LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 326
Peerless Spear Immortal arrived and asked curiously, “How did you make your breakthrough? It seems you didn’t cultivate any supreme cultivation technique…”
Ouyezi touched his forehead, puzzled, and said, “Actually, I find it very strange myself! These past few days, I’ve been forging iron non-stop, and while doing so, I suddenly had an epiphany. All my past forging experiences flooded into my mind. I distilled the essence from the dross, and when I woke up, I found myself having made a breakthrough!”
“Ah, this…” Everyone looked at each other in disbelief.
Was there someone who didn’t know how they had made their breakthrough?
“In fact, this is quite normal!” Master Painter joined in.
Looking at the bewildered Ouyezi, he smiled and said, “When I made my breakthrough, I experienced the same thing! Because we are not following the traditional path of breakthroughs! Think about it carefully now. Have you noticed that your sword-forging skills have improved?”
Ouyezi thought seriously and nodded repeatedly, “Now that you mention it, it’s true! I’ve found that my forging skills seem to have taken a big leap forward! In the past, to forge a divine sword, even if I had all the materials and my mental state was at its best, the success rate was less than thirty percent!”
“But now that I think about it, I realize that forging a divine sword doesn’t have to be so complicated! As long as I have the materials, I am more than ninety percent confident that I can forge a divine sword!”
As he said the last sentence, he was full of confidence and his spirit soared.
“That’s right! Because you have attained the Dao through your craft, when your level and experience reach the Grandmaster level, it will be like this! This is also a path opened by the heavens and earth for us, the dedicated ones!”“In that case, this is truly a great thing, haha!” Ouyezi laughed heartily.
Just then, Eunuch Liu, who was with Lin Beifan, came over and congratulated Ouyezi with a bow, “Congratulations to Master Ouyezi for attaining the Grandmaster level! His Majesty has already ordered a grand banquet to celebrate your achievement!”
Hearing about the banquet, Ouyezi’s craving for alcohol was immediately aroused.
“There’s a banquet, let’s go!”
Half an hour later, everyone arrived at the imperial palace to attend the feast specially prepared for Ouyezi.
At this banquet, there were not only delicious dishes but also various fine wines specially prepared by Lin Beifan’s imperial kitchen.
After all, Ouyezi was a man who loved his drink. Now that he had broken through to Grandmaster level, how could he not be allowed to drink to his heart’s content?
During the banquet, although Lin Beifan sat in the main seat, the real protagonist was Ouyezi.
Everyone offered him toasts, and he returned them in kind, never putting down his wine jar.
Behind him, there were more than a dozen empty wine jars.
Lin Beifan said with a smile, “Master Ouyezi, drink as much as you like, tonight’s supply of alcohol is guaranteed to be sufficient, all my treasured wines are open to you!”
Ouyezi laughed heartily, “Your Majesty, those are your words! If I accidentally drink them all, you can’t come asking me to settle the account!”
Lin Beifan generously said, “Drink all you want. If they’re gone, it’s on me!”
“Thank you, Your Majesty. Bring the wine over quickly!”
In less than the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, Ouyezi’s side was filled with courtly fine wines for his enjoyment.
Ouyezi drank until his face was flushed, and then he stood up with a glass of wine to toast Lin Beifan, gratefully saying, “The one I need to thank the most for my breakthrough is Your Majesty!”
Everyone looked over, puzzled.
Ouyezi continued, “If not for His Majesty providing the best forging environment and various precious materials for practice, I could never have achieved this breakthrough! In other words, my Grandmaster status was essentially fed by an immense amount of resources! So this cup, I toast to Your Majesty!”
Everyone listened and finally nodded in agreement.
This forging Grandmaster was different from other Grandmasters, who all made their breakthroughs through cultivation, but this forging Grandmaster made his breakthrough entirely through forging.
Without enough forging and weapons made, a breakthrough would be impossible.
And all this required a massive amount of resources to support.
Only with the uncounted investment from His Majesty could there be the Ouyezi of today.
Lin Beifan shook his head and smiled, “It’s all due to your own efforts. My help was negligible!”
Ouyezi said loudly, “There are many hardworking people in the world, but how many become Grandmasters? Sometimes, what they lack is not effort, but a benefactor, someone to give them a push from behind.”
“Your Majesty, you are my benefactor! Your great kindness is unforgettable! I’m a blunt man and not good with words, but I’ll say it! Although I’ve made a breakthrough, my allegiance hasn’t changed. I’m still a person of Great Xia. Whether jumping into a cauldron of boiling water or stepping onto a fire, I’m ready to serve Your Majesty loyally and brave any danger!”
He was pledging loyalty to Lin Beifan.
Lin Beifan was very pleased and laughed, “Master Ouyezi, there’s no need to go through fire and boiling water for me. I can’t bear to see you die! When you have time, forge a few more divine weapons for me!”
“Hahaha, of course!” Ouyezi laughed heartily.
Everyone continued to drink and make merry, the atmosphere was lively.
However, in Lin Beifan’s mind, a voice rang out.
“Ding! Due to the player national power increasing, your strength has been synchronously increased, rewarding you with the Myriad Paths to Purgatory!”
“This is a supreme skill that can accommodate different and even mutually exclusive martial arts, embracing all things! Moreover, it can also conjure illusions to deal with powerful enemies and use thoughts as blades to control the minds of others…”
Lin Beifan quickly absorbed this supreme skill, instantly mastering it, and his mental power surged.
With just one glance, he could pull someone into an illusion, controlling their life or death.
“What a great technique!” Lin Beifan smiled.
Looking at Ouyezi, who brought him the supreme skill, he raised a glass of wine and said with a smile, “Master Ouyezi, this cup is to you!”
“Your Majesty, please!” Ouyezi immediately responded in kind.
The banquet lasted until dawn before it ended.
……
By then, the news of Ouyezi’s breakthrough to Grandmaster spread like wildfire.
“Master Ouyezi has broken through to Grandmaster?”
“And he’s not just any Grandmaster! Let me tell you, he made his breakthrough while forging! That is to say, he has proven his way through his craft, becoming the only forging Grandmaster of our time!”
“Does that mean it will be even easier for him to forge divine weapons in the future?”
“Need you even ask?”
All the major powers became restless.
Ouyezi’s breakthrough to Grandmaster was shocking news for everyone!
If someone could recruit Ouyezi, it would mean a constant supply of divine weapons, a significant leap forward for their sect or power…
Although Ouyezi was currently the swordsmith of Great Xia, how would they know there was no chance without trying?
Thus, various forces sent people, both openly and secretly, to woo him.
Among them, the seven transcendent powers were the most eager.
At first, Ouyezi patiently spoke with them, rejecting their offers.
But there were too many people, and Ouyezi got fed up, so he closed his doors and refused to meet anyone.
Even so, this did not deter these powers.
Ouyezi was furious and went straight to the imperial palace, asking Lin Beifan to dispatch troops and experts to surround his residence, not allowing any “fly” to come in, which finally spared him the disturbance.
Thus, the other powers were left with nothing but envy and jealousy.
“What kind of soul-bewitching potion did Great Xia give Ouyezi to make him so loyal?”
“It must be the grace of recognition! After all, Ouyezi was already approached by Great Xia before he became a Grandmaster. They have deep feelings for each other and won’t be easily swayed!”
“Now that Great Xia is already so strong and has added a forging Grandmaster, won’t they become even stronger?”
“That’s for sure, at least they’ll have more divine weapons than us!”
“Who will stop Great Xia in the future?”
They were left with nothing but tough talk.
Without the strength to stand against Great Xia, they could only watch helplessly as Great Xia grew stronger and stronger, while they could do nothing about it.
Unless all the powers of the world unite, but is that even possible?
……
Now that it’s April, the rice grain that have been planted are mostly sprouting from the fields, each one fresh and green.
Seeing this scene, the farmers of Great Xia are quietly delighted in their hearts.
This year is bound to bring another good harvest!
However, farmers in other countries are gradually becoming distressed.
Because the crops they planted this year have not yet sprouted.
Although various reasons have made this year’s spring plowing somewhat late, it was only by half a month, and by now there has been enough time.
The seedlings should have appeared by now, so why is there still no sign of them?
In a field of the Great Wu Empire.
Several farmers are squatting on the ridges, looking at the barren land before them with faces full of worry.
One old man, while puffing on his dry pipe, said, “What do you think about these rice grains… why haven’t they sprouted yet? Since the start of spring this year, the weather has been fair, and now it’s time for them to grow, so why is there not even a hint of them?”
“Some say that the rice we planted this year is Great Xia’s high-yield variety! This rice must have some special qualities, maybe it will grow later. We shouldn’t jinx trouble!” someone comforted themselves.
“If it’s high-yield rice, then it should sprout earlier and grow big and lush. Otherwise, it won’t sprout at all if more time passes! It’s almost summer in the blink of an eye, and if there’s no grain, we’ll all starve!” someone else fretted with concern.
“But what can we, ordinary farmers, do about it?” another sighed.
At this moment, an old farmer stood up and said, “Let’s not talk anymore. We need to report this situation!”
“He’s right, that’s the only thing we can do!”
Thus, information from all sides quickly converged at the court of the Great Wu Dynasty.
***
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