Immortal Path to Heaven c1-725

by Heaven's White Crane

  Ou Yangming was intrigued. “Which forest?”

  Sui Hezhi pointed at the west. “There’s a forest near our camp…”

  Ou Yangming’s face changed right away. “Big Brother Sui, it’s extremely dangerous to hunt in that forest!”

  “We’re used to it, so it’s fine.” Sui Hezhi laughed. He then looked around them before he asked, “Little brother, tell me the truth, did you really smith that saber?”

  Ou Yangming smiled. “Why? Do you not trust me?”

  “No, no, heroes are found hidden among youngsters, so of course I trust you, but…” Sui Hezhi quickly explained, then lowered his voice. “I think the general wants to test you immediately. If you’re not well-prepared or have any difficulty, why don’t you tell me? If the general finds out, he’ll probably…”

  Ou Yangming understood what he meant. He replied gratefully, “Big Brother Sui, don’t worry, I got this.”

  Upon seeing his confident look, Sui Hezhi was somewhat bewildered. ‘Did he really make that treasure saber?’

  Chapter 16

  Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

  Chen Yifan and Liu Zhengye entered the tent one after the other.

  They glanced at Sui Hezhi at the same time and noticed that he nodded his head vaguely.

  Obviously, Chen Yifan made Sui Hezhi spend some time alone with Ou Yangming to find out the truth. He wanted to know if Ou Yangming had truly forged the treasure saber, or if he simply spoke nonsense to blow his own trumpet.

  After all, if Chen Yifan were to expose him right away, it would be embarrassing.

  However, they could tell from Sui Hezhi’s expression that Ou Yangming did not say anything.

  “Greetings, General.” Ou Yangming immediately bowed at him.

  Chen Yifan nodded slowly. “Young fella, I brought you a featured iron ingot, is this the one?”

  Liu Zhengye handed him an iron ingot with a smile. “Little brother, here.”

  Ou Yangming accepted it to check it, and he could tell at once that it was indeed a featured iron ingot. It was of a higher quality than the ones he saw at Old Craftsman’s workshop.

  “General, are you asking me to smith a military saber for you here?”

  Chen Yifan answered seriously, “That’s right. Do your best, You’re not required to forge one that’s at the peak of Good Grade. As long as you forge one that’s of Good Grade, or at the peak of Common Grade, you pass.”

  Success was not guaranteed when smithing weapons, even for an experienced Military Fire Blacksmith.

  When Old Craftsman was at his peak, his success rate for smithing Good Grade military sabers using a featured iron ingot was only seventy percent. The remaining thirty percent were either discarded or of Common Grade.

  If one in ten weapons forged was at the peak of Good Grade, it was considered a good result.

  Therefore, Chen Yifan did not request something difficult. It was something that should not be a problem for Ou Yangming.

  Ou Yangming nodded, then his face changed. “Ah, General, can you wait for me for a while?”

  Chen Yifan asked calmly, “What are you going to do?”

  Ou Yangming smiled bitterly. “General, I have something urgent to attend to. I’ll be right back!” With that, he put the iron ingot down, left the tent, and was nowhere to be found.

  Liu Zhengye and Sui Hezhi looked at each other, whereas Chen Yifan’s face was completely dark.

  It was natural for soldiers to be disciplined, thus it was their first time seeing someone escaping like Ou Yangming.

  Liu Zhengye cleared his throat. “General, do you want me to bring him back?”

  Chen Yifan pondered, then replied, “Forget it, he’s not my soldier. Hmph, if he were, I would’ve already chopped his head off.”

  “Yes, yes. General, I don’t think he smithed this saber. That’s why he ran away.” Liu Zhengye responded, then stared at Sui Hezhi. “What were you doing? Useless!”

  Sui Hezhi was frustrated, but he dared not speak.

  ‘Ou Yangming, why did you pretend to be something when you’re just nothing? You dragged me into this. I’ll definitely settle the score with you next time.’

  Chen Yifan thought for a while, then mentioned, “That might not necessarily be the case. He can be quite short-tempered, but he doesn’t look like a boastful person. Hehe, very well, I’ll wait for him for half an hour.”

  Liu Zhenye and Sui Hezhi were startled. They could tell that the general was very fond of the young fellow.

  ※※※※

  Ou Yangming scurried away from the West Camp because while he was able to smith a Good Grade military saber using the Military Fire, the purple lights that could draw and upgrade attributes were the key.

  Sadly, he had used up the purple lights when he smithed the treasure saber, and could no longer forge anything good.

  Therefore, he had no choice but to escape even though it would displease Chen Yifan.

  In a flash, Ou Yangming went to the armaments warehouse. Upon seeing that nobody was present, he went to one of the piles to pick up a weapon, then began drawing its attributes.

  His control over the Military Fire was much better compared to a few days ago, so over twenty purple light balls appeared in his mind in the blink of an eye.

  Though he was short of time, he found it strange.

  In the beginning, his mind could only store ten purple lights. He felt like his mind would explode if there were more. Now, there were over twenty lights in his mind, but he did not feel uncomfortable at all.

  He guessed. ‘Is this because I’m rich in Qi and blood, and also advanced to Force Grade martial art?’

  Nevertheless, it was not the time to find out the truth. He picked another military saber, but just as he was about to absorb its attributes, he was shocked by what he saw.

  Under his Military Fire’s burning flame, the saber’s attributes were clear to him.

  It was a discarded military saber that only had a sharpness of 1, but it had another strange attribute, which was power +1.

  Ou Yangming reacted faster than he thought. Before he figured out what it was, the power attribute turned into a purple light that entered his mind.

  After a moment of hesitation, he threw the discarded saber away, then ran to Old Craftsman’s smithing workshop.

  “Old man!” Ou Yangming breathed heavily. “I want to ask you something!”

  Old Craftsman was thinking about something at that moment, so his train of thought was cut off the moment Ou Yangming yelled. Although he snapped at the young fellow, he quickly stood up to pour a glass of water for him. “B*stard, what trouble did you cause this time? Drink some water, and tell me slowly.”

  Ou Yangming accepted the glass and downed the water, then replied, “Old man, General Chen wants me to smith a weapon in front of him. Should I show him my real skill?”

  Old Craftsman was stunned, and he did not know whether to cry or laugh. “Did you run back here to ask this?”

  “Yes!” Ou Yangming nodded. “General Chen and the others are still waiting at the West Camp!”

  “Idiot, do you want me to die from anger? Hmph, come with me.” Old Craftsman was mad, so he kicked him. He grabbed Ou Yangming, then ran to the West Camp.

  As Ou Yangming followed, he thought to himself. ‘Old man, you don’t have to react like this, do you?’

  In actual fact, he had only sought out Old Craftsman as an excuse, so he was surprised that the old man was so anxious.

  Before long, they arrived at the tent.

  Upon seeing Old Craftsman himself, Chen Yifan and the others sighed. ‘The young fella really had lied.

  ‘It makes sense. He acquired the Military Fire Seed less than a month ago, yet he claims that he can smith a military saber at the peak of Good Grade using a featured iron ingot. Such fantasies shouldn’t be taken seriously. It would be really funny if anyone believed it…

  ‘At least he’s clever enough to b
ring Old Craftsman here.’

  Chen Yinfan took a quick glance at Ou Yangming and said to himself, ‘For the sake of Old Craftsman, I shall not make things difficult for him, but he’s not going to be a useful person. There’s no need for him to meet me anymore.’

  “Hehe, Old Craftsman, why did you come here personally?” Chen Yifan stood up and smiled.

  Old Craftsman pulled Ou Yangming’s ear. “General Chen, I brought him here to apologize.”

  Chen Yifan waved his hand. “Hehe, Old Craftsman, don’t be angry.”

  It was as though Old Craftsman did not hear him at all. He said, “This fella’s such a blockhead. You asking to see his Military Fire Smithing Art is a huge honor, but he ran back to ask me if he should show you. Tell me, isn’t he trying to make me die from anger?”

  Chen Yifan chuckled. “Don’t punish him. He’s a young man. It’s inevitable for him to be ambi… Wait, what did you say? He sought you out to ask if he should show his skills?”

  Old Craftsman nodded and sighed. “General Chen, he’s an orphan, and he doesn’t have much sense, so please don’t blame him.”

  When Chen Yifan looked up, Liu Zhengye and Sui Hezhi were looking at him with strange looks.

  They had the same thought. ‘Ou Yangming didn’t escape, and he didn’t bring Old Craftsman here to speak on his behalf. Does that mean that he really smithed the treasure saber?’

  Right away, Chen Yifan’s attitude changed.

  He laughed. “B*stard, am I that scary? What exactly were you thinking?”

  Ou Yangming lowered his head embarrassedly. ‘A misunderstanding, this is definitely a misunderstanding…’

  Chen Yifan handed the treasure saber to Old Craftsman. “Old Craftsman, did he smith this?”

  “General, the young fella might be a little timid, but he’s really talented. This is the second military saber he created, and its quality is excellent!” Old Craftsman raised his eyebrow, then answered proudly as he gave a thumbs-up.

  Indeed, the more powerful his successor was, the prouder he was.

  Chen Yifan looked at Ou Yangming for some time before he responded, “Boy, show me your skills.”

  Old Craftsman nodded, and instructed, “B*stard, do it attentively, and don’t embarrass me!”

  Ou Yangming pouted his lips. “Don’t worry, old man. Since you’ve told me to, I’ll definitely do my best.”

  He waved his hand, then took the iron ingot from Liu Zhengye. His nervousness slowly went away after he took a deep breath.

  When Chen Yifan and Liu Zhengye sensed the change in his aura, they nodded to themselves. ‘The fact that he calmed down so quickly makes him a person with a lot of potential.’

  However, they had no clue that Ou Yangming was able to calm down so quickly because of the purple light.

  He began controlling his Military Fire to his heart’s desire, then the featured iron ingot transformed into a sharp military saber after being burned.

  [Item: Outstanding military saber]

  [Equivalent Rank: Ordinary Tool, Good Grade, Rank Five]

  [Attributes: Sharpness +10, Toughness +10. Durability 9]

  Chapter 17

  Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

  Chen Yifan was utterly shocked when he held the divine weapon.

  In the past, he had commanded an army to fight for the empire, participated in martial contests in rings, and triumphed over others in battles of life and death. Even during the most dangerous of times, he was never hesitant, anxious or fearful, but he somehow revealed his feelings at this moment.

  After looking up at Ou Yangming for some time, he mentioned, “Good, you didn’t let me down.”

  “General,” Old Craftsman said smilingly, “This fellow is naturally gifted to be a Military Fire Blacksmith!”

  “Not bad. This is my first time meeting someone as talented as him.” Chen Yifan nodded.

  Old Craftsman shook his head. “General, don’t spoil him, his level is far below that.”

  Chen Yifan, Liu Zhengye, and the others wondered. “You’re smiling so happily, yet you’re pretending to be humble. Who are you trying to fool…’

  “Ahem—” Liu Zhengye cleared his throat, then took a step forward. “General, since he’s so talented in smithing, you can train him. If he succeeds in the future, your reputation will grow!”

  Chen Yifan instructed, “Zhengye, make a trip to the Supply Division with Old Craftsman, and get a few precious ores for this fella to practice.”

  “Ah?” Old Craftsman was shocked. “General, that can’t be done!”

  “If I say it can, it can. Old Craftsman, I won’t be stingy over a few precious ores it’ll help him train.” Chen Yifan waved his hand, then stopped for a while before adding, “Are you afraid that he’ll surpass you, so you’re being defensive?”

  “Why would I be defensive?” Old Craftsman’s face instantly reddened. He exhaled deeply, then continued, “Okay, since you’re so generous, I’m more than happy to do it. I won’t disappoint you.”

  The others thought to themselves. ‘It’s only weird if you’re not happy to do it.’

  Chen Yifan laughed out loud. “Go, go, I’ll be waiting for good news.”

  Subsequently, Liu Zhengye and Old Craftsman left for the Supply Division, whereas Ou Yangming left the tent with Sui Hezhi. Since Chen Yifan was very occupied as the West Camp’s general, he did not stay to talk to them.

  As such, Sui Hezhi and Ou Yangming left as well.

  Once Sui Hezhi escorted Ou Yangming back to the Armament Camp, the latter mentioned, “Big Brother Sui, thank you for escorting me back.”

  Sui Hezhi smiled and intended to say something but he was hesitant. In the end, he sighed and left.

  Ou Yangming watched him leave, then entered the camp.

  After walking just a short distance, a chilly voice was heard. “You, Ou Yangming, come here.”

  He was stunned and noticed a cold middle-aged man was waving at him when he turned to look.

  The man was not a stranger to him. He was Han Changling, one of the Military Fire Blacksmiths in the Armament Camp.

  Ou Yangming hesitated for a while before he approached him. “Master Han, what’s the matter?”

  Han Changling replied arrogantly, “I need to smith some weapons today, but I lack a helper. Come over and fill the spot.”

  Ou Yangming responded, “Master Han, I’m Old Craftsman’s helper.”

  In the Armament Camp, Old Craftsman was the chief of the Military Fire Blacksmiths, but he refused to be called a master due to his odd character, thus everyone addressed him as Old Craftsman.

  Nevertheless, the other Military Fire Blacksmiths were known as masters.

  “Hmph, are you trying to oppress me by using Old Craftsman’s name?” Han Changling was indifferent. “He’s not here at the moment, so you’re a general helper for the Armament Camp. If I’m asking for your help, are you going to disobey me?”

  Ou Yangming shivered a little. For some reason, he felt that Han Changling was behaving strangely.

  In the Armament Camp, though there was no ranking among the Military Fire Blacksmiths, Old Craftsman was the chief for a reason. Under normal circumstances, unless Han Changling had gone crazy, he would not offend him.

  Nonetheless, it was clear that Han Changling did not care at the moment.

  Ou Yangming subconsciously took a step back and decided that he must not leave with Han Changling.

  “Master Han, Old Craftsman gave me a refining task, and I have to get it done as soon as possible. I hope that you understand.” He bowed, then turned to leave.

  Right then, Han Changling sneered and got in front of Ou Yangming in a flash.

  He reached out his hand to grab Ou Yangming’s shoulder immediately. Ou Yangming would be under his control once he grabbed him with his Iron Palm.

  Ou Yangming’s face changed as he had not expected Han Changling to attack him, and it frightened him.

 
He clenched his fists together, then yelled as he attacked too.

  “Boom…”

  The fist and the palm clashed in mid-air, causing Ou Yangming’s chest to hurt as if his body was electrified. Additionally, he tasted blood in his throat.

  Han Changling paused for a moment to look at Ou Yangming, surprised. “Very well, you’re already a Force Grade martial artist, no wonder you have the courage to resist.”

  A Military Fire Blacksmith had to be abundant in physical power to generate the Military Fire, but the fire would not last for a long time if one only relied on physical power. Thus, qualified Military Fire Blacksmiths usually practiced martial arts. Of course, martial arts were not the main focus, so Han Changling was not that powerful.

  That being said, he was powerful enough to go against Ou Yangming, who had just started practicing martial arts.

  With that, he kicked again and smiled sinisterly. He had managed to get the measure of Ou Yangming’s strength through the punch earlier and realized that he was only a Rank One Force Grade martial artist, so he thought little of him.

  Han Changling had come prepared and was confident about taking Ou Yangming out easily.

  Upon facing the fierce claw, Ou Yangming heard the wind whistle around him and felt like he was trapped in a cage. Just as he was at his wit’s end, the purple light in his mind glowed, and he entered the mysterious realm where his consciousness split into two.

  The world seemed to be slowing down around him.

  While Han Changling’s claw was violent, Ou Yangming noticed that it was not at all perfect. Instead, it had many openings.

  He lowered his body, then slipped under Han Changling’s armpit like a small fish.

  Needless to say, that was his limit. If he wanted to counterattack… He had to have the strength to do so.

  Ou Yangming was not happy with his current state at all. If he was successful in martial arts and was capable enough to protect himself, he would not be bullied.

  However, he knew that he had only practiced martial arts for a short time, so even when he could devour Qi and blood, there was only so much he could do.