Ding!
[Successfully forged a mundane weapon: Fine Iron Longsword, gained four months of lifespan!]
As the prompt appeared, Li Qing was holding a straight and lightweight longsword, examining the newly completed weapon with the gaze of an art connoisseur. The sharp blade reflected a chilling gleam; from a craftsmanship perspective, this sword was impeccable. While it might not be able to cut through iron like mud, it could certainly sever hair with ease.
"Sigh, it's starting to decrease again. I hope that in the future, forging weapons like this will only add a day to my lifespan," Li Qing lamented inwardly, a hint of worry gradually forming between his brows. However, having a few months was still quite good.
With his current forging skills, it took him at most two days to forge a longsword like this. He promised Big Boss Fang that he would come to collect the sword in three days, just in case any unforeseen circumstances arose that might delay him.
"Mundane weapon, mundane weapon. Even the Jingji Blade, which has been tempered a thousand times and is considered my peak work, can only be classified as a fine mundane weapon."
"Or the Unique Hammer made with special materials like Ink Gold, it still cannot escape the classification of a fine mundane weapon."
"Whether it's the Jingji Blade or the Unique Hammer, they are absolutely qualified to be called divine weapons in the Jianghu!"
Indeed, Li Qing's words were not self-praise but a clear self-awareness. Weapons like the Jingji Blade and Unique Hammer were merely lacking in fame at present. Once they accumulated enough reputation over time or became the weapons of a martial arts master, they would undoubtedly be judged as divine weapons by the Jianghu martial world!
He was very confident that the quality of the Jingji Blade and Unique Hammer he forged was absolutely not inferior to the few renowned divine weapons circulating in the Jianghu.
In several decades or even a hundred years, barring any accidents, there would definitely be a famous blade called Jingji in the Jianghu.
Currently, the two most well-known divine weapons in the Jianghu were as follows.
One was called the Xuanwu Spear, rumored to be a famous spear that emerged three hundred years ago, now wielded by General Lü Guanghong, the commander of the Wuli Army. This was also why there had always been speculation in the Jianghu that Lü Guanghong was likely a top master at the Grandmaster level.
Since ancient times, good steeds are paired with good saddles, and treasured swords are matched with heroes. Without sufficient strength, how could such renowned divine weapons be wielded by an ordinary person?
The second divine weapon was the Demon Blade—Honglian!
This was the inherited famous blade of the Jiulian Sect, passed down since the time of the second-generation sect master, and only the sect master could wield it.
It is worth mentioning that over the years, the Jiulian Sect has produced a total of fourteen sect masters, with only the second-generation sect master named Honglian; all subsequent sect masters were named after the Black Lotus. This inherited Demon Blade was also named after the second-generation sect master.
As for why this was the case, outsiders found it difficult to know; only the high-ranking members of the Jiulian Sect could understand these secrets.
Currently, the fourteenth-generation Black Lotus sect master of the Jiulian Sect was confirmed to be a Grandmaster-level expert.
Every generation of the Jiulian Sect's sect master must be at the Grandmaster level; this is an ironclad rule. Otherwise, they would rather leave the position vacant than have a leader who was not a Grandmaster.
However, the Jiulian Sect has indeed managed to achieve this over the years, with each sect master being a Grandmaster, earning the respect of the world.
People speculated that this sect might have a special method to advance to the Grandmaster level, but it certainly came with significant restrictions, perhaps involving extreme methods like passing down skills.
Of course, even if everyone understood this, no one dared to target the Jiulian Sect, simply because this sect was indeed formidable. The Nine-Colored Lotus, when placed in the Jianghu, could stir up a storm of bloodshed among top experts.
After forging the longsword, another day passed, and Big Boss Fang arrived as promised to collect the sword.
"Good sword!"
Fang Long, who came from a humble background, immediately praised the longsword upon touching it. It was indeed a longsword of excellent quality; the sharp, cold gleam it emitted could be felt even with a light touch, causing a stinging sensation.
"Master Li, does this sword have a name?" Fang Long asked with eager eyes.
Li Qing shook his head with a smile and replied, "It hasn't been named yet; let Brother Yang name it."
He wasn't boasting; for ordinary weapons like this, he simply didn't want to give them names. Only divine weapons like the Jingji Blade and Unique Hammer were worthy of his naming.
"Hahaha, Master Li's weapon forging skills are probably unmatched in the entire world," Fang Long praised.
However, Li Qing repeatedly waved his hand, "Not at all, I'm just scraping by in the imperial capital. Big Boss Fang, please don't flatter me."
"Master Li, you are too humble. Once I save enough silver, I must ask you to forge a suitable iron rod for me."
"That is certainly no problem, but Big Boss Fang, I have one request," Li Qing shifted the topic.
"Oh? What is it?"
Li Qing continued, "I plan to go on a trip soon to handle some matters, and I'm a bit worried about my shop. I hope you can help keep an eye on it."
Upon hearing this request, Fang Long patted his chest and readily agreed, "This small matter can be entrusted to us brothers from Liangzhou. Any thief who dares to act recklessly, I, Fang Long, will skin him alive!"
Seeing Fang Long's promise, Li Qing expressed his gratitude, "Thank you very much, Big Boss Fang."
Big Boss Fang waved his hand, displaying an attitude of it being a trivial matter.
In fact, after Li Qing showcased his blacksmithing skills, Fang Long had already wanted to befriend this external strength-level blacksmith.
In today's world, blacksmiths were easy to find, and external strength martial artists were also easy to find, but a blacksmith who could forge good weapons and was also an external strength martial artist was quite rare.
"Master Li, I will take my leave now!"
The two clasped fists and parted ways.
A weight lifted from Li Qing's heart; with Big Boss Fang's promise, he no longer had to worry about thieves at the blacksmith shop.
The Liangzhou brothers were not what they used to be; everyone on the street knew that one of them had joined the Fengwei Gate.
Everyone had to give them some respect; having someone in the court made a difference.
After watching Big Boss Fang's figure disappear, Li Qing turned around and began to tidy up his things.
He wrapped up the Ancient Hammer Technique taught to him by Master Gu and also took along a good amount of travel expenses.
"Qingzhou, Chongning County, I wonder if I can still find Master Gu's relatives."
Li Qing looked at the thick book and was lost in thought for a moment.
It was Master Gu who guided him onto this path; both the blacksmithing skills and the martial arts journey had greatly helped him.
Naturally, he would fulfill Master Gu's last request before passing.
(End of Chapter)