"Elder, what is this?" Gao Zhenhao asked, confused as he looked at the pill in front of him.
"This is a Small Spirit God Pill crafted by Pill Peak," Elder Dongfeng explained. "When consumed, it will allow your cultivation to break through to the first level of Foundation Building in a short time."
"First level of Foundation Building?" Upon hearing this, Gao Zhenhao's eyes widened in shock. Such a pill was undeniably incredibly alluring to him.
"Do you know why I gave this to you?" Gao Zhenhao, despite his astonishment, quickly realized that since Elder Dongfeng had handed him this pill, there must be some task he needed to fulfill.
"With your abilities, once your cultivation reaches the first level of Foundation Building, crafting a third-level Foundation Building spiritual tool should be an easy feat. I want you to defeat Lin Tian in the final trial."
"Understood." Without hesitation, Gao Zhenhao immediately agreed. As one of the top three outer disciples of Weapon Peak, Gao Zhenhao had always felt a sense of rivalry toward Lin Tian. After all, Lin Tian's performance had been nothing short of dazzling, to the point that the other disciples of Weapon Peak could hardly recall anyone else's name except for his.
Moreover, now that Elder Dongfeng had entrusted this task to him, Gao Zhenhao felt as though he had earned the elder's favor. Thus, he was determined to complete the task, no matter the cost.
Three days later, as the competition began, many elders from the Elder's Pavilion appeared and took their seats in the stands. Upon seeing Lin Tian step onto the stage, Zhao Zhenjie couldn't help but curl his lips into a cold smile. As a disciple of Elder Dongfeng, he knew well the plan his master had set in motion.
Besides Elder Dongfeng's arrangements, Zhao Zhenjie had also secretly incited other disciples to target Lin Tian. In other words, of the ten people on the stage, nine were Lin Tian's enemies. For Lin Tian to win this round seemed nearly impossible.
As he stepped onto the stage and met the malicious stares around him, Lin Tian couldn't help but feel a deep sense of helplessness. He had expected no mercy from Zhao Zhenjie, but he hadn't anticipated such vicious tactics.
"It seems that Lin Tian has truly earned some enemies," Elder Dongfeng remarked with a grin, unable to suppress his amusement. Among all the elders present, he was undoubtedly the one who most hoped to see Lin Tian fail in this competition.
Though Elder Dongfeng's provocative tone caused Elder Nanyin's lips to twitch, she ultimately said nothing. After all, sometimes, strength itself was the best form of retaliation.
"This round of the competition is quite simple," Zhao Zhenjie announced as he glanced at the audience. "Each participant can choose any of the rare metals and ores on the stage to craft their spiritual weapon. Once the weapon is completed, the contestants will use their crafted weapon to fight against their opponents. The last team standing on the stage will be the winners."
He paused briefly, then continued, "The prize for the winning team, provided by the Elder's Pavilion, is the opportunity to bind spirits to their weapons."
Upon hearing this, the disciples below the stage gasped in awe. For Weapon Peak disciples, there was nothing more coveted than spiritual weapons imbued with spirits. A spiritual weapon, once it acquired a spirit, gained even more power and versatility. One of the methods to imbue a weapon with a spirit was Spirit Binding.
Although the success rate of Spirit Binding was extremely low—and even lower for higher-tier weapons—it remained the most direct way for blacksmiths to grant their weapons spirits. The opportunity to attempt Spirit Binding was a dream come true for many disciples, as the value of a weapon with a spirit far surpassed that of a regular one. Even if the Spirit Binding failed, the weapon's quality would still see a noticeable increase.
The reward was particularly enticing: the team that won the competition would each have the chance to attempt Spirit Binding. This meant that if a team of three won, they would each have three attempts. The more attempts, the higher the likelihood of success.
"Spirit Binding." Lin Tian's eyes gleamed as he heard the prize. Though he had gained considerable skill in crafting spiritual weapons, he had no knowledge of Spirit Binding. This technique required enormous amounts of both mental and spiritual energy. In Weapon Peak, only inner disciples ever had the opportunity to attempt Spirit Binding.
Now, as an outer disciple, this would be Lin Tian's only chance to engage in such a practice. Before, he might not have cared much about the competition's outcome, but with the prospect of Spirit Binding in his grasp, he was now determined to win the match.
"Alright, the competition starts now. You may begin selecting the rare metals and ores you need," Zhao Zhenjie declared. As his command rang out, the disciples rushed toward the tables lined with rare materials. At that moment, Gao Zhenhao, standing at the back, swallowed a black pill.
"What's he doing?" Lin Tian's sharp senses immediately detected the fluctuation of Gao Zhenhao's spiritual energy. He glanced at him, his brow furrowing. This behavior was clearly against the rules.
However, Zhao Zhenjie appeared to be oblivious, showing no signs of intervening or even offering a reminder.
"What is going on? Why does his spiritual energy fluctuate as if he has reached the first level of Foundation Building?" Elder Nanyin frowned as she noticed Gao Zhenhao's abnormality.
"Elder Nanyin, why are you so agitated?" Elder Dongfeng remarked nonchalantly, glancing at her.
"Dongfeng, this kid's breakthrough to the first level of Foundation Building—did you have a hand in this?" Elder Nanyin couldn't help but ask.
"So what if I did?" Elder Dongfeng said with a smile. "There's no rule against using external means in this competition."
"How can you, as an elder, be the first to break the rules?" Elder Nanyin's voice tightened with disapproval.
"Breaking the rules?" Elder Dongfeng sneered. "The rules were set by us elders. We can do as we please." He glanced at Elder Nanyin coldly and spoke with unabashed arrogance.