Letting You Practice Life Skills, You Grind to Divine Positions

"Demonized beasts have a taste for it, and cultivators without backing are exactly what they're looking for."

Captain Zheng repeatedly nodded, "Clerk Wang, you are wise."

Listening to this analysis, Captain Zheng felt his own experience was still rather immature.

This move, using a borrowed knife to kill someone, could both please Flying Cloud Gorge and eliminate Qin An. It was truly killing two birds with one stone.

Clerk Wang slowly said, "You can find any excuse to lure Qin An out of the city. If he refuses, accuse him of resisting the Great Gan laws. If he still resists, tsk tsk, then he'll have to face the consequences."

Captain Zheng was stunned, "I'll personally escort him out of the city?"

Clerk Wang sneered, "If we don't personally see him die, how can you and I rest easy?"

Captain Zheng immediately understood and cupped his hands, "Your subordinate will attend to it immediately."

With that, Captain Zheng left the room.

After a simple meal, Qin An arrived at the blacksmith shop.

He skillfully started the fire and began to hammer.

Sparks flew, and it wasn't until nightfall that Qin An left the blacksmith shop.

[Blacksmith Lv.2 (0/200): The quality of items you forge has improved]

After a day of non-stop effort, Qin An had successfully leveled up his blacksmithing to level two.

The requirements for reaching the peak of level one weren't excessive, only asking him to forge three weapons, so promotion wasn't difficult.

With today's tasks completed, Qin An ate a simple meal outside and prepared to head home to rest.

The streets were quiet.

It was already nighttime, and Ding County had no nightlife. Apart from the sound of the night watchman, no other sounds could be heard.

It required passing through three alleys to get from the blacksmith shop to his home.

As Qin An reached the last alley, he stopped.

At the front of the alley, Captain Zheng and a group of constables were waiting.

When he saw Qin An approaching, Captain Zheng walked over.

Qin An stopped and asked, "Is there something?"

Since last night, Qin An had thought he might have a period of peace, but he hadn't expected Captain Zheng to show up again tonight.

Captain Zheng coughed, not daring to meet Qin An's gaze, and said, "The yamen recently killed some demonic creatures and needs a butcher to process them outside the city. You're the only butcher in Ding County capable of handling demonic creatures. The magistrate has ordered that you accompany me out of the city in three days."

Out of the city?

Qin An narrowed his eyes, his fingers lightly tapping the handle of his sharp knife.

Where there's smoke, there's fire.

Being inexplicably scheduled to go out of the city in three days, Qin An knew this was aimed at him.

He knew that even deterring them with his strength wouldn't hold them off for long, but he hadn't expected them to make a move so soon.

Qin An nodded, "Five days."

Captain Zheng had prepared a whole speech, even planning to resort to threats and enticements.

But he never expected Qin An to agree so readily, leaving him dumbfounded.

Qin An frowned, "No?"

Captain Zheng quickly nodded, "Yes, yes, five days it is. Prepare yourself well, and let's go!"

With an answer, Captain Zheng didn't linger.

He always felt Qin An was very cold, especially with that icy aura emanating from him, making him feel the temperature drop significantly.

Qin An watched Captain Zheng leave and pushed open his door.

He had agreed.

There was no other reason than this being an open scheme.

If he refused, he would be resisting the Great Gan laws, and they would have leverage against him.

Even if they didn't use force, they could use their official positions. If they managed to drag him to Ling Prefecture, things would change.

Since that was the case, he might as well agree and see what they were up to.

As for why he requested five days, it was because his blacksmithing would reach level three in four days.

Although he didn't know the specific awakening conditions, he would find out in four days.

Requesting five days also gave him a buffer period.

"Everything hinges on the blacksmith reaching level three. I'll see what surprises await."

Qin An entered his room, hung up the bell as usual, and then went to sleep early.

Time flowed by, and four days vanished in a flash.

In the bustling streets, the sound of hammering from the blacksmith shop never ceased.

Only when night fell did Qin An stop his hammering.

Before him, a line of text appeared.

[Blacksmith lv.2 (200/200): The quality of items you forge is improved]
[Advancement Condition: Temper Weapon with Blood]

"Temper weapon with blood?"

Qin An looked at the text before him and fell into thought.

Normally, quenching was done with water, but the advancement condition required him to use blood for quenching.

It sounded crazy, but for Qin An, his golden finger was his only reliance. Following its instructions wouldn't lead to any problems.

With this in mind, Qin An took out the sharp knife from his waist.

This sharp knife was used for butchery, but it was ultimately just ordinary iron.

He wanted to try using the "Temper Weapon with Blood" method to see if it could change this sharp knife.

As for whether it would fail, Qin An felt it didn't matter.

Over this period, Qin An had forged many knives and could replace it anytime.

With this thought, Qin An threw the knife into the furnace.

The sound of forging rose and fell.

When it was almost time to quench, Qin An, with a blank expression, picked up the knife and cut open his left palm.

Blood dripped from his palm onto the sharp knife.

Wisps of smoke swirled continuously.

A moment later, the quenching was complete.

Qin An held the sharp knife and examined it carefully, feeling a strange sensation emanating from it.

The sharp knife still had its original shape; Qin An found it quite comfortable to use, so he didn't change its appearance.

The blade glowed with a red light, like a blood-red moon.

Qin An channeled his Qi into the sharp knife and, following the circulation route of the Wind-Splitting Blade Technique, swung it forward.

A sound of breaking wind erupted, and a violent sonic boom tore through the night sky.

Qin An felt an incredibly smooth sensation as his Qi transferred into the sharp knife.

"Tempering the knife with my blood reduced its resistance, making it feel like an extension of my arm."

Qin An immediately understood the reason.

His golden finger was definitely more than just talent.

Just like the Butcher and the Scholar, there were other benefits besides talent.

The Butcher made livestock more delicious, while the Scholar improved reading speed, even achieving photographic memory.

The Blacksmith's forged items had improved quality, and this sharp knife was proof.

When his profession level increased further, besides bringing new talents, the previous effects might also change.

Qin An put away the sharp knife, and a line of text appeared before his eyes.

He had met the conditions for advancement, and the talent of the Blacksmith profession appeared before him.

[Blacksmith lv.3 (0/400): The quality of items you forge is improved]
[Talent: Proficient in Qi Concealment Realm strength-based Cultivation Methods]