The next day.
Lin Fan strolled around the area where the outer disciples of the Saint Devil Sect were allowed to roam. Today was the day for the outer disciples’ evaluation, a rather significant event for the sect. Many outer disciples had gathered to watch, eager to see who would soon become their junior brothers and sisters.
As for Lin Fan, none of this was relevant to him. With most of the outer disciples off to watch the assessment, who would be left to keep him company?
“Ah…” Lin Fan sighed, “So boring.”
He wasn’t sure where his feet had taken him, but Lin Fan suddenly noticed a heavy smell of coal in the air.
“Clang… clang…”
He heard the sound of hammering iron. Looking ahead, he saw rows of small huts, each with chimneys belching thick black smoke from their roofs.
Lin Fan frowned. These people were clearly environmental destroyers.
Though he thought that, he cheerfully walked forward. This was the place where outer disciples came to receive their weapons.
Each outer disciple was given the opportunity once a month to pick up a new piece of equipment.
The blacksmiths here were all trained specifically by the sect.
A sect not only required powerful martial cultivators but also needed talents in various other fields, and blacksmiths were among the most important.
Of course, the weapons used by the outer disciples were of a relatively low grade. However, even these low-grade weapons were considered top-tier in the subordinate kingdoms and empires.
They could cut through iron like mud and sever hair with a gentle blow—these were weapons of exceptional quality.
Lin Fan had been in the sect for some time now and still didn’t have a single decent weapon. Since he was here, he naturally wanted to get his hands on a good one.
Standing there, Lin Fan couldn’t help but let his imagination run wild.
In the future, he would go out and either cause trouble—no, wait, right, he meant to uphold justice.
He imagined himself with a long sword on his back, his hair flowing, dressed in a clean and neat green robe, cutting down villains and rescuing a fair maiden—truly a heroic scene.
“Clang… clang…”
The sound of the hammer striking iron snapped Lin Fan out of his daydreaming. He suddenly picked up his pace and hurried inside.
Inside, Lin Fan saw a burly blacksmith holding a hammer in one hand and a piece of iron in the other, hammering away furiously.
The sight of Peng Pan’s muscular build sent a shiver down Lin Fan’s spine.
Incredible. Truly incredible. This guy was like a human beast.
Noticing someone had entered, the blacksmith glanced at the badge on Lin Fan’s waist and said, “Pick your weapon. Look for yourself.”
His voice was hoarse and indifferent, as if he had seen it all before.
Lin Fan smiled at the blacksmith and said, “The weapon I want, you don’t have, and you wouldn’t know how to forge it either.”
Hearing this, the previously calm blacksmith paused mid-strike, his thick arms trembling slightly before he stopped hammering.
“You’re here to cause trouble?” the blacksmith asked, clearly displeased.
“No, just stating the facts,” Lin Fan replied.
“Hmph, I’ve never seen an outer disciple speak such nonsense. Fine, come on. If you can forge a weapon I’ve never seen before, I’ll give you something from my personal collection,” the blacksmith said, clearly annoyed.
He had never encountered a disciple so arrogant. Over decades in the Saint Devil Sect, he had forged countless weapons. He was familiar with every major school of weaponry. For someone to claim he couldn’t forge a weapon was infuriating.
“Fine,” Lin Fan smiled, glancing at the blacksmith. He didn’t plan to tell him that forging used to be his hobby.
The blacksmith put down his hammer and stepped aside, clearly challenging Lin Fan: If you think you’re good, then show me.
Lin Fan stepped forward and grabbed the hundred-jin hammer.
“Ha! You don’t even know how to hold a hammer, yet you claim to be a blacksmith? You’re just making a fool of yourself,” the blacksmith mocked. A true craftsman could tell at a glance.
Lin Fan rolled his eyes. “This is my unique technique, okay?”
“Hmph, this is clearly the grip of a total novice. Blacksmithing is an art. Without more than ten years of practice, you can’t master it. You won’t even be able to forge a decent weapon. You should…” The blacksmith continued to lecture, clearly enjoying showing off his knowledge.
In Lin Fan’s eyes, this blacksmith was clearly a chatterbox, eager to flaunt his expertise without a hint of humility. People like him were truly detestable.
“Ding! Sub-profession unlocked: Artisan.”
“Ding! Artisan Level 1 (0/10).”
“Artisan: A master of all crafts. Anything seen can be forged into various weapons by their hands.”
At this moment, Lin Fan was stunned. What was going on? What kind of sub-profession was this? Just picking up a hammer and listening to a few words from this know-it-all blacksmith had unlocked a new profession?
Lin Fan didn’t want to say anything at this point. It felt like he had been scammed.
“Go on, pick any weapon and leave,” the blacksmith, seeing Lin Fan was clearly a novice, didn’t want to waste more words and hurried him away.
“I can forge iron now,” Lin Fan, seeing that he had already become an artisan, immediately protested.
“Leave quickly, don’t disturb me,” the blacksmith picked up the hammer again, clearly not wanting to deal with Lin Fan anymore.
“Hmph, just watch me forge an unparalleled divine weapon,” Lin Fan muttered.
“Heh, you?” the blacksmith said contemptuously.
Lin Fan looked at the blacksmith and chuckled, “Heh…”
After leaving, Lin Fan hurried back to his room without delay.
He was very curious about this new sub-profession. What exactly was this Artisan profession?
Could it be that as long as someone explained something to him, he could learn a new sub-profession?
Lin Fan opened his interface and clicked on the Artisan profession. Instantly, a giant furnace appeared in his mind.
This thing…
Lin Fan rubbed his chin, feeling that he needed to study it carefully.
Looking left and right, Lin Fan couldn’t find any good materials.
Hmm…
Suddenly, Lin Fan noticed some discarded bricks in the corner of the courtyard. He quickly picked one up and threw it into the furnace.
“Ding! Congratulations on forging a pile of mud. Experience +1.”
In his hands was a sticky pile of black mud. Lin Fan couldn’t help but laugh. This thing could earn experience. Eagerly, he grabbed another brick.
“Ding! Congratulations on forging a defective brick. Experience +1.”
“Ding! Congratulations on forging a pile of mud. Experience +1.”
…
“Ding! Congratulations on leveling up. Artisan Level 2 (0/50).”
“Ding! Congratulations on forging a slightly worn brick. Experience +1.”
…
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