"Begin!"
Suddenly, everyone started moving at once as the forging began, sending sparks flying through the air.
Ye Cheng took a deep breath. He pumped his bellows, watching the charcoal in his furnace glow a deep, intense red. For four years, he had performed these exact actions through brute-force memory, copying the mechanical steps without truly understanding why they worked.
But as he opened the revised manual in his mind, the words flowed like clear water, washing away his doubts.
Think of the fire as a delicate string rather than a heavy tool. Instead of forcing the metal, gently guide the energy through it.
Ye Cheng placed his iron ingot into the fire. As the metal heated to a cherry-red glow, he reached into his pouch and pulled out a handful of the Spiritflame Herb. He tossed it directly into the furnace.
Right away, a sweet smell filled the air around his station, covering up the strong smell of burning sulfur. The fire in his furnace turned a bright, clean purple.
As Ye Cheng pulled the glowing metal out and placed it on the anvil, he raised his hammer.
Clang!
The first hit vibrated through his arms. But instead of feeling hard to shape, the metal felt soft and smooth. The smoke from the Spiritflame Herb reacted with the iron, drawing out tiny bits of impurities and blowing them away as dark dust.
He began to guide his inner energy. He followed the book's instructions precisely, instead of forcing it into the refining material like usual, he divided the flow first. Only after the qi inside the materials reached balance did he begin to shape it.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Each strike of the hammer was perfectly timed. For the first time in his life, Ye Cheng felt an absolute connection to the metal. He understood why a strike at a certain angle was necessary to lock the spiritual energy within the blade, and the exact temperature the iron needed to be to prevent the spiritual array from shattering.
He wasn't just copying instructions anymore. He was crafting. With each strike, the shape of the sword gradually emerged.
As time went by, the other trainees began finishing their work.
"Done!" Chen Jing shouted proudly, presenting a crude iron dagger.
The examiner inspected it, nodding slowly: "Grade Zero, Level One spirit weapon. Barely stable, but it qualifies. Pass."
Four other trainees successfully presented their weapons, each receiving their Level One Refiner badges with tears of joy and pride.
Many trainees also failed. Some weapons couldn't retain spiritual energy at all. But those trainees were discouraged, after all, it was only their first year. They still have time, unlike Ye Cheng.
Soon, it was Ye Cheng's turn. Ye Cheng pulled the sword out, wiped it dry, and walked toward the examiners' table.
The trainees watched with smirks, expecting the usual result; a shattered blade or a weapon devoid of any spiritual energy.
If Ye Cheng was an ordinary person from a simple background, they might have sympathized with him, but he was a young master from the Ye family. The Ye family is not a family those young trainees from humble backgrounds dares to offend. So there was obvious jealousy in their resentment.
Ye Cheng placed the sword on the table. The chief examiner, an elderly man with decades of refining experience, picked up the blade. He ran his fingers along the flat of the sword, intending to give a quick, dismissive evaluation.
Suddenly, the examiner froze. His eyes widened, and he let out a gasp: "What... what is this?"
The other two examiners, including Master Lu, leaned forward. The chief examiner channeled his own spiritual energy into the blade.
The sword responded right away. A bright silver light glowed from the steel, making a clear and steady sound. The energy stayed inside and flowed smoothly through the blade, making the iron sword much stronger than normal.
"The spiritual energy... it is incredibly pure," the chief examiner muttered in disbelief: "And so stable! Although the material used is simple iron, making this technically a Grade Zero, Level One spirit weapon... the quality of the refinement is so high that it is actively approaching Level Two!"
The hall fell into a deathly, suffocating silence.
"Approaching Level Two?!" Chen Jing gasped, his face turning pale. "From common iron? That's impossible! He must have cheated!"
"Silence!" the chief examiner roared, glaring at Chen Jing before turning his gaze back to Ye Cheng, his eyes filled with profound respect and curiosity: "Young man, how did you achieve such a high level of purification? The distribution of the spiritual array within this blade is flawless. Who taught you this technique?"
Ye Cheng remained calm, his expression was unreadable. He had anticipated this question, and he wasn't foolish enough to bring trouble to his household. Right now, he wasn't strong enough to protect himself and his family.
He bowed respectfully toward the examiners' table, as his gaze landed directly on Master Lu:
"This disciple was only able to achieve this result thanks to my master, Master Lu's profound teachings." Ye Cheng paused and added: "It was Master Lu who provided me with the manual and guided my foundation over these past years."
Several heads immediately turned toward master Lu. Master Lu's face stiffened.
What? My technique, which technique?! Master Lu screamed internally. He knew the manual he had given Ye Cheng was flawed, a trap that he had used to keep the boy working as a cheap assistant! It was impossible for that manual to produce a weapon of this quality!
But as the other Guild Masters turned to look at him with wide, admiring eyes, Master Lu realized the trap he was in. If he denied it, he would have to admit he gave a flawed manual to a disciple, destroying his own reputation. He had no choice but to accept.
"Ah... yes, indeed," Master Lu stammered, smoothing down his robes as he tried hard to look dignified: "I... I saw great potential in Ye Cheng, he is also very hard working, even after four years of failure, he hasn't given up yet. I am pleased to see he has finally grasped my intent."
"Master Lu, you are truly a hidden dragon!" the chief examiner laughed, patting Master Lu on the back: "To hide such an excellent purification technique and teach it to a struggling disciple... truly admirable!"
"Every master keeps a few things to himself." Master Lu forced a tight, sweating smile, nodding along while glaring at Ye Cheng with a mixture of anger and bewilderment.
"No wonder you've tolerated this boy for many years. You knew he would eventually surprise everyone."
Master Lu's smile became increasingly unnatural: "Ah, yes, yes,... of course."
"Old Lu, you're really cunning."
"Haha."
Master Lu laughs, only he knew how uncomfortable he felt.
Ye Cheng accepted his Level One Refiner license happily.
As he walked out of the guild, the cold evening air hitting his face, he realized that this trial was a major turning point. For four years, he had been a blind man copying shapes in the dark. But today, the improved manual and the Spiritflame Herb had opened his eyes.
He now had a new understanding.
the sword spirit finally spoke: "You did it, kid. You're a real refiner now. It won't be long now before you craft me a suitable body."
"That's all you care about, you old geezer."