Chapter 53: Giving You a Chance

Chapter 53: Chapter 53: Giving You a Chance

Ten points of innate aptitude and 5,000 experience points.

This was the highest reward he had seen so far.

However, since it concerned his future and the grand path ahead, it was only fitting. With the right skills, he could forge Profound Weapons himself, saving money while openly earning silver taels. Crucially, it would also elevate his status. It was killing three birds with one stone!

The only catch was that Yan Qing was barely in his twenties and had only just become capable of forging Profound Weapons. If Lu Yuan took him as a master, Yan Qing probably couldn’t teach him much. Furthermore, he would have a young master constantly looming over his head. It suddenly seemed like a rather poor deal.

"Brother Yan, may I ask which master you apprenticed under?" Lu Yuan suddenly asked.

"Hmm?" Yan Qing’s expression subtly changed. "What do you mean by that, Brother Lu?"

"Well..." Lu Yuan offered a bashful smile. "Actually, ever since I was young, I’ve had a dream. I’ve always wanted to grow up to be a Weapon Master, a great master, or even a Divine Artisan.

"Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity. But meeting Brother Yan here in the Demon Suppression Bureau suddenly stirred my emotions. My blood is boiling, and I want to... reignite that dream."

Yan Qing’s expression softened, though he still looked a bit skeptical. "Is that true?" he wondered. "Why do I find that hard to believe?"

"Then what efforts have you made over the years to become a master? Have you ever studied weapon forging in depth?" he asked.

"My effort was training hard to join the Demon Suppression Bureau!" Lu Yuan answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Where could you find good Weapon Masters on the outside? Most of them are just ordinary blacksmiths, or the barriers to entry are too high to climb over.

"Only by entering the Demon Suppression Bureau can I come into contact with true forging experts and grandmasters!"

"Heh." Yan Qing chuckled.

If Lu Yuan’s effort was training his martial arts, that was technically valid. After all, one’s cultivation base and martial power were closely tied to weapon forging.

"How about this: if you truly want to learn, I can give you a chance," Yan Qing said.

"I absolutely want to learn! I am serious. Incredibly serious!" Lu Yuan immediately declared.

"Good." Yan Qing nodded. "Wait for me after work tonight."

"Then I will await you, Brother Yan," Lu Yuan said with a smile before taking his leave.

Yan Qing smiled as well and turned to head back into the workshop.

In the afternoon, Mu Lingche, Liu Zhi, Yu Qiuyang, Chen Qiang, and the rest all arrived. After all, it hadn’t been declared a day off.

"Brother Lu, you’re here so early?" Liu Zhi asked as he hurried over.

"I came to freeload off the training grounds and the free lunch," Lu Yuan laughed.

"Freeload?" Liu Zhi paused at the word, then couldn’t help but laugh. "Brother Lu, you are truly a funny guy."

"It’s completely normal for a kid from a poor family," Lu Yuan said, turning his gaze toward Jianng Hongfei. "Is Young Master Fei here to freeload off the food too?"

Jianng Hongfei’s expression instantly soured. "Who the hell is freeloading like you?" he thought angrily. He just didn’t want to stay in that home full of deceit and constant scheming!

"Everyone performed well last night," Chen Qiang said, beginning his motivational speech. "I saw the embryonic form of a powerful, invincible, and ever-victorious team. You all have great potential, and there’s a lot of room for promotion in the future.

"Within three years, I dare say that some of you will surpass me and become a Squad Leader.

"But before that happens, you must all learn to cooperate. As long as the six of us work together with one heart...

"We will flawlessly complete every mission and survive to tell the tale.

"There are no missions scheduled for the next couple of days, so continue your cultivation."

After finishing, Chen Qiang left. Newcomers were expected to focus primarily on training and growth, and the higher-ups would generally try to look after them when assigning missions.

"Jianng Hongfei, are we still going through with the fight we agreed on yesterday?" Lu Yuan took the initiative to approach him.

"You..." Jianng Hongfei suddenly remembered that they had indeed arranged another bout. After witnessing Lu Yuan’s Saber Technique yesterday, he had somewhat lost the desire to fight him. But in a fist-to-fist brawl, who was afraid of whom?

"Bring it on! Let’s see how I crush you today," Jianng Hongfei sneered.

"Take out the two hundred taels of silver first," Lu Yuan reminded him.

Jianng Hongfei’s breath hitched before he let out a cold laugh. "I won’t lose today. You’d better be the one prepared."

"I always carry a lot of silver coins on me." Lu Yuan pulled out a thick stack to show him.

"Hurry up and start!" Jianng Hongfei pulled out two silver notes, stuffed them back into his pocket, and clenched his fists.

"Come," Lu Yuan beckoned.

SWISH!

SWISH!

THUD THUD THUD!

THUD THUD THUD!

The two quickly engaged in combat, the fight rapidly reaching a fever pitch. Once again, it was fist against fist, a brutal clash of pure physical might.

Jianng Hongfei still held a slight upper hand, while Lu Yuan remained primarily on the defensive. The difference between Jianng Hongfei and Lin Siheng was that the former possessed much greater power, and his delivery of True Gang was far more varied. Lu Yuan was able to utilize this to the maximum extent, resulting in much better Bone Tempering effects.

This time, Jianng Hongfei had thoroughly absorbed the bitter lesson of yesterday’s defeat. He persisted relentlessly, attacking with ever-increasing force. No matter what, he refused to give up or admit defeat voluntarily. As a result, the two of them fought for a full quarter of an hour.

HISS... HUFF... HISS... HUFF...

Jianng Hongfei’s entire body had gone soft; he was utterly exhausted.

Lu Yuan also grimaced, doing his utmost to hold on. Not only did he have to withstand Jianng Hongfei’s sheer force, but he also had to use his True Gang to nourish and compensate for the massive drain caused by his immortal recovery trait. The exhaustion was truly immense. He almost wanted to surrender.

However, surrendering meant he wouldn’t earn the two hundred taels, and he would lose two hundred taels instead. Coming and going, that would be a difference of four hundred taels. That was equivalent to ten Qi Nourishing Pills or five Bone Tempering Pills! He absolutely could not allow that to happen.

"Are you going to admit defeat or not? Do you yield?" Lu Yuan shouted.

"I..." Jianng Hongfei’s instincts had urged him to concede countless times, but his pride and logic completely forbade it.

"It seems I have no choice but to beat you down." Lu Yuan erupted with force, throwing a punch with everything he had.

"What a joke!" Jianng Hongfei swung his fist as well.

BAM!

The two fists crashed heavily into each other, and then...

SWISH!

The color completely drained from Jianng Hongfei’s face. He instantly stumbled three steps backward.

"You... How did the power behind your punch become so strong?" he gasped.

"It’s you who became weak!" Lu Yuan appeared right in front of Jianng Hongfei and unleashed another punch.

BAM!

Jianng Hongfei was smashed into the ground.

"Alright, you lose," Lu Yuan announced.

Jianng Hongfei lay flat on the ground, completely unwilling to get up. He had lost! He had actually lost again! To think that he had been defeated by Lu Yuan even in fist techniques. Was Lu Yuan simply too strong, or was he himself just totally useless?

What was even harder to believe was that Lu Yuan had taken so many of his punches head-on without suffering any injuries. How had he dissolved the impact? A normal person’s bones would have been shattered into a million pieces long ago.

HUFF!

Lu Yuan also collapsed onto the ground, gasping heavily for air.

"We’ll continue tomorrow," Lu Yuan said.

"Fine," Jianng Hongfei nodded. His pride would not allow him to refuse; otherwise, it would look like he was scared. He vowed to work hard to find a countermeasure or elevate the mastery of his Flood Dragon Fist.

"The price is still two hundred taels," Lu Yuan quoted.

"No way!" Jianng Hongfei instantly furrowed his brow. He wasn’t a cash cow, and he seemed to have finally caught on to Lu Yuan’s true intentions.

"One hundred taels! It’s one hundred taels or nothing!"

"One hundred taels? That’s a bit low," Lu Yuan said, sounding rather dissatisfied.

"One hundred taels, otherwise I won’t do it." Jianng Hongfei turned the tables, using the leverage against him.

He would wait until he found a way to counter Lu Yuan before raising the stakes. He swore he would win back everything he had lost today!

"Fine, one hundred taels it is," Lu Yuan nodded. His primary goal was Bone Tempering anyway. The money was actually...

Lu Yuan swallowed a Qi Nourishing Pill to restore his Gang Qi. Taking one Bone Tempering Pill a day was sufficient, but Qi Nourishing Pills needed to be consumed multiple times.

That evening, Lu Yuan did not return home with Liu Zhi. Instead, he went to wait outside the workshop for Yan Qing.