Chapter 262 - Humbles Himself (1/2)

“Hehe, Lil’ Friend, you’re kidding me.” Jin Shengjie curbed his thoughts and quickly flashed a bright smile. “Your suggestion earlier was very right. Please forgive us for not looking into the matter.” “Lil’-Lil’ Friend?”

“I didn’t hear him wrong, did I…”

Almost everyone in the square was in a daze at that instant. Although they had a hunch after they saw Jin Shengjie and the two other masters’ reactions just now, they felt like they had just seen a ghost when they heard the words “Lil’ Friend”. ‘Lil’ Friend?’

‘Based on Jin Shengjie’s status as a Superior Blacksmith, he shouldn’t humble himself no matter how absurd the case is, should he?’

In the capital, there were very few blacksmiths whom Jin Shengjie considered as friends. Now, he actually gave such deferential treatment to an unknown young fellow, so what would it make the other people?

Nonetheless, the crowd was surprised that Yi Yucheng and Feng Guangyuan did not seem to disapprove of the blacksmith master’s action. In fact, they were initially standing tall but had bent their bodies a little.

It was not an obvious move, but it was clear to those who had decent vision.

Therefore, after feeling extremely shocked for a while, everyone else focused on Ou Yangming again.

The young fellow smiled plainly and asked, “Are you saying that I pa.s.sed?”

Jin Shengjie answered without any hesitation, “Of course.”

Ou Yangming smiled cheerfully and questioned, “But can I continue to join the a.s.sessment if I’d like to?”

“If you’re planning to take the Rudimentary a.s.sessment and the Intermediate a.s.sessment, you don’t need to,” Jin Shengjie responded after some thought.

“Why?” Ou Yangming asked with a smile as he looked up at Yan Yuanhua.

On the high platform, Yan Yuanhua’s eyelids twitched. He was having an incredibly complicated emotion because at this point even a fool knew Ou Yangming was not an ordinary blacksmith. When Yan Yuanhua recalled the words he said to the young fellow that day, he felt like he was on a rollercoaster ride.

Yuan Lexin asked in a deep voice, “Junior Brother Yan, that fella has looked at you a few times. Do you know each other?”

Yan Yuanhua’s face reddened, and he could not let a word out.

On the other hand, Jin Shengjie laughed out loud on the stage. “Lil’ Friend, you’ve smithed a piece of High Grade equipment, so there’s naturally no need for you to join the Intermediate a.s.sessment.”

‘A piece of High Grade equipment?’

The ordinary people were surprised when they heard what he said, and they lamented.

‘He’s here to take the Official Blacksmith a.s.sessment, yet he smithed a piece of High Grade equipment. Doesn’t that mean that he pa.s.sed the Intermediate Blacksmith a.s.sessment too? No wonder Master Jin treated him so politely! It turns out that he’s a promoted talent.’

However, the people on the high platform reacted differently.

Apart from Jin Shengjie and the two other examiners, the other people who could be seated at the high platform were great blacksmiths. They represented their respective sects to witness the a.s.sessment, the most inferior among them was an Intermediate Blacksmith, and there was no lack of Advanced Blacksmiths like Yuan Lexin.

Hence, they knew better than anyone else what it meant to smith a piece of High Grade equipment using ordinary iron ingot.

Suddenly, while everyone on the square discussed the matter with one another, it was dead silent on the high platform as everyone stared at the military saber.

‘High Grade equipment—is that military saber really a piece of High Grade equipment?’

Yuan Lexin instantly turned to look at Yan Yuanhua when he heard Jin Shengjie’s statement. He asked word by word, “Junior Brother Yan, how exactly did you become acquainted with him? Tell me honestly and don’t leave out anything!” Yan Yuanhua’s heart sank, and he replied to his senior brother with a bitter face, “Senior Brother, it-it’s a complete misunderstanding…”

****

Ou Yangming grinned on the stage. “Master Jin, will you make an exception if I’d like to take the Advanced a.s.sessment and the Superior a.s.sessment then?”

Jin Shengjie looked deeply at him before he answered, “I’ll never agree with the request if someone else made it, but if it’s you, Lil’ Friend… Hehe, okay, you may join those two a.s.sessments later. I look forward to your surprises.”

“Thank you, Master Jin.” Ou Yangming did a fist salute. He reached out his hands to pick up the seemingly disordered stones around him, then he casually walked out of the square’s center.

The young fellow was a n.o.body when he entered earlier, n.o.body spared a second glance at him, but he became the center of attention after he left.

Wherever he pa.s.sed, the crowd naturally made way for him, and everyone showed him a flattering smile.

It was worth noting that those who came to spectate were people who were closely related to the blacksmiths, but there were also many people who had a rough understanding of the trade. Thus, they could tell that the teen, who was favored by Master Jin Shengjie, would certainly have a bright future. Even if the spectators could not become friends with Ou Yangming, they could not leave a bad impression.