Supreme Martial Venerable: Starting with the White Ape Cloak Hammer skill point allocation

Chapter 103 The Furnace (Please Subscribe)

"Yonghe furnaces used to be smaller than our Dewang furnaces."

Cao Deli looked at the owner of Yonghe Stove with envy, surrounded by everyone like a star in the center, and said in a slightly sour tone.

"This is the Battle of the Hundred Furnaces. Every year, a dark horse emerges. Who would have thought that Zhuge Hai would actually win the championship?"

Standing next to the owner of Yonghe Furnace was a fat man even fatter than Cao Deli, who was none other than Zhuge Hai, the blacksmith of Yonghe Furnace.

It's not easy for a blacksmith who frequently works as a blacksmith to get this fat.

The two were greeting the crowd with smiles on their faces.

Everyone knows what winning the championship in the Hundred Furnaces Battle means.

This means that Yonghe Furnace will receive the largest share of iron materials in the next three years, which means a flood of silver, and it also means that Zhuge Hai has a high probability of becoming a disciple of Shenbing Valley.

If Zhuge Hai becomes a disciple of Shenbing Valley and learns superior weapon-forging techniques, once he is able to forge powerful weapons, Yonghe Furnace can become a four-star shop, completely widening the gap between them and their poor brothers.

This kind of thing has happened before.

Every four-star store has actually gone through a similar path.

Cao Deli felt a mixture of envy and jealousy, which finally turned into a long sigh.

If their Cao family prodigy hadn't met with misfortune, he would have wanted to try his best to upgrade Dewang Furnace to a four-star shop.

But now, where does the Cao family have the resources to recruit a genius weapon forger?

The fact that Zhou Yuan was able to be hired was because he had just arrived from out of town and was unfamiliar with the situation in the prefecture.

Otherwise, even Zhou Yuan might not be willing to cooperate with Dewang Furnace.

Wu Jinzhong squeezed through the crowd and returned to Zhou Yuan's side, smiling broadly. "Brother Zhou, would you like to switch to Yonghe Furnace? I've had drinks with Master Zhuge Hai, and I'm sure you'll have no problem recommending him."

Master Zhuge Hai is about to take off this time. It probably won't be long before Yonghe Furnace becomes a four-star shop. Then it won't be so easy for you to go there again.

As the saying goes, people strive for higher positions. Cao Deli's face turned red, his fists clenched, as if he wanted to punch Wu Jinzhong in the face.

Stealing my man right in front of me?

I'll drown you with my spit!

Cao Deli thought angrily, then looked at Zhou Yuan with a pleading expression.

Zhou Yuan was the last blacksmith of Dewang Furnace. If even Zhou Yuan leaves, Dewang Furnace will not be able to keep its reputation as a three-star shop and will only become an ordinary blacksmith shop.

"I'm doing quite well at Dewang Furnace, so I won't try to climb that ladder."

Zhou Yuan spoke calmly.

Wu Jinzhong raised an eyebrow. "I'll say it again: if Brother Zhou changes his mind, come find me anytime."

Zhou Yuan's heart skipped a beat; Wu Jinzhong's sudden enthusiasm was a bit excessive.

Could it be that he discovered something?

"Thank you for your kind invitation, Brother Wu."

Zhou Yuan clasped his hands in greeting, secretly becoming more vigilant.

Cao Deli grasped Zhou Yuan's hand with a look of deep emotion.

"Master Zhou, you have lived up to Dewang Furnace's expectations, and Dewang Furnace will never let you down! I've decided, Master Zhou, your share in Dewang Furnace will be increased to 20%!"

Cao Deli said in a low voice.

Just then.

A manager from the military guild came out of the building.

Who is Master Zhuge?

He called out, "Master Zhuge, please come over. Headmaster Huang invites you."

Before he finished speaking, a path automatically parted in the crowd, making way for Zhuge Hai.

Zhuge Hai trotted up to the steward.

"I am Zhuge Hai. May I ask, brother, is the Master Huang you speak of the Master Huang Kui of the Honglu Academy in Shenbing Valley?"

Zhuge Hai was so excited that he trembled all over.

Summoned before the rankings of the Hundred Furnaces Battle were announced, it's highly likely that Dean Huang has taken a liking to him.

Even Zhuge Hai has met his end?

Father, Mother, our Zhuge family's ancestral graves are emitting auspicious smoke!

Zhuge Hai's entire body of fat jiggled. If it weren't for the owner of Yonghe Furnace supporting him from behind, he probably would have collapsed to the ground from excitement.

The manager of the Military Industry Guild sized up Zhuge Hai, a sense of unease creeping into his mind. Was this the same Zhuge Hai the seven judges had mentioned?

genius?

Not quite like it.

However, works of art don't lie; perhaps appearances can be deceiving.

The manager thought to himself, but a smile appeared on his face.

"Indeed, I congratulate Master Zhuge in advance. You have passed the first test, and you may become a disciple of Honglu Academy in the future."

The manager said with a smile.

Congratulations! Congratulations!

Zhuge Hai was overjoyed. He rummaged in his pocket for a while and finally pulled out five taels of silver, which he then stuffed into the steward's hand.

A hint of disdain flashed in the manager's eyes, but he still thanked him repeatedly.

"Has Boss Cao from Dewang Furnace arrived? Boss Cao from Dewang Furnace?"

Guan first apologized to Zhuge Hai, asking him to wait a moment, and then raised his voice.

"Boss Cao of Dewang Furnace, the governor requests your presence."

The manager's voice could be heard from afar.

Cao Deli's legs went weak, but fortunately Zhou Yuan caught him quickly.

"It's over, it's over! The governor is definitely going to kick Dewang Furnace out of the list of three-star shops."

Otherwise, why would such an important person summon me?

Cao Deli was devastated, as if he had lost his parents.

"Boss Cao, the rankings haven't been announced yet. The governor might have other matters to discuss with you."

Zhou Yuan helped him up and comforted him in a low voice.

Cao Deli, supporting his body, shakily approached the steward.

"Sir, what business does the governor have with me?"

Fatty Cao was almost in tears, but even so, he didn't forget to slip a silver ingot worth fifty taels into the hand of the manager of the military guild.

When Cao Deli came to participate in the Battle of the Hundred Furnaces, he specifically brought some cash with him, intending to use it to smooth things over.

To gather information.

The manager of the military guild calmly pocketed the silver, his smile even more genuine than before.

"Congratulations to Boss Cao."

The steward clasped his hands in greeting and said, "The governor is preparing to place a new order with Dewang Furnace. Boss Cao's fortunes are on the rise."

It's no wonder they got rich. Zhuge Hai is so stingy, only giving five taels of silver as a reward. Who does he think he is?

"The governor placed an order with Dewang Furnace? Are you sure you're not mistaken?"

Cao Deli was stunned, and a surge of joy welled up from the depths of his heart.

"Of course there's no mistake. I heard it with my own ears. Master Zhuge of your furnace has been chosen by Dean Huang," said the steward.

"etc."

Cao Deli, disregarding the steward's anger, couldn't help but interrupt him, "Steward, Zhuge Hai is not the master of my Dewang furnace, he is from Yonghe furnace."

The onlookers exchanged bewildered glances, some of the more astute seeming to realize that a misunderstanding might have occurred.

"Yonghe Furnace? No, no, Director Huang mainly wants to see Master Zhuge of Dewang Furnace. Boss Cao, where is Master Zhuge of Dewang Furnace?"

The steward shook his head, glancing at Zhuge Hai with disgust. No wonder this fat man didn't look like a genius at weapon forging.

Zhuge Hai and the owner of Yonghe Furnace were struck dumb, standing there as if by lightning.

The people who had been surrounding them all took a step back.

A vacuum zone had formed around their bodies.

"We don't have a master craftsman named Zhuge at Dewang Furnace."

Cao Deli said.

"Wasn't the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow forged by your Dewang Forge? Where is the master craftsman who forged it?"

The manager was also dumbfounded.

"Yes, the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow is a product of our Dewang Furnace. The master craftsman who forged it wasn't surnamed Zhuge, but Master Zhou!"

Cao Deli straightened his back, a surge of heat rushed from his back to the top of his head, and shouted loudly.

The manager of the military guild led Cao Deli and Zhou Yuan into the building.

Suddenly, a commotion erupted outside the building.

"It's a Dewang furnace!"

"Who is Zhou Yuan? How did he manage to catch the eye of Dean Huang?"

"I heard he came from a small county to take the exam, and he only stayed at Dewang Furnace to make a living."

"Fatty Cao is really lucky! This time, the Cao family is about to turn their fortunes around!"

"That's not necessarily true. Master Zhou's relationship with the Cao family is just a business partnership. If he can cooperate with the Cao family, he can cooperate with other families as well."

The crowd was buzzing with discussion. The owner of Yonghe Stove and Zhuge Hai slunk away, too ashamed to remain on the scene.

No one paid any attention.

Wu Jinzhong stood there, dumbfounded.

Zhuge? Does this refer to the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow, not the weapon-forging master?

What kind of weapon is the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow?

Why give such a misleading name to the weapon you forged, Zhou Yuan?

Wu Jinzhong harbored a thousand grievances in his heart, and his eyes darted around.

"There's something wrong! How did a down-on-his-luck guy from a small county suddenly forge a weapon that can win the championship in the Hundred Furnaces Battle?"

Young Master Tong Jin died in Gaoshan County. Who knows, this Zhuge Repeating Crossbow might have been his creation. Now that Young Master Tong Jin is dead, he's claiming it for himself!

Wu Jinzhong thought to himself, "It must be like that!"

As long as I find evidence and hand it over to the Tong family, they will kill Zhou Yuan. At that time, I will also gain the favor of the Tong family. Wu Jinzhong’s eyes blazed with a flame, a flame called jealousy.

Zhou Yuan and Cao Deli entered different rooms.

The people who summoned them were different.

The governor wants to order a batch of Zhuge Repeating Crossbows from Dewang Furnace; this is something he wouldn't discuss directly with the weapon-forging master.

Huang Kui doesn't concern himself with business matters. The reason he came to the Hundred Furnaces Battle as a judge is to bring some fresh blood to the Honglu Academy.

Divine Weapon Valley is divided into six academies under the Valley Master: Furnace Academy, Sword-wielding Academy, Earth Master Academy, Star-picking Academy, Weapon-gathering Academy, and Discipline Academy.

The head of each academy is a powerful figure, whose status is even higher than that of ordinary elders in the Divine Weapon Valley.

The Honglu Academy is in charge of forging weapons, and its head holds a high position of power.

Zhou Yuan entered the room and saw a lean, middle-aged man sitting there.

The man had high eyebrows and deep-set eyes, and his beard and hair were slightly reddish.

"Tell me, how did you come up with the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow?"

Huang Kui asked directly, his gaze sweeping over Zhou Yuan like two sharp arrows.

"When I was in Gaoshan County, I was coerced by the Pang family into forging the Divine Arm Crossbow. At that time, I discovered—"

Zhou Yuan had already made preparations, recalling that he had seen the Divine Arm Crossbow before and found that it was troublesome to cock, so he had the idea of ​​firing it in rapid succession.

Then he went on to talk about mechanics and machinery, and explained in detail the process of designing the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow.

"You have the ability to apply what you've learned to other situations, you have ideas, and you can put them into practice. You already possess the basic qualities of a good weaponsmith."

Huang Kui nodded in satisfaction.

An expert's skill is immediately apparent.

If one hadn't put in the effort to master weapon forging techniques, one wouldn't be able to explain these things.

Huang Kui valued Zhou Yuan's ingenuity, and now he also values ​​his solid foundation.

"Come here, let me feel your bones."

Huang Kui called Zhou Yuan over.

Weapon blacksmiths do not have strict requirements for martial arts talent, but if a weapon blacksmith wants to go far, he must have martial arts talent.

Ordinary weapons and sharp tools are not related to martial arts in their forging. Even ordinary people can forge them as long as they have sufficient skill in weapon forging.

However, forging spiritual weapons and divine weapons requires extremely high martial arts skills from the weapon forger.

Those weapon-forging masters, or even weapon-forging grandmasters, are all quite skilled in martial arts.

If one's martial arts cultivation is insufficient, one's weapon-forging skills will also be limited.

Huang Kui squeezed Zhou Yuan's body a few times, his brows furrowed, and a hint of disappointment flashed deep in his eyes.

"Just average physical constitution —"

He sighed. Zhou Yuan had a good understanding of weapon forging. If he had superior talent, or even just average talent, he would personally take Zhou Yuan under his wing.

However, with inferior aptitude, even with Zhou Yuan's exceptional comprehension, his martial arts cultivation would struggle to reach the True Essence realm, and his weapon-forging skills would be limited to the level of Spirit Weapons.

Pity.

Huang Kui pondered for a moment.

"Would you be willing to join the Honglu Academy and start as an outer disciple?"

Huang Kui slowly opened his mouth and asked.