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The guards on both sides slowly moved closer together. After the two individuals approached, the guard from Liu Guanfeng's side said, "I'm going to attack now, so be careful."
The guard on the other side nodded, "Come on."
The guard raised his Steel Blade and aimed at the position of the Heart Shield. Due to the force of the strike, the opposing guard was forced to retreat seven or eight steps before finally stabilizing himself. Liu Guanfeng's guard looked at his Steel Blade and saw that there were no issues with it. After retreating seven or eight steps, the guard from the New Home Chamber of Commerce steadied himself and looked down to find a crack had appeared on his Heart Shield. This startled him; although he didn't know exactly what had happened, the visible crack on his chest plate was very clear. Despite considering himself fearless, coming so close to death was still terrifying.
Liu Guanfeng's guard observed the crack on the opponent's chest and then looked at his own Steel Blade, secretly relieved that he had only used seventy percent of his strength as advised by Tiger Tail. If he had used all his strength, he might have killed his opponent.
This seemingly light Steel Blade turned out to be incredibly sharp, easily slicing through the opponent's armor with just one strike.
The referee was momentarily stunned before gently approaching the New Home Chamber of Commerce guard to inspect his Heart Shield. He then moved to examine Liu Guanfeng's Steel Blade closely. Finally, the referee announced on the spot, "After inspection and testing, I declare that the winner is Golden Tail from the Chinese Chamber of Commerce."
As a reward, this Steel Blade became a day's pay for the referee, which made him quite pleased.
By this time, night had fallen, and the competition could only continue the next day. Everyone from the Chinese Chamber of Commerce was in high spirits, chatting and laughing. On the other side, the New Home Chamber of Commerce was gloomy and silent; Guo Yunhua, who had come in full of confidence, now kept his head down and left the competition site without even glancing at Liu Guanfeng.
The next day, Guo Yunhua brought everyone back to the competition site. As before, Liu Guanfeng was already waiting there early.
Today, Liu Guanfeng replaced Tiger Head with an ordinary blacksmith. This blacksmith was an apprentice from another village on Luo Heng Island and had only been learning for a little over two years. Although his forging skills had improved significantly under Liu Guanfeng and Qifeng Ge's guidance, he still couldn't compare to Tiger Head and others. Liu Guanfeng let him participate simply to give newcomers more opportunities for experience.
The referee today was also drawn from those present and appeared much more composed than yesterday's referee. He stepped into the center of the arena and announced, "Now please have both competitors take their places."
A young man around twenty years old walked out from the Chinese Chamber of Commerce side, looking somewhat foolish. On the other side, Xu Shi turned to those behind him and said, "Xu Gang, you must defeat your opponent this time; we cannot afford any losses."
"Director, you can rest assured. Just watch me, Xu Gang."
After both sides took their positions, the referee organized a draw for the two participants. The referee held up the slips of paper and announced, "The representative from the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Liu Di, has forged a staff; the representative from the New Home Chamber of Commerce, Xu Gang, has forged an axe. Now, please prepare for the match. Begin."
With the referee's command, both sides commenced the second round of competition. Seeing Liu Di's performance, Xu Shi frowned and quietly remarked to Guo Yunhua, "Young Master, do you really think that the one called Liu Di has only trained for two years?"
At this moment, Guo Yunhua could no longer sit still. If yesterday Tiger Tail was a forging genius, then this person named Liu Di must also be a genius? Even if he were a genius, it couldn't be that all blacksmiths from the Chinese Chamber of Commerce are geniuses. Could someone who has only learned blacksmithing for two days really move with such proficiency?
Guo Yunhua called over Guo Hai. "Guo Hai, can you explain where you got your information from?"
Guo Hai was now sweating profusely. He had worked hard to gather intelligence only to find it completely inaccurate. Clearly, the two blacksmiths were competing, yet his information indicated they were apprentices. Looking at Liu Di in front of him, Guo Hai thought: Is it possible for a novice to have such skilled movements? Could there have been an error in the information?
Guo Hai clasped his hands together in front of Guo Yunhua. "Young Master, rest assured I will send someone to investigate further and uncover the truth."
Guo Yunhua snorted coldly. "If your information is inaccurate again, you might as well resign from your position. If you can't handle such a small matter, what use are you?"
"I will conduct a thorough investigation," Guo Hai replied before turning away and wiping his forehead.
After a day of competition, Liu Di and Xu Gang were nearing the end. A metal staff and an iron axe lay before everyone. After both sides inspected their weapons, the testers stood opposite each other. Today's test involved clashing the two weapons against each other ten times; if neither side sustained damage, it would be considered a draw.
The guards took turns striking with their respective Merchant Guild's weapons until the ten clashes concluded. When both guards withdrew simultaneously, the referee carefully examined their weapons. Xu Gang's Great Axe from the New Home Chamber of Commerce had developed a noticeable chip but remained usable, while Liu Di's iron staff from the Chinese Chamber of Commerce had formed a significant crack. If they continued to clash like this for a few more rounds, the staff would be completely ruined. After assessing both weapons, the referee explained the situation to both blacksmiths and ultimately announced Xu Gang from the New Home Chamber of Commerce as the winner of this match.
Upon hearing that his Merchant Guild had won, Guo Yunhua's previously sullen face broke into a smile as he provocatively glanced at Liu Guanfeng. However, Liu Guanfeng paid no mind to Guo Yunhua's provocation; he hadn't expected to win either. If victory had been desired, many people on Liu Guanfeng's side could easily defeat Xu Gang.
Seeing that Xu Gang's Great Axe had already been damaged, Liu Guanfeng stood up and approached the center of the arena. Holding Xu Gang's Great Axe aloft, he addressed everyone around him: "Friends, today's match has concluded with our Chinese Chamber of Commerce losing. According to tradition, we should present this Great Axe to the referee as a gift; however, since it has developed a flaw, I fear it may invite criticism if gifted in its current state. If Young Master President does not mind, we would like to take this Great Axe back today and have it reforged before presenting it to the referee as a reward. Would that be acceptable?"
At this moment, Guo Yunhua was in high spirits and chose not to argue with Liu Guanfeng about anything. He nodded and replied, "Then I appreciate your efforts, President Liu."
Liu Guanfeng carefully put away the Great Axe and said to the referee, "Please come back tomorrow. I will deliver the repaired axe to you. You've worked hard."
The referee, who was just an ordinary guard from the Merchant Guild, was taken aback by Liu Guanfeng's polite words and repeatedly nodded, thanking him profusely.
After making a bow to the audience around him, Liu Guanfeng turned and returned to the Chinese Chamber of Commerce with his subordinates.
Liu Di lowered his head and approached Liu Guanfeng. "President, I lost this match. Please punish me."
Liu Guanfeng gently patted Liu Di on the shoulder. "Victory and defeat are common in battle; losing is just losing. Since you lost, there must be a punishment. Here, take this." Liu Guanfeng handed the Great Axe to Liu Di.
"Today, your punishment is to repair this Great Axe. Senior Brother Qi, you will be responsible for supervising."
Qifeng Ge chuckled, "Junior Brother, don't worry. Leave it to me; it will be fine."
Liu Di thought of several ways Liu Guanfeng might want to punish him but never considered this one—repairing the Great Axe. This was someone else's work, and he could learn some techniques and skills from it. Moreover, having Qifeng Ge supervise meant he would actually be guiding him. Liu Di looked at Liu Guanfeng with excitement. "Rest assured, President; I will have this axe repaired before dawn."
After patting Liu Di on the shoulder, Liu Guanfeng turned and returned to his room.
The next day, when Liu Guanfeng got up, he found Liu Di already standing at his door holding the axe. Qifeng Ge had long since gone back to sleep. When Liu Guanfeng opened the door and was startled, he nodded upon seeing the axe in Liu Di's hands and took it to examine closely.
After a night of repair work, the Great Axe had regained its original appearance, and Liu Guanfeng could feel that it was now even sturdier and more durable than before. He smiled at Liu Di and said, "It seems you made quite a bit of progress last night."
"Thank you for your guidance, President," Liu Di replied excitedly.
"You also need to put in effort. It's getting late; you should wash up and get some rest. You don't need to accompany me to the competition today; remember that too much can lead to failure."
"I remember, President. I'm going back to rest now." Liu Di bowed to Liu Guanfeng and turned to leave.
Liu Guanfeng, holding the Great Axe, returned to the competition area with his team. After handing the Great Axe to the referee from yesterday, the referee joyfully waved it around before happily returning to his position at the Merchant Guild, where he was met with envious looks from his companions.
The next match featured another newcomer from the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Han Bin, facing a weaker competitor from the New Home Chamber of Commerce. After a day of effort, both sides ended in a draw. Although this referee did not have the best weapon, he received two items as compensation.
On the fourth day of competition, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce sent out Golden Tiger Head, while the New Home Chamber of Commerce presented a Senior Artisan. Tiger Head's assigned task was to create a shield, while his opponent was tasked with crafting a Greatsword. In terms of type, neither participant was at a disadvantage; in Knight's Domain, the Greatsword is one of the most common weapons, and shields are often the most prevalent defensive tools.
This match was considered the most exciting of the four days. Both competitors forged their creations until sunset. When each contestant held their weapon in hand, they felt an indescribable sense of pride.
On the other side, both blacksmiths were confident in their creations. The referee was also very excited upon seeing both weapons and shields because he himself was a warrior who used a single-edged sword and a hand shield. It could be said that these two weapons were most suitable for him. According to the rules, the winning weapon would be his prize, and he hoped for a draw so that both items might belong to him. This way, his strength would increase since his current single-edged sword and shield clearly could not compare to those on display.
The referee worked hard to calm his excitement and announced, "The trial begins!"
With that command, the two guards clashed together. The sound of metal clanging immediately filled the air. What was most amusing was that neither guard showed any expression; both blacksmiths were full of confidence in their creations without any sign of disturbance. In contrast, every time the sword and shield collided, the referee couldn't help but close his eyes as if they were striking his precious items.
After ten clashes concluded, the referee rushed between the two guards as if fearing they would damage their weapons if they continued fighting.
He examined the sword closely before flying over to check the shield. Only then did he feel relieved. The sword showed no signs of dullness, and there were no obvious cracks on the shield. Finally, he excitedly announced that this match ended in a draw, and Liu Guanfeng generously gifted both sword and shield to this referee.
When this referee received the sword and shield with trembling hands, he could hardly believe it. Liu Guanfeng's words made him fully accept this reality: "Referee, you worked hard today."
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