67: Chapter 67 First Encounter, Serving as a Guest Elder

Wei Chongshan did not stop his movements; one slash followed another, each one aiming directly for Lin Ye's vital points.

This was hardly a sparring match; it was clearly intended to take Lin Ye's life.

His saber technique was very solid, without any flashy Moves; every strike was crisp and decisive, with the strength, angle, and timing all perfectly gauged.

Lin Ye retreated while parrying, his feet moving with the footwork of Basic Qinggong as he maneuvered quickly around the courtyard.

He did not clash head-on with Wei Chongshan, instead using his Basic Saber Technique to divert Wei Chongshan's blade elsewhere.

The moyuan blade in his hand was like a swimming snake; whenever Wei Chongshan's blade struck, it was either blocked or had ninety percent of its force deflected.

The battle looked quite intense, but in reality, there was hardly any substantial contact.

Of course, neither of them used internal Qi; after all, they still had to maintain a facade of harmony.

"Proficiency + 20"

"Proficiency + 20"

"Proficiency + 20"

...

During this time, the proficiency of his Basic Saber Technique and Basic Qinggong was rising crazily, much faster than when he had sparred with Zhao Shanhe before.

It was not that Wei Chongshan was much stronger than Zhao Shanhe, but rather that this guy had no reservations when attacking.

Every strike carried real skill; although he didn't use internal Qi, the sense of oppression was far stronger than when Zhao Shanhe fed him Moves for practice.

Unlike when Zhao Shanhe sparred with him, always holding back his strength, the practical combat effect was naturally greatly diminished.

During this probing, Lin Ye did not use the Wild Wind Saber Technique.

As the saying goes, too much is as bad as too little.

On the surface, the two were just sparring.

Since it was a sparring match, naturally he couldn't use lethal force.

Moreover, he had not mastered the Wild Wind Saber Technique well enough; using it now would mean getting his flaws exposed in minutes.

While fighting, Lin Ye silently gauged Wei Chongshan's approximate strength.

Perhaps it was because he was old, but his physical condition had declined somewhat.

Apart from the saber technique being very seasoned, he was not much stronger in terms of strength or speed, which did not at all fit the stature that a Eighth-Grade Martial Artist should have.

Of course, having lived for so many years, no one knew exactly how many techniques the other party had mastered.

Therefore, Lin Ye would not let his guard down.

The two fought for dozens of rounds. Just as Lin Ye was immersed in the pleasure of his proficiency rising crazily, Wei Chongshan suddenly flashed aside and exited the battle circle: "Young Friend Lin is so young, yet has such attainments in saber technique; I wonder who your Master is?"

After the probing just now, he had roughly confirmed Lin Ye's strength.

It was indeed hard to find an opponent among Rank 9, but it was nothing to him.

As for why Lin Ye did not use the Wild Wind Saber Technique, he could also guess the reason.

It's just sparring; how could one show their trump cards right from the start.

The reason he asked this was to confirm whether Lin Ye had any connection with Zhao Shanhe.

Although he felt a bit regretful, upon hearing this, Lin Ye still cupped his fists: "Third Elder, you flatter me. It is just some basic Moves, not worth mentioning."

Failing to get an answer from Lin Ye, Wei Chongshan was not disappointed: "Young Friend Lin is too modest. However, I am very satisfied with this blade."

Seeing the battle end, Wu Guang also walked over at the right moment: "Third Elder, now that the blade has been tested, what about the matter of the mine..."

"Rest assured, I naturally keep my word."

Wei Chongshan clapped his hands, and a moment later, a subordinate walked over carrying a wooden box.

"Inside is the land deed for the North Mountain iron mine. From today on, that mine belongs to Chijin Hall."

Wu Guang took the wooden box, checked it carefully, and after confirming it was correct, let out a long sigh of relief: "Many thanks, Third Elder. We will take our leave then; the Hall Master is waiting for me to return and report!"

"Master Wu, please go ahead."

Wei Chongshan said, looking at Lin Ye, and smiled: "Young Friend Lin, if you have time in the future, you are welcome to come and sit in my small courtyard often."

Lin Ye naturally had no interest in such an invitation from Wei Chongshan, which felt like a trap. After a polite remark, he followed Wu Guang and left the Black Stone Gang.

The two returned to Chijin Hall, where the Hall Master and Master were already waiting in the main hall.

Wu Guang presented the wooden box containing the land deed. The Hall Master took it and looked at it again and again, a smile appearing on his Face.

"Good! From today on, our Chijin Hall can finally count as having a source of Ore!"

Putting away the land deed, the Hall Master looked at Lin Ye again, his eyes filled with obvious appreciation: "Brother Lin contributed a lot to this blade forging; our Chijin Hall naturally cannot fail to show our appreciation. I heard that Brother Lin is quite talented in the Dao of forging; would you be willing to serve as a Guest Elder in our Chijin Hall? Brother Lin does not need to undertake any obligations and can enjoy a ten percent dividend from Chijin Hall every month!"

To be honest, Lin Ye was tempted.

Although he did not know exactly how much a ten percent dividend amounted to, it was definitely much more than the 100 taels of salary from the Demon Suppression Division.

In this way, he would have the money to buy Medicinal Pills.

Of course, he knew that the reason the other party offered such good terms was also out of respect for Master.

"Thank you for your kindness, Hall Master, I am willing!"

"However, I have one small request."

"Please speak, Brother Lin."

"I am passionate about forging; could the Hall Master provide me with a forging venue and Ore? The cost of the Ore can be deducted from my dividends."

Lin Ye's idea was very simple.

Rather than sitting and waiting for dividends, it was better to actively create wealth.

One jin of black iron is worth 50 taels; if he could refine ten thousand jin or so, he would immediately become the richest person in Black Stone Town.

Hearing this request, the Hall Master looked at Master. Seeing Master nod, he then said: "Since that is the case, Master Tie's exclusive forging room will be handed over to you to manage from now on. As for the Ore, just take it from the warehouse; everything will be calculated at cost price."

"This..." Lin Ye glanced at Master.

Master smiled and said: "Why look at me? This old man is already in a state of semi-retirement. Anyway, that courtyard is just sitting empty; handing it over to you counts as making the best use of it."

"Then many thanks, Hall Master!"

Seeing that Master had no objections, Lin Ye was relieved.

After all, he did not want to affect Master's interests in Chijin Hall because of himself.

...

Arriving at the backyard, Lin Ye looked at the large furnace and the piles of Ore surrounding it, and endless joy surged in his heart.

From now on, he was also a man with his own exclusive forging room!

No more nonsense, let's get to work!

Lin Ye began to try using the Thousand Hammers and Hundred Refinements method to refine black iron.

However, Lin Ye had thought the problem was too simple.

In one afternoon, he had refined quite a bit of refined iron, but he hadn't even refined a single strand of black iron.

Fortunately, the gains were still quite significant.

The proficiency of Thousand Hammers and Hundred Refinements increased by 300 points, and the proficiency of Basic Forging Method and Hundred Refinements Method increased by 3000 points and 9000 points respectively.

Lin Ye had a premonition that as long as he raised Thousand Hammers and Hundred Refinements to the proficient Realm, he should be able to stably produce black iron.

...

"I wonder how the three of them are doing."

At nightfall, Lin Ye, who had just exited the Mind Ape Space, did not bother to rest and planned to log off to check the situation.

Calculating the time, their online duration was almost enough for 12 hours.

Returning to the real world, it was already dawn.

Lin Ye immediately looked at his three roommates' beds; they were empty.

Lin Ye's heart skipped a beat.

Just as he was feeling uneasy, three figures appeared out of thin air.