1541 Defeating the God of Creation
"Y-you're done with the ceremony…? That's impossible! It's only been several days since we started!" God of Creation didn't even have to look at Tian Qiyuan's workstation to know that he was farting.
Tian Qiyuan's expression remained calm as he spoke, "You really don't learn, do you? If you don't believe me, take a look for yourself."
He gestured at his completed treasures on display.
The God of Creation didn't want to entertain Tian Qiyuan and his nonsense, but he had to take a look.
When he turned his head to Tian Qiyuan's workstation, he could not see any materials. On Tian Qiyuan's display were 100 Celestial-grade treasures, all of them following their own specifications.
Clang.
The God of Creation dropped his hammer from shock after seeing this.
He turned to look at the audience. They all wore expressions of defeat, a sorrowful aura hanging around them as if they were mourning a profound loss—his imminent death.
While the God of Creation lamented in silence, Tian Qiyuan spoke, "Even though it's your loss, I won't personally kill you, nor do I really care if you actually honor your own words. You can continue to live after this, but you will forever be known as a coward and slanderer for the rest of your life."
Tian Qiyuan no longer paid attention to the God of Creation and turned to look at the Yao Tao, who was seated with several elders of the Ancient Anvil Association and said out loud, "Are you going to claim that I had cheated this competition, too? Are you going to slander my name and call me a fraud to cover up what you've done in the past?"
Yao Tao and the elders lowered their heads in shame, not daring to talk back. With their credibility lost and their slander now exposed to so many people, the Ancient Anvil Association was essentially finished. Content held by .
Moreover, after Tian Qiyuan's performance today, nobody would dare to offend him, who could churn out Celestial- grade treasures like candy.
The Celestial Emperor approached Tian Qiyuan once it became clear that the God of Creation had given up—not that it would have made a difference even if he continued.
"Congratulations on becoming the next God of Creation, Exalted Blacksmith."
However, Tian Qiyuan shook his head and said, "I have no intention of accepting that position."
Seeing the confused look on the Celestial Emperor's face, he explained, "I came back as the Exalted Blacksmith to clear my name, that's all. I have no intention of working as a blacksmith again."
"No way! With your talents… it'd be an immense waste of talents!" Heaven and Earth Blacksmith suddenly stood up and exclaimed.
"Why did you become a blacksmith in the first place?" The Celestial Emperor asked.
Tian Qiyuan showed his sword and said, "I started my journey as a blacksmith to craft the perfect weapon, and I have achieved my ambition."
The Celestial Emperor swallowed nervously. With the sword so close to him, he had a strong urge to grab it from Tian Qiyuan.
"What do you plan on doing now that you've retired? I could offer you a position within the Celestial Palace." The Celestial Emperor said.
"I'm going to relax at home for a bit, hopefully with some company. Then, I'll begin my next project, whatever that may be."
Tian Qiyuan proceeded to collect all of the treasures he'd crafted. Then, without giving the audience any more of his attention, he disappeared into the distance.
The audience remained silent even after Tian Qiyuan left. As for the God of Creation, he continued to sit before his anvil in silence, his thoughts unknown.
After leaving the Astral Holy Grounds, Tian Qiyuan returned to his own world.
Over the next several years, the world would not stop talking about Tian Qiyuan's match against the God of Creation, who disappeared after their competition and vanished from the world, never to be seen or heard from again.
Nobody knew what happened to him. Some speculated that he'd killed himself in isolation, while others speculated that he chickened out and couldn't kill himself and changed his identity.
As for the Ancient Anvil Association, they were disbanded when everyone lost faith in them. Many blacksmiths blamed the association for Tian Qiyuan's early retirement and refused to collaborate with them. Countless blacksmiths tore up their contracts and discarded them outside the association's headquarters.
The Ancient Anvil Association, one of the oldest establishments for blacksmiths, ended because they slandered a single man, and nobody felt sorry for them.
With the God of Creation gone and Tian Qiyuan refusing the title, the position became awkwardly vacant. Despite being qualified, neither the Star Forging Blacksmith nor the Relentless Blacksmith stepped forward to claim it.
When asked about it, they simply said they were not worthy of it, especially when Tian Qiyuan still existed.
In the end, people gave Tian Qiyuan a new title as the God of Refinement due to his ridiculous material refining speed.
As for Zi Xuan, it became clear to everyone that she had been right all along—Tian Qiyuan was indeed innocent. Although her methods had been extreme, few blamed her for her actions. The Unrivaled Nine Swords Sect publicly announced their willingness to welcome her back into the sect, but they never heard from Zi Xuan again.
Nine years after Tian Qiyuan defeated the God of Creation and cleared his name, he sensed a presence appearing inside his world.
He greeted the presence with a gentle smile, "It's been a while, Zi Xuan."
"I'm sorry to show up in this pathetic state…" she sighed, still in her soul form.
"It's all good. I'm glad you're okay. I was worried that I might never see you again."
"Really? You don't hate me? Even though I've done such horrible things?"
"What's so horrible about trying to clear my name? So what if you've killed some people? They deserved it for slandering me." Tian Qiyuan shrugged.
"Qiyuan… thank you…" Zi Xuan said in a trembling voice.