The furnace blazed crimson, its flames dancing wildly like grasping claws.
The fiery glow illuminated Chen Zong's face, which was drenched in sweat. Red-tinged droplets glistened as they slowly trickled down his forehead.
With his left hand, he gripped a pair of iron tongs, clamping firmly onto the red-hot iron bar. His arm, steady as a mountain, held the tongs like a steel vise. In his right hand, he wielded a fifty-pound iron hammer, raising it high before bringing it crashing down. A resonant clang erupted with each strike, sending sparks flying and echoing endlessly through the forging hall.
One strike, two strikes, three strikes!
Chen Zong worked tirelessly, his hammer rising and falling in a rhythmic cadence, forging the metal again and again.
A Common Iron Ingot, the raw material for crafting Common Iron Grade weapons, was refined from pig iron. Pig iron, in turn, was extracted from iron ore through high-temperature smelting, separating impurities to yield the crude metal.
Each hammer strike varied in intensity and tempo, adapting to the ever-shifting principles of the Four Essentials of Blacksmithing.
Pig iron still contained numerous impurities. To purify it, the metal had to be heated to a searing glow and repeatedly hammered, driving out these impurities layer by layer. This process demanded skill, not mere brute force. Without proper technique, the resulting pig iron would not transform into a usable Common Iron Ingot but crumble into worthless slag.
An average martial artist typically takes about a month to grasp the fundamentals of the Four Essentials of Blacksmithing. However, truly mastering these techniques requires repeated hammering, refining their skills through constant comparison and adjustment until the craft becomes second nature.
Under Chen Zong's relentless hammering, the lump of crude iron—originally the size of a human head—gradually shrank.
As the iron cooled and became harder to work, Chen Zong placed it back into the furnace. He pumped the bellows, stoking the flames until the metal glowed red-hot and softened once more.
"What arrogance! Does he really think he can master the Four Essentials and forge a Common Iron Ingot in just three days?" Chen Qi sneered outside the Forging Hall, his face twisted with disdain.
"Heh, who knows?" Chen Wuhou chuckled, a warm smile spreading across his honest, weathered face. "Maybe he'll surprise us."
"Do you even believe that yourself?" Chen Qi retorted. Chen Wuhou chuckled again, offering no reply.
Do I believe it?
Of course not.
Both Chen Qi and Chen Wuhou had taken over a month to barely manage to forge a single Common Iron Ingot, which was why Elder Lie had kept them behind for extra training.
Trying to forge a Common Iron Ingot in just three days, especially as a complete novice, was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The crude iron glowed red-hot again. Chen Zong retrieved it and hammered it repeatedly. Finally, with one last strike, the iron shattered.
"Ruined..." Chen Zong shook his head. This was the third piece of crude iron he had ruined.
Setting down the hammer, he meticulously reviewed his forging process, analyzing where his timing had faltered, where his force had been misapplied, and what improvements he could make.
His right arm ached and throbbed, too numb to continue forging. Chen Zong cleaned up and left.
After his meal, he returned to a corner of the Martial Training Ground to practice his swordsmanship.
"Dividing Light Shadowing!"
With a single slashing strike, two arcs of sword light split apart, one trailing the other, both converging on the same spot. Where the blades landed, the ground seemed cleaved apart, leaving a meter-long sword mark.
"Focusing both strikes on a single target definitely amplifies their power," Chen Zong mused. "But if I could merge these two arcs into one, the resulting force would be even greater."
Unfortunately, this was merely a variation in technique, not an improvement in the fundamental skill of Dividing Light Shadowing. While it didn't directly advance his mastery of the sword technique, it did temporarily boost the power of his strikes.
"If I could master the Dividing Light Shadowing technique to a minor degree, I'd be able to unleash four sword lights. Reaching Great Perfection would allow me to unleash eight..."
However, cultivating Ranked Martial Arts was far more challenging than Foundation Establishment techniques. Chen Zong had spent four days just grasping the basics, even with the insights he'd gained from the Four Essentials of Blacksmithing. Achieving even minor mastery would likely prove equally difficult.
After practicing the Dividing Light Sword Technique, Chen Zong honed his other four Foundation Establishment sword techniques, focusing especially on the True Sword Eight Forms.
Returning to his quarters, he resumed cultivating the Fierce Tiger Art, but his cultivation base advanced at a snail's pace.
"I had to temper my Blood Qi seven times before breaking through," Chen Zong lamented. "If even I struggle with such slow progress, how much harder must it be for those who only tempered it three times?" He couldn't help but sigh at the arduous path of cultivation.
Despite the difficulties, he resolved to persevere relentlessly.
On the fourth day, after his morning training session, Chen Zong returned to the Forging Hall to resume his blacksmithing practice. He had no intention of being expelled by Elder Lie in ten days.
The furnace roared with scorching flames, roasting the crude iron. Recalling the lessons from his previous days, Chen Zong waited until the metal glowed cherry-red before removing it to hammer.
Another failure.
Elder Lie paid him no mind.
On the fifth day, Chen Zong followed his usual routine.
Drawing upon the lessons learned from his previous failures, combined with the essence of the Four Essentials of Blacksmithing, his own insights, and his growing mastery over his strength, he repeatedly hammered the rough iron. Gradually, the lump shrank until it finally transformed into an irregularly shaped iron ingot.
Setting down his hammer, Chen Zong lifted the ingot with tongs and held it up for close inspection. Its surface was pockmarked and uneven, a far cry from the smooth, square Common Iron Ingots stacked in the corner of the Forging Hall. It looked more like a mangled fruit than a proper ingot. Yet Chen Zong smiled.
No matter how unsightly, it was still a Common Iron Ingot, proof of his success.
"But it's not enough," Chen Zong murmured to himself. After a brief rest, he tossed a second piece of rough iron into the furnace, determined to solidify his newfound mastery by forging another ingot.
Some time later, the second ingot emerged from the forge, noticeably superior in quality to the first.
"That's enough for today. I'll return tomorrow," Chen Zong said with a smile as he tidied up and left.
The sixth day!
The seventh day!
The eighth day!
The ninth day!
The tenth day!
Every day, Chen Zong continued to improve, not only in his cultivation base and sword techniques but also in his blacksmithing skills.
"Elder Lie, here's a Common Iron Ingot I forged. Please take a look," Chen Zong said, handing the ingot to Elder Lie as the elder entered the Forging Hall.
"What are you still doing here?" Elder Lie glanced at Chen Zong, paused, and then recognized him. His tone was brusque. "Let me see that."
"I hate nothing more than lazy cheats and liars who try to deceive their superiors," Elder Lie growled, snatching the ingot. The moment he examined it, his anger erupted like a volcano. A terrifying aura radiated from him, his eyes blazing with fiery intensity as if he wanted to incinerate Chen Zong to ashes. The sheer force of his wrath caused Chen Zong's face to pale, and he stumbled backward in terror.
The two martial artists working the bellows for Elder Lie began to tremble uncontrollably.
This was the overwhelming presence of a powerful martial artist far beyond the Qi Blood Realm. Even a ninth-layer Qi Blood Realm cultivator would struggle against such immense pressure.
"You dare claim you forged this?" Elder Lie's grip tightened on the ingot, causing it to creak and twist unnaturally under his monstrous strength. Chen Zong stared in horror. What kind of force was this? If his bones were caught in that grip, they would instantly be crushed into powder.
"If the elder doesn't believe me, I'll forge one right here," Chen Zong said, forcing himself to stand his ground despite the overwhelming pressure. Elder Lie's furious aura was truly terrifying.
"Alright, let's see what tricks you've got up your sleeve," Elder Lie replied, his anger tempered by surprise. He was astonished that a mere fourth-level Qi Blood Realm cultivator hadn't crumbled under his imposing aura and could still speak fluently. He decided to give Chen Zong a chance.
Chen Zong exhaled deeply, feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over him.
He lit the furnace, pumped the bellows, and moved with practiced ease, his movements flowing seamlessly like water. Elder Lie's eyes gleamed with interest.
An amateur sees only the spectacle, but an expert recognizes the skill. Elder Lie, with his trained eye, could instantly discern Chen Zong's talent and found himself growing increasingly expectant.
Chen Zong tossed the crude iron into the flames. When it glowed red-hot, he carefully clamped it out and placed it steadily on the anvil. He raised the hammer with a motion so fluid and precise it looked like he had practiced it a thousand times. Elder Lie's eyes sparkled even brighter.
Chen Wuhou and Chen Qi, who had just entered the forge, stared in stunned silence, wondering if their eyes were playing tricks on them. Chen Zong's movements were more polished and skilled than anything they could manage.
The hammer fell!
The first strike rang out with an unusually sharp and resonant clang, sending a shiver down Chen Wuhou and Chen Qi's spines.
Elder Lie's eyes shone brighter with each hammer strike. He detected a unique rhythm in Chen Zong's movements, a rhythm that could only be achieved through a deep understanding of the Four Essentials of Blacksmithing.
Could I have discovered a true prodigy? Elder Lie roared inwardly.
One strike, two strikes, three strikes!
With each repeated blow, countless dazzling sparks erupted from the metal, creating a mesmerizing display.
Though Elder Lie could see room for improvement in Chen Zong's force application and angles, he was astounded by what the youth had accomplished in just ten days. Chen Wuhou and Chen Qi, despite three to four months of training, had yet to reach this level.
Under the watchful eyes of Elder Lie and the others, Chen Zong forged a Common Iron Ingot that was identical in shape and texture to the neatly stacked ingots in the corner.
"Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!" Elder Lie exclaimed, his coiled beard bristling with excitement.
"From this moment forward, you are my disciple!" Elder Lie declared, pointing directly at Chen Zong.
Chen Wuhou, Chen Qi, and the two martial artists operating the bellows in the Forging Hall trembled with envy.
The Clan Hall boasted five elders, and Elder Lie was one of them. Being accepted as an elder's disciple was a dream cherished by countless Clan Hall members—an immeasurable honor.
"Elder, can you teach me sword techniques?" Chen Zong asked calmly, showing none of the ecstatic joy one might expect.
"I don't practice sword techniques myself—how could I teach you?" Elder Lie exclaimed eagerly. "But I can teach you Sword Forging and make you a Weapon Forger!"
"I apologize, Elder, but I only came to the Forging Hall to earn Contribution Points," Chen Zong replied, shaking his head. Practicing sword techniques already consumed too much of his time and energy; he wouldn't be here at all if not for the Contribution Points.
Forging Common Iron Ingots every day already took up a significant portion of his time.
"You're rejecting me?" Elder Lie stomped his foot in fury. "Fool! You have the talent of a Weapon Forger, why waste it on sword techniques? Do you realize how many people would kill to become my disciple? I've turned them all down, but now that I've taken an interest in you, you dare refuse me?"
Chen Zong remained silent. Elder Lie seethed with frustration, unable to do anything about it.
This spectacle only intensified the envy and jealousy of Chen Wuhou and the others, their eyes burning with resentment.
"This is infuriating!" Elder Lie roared, stomping his foot so hard the Forging Hall shook with a thunderous boom.
Watching the furious elder storm away, Chen Zong couldn't help but smile wryly. What on earth just happened?
Can I even stay in the Forging Hall to earn Contribution Points now?
Forget it for now. I'll come back tomorrow and see.