Steward Li

Master Sun saw this and nodded faintly.

Seeing that the blade blank had softened until its edges glowed red, Shen Chu clamped it out, placed it on the anvil, and picked up the hammer to strike it just as Master Sun had done.

The sound was somewhat dull.

Master Sun shook his head slightly. "Kid, your force is wrong, your strike point is wrong, and your rhythm is wrong. A blade forged like this will only have uneven thickness."

With that, Master Sun took the hammer from Shen Chu's hand to demonstrate in person.

"Like this."

Master Sun swung his waist and sank his shoulders, landing a steady blow on the blade blank. The blank, which had been at zero, immediately gained one point.

[Low-Grade Short Blade (1/100)]

"So that's how it's done!"

Shen Chu had a moment of realization, and Master Sun handed the hammer back to him.

"Again."

This time, Shen Chu grasped some of the essentials. Using the same motion of swinging his waist and sinking his shoulders to generate force, he struck five times in succession.

The number on the display above the blade blank finally changed.

[Low-Grade Short Blade (2/100)]

Five strikes had only added one point.

There was still a large gap compared to Master Sun's one strike per point.

However, even this small progress made Master Sun show a hint of satisfaction.

What if I activate Thousand Hammer Refinement?

Shen Chu had never used Thousand Hammer Refinement since he obtained it.

He was also curious about what effect this skill would have once activated.

So, as he swung the hammer again, he quietly triggered Thousand Hammer Refinement.

The next second, the hammerhead collided with the blade blank, but instead of the previous dull thud, it emitted a clear, sharp ring.

Even though this sharp sound was extremely faint amidst the constant clanging of the Sword-Forging Courtyard, it was still caught by the seasoned Master Sun.

Master Sun raised an eyebrow, his expression becoming more focused as he watched Shen Chu swing the hammer.

Soon, he discovered with astonishment that Shen Chu's movements were becoming increasingly standard.

He couldn't help but look at Shen Chu in bewilderment.

Meanwhile, before Shen Chu's eyes, the completion progress—which had required five strikes to gain one point—had changed from one point per five strikes to one point per single strike.

This level of precision was already comparable to Master Sun's!

But the exhaustion brought on by "Thousand Hammer Refinement" was also staggering.

After only a few strikes, Shen Chu felt his strength draining away.

Shen Chu thought that if he could have enough stamina to support it, with the effect of Thousand Hammer Refinement increasing completion with every strike, forging a low-grade weapon would only be a matter of time!

In the end, my physique can't keep up. I really need to train my body...

Silently sighing, Shen Chu continued with the subsequent steps.

Quenching, tempering, polishing...

By the time he finished all the steps, it was already noon, but the short blade had finally been completed.

[Low-Grade Short Blade (40/100)]

[Successfully forged an ordinary weapon, Thousand Hammer Refinement proficiency +1]

[Thousand Hammer Refinement (1/100)]

Compared to Master Sun's 98 points, Shen Chu had only completed 40.

But this was already enough to shock Master Sun.

"You kid, is this really your first time forging a blade?"

Even now, Master Sun found it hard to believe that a newcomer could reach this quality on their first attempt at forging.

This quality was already approaching the level of some of the smiths in the courtyard!

Furthermore, he could tell that if not for Shen Chu's lack of stamina, the final quality of the short blade could have been even higher!

"Take this short blade and go find Steward Li. Have him promote you to a formal blade-forger. Once you become a formal blade-forger, you'll be able to collect a monthly wage."

Master Sun thought for a moment, then shoved the short blade Shen Chu had crafted into his arms.

Shen Chu was stunned. "I'm a formal blade-forger just like that?"

He had assumed he would need to learn for at least ten days or half a month; he hadn't expected to become a formal blade-forger so quickly!

Just as he was dazed, the very Steward Li that Master Sun had mentioned arrived at the small courtyard.

Steward Li was a middle-aged man with a handlebar mustache, dressed in a white robe with bamboo patterns, giving off an air of scholarly elegance.

After scanning the courtyard, his gaze landed on Shen Chu.

"You must be the new Blade-Forging Apprentice, right? Come with me, I have some matters to discuss with you."

Without waiting for Shen Chu to speak, Steward Li turned and walked out of the courtyard.

Shen Chu was puzzled, but he followed along, clutching the short blade he had crafted. The two of them arrived in front of a coal pile.

"You've been here for a few days now. Aside from fetching water and other miscellaneous tasks, you will also be responsible for transporting the coal in the courtyard from now on."

Steward Li seemed very busy, or perhaps he simply didn't want to waste time on Shen Chu; it had taken less than half a quarter of an hour from leading Shen Chu out to arranging his new work.

He turned to leave as soon as he finished speaking.

Shen Chu looked at the coal pile.

Good heavens, it was as high as a small mountain. If he were responsible for all of this, wouldn't he be worked to death?

That wouldn't do!

He hurriedly held out the short blade he had crafted.

"Steward Li, please wait a moment. This is the short blade I crafted. Master Sun told me to find you so I could be promoted to a formal blade-forger."

Steward Li's departing footsteps paused. When he turned back, his face showed surprise, his eyes fixed on the short blade Shen Chu was holding out.

After a brief inspection, he realized that this short blade had already reached the level of some of the smiths in the courtyard!

Forging weapons was nothing rare.

What was rare was that Shen Chu was an apprentice who had only just arrived at the courtyard, and he was so young!

"Have you studied smithing before?" Steward Li asked, squinting.

"Never."

"And you've only been at my Li Family for ten days?"

"That is correct."

"Then I've truly stumbled upon a treasure!"

As the steward in charge of the entire Sword-Forging Courtyard, Steward Li naturally hoped for a genius or two to emerge under his watch!

If someone were to become a low-grade smith in the future, the master would surely reward him once he found out.

"Since you already possess the standard to forge blades independently, I certainly cannot keep you as an apprentice, nor can I have you doing this manual labor. Come with me!"

Steward Li deliberately slowed his pace as he led Shen Chu toward another area.

Shen Chu could clearly feel the change in his attitude.

At first, he hadn't wanted to waste time on him, but upon learning that he could forge independently, he became patient and was even willing to chat a few times on the way.

"How old are you this year? Where are you from?"

"Seventeen, sir. I'm from the neighboring Wangchuan County, a refugee."

"Then you shall stay at the Li Residence from now on. Work hard, and you won't have to worry about anything else. The Li Residence is very safe."

During their idle chatter, the two arrived at a small courtyard.

"Since you've become a blade-forger, you naturally cannot continue living in the apprentice's dormitory. You will live here from now on; the room on the east side is yours."

Steward Li patted Shen Chu's shoulder with a smile.

Shen Chu looked around. The environment here was much better than the dormitory.

Not only was there no nauseating smell of sweat, but there was also a bamboo grove, a stone table, and a pond in the courtyard, with a faint scent of bamboo permeating the air.

"Do not enter the rooms on the south and west sides; others live in them."

"If you are dissatisfied with anything, just let me know."

Steward Li's attitude could be described as extremely amiable.