Braised Dragon with Soy Sauce

Although Zhang the blacksmith had taught Mo Yuming some basic knowledge about weapon forging in the canyon, Mo Yuming was still young at that time, and in that special environment, no one would take these things seriously.

Given his mindset at the time, Mo Yuming didn't study seriously at all; he only studied out of curiosity and for fun.

Fortunately, Mo Yuming inherited the excellent genes and all the memories of the inventor from his previous life. He can learn everything very quickly and is able to draw inferences and apply what he has learned to other situations.

What seems incredibly complex and difficult to understand to others is no problem for Mo Yuming.

Although I didn't study seriously at that time, I clearly remembered everything that Zhang the blacksmith taught me.

After reading the Huo family's weapon-refining manual today, I have gained a preliminary understanding of the weapon-refining techniques in this world in theory.

The parts of the weapon-forging techniques taught by Zhang the blacksmith that I only vaguely understood before, I now understand completely after comparison.

Both techniques have their merits.

Mo Yuming currently knows very little about the Zhang family's weapon-refining techniques, so he cannot yet judge which family's techniques are superior.

We can only analyze it from what we have learned. The Huo family mainly focuses on controlling the heat and the influence of spiritual energy on the objects during the smelting process when refining weapons.

The Zhang family, however, placed greater emphasis on the proportion and distribution of various minerals during smelting. Other procedures and techniques were largely similar.

Some things seem simple, but when you actually put them into action and try them, you will find that the reality is not what you thought.

Mo Yuming had someone bring over a small cauldron, wanting to try using the ore refining technology of this world to refine some iron ore and see what would happen.

Refining ore is the most basic skill for weapon refiners. Almost every weapon refiner in this world starts learning weapon refining by learning to refine iron ore.

Even the assessment and testing standards set by the Refiners Association for evaluating the level of refiners are based on the quantity and quality of iron ore refined within a certain period of time.

If one can refine an iron ingot within an hour, it is considered that one has entered the realm of weapon crafting. If one can refine 100 catties of iron ingot in a day, one has reached the level of a first-class weapon crafter.

Then you can register with the Refiner Association to join and become a formal Refiner.

The Refiner's Association will then issue a waist tag to verify your identity.

Similarly, once you can refine 300 catties of iron ingots a day, you are considered a level 2 weapon refiner, and once you can refine 500 catties, you are considered a level 3 weapon refiner.

Eight hundred jin is the level of a first-class weapon refiner, one thousand jin is the level of a second-class weapon refiner, and a level three weapon refiner needs to reach one thousand three hundred jin.

If one can refine 1,800 catties of iron ingots in a day, one will be rated as a junior master craftsman.

Once you become a Grandmaster of Weapon Refining, the Weapon Refining Association will no longer be qualified to assess your level. Weapon refiners at that level are considered god-like figures in the eyes of ordinary weapon refiners.

This rating method may seem overly simplistic and crude, but it is not.

Because refining iron ingots requires not only controlling the heat but also separating impurities from the iron ore, it is extremely demanding on the refiner's basic skills and mastery of techniques, and consumes a great deal of mental and spiritual energy.

Only when the forging technique reaches a level of consummate skill can more iron blanks be refined quickly and efficiently within the same timeframe.

Therefore, under the same conditions, the more iron ingots produced, the better it proves the quality of the product.

Mo Yuming's weapon-refining journey began in the hotel's backyard, where the furnace and materials for weapon refining had already been delivered as requested.

The Fuyuan Hotel in Shangyuan City was secretly purchased by Jia Shan and Master Fu according to Mo Yuming's instructions before they occupied Shangyuan City.

Jian'an City, Luoxia City, Zhongyuan City, and Gu'an City in Yingzhou each have one, and they are still being added to the surrounding cities.

All the shopkeepers, waiters, and chefs were selected from the Wushuangcheng Hotel.

It was a secret liaison station used by Mo Yuming to gather intelligence in various cities.

Apart from a few top leaders, no one knows whose property this is.

The hotels are named according to their size; the largest is called Wushuang Restaurant, the smaller ones are called Fuyuan Hotel, and the smallest ones are called Fushan Inn.

Whether it's a restaurant or a hotel, they will all be designed with a secret backyard according to regulations. Even hotel employees cannot freely enter or leave this backyard under normal circumstances.

Only people with specific identities are allowed to stay.

Now, the secret backyard of Fuyuan Hotel has become Mo Yuming's temporary residence.

Apart from the innkeeper, no one knew who lived in the back courtyard.

There is a hidden entrance to the backyard, so even the hotel staff don't know what's going on in the backyard.

Following the steps in the manual, Mo Yuming stood at the fire vent of the cauldron and used the mental techniques recorded in the manual to guide the fire-attribute spiritual power in his dantian to circulate among the acupoints in his body.

After being enhanced layer by layer, the fire elemental power within his body became increasingly active. As it circulated through his meridians, Mo Yuming could clearly feel a surge of intense heat moving within him.

But when it finally reached the Laogong acupoint in the palm, it suddenly dissipated and disappeared.

Mo Yuming's first failed attempt at internal energy cultivation made him realize that mastering weapon crafting was not an easy task.

Although the cultivation manual states that fire-attribute practitioners only need a cultivation level of at least Human Rank 5 to begin learning weapon crafting.

Mo Yuming's fire attribute cultivation has now reached the sixth level of the Earth Rank, so in theory, he should be able to master the most basic fire-making technique easily.

But in practice, it's not quite like that.

The weapon refiners in this world use the fire elemental power within their bodies to refine weapons, not to heat or roast the ore with their own spiritual power, but to use their spiritual power to activate and control the magic array within the furnace.

Under the continuous spiritual power control of the weapon refiner, the magic array gathers fire elements from the air into the cauldron, stimulating the ore in the cauldron to react with the fire elements in the air, thereby achieving the purpose of heating the ore.

The degree to which a weapon refiner controls the magic array within the furnace determines the speed and quality of ore extraction.

Mo Yuming was not discouraged by his first failure to activate spiritual power. Instead, he learned from his experience and tried again.

After all, figuring things out on your own by following the manual is definitely not as easy as having a master guide you. Many details require careful exploration and experimentation on your own.

The second time he activated the fire-attribute spiritual power within his body, he was much more skilled than the first time.

A surge of heat quickly forms within the body and travels along specific meridians, finally converging at the Laogong acupoint in the palm.

His palms grew hotter and hotter, and under the scorching heat of the gathered fire-attribute spiritual energy, his hands began to ache unbearably, feeling as if they would burst into flames at any moment.

Despite the excruciating pain, Mo Yuming used his mind to guide his spiritual energy away from his palm and towards the cauldron.

Although the spiritual energy was successfully released from the palm this time, it lost control as soon as it left the body, turning into uncontrolled sparks that scattered everywhere. The second experiment failed again.

Unconvinced, Mo Yuming resumed his practice after a brief period of rest.

Although there was significant progress with each practice session, new problems arose each time, and ultimately, after dozens of attempts, I still failed.

Panting heavily, Mo Yuming was already completely exhausted and on the verge of collapse. His entire body was soaked in sweat, like a drowned rat.

Unexpectedly, even the basics of weapon crafting were so difficult. Exhausted, Mo Yuming had no choice but to stop his fire-starting practice, get up weakly, return to his room, take off his soaking wet clothes, and lie down in the bathtub to soak and recover his strength.

Generally, only weapon refiners who have reached the level of master weapon refiners can make cauldrons.

The quality of a cauldron depends on the skill of the craftsman who makes it and the materials used.

The better the materials and the higher the skill level of the weapon refiner, the better the cauldron will be, and the more effective it will be in use.

A typical cauldron requires five or six kinds of ores to be refined. After the embryo is completed, a magic array needs to be engraved on the inner wall of the cauldron, and gems that provide energy to the magic array need to be embedded in it before it is considered complete.

It looks simple, but the actual production requirements are extremely high.

Without the skill of a master craftsman, it's impossible to forge a cauldron; inscribing the magic array is a major hurdle.

Therefore, the furnaces made by weapon refiners are very expensive, and even the most ordinary furnaces are unaffordable for the average person.

Although a good furnace is easier to master, the most important factor is still the refiner himself.

The cauldron Mo Yuming used for practice was of average quality, but still much better than ordinary cauldrons. After all, the cauldron Mo Shao used couldn't be too bad.