The Forging Master Competition was the first event, so Lin Xiuran got up early and arrived at the venue to prepare.
Hundreds of forging platforms had already been set up inside the stadium, and they all appeared to be state-of-the-art. Although the Tianhai Alliance didn't have many strong individuals, its financial resources were extremely strong.
There weren't many spectators in the stadium stands; in the eyes of ordinary people, forging wasn't something they valued too much. After all, the most attractive things were Soul Master battles, followed by things like mecha manufacturing.
The junior group's competition was held first, so the time spent on the hundred-fold forging purification would be relatively short.
Lin Xiuran met with Tang Wulin, and then they each went to their respective forging platforms.
"Attention junior group participants! Your goal is to complete the hundred-fold forging purification. Failure to do so will result in immediate elimination. Among those who complete it, the best will be selected to advance to the next round."
The first piece of metal presented was Blue Pregnant Copper, which, among rare metals, is definitely one of the most difficult to forge.
Because of its rarity and difficulty in forging, the challenge was immense, inevitably eliminating a large portion of the participants.
However, no one expected the junior group competition to start so difficult.
Lin Xiuran looked at the metal before him, took out his hammer from his soul tool, and began hammering without a word.
At the same time, Tang Wulin also started hammering.
It's important to know that forging Blue Pregnant Copper requires considerable observation to determine the force and angle. Tang Wulin's hammering was still skillful, with both force and rhythm.
Lin Xiuran, on the other hand, was completely haphazard, simply hammering randomly, with moderate force but a leisurely pace.
This made the spectators on the platform suspect he was just fooling around, as they had never seen such hammering techniques before.
Even the girl sandwiched between Tang Wulin and Lin Xiuran looked grim.
Mu Xi thought being next to Tang Wulin was painful enough, but she hadn't expected Lin Xiuran, this oddball, to be on top of it.
Every blacksmith has their own forging rhythm, and once that rhythm is disrupted, they will be interfered with. Therefore, having a hundred people forging simultaneously is a test for them. And Lin Xiuran's chaotic hammering without any rhythm was the biggest obstacle.
"Nonsense, isn't this just causing trouble!" someone on the platform shouted angrily, but that's the rule of the competition. Anyone who registers can participate, and even if they don't know how, there's no way to stop them from participating.
However, no one noticed that after each hammer blow from Lin Xiuran, a wisp of flame seemed to swirl around the metal.
Time passed quickly, and Lin Xiuran and Tang Wulin finished their competitions almost one after the other.
Almost under everyone's astonished gazes, the two put down their hammers and left the Tianhai Gymnasium. Only
the platform was left in awe, looking at the two exquisite pieces of hundred-forged Blue Pregnant Copper metal.
The Soul Master Competition was held at Tianhai Stadium, and it wasn't far from the stadium. Lin Xiuran quickly ran there after adding a little wind element. However,
just as he arrived at the stadium entrance, Tang Wulin was stopped.
Lin Xiuran knew very well who stopped him—it was Ye Xinglan.
What he didn't expect was that Tang Wulin would actually get into a conflict with her. But given Ye Xinglan's annoying personality, it was understandable.
After arguing with Tang Wulin for a few moments, Ye Xinglan noticed Lin Xiuran standing nearby.
"So, you two are together! No wonder you're both so bad!" Ye Xinglan practically gritted her teeth, her eyes blazing with anger.
But Lin Xiuran couldn't care less; he was in the first group for the individual competition and was in a hurry. Lin Xiuran shoved Ye Xinglan, who was blocking his way, and ran towards the registration area.
Tang Wulin, seeing Lin Xiuran leave, hurriedly followed.
"You two!" Ye Xinglan suppressed her anger, watching the two leave, and fiercely clenched her fingers.
"Just you wait!"
One was Lin Xiuran, who showed no respect whatsoever, and the other was Tang Wulin, who had made her wash dishes all night.
"I'll beat you both until you beg for mercy!"
After registration, as expected, Lin Xiuran's next match was scheduled. He was in the first round, which was already rushed, and Ye Xinglan had delayed him.
In the seventeenth match of the first round, Lin Xiuran went straight to the competition stage.
The competition stage was circular, surrounded by a special soul-guided defensive shield to prevent the power of his soul skills from leaking out.
Lin Xiuran's opponent was a seemingly composed young man with light yellow hair. Although not particularly handsome, he looked at Lin Xiuran with confidence.
"I heard you're from Donghai Academy?" the composed young man spoke first.
Lin Xiuran raised an eyebrow slightly: "How are you?"
"I'm fine, but I used to come from there too." A hint of bitterness appeared in the composed young man's eyes.
Before Lin Xiuran could ask anything, the referee began announcing the rules of the competition.
There was a referee on each competition platform, and their referee was a middle-aged man.
"The rules are simple. Use your attack methods as much as possible. Don't hold back. I will intervene when appropriate to ensure your safety. One side will be declared the loser if they concede or lose the ability to fight. If the difference in skill level is too great, I will also make a ruling. You have thirty seconds to prepare. I will start the countdown in the last five seconds. Begin preparing."
Lin Xiuran looked at his opponent quietly. Their eyes met, and the young man opposite him didn't say anything more, but he looked full of fighting spirit.
"Five, four, three, two, one! Begin!" The composed young man on the opposite side launched the first attack, two yellow hundred-year soul rings rising from his feet, his eyes sharpening.
He released his martial soul, and a black shadow flew up from behind him, simultaneously unfurling a pair of wings shimmering with a faint black aura.
On the viewing platform, Xie Xie and the others also noticed this. Except for Xu Xiaoyan, everyone looked astonished.
Xie Xie exclaimed in surprise, "The one fighting Xiu Ran is Zhang Yangzi!"
"Who is Zhang Yangzi?" Xu Xiaoyan was puzzled by everyone's strong reaction, thinking Lin Xiuran had encountered some formidable opponent.
Xie Xie explained, "Zhang Yangzi were two students before you and Xiu Ran came to Class Zero, but they left for some reason." Xu Xiaoyan
nodded, as if remembering something. When she first encountered Class Zero at the Spirit Ascension Platform, there were indeed five of them.
Zhang Yangzi flapped his wings, and above his head took flight a fledgling eagle, entirely black except for a pair of strange purple eyes. The eagle wasn't large, but its sharp eyes shone brightly with a spirited air.
A flying-type martial soul! Lin Xiuran relaxed now, his tense gaze lessening.
If it was a flying-type martial soul, things would be much easier.
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(End of Chapter)