Chương 26: Once Ordinary and Unremarkable, now a Soaring Dragon Beyond Measure

"Junior Brother, this is absolutely insane! The Artisan Hall only provides a limited number of forging materials. Anything beyond that, and you have to pay for it yourself."

"His forging success rate has gone from fifty percent to seventy percent!"

"No wonder his cultivation advances so quickly. The guy works like an ox that never gets tired!" Inside the Artisan Hall, the disciples watched Su Zhe hammer away day after day, completely immersed in forging. Their admiration grew with every passing hour. Normally, apprentice weapon smiths who had not yet reached the rank of Second-Rank Common Smith received one free allotment of forging materials from the sect each week.

If they wished to forge additional weapons, they had to purchase the materials themselves at full cost. The rule existed for a reason. A smith with poor skills could easily ruin precious materials through repeated failures, wasting the sect's resources. But after successfully forging his first weapon, Su Zhe had immediately put down an ounce of gold as collateral and begun buying materials in bulk. For an entire week, he forged almost without rest. Clang! Another First-Rank Common Weapon emerged from the forge.

After inspection and certification by the Internal Affairs Hall, Su Zhe received three hundred taels of silver. After deducting material costs, his profit came to two hundred taels. Two hundred taels in a single week. For an ordinary disciple, that was a staggering amount of money. It demonstrated just how valuable a weapon smith with a high success rate could be. Success rate was everything in this profession.

A typical First-Rank Smith had only about a thirty-percent chance of successfully forging a First-Rank weapon. In other words, if someone wanted to reliably produce one weapon, they usually needed to prepare enough materials for three attempts. Su Zhe, however, was different. With the strength of four bulls, combined with the Thousand Tempering Technique, a single strike from him carried the equivalent forging force of four strikes from an ordinary master smith.

His efficiency when carving and refining weapon patterns was far beyond normal standards. As a result, his initial success rate had already been around fifty percent. After a week of relentless practice, it had climbed to nearly seventy percent. That was the real reason he had become the center of attention. For most smiths, merely breaking even would have been considered fortunate. There was another problem as well. Continuous forging was brutal on both mind and body.

Day after day spent alone at the forge could wear down a person's spirit. The monotony and isolation often led to frustration, distraction, and eventually mistakes. Physically, forging required constant use of the Thousand Tempering Technique and the Savage Bull Hammer Art, placing tremendous strain on the body. Over time, hidden injuries accumulated. If those injuries erupted all at once, the consequences could be severe. Fortunately, neither issue troubled Su Zhe. His physique was absurdly powerful.

In only a few short days, he had cultivated the Fiend Tiger Blade Art from nothing to Minor Mastery. Combined with Minor Mastery in the Flood Dragon Technique and Major Mastery in the Savage Bull Technique, the three arts together had transformed him into something resembling a monster. As for the psychological burden... Having survived the soul-crushing corporate grind of his previous life, Su Zhe felt that earning this much money simply by forging weapons was practically paradise.

When your hobby becomes your profession, motivation comes naturally. And it lasts....

"Junior Brother, take a break!"

"At least go wash up and try on the outfit I prepared for you." Xiao Xunhuan approached carrying a silk-wrapped bundle. Su Zhe already knew about the wager between Xiao Xunhuan and Guo Ju. He immediately waved his hands. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

"Senior Brother, that's really not necessary. It was only a joke. How can I accept something like this?" Xiao Xunhuan shot him a fierce look, stuffed the bundle into his arms, and said,"What nonsense are you talking about? Refusing it now is just embarrassing your senior brother."

"If Eldest Senior Brother hears about this, he'll never let me live it down. Besides, all I have to do is spend a little less time chasing women for a while." Su Zhe wanted to protest further, but the determination in Xiao Xunhuan's eyes left no room for argument.

"... Alright." He opened the bundle. Inside was an entire set of finely crafted clothing and accessories. A sky-blue robe woven from the finest silk of the southern regions, embroidered with a lifelike azure dragon. A brilliant crimson feathered cloak whose colors shimmered like fire. A belt strung with polished jade-green beads, each one clear and luminous. An exquisitely carved white-jade pendant, smooth and warm to the touch.

A pair of rhinoceros-hide bracers studded with golden rivets, both elegant and imposing. And a pair of white brocade boots adorned with delicate blue floral patterns. The entire ensemble radiated wealth and refinement.

"Those are premium goods!"

"None of them are magical treasures, but every rich young master in the city would kill for a set like that."

"Senior Brother Xiao really spent a fortune this time."

"At least a hundred taels!"

"Ever since Junior Brother arrived, Senior Brother Xiao has been working harder than ever—whether it's cultivation or forging." The disciples of the Artisan Hall gathered around, exclaiming in amazement while eagerly explaining the value of each item. After all, Su Zhe had grown up in a poor household and knew little about such luxuries.

Although Su Zhe's status had steadily risen and he now had some money to his name, there was no way he could bring himself to spend his hard-earned wealth on what he considered useless luxuries.

"Junior Brother Xiao, this... this is far too expensive. The uniform issued by the Artisan Hall is more than enough for me..." Su Zhe shook his head repeatedly.

"If I tell you to wear it, then wear it. Why so much nonsense?" Xiao Xunhuan interrupted, giving him a shove.

"Buying gifts is troublesome. I hate complicated things—they make my head hurt. So I just picked a style I liked and got it for you."

"Now hurry up, wash yourself properly, get dressed, and let your senior brother have a look."

"You spend every day looking like a blacksmith. If you go out and people find out you're my junior brother, wouldn't that damage my reputation?" Then he added with a frown:"And stop acting so hesitant. That's exactly the kind of behavior Master hates most."

"Aren't you planning to visit your family? You're a direct disciple of the Artisan Hall now. How can you show up looking so shabby?" Su Zhe could only smile bitterly. At that point, refusing any further would have been rude. He went to the rear courtyard of the Artisan Hall, thoroughly washed away the sweat and grime, and then put on the outfit Xiao Xunhuan had prepared for him. Ancient-style clothing was far more complicated than modern attire.

There were layers upon layers of garments, waist sashes, wrist guards, belts, and various accessories that needed to be wrapped and secured properly. Fortunately, Xiao Xunhuan had thought of everything. While helping Su Zhe transform his appearance, he patiently taught him the proper way to wear each piece. Ordinarily, Su Zhe had little interest in such things. Yet faced with the cumbersome dressing process, he felt no irritation at all. Instead, warmth filled his heart. He was genuinely touched.

At that moment, Su Zhe felt like Sun Wukong entering the Dragon King's Palace of the Eastern Sea and walking away with a magnificent set of golden armor and cloud-stepping boots.

"Handsome! Now that's what an Artisan Hall disciple should look like!"

"No kidding—clothes really do make the man. Dressed like this, Junior Brother puts all those rich young masters in Lu County to shame!" The senior brothers couldn't stop praising him. Su Zhe had always possessed naturally striking features. Previously, however, he had been thin, undernourished, and sickly-looking, with hollow cheeks and a yellowish complexion. But after only a month of martial training, his body had transformed.

He was powerfully built, stood well over six feet tall, and possessed sharp brows, bright eyes, and a refined, heroic bearing. Someone brought over a polished bronze mirror from the forge. Su Zhe stared at his reflection. The young man in the mirror looked handsome, vigorous, and full of life. For a moment, he could hardly believe it was himself.

"Damn," Xiao Xunhuan exclaimed, grinning.

"If I took you to the Mandarin House, those girls would lose their minds."

"They wouldn't just waive the fee—they'd probably pay you for the privilege!" The brothel joke sent everyone roaring with laughter. Xiao Xunhuan admired Su Zhe as though he were a masterpiece he had personally crafted. Then he suddenly clutched his chest in exaggerated despair.

"It's over! Completely over!"

"The title of Most Handsome Man in the Artisan Hall changes hands today!"

"Hahaha!" The hall erupted with laughter again. The craftsmen of the Artisan Hall devoted themselves wholeheartedly to the pursuit of forging. Unlike many sects, they rarely schemed against one another or engaged in petty rivalries. Su Zhe had only been here for half a month. Yet without realizing it, his sense of belonging had grown deeper and deeper. Artisan Hall Hall Master's Chamber"Master, you summoned me?" Dressed in his new attire, Su Zhe entered the hall and respectfully bowed to Sun Tiexin.

The burly Hall Master looked him over and immediately widened his eyes.

"You brat... I never noticed before. You've actually got quite the face on you."

"Almost as handsome as I was when I was young!"

"This time, Xunhuan actually did something worthwhile." Su Zhe nearly laughed. Sun Tiexin was built like a mountain, with a fierce face, thick muscles, and enough intimidation to frighten small children. He looked less like a handsome youth and more like a demonic warlord straight out of legend. More handsome than Sun Tiexin in his prime? That was hard to believe.

"Master's elegance is unparalleled. This disciple naturally cannot compare." Maintaining a perfectly straight face, Su Zhe echoed the compliment back.

"Hahaha! What a slippery little brat!" Sun Tiexin immediately saw through the insincere flattery and burst into hearty laughter. As both a martial artist and master craftsman, he couldn't care less about appearances. Besides, he already viewed Su Zhe quite favorably. The reason was simple. Ever since this absurdly hardworking monster had joined the Artisan Hall, the other disciples had become afraid of being surpassed by him.

As a result, they had all begun training desperately in both martial arts and craftsmanship. Even Xiao Xunhuan had recently broken through into the Third Rank realm. Sun Tiexin was a straightforward, rough-tempered man. His teaching philosophy consisted largely of beating and scolding disciples into shape. As for tailoring instruction to individual talents? He had no idea how to do such a thing. Yet somehow, Su Zhe's arrival had created a positive chain reaction throughout the entire Artisan Hall.

The thought alone was enough to make Sun Tiexin wake up laughing. After studying Su Zhe for a moment, he finally spoke.

"You forged a true weapon on your very first attempt. To the Blacksmiths' Guild, that makes you extremely valuable. There's even a good chance you'll be accepted into the Sword-Casting Manor."

"Because of that, I've discussed it with the others and obtained special permission for you to select a Third-Rank mortal-grade weapon." A Third-Rank weapon. Su Zhe's heart leaped with delight. But at the same time, hearing the name Sword-Casting Manor, he couldn't help feeling puzzled. He had never heard of it before.