Chapter 475: Sun Luguo Test
Chapter 475: Sun Luguo Test
The enormous blacksmith kept smiling for a few seconds before crossing his arms again.
The expression on his face was a mixture of curiosity and evaluation, as if he were weighing every detail of the young man standing before him.
The light from the forge behind him danced across his features, weathered by time and hard work, casting slowly shifting shadows over his bronze skin.
"Before anything else... answer me one question."
Kyrian nodded, maintaining an upright posture. His violet eyes reflected the light of the spiritual flames burning in the nearby furnaces, creating a mesmerizing glow that seemed to contain layers of depth.
His expression remained calm, but there was a subtle tension in his shoulders, like a warrior prepared for any possibility.
"Do you have any experience with blacksmithing?"
The question was direct, cutting through the air like a well-tempered blade.
Kyrian did not need to think. There was no reason to hesitate or invent stories. The truth was simple and undeniable.
"None."
The answer made several people in the crowd laugh. It was the laughter of those who had already spent years learning, who knew the sweat and effort required to master even the most basic techniques of spiritual blacksmithing.
To them, the young man’s admission was almost comical in its naivety.
"I knew it." A blacksmith with a gray beard shook his head, crossing his arms over his broad chest.
"I looked at him and thought, those hands have never held a hammer."
"He hasn’t even held a hammer once in his life." Another apprentice added with a mocking grin.
"Look at those hands, smooth as silk. They don’t have a single callus."
"And he wants to become Master Sun’s disciple?" A third laughed even louder than the others.
"This test will be over in no time. I bet he won’t last five minutes at the anvil."
Comments came from every direction, some harsher than others, but Kyrian remained unmoved. His eyes stayed fixed on Sun Luguo, waiting for the master’s judgment.
The noise around him was like the distant roar of a river, something that existed but never truly reached him.
Sun Luguo, however, showed no disappointment. His face remained expressionless, his dark eyes evaluating the young man with an intensity that made the silence around them feel heavier than the iron anvils.
He simply nodded slowly.
"Honesty is already a good start."
He reached toward the spatial ring gleaming on his index finger. The artifact was ancient, forged from a dark metal that absorbed light instead of reflecting it.
A thick book appeared in his palm, materializing in a gentle glow that lasted only an instant before fading away.
Its cover was made of dark leather, heavily worn by time. The edges were frayed, and some areas had darkened even further from the constant touch of the blacksmith’s hands.
Many of the pages were marked with small notes along the margins, written in firm yet hurried handwriting, as though the author had recorded his thoughts the very instant they came to him.
Sun Luguo handed the book to Kyrian.
"The first part of the test is simple."
Kyrian took the volume. The leather was soft and supple beneath his fingers, still warm from the blacksmith’s body. He felt the weight of the pages, the promise of knowledge contained within.
"This is a summary I wrote myself over many years." The man’s voice became gentler now, as though he were sharing a precious secret.
"It contains the characteristics of hundreds of metals used in blacksmithing."
The man raised one finger, the gesture firm and authoritative.
"You don’t need to read everything." His eyes met Kyrian’s, holding his gaze for a moment.
"Only this Chapter."
He opened the book roughly in the middle, with the precision of someone who knew every inch of that work. There were just over forty pages, every one completely filled with illustrations, notes, and detailed descriptions. The drawings were meticulous, showing metal veins, crystallization patterns, stains, and imperfections.
The notes in the margins contained observations about how each metal reacted to fire, how it behaved under pressure, and which tempering techniques were most suitable.
"I want you to memorize these pages." Sun Luguo closed the book and handed it to the young man.
"After that, I’ll ask you a few questions."
The crowd began murmuring again, their whispers swelling like a wave.
"Forty pages?" A red-haired apprentice widened his eyes.
"That alone would take a beginner one or two hours."
"Even an experienced apprentice would have trouble." Another shook his head.
"Master Sun is being strict today."
"He wants to see whether the boy really has any talent, or if it’s all just talk."
Kyrian simply lowered his gaze, ignoring the voices around him. He began to read.
The pages passed rapidly beneath his eyes, like leaves carried away by the wind. His eyes traveled across each line only once, absorbing the information with astonishing efficiency.
The illustrations, the proportions, the microscopic differences between each metal, the places where they were commonly found, and their resistance to fire, everything was recorded in his mind as though carved into stone.
The melting point. The most common impurities. The signs of counterfeiting. Regional variations. Every detail was engraved into his memory immediately, without any apparent effort.
Five seconds. Ten. Twenty.
The pages continued turning, the rhythm steady and relentless. Kyrian’s eyes moved like those of a predator, capturing every detail without hesitation.
The spectators began to frown. Their expressions of disdain gave way to confusion, then curiosity.
"Is he... actually reading?" a silver-haired woman asked, leaning forward.
"Or is he just pretending?"
"It doesn’t look like he’s pretending..." her companion replied, narrowing his eyes.
"But that’s impossible. No one reads that fast."
"Maybe he’s just skimming the pages, trying to look smart."
Thirty seconds. Forty. Fifty.
Then...
Kyrian closed the book. The sound of the pages coming together echoed through the silent square like a gunshot.
He handed it back to Sun Luguo.
"I’m finished."