Cultivating Disciples to Breakthrough

"Elder Teng?" Not having heard about this elder before, Chu Yang could not help but ask as he looked over towards the disciple that had just complained about the Elder Teng in charge of the tests for joining the Blacksmithing Hall.

"Elder Teng is a new elder that just recently got promoted to the rank of elders after breaking through into the Expert Realm, becoming a full-fledged Expert Blacksmith… Other than that, he has already broken through to the Core Formation Realm as well and can be considered the most talented person to enter the Blacksmithing Hall over the past few decades!" Hearing this, both Chu Yang and Bai Ning could not help but wonder what was so bad about this Elder Teng.

"Hah… If just someone else could be in charge of testing disciples wanting to join the Blacksmithing Hall…" Sighing to himself, the disciples waiting around clearly did not elaborate any further and just shook his head as a sense of hopelessness engulfed him.

"He can't be that bad… Can he…?" Not understanding why, the disciples in front of them were so depressed, Bai Ning could not help but step forward and ask the disciple that had just introduced Elder Teng to them.

From the description alone, Elder Teng seemed like an elder that was both talented in blacksmithing and cultivation.

Bai Ning could not really understand why the group of disciples were so depressed over the fact that someone like that was the one to be in charge of the tests…

On the other hand, should they not be happy that someone so talented is the one testing them…?

"You wouldn't understand… If you try to join the Blacksmithing Hall in the future, you will understand our suffering…" Shaking his head with a helpless expression on his face, the disciple did not answer Bai Ning.

"…"

Not understanding what the group of disciples were looking so helpless for, Chu Yang and Bai Ning came to a common understanding as both of them quietly decided to leave them alone as they made their way through the Blacksmithing Hall.

The Blacksmithing Hall was split up into several different areas, the one just outside that they had seen earlier with all the different workstations for the blacksmiths of the Flying Sword Sect to work in was one of them.

Other than that, there was still a large storage area located more to the back of the Blacksmithing Hall that Chu Yang and Bai Ning had entered, where all sorts of rare metals and magical ores of all kinds were stored before use.

Leaving the main building of the Blacksmithing Hall, Chu Yang and Bai Ning found themselves in the storage area where they could see a few disciples along with some elders guarding the place as a stream of people entered the large storage area and picked out different metals and ores to use.

Entering the storage area itself was not something Chu Yang and Bai Ning could do without becoming members of the Blacksmithing Hall themselves, so Chu Yang could only introduce the area to Bai Ning as they stood just outside of it and looked at the large piles of rare ores stacked in front of them.

Chu Yang did not really care to much about these different ores and metals that were piled up like small mountains in front of him, as it would be useless even if he got his hands on them.

"Blackstone Metal, Fire Blood Ores… And is that Earth Spirit Metal!?"

Bai Ning on the other hand was different as he clearly recognized the worth of the different ores and other rare metals spread out before him.

The ores and metals stacked up like small mountain were all some of the most common materials used by Blacksmiths at the Apprentice and Journeyman Realm of Blacksmithing. The rarer ores and metals used by Expert Blacksmiths and above was not visible as it was kept in a more secure location.

This however did not matter to Bai Ning as the mountains of materials in front of him was especially what he needed to improve himself even further on the path of blacksmithing at the moment.

"Haha, are you interested in the different ores and metals we have stored here?" As Bai Ning was muttering the names of the different things he spotted in front of him, a middle-aged man wearing the robe symbolizing that he was an elder of the Blacksmithing Hall approached Bai Ning and Chu Yang as he asked Bai Ning with a happy smile on his lips.

"Greetings Elder."

"Huh? Ah! G-greetings Elder!"

Turning around to greet the middle-aged elder, Chu Yang smiled wryly when he witnessed Bai Ning almost falling face first onto the ground as he turned around and greeted the elder from the Blacksmithing Hall.

"Haha, no need to greet me like that, are you perhaps showing this little one around the sect?" Laughing a bit as he stepped in to catch Bai Ning before he fell onto the ground, the elder turned to look at Chu Yang as he asked.

"Yes Elder, as master's mountain is nearby, I decided to first show him around the Blacksmithing Hall. From the looks of it, he is also interested in Blacksmithing." Still not knowing anything about the fact that Bai Ning was already an Apprentice Blacksmith, Chu Yang answered the elder's question without any hesitation.

"Hm… Master's Mountain is nearby… Are you perhaps a disciple of Elder Xuan?" Muttering something to himself before asking, the elder's expression suddenly changed as he a hint of admiration was visible in the depth of his eyes after mentioning Xuan Hao.

"Yes… Do you perhaps know master…?" Realizing that the elder in front of them might be one of his master's friends, Chu Yang became even more careful as he asked respectfully.

"I see, so you are one of Elder Xuan's disciples and I wouldn't say I know Elder Xuan personally, but every elder in the sect knows about him… It's just a pity that the disciples don't seem to know too much about him outside the fact that he is a Core Elder…" Shaking his head in denial as he said this, the tone of the elder became kinder as he smiled at both Chu Yang and Bai Ning kindly.

"By the way, seeing as you are Elder Xuan's disciple and this child here seems interested in blacksmithing, how about entering the storage area together with me to take a look around?"

"Are you sure elder? Were you not going somewhere before meeting us?" Not outright refusing the elder, Chu Yang had just looked over at the shinning eyes of Bai Ning and could not bring himself to refuse the elder in front of them.

"Haha, I was just about to go and pick up a group of stupid brats for something, but I'm sure that they are more than willing to wait for a few more minutes while we are looking around." Laughing to himself as he said this, the elder motioned towards the storage area.

Bai Ning and Chu Yang did not say anything after seeing that the elder was more than willing to show them around the storage area.

Like this, both Chu Yang and Bai Ning saw all kinds of rare ores and metals stored by the Blacksmithing Hall and even found out that the elder showing them around was named Teng Huo.

A few stupid brats… Teng Huo… Surely not…

Thinking about a few disciples complaining about having a certain Elder Teng in charge of their tests for entering the Blacksmithing Hall, Chu Yang suddenly smiled wryly as he watched the back of Elder Teng explain the different uses of a pitch-black ore in his hand to Bai Ning as both of them seemed to get along while talking about blacksmithing together.

Hah… But there should be some other elder coming to test those disciples if Elder Teng does not show up… Right…?

Muttering this to himself in a low voice, Chu Yang decided to no longer think about that group of disciples as he followed closely behind Bai Ning while making their way through the Blacksmithing Hall.

For some reason, Elder Teng seemed to have been quite happy with Bai Ning decided to act like their guide as he showed them around the entire Blacksmithing Hall.

"Looks like it's getting dark, we should head back now Bai Ning!" Looking up at the sky as the sun slowly disappeared in the horizon, Chu Yang called out to Bai Ning who was in the process of discussing something together with Elder Teng.

"It is indeed getting a little late by now… I won't hold up your junior brother any further then, I hope that I can see you in the Blacksmithing Hall again in the future!" Looking up at the sky upon hearing Chu Yang, Elder Teng soon took his leave. Not forgetting to express his desire for Bai Ning to come back to the Blacksmithing Hall again.

In the end, Chu Yang and Bai Ning did not manage to visit anywhere other than the Blacksmithing Hall, but at the very least Bai Ning seemed more than happy with that as both of them made their way back to the pavilion.

…

"Hey… Do you guys perhaps know when Elder Teng will show up…?" At the same time, inside the almost deserted main building of the Blacksmithing Hall, one of the disciples that had been waiting to take the test for the first time asked the others as he looked out at the sun slowly disappearing behind a mountain.

"…" The rest of the disciples did not know what to say as they just looked towards the entrance of the building. Not knowing what to do in their current situation other than wait.

Perhaps Elder Teng finally got enough of them and no longer wanted to even bother testing them anymore…

A few of the disciples who had gone through the test before thought this to themselves as they helplessly sat down on the ground and waited together with the rest of the disciples.

The sight of the helpless group of disciples was not left unseen as many elders and disciples were still passing by and glancing over from time to time.

Not understanding why, a group of disciples had suddenly decided to sit down close to the entrance of the main building.

It was not long before one of the elders in charge of the main building had finally decided to go over and ask the group.

It was only at that point, that they found out that the group of disciples had come to take the test to enter the Blacksmithing Hall… It was just that the elder in charge of testing them had never showed up…