Chapter 1540 Unparalleled Speed 1540 Unparalleled Speed News of Tian Qiyuan's return and his upcoming match with the God of Creation spread through the Nine Heavens like wildfire, igniting curiosity and excitement among cultivators and blacksmiths alike. "What? The Exalted Blacksmith has returned? What happened to him being a fraud?" "I guess that's why the God of Creation challenged him to a match—to determine whether he is truly a fraud or not." "The Exalted Blacksmith revealed his identity? How do we know that he's not in disguise?" "So the Exalted Blacksmith is the creator of the flawless sword… It all makes sense now…" A few weeks later, the God of Creation announced the time and place for their competition. "Our match will take place at the Astral Holy Grounds exactly ten years from now. There will be no time for preparations once the God of Creation Ceremony begins, but you have ten years to prepare." Tian Qiyuan acknowledged the match and vanished from the world for the next ten years. As Tian Qiyuan's match with the God of Creation grew closer, countless influential figures and powerful backgrounds made their way to the Astral Holy Grounds. The Astral Holy Grounds, a unique location beyond the Nine Heavens, was accessible only to those capable of traversing the starry sky, making attendance at their match a rare privilege reserved for the most powerful or resourceful cultivators. Fortunately for those unable to travel but eager to witness the historic event, a special treasure would broadcast the match to the entire world, ensuring everyone could watch the legendary match unfold. When Tian Qiyuan arrived at the Astral Holy Grounds, he was greeted by a massive sea of influential people. No matter where he looked, he would recognize at least several of them with a glance. Hell, even the Celestial Emperor was present. Of course, the Ancient Anvil Association and Yao Tao, with his new physical body, were also there. When Yao Tao sensed Tian Qiyuan's gaze on him, his body instinctively reacted, trembling in fear. Sometime later, Tian Qiyuan and the God of Creation approached the large area where their stations had already been prepared. Before they started the match, the Celestial Emperor entered the stage as an announcer and said, "We have all gathered here today to witness the God of Creation and Exalted Blacksmith's competition. Both contestants will be performing a slightly altered version of the God of Creation Ceremony." "Just like the original ceremony, they have 100 attempts to craft as many Celestial-grade treasures as they can. However, they both must craft the treasure using the materials provided to them, so they cannot craft whatever they want." In the God of Creation Ceremony, participants could craft any treasures they desired from the materials they selected and choose the type of weapon they desired to make. This flexibility made the traditional ceremony less challenging than the altered version, where they were restricted on the materials they used, as well as the type of treasures they could craft from them. "Before we begin this competition, our contestants will give a brief speech." The God of Creation stepped forward and began speaking after the Celestial Emperor gave him a nod. "I will keep my speech brief. As some, if not most of you, have already heard, if I lose this match, I will forfeit my life. You may be wondering why I decided to gamble my life in such a manner. There are several reasons, but I will only tell you one." "If Exalted Blacksmith defeats me, it means he was not a fraud, and I was mistaken the entire time. To slander someone who performed a flawless God of Creation Ceremony, I can only atone with my life." The spectators immediately began mumbling to each other. "If the Exalted Blacksmith turns out to be innocent and his God of Creation Ceremony was legit, the Ancient Anvil Association is done for. Nobody will ever trust them again." "The Exalted Blacksmith is definitely innocent. I've believed in him since day one." Tian Qiyuan spoke next, "I only have one reason for accepting his challenge—to prove my innocence. If I lose this competition, I will give God of Creation my masterpiece—this sword right here." When Tian Qiyuan revealed the sword, countless gasps echoed through the crowd. Sword enthusiasts were literally drooling at the sight of such perfection, their hands itching with an almost unbearable urge to touch and inspect the masterpiece before them. The Celestial Emperor was no different. Despite his vast collection of treasures, none could compare to the sword crafted by Tian Qiyuan. Tian Qiyuan continued, "With that said, God of Creation's life alone won't be able to make this a fair gamble, so I will be taking every treasure crafted from this God of Creation Ceremony." Tian Qiyuan's words were quite arrogant, but nobody could refute his claims—not even the God of Creation himself. Sometime later, Tian Qiyuan and the God of Creation went to their workstations. "Let the match between God of Creation and Exalted Blacksmith begin!" The Celestial Emperor announced. Tian Qiyiuan grabbed the first set of materials. There were signs beside the materials with the required type of treasure, and his first treasure would be a spear. Once he took a moment to examine the materials, Tian Qiyuan immediately began refining them. Unbeknownst to the world, Tian Qiyuan's smithing skills experienced a profound evolution after he successfully crafted his masterpiece. With his current skills, Celestial-grade treasures were no different than Spirit-grade treasures. A few hours later, while the God of Creation was still refining his materials, Tian Qiyuan finished his first treasure. "No way… he's already done? It's only been four hours since he began!" "Impossible! He must be cheating!" "Are you fucking stupid? Almost every expert in the Nine Heavens is present, including the Celestial Emperor himself! Even if he dared to cheat, I do not believe he can evade the detection of so many experts!" "Four hours… what the hell is this? Is he crafting Celestial- grade treasures or Spirit-grade treasures?" "At this rate, he'll finish all 100 Celestial-grade treasures before the God of Creation can finish a single treasure." God of Creation was so focused on his work that he didn't realize Tian Qiyuan had already finished his first treasure. Tian Qiyuan quickly moved on to his second treasure and, a few hours later, finished it within three hours. "My god! He's gotten even faster!" "Some people can't even comprehend just how amazing of a feat it is to lower even a single minute, much less an entire hour…" Ding! Ding! Ding! Tian Qiyuan's hammer swung with such speed that, to onlookers, his arm seemed frozen in time. "How fast is he hammering the materials?! Although I hear a steady rhythm, he's obviously hammering it much faster! What kind of phenomenon is this?!" Two hours later, Tian Qiyuan finished his third treasure, lowering his time by another hour. "Heavens…" The Celestial Emperor and the other powerhouses were all left stunned by Tian Qiyuan's ridiculous crafting speed. While they were certain that Tian Qiyuan was not cheating, they struggled to accept the existence of such unparalleled talent. Desperately, they scrutinized every detail in his movements, hoping to find something to discredit him. Unfortunately, no matter how hard they tried, they could not find anything sketchy about Tian Qiyuan's work. Heaven and Earth Blacksmith, who was present at the ceremony, sighed to himself, "He's truly ahead of our time by countless years." "Such unrivaled talents… you can only be envious about it." Star Forging Blacksmith spoke with a bittersweet smile. After crafting his 10th treasure, Tian Qiyuan sped up a little more, now requiring only a single hour to finish a treasure "Surely, he cannot go any faster than this, right?" "At this rate, he'll finish this ceremony in less than a week." Four days later, Tian Qiyuan started working on his final treasure. Meanwhile, the God of Creation was still trying to refine the materials for his first treasure. It was evident who was destined to win this competition long before Tian Qiyuan even completed his second treasure. Yet, no one intervened on behalf of the God of Creation. Instead, they all pitied him. Having staked his very life on this contest, they were essentially witnessing the final moments of the God of Creation. Unfortunately, his final moments were neither grand nor something to be celebrated. The once mighty God of Creation was humbled, his greatness eclipsed by the brilliance of Tian Qiyuan's otherworldly talent. Half an hour later, Tian Qiyuan completed his 100th treasure, marking the end of his God of Creation Ceremony. He had somehow surpassed his previous flawless ceremony, achieving the impossible by elevating perfection to an even higher realm. As Tian Qiyuan finished his last treasure, the entire world fell silent, as if time itself had frozen in awe of his achievement. Tian Qiyuan placed his hammer down and turned to look at the God of Creation, who was still hammering away, oblivious to the fact that the ceremony had already concluded. Tian Qiyuan shook his head and approached the God of Creation, stopping right in front of his anvil. With Tian Qiyuan standing directly in front of him, the God of Creation couldn't help but notice him, even in his state of deep immersion in his work. "Bastard, what are you trying to do?! Are you giving up already because you know you can't beat me?" The God of Creation stopped hammering and roared at Tian Qiyuan. Tian Qiyuan shrugged and said, "The competition's already over. However, I won't stop you if you wish to finish your ceremony. That way, you'll get to spend a few more decades doing what you love before you die." "What…?" The God of Creation looked at him with disbelief.