Chương 42: Wang Shan — The Old Bastard Has No Honor!

Su Zhe stood among the crowd at the Artisan Hall, staring at the scene before him in stunned silence. Sword-casting Manor… the Black Armored Cavalry… No wonder Wang Shan had been willing to risk everything to send Yu Yi into Sword-casting Manor. The strength of these Black Armored soldiers was terrifying. Any one of them could easily hold off one of the Ironsmith Gang's three giants alone. And there were over a hundred of them here. What did that mean? Su Zhe's mind buzzed.

Over a hundred Fourth-Realm martial warriors… They could sweep through all eighteen counties of Tang Prefecture without breaking a sweat. Even Su Zhe was shaken by Sword-casting Manor's overwhelming power. If it were merely a hundred Fourth-Realm experts, that alone wouldn't have been enough to stun him this badly. The truly frightening part was— They were all wearing heavy armor. This wasn't like the light inner armor Su Zhe wore.

Heavy armor was forged from interlocking metal plates and rings, made of exceptionally hard materials. It covered nearly the entire body—head, shoulders, chest, back, arms, and legs. By contrast, Su Zhe's inner armor was made from flexible materials and only protected his upper body. These heavily armored cavalrymen looked like iron war gods clawing their way out of hell. Or like mechanized soldiers from the sci-fi films of his previous life. The sheer visual impact alone was enough to crush the will to resist.

Su Zhe quickly estimated the value. A full suit of heavy armor is made from numerous Second-Grade Mortal Weapons—breastplates, pauldrons, bracers, and more. Combined together, their value rivals a complete Third-Grade Mortal Weapon set. And this? This was only a hundred Black Cavalry. Sword-casting Manor had tens of thousands of them. Heavy armor wasn't just a weapon of war. It was a furnace for burning money. Su Zhe sighed inwardly. On one hand, he was awed by its power.

On the other, he was stunned by Sword-casting Manor's wealth. How much was tens of thousands of Third-Grade equipment worth? When Su Zhe forged a First-Grade Mortal Weapon, it sold for twenty taels of silver—excluding the discounts Sun Tiexin gave him. Second-Grade weapons were worth around sixty taels. As for Third-Grade weapons? In Lu County, they were practically priceless. Strategic resources. Controlled by powerful figures, rarely circulating on the market.

Even at Sword-casting Manor, each one would probably cost several hundred taels. Tens of thousands of them… At minimum— Nearly ten million taels of silver. Su Zhe's eyes gleamed. If all that money were mine… wouldn't that be pure bliss? The little miser in him instantly developed a deep admiration for Sword-casting Manor. Of course, it wasn't about money. He simply admired their noble role as the righteous leader of Tang Prefecture. Yes. That was definitely it.

This martial world shared many rules with ancient China. The Great Qian Dynasty strictly forbade private ownership of heavy armor. Even Lu County's major factions didn't dare stockpile it. That was tantamount to openly declaring rebellion. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. There was even a saying among the common folk: Hide heavy armor, invite disaster. Stockpile it in secret, doom your whole clan. One suit rivals three crossbows—three suits send you to the underworld.

If the Ironsmith Gang were found hoarding more than three suits of heavy armor, the government would likely tear off all pretenses and unite the eighteen county magistrates to exterminate them. Yet Sword-casting Manor could openly maintain tens of thousands of armored troops. Which meant— Even Tang Prefecture's government lacked the power to restrain them. Sword-casting Manor… What a monstrous force. Su Zhe silently came to that conclusion.

Then, as a craftsman, his gaze naturally shifted to the forging craftsmanship of their armor. He couldn't help but study it with fascination.

"My humble self, Yang Dingtian, Gang Leader of the Ironsmith Gang. Greetings, honored guests!" Yang Dingtian hurried forward and bowed deeply. Even the prideful Wang Shan and Sun Tiexin followed behind him, showing proper respect. The hundred Black Cavalry stood motionless like mountains. At their head, the commander removed her helmet. It was a woman. She wore a white cloak over black armor, her figure tall and straight.

Her features were soft and elegant, her eyes like autumn waters, carrying a faint trace of compassion. Her beauty was refined, and her temperament approachable, naturally putting others at ease.

"Gang Leader Yang, Hall Master Wang, Hall Master Sun… you are too courteous."

"My name is Li Shanyun. I am a disciple of the Master of Lifespring Hall, one of Sword-casting Manor's Four Great Manor Lords."

"The Ironsmith Gang is renowned across Tang Prefecture's eighteen counties. All of you are my seniors. Please, there is no need for such formality." Li Shanyun dismounted immediately and returned the salute. Her smile was gentle, like flowing water. Every year, Sword-casting Manor sent inner disciples to verify promising talents from its territories. This year, Li Shanyun had been assigned as Lu County's special envoy. The three giants were visibly moved. A disciple of one of the Four Manor Lords?

Within Sword-casting Manor, the Grand Manor Lord ruled supreme. Under him were four subordinate halls, each governed by a Manor Lord. Even the weakest among them was at least in the Sixth Realm—peak experts of Tang Prefecture. As for the Grand Manor Lord? His cultivation was unfathomable. Lifespring Hall, in particular, specialized in alchemy, medicine, healing arts, and spiritual herb cultivation. Its position within Sword-casting Manor was extraordinarily important.

Anyone accepted under one of the Four Manor Lords was a dragon among men. How could they dare be disrespectful?

"Lady Li possesses peerless grace and such humility. Your presence truly honors our Ironsmith Gang." Yang Dingtian replied with a hurried smile. Female disciples were rare in the Ironsmith Gang. And now a beauty like Li Shanyun had suddenly appeared. The eyes of many disciples practically bulged out. Xiao Xunhuan subconsciously adjusted his hair, narrowed his eyes, and straightened his posture.

"A woman like this… should be conquered beneath my robes." he muttered. His voice had suddenly dropped several octaves. Beside him, Guo Ju rolled his eyes. What's with that weird seductive voice all of a sudden?

"Black Armored Cavalry, hear my command!" Li Shanyun's voice rang out sharply.

"Yes!" Over a hundred voices answered in unison, like thunder exploding across the plains.

"Hold this position."

"Yes!" At once, the cavalry remained mounted, becoming like black statues. Absolute discipline. Orders obeyed without question.

"Lady Li, we have prepared a modest banquet. Please, come inside so we may speak properly." Yang Dingtian invited warmly, bowing with an open-handed gesture. Li Shanyun nodded. The group entered together. Inside the Ironsmith Gang's reception hall, a grand feast of a hundred tables had already been laid out. Cups clinked and wine flowed. It was a magnificent sight. Su Zhe sat together with the inner disciples of Artisan Hall. Most of these blacksmiths were rough men and bottomless pits when it came to food.

And many dishes tonight were made from ingredients close to demon-beast grade. As for Sword-casting Manor's envoy? That had little to do with them. Better to fill their stomachs first. The Ironsmith Gang's three leaders showed great reverence toward Swordf-casting Manor. Li Shanyun, however, remained humble.

"I wonder—which disciple is your gang sending for Sword-casting Manor's entrance assessment this year?" She took a sip of wine and asked with a smile. Wang Shan's stern face immediately revealed a trace of pride.

"Yu Yi! Step forward!" Yu Yi rose from his seat and strode forward.

"Disciple present!" Wang Shan nodded.

"This is my disciple from the Warbreaker Hall—Yu Yi. He possesses Grade-A Bone Talent, and his comprehension is exceptional as well." Yang Dingtian chuckled and added:"I personally examined this boy's bones. Though my bone-reading technique is incomplete, I could at least tell he has Grade-A aptitude. As for what rank within Grade-A, I couldn't tell."

"I've long heard that Lifespring Hall is famous for its four supreme arts—alchemy, martial medicine, healing, and herbs. Since your medical arts study the human body itself, Lady Li's bone-reading must far surpass mine."

"Why not trouble yourself to examine him and settle our curiosity?" Li Shanyun's eyes shifted to Yu Yi, surprise flashing across them. She rose and walked toward him. Yu Yi's body immediately stiffened. Up close, Li Shanyun's beauty was even more striking. A faint fragrance drifted into his nose, making this hopelessly straight-laced young man awkward beyond words. Li Shanyun lifted her slender hand. A thread of white inner qi flowed from her fingertips. Pop! Pop! Pop!

The qi split—one into two, two into four— Then instantly landed on the major acupoints across Yu Yi's body.

"Grade-A… upper-mid tier." She nodded.

"Not bad. Even among Grade-A talents, this qualifies as exceptional." Her gaze toward Yu Yi softened noticeably. To enter Sword-casting Manor, Grade-A talent was the minimum requirement. But even Grade-A had distinctions— Lower, middle, upper. And above Grade-A… There were even greater monsters. For Lu County, Grade-A talent already meant supreme genius. But in the wider world, there were heights beyond that. Hearing Li Shanyun's explanation, the Ironsmith Gang disciples finally understood the hierarchy.

Su Zhe quietly memorized it all. Upper-mid Grade-A… roughly equal to my current natural talent… but still inferior to my talent after equipping my Immortal Aperture. This Yu Yi really is a rare genius among Grade-A talents. At the same time, Su Zhe's curiosity toward the tiers beyond Grade-A grew even stronger.

"Yu Yi, was it? Congratulations to your gang. You've produced a fine seedling this year."

"With talent like this, his future at Sword-casting Manor looks promising." Li Shanyun smiled. Wang Shan immediately relaxed. The talent verification had passed. Though he'd expected it, hearing it confirmed still eased his mind. Then he glanced toward Sun Tiexin. That old iron bull had been far too quiet this whole time. Completely unlike himself. And sure enough— Sun Tiexin stroked his thick black beard, squinted, and suddenly spoke.

"Lady Li speaks truly. This year, our Ironsmith Gang has produced many talents."

"Yu Yi's talent is excellent, of course…"

"But under my Artisan Hall, there is also a sixteen-year-old forging prodigy—someone who has studied the Crafting Dao for less than a season, yet can already forge Third-Grade Mortal Weapons." Swish! Wang Shan's face instantly changed. It darkened so badly it looked ready to split. He shot Sun Tiexin a furious glare. This… This old bastard! No honor at all—breaking his word like that!