Chapter 149: The Thronging Sparring Match

Chapter 149: The Thronging Sparring Match

"You got advanced forging materials?" Grumble's eyes lit up when he heard Lu Heng wanted to forge Aurora Blade for the third time.

"Yes, I got a Black Crystal Forging Stone." Lu Heng took out the Black Crystal Forging Stone extracted from Flame Demon and handed it to him.

"Good material, and this Black Crystal Forging Stone is best suited for forging Aurora Blade. However, with only one, the material is a bit insufficient." Grumble rubbed his chin, trying to recall if there were any more forging materials left in Tempering Castle.

But after thinking about it, he realized that Tempering Castle no longer had any high-grade forging materials. They had exhausted their resources during the exodus from the Abyss.

Lu Heng took out the famous Japanese sword, Fusonokami Kageuchi, and said, "I plan to use this as the forging material. With the Black Crystal Forging Stone, it should be enough."

"This sword is excellent; it's truly a fine blade. Using it as a forging material is perfect. The weather is good today; let's start now."

Grumble immediately became excited, ran over, put on his forging robe, and started the furnace to prepare.

The Black Crystal Forging Stone and Fusonokami Kageuchi were the main forging materials, but they also needed some auxiliary materials.

Auxiliary materials were more common, and Tempering Castle had plenty of them.

Grumble rummaged through a few boxes, took out all the auxiliary materials he needed, and laid them out on the table.

He first threw Fusonokami Kageuchi and the Black Crystal Forging Stone into the furnace to burn off impurities and then began the forging process.

The forging process took some time, and Lu Heng and Lin Zeyu helped out, finally completing it after three hours.

When the forging was finished, Lu Heng saw a string of data prompts appear.

[Assisted the forger in completing weapon forging, gained the sub-profession 'Forger's Assistant'.]



[Assisted in forging, Forger's Assistant profession experience +10]



The last time Aurora Blade was forged, Lu Heng did not gain a sub-profession, possibly because his involvement wasn't high enough.

It might also be because Grumble's original forger level was not high enough.

Assisting an apprentice forger would not grant the Forger's Assistant sub-profession.

The probability of gaining the Forger's Assistant sub-profession by assisting a professional forger is also very low.

Only by assisting a senior forger or a forging master would the probability of gaining a sub-profession be higher.

Grumble's forging level must have increased after the previous forging, which is why the 'Forger's Assistant' sub-profession appeared this time.

Moreover, not only Lu Heng gained the Forger's Assistant sub-profession.

Lin Zeyu approached, his face full of surprise, and said, "I got a sub-profession called Forger's Assistant. Am I going to take off now?"

"Yes, it's like sliding on the ground. I also have this sub-profession," Lu Heng joked.

Lin Zeyu immediately widened his eyes, "Aren't you a Temperer? Why do you have a Forger's Assistant sub-profession too?"

Lu Heng shrugged, "Is it any of your business?"

Although it was just a Forger's Assistant, this was Lin Zeyu's first sub-profession, and he was incredibly excited.

Moreover, the Forger's Assistant had additional effect bonuses.

[Forger's Assistant: +5% success rate when assisting in forging.]



After the forging was completed, Grumble's face was filled with excitement as he held up the thrice-forged Aurora Blade and laughed out loud, "The God of Casting has blessed me! I've finally forged a divine weapon; the Black Iron Clan's forging skills have not been lost!"

Lu Heng had discovered earlier that this "Forging Master" had not even forged a B-Class weapon before.

It was likely that during the migration and exodus from the Abyss, many skills in Tempering Castle were on the verge of being lost.

Grumble had forging knowledge, but without advanced materials to practice with, his highest forging level was C-Class before Lu Heng's arrival.

Lu Heng quickly took the Aurora Blade to check its attributes and couldn't help but show surprise at the attack power.

[Exceptional Aurora Blade +9 (Abyssal Assimilation)]



[Item Grade: A-Class]



[Specifications: Length 132 cm, Blade Width 3.6 cm, Weight 1.85 kg]



[Attribute: Attack Power 345 (Special Effect Bonus)]



[Special Effects: Soul Slayer LV2, Sharp Edge LV2]



[Sharp Edge LV2: Exclusive special effect for bladed weapons, increasing weapon sharpness and attack power by 75 points, with 50% more damage against hard materials.]



Each forging attempt has a chance to upgrade the special effect level, and this time, the forging directly upgraded the [Sharp Edge] special effect from LV1 to LV2, increasing the attack power from 50 points to 75 points.

Moreover, [Sharp Edge] has stronger destructive power against hard materials, making it truly capable of cutting through metal.

With the special effect bonus, the attack power reached 345 points, and as a cold weapon, it could gain strength attribute bonuses.

A single swing would be devastating to anyone below level 25.

A dual-effect A-Class weapon, and both effects were at Level 2.

This sword appeared in the sixth month of the Abyssal Descent, and it could be said to be a terrifying weapon ahead of its time.

...

Time passed, and the end of June arrived in the Abyssal Era.

15 days after the expulsion deadline, Saito Makoto returned to Daxia, and this time, he brought many people from the Japanese swordsmanship circle.

This group claimed they wanted to restore the reputation of Japanese swordsmanship and condemn the shameless acts of the Daxia swordsmen.

Therefore, when Lu Heng received the second challenge, the situation was quite dramatic.

Over a hundred people gathered at the entrance of Qionghua Tianlu Lake, specifically asking for Lu Heng to come out and meet them.

After Lu Heng appeared, a disciple from the Kyushu Shinryu School presented the challenge letter.

Many of the Japanese people carried weapons, some wooden swords, and some katana, creating a tense atmosphere as if a battle was about to erupt.

The law enforcement team, fearing trouble, dispatched police officers to stand guard in front of Qionghua Tianlu Lake.

When the challenge letter was delivered, Lu Heng did not immediately reach out to take it. Instead, he turned to look at the black car parked by the roadside.

The same car, in the same position.

Just like the previous time, the rear window of the car was lowered, and Saito Makoto sat inside, a tuft of beard on his chin, his aura even more formidable than before.

It was clear that in preparation for this battle, Saito Makoto had returned to Japan and achieved significant improvement.

Moreover, he now represented the face of Japanese swordsmanship, so the Japanese swordsmanship circle's financial groups would support him.

Thus, during those fifteen days, Saito Makoto gained the support of the entire Japanese swordsmanship circle, and countless extraordinary resources were poured into his training, making it difficult for him not to become stronger.

Saito Makoto was already acknowledged as the leader of the Kyushu Shinryu School in Japan and was revered as a Sword Saint, his strength already unfathomable.

Now, with such abundant resources, his power had skyrocketed, and in the realm of Japanese swordsmanship, he was invincible.

The scale of this challenge was such that backing down was no longer an option.

If Lu Heng did not accept this battle, domestic public opinion would explode.

Although Lu Heng didn't care about public opinion, he didn't want to be called a coward.

In fact, Saito Makoto and the Haruka Corporation had made such a big scene to force Lu Heng to accept the challenge.

Lu Heng understood his opponent's intentions, knowing it was a well-planned scheme, but he didn't mind; he was ready to fight.

Under everyone's gaze, Lu Heng took the challenge letter and checked the time and location.

The time was set for three days later, and the venue was the Coastal International Kendo Dojo.

...

Because the situation had become so dramatic, Lu Heng's parents also learned about the matter.

Naturally, parents would be worried when their child was about to engage in a martial arts competition.

However, Lu Heng tried to downplay the situation: "Don't worry, it's just a competition, similar to an Olympic event."

These words were only meant to reassure his parents.

Lu Heng was well aware that Saito Makoto would not hold back in this battle.

Therefore, this match would undoubtedly be a fight to the death.

Lu Mingli had witnessed the grand display when Saito Makoto issued the challenge, so he understood that his son must not back down in this competition.

This matter was no longer just about one person; the reputation of the men of Daxia was at stake.

"Dad and Mom know that you can't back down from this match, but you must promise us that no matter the outcome, you must come back alive," Lu Mingli said with a grave tone.

He didn't expect to gain anything from this battle; even a loss was acceptable as long as his son returned alive.

Regardless of what happened afterward, they would face it together as a family.

Lu Heng smiled reassuringly: "Don't worry, it's just a competition, nothing major."

Despite his words, Lu Heng was still a bit nervous.

After all, his opponent was the Japanese Sword Saint, a master of swordsmanship for decades, and his strength could not be underestimated.

...

Over the next three days, Lu Heng practiced swordsmanship and body techniques in the training room, and finally, on the third day, he perfected his body technique proficiency, reaching the Subtle Level (2999/3000).

When he stepped on the ceiling and executed the Inverted Dragon Ascend technique, his body technique officially broke through the Subtle Level boundary.

[Practicing body technique has led to an epiphany, body technique proficiency +1]



[Subtle Level body technique training is complete, entering the fourth level of body technique, the Intentional Level.]



With the Intentional Level body technique, Lu Heng once again demonstrated the Mountain Subdue technique's variation, "Returning Wind," spinning like lightning and slashing out a Returning Wind sword light.

The sword light formed a full moon, its edge unmatched.

With the body technique perfected, the Returning Wind variation was also mastered.

After breaking through with his body technique, Lu Heng rested for half a day.

The time had come for the competition stated in the challenge letter.

Early in the morning, Su Muyu and Lin Zeyu waited at the door, ready to accompany Lu Heng to the kendo dojo.

At 9:30 a.m.

Outside the Coastal International Kendo Dojo, the area was packed with people.

News had spread about the upcoming competition between Saito Makoto, the Sword Saint of the Kyushu Shinryu School, and Lu Heng.

Even people from other cities flew in, eager to witness this martial arts contest.

The majority of the gathered crowd had come to see Saito Makoto.

After all, he was the Sword Saint of Japan.

Just the title "Sword Saint" alone was enough to attract countless spectators.

In comparison, Lu Heng had little to no reputation, almost as if he was a complete unknown.

It was because Lu Heng's match with Tsukakawa Shugaku was not a public event, and those who witnessed it were silenced.

One was the Sword Saint of Japan, while the other was an unknown swordsman from Daxia.

The crowd gathered at the Coastal International Kendo Dojo was clearly there to see one person.

The contest was yet to begin.

The entrance of the international kendo dojo was already surrounded by people, all discussing the upcoming match.

"Who is Saito Makoto fighting?"

"Someone named Lu Heng."

"Is he a new kendo master? Why haven't I heard of him before?"

"I don't know, I've never heard of this name. I wonder where he came from."

"How can such a minor character challenge the head of the Kiushu Shinryu School right from the start? It doesn't seem reasonable."

"I heard Saito Makoto personally issued the challenge."

"Yes, Saito Makoto personally delivered the challenge, and I was there. Hundreds of people from Japan came, and it was quite a spectacle."

"The Sword Saint of Japan personally challenged a little-known swordsman? What's going on here? Is this Lu Heng a new kendo master?"

Among the crowd, some were aware of the situation.

"I searched through several kendo forums in Japan and found that Saito Makoto issued the challenge fifteen days ago, but this Lu Heng didn't dare to accept. However, someone above Lu Heng used official power to expel Saito Makoto from the country."

"Is that so despicable?"

"Anyway, the Japanese side is full of criticism, accusing our country's swordsman of being despicable and cowardly, unwilling to accept the challenge and only relying on official rules to expel his opponent."

"So, how did Lu Heng accept the challenge this time?"

"Could he refuse? Hundreds of people from the Japanese kendo circle came and surrounded his house, almost coming to blows."

"Did this Lu Heng offend Saito Makoto? For a Sword Saint to bully a minor character like this, isn't it a bit excessive?"

"I searched through Japanese websites and found that this Lu Heng defeated Saito Makoto's proud disciple, Tsukakawa Shugaku."

"He defeated Tsukakawa Shugaku? When did this happen?"

"It should have been last month, I think."

"But Tsukakawa Shugaku is one of the top ten kendo masters in Japan. How come there's no news about his defeat?"

"It seems it wasn't just a defeat. I heard that Tsukakawa Shugaku was silenced by this Lu Heng."

"Is that true?"

"Tsukakawa Shugaku is one of the top ten kendo masters in Japan. Could he be killed by a minor character?"

"It's hard to say. Perhaps this Lu Heng has powerful skills. If he had a Gun Enhancement skill and suddenly pulled out a gun, shooting and taking down Tsukakawa Shugaku with a single shot, it wouldn't be surprising."

"That's true. If he had suddenly pulled out a gun for a sneak attack with a Gun Enhancement skill, it would indeed be easy to succeed."

In the public's perception, the power of firearms remained formidable.

Usually, an Esper couldn't withstand a pistol shot.

The crowd outside the kendo dojo grew more heated in their discussions.

The information didn't just come from Japanese websites; some people in the country also translated and shared the content from Japanese websites.

"I saw the translated content. If it's true, then Saito Makoto is here to seek revenge for his disciple."

"It seems that this Lu Heng must have assassinated Tsukakawa Shugaku, and Saito Makoto issued the challenge for revenge."

"If that's the case, then it's understandable for a Sword Saint to challenge a little-known swordsman."

Amidst the discussions, the Japanese kendo circle arrived at the dojo first.

Saito Makoto, surrounded by dozens of people, entered the dojo, changed into his kendo attire, and ascended the kendo stage.

There were only ten minutes left until the time specified in the challenge.

Since the kendo dojo had been booked for the day and wasn't open to the public, people were stopped at the entrance, and the crowd eager to watch the match was kept outside.

However, a few individuals had the privilege to enter the dojo.

Jian Qing and Chen Zihan had heard about this match a few days ago and arrived early.

Despite the commotion at the entrance, their expressions remained calm as they made their way through the crowd and into the dojo.

It was now ten o'clock in the morning.

Lu Heng arrived at the entrance of the kendo dojo and was slightly surprised by the massive crowd gathered there.

He had expected a large audience, but not to this extent.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end