Martial Arts Longevity Begins with the Equipment Slot

Chapter 26 Assistant Craftsman, 5 Tonic Soups

"Clang clang clang—"

Forging room, in front of the furnace.

As usual, Chen Yu was forging iron with his muscular upper body bare.

He used tongs to hold the red-hot steel billet and placed it steadily on the anvil.

Then he picked up the big iron hammer and raised it high above his head, suddenly exerting force from his waist and abdomen.

"clang!"

The hammer fell steadily.

Sparks rained down like golden rain, scattering tiny flashes of light in the dim forging chamber.

"clang!"

The steel billet trembled slightly, and the dark brown impurities on the surface peeled off, revealing the bright silver metal inside.

Chen Yu observed that the force was controlled just right, and he could proceed to the next step of forging.

With a slight twist of the wrist, the iron clamps flipped ninety degrees, and the third hammer followed immediately.

"clang!"

With a slight reduction in the force of the hammer blow, the hammerhead is pushed flat, slowly extending the dent.

Chen Yu squinted and examined it closely. The steel's texture was as fine as tree rings, which were the marks left from the three previous folding and forging processes.

With three strikes, the "scorching" effect of the large iron hammer in the weapon inventory stacks continuously.

When the three layers of "Scorching" are fully stacked, the fourth hammer blow triggers the "Softening" effect, turning this hammer blow into a heavy attack.

"clang!"

This hammer blow was both fast and accurate.

The impact struck the interlocking joint of the two layers of steel, causing them to fuse together at high temperatures.

Four hammers in one go, with varying speeds.

The first hammer blow shapes the form, the second extends it, the third overlaps it, and the fourth finishes it off.

The rhythm is distinct, indicating that it is already second nature to the artist.

The sound of forging continued to echo.

The red-hot steel billet gradually elongates and thins under the hammer, slowly extending into the shape of a cross-section blade.

Before mastering the basics of meat refining, Chen Yu swung his hammer over 800 times a day, and his arms felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead.

The blisters on my palms kept breaking and reappearing, I could barely hold the pliers, and even picking up a bowl of water made me tremble for a long time.

After each hundred hammer blows, one must stop and rest, waiting for the redness and swelling in the hands to subside.

After mastering the basics of meat training, his physique has undergone a transformation, with his muscle endurance and explosive power greatly improved, making him completely different from before.

Now Chen Yu can swing the hammer alternately with both arms.

The left hand had just removed the iron pliers from the anvil when the right hand was already halfway up the air with the hammer.

With his right hand almost exhausted, his left hand had already bent the iron clamp to the angle for the next hammer blow.

The entire process, from left to right, was seamlessly integrated.

This assembly line work involves swinging the hammer two to three thousand times a day, yet the breath remains perfectly steady, with only the chest rising and falling slightly.

The difference in efficiency is like night and day.

I spent the whole morning forging iron.

It wasn't until noon that Chen Yu began to feel somewhat tired.

Fine beads of sweat slid down his cheeks, hissing as they turned into white smoke on the scorching anvil.

Just as Chen Yu sat down to rest, Cheng Daqi, who was operating the bellows, came over to chat.

"Junior brother, you've made amazing progress!"

"I counted. On the first day, you couldn't breathe when I pumped the bellows three hundred times."

"Today, I was able to poop two thousand times, and you only broke a light sweat, which means your stamina has increased a lot compared to the past few days."

"In a few more days, I might be able to catch up with my master."

Cheng Daqi was quite emotional. He was physically weak and didn't have the strength to be a blacksmith, so he could only work as an assistant, operating the bellows.

He had been Xiahou Fei's apprentice for six years, and Xiahou Fei had given him his best guidance.

Unfortunately, I'm just not cut out for this, and I haven't made any progress over the years.

Seeing the newcomer Chen Yu change every day, his skills becoming more and more exquisite.

He had worked hard to learn the craft for six years but made no progress.

After comparing the two, Cheng Daqi felt quite uncomfortable.

"Compared to Junior Brother Chen, I've been wasting my life."

Just as Chen Yu was about to comfort him, Xiahou Fei suddenly pushed the door open and entered.

As soon as he entered the room, Xiahou Fei couldn't wait to find Chen Yu.

"The new positions I applied for for you have been approved. From now on, Chen Yu and Li Mei will be assistant craftsmen."

The blacksmiths at the Sword Forging Manor are ranked from lowest to highest as Assistant Craftsman, Third-Class Craftsman, Second-Class Craftsman, First-Class Craftsman, Master Craftsman, and Grand Master Craftsman.

The higher you go, the higher the skill level required, and the better the pay and status.

Assistant craftsmen are usually promoted from apprentices in other departments.

If the master feels that the apprentice's skills are good enough, he can apply to the Foreign Affairs Office to have the apprentice serve as an assistant craftsman.

After being promoted to assistant craftsman, his monthly wage increased by two hundred coins, bringing the total to five hundred coins.

"Thank you so much for your guidance, Master!"

Chen Yu bowed deeply to express his gratitude.

"Alright, no need for thanks."

"Study hard and work diligently from now on, and strive to enter the Intermediate People's Court as soon as possible. Don't let me down."

As Xiahou Fei spoke, he walked to the iron cabinet in the corner and began to rummage through it.

The apprentice named Li Mei came in with him.

Today, Chen Yu and I were promoted to assistant craftsmen.

"Junior Brother Chen is truly exceptionally talented; he became an assistant craftsman in just over ten days."

"I've been learning here for three years, and this is all I've ever achieved."

Chen Yu looked over at the sound and saw Li Mei standing by the wall, leaning against the window.

The two worked at different times; Chen Yu worked the first half of the day, and Li Mei worked the second half, taking turns after lunch.

Although they were both apprentices under Xiahou Fei, they had never met.

Today is the first time Chen Yu has met this senior sister Li Mei.

Li Mei is not tall, but she stands very upright with her back as straight as a gun barrel.

He was dressed in a coarse linen outfit, with the sleeves rolled up high to his elbows.

The exposed arms were not plump, but rather showed clearly visible tendons running beneath the thin skin, like old vines with gnarled roots.

Those hands clearly belonged to someone who did heavy physical labor; the knuckles were distinct, and the fingertips were covered with thick calluses.

It seemed to sense Chen Yu's gaze.

Li Mei looked up to greet him, a few strands of wet hair on her forehead stuck to her cheekbones with sweat.

She wasn't particularly beautiful; her dough had darkened slightly from years of smoking and cooking, and a shallow line between her eyebrows, as if carved by a knife, was a mark left from constantly squinting to control the heat.

But those eyes were extremely bright, the pupils amber in the firelight, and they looked straight at people without flinching.

"Junior Brother Chen, what are your future plans? Do you want to participate in the Intermediate People's Court selection next month?"

"If you want to participate, we can go together."

"I haven't decided yet, we'll talk about it later."

Chen Yu was not satisfied with his forging skills, so he did not give a positive answer.

As they were talking, Xiahou Fei pulled a package out of the iron cabinet.

He then took out thirteen taels of silver from the package.

He handed the silver to Chen Yu and instructed him:

"You're off work this afternoon, so I'll give you a task."

"Keep this thirteen taels of silver safe. Go to Danxin Pharmacy later and buy twelve packets of Five Tonic Soup. Keep the remaining one tael of silver as a delivery fee."

Xiahou Fei paused for a moment, then continued.

"Consider this a celebration of your two promotions to assistant craftsmen. This time it's on me, four doses of herbal medicine for each person, and everyone will get some, including Cheng Daqi."

"This Five-Tonifying Soup is a medicinal soup that nourishes the blood, qi, flesh, bones, and marrow. You all have a lot of physical activity every day, and you consume too much energy."

"Relying solely on food for recovery is too slow. Taking medicinal decoctions can help with faster recovery and is also beneficial for blacksmithing training."

"Master, you're so kind! Thank you so much!" Chen Yu quickly expressed his gratitude.

"If you truly want to thank me, then work hard to get into the Intermediate People's Court. Then I can also receive thirty taels of tuition fees."

"Don't worry, Master, we will definitely do our best to break into the Intermediate Court!" Li Mei was also very happy, as it was rare for her master to be so generous.

"Master, where is the Danxin Pharmacy you mentioned located?"

Chen Yu put away the silver and looked up to ask.

"Danxin Pharmacy is located on Tongyi Street in the east of Sunset City, and it's easy to find."

After thinking for a moment, Xiahou Fei added another instruction.

"Be careful on the road. I heard there have been bandits around recently, but with your skills, you should be fine."

"Alright, that's all for now. Go and come back quickly."

Chen Yu nodded, got ready, and set off for Sunset City.