Chapter 1215

Before long, Lin Cheng had finished repairing the weapons and armor.

The speed was such that it was over almost the moment it had begun.

Having already been stunned into wooden chickens by the previous three astonishing evaluations, the crowd had grown somewhat used to it and had nothing to say.

"Continue, the fifth evaluation!"

This time it was weapon refining, also Lin Cheng's area of expertise.

Simply put, it meant that weapons and armor crafted by some inferior smiths had not reached their limit; one needed to use an extremely high temperature to remove the impurities within the weapon or armor and reforge it, and then the weapon's quality would rise another level.

As always, he used spellcraft flames to perfectly complete the refining and passed smoothly.

President Huoerde looked as if he himself had passed, his face glowing with spirit, and waved his hand grandly.

Next item!

The sixth evaluation was enchanting: the magic array provided a weapon, and enchanting the same weapon twice or more within the shortest time counted as passing.

Here one had to mention that enchanting a weapon meant granting it special abilities; usually, depending on the weapon's quality, it could only be enchanted once, to enhance sharpness or attack speed.

For an ordinary weapon, a single enchantment was already the limit; a second enchantment was simply impossible.

Few smiths could manage it, and even those who could only did so because the weapon's own material was excellent enough to withstand a second enchantment.

However, the second-enchantment technique was filled with difficulties precisely because it was based on the magic technology currently available to humanity; many of the engravings used for enchanting came either from ancient ruins or from the elves—these were magic engravings that humans could not fully comprehend and which were incomplete, and that was what made the use of enchanting technology filled with difficulties for humans.

But for Lin Cheng, a second enchantment was not only not difficult, it was extremely simple; the reason was that the engravings he used came from the various runes within the system.

Compared with those incomplete runes that had not been thoroughly studied, naturally the familiar, complete runes were simpler and more convenient to use.

For the sixth evaluation, on a sudden whim, Lin Cheng deliberately put on a display: he performed not only a second enchantment, but a third, and a fourth.

This move shocked President Huoerde and the others; while they gaped in astonishment, they were also curious about the unfamiliar runes Lin Cheng used—could these unfamiliar runes also have come from the former Tut family?

Surely they weren't also closely guarded secrets.

Lin Cheng ultimately enchanted the same weapon seven times, a feat that broke the Zaoshigong Society's all-time highest enchanting record—which had also been set by President Huoerde himself, at a maximum of four enchantments on the same weapon.

The unfamiliar runes Lin Cheng used were undoubtedly better and more complete than the comprehensive collection of runes preserved by the smiths.

President Huoerde's heart was suddenly conflicted; he hesitated again and again, unsure whether to speak.

Resolutely making up his mind, he ultimately chose to speak.

"Lin Cheng..."

But Lin Cheng had already guessed what President Huoerde was about to say and immediately nodded.

"Indeed, my Tut family has preserved a complete set of ancient runes over the years; for outsiders to learn them, it might take several years."

"If you're willing, then on behalf of all the smiths of the Zaoshigong Society, I thank you, Lin Cheng." President Huoerde was deeply gratified and respectfully bowed to Lin Cheng.

Also bowing were the smiths outside the door watching Lin Cheng's evaluation; for a long time now, if the Society had possessed a complete set of runes, perhaps the empire's smithing industry would not be so sluggish today.

This bow was not only for Lin Cheng's generosity, but also for his ancestors; without their devoted research, they likely could not have worked out a complete set of runes.

The seventh test was forging an enchanted battle-halberd of great difficulty.

Lin Cheng didn't waste any words either, directly kindling spellcraft flames to begin melting materials and forging the battle-halberd.

This time it took a little longer; the clanging rang on unceasingly inside the evaluation room, and finally the enchanting was performed.

The enchanted battle-halberd was completed, and naturally he passed smoothly again.

The crowd of smiths watching at the door were all silent, their feelings incomparably complex; since the founding of the Zaoshigong Society, no smith had ever passed the projects one after another the way Lin Cheng did, as if playing around, completing these testing projects that had made countless smiths weep in the shortest time, as if there were no difficulty at all before him.

There were ten projects in total, but in reality only nine, because in history no one had ever reached a tenth-rank smith—except a god!

Lin Cheng had now passed seven tests; as long as he passed one more, he would reach the same height as President Huoerde, becoming the empire's fourth eighth-rank smith.

An unbelievable day!

As for the last two tests, Lin Cheng was probably out of his depth, because they simply were not realms a human could touch; perhaps in the future Lin Cheng could create a miracle, but right now he definitely could not.

"The eighth evaluation project will be personally overseen by me." President Huoerde stood before Lin Cheng and said solemnly.

The staff hurriedly stepped aside to watch, their hearts full of anticipation to witness that historic moment; as long as Lin Cheng could pass the eighth evaluation, he would be the empire's fourth eighth-rank smith.