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nTranslator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

nOu Yangming’s arms, wrists, and in fact, his entire body, was beginning to shake slightly.

nOld Craftsman frowned and thought, ‘Oh no, I mentioned before I demonstrated that the key to successful layering is stability.’

nHe only swayed his arms earlier to smoothly channel the Power Ores’ mysterious energy to every corner of the equipment.

nA substantial amount of energy was required for the process, but stability was the most important aspect. A slight mistake could cause the previous efforts to end up in vain.

nWhen Ou Yangming swayed his arms, his entire body shook. How could he succeed? The old man sighed and felt regretful. ‘Is it too early to teach him such a profound skill? If I ruined this because of undue haste, it’ll be my fault.’

nHowever, just as Old Craftsman was going to call out to Ou Yangming to stop the refinement process, he was stunned.

nFor some reason, there was a strange feeling when he looked at Ou Yangming carefully. It seemed like Ou Yangming had currently become one with the space around him. Whether it was the dancing Military Fire, the military saber in the fire, or even the liquidized Power Ore, they had all turned into a peaceful image that could not be destroyed no matter what happened.

nOld Craftsman stopped after reaching his hand out halfway, and his mouth was also left half-opened. He could not figure out what was happening.

nOu Yangming’s entire body was shaking, but why did the old man somehow think that that was how it should be?

nNonetheless, Old Craftsman had no idea that he was feeling the same way Ou Yangming felt when Ou Yangming watched him smith earlier.

nWhen one was fully focused on something, one would always seem like one was immersed in one’s own world, and had magically merged with the surroundings.

nNi Yunhong had done it before, Jiang Chengwei had done it before, Old Craftsman had done it before, and Ou Yangming was currently reproducing it.

nOu Yangming’s eyes shone brighter. As he smithed according to Old Craftsman’s teaching, he suddenly recalled Ni Yunhong’s skills, as well as Jiang Chengwei’s concentration when he pulled the arrow on his bow.

nHe had an inexplicable feeling as he sensed the similarity between them.

nWithout any guidance, Ou Yangming strangely comprehended it.

nTherefore, he began incorporating skills and concentration into the art that had been taught by Old Craftsman.

nIt was done so intuitively that Ou Yangming himself probably had no idea that he had done such a frightening thing.

nIn actual fact, there were similarities between any top-notch industries, or perhaps any top-notch skills. That said, it was impossible for normal people to identify them, let alone comprehend them.

nWhen Ou Yangming attempted the Layering Art, he miraculously thought about the performances of two other people in their own expertise. It was unexpected that he even managed to integrate the qualities, or perhaps the core energies, into his own system.

nIt was an exceptionally rare opportunity. Apart from having outstanding knowledge and abilities, opportunities were extremely important too.

nOld Craftsman hesitated for a while, and finally decided to lower his arm.

nHe let go of his fists and smiled gladly because he vaguely sensed that Ou Yangming had inherited his experiences, and had also advanced further.

nAlthough the old man could not make sense of how Ou Yangming did it, as long as he could do it, the old man was delighted.

nAt last, the Military Fire dissipated, and a military saber was placed on the smithing table.

nItem: Distinguished military saber (Red)

nEquivalent Rank: Ordinary Tool, High Grade, Rank Five

nAttributes: Sharpness 15, Toughness 15, Power 2, Durability 15

nOld Craftsman inspected it carefully, then looked up at Ou Yangming in confusion. After some time, he finally expressed his happiness.

n“Very well done, you b*stard, you’re amazing!”

nOu Yangming scratched his head while replying to him, “You’re flattering me, you’re flattering me, I only did it because of your guidance!”

nHe was as happy as Old Craftsman was at that moment.

nThis was because his body and mind had been in a wonderful state, as though he had become one with Heaven and Earth. Ou Yangming combined Ni Yunhong’s skills, Jiang Chengwei’s concentration, and Old Craftsman’s swaying motion together.

nAt the time, he had even forgotten about his Military Fire’s unique feature.

nThis time, Ou Yangming did not utilize the drawing and upgrading abilities. He had smithed the equipment while relying on his own capabilities.

nIt was a perfect High Grade Military Saber that not only had 15 points of Sharpness and Toughness, but had also achieved 15 points of Durability. It was the attribute that had caused him to be denounced in the past due to how low it was.

nNeedless to say, by using two precious ores, both the attempts of attaching a Unique Attribute were successful.

nThe military saber smithed was perfect in every aspect, and was also the first Attribute Military Saber that Ou Yangming had truly smithed on his own.

nOf course, smithing a military saber through this method required a huge consumption of his mental power and essential Qi. The second the military saber took form, he actually felt that he would collapse.

nIt was then that Ou Yangming finally understood why Old Craftsman had had such a bad complexion.

nMilitary Fire Blacksmiths could not further increase their success rate because the condition of their body played a huge role.

nIf one’s body condition was great, one’s success rate in smithing Attribute Equipment would naturally increase, conversely, it would decrease when one’s body condition was bad.

nNevertheless, even though everyone understood the theory, it was impossible for one to maintain one’s body and mental state at the best condition all the time.

nHence, Military Fire Blacksmiths would usually set a one-in-ten or a two-in-ten standard for the refinement of Attribute Equipment.

nDespite that, almost every Military Fire Blacksmith had tricks up their sleeves as they usually hid a few pieces of Attribute Equipment for themselves.

nKang Weibo was obviously aware of it, but he never exposed the unspoken rule. After all, how could one make horses run without providing enough fodder?

nOld Craftsman exhaled deeply after putting down the military saber. “Ah, from today onward, I’ll have to further delay the date of smithing General Chen’s weapon.”

nOu Yangming smiled embarrassedly. “Old Man, I”m sorry.”

nOld Craftsman had been preserving and building up energy, not wasting any on smithing other pieces of equipment, because he was preparing to smith a divine weapon for Chen Yifan. However, since he had just performed the Layering Art, his previous efforts were simply wasted.

n“We’re like grandfather and grandson, so it doesn’t matter. Hehe, you must give your all during the challenge after three days, and you must be victorious!” Old Craftsman responded after shaking his hand, and said eagerly, “If you succeed in the layering method in public and become the winner in the challenge, hehe, perhaps you’ll get a chance to enter the prefecture. You’ll be able to learn better smithing skills!”

nHe expressed regretfully, “I was fortunate enough to have gone once in the past, and it was truly an eye-opening experience. I owe my current success to that day.”

nOu Yangming grinned. “Old Man, it’s just the prefecture, I’ll bring you there next time!”

nOld Craftsman could not help but laugh. “Young fella, I meant learning from a smithing master at the prefecture, yet you’re taking it as a sightseeing tour.”

nOu Yangming smiled apologetically, and finally convinced Old Craftsman to take a rest. He swore to himself, ‘I’ll surpass the capital’s smithing master, let alone the prefecture’s smithing master.’

nSince Old Craftsman loved smithing art dearly his whole life, Ou Yangming was determined to make him the first smithing master…’s master!

nHe wondered how elated Old Craftsman would be if he actually succeeded.

nOnce Ou Yangming returned to his courtyard, he began cultivating his fist art and his blade technique again. After the smithing process earlier, he had a mysterious comprehension toward different types of skills.

nAll beings in the word were connected. If he practiced his martial arts skills well, it would be beneficial toward his smithing technique.

nSure enough, the feeling that Ou Yangming had was still quite vague at the moment, and it was impossible for him to fully fathom everything. At the very least, his current self could not realize his dream yet.

nAs flashes of saber-lights were seen, Ou Yangming was surrounded by hot Qi. A considerable amount of Qi and blood were transformed into essential Qi, which allowed him to increase his strength steadily.

nIn spite of that, Ou Yangming felt troubled because he was starting to have insufficient Qi and blood. Although he could hold on for a few days, he was no longer rich in Qi and blood.

nOu Yangming shook his head and wondered, ‘Practicing martial arts is a difficult thing to do indeed.’

nThat being said, if someone else knew how he was lamenting about this, only God knew how that person would resent him.

nOu Yangming left his courtyard after being struck by an idea, and he headed to the West Camp to look for Yan Haobo.

nThis time, Yan Haobo was extremely respectful toward Ou Yangming, and was so friendly that it was unbearable. Additionally, the bunch of soldiers, who were indifferent toward Ou Yangming before they entered the dense forest, were treating him in a completely different manner. Each of them served him earnestly, and cared about him better than they cared for their parents.

nOu Yangming asked as he was puzzled, “Squad Leader Yan, what are you doing?”

n“Master Ou, this is how my brothers and I respect you!” Yan Haobo smiled, then added after a pause, “I heard that you’ll be challenging the new Master Ni in smithing art?”

nOu Yangming was surprised. “How did you know?”

n‘We’ve just discussed this, has it spread in the military camp already?’

nYan Haobo nodded and explained, “The news came from the East Camp. We heard that General Tian and General Chen will be watching, and that an appraisal master will be judging.”

nOu Yangming’s eyes lit up as he smiled. “Hehe, I see that Master Ni’s very confident!”

n‘It has just been half a day, yet Yan Haobo already found out about it. Does this mean that everyone would’ve found out after three days?

n‘Ni Yunhong is obviously determined to defeat me in front of the public, how can I let things go his way?’

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