Enhancement

Just then,

Shen Chu suddenly felt an unusual tremor running through the metal in his hands.

Lowering his head, he saw a hair-thin crack silently spreading through the beautiful silver patterns on the surface of the blade blank.

Oh no!

At the sight of that crack, Shen Chu's heart sank sharply.

If the crack continued to spread, the entire blade would be ruined, and this precious piece of Silver-Veined Meteorite Iron would go to waste!

Shen Chu's mind raced as he tried to find a remedy in the shortest possible time.

Yet cold sweat had already begun to seep uncontrollably from his forehead.

At that critical moment, a familiar, steady voice sounded from behind him:

"Little Shen, don't panic! Stoke the fire another thirty percent, then lower the blade into the water vertically—don't put it in sideways!"

Shen Chu whipped around and saw that Sun Ping had somehow appeared behind him.

Sun Ping was calmly watching the blade blank in Shen Chu's hand, his gaze carrying the composure tempered by the passage of years.

Shen Chu had no time to think. He immediately followed Sun Ping's instructions.

He stoked the furnace to its fiercest heat. Once the blade blank had been heated evenly, he slowly lowered it vertically into the cooling water.

Sizzle!!!

White steam instantly shot into the sky, fiercer than it had ever been before.

Holding his breath, Shen Chu stared fixedly at the blade blank beneath the water. Only after the steam had dispersed did he carefully remove the longsword.

A layer of cold silver light bloomed along the blade, echoing a ray of sunlight at the edge of the sky.

The blade's lines were smooth and crisp. After quenching, those silver patterns had been permanently fixed in place, like a river of stars flowing through the night sky. Under Sun Ping's timely guidance, the crack had been perfectly resolved. Instead, it formed a unique ripple pattern along the blade, adding a touch of ancient charm.

Shen Chu gripped the hilt and raised the longsword before his eyes, examining it carefully for a while. Only after confirming there were no flaws did he let out a long breath.

Turning around, he solemnly cupped his hands toward Sun Ping. "Master Sun, thank you for helping me. If you hadn't reminded me in time, this blade would have been ruined."

Sun Ping waved a hand and stepped forward. His gaze fell upon the longsword shimmering with silver light, and a complicated expression appeared in his eyes.

He extended a finger and lightly flicked the blade. Listening to the clear ring it gave off, he fell silent for a moment before slowly asking, "This material isn't ordinary, is it?"

Shen Chu hesitated, but ultimately answered truthfully. "It's Silver-Veined Meteorite Iron that the young master brought back from Qingyang Prefecture."

Sun Ping nodded. His gaze remained on the blade, but his eyes seemed to drift far away.

After a long silence, he softly said with a hint of emotion, "Silver-Veined Meteorite Iron... The last time I saw material like this was thirty years ago."

Shen Chu was slightly startled, and his gaze toward Sun Ping gained a trace of curiosity.

Yet Sun Ping said nothing further. He merely patted Shen Chu's shoulder and smiled.

"Now that the blade's finished, put it away. Don't leave it out here and make others green with envy."

With that, he turned and headed toward the courtyard gate.

After taking two steps, he stopped again and added without looking back,

"Little Shen, when you forge material this good in the future, remember to call me over. This old man may not be good for much else, but I still have plenty of experience in blacksmithing. With me watching from the side, I can at least lend a hand."

Watching Sun Ping's receding back, Shen Chu suddenly felt something strange stir within him.

That old man, who usually seemed so plain and ordinary and only knew how to keep his head down and forge iron, appeared to have quite a few stories hidden within him.

But Shen Chu had no time to dwell on it. As the longsword was successfully forged, his system panel changed as well, and a string of text appeared in his vision:

[Bladesmith profession proficiency increased; initial skill Thousand Hammer Refinement lv1 upgraded to lv2]

[Constitution improved from upper Ding to lower Bing; strength and endurance increased slightly as well]

At the sight of this, an indescribable joy surged up from the depths of Shen Chu's heart.

There was no need to mention the increase in strength and endurance. When Shen Chu clenched his fist, he could clearly feel that the power contained in his arms was far more abundant than before.

As for his constitution rising from "upper Ding" to "lower Bing," though it was only a single rank, it was a qualitative leap for him.

Constitution represented the upper limit of one's physical potential!

The higher one's constitution, the higher the limit for cultivating martial arts and bearing qi and blood. Rising from Ding to Bing meant he had officially left behind the ranks of the "poorly gifted" and stepped into the new tier of "ordinary aptitude"!

At that thought, Shen Chu nearly wanted to cry.

Training in martial arts would finally no longer be so difficult!

Previously, relying on the boosts from the skills [Twice the Result with Half the Effort] and [Incense Offering to All Living Beings], along with his own diligent training, Shen Chu had only barely cultivated Stone-Shattering Fist to minor mastery.

And that was merely an entry-level fist art for ordinary guards!

Only now did he realize just how reckless it had been when he had gone alone to meet Han Tieshan in a single-blade showdown and killed him!

Fortunately, Han Tieshan himself had only been a half-baked fighter, so Shen Chu had escaped danger without mishap—and had even managed to unlock the [Cultist] profession in the process!

His understanding of the skill [Thousand Hammer Refinement] deepened another layer.

It was indeed just as he had guessed!

This skill did not merely increase his forging efficiency.

With every level it gained, it would simultaneously raise his strength and constitution by another step.

As the saying went, forging blades was cultivation, and hammering iron was training.

Shen Chu lowered his head to glance at the Silver-Veined Meteorite Iron longsword in his hand, then looked at the words [Thousand Hammer Refinement lv2] on the panel. The corners of his mouth rose uncontrollably.

He had chosen the right path!

Early the next morning, Shen Chu tucked the Silver-Veined Meteorite Iron longsword away and arrived at Li Chengwen's courtyard.

The moment he stepped through the gate, he saw Li Chengwen standing in the middle of the yard with both arms held level, maintaining a rather unstandardized horse stance.

Shen Chu could not help but pause.

Was Li Chengwen practicing martial arts?

"Young Master, what are you doing?" Shen Chu could not help asking.

Startled by Shen Chu's call, Li Chengwen nearly lost his footing.

He hurriedly withdrew his stance, patted his clothes as though nothing had happened, and gave two dry coughs. "Ahem, nothing. Just loosening up my muscles and bones."

Though he said so, the tips of his ears had turned slightly red.

Shen Chu found it amusing, but did not show it. He simply presented the longsword with both hands. "Young Master, the blade is finished."

Li Chengwen's eyes lit up, and he quickly accepted the longsword.

As the blade was slowly drawn from its sheath, that layer of cold silver light flowed unsteadily beneath the morning sun.

Under the refraction of the light, the natural ripple patterns seemed to come alive, so beautiful that one could not look away.

Li Chengwen turned it over and over several times, then tried swinging it twice. The delight on his face was impossible to conceal.