Chapter 589 - 570: Who Shall Reign Supreme?

Tongming City.

As the foremost city in the Four Directions Small Thousand World, it had also become the gateway for welcoming visitors from other Small Thousand Realms. Every day, countless Cultivators flocked here from all corners of the world, all for one purpose: to visit the Holy Hall.

This legendary place.

The Holy Hall’s recruitment of new disciples, which occurred once every three years, was always the liveliest time in the entire Star Alliance.

This year, however, was particularly different. A heaven-and-earth-shaking duel was finally about to begin.

In the current Star Alliance, while there were four great powerhouses, only two were unanimously considered the strongest: Wang Meng and Mingren.

Both hailed from the Holy Hall. One presided over the Star Alliance, the other over the Pure Land. From the very beginning, they were evenly matched. During the war against the Demon Race, both had established their formidable might, but who was truly the number one under heaven?

The first-ever Qiankun Dragon Roar Moon Divine Statue?

Or the so-called immortal Holy Light Demon Collapse?

No one knew the answer, but countless people desperately wanted to. It had always been just a hypothetical question, but now, it was becoming a reality. Three years had passed, the influence of the Demon Race had gradually faded, and the Star Alliance was running smoothly once more. And now, the promise the two had made over a decade ago was finally about to be fulfilled.

That’s right—the battle between Wang Meng and Mingren.

The entire Small Thousand Realm was abuzz with talk of this event.

Every tavern in Tongming City was packed to the rafters, roaring with conversation.

"I heard that the Dragon Demon Lin Jinghao, who’s been missing for ages, has shown up at the No Illusion Demon Sect!"

"Yeah, and the Dragon Emperor is here too! The elites of the Dragon Race have already appeared in the Great Yuan Realm!"

"And that’s not all! The Eight Great Demon Kings of the Demon Race have also emerged. I just wonder where the battle will be held. If I could just get a glimpse of it, I could die happy."

"Get real. With your pathetic skills, you’d just get yourself killed by a stray blast of Elemental Qi."

"Tch, I think they’re just going to have a friendly spar. It’s all for show."

"You couldn’t be more wrong. You people don’t understand the Saint Demon at all. There are few things he cares about, but his battle with the Saint Emperor is what he values most. He orchestrated the battle at the Other Shore for this very purpose, though it never came to fruition. Defeating the Demon Race instead gave them more time, allowing both of their powers to reach their absolute peak. This is truly a battle of the strongest, completely unprecedented. I’m afraid this fight will be a duel to the death."

"A battle of gods... To miss a fight like this would be the regret of a lifetime."

"Tell me about it. It’s just a shame that the number of people who’ll get to see it can be counted on one hand."

It was the ultimate showdown between the Star Alliance’s two strongest. The battle at the Other Shore was still fresh in everyone’s minds, and the many Cultivators who had followed the two into the Slaughter Space knew firsthand that their heaven-and-earth-shaking power had already reached the very apex of what was possible in the Small Thousand Realm.

On a street in a quiet corner of Tongming City, a blacksmith shop had a low-key opening.

Its name was the Lin Family Blacksmith Shop.

It wasn’t a large establishment. A few dozen apprentices were inside, their hammers ringing out with a rhythmic CLANG CLANG CLANG. A burly Cultivator was presiding over the shop, and not far away, several young people were chatting and laughing.

During a time like this, even a shop in a remote corner would be discovered by Cultivators. The entire city of Tongming bore the mark of the Holy Hall, which was more than enough to pique the curiosity of Cultivators from every region.

"Huh? When did a blacksmith shop open here?"

"It wasn’t here yesterday. Come on, since we’re here, let’s go check it out. I actually need a new sword anyway. My test is in three days, so maybe it’ll bring me some good luck!"

"Haha, you’re one of the top talents from the Tianlun Small Thousand World! If even you’re worried, the rest of us might as well pack up and head home right now."

The young man shook his head. "That’s not what the Holy Hall values. Everyone’s aptitude is different, and outward performance isn’t the only metric they use. That’s why someone in my situation has even more to worry about."

"Let’s go in and have a look."

The five young men walked in but couldn’t help frowning. The smiths inside all looked far too young. Forging weapons required rich experience and considerable strength.

"Welcome, gentlemen, please come in. Today is our grand opening, so we’re offering an Eight Discount. Plus, our head smith is personally taking commissions."

A young apprentice stepped forward and spoke respectfully.

The five young men from different Small Thousand Realms exchanged glances. They suddenly realized the bearing of these apprentices was truly out of the ordinary. ’Tongming City really is on another level,’ they thought. ’Even the blacksmiths have such a refined air.’ They suddenly felt they ought to take this place a bit more seriously.

"My name is Zheng Kun. I’m a Sword Cultivator, and I’d like to have a sword forged. Could you help me, young master?"

"This way, please. Master, a customer wants to have a sword forged!" the young apprentice called out.

A laugh came from the inner room. "Looks like our luck is good. We’ve got a customer. Go on."

"In that case, I won’t be able to entertain you guys."

"Tch, who needs you to entertain us? We can make ourselves at home. By the way, this place is pretty bare-bones. We came all this way, and all you have for us is plain water and peanuts? Boss, you’re way too stingy."

"That has nothing to do with me. You guys are richer than I am."

The person speaking from the inner room also sounded quite young.

Zheng Kun cleared his throat a few times. "Young master, how much would it cost to forge a sword?"

He had to ask clearly; it was better to be safe than sorry. Legend had it that the Star Lord himself once ran into a scam shop that quoted an astronomical price right off the bat.

"Our head smith doesn’t normally take commissions, but since it’s our grand opening, we have a special offer. Let’s say one hundred thousand."

The five young men’s faces immediately darkened. ’Damn it all... After trying so hard to avoid them, we actually stumbled into one of those legendary scam shops.’

"Are you kidding me? This is daylight robbery! We’re in Tongming City! You people have some serious nerve!"

The young men immediately began to complain.

The young apprentice, however, remained unfazed. "I can forge it for you first. If you don’t feel it’s up to par, you don’t have to take it."

The five of them were stunned. ’Is that even a thing?’

"Oh, that’s one hundred thousand Top-Grade Spirit Stones," the apprentice added.

"Who’s the one who wants a sword forged? Follow me." A Body Cultivator walked out of the inner room. He didn’t look very old and had no discernible Elemental Power fluctuations, yet his words carried an authority that couldn’t be questioned. The five young men simply stared blankly as they followed him.

The young-looking head smith’s methods seemed surprisingly professional. He felt Zheng Kun’s hand and took a few measurements. "Wait over there. I’ll call you when it’s ready."

Zheng Kun and the others were taken aback. He couldn’t help but ask, "Is that it? Don’t you need to check my Elemental Power attribute and the operational frequency of my Cultivation Technique?"

The somewhat taciturn head smith simply shook his head.

The five men looked at each other. ’Damn it,’ they thought. ’We really did stumble into a scam shop.’

A piece of Fine Steel appeared. Elemental Power slowly began to condense, and in an instant, all five of them were dumbfounded.

This technique...

This level of power...

Soon, their minds went blank, completely mesmerized by the smith’s hammer. Time itself seemed to fade away.

At some unknown point, a simple Long Sword appeared.

BOOM...

The sound wasn’t loud, but it was crisp and clear. A sword, seemingly alive, hovered in mid-air, slowly drifting toward Zheng Kun.

"First day of business. It’s a gift," the head smith said, his voice still somewhat unenthusiastic.

"What the hell? I’m telling you, Old Suo, you can’t do that! If you keep this up, you’ll go out of business sooner or later."

"Fatty Zhang, can’t you say something auspicious for once? Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey."

"You guys are so cheap."

"Alright, alright. Suo Ming’s the boss here. The rest of you, stop meddling."

"Hee hee, Boss, I knew you were biased toward Old Suo! When are you going to open a shop for me?"

"What do you want to open? Don’t tell me it’s a Spring Breeze One Leaf Tower?"

Everyone burst out laughing. The five young men just stood there foolishly. ’These people... why do they look so familiar? I feel like I’ve seen them somewhere before.’

Suo Ming... Suo Ming?

The Holy Hall Beings?????

The five young men’s legs went weak. ’The legendary Holy Hall Beings... are right in front of us?’

By the time their brains started working again, they found that the Holy Hall Beings were gone. Standing beside them was the same young apprentice from before, holding a sword in his hands.

"The head smith said this sword is a gift for you. He wishes you the best of luck."

"Y-Young master... were those people just now...?"

The young apprentice smiled. "That was Elder Suo. He rarely comes by. You guys are really lucky."

Even the young apprentice was a little envious. It was only then that the five realized that even the apprentices here possessed extraordinary strength.

The five young men walked out of the Lin Family Blacksmith Shop in a daze, feeling as if they were in a dream.

Suddenly, Zheng Kun let out a piercing scream, and the other four also charged out, roaring wildly.

A short while later, the Lin Family Blacksmith Shop was completely surrounded by a massive crowd.

This was just one small legend among many.

The Pure Land had also changed. In the past, it was a mysterious and completely sealed-off realm, but now it occasionally received visitors. At the same time, members of the Demon Race began to appear in the Small Thousand Realm. After the battle at the Other Shore and the war against the Demons, the Cultivators’ warmth toward their Demon Race allies was beyond imagination.

The experience of fighting and dying together had forged a different kind of bond.

However, the Pure Land had received quite a few guests during this time.

Lin Jinghao... No one knew what on earth he was wearing, nor where he had run off to these past few years. The young master truly was one to leave at the drop of a hat, without a single lingering thought. Apparently, his current style of dress was called "trendy" and "artsy."

"I thought you weren’t coming, Brother Lin," said Bu Qingyun. In contrast, Bu Qingyun’s own attire was the very definition of meticulous. He adhered strictly to the path of classical cultivation, and every disciple of the Cyan Cloud Sect was just as formal and rigid.

"How could I miss this? I might skip other things, but I had to come for this. I’ve been waiting for these two to throw down for ages, haha," Lin Jinghao laughed.

"How about we continue our own unfinished battle from back then?" Linglong said.

The Linglong of today radiated the domineering aura of the Dragon Emperor from head to toe. This was true even though she was female; the imposing presence of the Dragon Race was innate.

Lin Jinghao gave a wry smile. "My dear Dragon Emperor, I rushed all the way back here, and not only do you not invite me to the Dragon God Hall for a visit and offer me some travel money, but you want to start a fight? Let’s not be so violent."

Linglong couldn’t help but smile. "Fine. You’re welcome anytime."

"Really? That’s great! I hear that if you just chip a piece of rock off anything in your place, it’s a priceless treasure. Yue Shan, do you have a sharp shovel I can borrow when the time comes?"

Lin Jinghao chuckled.

"That bastard Wang Meng must have told you that!" Linglong said, grinding her teeth.

Everyone burst into laughter. The tangled and complicated relationship between Linglong and Wang Meng was another hot topic in the Star Alliance.

"No problem. But there’s a finder’s fee. I want half."

"Right, right, finder’s fee! I want in too!" Zou Chuang’s voice rang out.

"Damn, this is a stick-up! You want me to take all the risk? Forget it, I’m not going anymore."

Lin Jinghao smiled wryly. ’What a bunch of bandits.’

For the past few years, everyone had been busy with their own affairs. The cultivators cultivated, the dreamers pursued their dreams, and the slackers slacked off. In any case, everyone was doing exactly what they wanted to be doing.

But now that Wang Meng and Mingren were about to fight, everything else, no matter how important, had to be put aside.

"Who does everyone think has a better chance of winning this fight?" Ji Rushan suddenly asked.

A moment of quiet fell over the group as they pondered the question. "Hard to say."

"It’s really hard to say."

"What are you all talking about? Big Brother will definitely win!" declared Cheng Cheng, who had grown from a little girl into a stunning young lady, as she clenched her small fists.

Everyone shared a knowing smile. Against anyone else, Wang Meng would be the definite winner. But against Mingren, no one could be sure.