After six and a half hours of work, very tired, I pressed the bell button and after a couple of minutes a very surprised young man came. He quickly examined my work and left again, saying he would show it to the master. I finally managed to sit down and rest, this test was quite exhausting, as due to the time limit, I thought I wouldn't have time to implement all my ideas. But fortunately, I even had some left, a whole hour and a half!
However, I was completely satisfied with the result. I managed to create an artifact of good quality, without prior preparation and repeated assembly process, using simpler and more accessible materials. Of course, this shield was far inferior to my artifact, which I never came up with a name for, as this artifact was, in my humble opinion, a work of art, which I spent more than three months creating! And this shield was an ordinary handicraft, although I essentially poured my soul into it when I made it. So I was satisfied with the work.
After about an hour, the fair-haired guy returned, without my shield, his face was very puzzled and thoughtful. All the morning cheerfulness and ease was gone.
"Come on, Uncle wants to see you," said the guy, with either irritation or impatience. "Your artifact greatly surprised Uncle," he said, already calmly on the way to the master. "So he decided to meet you personally. Consider that if you managed to surprise Uncle, then you are already an unsurpassed genius," he chuckled sadly.
"Ah, is he so hard to surprise?" I asked, although I understood that convincing a master famous throughout China was still very difficult, but I decided to play the role of an inexperienced genius who knows nothing himself but does everything.
"Yes! Uncle Tan Tao is a famous master, high-level mages come to him for artifacts from all over China! He is one of the few masters who managed to personally work with materials obtained from the emperor!" At first cheerfully and proudly, and then quieter and quieter, as if conspiratorially, with great respect in his voice, the guy spoke.
"I didn't know the master was so famous, and what emperor's material did he work with?" I asked innocently, as this was already very significant information! Because it means that there is an emperor unknown to me, whom people were at least able to wound!
"I don't know myself," the guy honestly answered, thinking. "Uncle doesn't like to talk about it, he says I should catch up to him in skill first."
"I see, I think if he takes me, I will definitely find out this secret!" I said confidently, pretending to have optimistic hopes and burning with the desire to achieve something great, as most of my peers would be in my place.
"I see, I'll be waiting, I hope you'll share this secret with me too," the fair-haired guy chuckled, with a smile on his face. "My name is Tan Yu, I am indeed the master's nephew, but it was still difficult for me to become his apprentice. But I have been studying with him for a long time, so if he takes you, you can contact me with any questions."
"Thank you for your concern, elder brother," I said, bowing slightly. "I hope the master will take me."
After this short conversation, we walked in silence, and Tan Yu became significantly more cheerful. He was indeed a kind person, dedicated to studying the art of artifact creation. In the end, we arrived at a large workshop, where there was one large workbench, several double cabinets along the walls, and a huge, solid furnace for firing and melting. Although it was not the latest model, it did not negate its usefulness and functionality for the master. The master himself sat at the workbench on a chair, holding my shield in his hands, and on the edge of the workbench lay my test.
The master turned out to be a strong and powerful man, with gray hair and a medium-sized, beautiful beard, although it was quite disheveled, but it was clear that it was sometimes looked after and cared for. The master wore glasses with various magnifying lenses on his nose, which could be added and removed at will. The master was dressed the same as the guy in strong leather pants, which seemed to fear nothing, and the same apron with many pockets for tools.
"What's your name?" the master asked dryly and rather rudely. It was immediately clear that he was not a simple person, with a character, so to speak, and one had to be careful with him so as not to anger him.
"My name is Jiaxing Yun," I answered, showing icy calm with my whole demeanor.
"Did anyone teach you before?" he asked, without taking his eyes off the shield.
"No one, I taught myself from books and tried to make simple artifacts," I answered honestly. "I started about two years ago, then I managed to get some rare books and studied from them."
"Uh-huh. Good work, such functionality and power!" the master said with slight enthusiasm. "What kind of attack do you think your shield can withstand?"
"According to my approximate calculations, it should withstand the blow of a small leader. If its structure is strengthened with lightning magic, it can also protect against a senior leader," I stated confidently, as I was absolutely sure of the strength of my shield.
"Excellent. Where did you get such an amplification formula from?" the master asked, smiling slightly.
"Here, at the auction, I bought this shield, it has the same formula, only it uses wind magic as the main energy," I said, summoning my shield.
"This is my shield, I specifically left my signature on it to recognize it," said Tan Yu, who had been standing next to me all this time, pointing to a thin border at the edge of the shield, something was written there, but I never tried to read it.
"That's right, you made this shield. When you were studying this formula, I remember we sold it at auction for a good sum this autumn," said the master, in a slightly kinder voice. "But the way this formula is executed here surpasses its execution on this shield. In just nine months, he studied it and managed to surpass the original execution. Jiaxing Yun, this formula is a secret of my family, its secret is passed down from generation to generation, no one has ever been able to surpass the original seen without our help."
"I apologize to the master for using his family's secrets," I said, putting away the shield. "This artifact was sold under the name of an unknown master, so I thought it wouldn't be shameful for my development to study all the secrets of the product."
"It's okay, the desire to learn new things is commendable, but since I found out about it, I have to kill you for revealing the secret technique," the master said strictly, putting the shield aside. "But you passed the exam and can become my apprentice, then studying this technique will not be such a serious crime. And considering your skills and abilities, I can appoint you as a personal apprentice, you will be the second after Tan Yu."
"I will gladly accept this offer, but can I know the difference between the student statuses?" I asked, bowing.
"Of course, allow me to explain," Tan Yu volunteered, after receiving an approving nod from the master, he continued. "Students in our family are divided into three groups. The first is junior students, those who have the necessary minimum level of theoretical knowledge. They mainly perform auxiliary work, bring necessary materials from the warehouse, heat the furnace, compile regulatory documents and other minor work, thereby helping senior and personal students. The second are senior students, they already have practical skills, but are not allowed near the furnaces. They most often work in their own workshops, for example, the one where you took the exam. Sometimes they create parts for personal students and masters, making composite parts for complex artifacts. And the last are personal students, they participate in the master's large projects, helping him. They have a personal workshop with a furnace, as well as several personal junior students as permanent assistants, while senior students are content with those who are free at the moment."
"I see, thank you for the explanations," I said. "But can I know if I will have to be here all the time, or can I be absent from the workshop for self-development?"
"Personal students have this right, but they must provide their works for inspection by the master once a month, so that he can monitor their training," the master answered dryly and strictly. "You are a mage, aren't you? What level have you reached and in what element?"
"I am a mid-level mage of lightning magic of the first stage and a beginner-level mage of wind magic of the second stage," I said, as if there was nothing strange about it.
"Mid-level mage!" the master and Tan Yu exclaimed almost in unison.
"You said you're only turning nineteen next week! And you're already a mid-level mage! And the development of the second element indicates that you've been one for a long time!" Tan Yu added, still in shock from what he heard.
"Elder brother Tan Yu, what is your level that you are so surprised?" I asked with clear interest, although at our first meeting, despite the fact that he carefully hid his development, I was able to understand that he was a high-level mage. And the master's cultivation level was completely hidden from me. Which is logical, given what level blacksmiths they were.
"I am a high-level mage of the second stage of fire and the first stage of light, as well as a second-stage mage of space," he blurted out as if automatically, looking at me with surprised eyes. His cultivation was quite high for an ordinary twenty-five-year-old guy, but as far as I remember, Mo Fan had already reached the highest level by then.
"Elder brother also has quite high cultivation," I said with respect. "If the master allows me to study in Mingzhu and be absent for business, then I will gladly become your apprentice. I promise not to disgrace the master's name and to improve my skills."
"Okay, Mingzhu is a good university. I will expect great success from you," said the master. "You haven't studied artifact forging yet, have you?"
"No, master, due to the lack of a furnace and proper knowledge, I could not study it in practice," I said humbly.
"Excellent, there is still almost a month until admission, right? If you can master my secret forging technique to a decent level during this time, you can come and go as you please, provided that you will make one artifact of the same or better quality for sale each month, and from time to time you will fulfill orders," the master said calmly.
"Thank you, master, but, alas, my sister is currently with relatives and I promised to pick her up in four days. Master, will you allow me to pick her up on the specified day, I will fly to get her by plane and return the same day," I asked, folding my hands, as it was necessary to pick up Jiaxing Er, and at the same time I needed to monitor her progress.
"I will explain everything to you in three days, the remaining time will be spent by the senior personal apprentice. And it will depend only on you whether you manage to master the technique in time or not. So, all the time you have after three days, you can spend as you wish, and three days before the entrance exams, I will look at your work and make a final decision," said the master, as if waving me away.
"Last question, master. Can I choose the name under which I will fulfill orders and under which my products will be sold?" I asked, this question was very important to me.
"Okay, you can use my family name, your skills allow it, but remember, if you decide to, I'll skin you alive if you disgrace its honor even a little!" the master said confidently, banging on the table. I was quite surprised by his reaction and permission to use the family name. But I wasn't going to refuse, as I had already come up with a pseudonym, it was taken from a light novel that I read in my past life, the name of the main character who was knowledgeable in blacksmithing.
"Thank you, master, I have chosen a pseudonym for myself, it is..." I said, bowing again and pausing slightly, I finished. "Tan San."