#53Occupation: Blacksmith Lv1AI Model: moonshotai/kimi-k2-instruct-0905
Chapter 5 – Class: Forgemaster Lv1
News that Zhao Liuyun had stepped into the Blacksmith Shop was quickly carried by the maid Yuan Hong to Ye Wenxi's ears.
"You're saying… Liuyun went to the smithy to learn forging?"
Besides those from Clear Sky Sect whose Spirits are hammers, or the pure-muscle brutes of the Strength Clan, what self-respecting Spirit Master with any pedigree would ever look up to the smithing trade?
Ye Wenxi pondered a moment, then asked, "Did he say anything else?"
Yuan Hong answered,
"Before he left he told me, 'Pure body-training yields little effect; I plan to learn more and practice more, to draw parallels and find my own path.'"
"This…" Ye Wenxi was momentarily at a loss for words.
He had meant to call it wishful thinking, yet swallowed the words before they left his mouth.
In the previous era there truly had been a stunning prodigy who had learned something from blacksmithing.
Relying on his power alone, he had single-handedly lifted an obscure Sect to the rank of number one under Heaven… something that couldn't be explained merely by fast cultivation.
Ye Wenxi's expression gradually steadied as he ordered, "Don't interfere; just follow his instructions and prepare the Medicinal Bath on schedule."
Geniuses have their own paths of growth.
He, too, hoped the Ye family could recruit such a talent.
Better to wait and see; perhaps beyond conviction the boy might show gifts of innate aptitude… Sun and moon turned, and two months passed in a flash.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Steady, powerful, evenly spaced strikes landed on the iron, sending out a resonant, full, penetrating sound.
Every heavy blow was accompanied by the hiss of sparks flying.
At the start there had also been the occasional "Clang!" when the hammer hit the edge of the anvil.
A sign of poor control.
Two months later, Zhao Liuyun could already place each hammer blow exactly where he intended.
He had even learned to judge the perfect color of iron in the forge, the required heating time for different materials, the right moment for quenching… all the skills essential to a smith.
Thanks to an exceptional memory, the ability to correct mistakes the moment he noticed them, and day-after-day of painstaking forging, Zhao Liuyun could already be called a seasoned blacksmith.
[You are forging: moderate force, practiced technique, exquisite skill. [Forgemaster] EXP +1]
Accompanying the ring of forging, prompts occasionally appeared in his mind.
The judgement was fuzzy; random tapping counted for nothing.
Forging required a goal.
Only with single-minded Focus and correct effort toward that goal could experience be gained.
Zhao Liuyun didn't let his attention wander.
Wearing goggles, he was wholly absorbed, meticulous.
A one-foot short-sword took shape under the unbroken rain of hammer blows.
[Requirement for [Forgemaster] class met. Change Profession?]
He did not Change Profession here; when the sword was finished and the hour nearly up, Zhao Liuyun simply gave the roughly completed blade to an apprentice watching nearby.
It wouldn't fetch much coin, and tasks like fitting the hilt or grinding the edge were troublesome; better to give it away and earn some goodwill.
Then, after a word with Old Huo, Zhao Liuyun returned to the Ye family medicine hall.
Little Ye Lingsi was listlessly poking at freshly gathered herbs.
Beside her a senior master patiently explained their properties.
The instant she saw Zhao Liuyun walk in, her eyes lit up and she fluttered over like a lively bird:
"Brother Liuyun, Brother Liuyun, take me out to play!"
Zhao Liuyun gently ruffled her hair and teased,
"Lingsi, you've been slacking again. In a moment Senior Meng will come and spank you."
Mischievous yet polite, knowing when to stop, she was a rather adorable little imp.
Having eaten and stayed free for two months, Zhao Liuyun couldn't be cold to her; he treated her like a younger sister.
Seeing no sign of her mother, Ye Lingsi tugged his sleeve and whispered pleadingly,
"I don't want to study, it's so boring… Big Brother Liuyun, take me out for a stroll."
Zhao Liuyun flatly refused:
"No. Soul Hunting Town is crowded and mixed; there's no guarantee a Fallen Spirit Master isn't hiding there."
My cultivation is still shallow; I can't protect you."
Spirit Hall has been hunting Fallen Spirit Masters.
But the Star Dou Great Forest is the largest Spirit Beast habitat, perilous at every step and almost unpatrolled.
Soul Hunting Town is the nearest resting place; a Fallen Spirit Mastercould indeed be lurking.
"Ah~ you always say that!" Ye Lingsi pouted.
Just then Meng Yan stepped from behind the curtain: "It's fine, Liuyun, take her for a walk nearby."
These past two months Zhao Liuyun had labored daily in the sweltering smithy.
After returning he would soak in a Medicinal Bath and then enter Meditation, already rising to level 22.
Though the Ye family provided him a comfortable life, he never relaxed his training, seizing every spare moment.
Truly grasping every minute and second.
Such disciplined diligence had long convinced the Ye household of his unshakable resolve.
The problem was: how do you build a relationship with an ascetic who barely interacts with people?
Rely solely on the favor of Medicinal Baths?
Invite him to dinner every day?
Father wanted to push him toward the main branch, toward the Nine Heart Begonia Ye Lingling who still hadn't found a match after searching the four corners.
Meng Yan, however, felt this was her daughter Ye Lingsi's destined bond.
Happily, the girl was only a little over two years younger than him.
Affection must be cultivated slowly from childhood.
Hearing this, Zhao Liuyun's face wrinkled in distress and he instinctively resisted:
"Uh, Senior Meng, the Ye family treats me extremely well, but my strength is meager; I fear I cannot guarantee Lingsi's safety. If something really happened…"
He himself didn't care.
A step of Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and he could leap onto a roof and escape.
But with someone in tow… "No need to worry; someone will follow you," Meng Yan said calmly, setting Zhao Liuyun at ease.
After eating and drinking free for two months, refusing again would be ungracious.
"All right, but… let's wait a few more days." He agreed, thinking that with the Change Profession imminent he needed to leave enough time for any possible bodily trait.
"Fine." Meng Yan asked no reason.
Once Zhao Liuyun had left, she immediately put on a stern face: "Lingsi, you were naughty again."
"Mother, hehe…" Ye Lingsi tugged her hair and only giggled… Back in his quarters, recalling the embarrassment of his last Change Professioninto [Mercenary], Zhao Liuyun still didn't rush.
First he used a Medicinal Bath to ease his body's fatigue, then, before the meal, silently intoned: "Change Profession!"
New class gained: [Forgemaster Lv1], new trait: [Steel and Iron Bones], new skill: [Focus Power]
The instant the Change Profession completed, delight flashed in Zhao Liuyun's eyes—another bodily trait gained!
An intense feeling of emptiness immediately spread through his body.
As expected!
Just like when he had changed into [Mercenary].
Zhao Liuyun hurriedly said: "Xiao Hong, have the kitchen prepare two more servings of the same meal and bring them quickly."
"Yes, Young Master Liuyun."
The maid hurried off; Zhao Liuyun already had bowl and chopsticks in hand and was wolfing down food.
He couldn't hold out; he had to replenish energy at once.
[Class Trait: Steel and Iron Bones (Forgemasters possess robust physiques, with tough sinews and hard bones)]
Steel and Iron Bones is only a figure of speech, but a sturdy body is no lie.
Moreover, Zhao Liuyun could feel his bones and tendons strengthening further.
Originally he had planned to train Mysterious Jade Hand diligently, to reach the realm of "bones like jade" and thereby strengthen his skeleton.
He hadn't expected to obtain reinforcement so soon.
As expected of the Panel.