Commanding Wind and Cloud
Chapter 54: Dignity and Honor

Tink! With a loud metal colliding noise, the sparks flew everywhere like fireworks in a summer night.

Franklin suddenly shivered! The instant Qian Jin landed that hammer, he felt like the one who was standing in front of him wasn’t Qian Jin, but rather the long-lived statue of Orville! At that moment, he felt like the statue of Orville was alive and had landed that perfect strike with the perfect trajectory! That strike seemed to contain numerous variations, as if it could change however it wanted! That strike was true art!

Tink… Tink… Tink…

Qian Jin swung the hammer freely. He was getting used to the feeling of forging, and he was getting very smoothly. He stopped forging after about ten strikes. A [Level 8 Refined Iron] sat on the anvil quietly.

Franklin stared at Qian Jin, and some tears were dripping from his eyes. He seemed to be inspired, and he had an expression of adoration on his face. Both of his hands that were on the bellows started to shiver.

For the last couple of years, every time Franklin recalled the image of Orville’s statue, he couldn’t understand the techniques and the core principles that was enveloped in the statue. However, a few moments ago when Qian Jin landed the strike, Franklin suddenly understood something! He understood many of the problems that were on his mind. Although he still couldn’t produce the same kind of technique that Qian Jin used, he felt like his skill had improved!

That feeling was very mystic, as if all the problems that he couldn’t get a hang of were a shut gate, and a mad bull had just charged through and slammed the gate open.

“Qian Jin… Qian Jin… Can, can I try?”

Qian Jin shrugged his shoulders as he took out the [Level 8 Refined Iron], and then stood there and watched Franklin forge with concentration. A strike on top of a strike; soon, large, bean-like drops of sweat started to drip down from Franklin’s body.

After a while, Franklin stopped forging, wiped the sweat off of his forehead, and started to cry out loud as he stared at the [Refined Iron] in front of him.

Qian Jin was scared for a moment by Franklin’s suddenly outcry. “What is happening? This reaction is too aggressive.”

This loud cry attracted attention. Francis, who had walked into the front shop that sold weapons and armors, rushed to the forge as he yelled, “What is going on? Brother, what is going on?”

“Francis…” Franklin kneeled on the ground and pointed at the [Refined Iron] in front of him and said as he choked, “Little brother, see…”

“This is… [Level 3 Refined Iron]?” Francis looked at Franklin with his perplexed eyes. “Brother, why are you so excited? Qian Jin can forge [Level 5 Refined Iron] already…”

“I made it…” Franklin held up the [Level 3 Refined Iron] that was still hot in excitement, as if he was holding onto the most precious treasure in the world. He caressed it as he said, “I forged it.”

“What?” Francis opened his eyes widely; they were almost the size of two small hammers. “How is it possible?” he shouted.

Qian Jin scratched his head awkwardly. “What is this? I forged a [Level 8 Refined Iron] and was hoping to surprise Franklin. I didn’t expect a piece of [Level 3 Refined Iron] would steal away the spotlight.”

“Little brother, I’m a Level 3 Blacksmith… I’m a Level 3 Blacksmith!” Franklin cried. “Although I haven’t taken the qualification exam at the union, I’m really a Level 3 Blacksmith.”

“Brother, congratulations!”

Qian Jin looked at the two brothers who were hugging and crying to each other and sighed as he shook his head. If he didn’t know these two brothers, he would have thought that these two brothers had been separated for more than a few dozen years and had finally reunited.

The two brothers cried for a while. Francis finally stopped crying and asked, “Brother, how did you instantly become a Level 3 Blacksmith?”

Franklin wiped the tears off of his face and said happily, “It’s all because of Qian Jin. When he was forging, he gave me a lot of directions and guidance.”

“Qian Jin? How did he forge?” Francis was very curious. He had never heard that a bystander who was just watching another person forge could improve his or her own forging skills drastically.

“Qian Jin…” Franklin looked at him with a begging expression and asked, “Can you please forge another [Refined Iron]?”

Qian Jin shrugged his shoulder as he picked up the hammer. “Light up the fire; I will forge another [Level 8 Refined Iron],” he said.

“What?” Both brothers were stunned. They finally saw the [Refined Iron] that had a far superior quality than the piece Qian Jin forged yesterday, which was sitting beside the water barrel!

“This… this…”

The two brothers stared at each other and opened their mouths, but didn’t make any comments. They just whined in their minds. “What kind of a young man did we meet? After all, he didn’t use all of his skills! No wonder why he declined Fabreidis’ invitation of getting a Forge Master as a master. This young man has such skills at this age; he must have insane talent. Without being taught by a Forging Master, he could still become a Forging Master within five years!”

“I’m about to start.”

Picking up the hammer, he inhaled, utilized the [Forging Breath Technique], raised the hammer, and finally landed the hammer!

The two brothers were shocked by Qian Jin’s smooth, proficient, and art-like hammering technique. It seemed like Qian Jin and the hammer had become one; the hammer was no longer in his hand; it had become a part of his body, connected to his flesh and blood!

The two brothers were mesmerized. Their eyes blurred, and they felt like they were no longer watching Qian Jin forge, but rather a God-tier Blacksmith Master creating a peerless Warrior Set!

This time, both Franklin and Francis didn’t learn any new techniques. However, they both had the same feeling. “Qian Jin doesn’t seem like a Level 8 Blacksmith, but rather a real Forging Master!

The two brothers stared at each other for a while, and they both said the same thing rigidly, “We got lucky…”

Yes! They got lucky! The two brothers were wild with joy. They thought they had found a Level 2 Blacksmith, but they were told that the young man was a Level 5 Blacksmith the next day. When they finally accepted the fact that the young man was a Level 5 Blacksmith, they received the news that the young man was already a Level 8 Blacksmith.

Oakland… Oakland had never had a Level 8 Blacksmith before!

‘Hey… Qian Jin…” Franklin rubbed his hand together. “How about, how about you ditch your warrior profession, and focus on becoming a great blacksmith? You definitely have the potential.”

“Blacksmith?” Qian Jin held the hammer in his hands tightly and looked up at the eye-piercing sunlight. The light formed a series of pictures and flashed though his mind quickly. It was a scene that he would never forget!

“Qian Jin, Elf King Bloodline primary awaken failed…”

At a small square that was packed with people, a emotionless voice slowly sounded, and it entered the crowd’s ears.

Not a single young person on the square had a pitiful or happy expression after they heard that. From their eyes, it seemed like they knew this would be the outcome. Not a single one of them even turned their heads and looked at the handsome young man standing at the very front of the branch family.

The crowd was divided into three groups. The group in the middle had the least amount of people; every one of them had the word [Main] stitched on the chest portion of their clothes. The two other groups beside them had the word [Branch] stitched on their clothes.

“Qian Jin…”

Not a single person, not a single person gave the young man a sympathetic or encouraging look; there were only cold, disdainful, and scornful gazes. In the Qian Family, the branch families were a bunch people who were looked down upon; their only opportunity to overcome their fate was to awaken the Elf King Bloodline inside of them, if they failed… this would be the outcome.

“It’s okay, don’t be depressed.”

A thick and hand patted Qian Jin’s shoulder. It was his father - Cheng Qian. Although he was only over forty years old, his appearance and figure looked like they belonged to someone who was over sixty years old; his face was full of wrinkles. His branch status with no awakened bloodline forced him to do business for the Qian Family so his son could have the chance to not be looked down by other people.

However, all of this… at that moment… during the Bloodline Awakening Ceremony, was completely destroyed by the family’s provisions.

Everyone only had one chance to awaken their bloodline; the bloodline would never be awoken if the individual failed. This was an iron-like law that no one had ever broken!

“Qian Wushan, Elf King Bloodline primary awaken succeeded…”

The quiet crowd instantly started to gasp; even the adults who were standing outside of the square had surprised expressions on their faces. “This fast? He awakened his bloodline right after the Awaken Array was initiated? This is rare, even in the history of the Qian Family; no wonder he is the most talented person in this generation of fresh blood! Maybe, the person who can complete the Ultimate Awakening is Qian Wushan!

Qian Wushan stood on the Awakening Square and glanced through the crowd. As a whole, he was like a sharp warrior blade that was pulled out of a scabbard; his pressing sharp spirit even made the adults who weren’t standing close by feel a vague painful sensation on their skin. He was the number one in Qian Family’s new generation, and he was the one who was most likely to become the strongest man on this continent!

Not long after, another person had also had their primary awakening, and the crowd started cheering again. The reason why the Qian Family could become a giant, one of the three most powerful families, was because of the special Elf King Bloodline. Even if it was just the primary awakening, it signified huge potential in the future.

A few people who failed to awaken their bloodlines also had their names announced in the square. The crowd wasn’t sad or happy. There were always people who were eliminated from this selection process. These people would be in charge of the businesses that the Qian Family ran. They would earn their meals and reproduce for the Qian Family. If more kids were born, there would be more people who might awaken their bloodline.

Every person who had awakened their bloodline were followed by the praise and envy of the crowd. They stood on the Awakening Square with their heads raised up. They were all part of the Qian Family, and there was no way that they didn’t know what succeeding in awakening the Elf King Bloodline meant.

“Qian Jin…”

“Father, it’s okay, there’s nothing major in failing to awaken the bloodline. In terms of doing business for the family, I will give up on that. As a kid that is a part of the branch family, I will never get the degree of attention that I need to succeed in running family businesses.”

“Then you…”

“I’m planning to go to a warrior academy with my own money. There are people who became great warriors without being bloodline warriors. I want to try…”

“But…”

“The allowance from the faimly is not enough? There’s no problem; I have arms and legs. I can earn my own money, and I will become a great warrior for sure. By that time, father, you won’t have to bend your back and tolerate and endure everything here at the Qian Family.” Qian Jin smiled as he stretched out his back. He looked at the crescent in the sky and said, “Branch family? As a part of the Qian Family, we seem to live great from an outsider’s perspective. However, they don’t know that as a part of the branch family, we are far less happy and live worse than ordinary people. Branch family? It is really an annoying word.”

“Qian Jin… Qian Jin… Qian Jin…”

Franklin called his name nervously and woke up Qian Jin, who was reflecting on his memories.

“Blacksmith? Maybe it could bring me a lot of income and let me live a great life, but it won’t help my father redeem his dignity!” Qian Jin looked at the hammer in his hand and thought, “I have to become the greatest warrior, for no reason other than for my father! I have to let him be able to raise his head, straighten his spine, look at everyone proudly and say, ‘My son Qian Jin makes me proud!’”

Franklin looked at Qian Jin and was stunned; there were a pair of eyes that were filled with persistence like he had never seen before!

“This young man…” Franklin breathed in the heated air in the workshop and asked himself, “What kind of things has he experienced in his unknown past?”

“I will become a warrior.” Qian Jin moved his eyes from the hammer to Franklin’s face. He said calmly and seriously, “I will become a real warrior, the greatest warrior!”

“The greatest warrior? This path… is extremely hard.” Francis didn’t try to presuade Qian Jin at all; Qian Jin’s persistent eyes told him everything he needed to know. However, it was really impossible for an ordinary person who wasn’t a bloodline warrior to become the greatest warrior.

The Ultimate Awakening from any of the three Ultimate Supreme Bloodlines had no match, except for the three Ultimate Demon Bloodlines on the Demon Empire’s side. Even a normal bloodline warrior could easily beat ordinary warriors.

“There will be a miracle, there has to be…” Qian Jin looked at Francis’ concerned expression. “I know what you are thinking. There will be a miracle, I guarantee. Even ordinary people can live extraordinary lives! Francis, work the bellows. After I forge a few more [Level 5 Refined Irons], it will be time for me to find Fabreidis.”