The Stage is Set

"Ready?"

Jing Hai locked eyes with each of the people in front of him one after the other.

And there was not a hint of hesitation to be found, only determination for their plans to succeed no matter what.

It reminded him of days long past, a time when he and Feng Guang were still the famous battle smiths known throughout Ren Continent and fighting alongside their companions at the catastrophe of Qihuang.

But compared to his companions at that time, the group in front of him now was laughably inexperienced and weak, but that was just more of a reason for him to step up, play the role of wise grandfather and guide them through this crisis, even if his cultivation base had been destroyed in the accident a few years back.

Heh, now it truly felt like he had two grandkids he had to look out for.

His lips twisted into a grin.

"Alright, then let's do this."

With these words, Jing Hai turned around, pulled open the door and stepped outside, the three people behind him following closely.

The moment they got outside, they were already part of a huge crowd, all citizens who had gathered at this plaza for the competition that would soon start on the stage in front of the Mercenary Association.

Despite the huge number of people and closeness with which they stood together, Lei Mingxing and Jing Jiang didn't hesitate to dive in and make their way through.

Jing Hai and Chang Liuyun also set off, aiming for the market street that was much less crowded, now that everyone had gathered for the competition. 

Their first stop was the different food vendors.

Meanwhile, Lei Mingxing and Jing Jiang were slowly creeping closer to the wooden stage. Of course, Jing Jiang was walking in front, with Lei Mingxing not far behind, shielding her from most of the people.

Finally, they reached the edge of the wooden stage.

Looking up there were already several teams waiting for the competition to start, so Jing Jiang didn't bother going around and walking up the stairs, instead just climbing onto the stage directly before reaching down and pulling Lei Mingxing up as well.

City guards immediately rushed toward them to push them back down into the audience but Jing Jiang simply pulled out his participation badge.

So the guards had no choice but to withdraw as Jing Jiang and Lei Mingxing walked over to the row of participants and came to a halt next to them.

The moment they turned to face the crowd, Lei Mingxing could feel countless eyes focus on her.

It made her realize just how unlucky it was that she had lost her last face veil yesterday. Now her face was revealed to the entire crowd, leaving her feeling exposed and vulnerable.

It made her heart pound anxiously and she wanted nothing more than to leave and hide away, but Lei Mingxing didn't move, forcing herself to stand her ground.

Because in her heart she knew, that if she couldn't even endure this, how would she ever become strong enough to exact her revenge?

So she stared back, her deep, dark gaze unwavering.

Intense to the point that several people in the crowd had to avert their gazes.

This didn't last long however, because soon a familiar person ascended the stairs attracting the crowd's attention. Behind him were also three other people who Lei Mingxing presumed to be the city lord, the Mercenary Association manager and the current top mercenary in Dark Spirit Town, the jury that Jing Jiang had told her about.

 Suan Bi had a wide smile on his face, that turned slightly cold and vicious the moment he caught sight of Lei Mingxing and Jing Jiang.

His eyes were glinting with hate and irritation which he barely contained while looking at Lei Mingxing.

He resented her a lot for what happened yesterday that much was clear.

But his gaze didn't linger on them for too long, acting especially relaxed and self-assured as he passed them by to stand next to another team. Only after he settled on his spot, did Lei Mingxing and Jing Jiang notice who Suan Bi's partner in the competition would be.

It was none other than the employee Jing Jiang had kicked out of the forge the first time he and Lei Mingxing met.

Jing Jiang stared at him with a mix of shock and anger, a hint of betrayal still left in his eyes, but the employee didn't even dare raise his head as he walked, so Jing Jiang's hate-filled gaze instead fell on the smirking Suan Bi.

Clearly, bringing Jing Jiang's former employee was meant to provoke him and he succeeded to some degree, but thanks to Lei Mingxing's presence, his prodigy apprentice, it only ignited his fighting spirit.

At that moment, the city lord who was a thin old man with a long white beard stepped to the front of the stage and announced the beginning of the competition while also explaining the rules.

"I, City Lord Lan Meng, welcome you, citizens of Dark Spirit Town and visitors from afar, to our Bi-Yearly Festival and its traditional competitions. This year as well, our proud artificers will show off their profound insight and skill, by crafting at least a third-rank artifact in two hours. Their artifacts will then be rated for their might, usefulness in combat and overall handleability. The winners of this competition will receive prize money of 5 gold coins and the title of the best forge in Dark Spirit Town for the year. Now then, our competitors this year are: Li Moyang and Shu Feng from Striking Ember Forge,..."

One after the other the competing teams stepped forward per the city lord's calling, bowing slightly before stepping back in line again.

The last team to be called was Suan Bi and his partner Gu Zhong under the banner of Bending Rock Forge.

With that, the introductions were finished and the city lord motioned the furnaces needed for the competition to be brought on stage.

 Three to four guards at a time orderly walked up the stairs next to the stage and put the furnaces in front of the respective teams before quietly withdrawing again. However, soon another group walked up as well, this time with the forging equipment and materials the artificers would need.

The necessary preparations complete, the city lord only waited for the final guard to step off the stage before raising his thin arm.

Shouting in the loudest voice he could while still appearing dignified, the city lord counted down the start of the competition.

"3, 2, 1, start the time!"