The Path to Joining the Army

"My strength... it's growing!"

"It feels like there's a new power inside me... indescribable!"

Wei Zhe marveled at the changes happening in his body.

He could clearly feel his muscles, bones, and meridians undergoing a wondrous transformation. The old injuries accumulated from years of blacksmithing were rapidly healing under the wash of this warm current.

A moment later.

The warm current enveloping his body slowly dissipated.

"My strength has at least doubled! I can easily lift three to four hundred jin of raw iron now!" Wei Zhe was astounded.

Externally, he still looked like the same sturdy young man, but internally, a seismic shift had occurred. Especially in his dantian, a warm stream of energy had appeared. It was weak, but undeniably present.

"Martial arts enlightenment complete. Stat conversion finalized."

"Host may view personal panel at any time," the system prompted.

Without hesitation, Wei Zhe commanded, "Open personal panel."

Instantly, a semi-transparent light screen, visible only to him, appeared before his eyes.

Character: Wei Zhe
Realm: Mortal (Unranked)
Strength: 20
Agility: 12
Constitution: 15
(Note: Average adult male is 10)
Tempering Points: 0
Skills: None

"Zher? Zher! What's wrong?"

Just as Wei Zhe was lost in the system's revelation, Jiang Bo's worried voice pulled him back to reality.

The old man extended his calloused hand, waving it in front of Wei Zhe's eyes. "Why are you spacing out all of a sudden? Are you... regretting it?"

Wei Zhe snapped back to attention, his heart warming at Jiang Bo's concerned gaze. He quickly shook his head. "No, Jiang Bo, I was just thinking about what happens after I enlist."

He had to be careful. No one could ever know about the system.

"Sigh..." Jiang Bo sighed, patting Wei Zhe's shoulder. "It's my fault. If you... don't want to go, I'll scrape together what little I have and hold on for another year."

"No, Jiang Bo." Wei Zhe's eyes held an unprecedented firmness. "You're right, this is our only path. Besides, I don't want to just be a blacksmith forever. I want to see the battlefield, to fight for a future for myself and for Ling'er!"

Seeing the light in Wei Zhe's eyes, Jiang Bo felt as if he were looking at his younger self. He opened his mouth, but only a sigh escaped. He turned and picked up his hammer, walking back towards the glowing red iron.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

The heavy sound of the hammer striking metal rang out again, as if bidding farewell to the young man about to embark on his journey.

Wei Zhe watched the old man's retreating back, secretly vowing in his heart.

"Jiang Bo, Ling'er, wait for me!"

"I will definitely return alive, with enough honor and wealth to cure Ling'er's illness and give you both the best life!"

He focused his thoughts inward again.

"System, learn the Hundred Battle Saber schematic and the Thousand Refinement Force hammer technique!"

"Host's command confirmed."

"Learning Hundred Battle Saber schematic..."

"Learning Thousand Refinement Force hammer technique..."

As the system prompts sounded, Wei Zhe felt a flood of information surge into his mind.

Every forging detail of the Hundred Battle Saber, from material selection, fire control, folding and hammering, to quenching and sharpening, was imprinted in his memory as if he had done it thousands of times himself.

Simultaneously, a profound method of channeling energy flowed through his body. Thousand Refinement Force wasn't just a hammering technique; it was a special skill that could mobilize the faint stream of energy in his dantian and infuse it into his arms.

"Skill acquisition complete."

Wei Zhe opened his personal panel again.

Character: Wei Zhe
Realm: Mortal (Unranked)
Strength: 20
Agility: 12
Constitution: 15
Tempering Points: 0

Skill Mastery:

[Forging]: Hundred Battle Saber (Novice 1/100)

[Martial Skill]: Thousand Refinement Force (Novice 1/100)

"So learning skills also grants proficiency."

"As long as I keep forging, I can raise my skill level, and even... that flow of energy, it should be what they call 'internal strength'? As long as I keep using Thousand Refinement Force, maybe it can grow stronger too."

Wei Zhe's heart was filled with excitement.

This system was even more powerful than he had imagined.

"If I use Thousand Refinement Force to forge now, my efficiency and quality will definitely increase several times over! Even when facing the standard weapons used by the army, the sabers I forge will absolutely be top-tier!"

He looked at the glowing red iron bloom in the furnace, his eyes full of eagerness to try.

This was the foundation of his livelihood, and also the reliance for his future.

Of course, the most important thing right now was to enlist in the army.

Shuofang Commandery was Great Qin's bridgehead against the Xiongnu. The large army here constantly fought the Xiongnu, with unending battles and ceaseless slaughter.

For others, this was a battlefield of Asuras, but for Wei Zhe, who had "Tempering Points from killing enemies," this was the best leveling ground!

He needed Tempering Points to increase his three-dimensional attributes, to become stronger, and to survive on the battlefield.

"The eternal emperor, Qin Shi Huang."

"The battlefield of the Northern Frontier is the stage for my rise, Wei Zhe!"

"One day, my name will also reach your ears."

Wei Zhe's heart was filled with soaring ambition.

At this moment, Jiang Bo stopped his work, wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve, and said in a hoarse voice, "Zhe'er, go check on Ling'er. These past few days, spend more time with her."

"Okay."

Wei Zhe nodded, his soaring ambition turning into a wisp of tenderness.

He pushed open the door to the inner room and found that Jiang Ling'er was not asleep. She was staring at the ceiling with her bright, large eyes, lost in thought.

Hearing the movement, she turned her head. Seeing it was Wei Zhe, a faint smile appeared on her pale face.

"Brother."

Wei Zhe walked to the bedside and sat down, taking her cold hand. For a moment, he didn't know what to say.

He hadn't told her about his decision to join the army yet.

"Brother, I... I heard everything just now," Jiang Ling'er's voice was soft, but clear.

Wei Zhe's body stiffened.

"Are you really... going to join the army?" Jiang Ling'er's eyes immediately turned red, tears falling like pearls from a broken string.

"Ling'er, I..." Wei Zhe's heart ached, and he wanted to explain, but Jiang Ling'er interrupted him.

"Brother, don't go, okay?" She grabbed Wei Zhe's hand with all her might, pleading, "The battlefield is too dangerous. Uncle Wang from the east of the village, he joined two years ago, and last year only a dog tag was sent back. I don't want you to be a high official, nor do I want you to earn a lot of money. I just want you to be well... cough cough..."

As she got emotional, she started coughing violently again.

"Ling'er, don't get worked up!"

Wei Zhe quickly supported her, gently patting her back, his heart filled with unbearable pain.

"As a man, I can't just stand by and watch you suffer from illness, or watch Jiang Bo bend his back under the burden of your medical expenses!"

Wei Zhe held Jiang Ling'er's shoulders, his gaze incredibly firm, but his voice as gentle as water.

"Before, I had no choice. But now, this is our only hope. I have to go!"

"But... but what if you don't come back? What will happen to me? What about Father?" Jiang Ling'er cried uncontrollably.

"Don't worry, I won't die."

Wei Zhe gently embraced her, feeling her frail trembling, and said word by word, "I promise you, I will definitely come back alive. I will earn military merit, be granted an official title, and then I will return in glory, find the best doctors in the world, and cure your illness! By then, I will make you the happiest girl in the world!"

The crying in his arms gradually subsided.

Jiang Ling'er lifted her tear-filled, pretty face and gazed intently at Wei Zhe, as if wanting to engrave his image into her soul.

After a long while, she reached under the pillow and took out something, pressing it into Wei Zhe's hand.

It was a Peace Talisman strung with a red cord. The talisman pouch was a bit old, but the stitches were fine and meticulous.

"Brother, I got this from the Mountain God Temple last year. You... you must wear it close to you."

"They all say that wearing this will ensure a safe return."

The girl's voice was filled with a thick nasal tone and reluctance.

Wei Zhe tightly gripped the Peace Talisman in his hand, as if holding a thousand-pound burden.

He knew that from the moment he put on this Peace Talisman, his life would no longer belong to him alone.

"Ling'er, wait for me."

Wei Zhe lowered his head and gently kissed the girl's smooth forehead.

"I'm leaving."

He turned resolutely, not daring to look into the girl's eyes again, and strode out of the room.

Outside the door, Jiang Bo leaned against the wall, his turbid single eye seeming to glisten with tears.

He didn't speak, merely handed Wei Zhe a short sword that had just been polished.

The blade was dark, but the edge gleamed with a cold light, clearly made from good quality hundred-refined steel.

"A poor home, a rich road. Take this for self-defense."

"Thank you."

Wei Zhe took the short sword. It felt heavy in his hand.

He carefully tucked the short sword and the Peace Talisman into his chest, keeping them close.

Then, he knelt heavily before Jiang Bo and kowtowed three times.

"Uncle Jiang, I will never forget your kindness in raising me! When I return, I will repay your care!"

With that, he stood up abruptly and, without looking back, rushed out of the blacksmith shop and ran towards the recruitment station in the center of the small town.

Behind him, he could hear Jiang Bo's suppressed sobs and the heart-wrenching cries coming from the inner room.

Wei Zhe did not look back.

He was afraid that if he looked back, he wouldn't be able to leave.

A man doesn't shed tears easily, only when his heart is truly broken.

Facing the biting cold wind of Shuofang, two streams of clear tears finally rolled down the corners of the seventeen-year-old boy's eyes.