Time passed minute by minute, and the sound of the hammer strikes layered one upon another. Each strike seemed to beat against the hearts of everyone present...
The new ore, compressed from a mountain-like pile of spirit ores, was now only the size of an ordinary jar. Every time the millstone-sized hammer head slammed down, the crowd couldn't help but break into a cold sweat on Xu Xian's behalf.
They were terrified that a single strike might smash it to pieces, causing all his efforts to go to waste.
The spiritual light emanating from it had already completely enveloped Xu Xian.
The energy surged, seemingly reaching a critical threshold.
He was only one step away from success.
But he was also only an inch away from failure.
It truly felt like the difference between heaven and hell lay in a single thought.
At this moment, the youth was drenched in sweat, his face pale. Much like that piece of new ore, he looked as if he might collapse at any second.
Elder Ruan took puff after puff of his pipe, never stopping for a moment.
Elder Yao kept his eyes closed, remaining silent from start to finish.
Li Qingshan furrowed his brows, his breathing becoming extremely slow.
Even Ye Xianyu, for some unknown reason, felt her palms grow warm and damp with sweat.
As for the others, like Han Yi, they were silently cheering for Xu Xian in their hearts. Their clenched fists would occasionally pump the air in small movements, looking as if they were dying to jump in and give Xu Xian a hand personally...
Forging immortal gold from spirit ores.
If he succeeded, Xu Xian would be the only person in the entire forging world of Fanzhou to have ever achieved it.
He would be creating history.
And they would be the witnesses to that history.
Even laymen understood what this signified, let alone those belonging to the Forging Hall.
It could be said that if Xu Xian truly succeeded today, the Wendao Sect would likely see the birth of a peerless master forger, both now and in the future.
He would lead the Forging Hall to dominate the entire forging world.
Perhaps he might even surpass Ancient Sword Mountain to become the number one forging site in the world.
That was the lifelong pursuit of generations of forgers in the Forging Hall. Today, they were likely witnessing the beginning of it all...
Everyone’s heart was in their throat, filled with anxiety and restlessness. The sparse whispers in their ears and the thumping of their hearts even drowned out the sound of the youth's falling hammer...
Time seemed to slow down, moving forward frame by frame...
Yet time also seemed to speed up. Without realizing it, the night had deepened, though no one noticed.
Everyone present.
In this moment, it was as if they had forgotten time, forgotten the countdown—even Xu Xian, who was at the center of it all, was the same.
They only cared about the final result.
They desperately yearned for it to end.
At the same time, they incredibly hoped that Xu Xian's hammer would fall a bit slower, a bit more steadily...
Thus, time unknowingly reached three quarters into the Hour of the Rooster. Less than half an hour remained before the end of the forging competition.
As the moment ticked by, Xu Xian brought his hammer down.
Boom!
Following the sound, everyone saw the mass of spiritual light also disperse with a bang, turning into a sky full of fireflies that scattered in all directions.
The hammering stopped.
The youth ceased his movements.
The evening wind rose again, blowing gently past, startling the sweat from his forehead. It splashed onto the ore before him, letting out a faint 'hiss'...
Everyone held their breath, and many even stood up.
They looked across the distance with tension and trepidation, wishing they could press their eyes right against the ore.
Did he succeed?
Or did he fail?
On the high platform, Han Yi suddenly bolted upright and slapped his thigh.
"Slap!"
He shouted excitedly, "It's done!"
"It's done!"
"I have witnessed history!!"
"Hahaha!!!"
Only then did the others snap out of it, followed by an explosion of startled cries.
"I must be dreaming."
"Synthetic immortal gold—this is enough to go down in the annals of history."
"Little Martial Uncle is truly a god-like man..."
The commotion on the high platform quickly spread to the surroundings. In an instant, it covered the entire square.
Every single person received the affirmative answer.
Yes.
He succeeded.
Xu Xian...
The Little Grand-Uncle...
Had used spirit ores to create a piece of immortal gold.
"That's incredible!"
"Too strong!"
"I want to ask, and I don't mean anything else by this, but isn't this insane?"
"Nonsense! He's the first person in all of eternity to do this. Even if the people from Ancient Sword Mountain came, they'd have to kneel and kowtow to the Little Grand-Uncle and call him a Master..."
"That's brutal..."
Amidst the clamor and shouts, Yao Xiaoxiao waved her 'Certain Victory' flag in the crowd and screamed at the top of her lungs:
"Little Grand-Uncle!"
Immediately after, the rest of the crowd followed suit.
"Little Grand-Uncle!!"
"Little Grand-Uncle!!!"
From a few voices to many, from slow to urgent, from chaotic to synchronized.
Men, women, young, and old—all mixed together. Tens of thousands of people collectively chanted the three words: Little Grand-Uncle.
Their eyes were filled with fanaticism, and their voices were high-pitched.
The sound echoed under the night sky of the Wendao Sect, gradually resonating toward the heavens...
"Little Grand-Uncle—!"
"Little Grand-Uncle—!!"
Ruan Hao narrowed his eyes. His aged face was filled with gratification and affection. It was as if his own child had topped the imperial examinations; his face was brimming with glory.
From beginning to end, he hadn't said a word, but the joy in his heart wasn't the slightest bit weaker than this earth-shaking commotion.
Elder Yao opened his eyes.
The Sect Master's lips curled upward.
Li Qingshan couldn't help but shake his head and smile. Jokes aside, no one desired for Xu Xian to become a success more than Li Qingshan.
Whether it was in cultivation.
Or in this forging.
Seeing that Xu Xian had truly succeeded, he was gratified from the bottom of his heart.
At the very least.
He could tell Xu Xian with a clear conscience: 'I really did it for your own good back then.'
A peerless cultivation genius.
A world-shaking forging prodigy.
Either one alone would be enough to dominate the world. With both appearing in one person, who in the world could possibly compete with him?
Even the five ancestors in seclusion on the Ancestral Peak were disturbed by the commotion. They woke from their cultivation and looked over from their distant mountain.
Seeing all this, each of them wore a wide smile, their faces full of joy.
More than Xu Xian creating immortal gold, they cared about his invisible ability to inspire and influence.
Only six years.
In just six years.
He was able to make the disciples of the entire sect chant his name in unison. They knew they couldn't have achieved that themselves.
A leader.
Should be like this!
A leader.
Is meant to be like this!
It wasn't just Ruan Hao who saw a successor; they were the same.
Yun Zheng sighed silently in admiration, "Our Little Junior Brother is truly extraordinary!"
At the same time.
Xu Xian stood in the center of the square, hearing the mountains of cheers in his ears, witnessing the fanaticism around him, and feeling those countless burning gazes.
The emotions in his heart surpassed the joy of success.
The success of one person.
Compared to the success of a group.
The sense of accomplishment they brought was completely different.
Today.
Under the gaze of ten thousand people, he had succeeded. But looking at the fanaticism and heartfelt cheers on everyone's faces, he felt that this wasn't just his own success.
It was the success of the entire sect.
In this moment.
His sense of belonging seemed to reach its peak. He suddenly felt an impulse.
If such a sect ever needed him to die in the future, he would surely do so without hesitation...
That feeling was very mysterious and beyond words.
It wasn't just the belonging to a home, but also a belonging to a nation.
He couldn't suppress the upward curve of his lips, nor could he stop his nose from twitching or his eyes from stinging. He could only say one thing.
"This is great!"
The little book spirit was also glowing with excitement, whispering softly.
"Yeah, it's great!"
Xu Xian turned his gaze to the piece of immortal gold and pursed his lips slightly.
"There's still time. I should finish what I started."
He moved again.
Only this time.
He was no longer just hammering iron—he was truly beginning to forge a sword...
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