The Magical Blacksmith - Chapter 36

Chapter 36: You Again?

Yin Wenbin was confused. Usually, whenever he revealed that he was from Heavenly Soldier Pavilion, no one would doubt him in terms of forging artifacts.

He had done it multiple times elsewhere and to his surprise, it failed in Lingtai Town’s only blacksmith. Could it be that the people of Lingtai Town had never heard of Heavenly Soldier Pavilion before?

“What are you laughing at?! Heavenly Soldier Pavilion has never been wrong in forging artifacts!” Yin Wenbin bellowed. He knew the group of Golden Core experts did not take him seriously.

What a bunch of idiots.

One of the Golden Core experts was kinder than the others, he wiped his tears and tried his best to hold back the urge to laugh before he showed Yin Wenbin a high-tier artifact.

“Kid, of course I’ve heard of Heavenly Soldier Pavilion and it’s undeniable that they are good at forging, but look at this shining and beautiful high-tier flying sword. Now, do you know why we are laughing?”

“It’s just a high-tier weapon. I am a disciple of Heavenly Soldier Pavilion, of course I’ve seen one before.” Yin Wenbin looked down at the Golden Core expert.

“But have you ever heard of refining a mid-tier flying sword into a high-tier flying sword?” said the Golden Core expert patiently.

“Hahaha! Impossible!” Yin Wenbin cackled.

“We felt the same before but this flying sword was a mid-tier artifact a moment ago. After Owner Zhang refined it, it became a high-tier artifact. This is a fact, whether you believe it or not.” said the Golden Core expert.

The other Golden Core experts also took their newly refined high-tier weapons out and showed Yin Wenbin.

Yin Wenbin’s laughter froze. If only one of them claimed that a mid-tier artifact became a high-tier artifact, he would never believe it but when all the Golden Core experts in the blacksmith took their flying swords out as proof, it forced him to face the facts.

He took one of the flying swords and sized it up carefully. As a fellow forger, he could identify the flying sword’s original material at first glance. The material of the flying sword was only suitable for a mid-tier artifact yet the sword itself was a high-tier artifact.

Yin Wenbin exchanged a quick glance with his junior sister and saw the doubt in her eyes. They were both from Heavenly Soldier Pavilion, their sect had mastered the best forging technique that ever existed and even they could not do something this ridiculous, yet a tiny blacksmith in a rural town did it.

Zhang Zhi watched quietly. He did not join the conversation because troublemakers visited his shop almost everyday. If he had to take care of every one of them, he would not have the time to forge.

A while later, Zhang Zhi believed it was time to send his customers away.

Yin Wenbin looked at Zhang Zhi and said, “You are Owner Zhang of this blacksmith? Even though I don’t know how you upgraded a mid-tier artifact into a high-tier artifact, I am giving you a chance to challenge me!”

The reason Yin Wenbin and his junior sister came to the blacksmith in the first place was to discourage the locals and ruin their trust in the local blacksmith so that they could advertise the name of Heavenly Soldier Pavilion and start a new blacksmith.

However, after knowing Zhang Zhi could upgrade a mid-tier artifact into a high-tier one, it piqued their interest. Yin Wenbin wanted to have a look at Zhang Zhi’s smithing technique.

Of course, he was a proud young man since he was from the best forging sect, Heavenly Soldier Pavilion. Even after he knew that refinement could upgrade a sword’s tier, it did not deter him. He believed he had far superior forging techniques and skills than Zhang Zhi.

Zhang Zhi was thinking about it. Yin Wenbin should be the one to start the challenge yet he said he wanted to give Zhang Zhi a chance to challenge him.

Zhang Zhi wanted to turn it down because earning money and experience was the way to go. The challenge was a waste of time and his effort, it did not benefit him in any way.

“I reject…” Before Zhang Zhi could finish, the system pinged him in his head.

“Triggered sub-mission—competing with a fellow forger is also a way of self-improvement. Accept the challenge and win to receive a reward. Reward: Knives Forging Super Pack (Artifact).

Zhang Zhi originally did not want to waste his time but when the system informed him of a new reward, he was intrigued. The reward this time was the Knives Forging Super Pack, it would allow him to forge every kind of knives related artifacts.

Even though knives were less popular than flying swords in the cultivation world, forging flying swords everyday ceaselessly was a boring and dry operation, he wanted to have variation sometimes.

Since Zhang Zhi had already rejected, Yin Wenbin’s junior sister scoffed coldly. “Hmph! I thought you had something up your sleeves, what’s wrong? Scared when you heard the name Heavenly Soldier Pavilion?”

“There, there, junior sister, you shouldn’t be rude.” Yin Wenbin acted like a gentleman.

“Since Owner Zhang is running a business, if he really lost the challenge, it would surely affect his business and reputation.”

Yin Wenbin might sound less intimidating with his tone but his words were pressuring, as though Zhang Zhi would lose his right to run his blacksmith if he lost.

The Heavenly Soldier Pavilion duo supported each other and continued pressuring Zhang Zhi.

The Golden Core experts felt bad for Zhang Zhi because he was the only blacksmith in Lingtai Town and he was being insulted by Heavenly Soldier Pavilion, of course they would feel angry.

“Owner Zhang! We have your back!”

“Heavenly Soldier Pavilion is nothing! Why don’t they try refining a mid-tier to high-tier before they talk?”

“Owner Zhang, accept the challenge!”

Even though the disciples of Heavenly Soldier Pavilion possessed amazing forging skills, the Golden Core experts believed Zhang Zhi’s own skills were as amazing, so they decided to support him.

“I reject…” Before Zhang Zhi could finish again, the Golden Core experts were already disappointed.

The opponent had practically stepped into Zhang Zhi’s territory and challenged him yet he looked like he was not mad at all. Even if he could not defeat Heavenly Soldier Pavilion in the end, at least he tried and honored himself.

Yin Wenbi cackled loudly. “I thought you were good but now it seems like you are nothing! Maybe you did something during the refinement and refuse to let others know.”

He then looked at the Golden Core experts and said, “You people are a bunch of idiots! Maybe your flying swords have received irreversible damage during the so-called refinement! While you people are being lied to, he’s counting money in his sleep!”

“YOU!” The Golden Core experts were furious but they could not do anything if Zhang Zhi did not want to accept the challenge. Once again, they looked at Zhang Zhi with a hopeful gaze.

“Owner Zhang, this is a battle of honor and pride! You can’t walk away from this!”

“I’m not walking away! I didn’t even get the chance to finish my sentence when you people interrupted me…” Zhang Zhi rolled his eyes white at the experts.

He then looked at Yin Wenbin. “I reject if the challenge is without a bet.”

The Golden Core experts were surprised before it was replaced by happiness, even their eyes were teary. Zhang Zhi did not plan to reject from the start, he just did not want to waste his time if there was no profit involved, as expected of a scrooge!

At that moment, to the Golden Core experts, Zhang Zhi became the people’s hero of Lingtai Town, he was fighting for the honor and pride of the town and the people.

Yin Wenbin grinned. “Oh, so losing to me is not enough? You still want to give me something else?”

“Maybe you will lose and give me something instead,” Zhang Zhi said nonchalantly.

A quick hesitation later, Yin Wenbin took out a purple spirit stone.

The Golden Core experts were in awe when they saw the stone.

“This is… an epic-tier spirit stone!?”

“One epic-tier spirit stone is equal to 100 high-tier spirit stones! More importantly, the spirit energy contained in it is pure and vast, if it was used for cultivation, one could easily achieve a higher stage.”

“I was still young and handsome when I last saw an epic-tier spirit stone!”

…

“Senior brother, that is the starting funds we got from the elder!” Yin Wenbin’s junior sister found it outrageous.

“It’s fine.” Yin Wenbin was rather cool. He took the epic-tier spirit stone out just because he wanted to look good. He was extremely satisfied when he saw how shocked the other Golden Core experts were and how loud they gasped, he liked seeing bumpkins in awe.

Yin Wenbin looked at Zhang Zhi, hoping to see a terrified look on him but unfortunately, Zhang Zhi looked calm and normal. Yin Wenbin was unhappy with what he saw, he believed Zhang Zhi was only pretending.

Zhang Zhi had never seen an epic-tier spirit stone but he used heavenly items to forge everyday, so why would he be surprised by a mere epic-tier spirit stone?

“Owner Zhang, I’m betting this epic-tier spirit stone. I suppose you have something of equal value?” Other than trying to look good, Yin Wenbin also wanted Zhang Zhi to know his place.

Lingtai Town was a rural place, it was difficult for anyone to have an epic-tier spirit stone or something of equal value.

Zhang Zhi was speechless when he saw the stone. Yin Wenbin was obviously trying to flaunt his wealth.

However, Zhang Zhi really did not have 100 high-tier spirit stones to bet because the system heavily exploited him. Then, the quick-witted Zhang Zhi said to the system, “System if I get the epic-tier spirit stone, will you take 90% of it as well?”

“Yes.” The system was as harsh as usual but it was what Zhang Zhi wanted.

“But I don’t have anything of equal value to bet, so I guess you won’t get the epic-tier spirit stone.”

A long while later, the system pinged him. “I will lend you this for the bet.”

Something appeared in Zhang Zhi’s hand and he was a little carried away when he got a closer look.

Yin Wenbin noticed Zhang Zhi getting carried away by his own thoughts, so he feigned a caring tone and said, “Owner Zhang, if you don’t have anything of equal value, you can borrow something from me.”

The truth was, Yin Wenbin only had the epic-tier spirit stone and nothing else, the reason he said that was because he wanted to insult Zhang Zhi.

The Golden Core experts believed that no matter how poor Zhang Zhi was, since he changed a ridiculous price for his service, he should have at least 100 high-tier spirit stones to bet. Even though it looked a little weaker, it was better than nothing.

While everyone was wondering what Zhang Zhi would bet, he bitterly smiled and put his hand out. “I’m betting this.”

The little stone in his hand looked like the cobblestone one could find beside the river but it was glowing purple, so almost no one knew what it was.

The Golden Core experts were discussing but failed to come up with an answer about what the stone was.

One of them asked, “Owner Zhang, what is that?”

Before Zhang Zhi could say anything, Yin Wenbin reacted strongly. He looked like he had seen a ghost, but a cultivator was not afraid of ghosts, so the more appropriate way to describe his reaction was he looked like he saw his wife cuckolding him. He squealed in awe, “Immortal stone!”

Yin Wenbin was from Heavenly Soldier Pavilion, of course had better knowledge than the Golden Core experts of Lingtai Sect. He knew the stone was an immortal stone but he was just a small fry back in his own sect, so he had never had one before. The appearance of the immortal stone shocked him to the core.

The other Golden Core experts fell on their backsides when they heard the term immortal stone. They stared at the stone in Zhang Zhi’s hand with an enthusiastic gaze. “Holy sh*t! That’s an immortal stone?!”

To be precise, the stone in Zhang Zhi’s hand was just a low-tier immortal stone. The system lent it to him just for the bet.

The stone was known as immortal because the spirit power within the stone had ascended into immortal aura, it was a divine item that only Nascent Soul cultivators and above could possess.

It might just be a low-tier but it was worth a full 100 epic-tier spirit stones.

The epic-tier spirit stone that Yin Wenbin took pride in was trash in front of the immortal stone.

It was then that a white-bearded old man appeared from the void inside the blacksmith. He stared at the low-tier immortal stone with a burning gaze and he started to drool over it.

Zhang Zhi recognized the man. He bitterly smiled and said, “Grand Elder? You again?”