I'm not just human!

Chapter 310 The Rhine Blade is finally in hand! The secret of the Old Ones? (Part 1)

Surprisingly, everyone in the old forge seemed quite accepting of Xia Fa's advancement to the finals, except for Xia Fa himself, and appeared completely unsurprised.

Norton sighed, "Truly worthy of being the future Emperor of Mysteries, a man with the talent to sign two overlord-level secret contracts. I lost this time in the creation of the secret treasure, but on the battlefield, I will never lose to you, Xiafa."

Xiafa: ————

What are you trying to do with that "I'm willing to accept defeat" look on your face?

You were the one who won!

Of course, despite his inner complaints, Xia Fa can only remain silent now, regardless of how he advanced.

Although there was definitely some shady dealing involved—

Nidhogg glanced at Shafa a few more times, revealing a look of admiration: "I didn't expect you to be so proficient in crafting secret treasures. You were acting all low-key before. To be honest, you're a lot like me when I was young."

Xiafa: ————

So all that talk was just a different way of recruiting me?

Thor and Amphion also looked helpless. To be honest, this was the first time they had seen the head of the Star Dragon Clan, the dignified Emperor of Mystery and the Pope of the Church of Errors, so shamelessly trying to poach someone time and time again.

But they dared not say anything, for fear of truly angering Nidhogg.

Inside the Old Forge, nothing much happened, and Nidhogg dared not make a move, but once he left the Old Forge, he might retaliate.

Fortunately, Shafa remained steadfast, which reassured Amphion and Sol Loki.

"Alright, you two who have advanced to the finals, my Rhine Blade is right in front of you, you can both have it in your hands, as long as you can win the championship."

"Make the most of the next 24 hours, hahahahaha."

With a burst of carefree laughter, the soul of [Rhine Calamity] vanished once again with a "bang".

But this time, something different has happened in the circular plaza of the old blacksmith's shop.

The old forge suddenly began to shake violently, with a deafening roar that caused stone dust to fall from the walls. Then, a circular plaza opened up from the center, and a golden pedestal slowly rose from it.

Almost instantly, everyone's attention was drawn to the golden pillar. Some people couldn't take their eyes off it, and even Ai Luotong, who had been in a daze, looked over with her eyes marked with golden flames.

On that golden pillar, a pure black horse-slaying sword floated prominently. It was three meters long, with a back of the blade three fingers wide. The blade was thick and heavy, yet the edge was extremely thin, giving people a shocking feeling.

The entire sword appears as a unified whole, ancient and solemn. From the guard to the tip, there are countless secret characters on the back of the blade. Each character seems to come from an ancient and vicissitudes-filled era, extremely complex and obscure.

Whether it was Nidhogg, Norton Dragon, or Thor Loki—everyone present looked at the sword with an intense longing in their eyes.

Because this was none other than the incomplete ancient treasure—the Rhine Horse-Slaying Blade!

Of all the people present, Xia Fa appeared the calmest, but that was an act. At this moment, his heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of his throat. More importantly, the Calamity Horse-Slaying Blade in his sleeve, in its Shark Tooth Folding Blade form, was trembling violently, conveying extremely strong emotions to its master, Xia Fa.

That feeling—it was like a long-awaited reunion.

Without a doubt, the Calamity Blade is eager to merge with the Rhine Blade, transforming the two incomplete ancient treasures into a true ancient treasure, the [Ancient Treasure: Rhine Calamity Blade]!

Yes, when the [Old Treasure: Rhine Blade of Calamity] is separated, it is called the Rhine Blade and the Calamity Blade. However, if someone chooses to wield both, they will combine to form the true Old Treasure.

The ancient treasures, those are comparable to the [True Mystery Treasure: Pocket Universe] and the [True Mystery Treasure: Skull of the World Tree]

A supreme treasure of an unparalleled level!

In the real world, only the nine righteous gods possess sacred treasures, and each of them possesses only one, all of which they crafted themselves. As a result, many righteous gods have left behind legends of searching for sacred metals throughout the entire universe.

And now, the Rhine Blade is right before him. If he obtains it, he will possess an ancient treasure comparable to a true divine artifact—

The more Xia Fa thought about it, the more excited and expectant he became. But the more he thought about it, the more he forced himself to calm down and think of a solution.

At the same time, he also calmed the calamity-slaying sword on his sleeve to avoid it being exposed.

After all, until now, no one knows that the other sword in the [Old Treasure: Rhine Blade of Calamity] is in his possession.

If this matter is discovered, unless one becomes a god, it will be a grave danger that could lead to one's death.

Possessing only incomplete ancient treasures and possessing complete ancient treasures are two completely different concepts. The latter would even be very tempting to many Outer Gods and beings close to true gods.

Of course, the Calamity-Slaying Saber itself was also very spiritual. No matter how much the blade vibrated, the steel ball inside the hollow cavity on the back of the blade remained as steady as Mount Tai and did not move at all. Therefore, the people around did not even notice the abnormality in Xia Fa's sleeve.

With the appearance of the Rhine Blade and the disappearance of the soul of [Rhine Calamity], there was no doubt that the final battle had truly begun at this moment.

Nidhogg glanced at Shafa, said nothing, but put on a serious and earnest expression. Suddenly, he flashed away and headed towards the primeval ocean.

It seems he is preparing to forge an extraordinary treasure in order to win the Rhine Blade that even he finds so alluring.

As for the others, since they had become spectators, they could only sit back and watch the show, secretly cheering for their respective favorites.

Seeing that no one had questioned the authenticity of his advancement to the finals, Xia Fa felt greatly relieved.

It seems that, to the extraordinary individuals, it wouldn't be surprising if a genius capable of signing two overlord-level secret contracts achieved success in any extraordinary field.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. It's like in my past life, when top students graduating from world-class universities would show off a few talents that weren't related to their majors, and no one would doubt their authenticity.

For example, someone who graduates with a degree in basic physics might know computer programming, or someone who graduates with a degree in biomedical science might know geography and history—it all seems quite normal.

"Thankfully, no one questioned the existence of a conspiracy or demanded that the soul of the [Rhine Calamity] bring out the treasure I forged for inspection, otherwise it would have been disastrous—"

Xia Fa murmured to himself, now that he had made it to the finals, he decided to give it his all, even if he lost, he wouldn't regret it, since he had only made it through luck anyway.

As for the criteria by which the soul of the [Rhine Calamity] judges the creation of secret treasures, he still doesn't understand—

If one could say that their advancement in the first round was due to the complexity of the treasure they created by imitating Nidhogg, then in the second round, the Illusionary Iron Crystal was far superior to the Sacred Crystal Flame Shuttle in every aspect of treasure evaluation—difficulty, complexity, sophistication, functionality, power, ease of repair, etc.—and the difference was enormous.

But somehow, I still advanced.

After hesitating for a while, Xia Fa decided not to think about it anymore. He raised his head and looked at the only place among the three primitive areas that he had not been to.

That is, the primeval forest.

In fact, he had enough materials to craft the treasure, as he hunted many supernatural creatures in a single hunt in an underground cave in the primeval desert.

Therefore, this time, Xia Fa simply wanted to take a look and casually pick some extraordinary fruits and roots of extraordinary plants to use the juice for cooling the Phantom Iron Crystal.

That's right. For this final, Xia Fa still decided to forge the Illusionary Iron Crystal. After all, the more he forged this thing, the more skilled he became, and it was the secret treasure he had the most confidence in right now.

In the primeval forest.

Countless birds leaped from the forest and flew over the endless, dense woods.

Between the trees, Xia Fa walked on the damp soil and fallen leaves, his gaze piercing through the misty air as he looked ahead.

"So that's how it is—"

Having only ventured deep into this primeval jungle for a short time, Xia Fa already understood why it was also teeming with all sorts of supernatural creatures covered in weapons.

In this primeval jungle, there was a magnificent white pillar in almost every direction.

The white cylinder stretched straight to the sky and plunged deep into the ground, as if connecting heaven and earth.

Hundreds of white cylindrical pillars were thus distributed and planted in various locations in the primeval jungle.

But Xiafa recognized it at a glance—the white cylinder was none other than the bones of the Outer God, whose body was covered in weapons!

Moreover, they were all ribs!

"The Rhine Calamity is truly ruthless—they actually removed the rib of that Outer God and placed it in this primeval jungle according to the celestial alignment—"

The moment Xia Fa understood the situation, he felt a pang of sympathy for this Outer God.

[The Rhine Disaster] Back then, it was truly a divine intervention—

Xia Fa tried to get a closer look at these towering pillar-like outer divine ribs, even tapping them with his knuckles, and found that the internal density was extremely high, far exceeding that of ordinary metals, and approaching that of sacred metals.

However, this also means that it's unlikely that anything is hidden inside these hundreds of external divine ribs.

He didn't let his guard down easily. Using the "Flash" ability of the "Gate of Stars," he moved around in the primeval jungle, checking each of the Outer God Ribs. Only after confirming that there was nothing hidden in any of the Outer God Ribs did he choose to go back.

"I was greedy. I already got that treasure chest and that mysterious round gem, and I still wanted more—"

Xia Fa chuckled and made a self-deprecating remark before stepping out from the circular pillar of light.

But as soon as he returned to the old blacksmith's shop, he saw a scene that he never expected.

Nidhogg was standing in front of the treasure-making platform, holding a metal hammer, and had already begun hammering the components of the next treasure he was about to create.

Not only was his expression extremely focused and serious, but his movements were also incredibly slow and gentle, yet they gave people a sense of flowing grace, with every move exuding the demeanor of a master.

Norton Dragon, Thor Loki, Rusconsin, and a group of other young people stood around the Nidhogg Treasure Forging Platform, taking advantage of this rare opportunity to learn the techniques from this Treasure Master who could rank among the top 100 in the entire universe, observing very attentively.

Even Ai Luotong looked over from afar, examining the scene closely.

Nidhogg didn't activate the circular light shield, and seemed unconcerned about the prying eyes of the crowd.

However, his expression was so focused that even when Xiafa walked out of the pillar of light representing the primeval forest, he seemed not to notice at all, and did not even raise his head.

Amphion then leaned closer and whispered, "Nidhogg is using this as a tactic, deliberately putting psychological pressure on you, making it seem like he's going all out. Shafa, you need to stay calm."

Xia Fa understood this as well, and smiled slightly: "Yes, don't worry, I won't be affected in any way."

But in reality, he is under immense pressure right now.

It's worth noting that Nidhogg used to forge treasures with just one or a few hammer blows, yet he still managed to create treasures worth three million and five million gold pounds respectively.

Now, after Nidhogg returned from collecting the materials to forge the treasure, he actually used all his strength and truly adopted the attitude of a "master craftsman" to forge this treasure for the final.

In this situation, what level of secret treasure could He create? A quasi-mysterious treasure? Or even higher, a flawed mysterious treasure?

Therefore, it would be a lie to say that there is no pressure in one's heart.

Under immense pressure, Xia Fa became even more determined and prepared to forge a new Illusion Iron Crystal with an unprecedented level of seriousness.

He walked toward his treasure-crafting platform, his gaze sweeping over Chestnut's encouraging figure, Thor Loki's fleeting glance urging him not to give up, and Amphion's encouraging expression.

Immediately, Xia Fa stood in front of the treasure-forging platform, and with a thought, activated the circular light shield.

It wasn't that he was afraid others would discover what secret treasure he was creating; rather, he wanted a completely undisturbed state.

The materials for crafting the secret treasure were selected and placed into the furnace in sequence to begin the first round of crafting. Secret runes were inscribed, magical circulation was imprinted, the shape was sculpted, and the process cooled before proceeding to the second round of crafting.

And so, Xia Fa quickly became immersed in it, not only unaware of the passage of time, but also unaware of his own existence, his mind focused only on the gradually forming Illusionary Iron Crystal, which was completely different from the last one.

Time ticks by, ticks by, ticks by—second by second.

when--!

When Xia Fa struck the final blow, he suddenly slumped into a chair as if collapsing, sweat pouring down his body like a waterfall, looking utterly exhausted, with even his eyelids drooping halfway down.

But his expression was one of satisfaction, as if his spirit had returned to the real world from being immersed in the creation of the secret treasure. On the treasure-making platform in front of him was a 20-sided illusory iron crystal.

While it's not true that the more facets an iron crystal has, the better, an icosahedral iron crystal is definitely not bad.

"Dominator quality—I actually crafted a Dominator quality Phantom Iron Crystal—"

This was only the third time he had successfully forged a secret treasure, and he only had a blueprint. He had no master to teach him step by step, and he hadn't even signed any contracts as a "Secret Treasure Apprentice" or "Secret Treasure Craftsman," let alone a "Treasure Forging Furnace."

However, Xia Fa actually created a Dominator-quality Illusionary Iron Crystal simply by relying on his understanding of crafting secret treasures and by imitating the crafting secret abilities of the two secret abilities of [Miracle Fantasy] "Miracle" and "Fantasy"!

If one hadn't witnessed it with their own eyes, the entire universe's treasure craftsmen and masters probably wouldn't have believed a single word of it.

This Illusionary Iron Crystal, if placed on the market, would be worth over two hundred pounds, and it would be snapped up as soon as it was put on the market!

The quality of the dominant element, the Phantom Iron Crystal, is like the transformation of this weapon from a flintlock rifle to a heavy armor-piercing sniper rifle. The higher the quality, the rarer it is, and at the same time, the greater its usefulness and the more sought after it becomes.

"The miniature ritual array hasn't appeared yet, how much longer?"

After resting for a while and regaining some of his energy, Xia Fa came to his senses and immediately took out a pocket watch from his black bag to check the time.

"Less than ten minutes left————"

He did not open the circular light shield without permission, but instead looked at Nidhogg through the shield.

Nidhogg was nearing completion, but instead of striking the furnace with the hammer, he carefully placed something resembling a glass bottle into the furnace.

Around his treasure-forging platform, all the other competitors, except for Chestnut, gathered around, craning their necks and widening their eyes to watch his movements, not daring to even breathe loudly.

It seems that everyone is witnessing the birth of a great miracle!

boom!!!

The instant Nidhogg placed the glass bottle into the furnace, a dreamlike burst of seven-colored light shot out from the furnace, almost reaching the dome of the old blacksmith's workshop.

No, that wasn't light, but seven-colored flames!

The next moment, a series of explosions erupted from the furnace, like firecrackers. Then, the lid on top of the furnace opened automatically, and the glass bottle flew out.

This is a glass bottle with an extremely strange shape. Qiao sees it as having a round belly, but the mouth of the bottle meanders down and is inserted into the body of the bottle, where it connects to the bottom, with a small opening at the bottom.

This results in the bottle looking extremely strange, giving the impression of an endless cycle.

"Klein bottle —"

Xia Fa recognized him almost immediately, and at the same time felt an extremely heavy pressure in his heart once again.

Putting aside the fact that Nidhogg created the shape of this treasure, it's no small feat!

But then, something even more unexpected happened!

Suddenly, a chaotic point of light flashed within the Klein bottle.

That point of light seemed to condense all things in the world, as if it were the origin of the universe. Although it only appeared for a moment, in that moment it suddenly rippled out—divine fluctuations!

Although it was only a divine fluctuation, its implications were self-evident.

Among the onlookers vying for the prize, apart from the three members of the Gilgamesh family, everyone else was already extremely excited!

"Divinity! A wisp of divinity was actually born within Lord Nidhogg's creation of this treasure!"

"I never expected that Pope Nidhogg would actually use his Mysterious Emperor status to create a flawed Mysterious Treasure! This—this is truly—"

"After this battle, my uncle is definitely among the top ten masters of secret treasures in the universe! Hahaha!"

"How did they manage to do that? I don't mean to question them, I'm just curious. Pope Nidhogg isn't from God, is he?"

"This is the allure of crafting secret treasures. Although their rank hasn't reached that of a god, their crafting skills are incredibly close to godhood. That's why they were able to create such a flawed secret treasure!"

"Yes! I've heard of it too. Perfect treasures can only be created from divine power, but incomplete treasures can be created in the hands of master treasure makers whose skills are unparalleled!"

"As expected of Lord Nidhogg—"

Hearing the discussion, Xia Fa's heart sank even further.

A fragmented treasure from a mysterious source?

Nidhogg actually managed to create the Secret Imperial Rank by signing twenty-five secret contracts?

He finally understood what that fleeting, chaotic point of light represented.

That is precisely the broken piece from the mysterious treasure—representing the declaration and manifestation of God's incomplete divinity!

Xia Fa knew very well that his Illusionary Iron Crystal was far from being incompletely divine, let alone reaching the level of a veteran transcendent monarch. It was impossible for it to have such divine brilliance before.

"broken----

Xia Fa sighed deeply in his heart, but since the final competition for the remaining segments was just around the corner, and the forging was already completed, he might as well hand it over to [Rhine Calamity] Soul Torrent Salty.

Not long after Nidhogg crafted this flawed Klein Bottle from the Mystic Treasure, the [Rhine Calamity] occurred.

The spirit of the enterprise, "Peng," emerged from the circular plaza of the old blacksmith's workshop.

The old forger, now only a soul, glanced at Shafa and Nidhogg's treasure-forging platform, his tone quite excited.

"Gentlemen, hand over the treasures you have crafted."

Nidhogg naturally had no objection and placed the Klein bottle into the miniature teleportation array on the treasure-making platform.

Xia Fa was the same. The instant he placed it on the screen, the moment the Illusionary Iron Crystal was teleported away, the circular light shield around him also dissipated.

The soul of [Rhine Calamity] seemed to have immediately received the secret treasures crafted by the two, and its expression immediately showed great interest.

This time, it once again turned into smoke and dissipated, seemingly preparing to go into the subspace to use some special method to thoroughly examine the secret treasure created by the two.

Nidhogg was extremely exhausted from creating this treasure. He flipped his sleeve and took out an extraordinary fruit, which he began to eat like an apple.

Xia chose to sit in a chair and continue to slowly recover her physical and mental strength.

Time began to tick by, but every second felt like torture for Shafa and Nidhogg.

In particular, the majestic Rhine sword lying on the golden pillar further instilled in the two men a sense of relentless pursuit.

But not long after, the soul of [Rhine Calamity] suddenly reappeared.

"Everyone—!"

He deliberately dragged out his words, and for a moment he even took on the air of a physical "commentator," and then said, "The results are in."

In an instant, not only the two finalists, Shafa and Nidhogg, but also the other contenders became genuinely nervous.

The [Rhine Calamity] soul didn't deliberately keep us in suspense for long. It immediately spoke in a high-spirited, enthusiastic, and solemn tone, with twelve arms raised, in a grand and solemn manner.

"I hereby declare—"

"The champion is—"

"Summer!!! France!!!"

In that instant, Nidhogg was stunned, and so was Shafa.

Not only the two of them, but also Norton Dragon, Airo Tong, Thor Loki and almost everyone else present were stunned.

Shafa—actually defeated Nidhogg?

In other words, he created a treasure even more powerful than the incomplete Mystic Treasure?

That's...that's unlikely, isn't it?

In an instant, apart from the chestnut and the three members of the Gilgamesh family who were genuinely happy for Xiafa, everyone else had this question in their minds.

After a brief moment of astonishment, Nidhogg stepped forward, suppressing his disbelief, and tried his best to express his doubts in a sufficiently respectful tone.

"[Rhine Calamity] Lord, first of all, I have no intention of questioning your decision, but I really want to know, how exactly did Shafa defeat me?"