Douluo Continent II: The Dragon King Suppresses the World!

Chapter 24 The Master Craftsman's Reflection

"Hua Bin, what do we do?" Zhu Lu asked, her expression filled with panic and her voice trembling with fear.

Dai Huabin gritted his teeth, his jaw muscles bulging slightly: "I'll follow the academy's arrangements. I'll remember this humiliation. One day, hmph..." His eyes were filled with resentment and anger.

Wang Yan ultimately did not impeach Zhou Yi. After a full day of classes, the remaining students in Class One were all silent and timid, each more obedient than the last. Therefore, before explaining the issue to the academy, Wang Yan had a thorough conversation with Zhou Yi. He only had one condition: he hoped to continue teaching Class One with Zhou Yi until they graduated from the outer academy, and Zhou Yi agreed without hesitation.

"Nonsense. Zhou Yi, what can I say to you? The classes have only just been divided, and you've already caused such a commotion. Are you trying to make sure everyone in the academy knows you? The freshmen you taught achieved the best results in the freshman assessment, and two of them have already been specially approved to enter the inner academy. The academy was about to approve you as a senior teacher, and you pull this stunt. You..." Du Weilun glared angrily at Wang Yan and Zhou Yi, who were standing in front of his desk. His expression was distorted with anger.

Zhou Yi remained calm: "This is my teaching method."

"You—" In a fit of anger, Du Weilun really wanted to pack her bags and leave on the spot. But he was not like Zhou Yi, who acted impulsively, and he managed to suppress his impulse.

Wang Yan quickly stepped forward to smooth things over, saying, "Director Du, please don't be angry. Actually, Teacher Zhou's actions weren't entirely unreasonable, and I also support Teacher Zhou's teaching method of producing outstanding students through strict instruction."

With Wang Yan's persuasion, Du Weilun's expression finally softened a little. He pointed at Zhou Yi with a look of disappointment and said, "What can I say about you?"

Zhou Yi remained calm and unmoved, saying, "Do I need you to tell me whether I'm alright or not?"

Du Weilun felt that if Zhou Yi stayed there for even a second longer, he would explode with anger. He quickly said, "Alright, you two can leave. Zhou Yi, I don't care how you cause trouble. You've been in this class since the freshmen. When Class One graduates, if you can't produce five inner court disciples besides Ye Qi'an and Gu Yuena, I'll expel you."

If Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, Wu Feng, and Huang Chutian were still around, Wang Yan might not have found this requirement difficult. But now that these four core-level students are gone, he is unsure of himself. Moreover, Ye Qi'an and Gu Yuena are not included, which significantly raises the bar.

But Zhou Yi showed no fear and said firmly, "It will only be more, not less." After saying that, she turned and left without hesitation.

Just as Zhou Yi and Wang Yan were reporting to Du Weilun, Ye Qi'an also left Shrek Academy and headed towards the blacksmith shop he had inquired about beforehand. He knew that since it was all for the purpose of improving his strength, he had to find a way to manufacture the battle armor in advance. Even if it only increased his strength by a little, it would be worthwhile for him to learn forging.

Shrek City was vast, with numerous blacksmith shops. Among them, Ye Qi'an had his eye on a blacksmith named Si Yuan. Legend has it that ten thousand years ago, there were three master blacksmiths on the Douluo Continent: Titan of the Power Clan, Tang Hao, the Haotian Douluo, and Lou Gao, the president of the Blacksmith Association. Although a long ten thousand years had passed, fortunately, their traditions had survived, and Si Yuan was a descendant of one of Lou Gao's disciples.

The blacksmith shop's storefront looked fairly tidy, with a sign that read "Siyuan Blacksmith Shop." As soon as Ye Qi'an reached the entrance, a strong metallic smell wafted towards him.

He rang the doorbell, and after a short while, the door opened, and a middle-aged man came out. This middle-aged man was tall, with fair skin, giving people a natural sense of approachability.

"You've come." Siyuan's deep and powerful voice reached Ye Qi'an's ears, even making him feel a little tinnitus.

"Junior Ye Qi'an greets the master craftsman Siyuan." Ye Qi'an quickly bowed to the senior.

"Come in." Siyuan nodded slightly.

"Okay." Ye Qi'an replied and followed Siyuan into the forging room.

The forging workshop's main hall was filled with all sorts of metal parts. Siyuan didn't linger and continued walking inside, with Ye Qi'an following closely behind. Although the storefront wasn't large, the space inside was quite spacious. After passing through a corridor, Siyuan led Ye Qi'an into a room with a workbench.

Siyuan stopped and turned to look at Ye Qian, asking, "Do you know what forging is?"

Ye Qian thought for a moment and replied, "Forging is the process of repeatedly hammering and processing metal materials to give them better performance and shape in order to meet various needs."

Siyuan nodded slightly and said, "You have some basic understanding. But forging is far more than that. Forging is not just about shaping metal, but also a process of communicating with the material and giving it a soul. Every strike, every quenching, is awakening the metal's potential. Do you understand?"

Ye Qi'an nodded solemnly and said respectfully, "Qi'an has learned a lot."

Siyuan continued, "Then let me ask you, why do you want to learn forging?"

Ye Qi'an's gaze was firm, and he said without hesitation, "I am learning forging for two reasons. First, to improve my own strength and enhance my combat ability by crafting equipment by hand. Second, forging can also improve my physical strength and power."

Siyuan stared at Ye Qi'an for a moment, then slowly said, "The idea is good, but this path won't be easy. Are you mentally prepared?"

Ye Qi'an answered without hesitation: "I was prepared. No matter how difficult this road is, I will not back down."

Siyuan narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Alright, in that case, let's start by getting to know the various metal materials."

As he spoke, Siyuan walked to the workbench and picked up several different pieces of metal. "This is black gold, this is cold iron, this is mithril..."

Ye Qi'an listened intently, his eyes fixed on the metal in Si Yuan's hand, memorizing its characteristics.

After Siyuan finished explaining, he asked, "Did you remember it?"

Ye Qi'an nodded vigorously: "I've got it."

Siyuan said, "This is your task for today." He pointed to the side. On the ground next to him, there was a metal platform about half a meter high, with a round metal block on it.

Siyuan picked up two metal hammers from the side and handed them to Ye Qi'an. "See that round metal block? Use these hammers to strike it two thousand times, one thousand times on each side, with all your might." After saying that, he put the pair of metal hammers into Ye Qi'an's hands and then sat down quietly to watch.

Ye Qian took a deep breath, gripped the hammer tightly with both hands, and walked to the metal block. He adjusted his breathing, then raised the hammer in his right hand high and smashed it down on the metal block.

A muffled thud was heard, and the metal block trembled slightly.

Ye Qi'an didn't stop, swinging the hammer left and right, two hundred times, three hundred times... His arms gradually ached, but he didn't slow down at all. After five hundred times, sweat poured down his face, soaking the ground beneath his feet.

Siyuan sat to the side, his expression serious, but his gaze remained fixed on Ye Qi'an.

When Ye Qi'an finally finished striking the left and right sides a thousand times, he was panting heavily, as if he had just been pulled out of the water.

With Siyuan's rich forging experience, he only needed a few glances to determine that Ye Qi'an's strength was extraordinary. Could this be the legendary innate talent?

Siyuan stood up, walked to Ye Qi'an's side, and said, "Not bad, being able to persevere proves you have a certain amount of willpower. However, this is just the beginning."

"I understand, teacher." Ye Qi'an nodded vigorously.

"From now on, you will be my disciple, Siyuan. I will do my best to help you become a new generation of master craftsmen. Come here at this time every day." Siyuan nodded in satisfaction and said to Ye Qi'an.

Back at Shrek Academy, during dinner, Gu Yuena noticed that Ye Qi'an's hands were trembling.

"Qi'an, what happened to your hand?" Gu Yuena asked in confusion.

Ye Qi'an shook his head and said, "I went to learn forging. Today I hammered nearly two thousand times, and I did it with all my might. My hands are still a bit numb."

Gu Yuena looked puzzled and said, "Aren't you just making things harder for yourself? You already don't have enough time for cultivation, and now you have to learn forging too? Won't that just slow down your progress even more?"

Ye Qi'an shook his head and said, "It's different. Nana, you'll understand why I wanted to become a blacksmith later."

……

The next day, the Martial Soul Department's Academic Affairs Office issued a notice that Dai Huabin, Zhu Lu, Huang Chutian, and Wu Feng, students from Class 1 of the first year, would be transferred to Class 2 to continue their studies.

Undoubtedly, all of these students filed appeals, but Shrek Academy is Shrek Academy. No matter your status, everyone who studies here will be treated equally.

The academy will prioritize respecting the teachers' decisions. Moreover, as Teacher Wang Yan said, although these students have been expelled from Class One, they will ultimately remain. Furthermore, these core disciples are proud of their talent, so this setback is not necessarily a bad thing.

After this incident, the atmosphere in Class 1 of Grade 1 changed dramatically, becoming somewhat tense and fearful. While it wouldn't be accurate to say that everyone trembled with fear at the sight of Zhou Yi, at least no one dared to disobey her orders anymore. Wang Yan couldn't help but admire that, with just this one commotion, the learning atmosphere in Class 1 immediately became the best among all the classes he had ever taught.

Student life returned to normal, but this was true for the vast majority of students. For Ye Qi'an, however, every day was packed with activities.

During the day, students attend classes in the Martial Soul Department, where they only need to use their brains. Under the guidance of their teachers, they learn the tactics, cultivation methods, and teamwork of Soul Masters.

Even at noon, Ye Qi'an would not waste time. He would cultivate with Gu Yuena for a period of time. This would not only make up for the time he spent cultivating, but also allow him to quickly adjust his state. Gu Yuena truly admired Ye Qi'an's high-intensity, non-stop work.

As soon as school was over in the afternoon, Ye Qi'an went to Siyuan Blacksmith Shop to learn from Siyuan. These two hours every day were the most tiring for him.

In the blink of an eye, autumn has passed and winter has come, and winter has gone and spring has arrived; eight months have already gone by.

Siyuan's forging instruction was extremely strict, and he had very high requirements for his direct disciples. However, to his surprise, no matter how much pressure he put on Ye Qi'an, he could complete the training he was assigned very well, and he was serious and meticulous, without the slightest bit of laziness.

Forging is also divided into many levels. Generally speaking, it is called "hundred forging". The so-called "hundred forging" means that every part of a component has to go through hundreds of forgings to complete. There is also a higher level of "thousand forging".

The more times it is forged, the fewer impurities there will be in the metal. Of course, only metal of good quality can withstand the pressure of a thousand forgings. Ye Qi'an can barely complete a thousand forgings at present. What surprised Ye Qi'an was that the forging realm described to him by the divine craftsman Siyuan was almost the same as it would be ten thousand years later.

With practiced ease, Ye Qian pressed the button on the forging table, which split open in the center to reveal the furnace underneath. He then fixed a piece of metal into a slot next to the furnace and pressed the button again to send it into the furnace.

He held two gleaming black iron hammers in his hands. These hammers were tungsten steel hammers given to him by Siyuan as a gift when he came here to become an apprentice. Each hammer weighed 150 pounds, and it would be difficult for an ordinary person to even lift it. But now, in Ye Qi'an's hands, they felt as if they were weightless.

Under the high temperature of the forging furnace, the metal quickly turned red-hot. Ye Qi'an picked up the metal and swung his tungsten steel hammers quickly, and a series of "clanging" sounds rang out, marking the start of a day of forging.

When Ye Qi'an first started learning, Siyuan told him that to become a qualified blacksmith, he had to use his brain. He had to judge the texture and characteristics of the metal itself by observing the vibration and changes in the metal during the hammering process. Only by mastering these skills could he truly forge exquisite pieces.

Half an hour later, when the last part was completed under the hammering, Ye Qi'an let out a long breath, grabbed the towel next to him and wiped his sweat. He was used to forging, and swinging the hammer every day was a particularly exhilarating way to vent his frustration. Moreover, sometimes he would enter a special state during the hammering process. This state was very strange, as if he resonated with the metal being hammered and the hammer in his hand.

Siyuan walked to the forging table and looked at Ye Qian'an's work. He nodded and said, "Xiao An, I have to say, you are the most talented blacksmith I have ever seen. Your powerful strength shows that you are born with the potential to become a master craftsman."

Ye Qi'an smiled modestly and said, "Teacher, you flatter me. Without your careful guidance, I wouldn't have made such progress."

Siyuan patted Ye Qi'an on the shoulder and said, "However, you can't be complacent. Next, you'll be trying more complex forging tasks, which will be much more difficult."

Ye Qi'an's eyes were firm as he replied, "Teacher, I'm ready."

……

(End of this chapter)