Ou Yangming paid full attention to him and remembered everything that the old man said.
Though he had the wonderful purple light in his mind that allowed him to shift attributes around, it did not mean that he did not need to learn the art of smithing.
Old Craftsman spoke for a long time before he said. “What you used were some concentrated ordinary iron ingots, so, by producing a military saber of this level, you’ve hit the limit. Mm, when I gather better materials next time, I hope that you can surpass me.”
Ou Yangming was moved. He asked, “Old Man, what if I smith a better weapon using concentrated iron ingot?”
“Don’t get your head in the clouds, you should know that. If you elevate the weapon’s quality by force, it’ll only end up breaking.” Old Craftsman shook his head, then added after a pause, “The amount of cargo on a ship depends on the ship’s size, the same goes to the amount of rice a person eats. You must remember not to force anything.”
Ou Yangming quickly nodded. He was aware of it because when he tried to improve the saber’s attributes earlier, he had a feeling that it was going to break. Luckily, he stopped, or the saber would have shattered into pieces.
After a moment of hesitation, Old Craftsman commented, “Your military saber is indeed a fine item, but the development of its edge is a little excessive, so you must be careful when you use it, or it’ll be damaged beyond its original quality.”
Ou Yangming was stunned, then looked at the military saber.
While the saber’s sharpness and toughness were at the upper limit of Good Grade, which was 10, its durability was only 6.
It was then that he finally realized his mistake. Compared to Old Craftsman’s method, his was indeed much fresher. Without the ability to substitute the attributes stealthily, his saber could not be compared with the old man’s at all.
He bowed to Old Craftsman, then mentioned sincerely, “Old Man, thanks for your pointers.”
Old Craftsman chuckled and waved his hand. “Alright, since you’ve smithed two military sabers in a row, you should rest. Remember, learn more, practice more, and think more.”
Ou Yangming answered him politely, then stared at the Good Grade Rank Five military saber for a long time.
Old Craftsman laughed. “You’re such a little weasel. Keep it, you smithed it after all.”
Ou Yangming cheered instantly, then picked up the military saber as well as a random scabbard before he left.
It was natural for a military camp to have strict rules. Though it was not strange to carry a military saber around, if a person carried one without permission and was found, it was a huge sin. Since Old Craftsman gave him permission, he was no longer worried.
After all, nobody would say anything about the old man giving his apprentice a martial tool.
Ou Yangming took long strides in the military camp while carrying his saber. Perhaps because he was finally carrying a sharp tool, his footsteps were very light.
Soon enough, he arrived at the camp’s entrance.
According to what he had heard, there was a dense forest 15 kilometers to the west of the camp. The forest had countless ferocious beasts, which made it a good hunting spot for the men in the camp.
Of course, those who hunted in the forest were first-class men in the military, but people often went missing without ever returning. It was said that those who did not return were killed by the beasts, and their skeletons could not be found.
Nevertheless, the men from the military often went into the dangerous forest together to hunt, and they sometimes competed with each other over the number of kills they got.
Ou Yangming held his military saber tightly as he looked to the west fervently.
He pictured a beautiful scene in his head, where he used his saber to kill every beast in his way, and he hunted so many of them that he received a lot of respect.
It was natural for men in the military camp to dream about being victorious.
Knowing that it was impossible in reality, Ou Yangming buried this thought.
However, since he began cultivating martial arts, and possessed a top-notch Good Grade military saber, his hidden ambition burned fiercely, like a prairie fire.
Following that, he hurried toward the… The South of the military camp.
The west of the military camp was where the dangerous forest was situated. For those who entered it, one would either return with glory or be killed in the forest.
While Ou Yangming was ambitious, he was not a fool, so he knew that his present self was not qualified enough to enter the forest. Perhaps his dream would come true one day, but it would definitely not happen now.
Should he venture into the forest now, he would very likely become food for a ferocious beast, and would later turn into feces, which was only an insignificant source of nutrition for the plants.
Thus, he got rid of his delusion and ran toward the south.
There was also a camp that occupied a huge space at the south side of the military camp, but it was loosely guarded, so nobody noticed Ou Yangming when he tried to sneak in.
The camp was surrounded by a railing made of wood, and the place smelled so awful that people would want to leave when they got close.
Despite that, it seemed to be Ou Yangming’s first time smelling the scent. He went closer to the railing carefully, then lowered his hand, and crawled in in a flash.
After walking along the railing for a while, he entered a barracks.
In the barracks, numerous white and fat pigs were scattered everywhere, gobbling up food from a hollow stone trough.
Pigs.
Yes, this was where livestock was most abundant in the camp.
In comparison with the dense forest in the west, the giant pigpen was extremely safe.
After Ou Yangming looked around to confirm that nobody was present, he took a deep breath, then pulled his military saber out of its scabbard. The moment his Military Fire flashed, the strangest attribute in his mind instantly entered the saber.
Next, there was a wonderful change to the military saber’s attributes.
[Item: Outstanding military saber (Red)]
[Equivalent Rank: Ordinary Tool, Good Grade, Rank Five]
[Attributes: Sharpness +10, Toughness +10, Devouring +1, Durability 6]
On top of the base attributes, a devouring +1 attributed was added. Besides, the item’s name had the word red shown in a bracket.
Ou Yangming was stunned. ‘What does the red mean?’
When he killed Zhang Hanyu, he did not recall seeing a similar word.
‘Was it because I used a broken saber, so the words didn’t show?’
He shook his head, then got rid of all his questions. He had come here to verify something, not figure out the military saber’s secret.
When he looked at the fat pigs, so focused on eating that they neglected their surroundings, he gritted his teeth, then slashed his saber at the fattest pig.
Owing to the fact that his military saber was a treasure saber that was at the peak of Good Grade, a slash could split normal steel, let alone a person’s body.
With that, the saber was slashed into the domestic pig’s body.
Next, a strange thing happened.
The domestic pig actually had a body that was much bigger than Ou Yangming’s and was probably 500 to 600 pounds, so it should not die immediately after being slashed by a saber.
That being said, when the saber cut the pig’s body, the pig shivered violently and fell to the ground, unable to move. Later, it shriveled at average speed, and its flesh, its skin, and its bones transformed into energy that was absorbed by Ou Yangming’s saber.
Instead of staying in the military saber, the energies gushed into his body through the saber.
Consequently, Ou Yangming felt his blood boil, and he became unusually excited. Additionally, he felt that he was filled with Qi and blood again.
In a flash, a huge domestic pig vanished into thin air, even its hair had disappeared
.
Ou Yangming breathed heavily, his eyes were bright, and he cheered to himself.
‘As expected, that’s what happens!’
Chapter 13
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Before Ou Yangming practiced martial arts, General Chen mentioned that he was rich in Qi and blood, and was truly a beginner in embryo1. It was later proven that his performance did not disappoint Chen Yifan. When he first did stake standing, he displayed a strong talent and cultivated a hint of inner breath.
Chen Yifan gasped in amazement and praised him for his achievement.
Nevertheless, the last time they met, there was a change in Chen Yifan’s attitude, and it was because he noticed a decline in Ou Yangming’s Qi and blood.
Based on Ou Yangming’s age, though he could still practice martial arts, it was necessary for him to be abundant with Qi and blood if he wanted to reach the peak. If the Qi and blood that moved Chen Yifan disappeared, naturally, he would not spend too much time on Ou Yangming.
In actual fact, without Zhang Yinfan and his nephew, Ou Yangming might not actually bother with Chen Yifan. After all, he had Old Craftsman to support him and was totally immersed in the usage of the Military Fire, thus his desire to learn martial arts was not as strong as before.
However, he could not lower his guard since Zhang Yinfan was still in the military camp. It was a matter of life or death for him.
Other people might make guesses, but Ou Yangming knew very well that he was definitely not a remarkable talent in martial arts. The only reason he was previously rich in Qi and blood was that he used a broken saber to kill Zhang Hanyu.
By killing a domestic pig with a treasure saber, he verified that the richness of his Qi and blood were related to the killing of Zhang Hanyu. No, it was probably related to the devouring attribute in his treasure saber.
The devouring attribute was strange and unpredictable as it could devour a person and a pig completely without leaving anything behind, as well as transform the devoured energy into Qi and blood for his body. Had he not experienced it first hand, he would not have believed it.
Nonetheless, when he thought about it, this peculiar devouring attribute actually came from the cylinder carried by Zhang Hanyu.
The fellow had reaped what he sowed, and it benefited Ou Yangming instead.
Ou Yangming frowned when he sensed his Qi and blood stirring in his body. He noticed that they were plentiful but far from being as full as the previous time.
He stomped his feet and decided since he had already killed one, to not go easy on the pigs anymore.
He left the pigpen carefully, then went to another pigpen.
Similarly, he killed the biggest fat pig without leaving a trace due to the devouring attribute. Additionally, since the pigs had been tamed and were not wild, they did not attack him even though they feared him.
Ou Yangming quickly sensed around him again, then went to the third pigpen, and went after a third pig.
Only after that did he finally feel that his Qi and blood were full to the brim.
He was rather shocked because each fat pig killed weighed roughly 500 to 600 kilograms, which amounted to around 1500 kilograms.
Despite that, he realized that the Qi and blood gained from the three fat pigs were not much different from Zhang Hanyu’s, which made him fearful.
Zhang Hanyu was definitely a martial arts powerhouse, much more powerful than Ou Yangming. It was terrible luck to have been killed by Ou Yangming.
Since Ou Yangming had replenished his Qi and blood, he was not going to stay in this place much longer. He used his Military Fire to draw the frightening devouring attribute, and as it disappeared from the saber, the red words in brackets beside the item’s name disappeared as well.
Following that, he returned the way he came, which was a path he had taken many times. Throughout his journey, he was not noticed by many people.
Once he returned to his room, he washed up to remove the odor on his body and changed into clean clothes before he was finally at ease.
After calming himself down, he began cultivating the martial-art squat taught by Chen Yifan and instantly felt the surge of his Qi and blood. They flowed in an unimaginable speed through his meridians, then slowly transformed into his power.
The richer his Qi and blood were, the easier it was for him to cultivate.
A strong man who wielded a meteor hammer could easily swing it around, but if a skinny, disabled person were to use it, it would be more like a suicidal tool than a martial tool used to sweep millions of enemies away.
Ou Yangming felt the same when he did the martial-art squat. Starting out was great, but as his Qi and blood slowly transformed into his own power, dissipating over time, the obvious result was that his cultivation eventually reduced to around the same as a normal person’s.
When he did the squat again, he no longer felt the strong pleasure he felt during his first cultivation. A substantial amount of Qi and blood turned into energy in his body, and he could not stop even if he wanted to.
As a matter of fact, though the devouring effect was indeed terrifying, it consumed significant amounts of energy during the transformation of Qi and blood, the martial-art squat cultivation was similar. In a way, only ten percent of the energy that was devoured could be used.
In terms of price-performance ratio, it was an unfavorable cultivation method.
That said, it was a shortcut for Ou Yangming to increase his strength. Due to the enormous pressure from Zhang Yinfan, he dared not take it easy.
After a long time, when he stopped his training, a series of explosions were heard coming from his bones.
Later, a great deal of energy gathered in his dantian, forming a small light.
Ou Yangming was stunned for a while, then he concentrated on his mental conception to probe his dantian and immediately sensed the broad-bean-sized light.
He shivered a little as he was in disbelief and elated at the same time. Since he had been in the military camp for a long time, even though he had never cultivated martial arts, through hearsay from some martial artists, he knew a thing or two about martial arts cultivation.
The four martial arts boundaries were Force, Yin, Yang, and Extreme.
A Force Artist built one’s body to enrich Qi and blood, sensed the flow of aura, and gathered energies in the dantian.
A Yin Artist tempered Qi in the dantian to be endless, preparing for a hundred battles with no danger of defeat.
A Yang Artist moved into Yang upon reaching the extremity of Yin, such that one in the Yang Boundary could break a stele with bare hands, and was known as the enemy of a hundred people.
An Extreme Artist had reached the peak of martial arts cultivation, where the Yin and Yang energies in one’s body became one and would change endlessly, according to one’s heart desires.
Zhang Hanyu used to be a Force Artist, which was why he was so at ease when he fought Ou Yangming. Without the Military Fire and the sneak attack from the strange devouring ability of Ou Yangming’s broken saber, the final result would be the total opposite.
Ou Yangming also knew that the symbol of a Force Artist was powerful energies, which were accumulated in the dantian as light.
Yes, it was the light he sensed earlier. While the light was weak and small, like candlelight that was being blown by the wind, it was indeed Dantian Light. This meant that he had become a real martial artist after the cultivation.
Although he was only a Force Artist of the lowest level and had just entered the Force Boundary, which was far from the peak like Zhang Hanyu was, his status was completely different now.
Ou Yangming jumped up excitedly, then ran back to Old Craftsman’s barracks, but the old man was not there. He quickly realized the Old Craftsman was definitely at his smithing workshop.
Old Craftsman had been fully focused on smithing a suitable weapon for Chen Yifan.
Apart from giving Ou Yangming pointers
, he paid attention to nothing else.
At the smithing workshop, Ou Yangming saw Old Craftsman touching an ore while deep in thought.
Normally, Ou Yangming would not have disturbed the old man, but he was so thrilled that he wanted to share it with someone, and Old Craftsman was the person closest to him. Therefore, he could not control his excitement. “Old Man, I did it!”
Old Craftsman was taken by surprise, so he scolded, “Little b*stard, why are you making such a big fuss?”
Ou Yangming giggled. “Old Man, I became a martial artist!”
“So what if you became a martial art… Eh? What did you say?” Old Craftsman was shocked when he realized what had happened.
Ou Yangming mentioned, “Old Man, General Chen taught me a martial-art squat technique to cultivate my energy, and I’ve been following it for a few days. I finally sensed Dantian Light just now!”
Old Craftsman was dumbfounded. A brief moment later, he reached his hand out to place it on Ou Yangming’s dantian.
Subsequently, his face twitched.
Even though he was old, he was still an excellent martial artist. While he could not be said to be on equal terms with Chen Yifan, he could identify Dantian Light.
‘A little more than ten days, it has only been a little more than ten days, yet he’s refined his Qi and blood, and gathered them into the light.’
When he thought about Ou Yangming’s talent in the Military Fire too, he felt dizzy.
After a long time, he finally collected himself, then glanced at Ou Yangming. “Young fella, go meet General Chen tomorrow morning.”
Ou Yangming was stunned. “Why?”
Old Craftsman explained, “He’s the one who passed you the martial art technique, so he must be informed if you succeed.”
Ou Yangming nodded and agreed.
Upon seeing Ou Yangming’s silly smile, Old Craftsman wondered. ‘Indeed, I’ve grown old, I couldn’t tell that he’s actually a martial arts genius.’
Immortal Path to Heaven c1-725 Page 9
