บท 3487: Chapter 3223: Doubt

Xu Sheng simply reminded, "Stop struggling, the more you exert yourself, the faster the poison will enter your body, and it will gradually spread to your brain!"

"By then, although it won't be fatal, you'll be out for a few days without a problem!"

The man, who could not break free by any means, finally lost control of his emotions, "Impossible, even though you're a Soul King like me, there's no way your Martial Soul is so powerful!"

"You must have used some unknown method!"

His pride prevented him from admitting he'd been Bound by a child!

Xu Sheng raised an eyebrow, "Saying that, are you questioning the integrity of the arena?"

"Before the match begins, everyone is subjected to a rigorous inspection, you should be well aware of that!"

These words pierced the other man's heart like a steel needle…

No longer struggling, he dropped his head, defeated, "You… you're right, I've lost this match!"

I've lost!

I didn't even last three minutes!

And to lose the match at the hands of a child, this was no doubt going to be the greatest shame of his life!!

As his words fell, the host even doubted his own ears...

He couldn't help but repeat in disbelief, "Wha…What?? Am I hearing things?"

The man bit his lip and said again, "I said, I concede!!"

Only then did the host dare to confirm he hadn't misheard, the arena's most popular pick had voluntarily conceded!!

Having come to terms with what happened, he excitedly announced, "He conceded, Xu Sheng's opponent has voluntarily conceded!!"

Seeing this, Xu Sheng casually waved his hand, and the vines of the Nine-Hearted Begonia slowly loosened…

The man collapsed to the ground, wanting to stand, but found his legs completely numb and unable to do so…

He had to be carried away by the arena staff for treatment...

The audience below was stunned for the second time, because the progression of the fight was nothing like what they had imagined!!

"It's…over?? I had only just closed my eyes, how did it abruptly end!!"

"Right? He surrendered? Couldn't that guy have been holding back? Of course, even if you say he wasn't, I won't believe it!!"

"That kid does have excellent combat awareness, but I simply can't believe he could defeat an Assault-type Soul Master with just some vines!!"

"I was expecting a thrilling match, but it ended so abruptly!!"

"I don't buy it, rematch, rematch, there must be something fishy going on!!"

Seeing the mood turning sour, the host, feeling quite embarrassed, looked towards Xu Sheng, "Umm… Xu Sheng, although I want to congratulate you on the victory, everyone's attitude towards this match is really..."

He himself started to suspect that this might have been a prearranged fix!

But then, he thought about how the previous opponent wouldn't gamble with his own future!!

So, he chose to believe!!

Xu Sheng showed no emotional fluctuation, "It's okay, if they don't believe it, then I'll just fight a few more matches until they do!"

From the start, he never expected to win the audience's trust with just one match!!

The host was somewhat bewildered, "More… more matches?? Are you saying the arena had arranged more than this one match for you??"

"That's right! So for the upcoming contest, I'll need your help as well!!"

...

Following the continuous hammering, layers of white impurities began to fall off the metal surface—it was clear these were impurities contained within the metal!

Although it seemed simple, it was actually a real test of the Forging Master's foundational skills!

The better the Forging Master, the fewer impurities there would be in the forged metal, and the higher the quality of the finished products made from these metals!

Once most of the impurities were removed from the metal, it took on an irregular quadrilateral shape; the smoothness of its surface was visible to the naked eye!

But Tang Wulin's eyes did not reveal a satisfied expression; he increased the strength of his hammering, producing a series of roaring sounds...

The acting Presidents sitting aside were now thoroughly enraptured, astonishment apparent in every pair of eyes...

One of the men spoke up generously, "Each strike hits just right, not only removing the impurities from inside the metal but also avoiding damaging the metal from excessive force! Is this really a kid who's only in the second grade?"

Another, a woman with slightly dark skin, couldn't help but exclaim, "Even I couldn't remove the impurities from this metal as perfectly as he did. The President... wasn't exaggerating at all! This child deserves the title of a genius!"

"But... isn't the metal already in shape to be molded? Why does this child continue to hammer it?"

"He must want to forge the metal to perfection! But that's no simple task!"

Removing impurities from the metal is important, but it must be done according to one's abilities, obsessively chasing perfection can be counterproductive!

Mu Chen's eyebrows furrowed slightly, clearly thinking that Tang Wulin was being somewhat unreasonable, and he couldn't help but speak up to remind him, "Wulin..."

But before he could finish, he was interrupted by Zhen Hua, "Come on, Mu Chen, you don't trust your own disciple? Moreover, with so many people watching, it wouldn't be appropriate to remind him out of turn!"

He could vaguely understand Tang Wulin's intention—if you are going to forge, forge the best!

Wasn't that what he thought himself in the past?

Mu Chen fell silent...

Indeed, this was like an assessment for a level 6 blacksmith, and giving reminders would be breaking the rules!

Then, Zhen Hua's voice rang out again, "You see, I told you. The kid has realized he can't refine any more impurities and is getting ready for the next step!"

The somewhat absent-minded Mu Chen, upon hearing this, his eyes once again lit up, and he watched Tang Wulin begin to forge another piece of metal, feeling a quiet sense of relief in his heart...

Hopefully, it will be a success!

This was the sincere hope of his teacher!

...

Meanwhile, Gu Yue and the others who were strolling around all had traces of weariness on their faces...

They had been waiting here for quite a few hours, but Tang Wulin had not yet returned!

Xie Xie couldn't keep from complaining, "It's already been half an hour, how come Wulin hasn't finished the level 6 blacksmith assessment? Could it be that he failed?"

Xu Xiaoyan gave him a glance and interrupted, "Don't talk nonsense. Not to mention the difficulty of a level 6 blacksmith's assessment, it definitely takes more than just one or two hours!"

Gu Yue nodded earnestly, "Yeah, even as a level 4 blacksmith myself, forging an item within my abilities takes at least two hours. Wulin... might need about half a day."

After all, passing the level 6 blacksmith mark is a massive barrier that many people never overcome in their lifetime!

...