Chapter 389: Blacksmith

During this time, Lei Zhan gained a deeper understanding of Tie Wuxin and figured out why his success rate in forging equipment was slightly higher than that of ordinary people.
It turned out!
Tie Wuxin’s ancestors were renowned blacksmiths. Although weapon forging no longer existed in peacetime, with more emphasis on mechanical manufacturing, Tie Wuxin’s generation had passed down this craft. Though limited, he continued to pursue this unique method of crafting weapons as a hobby.
In the town, he was known as “the blacksmith.”
Thanks to this, Tie Wuxin was more familiar with various metals and the sensations during forging than other blacksmith players, possessing an intuition that surpassed theirs.
This intuition allowed him to avoid many risks, giving him a higher success rate than ordinary players!
After continuous forging, he realized he could apply the real-world techniques in the game, making him more enthusiastic about his efforts.
With Lei Zhan’s full support, Tie Wuxin quickly reached a level of blacksmithing that most people could hardly attain.
However, his greatest goal at present was to reach the third tier of legendary weapons!
……
Today, there are already over fifty pieces of equipment at the third tier in the martial world!
As more equipment of this tier appeared, their prices gradually standardized.
The most popular and common ones were still second-tier legendary weapons. First-tier weapons weren’t as sought after, as their success rate was usually above 50%, and the materials required were relatively inexpensive. Thus, their prices were only ten to twenty thousand silver taels higher than those of legendary weapons, with weapons being slightly more expensive.
For second-tier equipment, attempting to forge it twice carried a high risk of failure—usually costing three times the price of a legendary weapon plus the material cost. Equipment of this tier was worth around five to six million, with weapons being even more expensive, and swords costing no less than eight million.
As for third-tier weapons!
The cost of materials for just one attempt exceeded six million, and after three attempts, the success rate was below 20%. In other words, forging one such weapon might result in the loss of several legendary weapons, as well as countless other weapons of lower tiers.
Therefore, the price of third-tier weapons remained extremely high—nothing less than fifty million would do.
First-tier third-tier legendary weapons were even more terrifying!
But it had to be admitted that success meant huge profits. Thus, most factions pooled their resources, combining many legendary weapons to attempt the challenge together.
This approach seemed to increase the success rate.

During this period, Tie Wuxin had successfully forged at least two hundred top-tier Grade 2 masterpieces for the Mu family—both equipment and weapons—outperforming other blacksmiths by 20%. Now that he had reached the level of a Forger, his perception skills were sharper, his techniques more refined, and his success rate increased by 5%. He couldn’t wait to attempt crafting Grade 3 masterpieces. The gang’s warehouse already contained nearly a hundred Explosive Crystal Stones, over two thousand Water Absorbing Stones, thousands of top-tier masterpieces, and thousands of Grade 2 masterpieces. Tie Wuxin had been waiting for this day for a long time. Lei Zhan knew of Tie Wuxin’s desire for Grade 3 masterpieces. Hearing Tie Wuxin eagerly request resources for Grade 2 masterpieces and materials for Grade 3, he smiled mysteriously and said, “I’ve already brought the materials for you.” “Give them to me quickly!” Tie Wuxin’s eyes lit up as he unconsciously rubbed his hands. “But not Grade 2,” Lei Zhan said, taking out a weapon from his Qiankun Bag. Tie Wuxin’s eyes widened instantly; a sense of luxury and opulence surged toward him, causing his heart to pause for several seconds. “The Guardian Sword!” Realizing what it was, Tie Wuxin lost his composure for the first time. He rushed to Lei Zhan, took the Guardian Sword, and handled it as if it were a supreme work of art, stroking its blade with glowing eyes, overjoyed at what he saw. “Lord, are you sure I can forge a Grade 1 masterpiece?!” Tie Wuxin murmured while touching the Guardian Sword, then showed a tense and serious expression for the first time. “I heard the price of the Guardian Sword exceeds 15 million. What if I fail…” “Don’t worry. Forging is inherently risky. Failure isn’t a problem. As long as we succeed once, we’ll make a profit. Even if you fail all of them, we can consider it an investment. Even if forging a Grade 1 masterpiece fails, it still provides valuable experience that can help you advance to a Grand Forger…” As he spoke, Lei Zhan took out three more Guardian Swords and placed them on the forging table in front of Tie Wuxin under his almost frozen gaze. The three Guardian Swords complemented the one in Tie Wuxin’s hands! Their luxurious and precious aura, unique sharpness, and slender blades shone brilliantly, almost lighting up the entire forging area like daylight. Tie Wuxin’s breathing became chaotic for a while before it settled. Four Grade 1 masterpieces! Four of the highest-tier masterpieces recognized by martial artists, four Guardian Swords with the potential to rank among divine weapons! Tie Wuxin felt an excitement and thrill that almost burned him up. “I heard the Guardian Sword can become a true divine weapon. Is it okay to forge them for me?”

“Just focus on forging. There aren’t that many divine artifacts in the world, let alone the essence of so many masters.” Lei Zhan’s voice reached their ears at just the right time: “But facing those four National Guardian Swords, to be honest, even I find it hard to stay composed and bring myself to do it… It was only over twenty days ago that Kai Xin told me that once you reached the level of a forger, he would immediately give you a set of first-class divine artifacts to help you advance to the third stage… Right now, I’m just borrowing someone else’s resources…” “…” After a moment of confusion, Tie Wuxin quickly understood. That’s right! Aside from Kai Xin, how many others could possess the National Guardian Swords? Who else but Kai Xin could produce four of them at once? Behind Lei Zhan, there had been a figure he should have noticed all along… Taking a deep breath, Tie Wuxin regained his composure. “Rest assured, master. I’ll give it my all.” As he spoke, he packed away all the National Guardian Swords and the four sets of materials in the forging room, leaving only one set behind. “I look forward to good news from you.” Although Lei Zhan was acting as ordered by Kai Xin, seeing Tie Wuxin prepare to start forging still made him feel nervous. He added, “If we can create even one, we won’t have lost out. Wuxin, who knows? Maybe Kai Xin will even give you the entire set of golden armor to forge…” Tie Wuxin’s heart, which had finally calmed down, stirred again. With a wry smile, he shook his head. “Master, you’d better leave.” “Sorry, I’m going.” Lei Zhan also knew that during forging, the forger needed to concentrate. His presence was indeed inappropriate. With a sheepish smile, he lifted the curtain and left. Left alone, Tie Wuxin gazed at the slender and luxurious National Guardian Sword on the forging table, along with the brilliantly shining deep blue explosive crystal, and slowly closed his eyes…