Since that was the case, the only thing he could do was keep controlling and moving the small fireball through his mental power. Needless to say, throughout the process, he had to maintain the fireball’s pressure below a safe warning level so that it would not explode.
It was not easy to achieve that. When Ou Yangming first began to attempt it, it was relatively difficult to control the small fireball, whether it was maintaining its scale, stabilizing its internal pressure, or guiding it with his mental power.
Besides, he had to consume a substantial amount of energy for the process.
After only 15 minutes, Ou Yangming felt that his head was somewhat aching. His face changed. The practice method’s mental consumption was so huge that it truly exceeded his expectations.
It was true that he still had abundant mental power, but if his energy was depleted to a certain level, the outcome will be the same.
Ou Yangming took a deep breath and stared at the small fireball in front of him. The fireball dissipated bit by bit until it finally vanished.
The small fireball did not contain massive mental power, thus he was able to get rid of it. If he had attempted to do the same to a huge fireball, the result would be entirely different.
Ou Yangming sat down and pressed his temples. He was slightly pale, and he looked rather exhausted.
It was unbelievable that controlling a small fireball was much more tiring than gathering a huge fireball.
Nonetheless, instead of feeling frustrated or regretful, Ou Yangming became more interested in the process.
The small fireball was not as mighty as the huge fireball, but it could not be underestimated at all. Even if a Supreme Great Ancestor took a hit from the small fireball, it would not feel good.
Of course, it would not be easy to attack an Extreme Grade powerhouse with a fireball. It was the same theory as how a normal person would dodge when someone else was slashing a saber at him or her; nobody would take the hit with the neck.
‘What if I can control the small fireball so exquisitely that it arrives at the same time as the Suicidal Throat-locking Spear?’
Ou Yangming’s heart skipped the beat. If he achieved it, he would not be afraid of Ni Xuetian, a Supreme Great Ancestor who had also fathomed the integration of Heaven and man.
Once he found the right way to use his mental power, the power that could be unleashed would not be inferior to a martial arts powerhouse’s at all.
Ou Yangming clenched his fists, and his eyes sparkled.
The young fellow wanted to practice hard as he was determined to get used to the extreme energy consumption. He had to utilize the small fireball in a real fight as soon as possible.
As Ou Yangming swayed his hand gently, a peculiar rune was formed in front of him. With his body as the center, a strange power revolved around him within ten steps away. The young fellow exhaled deeply and was feeling so comfortable that he almost moaned.
He focused his gaze after a brief moment, and the small fireball appeared in the air once again…
Chapter 258 - Apprentice Assessment
Chapter 258 Apprentice Assessment
Ou Yangming had a comfortable stay at the Yi Pavilion’s small courtyard for a few days.
Throughout those days, apart from Shopkeeper Du, who greeted him every day, and Hu Yicheng, who visited, the courtyard was not visited by other guests.
Needless to say, Ou Yangming did not step out of the courtyard at all as he spent all his time practicing the small fireball.
Although it had only been a few days, Ou Yangming came to the shocking realization that there was a significant improvement in his control over the small fireball.
In actual fact, even if someone else possessed a similar ability like the small fireball, one could not achieve such a scary improvement during practice. Ou Yangming was only different because he grasped the Mental Power Rune.
The moment Ou Yangming was tired of practicing the small fireball, he released a Mental Power Rune without any hesitation. Moreover, the area covered by the rune’s weakened version became extremely small under his control. Apart from himself, nobody could enjoy the rune’s magical effect.
With over 50 Points of mental power as his backing and the 2% Qi Return necklace as a supplement, Ou Yangming’s actual consumption was negligible. It was certainly not an occasional result that he could achieve great progress after just a few days.
On this day, Ou Yangming gave up the thought of continuing his practice because it had been 5 days, and the Blacksmith Rank Assessment was about to take place.
In the capital’s important place, any activity could cause quite a huge impact.
A blacksmith was an extremely important profession; the pieces of equipment used by powerful martial artists were meticulously smithed by Superior Blacksmiths. It was exactly because of these formidable pieces of equipment that every powerhouse in the human race could battle and even kill half-spirit beasts with greater physical power.
Therefore, Superior Blacksmiths had a reputable status, and they became more aloof after being pursued by many martial artists.
Any blacksmith who acquired the Superior title from an important place in the capital would become famous within the shortest possible time. The benefits that came with it were obvious to everyone, thus many people were also envious.
Needless to say, while many people wanted to become a Superior Blacksmith, very few were actually acknowledged by the public. When Du Gaoge brought Ou Yangming to the assessment venue, it was already packed with people. This was a gigantic square. Other than the participants, their relatives and friends were also present. Since there were also spectators around, the place was crowded. Nonetheless, the center of the square was empty regardless of the people present as nobody dared to enter. As Ou Yangming quietly waited among the crowd, three elders entered from the outside.
The three men were clearly prestigious because the crowd instantly stopped clamoring as soon as they entered.
Before long, everyone noticed something unusual around them, and they spotted the three elders one after another. With that, the square became silent, as though magic was cast over it.
The three elders looked at each other and were rather pleased.
One of them stepped forward and announced loudly, “Today’s assessment is a huge event for us blacksmiths. Is everyone fine with the three of us hosting the event?’
“It’s a blessing to have you host the event, Master Jin.”
“Master Jin, very well.”
“We’re confident because you’re hosting the event, Master Jin.”
“Greetings, Master Jin.”
Warm responses were heard from the crowd as everyone expressed their respect for the elder and welcomed him.
Ou Yangming turned his head sideways and asked, “Shopkeeper Du, who are these three men?”
Du Gaoge was stunned. He asked softly, “You don’t even know them?”
“It’s my first time in the capital, and I haven’t been here for long, so I really don’t know them.” Ou Yangming chuckled.
‘Since you’re planning to take the Blacksmith Assessment, why didn’t you ask about the important figures…’ Du Gaoge looked at him strangely and cursed, but he answered, “The one who’s talking is one of the Superior Blacksmiths in the capital, Jin Shengjie, he’s also known as Master Jin. The other two are Master Feng Guangyuan and Master Yi Yucheng. They’re not Superior Blacksmiths, but they gained the Advanced Title and are deemed by many masters to have the potential to become Superior Blacksmiths one day.”
Ou Yangming nodded. The fact that a Superior Master and two Advanced Masters were hosting this Blacksmith Assessment showed that the standard this time was not low at all.
Of course, if they knew one of the participants was able to smith magic tools, only God would know if they would still be confident enough to host the event.
Jin Shengjie waved his hand, causing the noises around to slowly go away.
He cleared his
throat loudly and ordered, “Apprentices, you may enter now.”
The railings at the square’s periphery were pulled apart at once as hundreds of people orderly walked in.
They were teens who were of a similar age as Ou Yangming. Even though some of them were slightly younger or older, the age difference was not too big.
“There’s a tight competition in the blacksmith trade. If one fails to be recognized before one is 25 years old, one won’t have the opportunity to obtain the Military Fire or the spiritual fire anymore,” Du Gaoge noted in a deep voice and added after a pause, “The roughly 300 people here are apprentices from blacksmith masters’ residences. They had to learn for at least 3 years before they have the guts to take the assessment.”
Ou Yangming was startled. “They’re all masters’ apprentices? What about outsiders?”
Du Gaoge shook his head. “Those masters have so many apprentices that there aren’t even enough slots to accommodate all of them, so how can there be outsiders?”
“Is it so difficult to apply for the assessment?” Ou Yangming furrowed his eyebrows.
“Master Ou, you misunderstood. These apprentices seek for a qualification to obtain the Military Fire or the spiritual fire. Those fires are limited, so it’s difficult to cross the threshold. On the other hand, it’s easy for blacksmiths like you, who already have the Military Fire, to take the assessment to increase your rank. Hehe, as long as one isn’t afraid of embarrassing oneself in public, one can take the assessment every year.” Ou Yangming nodded as he was rather moved. He finally realized that it was incredibly tough to acquire the Military Fire.
As the Immense Forest Military Camp’s chief Military Fire Blacksmith, Old Craftsman only had one chance to exchange for the fire even after he had gathered his military contributions throughout his whole life.
The young fellow felt more grateful for Old Craftsman. ‘Without the old man, how could I become who I am today?’
Jin Shengjie stated loudly, “Ready, go.”
A number of people entered the venue in a flash and shuttled around the young men as they distributed some papers to them. The young men were well-prepared too. They retrieved their brushes and inks, then they began to write their answers while being watched by the public.
Ou Yangming’s eyelids twitched. “Shopkeeper Du, what assessment is this?”
Du Gaoge explained, “They’re only apprentices without the Military Fire or the spiritual fire, so they can’t perform their skills and have to take a theory assessment instead.”
Ou Yangming twitched his mouth. If he was asked to take such a written assessment a year ago, he would not have a chance to stand out. Nevertheless, the young fellow experienced a lot throughout the year. In particular, he gained massive information about smithing art from the Ni family’s ancient books, as well as from their inherited spiritual world. As such, his knowledge could not be mentioned in the same breath as before.
The young men answered the questions very quickly. Some of them were hesitant at times, but they wrote their answers fast.
Whether their answers were right or wrong, at the very least, no loopholes could be seen on the outside.
Ou Yangming looked away, and his heart thudded. He told Du Gaoge with a smile, “Shopkeeper Du, I met an acquaintance, so I’ll go over to greet him.” Du Gaoge was dumbfounded for a while before he smiled. “Let’s go together.” The two of them walked through the crowd for some time, then Ou Yangming approached Hu Yicheng and asked softly, “Big Brother Hu, your son is taking the assessment too, right?”
“Young Ou, you’re here.” Hu Yicheng immediately turned around to look with his bright eyes. He later nodded at Du Gaoge, whom he had met once two days ago, so he did not forget about the shopkeeper.
Hu Yicheng pointed at a certain spot in the venue and sighed. “The person with the number 135 in the sixth row is my inferior son, Lingguang. Ah, it’s his first time sitting for the test, so I’m not sure if he’ll succeed.”
Du Gaoge comforted him, “Your son has been learning for 3 years in Master Wu’s residence, so he should be fine.”
“The other people didn’t learn any less than Lingguang did; some of them even learned for a longer time. Ah, it’ll be difficult for him to stand out…” Hu Yicheng smiled bitterly.
Ou Yangming hesitated for a while as he did not know how he could console the inspector. It was regarding the Military Fire or the spiritual fire, but even he did not know the right way to acquire it. Jin Shengjie notified after half an hour, “Times up, leave the venue.”
Many young men put down their brushes, but some of them continued to write as much as they could as if they wanted to utilize every second they had.
Despite that, someone approached them right away. Their brushes and inks were snatched away ruthlessly, and they were thrown out by their necks.
The crowd sighed out of pity because they knew those young men could not be chosen anymore.
Soon enough, the young men left, and the papers were taken away. Jin Shengjie did not ask about the test papers at all as he simply continued to announce, “The Official Blacksmith Assessment begins, so please take your places if you’ve registered.”
Du Gaoge informed, “Master Ou, it’s your turn.”
Hu Yicheng curbed his thought and encouraged the young fellow, “Young Ou, all the best.”
“Okay.” Ou Yangming grinned. He went forward and walked toward the center along with some other people.
“Brother Hu, since you traveled to the capital with Master Ou, what do you think of his smithing art standard?” Du Gaoge looked at Hu Yicheng and asked.
“Young Ou acquired the Military Fire for a year, so he should be able to do well in the Official Blacksmith Assessment…” Hu Yicheng pondered and said, but he was also a little anxious.
After all, the martial arts cultivation base and the mysterious power that were displayed by Ou Yangming was too shocking.
Since the young fellow used his energy in that aspect, how well could he do in smithing art?
Du Gaoge nodded and remarked, “I hope he’ll do well.”
Chapter 259 - A Question Before The Assessment
Chapter 259 A Question Before The Assessment
Ou Yangming slowly entered the square, where many casting tables were arranged some time ago. In fact, the apprentices had answered the questions on the tables earlier. When the apprentices left, and the blacksmiths that possessed the Military Fire or the spiritual fire entered, the atmosphere in the square instantly turned heavy.
After all, an apprentice was an apprentice; they did not have the Military Fire nor the spiritual fire.
Besides, even if the apprentices were favored by their elders and gained an opportunity to obtain the Military Fire, they might not necessarily succeed in getting the fire.
On the contrary, although the people on the stage at the moment were not official blacksmiths, they possessed either the Military Fire or the spiritual fire. In other words, they had truly entered the door to being a blacksmith, and they were skilled enough to be respected.
Ou Yangming only had a proof tag without a number. None of the participants would choose a casting table on purpose.
There were a total of more than 300 tables in the square, but there were only roughly 30 candidates for the Official Blacksmith Assessment.
Ou Yangming casually stood in front of a casting table and looked around. Apart from Hu Yicheng and the other people, he suddenly noticed Yan Yuanhua, who was on the high platform.
He curled his lips and nodded at Yan Yuanhua from afar.
On the high platform, Yan Yuanhua looked at Ou Yangming in shock because he did not expect the fellow to succeed in finding a way to join the Blacksmith Assessment. Nonetheless, even if Ou Yangming succeeded, he would only be an official blacksmith and would still be far from an Intermediate Blacksmith!
All of a sudden, Yan Yuanhua noticed Ou Yangming’s smile, which seemed to show great confidence. It somehow made him feel like
the young fellow was going to be victorious.
Yan Yuanhua shook his head hard. He could not help but look anxious and doubtful.
“Junior Brother Yan, what are you doing?” A middle-aged man next to him whispered, “We’re here to represent our master, and we mustn’t look around!”
“Yes, Second Senior Brother.” Yan Yuanhua blushed a little.
The man was also Master Wu Hongxi’s disciple, but he was the second disciple, Yuan Lexin. Not only did he have more power than Yan Yuanhua, but he was also one of the three Advanced Blacksmiths under Master Wu.
Yan Yuanhua was so arrogant toward Hu Yicheng and the rest, but he was as conscientious as a child in front of his second senior brother, and he dared not make a mistake at all.
Nevertheless, he kept thinking about Ou Yangming’s bright and confident smile, so he finally blurted, “Second Senior Brother, this is the Official Blacksmith Assessment, right?”
Yuan Lexin was stunned. “Yes!”
“Will someone directly become an Intermediate Blacksmith through this assessment?”
“Junior Brother Yan, are you feeling dizzy?” Yuan Lexin cast a strange look at Yuan Yanhua and continued after a pause, “The material used in an Official Blacksmith Assessment is ordinary iron ingot. Even if our master smiths something with that material, he can only produce a piece of Good Grade equipment at most. Heh, the criterion to be an Intermediate Blacksmith is to be able to steadily smith pieces of High Grade equipment!”
Yan Yuanhua felt relieved. “Second Senior Brother, are you saying that nobody can gain an Intermediate title through this assessment?”
“It’s impossible,” Yuan Lexin answered without any hesitation. He then frowned and commented, “Why are you being so mysterious? What the heck are you up to!”
“Nothing, nothing. Second Senior Brother, let’s watch the fun…” Yan Yuanhua quickly responded.
Yuan Lexin was feeling frustrated, but he found it inappropriate to question Yan Yuanhua closely in this setting. Therefore, he shut his mouth and watched the show without much interest. How could an assessment like this be interesting for an Advanced Blacksmith like him?
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