That night, Li Xiaoguan delivered the more than one hundred jin of iron ingots to Li Qing's tent. The Maple Kingdom strictly controlled resources such as salt and iron, and everything was conducted in secrecy, drawing no one's attention.
Upon entering the tent, Li Xiaoguan looked around to ensure there was no one else present, then whispered, "Erniu, do you know about Mo Jin?"
Mo Jin? Li Qing shook his head in confusion. Neither in his past life nor this one had he ever heard of such a thing.
As he spoke, Li Xiaoguan took out a fist-sized piece of black metal from his bosom. "This is Mo Jin. The iron mine we guard occasionally produces this special material in addition to iron ore, but it is extremely rare."
Li Qing looked at the piece of metal tightly gripped in the other’s hand and recalled that during Master Gu's lifetime, a female captain had mentioned a special ore when she sought him to forge the Qinghong Sword. It should be this Mo Jin that Li Xiaoguan held. He didn't expect this Li Xiaoguan to be so capable as to obtain such a thing.
However, Li Qing still pretended to be oblivious and asked, "What is Mo Jin generally used for?"
"This matter is of utmost importance; you must not mention it to a third person!" Li Xiaoguan said seriously, lowering his voice further. "Mo Jin is much harder than ordinary iron ore. Weapons made from it are extremely sharp, capable of piercing through even ordinary iron armor."
"I need you to help me melt this Mo Jin into the blade of the Kai Shan Axe. Can you do it?"
"Lord Li, I have never forged such a thing before, and I don't know if I can do it," Li Qing shook his head.
"Master Gu once forged weapons using Mo Jin. You are his disciple, so it should be fine. Just give it a try!" Li Xiaoguan frowned.
Li Qing swallowed hard and replied, "Then I can only give it a try, but I can't guarantee success."
"Just do your best; I'm not unreasonable." Li Xiaoguan smiled, then carefully handed the Mo Jin to Li Qing, his eyes filled with reluctance.
He had paid a considerable price to obtain this piece of Mo Jin, going through great lengths to keep its existence hidden. Most of the Mo Jin excavated from the mine had gone into the pockets of that Captain Qian Hong. For an ordinary officer like him to acquire one piece was already quite remarkable.
"Remember, this matter must not be disclosed; otherwise, neither of us will survive!" Li Xiaoguan cautioned one last time before carefully exiting the tent.
Thus, Li Qing looked at the pile of iron ingots on the ground and the piece of Mo Jin in his hand, falling into deep thought.
"Is Mo Jin really that powerful?" Li Qing squinted, recalling the hints that had appeared when he successfully forged weapons. The weapons he forged from ordinary iron ingots were referred to as common-grade weapons, which meant there were higher-tier weapons.
"If Mo Jin is truly that miraculous, then forging an entire weapon from this material might indeed elevate it beyond the realm of common-grade weapons."
With this thought, Li Qing gently rubbed the piece of black metal. Its texture was smooth and warm, yet it remained cold even after being held in his palm for a long time.
It was indeed a remarkable metal, something he had never encountered before!
However, Li Qing was not in a hurry to start forging. It was nighttime, and the noise of hammering would be quite noticeable. He carefully hid the Mo Jin and, after confirming that no one would come looking for him, returned to the Eternal Night World.
The surroundings were still as cold as ever, but after training in martial arts, Li Qing had grown strong and developed a certain resistance to the cold. This time, he did not plan to continue practicing the Fierce Tiger True Intent but instead unfolded the bamboo scroll that recorded the Turtle Breathing Technique.
"Such an internal martial art! The Yan family’s collection is truly rich, but the results are too slow. It might take ten years to achieve minor success; no wonder the Yan family is willing to part with it."
In the martial world, martial arts were mainly divided into two types: external techniques like the Ancient Hammer Technique and internal techniques like the Turtle Breathing Technique. It was hard to say which was superior; both were powerful when mastered.
The former yielded quick results, and most martial artists practiced external techniques. However, as one aged, their vitality would gradually decline, and their martial prowess would diminish accordingly. This is why it is said that youth is feared in combat; a vigorous young person can defeat an experienced master with sheer brute force.
Internal techniques, on the other hand, grew stronger with age, as the internal energy within the body deepened. However, internal techniques often required ten or even dozens of years of practice before showing results, and since each internal technique was precious, internal masters were often rarer than external masters.
"Generally speaking, very few people practice both internal and external martial arts simultaneously; it’s too time-consuming and often leads to a fruitless outcome."
"The Yan family is offering me these techniques together with ill intentions."
Li Qing sighed, then began to read the bamboo scroll carefully.
The Turtle Breathing Technique was divided into three levels: minor success, major success, and perfection! These three levels corresponded to external energy experts, internal energy experts, and transformation energy masters in the martial world!
However, due to its nature as an internal martial art, even if one reached minor success in the Turtle Breathing Technique, it would still be difficult to compete with an external energy expert. External energy experts relied on their own strength, while the newly achieved minor success in internal techniques, though it provided some enhancement, still had a gap.
Once one reached the level of major success, these gaps would gradually close. If one could master the internal martial art to perfection, reaching the level of a transformation energy master, they could even overpower an external energy expert.
This was why Li Qing was so interested in the Turtle Breathing Technique. He did not lack time; even if his martial talent was poor, practicing this internal martial art for a hundred or two hundred years before emerging would mean that by then, his internal energy would likely be beyond the description of invincible!
Soon, Li Qing became immersed in the content of the Turtle Breathing Technique, his eyes shining with excitement as he eagerly committed this internal martial art to memory.
After nearly four hours, Li Qing finally memorized the technique. However, before he could attempt to practice it, a commotion erupted outside the courtyard.
"Yan San, get out! If you dare to lay a hand on my granddaughter again, I’ll deal with you!"
Old Man An's furious voice rang out, and from his tone, it was clear that something had happened.
Li Qing sighed inwardly, not intending to meddle. He was a modern person and found the Yan family's and Yan San's ways detestable. If he became powerful in the future, he wouldn't mind eradicating this family, but that was not the time.
(End of Chapter)