Twice the Result with Half the Effort

"Arrogant brat!"

"Do you have any idea how many people beg me to teach them, yet I refuse to even spare them a glance?"

"Now that you have a tiny bit of talent, you dare to reject me?"

"That little bit of talent you possess is nothing in my eyes!"

"I have seen the short blade you forged; it was utterly crude! How could Steward Li promote you to a formal bladesmith for something like that?"

"I am going to find him right now and have him demote you back!"

Shen Chu had not expected Han Tieshan to have such a volatile temper.

He had merely offered a polite refusal.

Yet the man was like a powder keg, exploding at the slightest spark, even threatening to find Steward Li to have him demoted.

With such a narrow mind, Shen Chu felt disgusted at the mere thought of sleeping in the same courtyard, let alone becoming his disciple.

If Steward Li truly revoked his status as a formal bladesmith because of this, he would not care.

In any case, as long as he had enough time, he would eventually become a master blacksmith.

When that day came, he would love to see what Han Tieshan had to say for himself!

Han Tieshan did not give Shen Chu a chance to argue. He pushed open the courtyard gate and strode out, looking every bit the part of a man on his way to confront Steward Li.

Watching his retreating back, Shen Chu reopened the manual for the Stone-Shattering Fist.

"Since things have come to this, I might as well practice the Stone-Shattering Fist."

For the remainder of the time, Shen Chu focused on memorizing the moves and footwork of the Stone-Shattering Fist.

He went from being able to perform only a single move at the start to being able to string the first few forms together.

Although his movements were not standard and he could not yet feel the internal force described in the book, his talent was limited to begin with, so this was already a significant improvement for him.

Seeing that the midday break was coming to an end, Shen Chu finally managed to perform all eight moves of the Stone-Shattering Fist.

It was at this very moment:

[Successfully qualified as a Martial Artist, obtained initial skill: Twice the Result with Half the Effort lv1]

[Twice the Result with Half the Effort: The time taken to complete tasks is shortened, and experience gained is doubled]

[Passive skill: The higher your martial strength, the stronger your Spirit of Blood and Courage]

[Stone-Shattering Fist: Novice (1/100)]

Shen Chu's hypothesis had been correct.

The appearance of the new skill left him overjoyed.

With this, he could forge weapons at a much faster speed, and the experience points gained from each forging session would be doubled.

Whether it was martial arts or blacksmithing, he would be able to progress at an accelerated rate!

As the level of Twice the Result with Half the Effort increased, the multiplier of this skill would also rise.

If he could obtain better innate talent by then, he would become a genius without equal!

If there was anything he was still dissatisfied with, it was that he had not been able to raise his innate talent to a higher level.

"It seems I will have to grind for more experience..."

As the break ended, he returned to the Sword-Forging Courtyard.

But the moment he stepped inside, he heard a series of voices that made him feel uncomfortable.

"This boy is truly arrogant. He managed to forge one inferior blade and now dares to spout nonsense in front of me!"

"If it is as Master Han says, then this person is truly excessive. His status as a formal bladesmith should be revoked!"

The person speaking was none other than Han Tieshan, and standing beside him were several other formal bladesmiths, echoing his sentiments.

When they saw Shen Chu enter, none of them gave him a pleasant look.

Only Master Sun, who was already firing up his furnace in the corner, saw through it all.

"You offended him?" Master Sun glanced at Shen Chu.

"Yes."

Shen Chu nodded.

Master Sun sighed, "Then your newly acquired status as a formal bladesmith is likely in jeopardy."

"Master Sun, are you so sure?"

Shen Chu could not help but feel curious.

Could a bladesmith of the same level as Master Sun really have that much influence?

"You do not know this, but Han Tieshan has taken on many disciples and has some connections. Many of the formal bladesmiths in the Sword-Forging Courtyard are his students. If they all band together to make a scene..."

Master Sun did not continue, trusting that Shen Chu understood what he meant.

Shen Chu did indeed understand.

According to Master Sun, Steward Li should appear at any moment to demote him back to a bladesmith apprentice.

But where was Steward Li now?

Seeing Shen Chu's confusion, Master Sun explained, "Steward Li went out to purchase iron ore and will not return until later."

Since the decision on his fate would not come until the evening, Shen Chu stopped worrying.

He returned to his assigned furnace as usual and began forging his short blade.

With the bonus from Twice the Result with Half the Effort, he found that his efficiency had increased significantly.

Without activating "Thousand Hammer Refinement," it previously took him five strikes to add one point to the progress bar of a Low-Grade Short Blade.

But now, it only took three strikes!

And the progress bar did not just increase by one point, but by two!

"Is this the effect of Twice the Result with Half the Effort?"

Shen Chu's heart burned with excitement, and the speed of his hammering increased.

[Low-Grade Short Blade (6/100)]

[Low-Grade Short Blade (12/100)]

As the hammer struck again and again, the progress bar for the Low-Grade Short Blade rose steadily.

However, Shen Chu began to breathe heavily. Large beads of sweat rolled down his skin, some even dripping into his eyes.

At his current level, his lack of stamina remained his greatest weakness.

If he could raise his Stone-Shattering Fist to the novice level sooner, this weakness might be slightly mitigated.

"Keep going!"

Shen Chu persisted, pouring his heart and soul into the forging. He did not notice that Master Sun, not far away, was watching him with a complex expression.

Master Sun, whose given name was Sun Ping, had been in the bladesmithing industry for decades. He had gone from a young boy to an old man, seeing countless bladesmiths come and go.

Among them were those with exceptional talent who became master blacksmiths in their youth.

There were those who were diligent and hardworking, who, after many years of toil, were lucky enough to forge a ranked weapon.

At the time, he thought that was what talent and hard work looked like.

But after seeing Shen Chu today, he finally understood what true talent and hard work should look like.

A newcomer who had just joined the estate became a formal bladesmith, started forging in the morning, and by the afternoon, the time required for his forging had been cut almost in half.

Furthermore, every blade he forged was better than the last.

Moreover, when faced with bullying, he remained calm and focused on his own work.

On these merits alone, he surpassed countless arrogant people!

If Steward Li truly drove him away because of a few words from Han Tieshan, it would be a loss for the Li Family, and Sun Ping did not want to see a talent like Shen Chu buried just like that.

But Sun Ping was only an ordinary bladesmith. Although he had seniority, he was too honest and naturally could not compare to Han Tieshan.

He sighed silently and went back to hammering his own blade.

Shen Chu remained oblivious to Sun Ping's thoughts.

He was frowning as he looked at the short blade he had just finished forging.

[Low-Grade Short Blade (46/100)]

He had not used Thousand Hammer Refinement for this blade at all, relying solely on the skills he had just learned and the bonus from Twice the Result with Half the Effort.

Subtracting the bonus, the completion rate of this short blade should be 23 points.

23 points was his true current level.