The Prodigies War-Chapter 2272 Unexpected Extraordinary Expert?

Suddenly, Lian Hongxiu coldly countered, “Humph! This is no longer a secret in Thousand Flame Imperial City. Anyone who deliberately asks around can find out about it.”

Lin Xun smiled calmly, “But I also know that the bottleneck you are currently experiencing has been troubling you for around fifteen hundred years, and even now, you still haven’t found a way to break through it.”

Lian Hongxiu almost jumped in shock. She blurted out, “How did you know that?”

She couldn't remain calm because even in the Divine Forge Imperial Clan, there weren't many who could accurately tell how long this artist block had been troubling her.

Yet, an outsider had just pointed it out at the drop of a hat!

Keeping a smile on his face, Lin Xun pointed at a flying sword on the counter. “It’s marked that this Emperor-grade weapon was crafted thirty-five hundred years ago, and it can be seen that you started trying something different precisely from this weapon in order to go further on your path of smithing.”

Lian Hongxiu finally understood, and she looked at Lin Xun in an entirely new light. Even if someone had a sky-high cultivation strength, it would still be impossible for them to obtain such a subtle clue from a single weapon without decent knowledge on crafting.

In fact, it was difficult for even a grandmaster smith unless they looked very carefully.

This young man, however, had managed to do so!

Lin Xun continued without a care, “Everything you crafted after this flying sword could be regarded as top-class and unique, all having your trademarks and even signs of unconventional gambits. The reason is that although you had made no substantial breakthrough in the foundation then, you had probably spent a great deal of effort in the process. This is why I could reckon from these treasures that you haven’t overcome your block yet.”

His speech had Lian Hongxiu frozen on the spot, her expression quickly shifting while her heart churned and even trembled.

It was because he had hit the nail on the head. Every word, every sentence he had uttered accurately dissected her current predicament in the craft!

Meanwhile, Yao Tao was also dumbfounded. Is this customer...an extraordinary expert hidden among people?

Almost no one knew better than her how high Lian Hongxiu's status in the Divine Forge Imperial Clan and how profound her attainments in the dao of smithing was.

Yet, an outsider had seen through Lian Hongxiu’s current situation by just observing these tools she had made. There was no doubt how incredible this was!

After a long silence, Lian Hongxiu, who came to her senses like she had just woken up from a dream, started to treat Lin Xun with reverence, “May I know your name, sir?”

“Lin Daoyuan.” Lin Xun casually said, “If there is nothing else, I will take my leave.”

Saying that, he turned to leave. It had been a rewarding experience to study the treasures in this workshop one by one, and they gave him quite many inspirations.

Next, he planned to visit the other Divine Forge Workshops.

“Wait,” Lian Hongxiu hurriedly said. “Fellow Daoist, I was blind and took too much of your time. May I ask you to stay for a moment so I can make amends?”

Saying this, she bowed slightly toward Lin Xun with a hopeful look.

An idea uncontrollably sprouted in her mind. Since this expert could point out her bottleneck in such a short timeframe, perhaps some pointers from him could give her a chance to break through this hurdle?

Yao Tao's mouth was wide open in shock. She could swear that this was the first time she had seen Lian Hongxiu treat a guest so respectfully!

In the past, even if the customer was a renowned Emperor expert who could call the wind and the rain, Lian Hongxiu still wouldn’t act this way!

“You want my instruction?” Lin Xun saw through Lian Hongxiu's intention right away.

Lian Hongxiu looked sheepish, but she nodded frankly. “If you could give me guidance and help me break through my current block, I will agree to any demand you have unconditionally, as long as it’s something I can do!”

Lin Xun thought for a second and said, “How about this, do you mind taking me to the other Divine Forge Workshops so I can have a look first?”

Does this mean he agrees?

Lian Hongxiu was a little uncertain, but she still agreed without a moment’s hesitation, “With pleasure.”

“Let's go.” Lin Xun smiled and marched outside.

Lian Hongxiu hurriedly caught up with him.

Watching all this transpiring right before her eyes, Yao Tao entered a trance, her heart thumping with infatuation. That senior is so dashing...so charming...

......

In Divine Forge Workshop A9.

Upon hearing that Lian Hongxiu had arrived with a young Emperor expert, Lian Yuntian, the grandmaster smith in charge of this workshop, almost thought that she was accompanying a big shot from the Celestial Phoenix Clan. As a result, he hurriedly came out to welcome them.

However, he was puzzled when he saw Lin Xun. Who is this guy? How did he make a prideful one like Lian Hongxiu accompany him all the way here?

When Lian Yuntian heard from Lian Hongxiu about what had just happened, his first reaction was: This guy is likely to be a scammer!

Who doesn’t know that in the art of smithing, no one dares to claim themselves superior to our Divine Forge Imperial Clan in the entire Celestial Phoenix World?

And yet, Hongxiu is placing high hopes on an outsider to help her break through her jam? Ridiculous, simply absurd!

However, Lian Yuntian didn't show his thoughts on his face. Instead, he discreetly assessed Lin Xun and decided to personally test the latter’s ability. Perhaps only factual proof could awaken Lian Hongxiu from her stubborn trust in this scammer.

It wasn't until Lin Xun had finished appraising all the treasures in Workshop A9 did Lian Yuntian finally ask with a smile, “Fellow Daoist Lin, what do you think about these Emperor-grade weapons that I made?”

Lin Xun swept him an indifferent glance and nodded, “Not bad.”

Merely not bad?

Lian Yuntian was stunned. His expression was almost an exact copy of Lian Hongxiu’s when she had heard the evaluation for her. Anger also rose in him as he felt like he was being provoked.

Taking a deep breath to suppress the displeasure in his heart, Lian Yuntian said, “Could I ask you to elaborate, Fellow Daoist Lin?”

Lian Hongxiu was also curious.

However, Lin Xun smilingly asked, “Do you really want to hear the truth?”

“Of course,” replied Lian Yuntian without missing a beat. He was already a little impatient to expose Lin Xun's sham.

“Your skills in smithing are strong and exquisite. The Emperor-grade treasures you’ve forged are all quite extraordinary...” Lin Xun spoke with discretion.

Lian Yuntian sneered inside. Praises are useless if you can’t explain them in detail. Just wait, I’ll poke through your tricks face to face!

“But it’s a pity,” Lin Xun sighed softly. “If you can’t tear through the karmic barrier in your heart soon, I'm afraid that your attainments in the art of smithing will stop here for the remainder of your life.”

“Karmic barrier?” Lian Yuntian frowned. “What is this supposed to mean?”

Lin Xun pointed at the display counter. “Look at these treasures that you handcrafted. They all have the same character and vibe. No breakthroughs, no changes anywhere; they all feel the same. This is a telling sign that you have been stuck in the same old rut and are even sinking deeper into it with time. I'm afraid that it's going to be harder for you to make progress from here on than reaching the sky without cultivation...”

Hearing all this, Lian Yuntian was so embarrassed that he flew into a rage, “Nonsense! How could I possibly be stuck in the same old rut?”

Lin Xun’s smile showed his disapproval. “Then let me ask you, in the past eight thousand years, have you ever crafted one Emperor-grade tool that surpasses mythic-grade? To be more precise, can anything you’ve crafted outperform the ones displayed in this shop?”

Lian Yuntian was stumped.

“Eight thousand years, that's not a short period of time, but these tools are already your best standard. Don’t tell me that...you really haven’t been stuck in the same spot?” Lin Xun concluded with a sigh, “If you don’t remove the barrier in your heart, Fellow Daoist, there is no hope for another breakthrough in your life. Take care.”

With that, he turned and walked out. Lian Hongxiu hastily followed suit.

Watching the whole thing, she completely agreed with Lin Xun's evaluation. He was absolutely spot-on, penetrating the key problem and laying out Lian Yuntian's predicament entirely!

A stupefied Lian Yuntian was rooted in place. He had deemed Lin Xun a scammer and had planned to expose the latter why he was unsuspecting.

Now, however, he was drenched in cold sweat, feeling as though he had been stripped naked with all of his secrets exposed.

After a while, he abruptly screeched, “Fellow Daoist Lin, wait!”

He hurriedly chased after Lin Xun as well.

Seeing Lian Yuntian catching up, Lian Hongxiu couldn't help but smile. I knew this old fellow was skeptical before too, but look at him now, obediently running after the expert just like I am.

At the same time, she became more and more curious about Lin Xun's identity. She had never heard there was such a character in the Celestial Phoenix World.

Who is he?

How did he come to possess such profound knowledge?

The grandmaster smith carried these questions in mind as the group arrived at Divine Forge Workshop A8.

Lin Xun’s path was clear in the company of Lian Hongxiu and Lian Yuntian.

In the store, he repeated the process of looking through the Emperor-grade artifacts on display. As the saying went, ‘The more one sees, the more one learns. The more one compares, the more one comprehends.’ The crafting techniques Lin Xun deduced from these Emperor-grade artifacts as well as the miraculous effects that they produced immensely inspired him.

The mind sketch of his own life-bound Emperor weapon gradually became more specific.

Lin Xun felt rewarded. This trip had been worthwhile for him.

As a contented Lin Xun wanted to leave for the next Divine Forge Workshop, Lian Hongxiu suddenly said, “Fellow Daoist, the manager of this shop, Lian Feijia, is a seasoned grandmaster from the older generation of our clan. He is currently crafting an Emperor-grade artifact. Would you be interested in observing the process?”

Lin Xun was stunned. “Can I?”

From what he knew, getting disturbed was a serious taboo when one forged treasures on the level of the Emperor grade.

“Of course.” Lian Yuntian chuckled. “Please come with me.”[1]

He then led the way to the back of the workshop. After a series of turns, the end of the path was a small secret realm.

As Lian Yuntian took out a token and gently waved it, a portal noiselessly opened. The group filed in.

Rumble!

The world in the secret realm was as red as fire. A long river of magma flowed through, its rapid momentum raising thousands of fire waves and thunderous buzzes.

An ancient bronze furnace cauldron was suspended above the magma river, diffusing a powerful fluctuation.

In front of the bronze cauldron, an old man with unkempt hair and beard was sitting cross-legged. He seemed to have encountered a big problem, as could be seen from the hollow look in his eyes, his tightly locked brows, and his mouth that kept rambling about something.

From beginning to end, he never even noticed that Lin Xun’s party had entered this space.

1. Yes the raws had Lian Hongxiu asking and Lian Yutian telling Lin Xun to follow him. ☜