Following this discovery, I began to train relentlessly. My strength, previously around eighty pounds, skyrocketed to one hundred pounds in just a month. Realizing I still had much to accomplish, I rearranged my schedule: morning for foundational training, then handling chores, and finally the self-mutilation training method in the afternoon.
Eager to learn blacksmithing, I ran to the Old Street every day to study sword-making. After four months of grueling practice, I could forge a standard blade. Fortunately, my background in drawing made carving the intricate patterns a manageable task. After scrapping dozens of failed attempts, I finally finished a perfect sword.
I immediately presented it to Elder Jian as a token of apprenticeship. Elder Jian was so pleased he grinned from ear to ear, repeatedly praising the Young City Lord for his thoughtfulness. Despite his polite words, his hands were remarkably quick as he took the sword. What I didn't know was that this sword held extraordinary significance, something Elder Jian understood well: because it was the first blade I had successfully forged, it carried great destiny. As I achieved more, the sword would only become more profound.
Chapter 74