Chapter 40: The struggle of the Divine Craftsmen has always been thus; the disintegration of Shi Laike

Three days later, the Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition, forging finals.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

Jin Guang gripped the Qianjin Hammer, smashing it toward the rare metal, Flame Gold. The twin hammers crisscrossed and flew, the hammerheads tracing crescent arcs of light, landing with the sudden, explosive force of a thunderclap.

The surface of the Flame Gold surged like molten lava beneath the deep sea. Beneath his iron-gray pupils, light swirled, piercing through every minute change in the metal's texture.

The veins on his muscular arms bulged. The hammer shadows stacked layer upon layer, yet remained perfectly orderly, raining down with impenetrable density!

On the other side, Tang Wulin gripped his Thousand-Forged Sinking Silver Hammer. His hammer strikes synchronized with his breathing, creating trails of afterimages. The heavy, rhythmic clanging echoed incessantly. As the forging deepened, the Sinking Silver gradually brightened, revealing dazzling cloud patterns.

Both were completely lost in the moment, maintaining a high-frequency forging rhythm. Centered on their two forging tables, invisible ripples spread outward. Many other blacksmiths gave a bitter smile, ceased their hammering, and chose to forfeit the competition.

The blacksmith competition consisted of three rounds. During the first two preliminary rounds, Jin Guang and Tang Wulin had already displayed a level of forging far beyond the others. In the finals, they went all out, displaying their forging talents to the fullest.

Every blacksmith has their own forging rhythm; once that rhythm is disrupted, the success rate drops significantly. Those blacksmiths, their rhythms shattered and unable to produce qualified works, simply withdrew from the competition, leaving the stage to the two great geniuses.

"Chairman, Master Craftsman Mu, in the end, it really is your two disciples clashing," a sixth-rank blacksmith remarked on the podium.

Zhenhua and Mu Chen exchanged glances, seeing the competitive spirit in each other's eyes.

The two brothers were as close as siblings, each having their own harvest in life: Zhenhua broke through to Heavenly Forging, becoming a Divine Craftsman of a generation, revered by millions; Mu Chen married his beloved and nurtured their crystallization of love, Mu Xi, living a fulfilled life.

The stories of the previous generation were essentially settled, and their emotional sustenance had passed to the next. Both forging titans were very satisfied with their direct disciples and encouraged them to spar and compete!

"Boom—"

Jin Guang let out a roar. His Qianjin Hammer, like a golden dragon exploring an abyss, struck the center of the Flame Gold with precision. Crimson sparks splattered wildly. In an instant, the forging table shook, the metal hummed, as if dozens of heavy hammers were striking simultaneously!

The hammer's force penetrated the metal, and a crimson-gold radiance ascended, revealing magnificent and complex patterns that moved across the metal's surface like blood vessels and meridians, finally converging into exquisite gilded secret patterns.

Spiritual light radiated outward—Thousand-Forged Grade One!

"Clang—"

Another burst of spiritual light radiated. Tang Wulin followed closely, completing his forging. The Thousand-Forged Grade One Sinking Silver emitted a blue halo, its patterns uniform, covering every corner.

"Come, take a look at the two children's works and decide who is the champion of this competition," Zhenhua laughed. "To avoid suspicion, Master Craftsman Mu and I will not offer our opinions."

Thousand-Forged Grade One Flame Gold, Thousand-Forged Grade One Sinking Silver—the judges presented the two steaming pieces of forged metal for the blacksmiths on the podium to evaluate.

"Thousand-Forged Grade One at ten years old, they are genuine fourth-rank blacksmiths..." the white-haired master blacksmith couldn't help but nod in praise.

"A once-in-a-millennium forging genius, and two appear at once..."

"The beauty and completeness of the metal patterns—if it were me, I fear I could not do better."

Hearing the constant exclamations of his colleagues, the corners of Zhenhua and Mu Chen's mouths rose higher than any AK could suppress. The metal was the disciple's work, and the disciple was the teacher's work; praising the disciple was equivalent to praising the teacher, which made them even happier.

After some discussion, the oldest master blacksmith gave the result: "Chairman, Master Craftsman Mu, after comprehensive discussion, we have an answer.

Although both metals are Thousand-Forged Grade One, the forging difficulty of Flame Gold is higher than that of Sinking Silver, and the metal surface already possesses a life resonance similar to Spirit Forging.

We unanimously agree that Jin Guang wins and should be awarded the champion of this Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition blacksmith contest."

"Jin Guang is still young and must continue to be trained!"

Zhenhua laughed heartily, and Mu Chen also smiled, having no dissatisfaction with the result.

As top-tier blacksmiths, the moment the two Thousand-Forged Grade One metals were successfully forged, the two titans had already distinguished the high from the low; the outcome was already clear in their hearts.

Divine Craftsman Zhenhua personally announced the champion. Jin Guang let out a slight breath of turbid air. It wasn't just aimed at Tang Wulin; to ascend to the throne of Divine Craftsman, he would go all out to crush all competitors!

The Eight Deceptive Gods are the symbol of the rules, and Jin Guang is the image of Qian Metal. He perceived that the Divine Craftsman's laws of heaven and earth were unique, subtly maintaining a balance. In other words, the Limit Douluo Continent does not allow multiple Divine Craftsmen to be born in the same era.

For example, if the difficulty for Zhenhua to break through to Divine Craftsman was one, then the difficulty for the second blacksmith of this era to break through would jump to ten, the third would be one hundred... and so on; the difficulty coefficient might be even higher!

If one can simplify, one should; Jin Guang naturally would not intentionally concede. His goal was to become a Divine Craftsman as quickly as possible. With similar cultivation bases, defeating competitors head-on was the way to gradually gain the recognition of the laws of heaven and earth!

The struggle of the Divine Craftsmen has always been thus!

Tianhai Hotel, sixty-sixth floor.

The Shi Laike team sat lifelessly on the sofa, newspapers scattered chaotically on the floor, the deliberately capitalized headlines bright red and stinging to the eyes.

Myth Shattered, Shi Laike's Defeat!

The Sun Sets, the Era of Stars Begins!

Those who fear trouble are mediocre; those who cannot handle trouble are fools!

Shocking, the Continent's Number One Academy actually...

The once high-spirited and arrogant Shi Laike team now looked ashen-faced.

In the eyes of the world, the Continent's Number One Academy lost to the unknown Donghai Academy, and the average age of the seven from Donghai Academy was three years younger than them, with their soul power also significantly lower...

The Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition was the grandest event of the Tianhai Alliance, and television stations in dozens of cities, including Tianhai City and Donghai City, broadcast the competition. Shrek Academy's appearance in the exhibition match was a gimmick to attract countless viewers, all of whom witnessed Shrek's total defeat.

Those reporters were like sharks smelling enticing blood, scrambling to write news, and some even restored the cause of the conflict through the surveillance of the Tianhai Stadium.

Yu Yuanheng's overbearing nature became the target of public criticism. The best report belonged to the *Sun-Moon Evening News*, which placed Yu Yuanheng's initial high-and-mighty appearance and his miserable post-battle comatose state on the front page.

At that intuitive and profound contrast, Yu Yuanheng only took one look before fainting from anger again.

Shi Laike Academy suffered a crushing defeat to Donghai Academy, and the team leader, Instructor Shen Yi, had to report it urgently. Shi Laike gave a cold four-character reply: "Stand by in place."

The Shi Laike that had been undefeated for twenty thousand years crashed to the ground. The incident fermented rapidly, shocking the entire Limit Douluo Continent. Rumors flew, and with the secret instigation of the Sun-Moon Federation officials, the situation seemed to be intensifying.

"Yuanheng, were we wrong..."

Ning Xian's pretty face was filled with exhaustion. Three days of fear and trembling had left her unable to eat or sleep. The Soul Net was full of rumors that were unbearable to look at, and she began to regret it.

"Who says... I wasn't wrong... I wasn't wrong..."

Yu Yuanheng's eyes were bloodshot, the red color spreading like a dense spider web. He was severely injured, wrapped in bandages from head to toe, shaking his head from side to side while muttering:

"I fought to defend the academy's glory, to protect the reputation of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon... I wasn't wrong... I should be a hero...

Heroes are never defeated... That battle was wrong, there must be a problem inside!

They cheated, they cheated!"

Yu Yuanheng roared madly, his shrill voice echoing in the room, lingering for a long time.

Ye Xinglan raised her pale, bloodless face. Today she was not wearing the green Shi Laike uniform, but a goose-yellow dress, her arms, calves, and knees wrapped in white gauze. Hearing Yu Yuanheng's hysterical ravings, she frowned and said:

"Why slander Donghai Academy out of thin air?

We were not as skilled as them; we should just wait for the academy's punishment. No matter how severe the punishment is, we must bear the consequences of our own failure."

"Ye, Xing, Lan!"

Yu Yuanheng slowly turned his head, roaring Ye Xinglan's name word by word, his pupils flashing with fierce light: "You still dare to open your mouth? Everything is because of you!

If it weren't for you, how could Shi Laike provoke that group of monsters? Now it's good, Shi Laike is defeated, and the Limit Douluo Continent is covered with insults and abuse directed at me!

Do you know... what I will lose!"

Yu Yuanheng's emotions were nearing collapse. His performance at the opening ceremony had made the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family furious, and the position of patriarch was no longer within easy reach!

"Ye Xinglan, you ruined my reputation and harmed my future... If I am expelled from Shi Laike Academy again, I guarantee you will live a life worse than death!"

"Yu Yuanheng, you can try!"

Both sides were instantly at daggers drawn. Yu Yuanheng's anger soared to the heavens, treating Ye Xinglan as an irreconcilable enemy.

Ye Xinglan's expression was cold, and a trace of disappointment flashed in her azure pupils. Yu Yuanheng was one of the most powerful geniuses in the Shi Laike outer court, and she had viewed him as a target to catch up with at this stage, never expecting that a single failure would reveal his true colors.

"Sister Xinglan, Brother Yuanheng, calm down, eat some buns."

Xu Xu Li Zhi conjured recovery meat buns, carefully handing them to the two who were at daggers drawn.

"Get lost!"

Yu Yuanheng stared at Xu Xu Li Zhi with a ferocious face; the little fatty was also a source of the conflict. Ning Xian, Chu Yan, Yao Yue, and Chen Feng chose to stand by Yu Yuanheng's side, and the Shi Laike team split into two factions on the spot.

"What are you doing? Sit down, all of you!"

Shen Yi pushed open the door, drinking back both sides with an irritated face. Only then did the seven reluctantly return to their places.

With a deep sigh, Shen Yi said: "Originally, this defeat was just a small matter, and the Sea God Pavilion didn't pay much attention to it. After all, the foundation of Shi Laike Academy is by no means something that an exhibition match or a few children under fifteen can shake; it would pass after a while.

But..."

After a pause, Shen Yi changed the subject: "People with ulterior motives have used Shi Laike Academy's first failure as a trigger to output some groundless and outrageous rumors.

For example, Shi Laike exploits students regardless of anything, only inner court disciples are valued by the academy, the academy's undefeated golden body is all due to cheating, etc...

The source of the rumors is multifaceted. According to the academy's investigation, the vast majority come from Mingdu, led by the Sun-Moon Royal Academy.

The long-standing dissatisfaction of forces like the Sun-Moon Royal Soul Guidance Academy has erupted, taking the opportunity to smear and spread rumors about our Shi Laike Academy. However, what surprised the academy is that the Spirit Tower, which has always been at odds with the academy, did not participate..."

Shi Laike was purely happy too early. Qian Gu Dongfeng believed that experts like the Sky-Piercing Limit Douluo, Light-Dark Limit Douluo, and Holy Spirit Limit Douluo were still there, and mere rumors were just children's play. Once the Shi Laike-affiliated Title Douluos fell under his schemes, that would be the best opportunity to crush Shi Laike Academy in all aspects.

"Now it's not a question of your defeat, but how to quickly restore the academy's reputation. The Sea God Pavilion is discussing it urgently."

After speaking, Shen Yi looked at Yu Yuanheng and Ye Xinglan, saying in a deep voice: "Because you made the academy neither reasonable nor powerful, the Sea God Pavilion... is extremely disappointed.

If the matter is not resolved properly, the academy does not rule out the possibility of expelling you."

Yu Yuanheng's eyes flickered, and he fell straight from the sofa. Ning Xian and the other four hurriedly helped him up. Ye Xinglan's delicate body trembled, and crystal-clear tears seemed to flicker in her lowered beautiful eyes as she returned to her room in a daze.

Late at night.

Ye Xinglan tossed and turned. Intense anxiety and guilt made it impossible for her to fall into meditation, let alone sleep like an ordinary person.

Losing to Xiang Xiang Naer, Shi Laike being humiliated, being expelled from the academy... The experiences of these few days were like sharp swords piercing her heart, making it hard for her to breathe. She muttered to herself:

"The cause of the conflict is with me; I have a responsibility to help overcome the difficulties, even if I have to pay everything..."

With this thought, she got out of bed, lightened her steps, and pushed the door out.

Tianhai Hotel, eighty-eighth floor.

The Blacksmith Association arranged the most luxurious accommodation for Divine Craftsman Zhenhua's group. Zhao Xuan and Xiang Xiang Naer lived in a super-large suite on the eighty-eighth floor, with exquisite and dazzling decoration and all facilities.

Upon learning the news, Gu Yue quickly moved out of the hotel room where Donghai Academy was staying to live with the two, under the guise of "the Spirit Tower is one family."

"Xuanzhen, Xiang Xiang Naer, I have completed the withdrawal procedures for Donghai Academy and am going home for emergency seclusion."

As soon as these words came out, Zhao Xuan, who was studying the secrets of the body, and Xiang Xiang Naer, who was eating snacks, were both stunned. The former was puzzled, and the latter was full of joy, flashing to Gu Yue's side and shaking her hand a few times:

"Promise me, seclusion for a hundred or eighty years, okay?"

Gu Yue sneered; the abacus beads had hit her face!

"Why the sudden seclusion, and for how long?" Zhao Xuan asked seriously.

"After Xiang Xiang Naer and I joined forces to charge the Dark Gold Terrorclaw, my body had an abnormality that requires seclusion to stabilize. Short as one year, long as three years. I have a premonition that after breaking through, I will undergo a transformation."

Usually, Gu Yue and Xiang Xiang Naer competed secretly. The first time they cooperated, that feeling of controlling everything, that supreme power... As the main body half of the Silver Long Wang, Gu Yue was all too familiar with it.

When working together with a unified goal, Xiang Xiang Naer's aura seemed to be helping her recover the power belonging to the Silver Long Wang.

Bidding farewell to Zhao Xuan and Xiang Xiang Naer, Gu Yue left the Tianhai Hotel, where a mature and sexy purple-haired woman had been waiting for a long time.

Gu Yue looked back at the bustling high-rise, her eyes filled with hesitation, her voice barely audible: "Could it be, can I not devour her?"

"No, I am the Silver Long Wang; my heart will never waver..."

"You two, sooner or later, will be mine..."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 41 =====