FVN Chapter 45 Iron Forging
Chapter 45 Iron Forging
Fan Zhou's expression shifted, and he hurriedly asked Peng Yue:
"Senior brother means that as long as one passes the sword-forging trial, one can become a nominal disciple?"
"That's right," Peng Yue nodded.
"Is it unnecessary to break through to the Qi Refining stage?" Fan Zhou asked doubtfully.
"That's how it is in theory," Peng Yue said, scratching his head.
"But passing the sword-forging trial is much more difficult than breaking through the Qi Refining stage."
"Even with Senior Brother Han's talent, he only managed to forge a Hundred-Refined Sword after breaking through to the Qi Refining stage."
"I see."
Fan Zhou remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he recalled what Tian Youliang had told him before.
When recruiting disciples, the Sword Furnace divided them according to everyone's aptitude.
With his inferior spiritual root, he could only start as a menial servant.
The best way to get rid of the menial servant status is to rely on some kind of talent to gain the favor of the sect's masters.
For example, Liu Ergou was brought back to the sect by Huang Yi because of his talent in swordsmanship, and directly became his disciple.
After fifty years of cultivation, Tian Youliang could only obtain the title of Spirit Field Steward, doing some trivial tasks for the sect.
"With my low-to-mid-grade spiritual root of four inches and nine-tenths, there's absolutely no value in cultivating it if I'm simply breaking through to the Qi Refining stage."
"But if I can prove I'm a rare find, that would be different."
This sword-forging trial is a great opportunity.
Fan Zhou desperately wanted to prove himself and had a chance to stand out from the crowd.
He had realized that only in this way could he gain the favor of those in power.
Only by being valued by those in power can one obtain a large amount of cultivation resources, or even certain special treatment.
Just like how he gained the favor of Huang Yi and Tian Youliang because he mastered sword energy, he hasn't done any work for half a year now.
How could an ordinary handyman disciple possibly do this?
Now that he has cultivated four types of Qi, Tian Youliang has even lent him two spirit stones!
He couldn't pay back such a large sum of money even after working for two or three years, so why would Tian Youliang lend it to him?
It's because he has already shown some extraordinary talent.
But this is far from enough.
Because he is still just a menial disciple.
This is precisely to show that he is not good enough yet.
Now that I've finally managed to become a disciple of the weapon-forging workshop, I must earn the favor of Qin Zhiyuan, his personal apprentice!
Fan Zhou's eyes reflected the furnace fire as he took out the bright, shiny iron block and placed it on the anvil to hammer it.
He loosely gripped his fist, exerted force with his calves, and channeled his energy from bottom to top and from back to front, driving the iron hammer in his hand to smash out sparks.
Peng Yue returned to his workstation to forge iron, and suddenly spoke:
"Junior Brother Fan, try to combine the two forces of hardness and softness into one, and then concentrate them on the hammer head. This way, the forging force will be more penetrating and can better fuse the steel."
Fan Zhou's expression brightened, and the two opposing forces of strength and gentleness within his body quickly moved to his right hand, eventually merging in his palm and flowing into the hammer along the handle.
clang!
A crisp, powerful sound rang out from under the hammer.
Fan Zhou's expression brightened; things were indeed different.
Peng Yue looked at him with some surprise.
The integration of Qi is the foundation for casting various spells and requires long-term practice. Fan Zhou was able to do it so easily, which clearly shows that he had worked hard in this area.
Peng Yue thought for a moment and then said, "Junior Brother Fan, if you have the ability to cultivate both pure and turbid qi, you can also try to integrate them into your forging process. This will save you a lot of effort."
Fan Zhou shook his head and said, "I haven't started practicing these two types of energy yet."
"Never mind then."
Peng Yue focused intently on hammering his steel billet.
Time slipped away little by little amidst these tinkling sounds.
Fan Zhou focused all his energy on forging, but every time he folded and forged it many times, he would encounter various problems.
After a busy morning, the highest record was seven folds and forgings.
Even so, he was exhausted, his head was throbbing, and his sweat had evaporated into salt on his body.
No wonder Tian Youliang said that the forging workshop was very tough.
The place was incredibly noisy, hot, and involved non-stop physical labor, all permeated with the smells of iron and charcoal.
Fan Zhou touched his nose and found it was full of dust.
The only good thing is that the food at the weapon forging workshop is really good.
We ate rice, and the table was filled with both meat and vegetables. After the meal, everyone was given a bowl of herbal soup to replenish their energy and cleanse their lungs.
Fan Zhou took a sip, and his expression changed drastically:
"Why is this soup so bitter? It tastes like grass."
Peng Yue sat down next to him, pinched his nose, and gulped it down.
"This isn't something you can savor slowly."
Fan Zhou had no choice but to follow suit and gulp down the herbal soup in one go, the bitterness almost making him gasp for breath.
After lunch, there is a break time.
Most people would take this opportunity to sleep for a while, or practice their internal energy cultivation to replenish their strength and calm their spirits.
However, since it was Fan Zhou's first day there, he received his clothes and waist tag from the workshop manager at noon.
They were going to arrange a place for him to stay, but Fan Zhou refused when he saw that it was a four-person room.
I think I'll stay where I used to be.
The supervisor didn't mind, only reminding him, "You can stay wherever you want, but you can't be late for work."
"That's natural."
Fan Zhou, carrying his belongings, saw the manager about to leave and quickly asked:
"Manager Wu, how much is my monthly allowance now?"
Salary is a top priority, and Fan Zhou must take it seriously.
When Manager Wu heard him ask this, he smiled knowingly and said, "How many liters of steel can you forge right now?"
Fan Zhou said sullenly, "Seven Refinements."
Manager Wu's smile widened. "That means there's no pay whatsoever."
"What?"
Fan Zhou asked incredulously, "How could there be not a single cent?"
Manager Wu shook his head. "The workshop has requirements. You only get paid if you produce work."
"What are the requirements?" Fan Zhou asked, puzzled.
"The minimum requirement is that you can forge steel of the 36th grade. Only steel of that grade can be used, and only then can you get paid."
Manager Wu glanced at him up and down, then said disdainfully, "You can only forge seventh-grade steel now; the workshop is already being generous by not making you lose money!"
He flicked his sleeve and turned to leave.
Fan Zhou stood there, stunned.
According to this logic, he didn't receive a single penny of wages before he forged the Thirty-Six Refined Steel.
"How are we supposed to live like this!"
Fan Zhou, with a long face, carried his clothes back to his residence to change.
He suddenly understood why Tian Youliang had given him another spirit stone.
Without this money, he definitely wouldn't have been able to survive in the weapon forging workshop.
"I need to learn iron forging techniques as soon as possible; I can't keep working for free."
Fan Zhou was determined to reach the level of the Thirty-Six Refining Steel in the shortest possible time.
But that's easier said than done.
"If only the Heavenly Crafting Furnace could help me upgrade my iron-forging skills."
Thinking of this, Fan Zhou suddenly felt a little curious.
The art of forging steel belongs to the category of skills, not martial arts techniques.
So, can the Heavenly Craft Furnace still help him upgrade?