Sure enough, a piece of High Grade equipment was far more appreciated than a Good Grade one, but a piece of equipment like that could only be a wild wish for normal soldiers.
“Young fella, you’re amazing!” Old Craftsman punched Ou Yangming jokingly as he remarked excitedly.
The greater the young fellow’s achievements, the happier he was. He was not aware at all that he would lose his job when his apprentice mastered the knowledge.
Ou Yangming smiled awkwardly. “Old Man, this isn’t an Attribute Equipment…”
Old Craftsman scoffed. “You greedy fella. Before you control the different properties of steel completely, you’re not allowed to use precious ores of them, do you understand?”
Ou Yangming quickly responded to him, but it remained unknown whether he could do it or not.
“Go back to your smithing workshop, you’ll only annoy me if you stay here,” Old Craftsman waved his hand as if he was irritated. He added after a short pause, “After a few days, if you can forge a piece of High Grade Attribute Equipment, bring it to General Chen, do you understand?”
“Old Man, you’re not going with me?” Ou Yangming was stunned.
“Young fella, are you asking for a beating? Why do you have to trouble me? Do you not have hands? Or did you break your leg?” Old Craftsman smiled meaningfully.
Ou Yangming was shocked, so he quickly escaped back to his smithing workshop.
He knew that Old Craftsman was busy planning the smithing proposal for General Chen’s weapon, so it was best that he did not provoke him.
Upon seeing Ou Yangming leaving like a monkey, Old Craftsman shook his head and sighed.
‘Young fella, you should learn to be independent, because I can’t take care of you much longer.’
Once Ou Yangming returned to his smithing workshop, he continued to figure out the different properties of steel, and forged three more times.
Owing to his improvement in martial arts cultivation, he was able to use his Military Fire for a much longer time. While a higher consumption was required to smith using steel as compared to using iron ingots, a few times would not do any harm.
After three days, he finally grasped the properties of steel with the help of the wonderful state.
Needless to say, having controlled the basics was one thing, because it was difficult to unleash all properties to the maximum. Based on Ou Yangming’s current smithing art, it would not be tough to maintain his smithed products at Good Grade, but it would not be easy to smith one at the peak of that grade.
Experience. He still lacked experience. If he had enough experiences as Old Craftsman did, even without using the stored attributes, he could create armaments at the peak of High Grade consistently with the help of the purple light.
Nonetheless, Ou Yangming did not want to attract unnecessary attention. For the following days, he continued to practice the martial-art squat and his Military Fire, read books, and spared time to forge some equipment.
Of course, instead of smithing High Grade Attribute Equipment, he smithed normal equipment of High Grade and Good Grade Attribute Equipment.
Despite that, from Old Craftsman’s perspective, Ou Yangming was taking slow and steady steps one at a time.
At last, ten days went by again, and Sui Hezhi sent him another bloody ferocious beast as he did before.
Ou Yangming greeted him affectionately, “Big Brother Sui, I’m sorry for troubling you all the time.”
“Brother Ou, we’re brothers, so you don’t have to be so polite.” Sui Hezhi laughed, then tapped the saber that he carried. “When you gave me this treasure saber that’s at the peak of Good Grade, I wasn’t apologetic.”
Ou Yangming chuckled. Although he was young, he knew very well there would be an end to favors.
The military saber that he gave to Sui Hezhi might be extremely rare for a normal soldier, but that was all. If Sui Hezhi were to send him quarries over the years just because of that saber, it would not be worthy at all.
Nevertheless, Ou Yangming already had a solution to his problem.
“Big Brother Sui, this is the latest saber I smithed. Give it a try!” Ou Yangming mentioned smilingly.
Sui Hezhi was immediately elated as he had been flattering Ou Yangming in wait for this day. However, he did not expect the day to come so soon, because he thought that it would take at least half a year.
He nodded, then accepted the military saber to wield it.
“Big Brother Sui, use your essential Qi!” Ou Yangming squinted his eyes as he smiled.
Sui Hezhi’s face changed a little. He looked at Ou Yangming for a long time before he decided to release a bit of his essential Qi. At the next moment, Sui Hezhi’s body quivered a little, and his aura rose so much that he even released a hint of killing intent.
Ou Yangming gasped, because Sui Hezhi seemed to have turned into a fearsome beast at that moment. On top of that, it was as if Sui Hezhi was going to slash him into two, and the enormous pressure made him feel dizzy.
All of a sudden, the purple light in Ou Yangming’s mind flashed, and his consciousness detached from his body. As a result, he went into an exceptionally composed state.
He immediately realized that it was momentum. A momentum that belonged to a martial artist who experienced many wars and drifted between life and death.
When a martial artist with bloody hands released his momentum, the pressure caused would be quite frightening.
Ou Yangming only knew that Sui Hezhi was part of the Guards led by General Chen Yifan, thus he did not expect him to have such momentum.
In a flash, Sui Hezhi realized what was happening, so he quickly curbed his momentum. “Brother Ou, were you, were you frightened?”
The instant Sui Hezhi’s momentum disappeared, the purple light in Ou Yangming’s head vanished too.
Ou Yangming smiled bitterly and sighed. “Big Brother Sui, what are you doing…”
Chapter 29
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Sui Hezhi smiled embarrassedly. “Brother Ou, I lost control just now, so… Ah, I’m so sorry.”
Ou Yangmind nodded. “Big Brother Sui, are you satisfied with this saber?”
“Brother Ou, are you sure that you want to give it to me?” Sui Hezhi was both surprised and overjoyed when he asked.
“Why did I show you if I don’t want to give it to you?”
“Bu, but…” Sui Hezhi hesitated for a while before he mentioned, “This is an Attribute Military Saber! Even a normal squad leader can’t have Attribute Equipment, let alone a little soldier like me!”
In the military camp, ten soldiers formed a squad, whereas a hundred formed a company. A squad leader was the leader of ten soldiers, and was considered the most basic officer.
Ou Yangming grinned. “Big Brother Sui, you’re from the Guards led by General Chen, how can you be mentioned on equal terms with a normal squad leader?”
Sui Hezhi chuckled. “Brother Ou, you’re such an understanding person. Hehe, other than the Guards, nobody really catches my eye.”
Although it sounded very exaggerated, from another perspective, one could verify how arrogant the Guards under Chen Yifan were.
“Big Brother Sui, I have a favor to ask too.” Ou Yangming smiled.
“Brother Ou, let me know what you need. As long as it’s within my capability, I won’t hesitate to help no matter how dangerous and difficult it is.” Sui Hezhi’s eyes glowed, and he slapped his chest.
“You’re worrying too much, I just want to practice martial arts with you…” Ou Yangming laughed, then continued after a short pause, “Practical training.”
“Aren’t you being personally guided by General Chen in martial arts?” Sui Hezhi was surprised. He then asked seriously, “Are you starting to feel sick of the martial-art squat?”
Ou Yangming shook his head. “Why would the martial-art squat make me feel sick? I just want to learn something practical as soon as possibl
e.”
“Ah, Brother Ou, how should I put this?” Sui Hezhi exhaled deeply, and pondered before explaining, “The most important thing for martial artists like us isn’t mere form, it’s our grade and class. Yes, our grade and class.” He then proceeded to perform a half-squat, and punched with his fist.
The punch’s might was astonishing, and the fist wind that brushed past Ou Yangming’s body caused his skin to hurt.
Sui Hezhi mentioned, “Brother Ou, did you watch me well? If you have the same class and grade as me, how can anything resist your punch?”
Ou Yangming was dumbstruck, and he felt a chill down his spine. Yes, how could he resist a mighty punch like that? If he were to fight back recklessly, he might be punched to death.
“Instead of teaching you skills, General is only letting you practice the martial-art squat to prevent you from being distracted. As long as you commit to the cultivation of Dantian Light, you’ll reach the end of Force Boundary and the beginning of Yin Boundary. What will you not know then?” Sui Hezhi added.
Ou Yangming knew that he would not lie. Nevertheless, without Zhang Yinfan as a variable in the military camp, Ou Yangming would cultivate step by step, and would only learn martial art skills after meeting Chen Yifan’s expectations.
In actual fact, the main objective of a Military Fire Blacksmith’s martial arts cultivation was to control the Military Fire more easily to produce a more powerful fire.
Therefore, the blacksmiths cultivated Dantian Light, but they did not bother learning useless martial arts skills.
However, Ou Yangming was in a different situation. He knew that a venomous snake that lurked in dark corners in the military camp was watching him closely, so he dared not slack at all.
“Big Brother Sui, thank you for your kindness, but I’d like to learn some martial arts for self-defense, so please teach me!”
Sui Hezhi sighed. “Alright. Since you insist, I’ll teach you a blade technique and a fist technique.”
Even though he did not agree with this from the bottom of his heart, he could not reject Ou Yangming as he had accepted the treasure saber.
On an empty ground in his courtyard, Sui Hezhi began practicing with a military saber.
Throughout the process, he kept describing the blade technique, as well as his personal experiences over the years. Once he was done with the black technique, he proceeded to perform a fist technique and a step technique. The step technique could actually be used in conjunction with the blade and fist techniques, and it was the simplest skill in the military.
Nonetheless, it was exactly because of its simplicity and that it was the swiftest and fiercest martial art.
Whether Sui Hezhi performed a fist art or a blade technique, he bore a rich killing intent. Perhaps the martial arts were not elegant, but they were what Ou Yangming needed the most at the moment.
Once Sui Hezhi was done, he said, “I’ll only teach you once today, so it’s up to you how much you remember. I’ll come again after three days to see how much you’ve practiced.”
“Thank you, Big Brother Sui.” Ou Yangming was touched.
“You don’t have to thank me, I should thank you instead.” Sui Hezhi smiled bitterly as he tapped the Attribute Military Saber on his waist.
Ou Yangming then asked, “I’d like to follow you to hunt in the dense forest…”
“Don’t even think about it! Hmph, unless you have the general’s permission, nobody will bring you there.” Sui Hezhi waved his hand, then explained sincerely, “You’re not a helper anymore, you’re a Military Fire Blacksmith. Other than the general, nobody can bear the responsibility.”
Ou Yangming stared at him for a while, but did not force him anymore.
After Sui Hezhi left, Ou Yangming returned to his own courtyard.
When he closed his eyes, he recalled everything he saw and heard earlier. Even so, he realized that he could not remember everything that Sui Hezhi mentioned.
Just as he was feeling annoyed and was wondering if he should think of a way to let Sui Hezhi demonstrate everything again, the purple light that was hidden in his mind flashed.
Ou Yangming was extremely familiar with the light as if he was born with it.
Hence, he was not surprised at all when it appeared again.
Subsequently, his consciousness split into two naturally, but there was an odd change to the consciousness that was detached to overlook from above him.
Through the consciousness’ hollow eyes, a figure suddenly appeared in his courtyard.
The figure belonged to Sui Hezhi, and he was seen performing a blade technique while giving an explanation.
Ou Yangming was in a daze as he watched and listened. He also paid full attention to observe and experience everything.
After watching the process numerous times, he comprehended everything at last.
As such, the consciousness that controlled his body began practicing the blade technique, the fist technique, and the step technique.
Ou Yangming had put some thoughts into this before he began, but when he actually started practicing, he realized that his body was completely different from how he imagined it to be. For the same slash done using a saber, the blade force from Sui Hezhi was violent like a ferocious tiger leaping down a mountain, whereas the force from him was soft and powerless.
Without the comparison, Ou Yangming could not have noticed the difference.
However, half of his consciousness was like an outsider at the moment, and he was able to compare himself to Sui Hezhi when he practiced the blade technique. Under the circumstances, he could identify even the tiniest flaw, let alone noticing the huge difference between them.
Ou Yangming sighed. Though Sui Hezhi’s slash looked simple, he probably underwent countless training and bloody fights.
It was simply a pipe dream for Ou Yangming if he wanted to learn the essence so quickly.
He would need to go through severe training if he wanted to achieve Sui Hezhi’s blade technique that was suitable for wars, and there was no shortcut to it.
In actual fact, even if normal Military Fire Blacksmiths noticed the difference, they would not waste their time practicing the blade technique since they would not be able to use it anyway.
Despite that, Ou Yangming was very interested in it. He was forced to be interested due to the pressure from someone else.
“Swoosh…”
He made another slash, but it was not the follow-up of Sui Hezhi’s blade technique as he was still practicing the first slash. That being said, there was something different about it this time.
Ou Yangming made adjustments after looking at the comparison. While he knew that it was impossible for him to be on par with Sui Hezhi in such a short time, he tried his best to get as close as he could to that.
A slash, a slash, a slash…
As the sun set slowly, the courtyard was painted in a beautiful afterglow.
Basking in the sunset glow, Ou Yangming’s strong and robust figure was seen. Even though he was shirtless and drenched in sweat, he seemed to be unaware of the exhaustion at all, and continued to wield his sword tirelessly.
At last, the sun had set, and not a bit of sunlight could be seen anymore.
Ou Yangming paused instantly, and he finally regained his normal state.
A thud was heard when he fell to the ground, and beads of sweat dripped to the floor so quickly that they formed a tiny puddle.
Ou Yangming was absolutely worn out to the point that he could fall asleep the moment he closed his eyes, but he did not give up, and his eyes were full of determination.
After forcing himself to stand up, the Military Fire that burned in his hand spiraled around the military saber. He then headed to a corner to stab his saber into the wild beast that was brought by Sui Hezhi earlier.
A brief moment later, Ou Yangming’s face reddened as his fatigue body regained endless power.
He smiled happily like a baby.
Following that, he looked fo
rward with a sharp and firm look, which was accompanied by a hint of killing intent.
“Kill!”
Ou Yangming roared, then took a step forward to slash his saber down.
The sharp blade of his saber, the blade intent, and the momentum, were exactly the same as Sui Hezhi’s!
Chapter 30
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
On the third day, Ou Yangming stopped practicing the blade technique and the fist art all of a sudden.
It was not because he wanted to slack, but because he had not enough Qi and blood to consume.
Although Sui Hezhi sent him a wild beast, which unexceptionally transformed into Qi and blood that were stored in his body, he noticed a troubling issue after cultivating the blade technique for three days.
The Qi and blood consumptions during the cultivation of the blade technique and the fist art were a few times higher than what was needed for a martial-art squat.
It was not strange at all. After all, the martial-art squat was a type of mediation, whereas sword-wielding and punching required Ou Yangming to jump around, thus the energy consumed could not be matched by the former.
Needless to say, the exhaustion of his Qi and blood caused his essential Qi to increase faster, but the increased margin was not proportionate to the Qi and blood consumption.
In actual fact, Chen Yifan was very knowledgeable, and he assigned Ou Yangming to practice the martial-art squat on purpose.
Everyone was gifted in a different way, hence one person’s Qi and blood were Heaven and Earth apart from another person’s. According to the conversion speed of Ou Yangming’s Qi and blood that were absorbed from a ferocious beast once in ten days, they were perfect for a martial-art squat. It allowed him to strike a perfect balance between the production and consumption of his Qi and blood, so his body would not be destroyed by undue haste.
Immortal Path to Heaven c1-725 Page 18
