However, at that point, everyone secretly admitted that Ou Yangming indeed had the skills of an Advanced Blacksmith. Even if the military saber was not up to standard and did not have a Unique Attribute attached, it would not affect the fact.
If a blacksmith could continuously smith four pieces of equipment to be at the peak of Fine Grade Rank Five, he would be given a high rating wherever he went.
Qu Jingming rubbed his hands and steadily shone the last luster on the military saber.
His face twitched, and his heart skipped a beat. Even though the appraiser was mentally prepared, when he confirmed the results, the upsurge of emotions made him lose control.
Qu Jingming was startled because he instantly sensed countless people looking at him.
The invisible pressure was obvious, and he felt that it was unbearable.
He cleared his throat as he dared not delay the matter, then he stated, “This military saber is also at the peak of Fine Grade…”
“They’re all at the peak of Fine Grade?!”
“This is the second time—it’s the second time!”
“He deserves the Superior Blacksmith title, doesn’t he?”
Before Qu Jingming could finish, he was already cut off by the cheers that sounded like waves.
Apart from Yuan Lexin and Yan Yuanhua, the other blacksmiths were in admiration, such that even those who did not speak well of Ou Yangming earlier were finally convinced.
As for the ordinary spectators, they cheered and jumped with joy as if they were celebrating a festival.
They might not be convinced and would make sarcastic remarks to belittle Ou Yangming if he was only slightly better than the others, but the young fellow displayed superb skills that could nearly suppress everyone else.
He smithed five pieces of equipment, all of which were at the peak of Rank Five.
Not to mention the Advanced and Intermediate Blacksmiths, even if all Superior Blacksmiths were asked to do the same, they could not accomplish it.
When Wu Hongxi—the Fine Grade Kingshocked everyone during his assessment, even he admitted that it was very much related to luck. If he had to do it again, he could not guarantee a 100% success rate anymore.
Nobody thought the scene could be reproduced.
Therefore, when someone smithed five pieces of equipment that were at the peak of Fine Grade again, the crowd unleashed their enthusiasm, which they had accumulated for a long time, causing the atmosphere to be pushed to a new height.
On the other hand, Yuan Lexin and Yan Yuanhua, who were Master Wu Hongxi’s disciples, were somewhat embarrassed because they did not know how they should react.
The record was only exclusively Master Wu Hongxi’s but another person had now accomplished the same thing. Yuan Lexin and Yan Yuanhua felt even more helpless because this was not the Superior Assessment, but the Advanced Assessment.
Jin Shengjie smiled and waited until the cheers became softer, then he raised his hands and pushed them down in the air.
The noise eventually disappeared, and everyone fixed their gaze on the blacksmith master as they waited for him to make a statement.
“Qu Jingming, you didn’t finish earlier, so go on,” Jin Shengjie said with a smile.
“Yes. Not only is this military saber at the peak of Fine Grade, but it’s also bound with the Power attribute.” Qu Jingming smiled bitterly, then he took a deep breath and emphasized, “It’s also not the usual attachment because there are layered Power attributes!”
‘Layered Power attributes?’
The crowd was struck dumb at first, then they quickly recalled Ou Yangming’s move during his smithing process.
It turned out that he did not pick up the second Power Ore because he failed to melt the first Power Ore, but because he wanted to layer the attributes.
In a flash, the professionals had a weird look on their faces.
‘It was a crucial moment in the assessment, but instead of fixing only one Power Ore to the saber, he used another one on it.
‘Did he not consider the possibility of failing?” The other candidates were jittery during the assessment, and they would be content if they could achieve the goal, but Ou Yangming behaved differently.
Everyone else had a feeling when they recalled Ou Yangming’s expression throughout the assessment.
“The fella wasn’t taking an assessment; he was enjoying the smithing processes.
‘As for the blacksmith title, which is valued by his peers, it doesn’t seem like he took it to heart at all, did he?’
Jin Shengjie nodded and looked at Ou Yangming as he noted, “Ou Yangming, I hereby announce that you’re the third person to become an Advanced Blacksmith today.”
Chapter 270 - The Imperial Family’s Magic Tools
“Master Ou, congratulations, congratulations!”.
Yi Yucheng and Feng Guangyuan congratulated Ou Yangming. They fawned over the young fellow by flashing flattering smiles at him. They were experienced Advanced Blacksmiths, so while their reputations were not as high as Jin Shengjie’s, they could not be compared to new Advanced Blacksmiths.
Nevertheless, they treated Ou Yangming, a young man who had also just become an Advanced Blacksmith, with a completely different attitude. This was because they witnessed his miracle, and they regarded him as a Superior Blacksmith already.
Ou Yangming grinned. “Masters, you’re being too polite.”
“Lil’ Friend Ou, based on your performance today, you’ll pass if you attempt to be a Superior Blacksmith too, but…” Jin Shengjie stroked his long beard and dragged out his last word before he continued, “According to the rules, those who want to have a go at becoming Superior Blacksmiths will need to be approved by at least three Superior Blacksmiths on the spot.”
“Thank you, Master Jin, but I was only aiming for the Intermediate Rank today, so the Advanced title is already a surprise for me.” Ou Yangming could not help but laugh.
“The Intermediate Rank?” Jin Shengjie was shocked. “Judging from your skills, why would you have that thought?” On the high platform, the faces of Yuan Lexin and Yan Yuanhua changed. In fact, the latter was slightly pale too.
If the other people knew Ou Yangming had visited the Wu residence and asked to meet Master Wu Hongxi but was mercilessly driven away by Yan Yuanhua, not only would Yan Yuanhua be embarrassed, but even Master Wu’s reputation would be affected.
This was the difference that came with a status change; Ou Yangming was no longer a nobody. Despite that, Ou Yangming smiled. “It’s my first time taking the assessment, so I obviously shouldn’t set too high of an aim.”
Jin Shengjie and the other people flushed because they thought Ou Yangming was talking about what happened at the beginning of the assessment.
“Ah…” Jin Shengjie sighed. “We’ve stayed in the capital for such a long time, so we indeed lack understanding of geniuses in the world. We’re guilty of it!”
Yi Yucheng and Feng Guangyuan blushed. If someone else had mocked them in their faces, they would hold a grudge against that person even if they did not fall out with that person. However, they could not do that to Ou Yangming, who had become influential.
Ou Yangming let out a dry cough as he felt helpless.
‘I wasn’t talking about you, but you assumed it was directed at you, so what can I do…’ Jin Shengjie suddenly announced loudly, “Today’s assessment comes to an end, so you may disperse now!”
His sonorous voice echoed in the air, so the crowd turned and left in order.
When Ou Yangming turned to look, he noticed that some people in the crowd took the initiative to maintain the order. He instantly realized that blacksmiths if gathered together would be a hundred times more powerful than if they were on their own.
Perhaps the fact that many men provided great strength was the perfect embodiment of authority.
Before long, the square was empty. The people on the high platform had not left, but they looked at Ou Yangming fervently.
&n
bsp; Sure enough, everyone desired to become acquainted with Ou Yangming, who was a new Advanced Blacksmith but had the potential to become a Superior Blacksmith.
That said, with Master Jin Shengjie around, they did not stand a chance.
“Hehe, Lil’ Friend Ou, since the assessment has ended, are you interested to come to my residence for a chat?” Jin Shengjie invited the young fellow with a smile.
Ou Yangming pondered and answered, “Master Jin, I promised to go for the dinner party at the Yi Pavilion.”
‘How ungrateful of you to not accept Master Jin Shengjie’s invitation,’ the other blacksmith cursed, but when they recalled Ou Yangming’s smithing ability, they realized that it was not such a big deal after all.
“The Yi Pavilion?” Jin Shengjie laughed out loud. “I’m familiar with everyone from the pavilion, so how about I attend the dinner with you tonight?”
He was determined to have a chat with the young fellow even if he was going to be a despicable guest.
Ou Yangming could not help but laugh. He looked up and called out to Du Gaoge, “Shopkeeper Du, Master Jin’s interested in joining us tonight. What do you think?”
Du Gaoge immediately responded, “I’ll be more than happy to have the master join us!”
The elders from the Yi Pavilion were noble, but it was also difficult for them to invite Master Jin to the pavilion. Given that Master Jin had such a high status, it would be the pavilion’s honor if he visited them.
Ou Yangming spread out his hands and expressed to Jin Shengjie, “Since the Yi Pavilion agrees, I obviously welcome you.”
“Great.” Jin Shengjie chuckled. “Lil’ Friend Ou, I have knowledge and experience in smithing art, but I’m also confused about certain things, so let’s exchange our views.”
Following that, he turned around to give an order, then a luxurious carriage arrived for them after some time.
Ou Yangming notified Hu Yicheng and his son, then he entered the carriage with Jin Shengjie.
Yi Yucheng and the other people sent them off enviously. They wanted very badly to travel with them, and they would be content if they could listen outside the carriage, but they dared not act rashly since Jin Shengjie did not tell them anything.
Nevertheless, when they turned and saw Hu Yicheng and his son, who were somewhat baffled, their eyes lit up.
It was evident that the father and the son had an unordinary relationship with Ou Yangming. Since they could not get to the young fellow, they figured that they might as well take a detour.
“Hehe, you’re Brother Hu, am I right?”
“Brother Hu, I heard you’re an inspector at the imperial court, and your brother also serves in the court…” “Brother Hu!…”
Hu Yicheng was in a daze when he saw the smiling faces around him. He sighed and felt at a loss.
‘Is this real, or am I dreaming?’
It was only when he noticed his son’s glowing eyes he came back to his senses. ‘Brother Ou has created such great conditions for me, and if I don’t hold on to them, I’d be letting him down.’
****
As the carriage moved slowly, Ou Yangming listened to Jin Shengjie. He found out that his guess was right; those who were qualified to be Superior Blacksmiths were not simple because they had convincing and shocking abilities in their expertise.
Jin Shengjie was adept in layering attributes, which was the same as old Craftsman.
Normally, Intermediate Blacksmiths or rich Rudimentary Blacksmiths would come across precious ores, but Advanced Blacksmiths were the ones who were capable of bringing the ores into play.
Advanced Blacksmiths’ success rate of attaching Unique Attributes was 30% and above, and some of them could even achieve a 50% success rate.
On the contrary, Intermediate Blacksmiths had an extremely low success rate, and they were not much better than blacksmiths from the Immense Forest Military Camp.
The fact that three Power Ores were given in the Advanced Blacksmith Assessment was a huge threshold, and at least half of the Intermediate Blacksmiths would not make it through. Nonetheless, Jin Shengjie was different, and he was a boss who was second to none in the area.
He once had successfully layered five Power attributes on a piece of equipment that was at the peak of Fine Grade Rank Five. It was also because of his frightful unique ability of layering attributes that he was recognized by three of his peers, and he became one of the very few Superior Blacksmiths in the capital.
Jin Shengjie told Ou Yangming about how he delved into the Layering Art and his ways of using the technique.
Ou Yangming focused and listened with bright eyes. Jin Shengjie’s story was simple, but it was also endlessly interesting. In particular, the young fellow was moved and benefited greatly because he also had some insights on the Layering Art.
All of a sudden, Jin Shengjie stopped and asked, “Lil’ Friend Ou, what do you think is the highest number of layers achievable by the Layering Art?’
Ou Yangming was stunned, and he shook his head after some thought. “I don’t know.”
Although he possessed special abilities because of the Military Fire and was not inferior to Jin Shengjie in terms of the ability to perform the Layering Art only, their standards were Heaven and Earth apart.
Jin Shengjie chuckled. “Six levels. If my estimation is right, the layering limit for a piece of equipment is six layers of Unique Attributes.” Ou Yangming’s face changed, and he curled up the corner of his lips strangely.
One would be exceeding the target by layering six Unique Attributes on a piece of Fine Grade Rank Five equipment, but what if the equipment was a magic tool?
It was true that Master Jin Shengjie’s attainment in smithing art was unordinary, but unfortunately, his vision was limited by this world, which prevented him from looking further.
Even so, Ou Yangming was not going to belittle the master.
If he had not smithed magic tools before, he would have given the same answer.
Jin Shengjie looked at Ou Yangming oddly and asked, “Lil’ Friend Ou, do you not agree?” Ou Yangming laughed and questioned, “Master Jin, have you heard of magic tools?”
The blacksmith master froze for a while and sighed. “Magic tools are exclusive to the imperial family, and they’ve been sealed and stored in the imperial palace for years without being shown to the public.”
“Does the imperial family really have magic tools?” Ou Yangming was moved.
“In the present world, only the imperial family can smith magic tools, but the tools aren’t smithed by a single person; the power of their own family or the whole city has to be gathered,” Jin Shengjie answered sternly.
Ou Yangming was incredibly curious. “Master Jin, please tell me more.”
Jin Shengjie smiled bitterly. “I’m not too sure either, but I heard that every powerhouse from the imperial family will swarm out in full strength when a magic tool is to be smithed, and the entire capital will be greatly affected too.”
He shook his head and added, “It has been over 50 years since the last time the imperial family smithed a magic tool! But who knows? They might attempt it again soon.”
Chapter 271 - Pretty Young Pavilion Master
Ou Yangming pondered for a while and asked, “Because of the beast tide?”
“You know about the beast tide? Judging from your age, you shouldn’t know about it…” Jin Shengjie shook his head as he was stunned. His face eventually took on a ghastly expression as he asked, “Are there unforeseen events in Changlong County’s immense forest already?”
‘Sure enough, a top-notch figure like Jin Shengjie knows about the beast tide,’ Ou Yangming thought, then he nodded and answered, “There are traces of unusual beasts in the immense forest indeed, which is why Master Lu sent me to the capital to present the method to upgrade military sabers to His majesty.”
“Great, that’s great!” Jin Shengjie nodd smiled sincerely and commented, “I truly admire Master Lu for worrying about the count
ry and the people.”
Ou Yangming chuckled. It was General Li Xinfan who urged him to enter the capital, but it could not be possible without Master Lu’s Rune Molds.
Nonetheless, Jin Shengjie later sighed and remarked with a different tone, “But because this involved the overall upgrade of armaments, ah, I’m afraid that it’ll be… Difficult to let this motion pass!”
“Master Jin, this will benefit the military greatly. If everything goes smoothly, every soldier will have a Good Grade military saber, and I believe that their overall power will be doubled at least?” Ou Yangming furrowed his eyebrows.
“Lil’ Friend Ou, I know you’re devoting yourself to the public interests, but this isn’t something that can be done by everyone.” Jin Shengjie shook his head with a bitter smile.
Ou Yangming could notice how helpless Jin Shengjie was, and there was also a hint of hate and pain in the blacksmith master’s eyes.
Jin Shengjie expressed seriously after he kept quiet for some time, “I’ll do my best to promote this matter, and I won’t let Master Lu’s effort go to waste!”
“As long as you do your best, I’ll support you and cheer for you.” Ou Yangming nodded after a moment of hesitation.
“Hehe, help is certainly needed for this to be done, so I might really need you to contribute, Lil’ Friend Ou.”
Ou Yangming uttered in a deep voice, “It’s my bounden duty!”
The young fellow only said four words, but Jin Shengjie could feel the weight they carried.
Jin Shengjie nodded and was hesitant to continue.
Nevertheless, Ou Yangming knew what the blacksmith master wanted to say, so he stated with a grin, “I gave my all when I smithed the first military saber, which was why I gained a Good Grade military saber.”
Jin Shengjie blushed because he could not forget about this matter, but he was too abashed to ask. After all, some secrets could not be shared even between people who were intimate with each other, for instance, a father and a son, as well as a master and an apprentice.
Therefore, he was grateful when the observant Ou Yangming took the initiative to bring this up. “Back in Changlong County, we discovered the rune that can be used to upgrade inexpensive military sabers’ grades and ranks. On top of that, I even used a Spirit-gathering Runes Formation to assist the process, so I managed to smith a High Grade military saber in the end by chance,” Ou Yangming explained, then he added with a smile, “I initially thought I could only upgrade it to Good Grade Rank Five, so I was also surprised when I succeeded.”
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