Chapter 600: Blacksmith Examination (Part 2)

Contradictions exist everywhere, and the Forging Bureau is no exception.

Originally, Elder Qiu had the most seniority and was the oldest in the Bureau, making him the natural choice for its undisputed leader. However, circumstances changed, and the position of Bureau Head fell into the hands of Hong Lian. Qiu resented this deeply, so he constantly nitpicked and opposed Hong Lian at every turn. Today, seeing the blacksmith Hong Lian had brought in, Qiu seized the opportunity and went to great lengths to stir up trouble.

Hearing Hong Lian’s harsh words, Elder Qiu was momentarily stunned and grew furious, “Hong Lian, what did you just say? You want to strip me of my qualifications? On what grounds? And who do you think you are? When I was learning forging, you weren’t even born yet! Now you dare lecture me?”

“Hmph!” Hong Lian didn’t respond, but Shui Miao actually chuckled.

Elder Qiu was taken aback, “Kid, what are you laughing at?”

Shui Miao shrugged, “I’m laughing at how the Six Heavens Forging Bureau actually has such a senile old fool who lies with his eyes wide open and plays the card of seniority. It’s an outright insult to the examiners! I laugh because the world is universally dark—it’s filled with despicable individuals whose morals are rotten and minds are lowly, no matter where you go.”

Shui Miao’s sudden verbal attack on Elder Qiu seemed rash and impulsive, but in reality, it was calculated and precise.

Firstly, Elder Qiu had accused Shui Miao of cheating. If Shui Miao stayed silent, it would make him appear cowardly.

Secondly, in this situation, Hong Lian and Elder Qiu were colleagues, so Hong Lian couldn’t say anything too harsh. If she did, it would be seen as abusing her authority. Therefore, Shui Miao stepping forward to confront Qiu was also indirectly defending Hong Lian.

Thirdly, in the current circumstances, everyone could clearly see what was going on, except for Elder Qiu, who was deliberately causing trouble. If someone like him wasn’t dealt with now, he would continue to cause problems in future exams. It was better to seize this opportunity and simply revoke his qualifications.

Moreover, Shui Miao’s reputation had already spread far and wide; whether he passed the exam or not was practically irrelevant anymore.

“…”

Shui Miao’s words immediately shocked everyone present.

Examiners were usually high and mighty, accustomed to scrutinizing and commenting on candidates. They never expected a candidate to actually confront an examiner directly—it was completely unexpected and beyond imagination.

Hong Lian’s heart stirred, thinking to herself that Shui Miao was indeed loyal and full of youthful passion. That explained why he had made so many enemies—he had too straightforward a temper. Still, what he said was reasonable. However, his words were too blunt, leaving no room for others or himself to retreat. Either he completely subdued his opponent, or he risked being counterattacked.

Elder Qiu, meanwhile, was left speechless by the scolding.

It had been many years since anyone dared to disrespect him so openly.

Today, being attacked and criticized by a mere candidate shocked him deeply. Where could he even show his face anymore?

“Reckless! Disrespectful!”

Elder Qiu finally regained his senses, pointing at Shui Miao and rushing toward him as if trying to strike him. Shui Miao simply raised his hand, unleashing his spiritual energy to keep the old man at a distance of three meters. He sneered coldly, “Today I’ve really seen something! I’ve met many who disrespect their elders, but someone as narrow-minded and lacking in self-awareness as you is truly a first. You want to hit me? Don’t you even consider your cultivation base? So weak and fragile, yet you still try to act tough? Don’t you have any sense of shame? I’m embarrassed for you! You’ve lived so long, yet your character is so vile and your cultivation so poor—what exactly were you doing in your youth? Were you too busy scheming and plotting against others?”

“You… you… you bastard!” Elder Qiu, outmatched in spiritual power, turned pale with rage.

Shui Miao shrugged again, “You’re the bastard, yet you still dare to call others bastards. You’re shameless to the extreme! Anyway, someone like you, an old fool on the brink of death, I’m too lazy to argue with. But you just accused me of cheating. You must clarify this clearly, or else when I leave here, I won’t be able to keep my mouth shut. I’ll make sure every immortal in the Nine Heavens knows that there’s a senile, evil old fool in the Six Heavens named Elder Qiu, who deliberately picks on others and whose moral corruption is rarely seen in this world.”

“Friend, why don’t you just stop talking already? Elder Qiu wasn’t always like this—he was quite decent in his youth.”

An elderly examiner tried to mediate, hoping to stop Shui Miao from continuing.

Shui Miao bowed respectfully to the examiner, “Esteemed examiner, we must at least uphold principles and positions in our conduct. We cannot simply give in to sentimentality. What seems like a small matter today is actually quite significant. In this world, we often rely on sentimentality in dealing with matters, and gradually sentimentality overtakes principles, causing us to lose our humanity and fall into corruption. If this trend isn’t stopped, eventually people will rely on sentimentality instead of principles when facing issues, leading to chaos and widespread corruption. If we don’t confront such senile old fools with harsh words, they will mislead many young people. And when those young people grow old, they will become more senile fools like him. If this continues, how can decent people survive? How can we young blacksmiths survive? He was unhappy, so he carelessly spouted lies to falsely accuse me of cheating—it seems simple, but have you ever considered that this single sentence could completely ruin my future as a blacksmith?”

Shui Miao’s explanation was detailed and struck at the heart of the issue.

The elderly examiner turned red-faced and quickly stepped back.

After all, the other party’s argument was sound and reasonable. Without justification, he naturally couldn’t argue further. To insist on speaking would only invite embarrassment.

“Bravo! Well said!”

Hong Lian hadn’t expected Shui Miao to not only act impulsively but also deliver such a wise and insightful speech. She was genuinely delighted.

“Well said…”

“Exactly! The Immortal Realm desperately needs this kind of righteousness!”

“Righteousness endures, and the Immortal Realm thrives!”

“…”

Hong Lian was the leader, and Elder Qiu had clearly lost favor. Naturally, many rushed to flatter Hong Lian.

Seeing everyone praising Shui Miao, Elder Qiu, already isolated, felt both shame and fury. His anger overwhelmed him, and suddenly he spat out a mouthful of blood, his spiritual energy collapsing as he collapsed to the ground.

“Did he die from anger?”

Everyone was startled and fell silent.

Shui Miao immediately rushed forward, supporting Elder Qiu and giving him a Zhenyuan Pill to save his life.

Zhenyuan Pills were extremely valuable and rare medicinal pills that Shui Miao had taken from Hua Yuting’s realm space.

Seeing Shui Miao not hold a grudge and even use a Zhenyuan Pill to save someone, everyone was confused.

Two examiners helped Elder Qiu away to rest.

Hong Lian stepped forward and, in front of everyone, asked Shui Miao, “Jue Qing, Elder Qiu falsely accused you of cheating, yet you still used a Zhenyuan Pill to save him. Why?”

“Because he still felt shame and had a bit of conscience left. Therefore, we should give him a chance.” Shui Miao didn’t want to actually kill an experienced examiner and gain unnecessary hatred—it wasn’t worth it.

“Excellent! A blacksmith with such virtue is truly a blessing for the Immortal Realm!”

Hong Lian clapped in excitement.

Seeing this, the other examiners also began applauding.

Shui Miao, however, was deeply moved by the scene and began to reflect inwardly. Was he really a good person? Previously, he had never regarded immortals as normal human beings and had even created destructive immortal weapons to kill them. Was his virtue truly so high? Indeed, whether in the mortal world, the Immortal Realm, the Netherworld, or the Realm of Demons, there were pure-hearted lives everywhere. He really shouldn’t have killed recklessly.

At that moment, Shui Miao suddenly began to reflect.

“Jue Qing…”

Seeing Shui Miao lost in thought, Hong Lian raised her hand to silence everyone. She took a deep breath and said to Shui Miao, “Jue Qing, you may now directly proceed to the final examination. If you pass, you will become the new Forging Sage King of the Immortal Realm.”

“Hong Lian, dear sister, could you help me obtain a formation technique for saving lives?”

After a moment of contemplation, Shui Miao, whose heart had changed, suddenly asked a question that no one had anticipated.

He cared nothing for becoming a Forging Sage King but instead focused on formation techniques for saving lives—why was that?