The dazzling shower of metal sparks finally ceased, leaving the blacksmith apprentices frozen in place as if under a petrifying spell, staring at Qian Jin as if he were some demon from another realm. Where in the blazes did this young man come from? Swinging a hammer weighing over a hundred pounds, he delivered two hundred consecutive strikes, reducing an ingot the size of a human head down to the size of an infant's fist?

A hundred-pound hammer, two hundred swings! In the Franklin Blacksmith Shop, only Franklin himself could manage such a feat; even Franci could only manage thirty swings, while the others couldn't even lift the hammer at all. Yet, a boy who just walked in achieved this? And the most unbelievable part was this youth's supposed identity: a warrior student from the Oklan Magic and Warrior Academy? That academy, known only for churning out demon slayers, had produced a blacksmith? And one who seemed as skilled as Boss Franklin? Keep in mind, Franklin was a recognized Rank One Blacksmith across the continent!

To put it plainly, if Franklin packed his tools and went over to the demon territories, those bone-chewing demons would treat him with utmost courtesy, allowing him to open a shop, perhaps even granting him tax exemptions—they certainly wouldn't just casually slay him like an ordinary human.

Franklin padded lightly to the anvil, carefully picking up the piece of metal Qian Jin had cooled with water. Franci, trailing behind him, let out a sharp intake of breath resembling a whistle, his hand trembling slightly as he reached out toward the piece of metal in Franklin’s grasp, which now shimmered with an unusual light.

“B-Big Brother… this… this is…”

Franci held the small block of metal with both hands, examining it closely from all angles, before finally looking up at the diminutive Franklin, noting that his usually confident older brother now had eyes blazing with unparalleled astonishment.

“That’s right… it’s Refined Iron…” Franklin nodded with effort. “And… it’s Rank Two Refined Iron…”

A wave of gasps broke the deathly silence in the backyard of the smithy. The apprentices’ eyes held nothing but incredulous shock, muttering amongst themselves in hushed tones. “Refined Iron? Did you hear that? The Boss said it was Refined Iron!”

“I heard it! And Rank Two Refined Iron at that!”

“Heavens! Did I mishear? The Boss said that any blacksmith who could hammer an ingot into Rank One Refined Iron was a true Rank One Blacksmith! Only a Rank Two Blacksmith can hammer out Rank Two Refined Iron! This is a mandatory trial for the Blacksmith Promotion Exam!”

“The Boss has been hammering iron for so many years, visiting famous masters just to become a Rank One Blacksmith. How old is this kid? A Rank Two Blacksmith?”

“Are you sure the Boss isn’t mistaken? This is a student from the Oklan Magic and Warrior Academy. Aren’t they just a bunch of people good for nothing but fighting?”

“How should I know? Ask me if I care? Even if the Big Boss was wrong, could the Second Boss also be wrong? Don’t forget, while the Second Boss’s skill isn't quite the Big Boss’s level, his eye for quality is incredibly sharp.”

Qian Jin set the forging hammer on the ground, shaking out his stiff arms. Swinging that hundred-pound hammer two hundred times straight through still took its toll.

Rank Two Refined Iron! Franklin grabbed the refined iron from Franci, scrutinizing it left and right, his heart confirming once more that this was indeed Rank Two Refined Iron! It was refined iron painstakingly hammered out by a true master, purging the impurities from the metal!

Franci watched Qian Jin, his mind racing—they’d struck gold! In this world, forging superior weaponry absolutely required high-quality raw materials, but how much genuine heavenly treasure existed? After countless years of research by blacksmith ancestors, they finally discovered their method for creating top-tier materials: refinement through hammering!

Taking an ordinary iron ingot, copper ingot, or other base material, the blacksmith hammer was used to forge it bit by bit into refined iron, refined copper, categorized by quality into Rank One, Rank Two, Rank Three… The higher the rank of refined iron or copper, the better the theoretical hardness and sharpness of the resulting weapon.

Typically, because high-grade materials like refined iron were rare, many excellent weapons only had their edges crafted from refined iron, with the main body still made of common material. Even so, such pieces commanded premium prices.

Rank Two Refined Iron? Qian Jin flinched upon hearing the apprentices’ whispers. Back in his family, he’d heard tell of Refined Iron—it was a superior material only true blacksmiths could forge! He’d just casually hammered a couple of times and produced Refined Iron? And Rank Two at that?

A cold sweat broke out on Qian Jin’s brow. He cursed inwardly: What exactly was that thing called the [Endless World] virtual game? After being tortured through sixteen hours of blacksmithing simulation in it, he could suddenly smith for real upon exiting? And with Rank Two Refined Iron capability? Does that mean if I spend all day hammering iron in there, one day I might become a Divine Artisan Master? Even Bloodline Warriors would have to respectfully call me Master?

Franklin approached Qian Jin, barely able to contain his rising emotions. The Rank Two Refined Iron he held, long since cooled, felt almost searing hot. Rank Two Refined Iron! That meant a Rank Two Blacksmith! This young man had hammered out Rank Two Refined Iron in such a short span—far, far less time than required for the Rank Two Blacksmith Promotion Exam. He clearly wasn't just a newly promoted Rank Two.

“Are you… truly… a student of the Oklan Magic and Warrior Academy?” Franklin asked cautiously, unconsciously shifting his address from ‘you’ to the more respectful ‘Sir.’

Qian Jin flexed his fingers, stiff from gripping the hammer for so long, and nodded. “Yes, I am.”

“Then… you truly intend to work at our humble shop?” Franklin’s demeanor grew more cautious than before. The status of a Rank Two Blacksmith gave him the standing to easily open his own smithy in Oklan. Was this kid here to cause trouble?

“Am I here to embroider flowers at your esteemed blacksmith shop?”

“But you are a Rank Two Blacksmith,” Franklin watched Qian Jin out of the corner of his eye with a hint of apprehension. “The economic capability of this small shop truly cannot afford your salary. I am merely a Rank One myself.”

The wild joy in Franci’s eyes turned to worry. Across all the blacksmith shops in Oklan, only the largest, the Divine Hammer Blacksmith Shop, boasted a single Rank Two Blacksmith. Although his shop had some accumulated wealth, hiring a Rank Two Blacksmith would likely strain them severely.

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