บท 16: Master and Disciple
"If he wants to learn under my tutelage, he must pass a test of mine," Shi Zhang said after careful consideration.
'With this test, I will know if this kid is arrogant and thinks that the world revolves around him. From his skinny body alone, it's quite possible that he only has a strength around 3-5 ren.'
Shi Xingwan pushed Shi Li from the back and Shi Li got his father's intentions thus he nodded and asked respectfully, "What test shall I have to do Senior?"
Seeing that the young man was respectful towards him, Shi Zhang couldn't help but smile inwardly as he said, "It's just a simple test."
He then tossed the hammer he was using to Shi Li as he continued, "You have to make a dent on a metal I'll give you."
Shi Li tilted his head as he was confused. He felt that there was something between the lines of Shi Zhang's words, but he couldn't really guess what.
Shi Zhang stood up and went to the back of the furnace as he grabbed something.
"Hngg...gyah!"
Shi Zhang couldn't help but grunt as he lifted the metal up. From the loud and slow steps Shi Zhang was taking, it was quite obvious for Shi Li that the metal he had to hit was large...and heavy...and possibly dense.
But what he saw in front of him actually defied his expectations.
Indeed, Shi Zhang was breathing heavily as multiple beads of sweat dropped from his forehead. But for some reason, his arms were fully extended to its ends as he struggled to lift the material he's currently holding.
It was a chunk of metal the size of a fist. The metal glowed a dark crimson red as its surface looked like the billions of stars hung on the night sky.
After a while, Shi Zhang released his grip from the metal, letting it fall with a hard thud. The floor cracked once the metal fell; it also left a crater on the floor, making it lie flat parallel to the floor.
"Uh..." Shi Li gripped on Shi Zhang's hammer as he asked, "Senior...w-what metal is that?"
"Red Star Steel," Shi Zhang took a few deep breaths before he answered Shi Li's question. His eyes gleamed whenever he looks at the small piece of metal in front of him. "Although it's small in size, it's incredibly heavy. Even with my strength at 750 ren, I still struggle with carrying that thing."
Listening to what Shi Zhang said, his strength that was equivalent to 750 ren was equal to the cultivation of an intermediate stage Martial Master. According to Tian Zhenfei's memories, the Martial Master realm was also known as the Qi Accumulation realm, which does say more when compared to the words Martial Master.
As for Martial Beginners, it's called the Tempering realm in Tian Zhenfei's memories. Martial Novices, Adepts, and Elites are called Skin Tempering, Bone Tempering, and Organ Tempering stages respectively.
"So...what do I do?" Shi Li asked one more time because he was sure he wouldn't be able to leave a dent on the metal.
"As I said, leave a dent on the metal," Shi Zhang said in a calm and serious manner. He then looked at Shi Li with an examining gaze. 'Let's see if you're really arrogant or not.'
Shi Li couldn't help but sigh lightly. Since his father's friend told him the same instructions one more time, of course he had to try at least once.
He took a few steps forward, standing directly in front of the Red Star Steel. He then raised his hammer as he calmed his emotions. According to Tian Zhenfei's memories, one's heart should be calm and one must be rational in order to exert a person's full strength.
And that's what he just did.
In just a few seconds, his eyes became devoid of life as if he was just a statue. His body turned stiff as he attuned himself to the surroundings, preparing for the right time to strike.
It was also at these moments that Shi Li circulated the power of his soul.
At that instant, Shi Zhang raised his eyebrow in surprise. "Oh? He's at the peak of the first stage? This might end up becoming slightly more interesting."
After circulating the power of his soul all over his body and then channeling it to his hands, Shi Li regained his vigor and swung the hammer down as hard as he can on the metal.
Bang!
The sound from the collision was quite loud since both the hammer and the material Shi Li hit were metal. Shi Li looked at the area he hit for a bit before retracting his hammer to see if he made a dent.
To his shock, there was a noticeable dent on the metal around 2 centimeters deep. Shi Li rubbed his eyes for a bit to see if he was just hallucinating. After confirming that he wasn't dreaming, he jumped in joy as he was able to leave a dent. That meant that he was going to progress in his cultivation.
Shi Zhang looked at this and couldn't help but smile. 'I was worrying about nothing at all it seems. Xingwan's kid had a sincere intention to learn forging from me rather than half-heartedly learn it from me then boast about knowing how to forge weapons.'
'Judging from the clean dent he made, his heart's intention was pure and sincere. And according to Xingwan himself, his son has an aptitude at the level of Quasi-World, a rare aptitude to come across. If I trained him to become my successor, I could truly live without any regrets!'
Shi Zhang looked at Shi Li which made Shi Li stop jumping in joy. Shi Li didn't really want to offend his father's friends so he usually tried to stay as calm and collected as possible. With Tian Zhenfei's memories, it was easier to do so but sometimes his own thoughts let him get the better of him.
At this moment though, Shi Zhang couldn't help but laugh which surprised Shi Li. He then came close to Shi Li and pat him on the shoulders. "Great job Shi Li! I definitely didn't expect you would be able to leave a dent on the Red Star Steel."
"I didn't expect it either," Shi Li stayed humble, "If I might ask, how was I able to leave a dent?"
"That's because of your pure heart," Shi Zhang replied since he was going to take Shi Li in as his disciple. "To use Red Star Steel in forging, the blacksmith must have a pure heart throughout the process, not allowing any corrupt or impure thoughts enter."
"That's why it was easier for you to leave a dent on the metal," Shi Zhang smiled. "Anyways, Shi Li, your lessons with me start tomorrow around noon since I have something to do in the morning. Also, don't forget to call me your Master whenever we're together."
Shi Li's eyes gleamed with glee after hearing that he would be able to learn from one of the greatest blacksmiths of the Shi clan. He puffed his chest up and said...
"Yes, Master!"
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TrueDawn
TrueDawn And so, his side quest of becoming a blacksmith starts now. Will he be able to reach the second stage of Martial Novice? Find out soon enough.
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