Chapter 13: Blacksmith Guild
Zhou Huai's mind stirred.
His consciousness instantly sank into his new Clone's body.
Ouyezi!
He moved his arms and kicked his legs.
Smooth and natural!
It was no different from when he controlled Yasuo.
In fact, due to the foundation of an SS-Class Profession, this body's initial strength and stamina far surpassed that of the S-Class Yasuo!
"SS-Class Life Profession..."
Zhou Huai, or rather, Ouyezi now, had a look of anticipation on his face.
Life Professions level up without needing to fight monsters.
Forging equipment grants experience.
The higher the quality, the more experience!
"Let's go check out the Forging Guild."
With his mind made up, Ouyezi no longer delayed.
As noon approached, he stepped out of the courtyard and headed straight for the center of Tianhai City.
The Forging Guild was located on the most bustling commercial street in the city center.
This was not only a workplace for Forging Masters but also Tianhai City's largest equipment trading hub.
As soon as he stepped through the guild's main entrance, a wave of noisy heat washed over him.
The spacious ground-floor hall was filled with various stalls.
A dazzling array of equipment shimmered with colorful lights.
"Come one, come all! Don't miss out! Level 10 fine quality belt! Excellent attributes, first come, first served!"
"Level 20 rare quality gauntlets! Includes increased healing effect! A blessing for healer Professions, act fast or miss out!"
The shouts of vendors rose and fell, ceaselessly.
Ouyezi's gaze swept over them, nodding inwardly.
Most of this equipment was of common or fine quality; rare grade was seldom seen.
A keen-eyed, smiling middle-aged Fat Boss wearing a traditional Chinese jacket spotted the distinguished-looking Ouyezi and quickly greeted him.
"Young man, you're new here! What are you looking to buy? My Old Zhang's goods are guaranteed to be complete!"
Ouyezi smiled faintly: "Boss, you've misunderstood, I'm not here to buy anything."
He paused, then continued: "I am a Forging Master."
"A Forging Master?"
Old Zhang's smile froze, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
He knew almost every Forging Master in Tianhai City.
He had never seen this young man before.
"Young man, are you... newly Profession-changed?" Old Zhang asked tentatively, "What Rank of Forging Master are you?"
Ouyezi recalled the trouble Yasuo had caused and decided to keep a low profile.
"C-Rank, I was lucky to successfully change Professions."
"C-Rank?"
Old Zhang's enthusiasm instantly intensified by three points, even more so than before!
"Oh my! That's truly young and promising!"
He rubbed his hands, his face wreathed in smiles.
What's most important for someone in the equipment business?
Connections!
Especially establishing good relationships with Forging Masters!
They are like a god of wealth!
"My apologies! My name is Zhang Hang, young man, just call me Old Zhang!"
"Young man, are you... looking to join our Forging Guild?"
Ouyezi nodded: "Exactly."
"That's easy!" Old Zhang slapped his thigh, "Leave the registration to me! Young man, follow me!"
Ouyezi thanked him and followed Old Zhang to the second floor.
The second floor was much quieter, housing the Forging Guild's reception desk.
A beautiful female receptionist saw Old Zhang and greeted him with a smile: "Boss Zhang, bringing new people again today?"
Old Zhang laughed heartily: "Indeed! This young brother here is a newly promoted Forging Genius in our Tianhai City!"
Ouyezi simply filled out his personal information.
Name: Ouyezi.
Profession: Forging Master.
Registered Rank: C-Rank.
The female receptionist took the form and smiled: "Mr. Ouyezi, the membership fee is 1000 great xia currency. Additionally, you will need to pass a simple test to officially become a guild member."
"Test?" Ouyezi was slightly surprised.
Old Zhang quickly explained from the side: "Hey, it's a small matter!"
"It just requires you to forge a piece of equipment on the spot, anything will do, even if it's common quality, it counts as passing."
He lowered his voice and leaned closer to Ouyezi.
"Of course, if you can forge high-quality equipment, the guild will rate your skill."
"The higher the score, the better the treatment you'll receive in the guild later on!"
"Not only will you get a monthly free Materials quota, but you'll also get priority to use the guild's more Advanced Forging Rooms!"
Ouyezi understood.
"But I currently don't have any Forging Blueprints."
Forging Blueprints are mostly obtained by killing exotic beasts or opening treasure chests.
Blueprints of higher Rank and better quality are naturally rarer and more difficult to forge.
Old Zhang waved his hand, saying grandly: "Blueprints? The guild has plenty of those!"
"Follow me!"
He led Ouyezi to the blueprint sales area on the other side of the second floor.
Indeed, it was dazzling, with all kinds of equipment blueprints from Rank 1 to Rank 50.
"Young man, I suggest you buy a Rank 1 equipment blueprint first to practice and get familiar with the process," Old Zhang suggested enthusiastically.
Ouyezi's gaze lingered among the many blueprints.
Soon, he reached out and pulled one out.
【Forging Blueprint: apprentice longsword】
【Required Rank: LV5】
【Quality: Common】
Old Zhang looked at it and was slightly stunned.
"Level five? Young man, you've just changed Professions, going straight for level five equipment, isn't that a bit... too aggressive?"
"The difficulty of forging Level 1 and ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ Level 5 is not the same concept at all!"
Ouyezi smiled faintly: "No matter, I want to try."
Seeing his insistence, Old Zhang no longer tried to dissuade him.
"Alright! What courage!"
With the blueprint sorted, next were the Materials.
Old Zhang was even more enthusiastic: "The Materials for forging this apprentice longsword, my shop just happens to have them! Consider it a gift from your older brother, two sets!"
Ouyezi was a little surprised: "How can I accept this, I should still pay."
Old Zhang, however, smiled and pushed back the money he offered.
"Hey! Young brother, you're being too polite!"
"Our meeting today is fate, what are these few Materials!"
"In the future, if you forge anything good, just remember your older brother!"
"Of course, regarding the price, your older brother will never let you suffer a loss!"
Seeing his firm attitude, Ouyezi no longer declined.
"Then thank you, Boss Zhang."
"You're welcome, you're welcome!"
Afterward, Old Zhang led Ouyezi to the third floor.
This was the Forging Guild's Forging Room area.
Rows of heavy steel doors were closed, and even with soundproofing formations, the faint 'clanging' of hammering could still be heard from behind the doors.
"This floor is all Elementary Forging Rooms," Old Zhang introduced.
"Further up are Intermediate and Advanced Forging Rooms."
He pointed to the ceiling, a hint of longing in his eyes.
"The top floor is the Special Forging Room. I heard that the forging fires there are not ordinary fires, but exotic fires sought from certain High-Rank Secret Realms!"
"Only those Forging Masters who can forge Epic-grade equipment are qualified to enter!"
Ouyezi's gaze shifted slightly.
Exotic fires, huh...
A strange glint flashed in Ouyezi's eyes.
He took the Materials, randomly chose an Elementary Forging Room, and pushed the door open.
"Bang!"
The heavy, soundproof iron door closed.
A scorching wave of heat rushed out!
The Forging Room was not large, with a giant furnace in the center, and various forging tools arranged nearby.
Ouyezi took a deep breath.
The first forging of the SS-Class Myriad Forms Divine Craftsman was about to begin!