Chapter 618: Coming Straight for Us
Forging a sword is as easy as putting an elephant in a fridge—split into three steps.
Find materials, light the furnace, forge.
While materials may be hard to find in a pinch, for Young Master Sang, it’s not a problem. After all, with the Earth God’s Jade just sitting there, as long as there’s enough spiritual energy, it can provide any material you want.
However, a sword made solely from the Earth God’s Jade would just be a lifeless hunk of iron—no spirit, no soul.
So the crucial forging process can’t be skipped.
“Well, about this whole forging thing,” Young Master Sang said, scratching his head with a sheepish grin, “I’m totally clueless.”
Gu Yingmian: “…”
Seeing him so confident earlier, she thought he was a hidden sword-forging master!
“No big deal,” Gu Yingmian said, casually tossing her hair. “Forging a sword is just about understanding the material’s spirituality and handling the heat. It shouldn’t be hard for you.”
“Perfect! Didn’t you want to take a break lately?”
“Then come learn sword-forging with me.”
Young Master Sang’s eyes lit up. “Sounds great!”
After all, what boy didn’t dream of forging a legendary sword with his own hands when he was young?
Seeing his excitement, Gu Yingmian smirked, “Don’t get too excited. I’m a very strict teacher, you know.”
Unexpectedly, Young Master Sang dramatically lay back on the ground, pouting, “Please don’t go easy on me, punish me hard!”
“Pfft.”
His amusing antics made Gu Yingmian laugh, and she playfully pinched his waist.
“Just wait.”
“Big sis will definitely punish you until you can’t stand up!” she teased.
—
While Young Master Sang was suffering through Gu Yingmian’s “nightmarish” sword-forging training in the Yao Pool, his online feud was escalating like a bad internet drama.
After the Chen Zhang and Liu Ruyan incident, a few new developments sparked the flames of controversy once more.
First was an online incident involving a virtual influencer from the Canghong Pavilion, who incited fan-driven online violence.
Reports stated that after the Chen Zhang and Liu Ruyan situation, a big shot from the Canghong Pavilion, with over a million followers, tearfully accused the man named Chen Zhang of having previously harmed her, publicly exposing all of his personal information.
Immediately after, frenzied fans obliterated Chen Zhang’s online presence, with people even throwing manure and rotten eggs at his place daily.
This renewed debate stirred up heavy discussions; many found it outrageous for a large influencer to incite their fans to attack someone else online.
Conversely, others felt Chen Zhang deserved the backlash; scum like him should face retribution.
Before the uproar could settle, Chen Zhang posted a message claiming he was suffering from the rumor-mongering and online harassment, feeling battered and exhausted.
“I don’t understand,” he said tiredly on-screen, with deep shadows under his eyes. “I’m the victim here. Why am I the one being judged?”
“Why does Liu Ruyan, who cheated with another man behind my back, garner sympathy? Why can the Demon Cult interrogators act as if they’re above everything?”
“Is it just because I’m a man and she’s a woman? Do women get to enjoy privileges simply because of their gender?”
“I’ve developed serious mental health issues—sleepless nights, hallucinations, I can’t go on like this.”
“If I die, you all are my murderers!”
……
In the Holy Kingdom’s Master’s estate, during self-study time in Class One.
For Xiang Zimo, self-study time was really just an opportunity to sneakily scroll through his Communication Device.
He had grown used to sneaking peeks at his device while Master Huo Longyuan handled government affairs at the podium.
“Wow, how tragic.”
Just as he was scrolling, he stumbled upon Chen Zhang’s video, and seeing the poor guy now just skin and bones, he couldn’t help but smirk:
“What kind of world is this? The guy finds his wife cheating and ends up getting slandered instead. It’s just too sad!”
Next to him, his classmate Young Master Cao echoed, “Sigh, the internet is full of little fairies. Do you even know what a T0 version is?”
Not far away, Huo Longyuan continued resolutely with his paperwork, though he discreetly glanced up at Xiang Zimo.
Soon, finishing his paperwork, Huo Longyuan closed the scroll and casually remarked, “…Zimo.”
“Present,” Xiang Zimo replied hastily, putting his device away and bowing respectfully. “What can I do for you, Master?”
“Regarding the Chen Zhang and Liu Ruyan matter… what are your thoughts?”
Xiang Zimo pondered briefly and lowered his voice, “Um, I think in our current Communication Device era, anyone can speak their mind online, which only deepens the divide between different social classes. That’s a downside of this era.”
Huo Longyuan nodded in silence and turned to Young Master Cao, “And you?”
Young Master Cao, who had just been reveling in misfortune, quickly straightened up and stuttered, “Um… I think… it’s all these internet fairies’ fault!”
Huo Longyuan’s lips twitched slightly before he sighed deeply.
The other students could see his expression as he seemed to be questioning if these people could even be saved.
“…Huo Ming.”
Young Master Huo Ming jumped, quickly stood up, “Present.”
“I believe any conflict that arises is rarely due to a single factor. This incident seems to revolve around a man-woman confrontation, but many other shadows are pushing and fanning the flames behind the scenes.”
“Those in the Demon Cult who remain silent, the Canghong Pavilion allowing public opinion to escalate, and the extravagant commerce houses buying trolls to spread narratives may all be involved.”
Huo Longyuan’s gaze softened.
“Let me ask you this. Since conflict is stirred, there must be some gains, right? However, the three factions you mentioned all respect Young Master Sang from the Tai Xu Alliance and have no conflicting interests. What’s their motivation for inciting this conflict?”
Huo Ming scratched his head, looking puzzled. Eventually, he dropped his head in defeat, “I… don’t know.”
Huo Longyuan didn’t scold him but walked over and gently patted his shoulder.
“Study well. The future of the Holy Kingdom will be handed over to you.”
Huo Ming sat back down, feeling somewhat baffled.
Meanwhile, Huo Longyuan’s gaze turned distant and thoughtful.
…With no conflicting interests, that means they share a common interest.
And the fundamental interest of the Tai Xu Alliance… is to deal with the Primordial Deities.
“…They are coming for us, the Primordial Deities.”
“Looks like they are preparing to ask us to leave,” Huo Longyuan said with a slight smile.
