55: Chapter 55 Forging Successful, Tang Sword: [Night Eclipse]

Qin Lie took the Tang sword and placed it back onto the anvil.

The blade of the Tang sword had already cooled down; he needed to temper it again to restore its metallic properties to a state where it could accommodate and absorb the shadow crystal core.

As he busied himself, the surroundings grew so quiet that only the crackling of the flames and the dull thuds of metal being struck remained.

Immediately after, everyone's gaze quietly shifted toward Zhang Zhenhai.

The meaning behind those looks was completely different from the beginning; it was like watching a play with a sudden twist.

Weren't you just confidently accusing the other party of being weak, saying they only knew how to dodge and evade in the mystic realm, putting your team in danger?

Now that he's suddenly produced dozens of crystal cores, what do you have to say for yourself?

You can't possibly say that all those crystal cores were obtained through deception and trickery; even if they were, to be able to get so many, his strength would still be beyond what an ordinary person could reach.

At this moment, the words Zhang Zhenhai had spoken earlier seemed to have turned into a joke.

At the same time, the muscles on Zhang Zhenhai's face stiffened; he could clearly feel those gazes pricking him like needles.

He tried to straighten his back to maintain his dignity, but the slight twitch at the corner of his mouth and his flickering eyes betrayed him.

Just then, Gu Changming turned his head, his gaze falling upon him.

"He's busy right now," Gu Changming spoke. "Those twenty points, I'll transfer them to you."

These words were light, without any trace of anger.

Yet to Zhang Zhenhai's ears, they felt like an invisible slap across the face.

His entire face instantly flushed red, his lips quivered a few times, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Intentional—this guy was definitely doing this on purpose.

"You don't want them?" Gu Changming asked again.

Zhang Zhenhai didn't even dare to meet Gu Changming's eyes at this moment.

Knowing that staying any longer would only make him a bigger laughingstock.

Zhang Zhenhai abruptly lowered his head, nearly shoving aside two onlookers as he plunged into the gaps of the crowd without looking back. His steps were hurried and frantic, and he soon left the place.

As he left, several muffled snickers rose from the crowd, and the air was filled with a sense of merriment.

After Zhang Zhenhai departed, everyone's attention returned to the dancing furnace flames and Qin Lie's back.

The furnace fire was roaring. Qin Lie picked up his hammer, and as it fell, it wasn't a strike of brute force but one with a unique rhythm. Every time it hit the glowing red blade, a ripple of faint light would shimmer out.

The onlookers watched with curiosity; they usually came to buy finished products directly, so this was the first time they had witnessed such a forging process.

After repeating this several times, once the blade's temperature was maintained at an appropriate level, Qin Lie laid it flat on a wooden table.

Then, he picked up the shadow crystal core that Gu Changming had tossed to him.

Looking at the shadow crystal core in his hand, Qin Lie's fingers tightened slightly, and his Adam's apple bobbed.

He was a bit hesitant.

The previous two attempts had failed; if he were to fail again this time...

The pressure caused the hand holding the crystal core to tremble almost imperceptibly for a moment.

Just then, a few crisp and rhythmic tapping sounds—"tap, tap, tap"—came from the side.

He instinctively turned his head to look.

It was Gu Changming. His hand was currently resting on the wooden table piled with shadow crystal cores, and his index finger's knuckle was tapping the tabletop steadily and unhurriedly.

The other man wasn't looking at him, but as he turned to look...

Gu Changming curled his finger and gave a light flick to a crystal core that had rolled to the edge of the table.

With a soft "tap," the crystal core worth hundreds of points bounced slightly on the table, rolled half a circle, and stopped at the very edge.

Qin Lie was stunned for a moment, then, seeing Gu Changming's completely relaxed posture as he leaned against the table, he understood the other's meaning:

There are plenty of these things; don't be nervous, just go for it.

Qin Lie froze for a second, and then the stagnant air trapped in his chest was punctured by Gu Changming's action.

He took a deep breath, withdrew his gaze from Gu Changming, and refocused on the Tang sword before him.

The hesitation in his eyes faded. He placed the crystal core back onto the Tang sword's blade, held his hands suspended over it with palms facing down, and slowly covered it.

Light emerged from his palms once more, like a flowing mist, slowly enveloping the connection between the crystal core and the blade.

At this moment, the gazes of all the onlookers were drawn over, everyone holding their breath in anticipation of the result.

Time passed in silence for about half a minute.

Suddenly.

"Ding!"

A crisp and pleasant sound, like jade chimes striking together, rang out from the center of the halo.

The surrounding crowd instinctively froze, not yet able to distinguish whether it was the sound of shattering or the clear ring of success.

But in the next second, a deep, dark light suddenly flashed across the blade of the pitch-black Tang sword lying on the table!

The light wasn't blinding, but it carried a heavy chill, like a tangible shadow blooming instantly. An invisible aura erupted along with it, spreading out like ripples from a giant stone dropped into calm water.

Several onlookers in the inner circle closest to the table were caught off guard, feeling a slight tightness in their chests as they involuntarily stumbled half a step back.

The light faded, and the aura withdrew.

On the table, the Tang sword still lay quietly, but the color of the blade seemed even darker and more reserved. Looking closely, it was as if a very faint black streamer was slowly moving along the edge, vanishing in a flash.

It succeeded.

This thought surfaced in everyone's mind simultaneously.

Qin Lie stood dazed for two seconds before surprise and excitement flooded his face. He immediately picked up the Tang sword from the table and looked at Gu Changming with excitement.

His lips moved, and his eyes even grew a bit warm; he was so emotional for a moment that he couldn't speak.

He hadn't betrayed the other's trust, nor had he wasted another one of his crystal cores.

"I've forged it," Qin Lie said, unable to suppress his emotions.

A trace of a smile appeared on Gu Changming's face as he gave Qin Lie a slight nod.

Qin Lie held the Tang sword in both hands, composed himself, and then solemnly handed it over.

Gu Changming reached out and took it steadily.

The moment he held it, a translucent notification box silently popped up before his eyes:

【Name: night erosion, a Tang sword smelted and tempered from a shadow crystal core.】

【Attributes: Sharpness significantly increased, basic armor penetration enhanced.】

【Trait 1: Shadow Attachment: Can transform into a two-dimensional shadow tattoo attached to the user; it can be instantly manifested into a physical blade through mental command.】

【Trait 2: Every time an enemy is killed, the blade will absorb their life force, permanently increasing its sharpness.】

Gu Changming's gaze quickly swept over the notification box, pausing for a moment on those two traits.

Then, a joyful smile broke through his usual calm expression.

It exceeded his expectations; this tempered and reforged Tang sword was better than he had imagined.

Especially those two traits... one for two-dimensionalization and one for growth.

Its value, even now when everyone was short on funds, could be worth several thousand points.