Lord of Prayer - Chapter 316 - 215: Become a Good Person?

To be fair,

in a world-class competition watched by millions, a catchy name certainly gave contestants an edge. It helped them attract an audience and build buzz more quickly.

For most contestants, the fear wasn’t losing, but rather fading into obscurity.

The leaderboard only showed the top one hundred contestants and their works. In first place was “Magnetic Field Lunatic,” whose creation was an ornate and exquisite pair of steampunk-style gloves capable of controlling lightning and electrostatic fields.

In second place was “My Big Hammer is Thirsty.” His creation was a heavy, mechanical-style greatsword with a visually exaggerated flame thruster on its spine. According to the description, this Jet Sword had the Thunder Attribute. After being infused with Essence, it would charge up Thunder Power in three tiers. The more tiers it charged, the more devastating the damage it would unleash.

Third place was Zhou Chen, with his creation, the Tachi: Fulei. Compared to the previous two, it was far less flashy and leaned more toward a traditional cold weapon.

In fourth place was “Brother Long is here,” with a high-tech Plasma Rifle.

In fifth place was “Thanks Piyanzi for the Plane,” with a creation named “Thunderous Heaven Shattering.” It was a crudely designed, handheld Thunderbolt Heavy Cannon with a muzzle a full fifteen centimeters in diameter. The body of the cannon was as tall as a person, a perfect embodiment of brute force.

The further Zhou Chen read down the list, the more he had to scratch his head. There was a surprising number of firearms, like the Plasma Rifle and Thunderbolt Heavy Cannon.

’Is this the Sword Forging Competition?’

’Why are firearms even allowed?’

After looking over the leaderboard, he headed to the community forums. Sure enough, plenty of new viewers were posting threads with the same question.

[Noob question: Why are firearms like Plasma Rifles and Thunderbolt Heavy Cannons showing up in the Sword Forging Competition? Isn’t this a “Sword Forging” competition?]

The replies below:

“What century are you living in, still talking about traditional sword forging? The times have changed, buddy.”

“The OP is clearly a new viewer. The ’Sword Forging’ part actually means ’Weapon Forging.’ You can just think of it as a general weapons competition. Any weapon that meets the criteria can be entered, and can even win the championship.”

“Yeah, that’s right. The audience just loves watching flashy, over-the-top stuff to kill time.”

“It’s actually for the best. By lifting the restrictions and not just sticking to cold weapons, they allow the contestants to let their wild imaginations run free with their forging. Combine that with the outdoor reality-show format, and you’ve got the recipe that made the Sword Forging Competition one of the top shows in the world.”

Zhou Chen understood. As long as it fit into the “weapon” category, it was fair game. That was why the contestants wracked their brains to come up with such flashy designs. After all, the more unique and outlandish the weapon, the more memorable it would be.

Soon, another notification popped up. The organizers had released a teaser video announcing the prizes for both the qualifying rounds and the final tournament.

Zhou Chen had placed third in the qualifiers. His prizes included one million Eastern Continent coins, the choice of any one item from the prize pool, and a one-year Black Gold Member Card for the Forging Association. The most valuable of these was undoubtedly the Forging Association’s Black Gold membership. It represented connections, resources, status, and access to countless forging techniques. As long as he was willing to learn, one year was enough to allow his skills to advance by leaps and bounds.

After covering the prizes for the qualifiers, and following a long-winded, ten-minute introduction, the host finally began to reveal the prizes for the final tournament.

“The top twenty contestants in the final tournament will all receive a custom-tailored Advanced Secret Ceremony service, courtesy of the Helandy Alchemy Workshop, as well as a lifetime Black Gold Member Card and a share of the prize pool.

The top ten contestants will receive a full set of premium forging equipment from the Forging Association. Additionally, the Association will cover the costs of all supplementary materials for the Advancement ceremonies of those who place from fourth to tenth.

The prizes for the top three are even more generous. The Association will fully cover their Advanced Secret Ceremonies, and they will be enrolled as lifetime Black Gold Members. They will receive a fifteen percent discount on all purchases made through any Forging Association platform, as well as a large annual member gift package.

Furthermore, the top three contestants will also receive personal guidance from several famous Master Forgers, including Celestial Craft, Vulcan, and the Dwarf Master.

As for the sole champion of the competition, they will be awarded the S35 Global Forging Competition championship trophy, be inducted into the Forging Association’s Hall of Fame, and receive—

the Forging Hammer once used by Forging Master Mitkail!”

The video then showed an ordinary-looking Anvil Hammer resting beside an Anvil. As the camera circled it in a 360-degree pan, the host’s voiceover began:

“Forging Master Mitkail passed away from illness last October. In his will, he stipulated that the Forging Hammer that accompanied him for so many years be donated to the Association and offered as a prize in this year’s Sword Forging Competition.

This Forging Hammer was by Master Mitkail’s side for decades. Through years of relentless forging, it gradually fused with his Essence, undergoing a miraculous Transformation to become an Extraordinary Item. When used to craft an Artifact, the success rate is increased by ten percent. Not only that, but there is also a chance…”

Zhou Chen was no longer listening to the host’s narration. At that moment, the Hammer of Forging deep within his Soul began to stir.

It was yearning.

Yearning for the Anvil Hammer left behind by Mitkail, the one shown in the video.

’You want this hammer.’

Zhou Chen focused his senses and murmured, “Can it help you repair yourself?”

When the King of Melting and Casting, Robert, forged the Godslaying Sword, he had perished utterly. In the process, the Hammer of Forging had exhausted its divinity and suffered severe damage. It needed to be restored by constantly absorbing Secret Power through the act of forging.

But there was another, faster method: to absorb Secret Power from other items belonging to the Casting Realm.