Seven Treasure Mountain. The God-Demon Sword had been in forging for four years. Though not yet fully complete, it had taken shape.
The Demon-Subduing Sword and the Demon Sword had already begun fusing at the blade, but the sword form remained imperfect. This was the moment for the divine smith Lou Gao to truly act.
Precious minerals like Fallen-Dragon Divine Iron and Nine-Lumens Spirit Cores had been put to use under Tang Xiao's Clear Sky Hammer, day after day. As for Deep-Sea Heavy Silver and the like—who knew how much had been consumed.
At first, Lou Gao's martial soul, the Sacred Molding Pen, couldn't even strike the God-Demon Sword. The instant the chisel fell, that terrifying force would rebound and fling Lou Gao away.
This was precisely what the descendant of Nuwa had warned: even a divine smith cannot forge an ultra-divine weapon. They simply cannot work metals containing such power. Even if Tianlin poured all his spiritual power into Lou Gao, it wouldn't help—his base strength was too weak.
Fortunately, the God-Demon Sword was a righteous divine weapon. It didn't harm Lou Gao; it merely repelled him with its overflowing power.
Because of this, Lou Gao refused to give up. For a blacksmith, forging a divine weapon was an obsession. He would not stop the forging of the God-Demon Sword.
In the past few months, he had been sent flying so many times that "hundreds" or "thousands" no longer sufficed to describe it.
But Tianlin noticed that each time Lou Gao got up and struck the blade again, he stood just a tiny bit closer to the sword—mere millimeters.
Dripping water wears through stone. Today, Lou Gao's Sacred Molding Pen finally landed on the God-Demon Sword for the first time. In an instant, immense divine power surged from Lou Gao, and a ring of light appeared behind him.
"Hahahaha! After all these years, you finally allow this old man to forge you? My thanks!" Lou Gao laughed, wielding the Sacred Molding Pen to continuously strike the sword blade. With each strike, the light ring behind him condensed further. When it reached its limit, a second ring appeared.
The blade, which had been somewhat discordant due to the fusion of two swords, now was gradually approaching perfection.
Gu Yuena was greatly shocked. "This Lou Gao is actually becoming a god—and a self-created godhood at that!"
Tianlin smiled. "For soul masters, becoming a god at level 100 is the ultimate goal; for blacksmiths, forging a divine weapon is the highest realm. Lou Gao, like Senior Sister Huan Yin, has stepped onto his own path. When the God-Demon Sword is complete, he will become a God of Craft. Truly worthy of being my first disciple. I only wonder—what tier of deity the God-Demon Sword will allow him to become."
Lou Gao himself had no idea he was on the verge of godhood. He didn't even feel the surge in his power. At this moment, nothing existed in his eyes except the God-Demon Sword.
This earth-shaking peerless divine armament was about to be born in his hands.
…
At the same time, in the current imperial capital of the Douluo Empire—Spirit City—and in the former Heaven Dou imperial capital—Heaven Dou City—two other powers were stirring.
Within Spirit City, a small city had risen—a city within a city. This was the academy that Ning Fengzhi had long planned to build: a super academy the size of a small city, constructed by renovating the original Spirit Hall Academy site, and erected within months with the help of countless soul masters.
It boasted complete facilities, a strong faculty, and top-tier provisions in food, lodging, and transport.
The academy recruited talent from across the world for training, and aside from teaching, it did not take part in any political or military affairs.
The office of headmaster would be held by the emperors of the Douluo Empire across generations. In other words, the first headmaster was Tianlin, and the current second is Gu Ran.
In truth, when Tianlin abdicated, the academy wasn't even finished; his tenure as first headmaster was nominal.
Aside from the headmaster, the three chief academic chairs were held by Ning Fengzhi, Golden Crocodile Douluo, and Yu Tianheng.
The dean and vice dean overseeing daily administration were Meng Shenji and Shui Qingwu, respectively.
Qin Ming also chose to join the academy and continue as an instructor.
Shui Bing'er, Shui Yue'er, and others became its first cohort of students. Now, four years later, they were seniors.
"Senior Shui Yue'er, I heard you once fought alongside Lord Saint Demon. Is that true?" Several starry-eyed girls crowded around Shui Yue'er with envy—clearly all fans of Tianlin.
Tianlin was the first emperor of the Douluo Empire, but also a Titled Douluo. "Your Majesty" and "Your Grace" were equivalent forms of address; ordinarily, either was acceptable. But since there was already an emperor in the palace, most people now called him "Your Grace" to avoid confusion.
"Of course. That was when Lord Saint Demon had just become a Titled Douluo," Shui Yue'er said, nose in the air. "Back then in the Heaven Dou palace, in front of us were two Titled Douluo from the Clear Sky Sect, plus Soul Douluo like Ge Long and countless imperial soul masters; behind us were tens of thousands of Heaven Dou imperial guards. It was perilous beyond compare. Yet I and Lord Saint Demon felt no fear—he fought at the front, and I guarded his back."
"To entrust his back to me—can you imagine how much Lord Saint Demon trusted me?"
The girls' big watery eyes nearly overflowed with envy. "Wow, how romantic. If only I could fight alongside Lord Saint Demon too. He's handsome, strong, and super nice without any airs."
"Alas, I was just a step late. By then, Lord Saint Demon already had a wife. Though he and I were mutually devoted, we could only part with heavy hearts," Shui Yue'er pivoted, turning a blood-stirring tale of battle into a soul-stirring romance.
The girls clearly preferred this, instantly conjuring a tragic scene of the two saying a reluctant goodbye under the setting sun—lovers unable to become family was indeed a great regret.
To be honest, Shui Yue'er did regret it bitterly. Why had she been so shallow during the Academy Tournament, dismissing Tianlin as just a kid and fancying Dai Mubai with his mature, slightly wicked charm?
If only she had known the gulf between them would become so vast, she would've done anything to intercept Tianlin back then.
Passing by, Huo Wu and Shui Bing'er both shook their heads. Only she could make "hiding behind someone" sound so elegant. And since when were you and Tianlin "mutually devoted"?
Back at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, they remembered well: because Shui Yue'er was too flighty, and Tianlin was the calm type who almost never got angry except with enemies, he ended up avoiding her to keep from being entangled in her chatter.
Was that your so-called "tragic missed romance"?
Shui Bing'er felt she had never seen anyone so brazen—unfortunately that person was her own sister. She feared she might freeze her if she couldn't hold back.
"However, the one who truly is mutually devoted with Lord Saint Demon should be about to come out of seclusion, right?" Huo Wu suddenly said.
"Mhm. Based on the timeframe His Grace gave before leaving, it should be in the next few days," Shui Bing'er nodded, looking toward the former Worship Hall. She could feel a power there growing stronger by the day.
…
That very night, a vast holy radiance shot out from the Worship Hall, illuminating the entire darkness.
Almost simultaneously, in Heaven Dou City, golden sword aura pierced the sky, no less imposing than the glow from the Worship Hall.
Clearly, Qian Renxue and Chen Xin had succeeded.