Chapter 53: The troublesome Ye Xinglan

Xia Yi was well aware of what his God-level effect, which could endow metal with life using his Thousand-Refined Green Primordial Copper Hammer, meant to other blacksmith.

He named this effect the Genesis Effect.

Xia Yi knew that once the Genesis Effect was revealed, it would inevitably attract the attention of other blacksmith.

During the previous round of the Hundred Refinements, he had deliberately refrained from utilizing the Genesis Effect of the Thousand-Refined Green Primordial Copper Hammer.

Although he had failed to forge a Thousand-Refined Grade Two metal the entire night before, Xia Yi had already glimpsed the threshold for achieving that level. He planned to make a concentrated effort to push through.

To reach the pinnacle of the Thousand-Refined Grade Two, Xia Yi couldn't afford to hold back.

After all, his Green Primordial Copper Hammer had already been blood-imbued. Even though exposing the Genesis Effect might bring trouble, it wouldn't be unmanageable.

Xia Yi worked quickly. Within a minute, he completed the Hundred Refinements. Yet his pace didn't slow; instead, it became even more relentless, drawing frowns from the judges on the platform.

Ten minutes later, the Green Primordial Copper before Xia Yi reached Thousand-Refined Grade Five. At thirty minutes, it was at Grade Four. After an hour, it attained Grade Three. At this point, his speed finally began to decrease.

The Green Primordial Copper had shrunk by more than a third, and its abundant life essence rivaled that of ordinary Spirit-Refined metals.

The only pity was that these life essences lacked the spirituality necessary to transform the metal into Thousand-Refined Grade Two.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The rhythmic hammering was almost pleasing. Xia Yi was entirely immersed, his soul power automatically channeling into his arms and infusing into the metal through his forging hammer.

High-level forging required metals to resonate with the soul power of a Soul Master, which was why soul power was foundational for a blacksmith.

Without sufficient soul power, even immense physical strength couldn't elevate someone to a high-level blacksmith.

Boom!

With the final hammer strike, a soft azure glow suddenly surged from the Green Primordial Copper in front of Xia Yi. The light flashed briefly but was clearly visible to the judges' platform.

"What? Another external spirit glow?" an elder with white hair exclaimed in astonishment.

On the platform, all the forging masters from Skysea City and the Skysea Alliance were left dumbfounded.

Tang Wulin and Mu Xi had already completed their Thousand-Refined Grade Two metals a quarter of an hour earlier. Even though Tang Wulin's success set a precedent, witnessing another Thousand-Refined Grade Two left them speechless.

"You… didn't you say you failed?" Mu Xi exhaled deeply, her gaze dazed as she looked at Xia Yi. For a moment, her mind felt blank.

She had just completed a Thousand-Refined Grade Two by following Tang Wulin's rhythm, but she couldn't have achieved it alone.

Yet Xia Yi managed to complete a Thousand-Refined Grade Two metal through his own exploration.

"Just succeeded," Xia Yi replied casually. He hadn't expected to succeed today after failing all night.

"Forget it. Go and participate in the Soul Master Tournament," Mu Xi sighed helplessly. She had become numb to Xia Yi's monstrous talents.

Advancing to a Level Four Blacksmith in just one month would be enough to shock anyone.

After entering the Soul Master Tournament arena, Xia Yi quickly glanced at the ongoing records. His turn was still some time away. The individual competition had entered the second round, with each match seemingly extended in duration.

"Finished with the forging contest? How was it?" Gu Yue suddenly appeared and asked.

Xia Yi shrugged. "Getting through is a sure thing. Tomorrow's final will decide everything."

The forging competition wasn't highly prioritized; three days were enough to determine the winners for the youth category.

"Did you compete in the Soul Master match yet?" Xia Yi asked.

"Not yet," Gu Yue replied, shaking her head.

At that moment, Xia Yi's eyes narrowed slightly.

Two figures were walking toward them. It was truly a small world—the person in the lead was Ye Xinglan, with Xu Lizhi trailing behind her.

Xia Yi was speechless. Weren't the Shrek Academy students here for the exhibition matches?

Logically, they should have left by now.

Could it be that she even registered for the individual competition?

Still, Xia Yi was somewhat intrigued. Just how powerful were these Soul Masters from Shrek Academy?

"Waiting for your match?" Ye Xinglan walked up to Xia Yi. The smile on her face was clearly mischievous.

"Did you register for the individual competition too? I thought you were only participating in the exhibition matches," Xia Yi asked curiously.

Ye Xinglan replied, "What's the difference? As long as I told the organizers I wanted to spar with you, they gladly granted me a special spot, especially after I promised not to compete for the top eight."

Xia Yi suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.

"Oh, by the way, I've got some news for you. Your opponent for today withdrew for some reason, so your opponent has been reshuffled. That's right—it's me." Ye Xinglan's smile grew wider, and Xia Yi felt as though a tiny devil were dancing above her head. He didn't need to guess her motives.

Mu Xi and Gu Yue's expressions instantly darkened, especially Gu Yue, whose eyes narrowed dangerously, a chilling glint flashing within.

Ye Xinglan was unfazed. Raising her proud chin, she said with a bright smile, "Today, I'll take care of you. Tomorrow, it'll be Tang Wulin's turn."

She then turned to Gu Yue and added, "And the day after, you're next."

Ye Xinglan hadn't forgotten that Gu Yue had also ditched her the other night.

"Fine, I'll wait for you. I want to see how strong Shrek Academy's students really are," Gu Yue retorted coldly. Both she and Ye Xinglan were Rank 20 Soul Masters. Facing a peer, how could the Silver Dragon King fear Ye Xinglan?

"So you will," Ye Xinglan shot back with equal coldness before turning to Xia Yi. "I'll show everyone the gap between Shrek Academy and ordinary academies through you."

Xia Yi met her gaze without flinching, a bright, confident smile spreading across his face. "Sure thing!"

Sure thing? Wasn't he scared at all? It was one thing for Gu Yue to be unafraid, but why was Xia Yi also unfazed? Ye Xinglan couldn't help but feel a little baffled. Shouldn't these people be dreading their match with me?

I'm from Shrek Academy, after all!

Yet there wasn't the slightest hint of negativity on Xia Yi's face—only his sunny, vibrant smile.

What puzzled Ye Xinglan even more was that, despite the brightness of Xia Yi's smile, she felt an inexplicable hint of mischief hidden within it.

Still, Ye Xinglan paid it no mind. She believed that absolute strength could overcome any schemes or tricks. Her expression darkened slightly, and she nodded repeatedly at Xia Yi. "Good. Very good. Let's see what you're capable of." With that, she turned and walked away.

Xia Yi chuckled softly and continued watching the matches on the field without a care.

Feeling a tug on his arm, he turned to see Mu Xi holding him tightly, her eyes filled with concern.

Xia Yi smiled. "It's fine. We're here to compete, after all. The goal is to challenge stronger opponents and gain experience to improve ourselves. Facing Shrek Academy's elite students is a rare opportunity. I'm thrilled, not scared. Why the long face? Are you so sure I'll lose?"

"Do you even believe yourself when you say that?" Gu Yue snorted.

If Tang Wulin had said this, she might have believed him. But Xia Yi? No way.

Xia Yi wasn't someone who would suffer losses.

He wouldn't charge into a fight he knew he couldn't win.

Gu Yue turned to Mu Xi and said calmly, "In a direct fight, he might not be Ye Xinglan's match. But if it's about strategy, Ye Xinglan doesn't stand a chance against him. Instead of worrying about Xia Yi, you should worry about Ye Xinglan."

"Could he really have the confidence to defeat Shrek Academy's prodigy?" Mu Xi asked in disbelief.

At the opening ceremony, she had watched Shrek Academy's exhibition matches. She knew very well how terrifyingly strong their students were.

Even as a Rank 30 Soul Elder, she wasn't confident she could beat Ye Xinglan. How could Xia Yi, a mere Rank 10 auxiliary-type Soul Master, possibly succeed? She truly didn't understand why Gu Yue trusted Xia Yi so much.

(End of Chapter)