"Knock, knock, knock."
A little after nine the next morning, three rhythmic knocks at the door jolted Shi Fen awake.
He sat bolt upright in bed and blearily looked around. It was the same familiar bedroom, unchanged from the night before.
So it really was a dream. Shi Fen murmured regretfully.
Last night's dream had brought him so much happiness. It was something he had longed for in his previous life but never had: a perfect family, all his friends and relatives together, and the woman he loved. They had all been there in that dream.
But a dream was still only a dream.
Three more rhythmic knocks sounded at the door.
At the same time, an elderly voice called, "Hello, is this the Shi family?"
Shi Fen jolted to his feet. He swept his World Ring over the materials and Secret Patterns notes, pulling them all inside. After putting everything away, he quickly tidied his hair and clothes, then hurried to open the door.
Shi Fen opened the door and saw an old man standing alone outside.
The old man wore a plain summer tracksuit. He was at least 185 centimeters tall, with bronzed skin and fearsome muscles that seemed entirely out of place for his age. The muscles in his upper body looked ready to burst through his T-shirt. He had the broad shoulders and powerful build of a tiger.
The old man was extremely handsome. The years had left their marks on his face, but they did nothing to diminish his looks. If anything, they had added a touch of mature charm.
From a distance, anyone would have taken him for a handsome, fit young man.
The old man looked almost exactly like someone from Shi Fen's memories. His build had changed—he was now incredibly muscular—but Shi Fen knew that face too well to mistake it.
At the sight of him, Shi Fen's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He exclaimed in shock, "Professor Qian, you came here too?"
Before the old man could answer, Shi Fen had recognized him. He couldn't help feeling a little pleased with himself. I never expected anyone to recognize me at a glance after all these years in semi-retirement.
"Do you know me?" the old man asked Shi Fen with a smile.
Shi Fen froze. Because of last night's dream, he had slipped into the scene without thinking and blurted out those words. He regretted them the moment they left his mouth.
Ever since opening the door, Shi Fen had kept his eyes fixed on the old man's.
There was a hint of surprise and smugness in the old man's eyes, but absolutely none of the joy of seeing someone again after a long separation.
Shi Fen looked a little different now than he had in his previous life.
He was now 178 centimeters tall, a few centimeters taller than before. His face was still essentially the same, though some of the contours had changed. He was quite a bit more handsome now.
He wasn't exactly a heartthrob, but he was certainly no ordinary-looking man. Compared with his appearance in his previous life, there wasn't much difference. If the old man really were his master from his previous life, he would definitely have recognized him.
Although the old man looked very much like his master from his previous life, he definitely wasn't the same person.
"Elder Qian, you're such an impressive figure. I saw you in the news once and never forgot you." What kind of person was Shi Fen? A genius. With his astonishing mental processing ability, he came up with an explanation in an instant.
"So that's how you know me. I did appear in the news quite often when I was younger," the old man said, suddenly understanding.
Shi Fen gestured for the old man to come in.
The old man stepped inside and looked around. When he reached the bedroom doorway, he glanced at the books on the desk and was secretly impressed. Shi Fen really was something. Those books on theoretical physics weren't the sort an ordinary person could read. It looked like this visit was sure to be worthwhile.
After inviting the old man inside, Shi Fen noticed how interested he was in the books. He told him to look around as he pleased, then used making tea as an excuse to dash excitedly into the kitchen and prepare tea and snacks for him.
In reality, Shi Fen rushed into the kitchen to look up information on scientists surnamed Qian. While the water was heating, he quickly skimmed the information he found. What he saw left him stunned.
How could this old man's life be so similar to my master's in my previous life?
Not only did the old man look like Shi Fen's master from his previous life, but they also had the same name: Qian Wu.
Both of them had come from a scientific research background.
The slight difference was that the old man was Huaxia Country's greatest forging master and one of the key figures on Earth responsible for developing high-grade Kro Alloy.
The old man had once led a team that developed Series 79, S-Grade, and SS-Grade Kro Alloy at the most difficult point in humanity's fight against the monsters. He had then unhesitatingly made his invention patents public worldwide. During the catastrophic monster tide, his work had provided powerful Martial Artists with weapons capable of standing up to the monsters.
In the Martial Artist Circle, the old man was a highly revered and awe-inspiring scientist and forging master. Many of the older generation's strongest Martial Artists had used weapons Elder Qian had made by working himself to the bone.
After the old man stepped back from the front lines, many powerful figures became even more obsessed with his finely crafted weapons...
The story had spread far and wide online. Anyone who looked into the news from the Great Catastrophe period could find it. Unfortunately, Shi Fen had never been interested in that sort of information, and only now did he learn about this great figure.
After reading the old man's profile, Shi Fen felt he understood what was going on.
Teacher Yi must be up to something again! First my brother Shi Tian, and now Master Qian Wu. If there's nothing fishy going on, I'll eat my hat!
Shi Fen suddenly thought of something. His eyes widened and his fists clenched as he thought in alarm, Could my parents be involved too? I'd better go back and ask them...
The kettle began to whistle. Shi Fen quickly gathered his thoughts, brewed two cups of tea, and took some snacks out of the refrigerator. He set everything on a tea tray.
Carrying the tray out of the kitchen, Shi Fen found the old man squatting there, flipping through some of the books he had already read.
"Elder Qian, would you like some tea?" Shi Fen asked softly.
"Hm? You go ahead. I want to see what you usually study, and how you got so good at forging through self-study alone." The old man waved a hand, declining Shi Fen's offer.
Shi Fen was at a loss for words. He could only sit obediently on the sofa. He left the tea and snacks on the table untouched and quietly watched the old man flip through the piles of books in the living room.
Shi Fen simply waited in silence.
The old man had little interest in social niceties. What interested him most was how Shi Fen had taught himself.
After obtaining all the Shi family's records, he had gone over them many times in recent days and watched a great many videos showing the "birth" of various blades. He had concluded that a single person had forged every one of the complicated weapons.
After comparing them with Luo Feng's videos, he had recognized at a glance, from the forging techniques, which weapons Shi Fen had made. Over the past few days, he had gone to many places, visiting in person to inspect the blades and swords Shi Fen had forged.
After seeing those masterpieces, the old man was certain that Shi Tie alone couldn't have taught Shi Fen to forge like this. Others might not be able to tell, but he knew what he was looking at.
The more the old man saw, the more astonished he became. Shi Fen's forging skills weren't far behind his own. Youquan in particular impressed him: when it came to handling the finer points of the forging process, the old man had to admit Shi Fen was better.
The old man felt that the only thing he had over Shi Fen was his strength. As for everything else, it was hard to say.
How could he sit still after discovering such a talent? As soon as he had finished investigating, he had come to visit Shi Fen in person.
To make sure he was the first to visit Shi Fen, he had fiercely threatened every faction. Anyone who dared to approach Shi Fen ahead of him would find that their faction wouldn't get its hands on high-tier SS-Grade or SSS-Grade Weapons for the rest of their lives.
Elder Qian had a very special standing in the forging world.
No one dared ignore what Elder Qian said.
That was why no one had contacted Shi Fen all these days.
The old man moved quickly. In just over twenty minutes, he had gone through all the books in the living room and bedroom.
With a head full of questions, the old man sat down on the sofa, reluctant to give up. He asked Shi Fen helplessly, "Did you really teach yourself from these books?"
Shi Fen smiled faintly. He knew what the old man meant and answered calmly, "Books are just a guide. What matters is insight."
"Well said. Insight! No wonder you're a genius." The old man laughed heartily.
When he noticed the untouched tea and snacks on the coffee table, the old man felt a strange warmth in his heart. Without hesitation, he picked up a teacup, drank the tea that had gone completely cold, and ate a whole piece of snack.
Watching the old man eat with such gusto, Shi Fen realized he was hungry too. He joined him and ate without bothering to mind his manners.
As he looked at Shi Fen, the old man admired him even more.
"You must have guessed someone would come looking for you, right?" the old man asked as he ate.
"Yeah. I just didn't expect it to take this many days for you to show up," Shi Fen replied.
The old man was secretly delighted. Good thing I held those people off. He continued, "Your forging skills are exceptional. The craftsmanship of Youquan Blade ranks among the top ten in the world. And Youquan Blade was only your first attempt at forging Blue Gold. I can imagine your abilities go far beyond that."
Shi Fen nodded lightly, inviting the old man to continue.
The old man didn't mind and went on. "All you lack right now is resources. I can provide you with plenty. My forging skills might not be much better than yours, but this old body still has some experience to offer.
"For now, you need resources, experience, and a broader perspective.
"Tell me, are you willing to take me as your master?"
Shi Fen immediately stood, bowed respectfully, and said, "Hello, Master."
The old man froze. He truly hadn't expected the apprenticeship to go so smoothly. And Shi Fen had called him "Master," not "Teacher." The former showed far greater acceptance than the latter.
Wasn't Shi Fen supposed to have a strange temper? Why is he so easy to talk to? The old man couldn't make sense of it.
But he was delighted to take Shi Fen on as his apprentice so easily. Grinning, he said, "Well, Master it is. I accept you as my apprentice. Can you tell me why you agreed so readily?"
Shi Fen thought for a moment, then answered with conviction, "I admire your belief."
"Good!" A smile spread across Elder Qian's face, and a strange light glimmered in his eyes. The more he looked at Shi Fen, the more he liked him.
The belief Elder Qian had held to his entire life had nothing to do with religion. It was his determination to make his country and its people prosperous, and to advance humanity. He had devoted his whole life to that cause.
Elder Qian smiled. "Geniuses really are different!"
"Geniuses are people too."
Shi Fen smiled as well. Having the same master in both lives gave him the feeling that they were one and the same person. More and more, he felt that Teacher Yi must have used some kind of method.
Shi Fen didn't know whether these people had memories of their previous lives. If they did, that would be wonderful.
He would have to uncover the truth little by little.
Maybe something miraculous would happen if he completed a few more trials?
"All right. I've arranged a villa for you in Bright Moon Residential District. Move in today. I've taken care of all the paperwork, and the movers should be here soon. Tell your parents to pack their things. Once you've taken care of everything, call this number and I'll send someone to pick you up."
Elder Qian handed Shi Fen a slip of paper with a phone number written on it.
"A villa? I'm moving today?" Shi Fen stared at Elder Qian's smiling face in surprise.
Elder Qian's expression turned serious. "Hurry it up. The sooner we get started forging, the sooner I can see what you can do. I've put off a lot of work these past few days because of you, so I need to get back and take care of it."
Before Shi Fen could react, Elder Qian stood up, opened the door, and left.
Still as quick and decisive as ever. Shi Fen stared at the slip of paper in his hand, caught between laughter and tears.
Before you continue