Studying at Western University starts with a knife-forging competition

Robert picked up his chopsticks again, took a slice of braised beef, and rolled it in the dipping sauce.

"Is the dipping sauce vinegar and garlic?"

"Hmm. Minced garlic, a little light soy sauce, and a few drops of sesame oil."

Robert dipped a piece in the sauce and chewed it.

"Um."

It's that same word again.

Lin Yuan smiled and jumped off the stool to inspect the grinding machine.

"Did you fix the grinder?" Robert's voice came from behind.

"It was fixed yesterday. The track wheel axle was a bit bent, so I replaced it."

"Where did you find the shaft?"

"I spun it myself. There was some leftover 45# steel on the lathe. I measured the dimensions and spun it out in twenty minutes."

There was a moment of silence behind me.

"You spent a lot of time."

"It's alright. I mainly want to practice my lathe skills, and it'll be easier for me to work by myself once the grinding machine is working well."

Lin Yuan installed the protective cover and then wiped the work surface clean with a cloth. He had a habit—after using a place, he had to restore it to a state even cleaner than before. This was something he had developed at his father's factory. His father had said that a blacksmith's hands could be dirty, but his workstation must be clean. A messy work surface was like a messy head. He had heard this saying hundreds of times during the years he helped out at the factory.

"Is the knife from last week finished?" Robert asked.

"It's finished," Lin Yuan said with a hint of pride. "It's in my dorm. Would you like to see it?"

"Bring it tomorrow."

"it is good."

He thought for a moment, then added, "I tried a new steel blend for that knife: 1018 for the leather and T10 in the middle. After acid washing, the line on the blade is still quite clear."

Robert turned his head.

"The carbon content of the two types of steel differs so much that problems are likely to occur at the bonding surface."

"I was worried about that at first too. But later, the forging temperature was controlled quite accurately, and after grinding it open to check the cross-section, the bonding surface was very clean and there was no oxide layer."

Robert leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms in front of his stomach, and looked at Lin Yuan for a while.

Have you seen the "Sword Forging Competition"?

Lin Yuan paused in his hand holding the rag, then turned his head.

"I've seen them. The season 3 episode about bearing steel and the season 5 championship battle were both quite interesting. The violent testing segments were well-designed and showed the true performance of the knives."

"Registration for the preliminary rounds is now open."

Lin Yuan was taken aback.

"You mean, you want me to register?"

Robert's tone was flat, as if he were saying that there was an academic lecture this afternoon that you should attend.

"I'm considering it," Lin Yuan said slowly, "but I haven't made up my mind yet."

"reason."

"Visa is one issue. Another thing is... these competitions are all locals. If I, a Chinese student, stand there and get eliminated in the first round, it would be quite embarrassing."

Robert chuckled softly.

"You've done two semesters of independent research with me," he said, his voice measured and calm. "The heat treatment data you've handled is more rigorous than that of most graduate students in the department. As for forging techniques—"

He paused for a moment.

"I've been in this industry for thirty years. Your skills, in any competition, would prevent you from being eliminated in the first round."

Lin Yuan felt a little embarrassed by what he said and smiled with his head down.

"The preliminary selection requires three photos of your work and a five-minute video." Robert pulled a pack of chewing gum from his pocket, took out a piece, and explained the materials and techniques. "If you'd like to participate, you can film it in my workshop."

"Really?" Lin Yuan looked up, unable to hide his smile. "I was just worried about where to take pictures. The lighting in the dorm is bad, and renting a place outside is too expensive."

"Shoot and edit your own videos. I only provide the venue and equipment."

"No problem. I can also edit videos. Last semester, I learned Premiere to submit a lab video assignment. What model of equipment do you have here?"

"A Sony that my daughter left behind when she went to college."

"That's enough, thank you, Professor."

Lin Yuan paced around the workshop, rubbing his hands together, his mind already racing. What kind of knife should Hai choose? A hunting knife would be safe, a Bowie knife would do, but he wanted to make something with an Eastern flair—

Main quest triggered: Embark on the journey.

Lin Yuan paused for a moment. He'd been in the US for almost two years, and the system had mostly issued routine tasks—cooking, fixing things, helping the professor. This was the first time he'd triggered a main quest.

"What are you thinking about?" Robert's voice came from behind.

"Knife shape." Lin Yuan snapped out of his thoughts. "A hunting knife is safe, but I want to do something different. What do you think the judges like to see?"

Robert stood up, walked to the wall of tools, and took down a hunting knife hanging on the wall.

"This is one I made in the 90s, take a look."

Lin Yuan took it and examined it. It was made of 1095 high-carbon steel, with a forged finish, clean and crisp blade lines, and a perfect fit between the handguard and handle. It had a typical ABS style—not pursuing fancy patterns, but every detail was meticulously crafted.

"It looks great," Lin Yuan said sincerely. "The blade surface is very clean. Was it hand-polished?"

"From 400 to 2000 meshes, don't skip any levels," Robert said. "That's the basics. If you do this well, the judges won't eliminate you in the first round."

"And what about the second round?"

"The second round will focus on creativity. Your Eastern background is an advantage. If you can incorporate Chinese forging elements without affecting performance testing, you will be very competitive."

Lin Yuan nodded thoughtfully and handed the hunting knife back to him.

"Professor," he said, "why do you want me to participate in this competition?"

Robert hung the knife back up, turned his back to Lin Yuan, and remained silent for a few seconds.

"Many students have come to my workshop." His voice was softer than before. "Talented, diligent, and intelligent. But those who possess all three—"

He turned around, his expression calm.

"You're the first. You deserve a bigger platform."

Lin Yuan looked at him, and a warm feeling welled up in his heart.

"Professor," he said, "I won't let you down."

"You're not doing this for me," Robert shook his head. "You're doing it for yourself."

He walked to the door and opened it. The March South Carolina sun shone in, cutting a bright border across the ground.

"Don't stay up too late. Bring the knife to show me tomorrow."

"it is good."

The door closed, and the workshop became darker.

Main Quest: Embark on the Journey. Objective: Pass the preliminary rounds of the "Forging Competition" and advance to the regular season. Rewards: Upgrade your forging skill to Master level, unlock the special forging blueprint "Cloud Pattern Steel," and unlock the new skill branch "Stacked Fire Forging."

[Overlay forging: The activity of the flame allows the properties of dissimilar metals to permeate each other during melting. Even materials incompatible by conventional forging can overcome their physical limitations under the forced harmonization of the flame, forming new alloys with multiple properties.]

Lin Yuan stood in front of the forge, looking at the pale gold task panel in the corner of his vision. He took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly.

Master level. His father had forged swords his whole life, but the system only rated him as mid-master level. If he could break through—

He opened the air vent.

The coke left over from yesterday in the furnace was still usable, so I added two shovelfuls of new coal and lit the fire.

The blower hummed, and flames emerged from the gaps in the coke, turning from red to orange.