From bone collectors to the supreme ruler of humanity

Chapter 112 Blacksmithing

"Hahahahahaha..."

Zhi'er's mocking laughter made the man at the door feel embarrassed, and he quickly coughed a few times to remind his daughter.

"You? Studying weapon crafting?" The large iron hammer whistled as Zhi'er swung it. "Do you even know what the first lesson in weapon crafting is?"

"What?"

"Strength," Zhi'er said to Lin Yan. "If you can't even lift a sledgehammer, you should go home and take care of your pretty boy."

Lin Yan reached out his hand, "Can I borrow the hammer?"

Zhi'er raised an eyebrow and actually handed over the large iron hammer in her hand.

The moment he touched her, Lin Yan was a little surprised by the girl's strength.

This iron hammer weighs at least forty or fifty pounds, yet she just lifted it so easily in her hand.

"What are you hitting?"

The man quickly used pliers to pick out a red-hot iron blank. "Sir, please try this. Just tap it a couple of times."

Without saying a word, Lin Yan swung the sledgehammer and smashed it down.

Ding!

The hammer struck the iron billet, sending up a shower of sparks.

The hammer blow was powerful enough, but unfortunately the landing point was a bit off, and the iron billet was smashed to one side, resulting in a very ugly shape.

Zhi'er watched from the side, the corners of her mouth curving into a wider smile.

"Are you forging iron or dismantling it? Brute force alone won't do. You have to find the center of gravity before you strike. With your technique, you probably won't be able to forge a decent blade in a month."

Lin Yan remained silent and struck again.

Ding!

This time the landing point was more accurate, but it was still off-target.

[Skill: Blacksmithing (Beginner) (2/100)]

Have it.

Lin Yan felt a huge weight lifted from his heart and continued swinging the hammer.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

With each hammer blow, the oddly shaped iron billet gradually transformed into a flat sheet of iron.

3……4……5……6……7

Proficiency increased rapidly.

Zhi'er leaned against the door frame with her arms crossed. She had originally planned to see Lin Yan make a fool of himself, but he was getting more and more adept at it.

"father?"

"what?"

"Is this guy one of our colleagues who's here to make fun of us?"

The man shook his head.

"This customer must have never done blacksmithing before. Look at his posture and angle; he's obviously a novice."

"I know, but his rate of progress... is a bit off." Zhi'er squinted and continued to stare at Lin Yan.

Under the watchful eyes of the father and daughter, Lin Yan hammered for a full half hour before stopping, and the iron billet on the anvil had been forged into the shape of a rough short knife.

[Skill: Blacksmithing (Beginner) (18/100)]

Lin Yan let out a long breath and turned to look at Zhi'er, "How are you? Do you have any strength left?"

Zhi'er walked over, picked up the iron billet, and examined it several times.

"Not bad," the voice remained indifferent, "probably a bit better than my dad was back then."

The man next to him chuckled, but didn't know what to say in response, so he just touched his bald head to ease the awkwardness.

"How can I learn weapon crafting from you... Zhi'er?"

"Pah! How dare you call me Zhi'er?" Zhi'er rolled her eyes at him. "My name is Shen Zhi. Shen is Shen Zhi's Shen, and Zhi is Shen Zhi's Zhi, got it?"

Lin Yan was speechless, then nodded silently.

He turned to the man and asked, "Boss, how much is the tuition for learning blacksmithing from you?"

The man scratched his head, about to say that tuition was not required, but Shen Zhi interrupted him first.

"Tuition fees?" She sized up Lin Yan, who was also dressed in coarse cloth. "How much can you afford?"

"I don't have any money on hand right now, but I can find other ways to pay it off."

"In what way?"

"I'll help you forge the iron, and the profits... we'll split them 50/50."

Shen Zhi snorted, "You're quite the schemer. Fine, I'll give you a month. If you can forge a rough draft of a low-grade treasure within a month, I'll teach you. If you can't, you can leave."

"By the way, tuition fees are non-refundable."

Lin Yan clasped his hands in a fist and said, "It's a deal."

Shen Zhi didn't say anything more and turned to walk into the inner room.

The man who had been standing to the side came over, wiped his hand on his pants, and then grasped Lin Yan's hand. "My name is Shen Tieshan."

"Please don't mind her, sir. That's just how Zhi'er is. There's nothing I can do about her."

"I can tell."

……

The next evening, Lin Yan arrived at Shen's blacksmith shop on time.

Shen Tieshan stood in the same spot, hammering a red-hot iron ingot while shouting instructions.

Lin Yan greeted him, then picked up a piece of iron billet with pliers, placed it on the anvil, and began to hammer it.

Ding! Ding!

[Skill: Blacksmithing (Beginner) (25/100)]

Shen Zhi came out of the inner room at some point, stood by with her arms crossed, and occasionally offered some pointers to Lin Yan.

"Your wrist needs to be flexible, why are you tensing it so much? It's not like you're being asked to lift stones."

"When you're forging iron, your waist needs to be steady. Why are you swaying your upper body?"

"Think carefully before you strike. Even if I hammered it with my eyes closed, it would look better than yours."

Lin Yan didn't argue back, but just kept swinging the hammer, silently memorizing every point Shen Zhi made.

The iron billet on the anvil gradually flattened out. Although its shape was still not very regular, it was much better than the one from yesterday.

[Skill: Blacksmithing (Beginner) (32/100)]

Lin Yan wiped his sweat, threw the iron plate aside, picked up another piece of pig iron, and began a new round of hammering.

Two hours later, Lin Yan put down the hammer, stretched his slightly sore shoulders, and looked at the five iron billets lying to the side. Although they were not very good, his blacksmithing proficiency had reached eighty, and he would be able to start learning tomorrow.

Shen Tieshan walked over with a bowl of water, smiling as he handed it to Lin Yan. "Young Master Lin, have some water and rest."

Lin Yan took the bowl and drank it all in one gulp.

"Please don't call me 'Young Master' anymore, just call me Lin Yan."

Shen Tieshan rubbed his hands together. "That won't do. You are, after all, a cultivator..."

"I am now your apprentice in your shop; you are the master."

Shen Tieshan chuckled twice and didn't refuse any further.

Shen Zhi also came out and tossed a few sheets of paper to Lin Yan.

Lin Yan took it and flipped through it. It contained some basic hammering techniques. Although the handwriting was crooked, the content was practical. It clearly explained everything from how to strike the hammer to how to exert force, from the angle of the hammer to the control of the rhythm.

"Thanks." Lin Yan put the paper away.

"Don't thank me. I'm just worried you'll ruin all the iron billets in the shop. Be on time tomorrow, or you're fired."

Lin Yan's days thereafter proceeded with a rhythm as regular as a clock.

Every morning he would go to the Defense Department to handle official business, and in the afternoon he would practice the "Yan Wang Heart Sutra" and "Qi Condensation Essentials" at home. In the evening, after soaking in the medicinal bath, he would run to the blacksmith shop and stay there for two hours.

half a month later.

【Skill: Blacksmithing (Beginner) (799/800)】

【Skill: Blacksmithing (Beginner) (800/800)】

[Skill: Blacksmithing (Minor Mastery) (1/1000)]

When the prompt popped up on the panel, Lin Yan was holding a newly forged dagger blank and examining it repeatedly.