Monte is very famous, especially in the world of sword making, and even more so in his home country. Although he is not a household name, he is recognized by people every day when he walks down the street.
The swords he forged were priceless. When several movies were being filmed, people had to visit his humble abode three times to get a chance to use his swords, and they also had to bring his favorite wine. Moreover, his tastes changed every year.
Monte's level is basically the world's top, with only one or two people who can compete with him, but no one dares to say that their casting technology is better than Monte's.
Chen Yang was unaware of Monte's prowess, but the others were. By inviting Monte to this exchange meeting, it was clear that they were determined to humiliate China.
China has been incredibly successful these past two years, and it was the biggest beneficiary of the recent upheavals in the United States. It's even said that one of the Chinese was involved in these upheavals, so who knows how much China has actually gained?
Therefore, these established developed countries have long wanted to suppress China.
China is strong overall, but it still lags behind some countries in certain technologies and cutting-edge science. In terms of cultural heritage, China has only started to pay attention to it in recent years, and its protection is not very good.
Sword-making techniques in China have long since declined; the country is merely relying on its past glory.
Zhang Guoan finally understood this, which is why he had been reluctant to hold the exchange meeting. He only agreed to it this time because Chen Yang was there.
This is very helpful in building Chen Yang's national pride and can also embarrass these countries. Holding more of these exchanges will also greatly help China's international influence, achieving multiple benefits in one fell swoop.
Of course, this is all on the premise that Chen Yang participates; otherwise, China will be the one to lose face, and then there will be no gain.
Monte agreed to the invitation this time because China promised to display several ancient swords. Otherwise, even their government might not have been able to force Monte to come. Everyone knows the old man's personality; he will never do something he doesn't want to do, unless you really hold a gun to his head.
Monte ate in the capital for three days, and only returned to his hotel the day before the exchange meeting began.
He ignored all the meet-and-greets and events over the past three days, and no one dared to say anything about him.
Chen Yang and Hong Gui were in the same situation, and coincidentally, they returned together.
Chen Yang and Hong Gui were both carrying large bags of local specialties and dressed in casual clothes.
Monte looked at the two men in surprise; these two Chinese were quite amusing.
When other countries' exchange groups come, they are all dressed in sharp suits, even the swordsmiths, who are not ancient people.
“Short guy, don’t you participate in those activities?” Monte asked Chen Yang, striking up a conversation with him.
Chen Yang glanced at him and laughed, "Aren't you the same?"
Monte was taken aback, then burst into laughter: "You're quite interesting. I, Monte, will be your friend. You can come with me tomorrow, and I'll introduce you to some skilled swordsmiths. Of course, knowing me is enough; they're just secondary."
Chen Yang sighed helplessly, "Forget it, I'll just wander around by myself tomorrow. Don't forget, we're still rivals."
"Are you the main force that China sent this time?" Monte asked, somewhat surprised.
Chen Yang looks incredibly young because his skin and physical condition are so good. He looks like a young man in his twenties, almost the same as when he first entered the Micro-World. The aging process of the World's inhabitants is much slower, and Chen Yang is no exception.
“Yes, and him too,” Chen Yang said, pointing at Hong Gui.
Hong Gui managed to squeeze out a few words in English: "Hello, my name is Hong Gui."
Monte nodded and said, "I really didn't see that coming, but the guy next to you looks like a blacksmith, not you with your build."
Chen Yang didn't take it seriously and said, "There's a Chinese saying, 'You can't judge a book by its cover,' which means you can't judge a person by their appearance."
“That makes sense, but I still don’t believe you’re the main player,” Monte said with a laugh.
Chen Yang suddenly reached out his hand to Monte. Monte paused, understood what Chen Yang meant, and also reached out his hand. The moment he grasped Chen Yang's hand, he used 70% of his strength, afraid of hurting Chen Yang.
However, he felt as if he were holding a pair of iron clamps, with no reaction at all.
This made his expression gradually become serious, and he gradually increased the pressure in his hands. Soon, he had used up all his strength, and his face turned red. With his big beard, he looked just like a rambutan.
Chen Yang hadn't exerted any force until now, when he finally used a little more strength.
“Ouch, ouch, let go, let go, brother, I give up. You really can’t judge a book by its cover. Your strength is astonishing,” Monte said.
Touching Chen Yang's hand, which was red from hunger, Monte laughed and said, "I'm suddenly starting to look forward to tomorrow's exchange meeting. It might be very exciting."
"Don't get your hopes up. Just don't get angry if you lose," Chen Yang said.
Upon hearing this, Monte laughed even more heartily. He reached out and patted Chen Yang on the shoulder, saying, "Alright, I'll be watching tomorrow."
Chen Yang thought that Monte was a pretty fun person, and he basically didn't pretend. He said what he really thought, and it's rare to see someone like that these days.
Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly noticed Monte staring at the snack in his hand. It was Goubuli steamed buns that he had bought in Jinshi that day, intending to take them back as a local specialty.
"Here, take this box. You can steam it when you get home and eat it." Chen Yang handed over a box. Anyway, he had bought a lot of local specialties, all of which were in his spatial ring. He only carried it by hand because there were so many that the ring was almost full.
"Really? Thank you so much." Monte took the Goubuli steamed bun without any hesitation.
"Chen, you're a really nice guy. If your skills are really good, I'll invite you to my studio sometime so we can exchange ideas and see some of my best plays."
"Okay," Chen Yang said with a smile, and then translated for Hong Gui as well.
Upon hearing this, Hong Gui immediately became excited. He then remembered that he had seen the person in front of him before; he was a world-class sword-making master. However, in his eyes, foreigners all looked alike, so he hadn't recognized him at the moment.
Hong Gui looked at Monte with hopeful eyes, and Monte said, "You can come with Chen too."
Hong Gui understood some of what was said, and instantly became happy, smiling broadly.
Although his forging skills were already very high, he was still a level below Monte. He had always wanted to get in touch with these top international sword-making masters.
Attending this exchange meeting was definitely a wise choice.
Chen Yang is good at sword forging, but his skills are not as good as Hong Gui's. However, coming here to see these top-notch sword forgers will greatly help improve his skills. Sooner or later, he will become such a master.
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