Chapter 419: Eight-Grade Weapon Thunder, The Last Hope
Weapon forging takes an enormous amount of time, especially when creating high-grade weapons. It's not unusual for the process to last ten days or even half a month. This is common knowledge among those watching the tournament, so they didn't grow impatient during the long wait. Those who traveled to Wanbing City for the event were likely people of significant power, and thus had the patience required for such an occasion.
Under the expectant gazes of the crowd, time passed quietly, and in the blink of an eye, five days had gone by.
During these five days, the weapon forging in the sky proceeded calmly, though occasionally there was the sound of explosions—some participants encountered problems during the forging process, causing their forges to explode.
A small number of weapon forgers successfully created weapons within these five days. However, they knew as soon as their weapons were complete that their participation in the competition had effectively ended.
The more time it took to forge a weapon, the higher the quality tended to be. Those who finished quickly knew their weapons were of lower quality and that they would serve only as background characters in this grand event.
The audience's attention didn't linger on those few who had already finished. Most of their focus was on figures like Qiu Yuanqiao, Bei Hao, and other well-known weapon forgers. Everyone knew that the real excitement of this tournament would come from the clash between these skilled individuals.
When the sun reached its peak on the fifth day, Mo Yu slowly opened his slightly closed eyes.
Inside his forge, amidst the roaring flames, there were three distinct substances—one liquid and two solid. Though these three items seemed unremarkable, they radiated a pure energy that was dense enough to astonish anyone.
These three materials were the result of Mo Yu's five days of work. The refining process was now complete, and the next step was to merge them with the purified Divine Might Black Thunder Spear, elevating its quality to the eighth grade.
Time slipped away like sand through fingers. Nearly half a month had passed, and during this time, more and more contestants successfully forged their weapons, including Feng Mu and Lan Yingying.
Since neither of them had reached the level of a seventh-grade weapon forger, they wouldn't even qualify for the finals.
Boom!
In the heat of the day, a low rumble of thunder suddenly echoed across the sky, drawing countless eyes upward.
A cloud had formed in the sky, and from within, the sound of low thunder rumbled. It was a clear sign—this was the formation of a weapon thunder.
"Weapon thunder? A seventh-grade weapon has been created!"
Seeing the phenomenon in the sky, a wave of excitement rippled through the crowd. All eyes were drawn to a particular platform below the thundercloud.
There, a middle-aged man stood, his face ecstatic as he gazed up at the thundercloud forming above him. He was the first to summon weapon thunder.
Mo Yu, who had been intently focused on merging the Divine Might Black Thunder Spear, noticed the commotion. His half-closed eyes opened slightly, and he glanced at the thundercloud in the distance.
Due to the laws of the Dou Qi Continent, when a weapon or pill reaches the seventh grade or higher during its creation, weapon thunder or pill thunder naturally forms.
Weapon thunder is a necessary trial for high-grade weapons because from the seventh grade onward, weapons begin to develop a form of sentience.
Weapons of this level are considered divine objects, formed from the essence of the world. Thus, the heavens send thunder to try and stop their creation—this is what's known as weapon thunder.
The higher the grade of the weapon and the more intelligent it is, the stronger the weapon thunder becomes.
Mo Yu lifted his head and shook it slightly. Based on the weak strength of this weapon thunder, the weapon in question was likely only a low-level seventh-grade weapon.
Nonetheless, the appearance of weapon thunder energized the entire audience.
Just half a day after the first weapon thunder appeared, another thundercloud began to form in the sky. This time, it was even stronger than the last, indicating that a participant had created a higher-quality weapon.
The crowd's excitement grew with each appearance of weapon thunder. The lethargy of the previous days was completely gone, replaced by excitement and anticipation.
Each time a seventh-grade weapon appeared, it drew many envious gazes.
For most strong cultivators, especially those below the level of Dou Venerate, such high-grade weapons were extremely desirable.
Boom!
Suddenly, a low rumble resounded again. Before the crowd could shift their gaze, they felt a surge of powerful energy erupt like lightning from one of the stone platforms.
As this energy spread, a dark thundercloud quickly gathered in the sky, with silver lightning crackling across it.
"It's Bei Hao!"
Someone in the crowd exclaimed as they spotted Bei Hao rising confidently from his meditative position, looking up at the heavy clouds above. This was his work!
The weapon thunder that appeared now was far more ferocious than the previous ones, and Bei Hao's pride was evident.
"He's created a mid-level seventh-grade weapon! And from the looks of it, it's even higher quality than the last mid-level seventh-grade weapon!"
In the midst of the flashing thunder, Bei Hao raised his hand, and a long, crimson scythe—like a weapon of death itself—appeared in his grasp!
At that moment, the thunder in the sky roared loudly!
As the crowd erupted in admiration, Bei Hao's lips curled into a smug smile. His eyes filled with challenge as he looked toward a distant stone platform—the one where Mo Yu sat!
Despite the provocative look from afar, Mo Yu merely glanced in Bei Hao's direction and then returned to his work.
This kid had hidden his abilities well, becoming a mid-level seventh-grade weapon forger, an achievement comparable to that of some of the older masters.
However, Mo Yu couldn't help but smirk coldly. While this performance might secure Bei Hao a spot in the top ten or even top five, when it came to contending for the championship, Bei Hao wasn't even close to being qualified.
With that thought, Mo Yu focused his attention back on his forge. Inside the roaring flames, the Divine Might Black Thunder Spear was slowly spinning.
The spear was pitch black, as if forged from the essence of lightning itself, with faint bolts of lightning flickering across its surface. It gave off an aura of incredible power, as though it were alive.
"Almost there."
Staring at the spear, Mo Yu's heart burned with excitement.
Above, the thunderclouds continued to rumble, with bolts of lightning occasionally tearing through the sky and striking Bei Hao's stone platform. Bei Hao deflected each strike with ease.
Seeing that Mo Yu had completely ignored his provocation, Bei Hao's face twitched with annoyance.
He scanned the crowd, only to realize that none of the other powerful figures seemed impressed by his accomplishment either. This frustrated him even more.
Creating a mid-level seventh-grade weapon was a feat even some of the high-ranking members of the Equipment Alliance struggled with, yet his achievement hadn't garnered the attention he craved.
Suppressing his frustration, Bei Hao quickly refocused on the task at hand.
The weapon thunder for his mid-level seventh-grade weapon was no joke. If he wasn't careful, the weapon could be destroyed by the thunder, and he'd have nothing to show for his efforts.
While Bei Hao fought to manage the weapon thunder, the energy in the surrounding sky grew increasingly chaotic due to the ongoing thunderstorm.
Several other contestants began to experience surges of energy within their forges, indicating that their weapons were nearing completion as well.
Sensing this, these contestants' expressions became even more serious. Any mistake at this point would mean their efforts had been in vain.
Boom!
The sky was filled with thunderclouds, and the low rumbling of thunder echoed constantly. Suddenly, another powerful wave of energy erupted across the sky.
Moments later, a dense cloud of thunder formed above another stone platform.
"A peak seventh-grade weapon has been created!"
The crowd erupted into cheers upon seeing the new thundercloud.
"It's Bei Mingzi! I didn't expect him to break through as a high-level seventh-grade weapon forger."
The filtering process of the competition was highly efficient, and only the strongest remained. The contestants still competing at this point were far from ordinary.
Even the weakest among them were low-level seventh-grade weapon forgers, while the strongest had already reached the advanced level.
The weapon forger who created the peak seventh-grade weapon was an old man with gray-white hair, his wrinkled face resembling the skin of an apple. He was clearly an experienced elder of the previous generation.
Time had carefully selected the true strong contenders from the thousands of participants, leaving only the elite behind.
"I didn't expect it to be Bei Mingzi."
On the high platform, Old Bing and the others glanced at the elderly forger with a slight sense of surprise and then exchanged looks of helplessness.
"This old man is shameless, entering the competition at his age," Cai Ya, the beautiful woman, said with a slight nod.
"His lifelong wish has been to enter the Heavenly Xuan Treasure Hall. Now that there's a chance, of course, he would try," the dark-skinned elder sighed. "In the past, I would have mocked him, but now I'm hoping he wins."
Hearing this, Old Bing and the others turned grim as they looked at a shadowy figure in the corner.
As time passed, fewer and fewer contestants were still forging their weapons. Apart from those who had repeatedly failed, the remaining participants were likely preparing something extraordinary.
Although Qiu Yuanqiao's weapon hadn't caused any commotion yet, the Equipment Alliance elders could sense that the energy within his forge indicated he was crafting an eighth-grade weapon.
The thought of this sent a dark cloud over the hearts of the Equipment Alliance leaders. An eighth-grade weapon could dominate the competition and crush all opposition.
Would the champion of this year's Weapon Forging Tournament really be claimed by someone from the Pill Tower?
On one of the platforms, Qiu Yuanqiao sat cross-legged, his mouth curling into a mad grin.
"I'm almost there. Haha! Old fools of the Equipment Alliance, I'll show you what a true genius of both alchemy and weapon forging can do!"
Qiu Yuanqiao's bloodshot eyes were fixed on the forge before him. His hands moved rapidly in intricate patterns, pouring his vast soul power into the forge. Faint wisps of spiritual energy intertwined with his soul power, enhancing the process.
Puff!
Suddenly, Qiu Yuanqiao's finger touched his chest, causing his face to flush red. He spat out a mouthful of blood, which shot directly into the forge, merging with the crimson scythe inside the roaring flames.
Boom!
As the blood merged with the scythe, a brilliant light, as bright as the sun, exploded from the forge, accompanied by a terrifying surge of energy that made everyone shudder.
The forge, which had withstood the scorching flames for so long, shattered into countless pieces under the force of the energy!
Whoosh!
As the forge shattered, a massive pillar of blood-red light, about ten meters in diameter, shot into the sky!
Under this pillar of red light, the silver lightning in the sky seemed to retreat, as if encountering something terrifying. Even the thunderclouds shrank back in fear.
The red light pierced the heavens, and in just a few moments, the sky above was covered in a massive thundercloud nearly a hundred meters wide!
But what shocked everyone the most was that the thundercloud had two distinct colors: green and silver!
"A two-colored thundercloud?"
As the crowd stared at the green and silver thundercloud, the entire plaza erupted into a frenzy.
For many, this was the first time they had ever seen a two-colored weapon thunder.
On the high platform, Old Bing and the others wore dark expressions as they looked at the two-colored thundercloud.
"Damn it! Qiu Yuanqiao has really created an eighth-grade weapon and even summoned a two-colored thundercloud," Master Yun Kong cursed angrily. An eighth-grade weapon was something even they had never achieved.
Now that an eighth-grade weapon had been created by a traitor of the Equipment Alliance, a member of the Pill Tower, the competition was essentially over.
They could already see that the Equipment Alliance and the weapon forging profession were about to become a laughingstock across the entire continent.
"Don't be hasty. The competition isn't over yet," Old Bing suddenly said, his eyes fixed on a quiet figure in the corner of the platform.
"Oh? Are you talking about your new disciple, Xiao Huohuo?" Cai Ya and the others looked toward the young man sitting quietly beside his forge, their brows furrowing.
To them, Mo Yu didn't seem like someone forging a high-level weapon. In fact, he looked as if he had fallen asleep.
Relying on him to defeat Qiu Yuanqiao, who had just created an eighth-grade weapon, was nothing short of a pipe dream.
"Sigh... Let's hope for a miracle," Old Bing muttered, half-doubting himself, as he sighed deeply.
(End of Chapter)
Friends can now purchase any novel with a 25% discount. This promotion ends on October 7th.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Cortez10