novelraw Chapter 154 - 153 - Unfettered
Chapter 154 - 153 - Unfettered
The coliseum fell into silence as a young tier 9 Soul Realm stepped onto the dias set up with 6 pedestals. The masters were off to the side near their creations as they were judged. The boy made no speeches but seemed to carefully inspect each pedestal.
Strange buckets were set on each pedestal. They seemed to be made from sliversteel. It was a blue tinged alloy for grade 2 refining but it was not usually used for smelting pots as it seemed to be here. There was no sign of a place for fire, however, yet the boy began to toss metals into each bucket.
There was no flow of Qi, so clearly he was preparing. It finally spread that the boy was Lind Frey, the guest elder of the Heavenly Maiden Sect. He was the peak grade 3 elixir master but now jade slips were lighting up all across the VIP booths to reveal there was a second badge!
A silver badge had joined the golden one. Lind Frey was the grade 2 Forger!
Several powers that had been planning several scenarios to bring him under their thumb now felt like cursing their information networks. They had very nearly committed a taboo that their rivals would happily call them to task for!
Midnight sat in his booth and looked serene as the old merchants around him paled. They all looked at him but saw his calm demeanor and began to change their plans drastically.
Imperial Crown Prince Yor was laughing maniacally inside his booth. The attendants were not sure what to do as they had never seen their prince in such a good mood before. Temptress felt her hands shake as she realized that all the items used to make her elixir were Forged.
Dred sat with the local elders of the Divine Sword Sect and felt an itch he had not felt in centuries. His smile made his face scare the hell out of any sane person but the elders around him were smiling just the same!
Within the Saint Kingdom was a woman with silver hair sat in one of the lower seats as a smile crossed her features. Her muscled form strained her outfit as it was much fancier than she usually wore but for the competition she had to look good for the guild. Nadia felt light in her heart looking at the boy she knew as Taren Cord.
Darkmoor Kingdom's booth was dead silent. The count in charge felt all the blood drain from his features as the folly of their loss had become exponentially worse than ever imagined. They all knew the Queen would be enraged once she heard. Within their lower seats, Merrick felt all the blood drain from his own face. What he saw was very bad. The Regent's plan was in danger!
The various powers of Indelia were bursting with joy but they were nothing compared to the Starfire House seated in the upper echelons of the booths. Mythra and Su were being bombarded, politely, with questions but they sat and smiled down as Lind Frey took his first steps to controlling his own fate.
The Heavenly Maiden Sect booth was all smiles as Qing, Shoti, and Annabelle were brought in to enjoy the show from the best seats. They had not come earlier as they did not want to distract Lind, but now they looked forward to seeing what he could do.
Unlike other times, there were powerful formations burning once Lind took the stage. On the other side were powers from the Floating Isles. The chaos in Cimmeria had already drawn attention but the cultivator involved had now become their focus. Some were simply the higher realm branches looking on but others were forces few would dare provoke.
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Lind thought he would be nervous, but instead, he felt calm. He had felt so alone during the last few years until Qing entered his life. He had felt lost without Teyla and Teylin with his mother being part of his life.
Granny and the Old Man were always there to listen to his frustrations while Garnt kept pushing his training forward. Sheyra had really set him on the path to unlocking his potential with her generosity and sparring.
Lind had so many people that had stood by him in those early days that he did not appreciate enough.
"The alloys are ready to be made. I must thank Master Delenn after this." Delenn could not attend, obviously, but she had supported him by giving him the ores he requested. What he would do today would be a true test of his skill but he felt confident.
Lind looked up but could only see the lower half of seats as the booths isolated the members within. He smiled as he remembered the joy of the last year and a half. Qing and Shoti stood by him during his heart demons while Elder Tyr and Vice-Sect Masters Cora and Lydia allowed him to grow.
Annabelle had literally fallen into his life but he would not change it.
He only wished Cyntilla could be here but he sent a prayer to the spirits of Heaven and Earth to watch over her. Lind looked up and his Eyes saw the profound Sky Realm Qi fueling the formation plates. It was observation formations from what he could tell but he had no idea who was looking on aside from Lady Estelle.
"I am ready to start." Lind spoke into a jade communication slip and the judges waved him to go on. He then took out empty vials and set them in a semi-circle around him. Lind had decided he was going all out. He wanted all the people that had weighed on him to understand exactly what he was capable of.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! As promised, the new Forger will now demonstrate his skill. Master Frey, please begin!" The old man enhanced his voice and Lind bowed to him before he assumed a lotus position.
He could not feel it, but he knew all the formation displays were focusing on his next steps. He had specifically requested nothing would be blurred as to repeat what he was about to do required having the skill innately born into you.
Lind summoned several sets of peak grade 3 herbs, World Stones, and beast cores. The line of vials was divided by groups of 4, and he smiled as fire and water flew from him. Anyone with Soul Eyes or above would be stunned at the quality of Qi he was wielding.
His cores thrummed with power as he condensed his Qi as he had been taught until he entered grade 3 quality. The smooth and expert manipulation caused murmuring but no one dared to speak loudly as all stared at Lind.
Essence was extracted all at once as he divided his attention between each batch. He had only achieved this skill once he entered tier 9 for his foundation and upgraded the Soul Arts. Delenn had told him it was not unusual at the World Realm to perform this feat, but she had applauded the fact he could do it in the Soul Realm.
All watched as Lind swiftly infused the essence into each orb of water as the fire made it bubble. The fused essence changed each orb into different colors. Lind swiftly filled each vial and stoppered them. A sheen of sweat was on his brow but for what came next, he would need each vial.
There were 3 sections of 4 vials. One set was pale green but sparkled in the sunlight. It was Qi and stamina recovery. Another set was clear but showed a faint blue color was to keep the mind clear and recover mental energy. The last set was new. Lind had made it after what happened with Viola.
It was a bright yellow. It kept his foundation stable in regards to his cores. Lind knew it was a niche elixir but he did not want to accidentally face the same situation as Magda as he was so close to reaching the peak of the Soul Realm. What he was about to do was a statement and he wanted to keep himself safe.
Lind drank one of each vial and instantly felt himself reach his peak instantly. He did not waste the excess energy flowing into him as he began to smelt the ores together. The beautiful dance of Qi was almost visible to all and many experts were in awe of his skill.
The masters standing off to the side were no longer concerned with how their masterpieces did as they began to stare at a Forger at work. The elixirs had already fired up the alchemists but they gleaned little from it.
The refiners were now staring like starved wolves at Lind as the metal seemed to happily melt under his control. All 6 buckets were covered in arrays to allow Lind to control the heating process from beginning to end. The fire was from Lind himself.
He was clearly straining himself but the elixirs were downed another round. There were only 2 rounds left but all watched as the molten metal began to glow like a sun. Silence filled the coliseum and none dared to breathe.
The VIP booths realized nothing was being hidden so they were taking detailed notes. The elixir display was already far beyond anything the first round of the competition had shown. No one doubted Lind's gold badge at that point.
The 6 molten metals began to float onto the pedestals but did not burn through as they must be held just above. Expertly, each molten pile was extruded into flat panels. Suddenly, 6 boards appeared. Many recognized them as the grade 2 wood oricalt. It was an ideal wood for conjurers to channel elements as it could accept any of them.
All were stunned as each board was turned into staves. The metal was then shredded into several masses that were imbued into the wood. The smell of seared wood was clear but there was no sign of charred wood.
Lind downed his 3rd round of elixirs and wiped sweat away but he did not stop. The elements began to sing as emerald flame began to dance in the air between Lind and each staff.
Those that did not know were confused but any that had even remotely touched on 6 elementals recognized a harmony flame. Lind's flame was unknown entirely but those using their powerful senses felt the Qi seem to dance happily inside the emerald flames.
The flames licked each staff as Lind was sweating heavily but he did not stop. His dark green eyes were like pools of eternity as he downed the final round of elixirs. The quick back to back told all that he was in the climax of his Forging.
The staffs began to glow brightly as sweat poured off of Lind like rivers. His dark gray robes were soaked but he did not stop. His delicate control left many masters in awe even at grade 4. Grade 5 masters nodded in appreciation but were sad he was a 6 elemental.
All agreed it was as far as Lind could go.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" Lind screamed as emerald flames bloomed on each staff like a firework. The 6 staffs stood tall in front of him once it was gone as he breathed heavily on the dias. He had done it! Cheers rose as all were floored by what they saw.
Refiners were unable to make more than one item at a time due to inscriptions and cores but Lind had Forged 6 staffs at once right in front of them. Judges came forward and examined the items before arching eyebrows at Lind.
"All welcome a new peak grade 2 Forger. He has made 6 staffs able to wield all 6 elements!" Silence fell before the result made a roar rise again. Grade 2 weapons for 6 elementals were non-existent. The statement was clear. The era of 6 elementals was on the rise and Lind Frey was opening the door wide to follow him.
Lind stood weakly as he felt the roars of joy in his bones and smiled. He did it. He made a better staff for those that needed them. He finally felt free. His body felt light but it was nothing compared to the feeling on his soul.
He was free!