Chapter 15: This Saber, I Smithed It!Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Sui Hezhi"s face changed a little, and he was embarra.s.sed when he glanced at Chen Yifan.
He had not used his full strength when he blocked with his saber earlier, but he expected to easily let Ou Yangming have a bitter taste of his attack.
Obviously, he could not bully the weak in front of the general, but he had to display his strength too. After all, he was a part of the Guards, and would not have been chosen if he was not remarkably valiant.
However, the fact that the young fellow"s treasure saber was so sharp had been completely unexpected.
There was no resistance at all when both sabers clashed, yet the military saber that Sui Hezhi had for over a year broke just like that. At that moment, he felt that his saber had been a big iron sheet instead of a military treasure saber.
Since he had been caught off guard, he could have been in danger had their strengths been similar, but there was actually a great disparity between their levels.
Therefore, Sui Hezhi subconsciously dodged, then kicked with his leg. At that moment, he remembered that they were just exchanging blows, and he was not fighting an enemy on the battlefield, so he did not kick Ou Yangming"s chest, head, or any other important parts.
Even so, the kick was so strong that Ou Yangming could not withstand it.
As such, Sui Hezhi jumped aside and was at a loss as he held the saber in his hands.
On the other hand, Ou Yangming held his wrist carefully. Though it was not fractured, it was a ghastly sight as it was red and swollen.
Chen Yifan and Liu Zhengye looked at each other, and they were both shocked.
Ou Yangming had never learned any martial arts skill and had only acquired Dantian Light the day before, so he had just crossed the threshold of a Force Artist. Meanwhile, the masters in the Guards led by Chen Yifan were carefully picked, even the weakest had the cultivation base of a Yin Artist at the peak.
It was justifiable for Sui Hezhi to injure Ou Yangming with his kick, but Ou Yangming"s attack with his sword left them in awe. Of course, they were not surprised by his blade technique, they did not think much of such an insignificant technique.
1It was the light from the treasure saber that moved them.
Chen Yifan waved his hand at Sui Hezhi.
Following that, the saber in Sui Hezhi"s hand flew into his hand as though it had an invisible string tied to it.
Ou Yangming was struck dumb, and he thought to himself, "It"d be great if I had a wonderful skill like that." Slowly, the pain in his wrist lessened.
Chen Yifan took a good look at his treasure saber. “Not bad, this is a good item. It"s probably at the peak of Good Grade, and is near to High Grade?”
Ou Yangming nodded. “General, you have a great sight. That"s what the old man said too.”
Old Craftsman could tell a military saber"s quality by just looking at it, which was not strange at all since he dealt with weapons for years. Even if he were to close his eyes, he could feel with his hands.
For all that, Ou Yangming respected Chen Yifan for being able to point that out so easily.
The general"s skill was genuine, and he was unlike a worthless person whose stomach was just full of straw bags.
Chen Yifan laughed. “Did Old Craftsman forge this for you to defend yourself? Hehe, he really treats you quite well!”
Ou Yangming hesitated for a while, then shook his head. “General, it wasn"t Old Craftsman who smithed it.”
“Oh?” Chen Yifan was stunned. He observed the saber carefully, then mentioned, “This is probably made from a featured iron ingot.”
Ou Yangming nodded and replied earnestly, “General Chen, you have great sight!”
Chen Yifan could not help but laugh. If he was not interested in smithing and did not have a certain level of attainment, he would not have admired Old Craftsman.
Needless to say, he loved one thing on account of another, so he also regarded Ou Yangming with special respect.
“This is strange, this military saber is sharp, so it"s obviously done by a skilled person. A person who can smith a saber of this level using a featured iron ingot probably has a profound skill that"s not at all inferior to Old Craftsman, but…” After touching the saber, he frowned as he was puzzled, then he mumbled. “Why are there uneven spots on the blade? They seem like mistakes done by a beginner…”
Liu Zhengye and Sui Hezhi were dumbfounded, thinking that the general made a mistake.
If one could smith a military saber at the peak of Good Grade using a featured iron ingot, one was definitely not a normal craftsman. In the whole military camp, Old Craftsman was the only one who could achieve that, yet the general mentioned that there were mistakes done by a beginner. He was contradicting himself.
Nevertheless, Chen Yifan was the West Camp"s general, so they dared not point out his mistake.
Ou Yangming"s face reddened. “Is that so? Are there uneven spots on the blade?”
Chen Yifan laughed as he handed the treasure saber to him, then pointed. “Here.”
Ou Yangming forgot about the immense pain on his wrist. He took his treasure saber, then touched it carefully. A brief moment later, his face changed because he finally felt the flaws that could not be seen through the naked eye.
It was no wonder that the durability of his treasure saber was only 6, and he realized that his smithing skill was indeed far from Old Craftsman"s.
Ou Yangming sighed. “There really are flaws on the saber, I only paid attention to its sharpness and its toughness when I forged it, but I forgot about the other aspect of balance.”
“Yes, the other aspect of balance is missing.” Cheng Yifan nodded, but he quickly froze and stared at Ou Yangming. “What did you say?”
1Ou Yangming was taken aback by his expression. He quickly answered, “I said that it lacks another aspect of balance, which is why its surface is…”
“Not this.” Chen Yifan waved his hand to cut him off. “Did you say that you forged this?”
“Yes…” Ou Yangming nodded. He was confused about why the general was making such a big fuss.
Chen Yifan looked at him strangely, then asked. “Did you really smith this?”
“Yes.” Ou Yangming gulped. He was not guilty of anything but was frightened by Chen Yifan"s expression because of his status.
Chen Yifan looked at him for some time before he asked, “What did you smith it with?”
Ou Yangming answered without any hesitation, “A featured iron ingot and the Military Fire.”
“A featured iron ingot and the Military Fire?” Chen Yifan"s face twitched. “You"re telling me that, less than a month after acquiring the Military Fire Seed, you can already smith a weapon at the peak of Good Grade using a featured iron ingot?”
1"It hasn"t even been a month since I got the Military Fire Seed." Ou Yangming calculated in his head and wondered. Nonetheless, upon seeing Chen Yifan"s expression, he decided not to comment, simply nodding.
Chen Yifan suddenly turned his head. “Zhengye, go to the Armament Camp to pick a featured iron ingot.”
Liu Zhengye responded to him, then looked at Ou Yangming meaningfully before he left.
Subsequently, Chen Yifan waved his hand. “Sui Hezhi, bring him to the tent to rest.”
“Yes.” Sui Hezhi took a step forward. “Little brother, come with me.”
Chen Yifan had always acted arbitrarily and never asked for other people"s opinions. Feeling helpless, Ou Yangming could only follow Sui Hezhi to the tent.
Sui Hezhi did not leave after they entered the tent, instead, he apologized, “Little brother, please forgive me if I offended you earlier.”
Ou Yangming took a look at his wrist. It was strange because despite being in tremendous pain earlier, his Qi and blood somehow helped him to feel much better in a flash.
Sui Hezhi praised him too, “Little brother, you"re really rich in Qi and blood, You"re definitely a potential martial artist. As long as you train under the general for a few days, I guarantee that you"ll defeat me!”
Ou Yangming chuckled, and his bitter resentment toward him vanished into thin air.
Sui Hezhi was a member of the Guards led by General Chen and was considered one of the general"s most trusted followers, yet he was flattering Ou Yangming. There was no way Ou Yangming could hate him.
Ou Yangming waved his hand. “Big Brother Sui, you"re joking. I"m really sorry for breaking your saber just now.”
Sui Hezhi instantly looked regretful. “Little brother, for soldiers like us, our weapon is our life. It"s supposedly my turn to hunt in the forest tomorrow, but it looks like I won"t be able to go.”
Ou Yangming was intrigued. “Which forest?”
Sui Hezhi pointed at the west. “There"s a forest near our camp…”
Ou Yangming"s face changed right away. “Big Brother Sui, it"s extremely dangerous to hunt in that forest!”
“We"re used to it, so it"s fine.” Sui Hezhi laughed. He then looked around them before he asked, “Little brother, tell me the truth, did you really smith that saber?”
Ou Yangming smiled. “Why? Do you not trust me?”
“No, no, heroes are found hidden among youngsters, so of course I trust you, but…” Sui Hezhi quickly explained, then lowered his voice. “I think the general wants to test you immediately. If you"re not well-prepared or have any difficulty, why don"t you tell me? If the general finds out, he"ll probably…”
Ou Yangming understood what he meant. He replied gratefully, “Big Brother Sui, don"t worry, I got this.”
Upon seeing his confident look, Sui Hezhi was somewhat bewildered. "Did he really make that treasure saber?"