Chapter 435
“I hope the spread of this thing isn’t as fast as I fear.”
“At least not before I can trace it back to its source…”
This was what Xiao Li was thinking.
But reality often runs counter to ideals…
It wasn’t just the Huanmo Sect that was wild; so was the Imperial Capital.
As he waited for the preliminary round to begin, Xiao Li was curious about why the Jian Zhuang hadn’t made a move yet.
Then he found out.
Under the blazing midday sun, with the weather cooperating beautifully, today was a perfect opportunity to show off one’s physique. A man dressed in extravagant purple robes, his makeup slightly exaggerated and clearly not a member of the Zhuang, stepped onto the stage.
He raised a loudspeaker in his hand, his voice sharp and indistinguishable in gender:
“Dear contestants, esteemed audience, and honorable judges, welcome to the 13th Forging Conference!”
“This event is exclusively sponsored by Tianzun Instant Noodles…”
“...?”
Sitting in the audience, Li Mo wanted to grab the icy hand of the Ice Block Princess to calm himself down.
But unfortunately, the Ice Block and Princess Xiao Jiang had gone to the Sword Tomb and wouldn’t return until after the preliminaries.
Damn it, exclusive sponsorship!
How could a product from the Huanmo Sect brazenly appear at the Imperial Capital Forging Conference?!
Xiao Li was filled with frustration, unsure of how to vent it.
“Exclusive sponsorship? Since the host is here, why not just do a live stream…”
Just as that thought crossed his mind, the host’s androgynous voice rang out again:
“Due to the grand nature of this Forging Conference, even the reclusive Master Du has come out of retirement to forge a fine sword for the Crown Prince.”
“His Majesty, with the world in mind and sharing joy with the people, will project the entire event using the Jiangshan Sheji Map. As long as you’re in the Imperial Capital, just look up and you’ll see it.”
Whoosh—
Like a screen, the Jiangshan Sheji Map enveloped the Imperial Capital, moving without wind, lifted by an invisible force, and slowly unfurling.
The magnificent and beautiful scroll gradually opened under the gaze of three great suns, shimmering with golden light like a giant curtain reflecting shadows.
Within the light and shadows, images began to emerge.
“Who the hell got this sponsorship? Does Tianshan Sword Zhuang really need someone else’s sponsorship? What, is it that old dog Nangong?”
“I’ve said it before, that old dog Nangong is no good. Year after year, how many conferences has he held? He never changes, just repackages the same old thing. I, Du Wufeng, have every right to say this. The Forging Conference I held birthed countless great artisans… He’s just a guy who practices swordsmanship behind closed doors. What does he know about forging? He doesn’t have the capability, you know…”
Master Du was cursing the organizer of the Forging Conference, the head of the Nangong family.
Hearing his voice echo through the heavens, he paused for a moment.
“?”
Master Du revealed a grim yet formal smile towards the sky.
Clearly, the people from the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths had little experience with live streaming, leading to a broadcasting mishap…
“…”
Li Mo frowned, leaning back slightly, and suddenly felt calm.
It seemed that the Huanmo Sect’s advertisement appearing at the Forging Conference wasn’t so surreal after all.
Live streaming.
Advertisements.
The raucous cheers of the crowd…
It was supposed to be a Forging Conference, yet the contestants were a bunch of muscle-bound brutes…
The Imperial Capital itself was a rather fantastical place.
So, no matter what happened next, he felt…
“First group of preliminary contestants, please come to the stage!”
A group of artisans stepped onto the stage, their upper bodies glistening with a bronze sheen under the sunlight.
“Show us your biceps!”
“Flex your pectorals!”
…
“What the hell is this?!”
Xiao Li slammed his long robe onto the ground.
“Li, my brother? You’re here for the Forging Conference too? At this rate, you might not even make it past the preliminaries. There are so many strong contestants this time, and the judges love the big guys.”
Tie Qi stepped out from among the artisans.
Having previously lacked legs, his upper body muscles appeared particularly robust.
“Not a big deal.”
Li Mo wore an icy expression, reminiscent of the Ice Block.
Tie Qi paused for a moment, then lowered his voice: “Li, you’re not planning to use some secret technique or forbidden drugs, are you? I feel like this conference is a bit off.”
“You really shouldn’t go down the wrong path.”
Li Mo sighed: “I have a technique that can enlarge specific parts.”
“????”
Others might not believe such a claim, but Li Mo was different.
At that moment, the host’s voice rang out again from the stage:
“Please welcome the eighth group of contestants.”
Li Mo and Tie Qi were in the same group, which had a total of four members.
Besides Tie Qi, one of the other two was the scrawny artisan who had slipped through the gate at the mountain entrance; he was now whispering with another contestant.
“Your Tianzun brand is indeed pure.”
“Do you think I’d use junk to fool you?”
The skinny blacksmith and the other contestant slurped their instant noodles.
Suddenly, their veins bulged, a surge of blood energy erupting, making their bodies swell like inflating balloons, their eyes turning blood-red.
They looked entranced, seemingly reveling in the foreign power surging within them.
“Hmm?”
The two turned their heads and noticed Li Mo and Tie Qi standing before them.
“You… saw everything?”
Their tone carried a hint of danger.
If they were caught using forbidden drugs, and if the other party reported them, their divine power would be for nothing.
“It seems the stuff you bought is all subpar… No, not even subpar, just garbage.”
Li Mo’s eyes flickered, and he sighed.
What does it mean to be the Best Actor at the Golden Statue Awards? This is it!
The two: “?”
“You have no idea what true power is.”
As his words fell, a surge of overwhelming blood energy erupted, the sound of his heartbeat roaring like thunder.
Now, Li Mo’s Fa Tian Xiang Di could cover his upper body.
---
Chapter 484: The Forging Method of the Divine Craftsman
The morning events concluded as scheduled, and from the expressions of the audience, judges, and other contestants, it was clear that the morning’s competition had left them deeply shocked.
“Isn’t that a bit too big?”
“No wonder they call him the Divine Hammer Little Tyrant; he possesses such a terrifying physique!”
“Yikes, no wonder they say he’s lucky with women…”
“Something’s off. No matter how talented he is, isn’t he just seventeen? Can someone at seventeen really achieve this?”
“Right? And after the competition, how did he turn back into a skinny guy? I suspect he used forbidden drugs!”
“But the organizers have already checked and found no signs of him using divine power powder.”
At the Forging Conference venue, discussions buzzed back and forth.
Not just the judges’ table, the entire venue was abuzz with chatter, especially since the Jiangshan Sheji Map had projected the images across the entire Imperial Capital.
It was even on a loop.
So after another round of advertisements, the host interviewed the judges.
“Your Highness, what do you think?”
“In my opinion, that power does not belong to him; it’s not even the power of the Observing God realm. It’s merely borrowed strength.”
Jiang Yu squinted at the images in the sky.
He was pondering whether Li Mo could use that power for an extended period.
Just that physique alone was already not weaker than a true dragon body!
However…
While the true dragon body was terrifying in physique, it didn’t mean it was just about physical strength; there were many other extraordinary aspects.
He maintained his position at the top of the Hidden Dragon List not just because of his physique; if Li Mo had even one aspect slightly stronger than him, it was already remarkable.
Unfortunately, this person dared to bring Jiang Chulong back…
“In my view, the Divine Hammer Little Tyrant may have practiced some special martial arts, rather than relying on external forces.”
What surprised Jiang Yu was that Du Wufeng, who had promised to forge weapons for him, was singing a different tune:
“Many who possess extraordinary physiques may appear weak; why is that?”
“Because powerful strength is constantly exerted, every move burns their essence, bearing a tremendous burden. So when not in use, they will retract their blood energy.”
“For example… me!”
Boom—
Thunder rumbled as Du Wufeng’s blood energy surged like a rushing river, blazing in the sky.
A plume of smoke rose from him, the overwhelming pressure akin to a divine mountain.
An ordinary-looking old man suddenly seemed to break free from the constraints of his shell, towering two heads taller than an average person, his physical presence far stronger than what Li Mo had just displayed.
Du Wufeng, peak of the sixth realm of the Law Body.
What he comprehended was the Way of Strength.
The arena fell into a sudden silence.
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