"Really?" Franklin doubted his ears. Though he and Qian Jin were on good terms, a Dou Bing! That weapon would cause a sensation at any auction in Auckland City! And he was just giving it away?

This time, Franklin was completely convinced that Qian Jin was a Forgemaster! And an extraordinary one at that! Within the smithing circles, Forgemasters could forge Dou Bing, but that didn't mean they could produce them easily.

Rumor had it that Forgemasters frequently failed when crafting Dou Bing, often producing weapons that hovered between a Dou Bing and a Tier Ten weapon—Lucas's Frost Sword was one such example.

For a Forgemaster, creating a Dou Bing was no simple feat. Some took half a year to produce one, and it wasn't unheard of for a Forgemaster to only forge a single Dou Bing in their entire lifetime.

For someone like Qian Jin to forge a Dou Bing in just over ten days? Franklin knew his experience was limited, but in all his experience, he had never heard of any Forgemaster capable of forging a Dou Bing in ten days.

Along the way, Qian Jin arrived at Fabredis's door and knocked according to their usual arrangement.

Franklin stared blankly as the door opened to reveal Fabredis standing in the courtyard! The Guardian of Auckland City!

"Uncle Fabu," Qian Jin greeted him, walking into the yard, "I'd like to borrow your Flowing Cloud Stone to sharpen the Dou Bing I forged for myself."

"Sure... what!?" Fabredis suddenly snapped back to awareness, staring in shock at Qian Jin, who was already carrying the Zhanmadao toward the backyard. "The Dou Bing you forged yourself? That... that is something only a Forgemaster can achieve. Are you a Forgemaster already?"

Franklin watched Qian Jin dazedly. Did this kid even know who he was talking to? His tone was familiar, completely devoid of any fear toward Fabredis? That was the esteemed Guardian of the City!

"Yes," Qian Jin said, stepping into the backyard and turning back, "Uncle Fabu, I officially became a Forgemaster a few days ago."

Fabredis nearly dropped the teacup in his hand. A Forgemaster? This young? To become a Forgemaster? Was this kid a blacksmith, or a warrior? How was this possible? He had met the Forgemasters from the Blacksmiths' Guild; they were always announcing a forging genius here or a smithing genius there, but no matter how brilliant a smith, none were as young as Qian Jin upon achieving the rank of Forgemaster!

And what's more! Fabredis watched Qian Jin's retreating back and shouted internally: This kid is a warrior! A Rank Nine Warrior, who is also a Forgemaster? Heavens! If this news got out, it would surely stir up quite a storm!

"A Forgemaster, you say? A Rank Nine Warrior..." Fabredis stroked his chin. "When he reaches Rank Ten, I'll bring him into the Spirit Combat Array. Once he passes the written examination, he can graduate early from the Junior Warrior Academy. To become a Rank Ten Warrior at such a young age—and upon breakthrough, a Demon-Slaying Warrior! He will definitely qualify for the best Warrior Academy in Yongliu Province, and I can introduce him to the Warriors' Guild... A Demon-Slaying Warrior with the status of a Forgemaster!"

The thought of the Warriors' Guild in Yongliu Province, where he wouldn't have to pay as much heed to the Blacksmiths' Guild's opinions, gave Fabredis a surge of inexpressible satisfaction. Becoming a Demon-Slaying Warrior so young, with a bit of luck, plus the research from the Warriors' Guild and studies at the advanced academy, he might truly become an incredibly great warrior!

Gu Yue Jiaying, wearing the simplest white dress imaginable, leaned sideways against the windowsill on the second floor, watching Qian Jin hone his blade and frowning slightly. A Dou Bing? Made by himself? This much younger fiancé—she truly couldn't see through him! What was his true background?

The best materials are required to forge the so-called [Divine Artifacts]—Essentials of Forging.

Qian Jin had not forgotten Blake's Essentials of Forging. The Flowing Cloud Stone was far superior to ordinary whetstones, so it was the natural choice for sharpening the edge.

Compared to the previous time he sharpened the kitchen knife, Qian Jin was much more cautious this time. The Zhanmadao, etched with the characters 【Jidu】 on the hilt, represented his entire effort of the last ten-plus days; no error could be tolerated, and it had to reach the absolute peak of his capability.

The blade edge was slowly unveiled, and sweat began to bead on Qian Jin's forehead. This sharpening process consumed more spiritual energy than the forging itself.

Sunset gave way to moonrise. After a full five hours, Qian Jin finally ceased his sharpening work.

Gazing at the Zhanmadao in his hands, Qian Jin widened his stance into a low arch, gripping the hilt with both hands, pouring his strength into it. A trace of killing intent flared in his eyes as his Battle Qi surged violently into the Zhanmadao.

In an instant! Franklin stumbled back several steps as the war blade faced him, cold sweat instantly drenching his clothes. Just for that single moment, Franklin felt as if he were facing a ferocious, enraged beast.

"Such fierce, potent killing intent." Fabredis's skin reacted to the release of Qian Jin's killing intent, his eyes shining with astonishment. "Where did this kid acquire such potent killing intent? Did he crawl out of a pile of corpses? Has he fought on the Man-Demon battlefield? Otherwise, how could he have killed so many people to possess such fierce intent?"

Qian Jin’s closed eyes snapped open, and he let out a great shout. He lowered his stance slightly again, becoming like an immovable mountain, executing the most basic broadsword chopping technique taught at the Warrior Academy: [Tree Felling]!

The Zhanmadao hissed faintly as it cut through the air. The full-force chop sounded like a child whistling.

The broad, heavy Zhanmadao! Paired with the immensely powerful strike, the sheer force of this [Tree Felling] strike was pushed to its absolute limit. If there had been a real tree before him, this single blade would surely have cleaved it completely in two.

Franklin watched the strike, trembling; he had no doubt that even a solid rock would have been split in half by that blow.

Qian Jin did not stop after the chop. His wrists rotated, and the descending Zhanmadao was abruptly lifted in a reverse, upward slash, leaving behind a dazzling silver streak of light in the air.

"[Eight Strikes of Tree Felling]?" Fabredis shook his head lightly. "That momentum, that chopping power—it resembles the Warrior Skill [Nine Cuts of Mountain Severing] more closely. However, this boy is a junior academy student; even a Rank Nine Warrior likely hasn't learned [Mountain Severing]. Unless, perhaps, he really served in the military before and learned [Mountain Severing] there."

After finishing the set of [Eight Strikes of Tree Felling], Qian Jin felt the Battle Qi boiling and surging within him, seemingly reaching a critical point, yet simultaneously seeming very far from breaking through to become a Rank Ten Warrior. The whole experience felt like being submerged in a steam bath.

: Two books recommended: The first is Controlling the Heavens by Da Xue Beng, a Xuanhuan work. The trash reborn returns to the age of the strong; this time, don't waste time. The second is Heavenly Jewel Transformation by Tang Jia San Shao. Finally, please cast your recommendation votes and member clicks for me. Two chapters released in succession. Final week to climb the overall rankings, so please lend your support. F