Chapter 310: Forge and Flame

~~~

Gan Nanfeng’s fight comes and goes without much fanfare.

Her opponent, the Young Master of the Leaning Tree Sect, is an exceedingly gifted youth, but he is not Gan Nanfeng’s match. The difference between someone who is a member of the Four Great Sects and someone who is not is simply too much. Gan Nanfeng burns through his defenses and defeats him, revealing her cultivation to be at the Fourth Level of the Earth. It is not a bad fight, but compared to Xiao Shuang’s display of power, it is simply underwhelming, leading to a muted response from the audience.

The next two fights suffer from similar fates. The representatives from the Four Great Sects easily claim victory over those who are not. Among the two, Fan Bingbing’s match is somewhat notable for managing to be even shorter than Xiao Shuang’s match.

However, the ones who step into the ring for the fifth match are disciples of the Eternal Flame Clan and the Infinite Mountain Sect.

Ten Zichun vs. Wen Ruibo.

Ten Zicchun does his best to keep calm as he enters the ring. Once upon a time, he thought people like Bei Hong were tall, but then he traveled to the Storm Dragon Empire and saw the likes of General Nie Dan. While Wen Ruibo has yet to reach the height required to loom over everything while sitting, Ten Zichun still has to tilt his head back to look at his face.

The Infinite Mountain Sect, it seems, has an unreasonable number of unreasonably tall people.

His opponent offers him a short bow as the tournament official signals them to begin. There are no words exchanged. No taunts of any kind.

An earthen fist is heading for his face an instant later.

Ten Zicchun’s Qi rises to match his opponent’s. The item disguising his cultivation is broken, revealing his level to the audience.

Earth Realm, Level Four.

The same level as his opponent.

Bringing his hands together, Ten Zichun manifests a huge wall of flame in front of his enemy. The heat is such that many members of the audience would be greatly inconvenienced by it if not for the several protective barriers around the white square they are fighting on. However, his opponent simply runs through the flames like a rampaging behemoth, his body now completely covered in armor made of solid rock. Even his eyes cannot be seen.

His fist slams into Ten Zichun’s gut.

It’s a heavy blow. Ten Zichun manages to step back in time to lessen the force of the impact, yet the punch still makes his eyes bulge out and his guts tremble. Ten Zichun feels the force of Wen Ruibo’s soul in the attack, speaking with far more clarity than words ever could.

‘I will win.’

The second punch comes for his head.

Ten Zichun raises his hand and aims a powerful blast of fire to the sky. It propels his body just in time for him to doge. A second blast pushes his body to Wen Ruibo’s side, where he unleashes a powerful gout of flame.

[Roaring Forge]

Wen Ruibo walks through it.

Of the Four Great Sects, none can surpass the Infinite Mountain Sect in sheer physical might. Ten Zichun thought those words were mere boasts, but after seeing Chen Guo and now Wen Ruibo, he knows there was no lie. The Infinite Mountain Sect raises their disciples into unstoppable forces.

Wen Ruibo slams his earth-covered hands down. Were the ring made of lesser material, it would have shattered. If not for the barriers, some audience members would have been blown off their seats by the ensuing shockwave. As it is, the people of Imperial Cloud City only feel a slight tremor.

It is a common occurrence during the tournament.

Ten Zichun unleashes another blast of fire, but Wen Ruibo pushes through with a sudden burst of speed and grabs his wrist. A yelp leaves Ten Zichun’s mouth as he’s yanked and slammed into the ground. Though in pain, the disciple of the Eternal Flame Clan quickly rolls out of the way to avoid the incoming stomp.

Wen Ruibo does not let go of him.

The earth around Wen Ruibo’s arm thickens and grows to cover Ten Zhichun’s wrist, chaining the two together. Ten Zhichun’s eyes grow wide as he realizes what just happened.

He cannot escape now.

Ten Zichun dodges the punch and the low kick that follows. However, a pull from Wen Ruibo makes him lose his balance, leaving him wide open for the fist that slams into his chest. Spit and blood are pushed out of his mouth, and he feels a few of his ribs cracking.

Despite that, he grins.

He feels the puzzlement in his foe’s Qi replaced by realization as the fire around him rises. Yes, Wen Ruibo is physically stronger than him, but what does that matter here? This is not an arm-wrestling match. It is a battle between cultivators. And he’s not a brawler.

He’s a blacksmith.

The fire roars around them, blinding some members of the audience. Realizing what is happening, Wen Ruibo pushes his offense, landing blow upon blow on Ten Zhichun’s body. Each one rattles his bones and makes his brain bounce inside his skull. However, Ten Zichun does not back away. He answers every blow with one of his own. The armor of earth around Wen Ruibo protects his body and hurts Ten Zichun’s fist, but Ten Zichun does not aim to hurt Wen Ruibo’s body.

He is aiming at the armor.

After all, what is earth but waste and minerals ready to be refined? What is fire but a blacksmith’s best tool? The fire roars in his hand and takes the shape of the tool most familiar to him.

[Hammer of the Sun]

Ten Zichun strikes the armor, then strikes again and again, sparks shining each time. Wen Ruibo’s blows become faster. His aura has a hint of anger and desperation. Even so, Ten Zichun does not stop. He sees the earth for what it is, untapped potential that requires molding. Nothing shall keep him from his task.

Hammer and fist compete to see who will give out first. Sound and light fill the arena in a maddening frenzy.

When it stops, two people stand in the center of the ring.

One is an unmoving block of metal.

The other is more bruise than person, yet he raises his hammer into the sky, causing the crowd to erupt in cheers.

He is Ten Zichun of the Eternal Flame Clan.

One day, he will be Ten Zichun, Imperial Blacksmith of the Storm Dragon Empire.

Today, he’s the victor.

~~~

“Do you want to go to him?” Lu Mei asks him after they see Ten Zichun’s unconscious body being taken away. The exhaustion of the fight caught up to him shortly after he was declared the winner.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“There is no need to,” Liu Jin says. “The healers of the Eternal Flame Clan will see to him. Ni Cai is among them. He has gotten much better.”

“You say that so confidently despite looking so worried,” Lu Mei teases him.

“Do I look worried?” Liu Jin asks, tilting his head.

“You look as blank-faced as ever,” Feng Zhi says from the side where he sits with Yi Jiao.

“Hush, cousin. Your inability to read expressions is not something you should be sharing with others,” Lu Mei chides him. “My Jin is very expressive.”

Is he? Liu Jin tilts his head as he considers it. Old Jiang once told him something about that.

“Maybe,” he admits, “And maybe I am a little worried, but that’s just because my heart and my mind are not always in agreement.”

The fight between Wen Ruibo and Ten Zichun has been the most violent thus far, with both fighters suffering many injuries. If that is what can be expected of future fights, it is no wonder Lord Feng Shang requested more supplies from the Medical Pavilion last time. Ten Zichun does not only need to be healed. He needs to be in fighting shape by tomorrow.

The crowd’s cheers can be heard all the way to the waiting room as members of the Endlessly Raging Valley and the Divine Frozen Palace fight. One of them will be Ten Zichun’s opponent, and unfortunately for Ten Zichun, the member of the Endlessly Raging Valley claims a considerably easier victory than his, though still not as quick as Xiao Shuang’s.

However, there is no need to worry about supplies this time. Through Elder Xue, the Medical Pavilion is fully under Lord Feng Gui’s control. Ten Zichun will receive the best possible care and be given the finest medicines and elixirs. By tomorrow, he will be able to step into the ring once more.

Even so, part of Liu Jin still wishes he was the one treating him.

Judging by the smile Lu Mei gives him, she knows it too.

“You always worry far too much,” Lu Mei says, leaning her head against his shoulder.

“I suppose,” Liu Jin says as the next fight begins. It is between a Disciple of the Infinite Mountain Sect and someone from the Yellow Forest. “Your match is coming up soon, isn’t it?”

“It is,” Lu Mei says. “Are you worried about me too?”

“I rarely have to be,” Liu Jin says, wrapping his arm around her waist. “She might be a friend of Xiao Shuang, so try not to hurt her too badly.”