Inside the royal family forging hall, Lin Hao stood with a determined expression.
The room was sweltering, the heat from the molten metal making the air ripple. His personal forging assistants stood nearby, nervously watching him as he prepared to refine a King Rank sabre for Princess Chi Kai.
Failure was not an option.
Kent King had humiliated him by displaying a Peak King Rank sabre that felled seven massive trees in one strike.
Lin Hao gritted his teeth as he lifted a glowing hammer above his head.
“I will surpass Kent King! I refuse to lose to some self-taught fool!” he roared, bringing the hammer down with a deafening clang.
The metal block trembled, its molten surface twisting as sparks exploded in all directions.
For the next six hours, Lin Hao poured every ounce of his skill, knowledge, and mana into the blade.
Each strike of his hammer sent a wave of energy through the metal, shaping it into a fearsome sabre.
His hands trembled from exhaustion, his mind burned with obsession.
Finally, the moment of truth arrived.
Lin Hao lifted his newly forged sabre, its silver-black surface reflecting the glow of the forging flames.
The weapon hummed with power—a masterpiece of King Rank quality.
“It’s finished,” he muttered, barely able to contain his anticipation.
He turned to one of the assistants, who had already prepared a massive elephant sized tree for testing.
“Prepare to witness my greatness!” Lin Hao declared, raising the sabre high.
SWOOSH!
The blade cut through the air, an arc of energy slicing towards the tree.
A moment later—
CRACK!
The tree trembled.
Then… only a single deep cut appeared on its bark.
Silence filled the hall.
Lin Hao’s heart dropped into his stomach.
The tree was still standing.
“This… this is impossible!” he gasped.
“Young Master Lin,” one of the assistants said hesitantly, “this blade… it’s strong, but it only managed to partially cut through one tree.”
The reality hit him like a slap—Kent’s sabre had effortlessly felled seven trees, but his couldn’t even cut through one completely.
“No! I refuse to accept this!” Lin Hao roared, grabbing another heated metal block to try again.
But deep down, he knew the truth—he had already lost.
–
Two days later, the entire Royal City of Red Silk was abuzz with excitement. Millions of people gathered like a festival.
The reason?
Master Li Tian was preparing to forge the Emperor’s personal weapon—a blade crafted from the precious Emperor Jade, which had been gathered using the wealth of large cities.
Inside the massive Royal Forging Arena, thousands of people had gathered in elevated seating all around a gigantic circular stage.
The Emperor himself, along with his royal ministers and nobles, sat in a luxurious golden pavilion at the highest point, overlooking the event.
Princess Chi Kai stood to the Emperor’s right, her expression proud yet troubled—her mind still replaying the moment Kent’s sabre had outshined Lin Hao’s.
The center of the arena featured a colossal furnace, designed in the shape of a roaring lion’s mouth, its massive jaws open wide, spewing out golden flames.
Master Li Tian, draped in flowing crimson robes, stepped onto the stage, raising his arms as thunderous applause erupted.
“Today, we shall witness the birth of a legendary weapon!” his voice boomed, infused with mana.
A group of royal attendants carried three massive stone chests, setting them down in front of the lion-mouth furnace.
The lids were slowly lifted, revealing chunks of glowing Emperor Jade, their surfaces shimmering with divine runes.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
“So this is Emperor Jade…”
“Its energy is terrifying!”
“Master Tian will surely create a masterpiece with this!”
Li Tian walked forward and carefully picked up a piece of the jade, running his fingers along its smooth, yet impossibly dense surface.
“This is an honor only an Emperor may bestow,” he declared. “Now, let us begin!”
Li Tian lifted his hands, and the flames within the lion-mouth furnace roared higher, turning into a blazing inferno.
The first piece of Emperor Jade was lowered into the furnace using enchanted tongs.
The moment the jade touched the flames, it began to hiss and crack, releasing rivers of golden energy into the air.
Li Tian poured his mana into the furnace, his hands moving in ancient forging gestures, forcing the jade to melt into a thick, shimmering liquid.
The crowd watched in awe as the once-solid stone slowly turned into a molten state, swirling like liquid gold.
A noble leaned forward, whispering:
“Even refining King Rank Jade is difficult. Emperor Jade? This is on another level.”
Another official nodded. “Master Tian is the only one capable of handling this.”
But not everyone was convinced.
From a balcony further away, Kent King watched silently, arms crossed.
He observed every motion of Master Tian, every technique, every rune formation he used.
“Tsk… sloppy,” Kent muttered under his breath.
Beside him, a Fan Family disciple overheard and stared at him, confused.
“Sloppy? That’s Master Tian! He’s an Emperor Rank Blacksmith!”
Kent smirked but said nothing.
The refining process dragged on for hours as piece after piece of Emperor Jade was added.
However, an issue soon became apparent.
“Wait… isn’t Master Tian using too much jade?” one of the blacksmiths whispered.
“Yeah… normally, a skilled smith would use precise measurements. But he’s throwing in entire slabs!”
Kent’s eyes narrowed.
“He’s wasting material. Seems like he still has not mastered the art of great hand refining.”
Indeed, with each additional chunk of jade that Li Tian added, more energy overflowed and dispersed into the air—a clear sign of inefficient refinement.
The Emperor frowned slightly, but said nothing yet.
Princess Chi Kai, however, couldn’t hide her concern.
“Master Tian… is everything going smoothly?” she asked.
Li Tian waved her off. “Fear not, Princess. This is a grand process. Greatness requires sacrifice.”
Kent chuckled from the balcony.
“More like incompetence requires sacrifice.”
As the refining continued, the final moment arrived—the shaping of the weapon.
Li Tian activated a formation array, and the molten Emperor Jade began condensing, taking the shape of a majestic sabre.
But then—
A horrified gasp filled the arena.
The final piece of jade had been used.
And the weapon was not yet complete.
“We’re out of Emperor Jade?!”
The realization spread like wildfire through the crowd.
The Emperor’s expression darkened.
Princess Chi Kai’s eyes widened in disbelief.
And Kent King?
He simply leaned back, a smug smile creeping onto his lips.