Blacksmith Competition Preliminaries

A week flew by in the blink of an eye, and Skysea City welcomed the triennial blacksmith competition of the Skysea Alliance Grand Competition. As one of the alliance's most important events, it drew forging prodigies from every corner of the land. Even the air seemed steeped in the scent of metal and flame.

Before the competition began, Cen Yue, the leader of the Eastsea City Blacksmith Association's delegation, stood before the group and swept his gaze over every blacksmith present. His steady, powerful voice echoed through the quiet preparation area:

"All right, everyone. The blacksmith competition of the Skysea Alliance Grand Competition is about to begin. Those of you in the senior division, stay here. The rest..."

He paused, his gaze softening as he looked toward several young children in the corner. "Those in the junior division can leave now. Go play outside. This isn't where you should be."

The children scattered in a rush, leaving only Tang Wulin and Mu Xi standing where they were. Cen Yue looked at the two youths, a glimmer of expectation in his eyes. "Tang Wulin, Mu Xi, give it your all. This is your first competition at this level, so try to get the best results you can."

Both nodded solemnly, without a trace of fear in their eyes.

Not all the gazes around them were friendly, however. Many blacksmiths from other cities glanced at Tang Wulin, then revealed looks of disdain. To them, this boy who barely looked grown was merely there to make up the numbers—perhaps a relative of some association official, sent along to go through the motions.

Mu Xi, by contrast, attracted plenty of attention. As Eastsea City's famous young prodigy, she soon had people gathering around her, asking after her well-being. Some had even begun flattering her