Misunderstanding Among Old Six, Three Seals Combined

"Chu Long, I still need elite heavy silver, gale iron, and mystic iron essence..."

Watching the craftsmen brawl over materials, some even coming to blows, Li Mo sighed. Then, like reciting a menu, he listed a string of materials.

I have Little Jiang, the treasure girl with innate sword bones—whatever I need, she can find it. How will you all compete with that?

Young Li raised his chin proudly.

"Sister Bing, I’ve found all the materials Brother Li needs."

Swish—

One after another, broken weapons flew from the mountain of blades, as if weary birds returning to their nest.

I even have my big treasure, the ice block—ten thousand swords bow to her will. Just name it, and it comes. How will you all compete with that?

Young Li puffed out his chest, wearing the same aloof expression as the ice block.

If it were his master here, she’d be roasting everyone present, hands on her hips, demanding, "Haters, speak up!"

But Young Li was different. He preferred to stay low-key.

He’d rather say nothing and play the expert.

Admittedly, Young Li had mastered the essence of the "Fighting King’s" teachings—surpassing the master himself. Standing there silently, he gave the ice block’s slender hand a gentle squeeze, a faint smirk on his lips.

As if saying:

"I’ll take the materials, and you’ll all eat this dog food too. Whatcha gonna do about it?"

Normally, no one could see his expression clearly, but the Rivers and Mountains Scroll was projecting it live. This silent arrogance was visible across the entire imperial capital.

Those who witnessed it couldn’t help but lean back, sucking in a sharp breath.

"Is there no justice? No law~~~?"

"Are you kidding me? I came here for a weapon-forging competition, not to get murdered by romance!"

"Refund! Refund!"

"Hahaha, damn it! If I were the Emperor, I’d exile one of you to the Northern Sea and the other to the Southern Border!"

The audience was furious, their indignation palpable.

"Tch, a bunch of amateurs."

In the stands, a white-robed swordsman snorted coldly, clearly disdainful of the crowd’s shock.

"You talk so big—you must know a lot about weapon forging, huh?" someone nearby retorted, glaring.

"Nope."

"Then what gives you the right to—"

"I’ve long since gotten used to this kind of dog food. I don’t get why you’re all making a fuss."

Bai Jinghong remained unperturbed.

Beside him, Cao Mu nodded while hugging his sword, and Wu Chushu wiped drool from his mouth before quickly schooling his expression.

"..."

The bystanders fell into deep thought.

What exactly are you all so proud of?

Meanwhile, at the entrance to the Sword Furnace Plaza...

"Just made it in time."

Xiao Qin, carrying a broken sword, had a black eye on his left side.

Beside him, Huang Donglai sported a black eye on his right.

Xiao Qin had been traveling nonstop, barely making it to the weapon-forging competition’s opening. Luckily, he’d run into Huang Donglai along the way.

To be honest, he’d first noticed Huang Donglai because his teacher had warned him—this guy carried at least several dozen types of poison on him.

Why "at least"? Because there were over a hundred more he couldn’t identify.

Xiao Qin’s approach to the martial world was all about caution and prudence.

Using his teacher’s soul-sensing technique, he detected this guy tailing him, so he set up a trap, lying in ambush...

But he never expected...

Huang Donglai’s approach to the martial world was also all about caution and prudence.

The little stone in his pocket detected an unusual soul fluctuation.

That handsome guy with the broken sword seemed to be probing him with a secret technique!

He decided to counter-trap him, lying in ambush...

Two top-tier schemers, running into an ultimate schemer, should’ve led to an epic battle...

Except they couldn’t even break each other’s moves!

After half a day of skirmishing, each ended up with a black eye before realizing—oh, we’re both friends of Brother Li.

And neither had actually been stalking the other; they were just heading the same way...

So they teamed up and came together.

"We didn’t come to the wrong place, right? This is about the weapons we’ll use in the Hidden Dragon Tournament—can’t afford mistakes."

"We’re in the right place."

"How can you be so sure, Brother Huang? Have you been to a weapon-forging competition before?"

Xiao Qin was puzzled.

Huang Donglai pointed into the distance and handed him a telescope.

When Xiao Qin saw the two figures on the stage, his lips twitched, and he put away the instant noodles he’d just pulled out.

Ah, that familiar feeling of being force-fed.

Back at the competition...

Before Li Mo lay a pile of broken weapons.

Others had only taken two or three, but he’d grabbed over a dozen.

"Taking so many—are you planning to forge a hammer?"

"The best-quality broken weapons all went to him..."

"Do you even need that many? Refinement matters more than quantity—what’s the point of hoarding?"

"Too much will ruin the craft."

Many craftsmen and weapon-forging experts eyed Li Mo skeptically.

Does this guy even know how to forge?

"This kid... is he seriously trying my technique on his first try?"

Du Wufeng sounded uncertain.

Attempting his method right off the bat—this kid couldn’t be that monstrous, could he?

"Light the furnace!"

A dragon of flame, fueled by Falling Starfire and wrapped in Karmic Flame True Energy, surged from the sword furnace and coiled around the Mica Heavy Cauldron.

"Ice Block, once I hammer out the sword blank, the quenching is up to you!"

With that, Forty (the hammer) rose!

Clang—

The gale iron, softened by heat and melted by intense forging, erupted in sparks under the hammer’s blow. Impurities spewed out like wolf smoke.

The craftsmen gasped, nearly forgetting their own work.

The essence in that single strike...

They turned to the judges’ panel.

"Not bad. He’s grasped the basics, but the next step..."

Du Wufeng murmured, his eyes gleaming.

Li Mo closed his eyes, but the flames, the hammer, the metal—all resonated vividly in his mind.

This was the feeling of wielding Forty.

Just swing the hammer—as if guided by divine will. This was talent.

Maybe this was how Little Jiang felt with a sword, or how Ice Block comprehended martial arts...

"Why am I stuck with a hammer?!"

Young Li hammered down, blow after blow.

The onlookers gulped.

The Hammer Tyrant lived up to his name.

If he’s this intense forging metal, imagine him in a fight...

But it wasn’t just the intensity—his technique was extraordinary.

The host, a complete layman, deferred to Du Wufeng for commentary.

The Divine Craftsman explained:

"What Li Mo is doing is called the sandwich method, or 'three-layer fusion.'"

"Three-layer fusion uses three metals with different properties—each excelling in specific areas—for the outer layer, core, and blade edge. This creates a weapon that’s both tough and sharp."

"But he’s not stopping there. After combining the metals, he’s twisting and repeatedly forging them."

"The final quality depends on how many layers he can stack through this process."

"This tests the craftsman’s skill to the extreme. Initially, it’s about understanding the metals’ traits, but to truly unify them, one must harmonize their spiritual essence!"

"This is why, when I forged that famed weapon earlier, it bore dragon-scale patterns!"