Chun Zhengsheng’s face stiffened; he secretly chided himself for pointing the finger at President Yun Xing, then a faint smile reappeared on his face: “Brother Mo Tu, you misunderstand. What I meant was…”
Knock, knock, knock…
Li Litou tentatively knocked on the door: “Esteemed sirs, the President requests your presence.”
Go? Lei Guangming’s heart trembled slightly. So soon? This Qian Jin, it seemed, was no good sort either; the moment he heard there was a faction taking over, he rushed over.
“Understood, we will be right there.” Chun Zhengsheng waved his hand, his gaze sweeping over the deacons present: “I know that President Yun Xing is the treasure of our Yongliu Blacksmith Guild, and we should unconditionally obey the President’s command. However, this concerns the future of our Blacksmith Guild, so I implore you all to think carefully about this.”
The group walked out of the meeting room with varied expressions. Lei Guangming meticulously calculated every person’s look, his tension reaching its peak. If Qian Jin could not be kicked out today, the Old Patriarch would have to intervene!
In high society, duels were a matter of honor, but assassination was a method absolutely avoided unless absolutely necessary. Once employed, if discovered, it usually meant utter ruin for one side before it ended.
If Qian Jin died, even without direct evidence… Lei Guangming sighed. He was afraid President Yun Xing would not tolerate him staying in the Yongliu Blacksmith Guild any longer!
“President Yun Xing…”
The crowd arrived at Yun Xing Huisheng’s courtyard, collectively bowing to him, then sizing up Qian Jin with a multitude of gazes.
“Is this the new President?”
“Is this President Yun Xing’s… protégé?”
People eyed Qian Jin with curiosity. Qian Jin, too, rapidly scanned the assembly, his gaze lingering momentarily on Lei Guangming and Chun Zhengsheng; the hostility in both their eyes was utterly undisguised.
“President Yun Xing, we heard you intend to pass the presidency to this young man, Qian Jin, who comes from the Hongliu War Fortress?”
Chun Zhengsheng stepped forward without courtesy, his sharp edge aimed directly at Qian Jin, his eyebrow arched with unconcealed provocation: “Your vision has always been keen, but this time, I truly do not believe this young man is suitable to lead our Yongliu Blacksmith Guild. The President of a Blacksmith Guild must, first and foremost, possess outstanding forging skills!”
Chun Zhengsheng puffed out his chest, looking proudly at everyone around him. Within the Yongliu Blacksmith Guild, apart from Lord Yun Xing Huisheng, as for the forging skills of others? Even Lei Guangming, Lord Yun Xing Huisheng’s direct disciple, was no match for him!
To compete on forging skills? Chun Zhengsheng was supremely confident; if he wasn’t the President, then no one in the Yongliu Blacksmith Guild was qualified to be President!
Yun Xing Huisheng did not look at Chun Zhengsheng, his gaze falling upon Lei Guangming as he shook his head slightly and sighed. He truly hadn’t expected his disciple to attempt organizing a counterattack at this juncture.
“President Yun Xing…” Chun Zhengsheng felt Yun Xing Huisheng looking past him, and a hint of resentment crept into his voice.
Yun Xing Huisheng smiled again as he looked at Chun Zhengsheng. This Vice President, dispatched by the main guild ten years ago, had never once truly considered the welfare of the Yongliu Blacksmith Guild. Did he really think that just because he was sent by the main guild, he could sway my will? If I can’t even handle you lot, then my tenure as President Yun Xing Huisheng would have been for nothing.
“President Yun Xing, I just said some people wouldn’t accept this, didn’t I?”
Qian Jin walked out with a gentle smile, hands clasped behind his back. Since he was taking over the President’s seat of the Blacksmith Guild, it was better for him to personally step up and receive everything. As a warrior! As a man! When challenged, how could one shrink back and wait for others to resolve it?
Yun Xing Huisheng nodded with a smile. This young man dared to face Qian Zhan Xuan, the overlord of Qian Prefecture and even the entire Zhence Dynasty; how could he fear a challenge from Vice President Chun Zhengsheng? It was best to just stand by and watch.
“Vice President?” Qian Jin looked at Chun Zhengsheng, then at the others: “Who else thinks I’m not qualified? Step forward together.”
Chun Zhengsheng sneered repeatedly while stroking his beard: “What do you mean? You want to use a warrior’s methods to fight us blacksmiths? If you intend to beat us into submission, then you have already won.”
As Chun Zhengsheng finished speaking, the gazes of many surrounding blacksmiths flared with anger. As blacksmiths, their combat strength was certainly inferior to a warrior’s, and the warrior’s words carried a distinct tone of provocation.
Qian Jin smiled. This Vice President was quite skilled at inciting conflict. He intended to take over a united and powerful Blacksmith Guild, not a fractured one.
“Forging, is it?” Qian Jin stretched leisurely, pointing toward the burning furnace not far from the courtyard: “What I propose is this: all of you can collaborate to forge one piece of equipment, and I will forge one piece alone. To save time, let’s set a limit of four hours! After four hours, regardless of whether the forging is complete, we will stop and compare.”
One person challenging a group on forging? Lei Guangming’s eyelids twitched repeatedly. If it were a one-on-one comparison with Qian Jin, he really lacked confidence, but everyone against Qian Jin alone?
Chun Zhengsheng smiled, a very happy smile. Forging was inherently a systematic task; even Lord Yun Xing Huisheng often sought help from others when forging equipment.
Among these deacons, some possessed skills in furnace control that even surpassed Lord Yun Xing Huisheng. When the President needed to focus on forging, controlling the furnace required someone else’s assistance.
Almost every forging stage in the Yongliu Blacksmith Guild had a corresponding deacon, which contributed to the guild’s overall impressive capability. As for individual prowess, they had always relied on President Yun Xing.
A group forging versus one person, and they still couldn’t win? Chun Zhengsheng exchanged a cold sneer with Lei Guangming and spoke in unison: “If you lose, what then?”
Qian Jin raised his hand and pointed toward the gate: “I scram.”
“Agreed!” Chun Zhengsheng cheerfully rolled up his sleeves: “Let us begin now.”
“Wait a moment.” Qian Jin touched the tip of his nose: “I don’t like to be at a disadvantage. If I lose, I leave. If you lose?”
The crowd froze uniformly. Was that even possible? Even if the President himself challenged everyone alone, he would only have a sixty percent chance, and that was over a prolonged forging session.
Four hours? Chun Zhengsheng was confident that even if the President personally took action, the chance of winning wouldn’t exceed ten percent.
Losing? The group hadn't even considered it! Li Mo Tu had already planned to secretly observe Qian Jin during the forging. If the young man’s forging standards were truly excellent, he would intentionally hold back and let Qian Jin win first.
“I won’t ask for anything else from you,” Qian Jin surveyed the crowd: “If you lose, give me all of your personal material treasures.”
Personal material treasures? A chill ran down Lei Guangming’s back. Although the Blacksmith Guild operated as a whole, members still possessed treasured materials they had individually acquired or sought out, materials reserved for forging a weapon that would be recorded in history.
To gamble these away? Hesitation flickered in the eyes of the crowd. A sharp glint crossed Chun Zhengsheng’s pupils—if they were intimidated by Qian Jin here, what chance would they have later?
“Fine! A gamble it is!”
Qian Jin laughed. His forging skills had improved significantly in recent days; his Zhanmadao could undergo further refinement. However, quality materials were hard to find. These people clearly possessed good items. Perhaps he could find materials for forging Soul Weapons, saving him the trouble if he ever managed to reach the Saint realm later.
Chun Zhengsheng strode toward the furnace, his gaze falling directly on Deacon Komier, who was recognized as the most skilled blacksmith among them in controlling the furnace fire.
Four hours—not particularly long, nor particularly short.
Chun Zhengsheng, dripping with sweat, rushed to Yun Xing Huisheng, holding aloft a newly honed longsword, his face alight with excitement. In just under four hours, the group, working together, had forged a Dou Bing! A Dou Bing! This was something they hadn't even dared to dream of before!
Seeing Qian Jin leisurely annealing his metal on his side, Chun Zhengsheng felt a surge of secret delight. Not only had they forged a Dou Bing! They hadn't even used the full four hours! Let’s see how this kid Qian Jin would fight me now!
Lei Guangming looked at the gleaming Dou Bing longsword, and the tight knot of anxiety in his chest began to loosen. Surely, they must win this time?
Chen Mo Tu stole a strange glance at Yun Xing Huisheng, wondering why the President had subtly instructed him to offer his full assistance and not hold back. Was he truly that confident in the young man? This time, it was the essence of the entire Blacksmith Guild, excluding the President himself, brought together for this effort!
Although they hadn't prepared or practiced much and hadn't exerted their full capabilities, the result was still terrifyingly potent.
Clang! Qian Jin dropped his blacksmith’s hammer and walked over to Yun Xing Huisheng’s side, carrying the newly forged weapon.
Chun Zhengsheng, seeing the long, dark iron rod in Qian Jin’s hand, sneered repeatedly. In four hours, the young man had only managed to produce this thing? Was he trying too hard to show off? He was even wearing those grand robes while forging a weapon! Did he really think he had a chance to become President wearing those clothes?
“Four hours, and you only managed to beat out this stick?” Chun Zhengsheng actually felt a trace of disappointment. Such a crude iron rod wasn't worth the strike of his Dou Bing!
“That’s right,” Qian Jin swung the iron rod happily: “Smashing your thing won’t be a problem.”
Smile! Let him smile! Soon he won’t be able to cry soon enough! Chun Zhengsheng’s face was locked in a cold grin. This was a Dou Bing!
Lei Guangming watched Qian Jin’s carefree smile, a vague sense of unease stirring within him, though he couldn't place its source. This time, nearly the entire essence of the Yongliu Blacksmith Guild had been mobilized, and they had spent four meticulous hours forging this weapon. How could it lose to a young man? Even though he had forged a Dou Bing before, this time everyone had participated together!
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