Advanced Soldier!

The new week had arrived, and all the monsters in Cold Ridge Valley had respawned, yet Sun Busong was still staying in the forge.

"This is the equipment you forged!"

Uncle Hanyi held the Ironforge Mail Vest that Sun Busong had just forged.

Ironforge Mail Vest: Item Level 16. Chest. Plate Armor. 188 Armor. Required Level 11.

"Yes, Uncle Hanyi. This piece of equipment is the masterpiece of my past few days. I've also found the knack to it. Within three days, I'll be able to forge the rest of the set."

"My dear child, your talent is truly too great—greater than mine and your father's combined! Hahaha, my poor junior apprentice can finally rest in peace below."

When people got old, they loved reminiscing. As he spoke, the old man's tears began flowing again.

Patting Uncle Hanyi on the shoulder, Sun Busong comforted him. "Both my father and you will be proud of me. One day, your name will spread across the Azeroth Continent, because you have a son who is a forging genius."

Uncle Hanyi wiped away the tears at the corners of his eyes and said excitedly, "That's right! My son is a genius. Whether in combat talent or forging talent, no one in all of Ironforge will ever match my son's accomplishments!"

After comforting the old man for a while longer and watching him happily go off to drink with others, Sun Busong continued forging equipment and grinding quests.

He was already level nine. One more level, and he could take the trial on the Cold Ridge Trail. Once he passed it, he could head directly to Ironforge and join the Dwarf race's army.

"At the latest, I'll reach level ten by the afternoon after tomorrow. I just hope Suya can get the materials in time. That way, I can forge all the equipment."

"Does buying some alcohol really take this long? It's already been two days. Women really are unreliable, whether they're skinny or fat!"

By the next afternoon, Suya had finally returned. She brought a full twenty barrels of ale, along with the materials Sun Busong needed most.

"Busong, are you sure about this? I spent all my savings to get these materials. You have no idea how ruthless those cunning human merchants at the Auction House are. If it really doesn't work, I'll have someone else forge it for me, though their success rates aren't very high."

"Don't worry!" Seeing Suya's worried expression, Sun Busong gave her a gesture of certain victory.

"I already told you, if I fail, I'll reimburse you for all the costs. You need to trust my abilities. Didn't you see how those four old men looked at me? Yesterday, they were even competing in a drinking contest just to become my honorary masters."

"Wasn't there no alcohol left in the fortress?"

"They brought out all the alcohol they had saved up, especially your old man. He even took out the Dwarven Stout he'd secretly hidden away."

"That spendthrift old man! I asked him about it so many times, and he always said he'd finished it long ago. Hmph! I'll go settle accounts with him later."

"Hehe, enough. Now that the materials are here, I'll begin forging. If you want to watch, stay to the side and don't speak."

"No problem. I understand that much."

Since it was his first time forging Blue Gear, he first took out the materials for Ironforge Mail Pants to warm up.

An hour later.

"You really forged a piece of Green Equipment in one go! That's too outrageous! Even my old man couldn't do it that quickly."

"Haha, I'm a genius forger. Green Equipment can't stump me."

After saying that, he looked at Suya and said in a very serious tone, "Now comes the crucial moment. You absolutely must not disturb me. I have to succeed in one go!"

"Mhm, mhm!"

The success rate for forging Blue Gear was still very low. Although he possessed theoretical knowledge beyond everyone else's, forging Blue Gear required steady, step-by-step practice. Only practice could produce the real thing.

To ordinary people, Blue Gear was practically heirloom-level equipment.

Green Equipment could already have attributes added to it, while Blue Gear could have at least two additional attributes. Moreover, Blue Gear could produce special effects. That was what made Blue Gear so powerful.

Sun Busong stretched, shook his shoulders, and turned his head from side to side. His joints cracked loudly in a rapid series of pops. After taking several deep breaths, he completely relaxed himself.

This time, the forging took a full three hours. For once, Suya patiently held herself back without saying a single word. She stayed beside him the entire time, her eyes fixed tightly on Sun Busong's every movement.

Once the final quenching was complete, Suya rushed to Sun Busong's side like the wind and directly picked up the staff, which still held a trace of heat.

Patroller's Cane:

Item Level 40.

Two-handed Staff.

79-179 Damage. Speed 3.10. (Damage Per Second 35.3).

+19 Intellect

+15 Spirit

+5 Stamina

Durability 100/100.

Required Level 31.

Equip: Increases Spell Power by 17.

Equip: Restores 9 mana every 5 seconds.

"Ah!~"

After Suya finished reading the staff's attributes, she immediately let out a scream.

The staff's attributes were simply the best of the best. Even some purple staffs did not possess such powerful attributes, so it was no wonder Suya cried out in shock.

The instant Sun Busong heard her scream, he hurriedly reached out and covered her mouth.

"Don't shout! Do you want everyone else to hear?"

After Suya's excitement had eased a little, he slowly let go of her.

Suya's face was still flushed. She could not understand it. If such an exceptional staff were taken outside, it would surely cause a sensation throughout Ironforge, yet this kid acted as though he were terrified of anyone finding out.

"Do you know how much of a stir this staff you forged could cause? Have you considered that, with this staff alone, you could stand shoulder to shoulder with the forging masters of Ironforge—or even surpass them in reputation?"

Seeing Suya's confusion, Sun Busong remained calm. He smiled faintly and said to her, "I know this staff's attributes are very powerful, but I hope you can keep it secret. Don't tell anyone that I forged it."

"Why?" Suya asked, utterly baffled.

"Hehe, I remember humans have a saying: play the pig to eat the tiger. There's another one too: the tallest tree in the forest is the first to be felled by the wind."

Suya listened blankly, unable to understand either of the strange sayings Sun Busong had spoken.

"Anyway, just don't say that I forged it for you. Otherwise, don't ever expect me to forge equipment for you again. Understand?" As he said this, Sun Busong wore a serious expression for the first time.

Seeing that he was serious, Suya widened her round eyes and nodded fiercely several times.

After Suya left, Sun Busong did not rest. Using the remaining materials, he forged the entire remaining four-piece set.

He slept straight through until noon. During that time, Uncle Hanyi had sent people to wake him three times, but he was simply too exhausted.

After getting up, he went to the forge and walked straight over to Uncle Hanyi.

"What is it, my son? It seems you have something important to tell me."

Sun Busong had been busy forging equipment these past few days, and Uncle Hanyi had already mentally prepared himself. He knew his son was about to leave.

"Old Man, I'm going to take the Trial Mission on Cold Ridge Trail. Once I leave, I don't know how long it'll be before I return. I—"

Before Sun Busong could finish, Uncle Hanyi interrupted him.

"This is the first time in four years that you've called me Old Man. Before this, you always called me Uncle. Hahaha, I'm very happy, and very proud. Ever since the mountain patrolman handed you over to me, I've always treated you as my own son. I even beat you before because you wouldn't call me Old Man. I hope you don't hold it against me."

Listening to his old man's words and watching tears fall from his eyes one drop at a time, Sun Busong stepped forward and hugged him tightly.

"What are you saying? How could a son ever resent his own father? I'll always be your son."

Uncle Hanyi did not wipe away his tears. He simply looked at him with tear-filled eyes.

"My son has grown up. You're leaving my protection to venture out on your own. You are my pride, the pride of Anweimar Fortress! Hahahaha! Remember, once you're out there, you must work hard. Become a respected Warrior, become a Hero who makes enemies tremble at the mention of your name."

Sun Busong's eyes had become moist as well. He smiled at the old man. "I will. Once I become a Hero, I'll come back—to Anweimar, to see you and everyone else."

"Hahaha." Uncle Hanyi laughed happily. "You don't need to come back to see us. This is the safest place in the Alliance. Unless the enemy destroys Ironforge, no one will ever reach this place. I don't need you to visit me. As long as news of your victories reaches here, I'll be happy."

After wiping away his own tears and bidding farewell to the old man he had spent less than ten days with, Sun Busong found the mountain patrolman and began his trial.

Dwarven love ran deep, just like their stature. Standing in the third-floor watchtower, Uncle Hanyi secretly wiped his tears, his eyes never leaving Sun Busong's departing figure for even a moment.

"The trial is simple. There are ten groups of Stone Jaw Raiders inside. Their task is to beat you trial participants into submission. Though they won't dare kill you, they'll keep a close eye on you. As long as you haven't lost consciousness and can still move, they'll keep beating you."

Sarus, who was in charge of the Trial Mission, explained the rules to Sun Busong, then stepped aside. Cold Ridge Trail lay behind him.

Sun Busong put on the equipment he had forged, saluted Sarus, and entered the trial grounds.

Cold Ridge Trail was not long, only three kilometers. To give trial participants time to rest and recover their strength, the monsters here were arranged in a very regular pattern.

The moment he entered, Sun Busong spotted eight level-three Stone Jaw Raiders. For him now, based on his Health Points alone, even if all eight of them beat on him for an entire day while he stood still, he would not feel much.

In less than ten minutes, he had killed all eight Stone Jaw Raiders.

He then rounded another bend and found seven level-four Stone Jaw Raiders ahead. They were still easy prey, and these monsters even carried Tough Jerky and Spring Water.

After killing another four groups of monsters in succession, Sun Busong took a brief rest. Though his defense was high and his Health Points were plentiful, he still could not withstand being ganged up on forever. He had more or less sustained a few wounds.

This was already the eighth group of Stone Jaw Monsters.

Two level-ten Stone Jaw Monsters!

Sun Busong was level ten now as well. Although dealing with these two level-ten Stone Jaw Monsters was no difficulty for him, he thought of something else.

The eighth group had two level-ten monsters. Would the ninth group be two level-eleven monsters, and the tenth group level twelve?

"How could any other level-ten commoner possibly beat this?"

Thinking about it was pointless. Sun Busong picked up his Bronze Heavy Sword and charged forward.

The battle ended quickly. Sun Busong had lost less than a hundred Health Points. He wiped the blood from his sword and walked over to a corpse, preparing to collect the loot.

But when he turned over the corpse, he saw an item he had never encountered before.

A Skill Book!

Charge: 8–25 yard range.

Instant cast. 5-minute cooldown.

Charge an enemy. Deals 56 physical damage. Roots the target for one second.

Sun Busong's eyes lit up. All this time, he had not had any skills. He had relied entirely on chopping monsters down.

And now, this Skill Book had appeared at exactly the right time. So this was the way to pass the trial!

But that did not seem right either. All commoners had no skills; only after officially becoming soldiers could they learn skills. And if he remembered correctly, wasn't this a Warrior Professional's skill?

Professionals could only advance after soldiers reached level twenty.

Just as he was unable to make sense of it, a line of tiny text on the Skill Book caught his eye.

Skills dropped in the Trial Ground could only be used within the Trial Ground. Once the challenge was completed, the skills would disappear!

"Oh! So that's how it is."

With that, he had nothing to worry about. He immediately selected the Charge Skill Book.

A flood of memories surged into his mind, letting him instantly learn Charge.

"Not bad, hehe. My head hurts a little, though!"

There were no enemies here for him to practice on, so after looting the other corpse, he headed toward the location of the 9th Batch Stone Jaw Monsters.

The ninth batch of Stone Jaw Monsters consisted of two Level 12 monsters!

To get more practice with Charge, Sun Busong endured the loss of health and tangled with the two monsters for nearly half an hour before finally getting the hang of the skill.

The two Stone Jaw Monsters also dropped a Skill Book.

Frostbolt: 30-yard range.

1.5-second cast time. 5-minute cooldown.

Fired a Frostbolt at the target, dealing 18 to 20 points of Frost Damage and reducing its Movement Speed by 40% for five seconds.

A mage skill!!!

Was this meant to let ordinary people experience the difference between physical and magical attacks ahead of time?

Since it cost him nothing anyway, Sun Busong happily chose to learn it on the spot.

After learning it, he compared the two. Charge was more practical—just grab a weapon and rush in. Frostbolt was different: he had to judge the distance properly, and it even required specific hand gestures, like forming hand signs in Naruto. It was exhausting. After practicing a few times, his fingers were already sore.

No wonder those cloth-wearers desperately stacked intelligence. This stuff really wasn't easy without some brains, Sun Busong thought as he headed toward the final batch of Stone Jaw Monsters.

This was the last batch of Stone Jaw Monsters. Sun Busong began searching for his target from far away and quickly found it.

A black robe concealed it from head to toe. Level 13! A Stone Jaw Arcanist!

"The final stage is a Caster Class monster!"

So what if it was a caster? Did that make it so amazing? He'd beat the hell out of it anyway.

Charge!

Sun Busong quietly crept near the Stone Jaw Monster. Once he was within range, he hurled the skill right at its face.

One second of immobilization was enough for him to land a slash.

But just as he raised his greatsword, the other side recovered ahead of time—or rather, it removed the immobilization effect.

A sound wave burst forth from the Arcanist, and Sun Busong's mind slipped beyond his control. His thoughts filled with scenes of fear and terror, forcing him to flee this place as quickly as possible.

For a full three seconds, and by the time he came to his senses, he had already put some distance between himself and the Arcanist. From this position, he could only watch as the other side bombarded him with a string of Magic Missiles.

"I've got over six thousand Health Points! You think I'm scared of you? I've got no other talents except having a ton of health—go ahead and hit me!"

Sun Busong roared as he charged toward the Arcanist.

The Magic Missiles weren't very powerful, only taking a dozen or so health from Sun Busong each time. But if it had been any other Level 10 civilian, they probably would have been in serious trouble.

He forced his way through the damage, and once Sun Busong reached the Arcanist, he unleashed a wild barrage of slashes. In the end, the Arcanist died with resentment in its heart.

Under normal circumstances, others should have found favorable terrain, maintained their distance, and slowly worn down this little boss.

After all, the Skill Books given in the first two stages didn't require Mana or rage. They could be used as soon as their cooldowns ended, while the opponent had Mana. As long as they waited for it to run out of mana, anyone could go up and clear the stage.

The final little boss dropped an Advancement Certificate. With it, once Sun Busong reached Ironforge and found Commander Lei Mao, he could advance to Soldier.

After leaving the trial passageway, several Elite Patrollers were waiting to receive him. He was soon taken to Ironforge.

He had ridden a Gryphon on the way here. He had been a little afraid when he first climbed on, but he adapted quickly. Below him stretched green pines, emerald cypresses, and snow-covered plains.

Seeing all this made him eager to advance. Once he reached Level 20, he could take out his Lion King. Wouldn't Ao be close then?

The advancement process was simple. He only had to hand the certificate directly to Commander Lei Mao, after which he was taken to the Ironforge Military District.

After a series of procedures, he was ultimately assigned to Loch Modan. The Gryphon carried him for three hours before reaching his destination.

A new identity, a new battle zone, a new beginning!

Character Information!

Sun Busong: Soldier, Level 10.

Health Points: 6427.

Strength: 42. Stamina: 17. Armor: 640. Enhanced Attributes: Critical Hit 5%.

Slaughter Level 10: +10 Strength. +10 Agility. +10 Stamina. (18/100)

Please bookmark and vote with recommendation tickets. Finally, I hope the editors can find time to take a look at this book. I want to sign a contract.