The main hall was filled with shelves, but most of them were empty.
A middle-aged man stood listlessly behind the counter, yawning. He didn’t even greet the three as they entered.
"Excuse me, Steward, could we get two Forging Hammers?" Jiang Yan stepped forward and said. "Just the ordinary ones will do."
As he spoke, he turned to Xu Yang. "To practice the Thousand Forging Technique, a regular Forging Hammer is fine. Once you start actually forging Weapons, you can have a skilled Weapon Forger custom-make a hammer that fits you."
Xu Yang nodded. "Thank you for the advice, Senior Brother Jiang."
The Steward bent down, scooped something up from the floor, and two Forging Hammers appeared on the counter. "One hundred taels each, so two hundred taels total."
’What a rip-off. A hundred taels for a shabby hammer like this.’
Xu Yang and Jiang Fan each paid. The Steward then asked, "How many blocks of Profound Iron?"
"Five!"
Jiang Yan looked at Xu Yang and said, "Junior Brother Xu, when you’re just starting to practice the Thousand Forging Technique and the Iron Refining Hand, it’s best to use Profound Iron. You’ll need about two or three blocks a day, so decide for yourself how many to buy."
He wasn’t sure about Xu Yang’s financial situation, so he could only explain the circumstances and let Xu Yang decide.
Although forging wasn’t as expensive as Alchemy, the rate at which it burned through money in the early stages was nearly as fast.
A single block of this Profound Iron weighed ten jin. Even with a subsidy from the Purple Sun Sect, one block still cost one hundred taels. This meant that practicing the Thousand Forging Technique and Iron Refining Hand would burn through two or three hundred taels of silver every day.
Of course, Profound Iron was still Profound Iron. Even if it was beaten into scrap metal during practice, to a common person, it was still a better material than high-grade refined steel. Selling it back here could recoup some of the cost.
"In fact, if you have a good aptitude for it, practicing the Thousand Forging Technique doesn’t have to be expensive—it can even make you money."
Jiang Yan continued to explain, "If you use the Thousand Forging Technique to improve the properties of the Profound Iron, the Forging Pavilion will buy it back at a high price. But you’re just starting out, so don’t expect to make money for now. Focus on improving your Thousand Forging Technique."
Jiang Fan couldn’t help but ask, "Brother Yan, what exactly is the aptitude for forging? Is it not related to Comprehension?"
Jiang Yan shook his head. "It’s not closely related to Comprehension. There’s a theory that it’s related to one’s Gang Qi. Everyone uses the same techniques to hammer the raw materials. Some people can hammer away and improve the material’s properties, while others just turn it into scrap metal. If you want to know what the difference is, it can only be the difference in their Gang Qi."
Listening to all this, Xu Yang felt that forging might rely on aptitude even more than Alchemy.
Gang Qi was a product of a person’s combined Essence, Qi, and Spirit. Logically, it should be the same for everyone, but according to Jiang Yan, the results it produced in forging were completely different.
’But I have the panel, so I should be able to ignore that kind of thing.’
After buying three blocks of Profound Iron, he and Jiang Fan walked into the Forging Pavilion.
There weren’t many people inside, only about seven or eight, all of them focused on their work, hammering away with a CLANG, CLANG, CLANG.
Xu Yang saw Xiong Kun, who had also joined Li Fire Peak. The guy was shirtless, also here honing his Thousand Forging Technique.
"Brother Jiang!"
A man walked over and clasped his fist to Jiang Yan.
This was none other than the fellow Xu Yang had encountered at the courtyard gate earlier.
Jiang Yan smiled and returned the gesture. "Brother Luo!"
Brother Luo frowned and said, "Brother Jiang, didn’t we agree you’d only bring one person to teach? Why did you bring two?"
As he spoke, his gaze swept over Xu Yang and Jiang Fan, a look of displeasure on his face.
Jiang Yan shook his head. "Brother Luo, you misunderstand. Junior Brother Xu just came along with us. The deal was for one person, and it’s still one person."
Xu Yang finally understood. This man was apparently the person Jiang Yan had found to guide Jiang Fan in the Thousand Forging Technique.
Taking the hint, he cupped his hands in a farewell to Jiang Fan and Jiang Yan, then walked over to a forge and placed one of his blocks of Profound Iron inside to heat.
Over there, it seemed Jiang Fan and Jiang Yan had reached an agreement with the man surnamed Luo. The three of them found a forge near Xu Yang and also placed a block of Profound Iron inside to heat up.
Then, the man surnamed Luo walked over to Xu Yang. "Junior Brother Xu, my name is Luo Xin. You’re new to the Thousand Forging Technique. Would you like some guidance from a senior brother?"
Xu Yang didn’t think this man was just being warm-hearted. He figured Luo Xin had approached him looking to earn a little extra money.
"Senior Brother Luo, you’d be charging a fee, wouldn’t you? This junior brother is a bit short on funds and can’t afford a guidance fee," Xu Yang said with a smile.
Luo Xin shook his head. "Don’t be so quick to refuse. My fee isn’t high—just one hundred taels of silver a day. If you don’t have silver, contribution points are also acceptable. Ten contribution points a day will do."
"You can’t practice the Thousand Forging Technique without guidance. My own Thousand Forging Technique is nearing Great Success. I can’t make any other promises, but I can definitely guide you."
’A hundred taels of silver or ten contribution points a day? Why don’t you just go rob someone?’
"Thank you for the kind offer, Senior Brother, but I really don’t have the money." Xu Yang was unmoved.
Jiang Yan had already said this skill relied on aptitude. He doubted someone else’s guidance would be of much use.
He wasn’t a Young Master Marquis, rich enough to not care about a hundred taels of silver a day.
"Junior Brother Xu, if you change your mind, you can come find me anytime."
Seeing that Xu Yang was still unwilling to spend the money, Luo Xin didn’t get angry and simply turned and left.
He knew how difficult it was to practice the Thousand Forging Technique. Once Xu Yang had his share of setbacks, he would naturally come looking for him.
After Luo Xin left, Xu Yang was surprised when several other people approached him, also wanting him to pay for their guidance in the Thousand Forging Technique. Their terms were similar to Luo Xin’s, with some charging eighty taels a day, and others ninety.
Xu Yang refused them all!
He didn’t know how skilled these people really were, but they all had an arrogant tone, and almost every one of them claimed their Thousand Forging Technique was "nearing Great Success."
How could Xu Yang not see through that kind of sales pitch? For them, Entry Level was "nearing Great Success," and Minor Achievement was also "nearing Great Success."
’If they were truly masters, would they need to be here swindling a few measly coins from a newcomer?’