Chapter 33: Chapter 33

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

“Old Zhou, they’ve really succeeded!”

The Forging Apprentices under Xiao Zongshui, Li Hongyuan, and the other superintendents cheered. Sun Gongping glanced at Zhou Shu still swinging his hammer and couldn’t help shouting.

It was as if Zhou Shu did not hear his voice. His expression was calm and collected, and his hammering was rhythmic and orderly.

Ding Ding Dang Dang!

The crisp sound of hammering echoed in the courtyard.

The Forging Apprentices all looked at Zhou Shu with pity.

We’ve all cheated. How can you win?

Creak!

The door to the courtyard opened, and Xiao Zongshui, Li Hongyuan, and the other workshop superintendents filed in.

The moment they entered the door, they looked at the Forging Apprentices. When they saw the weapons the Forging Apprentices had successfully forged, the corners of everyone’s mouths curled up slightly.

When they saw that Zhou Shu was still forging, they smiled even more happily.

“The time is up. Superintendent Zhou hasn’t finished forging yet. This competition—”

“Cut the crap! Zhu Chuanfeng isn’t here yet. Are you the judge?” Sun Gongping interrupted angrily.

Xiao Zongshui’s expression froze, and he swallowed the words about to come out of his mouth while his face turned red.

If not for the fact that he was afraid of Sun Gongping’s identity, he really wanted to scold his eighteen generations of ancestors!

“Grandmaster Zhu will be here soon. So what if we wait a while longer?” Li Hongyuan sneered. “The result is obvious.”

All the superintendents burst into laughter.

They were already calculating how they should split the benefits after obtaining the Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Saber.

The number of cavalry in the Great Xia’s County Protector Army exceeded ten thousand. Including the potentially damaged weapons, they would require no less than ten thousand Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Sabers each year.

Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Sabers were even more expensive than Huben Sabers. In a year, each of them would be able to get at least a few thousand taels of silver.

The superintendents were overjoyed. Some of them were even considering whether they should look for another mistress.

Sun Gongping was so angry that he was about to explode. The competition wasn’t even over, but these guys already thought that they had won??I’ll put them in a sack and beat them up!

Ding Dang!

Zhou Shu hammered down and then swung the hammer out gracefully. The hammer fell, and he flicked his wrist. Before anyone could see clearly, he had already stabbed the weapon in his hand into the tank of cold oil he had prepared.

Whoosh!

There was an ear-piercing sound, followed by the fragrance of hot oil…

Xiao Zongshui, Li Hongyuan, and the others looked at one another. For some reason, they had a bad feeling.

Could Zhou Shu have really forged a new standard weapon again?

How was this possible?

Grand Craftsman Zhu Chuanfeng had said that standard weapons were almost developed to perfection. Even they could only add in some things here and there.

Unless they used even more precious materials, standard weapons had reached their limit.

Even if this kid surnamed Zhou had some talent, it was already a blessing for him to be able to develop the Huben Saber and Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Saber. It was impossible for him to forge a better standard weapon.

And this time, they had paid a huge price to obtain a secret forging formula. Although the power of the weapon was not comparable to that of the Huben Saber and Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Saber, it was still stronger than ordinary standard long sabers.

Unless Zhou Shu created a new weapon that was no weaker than the Huben Saber and the Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Saber, he would never win!

“Don’t worry. Standard weapons made of ordinary metals have reached their limit. Zhou Shu can’t possibly beat us!” Xiao Zongshui whispered.

“Grandmaster Zhu has arrived!”

Just as Li Hongyuan and the others nodded, they heard a loud shout from outside the gate.

Ten days had passed, and Zhu Chuanfeng arrived on time.

“Time’s up. Has everyone finished forging? Bring the items up—” Zhu Chuanfeng said coldly after taking his seat.

“Haha…” Laughter sounded before he could finish his speaking.

Accompanying the laughter, a person dressed as a general walked in majestically from outside the gate.

“I was passing by the Forging Division and happened to hear that there’s a forging competition here. Grandmaster Zhu, do you mind if I come and watch?” The general entered with a smile.

Zhou Shu raised his head and sized up the general.

The general didn’t look young. He was at least fifty years old. His sideburns were already gray, and there were signs of age on his forehead.

His appearance was ordinary, but his eyes were abnormally bright, and his pupils were deep. He appeared to have experienced many vicissitudes of life.

This aura alone made Zhou Shu feel that this person wasn’t simple.

But the strange thing was that he felt that this general wasn’t a powerful martial artist. Instead, he seemed more like an ordinary person.

Although Great Xia also had a troop of ordinary people in the Country Protector Army, ‘ordinary’ only meant that they were not ranked martial artists, not that they were genuinely ordinary people.

In fact, the soldiers of the Country Protector Army also knew how to cultivate martial arts. It was just that, due to their limited aptitudes, they didn’t become ranked martial artists.

Compared to ordinary people, they were still much stronger. For example, Xiao Zongshui, Li Hongyuan, and others, as well as Cheng Wanli before he entered the ranks.

Although they were not ranked martial artists, they were definitely not weak.

But the general in front of Zhou Shu didn’t seem to have any martial cultivation at all.

While Zhou Shu was deep in thought, Zhu Chuanfeng stood up and cupped his hands respectfully.

“Great General, I didn’t expect you to come. I apologize for not welcoming you.” Zhu Chuanfeng’s tone was very polite, with a trace of reverence.

Xiao Zongshui and the others stood up as well, not daring to utter a single word.

Even Sun Gongping, who was never serious, stood there obediently without interrupting.

Zhou Shu was a little surprised. It seemed that this old general had an extraordinary status.

“Great General, since you have such an interest, I naturally have no objections. Great General, please have a seat,” Zhu Chuanfeng said.

The old general smiled as his gaze fell on Zhou Shu. “You must be Superintendent Zhou, the person who developed the Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Saber, right? You’re indeed a promising youth.”

Zhou Shu didn’t expect the general to speak to him. He said in surprise, “Old General, you flatter me.”

The old general’s words made Xiao Zongshui and the others look at each other. Their hearts thumped.

Can anyone tell us what is going on?

Why would Great General Meng come? He even said that Zhou Shu was young and promising. If we beat him later, wouldn’t we be slapping Great General Meng’s face?

All the superintendents felt bitter in their hearts. First, it was the grand minister, and now it was Great General Meng. Did these important figures have nothing better to do?

Why did everyone pay attention to such a small matter?

Normally, even superintendents of workshops were not qualified to see them.

“Originally, Her Highness the Princess invited me to come to the Forging Division to take a look at the Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Saber. In the end, Her Highness received an imperial decree to handle some errands. I was also busy with mundane matters and only had the time to come today.

“But coincidentally, I ran into such a wonderful situation.

“How many years has it been since a new standard weapon has appeared in the Forging Division? Superintendent Zhou is impressive. The Huben Saber and the Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Saber are both very good. I heard that the competition today is to see who can forge a new standard weapon. If another good weapon can be produced, it will be a great thing for the three military forces of Great Xia,” Meng Bai explained to everyone why he came with a smile.

But his words also indicated that he understood this competition very well.

“It’s just a small competition between Forging Apprentices. I didn’t expect it to alarm you, Great General Meng.” Zhu Chuanfeng smiled.

“The standard weapons of Great Xia have been developed to almost perfection. Ordinary metals can no longer be forged into better standard weapons. Zhou Shu is indeed talented enough to forge the Huben Saber and the Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Saber. However, if he wants to have greater achievements…”

Zhu Chuanfeng shook his head. “Great General, it’s best if you don’t have any expectations for standard weapons. In the Forging Dao, ranked weapons are the true Dao. No matter how good a standard weapon is, it’s still nothing more than scrap metal when compared to ranked weapons.”

“Grandmaster Zhu, you are an expert in the Forging Dao.” Meng Bai’s smile didn’t change. “Ranked weapons are naturally the country’s most important weapons, but standard weapons are also the country’s cornerstone.

“I think the Huben Saber and the Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Saber are pretty good, especially the Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Saber. If the cavalry of the Country Protector Army can be equipped with it, it won’t be a problem for their strength to increase by another 10%.”

Sun Gongping nudged Zhou Shu with his shoulder, his face filled with joy. He used his eyes to transmit the message.?Did you hear that? After Grand General Meng said that, it doesn’t matter if you lose this competition. No one will question your contributions!

Zhou Shu replied with his eyes.?Me, lose?

“Great General, your words are reasonable. What I mean is that you shouldn’t have any expectations for this competition,” Zhu Chuanfeng said. “It’s normal for youngsters to have flashes of inspiration and obtain insignificant results in the Forging Dao. However, whether or not they can become Forging Masters is hard to say.

“Which Forging Master isn’t a stunningly talented genius?” Meng Bai smiled noncommittally. “Let’s take a look and see if these young men can give the arsenal of Great Xia some more brilliance.”

Zhu Chuanfeng nodded. “Bring all your weapons up.”

When the Forging Apprentices heard this, they all nervously brought their forged weapons up to Meng Bai and Zhu Chuanfeng.

To them, workshop superintendents were already great figures. They had never thought that they would be able to stand in front of a great general and a Grand Craftsman.

When Meng Bai saw the weapons the Forging Apprentices handed over, his brows furrowed imperceptibly.

Although his movement was slight, Xiao Zongshui and the others had been paying attention to him and still noticed it. Their hearts instantly rose nervously.

“Grand General, Superintendent Zhou is a famous genius. Forging Apprentices like us naturally can’t compare to him. That’s why everyone—”

Meng Bai waved his hand, indicating that he didn’t need to say anything.

The dozen or so apprentices handed over identical weapons. It was obvious that they had forged them together.

“In a short ten days, you were able to modify and obtain a new standard weapon. The Forging Division is truly filled with talents,” Meng Bai said with a half-smile, immediately pointing out that the weapons they forged weren’t truly new but rather a modified version of existing weapons.

This could be considered a trick, it could truly be called a new weapon.

“Superintendent Zhou, what about yours?” Meng Bai looked at Zhou Shu, his eyes filled with anticipation.