Desolate Devouring Art-Chapter 1045 - Backed into a Corner

People rarely saw swords of this caliber in the world. Even the Yuan Clan, renowned for their blacksmithing mastery, kept their finest weapons to themselves, never displaying such treasures on the market.

Shi Yuan's expression darkened. This time, he didn't dare to step forward. The fear of suffering yet another public humiliation held him back.

Everything that had happened today felt uncanny, so much so that even Earth Profound Realm experts were visibly unsettled, unable to make sense of it. A silent question loomed in everyone's mind: Was the True Martial Continent on the brink of upheaval?

"Liu Wuxie, can I take a look at this longsword?" Qu Su approached with calm composure, his tone curious rather than covetous.

It wasn't desire that drew him to the sword. As a blacksmithing grandmaster, Qu Su simply couldn't pass up the chance to study such divine craftsmanship. He was eager to study it and glean insights from it.

"Please, go ahead," Liu Wuxie replied, nodding with grace.

Hu Shi stepped forward and handed the sword over without hesitation. Qu Su took it in hand and gave it a few swings through the air. Each motion carved out a sharp whistle, and a faint sword aura rippled outwards, slicing the air so cleanly that spatial fragments drifted down like snowflakes.

There wasn't the slightest hint of true essence in his movements, only physical strength. And that alone was enough to cause such an effect. If he had infused the sword with true essence, it wouldn't have endured the power of laws at the pinnacle of the Earth Profound Realm.

"This sword blends several blacksmithing techniques," Qu Su said, examining the weapon closely. "It incorporates not only spiritual runes but also an ancient forging method. How exactly did you manage this?"

Though Hu Shi had forged the blade, Qu Su clearly understood that Liu Wuxie was the real mastermind behind its creation.

"Elder Qu, you have a keen eye," Liu Wuxie responded, a faint look of surprise flickering across his face. "To be honest, I only recently succeeded in developing this fused technique."

Most people couldn't discern what made the sword so special, but Qu Su's experienced gaze left nothing hidden.

"It's extremely rare to see someone in the Central Plains master ancient forging to this extent," Qu Su said, nodding in approval. "This sword's quality already rivals that of earth-spirit artifacts."

With those words, he handed the sword back to Hu Shi, his expression filled with quiet admiration.

"Elder Qu, you're right. The forging method used for this sword didn't originate from the Central Plains," Liu Wuxie confirmed calmly.

As soon as the words left his mouth, a buzz rippled through the crowd. Liu Wuxie had openly admitted that the blacksmithing technique behind the sword came from outside the Central Plains.

"So you're finally telling the truth? No one in the Central Plains could forge such a sword! And yet you still had the gall to bring it to the commerce fair!" a member of the Yuan Clan snapped, seizing the moment.

"What?" Liu Wuxie paused, slightly taken aback, along with the rest of the Heavenly Dao Society.

What the crowd didn't realize was that Liu Wuxie had been cut off mid-sentence by the Yuan Clan. He chose not to explain further and instead responded with a faint smile, offering no clarification.

What he had meant to say was that while the forging technique wasn't native to the Central Plains, he had never claimed that the Heavenly Dao Society didn't forge the sword itself. That was an entirely different matter.

A technique could come from anywhere. As long as the Society had forged the sword, its origin posed no issue.

But the Yuan Clan had jumped to the wrong conclusion. They assumed Liu Wuxie had inadvertently admitted that the sword was crafted by some unknown grandmaster, not by the Heavenly Dao Society.

"Everyone heard that, right? He admitted it himself! The sword's technique isn't from the Central Plains! Elder Long Chen, please remove them from the fair!" a senior member of the Wang Clan chimed in, backing the Yuan Clan's accusation.

The Profound Cloud Sect, however, fell silent. Something didn't sit right.

Liu Wuxie was far too sharp to make such an elementary blunder.

As they recalled his words more carefully, it became clear: Liu Wuxie never said the Heavenly Dao Society hadn't forged the sword. He had only noted that the forging method wasn't native to the Central Plains.

Since others had already stepped forward, the Profound Cloud Sect saw no need to interfere. They chose instead to stand aside and observe how Liu Wuxie would handle the situation.

"Liu Wuxie, what do you have to say for yourself?" Shi Yuan asked coldly, his tone sharp with accusation. freeweɓnovel~cѳm

"Why should I?" Liu Wuxie responded with a smile, his expression unbothered.

"Explain the origin of this sword!" Shi Yuan pressed, his voice growing even colder.

"I didn't expect Elder Shi Yuan to be this dense. What a disappointment," Liu Wuxie said flatly, shaking his head. In his eyes, Shi Yuan wasn't even worthy of being called an opponent.

"Liu Wuxie, is your mouth the only weapon you have?" Shi Yuan snapped, his fury surging. "If you don't explain yourself today, don't blame me for what happens next."

Shi Yuan's words dripped with killing intent, the threat in his voice as clear as a drawn blade.

"Exactly. Refuse to explain, and we'll wipe out the Heavenly Dao Society here and now," a Yuan Clan member declared. Having failed to take first place in the artifact segment, they were determined to use this as an excuse to eliminate Liu Wuxie and salvage their pride.

"A bunch of ignorant fools," Liu Wuxie said coldly. He had no interest in wasting any more words on them.

His disdain only fueled the rage of Shi Yuan and the Yuan Clan, and they stomped in fury. In the blink of an eye, a crowd surged forward, surrounding Liu Wuxie and the members of the Heavenly Dao Society, their weapons ready and their killing intent rising. The atmosphere teetered on the brink of violence.

"How dare you cheat at the commerce fair! Kill them!" one of the Yuan Clan elders shouted as he charged forward, sword in hand.

"Everyone, calm down!" Qu Su's voice rang out, cutting through the chaos as he stepped forward. "Liu Wuxie only said that the forging technique isn't from the Central Plains. He never said the Heavenly Dao Society didn't forge the sword!"

Qu Su had been standing at Liu Wuxie's side the entire time, listening to every word with clarity.

Everyone froze the moment Qu Su spoke. A wave of silence swept through the crowd as people began replaying the earlier exchange between Liu Wuxie and Qu Su in their minds.

Upon reflection, it became clear that Liu Wuxie had never said that the Heavenly Dao Society didn't forge the sword. He had only stated that the blacksmithing technique originated outside the Central Plains.

The Yuan Clan members stiffened in realization. In a flurry, they activated Memory Talismans to review the conversation word for word.

"Yeah, Liu Wuxie never said the Society didn't produce the sword. He just said the forging method came from somewhere else," someone in the crowd muttered, and the truth quickly spread through those gathered.

With the full context now understood, the atmosphere shifted.

"No wonder Liu Wuxie called them dumbasses. They are ignorant fools," someone in the crowd laughed loudly, sparking more chuckles and derisive murmurs.

Mockery rippled through the crowd, all of it aimed squarely at Shi Yuan and the Yuan Clan. Their reckless assumptions, made without even listening carefully, had turned them into laughingstocks.

Now that they had cleared the misunderstanding, Qu Su shot Liu Wuxie a knowing wink before returning to his seat. Without lifting a finger, Liu Wuxie had already suppressed the Yuan Clan and Shi Yuan. The confrontation hadn't even truly begun, and they had already fallen behind.

"Liu Wuxie, what evidence do you have that the Heavenly Dao Society forged this sword?" Shi Yuan asked, his tone still pressing, unwilling to concede defeat.

While the entire audience had witnessed the extraordinary quality of the Society's pills earlier, their reputation in artifact forging wasn't as established. There was still room for doubt; perhaps Liu Wuxie had acquired the sword from somewhere else.

"Elder Shi makes a good point. First, he says the forging technique isn't from the Central Plains. Now he claims the Heavenly Dao Society forged it? He's trying to muddy the waters to cover up the fact that this sword didn't come from them," another elder from the Yuan Clan added, attempting to stir the crowd again.

Mounting pressure now cornered Shi Yuan and the Yuan Clan. If they retreated at this point, they would become the laughingstock of the entire cultivation world.

Even if they were wrong, they had no choice but to press on with their accusations.

To back down now would be to admit they had completely misjudged the situation, and worse, to concede that Liu Wuxie had been right in calling them dumbasses. As long as Liu Wuxie couldn't produce hard proof that the Heavenly Dao Society had forged the sword, the Yuan Clan and Shi Yuan would cling to their accusation with grim determination.

"Why not forge one right here, like how they refined a pill earlier?" one of the high-ranking elders from a second-tier sect suggested. Their tone was seemingly impartial, but their eyes gleamed with interest. They wanted to witness the Heavenly Dao Society's blacksmithing process firsthand.

If they gleaned anything valuable from it, their own forging techniques would benefit greatly.

"Forge another one!" The cry quickly gained momentum.

The crowd's excitement grew, and their chants echoed throughout the plaza. Most of them were eager to see whether the Heavenly Dao Society could truly back up its claim with action.

"Liu Wuxie, hear that?" Yuan Huaiguang sneered, stepping forward. As the patriarch of the Yuan Clan, his voice carried weight. Though, he was beginning to resemble more of a clown than a leader now. "If you want to prove the sword came from Dao Society, do it in front of all of us."

"What's the matter?" Liu Wuxie replied with a calm smile. "Is the Yuan Clan's patriarch also planning to slap himself like Elder Shi?"

Yuan Huaiguang froze, a flicker of cold light flashing in his eyes.

"What do you mean by that, Liu Wuxie?" he asked coldly, his voice laced with suppressed fury.

"It's simple," Liu Wuxie said, his tone turning sharp. "If we can produce this sword on the spot, then you'll slap yourself in front of everyone here and call yourself an idiot. If you don't have the guts to take that wager, then stop embarrassing yourself."

As his words rang out, murderous intent surged from him, pressing down on the Yuan Clan like a tidal wave. The killing aura was suffocating.

Gasps echoed through the crowd. Liu Wuxie had already humiliated Elder Shi earlier. Was he now preparing to target the Yuan Clan's patriarch next?

However, someone had already thrown down the challenge. If the Yuan Clan refused to accept it, the humiliation would be even worse. Backing off now would only confirm that they had doubted the Heavenly Dao Society without reason and that Liu Wuxie had every right to mock them.

On the other hand, if they refused to back down, they would have no choice but to accept Liu Wuxie's condition.

Just like Shi Yuan, the Yuan Clan now found themselves cornered. Trapped between pride and consequence, they stood at a crossroads, unsure whether to take the gamble or retreat in shame.

The Yuan Clan stood at a pivotal moment. If the Heavenly Dao Society failed, the Yuan Clan would vindicate itself, justify its suspicions, and restore its reputation. But if the Society succeeded in proving the sword's origin, the Yuan Clan would become a laughingstock, exposing their arrogance for all to see.

"Liu Wuxie, your little provocations won't work on me," Yuan Huaiguang said coldly, refusing to take the bait. "I won't fall for your tricks. But if you fail to prove that the Heavenly Dao Society forged this sword, you won't be walking out of here alive."

"Ah... so the Yuan Clan's patriarch lacks confidence? What a disappointment," Liu Wuxie replied with thinly veiled contempt, his gaze sweeping over Yuan Huaiguang as if he were nothing more than a fool. "Proving that we forged this sword is simple."

Yuan Huaiguang's heart skipped a beat. For the first time, doubt crept into his mind.

Could Liu Wuxie truly have evidence?

Liu Wuxie became the first to openly mock the Yuan Clan's patriarch.

Around them, many in the crowd twitched their lips in astonishment. Only Liu Wuxie would have the nerve to provoke the Yuan Clan so brazenly.

At this point, the momentum had swung in favor of the Heavenly Dao Society. The Yuan Clan was trapped and pushed to the edge with no room left to maneuver.

Just then, a voice rang out from the Scarlet Dragon Cult.

"Liu Wuxie, what evidence do you have to prove that your Heavenly Dao Society forged this sword?"

They couldn't remain silent any longer. Like everyone else, they were eager to know how Liu Wuxie would validate his claim. His words alone would no longer suffice, and only undeniable proof could settle the matter now.

"I agree with the sect master of the Scarlet Dragon Cult. You have to produce evidence that will convince us," said a senior figure from the Liao Clan, stepping forward to lend support to the Yuan Clan.

With so many factions turning against them, the Heavenly Dao Society would have felt the mounting pressure under normal circumstances.

However, to everyone's surprise, not a single member of the Society showed signs of panic.

Instead, they stood calm and composed, each one wearing a smug look as if everything had gone exactly as they had expected.

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