The rest were stunned, but they quickly shook their heads. Ni Yunhong was exceptionally lucky to have obtained the God-given Fire-resistant attribute, and it would definitely be wishful thinking if one wanted to replicate the process. Even if the blacksmiths’ heads were chopped off, they would not believe that there was also a God-given attribute in this arm guard.
Zheng Ziwen and Ni Yinghong stepped forward curiously because they could not understand why it was such a strenuous process for Ou Yangming when he only smithed a normal White Slate Arm Guard. He was completely different from when he easily smithed the piece of Attribute Equipment earlier.
“Not bad, this should be a High Grade Rank Five,” Zheng Ziwen remarked with a nod after inspecting the arm guard carefully. He then expressed to Ou Yangming, “Master Ou, you have a profound foundation to be able to smith two pieces of High Grade Rank Five equipment consecutively, I admire you.”
Even if a piece of equipment was of High Grade, there was a huge difference between Rank One and Rank Five. Other than that, the smithing of a piece of High Grade Rank Five equipment by chance and the successful smithing of two of those in a short span of time also carried different meanings.
At the very least, in terms of quality only, the ability displayed by Ou Yangming was clearly more remarkable than Ni Yunhong’s.
Unfortunately, Ou Yangming’s advantage became nothing due to the rare God-given attribute.
Wang Zhongtong and the other blacksmiths nodded and said, “It’s truly amazing that he can smith pieces of High Grade Rank Five consecutively!”
“Yes, that’s a real skill, whereas the God-given attribute can’t be repeated.”
The crowd nodded in agreement, but they did not look too delighted because they somehow felt sour about it.
Zheng Ziwen announced loudly, “This round’s…”
“Wait,” Ou Yangming suddenly called out to him, “Master Zheng, please take another look at it.”
“What?”
“What did he say?”
“Could it be that… There’s a mystery inside his arm guard?”
The professionals could not help but clamor at once. In fact, even Old Craftsman, who had been calm all along, was breathing heavily with a red face.
Zheng Ziwen was stunned, and a ghastly expression was seen on his face.
He looked deeply at Ou Yangming because he dared not believe that he would witness the birth of two pieces of God-given equipment. The appraiser skipped the steps that he had always adhered to as he wanted to just announce the result.
That being said, Zheng Ziwen was at a loss once Ou Yangming raised his objection.
He would be reputable if two pieces of God-given equipment were made on the same day, but if that was really the case, it would be hard to say if the reputation spread would be good or bad.
Zheng Ziwen proceeded to channel a hint of essential Qi into the arm guard.
Subsequently, his face changed wonderfully.
“H-how is this possible?” Zheng Ziwen’s face twitched. He gritted his teeth, and finally announced as everyone else looked at him eagerly, “A High Grade Rank Five Arm Guard, attached with a Precision Attribute!”
His voice spread far and wide. It was not loud, but it certainly sounded like a crash of thunder to the experts, who were left speechless for a long time.
Chapter 74 - Stop Messing With Me
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Precision attribute?”
“What’s that?”
“Yes, what does it do?”
Just as many soldiers were discussing in confusion, an extremely deep voice was heard. “Nice, a Precision attribute, may I take a look at it?”
The crowd quickly made way for a burly man, who quickly walked to the square.
Ou Yangming instantly recognized the man after looking at the people who followed behind him.
This was because Yu Hailiang was among his followers; he even fell a little behind on purpose. Ou Yangming had seen such an attitude many times, hence he easily guessed the man’s identity.
Commanding General Fang Yihai from the South Camp.
Among the five commanding generals in the camp, this general was the most low-profile one such that he rarely left the South Camp. The smithing challenge between Ou Yangming and Ni Yunhong had caused a huge sensation in the military, so apart from the North Camp’s commanding general, who led his soldiers out of the camp, the other three generals were present.
Ou Yangming initially thought that Fang Yihai would not attend, but he realized that the general was already here long ago. However, the general watched among the soldiers instead of from the seats reserved for the high officials.
Nonetheless, it was quite strange. Theoretically, Fang Yihai would be out of place in the military due to his unconventional behavior, but the three commanding generals including Deng Zhicai stood up at the same time to welcome him.
“Hehe, Yihai, I was just finding it strange that you’re able to endure it. I can’t believe that you showed yourself because of a small piece of Attribute Equipment.” Deng Zhicai teased.
“General Deng, I was only going to watch the lively scene, and I wasn’t expecting a marksman’s equipment, so I couldn’t stay put anymore.” Fang Yihai stopped to greet with cupped hands, then nodded at Chen Yifan and Tian Boguang.
The four generals conversed for a while before Deng Zhicai called out, “Lil Ou, show your arm guard to General Fang.”
Ou Yangming was slightly moved because Deng Zhicai had ordered him instead of Zheng Ziwen, which clearly meant something else. Ou Yangming immediately responded to him, then took his arm guard from Zheng Ziwen before walking over to them.
Fang Yihai took a deep look at Ou Yangming and remarked, “Nice, you’re pretty good.”
It was unclear whether he was praising Ou Yangming’s brilliant smithing art or his huge contribution in slaughtering the half-spirit beast.
Fang Yihai actually put on the arm guard as soon as he received it. His face changed when he channeled a hint of essential Qi, and his eyes sparkled like a miser who had just found treasure.
“Nice! This is good stuff!” He then removed the arm guard and returned it to Ou Yangming while saying, “Brother… Lil’ Ou.”
The faces of Chen Yifan, Tian Boguang, and the others froze, and the generals smiled awkwardly.
Although they treated Ou Yangming differently, they maintained an attitude that showed their superiority. Whether it was the disparity between their ages or military powers, Ou Yangming was not on the same level as them.
Therefore, the other generals felt troubled when Fang Yihai suddenly treated Ou Yangming with that attitude.
“General, I dare not accept the honor,” Ou Yangming quickly replied, then raised the arm guard and said, “If you like it, I’m willing to present this arm guard to you, please accept the gift.”
In actual fact, Ou Yangming was reluctant to give away the arm guard. It was his first time encountering the Precision attribute, hence it would be quite regretful for him to give the arm guard away before having a thorough understanding of the attribute.
Nevertheless, Fang Yihai reached his hand out to push the arm guard away, and asked with a deep voice, “Brother Lil’ Ou, I noticed from watching you smith earlier that you have a different understanding in attribute attachment, which is why your success rate is high, right?”
Ou Yangming was stunned, and his face instantly looked strange.
Fang Yihai laughed, then lowered his voice. “Can you tell me the truth?”
Ou Yangming pondered and nodded helplessly in the end, but did not utter a single word.
He was currently given a two-in-ten benchmark to fulfill for Attribute Equipment in the Armament Camp. If he spoke carelessly, causing the important figures to be in a good mood at the spur of the moment, he would have to pay a huge price.
Fang Yihai’s eyes glowed as he added, “Brother Lil’ Ou, according to wh
at I know, once a person acquires a God-given attribute, that person’s success rate in binding such attribute will increase in leaps and bounds for a period of time.”
Ou Yangming twitched his mouth and thought, ‘My success rate is already a hundred percent, how can it be increased more?”
“I have a batch of unique precious ores. If you have time to spare, could you please attach some attributes for me?” Fang Yihai asked.
“I’d be happy to do it, but my tasks in the Armament Camp…” Ou Yangming answered after some thought.
Fang Yihai laughed. “Isn’t it just a few pieces of Attribute Equipment? I’ll submit them for you!”
Ou Yangming was startled, and he quickly responded, “Thank you for your kindness, General Fang, but those are chances for me to refine my skills, so I won’t trouble you for an exemption.”
At a distance away, Kang Weibo’s face had initially changed, but he was instantly glad after hearing Ou Yangming refuse the offer. In fact, his eyes became teary.
‘As distance proves a horse’s strength, so time reveals a person’s heart. Master Ou is the only one who treats the Armament Camp with sincerity.’
However, if Kang Weibo could hear Ou Yangming’s thoughts at the moment, he would probably take back his words.
Ou Yangming was thinking, ‘I’m given a two-in-ten basis for precious ores, are you trying to snatch the other eight or more precious ores away from me? No way!’
Fang Yihai was taken aback, but he quickly chuckled. “Never mind then. I actually wanted to ask you to fix attributes to some pieces of equipment for me, I’ll be extremely thankful if you could help.”
Ou Yangming came to a sudden realization. Without needing to ask, he knew that General Fang Yihai definitely had plenty of precious ores that represented Precision. That said, it was not easy to find someone reliable to attach the attribute.
In particular, given that Attribute Ores for Precision were so rare, a two-in-ten basis would be too high of a price to pay.
Hence, Fang Yihai was so friendly toward Ou Yangming after seeing that the young fellow had obtained a God-given attribute. Having said that, the truth was that the attribute was something that was simply picked up by Ou Yangming.
Ou Yangming nodded and replied to him, “Since you’ve entrusted the task to me, I’ll do my best for sure.”
Fang Yihai laughed out loud. “Alright, that’s great. I’ll watch your challenge from here, and I’ll cheer for you to boost your morale!”
Ou Yangming thanked the general softly, then returned the arm guard. “Master Zheng, what do you think about the result?”
Zheng Ziwen felt like he had just woken up from a dream. He pondered seriously before he answered, “Though both contain a God-given attribute, the Fire-resistant attribute is more valuable than the Precision attribute.”
Fang Yihai scoffed, but he knew that Zheng Ziwen did not say that on purpose, thus he did not reproach the appraiser even though he was mad.
“This round is considered a draw,” Zheng Ziwen announced after deliberating.
Old Craftsman and the others could not help but scorn. ‘Draw my *ss! How the f*ck is that a draw!
‘If Ou Yangming produced the God-given attribute first, try asking Ni Yunhong to smith the same. If he can do it, something is fishy!’
Nonetheless, God-given attributes were not definite, so the blacksmiths consented to the result tacitly even though they were not resigned to it.
Ni Yunhong stepped forward once more. He could not hold it in any longer when he walked past Ou Yangming, so he asked, “Master Ou, was that a coincidence, or do you really have the unique ability to summon God-given attributes?”
Ou Yangming rolled his eyes at him snappily. “Summon God-given attributes? Why don’t you give it a go?”
Ni Yunhong smiled embarrassedly without replying to him because he figured that it was quite impossible. If someone could actually summon God-given attributes as one wished, the world would be in chaos.
He suddenly gritted his teeth when he looked at the steel ingots in front of him, then turned around to suggest, “Master Ou, let’s start at the same time. We’ll smith a helmet, a military saber, and the other side of the arm guard and the greave, what do you think?”
Ou Yangming could not help but laugh. “As you wish.”
He went forward to pick some steel ingots with Ni Yunhong, then began smithing.
Next, the Military Fire and the spiritual fire burned alternately, which enhanced each other’s radiance. Ou Yangming and Ni Yunhong were not standing far from each other, but their control over their respective flame was on point such that their spiritual fire did not affect one another regardless of its size.
They almost stopped at the same time after half an hour.
Ou Yangming exhaled deeply and looked at Ni Yunhong in admiration.
The continuous smithing of a few pieces of equipment had posed a huge pressure on him. In particular, since they began smithing at the same time, not only did Ou Yangming not have a break in between, but he had also sped up due to the pressure from Ni Yunhong’s speed so as to reach the same level.
Perhaps Ni Yunhong was already used to the speed, hence the process was not especially difficult for him. At most, beads of sweat were seen on his forehead.
On the contrary, Ou Yangming was obviously suffering from the process. He looked like a geek who had spent most of his days in front of a computer but was suddenly asked to walk 10,000 meters. It would be fine if there were breaks between the walk, but if someone was constantly urging him on the side, it would be simply suicidal.
Ou Yangming touched his chest at the moment, and a warm feeling was released from the jade object that he was wearing, which made him feel much better.
As expected, the necklace that had a Qi Return +1 attribute played a huge role during this critical moment.
Zheng Ziwen walked forward nervously as he dared not make another mistake.
The two previous mistakes almost ruined his reputation forever. If another elementary mistake was made, he would be too embarrassed to stay, not to mention Li Yichen would kick him away.
After carefully inspecting the remaining pieces of equipment smithed by Ou Yangming and Ni Yunhong, Zheng Ziwen thought for a while before he sighed. “Gentlemen, the military saber, helmet, arm guard, and greave refined by each of you have their own strengths. All of them are at least of High Grade Rank Three, but each of you has only two pieces of equipment with a Unique Attribute.”
Unless Ou Yangming’s head was knocked by a hammer, it was impossible for him to successfully attach an attribute to all pieces of equipment.
Among the seven pieces of equipment, three of them were successfully bound with an attribute; one of them had a God-given attribute. It was already considered a nature-defying result.
Nevertheless, Ou Yangming was surprised to hear that Ni Yunhong achieved the same result.
“If you don’t have other tricks, the result this time is…” Zheng Ziwen said after a moment of hesitation. He looked at the two men as he was about to announce a tie, but Ni Yinghong suddenly uttered, “Wait!”
Zheng Ziwen quivered and felt so wronged that he was about to cry.
‘You guys, are you done yet? Is it so fun to mess with me?’
He forced a smile. “Master Ni, do you have any comments?”
Ni Yinghong chuckled. “Master Zheng, you have no idea. My brother used a trick when he smithed the pieces of equipment, you’ll find out after putting them on.”
“Could this be…” Zheng Ziwen was stunned, and he quickly exclaimed.
“You’ll find out once you try them on.” Ni Yinghong nodded.
Chapter 75 - Suit Effect
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Deng Zhicai’s eyes lit up as he sighed. “Master Ni grasped that skill indeed!”
Tian Boguang smiled. “General Deng is right, the challenge’s outcome has been determined.”
Chen Yifan pondered for a while, and his face suddenly darkened. He was deeply confused. ‘How can that skill be grasped so easily?’
On the other hand, Fang Yihai sat quietly aside while watching with a cold expression. As long as Ou Yangming agreed to his request, he was not going to bother about the result.
Tian Boguang suddenly turned to ask Chen Yifan with a smile, “General Chen, what do you think?”
Deng Zhicai and Fang Yihai exchanged glances. They knew very well that Tian Boguang from the East Camp and Chen Yifan from the West Camp were never on good terms. Although they were not sworn enemies, there was always discord between them. Neither of them was right nor wrong, it was simply a fate between them.
Nonetheless, both of them had their own background and were well-matched in strength. Hence, the other three generals often tried to mediate the differences by compromising but did not side with any of them.
Chen Yifan scoffed. “General Tian, it’s true that Master Ni is skillful, but he’s too young, after all. He might not have actually grasped that secret technique.”
“General Chen, you should wait and see.” Tian Boguang laughed out loud, then said after a short pause, “I recall that Ou Yangming is only fifteen or sixteen years old, so he’s actually younger than Master Ni.”
Chen Yifan was instantly speechless, and he was slightly moved after hearing that. Since Ou Yangming was a genius and a freak, it seemed possible that Ni Yunhong, who had a noble background, showed a stunning performance.
The normal soldiers were also discussing among each other, but they made all kinds of ridiculous guesses.
On the other hand, many Military Fire Blacksmiths were confused and looked troubled.
They had indulged in the Military Fire Smithing Art for decades, and had their own understanding in the art, which they had worked painstakingly in their whole life for. If they were to challenge the generals in smithing art, they could easily triumph over the generals.
However, most of the Military Fire Blacksmiths had only lived in the military camp or a small town their whole life, so they were not very certain due to their limited experience.
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