Chapter 197 First Checkpoint, Inspecting Forging Materials (1)

“Old Shi, Deputy Envoy Shi, relax,” Zhou Shu said to Shi Songtao, who was constantly rubbing his hands. “It’s just a qualifier. Why are you so nervous?”

“Qualifier?” Shi Songtao was stunned for a moment. After thinking for a moment, he understood what Zhou Shu meant.

This word was really apt.

Even if it was just a qualifier, if they lost the qualifiers and didn’t even get to compete, their mission would be considered a failure.

Zhou Shu was not nervous at all. He walked forward slowly and had the time to look at the teams from the other nations.

As expected, Shen Yue was among the team from Great Wei.

Zhou Shu also saw a familiar face among Great Liang’s challengers. It was Han Dazhi, whom they had encountered on their way here.

Apart from the teams from these two nations, the other nations all had unfamiliar faces that Zhou Shu had never seen before.

He took a closer look at these teams challenging the trial. Their configurations were basically the same as Great Xia’s.

Five or six Forging Masters, together with three or four martial artists… The martial artists’ cultivation was generally between the fourth and fifth rank. Third-rank martial artists were considered very high level for individual nations.

For the diplomatic mission of Great Xia, there was one second-rank and one third-rank martial artist. It was a unique combination.

Wang Xin’s army escorted the various teams into Hangu Pass. The other members of the diplomatic missions would take another route to Great Qin’s capital after passing through Hangu Pass.

After entering the Wang Xin dream, Zhou Shu already had a rough understanding of the nine challenges set up by Great Qin. The purpose of Great Qin setting up the nine challenges was actually not to make things difficult for others.

It was for screening.

Wang Xin was not a forger, so he didn’t pay attention to the details of the nine checkpoints. But Zhou Shu was able to guess what had happened from his conversations with his grandfather Wang Mu.

The content of the tests in the nine checkpoints of Great Qin was surely related to repairing the imperial cauldron. Wang Xin brought everyone to a canyon and said, “There are nine maps here, one for each team. Your mission is to go to the locations marked on the map and complete the corresponding mission. Those who complete the mission will enter the next level. Those who fail can directly head to the capital.”

Wang Xin got someone to distribute the maps to everyone. “Now, I will announce the rules of the first checkpoint!” Wang Xin said.

While Wang Xin was announcing the rules for the first checkpoint, the emperor of Great Qin was standing on the tallest building within the imperial palace of Great Qin, which was 500 kilometers away. A middle-aged man dressed in black was standing beside him.

“Minister Xu, do you really think this method will work?” the Qin emperor said in a low voice. His face was somewhat pale, as though he was heavily injured.

The Qin emperor was the same as Emperor Yuan Feng of Great Xia. They were both first-rank martial artists.

Actually, all the nations’ emperors had the same situation.

After they succeeded the throne, they would use secret techniques to raise their cultivation to the first rank.

Although their first ranks were somewhat false, they were still first-rank martial artists after all. Ordinary people wouldn’t be able to hurt them. Furthermore, with the body of a first-rank martial artist, they would be full of energy when handling national affairs.

Different from Emperor Yuan Feng, although the Qin emperor had raised his cultivation to the first rank, he didn’t raise it as much.

When the Qin emperor ascended the throne, he was already a third-rank grandmaster.

Therefore, in terms of true strength, the Qin emperor was definitely the strongest among the ten nations’ emperors.

It could even be said that if the ten nations’ emperors personally fought, the Qin emperor would be able to take on all the other nine nations’ emperors!

This didn’t include the countless experts protecting the Qin emperor. Logically speaking, it was almost impossible for such a person to be injured. “Your Majesty, we can only make a Hail Mary effort now,” the middle-aged man in black beside the Qin emperor said with a bitter smile. “If it wasn’t for the fear that Grand Craftsmen would notice something, the chances of success would be higher if we invited the Grand Craftsmen from the various nations to help.

“Right now, we are breaking up the restoration steps and hiding them among the nine checkpoints. Even those who set their mind on it would find it hard to discover the secret. “If the elites of the various nations can’t solve these problems, then even if Grand Craftsmen came, the outcome wouldn’t be much different.”

The middle-aged man’s face was full of bitterness. Great Qin had many Grand Craftsmen as well, but no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t solve the problem.

Right now, he could only hope that the genius Forging Masters of the various nations would live up to their reputation as geniuses.

“Let General Wang prepare for battle.”

The Qin emperor coughed a few times, and his palm was covered in blood. He pondered for a moment before saying in a deep voice, “If the restoration of the imperial cauldron fails, war is inevitable!”

The black-clothed middle-aged man bowed. “Yes.”

“There are over a thousand materials for forging in this valley.” Wang Xin’s voice echoed in everyone’s ears. “The first test is for you to identify forging materials. As long as you are able to identify them correctly, you will be able to take away the forging materials.

“There is a limit to the amount of forging materials. Those that successfully identify the materials first have the right to obtain them first.

“Right now, I can tell you that the second checkpoint is to use the materials you took away to forge weapons. “There will be no victor in the first round. But the more materials you obtain, the more advantage you will have in the later rounds. Good luck.”

After Wang Xin finished speaking, the soldiers of Great Qin parted, revealing a path to the valley.

The enormous valley was full of forging materials.

In front of each pile of forging materials stood a black-clothed official. He should be the official in charge of determining whether the challenger was correct.

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