They instantly guessed the reason when they saw Ou Yangming’s expression, and they could not help but grin. The spirit horse was the only one with an incredibly dark face, and it stared furiously at Big Yellow as though it wanted to rip it apart and swallow it.
Big Yellow might not be brave, but it did not show a weak impression with Ou Yangming by its side.
Perhaps it had regarded Ou Yangming as an invincible figure after witnessing the numerous miracles that he created.
With that, the big yellow dog trotted toward the iron horseshoe and pressed its paw on it. Next, its body quivered, and it glanced at Ou Yangming before it stepped on the ground.
“Boom…”
As a result, the ground beneath its paw sunk deeply right away. With it as the center, cracks were seen spreading like a spiderweb.
The power from the step was so appalling that in terms of mightiness only, even the Stone Awl Penetration—Big Yellow’s natural gift—seemed to be insignificant. Besides, the power needed to be consumed to perform that skill was enormous, which could not be compared with the casual step that the big yellow dog had just made.
Ou Yangming and Big Yellow looked at each other and noticed how shocked they both were.
A piece of White Silver Equipment’s power turned out to be so frightening. In comparison, the so-called Layering Art in the lower realm was simply the biggest joke.
The young fellow removed the iron horseshoe from the Big Yellow and looked deeply at it one last time before he returned it to the elder respectfully.
At this moment, he very much admired the elder, who attached the power to the equipment. As the elder carried out the smithing process with ease, it perfectly displayed his deep understanding of the attribute. Perhaps this would be Ou Yangming’s biggest gain from his trip to the mountaintop.
The elder accepted the horseshoe and said to the eager spirit horse, “I’ve done smithing your equipment; take it.”
“Thank you.” The spirit horse bowed deeply at the elder. As soon as it accepted the equipment, it inserted it into its hoof without any hesitation and was overjoyed. Despite that, the horse dared not step carelessly as Big Yellow did.
It would be fine if it occasionally did it once or twice but if it caused massive destruction, it would suffer an unbearable disaster.
“I’ve taught you the Attachment Technique, so practice more with ores for Common Attributes in the future,” the elder noted as he turned around. He added after a short pause, “Once you’re able to layer Common Attributes to the tenth level, you can attempt to layer White Silver Attributes.”
The 3 blacksmiths responded with respect, “Yes, thanks for your pointers, Elder Bai.”
Ou Yangming’s eyes lit up. He was adept in layering attributes the most in the lower realm; even without using his Military Fire’s unique ability, he could layer around 5 attributes. Having said that, he could vaguely sense the obstruction from the world’s power when he tried to advance. Moreover, the layering of 4 to 5 attributes was considered astounding in the lower realm, thus he did not need to go further.
Everything was different in the Spiritual Realm; it was simply unbelievable that the layering of Common Attributes could be done to a tenth level.
The elder looked at Ou Yangming, who was deep in his thought, and questioned, “Young fella, what’s your name? How long have you learned smithing art?”
Even though the young fellow was quiet, the fact that he had the guts to request to try the equipment made the elder feel that they could get along with each other.
Ou Yangming cupped his hands and answered, “I’m Ou Yangming, and I’ve been learning smithing art for… Over 3 years.”
It had only been 3 years, but so much had happened in between. When he recalled what he had gone through, he could not help but lament.
“3 years?” The elder was dumbfounded. As for the 3 blacksmiths, they cast weird looks at Ou Yangming.
Smithing art was not a rubbish skill, such that one must pay a considerable price to go far in the trade, one of the essentials being time. Even ordinary human cultivators needed 2 to 3 years to join the trade, whereas those that could participate in the Trading Meet were either God-favored ones or had worked hard for at least a decade.
Nevertheless, peerless talents in smithing art were already hidden and protected by different sects, so they could not have been sent here.
Therefore, even when Ou Yangming gave an honest answer, everyone including the elder did not believe him.
The elder frowned and asked in a deep voice, “Young fella, do you know who I am?”
Ou Yangming shook his head and answered frankly, “I don’t know.”
“Hmph, I’m Bai Zhiyi, an elder from Danzhou’s Smithing Alliance,” the elder expressed, “Now, can you tell me the truth?”
The young fellow blinked and was puzzled.
‘I know about Danzhou, but what’s the Smithing Alliance? Why did this old man want me to tell the truth after introducing himself?’
He looked at the people in confusion, but Bai Zhiyi’s eyes were as sharp as electric while the 3 human blacksmiths looked scornful. As for the spirit beasts nearby, they kept quiet but seemed rather interested in an internal conflict among the Humans.
Ou Yangming smiled bitterly and responded, “Senior Bai, I don’t understand you.”
“Ah, brother, why are you mystifying things and playing dumb?” A tall blacksmith sighed. “Elder Bai’s an elder from the association, so he knows every renowned blacksmith in Danzhou. If it’s true that you only learned for 3 years and are qualified to join the Trading Meet held by the 10,000 Beasts Venerable One, you must be a gifted genius and have a remarkable reputation in Danzhou. If that’s the case, Elder Bai would’ve heard of you.”
Another blacksmith nodded and commented, “Elder Bai has always said that one must learn smithing art steadily and mustn’t reach for things beyond one’s grasp. Judging from your young age, I suppose if you’re able to participate in this event, you must have outstanding qualities even if you’re not a God-favored one.” He stressed after a pause, “If you answer Elder Bai truthfully, you’ll benefit from it.”
Ou Yangming touched his nose and smiled bitterly.
What the blacksmiths said was true; in the lower realm, he became distinguished in less than 2 years and was even honored as the best blacksmith in the world when he was in the capital. Furthermore, he was confident that he was not inferior to any God-favored ones in the Spiritual Realm in terms of his natural gift in smithing art.
However, the problem was that this was the Spiritual Realm, and information from the lower realm could not be sent here.
Ou Yangming forced a smile and rejoined, “Elder Bai, brothers, I don’t have a habit of lying, so I didn’t hide anything from you.”
Bai Zhiyi looked fierce at once, and he questioned in a deep voice, “Who’s your teacher?”
The young fellow answered seriously, “Old Craftsman was the one that taught me about the smithing path.”
“Old Craftsman?” Bai Zhiyi was struck dumb for some time, but he could not recall any famous blacksmiths to have that name. He frowned and asked, “You’re not from Danzhou?”
Ou Yangming answered after some thought, “Yes, not before this.”
Before he came here, he was not even from the Spiritual Realm, let alone Danzhou.
Bai Zhiyi’s eyes flickered, but nobody knew what he was thinking. As for the 3 blacksmiths, they were very curious, ‘Is this young fella really a God-favored one from outside of Danzhou?’
“You’re qualified to come here after only 3 years.” Bai Zhiyi pondered and raised another question, “Who invited you here?”
While the Trading Meet was traditionally held at this place, not everyone was qualified to enter; one would not be invited at all if one did not have the ability to smith magic tools.
Ou Yangming thought for a brief moment but decided to give a frank answer, “It was the 10,000 Beasts Venerable One.”
> “What?”
Bai Zhiyi suddenly looked up in shock.
This time, apart from the human blacksmiths, even the spirit beasts around were taken aback too.
“You were personally invited by Sir Venerable One?”
“Yes!” Ou Yangming nodded. If the 10,000 Beasts Venerable One had not sensed Multi-armed King Kong’s aura on him and sent him an invitation, he would not have shown up here.
Chapter 575 - Volunteer
Bai Zhiyi and the spirit beasts around looked at each other. Although deep down they did not want to believe what Ou Yangming said, they knew better that nobody would have the guts to make a joke out of it in this place. If the young fellow was lying, he would probably be mercilessly suppressed by the 10,000 Beasts Venerable One right away.
The 10,000 Beasts Venerable One had always been very polite to human blacksmiths and alchemists, but it did not mean that human cultivators could use its name without any condition.
Bai Zhiyi took a deep breath and said, “Lil’ Ou, since you were invited here, you must have your forte in smithing art.” He asked after a short pause, “What are you adept in? Can you show us?”
After knowing that Ou Yangming was personally invited by the 10,000 Beasts Venerable One, even the elder dared not treat the young fellow impolitely.
Nonetheless, they did not know that this was nothing but a beautiful misunderstanding.
The 10,000 Beasts Venerable One did not expect too much from Ou Yangming when it let him join the Trading Meet. Since he was merely a blacksmith from the lower realm, it would only be unreasonable for the Venerable One to expect something from him.
Even so, Ou Yangming always played his card untypically and had legitimate skills. As such, he borrowed the 10,000 Beasts Venerable One’s name and stirred up a storm here.
Ou Yangming chuckled and expressed after a moment of hesitation, “I haven’t learned smithing art thoroughly yet, and it’s still quite strenuous for me to smith Good Grade magic tools, but I have some personal views on the attachment of Unique Attributes.”
He was being rather polite. What did he mean by personal views? It was simply his mighty natural gift and ability.
“Okay.” Bai Zhiyi nodded and turned around as he uttered loudly, “Come inside. Let’s try it.”
The elder was quite reputable in this area. Since he entered the room, the other people naturally followed suit.
When he went up to the high platform and opened his interspatial bag to retrieve a piece of equipment, Fox Yi jumped out abruptly and asked, “Elder Bai, how can we use your materials? Use mine, use mine!” It presented a pile of ores and put them on the platform.
The other spirit beasts were stunned at first, then they could not help but curse, ‘What a sly fox!’
Even though nobody witnessed Ou Yangming’s ability, he must be unordinary to have been invited by the 10,000 Beast Venerable One. Besides, since he revealed that he had some achievements in the attachment of attributes, the spirit beasts were even more drawn to him.
Bai Zhiyi was giving the young fellow a test, but if a piece of equipment was successfully made, it would certainly belong to the cunning fox.
The elder could not help but laugh. He could see everything, but he was too lazy to care. “What would you like to be smithed?”
Fox Yi immediately answered, “The dumb bear lacks a suitable gauntlet, so…”
Bai Zhiyi turned to look at Ou Yangming, who noted without any hesitation, “I’m willing to try.”
With that, the young fellow went up to the platform and smiled faintly when he glanced at the ores presented by the spirit fox.
Fox Yi flushed and said embarrassedly, “Master Ou, there’ll be sufficient rewards for you if you succeed.”
It implied that it would not offend the young fellow over some rewards if he succeeded but if he failed, they would not collaborate anymore.
Ou Yangming was not bothered about the spirit fox’s little thought because he was absolutely confident in himself. As remarkable as one was in smithing art, one would still make mistakes, but the young fellow would not make any slips as long as his Military Fire still existed.
He pondered for a brief moment and drafted a plan in his mind.
In the Spiritual Realm, smithing art was indeed from that in the lower realm.
One of the biggest points was there were no publicly acknowledged special materials in the upper realm, such that materials similar to steel or featured steel were nowhere to be seen. In a way, it was evident that such materials did not exist on the 10,000 Beasts Ridge. Instead, they were replaced by various peculiar stones. Every blacksmith here had undergone systematic learnings, hence they understood those ores very well and had full sets of preferences to refine them.
Blacksmiths that indulged in this aspect for a decade or a few decades were naturally as familiar with it as they could be. On the other hand, Ou Yangming did not have a solid foundation. He had learned basic knowledge from Lin Feifeng, but he had not mastered them yet. In particular, this was more so the case when he smithed Good Grade tools.
After looking at the different ores on the ground, Ou Yangming picked 4 of them and slowly burned the Military Fire on his hands.
Nevertheless, he did not notice that the faces of Bai Zhiyi, the 3 human blacksmiths, and Fox Yi, changed subtly after he was done choosing the materials. They seemed to be disappointed.
Fox Yi was not a blacksmith, but it was incredibly smart. After meeting so many blacksmiths, while it could not smith pieces of equipment, it had made deductions of what kind of materials should be prepared.
It had retrieved a total of 8 types of material, and they were all essential to smith a piece of Good Grade equipment. If Ou Yangming wanted to smith a Good Grade magic tool, he would definitely select at least 6 of the ores.
Who knew, Ou Yangming only chose 4 of them.
According to Fox Yi’s usual observation, only a piece of equipment at the peak of Common Grade could be smithed once the 4 materials merged, and it would be far from the Good Grade magic tools that it was hoping for.
Most of the other spirit beasts were not interested in smithing art, but they roughly knew the difference between the smithing of a Good Grade tool and a Common Grade tool.
They whispered to one another at the moment and basically lost confidence in Ou Yangming. Despite that, for fear of Sir Venerable One, which was the one that invited Ou Yangming, they dared not clamor because they would be easily crushed to death.
If the spirit beasts opened questioned Ou Yangming, would that not mean they were questioning the Venerable One too? As long as they had not lost their minds, they would not dare to do that.
Bai Zhiyi and the 3 blacksmiths tried their best to stay calm, but they secretly shook their heads and did not put much hope into Ou Yangming’s result.
Having said that, Ou Yangming seemed to not notice what was happening around him as he was fully focused on the Military Fire in front of him.
Inside the MIlitary Fire, the 4 materials and the Wish-fulfilling Clay slowly softened and fused. Back then, he would have done his best to smith a piece of equipment in the shortest time possible. However, after smithing together with Lin Feifeng, the young fellow knew that he would attract too much attention if he went all-out.
Therefore, he simply slowed down. He would still seem extremely fast to the others but at the very least, it was an acceptable speed.
“Hey?” Bai Zhiyi suddenly exclaimed and relaxed his eyebrows as he was puzzled.
“Elder Bai, what did you see?” One of the blacksmiths asked carefully.
Given that Bai Zhiyi was surprised, it was surely not a trivial matter.
Bai Zhiyi responded after some thought, ‘This young fella has some tricks up his sleeves indeed. He has quite a solid foundation in melting ores, and…” He shook his head and stopped talking.
When Ou Yangming melted ores with different properties, his fire’s burning range, stability, as well as his technique, were
all on point and were textbook classics. Those were basic techniques, which must be done by every blacksmith after they acquired the spiritual fire.
Moreover, Bai Zhiyi felt that Ou Yangming’s Military Fire was as natural as drifting clouds and flowing water. Even when the young fellow melted ores with different properties together, there were no flaws at all.
Not to mention blacksmiths that had practiced for 3 years, even blacksmiths that had training for decades or a century could not have mastered the technique. Furthermore, though Ou Yangming had deliberately slowed down, he was clearly much faster than normal blacksmiths. The 3 other blacksmiths could not tell the wonder behind it, but Bai Zhiyi knew the young fellow’s fire was unordinary.
That said, he could not reveal it here.
Nonetheless, Bai Zhiyi would not have known that while Ou Yangming had only learned smithing art for 3 years, his Military Fire was truly unbelievable.
When one adopted other smithing techniques to melt ores, one must always grasp the melting degree. On top of that, it would be more than 100 times more difficult if one melted ores with different melting points at the same time. On the contrary, those were not issues for the Phoenix Fire.
Ou Yangming could easily grasp their melting points. After cultivating the path of cold and heat and by utilizing the thoroughly meticulous state, he could control disparate temperatures in different areas with ease.
This was the exact reason Bai Zhiyi made an error of judgment and found Ou Yangming’s melting technique unbelievable.
The Military Fire continued to burn, and it still attracted many spirit beasts. In spite of that, they were very relaxed as if they were waiting to see Ou Yangming make a joke out of himself.
At last, Ou Yangming was done melting the ores and the Wish-fulfilling Clay. He was highly-spirited as he released 1 point each of Sharpness and Toughness, which represented a magic tool’s standard, into his Military Fire.
The fire flickered slightly, but once it became stable again, a peculiar light could be seen on the gauntlet inside.
As soon as the light was emitted, it could not hide from the people and the spirit beasts present.
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