Ou Yangming pondered for a while and asked, "Because of the beast tide?"

"You know about the beast tide? Judging from your age, you shouldn't know about it…" Jin Shengjie shook his head as he was stunned. His face eventually took on a ghastly expression as he asked, "Are there unforeseen events in Changlong County's immense forest already?"

'Sure enough, a top-notch figure like Jin Shengjie knows about the beast tide,' Ou Yangming thought, then he nodded and answered, "There are traces of unusual beasts in the immense forest indeed, which is why Master Lu sent me to the capital to present the method to upgrade military sabers to His majesty."

"Great, that's great!" Jin Shengjie nodded. He smiled sincerely and commented, "I truly admire Master Lu for worrying about the country and the people."

Ou Yangming chuckled. It was General Li Xinfan who urged him to enter the capital, but it could not be possible without Master Lu's Rune Molds.

Nonetheless, Jin Shengjie later sighed and remarked with a different tone, "But because this involved the overall upgrade of armaments, ah, I'm afraid that it'll be… Difficult to let this motion pass!"

"Master Jin, this will benefit the military greatly. If everything goes smoothly, every soldier will have a Good Grade military saber, and I believe that their overall power will be doubled at least?" Ou Yangming furrowed his eyebrows.

"Lil' Friend Ou, I know you're devoting yourself to the public interests, but this isn't something that can be done by everyone." Jin Shengjie shook his head with a bitter smile.

Ou Yangming could notice how helpless Jin Shengjie was, and there was also a hint of hate and pain in the blacksmith master's eyes.

Jin Shengjie expressed seriously after he kept quiet for some time, "I'll do my best to promote this matter, and I won't let Master Lu's effort go to waste!"

"As long as you do your best, I'll support you and cheer for you." Ou Yangming nodded after a moment of hesitation.

"Hehe, help is certainly needed for this to be done, so I might really need you to contribute, Lil' Friend Ou."

Ou Yangming uttered in a deep voice, "It's my bounden duty!"

The young fellow only said four words, but Jin Shengjie could feel the weight they carried.

Jin Shengjie nodded and was hesitant to continue.

Nevertheless, Ou Yangming knew what the blacksmith master wanted to say, so he stated with a grin, "I gave my all when I smithed the first military saber, which was why I gained a Good Grade military saber."

Jin Shengjie blushed because he could not forget about this matter, but he was too abashed to ask. After all, some secrets could not be shared even between people who were intimate with each other, for instance, a father and a son, as well as a master and an apprentice.

Therefore, he was grateful when the observant Ou Yangming took the initiative to bring this up.

"Back in Changlong County, we discovered the rune that can be used to upgrade inexpensive military sabers' grades and ranks. On top of that, I even used a Spirit-gathering Runes Formation to assist the process, so I managed to smith a High Grade military saber in the end by chance," Ou Yangming explained, then he added with a smile, "I initially thought I could only upgrade it to Good Grade Rank Five, so I was also surprised when I succeeded."

Jin Shengjie's eyelids twitched. He asked slowly, "Runes Formation. Lil' Friend Ou, do you study Runes Formation too?"

He was secretly taken aback. It was already unbelievable for Ou Yangming to have practiced smithing art to a high level at such a young age, but he just found out that the young fellow's attainment in Runes Formation was not inferior to his smithing art standard.

The blacksmith master had heard of formation maps similar to the Spirit-gathering Runes Formation, but how many people could actually grasp it?

However, he did not know that Ou Yangming learned the Spirit-gathering Runes Formation from Elder Universe, and the young fellow would have been clueless if he studied it on his own.

Jin Shengjie shook his head. He completely gave up on the smithing technique that exceeded his rank.

Since it involved the path of runes, based on his age and energy, it was not something that he could learn. At the very least, he knew his limitations.

Despite that, although Jin Shengjie was slightly upset, he was not careless when Ou Yangming asked him questions. Instead, he gathered his energy and taught the young fellow everything he knew as much as possible.

The carriage did not move quickly, but Ou Yangming felt like time passed in a flash. When he sensed that the carriage slowed down, he knew they had almost arrived at their destination.

Ou Yangming bowed at Jin Shengjie and expressed his gratitude, "Thank you for your pointers, Master Jin."

He spoke from the bottom of his heart because Jin Shengjie was indeed more experienced in layering Unique Attributes. In particular, Master Jin's comprehension in the theory was far better than Old Craftsman's.

This was the difference between the orthodox and the unorthodox methods. Even though one could achieve the same goal through both ways and the unorthodox method seemed easier, without enough foundation, Ou Yangming's growth would be obstructed in the future.

Jin Shengjie opened another door for Ou Yangming to arrive at the peak, allowing the young fellow to see a completely different path. When Ou Yangming merged it with his previous experiences, he realized that his vision became broader. If he were to take the assessment again, he was confident about attempting triple-layering without using the Military Fire's unique power.

Master Jin accepted the salutation calmly and noted in a deep voice, "Lil' Friend Ou, my generation's potential has come to an end, so we need people like you to uplift the empire's glory in the future!"

Just as Ou Yangming nodded, Du Gaoge called out to them from outside the carriage, "Master Jin, Master Ou, we've arrived!"

The curtain was drawn apart, and cheers were heard when Jin Shengjie and Ou Yangming exited the carriage one after another.

"Master Jin, long time no see. I trust you've been well!"

It was a youthful lady who spoke, and she smiled like a flower. The lady walked at a brisk pace and approached Jin Shengjie gracefully.

Jin Shengjie raised his eyebrows and laughed. "Ah, it's Shixue. Hehe, are you here to welcome me—the old man—or your pavilion's distinguished guest?"

The lady pursed her lips and smiled. "The two of you traveled together in the same carriage and had an enjoyable conversation, so does it make a difference who I'm here to welcome?"

"You're eloquent. Lil Friend Ou, this is Bai Shixue, the daughter of Elder Bai from the Yi Pavilion. She's quite young, but she has already become the pavilion's backbone!" Jin Shengjie laughed out loud and added after a short pause, "You mustn't be careless if you deal with her, or you'll have to count money for her even if you're sold."

Ou Yangming could not help but laugh at the weird yet interesting introduction. He figured that this might be Master Jin Shengjie's real nature.

Bai Shixue was stunned for a while, and she did not know to cry or to laugh. "Master Jin, you're truly a good senior!"

She turned to greet Ou Yangming, "Master Ou, please forgive me for not welcoming you when you first arrived from Changlong County."

Ou Yangming beamed. He knew the lady was flattering him, but he was in high spirits because the words came from such a beautiful lady. "Young Lady Bai, you're being too polite. Shopkeeper Du served me well, and I was pleased."

Du Gaoge was not qualified to stay with them anymore, but he was not far away. After he heard Ou Yangming's comment, he nodded at the young fellow gratefully.

"Master Ou, you were pleased, but we haven't done our best." Bai Shixue lowered her head, then she turned around and gestured to the masters to enter the pavilion. "I've prepared a feast for you, please."

When Ou Yangming first arrived at the capital, he had a recommendation badge from Changlong County's head shopkeeper, but he was not qualified to meet the young pavilion master. After today's Blacksmith Assessment, he could almost be on par with Jin Shengjie, who was a Superior Blacksmith, hence he could enjoy a better treatment.

With that, the three of them entered the pavilion cheerfully. When Bai Shixue waved her hand, someone naturally laid out drinks and food in front of them.

Ou Yangming had never been too particular about his food and drink. He took a casual look at the dishes and realized that they were served delicacies from land and sea, which he had never seen before.

He shook his head and thought, 'The people from the capital know how to live it up.'

The sharp-eyed Bai Shixue asked with a smile, "Master Ou, is there anything you're unhappy about?"

Ou Yangming laughed. "No. Young Lady Bai, you're serving us too well, so I'm rather overwhelmed."

Bai Shixue smiled with her lips pursed. Her beauty was unparalleled as she looked like a blooming flower. "Master Ou, you're good with words. It's you who's making me overwhelmed!"

Jin Shengjie giggled. "Shixue, you're trying to invite Lil' Friend Ou to join the upcoming Myriad Treasure Meet, am I right?"

"Master Jin, you have an all-seeing eye, I can't hide anything from you." Bai Shixue sighed.

"Young Lady Bai, before I left Changlong County, I promised Head Shopkeeper Lin Yichen that I'm willing to be at the Yi Pavilion's service." Ou Yangming cleared his throat.

"Master Ou, I'm sure you understand that for the same thing, the effect will be completely different if different energy is put into it!" Bai Shixue glanced at Ou Yangming with her pretty eyes, which looked like they could speak. As she stared at the young fellow, she somehow made him take pity on her.

That said, Ou Yangming soon felt a shiver run over his body.

It was not like he had never seen a beauty anyway; he and Ni Yinghong were in love, and she was not inferior to Bai Shixue at all in terms of her appearance. Nonetheless, Ou Yangming was still moved when he faced Bai Shi Xue.

He quickly released enormous mental power and came back to his senses.

Even so, Ou Yangming was still horrified. 'What secret technique does this lady cultivate?'

Bai Shixue's eyes wandered about, and she soon had a strange look on her face. 'Ou Yangming got rid of my seduction so easily. Is he sexually impotent? Or does he have other hobbies?'

Ou Yangming and Bai Shixue had different thoughts when they exchanged glances, and they were fearful of each other.