Immortal Path to Heaven c1-725
Page 10
Chapter 14
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The next morning, Ou Yangming went to the West Camp happily.
He had become familiar with the place, and the soldiers under Chen Yifan no longer found him strange, so he met Chen Yifan successfully.
The general was training his soldiers, and under his supervision, hundreds of soldiers in armor practiced Joint Attack Art. Normally, outsiders were not allowed to observe the practice of Joint Attack Art, but who really cared about an underage fellow?
Ou Yangming watched with great interest and could not wait to do that as well.
Nonetheless, he knew very well that those on the drill ground were at least Force Artists, but unlike him, they underwent severe training to acquire Dantian Light and grasped certain powerful techniques. If he were to battle them… Unless the same situation with Zhang Hanyu appeared again, he would definitely die.
“Hehe, young fella, you seem fascinated.” A hearty laugh was heard beside Ou Yangming. “Do you want to join them?”
Ou Yangming, who was surprised, quickly turned to look.
As soon as he saw who it was, he exhaled deeply. “Captain Liu, are you trying to scare me to death?”
Captain Liu was not an outsider. His full name was Liu Zhengye, and he was General Chen’s guard captain, in charge of the Guards that had a hundred elite people. As such, he was one of Chen Yifan’s confidants.
Naturally, Ou Yangming was insignificant to him, but being one of General Chen’s confidants, he was aware that the general valued the young fellow, so he was extra friendly and polite to him.
About Ou Yangming watching the soldiers drill… Since the general said nothing about it, he would not care too much.
Liu Zhengye asked with a smile, “You’re here to find the general? I think he’s not here today.”
Ou Yangming quickly replied, “Captain Liu, the old man asked me to come.”
Liu Zhengye then said seriously, “Old Craftsman? Why did he ask you to come? Is there something wrong with the martial tool he’s making for General Chen?”
Ou Yangming waved his hand. “Captain Liu, don’t worry, do you not trust the old man’s skill?”
Liu Zhengye was relieved. He knew that the general was very hopeful about the smithing of his weapon, and would be extremely unhappy if something were to go wrong.
He stared at Ou Yangming snappily, then said, “Why are you here if it’s not about the martial tool? Hmph, the general is very busy, he doesn’t have much time for you.”
Ou Yangming pouted his lips. “Okay, I’ll leave then.”
Liu Zhengye was stunned. He grabbed the young fellow, then demanded, “Don’t go, tell me what it is.”
Normally, he would not have cared, but since Old Craftsman was smithing a divine weapon for the general, it would be more harm than good if Old Craftsman was upset about anything.
Ou Yangming shrugged. “I managed to acquire Dantian Light yesterday, so the old man asked me to come and look for the general.”
“Oh, Dantian… What? You acquired Dantian Light?” Liu Zhengye was unconcerned at first because he had seen many martial artists in the military, thus he thought little of a Force Grade martial artist who had just obtained Dantian Light. However, at that instant, he understood why Old Craftsman had sent Ou Yangming here.
Ou Yangming nodded. “Yes, I can’t lie about something like this.”
Liu Zhengye twitched his mouth, then asked, “If I’m not mistaken, you’ve only strengthened your muscles and bones in less than half a month, right?”
Ou Yangming thought for a while, then answered, “Almost.”
Liu Zhengye cursed to himself. ‘What do you mean by almost? You became a martial artist by doing the martial-art squat for half a month, that’s… That’s unbelievable.’
He suddenly reached his hand out to place it on Ou Yangming’s dantian.
Ou Yangming was stunned and could not react in time, so Liu Zhengye managed to get him.
“Not bad, you really attained Dantian Light.” Nevertheless, Liu Zhengye did not mean ill. He withdrew his hand a brief moment later and nodded. “General is drilling soldiers at the moment, and he’ll only be done in half an hour, so you can wait in the tent.”
Ou Yangming nodded with a lingering fear, then hurried away. He cursed silently. ‘Captain Liu’s strength is much higher than Zhang Hanyu’s, but a sudden attack is not a good habit.’
Half an hour passed by in the blink of an eye.
Soon, Chen Yifan walked into the tent majestically, then looked at Ou Yangming with his lightning eyes. “Nice, your aptitude is decent. You didn’t let me down.”
Ou Yangming shivered a little because the look from Chen Yifan actually made him slightly afraid.
Old Craftsman and Liu Zhengye verified his status as a Force Grade martial artist by touching his dantian, yet Chen Yifan had verified it by just taking a look at him.
However, what Ou Yangming did not know was that Chen Yifan was equally shocked.
Ou Yangming’s martial art path began from Chen Yifan, but he had only been taught a martial-art squat technique thus far.
It was the martial-art squat that turned him into a Force Artist in such a short period of time, which was definitely surprising. In fact, Chen Yifan had not expected it at all.
After pondering for a while, Chen Yifan mentioned, “Come with me.”
Once they left the tent, he shouted, “Sui Hezhi, step out!”
“Yes!” A burly soldier ran over to him, then asked, “General, what orders do you have?”
Chen Yifan said as he pointed at the soldier, “Young fella, this is a normal soldier from the Guard, exchange a few blows with him.”
Both Ou Yangming and Sui Hezhi were startled, and they looked at each other in confusion.
Ou Yangming wondered. ‘He’s a big guy, won’t I be courting death?’
Sui Hezhi thought to himself too. ‘Can this beansprout-sized person withstand my punch?’
Cheng Yifan stared at them. “Why are you still standing there? Why aren’t you fighting?”
“Yes,” Sui Hezhi quickly responded, then cupped his hands at Ou Yangming. “Little brother, please excuse me.”
Although he had no clue about Ou Yangming’s identity, he had seen the young fellow before and knew that he was not an enemy. Besides, the general sounded like he wanted to test the young fellow’s capability, thus Sui Hezhi was rather polite before they fought.
On the other hand, Ou Yangming’s face turned gloomy, and he was about to decline when a vinegar-jar-sized fist whooshed in his direction.
Though Sui Hezhi was not on Liu Zhengye’s level, he was too good to be matched by Ou Yangming.
Even if Sui Hezhi did not use all his might, Ou Yangming was extremely tense. Due to the sense of crisis, the purple light in his mind shone again, and his consciousness instantly exited his body. He was watching events from a distance.
At that instant, he deduced that it was impossible for him to withstand the impact from the punch, Sui Hezhi’s power was above Zhang Hanyu’s.
Without hesitation, Ou Yangming took a step back and drew his saber.
‘Since I can’t fight with my fists, I’ll have to use a weapon. It was a simple and direct thought that he had.
Chen Yifan and the others were slightly stunned, but they quickly chuckled when they recalled that Ou Yangming was not a soldier. He was a blacksmith, so it was normal for him to boost his courage with a saber upon facing the fierce Sui Hezhi.
Sui Hezhi was surprised and looked at Chen Yifan. He was obviously not afraid of Ou Yangming’s martial tool, but he was puzzled. ‘Didn’t the general mean to test the young fella? Why is he using a saber? What does that mean?’
Chen Yifan shook his head and laughed. “Coward! Hmph, Sui Hezhi, use your saber as well!”
Sui Hezhi instantly understood what the general meant, thus he shouted, “Little brother, be careful!”
Since he was asked to use his saber, he had to do it.
Saber-light flashed in the air as he used his dantian to slash downwards.
Of course, he used his strength carefully so that it would not hurt Ou Yangming who might not ward off the blow.
Ou Yangming gritted his teeth as he felt that Sui Hezhi’s saber was so flexible that there was no way he could protect himself. At that instant, he decided to just lift his treasure saber and mindlessly swung it at his opponent.
Sui Hezhi was surprised. He had not expected the young fellow to have the courage to die together with him, but courage was not enough. He then pulled his saber back to block Ou Yangming’s saber.
“Ding…”
A loud sound was heard, and Sui Hezhi’s face changed. He did a reverse plank bridge at once to dodge the violent saber-light.
In the air, a broken blade section was seen rising for a while before it fell straight down into the soil.
Ou Yangming showed no mercy. Just as he acquired the upper hand with his saber, his eyes went blurry as he was kicked on the wrist.
It was a strong kick, which caused his treasure saber to fly into the air as though it had wings.
Subsequently, Sui Hezhi moved as fast as lightning, and jumped up like an ape to catch the treasure saber, then landed steadily.
On the other hand, Ou Yangming was dispirited as he held his red and swollen wrist.
Chapter 15
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Sui Hezhi’s face changed a little, and he was embarrassed when he glanced at Chen Yifan.
He had not used his full strength when he blocked with his saber earlier, but he expected to easily let Ou Yangming have a bitter taste of his attack.
Obviously, he could not bully the weak in front of the general, but he had to display his strength too. After all, he was a part of the Guards, and would not have been chosen if he was not remarkably valiant.
However, the fact that the young fellow’s treasure saber was so sharp had been completely unexpected.
There was no resistance at all when both sabers clashed, yet the military saber that Sui Hezhi had for over a year broke just like that. At that moment, he felt that his saber had been a big iron sheet instead of a military treasure saber.
Since he had been caught off guard, he could have been in danger had their strengths been similar, but there was actually a great disparity between their levels.
Therefore, Sui Hezhi subconsciously dodged, then kicked with his leg. At that moment, he remembered that they were just exchanging blows, and he was not fighting an enemy on the battlefield, so he did not kick Ou Yangming’s chest, head, or any other important parts.
Even so, the kick was so strong that Ou Yangming could not withstand it.
As such, Sui Hezhi jumped aside and was at a loss as he held the saber in his hands.
On the other hand, Ou Yangming held his wrist carefully. Though it was not fractured, it was a ghastly sight as it was red and swollen.
Chen Yifan and Liu Zhengye looked at each other, and they were both shocked.
Ou Yangming had never learned any martial arts skill and had only acquired Dantian Light the day before, so he had just crossed the threshold of a Force Artist. Meanwhile, the masters in the Guards led by Chen Yifan were carefully picked, even the weakest had the cultivation base of a Yin Artist at the peak.
It was justifiable for Sui Hezhi to injure Ou Yangming with his kick, but Ou Yangming’s attack with his sword left them in awe. Of course, they were not surprised by his blade technique, they did not think much of such an insignificant technique.
It was the light from the treasure saber that moved them.
Chen Yifan waved his hand at Sui Hezhi.
Following that, the saber in Sui Hezhi’s hand flew into his hand as though it had an invisible string tied to it.
Ou Yangming was struck dumb, and he thought to himself, ‘It’d be great if I had a wonderful skill like that.’ Slowly, the pain in his wrist lessened.
Chen Yifan took a good look at his treasure saber. “Not bad, this is a good item. It’s probably at the peak of Good Grade, and is near to High Grade?”
Ou Yangming nodded. “General, you have a great sight. That’s what the old man said too.”
Old Craftsman could tell a military saber’s quality by just looking at it, which was not strange at all since he dealt with weapons for years. Even if he were to close his eyes, he could feel with his hands.
For all that, Ou Yangming respected Chen Yifan for being able to point that out so easily.
The general’s skill was genuine, and he was unlike a worthless person whose stomach was just full of straw bags.
Chen Yifan laughed. “Did Old Craftsman forge this for you to defend yourself? Hehe, he really treats you quite well!”
Ou Yangming hesitated for a while, then shook his head. “General, it wasn’t Old Craftsman who smithed it.”
“Oh?” Chen Yifan was stunned. He observed the saber carefully, then mentioned, “This is probably made from a featured iron ingot.”
Ou Yangming nodded and replied earnestly, “General Chen, you have great sight!”
Chen Yifan could not help but laugh. If he was not interested in smithing and did not have a certain level of attainment, he would not have admired Old Craftsman.
Needless to say, he loved one thing on account of another, so he also regarded Ou Yangming with special respect.
“This is strange, this military saber is sharp, so it’s obviously done by a skilled person. A person who can smith a saber of this level using a featured iron ingot probably has a profound skill that’s not at all inferior to Old Craftsman, but…” After touching the saber, he frowned as he was puzzled, then he mumbled. “Why are there uneven spots on the blade? They seem like mistakes done by a beginner…”
Liu Zhengye and Sui Hezhi were dumbfounded, thinking that the general made a mistake.
If one could smith a military saber at the peak of Good Grade using a featured iron ingot, one was definitely not a normal craftsman. In the whole military camp, Old Craftsman was the only one who could achieve that, yet the general mentioned that there were mistakes done by a beginner. He was contradicting himself.
Nevertheless, Chen Yifan was the West Camp’s general, so they dared not point out his mistake.
Ou Yangming’s face reddened. “Is that so? Are there uneven spots on the blade?”
Chen Yifan laughed as he handed the treasure saber to him, then pointed. “Here.”
Ou Yangming forgot about the immense pain on his wrist. He took his treasure saber, then touched it carefully. A brief moment later, his face changed because he finally felt the flaws that could not be seen through the naked eye.
It was no wonder that the durability of his treasure saber was only 6, and he realized that his smithing skill was indeed far from Old Craftsman’s.
Ou Yangming sighed. “There really are flaws on the saber, I only paid attention to its sharpness and its toughness when I forged it, but I forgot about the other aspect of balance.”
“Yes, the other aspect of balance is missing.” Cheng Yifan nodded, but he quickly froze and stared at Ou Yangming. “What did you say?”
Ou Yangming was taken aback by his expression. He quickly answered, “I said that it lacks another aspect of balance, which is why its surface is…”
“Not this.” Chen Yifan waved his hand to cut him off. “Did you say that you forged this?”
“Yes…” Ou Yangming nodded. He was confused about why the general was making such a big fuss.
Chen Yifan looked at him strangely, then asked. “Did you really smith this?”
“Yes.” Ou Yangming gulped. He was not guilty of anything but was frightened by Chen Yifan’s expression because of his status.
Ou Yangming answered without any hesitation, “A featured iron ingot and the Military Fire.”
“A featured iron ingot and the Military Fire?” Chen Yifan’s face twitched. “You’re telling me that, less than a month after acquiring the Military Fire Seed, you can already smith a weapon at the peak of Good Grade using a featured iron ingot?”
‘It hasn’t even been a month since I got the Military Fire Seed.’ Ou Yangming calculated in his head and wondered. Nonetheless, upon seeing Chen Yifan’s expression, he decided not to comment, simply nodding.
Chen Yifan suddenly turned his head. “Zhengye, go to the Armament Camp to pick a featured iron ingot.”
Liu Zhengye responded to him, then looked at Ou Yangming meaningfully before he left.
Subsequently, Chen Yifan waved his hand. “Sui Hezhi, bring him to the tent to rest.”
“Yes.” Sui Hezhi took a step forward. “Little brother, come with me.”
Chen Yifan had always acted arbitrarily and never asked for other people’s opinions. Feeling helpless, Ou Yangming could only follow Sui Hezhi to the tent.
Sui Hezhi did not leave after they entered the tent, instead, he apologized, “Little brother, please forgive me if I offended you earlier.”
Ou Yangming took a look at his wrist. It was strange because despite being in tremendous pain earlier, his Qi and blood somehow helped him to feel much better in a flash.
Sui Hezhi praised him too, “Little brother, you’re really rich in Qi and blood, You’re definitely a potential martial artist. As long as you train under the general for a few days, I guarantee that you’ll defeat me!”
Ou Yangming chuckled, and his bitter resentment toward him vanished into thin air.
Sui Hezhi was a member of the Guards led by General Chen and was considered one of the general’s most trusted followers, yet he was flattering Ou Yangming. There was no way Ou Yangming could hate him.
Ou Yangming waved his hand. “Big Brother Sui, you’re joking. I’m really sorry for breaking your saber just now.”
Sui Hezhi instantly looked regretful. “Little brother, for soldiers like us, our weapon is our life. It’s supposedly my turn to hunt in the forest tomorrow, but it looks like I won’t be able to go.”