1539 Exalted Blacksmith's Return

"Excuse me, can you tell us your name?" One of the blacksmiths surrounding Tian Qiyuan, like a group of hungry pigeons, suddenly asked him.

Tian Qiyuan looked at the man who just spoke and calmly responded, "Tian Qiyuan."

"Tian Qiyuan…?"

"It sounds familiar, but I can't remember where I heard such a name before…"

"I also find it very familiar, too."

"Me too."

None of the people there recognized his name at first, but it definitely sounded familiar to them.

God of Creation showed up shortly after, but nobody there managed to remember where they heard his name.

During his time as the Exalted Blacksmith, Tian Qiyuan rarely mentioned his name, only doing so during his earlier days as the Exalted Blacksmith, hence why nobody there could recall it.

When the people there noticed the God of Creation descending to the Grand Elder Summit, they all made room for his landing.

God of Creation touched the ground a moment later, landing right before Tian Qiyuan.

However, the God of Creation didn't utter a word even many minutes after his arrival, filling the atmosphere with an awkward silence.

With a nonchalant expression on his face, his eyes were fixated on the sword on Tian Qiyuan's lap. Yet, if one looked closely, one would notice the God of Creation's eyebrows occasionally twitching.

God of Creation eventually opened his mouth to speak, "Who… who created that sword?"

Even the expert blacksmiths present struggled to discern whether the sword was a crafted masterpiece or a natural wonder born from the essence of the world itself, but the God of Creation could tell that it was the former.

He'd seen all kinds of treasures in the world, including the best treasures in the world. However, none of them could even begin to compare to the sword in front of him at this very moment.

He initially believed the rumors about the sword were exaggerations, but upon seeing it with his own eyes, he realized they had, in fact, underestimated its true value and miraculous nature.

"Does it really matter who crafted it?" Tian Qiyuan responded.

"Of course it does!" he quickly answered.

"And what are you going to do with that knowledge, God of Creation? Are you going to give them your position?"

"What…? That's…" God of Creation immediately fell silent.

Whoever crafted this sword definitely had the skills to replace him, but he didn't dare to utter such words out loud.

"Wait… your voice…" God of Creation suddenly had a moment of realization and wore a look of disbelief on his face.

"You can't be…"

Tian Qiyuan stood up and said, "This sword was crafted by none other than yours truly, Tian Qiyuan."

"Exalted Blacksmith!" God of Creation muttered in a shocked tone, feeling all sorts of emotions rushing into him.

"What? Exalted Blacksmith? The fraud of the era?"

Everyone there was left speechless after finally realizing Tian Qiyuan's true identity.

"But he's not wearing a mask… what does this mean?"

"Why would he expose his face like this? His only saving grace was his unknown identity."

"Forget about all that! He just claimed to be the creator of that flawless sword! If anyone could craft a sword, it would be someone who performed a flawless God of Creation Ceremony! I've always known that he was innocent!"

"Is this the return of the Exalted Blacksmith?!"

"Why are you all so quick to believe him? He's a fraud!" someone shouted, their voice cutting through the murmurs of admiration.

"That's right! He's a fraud! That sword is probably fake, too!"

"A fraud, huh?" Tian Qiyuan suddenly chuckled.

"What's so funny?!"

"Oh, it's nothing serious. I just find your stupidity quite funny, so I cracked a chuckle. What do you think, God of Creation? Do you also think my sword is fake because it's too perfect—

just like my God of Creation Ceremony? I am, by your words, a fraud, after all."

God of Creation gritted his teeth and clenched his fists at Tian Qiyuan's words, but he could not find a proper response. Deep down, he knew the truth. He wanted to refute him, but having already acknowledged his own faults privately, he understood that continuing to deceive himself and slander Tian Qiyuan would render him truly irredeemable.

After a moment of silence, God of Creation spoke, "Let's have a match, Exalted Blacksmith."

"That's quite sudden, but I never shy away from a challenge. What do you have in mind?"

"We will both perform the God of Creation Ceremony again—a slightly modified version of it— and at the same time. For this ceremony, we will be crafting specific treasures to ensure that cheating is impossible. Of course, I will also be providing the materials."

Tian Qiyuan quickly agreed, "It's a bit of a hassle, but I'll do it. However, let's make it more interesting. The winner will have to give up on their most valuable possession. In my case, it would be this sword."

"If you can beat me, I will give you this sword." Tian Qiyuan held the sword in front of him with a confident aura surrounding him.

The God of Creation swallowed nervously at this enticing offer. However, he had nothing in his possession that could possibly match the sword. Even if he were to give up his title and his entire fortune, it would not be able to compare with the sword.

After pondering for a moment, he said, "I shall give you my life."

The God of Creation's response surprised not just Tian Qiyuan but also left the crowd speechless.

"What are you trying to achieve? Atone for your crimes of slandering me?" Tian Qiyuan asked, his voice laced with curiosity.

"I'll give you an answer if you can defeat me."

"Very well. And a heads up—I have no intention of stopping you if you truly want to give up your life because I have no sympathy for those who wronged me, so be prepared to die once you lose to me."Tian Qiyuan said.

The God of Creation calmly nodded, seemingly undisturbed by his words.

"Then I'll give you the date and location of our match later," he said the following moment.