What? How could this be? Lei Guangming felt as if a bucket of ice-cold water had been dumped over his head. The surging excitement vanished instantly. In this setting, to actually admit that Qian Jin was right? Had his Master's brain been damaged from constantly hammering iron? Was he getting senile so early?

Lei Guangming complained ceaselessly in his mind, yet dared not utter a word. After all, Yun Xinghuisheng was the foremost blacksmith in Yongliu Province, and his master; a single careless word from him could render Lei Guangming unemployable within the entire blacksmithing circle. If that happened, not even other blacksmith guilds would take him in. He would be forced to attach himself to one of the great families as a well-paid blacksmith, forever relinquishing power and offering little aid to the Lei family.

“Boy… No! Young man… No… Qian Jin! You are absolutely right!” Yun Xinghuisheng cycled through three different forms of address, his face alight with a fanatical gleam for the art of forging: “But if we add the Red Phosphorus at twilight, then there won't be time to add the Sulfur…”

“Why add Sulfur at all?” Qian Jin looked genuinely puzzled. “The fierceness of Sulfur will instantly force the hardiness of the (Cui Tong, Jade Copper) to increase by about a tenth, creating severe metallic exclusivity, making it even harder to fuse. Even the connection point will only form a superficial fusion illusion, while the underlying structure severely repels itself. This is the true reason why it never achieves a genuine Level Nine Dou Bing.”

Yun Xinghuisheng bowed his head, deep in thought, frowning as he mulled it over for several minutes. When he looked up, the tightness in his brow had eased, and his head bobbed in affirmation: “You have a point… No wonder when I forged it, the metal always felt about ten percent harder than my calculations indicated.”

“Oh, right!” Yun Xinghuisheng snapped his fingers. “If we add a bit of lime to the water, to slow the weapon’s rapid cooling…”

“That requires precise measurement,” Qian Jin responded as if answering every query: “However, certain special substances within the lime will also reduce the weapon’s lifespan and strength. If a specific amount of Cloud Flow Powder is added to the lime, it will not only neutralize the lime but also inherently enhance the weapon’s quality to some degree.”

“There’s such a thing?” Yun Xinghuisheng immediately pulled out a pen and a notebook from his clothing, diligently recording every word Qian Jin spoke.

Several times, Lei Guangming mustered the courage to interject, but each time he saw the intensely focused expression on Master Yun Xinghuisheng’s face, he suppressed the urge. His master was someone truly dedicated solely to forging; he never imagined Qian Jin’s words would provoke such a reaction.

This… Li Deyork considered himself someone who had witnessed countless surprising events, yet none compared to the astonishment of this day. This was the kind of situation that seemed too unreal even in dreams, yet it was unfolding as reality.

The pen in Yun Xinghuisheng’s hand moved ceaselessly. The more he wrote, the more astounded he became. As the creator of the weapon, he should know the Junyang Sword’s strengths and weaknesses best. Yet, listening to Qian Jin’s critique, he suddenly felt like he didn't know this sword at all.

Not only had he failed to detect many of its flaws, but he had completely overlooked several of its merits. It was as if a blacksmith apprentice was seeing a Dou Bing of the Junyang Sword’s caliber for the very first time.

“Lord City Lord, the forging furnace is ready.”

From the doorway, a staff member, who had been sent earlier to prepare and ignite the furnace, stood waiting. He hadn't noticed the strange atmosphere inside the hall, faithfully carrying out his orders.

Yun Xinghuisheng put away his notebook and looked at Qian Jin. “Verbal communication is never as good as practical execution.”

Qian Jin shrugged indifferently and walked toward the door. On his way, he casually took the Junyang Sword from Lei Guangming’s hand to examine it closely. While this sword had numerous flaws, the creator had certainly put thought into it, and there were aspects that offered him inspiration; it was worth studying further.

Li Deyork looked at the group with an expression caught between laughter and tears. Who was the real focus of this evening party? How did Qian Jin and Yun Xinghuisheng unexpectedly become the center of attention?

Li Deyork offered a brief, bitter smile, but a joyous glint returned to his eyes. While he had never doubted Mu Guwuxin’s intentions toward him, witnessing Yun Xinghuisheng—the undisputed foremost blacksmith of Yongliu—show such deference to Qian Jin settled all his anxieties. To achieve Sainthood, he must fully support Qian Jin!

The Lei family? Li Deyork glanced coldly at Lei Zhen, who stood not far away. Mu Guwuxin had secretly informed him last night that the Lei family was behind the assassination attempt on Qian Jin. Initially, Li Deyork had only intended to publicly support Qian Jin to suppress the Lei family.

But now… Li Deyork rested his chin on his hand, thinking seriously. Qian Jin was far more capable than he had anticipated. If that was the case, securing Qian Jin’s loyalty was even more critical! The Lei family? My apologies, but you are about to face trouble in the coming days. Whether overtly or covertly, any action I can take to help Qian Jin weaken the Lei family, I will not hesitate.

The Lei family hired assassins? Then I’ll hire assassins against the Lei family too! Li Deyork decided internally. No matter how much capital he possessed, he could not let assets stand in the way of his path to Sainthood. Millions, two million, three to five million gold coins—if he had it, he must not be stingy!

Lei Zhen felt a sudden prickle on his skin, looking at City Lord Li Deyork in confusion, wondering why the lord was showing him hostility.

Clang!

In the courtyard outside the hall, the sharp sound of metal striking metal rang out repeatedly. Li Deyork, unable to contain his curiosity, leaped out of the courtyard in two strides, traversed the long corridor, and entered the rear garden of the City Lord’s residence. There, he saw Qian Jin holding a blacksmith’s hammer, actively forging that very Junyang Sword!

Yun Xinghuisheng stood watching Qian Jin as if he were an apprentice, his face alight with fanatical excitement, occasionally adding fuel or even pumping the bellows.

Li Deyork watched for a while before returning to the ballroom, utterly bewildered. The events of this night were too bizarre; he was running out of words to describe his state of mind.

The half-hour of hammering gradually ceased. Yun Xinghuisheng stared blankly at the Junyang Sword in Qian Jin’s hand. The oppressive sharpness it once possessed was gone, replaced by a humble, dull gleam, like a well-used hoe.

Convinced! Since starting his study of blacksmithing, Yun Xinghuisheng had never truly yielded to another smith. After witnessing Qian Jin’s forging process, he understood for the first time what it felt like to be truly convinced by someone else.

“This sword still has some areas that need modification,” Qian Jin returned the Junyang Sword to Yun Xinghuisheng. “The modifications needed are minor enough that you can easily correct the errors yourself.”

Yun Xinghuisheng took the Junyang Sword, his demeanor tense, like a primary school student meeting a teacher after class, holding back slightly. “Qian Jin… Master… I wonder, have you joined any blacksmith guild?”

Master? Qian Jin twitched the corner of his mouth. He certainly couldn't bear that title. He was merely a novice smith, far, far behind the forging skill of Uncle Black. If he were satisfied now, there would be no room for future improvement.

“Then, does that mean you are an independent blacksmith?” Yun Xinghuisheng looked at Qian Jin with eager excitement. “You haven’t joined any blacksmith guild?”

“No.” Qian Jin personally tidied the area around the furnace. “I am a soldier of the Torrent Battle Fortress.”

“That’s no issue, no issue at all.” Yun Xinghuisheng waved his hands rapidly in front of him. “As long as a person hasn’t joined two different cities, or the same division of a guild in several cities, it doesn't matter. I wonder, Master Qian Jin, have you ever considered joining a blacksmith guild?”

Qian Jin looked at Yun Xinghuisheng. “May I understand this as an invitation from you?”

Yun Xinghuisheng had never been this nervous before, not even when presenting himself to the Emperor. The forging he witnessed in the last half-hour went beyond mere astonishment; it was a state of being.

Exactly! A state of being! Yun Xinghuisheng was certain. If a Divine Craftsman were ever to appear in the current Zhence Dynasty, it would undoubtedly be Qian Jin! There was no doubt! Although both were blacksmithing, the state they entered during the forging process belonged to entirely different strata.

Perhaps, Qian Jin was not yet comparable to the three Vice-Presidents and the President of the Grand Blacksmith Guild in the Capital of the Zhence Dynasty, but purely in terms of forging state, Qian Jin was unequivocally the strongest!

Historically, blacksmiths specialized in one area, occasionally dabbling in a few others, but Qian Jin was all-encompassing! Yes! Truly all-encompassing!

For years, the belief among blacksmiths was that being all-encompassing was foolish. Today, as Qian Jin corrected the Junyang Sword by referencing experiences from forging other objects, Yun Xinghuisheng realized how completely wrong he had been. The notion that one must exhaust a lifetime specializing in one discipline was flawed because everything was interconnected.

In recent years, the progress in forging mastery had stalled precisely because the tradition of specialization had become an obstacle.

While initial progress for an all-encompassing approach might be slow, once a solid foundation across the board was established, the rate of growth would actually surpass that of the so-called specialists! This became increasingly clear at higher levels.

“I am indeed extending an invitation,” Yun Xinghuisheng said nervously, looking at Qian Jin. “I hope you will consider joining the Yongliu Blacksmith Guild.”

“This…” Qian Jin showed an expression of genuine difficulty. “Lord Yun Xing, it’s not that I don't want to join the Yongliu Blacksmith Guild. It’s just…”

“Is that…” Yun Xinghuisheng hastily inquired, “Is there some difficulty? Does that boy Mu Guwuxin object? If so, I can help you resolve it.”

Mu Guwuxin? Boy? Qian Jin smiled. In all of Yongliu City, perhaps only Lord Yun Xinghuisheng dared to call Mu Guwuxin a ‘boy.’

“It’s not a problem with the Torrent Battle Fortress,” Qian Jin sighed with feigned difficulty. “It’s a problem with Lei Guangming. You probably don’t know, but I have significant conflict with the Lei family. There’s no need to hide that.”