Chapter 4

Holding the shiny military knife in his hand, Ou Yangming's eyes were filled with confusion, but they were soon replaced by an incomparable joy.

He was an orphan and indeed had little education. However, this did not mean that he could not recognize basic numbers and names.

At this moment, he sincerely thanked the old blacksmith. Ever since he entered the military camp by chance two years ago and was chosen by the old blacksmith to be his helper, the old blacksmith had tirelessly taught him to read and do arithmetic. Although the old blacksmith's own education was mediocre, it was more than enough for a basic education.

Over the two years, his palms had been hit with countless sticks, but he had also drained the limited knowledge in the old blacksmith's head.

At this moment, based on the literal meaning, Ou Yangming already understood what had happened.

The military equipment he had obtained was not ordinary military equipment. This military equipment contained great knowledge and great secrets.

Under the burning of the military fire, he could easily discern the attributes of the military knife. More incredibly, this military fire seemed to be able to absorb and enhance the attributes of the military knife. This was truly shocking.

He took a deep breath, and the look of hesitation on his face flashed by.

At this moment, he had decided that he would not mention this matter to anyone, not even the old blacksmith.

With a slight movement in his heart, he rushed into the piles of broken weapons and picked out the suitable military knives.

This was a warehouse for storing scrap, where military knives that had no repair value were piled up, waiting to be melted down.

Therefore, Ou Yangming easily found many military knives with not too severe surface damage.

As the military fire rose again, Ou Yangming quickly discovered that the attributes of these broken military knives were indeed quite poor. Generally, if a military knife was qualified, its sharpness should be +1 or +2, and its hardness should be between 1 and 2.

However, the broken military knives here had at most one attribute, either sharpness +1 or hardness +1. It was rare to find a knife with two attributes, let alone one with a single attribute +2.

As for durability, it was even less to mention. Since they were already broken, what durability could they have?

Ou Yangming calmed his mind and began his attempt.

The military fire burned on a broken military knife, but this time, he did not repair the knife. Instead, he directly muttered in his mind.

Absorb.

Discover absorbable components, absorb?

A familiar set of words smoothly floated in his mind. Ou Yangming's eyelids twitched rapidly, and the joy in his heart was indescribable.

Sure enough, even without repairing the military knife, he could still absorb its attributes.

This question did not need to be considered. He immediately chose to absorb. Subsequently, another small purple light point appeared in his mind.

He withdrew the military fire. Perhaps due to excitement, Ou Yangming did not feel particularly tired. He carefully examined the broken military knife in his hand. After absorbing its remaining attributes, it seemed even more dilapidated.

Ou Yangming turned around and picked up the military knife he had already repaired.

As the military fire flickered, another set of words appeared in his mind.

Discover upgradable components, upgrade?

Upgrade.

With Ou Yangming's confirmation, a faint light shone on the military knife, and then it returned to normal.

Breathing heavily, Ou Yangming realized that the physical energy required for upgrading was at least twice that of absorbing.

As the saying goes, destruction is easy, but construction is difficult. The absorption and enhancement of military fire were no different.

Item: Military Knife

Rank: Common Item, Third Rank

Attributes: Sharpness +3, Hardness +3, Durability 3

Seeing the military knife's hardness increase, Ou Yangming couldn't help but grin widely, his happiness overwhelming.

Stimulated by the military knife, Ou Yangming's body was full of energy. He continued to absorb the attributes of four broken military knives and then tried to stack them onto this military knife.

However, to his disappointment and regret, when he started to upgrade, he could only enhance two attributes before it stopped.

A strong sense of fatigue surged in his mind, and Ou Yangming's body swayed slightly, as if he might faint at any moment.

He immediately stopped. This situation was similar to what he had encountered in the military fire order. His mental and physical energy were almost exhausted, and he could no longer continue.

Sensing the two small purple light points still in his mind, he looked at the new military knife in his hand.

Item: Sharp Military Knife

Rank: Common Item, Fourth Rank

Attributes: Sharpness +4, Hardness +4, Durability 4

Ou Yangming's face showed a satisfied smile. Although the attributes of this military knife had only increased slightly, it was undoubtedly a rare and excellent quality among all military knives.

Unfortunately, his physical energy was already exhausted. Otherwise, if he could stack the other two attributes in his mind, it would definitely make this military knife even better.

If a child accomplished something significant, they would definitely want to show it off.

Ou Yangming shook his head, and the dizziness seemed to disappear in his excitement. Then, he held the military knife and took large steps, running to the old blacksmith.

He wanted the closest person to him, the old blacksmith, to see the result of his efforts.

"Old man, old man..."

Ou Yangming burst into the old blacksmith's independent forging room.

Inside, the old blacksmith was using military fire to repair a fine steel shield. Startled by Ou Yangming's sudden intrusion, he almost failed.

He glared at the boy and said, "So hasty, can't you be a bit more steady?"

Ou Yangming smiled awkwardly but quickly dismissed his embarrassment. He shouted, "Old man, this is the military knife I just repaired, come and appraise it!"

The old blacksmith, both amused and exasperated, said, "You brat, where did you find this thing?"

Ou Yangming excitedly replied, "In the abandoned tents, I picked one at random."

The old blacksmith frowned and said, "You brat, do you want to die? You just mastered the use of military fire and are using it continuously. Don't you know that haste makes waste?"

Ou Yangming scratched his head and said, "Old man, I just felt that I could hold out, so I tried it." He thought to himself, "I didn't just use it twice; I used it several times."

The old blacksmith was stunned and looked at him suspiciously. After a moment, he said, "Strange, could it be... you have a mental power talent?"

Ou Yangming was surprised and asked, "Old man, what is that?"

The old blacksmith explained, "Ordinary people using military fire must consume physical energy. Even if they are strong and healthy, they can't last long. Only those who have achieved martial arts can extend this time. However, some people are born with strong mental power, allowing them to use mental power instead of physical energy to make military fire burn. Hmm, you can master military fire so quickly and use it continuously, so you must be one of these people."

Ou Yangming nodded, half-understanding, but urged, "Old man, take a look quickly!"

The old blacksmith, annoyed, said, "What's the rush? So impatient, I wonder if you'll ever amount to anything. Hmm, this military knife..." His tone suddenly paused, and his face showed surprise.

After a moment, the old blacksmith put down the military knife and looked at Ou Yangming seriously. "Kid, impressive. You can repair a military knife of this quality. I underestimated you."

Ou Yangming chuckled, having nothing to hide in front of the old blacksmith.

However, just as he was elated, a pair of sinister eyes suddenly appeared in his mind, and his face fell.

The old blacksmith, noticing his change in expression, asked, "What's wrong?"

Ou Yangming sighed and said, "Ah, I'm in trouble."

He recounted his trip to the supply camp and his journey to the mansion with Zhang Yinfan and his nephew, looking miserable. "I obtained the military fire, and they must hate me to the bone. Ah, I'm afraid I won't have good days ahead..."

The old blacksmith's face turned red with anger. He said, "What a miser, even trying to take my merits!" He pursed his lips, furious, but had no good way to deal with one of the supply camp's supervisors.

After a long moment of thought, the old blacksmith stomped his foot and said, "Kid, from today, I'll teach you real military fire forging techniques! If you can become a formal military fire forger, that miser won't dare to openly harm you, no matter how bold he is."

"Military fire forger?" Ou Yangming swallowed hard, his eyes brightening.

With military fire, repairing equipment was much easier and more effective than for ordinary forgers. However, even if he repaired a lot of equipment, he would still only be a qualified repairer.

Compared to forgers who could personally create divine weapons, the young man who had just mastered military fire was still lacking.

The old blacksmith said slowly, "Once you become a military fire forger, you'll have many privileges in the camp, enough to protect your life. However, to become a military fire forger that no one can criticize, you need to forge suitable equipment on your own in a short time." He paused and said, "Do you remember everything I taught you before?"

"Yes," Ou Yangming nodded heavily, pointing to his head. "Old man, it's all here."

"Good, I'll go over it again today. You must remember it well. However, since you just used military fire and don't know how to conserve it, go eat a full meal and have a good sleep. Come back in the afternoon to learn."

Ou Yangming puffed out his chest, originally wanting to say that he had just woken up and was full of energy.

However, as the words reached his lips, he realized he was really hungry and quite tired, feeling a bit drowsy.

Blinking twice, he immediately nodded. "Okay, old man, I'll follow your arrangements."

He returned to his room and slept soundly again.

This sleep lasted for two hours. When Ou Yangming woke up, he felt refreshed, as if all difficulties in front of him had become trivial.

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