Chapter 172

Chapter 172: Forging Conference (3)

According to the rules of the forging conference, the starting event involved ranked skilled weapon makers undergoing advancement evaluations. The conference assigned specialists to register candidates in areas designated for first- to sixth-tier skilled weapon makers. Anyone wishing to advance could sign up, and specific forging sessions would be arranged based on the number of participants.

Lou Yun had initially found this odd. Logically, the opening event should involve new candidates taking exams to become recognized skilled weapon makers. Why did established practitioners get first priority?

Watching the scene unfold, he understood. The sheer number wishing to advance was staggering, especially among the first-, second-, third-, and fourth-tier skilled weapon makers. Nearly everyone in these ranks had registered. Evidently, with this grand forging conference held only once every three years, every participant aimed to seize the opportunity to rise in rank. Failure carried no penalty, while success was naturally ideal.

However, beyond the fifth-tier skilled weapon maker level, fewer sought advancement. This time, only one person had registered. None at all registered for sixth-tier advancement. Many had hoped Fan Ruobing might step forward for seventh-tier evaluation, but he sat there, immensely calm, clearly uninterested.

As for Beichen Ming, he naturally did not register either. Instead of his seat, he was in the VIP area chatting with Liu Feifan.

After registrations closed, specialists compiled the list and organized advancement tests from the lowest to highest tiers.

Xu Yangteng had informed Lou Yun beforehand that advancement tests had time limits. New candidates had slightly longer allowances, since forging before such a large audience for the first time could lead to unexpected circumstances.

First-tier skilled weapon maker evaluations began first, limited to half an hour per session. Ten participants forged simultaneously under the scrutiny of evaluators—fifth- or sixth-tier skilled weapon makers stationed nearby.

Materials and forging furnaces were typically brought by participants. Most first-tier skilled weapon makers lacked furnaces, so the conference provided standardized ones of identical quality.

First-tier skilled weapon makers were the most numerous. Testing everyone took a full day and night.

Initially, Lou Yun watched with interest. Soon though, he lost eagerness. To him now, their skill level was far too low to be engaging. Their forging processes seemed fraught with vulnerabilities springing forth everywhere. Minor refinements would yield dramatically better results—shame they remained oblivious.

Finally, first-tier evaluations concluded. Results showed over a thousand had advanced to second-tier. Others retained their original rank.

Next came second-tier evaluations. Lou Yun focused intently—Xu Yangteng’s turn was approaching.

Rules were unchanged: ten participants per group, progressing concurrently. Xu Yangteng was in the fifteenth group.

Group after group completed their turn. At last, Xu Yangteng stepped forward.

Before starting, Xu Yangteng glanced toward the novice section. Lou Yun clenched his fist and squeezed silently in encouragement. Xu Yangteng returned a smile radiating confidence—clear proof of his self-assurance regarding his forging capability.

Though Lou Yun and Xu Yangteng were close, he had never actually seen Xu Yangteng forge weapons before. This was a first.

While skilled weapon makers could craft their own furnaces once highly ranked, lower-tier practitioners typically purchased theirs. Those from prestigious families were exceptions, as their clans invested heavily in nurturing any member showing forging talent.

Xu Yangteng clearly lacked such backing. He possessed his own furnace—a half-meter-tall black one—but it appeared cumbersome and of mediocre quality.

With measured movements, Xu Yangteng placed his forging materials inside the furnace one by one. After double-checking, he closed the lid and raised his hand signaling readiness.

A sixth-tier skilled weapon maker before him nodded approval. Xu Yangteng summoned a flame in his hand—the fundamental human flame he had cultivated himself.

Tossing the flame beneath the furnace, Xu Yangteng officially began. Lou Yun directed his spiritual awareness into the furnace immediately.

To present Lou Yun, Xu Yangteng’s skill remained unimpressive. He could pinpoint numerous flaws. Yet unlike when he’d watched others, Lou Yun was now on edge, fearing these minor errors might cause outright failure.

Half an hour passed swiftly. Xu Yangteng succeeded in crafting a high-level common weapon within the timeframe. Though it lacked defensive properties, its rank was decent: high-level three stars. By standards, this should ensure advancement.

Indeed, results confirmed Xu Yangteng had advanced.

Xu Yangteng flashed Lou Yun a smile. Lou Yun grinned back, raising a thumbs up—genuinely happy for his senior friend.

Evaluations for second-tier skilled weapon makers concluded after over a day. Now third-tier skilled weapon makers took the stage.

After Xu Yangteng descended, Lou Yun shut his eyes, uninterested in further spectating. Privately, he questioned why he’d even attended this conference at all.

Fellow novices and practitioners like Xu Yangteng, whose skills required significant growth, found it worthwhile. Observing others’ forging helped them grasp nuances, identify weaknesses, and seek improvement methods. Thus, they watched raptly.

Lou Yun, however, had already achieved remarkable forging expertise. Watching low-tier practitioners offered him no insight whatsoever.

His plan was to wait until fourth-tier skilled weapon makers appeared, hoping something might spark his interest. But when third-tier evaluations reached their midpoint, a booming voice pierced the air:

"My furnace exploded inexplicably during forging two days ago! Could you provide me one now?"

The words were ordinary, but the voice struck Lou Yun as intensely familiar. He snapped open his eyes, searching for its source. Recognition ignited instantly—this was someone he knew well, someone with an extraordinary connection to him!

Despite being barely over eighteen, Lou Yun was already a teacher. He had three disciples: a child pair adopted by Yi Jin Guan, and another—Lei Nu—who had actually been one of his own instructors at the Ancient Weapon Academy!

Lei Nu, a third-tier skilled weapon maker, was obsessively passionate about forging. At the academy, he taught forging courses—an elective, leaving him mostly idle. Initially unconnected to Lou Yun, he began seeking Lou Yun out daily after hearing how Lou Yun defeated Xu Baichuan, Tianrang City’s fourth-tier skilled weapon maker. Lou Yun answered his queries patiently.

Later, when Lou Yun planned to open a common weapon shop in Tianrang City and sought Lei Nu’s management aid, Lei Nu offered a condition: accepting him as a disciple. With no other option, Lou Yun took his very first apprentice. Proving worthy, Lei Nu thrived running Lou Yun’s shop alone while Lou Yun was away, turning it into a renowned, bustling venture citywide.

Truthfully, during his fugitive life, Lou Yun had nearly forgotten about his shop entirely, let alone this first disciple. Attending the forging conference, it never crossed his mind to look for Lei Nu either.

Yet now, Lei Nu’s thunderous voice snapped Lou Yun back to memory.

Lou Yun tapped his forehead lightly. His memory proved truly unreliable! Lei Nu as a third-tier skilled weapon maker and forging fanatic—how could he possibly miss such a grand forging conference?

By that time, Lei Nu had received the conference’s standard furnace and immersed himself in forging. Lou Yun fixated intensely on his fate, spiritual awareness locked onto him once more.

Lou Yun remained unaware that managing Lou Yun’s shop—forging weapons under Lou Yun’s name while enjoying increasingly premium materials—had honed Lei Nu’s skills considerably. The outcome? Lei Nu successfully advanced to become a fourth-tier skilled weapon maker.

True to his forthright nature, triumph instantly lit Lei Nu’s face. He headed back to his section afterward. Yet just before stepping off the platform, Lei Nu halted abruptly. Lifting his face skyward, he inhaled deeply, then roared with all his might:

"Master! Did you see?! I’m a fourth-tier skilled weapon maker now! When will you return?! I’ve got so many questions to ask!"