actions today had showed himself to be the youngest sixth-rank blacksmith in history.
But spirit refining twice in a row, especially two top-tier spirit refinings, left Tang Wulin exhausted. His soul power had been drained after the first round, so he had chosen to use the most forceful and tiresome method for the second, subst.i.tuting soul power with blood essence in order to succeed. With his tanks empty of both soul power and blood essence, he felt utterly hollow.
He wouldn't have reached the thirty-third strike of the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer technique if not for all the treasures he had eaten for lunch. While he would have normally made it further with the technique, this spirit refining required control in addition to power. Throughout the whole process, he had been toeing the line between exciting the heavy silver and damaging it. Taxing on both mind and body. But Tang Wulin had persevered. From the very beginning of the compet.i.tion, he had resolved himself to win honor for the Blacksmith's a.s.sociation.
Zhen Hua spared no effort in nurturing Tang Wulin and invested an immense amount of resources into his growth. Tang Wulin took his uncle-master's kindness to heart. When this chance to repay that kindness appeared, he refused to let it slip through his hands.
Ears picking up the mournful cry of the dragon, Lin Yuhan stopped forging and looked up to take in Tang Wulin's work in awe. Her hammer no longer descended.
In the first round, Lin Yuhan had finished spirit refining first. Yet Tang Wulin succeeded in spirit refining metal with a nurtured life, even if he had taken three times as long to finish. Now Tang Wulin's second spirit refining shed light on his true forging speed. Although it was true that he was exceptionally familiar with heavy silver, Lin Yuhan knew the results of the match would not have changed even if she were to have shared the same depth of understanding for the metal.
As Lin Yuhan stared at the meditating Tang Wulin, she could taste the bitter taste of loss. A total defeat. A fifth-rank blacksmith at her tender age, she had always thought herself to be a prodigy. For this reason, she had never expected another person her age to so thoroughly surpa.s.s her. No matter how unbelievable it was, she could not deny the truth.
Zhanggong Yan was dumbstruck, his mind grinding to a halt as it failed to understand what had transpired. Eventually, the shock eroded and comprehension of their defeat slowly came to him. Even a first-rank blacksmith could reach the same conclusion, especially since Lin Yuhan showed no signs of finis.h.i.+ng her spirit refining.
“It's our loss.” Zhanggong Yan cracked a bitter smile.
Zhen Hua smiled as well. “Well, we were really lucky. If Wulin didn't happen to be here today, I don't know if I would be able to find someone comparable with your disciple. Anyway, you're welcome to join the Blacksmith's a.s.sociation. Or don't. It's up to you.”
After a moment of hesitation, Zhanggong Yan nodded.
But with that nod followed a red blur, shooting from behind Zhanggong Yan toward Zhen Hua.
It was all too sudden. Despite his high cultivation level, Zhen Hua failed to sense the attack, and also to react until the blur was right before him. His eyes burst wide open in that split-second, gut screaming out danger.
Moments before it could strike him, he disappeared in a silver flash. Even so, the spectators weren't as fortunate. The red blur continued on toward them, holding enough power to threaten a four-word battle armor master. Enough might to decimate the crowd.
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