118: Chapter 118 Craftsmanship, Upgraded!

Relying on the craftsmanship experience of the other three Seniors, Li Yuan gained much more insight into the brilliance of Senior Cui Dao.

Even by today's standards, Cui Dao would still be a top-tier Grand Master Craftsman.

His casting concepts and techniques even surpassed the current era.

Over a thousand years, the craftsmanship in this world has actually regressed.

It really seems as if the heavens wanted to take away a Genius.

The appearance of Cui Dao allowed craftsmanship to take a great leap forward.

If he hadn't died prematurely, perhaps the craftsmanship of this world would have been completely transformed.

With a newfound understanding of craftsmanship, Li Yuan no longer wasted any time.

He focused his mind entirely on learning the techniques of Cui Dao.

His "Three Hundred General Rules of Craftsmanship" offered warnings about potential troubles, including many small and trivial details.

The other set, the "Seven Vajra Hammering Method," was the very core of his techniques.

How to process raw Materials is the core difference among craftsmen, and it is also the important reason for the quality of Sharp Weapons and Magical Artifacts after they are formed.

As for techniques like shaping, there was also plenty of information in the craftsmanship experience of Senior Cui Dao.

In the understanding of Senior Cui Dao, techniques like shaping were not important.

As for the forms of Sharp Weapons like swords, sabers, axes, and halberds, any craftsman with a little experience could handle that.

Since Senior Cui Dao felt it was a minor skill, Li Yuan did not waste his thoughts on it.

After returning to Meifengshan Martial Arts Academy, Li Yuan and Vice Dean Shao Lin spoke with the academy's higher-ups about the situation.

This trip to invite Meng Shanshi not only failed to bring him out of seclusion, but Li Yuan was also targeted by him.

Li Yuan did not hide anything and directly stated his feelings.

He felt that this Meng Shanshi seemed to hold a grudge against him.

Not only was he unwilling to help, but he also intentionally contended with him.

This point was truly very strange.

After explaining the situation, Li Yuan also proposed his next step.

He would participate in the Liulin Pass Grand Competition as a contestant himself!

In the side hall of the academy, upon hearing Li Yuan's words, everyone was stunned for a moment.

Even Vice Dean Shao Lin, who had accompanied Li Yuan on this trip, had not expected Li Yuan to suddenly make such a decision.

"The Liulin Pass Grand Competition gathers the top craftsmen from various nations. Even the veteran craftsmen of the academy find it difficult to rank in the top hundred in the competition... Li Yuan, craftsmanship is not equivalent to the Dao of martial arts; they are two completely different paths."

Dean Guo came back to his senses and advised in a gentle tone.

As his voice faded, Vice Dean Shao Lin, who was beside him, also chimed in.

"Participating in the Liulin Pass Grand Competition isn't just a matter of signing up. Every participating craftsman must pay a significant amount of resources as an entry fee. While the academy can certainly afford to pay it, isn't it a bit of a waste..."

In the eyes of these academy higher-ups, Li Yuan going to participate in the Liulin Pass Grand Competition was not only a waste of resources but also a waste of time and energy.

"I still want to try; perhaps there might be a turning point? If I don't go and contend after being blocked by Meng Shanshi like this, he will only become more and more arrogant."

To Dean Guo and the others, Li Yuan's explanation still seemed too far-fetched.

Arrogant as Meng Shanshi might be, he was ultimately not walking the path of martial arts.

To make him bow his head, using force to coerce him would be more reliable than winning against him in a craftsmanship competition.

However, taking action against Meng Shanshi would likely incite the collective hatred of all the nations in the world.

Craftsmen are still very united among themselves.

Between Da Shun and the Jin Kingdom, friction and conflicts were constant.

But if a craftsman from Da Shun were threatened or persecuted, those craftsmen from the Jin Kingdom would all stand up to support them.

If someone truly laid a hand on a craftsman, they would become the public enemy of all nations in the world.

Li Yuan did not say anything more, only stating that he really wanted to give it a try.

If the academy was unwilling to part with the resources, he could find a way to earn them himself.

Seeing Li Yuan so determined, the academy higher-ups could only nod.

They could only console themselves that the more gifted a Disciple was, the less likely they were to listen to advice.

But even if they didn't listen to advice, they shouldn't cross boundaries like this...

The craft of the artisan also requires a lot of time to study.

Even with talent, should Li Yuan's time and energy be devoted to craftsmanship or the Dao of martial arts?

Since they couldn't persuade him, they could only let Li Yuan decide.

For the next month, Li Yuan prepared to devote himself wholeheartedly.

Compared to others, mastering craftsmanship was already much simpler for Li Yuan.

There was little cost in understanding; he could access the experience of the Seniors in his mind at any time.

The difficulties and key points were all within his mind.

The only thing that took time was that he needed to familiarize himself with the process.

The problem of being rusty was something that required a lot of time to solve.

During the time Li Yuan was focusing on mastering his craftsmanship, the academy received some more news about Meng Shanshi.

According to some rumors and some verified information, Meng Shanshi and Yan Wudi of the Yan Family had an extremely close relationship.

There had been rumors before that their relationship was not shallow and was long past that of ordinary friends.

In Da Shun, this kind of thing was not a new occurrence.

Keeping bookboys and attendants—many had this predilection.

Li Yuan had killed Yan Wudi, so how could this Meng Shanshi possibly help Li Yuan?

If he had been confident, he might have killed Li Yuan to avenge Yan Wudi.

Unfortunately, before Li Yuan went to find him, the Ninth-Grade Supreme of the Yan Family had already been there.

Yan Louchuan had chosen to compromise, and Meng Shanshi also acknowledged that he did not have that capability.

What he could do now was just to cause trouble and trip Li Yuan up.

Upon hearing this news, Li Yuan also recalled Meng Shanshi's attire that day.

He was dressed in women's clothing, with black cloth wrapped around his neck and sleeves.

He hadn't understood what that attire meant at the time, but looking back now, it was clearly to mourn Yan Wudi.

Upon hearing this news, Li Yuan only gave a light snort.

When these people wanted to take his life, they acted as if it were only natural.

After they were killed in retaliation, those who were related to them started clamoring.

It was as if he were the murderous bandit, and they were the innocent victims.

In fact, including Yan Wudi, how many of them were innocent?

A month passed, and Li Yuan and Vice Dean Shao Lin took a group and set off for Liulin Pass.

He needed a Sharp Weapon to assist him, and if he could not get effective support from others, he would go and contend for it himself.

With profound craftsmanship, once he obtained those forging Materials, he could completely forge the Sharp Weapon he needed himself.

How could outsiders understand him as well as he understood himself?

Li Yuan could forge this Sharp Weapon exactly as he envisioned, deciding what appearance it should have and what effects it should exert.

Liulin Pass was not adjacent to Da Shun, and getting there required crossing three countries.

Naturally, it took more time to pass through customs along the way.

Upon arriving at Liulin Pass, entering the pass cost quite a bit of money.

Liulin Pass was barren and extremely poor.

The source of supplies here had to be purchased from other places.

With such high consumption, Liulin Pass naturally had to find ways to earn as much as possible.

Liulin Pass, a Holy Land where craftsmen could devote themselves wholeheartedly to their research.

But before doing anything else, being well-fed and clothed was still a necessity.