Chapter Thirty-Two: A New Direction

“Impressive, it's reached the fifth tier of strength,” the Sword Tester exclaimed in admiration.

Yun Yufeng also offered his congratulations, contemplating how far his own shortsword might reach.

Next, the Sword Tester gripped the longsword and struck the Sword Testing Stone with a single blow. A metallic clang rang out as the blade carved deeply into the stone. He measured the depth, gently withdrew the sword, and handed it to Master He, a genuine smile of happiness lighting his face. “Congratulations, both the sharpness and strength have reached the fifth tier.”

A hearty laugh burst from the burly man.

Yun Yufeng drew his own shortsword and handed it to the Sword Tester. “Brother, would you mind testing this for me?”

Since he’d seen Yun Yufeng enter with Master He, the Sword Tester didn’t question him. He flicked his finger lightly against the blade, which resonated with a crisp, clear ring. An odd expression flickered across the Sword Tester’s face.

In terms of sharpness, both shortswords were evenly matched, each meeting the fifth-tier standard. But when it came to strength, each was tested level by level: one reached the fourth tier, while the other attained the pinnacle of the fifth, as pure and blue as the longsword.

Yun Yufeng was a bit surprised. The pinnacle of the fifth tier—this was only practice, after all. Still, it seemed quite promising. His skills would surely improve in the future. Though refinement would never make him a great warrior, he could use it to gain resources and forge himself into one, bit by bit. Stroking his chin, Yun Yufeng’s eyes narrowed in thought.

Taking the shortsword back from the Sword Tester, Yun Yufeng tossed it to Master He. “Master He, would you mind checking its hardness for me?”

Master He accepted the blade with great care. There were three swords in all, one long and two short. Cuirong covered her mouth, giggling quietly. Unconcerned, Master He studied the shortsword, frowning in concentration. After a long moment, he asked Yun Yufeng, “Is this a new blade? It doesn’t seem to have been polished. Judging by its make, it must be the work of an artificer. I wonder who forged it? When did a guest arrive at our little mountain town?”

Yun Yufeng smiled. “What if I told you I made this sword myself—would you believe me?”

Master He looked at Yun Yufeng and shook his head. He could tell Yun Yufeng wasn’t joking, but still found it hard to believe, so he shook his head again.

The Sword Tester glanced thoughtfully at Yun Yufeng, but said nothing.

Master He hesitated, lips moving as if to speak, and finally managed to voice his question. “Young Master Yun, may I ask what materials you used?”

“Hmm? Is there a problem?” Yun Yufeng replied, puzzled by the question. “I just used some pig iron, and oh, a bit of charcoal.”

“Pig iron? Charcoal?” Both Master He and the Sword Tester shouted in unison, jaws dropping.

He chuckled. “Yes, those were the materials. As for how I achieved this, well, that’s not something everyone can do.”

“That’s certainly true. Becoming an artificer is beyond what any of us could hope to achieve in this life. An artificer? Are you an artificer?” Once again, both men spoke together, their astonishment reaching new heights.

Artificers were exceedingly rare. Unless one possessed remarkable talent and unshakable confidence, it was impossible to become an artificer without first reaching the pinnacle of cultivation. Most only forged their dantian furnace after realizing their own limitations and accepting they would progress no further. While this led to a temporary decline in power, with training, their strength would recover—invincible among their peers, but with little hope of future breakthroughs unless fortune favored them.

Yun Yufeng had grown somewhat accustomed to their surprise. He merely nodded, saying nothing.

“You’re still so young, yet you’ve already forged your dantian furnace. Aren’t you worried that it will hinder your advancement? Even for an artificer, it’s difficult to accomplish much, since the strength of the dantian fire is closely tied to one’s cultivation,” Master He said, astonished.

“I have considered this, Master He, so there’s no need to worry,” Yun Yufeng replied sheepishly, uncertain how to explain—some things simply couldn’t be said, especially to a mere blacksmith.

Master He nodded, seeming to gain some understanding. “Let’s go test the weapons’ hardness. I’m sure you have many matters to attend to, Young Master Yun.” With that, he led Yun Yufeng back to the forge.

There, Master He secured the three swords and brought out a chest, from which he selected a series of long, sharp metal rods. For each rod, he placed the tip against the blade near the hilt and struck it with a hammer to test the weapon’s hardness.

Yun Yufeng watched in a bit of a daze. The method was simple and rather tedious, but it was effective.

Of the three swords, the longsword’s hardness was only fourth tier. Of the two shortswords, one was fifth tier, while the other astonishingly reached the sixth. Master He was startled. Upon closer inspection, he found it was the shortsword with lesser strength. He was utterly baffled by this odd phenomenon.

Yun Yufeng, on the other hand, understood perfectly. These were the product of his spiritual control: one sword was high-carbon steel—naturally harder, but slightly less strong; the other was medium-carbon steel, more balanced in hardness and strength. Looking around, Yun Yufeng took two scabbards from the wall and sheathed the two shortswords, finding they fit perfectly.

Master He rubbed his hands nervously. The sight of such a burly man acting so shy made Yun Yufeng’s teeth ache. “Young Master Yun, may I ask you something about adding charcoal? What does it do?”

Yun Yufeng looked at the bashful man with some fondness and decided not to keep it to himself. “The reason for adding charcoal is actually to increase the hardness of the iron. I know it’s difficult to grasp—you go to great lengths to remove impurities from the iron, but I add them back in. It must seem odd, doesn’t it?”

Master He nodded. “Indeed. Every blacksmith has his own methods, and we strive to make the iron billets as uniform as possible, removing all impurities to improve the weapon’s strength and hardness. If we have good materials, we might add a little to improve the billet’s quality.”

“Your hammering can only remove incompatible impurities; those that can blend in—like carbon—are beyond your control. That’s the tricky part. Pure iron is actually rather soft, unsuitable for crafting any tools, with terrible strength and hardness. But there’s a cheap, common material that can remedy this: the carbon found in charcoal.”

Master He listened, enraptured. This was knowledge he had never encountered, and he didn’t doubt Yun Yufeng’s words. Anyone who could forge such shortswords was qualified to speak with authority.

“If there’s too much carbon, you get a sword like the one with great hardness but insufficient strength. Too little carbon, and the weapon is unsuitable—both hard and strong qualities are lacking, though it will be very tough. Medium carbon yields a good balance of hardness and strength. How you choose depends on your own judgment.”

“I don’t fully understand the blacksmith’s craft, but that’s how I see it. Whether you can achieve this, I don’t know, but with a clear concept, you can certainly strive toward it. That’s all I have to say—I should be going.”

Master He snapped out of his reverie and hurried to see Yun Yufeng out, repeatedly inviting him to visit the forge again when he had time. Yun Yufeng smiled and nodded his acceptance.

Cuirong followed behind him, her face alight with joy. Young Master had become so impressive; judging by the expressions of the usually arrogant blacksmiths, their admiration was genuine. The more she thought about it, the more her lips curled in a smile of pride.

Noticing her laughter, Yun Yufeng asked curiously, “Cuirong, what are you laughing about? Tell me.”

Caught mid-giggle, Cuirong quickly covered her mouth and whispered, “Oh, it’s nothing. I was just thinking, since when did Young Master become so amazing?” The little girl continued to snicker behind her hand.

Yun Yufeng couldn’t help but laugh. “When did I become so amazing? Could I even tell you?” Shaking his head, he said offhandedly, “I’ve always been this amazing—you just never noticed.” He flicked her on the forehead.

Clutching her brow and crying out, the girl begged for mercy, then ran after Yun Yufeng as he strode back to the courtyard.

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