Chapter 319: Not Becoming a Blacksmith Would Be a Waste

The three blacksmith masters of the Weapon Room were all master craftsmen.

Every blacksmith in the entire Weapon Room had been trained by the three of them.

From assistants, to apprentices, to full-fledged blacksmiths—

the Weapon Room could be said to have been built by these three masters with their own hands. They were also the indispensable soul of the Weapon Room.

When they heard Wangchuan say that he knew the Hundredfold Steel Forging Technique, all three were extremely surprised, and they immediately felt a little more warmth and affinity toward him, as though he were one of their own.

However, they did not believe he had truly gone very far with the Hundredfold Steel Forging Technique.

That was, until Wangchuan stepped forward and demonstrated it on the spot, directly displaying the technique of One-Breath Fivefold Strike.

The expressions of the three blacksmith masters changed abruptly, and they exchanged stunned looks.

DING!!!!

DING!!!!

Wangchuan had not swung a forging hammer for quite some time, but the muscle memory had long since been carved into his bones. The familiar ring of metal and the surrounding atmosphere instantly reawakened that instinct within him. Without the slightest stiffness or hesitation, he activated the skill at once, shocking everyone present.

The blacksmiths in the Weapon Room, who had occasionally been glancing over, together with the more than eighty assistants, were all deeply shaken.

DING!!!!

DING!!!!

Wangchuan’s technique was steady, his movements practiced, and his strength evenly controlled.

After forging for a while, he actually broke through on the spot, advancing from One-Breath Fivefold Strike to One-Breath Sixfold Strike.

The three blacksmith masters looked at one another.

“A genius.”

“His Strength, Stamina, and Speed are completely balanced.”

“A talent like this not coming to forge iron is truly a waste.”

“Exactly!”

“Our Strength keeps growing, but our control over that Strength becomes less and less refined. Our progress is slow. Yet Hall Master Wangchuan can break through on the spot. This is what it means for one’s bodily attributes to be in perfect harmony and resonance!”

“If the Hall Master came to forge iron, then in less than twenty years, he would definitely become a master artisan of his generation!”

Cui Mingjue, Chen Ergou, and Zhao Heiniu looked at one another speechlessly, their emotions indescribably complicated.

These three old men—did they even hear the nonsense coming out of their own mouths?

They wanted a dignified Deputy Hall Master to go forge iron?

If the three masters had not been highly respected and entirely free of ill intent, Chen Ergou might already have drawn his saber…

“Excellent!”

“It has been a long time since I last held a hammer.”

After forging for a while, Wangchuan thrust the heated iron back into the high-temperature furnace and stepped down.

“Three Masters, do you think it is possible for me to master the 《Hundred Ingenious Thousand-Forging Technique》?”

“Of course you can!”

“With talent as good as yours, Hall Master, you will probably grasp it very quickly.”

“Yes, yes, yes!”

The three blacksmith masters were practically grinning from ear to ear.

“In that case, then it is settled between us. When I have the time, the three of you will teach me the 《Hundred Ingenious Thousand-Forging Technique》. Once I learn it, I will reward you generously.”

Wangchuan finally revealed his true purpose.

The three of them answered in unison:

“Good!”

“Whenever Hall Master has time, come at once. We will teach you everything we know.”

“Yes, yes, yes!”

If anyone else had said such a thing, the three masters probably would have rolled their eyes to death at him—teach the apprentice, starve the master.

But the three blacksmith masters knew that Hall Master Wangchuan would certainly not compete with them for this livelihood. Naturally, they were more than willing to form a good relationship with him.

Besides, there would even be rewards.

It was simply a matter of pushing the boat along with the current.

“Since that is the case, then there is no need to wait for another day. Let us do it now.”

“Seeing the three of you, I also feel an immediate affinity. Ergou, go to the best restaurant in the Prefectural City and arrange a banquet. Today I am going to drink well with the three masters and ask them for instruction in forging.”

“Yes!”

Chen Ergou clasped his fists and accepted the order, then left under Cui Mingjue’s guidance.

Seeing how enthusiastic and proactive the Deputy Hall Master was, the three blacksmith masters were also carried along by the mood. They had no choice but to teach seriously.

After discussing it among themselves, Master Lin took responsibility for demonstrating the technique by hand.

Masters Wang and Liu stood beside him to explain and assist.

“This 《Hundred Ingenious Thousand-Forging Technique》 emphasizes the word ingenious, but it must also bring out the true essence of forging…”

“We must hammer Hundredfold Steel until it becomes even tougher…”

“The force required is roughly twice that of the Hundredfold Steel Forging Technique. After repeated forging about thirty times, it will more or less take shape. Once it has taken shape, it must be repeatedly repaired… and its form must be fixed…”

“When fixing the shape, you do not need that much force, but you must repair some of the more obvious rough edges.”

“That is right.”

“The final stage is fine finishing!”

“Through repeated heating until red-hot, and through probing hammer strikes, you determine the stability of the finished product… During this process, the force must be used skillfully and precisely.”

“The strength cannot be too heavy…”

“We generally determine the quality of the finished product through its sound, weight, feel in the hand, and smoothness.”

“As long as the repeated forging process is completed ninety times without any problems, then the final product is more or less finished.”

As Master Lin hammered away, he had already begun the first stage.

Wangchuan watched with great care and attention.

Once enough finished Hundredfold Steel had been taken out, melted, and poured together into a single mass, and the weight had been confirmed, the formal forging began…

For the sake of demonstration, Master Lin used only a single Hundredfold Steel ingot to forge a Thousand-Forged Dagger.

The early stage of forging required tremendous force.

Master Lin practically put his whole life into each strike.

After watching for a while, Wangchuan simply moved to the forging table beside him and began practicing directly…

In terms of force, although Master Lin was highly experienced, Wangchuan’s Strength had already reached 57 points, close to that of a Third-Rank Martial Artist. He was certainly above Master Lin in raw power.

During his demonstration of the 《Hundred Ingenious Thousand-Forging Technique》, Master Lin could at most control his force to the level of One-Breath Double Strike.

But after Wangchuan adapted to the handwork, he quickly entered the state of One-Breath Triple Strike.

The sight made the three masters nod repeatedly.

How enviable.

With talent like this, not forging iron…

was truly a heartbreaking waste.

The way the three masters looked at Wangchuan was like they were looking at a Jianghu prodigal who had gone down the wrong path.

It was as if they were saying:

What is so good about living with blood on the edge of a blade?

If you became a master artisan, every major force would hold you in the palm of its hand. Would that not be more imposing? And safer too?

Wangchuan immersed himself completely in the state of forging.

As he listened to the guidance of the two masters, corrected his movements, and hammered with precise control to shape the weapon, he also occasionally raised his head to observe Master Lin’s movements.

After more than an hour…

Wangchuan was the first to complete the thirty repeated forging strikes.

He entered the second stage.

Compared with the relatively straightforward actions of the first stage, the second stage clearly tested experience, eyesight, and control of force far more heavily. Even the technique itself required skillful, delicate force.

One had to repeatedly repair the weapon without damaging it.

Wangchuan watched carefully for a while before finally beginning himself.

His Hundredfold Steel Forging Technique had already reached the realm of Integration. His control of strength, as well as his handling of subtle force, was actually even more delicate and relaxed than that of the blacksmith masters.

Before long, he gradually entered the proper state.

After each quenching and reheating, the Thousand-Forged Dagger showed fewer and fewer flaws.

Before he realized it, he had completed the second stage as well…

When they saw Wangchuan enter the final stage so quickly, the three blacksmith masters became extremely excited. They completely forgot about the meal and focused on instructing him seriously, offering suggestions and guiding him through the final steps.

“Here, here—pull it a little.”

“Three-tenths of your strength is enough on this side.”

“Mhm.”

“Beautiful…”

“Do not rush. Check it again after quenching.”

“The further you go, the more cautious and steady you must be. You must not lose your composure. It would be such a pity to fall back into the second stage.”

“That is right, that is right.”

Under the guidance of the two blacksmith masters, Wangchuan took every opportunity during the quenching and reheating process to observe how Master Lin handled certain details.

Before anyone noticed, the sky had gone completely dark.

Then—

after four full hours of painstaking refinement, the finished Thousand-Forged Dagger was finally completed!

“Ding!”

System prompt:

“Successfully grasped 《Hundred Ingenious Thousand-Forging Technique》.”

“《Hundred Ingenious Thousand-Forging Technique》 has successfully reached the Entry Level.”