NOVEL WEB Chapter 77: The Glory Returns
“Knock knock knock——”
Carrying the wind and snow, Ling Yi raised his hand and knocked on the towering and wide door.
“Who is it——” a feeble voice answered.
At the same time, the sturdy door was pulled open from inside, revealing the head of a young man.
Seeing the young man, Ling Yi immediately smiled and asked, “Alai, is Master at home?”
The young man, called Alai, upon hearing the voice, finally opened his bleary eyes. His drowsiness instantly vanished when he recognized Ling Yi's face, and he exclaimed with joy, “Young Master Yi, you're back——?!”
This was the master's most cherished disciple, even his final apprentice!
Elder Jin, now in his late seventies and a soul master, still had a robust physique from years of swinging the hammer, but he could no longer muster the energy to teach new disciples.
Even Ling Yi, his youngest disciple, was accepted because of his exceptionally high talent as the thirteenth personal disciple.
In the beginning, it was Fifth Disciple Wang Meng and others who taught. Only when there was nothing more to teach did Master himself start instructing.
Three years ago, Young Master Yi graduated early from the Green Leaf Primary Soul Master Academy and went to Cold Wind City. Since then, apart from the letters sent every two or three months, he has not been seen.
To be honest, not only does Old Man Jin often reminisce about him, but even Alai, a servant of the Jin family, greatly misses this young master who spoke gently and treated others with kindness and a smile.
After all, such a master who makes others feel as warm as a spring breeze is something unseen throughout Woodplant City.
Overjoyed, Alai flung the front door wide open, ignoring the biting cold wind and snowflakes rushing in, his eyes squinting in delight as he quickly responded:
"He's here, he's here, Master is at home. It’s been snowing heavily for days, Master hasn’t gone out—"
"Good to hear~"
Ling Yi said with a smile, stepping in through the door amidst Alai’s warm welcome.
While walking, Ling Yi adjusted the basket on his back with his left hand, pulling it to his side as his right hand fished inside it. He pulled out a palm-sized parcel wrapped in oiled paper and handed it to Alai: "Here, this is from Cold Wind City. It's a kind of preserved fruit called Frozen Autumn Pear, tangy and sweet, it tastes pretty good. Let your kids have a taste—"
Having said that, without giving Alai a chance to refuse, he directly placed it in Alai's embrace while striding towards the central hall.
Alai looked at Ling Yi's familiar smiling face and the silhouette gradually moving away, suddenly feeling that the blizzard didn't seem so cold anymore.
He hastily called out from behind, "Hey—! Thank you, Young Master Yi—!"
Ling Yi did not turn back, only raised his hand and waved to the rear.
…
“What?! You… A Yi… you became… a master blacksmith—?!!”
In the Jin Residence's main hall, the venerable Mr. Jin sat dominantly at the main seat in his fur-lined cloak, his bushy, grizzled eyebrows almost popping out in shock. The teapot in his hand almost shattered under the pressure of his grip.
He laughed gleefully as he poured water from the kettle on the small stove beside him, "Yes, Master, didn't I mention it in the letter I sent you earlier? Senior Brother Lou Gao paused his travels more than half a year ago and stayed at the Cold Wind Camp to teach me forging skills hand by hand—"
“Now I've not only mastered the full set of 81 moves of the 'Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique', thanks to Senior Brother Lou Gao’s guidance, I've also grasped a few special alloy smelting techniques that require less strength, and I've already been able to forge thousand-layer-grade weapons and armor—”
Sitting in the large chair, Elder Jin appeared dazed as he mechanically took the small teapot handed to him by Ling Yi. He instinctively brought the spout to his lips, sipping the warm tea. As the heat flowed from his mouth, down his throat, and settled into his stomach, he gradually regained his senses.
Looking at Ling Yi, who maintained his calm demeanor throughout, Elder Jin's face visibly brightened, bursting into hearty laughter, "Good! Hahaha—! Wonderful—! Absolutely splendid—!!"
It could be said that Ling Yi’s achievement of becoming a master blacksmith made Elder Jin happier than Ling Yi himself.
Prior to Ling Yi, Old Jin had accepted twelve personal disciples, along with countless others as non-registered apprentices. However, since his return to the Shuimu Principality over forty years ago, not a single one had achieved the rank of master blacksmith.
Even his oldest disciple, Zhang Tie, who had been with him the longest and learned from him the most, was now approaching fifty but still toiled at the level of an advanced blacksmith.
The strongest creations from his other disciples were remarkable but limited. His fifth disciple, Wang Meng, matched Zhang Tie's ability to forge weapons of eight hundred reforges. Others, like his ninth disciple, only reached six hundred reforges…
"Muzhi City," he mused, "is too small, and the Shuimu Principality is small too!"
Although the demand for equipment requiring more than five hundred reforges wasn't trivial in the entire principality, many preferred purchasing finished products directly from the neighboring Tiandou Empire rather than refining raw ores domestically.
Only local Soul Masters, their families, and principality officials considered placing their orders with local advanced blacksmiths for their necessary gear.
Often, these blacksmith masters find themselves overwhelmed with orders that prioritize quantity over quality, leading to a decline in returning customers.
Under this vicious cycle, the disciples of Elder Jin remain limited in their experience with crafting high-quality items, making progress increasingly difficult.
Unlike Ling Yi, who could rely on the reputation of the "Jin Geng Blacksmith Shop" from the start and possessed decent skills, these disciples lacked sufficient materials to practice with.
When Ling Yi later joined the Hanfeng Camp, the army's constant demand for weaponry provided him with a steady supply of resources. As long as the quality of his weapons and armor met the standards, no one in the military objected to his extensive use of metals.
It's important to understand that materials like metal ore and high-calorific coke are all purchased at a price.
The blacksmith trade on Douluo Continent has never been a wealthy profession!
The disciples under Elder Jin are like family, with the Elder himself having children and relatives. He couldn't afford to fully support any one disciple's journey to mastering forging techniques.
Thus, when Ling Yi proposed joining the military three years ago, Elder Jin was initially surprised but was soon convinced by Ling Yi's plan to hone his skills using the abundant resources from the military logistics.
Now, in just three short years, has Ling Yi truly become a master blacksmith?
Although Ling Yi's outstanding talent and Lou Gao's personal guidance as a master blacksmith contributed greatly to his progress, the ample logistical support from the Hanfeng Camp was undoubtedly a key factor in his success!
Thinking along these lines, Old Man Jin couldn't help but let his mind start to wander.
It seems there might be potential in sending disciples to the military logistics department for some training, doesn't it?
(End of Chapter)
