Perfect Feather-Pattern Dagger (Revised)

The next day, a little past 9:00 AM.

Shi Fen woke up leisurely from his slumber, climbed out of bed, and stretched comfortably.

Because of the Qualification Trial, he had been completely unwilling to "sleep," feeling that sleep was a waste of time. Only last night, in order to thoroughly relax his mind and relieve the internal pressure on his soul, did he allow himself the luxury of a comfortable sleep.

By the time he woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.

After getting up, Shi Fen brushed his teeth slowly while pondering what to do today.

It's been a long time since I checked on the studio; I'll head over there this morning, Shi Fen decided.

Luo Feng was busy preparing for the college entrance exams and was swamped every day, so he couldn't go and disturb him. Luo Hua would certainly be reading today; the books he had given him yesterday were quite numerous, and Shi Fen wouldn't interrupt his studies now.

If he wanted to go out and clear his head, the best choice was to visit the studio.

The highest-tier orders at the studio all required Shi Fen to complete them. Perhaps the studio had already received such an order.

To avoid disturbing him, Shi Tie never took the initiative to urge Shi Fen to come. Besides, Shi Fen was very self-disciplined; he usually visited the studio every two or three weeks, and even if he was very "busy" that month, he would definitely come by at the end of the month.

Therefore, Shi Tie was very at ease with Shi Fen, letting him do as he pleased.

Moreover, Shi Fen's strength was soon to reach the level of a "quasi-martial artist." The whole family was currently letting him do whatever he wanted, not caring whether he took the college entrance exams or not.

They never asked about Shi Fen's daily life.

They only hoped that Shi Fen would reach the quasi-martial artist level sooner.

With Shi Fen's current attainments in blade technique, he would definitely pass the actual combat assessment for martial artists! When that time came, they wouldn't need to buy a house; they could move directly into the Bright Moon Residential District. How wonderful that would be!

After washing up, Shi Fen glanced at the date on his phone.

April 16, 2056.

He felt his head buzzing; the pressure was immense! There were less than two months left until his 18th birthday. If he couldn't complete the mission ahead of time, the extra reward would be gone.

In a few years, Luo Feng would come into contact with the universe. Time was of the essence!

Shi Fen didn't want the reward that was within his reach to just drift away. Recently, the closer the date got, the more frantic Shi Fen became. He felt that the extra reward would definitely help him reach the universe.

Even a single "hair" dropped by a big shot would be an incredible fortune for him right now.

Therefore, Shi Fen was desperate for that "extra reward."

Shi Fen sighed helplessly and began to make his breakfast: four slices of bread, two fried eggs, and a glass of milk. After finishing the food, he felt much more energetic. Walking out of the crowded South Bank Residential District, Shi Fen sped off, heading straight for the studio.

Although Shi Fen was quite "bourgeois" and could have taken a taxi, he preferred to get some exercise.

He was cooped up at home every day; although he exercised his physical fitness daily, that was still at home. Since he rarely came out, he would definitely take his time walking there.

10:03 AM.

Shi Fen arrived at the studio.

The studio was decorated in a style that completely imitated the "Virtual Trial Space." To get it decorated well, the lazy Shi Fen had to leave his room every day to frequently inspect the progress.

Building this studio had almost completely emptied Shi Fen's "little treasury."

The results were remarkable.

Anyone who came here would feel as if they had arrived in a future world of technology.

The money spent was worth more than the value received.

Shi Tie was organizing the blade display cabinet. Hearing the noise, he turned around to see Shi Fen walking in at a leisurely pace.

"How does my son have time to wander out? No need to go into seclusion?" Shi Tie teased.

Shi Fen rolled his eyes inwardly, thinking, If I didn't need to go into seclusion, I would have been over the moon with joy by now. Who would come here?

Shi Fen said helplessly, "Dad, I came to see if there are any orders that need me to handle?"

Although Shi Tie teased Shi Fen, he was extremely serious about his work. Seeing Shi Fen talk about business, his expression became a bit more solemn.

"There is an order for a 'Perfect Feather-Pattern Dagger' that I can't handle. The client requires the feather pattern to be perfectly symmetrical. I've tried several times, but the ones I forged had flaws. You should do it."

"Okay."

After a simple reply to Shi Tie, Shi Fen didn't intend to chat and ran into the Forging Room as if fleeing.

Shi Tie was not surprised by Shi Fen's reaction at all. Weapons with perfect feather patterns were the ones Shi Fen loved to forge the most; every time he encountered such an order, he would be like this.

He was impatient to complete it.

If there were no such orders for two or three months, Shi Fen would forge a few such weapons himself to satisfy his craving.

"Haha, I didn't expect such an unexpected harvest today."

Shi Fen was very satisfied with this order.

Forging in real life was much more interesting than in the "Virtual Trial Space." Because the auxiliary capabilities of those "tools" were too excellent, unless he was forging "concentrated iron," he could complete the task quickly using various tools, leaving no joy in forging and no sense of accomplishment.

But in real life, it was different.

In reality, the tools used were relatively poor, which was a great test of personal strength, such as technique and eyesight. Plus, weapons with perfect feather patterns were a special test of precision.

The final product of a perfect feather-pattern weapon was a "perfect artificial feather," more perfect than any feather in nature. The feather patterns Shi Fen forged were perfectly symmetrical, without any flaws.

Even the most severe perfectionist could not find a single flaw.

Shi Fen skillfully lit the furnace, changed into his forging gear, donned his mask, and activated the fixed cameras from every angle.

Begin forging!

Shi Fen selected two types of thin, premium-grade steel plates.

One was high-carbon steel, the other low-carbon. Only by forging them together would the metal reveal a contrast in color and form a pattern.

He started the metal cutter to slice the steel plates into thin strips of identical size.

After thoroughly cleaning the metal strips and arranging them at intervals, he welded them together and then welded a handle onto one end of the metal block. Once finished, Shi Fen placed the block into the furnace, heating it until it reached the specified temperature.

The preparation work was complete.

The forging officially began.

Shi Fen put on a heat-resistant glove on his left hand, gripped the handle of the metal block, removed the glowing red metal from the furnace, and placed it on a custom-made anvil.

Gripping the handle of a giant hammer with his right hand, Shi Fen raised his arm, lifting the strangely shaped, exaggeratedly large hammer into the air before bringing it down heavily onto the iron block.

The glowing red iron block flattened significantly in an instant.

If anyone were watching closely, they would see that the degree of flattening was perfectly uniform, as if it had been pressed by a hydraulic forging device.

Shi Fen's control over his strength was extremely powerful; this was merely a warm-up.

Shi Fen continuously flipped the metal, hammering blow after blow almost without a second thought. Occasionally, he would pause slightly to sprinkle some borax powder on the metal surface or reheat the block.

The metal block changed shape continuously until it became a relatively flat piece.

Shi Fen let the metal block cool down, and once it was completely cold, he cut it into several pieces, welded them together again, and returned it to the furnace for heating. After heating, he continued to hammer until the metal block became slightly flat once more.

Shi Fen placed the flattened metal block into the furnace to heat.

He waited patiently on the side, and seeing the metal block turn golden-red again, he reached out to grab the handle and placed the intensely hot iron block onto the Press-Cutter.

Shi Fen stepped back slightly, confirming that the center lines of both were perfectly aligned with no deviation.

He then reached out and started the machine.

Driven by hydraulics, the thin "axe blade" of the Press-Cutter sliced more than half of the scorching iron block in two. Seeing the split go so smoothly, Shi Fen couldn't help but feel pleased.

He picked up the "bloomed" metal block and placed it on the anvil to continue forging. This time, his strikes were light and slow, carefully closing the bloomed section. Even after closing it, Shi Fen's strikes remained light.

Accompanied by the "ding-ding-dang-dang" sounds in the Forging Room.

The sword blank gradually took shape.

The overall length of the sword blank was 31 centimeters, with the blade portion measuring 21 centimeters long and 2 centimeters wide.

Shi Fen attached the hilt, made from a monster's horn, to the end of the sword blank. This was an "artisan-grade" hilt sent by the client. There was no need to manufacture an additional hilt, and Shi Fen was happy for the convenience.

In just a few minutes, Shi Fen had the hilt installed.

After the auxiliary processes of polishing, sharpening, and acid etching were all completed, a shimmering, feather-patterned short sword was perfectly brought into existence in Shi Fen's hands.

It was not yet one in the afternoon when Shi Fen finished the final step of the short sword. Shi Fen's efficiency was high. It took him less than 3 hours. For the current Shi Fen, it was impossible to fail at such a small job. That was why his speed could be so ridiculously fast.

To Shi Fen, making such a small trinket was truly "using a cannon to kill a mosquito."

A waste of talent!

However, this little thing could not only satisfy Shi Fen's desire to forge but also earn him a tidy sum. He wasn't sure of the current price, but in the early days, such a custom-made weapon would cost over 80,000.

Every item Shi Fen forged was an "artwork," and for wealthy collectors, these were "art collectibles" well worth pursuing.

No one could bear to use such high-quality blades; they were usually kept in display cases. If even a tiny bit of the edge were chipped on this perfect feather-patterned blade, the value of the sword would be greatly diminished.

After putting everything in the Forging Room back in its place.

Shi Fen carried the short sword in one hand and left the Forging Room.

As soon as Shi Fen stepped out, he saw Wei Wen in the lobby, directing the unloading of goods.

"Please, everyone, stack these pig iron blocks neatly in the warehouse. Once the unloading is done, I'll treat you all to lunch." Wei Wen said with a smile, directing the porters.

Hearing this, the three porters, who had missed lunch because of these heavy iron lumps, beamed with joy and began stacking the iron blocks even more diligently, arranging them into neat squares.

"Huh? Wei Wen, what are you doing here? Don't you need to study?" Shi Fen walked quietly to Wei Wen's side, holding the short sword.

Wei Wen was startled to suddenly find someone beside him, especially someone holding a sword. Only when he saw it was Shi Fen did he relax.

Wei Wen didn't answer Shi Fen's question, joking instead.

"How are you like a ghost? You walk without a sound. Standing next to me holding a sword, I thought someone was trying to assassinate me."

Facing Wei Wen's banter, Shi Fen felt speechless and said helplessly, "I've always walked without a sound, okay? I just finished forging this sword; if I don't hold it, how am I supposed to give it to my dad?"

Wei Wen examined the sword in Shi Fen's hand, his eyes widening. He snatched it from Shi Fen, his gaze seemingly glued to it, and exclaimed in surprise, "You forged this?"

Seeing Wei Wen holding the sword and turning it over to look at it.

Shi Fen couldn't help but roll his eyes and retorted, "Do you think you forged it?"

"Uh..." Wei Wen was momentarily speechless. He handed the sword back to Shi Fen and stammered, "I always thought these kinds of swords were forged by your uncle. I didn't expect it to be you. I only just realized now that your forging skills are the strongest. Since you're so strong, teaching a clumsy apprentice like me must be very..."

Shi Fen interrupted Wei Wen, took the sword back from him, and patted his shoulder, comforting him: "Why say things like that between us brothers? Don't be discouraged. Your talent is much better than my brother's. To have made such great progress in less than two years is already quite good.

If you keep practicing for another two or three years, you'll be able to make standard blades. By then, you'll be the blacksmith for our Three Stones. All your works will be sold here, and the income will be all yours. As long as you keep at it, you'll succeed soon.

You have to know, we two are 'iron-clad' brothers—even Luo Feng isn't as 'iron-clad' with us as we are with each other!"