Night of the Broken Gliph

Chui Yim watched the red, burning workbench in horror. A fire-forger’s workbench had two separate compartments; an actual casting bench and a fire stove used for refining.

Both compartments were equally important, but Chui Yim’s workbench was obviously mediocre.

Elites usually had customized workbenches, and the one Chui Yim owned was about five times the size of this. Its heat tolerance was much better than the one he was currently using. Moreover, its fuel was of an even higher class, the spring breeze wood, which burned at extremely high temperatures.

The Nine Levels of Fire Mark he practised secretly was meant to increase fire temperature when refining. When the number of marks corresponded to the ingredients, it produced a special result. The main purpose of the mark was to increase a flame’s temperature.

Now, the ordinary workbench could no longer withstand the extreme temperature. He could barely warn the crowd, “Run!” while jumping onto the ground away from it, hugging the burning metal piece tightly. 

The stove was on the verge of exploding!

Boom! An explosion was heard, and Sze Fung wore an ugly expression. “Is this kid forging a gliph weapon or building a bomb?”

Sze Fung reached out his right hand from within his sleeve as a bright energliph that resembled a burning sun appeared. Dark red clouds in the arena seemed to be moving slowly, but they congealed into a huge hand in no time.

This was his gliphility, Sky Enveloping Hand! The hand landed and shrouded the space in front of Chui Yim. The cauldron detonated within the huge hand.

The crowd wasn’t worried, as a huge gliph formation separated them from the arena. But gasps were heard when Sze Fung from Metallic Blood War Gate executed his powerful gliphility. When else would they get the chance to watch something like this? The crowd even felt that the expensive tickets were worth it; some even secretly thanked Chui Yim in their hearts, hoping for even more explosions.

“Cough…” Before the view of the crowd, Chui Yim coughed. His face was full of dirt, including his shiny bald head. He looked just like a small, destitute monk. But he tidied himself up in no time and wiped the dust away from his robes.

 “Hah, this stove sucks!” Chui Yim laughed, but the other participants glared at him.

Besides Chai Fook Sau and Yau Suet Chung, the others were only half complete, but they had lost their focus thanks to Chui Yim! No matter the field, focus in your craft was extremely important, and the commotion had interrupted their train of thought, similar to Chui Yim ruining their work. Now, all of them were boiling with fury and glaring at him.

Their anger was so great that it nearly solidified into actual murderous intent! Even the thick-skinned Chui Yim couldn’t help but swallow at their stares. “Everyone seems hard at work, huh?”

The other participants barely withheld their urge to attack him on the spot. Nonsense! Should we be busy doing nothing?

“All the best, guys.” With that, Chui Yim returned to his seat with his huge metal piece. The participants calmed down at this, trying to recover their ideas. Even Fung Seung was rendered speechless, increasing the time limit to compensate the other participants.

Yau Suet Chung sneered. No matter how much more time they’re given, they’d only be background characters. But he didn’t voice his thoughts out as he felt his only opponents were Chai Fook Sau and maybe Chui Yim…But to be honest, he never expected much from Chui Yim.

He didn’t believe anyone could become a great master at thirteen, even if he started forging from birth.

Cultivation wasn’t that important to blacksmiths. For example, his master, Mok Ching Sau, and even the host Fung Seung were only two-chambered cultivators. But their body was already comparable to four-chambered gliphers. Physical strength was most important to blacksmiths.

Fire-forgers needed a strong body to refine and hammer, while water-casters needed to withstand the ice-cold glacier bench. Skills weren’t the only things they needed; resilient hands and great strenght were necessary.

As for grass refiners, they need to work with all types of liquid and not just weave but also be able to shave a tree into a spear like Chai Fook Sau did. No thirteen-year-old had ever achieved that.

However, from the huge explosion Chui Yim caused, he no longer looked down on him. Chui Yim barely escaped, but the fact that he could still jump around proved his bodily strength. From this, he could tell that Chui Yim was a good blacksmith; even if he wasn’t a great master, he was halfway there.

The grass-refiner Chai Fook Sau, fire-forger Chui Yim, and water-caster Yau Suet Chung.

Was this a competition between the three factions?

Yau Suet Chung was excited. If he won, he’d definitely leave his mark in history as the first water-caster to win over the other factions! 

---

 

As the competition went on, it soon became boring for the crowd again.

Only Chai Fook Sau, Yau Suet Chung and Chui Yim were skilful enough to catch the crowd’s attention, and the other participants were boring. The forging process was important, but most people only cared about the end product.

Just as they were feeling bored, the last participant finished, and it was already evening.

“We will now begin judging, participants; please hand over your weapons.” Fung Seung announced.

“I volunteer!” A participant stepped forward confidently. “Grandmaster Fung, this is my grade one gliph weapon, the Jade Grass Divine Sword! I made use of Jade Grass as my main ingredient, and together with various other precious ingredients, this is my final product. I carved the Ripple gliph in it to give the sword a rippling aura, making it difficult for opponents to discern your next move.”

Fung Seung took the sword and nodded. It was indeed a good weapon considering its grade one.

The Big Three and Eight Institutions participants were good blacksmiths. Fung Seung passed the jade-green sword to the important figures behind him before returning it to the teen.

“Please start awarding the points.”

The confident teen’s face soon fell as he heard his results and sighed in dismay.

Three, four, three, two, three…Each judge could give ten points, but this teen only got thirty points!

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!