Reserved Master Craftsman

"Clang—! Clang—!! Clang—!!!..."

A storm of ringing metal exploded inside Jin Geng Blacksmith Shop, drawing sidelong looks from every young apprentice and Master Craftsman in the store.

When the final thunderous strike, as if it might split the roof and shoot straight into the clouds, fell and its lingering echo refused to fade, reverberating beside everyone's ears, a short, stocky old man with white hair and beard strode forward. He came to a forging platform and reached out with his right hand toward the dark battle saber that was still radiating scorching heat.

Soul power surged, and a silver-white gauntlet that reached his elbow appeared, covering the short, stocky old man's right hand and arm, cutting off the assault of the heat.

Then the old man curled a finger on his left hand and flicked it. Wrapped in a wisp of silver-gray soul power, his index finger tapped the blade of the dark battle saber held in his right hand.

"Ding—!"

A melodious sound rang out, making everyone standing around subconsciously narrow their eyes, expressions of intoxication appearing on their faces.

Those here were either Advanced Blacksmiths or people who had spent many years as Intermediate Blacksmiths. Their judgment of the quality of a work was carved into their bones.

Just from that sound alone, everyone knew this was a good saber—a good saber none of them could forge!

Unlike the people around him, who were narrowing their eyes in delight, the short, stocky old man's gaze was bright and piercing. His right hand was still wrapped in the silver-white gauntlet as he held the saber horizontally, while silver-gray soul power surfaced over his left hand, protecting his fingers from the saber's residual heat as he stroked inch by inch along the blade and the spine.

And as the old man moved his hand, beneath the glow of that silver-gray soul power, everyone finally discovered that the dark battle saber actually bore lines of texture like cloud patterns!

Only after a full five minutes did the short, stocky old man finish examining every inch of the dark battle saber in detail. He set down the saber, whose temperature had dropped considerably, then looked toward the figure standing quietly before the forging platform. A delighted expression appeared on his still ruddy face beneath his white hair and beard, and he laughed loudly. "Good! Good! Good!—"

"Hahaha—good! Its sound is like a jade chime, its patterns like clouds, and it is formed as if by nature itself. Little Yi, you are very good! Extremely good—!!! Hahahahaha—!!!"

Faced with the old master's praise, Ling Yi did not become complacent. He still maintained a modest attitude, a warm smile at the corners of his mouth, and cupped his fists in a salute to the old master as he said gently, "As long as I didn't disappoint Master—"

"You—"

Seeing Ling Yi's unarrogant, unhurried manner, Old Master Jin felt even more satisfied, though on the surface he shook his head and said, "You don't have a bit of a young man's vigor. You're more like an old man than this Old Fellow with half his body already buried in the earth—"

As he spoke, he added, "Disappointed? How could I possibly be disappointed?!"

"A Five Hundred Refined battle saber!" Old Master Jin raised the dark battle saber in his hand, his eyes filled with pride. "Even in Gengxin City, how many people could forge such a perfect Five Hundred Refined Weapon at the age of ten?"

Within the borders of the Star Luo Empire, at the Clear Sky Sect, in the Strength Clan's residence.

Inside a blacksmith shop, the young clan leader of the Strength Clan, Tai Tan, now in his thirties, was earnestly guiding a youth as he hammered the huge Iron Body before him.

The youth held a hammer in his right hand, its head nearly cylindrical. His figure spun and danced, and the giant hammer flipped and flew in his hands, light as if it had no weight at all. In an extremely short span of time, the huge Iron Body was struck until it deformed and shrank.

Time passed minute by minute, second by second. In the end, when the Iron Body vanished, what replaced it was a long-handled, broad-bladed chopping saber.

The youth looked at the chopping saber and gave a noncommittal nod, then lifted his chin toward Tai Tan beside him, signaling him.

Tai Tan stepped forward, soul power covering his hands. He picked up the saber and examined it carefully, then respectfully said to the youth, "Young Master, the blade is dense and uniform, and its proportions are excellent. With your talent, plus the advantage of the Clear Sky Hammer, I expect it won't be long before you can master the forging of weapons above Five Hundred Refined!"

"Five Hundred Refined?" After hearing Tai Tan's words, the youth showed a hint of dissatisfaction. "Then how long will it take to reach the Blacksmith Master's Thousand Refinement?"

"Young Master~" Tai Tan's tall body bent slightly, his tone still humble as he patiently said, "You have only been in contact with forging for a little over two years, and normally you focus mainly on cultivation. The time you spend on forging is even shorter, so there is no need to be so anxious..."

"Enough~" The Young Master waved a hand, interrupting Tai Tan, and said, "Then let's leave it at that for now. In one year at most, I'll cultivate to Level 40. Once I become a Soul Ancestor, do you think I'll be able to reach the standard needed for Thousand Refinement Level forging by then?"

"One year?!" When Tai Tan heard this, his eyes widened, both shocked and delighted. "Young Master, you are only fourteen now. One year... this... this... a fifteen-year-old Soul Ancestor..."

At the same time, on the other side of the continent, while Tai Tan was shocked by his Young Master's talent.

In the Capital City of Waterwood Principality, Mu Zhi City, inside Jin Geng Blacksmith Shop.

"Little Yi~" Old Master Diamond looked at Ling Yi in front of him with a gratified expression and said with a chuckle, "I heard your soul power has already risen to level ten?"

"Yes, Master~" Ling Yi nodded and replied with the same smile.

"Good!" Old Master Diamond's brows lifted with joy, and he laughed heartily. "Little Yi, don't worry. In Mu Zhi City, your master still has a bit of face. I'll definitely find you a few sufficiently strong helpers to hunt down a Soul Beast over a hundred years old with suitable attributes for you—!"

"Thank you for your concern, Master~" Ling Yi first expressed his thanks, then shook his head and said, "But there's no need. This disciple has already made arrangements..."

"Mm?" Old Master Diamond raised his brows when he heard this. Looking at Ling Yi, he asked, "Made arrangements? You're not planning to wait for your academy's unified soul hunt, are you?"

At this point, the old master's brows furrowed, and he said in a deep voice, "Listen to a word of advice from your master. It's best not to place your First Soul Ring in the hands of a unified soul hunt led by the academy teachers..."

"Logically speaking, with that clever head of yours, after staying in that academy of yours for three years, you shouldn't be unaware of it, right?"

"Almost all unified soul hunts organized by Junior Soul Master Academies obtain soul rings for their students that are basically white soul rings under a hundred years old. The increase they give a soul master can be called pitifully small..."

"Those little fellows from ordinary families don't understand, but you, kid, shouldn't be ignorant of this, right?"

As he spoke, a somewhat puzzled look appeared on Old Master Diamond's face. He looked Ling Yi up and down, who from beginning to end wore a smile and appeared perfectly at ease.

"Master, don't worry~" Faced with the old master's confused gaze, Ling Yi shook his head and said, "This disciple's First Soul Ring will definitely be chosen from those over a hundred years old. Otherwise, with this disciple's talent of Innate Soul Power Half Level, I'm afraid I would be trapped below Great Soul Master for the rest of my life—"

"Only with the amplification of a soul ring over a hundred years old will this disciple have some hope of looking ahead and seeing what the scenery above the Great Soul Master level is like—"

Why was it that, even though all the forces of Mu Zhi City clearly knew Ling Yi's cultivation speed was unreasonably fast, they still did not pay him much attention?

The reason was simple.

First was the weakness of the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul itself. Among the countless kinds of Martial Souls on Douluo Continent, it belonged to the very bottom of the bottom, not even comparable to trash Martial Souls like the Thousand Jun Ant and the Hoe.

Second was that Ling Yi's innate soul power was only half a level. His future upper limit was practically locked in place. No matter how much he jumped around, in their understanding, it was impossible for him to break through to the Soul Grandmaster Level or above.

Just think about it: a fellow who could not even reach Soul Grandmaster, and whose own combat strength was not strong—so what if he had a clever mind? So what if his forging talent was extremely strong?

At most, he would be another Blacksmith Master. Grandmaster Jin was advanced in years, and this kid named Ling Yi could perfectly take over his master's position and become one of the new Three Great Masters of Waterwood Principality...

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