High-Martial World: System Arrives 30 Years Late-Chapter 120 - 113: Half-step Grandmaster-level Weapon, Meteorite Iron
Hearing the teacher’s exclamation of surprise, Su Mu felt even more embarrassed.
Teacher Wang Shuheng rarely lost his composure. The first time was when Su Mu called to report good news, and the second was when he accepted Su Mu and Zhao Meng as his disciples.
And now, it’s the third time.
Teacher Wang Shuheng was still carefully examining the Red Sun Saber, while Su Mu stood quietly by his side. After the examination, he looked at Su Mu with a face full of doubt.
Su Mu immediately explained the damage to the Red Sun Saber after the battle with the Silver Greatsword.
Upon hearing this, Wang Shuheng’s eyebrows twitched several times, and then it dawned on him. So that’s why it all makes sense now.
"You’re saying your final opponent was that Spiritual Talent user, who wielded a silver sword shield? And you clashed head-on with the Silver Greatsword using the Red Sun Saber?"
"Yes, exactly."
Wang Shuheng couldn’t help but glare at Su Mu. Being too aggressive could lead to a downfall. This guy didn’t listen to his advice at all, so he intended to scold him.
Su Mu’s sharp demeanor was very similar to his when he was young, and Wang Shuheng didn’t want Su Mu to follow in his footsteps.
"So, what happened to the Silver Greatsword after clashing with the Red Flame Saber? Was it severely damaged?"
Wang Shuheng already knew the answer. From Su Mu’s description, he could tell which weapon the opponent was using. The Silver Sword Shield was a half-step Grandmaster-level spiritual weapon.
In terms of material strength alone, it greatly surpassed the Red Sun Saber. Using the Red Sun Saber to clash with the Silver Greatsword head-on was like hitting an iron rod with a wooden stick. Although the gap wasn’t that big, the principle still stood.
He was ready to take this opportunity to lecture Su Mu if he said the Silver Greatsword wasn’t too damaged.
But Su Mu looked apologetic before saying.
"At that time, I had to give it my all and couldn’t restrain myself."
"Just tell me the result. You couldn’t control it, so what happened in the end?"
"I broke the Silver Greatsword."
"Hmph, now you realize...."
"What?!"
"What did you say? You said you used the Red Sun Saber to break the Silver Greatsword?" Wang Shuheng’s eyes narrowed intensely as if he’d heard something unbelievable.
Immediately, he asked.
"Your final opponent, that Spiritual Talent user, is their surname Tantai?"
"Yes, her name is Tantai Yan. How did you know, teacher?"
Wang Shuheng remained silent for a moment, taking several deep breaths to calm his inner shock. However, his gaze towards Su Mu was still full of surprise and confusion.
Then, his eyes narrowed as he detailed the sword shield’s description.
"Is the shield you mentioned nearly as tall as a person, specifically about 1.8 meters, silver all over, with a door engraved on its face, and the Silver Greatsword is 2.2 meters long, with the blade’s widest point being 33 centimeters, and the sword hilt resembling an ancient bird species?"
Su Mu was surprised after listening. He hadn’t noticed the shield’s pattern at all at the time, yet his teacher knew it all?
"Teacher, you know this weapon?"
"More than know it." Wang Shuheng strode to a bookcase, retrieved a file bag from a cabinet, and pulled out a thick stack of blueprints. "See if this looks similar."
Upon inspection, Su Mu found them nearly identical. He immediately had a guess in his mind.
"Did you design the Silver Sword Shield, teacher?"
"More than that, I personally forged it for the Tantai Family over twenty years ago. It’s a genuine half-step Grandmaster-level spiritual weapon, though a bit unique." Wang Shuheng’s expression turned somewhat peculiar.
...
What?!
Su Mu was taken aback by the coincidence, and his expression also turned strange. The Red Sun Saber was crafted by his teacher, and so was the Silver Sword Shield.
This was truly an awkward situation.
If the Tantai Family knew Su Mu was Wang Shuheng’s disciple, things would become even more awkward.
Seeing Su Mu’s thoughts, Wang Shuheng waved his hand, saying, "Weapon damage happens frequently, but being able to break the Silver Greatsword with the Red Sun Saber, that’s impressive."
Su Mu noticed the odd tone in his teacher’s voice. He wasn’t aware that Wang Shuheng had intended to lecture him, but he didn’t give him the chance.
"However, the damage is also a good thing. It shows a lack of strength, and I have also made new discoveries in the Nurturing Blade Chapter over the past two months. This time during reforging, it will surely be able to accommodate more Blade Qi." Wang Shuheng spoke with strong confidence.
"Thank you, teacher."
"No problem at all. By the way, do you remember I promised you a surprise if you made it to the preliminaries?"
"I remember," Su Mu nodded.
"In previous years, the top trainee at the Training Camp would receive guidance from a Martial Arts Grandmaster. My original intention was to invite Li Yue to guide you. Although I haven’t advanced far on the martial arts path, I hope to help you as best as I can. What is deserved for the top trainee, you shall have it too!"
"But for now, it’s unnecessary. To be honest, you managed to secure the top spot, especially defeating the Talented Martial Artist from the Tantai Family... All of this was achieved through your own strength."
"That’s very good, excellent!" Wang Shuheng was quite gratified, a sense of pride in his eyes.
Upon hearing this, Su Mu was deeply touched. His teacher, Wang Shuheng, had planned to seek guidance from a Grandmaster for him, even though it would surely cost the teacher a great deal.
"Thank you, teacher."
Wang Shuheng waved his hand and walked towards the forging platform, "In any case, it’s time to change the reward. It just so happens that the Red Sun Saber needs to be reforged. You can choose one from these materials."
In the next moment, spiritual light flickered.
Thump, thump, thump.
After three dull thuds, three variously sized and shaped pieces of metal appeared on the forging platform. Judging from the sound, these materials were quite heavy.
"Forging weapons requires two primary materials, often referred to as main materials or key materials. One is the special metal that carries inscriptions, like Secret Iron, Secret Copper, and Secret Silver. These materials have high fusion and conduction properties with inscriptions, but they also have a drawback, which is a lack of strength."
"At this point, you need the second main material to enhance the weapon’s strength, which is done by melting them into an alloy."
"The Copper Essence in your hand is sufficient. Previously, the Iron’s strength was lacking. The first piece on the left is Cold Iron, sourced from the depths of ten thousand meters beneath the sea. Weapons forged from this have a chilling aura that can slow the opponent’s speed and might affect the circulation of Qi and Blood inside their body."
"The middle piece is Red Iron, sourced from deep within a volcano. Weapons forged from this have a burning heat with noticeable destructive power on the Qi Blood Emission membrane, and the material’s strength is slightly higher than Cold Iron."
"The last piece is Meteorite Iron, which has no attributes but is exceptionally hard."
Su Mu was slightly surprised upon hearing this and looked carefully.
Cold Iron was the largest piece, flat and long, dark blue in color, with a relatively smooth surface, about the size of an adult’s head, emitting a chill that congealed the surrounding air into mist.
Red Iron was of medium size and looked like a crimson hedgehog, covered in spikes that radiated heat and distorted the nearby air, forming a stark contrast to the Cold Iron.
The last, Meteorite Iron, was the smallest, just a bit larger than a fist, with a surface full of pockmarks, dull and unremarkable.
"You can choose one yourself, but if you choose Meteorite Iron, you’ll need to blend in other materials as it’s insufficient to serve as the saber’s main body alone."
Looking at the three metals, Su Mu suddenly remembered something, and his hand flashed.
"Teacher, take a look at this, what is it?"
In Su Mu’s hand was a piece of broken staff, which he obtained when he defeated the Demon Staff.
"Oh?"
"Is this Red Iron Essence?"
Wang Shuheng took it and felt the heat in his palm, and after a few more glances, shook his head, "No, this isn’t Red Iron. Let me see."
Wang Shuheng approached a microscope-like instrument, observed carefully, then spoke with surprise, "Where did you get this?"
"I obtained it from defeating a Demon Cultist."
"You’re indeed lucky. This is actually a piece of Meteorite Iron, but it has undergone special treatment, thus containing a heat that, when incorporated into a weapon, should retain this heat, though it’s different from Red Iron. I suspect it won’t significantly affect the user."
"This item has existed for no fewer than several hundred years. The inscriptions on it differ from those currently known; they’re ancient inscriptions likely derived from Ancient Ruins."
At this moment, Wang Shuheng looked at Su Mu, waiting for an answer.
"I want to hear your opinion, teacher."
A hint of appreciation flashed in Wang Shuheng’s eyes, "If it were up to me, I would choose Meteorite Iron. Having additional attributes isn’t necessarily beneficial, like the weapon used by the Tantai Family, mainly forged from Secret Silver, Cold Iron, and some Secret Silver Essence."
"But did you feel much chill during battle?"
Su Mu reflected for a moment and shook his head.
"That’s it. Until Spiritual Power reaches a certain level, it actually fears extreme cold and heat. This chill affects the user of the weapon himself.
However, Cold Iron happens to have excellent properties for Spiritual Power conduction and fusion, so when I forged the weapon back then, I chose to blend in Cold Iron. It took quite an effort to eliminate most of the chill, though some remains.
Your current Red Sun Saber was originally built for durability by sacrificing some of its Qi and Blood amplification power, just to accommodate more Blade Qi. The strength of Meteorite Iron is sufficient for durability, that’s my opinion, but the choice is still yours."
After Wang Shuheng finished speaking, Su Mu did not hesitate and immediately made his choice.
"Teacher, I choose Meteorite Iron."
"Alright, I need some time to perfect the inscriptions. We’ll start forging when you return from Shenjiang City. The preliminary matches are in two months, which is enough time."
Before leaving, Su Mu also took out some local specialties from his ring. Wang Shuheng glanced slightly and, noticing there were no such fruits and vegetables, realized Su Mu must have just stumbled upon some by chance.
Yuan Cheng had searched all over Linjiang Base and found no trace of those delicious fruits and vegetables, but Wang Shuheng didn’t plan to pursue the matter further.
Designing inscriptions requires a quiet environment, so Su Mu quickly left.
Returning to the dormitory and going back to the underground cultivation room, Su Mu felt reassured. He eagerly opened the small box Li Yue had given him.
At once, an astonishing Sharp Momentum burst forth from within the box.
"An astonishing Sword Momentum, worthy of the Sword Momentum Map!"
