Qian Jin opened the Ore Prospecting Arts book and read it carefully. It wasn't a particularly thick volume, yet the knowledge contained within was exceptionally rich. It not only categorized rock strata by era but also provided detailed explanations for the ores likely to correspond with various mountains and rivers.

"If you want to become a Blacksmith sooner, what you should be doing right now isn't reading the initial records," Black shook the pipe stem in his hand as if by magic. "Look at the last few pages."

The last few pages? Qian Jin quickly flipped through the Ore Prospecting Arts, finding that what greeted his eyes were not further technical documents, but four characters that were initially incomprehensible: 【Mineral Sense】.

Qian Jin turned to a new page and began to carefully read about what 【Mineral Sense】 entailed. It was a special ability that required absolutely no reference to mountains or rivers as experiential knowledge. Its application was somewhat similar to the diffusion of mental power, except Mineral Sense was not related to mental power, but to breath.

Utilizing the Blacksmith Breathing Technique, he slowly dispersed the heat gathered and generated in his Dead Apertures throughout his body, using his breath to feel the locations where metals existed, discerning different metals and ore sources.

As the Blacksmith Breathing Technique deepened and improved, the range of perception would expand outward from a ten-meter radius.

Closing his eyes, Qian Jin followed the instructions in the Ore Prospecting Arts. He raised both hands high and waved them randomly in the air, moving his arms as if a madman had lost control. The Blacksmith Breathing Technique began to turn within these swinging arms, and wisps of heat erupted from his pores, expanding outward little by little.

Iron? Is this an iron ore? Qian Jin sensed a few concentrations of relatively high-grade iron ore lying not far beneath his feet. Further away was a piece of refined iron—the eighth-grade refined iron he forged last time. To others, this piece of refined iron might hold great value, but in the eyes of Black, the old blacksmith, eighth-grade refined iron seemed no different from ordinary iron ore.

"Is this Mineral Sense?" Qian Jin closed his eyes, yet he felt as though he could see the world more clearly than when his eyes were open. No metal could escape his perception. These metals and ores, usually cold and lifeless, seemed to possess a spirit at this moment, as if they were vibrant and alive.

Qian Jin had never imagined perceiving metal in this manner. The normally cold metals and ores felt exceptionally different now.

He stopped swinging his arms, and the Blacksmith Breathing Technique automatically ceased as well. Qian Jin opened his eyes, looking at the surrounding iron ore, and mused that Mineral Sense was indeed beyond imagination. However, to use Mineral Sense, he inevitably had to engage the Blacksmith Breathing Technique, and this breathing technique could not be used when the body was still.

He had to mimic the motions of blacksmithing to employ the Blacksmith Breathing Technique. Qian Jin suspected that if he were to use Mineral Sense in front of others while moving his limbs constantly, people might mistake him for a lunatic.

"Player Qian Jin has mastered Level One Ore Prospecting Arts."

Following a prompt from the system, Qian Jin noticed in his attribute panel under various skills: Ore Prospecting Arts: Level One.

Black pointed his pipe stem toward the Zhanmadao lying not far from Qian Jin’s feet and said in a raspy voice, "Take it, and go to West Mountain outside the village. Bring back one hundred catties of Hundred-Year Ice Iron Ore."

West Mountain? Qian Jin didn't need to leave the village; he only needed to turn his head to see the large mountain on the western side outside. It was no exaggeration to say it soared into the clouds, reaching a height of a thousand zhang. If compared to Oakland City, the city's massive size would be as minuscule as a pebble before this mountain.

Big, very big, extremely big, immensely huge! Qian Jin searched through all the words he had learned over the years, but couldn't find any word truly suitable to describe the great mountain to the west.

Whether considering its height of several thousand zhang or its continuous, undulating length stretching to either side, it could be considered boundless to the eye.

In such a vast mountain, to search for one hundred catties of Hundred-Year Ice Iron Ore using his 【Mineral Sense】, which only had a ten-meter radius of perception? Even though the Ore Prospecting Arts described the characteristics of Ice Iron Ore and the places it was most likely to appear, searching within such a massive mountain—when would he ever finish?

"Red Wolves like the chill of Hundred-Year Ice Iron Ore," Black stood up and hammered his habitually stooped old back. "Different plants or wild beasts have preferences or dislikes for different metals. Beasts like the Red Wolf must choose to live in areas abundant with Hundred-Year Ice Iron Ore if they wish to advance into Magical Beasts. Here, this is a map of the Red Wolf's habitat."

Magical Beasts? Qian Jin’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Red Wolves surviving near Hundred-Year Ice Iron Ore actually gave them a chance to evolve into Magical Beasts?

Whether it was the human warriors of the Zhence Dynasty, the Martial Mages of the Demon Race, or the Barbarian Braves of the Northern Frontier, all would be exposed to the subject of Magical Beasts early on during their time in the academies.

Magical Beasts, besides those born as such, included ordinary wild beasts that could advance as their power increased.

Compared to wild beasts, Magical Beasts were not only stronger and more robust physically, possessing intellect not far inferior to humans, but the greatest difference was that they all contained different Magic Cores within their bodies, granting them distinct special abilities.

This special ability, described in human terms, was innate magic! Magical Beasts possessed one or more innate magical abilities; powerful Magical Beasts might even possess offensive magic, while weaker ones mostly had auxiliary magic.

What would a Red Wolf evolve into? The Flame Wolf Beast—its strength and speed far exceeding that of a Red Wolf by a factor of two. Its claws were covered in the heat of magic, reaching a staggering two hundred degrees!

Any student who had attended a primary Magic and Warrior Academy would have learned the knowledge of the Red Wolf evolving into the Flame Wolf Beast in the course titled Beast Evolution into Magical Beast.

Magical Beasts were a headache-inducing term for humans of the Zhence Dynasty, as well as the Demon Race or the Northern Frontier's Barbarians. Once a Red Wolf advanced to become the Flame Wolf Magical Beast, it could even fight evenly with a tenth-level warrior. Such a creature, if it attacked an isolated village without warrior protection, would undoubtedly be the village's nightmare.

"Why are you still standing there?" Black raised his eyebrows, looking at Qian Jin. "Aren't you leaving yet?"

Go? Red Wolves? Qian Jin grinned wryly. As a mere sixth-level warrior, he didn't have much chance of defeating a pack of Red Wolves. If his luck was truly bad and he encountered a Flame Wolf?

Not go? Qian Jin's right hand, holding the Jidu Zhanmadao, suddenly gripped the hilt with fierce strength. Not go! How could he become a Blacksmith if, in this game, he didn't dare to face the potentially existing Flame Wolf Magical Beast? How could he become a great warrior then?