The Legend of Fangren

Chapter 167 Li Huo Forging Vocational Technical College

"Is Fang leaving?"

"Yes, I don't plan to go back to the mountain right away. I'm going to explore the surrounding area."

Over the past few days, Fang Shi and Master Gang had become quite familiar with each other, so when it was time for him to leave, Fang Shi went to say goodbye to him.

When Lao Gang first heard that Fang Shi was leaving, he chatted with him politely, looking quite regretful. But when Fang Shi said that he didn't plan to return to the sect, Lao Gang's attitude immediately changed.

"What? You're saying you're not planning to go back up the mountain?"

"Ah, yes, I plan to see more of what the outside world has to offer," Fang Shi said, not knowing why he suddenly became excited.

Old Gang slapped his thigh and shouted, "Why didn't you say so sooner? If you hadn't gone back up the mountain, no one would have cared about you!"

"That's right." Fang Shi thought to himself that although the human race in the Xuan Realm was unified as a whole, the actual management was still divided by cities. If he didn't return to the mountain, he would be a tourist in the world, and no one would care where he went.

"Then why are you leaving?" Old Gang slapped his thigh. "I've been saying these past few days that you have incredible strength and don't leak your inner energy, making you perfect for weapon forging. Did you think that was just polite talk? It's rare to find someone with such a good foundation, and you're in the prime of your youth, the perfect time to learn new skills. And you actually say you're going to travel and have fun? Is that even reasonable?"

"This—" Fang Shi hesitated, "But Master Gang, I really have no intention of joining the Li Huo Palace."

"Who said you had to join the Fire Refining Hall? The craft of weapon refining isn't some kind of secret skill. Even if you don't join the Fire Refining Hall, you can still learn the skill by paying some money."

Fang Shi: I f***ing————

So, all that talent scout-like air about you turns out you're just a salesperson? I thought you had a good eye for talent, what a waste of my time.

But to be fair, it's always good to have more skills in the martial world. The proprietress of Emerald City also said she wanted to take him as her apprentice. Weapon crafting and alchemy are both among the three treasures of cultivation. Even if he doesn't make great progress, it wouldn't be a loss for him to just learn some basics.

Well, Fang Shi was somewhat tempted. Besides, enchanting was probably related to weapon crafting. He hadn't caught an enchanting book while fishing yet, and he hadn't encountered any real-world materials that could replace diamonds. So, if he wanted to strengthen his equipment, the only option left was the anvil, but ultimately he still needed an enchanting book.

The concept similar to enchanted books, when applied to mystical artifacts, is what Master Gang calls the "Qi Path." Moreover, according to him, the more abundant the mystical energy within the Qi Path, the more radiant the surface of the mystical artifact will radiate. These radiances, some loose and some solid, form patterns called artifact patterns, which correspond to the patterns on elixirs and can reflect the quality of the mystical artifact.

"Oh well."

Since that's the case, Fang Shi doesn't mind spending a little "money".

"Alright." As soon as Master Gang received the money, he revealed a shrewd look that he hadn't shown in the past few days, as if he had suddenly become a different person. He had also shown this kind of look when he sold black gold.

Money makes things easier. Fang Shi gave a considerable sum of money, all of which he had earned from selling goods at Li Huotai in the past few days. In return, he received a full range of services.

Change clothes, get hammers, sit in a row in front of the furnace, and we'll start learning blacksmithing today.

Previously, Fang Shi hadn't paid attention to the purpose of the other rooms on the lowest level of the Li Huo Palace. He had assumed they were all iron smelting rooms for recycling scrap metal, but he hadn't expected there to be so many classrooms inside. However, these classrooms were actually more spacious weapon-refining rooms with neatly arranged forging tables. Masters were leading their apprentices in practice there, including both cultivators and mortals.

Blacksmithing is a popular profession in the mortal world.

"Come here, Lao Zhang, here's a new apprentice. Let him come and listen to your lessons first. He's a promising talent, so teach him well and don't mistreat him."

Then Lao Gang whispered in Lao Zhang's ear, "They spent a lot of money to ensure quality and quantity, you know?"

""

"I know, I know," Old Zhang nodded, saying he understood.

This left Fang Shi momentarily unsure whether he had entered a technical school or a pyramid scheme operation.

Could it be that the full name of Li Huo Palace is actually: Li Huo Blacksmithing Vocational Technical College?

Looking at his fellow students, all of whom were covered in dust and dirt, Fang Shi realized that he would need more time to learn the rest of the material.

To learn how to refine artifacts, the first lesson is how to shape them. A simple piece of gold is hammered into a shape that meets the target. The fewer times it is hammered, the better, so that the interior of the resulting blank will be more stable, making it easier to carve the energy channels and form the artifact's patterns.

Old Zhang, who was at the front, said, "Don't underestimate these few requirements. They emphasize speed, accuracy, and ruthlessness. If you're not fast enough when swinging the hammer, it means you lack strength. If the hammer wobbles when it hits the iron, it means you're not accurate enough. And if you hit the target but don't achieve the desired shape, it means you're not ruthless enough. These three words are your goals for the next month. If you can achieve these three points, you can graduate as ordinary-grade weapon refiners."

"Hmm————" After listening, Fang Shi looked at the sample weapon that had been handed out again. It was a very ordinary iron sword blank without any decoration.

He usually crafts tools and weapons on the workbench, and he's genuinely curious about his talent in this area in real life.

Logically speaking, a blocky character like him is proficient in everything in the game, from weapon crafting and tool making to alchemy and enchanting. Wouldn't all three of the three treasures of cultivation be his specialty? Take his childhood experience of being skilled at chopping wood and digging, for example; he must have some innate talent.

So he compared the shape of the blank to the iron material he was assigned, while others were still hesitating and comparing. He started hammering. The materials used by the apprentice weapon refiner were the lowest quality metals, which could be hammered as long as they were heated slightly.

Fang Shi had the strength of an animal, but when he swung his hammer, he didn't expect the metal to be of such poor quality that it was smashed into a flat piece.

Those watching were startled by the force. Just then, Old Zhang happened to be passing by on his patrol and was pulled aside to ask, "Master, is something like that fast, accurate, and ruthless enough?"

Old Zhang glanced at it, noticing a dent in the metal beneath, even on the forging table, and swallowed hard: "This—"

This young hero is too fast, accurate, and ruthless.

Although they were all apprentices, the other party had spent a lot of money. As a result, Old Zhang, as the master, had to call Fang Shi "Young Master." Actually, he originally wanted to call him "Young Master," but the problem was that the strength of the man made it impossible to associate him with a graceful young master holding a paper fan.

Having no other choice, Fang Shi had to find another piece and, just like sculpting a statue, he held the hammer in his hand and quietly began to work on it.

Soon, the talent for crafting weapons as a cube-shaped person was revealed. The saying "knowing the true nature of a curve and the form will appear on its own" means that as long as there are clear curves and straight lines in one's mind, the shape will appear before one's eyes.

With complete concentration, whether it was because his mind was too focused on the details or because something was actually materializing before his eyes, Fang Shi vaguely saw several semi-transparent phantom lines floating on the metal, guiding him to swing the heavy hammer.