The bet was set, and the news spread across the entire new recruit camp like it had grown wings.
New recruits challenging veteran soldiers!
This was undoubtedly the most exciting spice in the monotonous training life. The entire camp was permeated with an atmosphere of excitement, with everyone eager to watch the show.
However, as the parties involved, Wei Zhe's squad was shrouded in gloom.
"Squad Leader, are we really going to compete with them?"
"Yeah, they are all veteran soldiers who have been on the battlefield, and we... we haven't even gotten a firm grip on our long halberds yet."
"We're finished for sure, a month's worth of meat..."
Inside the tent, the team members sighed one after another, completely devoid of fighting spirit. To them, three days was simply impossible to bridge the huge Honggou between them and the veteran soldiers.
"All of you, shut your traps!"
Wei Zhe gave a low shout, and the tent instantly fell silent.
"Thinking about losing before we even fight, do you lot still count as soldiers of Great Qin?" His stern gaze swept over every single person. "Instead of wasting time sighing, you'd better spend it thinking about how to win!"
The team members lowered their heads in shame.
"From now on, for the next three days, everyone's training volume doubles!" Wei Zhe's voice left no room for argument. "Hu Lei, you have great strength and a sturdy body, your task is to withstand the frontal impact and act as our shield! The rest of you, you only need to master one movement, and that is the thrust! A simple, fast, fatal thrust! I want every single one of you to thrust a thousand times, ten thousand times within three days! Until this movement is carved into your bones!"
He didn't teach any complex battle formations because there simply wasn't enough time. What he needed to do was use these three days to push his team's advantages to the absolute limit--discipline and execution!
Under Wei Zhe's harsh supervision, the first squad began their hellish special training.
However, after only a single day, Wei Zhe discovered a serious problem.
The long halberds in the hands of the new recruits were all standard-issue weapons uniformly distributed from the armory, featuring crude workmanship, uneven weights, and biased centers of gravity. This caused a tremendous impact on the thrusting movements that required precise control.
No, I have to solve the weapon problem.
A flash of inspiration struck Wei Zhe's mind, and he thought of his other system ability--forging.
He made up his mind and found Shi Meng, who was supervising the training.
"Instructor, I have something to report."
"Speak." Shi Meng looked at him with a hint of inquiry in his gaze.
"Instructor, I discovered that the centers of gravity of the long halberds in my brothers' hands are unstable, seriously affecting the training results. Your subordinate was a blacksmith before enlisting, and understands some rudimentary forging craftsmanship. I earnestly beg the instructor to allow me to use the military furnace. I want to try recalibrating the centers of gravity of these long halberds to elevate my squad's combat strength, in order to deal with the competition three days from now!"
Wei Zhe's reason was logical and sound, both displaying his desire for victory and perfectly concealing the existence of the system.
"Oh? You even understand forging?" Shi Meng was somewhat surprised, and he recalled Wei Zhe's place of origin, Beacon Tower Town Blacksmith Shop.
He pondered for a moment. The military furnace was a vital area for forging weapons and armor, generally not allowing outsiders to approach. But Wei Zhe's situation was special, and the request he put forward was indeed to enhance military combat strength.
"Very well." Shi Meng finally nodded. "In the western corner of the new recruit camp, there is an abandoned old furnace that hasn't been used for a long time. If you have the ability, go tidy it up and use it yourself. As for materials... just use that scrap iron of yours. I want to see what kind of tricks the son of a blacksmith can pull off."
"Many thanks for the instructor's grace!" Joy blossomed in Wei Zhe's heart.
After obtaining permission, he immediately had Hu Lei and the others gather all the long halberds of the first squad and carry them to that abandoned corner.
True to expectations, there was a half-collapsed earthen melting furnace and a dilapidated bellows here, with some rusted tools and discarded iron pieces scattered nearby.
"You lot continue training, leave this place to me," Wei Zhe instructed.
After the team members left, Wei Zhe immediately set to work. He inspected the melting furnace and discovered that the main structure was still there, only slightly damaged. This was no difficult task for him.
He quickly patched the furnace body, cleaned out the firebox, and tuned up the broken bellows until it was barely usable.
He ignited the furnace fire, disassembled the metal halberd-head portion of a long halberd, and tossed it into the roaring, blazing furnace.
Ding, detected host using the forging function for the first time.
Publishing series quest: Path of the Divine Artisan.
Quest 1: Forge or modify a first piece of weaponry reaching 'Superior Grade' quality. Reward: 200 Tempering Points, forging blueprint Armor-Piercing Awl.
The system prompt sounded right on cue.
It really came!
Wei Zhe's spirits lifted, and he stripped off his upper garment, revealing his muscular upper body. He picked up a rust-covered iron hammer, weighed it in his hand, and felt it was not quite balanced.
He simply tossed this iron hammer into the furnace to burn red, then placed it on the anvil and hammered away with a smaller hammer, clanging tunefully.
He was going to craft a handy hammer for himself first!
Following his striking, a miraculous scene occurred. Instead of using brute force, he followed the method of Thousand Refinement Force, every falling blow carrying a spiral force, as if capable of transferring the iron hammer's power a hundred percent into the burning iron block.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Rhythmic hammering sounds echoed in the corner.
Under his tempering, the impurities of that rusted iron lump were beaten out bit by bit; its volume shrank, but its density continuously increased.
An hour later, a brand-new octagonal iron hammer with an archaic design and a hammer face as smooth as a mirror appeared upon the anvil.
Wei Zhe immersed it in cold water to quench it.
Hisss--
Accompanied by a billow of white smoke, the iron hammer was finished.
Ding, congratulations to the host for forging a 'Superior Grade' octagonal iron hammer, forging skill proficiency +10.
Wei Zhe grasped this iron hammer tailored specifically for him, and a feeling of blood connection spontaneously arose.
He fished out the glowing red halberd-head once more, placing it upon the anvil.
This time, he held nothing back.
Thousand Refinement Force operated at full power!
That warm current within his Dantian surged through his meridians into his arms, and the octagonal hammer in his hands seemed to come alive!
The hammer shadows in his hands were as fast as lightning, every drop accurately striking the crucial nodes of the halberd-head. Not only was he recalibrating the center of gravity, but he was also purifying the steel and increasing its toughness through the method of folding and hammering!
A task that would require several days of effort for an ordinary blacksmith was completed in his hands within half an hour.
When he quenched the reforged halberd-head once again, a faint layer of ripple-like flowing cloud patterns unexpectedly surfaced across the surface of the halberd-head! The blade edge also became sharper than before, flashing with an intimidating cold light.
Wei Zhe reinstalled it and gave it a casual wave.
Hum--
The long halberd carved a flawless arc through the air, emitting a crisp hum.
The feel was lightweight yet tough, with the center of gravity placed just right, as if it had become a part of his arm.
Ding, congratulations to the host for modifying a 'Superior Grade' long halberd, forging skill proficiency +5.
Wei Zhe looked at the masterpiece in his hands and nodded with satisfaction.
With such divine weapons and sharp implements, his chances of winning the competition three days later had increased by another thirty percent!
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