chapter 10 Refining ===

The Xu family faced upheavals, losing the refining workshop, and their status plummeted to that of a second-rate family. Soon, they were absorbed by other three families. Silvianus Xu owed Verdantius Liu a debt of reconstruction, and as Xu family's son-in-law, he couldn't just stand by.
The conventional way of nurturing a smith was too slow. By the time the Xu family recovered, they would have already been annihilated. Once market share was lost, regaining it was as difficult as reaching the sky.
"Master, are you joking? I've dreamed of becoming a master smith."
Business was slow, and all smiths, including apprentices, were resting. Only Sylvester Hu persisted and came every day. Just for this perseverance, Verdantius Liu found him worth cultivating.
"Now there's an opportunity in front of you. I can help you become a master smith."
Verdantius Liu couldn't stay in Canglan City forever; the fairyland was his goal.
"Master, don't tease me. Whatever you want to forge, let me help you."
Sylvester Hu regarded it as a joke. Last time Verdantius Liu came, the workshop couldn't operate for days. Sylvester didn't dare to let him forge weapons again.
Verdantius Liu didn't force him. In everyone's eyes, Verdantius had always been a waste. Even if someone else said it, they probably wouldn't believe it. Actions were the best proof.
"Sylvester Hu, control the fire!"
Suddenly, an indescribable aura emanated from Verdantius Liu. His eyes became incredibly firm, and he took out a piece of meteorite iron, throwing it into the furnace.
Sylvester Hu didn't dare to be negligent. He operated the bellows with his right hand, and the black ore in the furnace emitted scorching flames. The temperature was remarkably high, forcing him to take off his outer clothes.
To forge a weapon, the first step was to melt the meteorite iron, pour it into a mold, and then begin the forging process.
The process of smithing was divided into three stages. The lowest was the "Ten Refinements," suitable for crafting common tools like hoes and rakes. It was a rough and simple technique.
The second was the "Hundred Refinements," a higher difficulty where a weapon was refined through a thousand hammer strikes. The resulting weapon was exceptionally sharp and more resilient than a Ten Refinements weapon, demanding a high-quality meteorite iron.
The most challenging was the "Thousand Refinements." In the entire Canglan City, there wasn't a smith who could reach this level.
After the Hundred Refinements, refining the metal again was very difficult. Even if the refinement was successful, pouring it into a mold and increasing its hardness would be too challenging for ordinary people. Most weapons in the market stayed at the Hundred Refinements stage, and this was the main reason why the Xu family's weapons had been consistently popular—due to their unique refining technique, they made ordinary Hundred Refinements weapons sharper and more durable.
There was no model that suited his taste among the molds. Verdantius Liu took out his tools, and after a stick of incense time, he carved out a new blade mold based on a pre-drawn pattern in his mind.
Now that the meteorite iron had melted for some time, the red molten iron splattered, falling on the edge of the furnace. Many burn marks were left on Sylvester Hu's arm due to these iron splatters.
"Brother-in-law, there's so much meteorite iron. You can forge three long knives easily."
Having heard rumors that Verdantius Liu was a notorious spendthrift, Sylvester Hu's heart ached seeing so much meteorite iron being melted. It was more than enough to forge three weapons, and Verdantius Liu was extravagant beyond belief.
"You don't understand. Record the entire process of my forging technique. It will be helpful to you in the future."
Pouring all the molten iron into the mold, Verdantius Liu put it into cold water. It cooled rapidly, and placing it on a steel anvil, Verdantius Liu took off his shirt. After soaking in the tempering liquid, his body was incredibly strong. Holding a hundred-pound hammer, Sylvester Hu held a ten-pound hammer.
"Da da da..."
Each strike resonated, incessantly pounding the still-unshaped blade. After a hundred strikes, the blade was put back into the furnace for further heating, kneading, and then taken out for more hammering.
Repeating this process, Sylvester Hu went from disbelief to shock and numbness. What kind of forging technique did his brother-in-law learn?
Half an hour passed...
An hour passed...
Verdantius Liu, showing no signs of exhaustion, compressed the initial meter-long blade into one about half a meter long, with a precision ten times greater.
"Master, we can't continue like this. We have already exceeded the Hundred Refinements. If we keep going, the blade won't take shape, and it will definitely be scrapped."
Sylvester Hu felt heartache for the high-quality meteorite iron being wasted. It was a pity to continue hammering beyond the Hundred Refinements; the significance was minimal.
The Xu family was known for their refining skills, and over the years, they had attempted to make breakthroughs after exceeding the Hundred Refinements. However, all their attempts had failed.
"Don't worry; I know what I'm doing!"
Continuing to forge beyond the Hundred Refinements wasn't meaningful, and Sylvester Hu reluctantly operated the bellows again. Even without a visible flame, the black ore emitted a hissing sound, and the blade turned red once more.
"Sylvester Hu, take this."
The next step was crucial, and continuous forging for an hour depleted Sylvester Hu's stamina severely.
Verdantius Liu handed him a Spirit Elixir to swallow. Sylvester Hu, who couldn't afford such a high-grade pill, was surprised by its intense fragrance. Verdantius Liu, now showing a trend of breaking through to the Sixth stage of acquired realm, also consumed one. This was a good sign.
As the qi was continuously depleted, after compression, the purity increased. Verdantius Liu was not in a hurry to break through his realm, intending to squeeze out all the potential from his body.
Swallowing the Spirit Elixir, Sylvester Hu felt as if he were bathing in gentle sunlight. His body emitted cracking sounds, and he broke through to the Sixth stage of acquired realm. This was a great phenomenon.
He has been stuck at the Sixth stage of acquired realm for a long time, and there hasn't been an opportunity. It can be considered a matter of course, and without the Spirit Elixir, he would have broken through in one or two days at most.
"Thank you, Young Master!"
Sylvester Hu bent over to salute, almost kneeling down. The respect he showed earlier was out of the master-servant relationship, but this time it came from the heart.
"Now we need to continuously forge for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. I'm still worried that your physical strength won't keep up. The chance of breaking through to sixth seventh of acquired realm will be even greater."
After giving instructions to Sylvester Hu, forging a weapon with a thousand folds in the Acquired realm is quite challenging. Verdantius Liu plans to carve spirit patterns to infuse spiritual essence into the weapon, which is the most crucial aspect.
In the Acquired realm, ordinary weapons are mostly crafted with a hundred folds. Upon reaching the Innate Realm, the surge in true qi is substantial. Common weapons cannot withstand too much true qi; only spiritual weapons can support it. However, in Canglan City, no one can forge spiritual weapons; only craftsmen in the Imperial Capital have such capability.
Each spiritual weapon is quite valuable, and there are no more than five spiritual weapons in the entire Canglan City.
The blade turns into a deep red color. Verdantius Liu quickly pulls it out and holds the carving knife. On the blade, he carves strange patterns one by one. Sylvester Hu is dumbfounded.
At this moment, Verdantius Liu seems to be possessed by a god. Every movement flows smoothly, every stroke of the knife leaves a vivid imprint on the blade. The unfinished long blade emits a faint spiritual essence.
As an apprentice in forging, Sylvester Hu naturally understands the importance of spiritual essence. Crafting a weapon with spiritual essence is enough to dominate the entire Canglan City.
Sylvester Hu is on the verge of worship. His right hand trembles, and the hammer in his hand almost falls and hits his foot.
"Begin!"
At the Sixth stage of acquired realm, with limited true qi, Verdantius Liu can carve a maximum of ten spirit patterns. This is already the limit. To achieve the level of a spiritual weapon, a hundred spirit patterns need to be carved, but his realm is too low to sustain it until the end. He can only give up.
Sylvester Hu's hammer strikes fiercely. The powerful rebound almost sends the hammer flying out of his hand. With the enhancement of the spirit patterns, the semi-finished blade becomes as hard as countless times before.
Verdantius Liu's 100-jin heavy hammer strikes down fiercely, sparks flying. Sylvester Hu quickly concentrates his mind, not daring to think too much, putting his whole heart into the forging.
This is the best weapon he has forged so far. If successful, his forging skill will undergo a qualitative leap, and he may become a master craftsman.
Clang, clang, clang...
A series of intense sounds resonate in the forge, and no one pays attention to this side.
Verdantius Liu's long blade is at a critical moment. Unexpectedly, a group of unwelcome guests arrives at the workshop. A group of people with a menacing aura.
"Bring out your manager! Your Xu family actually sold us inferior weapons. Several of our brothers died in the mountains because of this. Today, if your Xu family doesn't give an explanation, we'll smash the workshop."
There are a total of ten people, each with formidable strength, all at the Eighth Stage of the Acquired realm. They should belong to some mercenary group in Canglan City.
They usually roam on the edge of life and death, entering the mountains to hunt and kill demonic beasts, collecting inner cores to earn gold coins. The weapons of the Xu family, accounting for thirty percent, are sold to these mercenary groups, and their weapons are in high demand.
"I am the manager here. Is there anything I can help you with?"
Boscanus Dong stood up and hurriedly greeted them. Other servants also got up, rubbing their sleepy eyes.
"What kind of thing are you? Let the one in charge of your Xu family come and talk to us."
A slap slapped Boscanus Dong's face, unceremoniously sending him flying into the counter. He spat out a mouthful of blood, and half of his face swelled up. These people were too domineering, causing harm as soon as they arrived.