NOVEL WEB Chapter 26: One Year Later
Beikou River Town, West of the Town, Jiang's Blacksmith Shop.
“Clang—! Clang! Clang—! Clang! …”
The rhythmic sound of hammering was endless. Under the glow of the crimson forge, crystalline beads of sweat shimmered on Ling Yi's fair face like exquisite rubies.
“Sizzle—!”
As the dark red iron tool was plunged into cold spring water, a large cloud of white steam burst forth, casting a hazy veil over Ling Yi’s upper body.
“Clang—!”
With a crisp sound, a crescent-shaped black iron casting was placed on the anvil with a pair of tongs.
It was a sickle blade missing its handle, dark and smooth with a crescent gracefulness that showcased the forger's remarkable skills.
At that moment, a head leaned over from the side, inspecting the sickle blade on the anvil and then glancing at Ling Yi's youthful, handsome face, unable to resist saying, “Ah Yi, your skills have surpassed mine; you're not far from matching Master Jiang!”
“Not at all~”
Ling Yi smiled warmly, shaking his head at Ling Bai's praise. “It’s just that I lack strength, so I focus more on the details. When it comes to true forging technique, you and Master Jiang are still much more skilled.”
"You—," Ling Bai tapped Ling Yi on the shoulder, remarking, "You're still so modest, not at all like someone your age..."
Even as they spoke, their hands kept busy with their tasks. Ling Bai wielded tongs, placing chunks of raw iron into the red and blue flames of the furnace, while Ling Yi picked up the cooled blade of a scythe with bare hands. He turned and moved to the nearby workbench, where he began to grind the edge of the scythe.
With one hand holding the blade and the other wielding a file, Ling Yi focused intently on honing the scythe's edge into fine serrations. Unbeknownst to him, Master Jiang, the owner of Jiang's Smithy, had quietly approached the workbench and was watching Ling Yi's scythe gradually take shape.
When Ling Yi put down the file and picked up a coarse piece of burlap to wipe the scythe, a loud voice praised him, "Not bad at all!"
"Xiao Yi," Master Jiang glanced at the scythe in Ling Yi's hand, its edge gleaming coldly, and said with a face full of satisfaction, "Just looking at this scythe's edge, Bai was holding back in his praise. Your skills have actually surpassed mine!"
As he spoke, nostalgia crossed Master Jiang's face: "I remember when I was learning the craft with my master, he told me, 'Forging can be learned in three years, but honing is a lifetime of practice.'"
"Generally speaking, the skill required for honing is much more demanding than forging."
"The texture of the blade, the thickness of the edge... all these require meticulous care."
At this point, Master Jiang's expression darkened, but he soon returned to normal, shaking his head with a sigh.
"It's a pity that my talents are limited. I could only learn so much and ended up back in my hometown, opening this smithy to barely make a living..."
Master Jiang spoke in a calm tone, clearly having come to terms with his current situation and found peace with it.
Ling Yi didn't offer any comforting or motivational words. Instead, he smiled shyly and handed the sickle to Master Jiang, saying with a cheerful tone, "Master Jiang, I still have so much to learn~ If you praise me too much, I might get arrogant—"
"You brat~" Master Jiang chuckled, taking the sickle. He pressed his rough thumb on its serrated edge, feeling the calluses on his fingers slightly pricked. Admiration shone once again in his eyes.
"Right~"
As he inquired further, Master Jiang suddenly remembered that unlike Ling Bai and the other two young boys in the shop, who came to become blacksmith apprentices and considered blacksmithing a means of livelihood in the future, Ling Yi was a "child of heaven" with innate soul power and the potential to become a Soul Master!
Yes, in the eyes of ordinary people without innate soul power, Soul Masters, or even Soul Warriors below level ten, were esteemed figures, different from the common folk.
"Hmm~"
In response to Master Jiang's inquiry, Ling Yi nodded, smiling as he replied, "This year, there's an opening for a working student position in town, and with some living expenses my family saved up for me, I naturally want to go to the Academy to systematically study knowledge related to Soul Masters—"
"That's right~" Master Jiang also nodded in agreement, "You should study. Otherwise, when your soul power reaches level ten, you might not even know how to choose or absorb a soul beast ring..."
"By the way, when are you leaving? We're not that close to 'Mu Zhi City'—"
Ling Yi announced, “We'll be leaving in three days. It's better to go early to take care of enrollment, accommodation, and other such matters...”
“That's just what you should do~” Master Jiang chuckled. “Even though you're still young, Ling Yi, you're dependable when it comes to these things!”
Here, Master Jiang hesitated slightly, but after a brief pause, his expression turned resolute. He addressed Ling Yi decisively, “Alright, you’ll head off to Mu Zhi City in three days, and on your way there, you’ll pass through this town. Be sure to visit the shop...”
“Huh?” Ling Yi was taken aback but didn't show any hesitation. Without questioning the reason, he nodded and agreed immediately. “Sure, Master Jiang. I'll definitely stop by to bid you farewell then.”
“Haha—”
Seeing Ling Yi's straightforward and unconcerned demeanor, Master Jiang felt immensely satisfied and laughed heartily. Without keeping Ling Yi in suspense, he reassured him, “Don't worry, it's a good thing—”
“When the time comes, I'll write a letter for you to take to Mu Zhi City. After you settle in, visit the Jin Gang Ironworks on South Anfang Street and hand the letter over to the Master there, Old Master Jin Gang.”
“Thank you so much, Master Jiang. You're very thoughtful~” Ling Yi first expressed his gratitude, then with curiosity asked, “And who is Old Master Jin Gang?”
“Heh heh~” Master Jiang's rugged, tanned face broke into a smile. “Don't rush, I'll tell you in three days...”
‘Alright then~’
Seeing this, Ling Yi shrugged it off, unconcerned. He discussed a few questions he had encountered while forging scythe blades with Master Jiang. After receiving some experienced advice from the master, he picked up another glowing red iron ingot and continued forging.
The rhythmic sound of hammering echoed once more. This time, Ling Bai wasn't solely focused on heating the iron ingots. He took out a glowing red ingot and began hammering it himself.
In this duet of metalwork, Ling Yi divided his attention amongst three tasks: one part monitored his own posture, breathing rhythm, arm extension height, and muscle exertion while swinging the hammer; another part sensed the shape, weight, density, and texture of the iron ingot under the hammer; and the last part planned the schedule after the blacksmith practice ended.
At this point, it was already the month of August in the year 2598 of Douluo Calendar. A year had passed since his Martial Spirit awakened last year.
Compared to a year ago, the information on Ling Yi's status panel was now much richer.
Ling Yi:
Age: Seven years and six months
Martial Spirit: Blue Silver Grass
Spirit Power: Level 3, 37%
Aptitude: Innate half-rank Spirit Power
Physique/Strength: 176 Jin Power
Mind/Spirit: Second Stage Deep Sleep, Peaceful Intent, Spiritual Sensing, Blue Silver Imitation
Art: Crystal Meditation Technique 2.8, Feline Breathing Technique, Basic Body Training - Four Forms of Cats, Dogs, Rabbits, Chickens, Farmer's Three Forms - Hoeing, Scything, Axing, Improved Basic Meditation Technique 1.5.
Skills: Sling, Hypnosis, Staff Techniques, Spear Techniques, Knife Techniques, Axe Techniques, Intermediate Blacksmithing.
Pets: Ah Huang, Meow Meow.
(End of Chapter)
