Chapter 418: Upgrading the Divine Might Black Thunder Spear
"Qiu Yuanqiao?"
Hearing Lan Yingying's whispered message, Mo Yu was momentarily stunned, then a thoughtful look appeared on his face.
With the appearance of the Firecloud Aquaflame, the identity of the mysterious black-clad figure was gradually revealed.
After all, there were only 23 Heavenly Flames on the Heavenly Flame List, and those who possessed one were all renowned figures in Central Province. Once a Heavenly Flame was displayed, the owner's identity naturally became apparent.
Mo Yu remembered that in the original story, a certain elder of the Yan Clan also possessed the Firecloud Aquaflame. However, on the Dou Qi Continent, it wasn't unusual for the same Heavenly Flame to exist in two places at once.
Furthermore, the Yan Clan was one of the Eight Ancient Clans, with mysterious origins. In the eyes of the public, the only person currently known to possess the Firecloud Aquaflame was the Equipment Alliance's traitor from decades ago, Qiu Yuanqiao.
Qiu Yuanqiao was infamous within the Equipment Alliance, and everyone despised him. Sitting not far from Mo Yu, Lan Yingying quickly transmitted all the information about Qiu Yuanqiao to him after learning his identity.
After hearing what Lan Yingying said, Mo Yu stroked his chin, thinking that Qiu Yuanqiao, rather than being a simple traitor, was more like an undercover agent from the Pill Tower within the Equipment Alliance.
According to Lan Yingying, Qiu Yuanqiao had joined the Equipment Alliance decades ago, showing incredible talent. In less than ten years, he had risen to the level of a seventh-grade weapon forger, second only to the top leaders of the alliance.
Old Bing and the others had high hopes for Qiu Yuanqiao, even entrusting him with some of the alliance's secrets, including information about the Firecloud Aquaflame, ranked sixteenth on the Heavenly Flame List.
However, after learning about the Firecloud Aquaflame, Qiu Yuanqiao stole it and fled from the Equipment Alliance.
The leaders of the Equipment Alliance were furious upon hearing this and launched a massive manhunt for him, which caused quite a stir in Central Province at the time.
After further investigation, the Equipment Alliance discovered that Qiu Yuanqiao had a powerful background—he was a member of the Pill Tower, specifically a high-ranking elder of the Qiu family, one of the five major families of the Pill Tower.
Originally, Qiu Yuanqiao had been an excellent alchemist from the Qiu family, but for some reason, he had concealed his identity and infiltrated the Equipment Alliance, eventually becoming a high-level weapon forger. Had he not been exposed by the Firecloud Aquaflame, it was hard to say how long he would have remained hidden.
The Equipment Alliance had tried to negotiate with the Pill Tower, but the power gap between the two was too vast. The Pill Tower refused to return the Heavenly Flame or hand over Qiu Yuanqiao.
Moreover, Qiu Yuanqiao was rumored to be on the verge of becoming an eighth-grade alchemist, making him highly valued by the Pill Tower. As a result, the Equipment Alliance had no choice but to drop the matter.
Although decades had passed since this incident, Mo Yu hadn't expected Qiu Yuanqiao to appear at the Weapon Forging Tournament today!
Reflecting on this, Mo Yu recalled a similar situation from the past.
Back in the Jia Ma Empire, the Alchemist Association had held an alchemist competition, inviting alchemists from both the Jia Ma Empire and surrounding nations. During the competition, the vice president of the Izumo Empire's Alchemist Association, Yan Li, disguised himself as an ordinary contestant to compete for the championship.
If it weren't for Xiao Yan, who had unexpectedly claimed the title, the Jia Ma Empire's Alchemist Association would have become a laughingstock among the neighboring empires.
By comparison, the current Weapon Forging Tournament was in an even worse situation.
Qiu Yuanqiao wasn't just a traitor of the Equipment Alliance but also an alchemist from the Pill Tower, a genius skilled in both alchemy and weapon forging.
If a renowned alchemist were to win the highest honor at a tournament meant for weapon forgers, it would completely destroy whatever dignity and pride weapon forgers had left in front of alchemists.
Thinking of this, Mo Yu glanced at the senior members of the Equipment Alliance sitting in the VIP seats and saw their faces as dark as storm clouds.
Seeing this, Mo Yu couldn't help but think to himself, "The Pill Tower is truly a force with ancient roots. Their moves are ruthless. Compared to past attempts to suppress or even assassinate the Equipment Alliance members, this strike aims directly at their pride and heart."
"So it's Qiu Yuanqiao... I never thought he'd come to the Weapon Forging Tournament. Interesting…"
In the audience, several leaders of other factions, upon recognizing the Firecloud Aquaflame ranked sixteenth on the Heavenly Flame List, recalled the events of the past and began to whisper among themselves with amusement.
Qiu Yuanqiao's betrayal of the Equipment Alliance and exposure as a member of the Pill Tower had been a major scandal. If it weren't for the Pill Tower's immense power, the two factions might have gone to war. Even so, their relationship had only grown more strained over time.
Now, with the traitor from the Equipment Alliance, an alchemist from the Pill Tower, participating in the Weapon Forging Tournament, if he won, it would be a huge slap in the face for the Equipment Alliance and weapon forgers as a whole.
No one would be able to tolerate such a humiliation, not even the most patient members of the Equipment Alliance.
Realizing this, the once-bored faction leaders were now fully engaged, eagerly watching to see how this drama would unfold.
"Old Bing, Master Yun Kong, I was responsible for handling the tournament registrations this time, and I had no idea Qiu Yuanqiao would dare infiltrate Wanbing City and participate in the tournament. This is my failure," said Cai Ya, her face pale as she realized the gravity of the situation.
"Hmph, Qiu Yuanqiao may be a traitor, but rumors say he's already reached the eighth-grade level as an alchemist. For him to confidently enter this tournament, he might have become an eighth-grade weapon forger as well! Curse the Pill Tower! They're determined to trample on our dignity!" Master Yun Kong's already dark face grew even more sullen as he spoke, his voice full of anger.
"Should we arrest him as a traitor? Although he's from the Pill Tower, if we detain him for a few days and release him after the tournament, the Pill Tower likely won't say much," suggested Master Hui Shan, frowning slightly.
"No, we can't," Old Bing replied, his expression grim. His cloudy eyes flashed with a cold light as he shook his head. "Qiu Yuanqiao has entered the tournament, which means he likely has a plan. There might even be Pill Tower experts hidden in the crowd, waiting for us to act.
"Although Qiu Yuanqiao is an alchemist, he's also a weapon forger. His participation in the tournament is legitimate. If we arrest him mid-competition, we'll be breaking the rules, and the Weapon Forging Tournament, as well as the Equipment Alliance's reputation, will be laughed at across the continent. That would be even more disastrous."
Old Bing's face shifted between anger and resignation. Finally, he sighed. "Let's just hope that a high-level weapon forger emerges and stops Qiu Yuanqiao from winning the championship."
Hearing this, Cai Ya and the others couldn't help but sigh in frustration as well.
Before Qiu Yuanqiao's betrayal, he had already been a seventh-grade weapon forger. Given that he was a rare talent who excelled in both alchemy and weapon forging, it wouldn't be surprising if he had reached the eighth-grade level by now.
With such strength, even the alliance's top elders might struggle to defeat him, let alone the other contestants.
But things had already progressed this far, and all they could do was hope for a miracle.
Otherwise, the reputation of the Equipment Alliance and weapon forgers everywhere would be trampled into the ground.
"Hmph, those old fools are probably discussing how to deal with me. But it's too late now. Once I win the championship, I'll see how they can possibly save face!"
On his stone platform, Qiu Yuanqiao, the mysterious black-clad figure, glanced at the senior members of the Equipment Alliance in the audience, a cold smile playing on his lips.
Glancing at the light blue flame in his hand, Qiu Yuanqiao's gaze suddenly turned toward Mo Yu.
"That kid… Something about him seems strange..."
For some reason, he felt a faint sense of threat coming from this cold-looking young man. However, he quickly dismissed the thought and shook his head.
"He's just a snot-nosed kid. What threat could he possibly pose to me?"
With a flick of his finger, the flame shot into the forge in front of him. His only goal now was to win the championship and claim the rewards from the Heavenly Xuan Treasure Hall, while simultaneously humiliating the leaders of the Equipment Alliance.
As Qiu Yuanqiao withdrew his gaze, Mo Yu narrowed his eyes slightly. With a wave of his hand, a high-quality forge appeared before him.
With a flick of his sleeve, a stream of Dou Qi ignited into a flame, which flew into the forge, rapidly raising the temperature inside.
As the temperature rose, Mo Yu waved his hand, and various materials shot out from his Beast Ring, hovering around the platform.
At a glance, there were at least a hundred different materials. The process of upgrading a weapon as powerful as the Divine Might Black Thunder Spear was incredibly complex and tedious.
Anyone with insufficient control over their soul would likely feel dizzy just looking at so many materials, let alone be able to forge a weapon with the necessary precision.
After laying out all the auxiliary materials, Mo Yu waved his hand again, and two jade boxes and a spear appeared, gently floating in front of him.
Inside the jade boxes were two essential materials for upgrading the Divine Might Black Thunder Spear. As for the spear itself, it was, of course, the Divine Might Black Thunder Spear!
In order to upgrade the Divine Might Black Thunder Spear, the spear itself served as one of the core materials. In a way, the spear was both the object being upgraded and a component in the forging process.
Huff
Mo Yu took a deep breath, his eyes narrowing slightly before snapping open, a sharp glint flashing in his silver eyes. With a sudden wave of his sleeve, several materials began to spin and then flew into the forge.
As soon as the materials entered the forge, they slowly began to melt under the intense heat of Mo Yu's Dou Qi flames.
Though the process wasn't as fast as it would have been with the Vermilion Bird Heavenly Fire, Mo Yu, as a Dou Sect master, now had enough stable and powerful Dou Qi to create flames on par with some of the stronger beast fires. This wasn't a major hindrance.
Moreover, Mo Yu had been a highly skilled weapon forger in his past life, and his experience was unmatched. Even if the five major figures of the Equipment Alliance combined their knowledge, they wouldn't surpass him.
Despite the unexpected appearance of a powerful opponent, Mo Yu's expression remained calm and composed. After all, when it came to weapon forging, he had never feared anyone!
Under Mo Yu's expert control, the materials quickly melted, and within a mere ten minutes, several had been refined into pure molten iron. With a thought, Mo Yu suspended the molten iron in one corner of the forge.
At this swift pace, Mo Yu had refined about one-third of the materials into molten iron or other purified substances in just over an hour.
After refining so many materials, Mo Yu remained calm and steady. Exhaling softly, he shifted his gaze to the two jade boxes and the Divine Might Black Thunder Spear in front of him.
With the auxiliary materials prepared, it was time to move on to the three main materials.
With a flick of his finger, the lid of one jade box flew open, revealing a piece of dark green, withered wood. It radiated an intense life force that seeped out continuously. This was one of the essential materials for upgrading the Divine Might Black Thunder Spear: the Ten-Thousand-Year Evergreen Wood.
Mo Yu hesitated briefly before waving his hand and tossing the piece of wood into the forge. He immediately focused on controlling the flame's heat.
Inside the forge, the flames roared, but the seemingly fragile Ten-Thousand-Year Evergreen Wood remained unchanged, showing no signs of burning.
Upon closer inspection, one could see a faint green glow emanating from within the wood, creating a barrier that protected it from the intense heat.
Heavenly treasures often possessed self-protection mechanisms, so Mo Yu wasn't surprised. This would be a battle of endurance—if he kept the heat constant, the Ten-Thousand-Year Evergreen Wood would eventually be fully refined.
Maintaining the right temperature, Mo Yu closed his eyes slightly. Refining the Ten-Thousand-Year Evergreen Wood wouldn't be a quick task.
And indeed, just as Mo Yu expected, the refining process took more than half a day. Only then did the wood begin to crack, revealing drops of bright green sap within.
Seeing the sap emerge, Mo Yu smiled slightly and placed the Divine Might Black Thunder Spear into the forge.
To upgrade the spear, it wasn't enough to just add rare materials. The spear itself needed to have its impurities removed.
When Mo Yu originally forged the Divine Might Black Thunder Spear, his strength had been too weak, and the weapon had accumulated too many impurities.
After completing this step, Mo Yu took a brief rest before fully focusing on the next, even more complex phase of the forging process.
High above the sky, the stone platforms floated in place, and all the contestants wore serious expressions as they carefully controlled their flames, forging their weapons within their forges.
The entire area was quiet, and countless pairs of eyes were fixed on the figures busy at work in the sky.
Everyone was waiting—waiting for the final day to arrive.
Because on that day, the climax of the Weapon Forging Tournament would unfold!
And the tournament's ultimate champion would be revealed on that day.
The public eagerly awaited the outcome of this silent battle between the Equipment Alliance and the Pill Tower.
Who would emerge victorious?
(End of Chapter)
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