Chapter 170

Chapter 170: Forging Conference (1)

However, as if he knew what Lou Yun was thinking, Xu Yangteng explained in a low whisper, "Brother Lou, this area is divided into eight sections. From first to seventh-tier skilled weapon makers, each tier gets one section. The remaining two sections are for newcomers without any rank, and one is reserved exclusively for distinguished guests!"

"Distinguished guests?" Lou Yun raised his eyebrows. "Who are the distinguished guests each time?"

"I’m not sure either," Xu Yangteng replied. "The distinguished guests change every time. Rumor has it one famous guest was even Ao Wushen, but I never got to see him!"

The organizer of the Forging Conference was Beichen Ming. Given his status and position on Spirit Weapon Star, anyone he invited as a distinguished guest had to show him some respect. So, Ao Wushen, the strongest expert on Spirit Weapon Star, agreeing to come wasn’t anything surprising.

By that time, many people had gathered in the valley. Looking around, there were roughly several thousand individuals. Adding in those who hadn’t yet entered from outside, the total crowd counted out to only about five thousand people.

Gathering five thousand people in one valley was considered large, but from the perspective of the entire Spirit Weapon Star, five thousand was truly insignificant. This showed that skilled weapon makers on Spirit Weapon Star were indeed rare profession, which was why they held such a high status and commanded such great respect.

The young guide led Lou Yun and Xu Yangteng to a section and said, "Your spot is here. But this friend appears to be a newcomer, so he can stay here temporarily for now. Later, he must go to the newcomer area."

The young man had a sharp eye, instantly deducing that Lou Yun was a novice.

Xu Yangteng nodded and said, "Okay, we understand. I’ll make sure my brother heads to the newcomer area later."

The young man smiled faintly, nodded once more, pointed out the location of the newcomer area to both of them, then turned and walked away.

At that moment, Lou Yun finally voiced the doubt in his mind. "Elder Brother Xu Yangteng, who exactly is that Master Fan and Short Winter Melon?"

Even though those two were nowhere nearby and couldn’t possibly overhear their conversation, Xu Yangteng instinctively lowered his voice. "Master Fan is Fan Ruobing. As a sixth-tier skilled weapon maker on Spirit Weapon Star, he’s just below Elder Bei in terms of forging skill. In recent years, since Elder Bei has rarely taken on weapon-making requests, Fan Ruobing’s reputation and standing have subtly started to overshadow Elder Bei’s, almost replacing him."

"Oh!" Lou Yun nodded.

So that’s how impressive Fan Ruobing’s background was—no wonder he acted so arrogantly and domineeringly. But as for the claim that his reputation could eclipse Beichen Ming’s, Lou Yun absolutely refused to accept it. After interacting with Beichen Ming for so long, Lou Yun knew his elegance and magnanimity couldn’t possibly be matched by Fan Ruobing.

"And what about Short Winter Melon?"

"Short Winter Melon!" A smile surfaced on Xu Yangteng’s face. "Ai Donghua! If you know his nickname, how come you don’t know about him?"

So Lou Yun briefly recounted his encounter on the road when he was forging weapons and got discovered by Short Winter Melon, who then schemed against him. "I don’t even know him. He’s the one who told me he’s called Short Winter Melon himself."

"Oh, I see!" Xu Yangteng nodded. "Then you’d better stay cautious with him. He’s a fifth-tier skilled weapon maker. His forging skills aren’t bad, but in the skilled weapon maker circles, his reputation is awful. They say he’s treacherously cunning and stops at nothing to get what he wants, plus he has a nasty temper and seeks revenge for even the slightest offense. If anyone crosses him, he’ll relentlessly plot retribution. However, I’ve never met him myself; this is all hearsay. Anyway, you should keep your distance in the future."

On the surface, Lou Yun nodded in agreement, but deep down, he thought differently. Short Winter Melon had repeatedly schemed against him and desperately tried to kill him—he couldn’t just let him off that easily. If Short Winter Melon didn’t come after him, Lou Yun would provoke him himself! After all, he had to honor his earlier performance!

As for Fan Ruobing and Short Winter Melon’s backgrounds, Lou Yun acknowledged them but shrugged them off without dwelling on them. His primary focus remained on the current Forging Conference. "Elder Brother Xu Yangteng, tell me in detail exactly what happens at this Forging Conference."

"Alright!"

Xu Yangteng pondered earnestly. "I’ve only joined twice; I don’t know if older events were identical to now. I’ll explain it based on the two Forging Conferences I’ve attended."

"The Forging Conference can be split into three main segments. First, for skilled weapon makers at all ranks like us, they decide promotions by forging weapons. Second, newcomers forge weapons to determine if they qualify as skilled weapon makers. Third is purely competitive trials, divided into two parts. The first part involves combat across all ranks, where participants compete against each other; sixth-tier skilled weapon makers set the judging standards, and winners receive valuable prizes. This part is the biggest draw since the rewards are rich and esteemed."

"And the second part is challenges: any skilled weapon maker can challenge others at any rank to a duel by forging weapons. Even a newcomer can challenge Elder Bei. The judging here doesn’t focus on the weapon’s rank but evaluates appearance, internal qualities, and other aspects. For example, if you can only forge an intermediate common weapon, you could challenge Elder Bei to craft the same, then other master judges would compare the results. If you win, Elder Bei has to forfeit an item of your choice! Besides, naturally, you’d make a name for yourself instantly, making it the fastest way for a skilled weapon maker to gain fame."

Upon hearing about the challenges, Lou Yun couldn’t help but smile. That was the part he wanted most, and he had once challenged a fourth-tier skilled weapon maker—Xu Baichuan—the same way and won his Azure Cloud Cauldron.

Xu Yangteng paused briefly, then continued softly, "Oh, about Master Fan Ruobing earlier—when he was a fifth-tier skilled weapon maker, he challenged Elder Bei once and emerged victorious. That’s how he earned his status and prestige over time, which led to him becoming even more arrogant as years passed."

Lou Yun raised his eyebrows slightly, stunned that Fan Ruobing had actually challenged and beaten Beichen Ming. It seemed he truly did excel in forging, which explained his haughtiness—his talent fed his pride!

Next, Xu Yangteng detailed the specific rules and crucial considerations for Lou Yun. Simultaneously, both patiently awaited the start of the Forging Conference.

More and more people streamed into the valley. In the end, all eight sections were packed full except three. The sixth-tier skilled weapon maker area had the fewest people, only a few dozen. Seventh-tier skilled weapon maker territory—Beichen Ming’s exclusive zone—and the distinguished guest section remained unoccupied.

Lou Yun had long since left the second-tier skilled weapon maker section and moved to the newcomer area, securing a prime spot to sit.

Gazing at the dense figures before him, Lou Yun couldn’t help but reflect: though there were many skilled weapon makers, very few truly reached the peak heights. In fact, strictly speaking, no one on Spirit Weapon Star had ever achieved the pinnacle—none were ninth-tier skilled weapon makers! Making it to sixth tier was already impressive, but only Beichen Ming had attained seventh tier. Many people, due to innate or external weaknesses, might never go far, yet they persevered, like Xu Yangteng, diligently honing their craft in hopes of a brighter future.

Whether in weapon forging or cultivation, only a handful rise above the masses. That moment sparked a resolution in Lou Yun’s heart: he refused to be just another face in the crowd and vowed to fight his way to the summit.

Originally, Lou Yun’s drive came from shedding his "useless" label and fixing his father’s magical weapon. After over three years of effort, those goals were largely fulfilled. Now, his ambition was to guide the Lou Family toward resilient survival. To achieve that, he needed to reach the top.

Suddenly, a wave of commotion echoed from the valley entrance, instantly seizing the crowd’s attention inside. Thousands of gazes shot toward the mouth of the valley, where two figures entered side by side.

The figure on the left was an elderly man with silver hair and youthful features—thin-faced and serene. He was Beichen Ming, the seventh-grade skilled weapon maker.

The one on the right was a plump elder, smiling warmly and looking kindly. Lou Yun didn’t recognize him, but nearby murmurs of awe soon confirmed someone knew who he was.

Laughing and chatting easily, the two strode deeper into the valley. Behind them trailed several others. Upon glimpsing them, Lou Yun’s eyes widened suddenly, freezing him in place!

Among the followers was a man in his fifties. Lou Yun recognized him as Dai Rong, the steward of Yulu Mountain Manor. But what made Lou Yun’s jaw drop wasn’t Dai Rong but the girl at the rear of the entourage—a stunning beauty with icy demeanor, lightly radiating coldness and utter aloofness.

Seeing her, most men in the valley stood gawking, some nearly drooling. But their shock and Lou Yun’s weren’t the same.

"Liu. Ru. Yan!"

Lou Yun uttered the name softly under his breath.