Chapter 72: The Weapons Master

"No!" Long Qianwen hugged the long spear behind her as if it were a precious treasure.

Wang Ji laughed. "Boss Luo, as you can see, my girlfriend won't make the trade."

Luo Ji once again showed a look of regret. "What a pity. This must be the essence from a leader-class carcass."

"That's right. This is the spike from a high-level mutant leader. We took it from a giant spider," Wang Ji replied with approval, feeling a growing fondness for Luo Ji.

"Oh, a high-level mutant leader? What grade of creature is that?" Luo Ji asked curiously.

"Uh, it's the kind of monster that can yield a level-three core or even higher," Wang Ji explained simply.

Luo Ji's expression changed dramatically. He regarded Wang Ji and Long Qianwen anew, reassessing their strength.

"I really misjudged you two. I didn't expect you to be such extraordinary fighters, able to hunt such high-level creatures," Luo Ji exclaimed.

Wang Ji waved his hand modestly. "It was just luck."

"If you don't mind, could I take a look at that spike?" Luo Ji reached out his calloused right hand to Long Qianwen with curiosity.

Long Qianwen looked at Wang Ji for guidance. Wang Ji nodded with a smile and took the spike from her, handing it to Luo Ji.

Luo Ji thanked him simply and began to scrutinize the spike. After a moment, he frowned and said, "Mr. Wang, your handling of this spike was rather rough. You should know that to make a fine weapon, you need absolute precision. The smallest error can lead to great flaws."

"You're absolutely right, Boss Luo. We know little about forging, so we just did a basic job," Wang Ji admitted.

Luo Ji nodded in understanding and pointed out several places where the spike could be improved. Unable to resist the urge, he pressed a few spots on his wagon, causing a wooden workbench to pop out, covered with all sorts of tools.

Right there, he set about refining Long Qianwen’s spike.

In less than half an hour, a brand new spear appeared before Long Qianwen.

Its dark luster gleamed with a cold metallic light. After Luo Ji's improvements, the grip now featured spiral anti-slip patterns, two extra blood grooves adorned the spearhead, and a small spike had been added to the butt.

Wang Ji examined it closely, deeply impressed.

The spike’s quality had risen from excellent to superior, and besides its original piercing attribute, it now boasted improved balance.

"This is a fine spear, the best I've forged so far. Miss Long, you should give it a name."

Long Qianwen accepted the spear with delight and said with a smile, "Let’s call it Dragon Spear!"

She stepped aside and began to practice, the whistling wind of her spear's movements forming dense shadows at the edge of the woods.

At the height of her performance, she cried out. The spear in her hands, like a dragon, struck a great tree with irresistible force.

One tree, then two, then three... In quick succession, over a dozen enormous trees that would take two people to encircle were shattered and toppled. Only then did the spear’s sharpness begin to fade.

Long Qianwen herself was startled by her own strength. Seeing her spear lodged in a distant tree, she flashed over, pulled it free, and returned to Luo Ji to offer a quiet word of thanks.

Luo Ji and his apprentice were both stunned by Long Qianwen's display of power. She was a walking disaster!

"N-no need to thank me... Miss Long, you’re a true heroine," Luo Ji stammered, unable to find better words.

At this moment, Wang Ji approached with a warm smile, handing over sixteen energy cores to Luo Ji. "Boss Luo, I have a small favor to ask."

"Please, Mr. Wang," Luo Ji replied heartily, accepting the cores.

"I have a modest enterprise in City F, with several thousand people relying on me. Would you be interested in joining us there?" Wang Ji extended his invitation, recognizing Luo Ji as a rare talent.

Luo Ji refused without hesitation. "I'm sorry, Mr. Wang, but I've always been a free spirit and have no wish to work for anyone. My dream is to forge a true legendary weapon, which is why my apprentice and I wander these chaotic times."

"Don’t be too quick to refuse, Boss Luo. I’m not asking you to work for me. I’m inviting you to set up shop at our base. I can supply you with more exotic materials," Wang Ji offered enticingly.

Luo Ji’s eyes lit up. He and his apprentice had risked everything on the road, seeking rare materials under the banner of freedom to realize their family’s mission—a quest to create a true divine weapon, handed down through generations.

"Materials like the one in Miss Long’s spear?" Luo Ji asked.

Wang Ji nodded. "Even higher-grade materials, if you wish!"

Luo Ji slapped his thigh in delight. "No problem, Mr. Wang! I’ll be counting on your support from now on."

Wang Ji was overjoyed. Here was a true master craftsman. Once he brought Luo Ji back to his independent company, he would surely convince him to stay. From then on, he’d never have to worry about cold weapons again.

Having advanced to the rank of level-two warlord, Wang Ji had become increasingly interested in cold weapons, and through the X System’s virtual classes, he had gained a much deeper understanding of them.

Now, even without firearms, he could wipe out an entire reinforced battalion alone and unscathed—such was his confidence as a level-two warlord.

However, the X System’s mass-produced cold weapons were only of high-quality grade, and under his heavy use, their durability gradually diminished. Meeting a master like Luo Ji was a true stroke of luck.

With the foundation of their cooperation confirmed, everyone set out in high spirits.

Wang Ji, keeping the secret of escorting Long Qianwen's younger brother back to the base, was content to travel at the slow pace of Luo Ji's donkey cart. Along the way, he shared his insights on cold weaponry with Luo Ji, earning the master’s deep respect.

As their discussions deepened, Luo Ji felt both delighted by his new knowledge and secretly pleased with his choice. The four of them continued their journey to the base in high spirits.

That afternoon, the group reached a small riverside camp, where traces of the previous day's convoy remained. Wang Ji smiled.

"Let's rest here for lunch. This heat is unbearable."

Luo Ji wiped the sweat from his brow. Even his shirt was soaked through. At the sight of the river, he quickly sent his apprentice to fetch and filter water.

"Ah, little brother Wang, this heat is killing me. In all my years, I've never known a summer so hot," Luo Ji sighed.

Wang Ji, whose strength now made him nearly immune to heat and cold, could still sense how ordinary people suffered in such sweltering weather.

He nodded. "It's true. The world has changed drastically since the cataclysm."

Privately, Wang Ji took note of the abnormal heat, planning to order a thorough investigation of such phenomena back at base.

Long Qianwen, ever energetic, volunteered to hunt lunch. In no time at all, she returned, the Dragon Spear slung over her shoulder and a wild bear weighing over three hundred pounds impaled on its tip.

Luo Ji's eyes sparkled at the sight of such game. "Miss Long, you’re amazing! We’re in for a feast!"

Long Qianwen raised her slender neck with a hint of pride, but then shyly smiled. "Brother Luo, don’t tease me. Wang Ji taught me everything I know."

"Let me prepare the meal," Wang Ji said, taking spices from his backpack. By the river, he deftly cleaned the bear, stewed a pot of wild vegetable and meat soup, and roasted the rest.

In less than an hour, as everyone watched hungrily, Wang Ji declared the meal ready. The riverside soon filled with the aroma of food and laughter.

Luo Ji, bottle in one hand and half a bear’s leg in the other, sighed contentedly. "Now I’m sure—following little brother Wang is the best decision I’ve made."

"Hahaha! Brother Luo, as long as I have food to eat, you’ll never go hungry with me!" Wang Ji replied warmly, feeling a genuine kinship.

Suddenly, Long Qianwen lowered her head slightly, looking upstream.

"What is it?" Wang Ji asked.

She shook her head, uncertain. "It seems a group of animals is approaching. I sense something unusual in the air."

At her words, Wang Ji grew alert. This was a new ability Long Qianwen had recently discovered—the power to sense living creatures' presence and strength through the surrounding air.

To help her develop this skill, Wang Ji deliberately restrained his own psychic sense, avoiding the use of telekinesis to probe the area. Now, it seemed, Long Qianwen had detected danger first.

"Which direction? How many? Do we need to hide?" Luo Ji asked nervously. Months of wandering had taught him the terror of wild beasts.

"That way," Long Qianwen replied, pointing. "There must be at least a dozen. I sense they're not very strong—around the level of a novice warrior."

Wang Ji smiled and extended his senses in that direction. Less than five hundred meters away, a pack of thirteen giant wolves, led by an alpha, was following the scent of food toward them.

"Well done. You're improving. Just a bunch of beasts—leave them to us. You two keep eating," Wang Ji said, exchanging a glance with Long Qianwen.

"Alright, Wang Ji, I’m off!" Long Qianwen said, standing up with the Dragon Spear and heading swiftly upstream.

The giant wolves moved quickly. In less than two hundred meters, the two sides met. The wolf leader glared at Long Qianwen, then, without hesitation, led its maddened pack in a frenzied charge at the petite human before them.

Unfazed, Long Qianwen weaved skillfully among the attacking wolves, spear in hand.

Four or five wolves broke past her, racing toward Wang Ji’s group.

Seeing wolves the size of cattle, Luo Ji shouted in alarm and urged his apprentice to grab their weapons.

"Little brother Wang! Go help Miss Long—this could be trouble!"