Hidden Facts 113
"The contradictions between the Temple and our Sacred Council have been going on for a long time..." Under Bluebeard's explanation, Xiaoming gradually became clear.
It turned out that the contradictions between the Temple and the Sacred Council had been intensifying, but the two major forces were too huge. The helmsmen of both sides were also the strongest on the entire continent, so it was impossible to take action easily. Therefore, in recent years, they have been fighting secretly.
The most obvious of these is the struggle of young people in both forces.
However, the Temple unexpectedly unearthed a large number of young geniuses, among whom the "Holy Son" Augustine of the Temple was the first.
Throughout, in the struggle of the younger generation, the Sacred Synod was at a complete disadvantage.
At this rate of development, the Sacred Synod may very well be overtaken by the thriving Temple and lose its position as the number one power in the Human Alliance in a few years.
Then, the bigwigs of the Sacred Council had to start looking for young talents on the mainland, and Xia Ming was one of those spotted by Bluebeard.
"So that's how it is." Xia Ming finally understood why Bluebeard had recruited him in the first place, but he still had a hint of doubt: "What does this have to do with me taking the top three spots at the Magic Warrior Tournament?"
"Of course, it's related." Bluebeard said with a smile: "The Temple is so powerful that the big shots of our Sacred Council can't sit still either. They are all recruiting talents from various countries and academies, and Cangyan Academy is one of them. And the Magic Martial Arts Conference is one of the important evaluation criteria!"
Xia Ming nodded, this was understandable after all, Cang Yan Academy was one of the four major academies.
"This time, many people are paying attention to the Magic Martial Arts Conference of Cang Yan Academy, but they think that Arthur, who has won first place for three consecutive years, is more likely to win." Bluebeard said with a smile.
"Arthur is indeed very strong, first for three consecutive years, it's absolutely impossible for an ordinary person to achieve." Xiaoming said.
Bluebeard was very satisfied with Xiaoming's attitude, and smiled: "That's right, I originally thought highly of Arthur, but your appearance has given the Sacred Council another choice. To be honest with you, the Sacred Council plans to recruit the top three of the Devil Martial Arts Conference, at that time, you will be sent to a good place to enhance your strength..."
"In other words, if you get the top three in the Martial Arts Assembly, you will be specially cultivated by the Sacred Council and happen to deal with those annoying little guys from the Temple."
So that's how it is!
Xia Ming finally understood why Bluebeard wanted him to get the top three in the Magic Martial Arts Conference.
Another point that Bluebeard has not mentioned is that if Xia Mingrui wins the top three, as a 'talent excavator', Bluebeard will also benefit greatly.
Xia Ming clenched his fists, and the more brilliant his performance at the Magic Martial Arts Conference, the greater the chance of being recognized by the higher-ups of the Sacred Council, and the more benefits he would gain in the end.
The news brought by Bluebeard filled Xiaoming with fighting spirit. As the Magic Martial Arts Assembly drew near, he had to make good preparations.
"You were originally one of us, just speak up if you need anything." Bluebeard heavily patted Xiaoming's shoulder with great force, causing Xiaoming to feel a dull ache.
"As a matter of fact, I do have something to ask for your help." Xiaoming smiled, thinking of his magic wand. His Flame Wand was indeed somewhat outdated and had also been used to kill people and rob them. He had obtained a 9th-level fire crystal core from Yuri, if he wasted it, that would be unforgivable.
"Do you know anyone in the Flame Island who is good at forging?" Xiaoming asked. Although there are also forging skills in the Book of Eternity, the requirements for strength in forging are extremely high, and Xiaoming is just a magician. Generally, those who are good at forging are above level 5 warriors, and Xiaoming's strength seems to be somewhat insufficient.
"Forging? That's easy, just go to the east of the city and find 'One-eyed Dragon' and you're done. Here, take this." Bluebeard handed a small, exquisite plaque to Xiaoming, "One-eyed Dragon is an old friend of mine, just take this with you and it'll be fine!"
Xia Ming received the small plaque and thanked him, then waited for the concert to end before hastily bidding farewell to Bluebeard, following his hint to arrive at the east of the city.
The east of the city was all weapon trading firms, including many weapon shops like 'Purple Haze', Xiaoming searched for half a day and finally found a small house in a remote corner, according to Bluebeard's information, this should be where 'One-eyed Dragon' was.
There is no sign on the door, and the whole house is covered in a layer of dust, clearly it has not been cleaned for a long time.
Xia Ming subconsciously furrowed his brow, would there still be people in this place?
Right after that, he heard a snoring sound.
Someone is sleeping in the house!
Xia Ming poked his head in and found a middle-aged man, curled up into a ball, sleeping soundly with a thread of saliva at the corner of his mouth. He turned over, wiped the corner of his mouth, and mumbled incoherently in his sleep.
"Uncle, uncle!" Xia Ming knocked on the door plank.
"Who's that son of a bitch disturbing my sleep?" The old man, who had been sleeping, suddenly opened his eyes and sat up with incredible speed.
Xia Ming only then discovered that this sleeping uncle actually had only one eye, earlier because of the side angle he didn't discover this point. No wonder they called him One-eyed Dragon!
Xia Ming's heart was clear, this is the person he wanted to find. However, for Du Yanlong's so crude question, Xia Ming still frowned.
"Are you Mr. Du Yanlong?"
"Hey kid, can't you see I'm sleeping? Get out of here quickly! Today, I'm not forging iron or selling weapons!" The one-eyed dragon uncle had a bad temper and waved his hand impatiently, directly chasing the person away.
Xia Ming had never seen anyone do business like this before. He immediately took out the Bluebeard card and flashed it in front of Du Yanlong.
"Huh? You actually have this thing?" The Cyclops' expression softened: "Who gave you this brand?"
Bluebeard.
"Hmph, so it's that Bluebeard guy after all. Speak up, what kind of weapon or equipment do you want me to forge?" The one-eyed dragon let out a cold snort, and although his face was still ugly, he had calmed down considerably and was now sizing up Xiaoming with interest.
Xia Ming knew that this middle-aged uncle was a friend of Bluebeard's, so he took out the 9th-level fire crystal core.
"A 9th-grade fire-elemental magic crystal? It should be the Flame Fox's magic crystal, well, it barely makes do." The one-eyed dragon glanced at the large magic crystal in Xiaoming's hand that was emitting a dense fiery glow and said indifferently.
Xia Ming's tongue was sharp, this one-eyed dragon had a very poisonous gaze, and he actually knew that the magic crystal was produced by the 9th-level demon beast Flame Fox with just one glance. However, his tone was also extremely arrogant, not putting even the crystal core of a 9th-level demon beast in his eyes. This is something that even an Aurous Magic Master would need.
He rubbed his nose and said: "I'd like to ask you for help in forging a magic wand."
"Alright, 50,000 gold coins." said Du Yanlong without hesitation.
50,000 gold coins is not a small amount, but the one-eyed dragon's tone was so arrogant that he must be an extraordinary person. Plus, with Bluebeard's recommendation, Xiaoming would believe Bluebeard even if he didn't believe the one-eyed dragon.
"Okay." After a moment's thought, Xiaoming agreed.
Xia Ming's straightforwardness was unexpectedly met with a glance from Du Yan Long, who hummed softly and said indifferently: "You can go now, leave the crystal core behind, come back tomorrow morning to get your staff."
Ke Xiaoming didn't move, not because he didn't want to leave, but because he also attached great importance to this staff. The Eternal Book had recorded many forging techniques, and he wanted to apply them to this staff, so he wanted to watch the one-eyed dragon forge it on the side.
Xia Ming didn't move, and Du Yanlong was too lazy to care. He was focused on fiddling with the 9th-grade magic beast crystal core. After messing around for a while, he took out a golden wooden stick from his spatial ring, about one meter long, with a layer of light circulating on its surface.
"This is, Dalbergia odorifera!" Xia Ming's eyes lit up.
Golden Silkwood, this is an extremely rare wood and also a very special wood. Its texture is much harder than the metal of the Great Earth Golden Metal, and it has a good magical affinity effect, making it the best material for forging staffs. A whole piece of Golden Silkwood like this one would be worth at least tens of thousands of gold coins. To put it strictly, Xiaoming really made a huge profit.
For a moment, Xia Ming's doubts were all gone. No matter what, this one-eyed dragon was definitely a capable person.
"Do you need a long pole or a short one?" Since Xia Ming was here, Du Yan Long asked the person involved.
"Short staff." Xiaoming didn't hesitate. Generally speaking, a magician's long staff has better elemental affinity and can accelerate elemental condensation, while a short staff is more agile and quick. It's just that Xiaoming was reborn with the Icebreaker, plus his innate talent was extremely good, so he basically didn't need to worry about elemental affinity. In comparison, a short staff suited him better.
Duanyan Long nodded, and no longer paid attention to Xiaoming. He took the golden silk nanmu wood and the crystal core of the 9th-level magic beast to the front of the furnace, ready to start forging...
