NOVEL WEB Chapter 71: Becoming a Blacksmith Master
From the first meeting in May and every day thereafter, Ling Yi dedicated himself to a single task: learning!
And Lou Gao could feel the overwhelming challenge posed by this prodigious learner.
In the first month, Ling Yi took only one day to achieve basic mastery of the "Chaotic Wind Hammer Technique."
From the second day onwards, Ling Yi earnestly sought knowledge while Lou Gao, intrigued by how much and how quickly Ling Yi could learn, embarked on a journey of teaching and learning.
Regardless of the complexity or rarity of a forging technique—be it intricate, demanding, or peculiar—Lou Gao needed only to demonstrate and explain once before Ling Yi could replicate it effortlessly.
The first attempt might seem slightly unfamiliar, but by the second, he had grasped the essence, and by the third, he could master it fully!
With a bit of practice, reaching minor achievements and understanding the integration at two distinct levels was evidently achieved, one by one.
Just to mention, Lou Gao had fully embraced Ling Yi’s classification criteria for these skills and even considered it essential to promote among all blacksmiths on the continent.
In Ling Yi’s view, even if these levels aren’t as easily quantifiable as soul power, as long as we’re aware and mentally prepared, it provides a clearer direction for progress and aids in growth.
People often don’t fail because of difficulties but are discouraged by the unclear path ahead.
Being able to clearly see his progress, Ling Yi managed to replicate the entire body of Lou Gao’s thirty years of blacksmithing expertise and skills in forging, fire control, quenching, and blade sharpening within just a month!
Lou Gao, the grandmaster blacksmith, was on a quest to forge his own path to becoming a godly craftsman!
It could be said that within just a month, Ling Yi had grown to become a scaled-down version of Lou Gao—one who was lacking in strength and mastery of metallic attributes but had achieved a master level in blacksmith forging techniques.
From the second month onward, Ling Yi followed Lou Gao, delving into the domains of metal properties and variables.
This time, due to a vast and expansive knowledge base, Ling Yi studied for nearly two months, squeezing out ninety percent of the knowledge stored within Lou Gao!
The remaining ten percent was simply unattainable due to the Cold Wind Camp's lack of advanced, rare metal resources.
Given this form of knowledge-based learning, and despite the inexperience in practical operations, Ling Yi had become one of the top individuals on the Douluo Continent in the field of metal smelting!
It must be said, Lou Gao was a good person, in every sense of the word.
At least, Ling Yi thought so.
Without Lou Gao, Ling Yi admitted to himself that even with all kinds of advantages, given his weak foundation, he would need at least two to three years to refine his skills to perfectly exhibit the blacksmithing techniques taught by the venerable King Kong.
After all, King Kong was now in his late seventies, having remained at the level of a master blacksmith for over forty years, unable to break through to a grandmaster.
Although Ling Yi had learned all of King Kong's skills more than two years ago, those techniques could only truly forge blacksmith master-level works in King Kong's own hands.
This was because King Kong was a Soul Elder, with a physique tempered by more than seventy years of wielding the forging hammer, comparable at his peak to the physical prowess of a Beast Martial Soul Soul King!
Although the Wuhun "Iron Hand Armor" may not be as beneficial in forging as hammer-type Wuhun, fire attribute Wuhun, or strength attribute Wuhun, it is still a metal-type Wuhun of above-average quality. With the right choice of spirit rings, the old man combines three spirit abilities of strength and fire. Such amplification is something that the healing-type "Blue Silver Grass" Wuhun cannot compare with.
However, these issues are trivial when facing Lou Gao, who carries the inheritance of a divine master and has nearly mastered it, already standing as a master blacksmith himself!
Just like tailored garments, knowing precisely which forging techniques to apply when lacking strength, which metal alloys can be forged with lesser force at specific temperatures to still achieve the quality and characteristics of a thousandfold refinement...
Additionally, there's the treasure trove-like "Complete Compendium of Douluo Continent Metals," detailing thousands of different metal combinations and the various changes metals and alloys undergo under conditions such as high temperature, low temperature, normal temperature, and high-pressure forging...
In the span of half a year, coupled with Ling Yi's relentless practice of "Beast Wuhun: Xingyi Boxing Framework," Ling Yi now possesses nearly seven hundred jin of strength. Although his spirit power only increased by a little over one level to reach level sixteen, in terms of pure strength, even common soul masters with beast Wuhun might not match his power.
Douluo Calendar Year 2604, December.
At thirteen years and ten months old, Ling Yi boasts level sixteen spirit power at 21% and strength of 688 jin.
Under the certification of Lou Gao, a disciple personally taught by the divine master Iron Pagoda and the young head of the Douluo Continent [Blacksmith Association], Ling Yi has become a Blacksmith Master!
Strength Test: Withstands a hundred attacks without damage from three strong attack-type Soul Masters; sixty regular attacks, twenty first spirit ability attacks, fifteen second spirit ability attacks, and five third spirit ability attacks—!!!
Advantages: Fully covered, armor offers seamless defense with nearly two thousand pieces of thousandfold refined metal scales, providing flexible movement at joint areas without hindrance.
Disadvantages: Weighing one hundred and twenty-eight jin, limits the agility and sustained combat time for those below strength or physical attribute Soul Elder and above.
In the world of battle, there are certain weapons that excel in head-on confrontations, making them unsuitable for dueling among Soul Masters.
It's recommended that Soul Masters of the Soul Sect and above wear this in large-scale battles!
No matter its strengths or weaknesses, Jiang Yuan, the captain from the Coldwind Battalion, will decide the appropriate battlefield for this creation.
However, with such a piece in hand, Ling Yi rightfully earns the title of a Blacksmith Master!
...
At the Coldwind Battalion, within the third medical camp...
"Why did you choose armor as your first piece in becoming a Blacksmith Master?" asked Lou Gao, reclining on a wooden chair, basking in the rare warmth of the winter sun.
Next to him, Ling Yi was similarly sunbathing.
On the ground, Ling Yi opened his eyes and looked at Lou Gao, who leaned towards him with a penetrating gaze.
Feeling somewhat lazy, Ling Yi closed his eyes again, enjoying the sunlight as it seeped into his skin, infusing his flesh and blood with energy.
He replied calmly, "I thought, Brother Lou Gao, you could hold back from asking that question forever.
Brother Lou Gao, your patience still needs some work—"
"Damn it!"
Upon seeing Ling Yi in this state, Lou Gao couldn't help but curse. For over half a year now, he had been deeply affected by the situation.
However, the more he felt impacted, the more his admiration for Ling Yi’s talent only intensified.
He envied Ling Yi’s unparalleled learning ability, appreciated his relentless dedication to practice as if each day were his first, and admired Ling Yi for never allowing his martial soul talents, family background, or any other adverse factors to let him be downcast or dejected. Instead, Ling Yi remained indomitable, tenacious, and ever-hopeful about the future, planning each step clearly and methodically.
Indeed, Ling Yi never hid his ambition from Lou Gao: he wanted to unite all the blacksmiths in the Water and Wood Principality after becoming a Blacksmith Master, aiming to establish the Water and Wood Principality Branch of the Blacksmith Association.
In a small place like the Water and Wood Principality, having a competent, driven individual willing to take initiative and rally all blacksmiths together was a beneficial endeavor, offering greater leverage and convenience for both the leader and every blacksmith involved.
Thus, upon witnessing Ling Yi's talent and rapid growth, Lou Gao decided to contribute his strength to the cause.
There was just one issue: Ling Yi's calm and composed demeanor, as if nothing could ever shake him, sometimes clashed with the temperament of the somewhat impatient Lou Gao.
Every so often, Lou Gao felt the need to vent his pent-up frustration by seeking out Jiang Yuan for a bout.
“Lou Gao, you’ve used foul language again~” Ling Yi remarked calmly, eyes closed, speaking without haste.
“I...!” Lou Gao wanted to sit upright, putting force into his waist, but his rounded midsection and the wooden recliner beneath him made him hesitate to exert too much strength, fearing damage.
As a result, he couldn’t sit up as intended.
Noticing Lou Gao's movements, Ling Yi sat up first, with an unprecedented seriousness in his expression. Bowing slightly to Lou Gao, he said, “I understand, Senior Brother Lou Gao has been concerned that I might become distracted, so he kept his questions to himself. Now that the ‘Thousand Scale Armor’ is complete, Senior Brother naturally voiced the doubts that have weighed on his mind, eager to express them freely.”
Pausing briefly, Ling Yi continued, “I chose armor as my first masterpiece after becoming a Blacksmith Master because…”
Returning home from the hospital around one o'clock in the morning, I found myself short on time to finish writing the second chapter. I'll squeeze in some writing during the day, but the exact update time is uncertain. I'll aim to have it ready by around one in the afternoon.~
Time for sleep now, goodnight everyone.~
(End of Chapter)
