"My strength... is growing!"
"There seems to be an extra... unspeakable, indescribable power inside my body!"
Wei Zhe felt the changes in his body with shock.
He could clearly feel that his muscles, bones, and meridians were all undergoing a wondrous transformation. The lingering injuries he had accumulated from years of blacksmithing were rapidly healing under the scouring of this warm current.
A moment later.
The warm current that had enveloped his entire body slowly vanished.
"My strength has doubled, at the very least! Even if I faced three or four hundred catties of raw iron right now, I could easily lift it!" Wei Zhe thought with inward alarm.
Judging from his appearance, he was still that sturdy youth, but earth-shaking changes had taken place inside his body. Especially at his dantian, where an extra wisp of warm airflow had appeared; although faint, it was truly there.
"Martial arts enlightenment is complete, and digitalized physique transformation is finished."
"The host may use their mind to check the personal panel at any time," the system prompted.
Wei Zhe did not hesitate at all: "Open the personal panel."
In an instant, a translucent light screen visible only to him floated before his eyes.
Role: Wei Zhe Realm: Mortal (Unranked) Strength: 20 Agility: 12 Physique: 15 (Note: Average for an adult male is 10) Tempering Points: 0 Mastered Skills: None
"Zhe'er? Zhe'er! What's wrong with you?"
Just as Wei Zhe was immersed in the shock brought by the system, Jiang Bo's worried voice pulled him back to reality.
The old man reached out a calloused hand and waved it before his eyes. "Why did you suddenly start dazing? Could it be... that you regret it?"
Wei Zhe came back to his senses. Looking at Jiang Bo's worried gaze, warmth stirred in his heart, and he hastily shook his head. "No, Jiang Bo. I was just thinking about things after enlisting."
He had to be careful; absolutely no one could be allowed to know about the system's existence.
"Sigh..." Jiang Bo sighed, patting his shoulder. "It's Jiang Bo who has failed you. If you... don't want to go, even if I have to smash the pots and sell the iron, I will hold on for another year."
"No, Jiang Bo." Wei Zhe's gaze was unprecedentedly firm. "You're right; this is our only path. Besides, I am not resigned to just being a blacksmith. I want to go and see the battlefield, and strive for a future for myself—and for Ling'er!"
Looking at the light in Wei Zhe's eyes, Jiang Bo seemed to see his younger self. He opened his mouth, but in the end it merely turned into a sigh as he turned, picked up the hammer, and walked back toward the glowing red iron billet.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
The heavy sound of hammering rang out once more, as if seeing off the youth about to journey far.
Wei Zhe looked at the old man's back and made a silent vow in his heart.
"Jiang Bo, Ling'er, wait for me!"
"I will definitely return alive, bringing back enough glory and wealth to cure Ling'er's illness and let you live the best days!"
He once again plunged his consciousness into his mind.
"System, learn the Hundred Battle Saber diagrams and the Thousand Refinement Force hammering technique!"
"Host command confirmed."
"Hundred Battle Saber diagrams are being learned..."
"Thousand Refinement Force hammering technique is being learned..."
As the system prompt sounded, Wei Zhe felt a massive flood of information instantly pour into his mind.
Every single forging detail of the Hundred Battle Saber, from material selection, fire control, and fold-forging to quenching and edge-sharpening, was deeply branded into his memory as if he had performed it thousands of times with his own hands.
At the same time, an abstruse method of exerting force circulated within his body. Thousand Refinement Force was not only a set of hammering techniques for forging, but furthermore a special skill capable of mobilizing that faint airflow within his dantian and infusing it into his arms.
"Skill learning complete."
Wei Zhe opened his personal panel once more.
Role: Wei Zhe Realm: Mortal (Unranked) Strength: 20 Agility: 12 Physique: 15 Tempering Points: 0 Mastered Skills: [Forging]: Hundred Battle Saber (Novice 1/100) [Martial Art]: Thousand Refinement Force (Novice 1/100)
"So learning skills can also grant proficiency."
"As long as I continuously forge, I can raise my skill levels, and even... that airflow should be what they call 'inner strength', right? As long as I keep using Thousand Refinement Force, perhaps I can make it grow stronger as well."
Wei Zhe was immensely excited inside.
This system was even more formidable than he had imagined.
"If I use Thousand Refinement Force to forge iron now, my efficiency and quality will definitely increase several-fold! Even facing those standard-issue weapons in the army, the sabers I forge will definitely be top-grade!"
He looked at the glowing red iron billet in the furnace, his eyes full of eagerness to try.
This was the foundation for him to make a living, and also his backing for the future.
Of course, the most important matter right now was still enlisting in the army.
Shuofang Commandery was Great Qin's bridgehead for resisting the Xiongnu; the great army here fought against the Xiongnu year round, with warfare never-ending and slaughter unceasing.
To others, this place was an Asura field, but to Wei Zhe, who possessed "slaying enemies grants Tempering Points," this place was the best leveling ground!
He needed Tempering Points to raise his three-dimensional attributes, to make himself stronger and survive on the battlefield.
"The Emperor Through the Ages, Qin Shi Huang."
"The northern frontier's battlefield is the stage where I, Wei Zhe, will rise!"
"One day, my name will also reach your ears."
Heroic spirit soared within Wei Zhe's heart.
At this moment, Jiang Bo stopped the work in his hands, wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, and said in a hoarse voice, "Zhe'er, go and see Ling'er. Spend more time with her these past few days."
"Mm."
Wei Zhe nodded, the heroic spirit in his heart 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 looking up at the ceiling with a pair of bright, large eyes, not knowing what she was thinking about.
Hearing the movement, she turned her head and, seeing that it was Wei Zhe, a trace of a smile appeared on her pale face.
"Brother."
Wei Zhe walked over to the bed and sat down, clasping her icy hand while for a moment not knowing what to say.
He had not yet told her about his decision to become a soldier.
"Brother, I... heard everything just now." Jiang Ling'er's voice was very soft, yet very clear.
Wei Zhe's body stiffened.
"Are you really... going to be a soldier?" Jiang Ling'er's eye rims instantly reddened, tears sliding down like broken-stringed beads.
"Ling'er, I..." Pain stabbed Wei Zhe's heart. He wanted to explain, but was interrupted by Jiang Ling'er.
"Brother, don't go, okay?" She used all her strength to grip Wei Zhe's hand, pleading, "The battlefield is too dangerous. Uncle Wang from the east of the village went the year before last, and last year they only sent back an identity tag. I don't want you to be a high official, nor do I want you to earn big money; I just want you to be well... cough, cough..."
At the point of agitation, she began to cough violently again.
"Ling'er, don't get excited!"
Wei Zhe hastily steadied her, gently patting her back as heartache overwhelmed him beyond measure.
"As a man, I cannot watch helplessly as you are tormented by illness and see Jiang Bo's back bent double for your medicine money!"
Wei Zhe held Jiang Ling'er's shoulders, his gaze incomparably firm while his voice was as gentle as water.
"Before, I had no choice. But now, this is our only hope. I must go!"
"But... but what if you don't come back, what will I do? What will Father do?" Jiang Ling'er cried uncontrollably.
"Rest assured, I won't die."
Wei Zhe gently folded her into his arms, feeling her frail trembling, and said word by word: "I promise you that I will definitely return alive. I will earn military merits, be enfeoffed as an official and granted nobility, and then return in glorious splendor to search the world for the best physicians and cure your illness! By then, I will make you the happiest girl in all under heaven."
The crying in his arms gradually subsided.
Jiang Ling'er raised her tear-stained, pretty face, looking fixedly at Wei Zhe as if to carve his appearance into her soul.
After a long while, she groped for something from beneath her pillow and stuffed it into Wei Zhe's hand.
It was a peace talisman threaded with a red cord. The pouch was already somewhat old, but the mended stitches were meticulous and earnest.
"Brother, I prayed for this at the mountain god temple last year. You... you must wear it close to your body."
"They all say that wearing this will bring a safe and sound return."
The young maiden's voice carried a thick nasal tone and reluctance to part.
Wei Zhe tightly grasped the peace talisman in his hand, feeling as though he held a weight of a thousand catties.
He knew that from the moment he put on this peace talisman, his life no longer belonged solely to himself.
"Ling'er, wait for me."
Wei Zhe lowered his head and lightly kissed the maiden's smooth forehead.
"I'm leaving."
He resolutely turned around, not daring to look into the maiden's eyes any longer, and strode out of the room.
Outside the door, Jiang Bo leaned against the wall, tearlight seemingly flickering within his clouded, single eye.
He did not speak, merely handing a newly polished short saber to Wei Zhe.
The blade body was pitch-black, yet the edge flashed with a cold light, clearly forged using good material of Hundred Refinement Steel.
"A poor family makes a long journey; take it to defend yourself."
"Okay."
Wei Zhe received the short saber, feeling its heavy weight in his hand.
He carefully tucked the short saber and the peace talisman together into his bosom, placing them close to his body.
Then, facing Jiang Bo, he heavily knelt down and kowtowed three loud times.
"Jiang Bo, Wei Zhe will never forget your upbringing grace for all eternity! When I return, I will serve you as a filial son!"
Having spoken, he abruptly stood up and, without looking back, dashed out of the forge, running toward the recruitment office in the center of the town.
Behind him were Jiang Bo's suppressed choking and the heart-shattering weeping drifting from the inner room.
Wei Zhe did not look back.
He feared that if he looked back, he would no longer be able to leave.
A true man does not easily shed tears, only because he has not yet reached the place of sorrow.
Facing Shuofang's biting cold wind, two lines of clear tears finally rolled from the seventeen-year-old youth's eye corners.
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