Chapter 49
A Hundredfold Steel Arrowhead only required one-tenth the material of a steel ingot.
But a Hundredfold Steel dagger required an entire steel ingot to forge.
The forging process was also far more complex than making steel ingots.
Su Wangchuan spent a full two hours successfully forging the Hundredfold Steel dagger. After that, he still had to inlay the handle and sharpen the blade before it could be considered a complete weapon.
Under his master Blacksmith Sun’s guidance, he spent another full hour before finally completing his first finished weapon.
That’s right—Armor-Piercing Arrows could only be considered consumables, not true weapons.
A Hundredfold Steel dagger, on the other hand, was a weapon in the truest sense of the word.
When the entire process was completed and the finished dagger was in his hands, Su Wangchuan finally saw the information feedback:
Hundredfold Steel Dagger: (White Grade)
Durability: 100/100 Attack: 3–5
Sturdy and sharp in quality, but relatively short. Use with caution.
The dagger was about forty centimeters long, double-edged, its cold gleam reflecting off the surface. It was a bit short, but easy to carry. With a bamboo sheath fashioned for it and tucked at the waist, it was not easily noticed.
“This is the first weapon you’ve forged yourself. This weapon is yours now. Keep it properly,” Blacksmith Sun said to Su Wangchuan.
Su Wangchuan loved it dearly and quickly expressed his thanks.
“Thank you, Master.”
A single Hundredfold Steel dagger actually cost five taels of silver.
Between fuel consumption, materials, and labor, the profit margin was not high.
What surprised him, however, was that when he summoned the Status Panel to check whether experience had increased, he found that the experience of 《Hundredfold Steel Forging Technique》 had jumped by a full two points at once.
Su Wangchuan was stunned. It was the first time he had ever seen experience increase in increments of two.
In an instant, a thought occurred to him.
If forging weapons that required more Hundredfold Steel ingots—such as Hundredfold Steel sabers or swords—took longer, would they grant even more experience?
He immediately asked Blacksmith Sun,
“Master, forging a Hundredfold Steel dagger isn’t too difficult. Can you teach me the forging methods for other weapons as well?”
“Of course!”
Blacksmith Sun nodded without hesitation. “Everything your master knows will be passed on to you. Hmm… like this—since you’re currently practicing spear techniques, I’ll first teach you how to forge a Hundredfold Steel spearhead!”
Su Wangchuan immediately recalled the spear he had seen in Captain Zhao Heiniu’s backyard. His eyes lit up.
“Great!”
“Come.”
Blacksmith Sun immediately began instructing him.
“The Hundredfold Steel spearhead uses about the same amount of Hundredfold Steel as a dagger. The main difference is that it needs to be even tougher, and the front must be solid and sharp, for example…”
Blacksmith Sun carefully explained every technique involved in the forging process.
Su Wangchuan spent about two hours completing the forging, then took a piece of pear wood, inlaid and fixed it in place, and finally finished his second weapon.
A Hundredfold Steel spear.
Thus, Su Wangchuan obtained his second weapon.
Hundredfold Steel Spear: (White Grade)
Durability: 100/100
Attack: 3–7
An inch longer, an inch stronger. One thrust, one silence.
The Hundredfold Steel spear had slightly higher attack power than the dagger, with an upper attack limit increased by two points. Even the evaluation text was written with care.
This weapon, too, Blacksmith Sun chose to give to his disciple.
After all, his disciple needed to practice spear techniques.
Su Wangchuan glanced at his Status Panel. The experience of 《Hundredfold Steel Forging Technique》 had reached 4/2000.
As expected, finished Hundredfold Steel weapons granted at least two points of experience.
With this, pushing toward the next realm no longer seemed completely hopeless.
The only remaining problem was how to reasonably mass-produce Hundredfold Steel weapons.
…
At noon the next day, Su Wangchuan had a robot deliver a barbell to his apartment.
He quietly tested increasing the weight to one hundred and sixty kilograms, lifting it with ease. Finally, under the robot’s protection, he tried one hundred and seventy kilograms.
At that point, it already felt somewhat strenuous.
For safety’s sake, he did not continue. He had the robot send the barbell back to the gym.
The fact that improvements to his in-game character’s physical attributes directly carried over to his real-world body filled Su Wangchuan with excitement.
Continuing to train this way would not only earn him a high salary, but also allow him to constantly break through and improve himself.
A win-win situation.
Back in the game, he became even more focused and diligent in his training, seizing every moment.
In Captain Zhao Heiniu’s backyard, after seven consecutive days of training, he finally raised 《Basic Spear Technique》 to the ‘Practice Makes Perfect’ realm, gaining +1 Agility and +1 Strength.
During that time, he completely wore out the spear’s durability until it shattered, forcing him to forge another spear himself before continuing training.
Unfortunately…
Once 《Basic Spear Technique》 reached the Practice Makes Perfect realm, the iron-armored wooden stake method could no longer increase its experience.
Su Wangchuan did not feel discouraged. He immediately went to Captain Zhao Heiniu to ask whether 《Archery》 had a similar fast-training method.
Captain Zhao thought for a moment and came up with an idea.
“Twenty li east of our village is Tianshui Village. You can try your luck there. If you’re lucky, you’ll run into a flock of sparrows and practice your accuracy. If that doesn’t work, go to the stream by Tianshui Village and shoot fish. That will also help you.”
He then reminded him,
“When you’re outside, be careful. The bandits from Blackwind Stronghold haven’t been very active lately, but in winter, vagrants are everywhere. They can turn into bandits at any time. Try to head out in the morning and return to the village before sunset.”
Ever since learning that Su Wangchuan already possessed Quasi-Martial Artist-level strength, Captain Zhao was not worried about him encountering danger outside.
Instead, it was Su Wangchuan himself who hesitated.
Outside the village was definitely more dangerous than inside. If he ran into trouble—especially a powerful Quasi-Martial Artist or a true Martial Artist—this job would be at serious risk.
Was it really worth taking such a risk just for two attribute points?
But if he didn’t go, winter was still long…
After thinking it over, Su Wangchuan decided to change his approach and proactively contact Brother Lin Xun.
The last time Lin Xun and Monk Dalong came to Blackstone Village, they had left their contact information.
The call connected quickly, and Lin Xun’s surprised voice came through.
“Wangchuan?”
“What made you think of calling me?”
“Well, it’s been a while since we last met. I wanted to chat with you, Brother Lin.”
“Oh, cut it out. You must have run into some cultivation trouble. Just say it.”
Lin Xun knew perfectly well that Su Wangchuan never called without a reason.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Su Wangchuan explained the dilemma he was facing.
“You’re already a Quasi-Martial Artist?”
“Congratulations! Hahaha!”
Lin Xun sounded relaxed. “I know about Tianshui Village. With the forest and streams there, sparrows and fish are plentiful—it’s suitable for practicing 《Archery》. Captain Zhao’s recommendation makes sense. But your concern is also valid. How about this—I’ve got a newcomer with me who also needs training. Let’s meet at Tianshui Village tomorrow and train together. I’ll act as a bodyguard for both of you.”
“Really?”
Su Wangchuan was overjoyed. He hadn’t expected such an unexpected gain from a single phone call and immediately agreed.
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