In the past three days, Qin Tiexin did not go to the Wasted Weapon Pavilion or the Weapon Refining Branch for forging. In addition to recovering from his injuries, he went through all the recorded experience in refining the equipment and the spiritual patterns he had learned several times in his room and [Illusory Realm Hall] to prepare for the Weapon Refining Competition in the best possible condition.
Three days later, Liuyun Sect's outer gate weapon refining square.
When the sky was slightly bright, more than a thousand people had gathered here. The participating disciples lined up according to their waist badge numbers, and stood in a dark crowd. The viewing platform was built against the mountain, with stone steps upwards. At this moment, dozens of green-robed deacons and dozens of elders from various peaks were seated. On the cloud platform above, several figures with deep auras were hidden in the clouds, and their faces could not be seen clearly.
Qin Tiexin stood in the middle of the queue. He was now close to eight feet six (two meters) tall, and was a whole head taller than the disciples in front and behind him. Eyes from around him glanced at him from time to time, and the comments were as thin as ants.
"That's Qin Tiexin? He's even bigger than the rumors say."
"I heard you're only twenty years old?"
"I almost lost my life when I tried to block Demon Beast during the trial. After five Spirit Root's body training, what achievements can I make if I try harder?"
"You can't say that, people can survive from Foundation Establishment Demon Beast..."
"Just good luck."
Qin Tiexin lowered his eyes and focused on his toes. There were subtle lines on the bluestone floor, which were traces worn by disciples over the years. He adjusted his breathing and his chest rose and fell gently to isolate those comments.
"Quiet!"
A clear drink sounded like a bell. In the center of the viewing platform, an elder in purple robes stood up. His beard and hair were all white, but his face was as rosy as a baby. He was none other than the first elder of the Refining Hall - Elder Jindan Qi Chen True Person.
"The rules of this year's Outer Sect Weapon Refining Competition have changed." Qi Chen True Person's voice was not loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly, "There will no longer be a separate test on the weapon forging skills, but a 'weapon battle' component will be added. Today's preliminary competition, one thousand people will get fifty."
He waved his sleeves and golden words appeared in the air:
1. For a limited time of two hours, a high-quality Law Artifact will be forged on site.
2. After Law Artifact is completed, lots will be drawn for a one-on-one battle, and the winner will advance.
3. If Law Artifact is damaged after the battle, it can be repaired on the spot. The repair time limit is half an hour.
4. After three rounds of this cycle, the one who still holds Law Artifact intact after three rounds will advance to the finals.
As soon as the rules were announced, the square was in an uproar.
"You still want to fight? We are weapon-refining disciples!"
"Law Artifact needs to be repaired if it is damaged? This is not a weapon refining competition, this is desperate..."
Qi Chen True Person glanced over, and the noise gradually subsided. "In the world of immortality, the weak eat the strong. Law Artifact is originally used to protect the road and kill the enemy. He can only forge weapons but not use them. How is he different from an ordinary blacksmith?" He paused, "Now, everyone is on your place."
As True Person waved his hand, the thousands of refining platforms lit up with array patterns in sequence. Qin Tiexin found his position according to the belt card - Platform No. 372. The table was three feet square, the ground fire mouth was green, and there were more than ten kinds of basic spiritual materials on the wooden shelves beside it: Mysterious Iron, red copper, green iron wood, cold jade sand...
He did not start immediately, but first touched all the materials.
Mysterious Iron has the solid texture, few impurities, and is suitable for making skeletons. The black iron sand sinks into the hand, has rough particles, and has excellent toughness after smelting. He had some concerns in his mind.
"Dang--"
The furnace bell rings.
Thousands of ground fires rose up at the same time, and the green and red flames lit up the square. The disciples took action one after another: some carefully weighed the proportions, some closed their eyes and meditated on the composition, and some couldn't wait to throw the materials into the furnace.
After listening to the rules, Qin Tiexin already made a calculation in his mind. He lifted the two hundred kilograms of Mysterious Iron ingot from the spiritual materials with one hand and put it into the mouth of the furnace. The flames licked the iron ingot, and the dark gray surface gradually turned dark red. While he waited, he pressed his palms on the furnace wall, and the deep and continuous pulse unique to the earth fire came from his palms.
This is a habit that Xiaqi Pavilion has developed - feeling the temperature of the materials, rather than just looking at the color of the fire.
Half a quarter of an hour later, the Mysterious Iron ingot softened to the right level. He took it out with iron pliers and placed it on the anvil. He also took about 30% of the black iron sand from the rack and sprinkled it evenly on the surface of the iron ingot.
Then he took hold of the hammer.
This forging hammer was specially selected by him. It weighs eighty kilograms. The hammer head is square, and the edges and corners have been rounded by time. The wooden handle is soaked with sweat and is dark brown in color.
The first hammer fell.
"Clang!"
The sound is deep, not harsh, but it travels extremely far. The Mysterious Iron ingot is slightly dented, with black iron sand embedded in the surface.
Qin Tiexin didn't stop. The second hammer, the third hammer... the hammers fell like rain, but each hammer struck at a specific rhythm point. This was not random beating - he was using the "resonance forging method".
Uncle Wu once said: Everything has a frequency. If the hammering can be at the same frequency as the internal vibration of the material when forging a weapon, the maximum effect can be achieved with the minimum force. Ordinary disciples need many years of hard training to master it, but the physical strength of the sixth layer of the tempered body of Qin Tiexin combined with Divine Sense makes them extremely sensitive to such subtle vibrations.
"Dang, Dang, Dang..."
The hammering sounds were continuous and had a faint rhythm. Several disciples at the weapon-refining platform around could not help but look sideways - the rhythm was too fast, unreasonably fast.
Qin Tiexin was not distracted. He Divine Sense penetrated into the material and "watched" the vibration ripples of the iron ingot when each hammer fell. Mysterious Iron and the black iron sand accelerated and fused in resonance, and the impurities were shaken out, turning into green smoke rising from the gaps.
Half an hour later, the iron ingot had stretched into a shield half as tall as a man and three inches thick. The edges were rough and the surface was pitted, making it unremarkable.
He started to get into shape.
Instead of fine carving, a heavy hammer is used to forcefully "smash" the curve. Each hammer blow causes the shield embryo to bend inward by one point, and the shield surface gradually becomes a smooth curved surface - this curvature can deflect attacks to the greatest extent.
After the shaping was completed, the shield embryo cooled. Qin Tiexin stretched out his fingers and began to carve the spiritual pattern.
The first one is "Sturdiness". Besides sharpness, it is one of the spiritual patterns he is most familiar with.
The fingertips walk in straight lines, with simple and rough lines, not limited to traditional lines, such as the entwined roots of an old tree, traveling along the lines of the shield embryo. Spiritual power is injected from the fingertips, and through the guidance of Divine Sense and the feeling of the fingertips, a criss-crossing support network is built inside the shield.
The second channel is "counter-shock".
This pattern is more complex and needs to be nested with the "solid" pattern. Qin Tiexin Close your eyes and concentrate for a moment. When you open your eyes again, your fingertips move in an arc, like ripples. The "repulse" pattern covers the "solid" pattern, and the light shines slightly where the two meet to achieve balance.
As the last stroke fell, the shield buzzed.
Qin Tiexin closed his fingers and lifted up the shield. It was heavy, about two hundred and thirty kilograms. The shield was dusty and without any decoration. There was only a shallow concave arc in the center - that was the final trace of the heavy hammer.
He raised the shield and tried it. The arc where the shield surface fit with his arm was just right. When he held it in front of him, his line of sight could be seen from above the edge of the shield without affecting his observation. It only took more than an hour and a quarter.
After finishing, Qin Tiexin turned off the fire, sat cross-legged and began to restore Spiritual Qi. Next, there was a battle to keep his spiritual power as abundant as possible. The big shield stood on the ground, like a warrior protecting him.
"So fast!" "Why so fast?" "It's not like you gave up."
The surrounding disciples who were still finalizing or carving the spirit patterns were shocked by the speed of Qin Tiexin, and began to whisper. Some were even affected by the state, and the weapons emitted a burst of explosions. It was obvious that the spirit patterns were useless.
Qin Tiexin ignored this and was still immersed in the process of recovering Spiritual Qi.
"This kid is quite confident."
On the cloud platform, Nangong Yao, who was wearing green clothes, curled his lips. The master suddenly had an important weapon to forge, so he could only be used as a representative to observe the performance of Qin Tiexin.
"The time has come!"
When the two hours were up, the sound of True Person was heard. Thousands of weapon refining tables were turned off at the same time.
The deacons began to inspect the area. When they arrived at the Qin Tiexin stage, a middle-aged deacon took the tower shield, tapped the shield with his fingers, and injected spiritual power to test the spiritual patterns.
"It's close to the middle-grade Law Artifact embryo." The deacon took another look at Qin Tiexin and said, "The spiritual pattern is well carved, but... it's a bit rough."
"It's enough." Qin Tiexin said.
The deacon nodded and recorded on Jade Slip: "No. 372, a tower shield, double patterns, high quality."
In the distance, the flame sword forged by Zhao Yan was flowing with aura, the blade was red, and the "hot" and "sharp" lines were clear and gorgeous. Lin Han's ice sword was completely blue, and the "cold" and "sharp" lines were as delicate as ice flowers.
In comparison, Qin Tiexin's tower shield looks like a beaten door panel.
The results of the lottery came out, Qin Tiexin's opponent in the first round was No. 451, a tall and thin disciple at the fifth level of Qi Refining, who forged a low-grade Law Artifact long knife.
The arena is located on the east side of the square, with a total of 500 seats. When Qin Tiexin came onto the stage carrying the tower shield, the disciples on the opposite side had already taken up their postures.
"Start!"
The tall and thin disciple rushed over quickly, slashing with his long sword. The blade made a sound of breaking wind, and a white light glowed under the infusion of spiritual power.
Qin Tiexin did not hide, raised his shield and faced him.
"Clang--!"
The sword and shield collided, and sparks flew out. The long sword left a light white scratch on the shield, nothing more.
The tall and thin disciple's expression changed, and he drew his sword and slashed again. The second sword, the third sword... the sword was like a woven fabric, but it could not break through the gray shield.
After ten blows, he was panting slightly. Qin Tiexin was still standing on the same spot, with only seven or eight white marks on the shield.
"Admit defeat." The tall and thin disciple gritted his teeth.
The deacon announced, "Number 372 wins."
Qin Tiexin looked at the white marks on the shield. It didn't seem to need repairing, so he could only sit down cross-legged and continue to adjust his breath.
Half an hour later, the second round begins.
In the second round, the opponent was a thin disciple at the sixth level of Qi Refining. He used a pair of daggers, Movement Method, to move around. At the beginning, he fought sideways, with the daggers specializing in piercing weak points such as joints, waist and eyes.
Who said fighting has to be head-on? That shield obviously can't be broken in a short time. All you have to do is defeat the guy in front of you.
Qin Tiexin couldn't turn around in time, so he simply didn't turn around. He tilted the shield slightly, and when the dagger was stabbed, the "anti-shock" pattern on the shield lit up.
"Pfft!"
The dagger penetrated half an inch into the shield, and then rebounded with great force. The stout disciple's mouth was painfully painful, and the dagger flew out of his hand.
He was stunned for a moment, then Qin Tiexin stepped forward and tapped his shoulder with the edge of the shield. The short and sturdy disciple staggered back and fell off the ring.
"Number 372, win."
This time, Qin Tiexin slightly adjusted the stress point and repaired the traces of the dagger.
In the third round, the opponent was a round-faced disciple at the sixth level of Qi Refining, who also held a round shield. After he came on stage, he held the shield in front of him and took a defensive stance.
"Start!"
The round-faced disciple huddled behind the shield and remained motionless.
Qin Tiexin looked at him for three breaths and then moved.
He stepped forward and swung the tower shield - not pushing, not hitting, but like swinging a heavy hammer, swinging it round and hitting it.
"Boom--!!!"
The shields met and exploded like thunder. Spider-web-like patterns appeared on the surface of the round-faced disciple's shield. His arm holding the shield trembled violently. He was shaken half a foot off the ground and flew upside down off the stage.
Qin Tiexin closed the shield. There were a few fresh scratches on the surface of his shield.
Three games, all wins.
There was a brief silence around the arena, and then there was an uproar.
"What's that shield made of? Even if it can't cut it, can it also knock people flying?"
"That last move... was that a hammer-swinging motion, right?"
"This Qin Tiexin, its strength is too scary..."
On the viewing platform, several elders exchanged glances.
"Qi Chen, your new rules really bring out some interesting ideas." An elder in blue robe said with a smile.
Qi Chen True Person caressed his beard. "Disciples of weapon refining tend to focus on skills and neglect combat, but this guy has returned to his original nature - the shield is just for blocking. If it can't be blocked, it will be useless no matter how fancy it is."
On the other side, Zhao Yan squinted at the back of Qin Tiexin as he stepped off the stage, and said to the people beside him, "Did you see clearly the techniques he used when forging weapons?"
"It's too fast and I can't see the details clearly. But it's definitely not an ordinary way."
"Pay attention during the finals." Zhao Yan turned around, "I'll repair the fire knife."
After the three rounds, the deacon announced the list of fifty qualified candidates. Qin Tiexin heard his own number among them--three hundred and seventy-two.
When night fell, he returned to his residence.
The tower shield stood in the corner, its dusty surface glowing matte under the oil lamp. He took the repair ink and tools and began to repair the scratches.
The sound of the hammer still seemed to echo in my ears.
Today's three battles have verified one thing: in the face of absolute strength and defense, many fancy tactics pale.
He lifted up the repaired tower shield and weighed it.
There will be a tough battle in the finals tomorrow.
The moonlight outside the window was cold and cold. He closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing, while his chest rose and fell gently.
Underneath the arena, an undercurrent has arisen.