I'm not just human!

With a single strike of the hammer, a dazzling array of seven colors shone forth from the anvil!

A translucent gemstone shaped like a dodecahedron appeared on the anvil, its interior shimmering with a mesmerizing and dazzling light, as if a single glance would plunge one into a hallucination.

However, Xia Fa only glanced at the Illusionary Iron Crystal before letting out a deep sigh.

Success, indeed, he succeeded in creating it. Given that he had never signed any "Treasure Apprentice" or "Treasure Craftsman" contracts, the fact that he could create a Phantom Iron Crystal of this quality is already a testament to his exceptional talent and astonishing talent.

But unfortunately, his opponents were Nidhogg and Norton Dragon, and even Jack Falco.

The Illusionary Iron Crystal in front of us... is only of demigod quality, worth at most about 500,000 gold pounds.

"There's nothing I can do. I've done my best."

Xia Fa comforted himself with this thought as he placed the freshly forged Illusion Iron Crystal onto the miniature ritual teleportation array that appeared on the treasure forging platform.

Not long after it was placed there, suddenly, the circular light shield that enveloped his treasure-making platform disappeared.

The circular light shields of the other treasure crafting platforms also disappeared one after another, leaving only five contenders standing in front of their respective treasure crafting platforms.

Nidhogg crossed his arms, his face expressionless, seemingly without a doubt that he had advanced to the finals.

Norton Long sat leisurely in his seat, his eyes filled with an air of unwavering confidence, as if he were certain he would make it to the finals.

Thor Loki, on the other hand, was sighing and looking pale, as if he had been struck by something.

"Norton Dragon is indeed extraordinary. He's only a craftsman of secret artifacts, but he's already close to the level of a master craftsman. This time, the 'Divine Crystal Flame Shuttle' he created could probably fetch at least 3.5 million gold pounds in the outside world, right?"

"Yes, Nidhogg even created a quasi-god-level treasure. Although it's incomplete, it can still sell for at least five million gold pounds."

"It looks like this Rhine Horse-Slaying Blade is going to be taken by the Starry Sky Dragon family."

"Yes, it doesn't matter who wins when the uncle and nephew make it to the finals. In the end, it all belongs to their Starry Dragon family."

"Sigh, I'm just not as skilled as them, there's nothing I can do about it."

As the finalists were about to be announced, Amphion and other spectators couldn't help but start discussing it.

Of course, the only people who actually participated in the discussion were Amphion himself, Thorloki, and that very old man from the Gilgamesh family.

As for Ai Luotong, she sat quietly in her seat, as if it were none of her business.

Chestnut, however, was looking in Xia Fa's direction, nervously clutching the hem of her clothes, with her other hand on her chest, waiting for the announcement of the advancement results.

After listening carefully, Xia Fazai finally understood why Thor Loki and Jack Falco looked so dejected.

A treasure worth 3.5 million gold pounds versus a treasure worth 5 million gold pounds... how can you even compare them!

My own Illusionary Iron Crystal, worth at most 500,000 gold pounds, is probably not even worth a fraction of its value...

However, since the results were about to be announced and the Illusionary Iron Crystals had already been submitted, Xia Fa could only wait quietly.

In the center of the old blacksmith's plaza, the soul of [Rhine Calamity] rested its six left hands on its chin, while its six right hands supported its left, a thoughtful expression on its face.

His gaze fell upon an empty space, a completely empty space, yet from that place, faint fluctuations of different secret treasures emanated.

Clearly, He was judging the treasures submitted by the five contenders, but for some reason, He placed these treasures in a subspace that only He could see, preventing the contestants from seeing them.

"Hmm... the first person to advance to the finals..."

The spirit of [Rhine Calamity] suddenly spoke, and a simple sentence made everyone present tense.

"Without a doubt, it must be Nidhogg. This 'Ten Thousand Trees' is very cleverly crafted and ingenious. If you weren't just a Mysterious Emperor who has signed twenty-five secret contracts and hasn't yet reached the level of a god, this treasure might already be a Mysterious Treasure."

Upon hearing that he had advanced and received such high praise from the soul of [Rhine Calamity], even the dignified and aloof Nidhogg couldn't help but let a smug smile creep onto his lips.

After all, this was a compliment from an Old One, almost on par with the compliments of the Nine Great Gods!

"As for the second person to advance... it is Xia Fa."

It really is Xiafa...

Upon hearing this, Xia Fa sighed inwardly, but immediately realized something was amiss.

Wait, why is it Xiafa?

Was it me?

I actually made it to the finals?!

Originally, he wanted to say, "As expected of Norton Dragon," but because the soul of [Rhine Calamity] mentioned the word "Shafa," he was in a daze and thus uttered such a strange remark.

After this brief moment of astonishment, Xia Fa felt a mixture of elation and confusion rising within him.

I made it to the finals!

But why is that?

His own 500,000-value treasure, the Illusionary Iron Crystal, actually defeated Norton Dragon's 3.5 million-value treasure, the Sacred Crystal Flame Shuttle.

What exactly is this for?

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 Secrets, 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, Xia Fa."

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 has no choice but to 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 rather appreciative expression:

"I didn't expect you to be so proficient in crafting secret treasures. You were so unassuming before. To be honest, you're just 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, it was inevitable that he would 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, it's practically within your grasp, 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 entire old forge suddenly began to shake violently, with a deafening roar that caused stone dust to fall from the walls.

Immediately, the circular plaza opened up from the center, and a golden pillar 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 a golden flame.

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, Thor Loki... everyone present looked at this 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; his heart was pounding in his throat with excitement.

More importantly, the Calamity Horse-Slaying Blade in his sleeve, in its Shark Tooth Folding Blade form, began to tremble violently, conveying extremely strong emotions to its master, Xia Fa.

That feeling... 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 are supreme treasures on par with the [True Mystery Treasure: Pocket Universe] and the [True Mystery Treasure: Skull of the World Tree]!

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

And now, the Rhine Blade is right before my eyes. Once I get my hands on it, I 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 that He is preparing to forge an extraordinary treasure in order to win this Rhine sword 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.

"Luckily, no one questioned the existence of a conspiracy or demanded that the soul of the [Rhine Calamity] bring out the treasure I created to examine, otherwise it would have been terrible..."

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...