The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

Chapter 328: Chapter 320: Master Craftsman

The streets of Yanzhou City bustled with activity, and even its alleys were filled with people.

This was a level of prosperity one would never see even in Ling Province during peacetime.

As the most convenient passage from the Central Plains to the Northern Territory, Yan Province attracted merchants from all corners of the land.

Most of these merchants would sell their goods in Yan Province for a time. This allowed them to reduce shipping costs and recoup some of their initial investment.

As a result, Yanzhou City was a place of endless variety, full of hidden masters.

In the southern part of Yanzhou City lay a dense cluster of workshops.

This was where the city’s artisan families congregated.

These artisan families were lineages of craftsmen who had served the Court for generations.

In the traditional hierarchy of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, these craftsmen ranked below farmers. Their descendants were barred from taking the imperial examinations to seek official positions. However, many artisans managed to live prosperously thanks to their skills. While they could never truly cross class boundaries, they could still achieve a measure of wealth and comfort.

Yet among these artisan families, one man was a legend.

He was the pride of all the artisans in Yan Province.

This was because he had risen from a simple artisan to become a master smith renowned throughout the Northern Territory, earning the respect of even its most powerful figures.

These artisans had personally witnessed the Lord Governor of Yan Province himself amiably requesting that the master forge a weapon for him.

Incredible!

That was the Lord Governor they were talking about.

In the eyes of these artisans, the Lord Governor was a figure of immense authority. To see such a great man show respect to a craftsman brought a shared sense of pride to all of them.

Within the artisan district, a specific area was reserved solely for blacksmiths.

CLANG, CLANG, CLANG!

The sound of hammering was incessant, a scene of fiery industry.

The scorching heat was suffocating. Anyone other than the blacksmiths, who spent their lives by the forge, would likely pass out if they remained for more than the time it took an incense stick to burn.

Even the most experienced blacksmiths needed methods to cool down.

All except one...

In the deepest part of the smithy, a middle-aged man of about forty stood at his work.

He was bare to the waist, his muscles bulging like coiled dragons. An aura of primal power filled the workshop.

The ringing clang of a hammer came from the anvil before him.

Each hammer blow sent a shower of sparks flying, creating a beautiful spectacle.

His expression was one of absolute concentration, as if nothing in the world mattered but the work before him.

After one hundred and thirty-seven consecutive strikes, he finally paused.

"You were looking for me?"

He glanced at the sturdy man standing nearby.

The man had been standing there for a full hour, silent and patient.

"I’ve come on behalf of Lord Bai from Ling Province to check on the weapon."

Bai Yuan offered an excuse.

The blacksmith nodded.

There were many lords with the surname Bai, but for him, there was only one Lord Bai from Ling Province.

The Lingzhou General.

"Alright."

The blacksmith was a man of few words. After uttering that single word, he fell silent again.

He turned and led Bai Yuan to the back of the workshop.

There, a wall was covered from top to bottom with an array of weapons.

These were all Divine Weapons commissioned by the great figures of the Northern Territory.

A few of the weapons even managed to tempt Bai Yuan.

The blacksmith pointed to a crimson scimitar hanging in the highest spot on the wall. "That’s the one."

"It took me a full ten days of forging just to shape it. Now, it must be nurtured here for ten more days before it can be sharpened and considered complete."

Bai Yuan was puzzled. "Nurtured?"

A trace of pride appeared on the blacksmith’s face. "That’s right, nurtured. Martial Artists value providence, and weapons are no different. Dozens of Divine Weapons are gathered here, making this an ideal place to cultivate them. By using my Secret Technique as a catalyst, I can imbue the weapon with a spirit of its own."

Bai Yuan was astonished.

’Truly, every trade has its own master.’

’For a simple blacksmith to possess such a miraculous technique...’

This so-called "spirituality" was a rather esoteric concept. A weapon that possessed it could bond more quickly with its master.

Some weapons, though made from ordinary materials, simply felt natural to wield. This was precisely because they possessed a strong spirit.

Only a truly masterful blacksmith knew how to imbue a weapon with such a spirit.

Tang Tie was just such a blacksmith.

Bai Yuan nodded, satisfied.

’It seems the price was well worth it.’

Trading thirty percent of his Blood Radiance Iron for a weapon with its own spirit was no loss at all.

The more he looked at the blood-red scimitar, the more he liked what he saw.

Indeed, what he had commissioned this time was a blood-colored scimitar.

He had encountered the same dilemma as his Black-faced Ancestor: there was too little Blood Radiance Iron. It wasn’t nearly enough to forge a long saber like the one he had before, so he had to settle for a scimitar.

With Bai Yuan’s current level of martial attainment, the exact form of his weapon was no longer important.

Bai Yuan said, "Lord Bai will certainly be satisfied."

Tang Tie finally cracked a smile. "Of course."

He had always been confident in his craft. Even in the Central Plains, a land teeming with Divine Artisans, he considered himself second to none.

Surprise flickered in Bai Yuan’s eyes.

He could sense that Tang Tie’s Martial Arts Realm was impressive; he was at least an Entering Martial Artist.

’An expert at the level of an Entering Martial Artist choosing to remain in a blacksmith shop... That’s a rare sight indeed.’

’Then again,’ he thought, ’I was still working as a cook when I reached that realm.’ The situation suddenly seemed far more commonplace.

Since it would only be ten days until the weapon was complete, Bai Yuan decided to wait in Yan Province.

With Kong Sen holding down the fort in Ling Province, there was little risk of any major trouble.

He was already growing impatient, eager to get his hands on the new blade.

.....

「Ten days passed in a flash.」

When Qiu Yang heard Bai Yuan was staying in Yan Province for another ten days, he had no choice but to return to Ling Province ahead of him.

He had only been able to leave Dingzhou in the first place to escort the transport ships.

The ships had already docked and the supplies were on their way to Dingzhou. If he delayed in Yan Province for too long, he would surely incur the displeasure of the Lord Grand Protector.

He could afford to ignore the other influential figures in Dingzhou, even the King of Qingzhou.

But the Lord Grand Protector was someone he had to serve with the utmost care.

After all, most of the Cao Bang’s business was in Jiangnan. If Yan Shao’an decided to cause trouble, even if the Cao Bang itself survived, Qiu Yang’s own position as an Incense Master would be forfeit.

In Jiangnan, Yan Shao’an’s word carried more weight than an imperial edict.

Bai Yuan remained in Yanzhou City alone, still disguised as Yuan Hei.

During this period, he visited the smithy several more times.

He intentionally concealed his tracks, so for the time being, neither the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office nor the Sun Alliance had discovered his presence.

Finally, the day to retrieve his weapon arrived.

Bai Yuan set out early in the morning, having already settled his bill at the inn.

Once he had the scimitar, he would have no further reason to stay in Yan Province.

The inn was not far from the smithy. After a fifteen-minute walk, he arrived at Tang Tie’s workshop.

From a distance, he could see Tang Tie, carefully polishing a blood-red scimitar.

Before, Bai Yuan had only seen the weapon in its rough, unfinished state. Now it was complete, its edge fully revealed. The blade’s uncanny, blood-red hue was intimidating to behold. The air seemed to cool wherever its edge was pointed, and it radiated a chilling, murderous aura.

This was the most unique characteristic of weapons forged from Blood Radiance Iron.

It was truly a Divine Weapon of the highest order!

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