Fang Yihai quickly responded, “Great Ancestor, it’s my duty to serve the clan.”
“Oh right, since you’ve been stationed at the Immense Forest Military Camp, did you notice anything unusual about the immense forest?” Fang Zhaoyang nodded and asked.
“There’s nothing different about the immense forest. The soldiers from different camps are still going in to hunt in batches, and they haven’t noticed any abnormalities too. It’s just that…” Fang Yihai answered seriously. He suddenly furrowed his eyebrows and said hesitantly, “The number of half-spirit beasts in the forest seems to have increased, but it’s not a big deal because it has always been like that every few decades.”
“The number of half-spirit beasts increased?” Fang Zhaoyang finally put down his longbow and remarked, “It’s not a big deal indeed if this happened in the past, but I can’t say the same now.”
Fang Yihai nodded. “Yes, I’ll increase our manpower once I return, as well as the number of times they enter the forest. I’ll definitely verify the matter.”
“Okay.” Fang Zhaoyang nodded as he was pleased. “If the disaster isn’t coming, we won’t have to talk about it, but if it’s really coming, we’ll have to prepare in advance.”
“Yes.” The few important figures from the Fang family bowed and responded to him.
Fang Zhaoyang looked at the longbow and ordered with a stern tone, “Once Xuande returns, let him rest and get him to chisel a hole in the bow on an auspicious day. This is our only chance, so we must succeed!”
Everyone else nodded and had a grave expression on their faces.
Right then, they heard footsteps that sounded like the wind.
A flash of figure was seen, and Fang Xuande appeared in front of them. What surprised them more was the usually steady person was holding a saber with his eyes widened at the moment, and he looked rather odd.
“Xuande, what are you doing? Great Ancestor is here, you mustn’t be so unrestrained!” Fang Zhengde expressed his discontent.
Nonetheless, Fang Xuande turned a deaf ear to him. He hurried to the great ancestor with a saber.
The other men were dumbfounded, and they had the same thought at the same time.
‘Has Xuande gone mad?’
Despite that, they were soon at ease.
This was because Fang Xuande pointed at the blade instead of slashing the saber at the great ancestor. “Great Ancestor, look…”
Fang Zhaoyang cast a surprised look at him, then at the blade.
A groove was seen on the blade, and it was polished so smoothly that it had a perfect luster.
“Xuande, you did quite well. Keep it up, and our clan’s future will depend on you!” Fang Zhaoyang nodded with a smile.
On the other hand, the other people looked at him and shook their head.
It was true that the groove was polished perfectly, but it was not Fang Xuande’s first time achieving something like this, so they could not understand why he had suddenly made a fuss about it.
Fang Xuande shook his head and said, “Great Ancestor, it wasn’t me who chiseled the hole.”
“Oh, it wasn’t you?” Fang Zhaoyang was stunned, and he seemed moved, but he quickly shook his head and mumbled, “Impossible…”
The rest of them were slightly shocked too because they could not figure out who else in their clan could accomplish something like that.
When they recalled that Fang Xuande had just… Everyone’s face changed at that instant, and Fang Zhengde commented, “It’s impossible. Master Lil’ Ou may be talented in the Layering Art, but the Tool-chiseling Secret Technique is completely different from that art, so how could he have grasped it?”
The other people nodded in agreement. It was difficult for them to believe that ou Yangming had made the groove.
Fang Zhaoyang asked in all seriousness, “Xuande, tell me, who did this?”
“It was Master Lil’ Ou.” Fang Xuande looked stern, and he glanced around him to see how the other people reacted. “You might not believe me, but I only taught him once, once…” He eventually slowed down and even spoke like he was talking in his sleep. “But once was all he took to grasp the Hole-searching Art and Hole-chiseling Art.”
“What? He even learned the Hole-searching Art?” Fang Zhaoyang’s face changed as he asked with an unsmiling face.
If Ou Yangming had only succeeded in hole-chiseling, it would cause a sensation between them, but they knew that he was a top-notch smithing master, after all. In particular, his mighty ability in the Layering Art was beyond one’s reach.
Therefore, they could at least accept the fact because it was natural for an extraordinary person to have extraordinary accomplishments.
That said, hole-searching was different. Not every point on a piece of equipment could be chiseled, and there was an extremely high requirement for it. If a hole was carelessly chiseled onto a piece of equipment, the equipment would become useless the moment the groove was formed.
Fang Xuande nodded his head hard and swore, “Yes, I tried it. Master Lil’ Ou didn’t just find the key point, he also found it ten times faster than I did!”
Everyone else twitched their mouth and thought, ‘Even if you want to flatter him, you shouldn’t exaggerate…’
Fang Xuande was the best blacksmith in their clan, and he was the best in the Tool-chiseling Art. If someone else was ten times better than him, it was simply unimaginable.
“Yihai, go get Master Lil’ Ou here,” Fang Zhaoyang instructed after some thought.
Fang Yihai quickly responded to him and left.
“Great Ancestor, are you…” Fang Zhengde asked hesitantly.
“I haven’t decided, but since Xuande praised him so much, let’s take a look,” Fang Zhaoyang responded casually. Fang Zhengde’s face changed. “Great Ancestor, even if Master Lil’ Ou is gifted, he has only learned the Tool-chiseling Art for a… Less than an hour.”
He initially wanted to say ‘a day’, but on a second thought, he could not bring himself to say it.
“Don’t worry, this matter will affect the Fang family’s future, so I won’t make a rash decision.” Fang Zhaoyang chuckled.
When Fang Yihai went to the smithing workshop excitedly, he indeed saw Ou Yangming sitting on the chair helplessly. “Master Ou, Great Ancestor has asked you to go over.” Fang Yihai approached Ou Yangming and grabbed him. He was elated, thus he was more friendly toward Ou Yangming.
Before this, while he had a place in the clan, he was not ranked high enough among the elders, and he had not won the great ancestor’s heart.
This time, it was different. Fang Yihai’s position in the great ancestor’s and the patriarch’s hearts had greatly improved, which would be beneficial for his future.
Ou Yangming muttered and wanted to just bid his farewell, but he thought, ‘I’ve just learned the Tool-chiseling Art, so if I suddenly turn against them and leave, I might be terribly rebuked…’
Hence, he got rid of the dust on his body and returned to the secret room with Fang Yihai.
However, Ou Yangming instantly felt something different this time.
The elders cast questioning looks and him, causing the smile on his face to freeze a little.
Fang Zhaoyang asked, “Lil’ Friend, I heard you’ve learned the Hole-searching Art?”
Ou Yangming was struck dumb, but he quickly understood that the Hole-searching Art was the art to find a suitable point for a groove.
He pursed his lips slightly and answered, “I have superficial knowledge of it.”
“Very well, let me take a look at your superficial knowledge then.” Fang Zhaoyang reached out his hand and displayed his strength as a Supreme Great Ancestor when a shield, which was at the corner, flew into his hand.
“Take a look at it and find a suitable point for a groove.”
Ou Yangming hesitated for a while, but he obeyed the instruction and took a look at it. Nonetheless, he immediately looked puzzled.
The other people sighed a bre
ath of relief at the same time and were somewhat expressing their delight through their eyebrows.
Ou Yangming’s performance had been quite shocking.
If he could learn the Hole-searching Art so easily… Even Fang Zhaoyang would not be able to accept the truth because it would be such a heavy impact, so much so that he would not be willing to bear it.
Fang Xuande was surprised. ‘Why is this young fella suddenly frightened?’
Ou Yangming turned the shield around to study it for some time before he finally raised a question, “Senior Xuande, may I ask how many grooves can there be on a piece of equipment?”
In actuality, the answer was already shown on his waist sash.
Nevertheless, he wanted to hear the opinion of a true successor.
Fang Xuande answered, “It’s subjective. According to a piece of equipment’s grade, rank, and material, some can only have one, while some can have three of four grooves.”
Ou Yangming could not help but laugh. “Indeed.”
He pointed at two spots on the shield and stated, “Based on my observation, these two points are suitable.”
The other men looked at each other and were shocked.
It turned out that the young fellow was not troubled. He only wanted to ask a question because he had not stumbled upon treasures with two holes and above.
If that was the case, did it mean that he had really grasped the Hole-searching Art?
Fang Zhaoyang took the shield and closed his eyes before he felt about the shield with his hands.
He had also learned smithing art when he was younger, but he mostly focused on martial arts in his life, which was why he managed to become the clan’s Great Supreme Ancestor.
Fang Zhaoyang had also learned his clan’s Hole-searching Art before. On top of that, he had never really forgotten about it because it was a secret technique that was handed down to them.
Of course, knowing it was one thing. It was hard to say how many times he had practiced
it.
For a long time…
For a long time…
For a long time…
Fang Zhaoyang finally opened his eyes. As the crowd looked at him eagerly, he pointed on a spot on the shield and said, “This point is right.”
Following that, he closed his eyes again and fully focused on calculating and searching. The faces of Fang Zhengde and the other men finally changed, and they looked at Ou Yangming even more strangely than before. That being said, there was also a feeling of deep respect and envy in their looks. ‘This young fella is indeed…. Not an ordinary person!
Chapter 157 - Request Again
After half an hour, Fang Zhaoyang finally opened his eyes and was reassured. “Not bad, young fella. You really found both points.”
Following that, when he noticed the strange looks on the other people’s faces, he asked as a thought crossed his mind, “How long did I take?”
Fang Zhengde cleared his throat and answered, “Great Ancestor, around an hour.”
“Huh? An… Hour!” Fang Zhaoyang mumbled and lamented to himself.
‘When Ou Yangming found the embedding points earlier, he only took two glances as he turned the shield around. Why did I spend such a long time?’
He shook his head and sighed. “Ah, I’m old and unfit for this now…”
The other people from the Fang family thought, ‘Even when you were younger, you weren’t that great at the Hole-searching Art. That said, the ability to use time to compensate for your shortcomings and finally finding the accurate points is pretty good.’ Fang Zhaoyang pondered and suddenly asked, “Lil’ Friend, I have a question to ask.”
Ou Yangming was neither humble nor disrespectful as he responded, “Senior, please go ahead.”
“This equipment set has already arrived at its limit. In your opinion, how can we improve its combat power?” Fang Zhaoyang asked. Ou Yangming was stunned, but he thought, ‘If the pieces of equipment are really in my hands, that won’t be the maximum number of attributes that can be held.’
Nonetheless, he could only keep it to himself.
“Great Ancestor, are you going to use the Tool-chiseling Art?” Ou Yangming asked softly.
“Haha, there are certainly two ways to improve pieces of equipment of such level,” Fang Zhaoyang replied to him without hesitation and explained seriously, “One is by making a Formation Map Suit where corresponding formation maps are imprinted on the pieces of equipment to produce a wonderful power that increases their overall ability; the other is by embedding gems.”
Ou Yangming was slightly moved, and he instantly recalled the Suit Skill that Ni Yunhong[1] used during the smithing challenge. He had secretly studied it in the past, but he ended up gaining nothing. Nevertheless, Fang Zhaoyang had just mentioned the key — formation maps. It seemed like the process was only doable through formation maps.
Fang Zhaoyang added, “The Fang family knows nothing about Formation Map Suits, but we have our own knowledge in the Gem Embedding Art, so we’d like to take this
path.”
Ou Yangming nodded. “Senior, you’re right. The right thing to do is to make use of advantages and avoid shortcomings.” “Very well. Since you approve of this, help me see how many grooves can be chiseled onto these pieces of equipment.” Fang Zhaoyang laughed.
Fang Zhengde trembled a little, and he wanted to advise the great ancestor against it. However, he instantly stopped when he noticed the faces of the other elders. He knew very well that Ou Yangming had gained everyone’s approval through his capability.
Ou Yangming nodded with a smile and picked up the longbow.
He had just learned the Tool-chiseling Art and wanted to inspect some good pieces of equipment. Since Fang Zhaoyang did not mind, he would not decline the request.
Ou Yangming turned the longbow around to look at it once. He only studied it once, then he looked up and announced while being watched by the other people, “This bow is pretty good, it can have three grooves.” “Three grooves?” The faces of the other people changed as they were both surprised and delighted.
Even if they were not a blacksmith, they understood that it was better to have more grooves.
“This isn’t right…” Fang Xuande frowned and expressed, “We’ve already checked it before. The longbow can at most have only two
grooves.”
“Let me take a look at it,” Fang Zhaoyang said with a deep voice.
Fang Xuande quickly responded, “Ah, it’s just a small matter, let me do it.”
The other people nodded as well because they felt hopeless at the thought of Fang Zhaoyang’s speed earlier.
Despite that, who was Fang Zhaoyang? He pulled a long face and ordered coldly, “Give it to me!”
This time, nobody dared to object to it anymore.
Fang Zhaoyang took the longbow and shut his eyes as he slowly felt around the weapon. The other people exchanged glances and understood what they were all thinking about.
‘We can take a nap and come back later…’
Of course, nobody actually left, they did not even show their discontent.
As expected, it was only after an extremely long time — longer than the last — that Fang Zhaoyang pointed on a spot and said, “This is the first one.”
The rest of them immediately nodded. Whether it was Fang Xuande, who knew the Hole-searching Art, or Fang Yihai, who knew nothing about it, they shouted, “Great Ancestor, you’re impressive.” After a long time again, Fang Zhaoyang said, “This is the second one.”
Ou Yangming nodded but did not want to speak anymore.
Fang Yihai and the others obviously did not have the guts to be undisciplined in front of their great ancestor. On the other hand, although Ou Yangming did not want to offend the Supreme Great Ancestor because of the time taken, it was impossible for him to put down his pride to flatter the elder.
Once Fang Zhaoyang found two groove spots, he became much slower. He had been feeling the longbow with his fing
ers for half an hour, but he could not find the third suitable point.
Fang Xuande inched closer to Ou Yangming and asked carefully, “Master Lil’ Ou, did you really find three groove spots?”
Ou Yangming replied to him snappily, “Why would I lie to you?”
“But Great Ancestor can’t find it…” Fang Xuande responded softly.
Ou Yangming took a step forward and pointed on a spot on the longbow despite being looked at strangely. “It’s here!”
Everyone else was taken aback, and Fang Yihai’s face took on a ghastly expression. Ou Yangming must be tired of living for being so unrestrained in front of the great ancestor. In spite of that, Fang Zhaoyang had unexpectedly opened his eyes and touched the spot as he mumbled, “How can it be this spot? How can it be… Here? Ah… I understand! Yes, this is indeed the point! Lil’ Ou, you’re amazing!” He stood up abruptly and laughed out loud.
If Fang Zhaoyang had slowly searched for a longer time, perhaps he still could not find the spot. It was only due to Ou Yangming’s reminder that he came to a sudden realization.
Similar to solving a problem, one could not find the answer when one puzzled over the problem for a long time. After knowing the answer and deducing the problem in reverse, it was easily solved.
“Try finding them too.” Fang Zhaoyang passed the longbow to Fang Xuande. Fang Xuande had been very impatient, so he quickly focused and calmed down to begin searching
“Are you not satisfied because I’m wasting time?” Fang Zhaoyang asked as he looked around.
“No.”
The other people including Ou Yangming subconsciously answered at the same time.
This was because they did not need to think about the answer. If they were to express their dissatisfaction to a Supreme Great Ancestor, they would definitely be punished.
“I’m aware that I’m wasting time when I’m searching the holes, but…” Fang Zhaoyang sighed and glanced at Fang Xuande, who was fully immersed in touching the longbow with his eyes closed. “If I didn’t do that, I wouldn’t be at ease!”
It was then that the rest of them came to a sudden realization, and Ou Yangming’s heart skipped a beat. He finally found out that Fang Zhaoyang valued the matter much more than he had imagined.
Immortal Path to Heaven c1-725 Page 93
