After hearing the test question, both Dali Ben and Hu Jiexi couldn’t help but frown.
Strictly speaking, it’s not a very complex test question, but the difficulty is indeed not low.
The hardest part is that the main material for the blade is powder steel. For most swordsmiths, forging powder steel is extremely difficult, and to perform Damascus stacking on the powder steel base pushes this test question to an absurd level of difficulty.
Although both of them had tried powder steel, because of the inherent strength of this steel, any form of secondary forging would compromise its performance. Maintaining its performance is already tough, and further improvement on top of that is simply impossible.
Thus, the two coincidentally determined the direction: the focus of this test is to make the sword look more beautiful through Damascus stacking, and maintaining 60-70% of the powder steel’s strength should be sufficient.
Li Younan also furrowed his brow, though he wasn’t concerned about the forging issue of powder steel. To him, any steel is pretty much the same.
He was more troubled by his dilemma in choice.
Since this is the Sword Forging Competition, the focus is still on design; the appearance of swords and blades is the most important.
But considering the specifics of forging could be shelved for a while.
After the formal program recording was over, Winslow called Li Younan over separately.
Originally, Li Younan thought the other party wanted to offer a price for his unmatched sword, but unexpectedly, Winslow directly invited him into his luxury car—a stretched Lincoln, equipped with wide sofa seats like a small reception room.
Winslow frankly stated, "Mr. Li, I watched your entire sword forging process just now, and I must say, your skills excite me greatly."
Li Younan blinked, somewhat uneasy about the sudden enthusiasm: "Oh, thank you."
Winslow continued, "The thing is, I’m willing to offer ten thousand dollars for your work on the program."
Li Younan nodded and said, "Thank you for your appreciation. I accept this price."
This price isn’t actually high; the starting price for top-tier swordsmiths’ works is usually around this amount.
But I find this old man not disagreeable, so selling it cheaper to him doesn’t matter.
However, Winslow showed no intention of letting Li Younan leave. Li Younan raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "So is there anything else, Mr. Winslow?"
Winslow nodded, a peculiar smile appearing on his face, and suddenly asked: "Mr. Li, for the final round of the competition, where do you plan to carry out your forging?"
This question indeed stumped Li Younan.
His initial plan was to find a place similar to that blacksmith shop in Dog Town, pay some money to rent it for ten days, and complete the final competition task there.
However, due to urgency, finding and contacting such a blacksmith shop and also purchasing the corresponding steel would take at least a few days.
Although, even with only a few days left to complete this task, it wouldn’t be difficult. Still, spending time on such matters is somewhat dissatisfying.
Since Winslow brought up the issue, Li Younan’s heart stirred, and after some thought, he shook his head: "I haven’t decided where to forge yet."
"Haha, I figured as much; maybe you could finish the final task at my studio."
"Oh, I didn’t realize you were into sword forging, old man."
Li Younan responded easygoingly, making Winslow momentarily dumbfounded.
There was naturally a bit of teasing in his words, given Winslow’s slim build, giving an impression of a scholarly bookworm.
And sword forging, not to mention its rough nature, requires at least some muscle strength even with good equipment.
"I’m not skilled at sword forging, but I admire this art greatly."
"Do you think it’s art?"
"Undoubtedly. Don’t you believe so?"
Li Younan smiled, not answering this question, but instead asked, "Where is your studio located?"
"Very close by, do you want to check it out?"
Li Younan nodded: "Let’s have a look." He smiled, "Old man, I’m pretty demanding about sword forging venues."
Winslow laughed heartily and confidently said, "You might never find another place better than my studio for sword forging. My studio has every tool you can think of, even those you can’t imagine. If you have any special requests, I can quickly fulfill them. So what are your requirements?"
Li Younan comfortably squinted his eyes and said, "It’s best to have a kitchen."
Truth be told, lately, he had eaten too much Western food; while convenient, its taste was indeed terrible.
He would be staying put for a while, and if possible, Li Younan still preferred to cook for himself.
Winslow was again momentarily stunned, his expression a bit peculiar: "Alright, that’s indeed what I didn’t expect, but it’s not a tough request."
The car headed directly to Winslow’s sword forging studio.
Li Younan curiously glanced at Winslow, well, how to put it—clearly he’s borrowing his studio, yet it feels more like Winslow needs him instead.

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