This place originally belonged to the The Brooks Family. Everyone in the village knew that when David Brooks was young, he used to train and study the art of forging here. To them, this place was practically a sacred ground within the village, and very few people ever came here.

It was precisely for this reason that Chad Brooks felt at ease leaving the finished longsword here.

He retrieved the longsword and the short needle from their hidden spot. The moment he held the short needle, Chad Brooks felt a strange sensation in his heart.

This short needle had been a birthday gift from David Brooks several years ago, when he had just reached the first level of Qi Cultivation.

The reason his uncle gave him this item was, of course, because he had high hopes for him. However, over the past few years, his performance must have disappointed and saddened that strong middle-aged man, perhaps even causing him to give up hope.

Shaking his head slightly, Chad Brooks steeled his resolve once more, murmuring softly, “Just watch, I definitely won’t let you down.”

Calming his mind, he circulated his true qi, and a faint white glow once again appeared at the tip of the needle.

His gaze fell upon the longsword. As his true qi flowed, he quickly located the break point from yesterday.

Then, with a slight flick of his wrist, that wavering glow once again landed on the longsword.

As the short needle moved continuously, Chad Brooks’s true qi was consumed at a rapid pace. Moreover, the farther the white light traveled, the faster his true qi was depleted, increasing exponentially.

Engraving spirit patterns on the longsword was just like the sports he did in his previous life.

Multiplying the world record for the 100-meter dash by a hundred would never equal the world record for the 10,000 meters.

The farther a person runs, the more stamina and time they consume, and it’s not as simple as just multiplying by a factor.

An athlete can sprint with all their might for a hundred meters, but if the distance is extended to ten thousand meters, someone running at sprint speed definitely won’t be the first to cross the finish line—instead, they’ll be the first to collapse.

Similarly, engraving just a tenth or even less of the spirit pattern on the longsword could barely be managed with only the first level of Qi Cultivation. But the more spirit patterns there were, the more true qi would be consumed, increasing geometrically. Within a radius of over ten miles, perhaps only David Brooks could complete this task in one go.

Suddenly, his wrist stopped trembling, because the white glow at the tip of the short needle had abruptly vanished.

Letting out a gentle sigh, Chad Brooks shook his head. Although he was unwilling to give up, with his true qi nearly exhausted, he had no choice but to abandon the attempt.

He sat cross-legged and quietly began to regulate his breathing.

An hour later, the true qi in his dantian was replenished once more.

Streams of true qi flowed along his meridians into the short needle, and that mysterious white glow flickered into existence again.

At the same time, another strand of true qi swept across the longsword, easily finding the break point and smoothly continuing the process.

Although his attitude was extremely serious and his actions meticulous, his energy and spirit were not enough to support him in completing this feat.

When he stopped once again, not only was his true qi almost completely depleted, but even his spirit felt utterly exhausted, barely able to hold on.

After resting for a while and regaining a bit of energy, Chad Brooks was about to put away the iron sword and short needle when he suddenly felt a jolt in his heart.

He spun around abruptly, his eyes fixed intently on a patch of shrubbery not far away.

“Who’s there? Come out…”

He called out in a low voice, not with fear, but with a hint of annoyance.

Anyone who could come here was likely a villager, but Chad Brooks didn’t want anyone to know he was engraving spirit patterns here. At least, not before he succeeded—he didn’t want to attract attention.

But now that he’d been discovered, it would probably be difficult to keep it a secret any longer.

A rustling sound came from the bushes, and a graceful figure slowly emerged.

It was a beautiful young girl about his age, with long hair cascading over her shoulders and long legs. Her slender waist swayed slightly as she walked, captivating the senses—especially her beautiful, expressive eyes, which shone with a bright, deep affection, as if speaking to you when she looked your way.

Chad Brooks was momentarily stunned. He swore that in neither his previous life nor in the fifteen years this body had lived had he ever seen such an extraordinarily beautiful woman.

Indeed, although this girl was not very old—she didn’t seem to be older than him—Chad Brooks simply couldn’t think of any word more fitting than “extraordinarily beautiful” to describe her.

“Y-you… who are you…” he asked, eyes wide.

The girl’s bright eyes lingered on him for a moment, then she turned her head, her gaze falling on the longsword and short needle on the ground.

“These two items—may I take a look at them?”