Chapter 1040: Despicable Sun Jin

After hearing this, he was almost certain that the Artisan Sun Jin, whom the man spoke of, had no intention of taking him as a disciple, but rather used him as a tool to find rare ores.

Rare ores typically form from crustal movements and are often accompanied by subterranean fires. Therefore, where these fires gather, ores are naturally abundant.

This Sun Jin had deliberately made the man cultivate qi that conflicted with subterranean fires, making it easy for him to sense areas with strong flames. This method would significantly speed up the search for ores. However, practicing such a technique would also make it impossible for him to control subterranean fires, rendering artifact forging impossible.

In other words, from the very beginning of his training, there was no intention for him to become an artisan.

Fire Origin City possessed an abundance of rare ores. Even if an artisan earned a good living, it paled in comparison to the profits from selling these ores.

"To do such a thing, acting as a teacher..."

Zhang Xuan was filled with righteous indignation.

Had he not encountered it, perhaps it would be fine, but now that he had, how could he possibly let it go?

Such a scoundrel deserved to be punished by all.

Although this person was not a renowned master, he used the guise of inheritance to mislead disciples, which was even more detestable than irresponsible teachers.

Not to mention others, over thirty apprentices, including this middle-aged man, had received personal guidance from a 6-star grand artisan. They had hoped to make a name for themselves and go far, but they never dreamed that they would all eventually die searching for ores. Even this individual, who had miraculously survived, was unable to become an artisan, leading to such depression that he wanted to commit suicide.

As for Sun Jin, he had simply taken in a group of apprentices, not true disciples or formal students. If they failed to become artisans, his reputation would not be significantly damaged. Instead, it would make people believe that this group of individuals was simply useless, failing to achieve anything despite being guided by a 6-star artisan, and were therefore worthless.

This middle-aged man must have been unable to bear such accusations, which led him to contemplate suicide.

Had he not heard it with his own ears, he would never have dreamed that such a scoundrel could exist within the esteemed Artisans' Guild of Fire Origin City.

To transmit knowledge, impart skills, and resolve doubts—these are the responsibilities of a teacher.

As a high-ranking artisan, he could have found dedicated individuals willing to risk their lives searching for ores. However, if discovered, such an act would certainly damage his reputation. By taking on apprentices and ostensibly guiding them, he could not only preserve his good name but also exploit them more effectively. Once they had served their purpose, he could cast them aside like weeds—truly ruthless.

"After studying with a 6-star artisan for so many years, I can't even forge the lowest-grade common artifact. Everywhere I go, I'm subjected to immense ridicule, and even my family is implicated. Rather than live like this, it would be better to just die!"

Seeing the senior who had stopped him from committing suicide deep in thought, the middle-aged man assumed that the other party also had no solution, and his eyes filled with disappointment.

If it were only him being ridiculed, it might be bearable. The most crucial part was his family being implicated; that was what he could not endure.

"Don't be disheartened; I have already found the fundamental reason you cannot forge artifacts! As long as you believe me, I can not only help you succeed in forging but also enable you to become a 5-star artisan, and even reach 6-star!" Zhang Xuan comforted him.

He wasn't speaking idly or merely trying to comfort the man; he genuinely possessed this capability. While it was difficult for others to modify cultivation techniques, with his knowledge and insight, it was entirely possible to create a new method for the man to learn, correcting the previous flaws. Of course, the prerequisite was knowing the specific cultivation technique the man had practiced. During the previous forging attempt, he had meticulously observed with his Eye of Insight. The man's cultivation technique seemed incomplete; even if he knew what it was, without its full details, he wouldn't be able to resolve the issue.

"Become a 5-star, even a 6-star artisan?" The middle-aged man froze, then shook his head, his disappointment deepening. He had initially believed that this powerful individual truly had a way to help him, but he never dreamed that the moment he spoke, he would begin to spout such nonsense. How could someone who couldn't even qualify as a 1-star artisan and couldn't forge any weapon possibly become a 5-star or even 6-star artisan? Wasn't he just joking?

"Do you think I'm ridiculous and want to mock me before I die?" The middle-aged man looked over, his voice weak and listless, as if he had lost all will to fight.

"Mock you?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback by the sudden words, then quickly understood. For someone who couldn't even pass the 1-star artisan assessment, mentioning 5-star or 6-star was indeed going too far. To others, it would clearly appear as mockery, not assistance.

"Don't worry, if I say I can do it, I certainly can!" Without offering any further explanation, Zhang Xuan's face radiated profound confidence. If he truly couldn't solve it otherwise, at worst, he could simply abolish the man's entire cultivation, teach him a simplified version of the Heaven's Path Divine Art, and since it was only the Nine Transformations of Mortality, even re-cultivating wouldn't take long.

"Certainly? Even Artisan Sun Jin couldn't do it. How can I believe you? Are you truly an artisan?" the middle-aged man asked, his eyes filled with doubt. Only true artisans understood the difficulties of artifact forging. The other party's confident and incredibly easy promises seemed like mere boasting.

"Of course!" With a flick of his wrist, Zhang Xuan retrieved his artisan emblem, its six stars gleaming brilliantly.

"A 6-star artisan?" After a glance, the middle-aged man shook his head. "I don't believe it. Emblems can belong to others or be fake. Unless you forge an artifact for me to see... if you can forge a supreme-grade spirit artifact, then I will believe you are a 6-star artisan!" The other party was too young, only around twenty years old. The youngest 6-star artisan he had ever seen was no less than fifty, so he naturally found it hard to believe. To verify an emblem, one first needed to confirm the person's exact name. Since he didn't even know who the other party was, he couldn't discern if it was someone else's emblem.

"This..." Zhang Xuan paused. His artisan qualification was genuine, having been assessed immediately upon entering the Master Teacher Academy. There was no harm in showing it to the other party. What he needed to do now was to make the other party believe in him; only then could further actions proceed smoothly. Otherwise, with the man determined to die, even the most eloquent words would be useless.

"What? You can't forge one? So, what you just said was also false, merely to comfort me?" Seeing his hesitation, the middle-aged man's expression grew increasingly bleak.

"Of course not! Forging means nothing to me!" Seeing that the other party had already lost confidence, and knowing that his previous efforts would be wasted if he didn't demonstrate his skills, Zhang Xuan smiled faintly and walked over. "May I borrow some of your ores?"

He walked a few steps to the shelf in the corner, selected four types of ores, and tossed them into the nearby forging furnace. With a surge of true qi, subterranean flames immediately surged forth. The four ores were instantly engulfed by the fire, rapidly melting and revealing the pure, glittering metal within. These four types of ores were all rare outside, each incredibly valuable. Taking out four at once was likely only possible in a place like Fire Origin City.

Lightly flicking his fingers, Zhang Xuan guided the four metals to touch and slowly fuse in the flames. He smiled faintly and looked over. "The simplest step in forging a weapon is hammering the artifact embryo. This step is the most time-consuming but least indicative of one's forging ability, so I won't demonstrate it for you..." As he spoke, he gathered true qi at his fingertip and swiftly pointed towards the scorching subterranean flames. The fused ores shot straight out, landing in a nearby pool of water.

Sizzle!

Smoke rose, and with a mid-air grab, a large, fused iron block appeared before them.

"Is this... a weapon?" Seeing the metallic lump, the middle-aged man's mouth twitched. Not to mention an apprentice, even a pig could probably forge something more aesthetically pleasing than this...

With a peculiar expression, he casually took it. Just as he was about to examine what the other party had forged, his pupils suddenly contracted. Although his forging skill was not high, he had spent over twenty years following a 6-star artisan, so he still possessed considerable insight and knowledge. Although the iron block before him looked extremely ugly and repulsive, its grade had already reached supreme-grade spirit artifact level.

He had casually picked up the ores, hadn't even hammered them, and the entire process took less than a minute to forge a supreme-grade spirit artifact... This was truly terrifying! If he could achieve such power without meticulous forging, then what kind of formidable weapon could he create if he truly put effort into it?

"I was truly blind..." He quickly stepped forward and sincerely bowed down to the ground. At that moment, he was utterly convinced!

"Mhm!" Zhang Xuan nodded. Although he was a genuine peak 6-star artisan, his expertise lay only in fusion and quenching. As for the most basic step of hammering the artifact embryo... he knew nothing. At his current level, he could only forge such metallic lumps; anything more complex was beyond him. However, this single demonstration was enough to earn the other party's trust.

"Alright, now that you are certain of my identity, you must follow my instructions. If we succeed, I will not only help you become a true artisan but also help you expose someone's hypocritical mask!" Zhang Xuan said.

"Expose a hypocritical mask?" the middle-aged man asked, puzzled.

"Indeed!" Zhang Xuan nodded. "Where might this Artisan Sun Jin you spoke of be located?"

"He is... at the Artisans' Guild!" the middle-aged man nodded.

"Take me to him. In a moment, no matter what I say or do, do not interrupt. Just follow my instructions!" Zhang Xuan instructed.

As the head of the Master Teacher Hall, Zhang Xuan could not condone scoundrels like Sun Jin once he encountered them. He had to expose his true nature before everyone; otherwise, if allowed to continue his harmful ways, countless more people would be deceived. Master Teachers were not only responsible for safeguarding humanity but also for upholding the honor of the title "teacher." He could not allow one rotten apple to spoil the dignity of the teaching legacy.

"Yes!" The middle-aged man nodded. Just as the other party said, at worst, he would die, and there was nothing to fear. But if this individual before him could truly create a miracle and solve his problems, then he would genuinely be saved.

"Take this purplish-gold ore with you; it will be useful later!" Zhang Xuan said, pointing to the ore on the shelf.

The middle-aged man nodded, put it into his storage ring, and then took a few steps forward to lead the way. The Artisans' Guild was not far from there, only three streets away, and they arrived shortly. Although it was already dark, as the most popular profession in all of Fire Origin City, the guild was still brightly lit and bustling with people.