400: Chapter 400 A Blacksmithing Prodigy, One in a Million

Chen You turned a deaf ear to the surrounding chatter.

To advance from Advanced to Grandmaster, smelting materials was no longer enough to level up.

One had to purchase Advanced forging blueprints and create finished products to gain proficiency.

The most expensive blueprint was called [Thunder War Hammer], priced at five hundred gold coins.

Crafting it once required the materials [Lightning-Struck Wood] and [Deep Sea Cold Iron]; a set of materials cost two hundred gold coins.

Each successful craft added one thousand proficiency.

Chen You didn't even blink as he directly purchased the blueprint and one hundred sets of materials.

Ordinary players at this stage would no longer consider increasing their proficiency.

Advanced blacksmiths could basically forge over ninety percent of the blueprints in the Source Realm.

Even at the Grandmaster level, the cost of crafting equipment was simply not proportional to the improvement in equipment attributes.

It wasn't worth it.

Chen You turned and walked toward the largest vacant furnace in the center of the hall.

Old Tie No Problem had just climbed up from the ground; seeing this, he hurried forward and lowered his voice to remind him.

"God You, crafting equipment is not simple! The heat, the striking points, the timing of the quenching—if even one thing is slightly off, it won't work."

"Since this is your first time, you'd better buy some low-quality materials first to get a feel for it..."

Chen You ignored him.

He opened his backpack and selected the one hundred sets of materials he had just purchased.

Click, batch input.

"Boom!"

The flames inside the furnace instantly shot up three meters high, casting a crimson glow over the entire hall.

One hundred charred pieces of Lightning-Struck Wood and one hundred blocks of Deep Sea Cold Iron emitting a chilly aura were thrown into the furnace at the same time.

Ice and fire collided, letting out ear-piercing explosions.

The surrounding players and NPCs were all dumbfounded.

"Is he crazy? Throwing in that many materials all at once?"

"Is this God You? This is too insane!"

"Quick, back up! If this explodes, half the hall will be gone!"

The crowd scattered with a rustle, clearing a large open space.

Old Tie No Problem was also scared into retreating over a dozen steps, hiding behind a stone pillar with only half his head peeking out.

Chen You stood before the anvil, his expression calm.

Furnace explosion? Impossible.

As the materials rapidly melted and merged in the furnace fire, clumps of molten iron shimmering with lightning automatically flew out and landed on the huge anvil in front of Chen You.

The system notification sounded right on time.

[Batch forging task detected. Auxiliary operation mode has been activated for you.]

Chen You's vision blurred.

In his line of sight, a semi-transparent judgment line appeared above the anvil.

Immediately after, red, yellow, and blue light rings, accompanied by highly rhythmic drumbeats, rapidly fell from the top of his vision.

A familiar recipe, a familiar taste.

Chen You lifted the ordinary Novice Iron Hammer.

*Clang!*

The moment the first red light ring fell onto the judgment line, Chen You struck down with his hammer.

[Perfect! Proficiency +1000!]

A cluster of dazzling golden sparks erupted on the anvil.

*Clang! Clang! Clang!*

Chen You's wrists flicked as the hammer fell continuously.

Striking left, smashing right, heavy blows, light taps.

[Perfect! Combo 2!]

[Perfect! Combo 5!]

[Perfect! Combo 13!]

The hall was deathly silent.

The spectating players and NPCs held their breath.

In their eyes, Chen You wasn't looking at the materials or the heat at all.

He stood tall and straight, the hammer in his hand transforming into a nimble paintbrush.

Every time the hammer fell, it precisely struck the nodes where the cold iron had the most impurities.

The strength was not a fraction too much, nor a hair too little.

The frequency of the sparks, the sound of the wind from the hammer, and even the screeching of the metal as it deformed, all intertwined into a passionate and grand symphony.

"This rhythm... this power..." An Advanced NPC blacksmith's knees went weak, and he knelt on the ground, his eyes reddening.

"This isn't blacksmithing; this is art! It's a rhythm bestowed by the gods!"

"So beautiful... I feel like my soul has been purified," Old Tie No Problem muttered to himself.

He looked down at his own rough hands and suddenly felt that what he had been striking all these years wasn't iron at all, but loneliness.

*Clang clang clang clang clang!*

The afterimages of Chen You's hammer had already merged into a blur.

The prototype of the Thunder War Hammer rapidly took shape on the anvil, and the dazzling lightning illuminated the entire guild hall as bright as day.

[Perfect! Combo +50]

[Perfect! Combo +80]

System notifications flooded Chen You's ears.

Three minutes later.

Chen You struck the final blow.

"Boom!"

A thick bolt of purple lightning descended from the sky, piercing through the ceiling of the guild hall and striking directly onto the anvil.

[Crafting successful! Obtained Thunder War Hammer (Excellent). Forging Proficiency +1000!]

[Crafting successful! Obtained Thunder War Hammer (Epic). Forging Proficiency +1000!]

...

[Ding! Your forging proficiency is full. Please increase your forging level.]

Chen You casually tossed the worn-out hammer aside and rubbed his aching wrist.

The hand speed requirement for this rhythm game got quite high toward the end; he almost broke his combo.

He turned around and walked toward the high table deep within the hall.

The crowd automatically parted to both sides, making a path.

Everyone watched him pass with gazes as if they were looking at a god.

Chen You walked to the table, curled his fingers, and tapped twice on the wooden surface.

"Master, Grandmaster level."

The hall was pin-drop silent.

Bronzebeard stiffly turned his head to look at the now-extinguished furnace, then turned back to look at Chen You.

His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed a large mouthful of saliva.

"You... you just forged one hundred Thunder War Hammers?" Bronzebeard's voice was trembling.

Chen You casually pulled a war hammer flickering with electricity from his backpack and threw it on the table. "The finished products are here. Can I get some money back by selling them to the shop?"

Bronzebeard snatched up the war hammer.

A perfect hammerhead curvature, natural lightning patterns, and a cold iron handle without a single impurity.

The best of the best!

"This... this is a miracle!" Bronzebeard roared, then quickly stuffed the war hammer into a box under his desk, his movements extremely practiced.

He cleared his throat, sat up straight again, and tried to put on the air of a Great Grandmaster.

"Ahem... young man, you indeed have some talent."

"Grandmaster Forging Guide, one hundred gold coins."

Chen You directly threw out a heavy coin pouch.

Bronzebeard's eyes lit up. He quickly put away the pouch and handed over a heavy tome emitting a purple glow with both hands.

[Ding! Congratulations, you have been promoted to Grandmaster Blacksmith.]

[Current Level: Grandmaster (0/1,000,000)]

The golden badge on Chen You's chest retracted its light, transforming into a purple-gold badge with a swirling purple halo.

The players and NPCs in the audience collectively sucked in a breath of cold air.

From Novice to Grandmaster, how many minutes has it even been!

Since the founding of East Iron City, there has never been such an outrageous record.

Old Tie No Problem was completely numb. He decided to go sell his hammer immediately and change his sub-profession.

Chen You glanced at the proficiency requirement for the Grandmaster level: one million.

Just as he was about to open the portable shop to see what blueprints to buy to continue leveling up, Bronzebeard suddenly stood up.

The old dwarf discarded his greedy, mercenary look from before. With his hands behind his back, he walked out from behind the high table.

He circled Chen You twice, his gaze scanning Chen You's wrists and shoulders, nodding from time to time.

"Young man, I see that you have a Singular Skeletal Structure; you are a one-in-a-million blacksmithing genius."

Bronzebeard stroked his long beard and said in a deep voice, "Ordinary blacksmithing methods are no longer worthy of your monstrous talent."