After I left the master, I was deathly tired; my arms, legs, and torso ached unbearably. The master noticed this too, although he said I did a magnificent job, as most people couldn't handle even five such light tempers a day. I could have easily endured them all from start to finish, but for that, I would have needed to use my internal energy instead of hiding it.
Speaking of which, after such a fruitful day, it was literally burning in my veins, demanding release and assimilation! So I literally rushed home, where I immediately began to meditate. My internal energy immediately exploded, permeating every cell of my body, accompanied by unbearable heat, as if I had ended up in some steam room! My inner world was also affected by this surge; the energy pulsations only grew stronger over time, causing the development of my elements as well, though not as rapid.
After an hour of such high-speed cultivation, I literally passed out and only woke up at ten to six! Just as the last alarm clock rang! However, I must admit that I had never felt such a sense of vigor before, but I had to literally fly to the master, otherwise, it could have ended very badly for me!
Fortunately, I made it on time, having to use wind magic to its full extent to avoid being late. This time there was much more conversation than before. The master talked about various metals and materials, and at the end of the day, he entrusted me with choosing and smelting two materials of my choice. I chose the bones of a giant triton and iron, completely ordinary materials. But thanks to such simple materials, I was able to finish smelting in a couple of hours, and by eight o'clock, I managed to forge a small dagger from the resulting ingot, which the master gave me as a memento. In terms of characteristics, it was significantly inferior to the ones I had; I would be lucky if it could wound a low chieftain. It was made from the bones of a low servant! But even so, the increase in strength from adding ordinary iron was enormous!
The next day, I had almost the same task, only this time my goal was to forge a shield. For this, I used the shell of a terrestrial turtle, a high servant, inhabiting the Siyamen region, with higher-level varieties. I even have a theory that they all originated from a stone totem turtle, but it's hard to prove until I see the turtle itself. The metal for the alloy was terrestrial metal, ordinary iron, filled with pure earth element; this combination was ideal to achieve maximum efficiency. However, I had to use as many as two different fires in the furnace to complete the smelting in five hours! Using only one, it would have taken me all day, or even two!
Next came the forging, which was no longer three to five tempers; a minimum of four were required. Also, the total area of the shield is larger than that of a sword, so a greater number of blows per approach would be needed. It was incredibly tiring and difficult; if only I had used my internal energy, everything would have gone smoothly! After another four hours, the work was completed, and I moved on to engraving the magic formula. At this stage, I didn't use anything special, as there was no need. As a result, I got a very strong shield; it should definitely withstand the blows of a senior chieftain. As for a higher one, it's more complicated, but it will save me from a couple of blows.
"An excellent shield, for a first attempt, of course," the master said confidently. "This will be the first artifact we sell at auction under the name Tan San. Of course, part of the profit will be given to you, usually about thirty percent of the amount earned. I don't think we should change the established rules, should we?" he chuckled, turning the newly made shield in his hands and glancing at me sideways.
"Of course, thirty percent is too generous for me; I'm already happy to learn from you," I said, bowing slightly.
"Pfft..." the master hissed, with a slight look of disgust on his face. "You're getting annoying with all this politeness; you can speak more simply. We're not at a university, but in a workshop."
"As you say," I shrugged calmly. Naturally, it was clear from the beginning that the master disliked any ceremonies and formal address, but if I had immediately allowed myself liberties, he would not have liked it at all, so I could only wait for him to cancel them himself. "Master, then I can go and do whatever I want, and the exam is in three weeks?"
"Yes, if you don't pass, you'll be stuck in the workshop until you surpass me! Hahaha!" the master burst into laughter.
"Perhaps it won't be long," I grinned too.
"Confident, kid, very confident. You haven't even seen me at serious work yet, and you already think you can surpass me quickly," he smirked at my words. However, even though I hadn't seen him work, I could tell his approximate skill level from his movements, cultivation, and internal energy development. Knowing myself, five years of hard work and he will be left behind. "Alright, go already, it's late. You can go, you wanted to pick up your sister from your relatives tomorrow, right?"
"Thank you, master, for your concern," I said, without the former respect, which slightly surprised him. "In a month, I will be on a completely different level."
"We'll see," he said dryly, then moved with my shield to the workbench, placed it nearby, and began to lay out his tools. Strange, I thought the junior disciples did that, but oh well.
I finished quite early, so I managed to catch the evening flight to Gangkong. After resting a bit and calming my internal energy in flight, I reached my destination. I had absolutely no desire to go straight to the old man, nor to go to a hotel. Instead, I went to the forest. The safety zone around such large cities is quite extensive, so it's very difficult to encounter even servant-level monsters there.
However, what was important was that even here my cultivation was slightly higher than in the city. To kill a senior chieftain, I still need a lot of training; a night of practice in the forest won't hurt. The next day, early in the morning, just as the sun rose, I headed to the Gun family mansion. This time, the guards easily let me through and even escorted me to a special room, where I waited for the old man and Jiaxing Er.
"You've returned on time after all," the old man chuckled, entering the room. "Won't you keep me company in training? You can also watch Jiaxing Er. She has her final sparring match today."
"With great pleasure, teacher," I smiled, getting up from the sofa. "I hope the teacher hasn't forgotten that he promised to show me two development techniques?" I asked, moving closer to him.
"Here, but remember our agreement," he said in a sharply serious and quiet voice, taking two hefty ancient books from his spatial bracelet. I quickly took them and hid them in my bracelet. "And now, let's go faster," the old man added in his usual cheerful voice.
We arrived at the training arena, where there were about two dozen people. Some of them were training, and some were standing and watching the duels. Jiaxing Er was also standing here; she had changed quite a bit since our first meeting. The determined look she had at the beginning, the desire to fight to the end and risk her life to win, were now clearly visible in her eyes. A poisonous-cold aura seemed to hover around her, barely noticeable, almost imperceptible, but still. It was evident that she had already taken a human life. All the others here were teenagers between fifteen and sixteen years old, clearly the younger generation of the Gun family.
"Teacher!" the whole crowd shouted joyfully, running up to him. "And who is this with you?"
"This is my first disciple," he replied calmly. They didn't recognize me without my mask again, which was good.
"I didn't think you would take so many disciples," I remarked dryly, as far as I knew, the old man wasn't eager to teach anyone.
"I didn't take them; I'm just fulfilling the duties of the second elder," he chuckled slightly.
"Brother, you're back!" Jiaxing Er said joyfully, approaching me. "I hope you will be pleased with my progress."
"I hope so too; my sister can't be weak," I replied dryly, her appearance somehow reminded me of Lin Yun Er, which again caused pain in my chest.
"Alright, Jiaxing Er, against Gun Dun. Prepare!" the old man said confidently, a few seconds later.
Jiaxing Er and another guy, about seventeen years old, strong-looking, with short black hair, and dressed only in training pants, walked to the center of the arena. In contrast, Jiaxing Er was wearing a full, slightly form-fitting women's martial arts uniform.
"Training fight until the first serious blow!" the old man commanded, and the guy immediately ran at Jiaxing Er.
She immediately jumped aside, clumsily, of course, but the guy didn't hit very well either. It was understandable; Jiaxing Er had only been training for a week, and he, apparently, for no more than a month, so this was quite explainable. After this dodge, Jiaxing Er tried to kick, but the guy easily dodged. A rather boring and at the same time interesting fight ensued. Both exchanged blows, mostly dodging, and blocking each other's attacks.
This could have continued almost indefinitely, but the guy turned out to be weaker after all. When he delivered a straight punch, Jiaxing Er easily dodged and hit him in the stomach with her elbow with such force that he staggered back several meters. After that, the fight was ended by the old man, and both went their separate ways to their friends and comrades. Jiaxing Er, naturally, headed towards me and the old man, who were standing a little apart from the others.
"Absolute poison body, plus she's a kind of genius; what others do in a couple of hours, she easily does in one. She's only been training for a week, but she's already managed to defeat Gun Dan, who has been training for almost two months," the old man said with a smile.
"I don't think that's a measure of success; after all, a fight until the first blow can't reveal the real situation," I shrugged calmly.
"Often the first blow is the last, especially if your enemy is a good poison mage," the old man chuckled.
"However, sometimes the rest are also important," I grinned back. "Have you already given her the book where her technique is recorded?"
"Yes, of course, she has it," the old man said confidently, just as Jiaxing Er approached us. "Here, this is a gift for you in honor of the end of your training," he said, addressing her and handing her a rectangular box.
"What is it?" she asked in surprise, but I already guessed what might be inside. Taking the box, she opened the lid and saw a mask similar to mine, only with minor changes. First, the face was more feminine, and the smile was more of a smirk than my terrifying and frightening, devilish one. Second, the color of the ink used for the patterns was not blood red, but acid green.
"This is a mask like your brother's," the old man said, slightly cheerful. "It's made from the bone of a commander, so you don't have to worry too much about it during battle. I understand the reason for your brother's secrecy very well, so I made this mask for you."
"I understand, thank you," Jiaxing Er smiled awkwardly, closing the lid of the box and preparing to put it away in her bag.
"Wait, Jiaxing Er, can you leave this mask with me? I'd like to examine it more closely, and it'll be easier to store it in my spatial bracelet, huh?" I asked, extending my hand. The old man's face changed at my request; surprise and a slight fear appeared on it.
"Yes, of course, here you go, brother," she replied. Even if she hadn't wanted to give it to me, the soul contract would have forced her to do so.
"Is something wrong with the mask? Do you think I might have given her a bad gift?" the old man asked in surprise, watching me put the mask into my spatial bracelet. "Are you really keeping your own sister on a short leash?"
"Of course not!" I objected confidently, although it was true. "It's just that I believe it will be easier for everyone this way," I smiled in the end.