Astonishing Natural Talent

Inside the forging workshop, the furnace fire blazed, casting a red glow on Liu Haibing's face, adding a touch of solemnity to his rugged features.

He watched Wang Yue stand before the forging platform, his grip on the obsidian hammer steady and unwavering. Liu Haibing's voice deepened, filled with reverence for the craft of weapon forging. "Kid, don't think forging is just about smashing iron."

"In those top Sects, there are incredible beings known as 'Divine Weapon Forgers.' The divine weapons they forge can last for thousands of years without decay, even drawing upon the power of heaven and earth. Such weapons are enough to be passed down as a Sect's foundation."

Liu Haibing's gaze swept over the leaping flames in the furnace, his tone softening but becoming even more serious. "Your first step is to forge twenty layers of refined iron. Only then can you truly be considered initiated. If you can forge fifty layers, you can be called a minor success. If you can reach a hundred layers, that is perfection."

He paused, looking into Wang Yue's eyes, and said frankly, "My forging skill reaches its limit at a hundred layers. Anything beyond that, 'thousand layers' or 'ten thousand layers,' you'll have to discover on your own.

But remember, without years of arduous work, without the persistence of being companions with iron and fire day and night, you will never see the dawn."

After speaking, Liu Haibing took a deep breath, as if making an important decision, and solemnly asked, "Now I ask you, are you willing to learn weapon forging from me? Will you treat this craft as your own Dao?"

Wang Yue tightened his grip on the hammer handle, feeling the unusual weight behind the question. This was no longer simple instruction.

His eyes instantly flashed with brilliance. He recalled the forging insights brought by the [Hundred Forgings] talent in his status panel, remembering the shock of extracting the talent yesterday. He replied in a deep voice, "Master Liu, I am willing!"

There were no extra words, only heartfelt determination.

Liu Haibing saw the light in his eyes and finally showed a genuine smile. He patted Wang Yue's shoulder. "Good! Since you're willing to learn, I will teach you everything I know!"

"The first thing in forging is to hit the iron with all your might. There are no shortcuts."

Liu Haibing pointed to the iron ingot on the anvil and explained, "Normally, forging refined iron requires a thousand hammer strikes to create a layer of uniform patterns on the surface. Twenty layers means forging twenty different patterns, stacked layer by layer, to remove all impurities."

He changed his tone, with a hint of pride. "But my skill is different. For the first twenty layers, I only need a hundred strikes per layer. Even for a hundred layers of refined iron, I only need at most four thousand hammer strikes. This is a unique secret I've figured out in my life."

"Begin!" Liu Haibing stepped aside.

Wang Yue took a deep breath, picked up a red-hot iron ingot with tongs, and placed it steadily on the anvil. He gripped the obsidian hammer with both hands. The moment it touched his skin, a sense of blood-related familiarity surged through him, as if he had held this hammer thousands of times before. This was the sense of compatibility brought by the [Hundred Forgings] talent.

"Bang!"

The first hammer strike fell, sending sparks flying. The iron ingot's surface was struck with a shallow pit, but Wang Yue frowned slightly. He hadn't controlled his strength well; the hammer mark was a bit crooked, failing to precisely hit the area where impurities were concentrated.

He didn't get discouraged. He exhaled again, and the shadow from yesterday's [Hundred Forgings] talent extraction flashed in his mind.

Liu Haibing's arm movements during forging, the force from his waist and abdomen, the angle of the hammer strike... countless details replayed like a movie.

The next second, Wang Yue's arm moved with the shadow from his memory. The hammer seemed to come alive. "Bang! Bang! Bang!" One strike followed another, the rhythm becoming faster and steadier. The hammer marks were evenly distributed on the iron ingot's surface, each blow precisely vibrating out impurities, which then detached as black iron slag.

"This... How is this possible?" Liu Haibing, standing nearby, was instantly shocked. His eyes widened, and the tongs in his hand clattered to the ground.

In just one night, this kid had mastered his forging rhythm and strength control?

Even ordinary disciples might not achieve such fluidity after several months of learning!

He subconsciously held his breath, his gaze locked onto Wang Yue's movements, not daring to even breathe. This was his respect for the Dao of forging!

Although Wang Yue's hammer technique was still unpolished, he had grasped the essence of "combining hardness and softness." This was no coincidence; it was true talent!

As the hammer blows continued, the iron ingot gradually thinned. Wang Yue suddenly picked up the ingot, quickly folded it into two layers, and then grabbed a handful of mixed materials from the side, scattering them evenly over the surface of the ingot.

This was the layered forging and impurity removal technique that Liu Haibing had demonstrated yesterday. He was actually applying it skillfully!

Liu Haibing's expression became increasingly fascinating, from initial shock to surprise, and now to delight. The corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up slightly, and he thought to himself, "This kid is good material for weapon forging!"

Three hours later.

Wang Yue was drenched in sweat. Sweat dripped down his cheeks onto the anvil, making a sizzling sound as it instantly evaporated.

His arms were already sore and swollen, his muscles trembling wildly. His superior root bone talent supported his physique, and the Blood Dragon Secret Method secretly squeezed his body's potential and replenished his stamina. If not for these, he would have likely collapsed long ago.

Outside the workshop, Wang Daoling and a few apprentices doing odd jobs were attracted by the dense hammering sounds within and quietly gathered at the doorway to peek. When they saw Wang Yue forging hammer strike after hammer strike like a tireless iron man, everyone was stunned. A complex glint flashed in Wang Daoling's eyes; after practicing for so long, his progress wasn't even as fast as Wang Yue's in one day.

"Nine layers... Only the last layer remains!" Wang Yue roared inwardly, but his voice was stuck in his throat. He no longer had the strength to shout. He could only rely on his willpower to support his arm movements. Each swing of the hammer felt like it was draining his last bit of strength.

Liu Haibing stood by, his expression changing from relaxed to solemn, even stiff. The corners of his mouth trembled slightly, and countless thoughts churned in his mind. How did he do it?

Just as Wang Yue's arm was about to stop, Liu Haibing suddenly shouted, "Stop! Stop quickly!"

He strode forward, grabbed Wang Yue's wrist, and said with some urgency, "You... You've passed! These nine layers have far exceeded my expectations. You don't need to push yourself any further!"

Wang Yue's lips twitched. He wanted to speak but lacked the strength, so he could only shake his head. He was only one thousand hammer strikes away; he didn't want to give up.

Liu Haibing looked at the stubbornness in his eyes, his heart softening. He quickly fumbled on his body, took out a small porcelain bottle from his bosom, unscrewed the cap, and poured out a crimson pill.

He handed it to Wang Yue. "Take it! This is a 'Body Replenishing Pill.' It can quickly restore stamina and nourish the body!"

Wang Yue didn't hesitate. He took the pill and quickly put it in his mouth. The pill melted upon contact, and a surge of potent medicinal power instantly spread throughout his body, like sweet rain nourishing parched fields. Endless essence flowed from his limbs and bones, injecting into his nearly depleted meridians and muscles. The soreness and swelling quickly subsided, and his stamina recovered at a visible rate.

"Good medicine!" Wang Yue rejoiced inwardly. He picked up the hammer again, his hammer technique even more precise than before. He no longer purely pursued flattening the iron block but controlled his strength to shape it while precisely forging to remove impurities. The hammer marks formed regular patterns on the surface of the iron ingot, like flowing clouds.

In this layer, after only five hundred strikes, the tenth pattern clearly appeared on the surface of the iron ingot, fine and uniform, with a faint metallic luster.

"Done!" Wang Yue felt a sense of relief. His arm could no longer support the weight, and the hammer clattered to the ground. He staggered back two steps, almost falling.

Liu Haibing quickly stepped forward to support him. When his palm touched Wang Yue's shoulder, he could clearly feel his body trembling. This was a sign of exhaustion, but also proof of pushing himself to the limit.

Liu Haibing looked at the refined iron with ten patterns on the anvil. In a daze, he recalled that the Peak Master, Zhu Chaoying, had mentioned that he himself took a month to forge a hundred layers, using one thousand and thirty iron ingots!

At that time, he had been full of resistance within the Sect, thinking that small towns couldn't produce any rare jade. But now, he felt only relief and excitement. Wang Yue wasn't just rare jade; he was clearly a peerless treasure!

"Good... Good kid!" Liu Haibing's voice was hoarse, unsure how to express his complex emotions. He could only pat Wang Yue's back!

Wang Yue leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. He looked at the ten-layer refined iron, a satisfied smile on his face.

Wang Yue leaned against the wall and rested for half an incense stick's worth of time. His stamina gradually recovered a bit, but his gaze involuntarily drifted to the forging hammer at Liu Haibing's waist.

The golden light emanating from the hammer's body seemed to be tugging at his heart. The shock of extracting the [Hundred Forgings] talent yesterday still echoed in his mind. He really wanted to hold that hammer one more time to see if he could gain more insights into weapon forging.

Liu Haibing took in his gaze and coughed lightly. A thought suddenly popped into his mind: this kid really has good taste! Of everything on him, this forging hammer, which had been with him for thirty years, was the most valuable.

If he kept dangling this hammer, making the kid desperately practice forging for it, wouldn't that be like getting a nuclear-powered donkey?

Constantly forging iron and growing, forging iron. Just thinking about it made Liu Haibing feel wonderful.

With that thought, Liu Haibing deliberately touched the hammer's handle at his waist and said with a deliberately solemn tone, "I've used this hammer for most of my life. From learning weapon forging to now, it has accompanied me through countless trials and tribulations. My feelings for it are deeper than for a brother, and it's not something just anyone can touch."

He paused, seeing Wang Yue's instantly dimmed eyes, and changed his tune, "You managed to forge ten-forged fine iron today, which indeed surprised me. But this achievement alone is not enough for me to pass it down. However..."

"If you can, within a month, either refine a first-tier high-grade inner armor and weapon, or forge eighty-forged fine iron, I will give you this hammer as a gift. Not only that, but I will also give you a huge surprise."

As Liu Haibing said this, his eyes flickered with a hint of deeper meaning. The "surprise" was actually an opportunity to recommend Wang Yue to be a disciple of Workfire Peak, but it wasn't the time to reveal it yet.

Wang Yue's originally bright eyes instantly dimmed, and his brows furrowed tightly.

He even felt a bit annoyed. He had poured all his effort into forging ten-forged fine iron, exhausting himself to the point of nearly collapsing, all to get his hands on this hammer sooner!

He dejectedly drooped his shoulders, his voice carrying a hint of fatigue, "Master Liu, I'm really too tired today. Let's stop here with the forging for now. I'll come back tomorrow."

At this moment, forget about coveting the hammer; he didn't even have the desire to stay in the workshop. He just wanted to find a place to rest and recover his stamina.

Liu Haibing thought he was simply tired and didn't notice his disappointment. He smiled and nodded, "Alright, you've indeed worked hard today. Come early tomorrow and practice the basic hammer techniques more. It will be beneficial for your control of force. Don't slack off."

"Got it." Wang Yue replied perfunctorily, turned, and walked out of the workshop. His steps were a bit unsteady, as the aftereffects of exhaustion hadn't completely subsided.

He walked and stopped. As he passed the Martial Academy, his pale face and tired expression were seen by a few disciples who were planning to go to the forging workshop to learn weapon forging. Those disciples originally had the idea of making rapid progress by learning from Wang Yue, but upon seeing Wang Yue's drained appearance, they immediately lost their resolve.

"Even Wang Yue can't handle it. If we go, won't Master Liu train us to death?" one disciple muttered softly, his eyes full of fear.

"How about... we go learn pill refining instead? Master Fu seems gentle and refined; he probably won't be this strict," another disciple suggested.

Soon, the disciples reached a consensus and turned towards Fu Shuangyun's alchemy room. The previously bustling direction of the forging workshop instantly became deserted. Little did they know that Wang Yue's fatigue was more due to the disappointment of "unfulfilled desire" than simple exhaustion from forging.

Wang Yue didn't bother with the disciples' discussions behind him. He walked directly towards the Qi and Essence Chamber in the Patriarch's mansion. Now, only the pure Qi and Essence in the chamber could help him recover quickly.

He pushed open the chamber door, and a rich Qi and Essence washed over him. Wang Yue didn't even bother finding a private cubicle; he sat down cross-legged by the entrance, opened his mouth, and greedily inhaled the surrounding Qi and Essence. The Qi and Essence, like a thin mist, surged into his body through his mouth and nose, rapidly nourishing his fatigued body.

As time passed, Wang Yue's brows gradually relaxed, and a satisfied expression appeared on his face. He straightened up and moved his arms, surprised to find that not only had his stamina fully recovered, but his muscle endurance and explosive power had also increased. His control over force had even become a bit more precise than before!

"So, exhausting myself through forging and then recovering actually improves both stamina and force control?" A flash of realization crossed Wang Yue's eyes. He immediately stood up and began practicing the fourth form of the Blood Dragon Secret Method in the chamber.

His fist wind whistled. The one hundred and eight variations were rapidly executed in his hands. Each movement was more fluid and precise than before. Qi and Blood surged through his meridians, resonating with the surrounding Qi and Essence, without any hint of stagnation.

"Wang Yue was somewhat shocked! This method of extreme exhaustion and recovery actually subtly aligned with the cultivation rhythm of the Blood Dragon Secret Method!"

Wang Yue's eyes gleamed. Although he hadn't condensed the eleventh stream of Qi and Blood, the ten streams within his body were now exceptionally full, like a flood about to break through a dam. He was not far from the eleventh stream of Qi and Blood.

After finishing his cultivation, Wang Yue didn't leave immediately. Instead, he sat down cross-legged and circulated his Qi and Blood into the panel. As the Qi and Essence were continuously absorbed and transformed, the cooldown time for "Talent Extraction" on the panel visibly decreased, gradually returning to zero.

"Since forging can lead to rapid progress through talent, perhaps pill refining can too."

A thought suddenly occurred to Wang Yue. "Fu Shuangyun is an alchemist from the Dragon Transformation Sect, so he must have some pill refining talent or related equipment."

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