The sequence is too involutional, luckily I am too.

Lu Yan reluctantly opened the door, only to find Captain Cao Meng standing outside.

"Lu Yan, did I disturb your cultivation?" Cao Meng asked with a smile.

I've already bothered you...

Lu Yan inwardly grumbled, but outwardly remained calm, stepping aside to let him in: "Did the captain want to see me about something?"

"Yes, the merit rewards for this camp mission have been approved. Our team members are all awarded first-class merit."

"This first-class merit is not easy to obtain. I suggest you save it up first. Once you have five, you can exchange them for the Sequence 7 Awakening Method and a magic potion."

Cao Meng couldn't hide the joy in her voice, and her fingertips unconsciously rubbed her fingers together.

Having already accumulated four first-class merits, plus this one, it's just enough to exchange for the awakening method and potion for Sequence 7.

"Just five are enough?"

Lu Yan raised an eyebrow. Were the Sequence 7 from the Judgment Department so worthless that they just gave it away so easily?

No wonder he could exchange a thug sequence for a sequence 8 [Listener], that makes sense now.

Upon seeing this, Cao Meng immediately wanted to correct Lu Yan's misunderstanding of the First-Class Merit, but remembering Lu Yan's previous performance, she remained silent.

God knows how much effort he put in for these things, and how many times he narrowly escaped death.

That is to say, Lu Yan was able to deal with such a desperate situation with ease.

Five first-class merit awards were really not difficult for him.

"In short, save as much as you can, you can't go wrong."

Cao Meng didn't want to dwell on the topic and changed the subject.

"By the way, I've already contacted a buyer for those black ox horns for you—the blacksmith I mentioned before. Do you want to convert them into gold coins, or use them to forge a rare weapon?"

After a moment's thought, Lu Yan chose the latter: "Let's make weapons."

Martial artists possess considerable close-combat strength, but the addition of rare items can elevate their combat power to another level.

Now that there are cultists hiding in the 056 shelter, having a handy strange weapon gives them more confidence.

In fact, he did possess two extraordinary items: Wei Xu's Wind-Slicing Soft Sword and Guo Qingzhi's Dark Gold Dagger.

Unfortunately, these are all stolen goods and cannot easily be brought to light.

"Alright, I'll take you there now."

Cao Meng nodded in agreement, then added, "However, my blacksmith friend isn't in the jurisdiction of the Judgment Department, so we'll have to drive there."

"I'll do as the captain says."

Lu Yan shrugged indifferently, knowing that Cao Meng wouldn't betray him anyway.

The two drove there, with Cao Meng driving and Lu Yan sitting in the passenger seat, quietly looking out the window.

"How's it going? The 056 shelter is pretty well built, isn't it?"

Cao Meng smiled and said, "Cultivation is important, but you also need to go out for a stroll occasionally to relax your mind. There are quite a few interesting places to visit in this shelter."

"Indeed, quite a lot."

Lu Yan nodded slightly, but the scene reflected in his eyes was completely different from what Cao Meng had seen.

He activated his Yin-Yang Eyes, his gaze sweeping over the pedestrians and buildings along the roadside, counting in a low voice: "One...three...eight..."

In a short while, he sensed strange energy fluctuations of no less than double digits.

These beings may not all be followers of the evil gods, but they have certainly already turned their backs on humanity.

There are traitors everywhere...

Lu Yan withdrew his gaze and subtly glanced at Cao Meng beside him.

Its aura was pure, and it even carried a faint golden light.

It seems that the adjudication department is doing quite well overall.

The car sped along and soon left the center of the shelter, arriving at a slightly dilapidated street.

"We've arrived."

Finally, the car stopped in front of a blacksmith's shop on a street corner, and the sound of hammering could be heard through the door.

"This place was opened by my former teammate, but unfortunately he died in the line of duty, and now it is supported by his wife."

"But don't worry, his wife's forging skills are no less than his, so there won't be any problems."

Before Lu Yan could respond, Cao Meng got out of the car first, took out the packed black ox horn from the trunk, and went into the blacksmith shop first.

"Ah Zhen, we have a customer!"

The hammering stopped abruptly, then resumed a moment later.

After about half a cup of tea's time, a young woman dressed in coarse work clothes came out holding an iron hammer, her forehead still covered with fine beads of sweat.

"Brother Cao, what brings you here?"

Ah Zhen put down the hammer and expertly poured Cao Meng a glass of warm water, her tone filled with concern.

"Brother Cao, weren't you supposed to be on a mission? Why are you back so soon?"

"Since the mission was completed ahead of schedule, I came back early."

Cao Meng took the water glass with a bright smile, completely unaware of the strange look Lu Yan was giving her from behind.

Fortunately, Ah Zhen noticed Lu Yan and gestured towards the door with her eyes. Cao Meng then suddenly remembered the important matter, scratched her head, and introduced...

"Let me introduce you. This is Lu Yan, a new member of our seventh squad. We're here to have weapons made for him."

"Hello there."

Lu Yan nodded slightly as a greeting, and Ah Zhen, being a decisive person, got straight to the point.

"If you're using black ox horn as the main material, I suggest crafting gauntlets, daggers, or spears. Swords and the like aren't suitable."

Ah Zhen only thought for a moment before providing a solution.

After a moment's thought, Lu Yan chose the boxing gloves.

Martial arts masters excel in close combat, and a pair of gauntlets can further enhance their advantages.

Lu Yan then added some more detailed requirements.

"Alright, I'll adjust the specific details as needed, and I'll make sure you're satisfied."

"However, you must come here in seven days. The final step in the formation of the artifact requires the presence of the user."

Ah Zhen wrote down everything, quickly made a handprint for Lu Yan, then picked up the bag of black ox horns and headed towards the forging workshop behind the house.

"It's heavy, let me help you."

Seeing this, Cao Meng quickly stepped forward to help, and her eagerness made Lu Yan's gaze become even more strange.

Old Cao's enthusiasm far exceeded the scope of caring for his teammate's widow; he simply didn't have some other motive.

Mengde's ambition has been passed down.

Lu Yan inwardly grumbled, but he didn't intend to disturb them; he simply followed silently.

He had already used his Yin-Yang Eyes to see that although the place was dilapidated, there was no trace of any eerie or supernatural aura.

Lu Yan followed the two to the forging workshop, where Cao Meng naturally helped Ah Zhen with her work.

Judging from his practiced manner, it was clearly not his first time.

"Lu Yan, please sit down for a while. I'll help you out. It'll be done soon."

While working, Cao Meng gestured for Lu Yan to go and rest.

"It's nothing, I'm just looking around."

Lu Yan shook his head, looking thoughtfully at Ah Zhen who was wielding a hammer.

An ordinary hammer strike on an iron ingot is merely a simple shaping action, but Ah Zhen's every strike is incredibly precise. After a few blows, an irregular iron ingot begins to take the shape of a weapon.

He had seen it in the library. Although the blacksmith sequence was also classified as a life sequence, it was better than the farmer sequence. There was also a sequence 8 - weapon forger.

Judging from Ah Zhen's performance, she has clearly been promoted to a weapon forger.

"I wonder if 'separating truth from falsehood' can reveal anything?"

Suddenly, Lu Yan activated his skill, and everything around him seemed to slow down.

Ah Zhen's movements became crystal clear to him, and he could even see the flow of power perfectly.

It wasn't until half an hour later that Lu Yan felt somewhat tired and stopped.

[You carefully observed a forging process and discovered Sequence 8: Weapon Forger]

[Awakening Condition 1: Forge 100 pieces of ironware by hand (0/100)]

[Awakening Condition Two: Master both Black Iron Breathing Techniques (Completed)]

[Awakening Condition 3: Craft a Black Iron-grade artifact by hand (0/1)]

"It actually works!"

Lu Yan was excited. He had only wanted to try out the effect of the "Distinguish the True from the False" skill to see through the essence, but he did not expect that he could directly see the awakening conditions.

Moreover, it was a direct awakening of Sequence 8!