Old Craftsman was the only one with a grave expression on his face as though he thought about something, but dared not confirm it.
Wang Zhongtong asked softly, “Old Craftsman, what do you think they’re doing?”
The other blacksmiths turned to look at the old man eagerly.
“I’m thinking, perhaps…” Old Craftsman answered after some thought then shook his head and said, “It’s quite unlikely. In order to possess the skill, apart from having extreme talent, one requires rich experience. Master Ni is too young…”
The rest of them tweaked their ears and scratched their cheeks as they were anxious, but they could not do anything about it since Old Craftsman said that it was impossible.
Finally, as the crowd watched in anticipation, Zheng Ziwen put on every piece of equipment smithed by Ni Yunhong.
A helmet, a military saber, an armor, a pair of arm guards, and a pair of greaves.
In actual fact, that was the most basic equipment set. Apart from those, there were also waist sash, jewelry, boots, and so on. Nevertheless, the basic equipment set was already very valuable, and not everyone had the ability to purchase it, let alone other pieces of supplementary equipment.
Zheng Ziwen inhaled deeply and looked rather thrilled.
Subsequently, he channeled his essential Qi into every piece of equipment.
A peculiar power was instantly released from the equipment set, which flowed back into Zheng Ziwen’s body.
Almost at the same time, a bizarre light shone on the helmet and the armor. The light was vaguely green, and it alternated between the two pieces of equipment for some time before it disappeared.
While the light only moved around for a brief moment, it was enough for those who were observant to take a good look at it.
Ou Yangming watched as the green light disappeared. Instead of feeling worried, he yearned for the unknown.
A question lingered in his head. ‘What exactly is that green light? What must I do to learn it?’
After seeing a new skill, the first thing that Ou Yangming thought was how he could acquire it. If he could learn a new skill, it did not matter even if he lost the challenge.
Even a fool knew at that moment the green light was Ni Yunhong’s greatest dependence, but only very few could actually describe it.
Old Craftsman sighed. “Ah, indeed!”
Wang Zhongtong was distressed, so he quickly asked, “Old Craftsman, what exactly is that?”
“Back then when I went to the prefecture, I saw a type of equipment known as a suit.” Old Craftsman shook his head.
“A suit? Is this a suit?”
The older Military Fire Blacksmiths exclaimed.
A suit, as the name suggested, was a set of equipment. That said, it seemed like the suit that they mentioned was a different thing.
“This isn’t right. If it’s a suit, why were the helmet and the armor the only ones that responded?” Li Shunfeng questioned.
Old Craftsman sighed. “A suit is actually separated into different categories. The highest level suit is the combination of all equipment to form the most powerful combination effect, but it’s extremely difficult to do that. Therefore, blacksmiths came up with a simpler version by distributing the suit’s effect. Regardless of the number of equipment, if they result in an amplified effect when they’re matched together, they’re considered a suit.”
The other people nodded. They finally understood that among the pieces of equipment smithed by Ni Yunhong, only the armor and the helmet incited a suit’s power. This was also considered the most basic suit.
Despite that, it was still a suit. As compared to a single piece of equipment, a suit had a much higher advantage.
Even if they were the judges, they could not go against their conscience by saying that Ou Yangming was the winner.
After all, nobody was foolish or blind. Even if the blacksmiths were shameless, the generals would not sit idly by.
Zheng Ziwen sensed the power quietly, then opened his eyes after a brief moment. He shouted excitedly, “A suit, this is definitely a suit!”
Ou Yangming took a step forward to ask, “Master Zheng, may I take a look at it?”
Zheng Ziwen removed the equipment set reluctantly, but cursed to himself, ‘Although it’s a suit, only the helmet and the armor responded. You should’ve pointed it out in the first place, so I didn’t have to put on every piece of equipment.’
Ou Yangming took the helmet and the armor. He looked like he was inspecting them, but the Military Fire in his hands had actually flashed a few times.
[Item: Distinguished armor]
[Equivalent Rank: Ordinary Tool, High Grade, Rank Five]
[Attributes: Toughness +15, Durability 15]
[Item: Distinguished helmet1 (Red)]
[Equivalent Rank: Ordinary Tool, High Grade, Rank Four]
[Attributes: Sharpness +14, Toughness +14, Power +1, Durability 14]
Judging from the two pieces of equipment individually, it seemed like nothing was out of the ordinary such that the ones smithed by Ou Yangming were not inferior to them at all.
However, Ou Yangming could not forget the unforgettable green color.
That was because he had a vague feeling that the green color would be unusually important to him.
Zheng Ziwen kindly reminded Ou Yangming after seeing him being deep in thoughts, “Master Ou, that’s a suit, so the power can only be sensed if you put the pieces of equipment on.”
Ou Yangming raised his eyebrows and was slightly moved. Instead of putting them on, he placed them together.
Next, his Military Fire burned again.
Of course, it only burned a little in his palms, hence the powerhouses and blacksmith experts present did not notice it at all.
This time, the attribute layout that appeared in Ou Yangming’s mind was completely different.
Other than the basic attributes of the two pieces of equipment, a set of green words appeared.
[Suit Combination: Increases physique by 10%, increases the upper limit of defensive power by 10%]
Ou Yangming’s eyelids twitched as soon as he saw the set of data.
‘Physique, defensive power?’
While they were not as straightforward as the Power and the Agility attributes, it was easy to understand them.
Physique represented an individual’s body quality. When Ou Yangming put on his equipment set, he had an upgrade of 11 points and 4 points of Power and Agility respectively, but it did not mean that he was not lacking anything.
His greatest limitation was his physique.
If Ou Yangming had fought in his armor, his Qi, blood, and power would be exhausted very quickly. Without the countless flesh and blood at the dense forest’s periphery, which allowed him to replenish his Qi and blood at any time, he could not have fought for a long time.
Similarly, Ou Yangming displayed an enormous power in the dense forest by carrying two ferocious beasts’ carcasses. That being said, he felt weary after walking a certain distance and required more blood and flesh as replenishment.
It was all because of the limit from his physique.
Even though Ou Yangming had searched crazily to upgrade his physique, he could not find another way apart from cultivation so far.
This time, he saw hope in the suit.
As for defensive power, there was no need to explain it. Though it seemed like a 10% increment was not much, as a person’s cultivation base improved, and the qualities of the pieces of equipment were upgraded, the 10% would be magnified.
Ou Yangming expressed after putting down the two pieces of equipment slowly, “I understand.”
Zheng Ziwen did not demand more from him. He hesitated before asking, “Master Ou, do you have any comments? If not, I’ll be announcing the result!”
Normally, he would have announced the result right away if a suit was made in a challenge of this level.
Having said that, today’s situation was different. The two blacksmiths h
ad unexpectedly displayed more superior abilities again and again, to the extent that Zheng Ziwen was starting to doubt himself.
Ou Yangming looked at him deeply. “Wait, wait.”
Zheng Ziwen cried to himself, ‘F*ck, it’s really happening again…’
Chapter 76 - Layering VS Suit
Ou Yangming and Zheng Ziwen were not conversing loudly, but the crowd could deduce something from their expressions.
They knew what was going on because of the strange look on Zheng Ziwen’s face, but different people reacted differently.
Chen Yifan’s eyes glowed because he recalled Ou Yangming’s level of performance when he fought Liu Zhengye the other day. In actuality, although Ou Yangming could exchange blows with Liu Zhengye through skills, it did not mean that he had the ability to resist Chen Yifan.
Nonetheless, what Chen Yifan valued was the state shown by Ou Yangming. The breathtaking feeling he felt from witnessing the integration of Heaven and man was still fresh in his memory.
After seeing Zheng Ziwen’s expression, deep down Chen Yifan was still feeling hopeful. He wanted to witness another miracle.
On the other hand, Tian Boguang scoffed and commented, “Everyone, Ou Yangming is already at his wit’s end, but he doesn’t want to admit defeat. Hmph, a person like him will definitely have limited achievements!”
Fang Yihai expressed calmly, “Brother Tian, perhaps Brother Lil’ Ou hasn’t shown all of his abilities yet, give him a chance.”
Tian Boguang’s face changed. He scoffed and dared not say a word.
Among the five generals in the military, there was already enmity between him and General Chen Yifan. If he provoked another general, he would be in serious trouble.
Deng Zhicai watched everyone’s reaction, but did not speak. He looked at Ou Yangming meaningfully, as if he was wondering how exactly Ou Yangming was going to turn the tables.
“Old Craftsman, that’s really a suit!” Li Shunfeng exhaled deeply. “Master Lil’ Ou is probably going to lose this time…”
“Yes, since it’s a suit, there’s really nothing he can do.”
“Ah, Master Lil’ Ou is so unlucky. He was up against a God-given attribute earlier—luckily, he also acquired one. But…”
“Old Craftsman, Master Lil’ Ou is about to lose, why do you not look worried at all?”
Everyone turned to look as they were stunned. Old Craftsman was calm, as though he had turned a deaf ear to this.
“Does it help if we’re worried? Everyone, just wait and see.” Old Craftsman could not help but laugh when he saw their expressions, and he said after a short pause, “Besides, the result hasn’t been decided yet. I’m not worried, so why are you worried?”
Wang Zhongtong and the others looked at each other, dumbfounded. Their eyes lit up after some time.
“Old Craftsman, are you saying that Master Lil’ Ou still has a chance to win?”
The old man smiled without saying a word, but his composure was like a magical stabilizer that calmed down everyone.
“Old Craftsman, you said that Master Lil’ Ou inherited your legacy. Could he have inherited your Layering Art too?” Li Shunfeng’s eyes sparkled.
The rest of them instantly clamored. The Layering Art was Old Craftsman’s specialty. While the others had attempted to learn it, and while the old man guided them diligently without reservations, nobody had actually succeeded in learning it after many years. Even if they managed to execute it once or twice out of luck, they were confused when they tried to recall the process, and could not figure out how it should be done.
Ou Yangming had only controlled the Military Fire for a short period of time. If he had actually learned the Layering Art, his seniors would be ashamed.
Nevertheless, they were looking forward to it after thinking about the young fellow’s miraculous performance thus far.
Old Craftsman pointed ahead and said, “There, see for yourselves.”
The others quickly turned to look, and saw that Ou Yangming had already taken the military saber that he had smithed.
It was a High Grade Rank Four martial tool that had been attached with the Power attribute. Initially, the military saber could be on par with the one smithed by Ni Yunhong, but it was lacking now.
“Master Ou, what do you want to do?” Zheng Ziwen was confused. “Are you trying to upgrade the military saber’s quality? Even if it’s upgraded to the limit of High Grade, it can’t be compared with a suit!”
Ou Yangming grinned. “I know, but I’d like to try.”
The Military Fire burned in his hands and instantly enveloped the military saber. There was a grave expression on his face, which made him look extremely stern.
With a smile on his face, Chen Yifan suddenly asked, “General Tian, do you know what Old Craftsman’s specialty is?”
Tian Boguang was stunned. For some reason, a shadow emerged from the bottom of his heart, and it seemed to be expanding. He scoffed angrily and answered, “I don’t!”
Chen Yifan remained a smile on his face. “I’ll tell you then. Old Craftsman’s smithing specialty is the Layering Art.”
“What?” Tian Boguang was stunned, but he quickly remarked, “Heh, even if Old Craftsman knows the Layering Art, Ou Yangming only obtained the Military Fire not long ago, how could he have grasped the ultimate skill?”
“Take a good look then. Some people are born to be good at creating miracles!” Chen Yifan laughed.
Tian Boguang sneered, but did not argue. Strangely enough, the discomfort that he was feeling began to grow.
While letting the Military Fire burn, Ou Yangming reached out for a Power Ore.
The Armament Camp had suffered a massive loss for this challenge. Whether it was steel ingots or precious ores, they were piled up on the platform, which was unusually generous of the camp to do so.
However, after seeing Ou Yangming reaching out for another Power Ore, many people were shocked because they could guess what he wanted to do.
Ni Yunhong and his younger sister looked at each other as they were both surprised. In actual fact, when Ni Yunhong arrived at the military camp, he had visited every Military Fire Blacksmith one by one, so he had a basic understanding of each of them.
He greatly respected Old Craftsman because he knew that the old man had knowledge of the Military Fire Layering Art.
It was an exceptionally difficult skill. Even though Ni Yunhong could smith a suit through ingenious means, he was incapable of the tangible Layering Art that demanded real skill.
Therefore, although he treated the other blacksmiths with disdain, he was polite toward Old Craftsman.
After seeing Ou Yangming’s move, Ni Yunhong could not help but clench his fists.
‘I controlled the spiritual fire and intensively studied smithing art for years, yet I haven’t grasped the Layering Art. You’re just a brat who has just learned the rudiments of this technique, are you going to try it now?’
On the contrary, Ni Yinghong’s eyes sparkled. When she watched Ou Yangming, who was radiant from being focused, something at the bottom of her heart was stirred.
It was only a fleeting feeling, but she blushed.
She was in distress. ‘The young man is Elder Brother’s opponent, why don’t I dislike him?
‘Perhaps because he and Elder Brother are very alike, they’re both talented yet hardworking.’
The Power Ore was tossed into the Military Fire. It melted quickly due to the burning fire, then was evenly distributed across the military saber. Ou Yangming’s arms began swaying a little, which was a strange sight for the crowd. It seemed like he had become one with Heaven and Earth, and was inseparable in their eyes.
“The integration of Heaven and man?” Ni Yunhong trembled all of a sudden as he was in disbelief. He quickly turned to look at his younger sister, who looked back at him, and they both had an odd expression on their faces.
It was neither a look of fear nor worry, but a look of joy that could not be hidden.
&n
bsp; Ou Yangming would instantly be alert if he saw their expressions at the moment, and would list them as guests whom he would never have ties with.
However, Ou Yangming was completely immersed in his enjoyment.
Yes. The Layering Art that was strenuous for other people was actually a rare enjoyment for him. He swayed his arms slightly to evenly distribute the liquid as much as possible, and eventually, his body was also swaying according to a unique tempo.
The entire square went dead silent as everyone fixed their gaze on Ou Yangming.
If they had sensed a painting in a beginning—a painting that was basically still—they were now looking at a moving scene.
Ou Yangming had come to life. Not only did he come to life, but even the air, the wind, and everything around him had also come to life.
Everyone including the four generals stood up subconsciously. They quietly paid attention to Ou Yangming, as if each of them could sense something from his swaying body.
The generals’ eyes glowed in a peculiar light, and they clenched their fists together. It was as though they had fathomed something amazing.
Ni Yunhong and his younger sister felt the same. The same words appeared in their minds at that moment.
‘We found it, we finally found it!’
“Swoosh…”
The Military Fire finally dimmed, and Ou Yangming exhaled deeply before straightening his body.
He suddenly realized the weird atmosphere around him as it was too quiet, and was taken aback when he turned to look.
Zheng Ziwen suddenly awakened, and he took the military saber to inspect it by channeling his essential Qi. He sighed at last and expressed, “The Layering Art, it’s really the Layering Art. Hehe, I’m glad to have been able to participate in your smithing challenge as the appraiser today, this is certainly the proudest moment in my life.”
It was merely a sentimental comment, but the last sentence became a fact in the end.
“A suit and the Layering Art. Ah, the skills that you’ve mastered have surpassed my limits as a judge.” Zheng Ziwen spread out his hands and said, “You may discuss and decide the result yourselves, I’m not going to care anymore!”
Following that, he turned and left the square.
Immortal Path to Heaven c1-725 Page 45
