Chapter 160: The Eve of Becoming an Apprentice, The Eldest Son of the Wei Family
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When Lu Qing and Grand Steward Wei left Zhu Xin Workshop,
they were very respectfully seen off by Master Lin leading his disciples.
The scene left the middle-aged shopkeeper, who had been watching the storefront outside, dumbfounded,
not understanding what had happened, for the masters never showed such deference to a young man before.
Even when meeting the Lord County Master, the master of the workshop had never lowered his posture so much.
"Young Master Lu, are you planning to give the Thousand Refinement Treasure Sword to Master Ma Gu?" Grand Steward Wei asked after they left Zhu Xin Workshop.
"Yes, in two days there will be an apprenticeship ceremony for Master Ma and his young disciple. Master Ma is adept with both swords and sabers, and since a sword is known as the 'gentleman of weapons,' it is perfect as a congratulatory gift."
This time, obtaining a Thousand-refined Sword Mold was somewhat unexpected for Lu Qing.
He had been slightly troubled about what congratulatory gift to give for Master Ma's apprenticeship ceremony in a couple of days.
This was indeed a fortunate coincidence.
As for the Hundred-refined Sword Core, he did not take it with him but instead gave it to Zhu Xin Workshop as a fee for using their forge.
"That gift you are giving, Young Master, is truly generous. A Thousand Refinement Treasure Sword is always exceedingly difficult to obtain; even within the State Mansion it is rarely seen and coveted by many swordsmen whenever it appears," Grand Steward Wei said with a smile.
A sword of the Thousand Refinement level is considered a true treasure; slicing through iron as if it were mud and cutting hair with a blow are all done with ease.
Such a sword, even with the Wei Family's collection, they did not possess many.
That Lu Qing could gift it so casually truly amazed Grand Steward Wei.
Especially when he thought that it took Lu Qing only an hour or two to forge, his astonishment was even greater.
Before coming to Zhu Xin Workshop with Lu Qing, he had never imagined that Lu Qing's skill in casting was so profound, capable of effortlessly forging a weapon of the Thousand Refinement level.
Such casting ability was indeed not inferior to those world-renowned Casting Masters.
Such a young Casting Master, coupled with the formidable strength to defeat a Martial Arts Grandmaster...
Grand Steward Wei found that the more he interacted with Lu Qing, the more he realized how inscrutable the young man was.
One could never know how many unknown skills he still concealed.
And each of them was so breathtakingly brilliant.
Lu Qing did not notice Grand Steward Wei's internal turmoil.
He was quite satisfied with his trip to Zhu Xin Workshop.
Being able to forge a sword mold of the Thousand Refinement level using mere Mortal Iron meant his crafting skills had truly developed.
Once Wei Family Master helped him gather the materials, he could begin forging his own War Saber.
After returning to Wei Mansion, Grand Steward Wei hurriedly went to report to Wei Xinghe.
The news that Lu Qing possessed forging skills comparable to those of a Grandmaster was very important.
Wei Xinghe was equally astonished upon hearing this,
but he did not spread the news, instead heightening Lu Qing's importance several levels in his mind,
and ordered his men to speed up the process of gathering the materials Lu Qing needed.
In the following days, Lu Qing did not go out again, contentedly practicing martial arts and reading books in Wei Mansion.
He had also asked someone from Wei Mansion to go back to Jiuli Village and inform Old Master Zhang and the others that he would be staying in the county for a while, so there was no rush to return.
Two days later, just before the apprenticeship ceremony, Zhu Xin Workshop finalized the Thousand-refined Sword Mold into a true treasure sword and sent it to Wei Mansion.
"Young Master Lu, please have a look; does this sword meet your expectations?"
The one who personally delivered the sword was none other than the owner of Zhu Xin Workshop, Master Lin.
He held out a beautifully decorated long wooden box respectfully to Lu Qing.
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The respectful demeanor was so astonishing that even Wei Xinghe, who happened to be present, couldn't help but marvel.
This old master, known for his superb casting skills, was considered second to none in the County, and he was usually quite proud. Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire
Yet, in front of Lu Qing, he was so respectful—it seemed he was indeed completely subdued by Young Master Lu, just as the Grand Steward had said.
Lu Qing took the wooden box, opened it, and inside lay a long sword.
He picked up the sword, flicked it with his fingers, and had already drawn it from the scabbard.
A cold light flashed abruptly, making everyone feel a sharp aura rushing towards them.
In Lu Qing's hand, the blade was snow-white with fine and peculiar patterns on the sword body, looking extremely beautiful.
Lu Qing pulled a strand of hair from his head, threw it into the air, then flicked his wrist lightly. In the blink of an eye, cold glints and dense sword shadows filled the air, stabbing countless times in a matter of seconds.
This sudden display of swordsmanship instantly dazzled everyone.
Even Wei Xinghe twitched the corners of his eyes.
Putting himself in the situation, he realized that even he would have difficulty resisting Lu Qing's swift sword techniques.
Swish!
When Lu Qing sheathed the sword again, he looked at the hair on the ground, now cut into countless pieces, and nodded in satisfaction.
The hair was weightless in the air, but the sword had easily sliced it—showcasing its sharpness.
"This sword is very good. Thank you, Master Lin."
Master Lin's heart and spirit had already been intimidated by Lu Qing's swordsmanship.
Upon hearing this, he hurriedly replied, "What are you saying, Young Master Lu? Having the chance to personally contribute to the making of such a treasure sword is an honor for us casters. It is I who should be thanking you."
Moreover, in the past few days, as he was refining it, Old Man Wang from next door had come to visit.
When he saw the treasure sword, the disbelief in his eyes had made him quite proud at that moment, and even thinking about it now brought him immense pleasure.
After Master Lin left, Lu Qing put the sword back into the wooden box and handed it to Housekeeper Wei, asking him to add it to the list of gifts for tomorrow's ceremony.
At this time, within the County, all forces were also preparing for the apprenticeship ceremony to be held at Wei Mansion the next day.
In recent days, as the Wei family had sent out invitations, news that the young master of Wei Mansion would take Ma Gu of the Ma family as his master had spread throughout the city.
At first, some forces were puzzled about who this Ma Gu was to accept the young Master of the Wei family as a disciple.
Some even guessed initially whether he might be one of the two mysterious men at the city gate that day.
However, after some investigation, they were surprised to discover.
This Ma Gu was actually a collateral member of the Ma family.
And his cultivation wasn't high, just at the Muscle Bone Realm.
The Wei family was actually letting their young master take a Muscle Bone Realm practitioner as his master?
This made all the forces in the city profoundly astonished.
Could it be that this Ma Gu also had some special attributes?
Or was he like the mysterious young man that day who, though of the Muscle Bone Realm, possessed strength far beyond that realm?
For a while, all the powers became curious about this so-called apprenticeship ceremony.
While preparing their gifts, they also anticipated the arrival of the ceremony.
Thus, the entire County was enveloped in a strangely charged atmosphere.
In this atmosphere, in the afternoon, a convoy noisily entered the city and headed towards Wei Mansion.
At the same time, Housekeeper Wei also received the news.
He ran joyfully towards the mansion.
"Master, Master, the eldest young master has returned!"