Chapter 447: Unaware of Others, I Am Proud

Dong, dong, dong...

Dawn broke, with the morning light shimmering like a mirage over the distant sea. Inside Qi Yun Valley, the booming echoes of a bell rang out continuously.

People outside the valley turned their heads towards the sound, and those with a premonition stared at the light screen above, shouting, "The final trial is about to begin!"

Those waiting on site, like Duan Xiangmei, had secured the best viewing spots.

Most people emerged from their inns upon hearing the commotion, heading towards open areas to gaze at the mirrored image.

Xiang Lan'er and Feng Chi, burdened by heavy hearts, were no exception. They instinctively scanned their surroundings, now suspecting everyone they saw to be spies sent by the Stargazing Pavilion.

Among the crowd, Mu Lanqingqing, dressed in snow-white robes, was unaccustomed to being swept along by masses of people. Yet, she had no choice but to suppress her discomfort and move into the increasingly dense and bustling throng.

Lan Qiaoyan and her daughter were enjoying tea on their inn's terrace. Thanks to information provided by Gong Shaoci, they knew the competition wouldn't start until dawn, so they had rested well the previous night and now appeared refreshed and invigorated.

Outside the drill grounds of Sheng Shenzhou's royal capital, Bian Weiying and two others found the on-site guards. They gave Wei Mo's name, and the guards asked them to wait while they went to verify the information.

They had come after all, naturally for Shi Chun's sake, not out of concern for him, but to see what he could make of himself after leaving Wu Kang Mountain.

They weren't concerned for Shi Chun, nor did they wish him well; none of them, including Bian Weiying, hoped for his success.

Even Bian Weiying hoped Shi Chun would understand that there aren't many places in the world where one can truly flourish, and leaving Wu Kang Mountain might not lead to a better life.

Yi Huachun, on the other hand, wanted Shi Chun to realize one thing: "It was our Wu Kang Mountain that made you!"

During the Wu Kang Mountain incident, he had hoped to take over the mountain, but Shi Chun ruined his plans. He felt dissatisfied and resentful towards Shi Chun.

Yin Huixin didn't wish Shi Chun well because she had accidentally witnessed an intimate moment between her daughter and Shi Chun, learning of their private relationship. She hoped that after hitting rock bottom, Shi Chun would face reality, perhaps by humbling himself and begging to return.

In short, the decent performance of Wei Mo's so-called Mingshan Sect in the Divine Fire Domain made them all uncomfortable. They didn't quite believe that one could achieve much by playing the forging world's game on forging territory.

Soon, someone came and personally escorted the three of them into the arena.

However, their entrance was somewhat unexpected. It was a high-level entry, not to the general stands inside the arena, but to a VIP viewing platform within the pavilions surrounding the drill grounds—specifically, the one reserved for important figures.

The arena was already packed with people, and the pavilions of other factions were similarly overflowing. Only their viewing platform was eerily quiet.

It was so quiet that there were no other spectators, just the three of them, which made them somewhat uncomfortable.

Elder Yi Huachun couldn't help but ask the person who had led them in, "Are we the only three spectators here? Are there no others?"

The guide smiled, "That's hard to say. This is an exclusive area reserved for distinguished guests. They don't announce their arrival in advance; they just show up when they wish, and rarely arrive early." He pointed to the mirrored image outside the Overlooking Heaven Mirror, adding, "See? The competition hasn't officially begun yet."

Bian Weiying then asked, "Will Domain Lord Wei be coming?"

The guide shook his head. "That, I truly don't know. They certainly wouldn't inform us if they were coming." He then clasped his hands and added, "I have other matters to attend to. Please make yourselves comfortable."

"Oh, thank you for your trouble," Yi Huachun politely replied, as did Bian Weiying and the others.

After the guide left, Yi Huachun turned to the railing, patting it as he surveyed their surroundings. Seeing the crowded masses who had entered with tickets, he couldn't help but exclaim, "I can't believe that one day we'd be standing in a viewing spot like this!"

Yin Huixin also walked to the railing and peered out. "I didn't expect so many people to come and watch."

Yi Huachun looked at the mirrored image in the sky and said, "After all, it's a competition that only happens once every few centuries."

Bian Weiying, meanwhile, searched among the figures in the mirrored image...

In the mirror, all the sects and factions within Qi Yun Valley were assembled, presenting an equally lively scene.

Mu Lan Jin, residing at a high vantage point, stood with hands clasped behind her back in a pavilion, overlooking the valley. Attendants and guards were positioned around her.

From the main hall in the valley emerged a group of people: the disciples from various sects who had just undergone the test for the number of divine flames absorbed before the grand competition.

Following them were the high-ranking officials of the major sects, many of whom looked quite displeased, especially Gu Yanduo, the sect leader of Shudao Mountain, and his group.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on a young man descending the steps. He was bare-chested, wearing a black k'ossu silk vest. Most striking was his bald head. Tall, well-built, and upright, his full, strong chest and arms clearly showed he often trained with a hammer. His features were handsome and regular, and his bronze skin tone subdued a subtle hint of devilish charm in his appearance.

His unwavering gaze as he walked gave him an air of aloofness.

To his left and right, two elders from the Great Inscription Pavilion personally accompanied him.

This bald, handsome young man was Luo Shengsheng, the Great Inscription Pavilion's competing disciple.

He was also the one among all the participating disciples from various sects who had absorbed the most divine flames in this round. It had just been revealed that he had absorbed a remarkable ten divine flames.

How could the Shudao Mountain group's expressions be pleasant? Gu Yanduo's face, in particular, was clouded with gloom. He had originally believed his daughter had a chance to win, so he had taken every precaution against Shi Chun, only to unexpectedly find such a formidable competitor. All his efforts seemed to have inadvertently served someone else's ambitions.

Compared to him, his own daughter was a full three divine flames behind!

This gap was not something that could be easily overcome simply through talent.

Luo Yan, from the Heaven-Forgging Sect, wore a solemn expression. Six divine flames had created Situ Gu, the world's foremost artifact smith, and established the Heaven-Forging Sect as it was today. What, then, did absorbing ten divine flames signify?

Before this, there had been no news of this Great Inscription Pavilion disciple's activities in the Divine Fire Domain, nor any involvement with Shi Chun's affairs. He had simply acquired ten divine flames without a sound.

What did this mean? It meant that the Great Inscription Pavilion already possessed its own secret method for finding divine flames.

Only Luo Shengsheng from the Great Inscription Pavilion came forward for the examination; all other disciples had withdrawn from the competition, thus not requiring examination.

Could it be that the divine flames the Great Inscription Pavilion found in the Divine Fire Domain were exactly ten flames of different attributes? That seemed unlikely.

But with others withdrawing from the competition, outsiders had no way of knowing how many divine flames the Great Inscription Pavilion had actually obtained this time, or how many people had absorbed them.

Gu Yanduo had originally thought his Shudao Mountain had the most people who absorbed divine flames, but now he truly had no confidence.

When a forging sect produced such a group of individuals, the top-ranked sects all felt a sense of crisis.

The Great Inscription Pavilion had handled things very discreetly. Even with their own secret method for finding divine flames, they still went to great lengths to buy information about Shi Chun's secret method's origin.

Now, they had even dispatched two elders to personally guard Luo Shengsheng, clearly to prevent anyone from plotting against him before the competition.

"Ha, ten flames," Su Qiao, the Sect Leader of Extreme Fire Sect, couldn't help but mock. "Gu Yanduo, your family only managed to absorb seven at most. What kind of madness possessed you to draw a bottom line of ten?"

Gu Yanduo was speechless.

Disciples from the various sects who had just been examined and were descending the hall steps kept turning their heads to glance at the bald Luo Shengsheng, their eyes filled with envious admiration.

Ten divine flames—all the young people knew what that meant: a new prodigy, destined to emerge in the forging world with overwhelming dominance.

Even Gu Lianni found Luo Shengsheng to be captivating at this moment.

Soon, everyone caught a scent of wine and turned to look. They saw Li Hongjiu, appearing nonchalant and walking casually down the steps, pulling out his wine gourd and taking another drink. He was utterly self-absorbed, oblivious to his surroundings, and cared not how many divine flames Luo Shengsheng had absorbed.

The young people admired this individual too. Being skilled in combat was also a talent, and reaching a certain level in it was, in some ways, a more advanced skill than artifact smithing. After all, the cultivation world was vast, and the path of artifact smithing was just one of many.

Li Hongjiu, however, didn't notice anyone's reactions, nor was he aware that the high-ranking officials of various sects were slowly emerging from the main hall, all watching him from behind. After smacking his lips, he felt unsatisfied and took a few more gulps. He had been standing obediently, almost like being punished, in the hall for a long time, and now he was finally free.

Seeing his good disciple become the center of attention, discarding even the dignity of a direct disciple of the esteemed Yanbao Sect leader in front of everyone, and then considering that his disciple's absorbed divine flame count couldn't even rank in the top three—thinking of his disciple's sporadic efforts in the Divine Fire Domain, his reluctance to properly search for divine flames, and his unwillingness to absorb them—Qu Wuming's long-suppressed anger finally erupted. A thunderous roar exploded: "Li Hongjiu!"

It was the sound of his bane. Li Hongjiu immediately flinched in terror, and his wine gourd actually slipped from his hand and fell.

However, his reflex was quick; the wine could not be lost. He instinctively extended a foot, hooking his sole to catch the falling wine gourd. Then, realizing the impropriety of his action, he froze, slowly turning to look at the high steps. Sure enough, he saw that familiar grim face. He forced a smile, but it looked worse than a cry.

At such a grand event for the forging world, was this how his disciple behaved? The more Qu Wuming, looking down from above, watched, the uglier it became. Enraged, he pointed and started cursing, "Drink! Just keep drinking! Who will you be accountable to if you keep drinking like this? I see you drinking yourself to death sooner or later!"

He walked down, scolding as he went. As he passed Li Hongjiu, he casually kicked, sending the wine gourd hooked on Li Hongjiu's foot flying. With a flick of his sleeve, he strode away, not bothering to spare another glance, clearly furious.

Earlier, this disciple had even guaranteed him that he would secure victory, claiming no one could take first place.

At the time, he had been quite pleased by his good-for-nothing disciple's coaxing, knowing his disciple's remarkable talent in artifact forging. But now, with the inspection results out, his heart turned cold. It wasn't a gap of one or two flames; the difference was a staggering seven. Those who understood knew this was tantamount to a chasm between heaven and earth. What talent could possibly bridge such a gap? None!

With his disciple's talent, he had so hoped that he would one day take over his position as sect leader, a role he could only entrust to someone of his own. But with his disciple always being so disappointing, how could he possibly bear such a heavy responsibility?

What good was being a great fighter if he lacked discipline?

"Alas!" The elders who passed by Li Hongjiu also walked away, shaking their heads and pointing at him, each looking at him as if they wished he could be better.

People from other sects, both those who had descended the steps and those who hadn't yet, paused to watch this scene.

Li Hongjiu looked dazed from the scolding. Only when his gaze found his wine gourd did he regain his composure. Then, with his head downcast and dejected, he walked over, feeling a little despondent. Sometimes, he just couldn't understand why no one ever believed what he said.

He reached the gourd and saw a few people standing near it. Upon focusing, he realized it had landed right in front of Luo Shengsheng and his two elders. He was quite impressed by Luo Shengsheng; after all, he had just been tested with ten divine flames.

The three were steadily looking at him, being polite enough not to step over his wine gourd.

Li Hongjiu grabbed it with an aerial pull, and the wine gourd flew into his hand. He dusted off the sand from it, then glanced at his own gourd, then at Luo Shengsheng's bald head. He found it surprisingly more 'stylish' than his own wine gourd, and the more he looked, the more displeased he became. He suddenly scoffed, "With that pretentious demeanor, ten divine flames are useless."

He was also in a fit of pique and had just encountered the person who had caused him to be publicly scolded.

Luo Shengsheng was indeed aloof, but the strength of the person before him commanded some respect. However, with Li Hongjiu publicly disrespecting the Great Inscription Pavilion, Luo Shengsheng's pride wouldn't allow him to back down. He calmly replied, "Mr. Li, words are useless; true skill is proven by deeds."

He was confident he would win.

"Heh!" Li Hongjiu was surprised. He immediately rolled up his sleeves. "As you wish! Let's have a one-on-one duel. I guarantee I'll beat you to your knees!"

Luo Shengsheng was utterly speechless. He couldn't believe the other party didn't understand what he meant by 'true skill is proven by deeds.' If it came to a fight, he certainly wouldn't be a match for Li Hongjiu.

On the steps, the Great Inscription Pavilion's venerable and half-asleep Pavilion Master opened his eyes and spoke, "Li Hongjiu, this is a grand event for the forging world. Do not cause trouble, or no one will be able to protect you."

Li Hongjiu immediately turned to him and smiled, declaring loudly, "Pavilion Master Xiao, never mind ten divine flames; even if he absorbed all thirty-six divine flames, he wouldn't win the championship, because Li Hongjiu of the Yanbao Sect is here!" He raised the wine gourd in his hand and shook it.