Although the forging of a new magic tool was not officially announced anywhere, Jin Shengjie’s extended period of stay in Wu Hongxi’s residence had made it obvious enough.
After all, there were only a handful of things in this world that would give two top-notch blacksmiths a hard time.
Jin Shengjie gave a hearty laugh and responded, “This old man had originally intended to pour his heart and soul into it, but after His Majesty’s order, I’m now free.”
Fu Taihong raised an eyebrow and asked, “What do you mean by this?”
Jin Shengjie pointed at Ou Yangming and said, “This brat’s smithing art has already reached a divine level, and according to His Majesty, Ou Yangming has already completed a magic tool back when he was in Changlong County!” With that, he then shot a nasty glare at Ou Yangming.
Back when Ou Yangming had requested for his advice on the path of equilibrium, Jin Shengjie had taught him everything he knew. However, the brat had kept everything to himself, and had it not been for His Majesty pointing it out for him, he would have been tinkering on the magic tool until who knows when.
Fu Taihong’s eyes widened even further as he stared in disbelief, “M-Master Ou… You’re able to smith magic tools?”
Ou Yangming coughed lightly and answered, “Only the most average of magic tools, I’m afraid.”
The first time he successfully smithed a magic tool, Ou Yangming was extremely proud of himself. However, upon learning from His Royal Majesty that there existed magic tools that automatically boosted one’s power, that pride instantly vanished. Although there was indeed a huge potential in forging magic tools then, Ou Yangming had yet to grasp the key to forging said tools. Despite that, Fu Taihong responded with a long sigh. “Master Ou, please, refrain from calling me master again in the future! I feel like a fraud before you!”
Jin Shengjie and Wu Hongxi glanced at one another. They gathered several imperial family Advanced Blacksmiths to assist them with their magic tool forging, but even so, they were stuck. As such, they could relate to how difficult it was to smith magic tools.
Although they had been personally informed by His Majesty himself about Ou Yangming’s feat, they still harbored doubts within their hearts. Nevertheless, once they heard Ou Yangming’s casual response, a strange emotion welled up within them.
Ou Yangming chuckled and moved on from the topic. “Fellow masters, magic tools aren’t things that can be smithed via ordinary materials.” After a slight pause, he continued, “Back when I was in Changlong County, I discovered a mystical stone that possessed an unbelievable amount of hardness, stronger than anything else that exists in this world. The only reason I had managed to successfully smith a magic tool was because of this.”
Huh? There exists such a thing? This old man is really clueless about it.” Jin Shengjie stroked his beard and asked, “I have a question though. How did you manage to melt said stone then? Perhaps the stone has a low melting point?”
Ou Yangming laughed wanly. The said stone’s melting point was indeed unimaginably high. If he relied on normal means, he would never have been able to melt it down. To put it in another way, had Ou Yangming not possessed the mystical Military Fire, he too, would be at a loss on how to handle the stone.
The problem then, however, was to put it into words…
Upon noticing Ou Yangming’s awkward expression, Jin Shengjie then slapped his forehead and said, “Oh yeah! This old man forgot! You have that Military Fire, right? So, it’s probably easy for you to melt it.”
Back when Ou Yangming took his assessment, he performed astoundingly. Be it featured steel or normal iron ingots, he had melted them like they were no different, and as a result, the skills he displayed that day had become a noteworthy memory for Jin Shengjie.
Ou Yangming nodded and answered, “Even so, I needed to use up all my resources to just barely make it.”
Wu Hongxi lapsed into thought for a moment before chiming in, “Master Ou, there are several precious items within the imperial family’s depot. Among them include several mystical stones as well, and they’ve already been prepared. Would you like to take a look?”
Fu Taihong exclaimed, “No wonder I saw so many exotic ores this morning! So it’s for Master Ou’s sake, huh?”
Ou Yangming looked at the trio’s passionate expressions, and upon this, he immediately realized that there was no talking his way out.
Nevertheless, this was also part of his plan. After all, rumors could only go so far, but if these three Superior Blacksmiths were to witness him forging a magic tool with their very own eyes, no one else would doubt his abilities.
With a nod, Ou Yangming then proceeded into the imperial family’s depot.
There were two Yang Grade guards posted outside, and upon spotting Ou Yangming, their expression turned fervent, sending chills down Ou Yangming’s spine.
Jin Shengjie pushed open the doors to the depot and joked, “You’ve gotten famous, Master Ou. All the Yang Grade powerhouses are itching to spar against you!
Ou Yangming smiled wanly in response. Upon making it into the depot, he then set off to look for suitable ores.
Just as Wu Hongxi had stated, the imperial family had immense resources, as they had accumulated various precious ores throughout their thousand-year reign. As such, if they were to pick out even a tiny portion of their stockpile, it would still fill up the depot they were in.
In truth, before Ou Yangming had received his inter-spatial bag, he had once snuck into the imperial family’s vaults before. During his time there, he had spotted several precious minerals, but since his goal was to only look for herbs back then, he paid them no mind.
That was no longer the case. After circling the depot, he was forced to admit that though none of the ores present were as amazing as the one he found in Chaos Cave, plenty of them had displayed qualities similar to it.
After using his Military Fire to make a quick inspection, he noticed that he was unable to obtain any results. Through this fact alone, he could tell that they were exotic stones that existed beyond the heavens.
After picking up one of those stones, Ou Yangming then left the depot and returned to the smithing workshop. Upon his entry, however, all the Advanced Blacksmiths instantly stopped what they were doing and fixed their gazes on Ou Yangming.
Fu Taihong was visibly flustered as he stated, “Master Ou, they’ve heard that you’re planning to smith a magic tool, and as such, they would like to witness your work with their own eyes.” After a slight pause, he added, “Naturally, if you want to do away with the spectators, I can make it happen as well.”
Ou Yangming looked around him. His spectators were all several years older than him, but even so, they had excited looks in their eyes.
After giving it some thought, Ou Yangming laughed and said, “Since everyone’s interested, then let them watch.”
The crowd surrounding him instantly cheered in appreciation. In their perspective, watching Ou Yangming forge the magic tool might prove beneficial to them.
It was a magic tool, after all. Even one who was in a master-apprentice relationship would not receive permission to view such a process. As such, Ou Yangming’s generosity had instilled a good impression among the various blacksmiths.
Ou Yangming made his way to a smithing table, and upon his arrival, the original owner of the spot immediately gave way to him. He paid no mind to his seniority, and instead, he acted like a disciple. After clearing away the table of junk, he carefully stood behind Ou Yangming and observed.
This had earned the envy of the other blacksmiths. After all, even though the man had acted gentlemanly, the fact remained that he had grabbed a spot that was closest to the table.
Even Jin Shengjie and the other two Superior Blacksmiths were mentally cursing the blacksmith’s actions. They thought to themselves, ‘That spot should belong to us elders!’
Chapter 330 - Nine-Ringed Saber
Chapter 330 Nine-Ringed Saber
“Huff
…”
Ou Yangming’s Military Fire burned brightly, and a moment later, it had enveloped the exotic ore completely.
Ou Yangming’s expression was serious as he fixed his gaze onto his Military Fire. While he moved about, it felt as if both heaven and earth were one with him.
Although he was only smithing a normal piece of equipment, he already decided to use the opportunity to make his name known far and wide since the beginning. As such, he used the integration of Heaven and man at the start of his smithing, so that the surrounding spectators would be instilled with a sense of awe.
“The integration of Heaven and man! He’s using the integration of Heaven and man!”
“As expected from Master Ou. He’s on a level beyond our reach.”
“Hey, shut up! This is a one-in-a-million opportunity! You better keep your eyes peeled, don’t lose your focus!” Jin Shengjie chastised. Nevertheless, he kept his voice at a low volume as he was afraid that it would startle Ou Yangming who was focusing on his Military Fire.
The spectators went silent, and those who were trying to flatter Ou Yangming earlier turned beet red. They wanted nothing more than to leave, but upon recalling that Ou Yangming was smithing a piece of equipment, they immediately threw that thought away.
There were very few things in the world that could be compared to the birth of a magic tool. As such, these people were forced to swallow their shame as the opportunity was far too good to miss out on.
Meanwhile, Ou Yangming was oblivious to the outside world. At that moment, all his attention had been diverted solely to his Military Fire.
At some point, his Military Fire had begun to take action, and the bizarre ore was finally starting to melt. However, melting was not exactly the right word to describe it, as instead of turning into a liquid, it had become a malleable type of matter that could be shaped as one pleased. As such, under his intense focus, Ou Yangming willed his Military Fire to force the bizarre ore to take shape.
Slowly, but surely, an unbelievable change began to take place on the exotic ore. It had become a nine-ringed saber, and when Wu Hongxi and the others saw it, they immediately exchanged puzzled glances among one another.
Ou Yangming’s miraculous feats in the Myriad Treasure Meet were already widely known throughout the capital. As such, they were already well-versed with the incidents that had transpired there and they could more or less recite them by memory. Due to this, the moment they saw the blade, they could immediately identify it as Woo Lejia’s weapon.
‘Why did Ou Yangming mold the tool into this shape? What is he planning?’ They thought.
The three Superior Blacksmiths took a glance at one another, and they unanimously decided to keep their mouth shut. No matter what shape Ou Yangming had wished for the tool to take, as long as he was successful, it would not matter.
Gradually, the nine-ringed saber began to take shape before their eyes. Moreover, they could also sense a terrifying yet overwhelming aura being exuded from Ou Yangming’s Military Fire.
It was a pressure equivalent to a Supreme Great Ancestor, and it was coming out of Ou Yangming’s Military Fire. It was as if the Military Fire itself had gained a presence that was equivalent to a Supreme Great Ancestor!
Although the spectators’ hairs were raised on end, they were not particularly perturbed by
it.
SOI
After all, Ou Yangming was a person who had created 26 Supreme Great Ancestors. As such, there was no reason for them to be surprised.
As for his actual Yang Grade cultivation base, it seemed that most people had already swept it to the back of their minds.
Ou Yangming continued to masterfully control his flames, and every time he quenched the saber, he would chip off all the excess pieces, so that only the finest portions had remained. As time went by, a crimson glow emerged, and Ou Yangming had encountered a mysterious counter force.
Ou Yangming narrowed his eyes. It was the counterforce of the world.
Within the world they lived in, whenever any objects approached their worldly limits, they would feel the counterforce acting against them.
Be it weapon forging, martial art cultivation, or even the advancement of mental power, the counterforce would still be present.
Nevertheless, the counterforce varied in strength from person to person. Some were able to step past the counterforce, and some were forced to succumb to it.
As for the counterforce that Ou Yangming had encountered, it was one of the most powerful forces his world had to offer. Under the obstruction of said counterforce, even Jin Shengjie and Wu Hongxi’s combined strength was insufficient to break past it.
However, this was not the first time Ou Yangming had encountered such a force.
He confidently expanded the purple ring within his sea of consciousness, and once the mystical purple flame had entered the exotic ore, a strong oppressive force was unleashed. Under the strength of the oppressive force, the counterforce was like an insect that was crushed to smithereens. With that, the counterforce was no more.
The corner of Ou Yangming’s lips curled up into a smile. The Military Fire was truly a reliable power, be it an unbelievably tough bizarre ore, or the exotic ore that he had in hand, to the Military Fire, they were all insects to be trampled.
Meanwhile, the surrounding spectators were visibly excited, and as they continued to stare at the blazing Military Fire, they could detect strange energy being emitted from it, bewildering them.
The moment a magic tool was successfully forged, several strange phenomena would be generated together with it.
The same had been applied to the bizarre ore from the Chaos Cave, as once its magic tool was successfully created, a searing light was emitted from it.
In contrast, the exotic ore he was using did not generate any luminance, and instead, it had become even dimmer,
Nevertheless, a different phenomenon had transpired due to it.
A weird noise rang out from the nine-ringed saber. It was not a type of dissonance, but rather, it was a type of sound that could enamor the people’s hearts. Not only did the effect apply to the surrounding blacksmiths, but even the nearby Yang Grade powerhouses had also entered a trance-like state because of it.
Ou Yangming’s expression changed slightly. As the person responsible for forging the nine-ringed saber, he understood the meaning of the sound better than the others.
After inhaling a deep breath, Ou Yangming flicked his wrist and retracted his Military Fire. However, before the Military Fire had vanished completely, the nine-ringed saber’s stats were displayed. [Item: Nine-ringed Saber (Red)]
(Equivalent Rank: Ordinary Magic Tool, Common Grade, Rank One)
[Attributes: Sharpness +21, Toughness +21, Durability 21]
[Skill: Nine-ringed Soundwave]
Ou Yangming’s eyelids twitched. His original intention was only to smith a Common Grade magic tool, but never did he expect that the combination of the ore and the nine-ringed saber would produce such surprising results.
The Nine-ringed Soundwave was a strange attack method. Without even noticing, Ou Yangming had already unleashed its skill, and from the reactions of his spectators, it was clear that it had a powerful effect.
As he stared at the lifeless eyes of the statue-like figures surrounding him, Ou Yangming could not help but be wary.
Back during the Martial Arts Battle, Woo Lejia’s nine-ringed saber had also displayed a similar power. However, compared to the effect of the one he had in hand, Woo Lejia’s nine-ringed saber was far inferior and it was not even worth mentioning. Suddenly, a thought struck Ou Yangming. ‘Should I remove this skill?’ However, after giving it some thought, he decided against it. After all, if his goal was to make it big within the capital, doing so would go against his plans.
Moreover, if he was capable of forging a tool with such an effect once, he would be able to do it again in the future. As such, he began to make plans for the weaponization of such an effect.
/> After placing the nine-ringed saber on the casting table, he then coughed out loud.
Like a hammer, the sound of his cough smashed the cage surrounding the hearts of his spectators, invigorating them once more, and breaking them free from their trance.
An instant later, those who were quick-witted had instantly put two and two together. Once they saw the nine-ringed saber on the table, the color drained from their faces, as they realized how terrifying the saber was.
In truth, however, though the Nine-ringed Soundwave was indeed a powerful skill, it was nearly impossible to achieve such a level of effect any more.
The only reason that the first soundwave was this potent was due to the creation of the magic tool. As, upon creation, the magic tool would unleash powerful phenomena.
Nevertheless, those who had experienced the effects before would act wary around the tool in the future, as they would rather not succumb to its effects once again.
Ou Yangming chuckled and announced, “Masters, the magic tool has been completed. Please take a look.”
Jin Shengjie and the other two masters hurriedly approached the weapon and inspected it with a searing passion.
Wu Hongxi gently rubbed his hands on the surface of the saber. After a slight hesitance, he then unleashed his Appraisal Light.
However, immediately after unleashing the light, a bitter smile appeared on his face. He stated, “I lack the mental power to appraise this tool.”
Jin Shengjie nodded and said, “That’s a good thing then! It means that this is an authentic magic tool!”
Wu Hongxi glared at him. ‘Can’t you put it in a better way?”
Fu Taihong grabbed a military saber from one of the tables and said, “This is a peak of Fine Grade military saber. Let’s test the two out, shall we?”
The spectators’ eyes widened as they watched Wu Hongxi slash down the nine-ringed saber.
The two swords clashed mid-air, and even though no noticeable sound was heard, the military saber in Fu Taihong’s hand had shattered and dropped to the ground.
Immortal Path to Heaven c1-725 Page 197
