Chapter 159: The Ceremony Begins

The next day.

Skyfire City welcomed its grandest festival of the year.

The entire city seemed to awaken from its slumber; the streets were devoid of cars but packed with an eager crowd.

The morning sun cast a warm golden hue over this city of steel.

“Dong—!”

The Everlook Clock Tower in the city center struck its first long chime.

The crowd instantly erupted, cheers soaring to the heavens.

Under the gaze of countless eyes, Mo XuanYe, President of the Tianhuo City Forging Association, emerged slowly from the Guild’s main entrance, dressed in a solemn black suit, holding an ancient bronze brazier in his hands.

Within the brazier, a cluster of white flames burned quietly.

The flame did not appear scorching; instead, it exuded a warm, jade-like luster, as if it possessed life.

“Returning Origin Sacred Flame!”

Someone in the crowd cried out excitedly.

This was the exotic flame that the legendary Divine Craftsman Mo Qinghai had stumbled upon a century ago, deep within a volcanic geothermic vein.

Its grade was unfathomably high.

It was said that this exotic flame possessed the miraculous effects of purifying all things and refining the body.

Over the past century, countless Forging Masters had attempted to absorb and refine it, but without exception, they all suffered severe backlash.

At best, they were gravely injured; at worst, they died on the spot.

Over time, this untamable Returning Origin Sacred Flame became a symbol of Skyfire City.

Every Divine Smith Grand Ceremony, Mo XuanYe would personally bring it out and parade it around the city to bless all its residents.

Mo XuanYe’s steps were steady, his expression solemn.

Behind him followed a large procession.

Sizzling dancers performed passionate, unrestrained dances.

Robust men beat thunderous war drums.

The entire Skyfire City was immersed in a sea of joy.

The procession weaved through major streets and small alleys, finally arriving at the central plaza.

Mo XuanYe carefully placed the Returning Origin Sacred Flame in his hands before the massive statue of Mo Qinghai.

At this point, the first segment of the celebration concluded.

And the second, and most anticipated, segment was about to begin.

The Forging Master Competition!

At the same time.

Across the Great Xia Country, televisions displayed scenes of the celebration in Skyfire City.

“Good morning, viewers in front of your televisions!”

“Welcome to the Great Xia Observation Special Live Broadcast!”

“I am your old friend, Wei Zheng!”

“I am Lin Xi!”

The two hosts wore enthusiastic smiles.

“Following the thrilling National Examination, we now welcome the once-a-decade Divine Smith Grand Ceremony!”

“I believe all viewers are already eager to see what astonishing and brilliant works will emerge from this year’s Forging Master Competition!”

Wei Zheng took over, his voice resonant.

“That’s right! In this competition, we still see many familiar old faces!”

“For example, Master Chen from the Imperial Capital, and Master Murong from the Magic Capital!”

“Oh? I also see Master Zhao from the Fog Capital!”

Wei Zheng’s gaze fell upon a burly figure on the screen.

“However... Master Zhao looks a bit strange today.”

“His head... why is it swollen? It looks like he was beaten.”

The camera zoomed in for a close-up of Master Zhao.

That person was precisely the tattooed strongman who was the first to challenge Zhou Huai at the banquet last night.

At this moment, he no longer possessed even a shred of yesterday’s arrogance.

His face was swollen like a fermented pig’s head, his eye sockets were bruised purple, and there were still unhealed blood scabs at the corners of his mouth.

He stood among the crowd, trembling like a sieve.

When he noticed the camera focused on him, he forced out a smile uglier than a cry.

Immediately in the next second, when his gaze inadvertently met the calm figure not far away.

He shuddered violently, like a startled quail, and immediately buried his head deeply, daring not to lift it again.

Lin Xi chuckled.

“Brother Wei, you’re quite the joker.”

“How could Master Zhao be beaten? He must have fallen himself; Skyfire City’s public security has always been good.”

Wei Zheng also smiled, quickly bringing the topic back.

“Alright, back to the main topic!”

“This year’s competition, in addition to some familiar faces, naturally includes new ones.”

“Here, I want to particularly introduce one to everyone!”

He cleared his throat, his expression becoming a bit more serious.

“That is Master Nakamura Shin'ichiro from Sakura Country!”

“As far as I know, Master Nakamura is a Disciple of Ōmiya Haruto, the only legendary Divine Craftsman in Sakura Country today!”

Lin Xi appropriately showed surprise.

“Wow! So he’s a Personal Disciple of Ōmiya Haruto!”

“With the addition of this Great Master, I’m sure this year’s Forging Master Competition will be very exciting!”

“More than just exciting.” Wei Zheng shook his head, his tone heavy: “For our Forging Masters in the Great Xia Country, this is undoubtedly a huge test.”

“If our local competition is won by a foreigner, that would be too shameful.”

With the start of the national live broadcast.

Tens of millions of viewers instantly flooded into the live stream.

Bullet comments scrolled wildly like a tide.

“??? Did I hear that right? How can someone from Sakura Country participate in our Great Xia Country’s competition?”

“Is the organizer out of their mind? Don’t they know that Sakura Country’s forging level is far ahead of ours now?”

“It’s over, it’s over. The champion is definitely theirs now. What’s the point of competing anymore?!”

“The person upstairs, don’t boost others’ morale and extinguish our own! No matter how amazing Nakamura Shin'ichiro is, he’s only one person! I refuse to believe that so many of our Great Xia Country’s Forging Masters can’t beat him alone!”

Just as the live stream was in a heated debate.

Host Wei Zheng suddenly dropped another bombshell.

“Viewers, I just received an exclusive rumor here!”

He deliberately built suspense, whetting everyone’s appetite.

“It is said that at last night’s welcome banquet, Master Nakamura had some friction with a young Forging Master from our Donghai City, Ouyezi.”

“The two made a bet on the spot!”

“In today’s competition, the loser must not only crawl three times through the winner’s crotch but also publicly swear to forever withdraw from the forging world and never touch forging again in ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) this life!”

Lin Xi’s eyes widened, and she covered her mouth with her hand, her face full of disbelief.

“Oh my! Betting their entire professional career?!”

“What exactly happened between these two Great Masters?”

Boom—!

The live stream completely exploded!

“Holy crap! Holy crap! Playing for such high stakes?!”

“Who is this Ouyezi? Never heard of him! How dare he make such a bet with Nakamura Shin'ichiro?”

“No matter who he is, just for this backbone, I’m a fan!”

“Although... I still think he’s a bit overconfident. Nakamura Shin'ichiro is an S-rank Divine Craftsman. How can he win?”

“Sigh, probably just another attention-seeking clown trying to get famous.”

“Waiting to see this Ouyezi make a fool of himself in front of the entire nation!”

... ...

At the same time.

Donghai City, Forging Guild.

Inside the President’s office.

Gu Yan was leisurely sipping tea with his legs crossed, enjoying the live broadcast.

When he heard the shocking bet revealed by Wei Zheng.

“Pfft—!”

A mouthful of scalding tea splattered all over the expensive display screen in front of him.

“Cough... cough cough!”

He coughed violently, his old face flushed red.

“Wh-... what?!”