Genius Chapter 145: Celestial Punishment

Chapter 145: Celestial Punishment

Translated by Karai of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Addis

The excitement in the game continued. Ever since the successful forging of the divine weapon [Void Lamp], more and more people began to pay attention to Momo. As the number of followers increased, it was no longer a secret that Momo logged in to do daily quests and run tasks. Many big players, alerted by the news, eventually found the big player’s presence at the Sunset City forging furnace. However, the big player’s team was always full, and applications to join were often ignored. The Vicinity voice chat was even more inaccessible, as the big player had both people and voice blocked. Even if someone managed to get close, it was unlikely they could talk to the big player.

The exploration group was in an uproar for two days. This group was made up of early high-level players from Celestial Horizon. Although the Celestial Horizon leaderboard had been updated, these players remained active at the forefront of the game. A few top players who held two weapons were just waiting for the divine weapon system to forge them. With the first weapon already forged, they could no longer contain their excitement.

“Has Momo not replied yet?”

“Don’t think about it. I’ve asked other people; he treats everyone equally. Not a single friend on the list has received a reply.”

“Friends don’t even get a chance, let alone others.”

“Isn’t he online?”

“He might be dual-boxing. I just saw their fixed team doing daily tasks.”

“It doesn’t look like dual-boxing. I even saw him at the forging furnace.”

“What!? Is he planning to forge a second weapon??? Where’s the forging furnace? I’m heading there right away.”

CloudTraveller looked at the message sent to ReturnToSimplicity and couldn’t help but feel tempted to try finding a backdoor. However, the response from ReturnToSimplicity was rather indifferent, saying that the matter was beyond their control and that if he wanted forging done, he would have to approach Momo personally.

“See? I told you the backdoor wouldn’t work, but you still wouldn’t give up,” HealsFor25000 said. “I asked True Brother, and he also told me to go to Momo directly.”

Apple added, “Even as someone from his semi-fixed team, I couldn’t get in touch with him.”

“Can we buy our way in?” ChatMasterWu asked. “Is there a way through ScarletFruit?”

“Back in the day, the big player used to sell tickets for dungeon passes, but I heard he’s too lazy to do that now. Even items are authorized for ScarletFruit to handle himself. I don’t think money will help,” FireworksAndLanterns said. “ChatMasterWu, aren’t you still missing weapons? Why the rush?”

“Of course I’m anxious. There’s a whole bunch of assassins in the backline vying for power. I need to secure my spot as the Grandmaster.”

ChatMasterWu said, “Didn’t you see Momo’s weapon stats? It pushed his overall rating up significantly. He’s now in the fourth position. This is the first time a summoner has made it into the top five!”

FireworksAndLanterns replied, “It’s fine. I’m just second place. Let the big player handle the ranking and revitalize the Sect.”

At present, the overall leaderboard of Celestial Horizon had the following top ranks: the first was Doaist priest BrokenOracle, the second was warrior CloudTraveller, the third was array master Midnight Bell, the fourth was healer HealsFor25000, and the fifth was mage HaiTang. The leaderboard updated very quickly, and even god-tier accounts like ReturnToSimplicity had dropped from first place to eighth due to insufficient quest progress.

The bonus from the divine weapon was substantial, and Momo had also triggered awakening skills and the Master title. These three bonuses had pushed mage HaiTang out of the top five. The top ranks were very competitive, and Momo’s equipment was not yet fully finished. Once his equipment was complete and his quest progress sufficient, making it into the top three with his account’s level was definitely achievable.

It was possible that after this discussion event, the overall leaderboard of Celestial Horizon would start to change again.

Such changes made leaderboard players anxious.

ChatMasterWu asked, “BrokenOracle, aren’t you anxious?”

“I’m not,” BrokenOracle replied.

HealsFor25000 said, “You might not be anxious, but Midnight Bell is starting to worry. He’s also using dual weapons. After Momo forged the divine weapon yesterday, MIdnight Bell approached the top-ranked Master for forging. Apparently, that player also had the formula. Originally, Midnight Bell didn’t dare to try, but Momo got the achievement first. Now that Midnight Bell has approached him, the Master seems to be planning to start forging tonight.”

“Really? Momo is also planning to forge a second weapon tonight!”

“Does that mean they’re going to have a showdown!?”

“I heard from ClearWind that Momo seems to be forging on UnchainedWanderer’s account tonight.”

“Isn’t that the array master account of True Brother? Looks like he’s already found a way in through the backdoor.”

In the Global Channel, news quickly spread that both Midnight Bell and Momo were in the forging area, preparing to start their respective forging processes.

[Holy crap, is this for real? Are they having a showdown?]

[Yes, Momo is in Sunset City, and Midnight Bell is in Flowing Wind City.]

[Is Momo really that strong? Who asked him to forge the weapon? Didn’t they say that the big shots couldn’t get in touch with him?]

[I saw that the third array master, UnchainedWanderer, was standing next to him. He might be the one he is forging for.]

[Isn’t this a showdown? Two array masters opening the forge at the same time. Are they going to produce two divine pen weapons tonight?]

***

After Su Mo accepted the invitation, he could clearly see all the materials in Yu Zhen’s backpack from his own forge. He had pre-traded various materials and had also given Yu Zhen the tradeable [Lunar Charm], but he was not yet at the stage of forging the divine weapon. He needed to first upgrade another quest weapon of Yu Zhen’s to level 80.

ScarletFruit and the others gathered around to watch. They hadn’t paid much attention yesterday, so today they were getting a second look at the divine weapon forging process.

It was undeniably interesting. Although they couldn’t see the details inside the forge, it didn’t hinder them from watching the process.

“So, are you upgrading first and then synthesizing later?” ClearWind asked.

“Yes, there’s still a weapon on his account that hasn’t reached level 80.”

While forging the Empty Realm Solitary Light, Su Mo had already noticed that the materials and steps used during the upgrading process also affected the final product. He took the rare opportunity to remind them, “The weapons you have now can’t be reversed, but if you want the maximum potential of future divine weapons to be higher, pay extra attention to raising its highest threshold while upgrading the second weapon. This will refresh its potential during synthesis; otherwise, the weapon’s ceiling will be too low.”

ScarletFruit asked, “So, does that mean the divine weapon could end up with poor attributes?”

“There’s a high possibility of that, and there aren’t any high-level refining items available right now. Even if you could refine it, divine weapons have many attribute entries, and achieving perfection isn’t easy. It’s best to lay a good foundation first,” Su Mo said as he placed the materials in the forge. He upgraded the weapon to level 75, a process he was very familiar with. He had simulated the process many times before starting, and having been very cautious when upgrading his own weapons, he had figured out all the potential pitfalls. This time, the upgrade only took half the time it did previously.

Since divine weapons were crafted by the players themselves, every step was crucial.

Yu Zhen’s two weapons: the first, [Moon Charm], had already reached level 80. It had been leveled up according to Su Mo’s original formula, so it had a very good base maximum, and it had even developed a very good special skill for an array master called [Moon Charm · Wonderful Law].

[Moon Charm · Wonderful Law] was a strengthening skill. After using it, the array master had a 50% chance to add an extra layer of array during the 8-second duration. In other words, if Yu Zhen could originally stack 4 layers of array in 8 seconds, theoretically, it could stack up to 7-8 layers with the probability. However, the cooldown time for this special skill was quite long, usable only once every 10 minutes, making it suitable for critical moments.

This skill was a balanced one, offering extreme attack, support, and defense within 8 seconds. However, the [Heavenly Wolf Pen] that Su Mo was currently forging was not the same.

The [Moon Charm] was a balanced array master weapon, while the [Heavenly Wolf Pen] focused more on attack. Therefore, during the upgrade phase, it was crucial to maximize the weapon’s strengths. Since UnchainedWanderer was already a high-damage array master, if he could enhance the weapon’s attack in the final stages, UnchainedWanderer would likely become the only array master in Celestial Horizon who had pushed attack to its absolute limits.

Soon, the level 80 [Heavenly Wolf Pen] lived up to expectations. It yielded an attack-oriented skill, [Heavenly Wolf · Unmatched].

[Heavenly Wolf · Unmatched] was quite impressive. It expanded the array range by 2 meters for 6 seconds and increased the attack power of attack-type arrays by 10%.

“Limited attack…” Su Mo sent the skill to Yu Zhen.

[It’s a limited attack, and the duration seems a bit short. It only boosts attack-type arrays.]

In the kitchen, with soup simmering on the stove and Yu Zhen wearing an apron while preparing some light dishes, he briefly paused to read the message from Su Mo. He took a moment to examine it, saying, “Array master skills rely on stacking arrays for damage. Different arrays serve different purposes, and having more layers of arrays usually improves the effect. So, most skills need to be stacked to show their full potential. If a weapon skill boosted the power of all arrays, it would be a bit too overpowered.”

Yu Zhen added, “Momo, this skill is very useful for me.”

He sent a voice message, and the other party replied with text in the game.

Yu Zhen glanced at the messages on his terminal. After responding one by one, he asked, “I’m making a late-night snack. You didn’t eat much tonight. Do you want something?”

In the game, the three spectators began to get anxious, noticing that the big boss by the forge seemed to have stopped moving. They hesitated to speak up, afraid of disturbing the boss while upgrading the weapon, so they took the conversation to a smaller group chat.

ScarletFruit said, “It looks like the skill for the second weapon has appeared, but the boss hasn’t said what it is.”

ClearWind remarked, “I’m nervous just watching. I never realized how tense it could be to watch someone else forge a weapon!”

FireworksAndLanterns said, “Could it be?”

ScarletFruit added, “The boss has been paused for a while. It feels a bit concerning. I’m not sure if the skill is off.”

He continued, “However, the success rate for weapons like these is probably not very high. If it fails, it would waste a weapon.”

Apple commented, “That would be bad. If the boss fails and Midnight Bell manages to forge it, the forums will definitely be in an uproar.”

ClearWind asked, “Huh?”

“Isn’t everyone on the Global Channel discussing the boss’s weapon? Not long ago, news came out that Midnight Bell wanted to forge a weapon, and they were looking for the top  Blacksmith Master, WhiteCraneandPlumBlossoms,” said Cantaloupe, who had been engrossed in the Global Channel these past few days. “The forums are buzzing about it, and apparently, Midnight Bell also wants to challenge the awakening skill.”

“Is that true?” ScarletFruit asked.

“Absolutely, why would I lie to you? The Global Channel is full of people talking about it. It’s said that WhiteCraneandPlumBlossoms, the Blacksmith master, had already prepared the formula for Midnight Bell, but Midnight Bell, being cautious, decided not to forge it immediately and kept delaying,” Cantaloupe continued. “Then recently, Zenith Expanse lost face in the battlefield, right? The forums were abuzz, and some guild leaders from Zenith Expanse were privately grumbling, saying that the boss, Momo, got ahead of them. If their guild master had forged the weapon first, the awakening skill would have been theirs. Isn’t that outrageous?”

The battlefield incident had indeed been a blow to Zenith Expanse’s reputation, and for several days, no one was seen boasting in the wild.

After all, the video had gone viral, and there was still some resentment within Zenith Expanse. In the end, the management had to suppress the situation to keep the peace. But Zenith Expanse was a top guild within the Eclipse faction, and with many aggressive members, the management’s order to keep things low only led to more covert grumbling and passive-aggressive remarks.

“Uh-oh, could it be that we’re going to be embarrassed?”

Su Mo was ordering food, selecting three meat dishes from the various options Yu Zhen had provided. However, fearing that he might get indigestion from eating too much at night, Yu Zhen rejected one of the meat dishes and replaced it with a preferred vegetable dish.

When Su Mo returned to his game, he saw that the three people around him looked worried, including ZenSlasher, who rarely showed any extra expressions.

Su Mo looked at them in surprise and asked, “What’s wrong? Did I set up the wrong price at the stall?”

“As a merchant, how could you make such a basic mistake?” ScarletFruit had already mentally prepared himself and comforted Su Mo, saying, “It’s okay, big brother. Failure is the mother of success. We’ll fight again after we make the next weapon. We’ll definitely be able to forge another divine weapon.”

Su Mo asked, “…? Failure? What are you talking about?”

ClearWind looked confused, “Didn’t the skill go wrong? We saw you were silent for a long time and didn’t dare to interrupt.”

Su Mo said, “It didn’t go wrong. I was just chatting with him about the late-night snack.”

ScarletFruit and ClearWind exchanged puzzled glances.

Su Mo briefly explained that he was using the [Floating Life Pen] as a base and began the next step of synthesis.

He needed to hurry up; otherwise, he would miss out on the late-night snack.

The formula had been prepared in advance, so the remaining task was to adjust the values by increasing the primary attributes and reducing the secondary ones during the pairing process. With both basic and advanced materials added, the initial attributes of the divine weapon gradually emerged. Su Mo focused on the fluctuating attribute bars, methodically adding the prepared enhancement materials. This process took about ten minutes until the progress bar for merging and upgrading appeared, indicating that the basic synthesis was complete.

This synthesis followed the sequence from his previous synthesis and he had also prepared to test the awakening skill’s insight mechanism.

When the awakening skill was triggered, the announcement stated that it was the first divine weapon of its kind to establish a sect, but weapons had different appearances. The first divine weapon to establish a sect should not be limited to just summoner staff weapons; it was likely that other weapons also had a chance for awakening.

According to the formula he had used last time… if the awakening skill’s insight was due to the formula, then when the progress bar reached 95%—

[The forged item has been detected as a Celestial Horizon divine weapon, meeting the triggering standards. It belongs to the Serene Essence Templearray faction. Would you like to attempt to awaken the special skill? (Please note, this weapon is not the first divine weapon to establish a sect but is the first Serene Essence Temple array weapon to trigger the awakening mechanism. There is an additional opportunity for awakening qualification with only a 5% success rate.)]

When Su Mo saw the prompt, he confirmed that two conditions were necessary to awaken the skill: one, the weapon needed to be the first divine weapon to establish a sect, and two, it had to trigger the awakening mechanism.

In other words, if no divine weapons with awakening skills had been created in the current sect branch, players could use formulas to trigger the awakening mechanism and have a chance to obtain the awakening skill. However, the success rate had decreased from the original 15% to 5%…

Should he try?

Of course, he should.

Su Mo confirmed, and the interface turned into a chaotic scene of fluctuating values, requiring the player to input mental energy to stabilize the original attribute values.

He closed his eyes and focused. To him, a 15% chance and a 5% chance made no difference.

On the other side, in the forging area of Liufeng City.

The blacksmith WhiteCraneandPlumBlossoms and the array master Midnight Bell stood together. The progress bar of the forging furnace was nearing completion.

“It seems unlikely that we’ll get an awakening skill,” WhiteCraneandPlumBlossoms observed as the progress bar approached 98%. “The term ‘establishing a sect’ from yesterday’s System update was ambiguous. It could either mean the first weapon with a chance for awakening or the first weapon of all sects. My formula is correct, and you’ve prepared all the enhancement materials. I even confirmed it with hidden side quests before forging.”

As a blacksmith, he was very sensitive to materials.

When the special materials appeared in quest chests, he had noticed them and was accustomed to dealing with blacksmithing and quests. As soon as he saw the material names, he knew they were related to side quests. He completed all the tasks before writing the formula. If not for Midnight Bell and himself being overly cautious, waiting for a more detailed official announcement before acting, they would have started forging much earlier.

With the first position now taken, there was nothing to be done, but at least they had confirmed some feasibility from Momo’s side.

“It’s no longer possible,” WhiteCraneandPlumBlossoms said.

Midnight Bell watched as the weapon neared successful forging and frowned, “It’s impossible that only one weapon has the awakening skill.”

WhiteCraneandPlumBlossoms clicked the next step, and the weapon was about to be successfully forged. “You’re right. If a second awakening skill were to appear, it would only indicate one thing.”

“The opponent’s formula is better than mine and considers more comprehensive factors.”

[Global Announcement] Midnight Bell exhausted numerous treasures and enlisted the help of forging master WhiteCraneandPlumBlossoms. After countless efforts, the legendary artifact [Treading Waves and Shattering the Sky] from Serene Essence Temple was forged, ranking second on the divine weapon list.

The Treading Waves and Shattering the Sky brush featured two special skills and high attributes, immediately dropping a bombshell on the Global Channel. Players who had been waiting for inside information quickly started chiming in.

[Wow, was the second weapon forged by White Crane?] 

[Momo lost. The furnace was opened simultaneously, but White Crane was faster.]

[Master White Crane is amazing, managing to produce it so quickly.] 

[This weapon has nearly 200 more magic attack points than the current array master’s weapon, right?] 

[Is it just my impression? Since I saw the archdemon’s weapon yesterday, I’m actually not even phased by the double-skill weapon.] 

[Weapons like these are hard to forge. Otherwise, so many big shots would have tried their hand. Momo likely failed; he’s not a blacksmith by profession. White Crane has much more experience than him. A three-skill weapon is probably out of the question.]

Watermelon said, “Wow, it was actually done by Midnight Bell.”

The forum had already started posting. “Who leaked the news? Saying that Momo’s forging failed?” Apple asked. “The forum is mocking so quickly. Did Zenith Expanse’s people prepare in advance?”

“There were a lot of people watching near the Sunset City forging furnace. When momo didn’t make any moves, they concluded that momo had failed,” FireworksAndLanterns said. “These people are really good at twisting the facts.”

“What about the big shot?”

“There’s no news. Could it really be a failure?”

“Shut up! Don’t curse my big brother!”

“What’s up with Zenith Expanse? Are they so proud just because they forged one weapon? I’m going to go argue with them.”

Amidst the commotion, the pen with gold patterns in the furnace gradually took shape.

Su Mo was the first to see the third special skill appear.

[Awakening · Celestial Punishment: Celestial Punishment Gods, the main pen of punishment. Serene Essence Temple array system divine weapon awakening skill. When the player holds the weapon [Celestial Punishment], they can use this skill. After use, the player will receive a special bonus for stacking defensive arrays within the specified time. The fewer players protected within the array, the higher the defensive effect. When the array reaches 4 layers, it will trigger a 3-second damage immunity effect, with the skill duration being 10 seconds and a cooldown time of 10 minutes.]

Su Mo was slightly taken aback when he saw the skill and noticed the weapon signature that came with the divine weapon’s golden name.

Su Mo stared at the weapon for a while, then eagerly sent the weapon’s attributes and signature to Yu Zhen outside the game.

At that moment, a reminder popped up in the forging furnace:

[This forging is a shared forging. The invited forging master can leave their name. Do you want to leave a name?]

Su Mo clicked confirm, and a layer of flowing light was attached to the weapon. The flowing light merged into the pen, as if all the noise had returned to dust.

The next moment, another prompt appeared on the forging furnace interface:

[The divine weapon [Celestial Punishment] has been successfully forged. Do you want to unveil it?]

The three people in the team were silent. Su Mo, having lost interest in staying in the game, said, “I’m logging off to have a late-night snack. You guys play on.”

ClearWind, who was still interacting with Zenith Expanse players on the Global Channel, was about to ask how the divine weapon was forged when a golden announcement flashed before his eyes.

“Wow!!!”

[Global Announcement] UnchainedWanderer exhausted numerous treasures and invited blacksmith master Momo for assistance. After a long process, they successfully forged the legendary divine weapon [Celestial Punishment] of the Serene Essence Temple, awakening the special skill [Celestial Punishment], and ranked second on the divine weapon list.

The Global Channel fell silent for a moment, and everyone rushed to check the details of the divine weapon.

An attack-type array master pen weapon, featuring three skills: [Floating Life · Wonderful Method], [Tian Wolf · Peerless], and [Awakening · Celestial Punishment], along with the final signature:

[Forged by: Momo] [Holder: UnchainedWanderer]

Author’s note: Gossip Team: Nervous. 

Brother mo: First, I’ll order some food. 

Gossip Team: Still so nervous. 

Brother mo: Finished forging, logging off for a late-night snack.