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When the time came, the molten metal, which appeared unchanged from before, flowed into the mold under her control.

After a longer solidification time than before, a bronze sword with a restrained luster and a slightly darker color emerged from the mold.

Wen Jing brought the new sword to the monkey-headed man.

"When!"

With almost no force, the bronze sword opposite her broke in two instantly, while her sword remained completely unscathed.

[Master ' Casting - Bronze Sword ', Skill Points +5]

"Huh? You went straight to the master level?"

While Wen Jing was overjoyed, the world before her eyes changed again because she had won the skill competition, and she returned to the chessboard.

But the monkey-headed chess pieces from before, as well as the ' Wen Jing Bronze Sword' she had just forged, had all disappeared.

Why can't I take the sword I forged myself?

After realizing what had happened, Wen Jing still felt a bit annoyed even though he had gained Skill Points.

However, she then thought of the Skill Points she had just gained and suddenly realized a strange detail.

Why did I only gain the Skill Points for bronze casting after I finished sparring with the sword?

"Normally, there should be a notification from the moment I forge the sword..."

With double the awareness, the problem was quickly unraveled, like peeling back layers of an onion.

Wen Jing had previously summarized that as long as a skill is generally recognized by people in this world, a progress bar will appear on the panel, and Skill Points will be gained after learning it.

During the process of forging the bronze sword, there was no progress bar. She only gained Skill Points when she fought the monkey-headed man.

Does bronze casting, a technique lost in the interstellar era, count as a 'skill'? Of course not.

Conversely, before the advent of computers, programming was not a skill for people.

But it exists in Ancient Wilderness times, or perhaps only in this Chime Bells World bells.

Unlike skills that are generally accepted and have a clear progression, this skill was completed through the final 'verification' by the monkey-headed man.

Upon thinking of this, Wen Jing immediately became excited.

Because this system, where Skill Points are awarded simply by passing the verification, is prone to loopholes that can be exploited.

She just successfully exploited the loophole.

Adding Wen Jing's exoskeleton to the casting of bronze swords, in normal terms, would certainly not be considered an improvement in craftsmanship, because it would no longer be a standard tin-copper alloy, but rather a Wen Jing alloy.

However, here, no matter what method she uses, as long as the bronze artifacts she forges are strong enough, even if she is more skilled, her skill level will be directly increased!

Moreover, she can not only use mechanical magic on materials, but also apply more advanced modern smelting methods to them, making skills that could not be obtained in the interstellar era 'monetize' here.

Wen Jing's gaze swept across the chessboard, and she clearly visualized which piece she would encounter with each move.

She took a step to the left.

Sure enough, another chess piece with a chisel in its head moved by folding its corner and arrived at her landing point.

The world changed again in the next moment.

"Knock knock knock..."

The monkey-headed man with a chisel mined and forged a dragon, creating a bronze halberd in front of Wen Jing.

This time, Wen Jing went forward as if it were a familiar routine, and followed the same pattern, adding a little 'special material' as before.

"When!"

As the hook severed the bronze halberd on the opposite side, two beautiful notifications sounded.

[Master ' Casting - Bronze Dagger-Axe ', Skill Points +1]

[Master ' Casting - Bronze Dagger-Axe ', Skill Points +5]

After defeating three monkey-headed men and two useless wolf-headed men, Wen Jing gained a total of thirty Skill Points.

In just half an evening, it was equivalent to learning an advanced combat skill or secret technique.

"This is a good idea..."

She glanced at her missing forelimb and told herself a hilariously bad joke, "It's just a bit tiring to handle."

Then, Wen Jing did not continue forward, but chose to return here.

No one knows about the nighttime exploration of the Ancient Wilderness, so it's best not to make it too long.

Another reason is that if she doesn't retreat, there are only two possible paths: one is to encounter multiple wolf-headed pieces in succession, and the other is to actively attack the monkey-headed pieces blocking her way. However, when it's the 'opponent's' turn, the deer-headed pieces will collide with her.

For Wen Jing, the latter would naturally be the better choice.

However, based on her previous experiences, she also realized the different professions represented by the different chess pieces.

The wolf-headed creature wields a weapon; it is a warrior. Upon encountering it, the most direct approach is to fight and win.

The monkey holding a tool is a craftsman. When they meet, they must compete in skill, and only those who surpass the other can escape.

She had never encountered this deer-headed chess piece before, as it was the rarest piece on the entire chessboard.

However, the tortoise shell and grass stem it holds also indicate that the other party corresponds to a priest or shaman.

Wen Jing didn't know what would happen if he encountered this kind of chess piece. To avoid being trapped for too long, it would be better to explore it another time.

*

In the underground training ground, the mass at the center fluctuated for a moment.

The next moment, Wen Jing's figure appeared from the void.

She walked to the table, put her smart device back on, and checked the records of various equipment in the training ground; everything was normal.

As we stepped out of the training field, the robotic intelligent butler greeted us.

Azure Jade's butler was originally assumed to be Gaia, but Wen Jing changed him to a faceless metal robot.

"Master, would you like me to prepare a midnight snack?"

"Prepare three portions." Wen Jing nodded.

Before long, three large tables of food, emitting the distinctive aroma of pre-cooked dishes, were served to her.

While eating the food that was so large for an ordinary person that it could not be described as a "serving," Wen Jing wrote an email to Xie Ming to ask about metal materials.

A day later, Wen Jing received Xie Ming's reply.

While expressing his surprise, he once again invited her to pursue scientific research, and recommended some introductory materials for materials science research.

"If I could split off another consciousness, I'd be quite interested."

Wen Jing smiled and shook his head, then began reading the information inside.

After a while, she closed the file, feeling a sense of both surprise and inevitability.

Wen Jing did not obtain much useful information from these materials.

Because the technology level was so advanced, this world's technological level surpassed that of Wen Jing's previous life even before the Federation was established.

The science of interstellar materials was developed directly from that foundation. In the general understanding, various 100% pure materials are 'grown' from industrial stars outside the three habitable stars in a galaxy.

Materials are extracted directly and converted using energy; personnel only need to periodically visit the industrial space station for maintenance.

As for scientific research, the core focus is naturally on Ancient Wilderness materials.

The material knowledge of various matter in the universe is not a secret in this era and does not require special study.

Xie Ming also recommended some experts to Wen Jing, who could be consulted through his connections.

Of course, he also said that the Federation only has one strongest and most knowledgeable materials expert—that is the Mastermind has mastered all kinds of cutting-edge technologies.

However, the Mastermind's access database was locked at the beginning of the Federation's establishment and can only be opened with the shared information key of the ten major conglomerates; otherwise, the Awakened would have been monopolized by a certain oligarch long ago.

"It seems like we're taking too big a step forward... These days, even getting ore containing impurities isn't easy..."

*

"Wen Jing, is there anything about the secret technique that you haven't figured out?"

After the Energy Structure Method class, the teaching assistant, seeing Wen Jing's expression, couldn't help but step forward and ask.

That shouldn't be! The recent test results show that Wen Jing's current growth rate has surpassed his.

I didn't see that Professor Ye left with a grim expression as soon as class ended.

In the past, the teaching assistant would have had to catch up quickly, but now he has completely sided with Wen Jing and is now Professor Ye's future job competitor.

If you've already offended someone to death, there's no need to fawn over them anymore.

"Oh, no, it's not about any secret technique."

Wen Jing snapped out of his reverie and shook his head, saying, "It's something else."

The teaching assistant was curious but too embarrassed to ask too many questions.

Those around Ocher Soil, who knew Wen Jing's personality, didn't have this concern. Eve asked enthusiastically, "What's the matter? Is there anything we can do to help?"

The others had similar expressions, all turning to look at Wen Jing.

She thought for a moment, then organized her thoughts. "I've recently become quite interested in metal smelting. Do you know anything about that?"

"What metal? Ores obtained from the Ancient Wilderness?" Song Zhi asked.

Wen Jing shook his head. "No, it's just that you take minerals with impurities and refine them into metals yourself. I think that process is quite interesting."

Upon hearing this, everyone from Ocher Soil and the teaching assistant looked at Wen Jing in surprise, as if they were meeting her for the first time, their expressions carrying a subtle hint: "You actually have this kind of hobby!"

"Uh..." After a brief hesitation, Wen Jing became more assertive. "Is there a problem with this hobby?"

It's okay for geniuses to have a few quirks!

"No, not exactly." Everyone shook their heads again.

Ji Shuang, who was usually not very talkative, hit the nail on the head, saying what everyone was thinking, "... We just didn't expect you to have hobbies besides studying."

"That's right, that's right." Even the teaching assistant nodded in agreement.

Having been in Azure Jade for a month and a half, Wen Jing Learning Machine has already won people's hearts.

Recently, this machine has become incredibly efficient, almost like a complete system upgrade.

"... I have hobbies too." Wen Jing remained silent.

"Haha, I got it, I got it."

Subsequently, wealthy classmates like Song Zhi and Xia Yun immediately provided Wen Jing with opportunities.