The longblade wielder had failed.
The guide wore a regretful expression as well. "Unfortunately, Number 319, your forging was unsuccessful. Will you continue the challenge or leave this place? Of course, as a graduation gift, you may take this longblade with you."
After thinking for a moment, the longblade wielder decided to continue the challenge.
He reached out and pulled the longblade from the enormous tree. What happened next stunned everyone present: the trunk that had been cleaved apart by the blade began to heal itself bit by bit. In the blink of an eye, it had completely recovered, as though none of it had ever happened.
This tree seemed even harder to deal with than he had imagined. And it bore the name "Creation"—clearly, its origins were extraordinary. Perhaps... as Chunchou had said, people should learn to give up at the right time? Wen Xu looked at the sword blank, which had begun to take shape, and immediately settled his mind. Taking ten thousand steps back, even if he failed the challenge, he would at least receive a low-grade spirit sword forged by his own hand.
Perhaps because he was in a good state of mind, Wen Xu did not find forging tedious at all. It was much like practicing the sword. As a spirit sword's wielder, he naturally knew better than anyone else in the world what a sword ought to look like. So... in order to better complement his swordsmanship, this sword—
Wen Xu hammered away, wholly immersed. Even the guide's repeated comings and goings could barely disturb his concentration. Then, one day, the tree in the central courtyard was suddenly chopped off at the waist.
The person who had cut it down was still the longblade wielder who had been the first to take the challenge.