Tiemang Technique

Xie Jinyou took his leave of Chen Mo and was picked up by a luxurious carriage at the entrance of the Wu residence.

Wu Duan and Wu Zheng stood at the gate to "see him off," having just finished sending away a crowd of collateral relatives.

The two men walked up to Chen Mo, displaying a sense of respect they had never shown before.

Wu Duan thumped his chest with a loud thud and said, "Master Chen, from this day forward, your business is my business!"

It was less that Wu Duan wanted to cling to Chen Mo's coattails, and more that he wanted to cling to the coattails of the Xie Family.

He harbored many doubts regarding the help Xie Jinyou had provided to Chen Mo.

It was true that the Xie Family did not fear the Black Tiger Hall or the Zhao Family, but there was no reason for them to recruit a newly promoted Martial Scholar as an ally.

Could it be that Xie Jinyou simply shared a mutual interest with him?

Yet, aside from his rapid speed in breaking through realms, he believed he had no other advantages.

And the Xie Family clearly did not lack people with talent.

He shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it any longer.

After the banquet dispersed.

Chen Mo couldn't wait to duck into the Blacksmith Room. He took out the Tiemang Technique and, after a quick browse, several lines of golden text suddenly appeared in his mind:

[Thousand Hammer Refinement, Mountain and Water Cultivation]

[Successfully bound Tiemang Technique, required Mountain Essence and Water Soul for polishing: Malachite]

[Polishing this material can unleash its primal potential and improve your martial comprehension]

"Malachite?"

He furrowed his brows slightly and muttered, "To refine Malachite, one must use charcoal to heat it to obtain crude copper. After using bellows to remove impurities like iron and sulfur from the crude copper, one gets red copper. Then, by adding metals like tin and lead in specific proportions, one finally obtains bronze."

In other words, fire-based copper smelting.

This process was quite complex, and most importantly, Malachite was not sold in Black River Town.

"Malachite?"

Facing Chen Mo's question, Wu Zhiai wore a thoughtful expression before replying, "Malachite is sold in the West Market of the county town. The price is... not cheap, but if you need it, I will scrape together every penny to get it for you!"

Hearing this, Chen Mo scratched his head and smiled.

In the days that followed.

Wu Zhiai provided Chen Mo with a batch of Malachite every day, along with Crude Iron and Refined Iron; the daily cost was extremely high.

Wu Duan and Wu Zheng watched helplessly, their brows furrowed high, but as much as their hearts ached, they couldn't stop Wu Zhiai's "extravagance."

"I hope this kid can earn back the costs in the future..."

Wu Duan clenched his fists in secret.

From the very first day, Chen Mo buried himself in the Blacksmith Room. By the evening of the second day, a bronze broken sword with a faint, ghostly green glow had already been forged.

He sank his consciousness into his mind.

[Tiemang Technique: Like a blade's edge covering the body, as sturdy as copper and iron]

[Comprehension: 5/50 (Not yet initiated)]

He felt the muscles on his back and arms were firmer than before, as if a sharp iron edge were shielding his body.

In other words, he was more resistant to blows.

"Thinking about it carefully now, if Xie Jinyou had used the Tiemang Technique back then, I would have been defeated within five moves."

"To the current me, that man is somewhat unfathomable. It seems I need to advance to the mid-stage or even late-stage of Dark Jin as soon as possible."

With the Zhao Family and the Black Tiger Hall acting like wolves and tigers, relying solely on the status of a Martial Scholar and early-stage Dark Jin strength was far from enough.

The next day.

Chen Mo sought out Wu Zhiai.

After obtaining her consent, Chen Mo set up a blacksmith shop in an alley not far from the Wu residence, invited Master Wu and Zhang Cai to act as his assistants, and began selling weapons to the public.

A blacksmith shop opened by a Martial Scholar, with the once-renowned Master Chen personally firing the furnace and forging swords—it was full of hype.

For a time, martial artists from Black River Town and even other parts of Anyang County flocked to the shop, offering weapon blueprints and materials, or buying ready-made styles directly.

Firstly, it could save on the expenses of purchasing materials and reduce the pressure of silver expenditures on Wu Zhiai.

Secondly, Chen Mo could earn a thirty percent share of the revenue, saving up money to buy a house in the future.

Thirdly, as Chen Mo forged various weapons, the effect of Mountain and Water Cultivation was, subtly, much better than tinkering behind closed doors.

Half a month later, midsummer arrived, and the sound of cicadas filled the mountains.

On this day.

A swordsman dressed in green, wearing a bamboo hat and carrying a blade, stepped into the blacksmith shop.

Slap!

The man slammed a piece of cowhide parchment onto the wooden counter.

"How many days will it take to forge this sword?"

Chen Mo looked up.

He saw that the man wore a bright silver narrow-blade saber at his waist, and there was a faint air of heroism between his brows.

This man's strength was above his own.

Where did this expert come from...

Chen Mo thought to himself. Ever since he set up this blacksmith shop, many martial artists from Anyang County and even other regions had come by.

At this moment, Master Wu walked over from the side, picked up the cowhide parchment, and examined it carefully for a moment before sighing, "Truly a fine sword! Five days. Come back to collect it in five days."

The swordsman pondered for a moment, nodded in satisfaction, and then placed three silver ingots on the wooden counter. "This is the deposit. There will be another seven silver ingots once the sword is finished."

He spoke in an unquestionable tone.

Master Wu pursed his lips, wanting to charge a little less, but seeing the other party's firm tone, he didn't say anything.

Master Wu then nodded, "Very well. Please leave your name, so we can keep the accounts straight."

"Shen Qi."

After stating his name, the man turned and left.

Chen Mo walked over to look at the diagram on the cowhide parchment and also felt that the sword was exceptionally exquisite; the dragon carving on the hilt alone would require more than half a day of meticulous handiwork.

"Master Wu, I will handle the iron smelting and quenching, and you can handle the carving and shaping."

"Agreed."

The two worked in coordination, and five days later at the hour of the dragon, Shen Qi arrived on time, handed over the seven silver ingots, and left with a dashing air.

This sword required the combination of Crude Iron, Refined Iron, and Malachite, making the forging process complex and the technical requirements extremely high.

Over these five days, Chen Mo's comprehension of Dragon-Capturing Jin and several martial arts had improved visibly.

He walked to the corner of the blacksmith shop and summoned the golden text:

[Thousand Hammer Refinement, Mountain and Water Cultivation]

[Dragon-Capturing Jin: Basic stance training, trains the legs below and fist power above]

[Comprehension: 34/200 (Great Achievement)]

[Fuhu Fist: Fists contain a tiger's roar, imbued with inner might]

[Comprehension: 28/200 (Great Achievement)]

[Luo Smoke Steps: Steps stir up smoke, leaving no trace behind]

[Comprehension: 56/100 (Minor Achievement)]

[Tiemang Technique: Like thorns covering the body, as tough as copper and iron]

[Comprehension: 22/50 (Entry Level)]

Since the end of the Martial Examination, over twenty days of steady practice had passed, and he felt his own realm quietly approaching the mid-stage of Dark Jin, missing only by a hair's breadth.

"It's been a long time since I visited Tianqing Martial Hall. I wonder how they are doing. I'll go take a look today."

After making up his mind, he practiced the Dragon-Capturing Jin and various martial arts a few more times before heading out.

Before long, he arrived at Tianqing Martial Hall. Upon walking into the inner hall, he felt that the atmosphere of martial practice was even more intense today.

When Ji Chang saw Chen Mo arrive, he hurried forward to greet him.

Seeing that Chen Mo's arms had grown thicker, Ji Chang couldn't help but feel ashamed. "It seems you have improved again. We senior brothers can no longer keep up with you."

Chen Mo shook his head with a wry smile and asked, "How has the martial hall been lately? Has anyone from the Zhao Family come to cause trouble?"

Ji Chang neither nodded nor shook his head. "No one has come, but..."

A look of helplessness appeared on his face. "When Li Xuan and another junior brother went out, they were injured by Luo Hou of the Zhao Family, suffering broken bones in their hands and feet. Since then, Master has strictly forbidden us from going out at will. We've been feeling stifled staying in the martial hall these past few days!"

Hearing this, Chen Mo remained calm.

It seemed the Zhao Family had not yet reached the point of a life-or-death struggle with them.

Even if it were to come to a life-or-death struggle, it would be Tianqing Martial Hall that would perish.

While he was deep in thought, Ji Chang spoke again: "There is one more piece of news. County Magistrate Lin is going to host an Anyang Martial Arts Tournament, and all the major factions will be participating."