Forging Dao Fruit

Baiye City.

Outer City.

Li Family Lane, before a dilapidated house.

"Changsheng, have you considered what I told you last time?"

The matchmaker, Mama Zhang, had come to Li Changsheng's home again to discuss his marrying into Qian Manor.

Li Changsheng had no parents and a spotless background. He was also rather handsome, and quite a few young women liked him. The Qian family's young miss had taken a fancy to him and wanted him to marry into Qian Manor.

"Mama Zhang, I still need to think it over."

Li Changsheng sighed.

Qian Manor was wealthy and ran a sizable business. If he married into the family, he would at least no longer need to worry about money. If Miss Qian looked decent enough, he would definitely agree.

But he had heard that Miss Qian was 1.6 meters tall, weighed one hundred kilograms, and had inherited Master Qian's exceedingly rugged features. Even if she successfully lost weight, she would still be a ghastly sight. How could he agree to that?

"Changsheng, you need to decide soon. Plenty of people want to marry into Qian Manor. If you keep dragging this out and Miss Qian changes her mind, you won't have the chance even if you want it." Mama Zhang earnestly persuaded him for a while, but seeing that Li Changsheng still had not made up his mind, she left.

After Mama Zhang left, Li Changsheng returned to the house. Sitting on a battered stool, he looked at the bare walls and the patched, tattered clothes on his body, then gave a bitter laugh.

No one would have imagined that he was actually a transmigrator. Yet transmigrators who had ended up as badly as he had were few and far between.

He had transmigrated a year ago. When he first arrived, he had been full of lofty ambitions, swearing that he would make something of himself and become one of the world's High Persons.

But he had discovered that he had almost no path to rise. He could take the imperial examination route, but scholars seemed to have little standing in this world. Martial Dao was the true mainstream here.

He wanted to follow the path of Martial Dao, only to find that he could not even afford the most basic cultivation manual. Practicing martial arts also cost a great deal of money; only wealthy families could support such a path.

After that, he had wanted to start a small business, but he had not even had the capital. Then, after seeing someone create a wildly popular food stall only for it to be seized by others the very next day, he realized that without strength or backing, even if he built a business, he could not keep it.

Now, nearly a year had passed, and he had accomplished nothing.

Some time ago, Mama Zhang had introduced the idea of him marrying into Qian Manor. He truly had considered it, thinking that if he endured it, perhaps it would pass. But he was unwilling to accept it!

Night fell.

After pondering for a long time, Li Changsheng made his decision.

"Then I'll marry into the family. If I can rely on the Qian family, perhaps I'll have a chance to rise."

Just as he made up his mind, a brilliant light suddenly erupted within his sea of consciousness. It gradually formed into a fruit, and his awareness entered it.

In an instant, that Dao Fruit merged into his body.

Then, data visible only to him appeared before his eyes.

[Host: Li Changsheng]

[Cultivation: None]

[Dao Fruit: Forging Level 0 (0%)]

The data panel was crude, but it left Li Changsheng immensely excited.

A year after transmigrating, he had finally awakened his golden finger.

He carefully sensed the Dao Fruit and soon understood the function of this golden finger.

A Dao Fruit would condense only once every year. He had happened to transmigrate exactly one year ago, and now his first Dao Fruit had condensed.

Moreover, as long as he lived through another year, he could condense another Dao Fruit.

In other words, so long as he did not die, he would possess more and more Dao Fruits.

"My first Dao Fruit is Forging, an ability related to forging. It's only Level 0 right now. I need to raise its level before my attainments in forging can become truly high."

Li Changsheng decided to join a blacksmith shop as an apprentice. Only then would he have a chance to raise the level of his Forging Dao Fruit.

With the ability of his Forging Dao Fruit, he would definitely grow quickly. If he became a blacksmith capable of forging weapons, his earning potential would certainly not be low.

"With a Dao Fruit golden finger, why would I marry into anyone's family?"

Li Changsheng immediately cast the thought of marrying into Qian Manor to the back of his mind. He went to sleep, intending to find work at a blacksmith shop the next day.

The next day, at dawn.

Li Changsheng got up early, cooked himself a bowl of thin porridge with a few rotten vegetable leaves, and after eating the simple meal, headed for a nearby blacksmith shop.

Li's Blacksmith Shop was the only blacksmith shop in Li Family Lane.

When Li Changsheng arrived at the shop, the apprentices were busy at work. Just as he was about to enter, one of the apprentices stopped him.

"Are you here to forge a weapon?"

the apprentice asked.

Li Changsheng immediately explained why he had come. "I want to join Li's Blacksmith Shop and become an apprentice."

The apprentice hurriedly waved him away. "Our shop doesn't need any apprentices right now. Get lost."

"I don't need wages! I'll work for free!"

Li Changsheng shouted loudly, afraid that those inside would not hear him.

No wages?

A burly man walked over. He was one of the shop's three blacksmiths—Li Han!

Li Han looked at Li Changsheng's thin, weak appearance and frowned slightly. "You're sure you don't want wages?"

"No wages. I only need three meals a day, even the simplest food will do. If my work is poor, you can dismiss me at any time," Li Changsheng said.

At that moment.

Several other apprentices glared at Li Changsheng with fury. Blacksmith apprentices did the hardest and most exhausting work, and their wages were already meager. Yet someone had actually come along who did not even want wages. This was competition taken to the extreme!

If Li Changsheng worked at this blacksmith shop without wages, then if the shop ever needed to cut people, they would definitely be the ones dismissed!

Therefore, they were deeply hostile toward someone like Li Changsheng.

"Fine. You'll be on trial for three days. If you don't work well during those three days, I'll dismiss you even if you don't want wages!" Li Han's words meant that Li Changsheng could join Li's Blacksmith Shop.

No matter how the other apprentices objected, it was meaningless.

"Quit staring and get back to work!"

After Li Han spoke, the apprentices scattered back to their tasks.

There were several kinds of apprentices. One kind carried things and did manual labor; another specialized in working the bellows. Neither had much of a future.

There was also the kind qualified to forge, such as forging Refined Iron. As long as one could forge ten-refined Refined Iron, one could be considered a prospective blacksmith. Once one learned the forging methods, one could forge genuine weapons.

Li Changsheng had only just arrived, so naturally he was not qualified to forge Refined Iron. He could only do manual labor.

Afterward, he worked hard carrying iron ore and other materials. Occasionally, he watched several prospective blacksmiths forge Refined Iron, but the blacksmiths forged weapons inside the Forging Room, so naturally he could not see that.

Before long, night arrived.

After having a simple dinner at the blacksmith shop, Li Changsheng dragged his exhausted body home.

The moment he returned home, he lay down on his bed and opened the Dao Fruit Panel.

[Host: Li Changsheng]

[Cultivation: None]

[Dao Fruit: Forging Level 0 (5%)]

"The experience for my Forging Dao Fruit increased by 5%!"

Li Changsheng was thrilled. This meant that even without personally participating in forging, merely observing it could increase his experience.

If he could gain 5% every day, then in just twenty days, he could raise his Forging Dao Fruit to Level 1. By then, he should have the foundation to forge ten-refined Refined Iron, right?