However, this was after all his first time using military fire, and even though he did possess a talent for spiritual power, allowing him to master military fire much faster than ordinary people, expecting him to wield it with complete ease was nothing but wishful thinking.

The break in the blade, under the scorching of the spirit fire, slowly fused together, but the price was that William Carter's forehead was already covered in sweat.

Using military fire, after all, required physical strength as its price.

Half an hour—an entire half hour passed before the break was finally completely fused under the relentless burning of the military fire.

William Carter's eyes sparkled with excitement, overjoyed beyond measure.

Yet, at that very moment, a trace of purple light seemed to flash through his mind, and a wisp of a question mark appeared.

Component available for extraction. Extract?

The muscles on William Carter's face suddenly twitched, and he was so startled he almost cried out.

Almost instinctively, William Carter responded involuntarily, "Yes."

Immediately, a strange energy, completely invisible, was released from the military saber and instantly entered William Carter's body. At the same time, two tiny, extremely faint purple glows, each about the size of a soybean, appeared in William Carter's mind.

William Carter had no idea what they were, nor did he know why such things had suddenly appeared in his mind. He was dumbfounded, wanting to cry out for help, but found himself utterly unable to make a sound.

"Kid, kid, are you alright? Don't scare this Old Man!"

The anxious voice in his ear finally woke William Carter up. He shivered and immediately saw the worried look in Old Craftsman's eyes. His heart warmed, as if a clear spring had poured over his head, making every pore in his body feel so comfortable he almost wanted to moan.

This feeling of being cared for and thought of was truly wonderful.

"Hey, The Old Gentleman, how did I do?" William Carter immediately put on a smug grin.

Old Craftsman looked William Carter up and down, finally letting out a sigh of relief and scolding with a smile, "You rascal, did fixing one military saber make you so happy you lost your mind?"

William Carter scratched his head and gave an awkward laugh, as if tacitly admitting it.

Old Craftsman nodded and said, "Not bad, kid. You just acquired military fire and you can already repair a saber. Hmm, though it looks a bit ugly... but it's passable."

William Carter looked over intently, and a blush immediately crept up his face.

The saber had indeed been fused by the power of military fire, but the problem was that the area around the break was anything but smooth—instead, it was uneven, as if something had gnawed around it in circles.

It was so ugly that one could hardly bear to look at it a second time.

Old Craftsman chuckled and said, "Kid, don't be discouraged. For your first time using military fire, getting this far is already quite good. Ah, you look tired too, go back and rest."

William Carter blinked, looking at Old Craftsman in disbelief, and shouted, "The Old Gentleman, did you just praise me? Is the sun rising in the west today, or did you finally find your old flame? Oh, don't be mad, I'm leaving, I'm leaving..." Before he finished speaking, he had already dashed off somewhere in a flash.

The smile on Old Craftsman's face vanished instantly, replaced by a dark expression as he cursed, "You little brat, are you itching for a beating again!" But as he watched the lively figure running away, there was still a trace of comfort and joy in his eyes.

Back when he absorbed military fire, it took him half a month just to successfully activate it, and only after a month did he barely manage to repair a broken saber.

Compared to William Carter's achievement, his own speed could only be described as turtle-like.

So, no matter how ugly this saber was, he could only feel joy, without the slightest regret.

Smiling as he held the repaired saber, Old Craftsman couldn't help but think about whether he should keep this blade as a memento. After all, it was the first weapon that kid had forged using military fire, and it had great commemorative value. Besides, years later, if he took out this ugly saber to tease that kid and watch his helpless expression, it would surely be a delightful thing.

However, just a moment later, the smile on Old Craftsman's face suddenly disappeared.

He took the saber, walked silently to a test stone, and struck down hard.

"Ding—"

With sparks flying, several rice-grain-sized chips appeared on the saber, while the test stone didn't even have a single white mark.

Old Craftsman angrily threw the saber to the ground and cursed, "Damn Quartermaster Camp, these corrupt bastards—when did they even start tampering with military equipment? With these parasites around, the country is doomed..."

William Carter, of course, knew nothing of Old Craftsman's lament. He quickened his pace and ran straight into a large warehouse in the armory camp.

This was a warehouse piled high with discarded armor and weapons, a place no one usually visited.

With a glance over the heaps of scrap metal like small hills, he immediately picked out a broken saber.