“Master Ou, congratulations, congratulations!”.
Yi Yucheng and Feng Guangyuan congratulated Ou Yangming. They fawned over the young fellow by flashing flattering smiles at him. They were experienced Advanced Blacksmiths, so while their reputations were not as high as Jin Shengjie’s, they could not be compared to new Advanced Blacksmiths.
Nevertheless, they treated Ou Yangming, a young man who had also just become an Advanced Blacksmith, with a completely different attitude. This was because they witnessed his miracle, and they regarded him as a Superior Blacksmith already.
Ou Yangming grinned. “Masters, you’re being too polite.”
“Lil’ Friend Ou, based on your performance today, you’ll pass if you attempt to be a Superior Blacksmith too, but…” Jin Shengjie stroked his long beard and dragged out his last word before he continued, “According to the rules, those who want to have a go at becoming Superior Blacksmiths will need to be approved by at least three Superior Blacksmiths on the spot.”
“Thank you, Master Jin, but I was only aiming for the Intermediate Rank today, so the Advanced title is already a surprise for me.” Ou Yangming could not help but laugh.
“The Intermediate Rank?” Jin Shengjie was shocked. “Judging from your skills, why would you have that thought?” On the high platform, the faces of Yuan Lexin and Yan Yuanhua changed. In fact, the latter was slightly pale too.
If the other people knew Ou Yangming had visited the Wu residence and asked to meet Master Wu Hongxi but was mercilessly driven away by Yan Yuanhua, not only would Yan Yuanhua be embarrassed, but even Master Wu’s reputation would be affected.
This was the difference that came with a status change; Ou Yangming was no longer a nobody. Despite that, Ou Yangming smiled. “It’s my first time taking the assessment, so I obviously shouldn’t set too high of an aim.”
Jin Shengjie and the other people flushed because they thought Ou Yangming was talking about what happened at the beginning of the assessment.
“Ah…” Jin Shengjie sighed. “We’ve stayed in the capital for such a long time, so we indeed lack understanding of geniuses in the world. We’re guilty of it!”
Yi Yucheng and Feng Guangyuan blushed. If someone else had mocked them in their faces, they would hold a grudge against that person even if they did not fall out with that person. However, they could not do that to Ou Yangming, who had become influential.
Ou Yangming let out a dry cough as he felt helpless.
‘I wasn’t talking about you, but you assumed it was directed at you, so what can I do…’ Jin Shengjie suddenly announced loudly, “Today’s assessment comes to an end, so you may disperse now!”
His sonorous voice echoed in the air, so the crowd turned and left in order.
When Ou Yangming turned to look, he noticed that some people in the crowd took the initiative to maintain the order. He instantly realized that blacksmiths if gathered together would be a hundred times more powerful than if they were on their own.
Perhaps the fact that many men provided great strength was the perfect embodiment of authority.
Before long, the square was empty. The people on the high platform had not left, but they looked at Ou Yangming fervently.
Sure enough, everyone desired to become acquainted with Ou Yangming, who was a new Advanced Blacksmith but had the potential to become a Superior Blacksmith.
That said, with Master Jin Shengjie around, they did not stand a chance.
“Hehe, Lil’ Friend Ou, since the assessment has ended, are you interested to come to my residence for a chat?” Jin Shengjie invited the young fellow with a smile.
Ou Yangming pondered and answered, “Master Jin, I promised to go for the dinner party at the Yi Pavilion.”
‘How ungrateful of you to not accept Master Jin Shengjie’s invitation,’ the other blacksmith cursed, but when they recalled Ou Yangming’s smithing ability, they realized that it was not such a big deal after all.
“The Yi Pavilion?” Jin Shengjie laughed out loud. “I’m familiar with everyone from the pavilion, so how about I attend the dinner with you tonight?”
He was determined to have a chat with the young fellow even if he was going to be a despicable guest.
Ou Yangming could not help but laugh. He looked up and called out to Du Gaoge, “Shopkeeper Du, Master Jin’s interested in joining us tonight. What do you think?”
Du Gaoge immediately responded, “I’ll be more than happy to have the master join us!”
The elders from the Yi Pavilion were noble, but it was also difficult for them to invite Master Jin to the pavilion. Given that Master Jin had such a high status, it would be the pavilion’s honor if he visited them.
Ou Yangming spread out his hands and expressed to Jin Shengjie, “Since the Yi Pavilion agrees, I obviously welcome you.”
“Great.” Jin Shengjie chuckled. “Lil’ Friend Ou, I have knowledge and experience in smithing art, but I’m also confused about certain things, so let’s exchange our views.”
Following that, he turned around to give an order, then a luxurious carriage arrived for them after some time.
Ou Yangming notified Hu Yicheng and his son, then he entered the carriage with Jin Shengjie.
Yi Yucheng and the other people sent them off enviously. They wanted very badly to travel with them, and they would be content if they could listen outside the carriage, but they dared not act rashly since Jin Shengjie did not tell them anything.
Nevertheless, when they turned and saw Hu Yicheng and his son, who were somewhat baffled, their eyes lit up.
It was evident that the father and the son had an unordinary relationship with Ou Yangming. Since they could not get to the young fellow, they figured that they might as well take a detour.
“Hehe, you’re Brother Hu, am I right?”
“Brother Hu, I heard you’re an inspector at the imperial court, and your brother also serves in the court…” “Brother Hu!…”
Hu Yicheng was in a daze when he saw the smiling faces around him. He sighed and felt at a loss.
‘Is this real, or am I dreaming?’
It was only when he noticed his son’s glowing eyes he came back to his senses. ‘Brother Ou has created such great conditions for me, and if I don’t hold on to them, I’d be letting him down.’
****
As the carriage moved slowly, Ou Yangming listened to Jin Shengjie. He found out that his guess was right; those who were qualified to be Superior Blacksmiths were not simple because they had convincing and shocking abilities in their expertise.
Jin Shengjie was adept in layering attributes, which was the same as old Craftsman.
Normally, Intermediate Blacksmiths or rich Rudimentary Blacksmiths would come across precious ores, but Advanced Blacksmiths were the ones who were capable of bringing the ores into play.
Advanced Blacksmiths’ success rate of attaching Unique Attributes was 30% and above, and some of them could even achieve a 50% success rate.
On the contrary, Intermediate Blacksmiths had an extremely low success rate, and they were not much better than blacksmiths from the Immense Forest Military Camp.
The fact that three Power Ores were given in the Advanced Blacksmith Assessment was a huge threshold, and at least half of the Intermediate Blacksmiths would not make it through. Nonetheless, Jin Shengjie was different, and he was a boss who was second to none in the area.
He once had successfully layered five Power attributes on a piece of equipment that was at the peak of Fine Grade Rank Five. It was also because of his frightful unique ability of layering attributes that he was recognized by three of his peers, and he became one of the very few Superior Blacksmiths in the capital.
Jin Shengjie told Ou Yangming about how he delved into the Layering Art and his ways of using the technique.
Ou Yangming focused and listened with bright eyes. Jin Shengjie’s story was simple, but it was also endlessly interesting. In particular, the young fellow was moved and benefited greatly because he also had some insights on the Layering Art.
All of a sudden, Jin Shengjie stopped and asked, “Lil’ Friend Ou, what do you think is the highest number of layers achievable by the Layering Art?’
Ou Yangming was stunned, and he shook his head after some thought. “I don’t know.”
Although he possessed special abilities because of the Military Fire and was not inferior to Jin Shengjie in terms of the ability to perform the Layering Art only, their standards were Heaven and Earth apart.
Jin Shengjie chuckled. “Six levels. If my estimation is right, the layering limit for a piece of equipment is six layers of Unique Attributes.” Ou Yangming’s face changed, and he curled up the corner of his lips strangely.
One would be exceeding the target by layering six Unique Attributes on a piece of Fine Grade Rank Five equipment, but what if the equipment was a magic tool?
It was true that Master Jin Shengjie’s attainment in smithing art was unordinary, but unfortunately, his vision was limited by this world, which prevented him from looking further.
Even so, Ou Yangming was not going to belittle the master.
If he had not smithed magic tools before, he would have given the same answer.
Jin Shengjie looked at Ou Yangming oddly and asked, “Lil’ Friend Ou, do you not agree?” Ou Yangming laughed and questioned, “Master Jin, have you heard of magic tools?”
The blacksmith master froze for a while and sighed. “Magic tools are exclusive to the imperial family, and they’ve been sealed and stored in the imperial palace for years without being shown to the public.”
“Does the imperial family really have magic tools?” Ou Yangming was moved.
“In the present world, only the imperial family can smith magic tools, but the tools aren’t smithed by a single person; the power of their own family or the whole city has to be gathered,” Jin Shengjie answered sternly.
Ou Yangming was incredibly curious. “Master Jin, please tell me more.”
Jin Shengjie smiled bitterly. “I’m not too sure either, but I heard that every powerhouse from the imperial family will swarm out in full strength when a magic tool is to be smithed, and the entire capital will be greatly affected too.”
He shook his head and added, “It has been over 50 years since the last time the imperial family smithed a magic tool! But who knows? They might attempt it again soon.”
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