Chapter 87: Champion!

The following morning came and blacksmith competition's second round began.

There Xiu Ye was told something very surprising.

"I don't have to compete anymore?" He said blinking his eyes, surprised.

A tall middle aged man with ordinary looks and buff manly build, grunted and nodded at the same time. He was one of the judges from yesterday. "Yeah lad. Me and the others had decided to just name you the winner of the junior division competition to save you and us the trouble."

Xiu Ye dropped his jaw.

"Is, is that legal?"

"No. It is very much illegal. But by showing us your skills yesterday, however short it may be, and some information fellow master Cen Yue told us, we judged that there are no one in the junior and even adolescent competition capable of competing against you. So it was decided to just hand you the championship." He said with a weary sigh.

"Okay... so the competition is over?" Xiu Ye asked.

The man shook his head. "No. It still continues as it is so we can judge on who will get the second and third place. As for you, well, you're free to go wherever the hell you want. But the official announcement and rewards given would be tomorrow after the final round, so be sure to be here tomorrow to get your rewards for getting first place."

"Okay." Xiu Ye nodded.

Now, what the heck was he going to do now? He has until about a couple of hours till his individual competition would start. Should he head there now?

"Xiu Ye." Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice called out.

Xiu He turned to see a white-haired old man and a middle-aged man approaching him. The white-haired man had two callused hands and walked in front, his large body bursting with vigor. He carried the imposing aura of a prestigious blacksmith.

"Yes?" Xiu Ye raised an eyebrow, he was certain that this man was not part of Eastsea City's delegation. From his build and the callouses in his hands, he was certain that the man in front of him was part of the Skysea City's Blacksmith Association.

"I saw your performance yesterday and I have to say, it was obvious that you were going to be the champion." The old man stopped right in front of Xiu Ye.

He stood abnormally tall, towering over the rest of the crowd. Even Xiu Ye, who was by no means short among his peers, only reached up to the man's belly.

'Woah.'

The old man said, "I'm the president of the Skysea Blacksmith's Association, Duan Xuan. But you can just call me Elder Duan. You're very talented in forging. It's a pity that I wouldn't be able to see you perform in the second and final round. I would have loved to see you outdo everyone in the competition and show us an impossible display of blacksmithing."

Xiu Ye smiled and nodded respectfully.

"Thank you for the compliment Elder Duan. I'll be sure to show off more of my skills in the future."

Duan Xuan smiled. "So here's the deal: Skysea City has a recommendation program for talented individuals. When I saw your work, I could tell you have great potential. Are you interested in coming to Skysea City to develop yourself?"

'He's recruiting me?' Xiu Ye instantly understood Duan Xuan's intentions.

"Elder Duan, I'm afraid I'll have to refuse," he calmly said.

He was already planning on creating his company back at Eastsea City, or Shrek City if he was recruited by them, and he doesn't want to build his main company in a city that he doesn't know much about yet. Also, he didn't have the same connections that he has or could in the mentioned cities that could hastened the progress of his company. If he accepted his offer, he would be under constant surveillance.

His freedom would be gone.

Most importantly however, was that none of his friends would be there with him.

Duan Xuan said, "Don't refuse so quickly kid. Hear out this old man's conditions first. I'm sure you're aware that Skysea City is the largest city on the east coast. It stands above Eastsea City in both political and economic power. Whatever Eastsea Blacksmith's Association can give you, we can also do the same. Furthermore, we can pay for all of your forging expenses until you become a Saint Blacksmith. You should know just how much money and time it costs to attack Spirit and Soul Refinement. Many blacksmiths waste enormous amounts of time, money, and energy once the time comes. Considering your talent, we're more than willing to pay for your expenses until you break through Soul Refinement. We also guarantee to support you in the future and foster your growth to at least a Soul Saint. This is what we're offering. How about it?"

Xiu Ye had to admit, this Duan Xuan really knew how to tempt people. Covering the costs of becoming a Saint Blacksmith and guaranteeing to make him a Soul Saint was alluring to most people.

Unfortunately for him however, he underestimated his talents.

"Thank you for your offer." Xiu Ye bowed to Elder Duan. "But I cannot accept. I already have a teacher. I am a member of Eastsea Blacksmith's Association. Your offer is tempting, but I cannot betray my conscious. Goodbye." The offer wasn't really tempting however, but he didn't need to know that. He raised his head back and turned around, intending to walk away.

Duan Xuan was taken aback. "Kid, do you have any idea just how much resources and money I'm offering you? It's simply an astronomical figure. Even if you're lucky and capable, you'll probably need an extra ten years to accomplish the same thing. In fact, it might take even longer. How much do you think ten years of a person's life is? If you miss the golden period, you will have a much harder time becoming a Saint Blacksmith. I'm certain that Eastsea's Blacksmith's Association cannot give you what I can."

Xiu Ye suppressed a cold snort coming out of him. 'You underestimate my power, old man.'

Xiu Ye stopped in place and stared at him with determination. "Elder Duan, I must thank you once again. However, I truly cannot accept. I understand how valuable what you're offering me is, but I already have a teacher. I cannot betray my teacher. I cannot betray my association. I cannot betray my colleagues. But most importantly, I will never betray my friends."

Duan Xuan was stunned. The middle-aged man beside him stepped forward and was about to put in a few words, but Duan Xuan raised a hand to stop him.

The old man sighed. "What a good kid. Mu Chen is so lucky. Very well, I will honour and respect your decision. But whenever you visit the city, just know that our doors are forever open for you."

He rubbed Xiu Ye's head before turning around, leaving with large strides. As a man of his status, it wouldn't be appropriate for him to insist after rejection.

'That boy... Why does he seem familiar?' Duan Xuan closed his eyes and tried to remember why he was feeling such familiarity, sadly however he wasn't able to. 'I probably met a relative of his before. Whatever. I'll ask Mu Chen about it later on.'

After that brief encounter with Duan Xuan, Xiu Ye decided to wander around the city to waste some time before his match. He would have invited his friends or gone back to the hotel to interact with them but they were all busy doing a last minute training. While Tang Wulin and Mu Xi were both still in the blacksmith competition, he bet that they were wondering on where the hell he was.

He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice someone walking in front of him. It was too late for him notice however, as they now collided with each other.

There was a loud feminine yelp heard and Xiu Ye snapped out of his thoughts, though he remain firm and strong as a mountain however.

Due to tempering his body with the help of training the Unlimited Sword Body and assimilating his physique with Tiangou's Life Force Seed, his body could be said to be more powerful than Tang Wulin's and estimated to be as powerful as a Defense System Soul King.

Unfortunately for the one who collided with him, she didn't share the same physique as him. As she roughly walked into him she started falling backwards.

Xiu Ye's instincts kicked and he quickly leaned towards her, wrapped his right hand around her waist and he grabbed her right arm with his other.

"Are you alright–?!" Xiu Ye's eyes widened in surprise, and so did the familiar girl in his arms.

"You!" Ye Xinglan started, her cheeks flushed red.

And something in Xiu Ye told him that it wasn't embarrassment or shame.

"Me." He released her, dropping her to the ground.

"Ah!" Ye Xinglan's yelped and she quickly stabilize her footing and balance. Letting out a sigh of relief she glared at Xiu Ye. "What is wrong with you?!"

Xiu Ye shrugged. "Eh. Not gonna lie, I have a lot of issues."

"..." Ye Xinglan stared at him like she was looking at a weirdo before shaking her head. She rested one of her hands on her hip, she asked. "So, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at that blacksmith competition?"

"The judges had judged that my blacksmithing skills was above everyone in the junior division competition and so decided to just hand over the title of champion to me so as to not break the other competitors' spirits." Xiu Ye said.

"...What?" Ye Xinglan flatly stared at him.

Xiu Ye shrugged. "It's true. You can come watch tomorrow's rewarding ceremony at the blacksmith competition if you don't believe me."

'Just who is this guy?' Although she didn't know much about blacksmithing, Ye Xinglan had the common sense to understand what Xiu Ye said. In the entire junior division competition of blacksmithing, the latter was so far in terms of blacksmithing that the judges themselves had to bend the rules and directly named him as the champion as to not break the other junior blacksmiths' spirits.

'He's a genius blacksmith, probably someone that is once in a hundred years,' She thought. 'but then, why does he carry a profound aura of steel around him? Although he hides it well, I can still sense the essence of a powerful swordsman around him. He is much stronger than I am and most of the other swordsmen I have met with, even father.'

"Which is why I'm here. The individual competition wouldn't start until a couple hours later and my other friends are busy. So I decided to just wander around the city, wasting time until then." Xiu Ye quirked an eyebrow before his lips curled into a smile. "Hey, wanna come along?"

"Huh?" Ye Xinglan said, baffled.

Xiu Ye grinned.

Ye Xinglan stared at him for a moment before looking away and nodded.

"Great! Hey, want some koka-kola? Don't give me that look, it's my treat. I promise."

"Mm."

...

Xiu Ye went into the individual competition stadium and there he met up with his friends.

"I'm not too late to the party, am I?" He said as he one-arm hugged Wulin around his neck.

"Dude! Where have you been? We've been looking all over for you!" Tang Wulin said in surprise. The others shared the same look as they stare at Xiu Ye.

Xiu Ye shrugged his shoulder, "Well the judges deem it fit that I was above everyone in the competition and decided to just give me the victory: making me the champion." Everyone's jaw dropped. "Since I had nothing better to do, and you were all so busy, I decided to wander around the city to pass the time."

"Woah. They actually made you champion, before the second and final round started?" Xu Xiaoyan's eyes sparkled in awe.

Mu Xi shook her head, her lips pulled back into a wide teeth smile. "As expected of my teacher." Xie Xie and Tang Wulin nodded in agreement.

Gu Yue smiled and gave Xiu Ye a thumbs up. "Congratulations."

"Aw, thanks guys." Xiu Ye smiled. He turned his head around to see when his match was going to start and who's his opponent is.

He raised an eyebrow in surprise.

His opponent was Ye Xinglan.

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