In the smithing room, the Blood Bulrush Blade had absorbed all the superalloy liquid and was emanating a green and red gleam.

 However, Boss Huang did not come back to finish the final part and it had already been over an hour since he left the smithing room.

 There were a few times when Tang Ling wanted to head out to find out what happened, but he was blocked by Ding Ling and Ding Dong who were unusually serious.

 In fact, not just Tang Ling, but even the poor Han Xing was locked on the third floor, where Monty was, and he was not allowed to come down.

 As the wait continued in silence, 20 more minutes went by. Finally, Boss Huang came back to the smithing room and Han Xing was also allowed to come down.

 Maybe because of his natural senses, even though Boss Huang acted as if nothing had happened, Tang Ling spotted a troubled look on his face when he came back. It seemed like something was troubling him. However, the boss did not say anything, he picked up the Blood Bulrush Sword and continued the final steps.

 Amidst the clanks and clunks, there were a few times that Tang Ling wanted to ask about Tang Long, but the boss seemed to have forgotten about it as he buried himself in the refining.

 More than ten minutes later, the Blood Bulrush Sword was completely refined.

 After the refining process, the red and green gleam dimmed into a dark blade with red lines on top. It looked no different from a common dagger.

 Boss Huang made a special sheath for it before giving the Blood Bulrush Sword to Tang Ling. “Unless necessary, try not to use the sword. Using a common weapon will help you sharpen your body. Besides, superalloy were weapons used by Purple Moon Warriors, and because of the talent ability, which you don’t possess yet, you can’t bring out the true power of the Blood Bulrush Sword.”

 Tang Ling nodded and accepted the Blood Bulrush Sword excitedly. After the dagger absorbed the Volcano Magma Core, it felt warm in his grip, and even with a layer of the sheath, Tang Ling could still feel its sharpness.

 On top of that, when he gripped it in his hand, it might not be as exaggerated as it resonating with him, but the grip matched his palm. It was certainly an excellent dagger.

 Tang Ling liked the Blood Bulrush Sword a lot to the point that he could not put it down. He kept tossing it around and playing with it.

 Looking at how excited Tang Ling was, Boss Huang thought of the news that the strange person had delivered earlier and he could not help but sigh in his heart. He once thought that the peaceful days could last, but it seemed like they were numbered.

 The world would soon be swept away by a storm with everything was brewing in the dark. Ultimately, the kid before his eyes was destined to stand in the eye of the storm. Because of him, the hidden forces around the world would eventually return, and once they gathered, the world would fall into fierce trembling once more.

 The trembling was unstoppable because…Boss Huang’s heart got heavier. How could he possibly keep him away from this? With his status and identity, he must soon take a stand.

 Two minutes later, Tang Ling subdued his excitement and hooked the dagger at his waist. “Thank you, Boss.”

 “Don’t take it for granted. There’s no free lunch in the world.” Boss Huang showed a sleazy smile again.

 “Mm-hmm…” It finally came. Tang Ling knew that the price for Boss Huang’s generosity was high.

 “Remember, Hell Ledge has 188 levels. Every 18 levels corresponds to the strength of a single rank. With the strength of all the young geniuses, the first 18 levels will be the main stage.

 “I’m not asking for much. First, you must get through all 18 major levels. Second, you must get an SSS rating in the first ten levels. Third, get an A rating or above for the later eight levels. Miss any single one of them and I’ll take back the Blood Bulrush Sword as my fee,” Boss Huang stated all the conditions in one go.

 When Tang Ling heard the boss, he heaved a breath of relief.

 Doesn’t seem too hard.

 Hence, he nodded and agreed, “Sure, I promise that you I’ll make it.”

 Boss Huang looked at Tang Ling in shock. “Aren’t you going to negotiate? I did tell you about the difficulties of Hell Ledge changing, didn’t I?”

 “It doesn’t matter. I think I can do it.” Of course, Tang Ling did not assume that going through the challenges was an easy task.

 However, the demand he put on himself was a lot harsher than the boss’s. Since he ought to give his best in achieving the highest rating for every level, Boss Huang’s demands were no big deal.

 “Great, a real man never goes back on his word! In short, if you make me lose money, I’ll cover the loss with the Level 8 vicious plant sword.” Boss Huang smirked because he was on the winning end of this deal.

 Of course, if Tang Ling could win, that would be the best outcome. With the triumph, Boss Huang’s wealth might increase by a third of his current value and would be a great help even to him.

 “Boss, what about Tang Long?” Tang Ling had not forgotten about his rival. He was not afraid of Tang Long, but the more he got in contact with him, the stranger his feelings got. He wanted to know about Tang Long to solve the doubts in his heart.

 However, Boss Huang went back on his word this time despite having already agreed to tell him about Tang Long.

 He looked a little odd. Tang Ling pressed the topic, but all Boss Huang answered was, “I’ll tell you everything about Tang Long once the Hell Ledge Challenge is complete and before your fight with him begins.”

 What kind of answer was that?

 Tang Ling was slightly annoyed, but what could he do about Boss Huang? It seemed that he would not reveal anything even if he was paid. Since the boss had decided to keep it a secret, all Tang Ling could do was wait until that day.

 Excited, Tang Ling left with his new weapon. He wanted to test the grip of the weapon, and if possible, he wanted to get some books about swordplay from Boss Huang’s library.

 Hmm, I’ll have to practice more with Han Xing.

 Seeing Tang Ling off, Boss Huang did not move away from the smithing room. He thought of the strange person who came earlier and his heart was currently filled with unspeakable emotions.

 In fact, who was that guy protecting? No one understood him back then and no one would ever understand him in the future.

 …

 Six days passed in the blink of an eye.

 After the lively Medley Sea Day ended, the annual Voyage Day arrived.

 The past Voyage Days were actually a day of sorrow and farewell because most of the men of Darkness Port would have to set sail and live at sea for a while.

 However, this year’s Voyage Day was a little special. All the factions around the world sent their men and made Darkness Port flush. The sailors who decided to set sail were at least a third lesser than the previous year.

 The reason was because of the start of the Life Or Death Ring.

 It was also a celebration, and if one was lucky, one could earn a handsome amount from the Life Or Death Ring, so who else would want to risk their lives at sea?

 In order to further hype up the public for the event, during the auction at the last day of the Medley Sea Market, Darkness Port officials bought something from the auction with their own funds—the horn of the Golden-horned Dragon Whale.

 The officials announced that the horn would be the prize for the first place of the Hell Ledge Challenge. The news once again ignited the public.

 Similar to the old civilization, any living being related to dragons was considered to be superior. Be it from the east or the west, dragons were a symbol of absolute power. Of course, in the old civilization, the dragon had only been a living being of legends and myth. Even though countless people claimed that they had seen a dragon, there was never a determining factor to prove its existence.

 However, in the Purple Moon era, there were many verified statements that proved that dragons had come to life. In fact, not just dragons, but some mythical beasts had also come to life.

 Of course, the validity of the statement was not something commoners could determine. Even if the Golden-horned Dragon Whale had ‘dragon’ in its name, it was not a dragon but a very powerful aquatic creature. It was said that even a normal calf was considered a Level 7 vicious beast!

 The dragon whale’s horn was a calf.

 Despite that fact, its status was not challenged even by the superalloy because it possessed a special advantage that somehow trumped the superalloy.

 At 2 p.m. on the third level of the cabin area, the entrance to Hell Ledge was filled with people.

 Never doubt how a small entrance could house so many people at once. As a matter of fact, there was a huge square hidden on the third level of the cabin area immediately after the gate to Hell Ledge that was only visible when the gate was opened.

 Darkness Port was a city that prioritized its business heavily.

 The huge square was modified into an arena, similar to the gladiators’ colosseum of ancient Rome.

 Seats were lined up closely together in rows. In sections that were reserved for VIPs, the seats alone could earn Darkness Port a handsome profit. On top of that, with the details of the participants, the officials summarized them into different booklets for sale, so it was also a considerable amount of income.

 Moreover, there was also an official betting station which was a money-sucking monster.

 Compared to all that, the golden horn placed at the entrance of Hell Ledge was really nothing.

 Amidst the excited noise of the crowd, the Darkness Court sent out a hundred elite personals to erect a giant monolith covered with a red cloth at the entrance of Hell Ledge.

 Then, an exciting voice entered everyone’s ears through the mic, “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Hell Square! Here, you’ll be watching elite young geniuses from all over the world take up the Hell Ledge Challenge! Darkness Port is always generous in doing business. Since everyone has paid for the entrance fee for the most exciting show, you’ll be rewarded with services worthy of the price you’ve paid!”

 The owner of the voice wore a clown outfit and a strange weeping face was drawn on his face.

 He was not the host of Desperado Ring back in the junior division arena, the Wailing Pierrot. Instead, he was the host of the master division arena, the Simpering Pierrot!

 The Simpering Pierrot’s status in Darkness Port was absurdly high as he would only appear to host important competitions and events. His appearance stated how important the Hell Ledge Challenge was. As he made his introduction, he pulled the red cloth off the giant monolith.

A giant monolith with 10 giant monitors embedded on it appeared in the crowd’s sight.

 “What do you think? Isn’t this exciting? This will be the first time Hell Ledge is opening up the scenes of the challenge to the public! The 10 monitors will be broadcasting the 10 participants with the best performance…live! The empty space beneath the monitors will be updated with the ranking once every 24 hours.

 “I, the Simpering Pierrot, will be your host and the most entertaining commentator!” His voice got a lot more excited.

 As he further hyped up the crowd, he jumped towards the center of the colosseum, or more precisely, the stage built in the center.

 He shouted in excitement, “What are we waiting for?! According to the rules, every participant will be on stage on the first day! Let’s welcome them with the loudest applause!”