46: Chapter 46 Shall we go inside and look for it?

"Yes," Gu Changming said; there was no reason to hide it. "I killed... a Shadow Devourer and got it."

He had originally intended to say he killed a few, but after a pause, he decided to say just one.

He didn't have a habit of showing off; it was better to keep a low profile.

Back when they were filming, he hadn't even let Tang Ningfei and the others capture his face.

Although Qin Lie was a bit curious about why Gu Changming had hesitated, at this moment, his heart was filled more with admiration for Gu Changming.

Even though he had received the official push notification the next day stating that bright light could hard-crowd-control Shadow Devourers...

...he—no, not just him, but the vast majority of people—didn't dare take that risk.

Those who dared to actively hunt Shadow Devourers were all powerful individuals who didn't fear death.

Clearly, the guest in front of him was one of them.

After that, Qin Lie stopped asking questions. He laid the Tang blade flat on the wooden table in front of him and hovered his hands over the blade.

Soon, a light flowed down like ripples of water, enveloping the entire blade.

Gu Changming stood to the side and watched quietly. He knew the other man was using a skill to evaluate the sword, determining the materials needed for the forging process and the procedures to follow.

This skill was like Appraisal; if you saw something you didn't recognize and cast it, a prompt box would pop up with the item's specific information.

The Blacksmith's skill was similar. With so many Secret Realms connected to different worlds, it was impossible for them to be familiar with every type of material.

Therefore, they needed to cast a skill to obtain the forging information and the required materials. Then, they would gradually adjust based on that information, substituting materials with ones they currently had that possessed similar properties.

After about two or three minutes, Qin Lie finally pulled his gaze back. He exhaled softly, and the faint light in his palms dissipated.

"How is it?" Gu Changming asked.

Qin Lie turned his head and offered a smile. "No problem. I've mastered several of the core forging techniques required for the smelting. However, I'll need to add a few auxiliary materials to balance the energy of the crystal core, as well as the special metal to be smelted into your original weapon. But these things should all be available here in the camp."

Gu Changming nodded.

Qin Lie sheathed the Tang blade and handed it back to Gu Changming. "Keep the sword for now. I need a day to prepare those materials. Come back then."

Gu Changming took the sword and asked casually, "What time tomorrow?"

Qin Lie thought for a moment and quickly replied, "Around noon. I should be mostly ready by then."

...

Gu Changming came out of the small shop. He had just rounded the corner and hadn't walked far...

...when a broad-shouldered, barrel-chested middle-aged man with a bare upper body leaned over. He followed Gu Changming with small steps, leaning in and whispering, "You looking to forge a weapon? That kid won't do. He's too young; no hair on his lip means he's not reliable."

Gu Changming instinctively moved aside. In his past life, he hadn't liked dealing with people like this. Middle-aged men, greasy, polite but hypocritical; their mouths claimed they didn't care about money, but their hearts were all about business.

However, the other man clearly had no intention of letting him go. He patted his chest and guaranteed, "Come to me. My price will definitely be cheaper than his."

Gu Changming stopped and looked at the man helplessly.

No wonder Qin Lie didn't have a single customer when he went there earlier. It turned out they were all being poached. But it made sense; the kid looked honest, so it wasn't surprising he couldn't compete with these people for business.

Seeing Gu Changming stop, the man immediately piled a smile onto his face and handed over the sidearm he had been holding. "Look at my craftsmanship. I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

Gu Changming glanced at the sword, his brow furrowing slightly.

Even though he didn't know how to forge, he had used good equipment before. This man's sword couldn't even be considered 'forged' at all.

He likely learned some basic metal purification techniques somewhere and then opened a shop to scam people.

Comparing his technique to Qin Lie's—let's put it this way: Qin Lie honestly prepared the ingredients, heated them, and readied the blank to forge a proper weapon.

This guy, on the other hand, just took a steel plate, cut it directly into the shape of a sword, and put it up for sale.

Although the combat intensity was low in these early stages and he could fool people, it didn't mean the sword was actually usable.

Gu Changming gave the man an amused look, then shook his head. "No thanks."

"Why?" The man's tone turned slightly dissatisfied. "I've been so sincere, and you still won't agree?"

Gu Changming shrugged. "The other guy was even more sincere; he's not even charging me money. How about you give me some money, and I'll go to your place?"

The man's expression changed. He began to curse under his breath, then turned and walked away.

"Fine, use that kid's work. Don't say I didn't warn you when your weapon shatters and you die in a Secret Realm."

Gu Changming ignored the man's 'curse' and glanced back at Qin Lie's little shop. Was this a case of bad money driving out the good?

Was the kid being isolated and pushed out here? It was actually quite likely.

Gu Changming shook his head, hoping it wouldn't affect his forging tomorrow.

...

The next day, even before noon, Gu Changming headed toward Qin Lie's small shop.

Before he even reached it, he saw Qin Lie sitting alone on a low stool in the shop, head down, propping up his forehead with one hand.

Yesterday's excitement was gone; his entire being radiated a sense of suppressed frustration.

Gu Changming didn't stop and walked straight to the front of the shop.

Hearing the movement, Qin Lie immediately looked up. Seeing it was Gu Changming, he stood up at once, a forced smile on his face as he tried to hide his previous emotions.

"You're here, and so early." Qin Lie took two steps forward, his hands rubbing together unnaturally. "But it's just as well. Even if you came at noon, I might not be able to forge it. Uh... there's been a bit of a problem with the material preparation."

Gu Changming didn't say anything, continuing to look at him.

Qin Lie avoided his gaze, his voice lowering. "It might... just require waiting a bit longer."

Gu Changming pursed his lips and nodded, not exposing the other man's obvious embarrassment.

Even though he hadn't seen it happen, he roughly understood what the man was going through. It was one thing to have his business poached, but now they weren't even letting him buy forging materials?

"What's missing?" Gu Changming asked.

Qin Lie seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, though he still looked awkward. He answered honestly, "A material called 'niyuan steel.' It's a special material that needs to be fused into your Tang blade so it can accept the shadow crystal core. This stuff... is relatively rare. I searched every material stall in the camp yesterday and couldn't find any."

"But it's fine," Qin Lie offered comfort proactively. "Just wait a while. Once a team comes out of the Secret Realm and it's on the market, I'll buy it immediately, no matter how expensive it is."

"Is that okay?" Qin Lie looked up and asked.

Gu Changming nodded and pondered for a moment before speaking.

"I'm a bit pressed for time."

Qin Lie's heart skipped a beat, but in the next second, he heard Gu Changming say:

"It's found in the Secret Realm here, right? How about we go in and look for it?"