"Level Nine Battle Weapon!" Lei Guangming withdrew his fighting aura and straightened up, accepting the gaze of the crowd. He silently thanked his master for giving him this opportunity to showcase himself: "Master, this is indeed a Level Nine Battle Weapon."

Yun Xinghuisheng slowly raised his hand: "Tell me, what is your initial impression of this sword?"

Lei Guangming looked left and right at the Junyang Sword in his hand, channeling his fighting aura again to feel the feedback from the blade. He appeared deep in thought, frowning at times, and then nodding frequently with an expression of being deeply educated. After nearly half an hour of this ritual, he looked up with shock: "A fine sword! Truly a fine sword! The internal fighting aura channels are large yet narrow, and the fighting aura injected into it resonates, allowing the aura to exert its full intended power."

Yun Xinghuisheng nodded twice, showing a hint of satisfaction, offering Lei Guangming an encouraging look, signaling him to continue.

"The blade must have been forged using several blended metals, perfectly fused, to the extent that one cannot even sense how many metals were combined; it looks as if it were forged from a single piece of metal." Lei Guangming’s face was etched with fervent admiration: "This sword doesn't stop an opponent's fighting aura through simple blockage; instead, it employs a staged expulsion, culminating in a final block, maximizing its capacity to impede incoming aura."

"A fine sword! Truly a fine sword!" Lei Guangming repeatedly shook his head in awe: "I can find no flaw; this sword is too perfect! I wonder if Qian Jin can find any shortcomings? Or perhaps he has a unique insight regarding this sword?"

Lei Guangming held the Junyang Sword with both hands, standing before Qian Jin, his face twisted into a malicious grin. He had spent so much effort meticulously studying this sword, voicing every possible advantage; he couldn't find a single flaw. If Qian Jin couldn't introduce something new, people would accuse him of plagiarism; then, let’s see how he could possibly show his face.

Qian Jin glanced at the Junyang Sword in Lei Guangming's hand but did not reach for it, instead looking up at Yun Xinghuisheng: "Old Sir, do you truly believe this is a Level Nine Battle Weapon?"

The corner of Yun Xinghuisheng's lips held only a silent smile, his expression encouraging Qian Jin to speak his mind boldly.

"Then I shall speak." Qian Jin swept his gaze over the Junyang Sword again and shook his head repeatedly: "In my view, this is not a Level Nine Battle Weapon in the purest sense. Sir, were you originally intending to forge a Soul Weapon?"

Yun Xinghuisheng's mouth gaped in astonishment. For the first time, a flicker of surprise appeared in his eyes, mingled with a faint smile and happiness in the slight furrow of his brow, while his pupils were filled with indescribable shock.

Soul Weapon! Waves were already crashing in Yun Xinghuisheng’s heart. He had intended to forge a Soul Weapon, but... he never expected this kid to see through it? Or perhaps he knew of his ambition to attempt forging a Soul Weapon and was guessing?

"The reason I say it is not a purely defined Level Nine Battle Weapon is..." Qian Jin shrugged: "Because it is merely a quasi-Level Nine Battle Weapon. Meaning, theoretically, it surpasses a Level Eight Battle Weapon but hasn't quite become a true Level Nine."

Yun Xinghuisheng’s body, usually as steady as a mountain, shuddered violently at this moment. That was precisely right! Almost everyone who saw this Battle Weapon would assume it was Level Nine. Only a master blacksmith of his caliber, upon careful observation, could discern the weapon's true nature.

But... Yun Xinghuisheng stared blankly at Qian Jin. This young man had only briefly tested it by channeling his fighting aura; he hadn't examined it seriously or carefully before Lei Guangming took it away. Could he discern the blade's essence from just such a short trial? He himself would struggle to see that clearly in such a brief moment.

Is he insane?

The guests attending the banquet stared at Qian Jin as if he were a lunatic.

Who was Yun Xinghuisheng? And who was Lei Guangming? What was the status of the City Lord?

Both Lei Guangming and the City Lord had already confirmed the Junyang Sword was a Level Nine Battle Weapon, yet Qian Jin dared to step forward and claim it was not. This was clearly an act of defiance against Master Yun Xinghuisheng!

Lei Guangming trembled with excitement, silently praying for Qian Jin to continue speaking such nonsense until he thoroughly enraged his master. Then... Hmph hmph!

Yun Xinghuisheng remained silent, and the only sound echoing in the grand hall was Qian Jin's voice.

Mu Guiwuxin desperately wanted to rush up to Qian Jin and clamp his hands over his mouth. In Yongliu City, the Magic Guild might not show respect to this old master blacksmith, but the Torrent Fortress could not afford to ignore him. If he continued speaking like this...

"... This sword should have been forged using thirteen different metals, and the fusion process was executed with great care. However..." Qian Jin clicked his tongue twice: "It’s more like layering and overlapping than true fusion. Although it appears monolithic, the moment it clashes with a Battle Weapon forged with true metal fusion, the disparity between the two will be instantly apparent."

Lei Guangming watched Qian Jin continuously voice his opinions, struggling to contain his excitement. Blow! Keep blowing! Don't stop!

The distant, dazed eyes of Yun Xinghuisheng gradually gained a spark of clarity. This time, he was truly astonished! He had heard that Torrent Fortress had produced a promising blacksmith and intended to persuade him to abandon the path of a warrior. The True Strategy Dynasty had bloodline warriors, so they wouldn't miss one ordinary warrior.

But blacksmiths were different! The Blacksmith Guild would never object to having more blacksmiths! Especially one with innate forging talent, like Tie Yi!

Yun Xinghuisheng had already planned that if the young man named Qian Jin, mentioned by Lei Guangming, truly possessed forging talent, he would exert all his effort to persuade him to abandon the hopeless path of a warrior and join the ranks of the forgers! If Qian Jin was unwilling to quit, as long as he showed decent aptitude, he could simply take him on as an apprentice!

Yun Xinghuisheng was confident that if he opened his mouth to seek an apprentice, let alone those forging in the Yongliu Province, many who hadn't previously engaged in blacksmithing would gladly kneel before him to learn.

This kid... he seemed to be more than just talented... Yun Xinghuisheng regained a fraction of his composure from his shocked reverie. If he had held doubts when Qian Jin said the Battle Weapon wasn't Level Nine, he now had none that Qian Jin was speaking randomly or guessing.

Indeed! The technique used for this Battle Weapon was covering and layering! Of course, covering and layering were parts of fusion forging techniques, but to call it fusion? That was far too easy!

"Then, is there any solution?"

Yun Xinghuisheng suddenly spoke, his tone laced with deep inquiry, completely devoid of any hint of anger.

What? Many people looked strangely at Yun Xinghuisheng. The President of the Blacksmith Guild was actually asking Qian Jin for a solution? Was this genuine seeking of knowledge? Or was he asking a difficult question because he was displeased?

"Actually, this isn't something that can be solved purely from a forging perspective." Qian Jin analyzed with a serious demeanor: "First, there must be an issue with the charcoal used for the forge. The phosphorus recipe likely went wrong. Black Phosphorus should be a semi-product of Red Phosphorus, and judging by the metal linkages in the blade, Black Phosphorus probably accounted for a full twenty percent. As for White Phosphorus, it shouldn't have been added at all..."

Yun Xinghuisheng felt as if he had been struck by lightning. Every hair on his body seemed to stand on end. Does... does this kid... did he secretly watch me forge? How else could he know my ingredient ratios so precisely? Can that even be seen from a finished sword? Impossible, surely?

"The timing of the addition was also incorrect," Qian Jin frowned: "Red Phosphorus should have been added during the setting sun's afterglow, not at high noon. As for the technique used during forging... when forging the blade at the two-foot, one-inch mark, why would you be distracted when striking the hammer?"

A chilling sensation crept over Yun Xinghuisheng's limbs. Not only was the timing of the Red Phosphorus addition correct, but he had indeed been momentarily distracted while forging the Junyang Sword.

Stomach ache—this blasted thing... Yun Xinghuisheng felt helpless. He never imagined that he would suddenly suffer a stomach ache at such a crucial moment.

No! It's not about a headache or a stomach ache! Yun Xinghuisheng watched Qian Jin continue to list the Junyang Sword's flaws. His heart began to pound faster, and the circulation of his blood grew fiercer. Terrifying! This kid’s eyesight and analytical ability were too frightening!

Merely by holding a complete longsword, he spoke as if he had witnessed every scene of the forging process! This ability... Yun Xinghuisheng admitted he absolutely did not possess it! Even if his forging technique advanced greatly again, he doubted he could describe the forging process of a weapon as clearly as if he had seen it firsthand.

"If you truly encountered a Level Nine Battle Weapon where both sides were equally matched, the person holding this Junyang Sword..." Qian Jin sighed decisively: "If the strength of both parties is lower, it's fine. But if the opponent is a powerhouse on Uncle Fabredis’s level, this specific point at the two-foot, one-inch mark could very well cost the wielder their life."

Yun Xinghuisheng’s chest heaved violently, his aged face, marked by nearly a hundred wrinkles, flushed crimson. Lei Guangming clenched his fists excitedly. Good! Excellent! The main event was about to begin!

"You... you..." Yun Xinghuisheng’s chest rose and fell sharply, his emotional fluctuations growing larger as he stepped closer to Qian Jin: "You..." ... You are absolutely right!"

Boom!

The silent ballroom finally ceased being quiet. The guests, who had reached the absolute limit of shock, erupted. Surprised exclamations burst forth from every mouth. What had transpired in the ballroom today was simply too astonishing.

The weapon presented by Yun Xinghuisheng had been dissected by Qian Jin until it sounded worth less than a copper coin. Yet, this top blacksmith of Yongliu Province didn't explode in anger; instead, he generously admitted Qian Jin was correct in front of so many people.

What was Yun Xinghuisheng's status? President of the Yongliu Blacksmith Guild, the foremost blacksmith in Yongliu Province, and one of the judges of the Divine Craftsmen Assembly. Under these circumstances, even if he had loudly denounced Qian Jin as speaking nonsense, the crowd would undoubtedly believe the foremost blacksmith of Yongliu Province.