Martial Arts Sainthood Begins with the Tiger-Taming Fist

Chapter 130 The Swordsmith of the Cangming Sect

Qiu Chengdao's gaze sharpened slightly as he looked at the man.

The other person walked in with a leisurely gait.

The crowd unconsciously stepped back a distance to avoid him.

Chen Mo's attention, however, was focused on the other person's face, or more precisely, on the black cloth covering their face.

Just like the brother and sister Chen Mo killed a few days ago.

"People from the Cangming Sect?" he thought to himself.

But there was still a lingering doubt: where did the evil sect get the audacity to storm the Sword Forging Pavilion?

A few breaths later.

The other party has already entered the hall.

Qiu Chengdao spoke, his tone tinged with doubt: "Have I seen you before?"

Fang Lang chuckled, "Old people's memories are just not good. We've not only met before, you almost killed me."

The moment those words left his lips, a memory from many years ago flooded Qiu Chengdao's mind, and he suddenly blurted out, "You're from the Cangming Sect!?"

Qiu Chengdao's words confirmed Chen Mo's suspicions.

It is perfectly normal for Qiu Chengdao, as a long-established senior figure, to have come into contact with and even fought against the Cangming Sect.

Tang Tian and Wu Zheng, standing to the side, were also filled with astonishment.

As for the other young people, they had all heard of the Cangming Sect's infamous reputation to some extent. Apart from Chen Mo and Xu Yan, a few others retreated to a corner.

Yun Zan did not back down; she immediately held her sword horizontally in front of her and stood shoulder to shoulder with Chen Mo.

Seeing everyone's reaction, a wicked smile appeared on the man's face. "What's the panic? I'm here to participate in the internal examination. The Sword Forging Pavilion has a rule that no one can be prevented from participating in the Sword Forging Meeting for any reason. Qiu Cheng, is what I said true?"

Qiu Chengdao said in a deep voice, "That's true. The Sword Forging Association welcomes sword-forging geniuses from all over the world, but today is the internal test, and my Sword Forging Pavilion did not invite you."

"Hahaha, everyone says that the Sword Forging Pavilion is open to all, but today I see that it is so petty. Are you afraid that if I perform too well, it will affect the reputation of your sects and families? Since the internal test is to test the level of the seeded candidates, then I will volunteer to take the test as well."

Qiu Chengdao fell into thought and then realized that rather than letting the opponent cause trouble in the main competition, it would be better to observe their level now so that there would be a way to deal with them later.

Thinking of this, he slowly nodded, "Please go ahead."

The other party smiled smugly, picked up a piece of hard iron, casually found a furnace, and began to quench it.

His movements were skillful and swift.

Subtly, his skill level surpasses that of Chen Zhiyi, a fourth-rank swordsmith.

In less than fifteen minutes, a piece of iron, quenched and shaped, was thrown in front of Qiu Chengdao.

"Vice Pavilion Master Qiu, how do I fare? Am I good enough for your approval?"

Qiu Chengdao glanced at the iron block and said, "Quenching removes more than 95% of the impurities."

These words struck everyone like a boulder.

Chen Zhiyi was already suffocating people, but the existence of someone even stronger than Chen Zhiyi left people with no will to resist.

Ironically, such an entity originated from a heretical sect.

The other party grasped the scorching iron block in his palm, exerted force suddenly, and the iron block turned into fine iron filings, which fell down in a flurry.

He suddenly turned around to face the crowd and said, "Everyone, in the main competition, I will use you all as stepping stones for me. Remember, my name is Qi Wushang."

After saying that, he stepped through the gate and disappeared from everyone's sight.

The atmosphere in the hall was somber.

No one dared to speak; all eyes were on Qiu Chengdao, who was deep in thought with his head down.

After a moment, Qiu Chengdao raised his head and said solemnly, "Did you all hear that? Qi Wushang passed the exam to become a third-grade swordsmith more than ten years ago, but he was of an evil nature and was taken in by the Cangming Sect. During that great battle, I had the opportunity to kill him, but I spared him out of consideration for our past relationship. Now..."

No one dared to utter a sound.

Qiu Chengdao continued, "Now that the Cangming Sect has made a comeback, they will inevitably use the Sword Forging Conference to retaliate against the Sword Forging Pavilion. If they win the championship, the damage to the Sword Forging Pavilion's reputation is a minor matter; causing turmoil in Chuzhou would be a major issue."

Upon hearing this, everyone's fighting spirit soared.

At the same time, they were also terrified. How could a third-grade swordsmith possibly compete with a fourth-grade swordsmith?

Two conflicting emotions.

They all glanced at Chen Zhiyi discreetly.

They all secretly thought that now, Chen Zhiyi was the only one who had a chance to defeat Qi Wushang at the sword-forging conference.

In previous years, a third-rank swordsmith would have a chance to win the title of Swordsmithing Association champion, but this year, Chen Zhiyi has surpassed everyone else.

However, the appearance of Qi Wushang extinguished everyone's hopes.

As for Chen Mo, who just performed admirably, his tempering skills do not necessarily reflect his sword-forging abilities.

Chen Zhiyi's expression turned solemn, and he immediately felt as if a thousand burdens were pressing down on his shoulders.

At that moment, Tang Tian's shout broke the silence: "You little brats, fucking beat him up!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Mo faintly heard someone next to him grit their teeth.

After leaving the Sword Forging Pavilion, Chen Mo, Xu Yan, and Yun Zan walked side by side.

He Can followed behind, looking completely lost.

To ease the somber atmosphere, Chen Mo changed the subject: "Will you be participating in the Hundred Academies Martial Arts Competition next month?"

Xu Yan immediately replied, "Of course! The Hundred Academies Martial Arts Competition is a chance for a carp to leap over the dragon gate. Every master of the Transformation Realm will try, just in case they get lucky and succeed!"

Yun Zan, standing to the side, said, "I'll participate too. The sword you forged for me last time can be used in the Hundred Academies Martial Arts Competition. There are many sword masters in Nine Swords Mountain. Even if I can't become a core disciple, I can still learn a lot."

Chen Mo thought for a moment, "With so many people, the competition must be extremely fierce."

Xu Yan added, "Because there are so many participants, the rules of the Hundred Academies Martial Arts Competition are different from other competitions; it is a team competition."

O

"A team?" Chen Mo asked with a suspicious look.

"Yes, the two teams will fight each other, and the team that is left at the end will be the final winner. During this process, the sect elders will select core disciples based on each person's performance."

Chen Mo suddenly understood after hearing this.

The Hundred Schools Martial Arts Evaluation is not limited to new disciples. With all disciples combined, there are at least several hundred. With such a huge number, obtaining a core disciple spot is like finding a needle in a haystack, making it extremely difficult.

"So, we need to assemble a team in advance?" he asked.

Xu Yan nodded, then patted her chest. "Of course. Considering your talent in sword forging, I'll reluctantly include you in my team!"

"Thank you, senior sister. How many people are in your team?"

"There can only be six people at most. Senior Brother, Second Senior Sister, and Li Xuanyin will form a team. We can't squeeze in, so we'll have to form our own team. By the way, would Yun Zan like to join our team?"

She turned to look at Yun Zan.

The latter's eyes lit up, and he glanced slightly at Chen Mo's side before replying, "Of course I'm willing."

Xu Yan smiled happily, "With the addition of the beautiful Yun Zan, our team's strength will reach a new level."

The three chatted and laughed all the way.

Behind the three, He Can's face grew increasingly grim.