Longevity Martial Arts: I have a Mysterious Water Snake Avatar

Blacksmithing requires not only skill but also patience.

Hong Yuan, bare-chested, swung the large hammer mightily over the anvil.

After the heavy hammer came the light taps.

Each strike and tap, each muffled and clear sound, brought a rhythm to the work.

Zhu Wushang squatted in front of the bellows, pushing forcefully.

WHOOSH. He fanned the flames higher and higher.

The glowing coals flickered under the gusts, as if they were about to liquefy.

A large wooden barrel stood by the anvil, filled with cold water. After several strikes, the glowing metal needed to be cooled in the water with tongs, a process known in the trade as quenching.

Crafting an ironware piece is far from easy. It could take at least a day or as much as half a year.

But with the help of the peculiar energy of True Essence, it often took only a day or up to half a week.

CLANG, TAP. CLANG, TAP.

The hard-to-mold red copper iron was deftly shaped by Hong Yuan, its edges now defined.

Right as the red copper iron was about to be forged into a blade's edge, Zhu Wushang wanted to warn Hong Yuan.

That was because turning the red copper iron into a sharp edge was critical, as crucial as the final step of submerging it in water.

Forging an edge was a step that could distinguish a First-Tier Forging Master from a Second-Tier one.

As for what I said before about letting Yuan complete it independently… Heh, Yuan is my dear junior brother!

"Yuan—"

Zhu Wushang hadn't finished speaking when Hong Yuan abruptly channeled True Essence into his blow, hammering the raised part of the red copper iron.

A dull CLANG echoed.

The tip of the red copper iron revealed a slender edge; Hong Yuan had perfectly achieved the skill of a Second-Tier Forging Master.

"Never mind, carry on."

Zhu Wushang, seeing Hong Yuan's puzzled gaze, hastily encouraged him to continue working.

But as Hong Yuan kept toiling away, Zhu Wushang, on a nearby stool, lifted a large tea bowl.

GULP. GULP.

Zhu Wushang drank like a thirsty ox, utterly taken aback by his junior brother, Hong Yuan.

The step of drawing out the edge had thwarted countless First-Tier Forging Masters.

Even Second-Tier Forging Masters didn't always succeed in forging an edge smoothly.

Yuan, you're even more remarkable than I imagined! Zhu Wushang thought.

His gaze upon Hong Yuan was full of satisfaction.

Watching Hong Yuan, Zhu Wushang felt a profound sense of achievement and fulfillment.

I haven't let Master down; I've laid a solid foundation for my two junior brothers!

The A06 workshop was vast, very vast.

One could feel the heat wave rolling in like a tide just by passing the doorstep.

There, in the coolest part of the A06 workshop, Hong Yuan worked, sweating profusely—literally like rain. His sweat flew about nonstop, and sparks flew as he struck the red copper iron with his heavy hammer.

Smooth, so smooth.

Hong Yuan's motions were so smooth that all the blacksmiths in the workshop couldn't help but steal extra glances at him.

At a regular forge.

Several official disciples were whispering over tea to beat the heat.

"Hong Yuan's progress is too fast, beyond my imagination. In just two months, he's gone from a First-Tier Forging Master to a Second-Tier Forging Master?"

"Well, how else would he be Elder Lin's disciple? His talent is truly outrageous."

"If it weren't for Master Zhu, his senior brother, providing him with unlimited materials, he couldn't have advanced this fast. He certainly wouldn't have had the chance to become a Second-Tier Forging Master."

"That's where you're wrong. Hong Yuan is Master Zhu's junior brother, but so is Zhao Gonghe. From what I understand, Zhao Gonghe's level as a Forging Master isn't even as strong as Hong, who started at the same time."

People in the workshop quietly conversed, comparing Hong Yuan to Zhao Gonghe, occasionally letting out chuckles.

Zhao Gonghe felt the hidden laughter and pitying sighs around him and was extremely upset.

He couldn't help but clench his fists, a self-deprecating smile on his lips.

Normally, these fellows would never dare to look at him this way. It was only in Hong Yuan's presence that they dared to offend him.

Lies don't hurt; the truth is the sharpest knife.

Yuan, Yuan… Muttering the name a few times, Zhao Gonghe regained his composure.

Zhao Gonghe cast a cold glance over the official disciples, startling them into silence. They immediately left the tea-drinking area and returned to their places.

Only when the annoying buzz of flies was gone did Zhao Gonghe feel somewhat at ease.

Zhao Gonghe's eyes blazed as he stared at Hong Yuan, hoping in his heart that Hong Yuan would fail.

However, at this moment, Hong Yuan was full of fighting spirit.

For Hong Yuan understood that what he was forging was not merely a second-tier weapon, but also Energy Stones, and more importantly, a reward from his Master!

A First-Tier Forging Master can normally earn over a hundred Energy Stones. A Second-Tier Forging Master must earn at least three or four times that—at least five hundred Energy Stones per month, or perhaps even more! But this isn't what I'm most looking forward to. I'm very eager to know what kind of reward my generous Master will give me! Last time it was the fifth-tier Phoenix Feather Order Cultivation Technique. This time, it surely can't be any less impressive, right?

CLANG, CLANG! CLANG, CLANG!

Hong Yuan hammered the red copper iron with momentum as unstoppable as a rainbow.

「In the afternoon, after more than four hours had passed.」

Hong Yuan, using immense effort, barely managed to forge a rough version of a second-tier saber. This version was sourced from M|V|L^EMPYR.

It was very crude, with a jagged and uneven cutting edge.

But Zhu Wushang was very pleased.

All that was left required nothing more than patient grinding and polishing.

In other words, Hong Yuan had thoroughly proven to Zhu Wushang that he had indeed entered the realm of a Second-Tier Forging Master!

In the First-Tier Forging Master area, Lin Qi, Qian San, and Wang Dali, three First-Tier Forging Masters, stared at Hong Yuan with stunned expressions, gazing at the still red-hot red copper iron.

"HISS—A second-tier saber!?" Lin Qi gasped.

"How could someone like this exist? This guy is beyond belief." Qian San blinked his small eyes furiously, afraid he was seeing things.

If only my sister weren't already married, Wang Dali mused, stroking his chin.

Zhu Wushang was also astounded by Hong Yuan's talent.

This terrifying talent made Zhu Wushang think of his equally gifted Eldest Senior Brother.

The difference is, Eldest Senior Brother was spirited and dared to lead, whereas Yuan is overly cautious—cautious to a point that's both funny and exasperating.

Looking at Hong Yuan, Zhu Wushang became lost in memories of Eldest Senior Brother.

Eldest Senior Brother, named Xie Tianyang, was the orphan of Master's lifelong friend. He had been raised by Master from a young age, treated as his own son, and taught with all Master's resources. Whatever Eldest Senior Brother wanted, Master would provide twice over. Thus, Eldest Senior Brother's path in the Martial Arts was smooth sailing, and he even became one of the nine Phoenix Creek True Disciples! Phoenix Creek Sect is an Overlord Sect that occupies an entire state, with hundreds of True Disciples. The Phoenix Creek True Disciples are the nine strongest among all the disciples of their generation! Perhaps it was because he had too smooth a journey in cultivation, without any major obstacles, that Eldest Senior Brother developed an attitude of supreme arrogance. He believed that even if there were no path, he could forcibly create one through martial power. Shortly after the Heaven Heart Imprint of the Le Tu Buddha had completely dissipated, Eldest Senior Brother ignored Master's advice and insisted on prematurely breaking through to the Martial Saint Realm, all for the chance to compete for the sole Great Emperor's Tao Achievement. Unfortunately, Eldest Senior Brother's attempt to ascend to the Immortal Aperture failed. Even though Master could have helped him cling to life, Eldest Senior Brother stubbornly refused to believe in fate and tried to overcome destiny by his own strength. But he failed again. Eldest Senior Brother turned to ashes in the tribulation and dissipated with the wind, leaving only Master and a few junior brothers in mourning…

"Sigh…" Zhu Wushang suddenly let out a soft sigh, remembering Eldest Senior Brother's immense reluctance in his final moments facing Master.

"Yuan, put down what you are doing and come with me," Zhu Wushang said softly.

Zhu Wushang took Hong Yuan to a small room for a talk, leaving behind the crowd with various expressions on their faces.

Hong Yuan, had he truly succeeded?