Shock!!
The man in the golden robe and the great martial sage of the Great Chu, Chu Tianba, couldn't help but be astonished, staring at Ling Feng with deep-seated fear in their eyes!
"What background does this young man have to possess such strength?!"
"No matter how you look at it, Fire Beard is a top-level Martial Venerable. How could he be sent flying without any resistance? This person's strength is simply terrifying!"
"The most critical thing is his age... How could such a young person have such power? Even if he started practicing in the womb, it wouldn't be so exaggerated!"
Thoughts flashed through the minds of the third prince and Chu Tianba.
At this moment, the Fire Beard, who had been thrown into the pond, burst out, releasing a powerful surge of true energy.
The intense and domineering flames surged forth, evaporating the surrounding pond water, even cooking the fish in the pond alive.
What was once a pond had turned into a pot of fish soup.
Ling Feng shook his head. "Such a waste."
"You brat, the matter between me and Hidden Sword Manor has nothing to do with you. Why did you interfere?" Fire Beard said coldly.
He realized Ling Feng's strength was no ordinary feat, so he did not dare act rashly.
"Oh, I can interfere if I want. What can you do about it?" Ling Feng asked, tilting his head.
He had the look of someone who was doing it just for fun, without a care.
Fire Beard's face turned ashen with anger as he looked at Chu Tianba, who gradually exuded a powerful pressure and calmly said, "I came today to help Master Fire fulfill a wish."
"Feng Zhengyang, it would be best for Hidden Sword Manor to agree to his challenge. If not, don't blame me for causing a ruckus at Hidden Sword Manor today!"
The sword intent emanating from him continued to rise, the sword pressure growing stronger, gradually suppressing Feng Zhengyang, clearly indicating he was no ordinary Martial Sage!
"The Martial Sage of the Town is indeed formidable!"
"This person's cultivation level is at least the fourth or even fifth level of Martial Sage! If I fought him, the chances of losing are much greater than winning!"
Feng Zhengyang thought to himself.
Beside him, Feng Xiangzi also noticed this and stood up. "Fire Beard, if you want to compete with me in sword forging, then so be it!"
"Hahaha, good!"
Fire Bearded laughed loudly, "But I have another condition: whoever loses must sever their arms on the spot, never to forge swords again!"
The crowd was in an uproar.
No one expected Fire Beard to wager so much.
Feng Xiangzi's expression darkened, and he coldly snorted, "Fine, as you wish!"
"Master, are you confident?" Feng Zhengyang asked with a frown.
"I am the top sword-forger of Hidden Sword Manor, Fire Beard cannot be my opponent! He couldn't defeat me back then, and he still can't now!" Feng Xiangzi replied confidently.
Ling Feng, observing beside them, felt that this Master Feng had already set himself up for failure. This declaration, no matter how you looked at it, seemed to signal an impending loss.
"Maybe I've read too many novels," Ling Feng muttered.
Before long, Feng Xiangzi and Fire Bearded arrived at the sword workshop of Hidden Sword Manor.
This place was the site for sword forging, filled with various forging materials.
The two exchanged glances and immediately began forging swords without further ado.
Ling Feng and the others watched from the side.
They saw both sword-forgers displaying various forging techniques, leaving the crowd dazzled.
A piece of mysterious iron was being constantly hammered into shape by their hands.
The sound of hammering echoed throughout the sword workshop.
Each strike resonated with a unique rhythm.
As sword enthusiasts, the onlookers felt a wave of satisfaction as they watched the sword gradually take form, mesmerized.
Suddenly, Fire Bearded pulled out a blood-red pearl from his pocket and tossed it into the forging furnace. A thick, bloody aura immediately spread out!
"That's the Ten Thousand Blood Spirit Pearl!!"
"Fire Beard, you haven't learned from your mistakes! You still forge swords with human lives, and now you go even further, using the Wanling Blood Pearl, which can only be refined from the blood of thousands! You're nothing but a beast!!"
Feng Zhengyang said, his anger boiling.
However, Fire Beard was unfazed, a manic look on his face. "Hahaha! As long as I can win against you and prove I am the number one sword-forger in the world, what's a mere thousand lives?!"
Saying this, he began to infuse the power of the Wanling Blood Pearl into the sword blank he held.
The sword gradually turned blood-red, emanating a terrifying pressure.
In a trance, everyone saw countless vengeful spirits swirling around the sword's body, sending shivers down their spines, their expressions filled with horror.
Ling Feng also took a look, but his expression was quite peculiar.
Is this it?
Spending the blood of thousands, this huge cost only produced such a sword?
It looked...
Mediocre at best.
Ling Feng felt that even without the Wanling Blood Pearl, he could forge a weapon far superior to this sword if given the chance.
It seems Fire Beard's level was just like this.
Looking over at Feng Xiangzi's side, he noticed that the latter was completely focused on his sword, undisturbed.
But to Ling Feng, his forging skill seemed just a little better than Fire Bearded's.
But now that Fire Beard had used the Wanling Blood Pearl, he was in danger.
Another hour passed.
The swords in both of their hands were finally forged.
One sword was entirely blood-red, exuding a fierce and sinister aura.
The other sword had a subdued brilliance, enveloped in a chilling coldness.
Although the swords had been forged, determining their quality became a question; all those present were from Hidden Sword Manor, naturally siding with Feng Xiangzi, so their evaluations wouldn't count.
"To determine which sword is better, it couldn't be simpler: just take these two swords and clash them directly!"
At this moment, Chu Tianba said lightly.
"Hehe, what Chu Martial Sage said is right!"
"Feng Xiangzi, do you dare?"
Fire Beard provocatively looked at Feng Xiangzi, who raised an eyebrow. "What's there to be afraid of? Bring it on!!"
Both picked up their respective swords and swung them at each other with force.
With a clang!
The two swords collided, producing a loud sound of metal clashing.
Both Fire Bearded and Feng Xiangzi were pushed back two steps.
The swords in their hands buzzed and trembled.
Then, they struck again.
Another violent sound of metal clashing echoed.
And this time...
The sword in Feng Xiangzi's hand... broke in half!!
"Hahaha, Feng Xiangzi, you have lost!"
"I am the number one sword-forger in the world!"
Fire Bearded's long-held wish had come true, and he was overjoyed.
Feng Xiangzi stared at the broken sword in his hand, momentarily stunned, then he forced a bitter smile. "Yes, I have lost."
"Master Feng, you haven't lost. It's Fire Beard who is shameless, using the Wanling Blood Pearl to forge swords. Such cruelty and heartlessness will bring him retribution someday!"
"That's right, Master Feng, in terms of forging techniques, you absolutely did not lose! You only lost because you were too kind. If you had used a Wanling Blood Pearl to forge, it would definitely have been thousands of times better than what Fire Bearded produced!"
"Exactly."
The crowd discussed among themselves, comforting Feng Xiangzi.
Meanwhile, Fire Bearded's expression darkened as he coldly snorted, "No matter what you say, it doesn't matter. You lost, and you must sever your arms, Feng Xiangzi!"
"Fine!"
Feng Xiangzi gritted his teeth, ready to accept the wager and lifted the broken sword to strike at his other arm!
But at that moment, two fingers reached out from the side and pinched the sword.
Ling Feng's voice slowly rang out, "Losing doesn't matter; I'll help you win it back."