Soul Forged Star God Hammer

The closer Tang Chenfeng got, the more strongly he felt that strange sense of bloodline connection. It was as though he had encountered the person closest to him and wanted to take his hand.

The instant Tang Chenfeng lifted the Forging Hammer from the Forging Platform, its appearance began to change. Starting from where Tang Chenfeng gripped it, a layer of light spread outward from within the hammer. Everywhere the light touched began to deform. Spiral patterns extended down the handle in layers, narrowing from the spherical end into a sharp tail. Upward, toward the hammerhead, the center contracted inward and became a slightly elongated octagonal cube. Both ends expanded into a perfectly symmetrical structure, while the platinum-colored core blazed with even brighter light. The entire hammer changed from its previous dark blue into a vivid blue that glittered with specks of light. It had transformed from a Forging Hammer into something resembling a War Hammer. It looked somewhat similar to Zhao Gaobo's Flame Heavy Hammer, and seemed to have grown a size larger than before.

Ye Hongling asked in surprise, "Teacher Zhao, is it normally this dramatic when someone picks up a new Forging Hammer?"

Zhao Gaobo was no less shocked than Ye Hongling. "No, normally it wouldn't be. Unless one has truly reached the level of Soul Forging, or some exceptional special effect has appeared."

Tang Chenfeng's feeling at that moment was rather strange. This Forging Hammer, which was one hundred sixty centimeters long, weighed at least six hundred jin. It was a genuine giant hammer, yet it felt extremely light in his hand—lighter even than the Tungsten Steel Hammer he had used before.

As Tang Chenfeng gripped the spiral-patterned handle, he immediately felt the Soul Power in his body connect with the Forging Hammer, as though they were linked by blood. He did not know whether it was merely an illusion, but he felt as if the hammer wanted to burrow into his palm. He seemed to have experienced this strange sensation somewhere before.

"So? How does your new Forging Hammer feel?" Zhao Gaobo asked after calming himself.

"It feels connected to me by blood, as if it had always been a part of my body," Tang Chenfeng said. Then he remembered. He seemed to have felt this sense of bloodline connection, this feeling of almost merging together, from the Starlight Stone.

"Mm, that makes sense. Chenfeng, next, try out this Forging Hammer's special effect."

"Okay."

"Ah, wait. I'll choose this time." Zhao Gaobo raised a hand to stop Tang Chenfeng just as he was about to select some Rare Metals for forging.

Naturally, Tang Chenfeng and the others did not question him. They simply watched to see what metal Teacher Zhao would choose. After a while, Zhao Gaobo brought over a dull gray piece of metal and placed it into the Forging Platform.

"I remember that being Silver Silt, right?" Ye Hongling said.

"That's right, it's Silver Silt," Zhao Gaobo said. "Among Rare Metals, it's the most suitable for practice. It's perfect for testing your brother's forging special effect."

Then he turned to Tang Chenfeng. "Chengfeng, next you'll test exactly what this Forging Hammer's special effect is. In a moment, forge this Silver Silt into a Mecha component. Use your sister's design blueprint as the standard. It'll be a good chance to see what level you siblings have reached."

"Ah." The same sound came from both siblings' mouths. They understood now. Teacher Zhao had likely received a little too much stimulation, causing his already lively emotions to become slightly out of control. Still, this new challenge might help them grow faster, so they had no reason to refuse.

The two hurried to the desk where Ye Hongling usually sketched and designed. The desktop she used for training was extremely clean and tidy, with every tool neatly arranged. Aside from completed design blueprints and unfinished drafts, however, several sheets of paper seemed to have been set apart separately.

"Let me think about which blueprint I should use," Ye Hongling muttered as she selected through the papers.

There were many finished blueprints on the table. Tang Chenfeng gave them a rough glance and saw that most were relatively simple component designs, though some were more complicated, such as designs for Mecha joints. What caught his attention most, however, were the sheets set separately to one side. They appeared to have been scattered about haphazardly, but Tang Chenfeng could tell they had been deliberately arranged that way.

It's probably so they won't attract too much attention, Tang Chenfeng thought. Driven by curiosity, he picked up one of the sheets. As expected, there was a design on it, but it was not for a Mecha component. Instead, it was...

"Ah!" A slightly shy cry drew Tang Chenfeng's attention away. He then realized that Ye Hongling was looking at him.

"Brother, I just drew that casually. Don't look at it," Ye Hongling said, her face flushing as though one of her secrets had been discovered.

"Is... is that so? I think this forearm armor is drawn quite well," Tang Chenfeng said awkwardly as he handed the blueprint back to her.

"Hmph." Ye Hongling snatched the design from Tang Chenfeng's hand with a puffed-up expression. Just as she was about to say something, another voice came from behind them.

"Oh, this doesn't look casually drawn at all. If I'm not mistaken, the designs in these sheets should all be for the two arms of a Battle Armor. The details are quite good. Although they are still somewhat incomplete, you clearly put a lot of thought into them." When they turned around, Teacher Zhao was holding three other blueprints and examining them closely.

Ye Hongling's little face turned even redder, with a hint of grievance. She lowered her head. "I'm sorry, Teacher Zhao. During my usual training, I sometimes think about strange things. Battle Armor should still be too far away for us, right?"

Upon hearing Ye Hongling say that, Zhao Gaobo slowly set down the blueprints and smiled warmly. "No. I should say that you did very well. Without a goal for the future, that future would be the most distant and least worth looking forward to. Besides, your designs are very good. With a little more refinement, they may truly become usable."

Tang Chenfeng patted Ye Hongling's head. "Teacher Zhao said so himself. Then Ling'er, what you made must be amazing."

"Mm." Ye Hongling merely nodded, though her heart was filled with warmth.

"Oh, this one is good. Chenfeng, use this to forge the metal into its rough outline next." As he spoke, Zhao Gaobo took out another blueprint. It showed a gear joint used for a Mecha's stepping mechanism. Forming only the rough outline would not be too difficult.

After choosing the design blueprint, everyone returned to the Forging Platform. The heated Silver Silt rose from the platform, and Tang Chenfeng's gaze immediately sharpened with focus, as if he intended to see straight through the piece of Silver Silt. He raised the giant hammer in his hand, took his stance, and struck the Silver Silt with a probing blow at thirty percent strength.

Clang—

Tang Chenfeng and Zhao Gaobo were both startled. The sound of this forging strike seemed more melodious than any before it, but aside from that, nothing appeared different. No special effect emerged. It was merely the most ordinary opening strike in forging.

Ye Hongling asked doubtfully, "Teacher Zhao, what's different from normal forging? I can't see anything at all."

"That's not right," Zhao Gaobo replied. "There should have been a reaction. Chenfeng, keep forging. Perhaps something different will happen."

"Mm, okay." Tang Chenfeng answered, and his Forging Hammer was already swinging down.

Boom. This was no longer the earlier light tap, but a full-force heavy strike. Even the metal on the Forging Platform seemed to bounce upward.

"Hmm!" A puzzled and astonished sound escaped Zhao Gaobo. Normally, metal would not easily bounce during forging. This usually happened only when beginners could not control their strength properly. Yet Zhao Gaobo believed Tang Chenfeng would not make such a low-level mistake. Moreover, he was currently forging with complete concentration and had not stopped, so there had to be another reason.

Tang Chenfeng, meanwhile, felt a strange sense of familiarity. During his previous forging sessions, he had vaguely heard a sound that belonged only to the metal, as if it were telling him how it wanted to be struck in order to feel most comfortable. Now, Tang Chenfeng heard that sound again, clearer and more detailed than ever before. With every strike, the Silver Silt seemed to tell him how to forge it, how to help it complete its transformation to the greatest extent with the least loss. Everything naturally appeared in Tang Chenfeng's mind.

As Tang Chenfeng forged, Zhao Gaobo observed the changes before him. He noticed that Tang Chenfeng's forging technique seemed more simplistic than before.

This was not a good sign. For a Blacksmith, it meant regression. Without good technique, one could not forge good components.

Could it be that he still isn't used to this Forging Hammer? Zhao Gaobo thought.

Boom, boom, boom! The thunderous sounds pulled Zhao Gaobo from his thoughts. Whenever Tang Chenfeng entered a forging state, his strikes became incredibly loud. This was his unique forging style, though perhaps only someone with Innate Divine Strength could forge like this.

"Wait, this is..." Zhao Gaobo suddenly noticed that although Tang Chenfeng's striking technique remained simple, the piece of Silver Silt had already taken on the rudimentary shape of a gear component. Under Tang Chenfeng's hammering, it continued becoming increasingly refined.

With a boom, a three-foot-tall beam of light rose above the Silver Silt. Thousand Forging Silver Silt had been completed. The component below seemed like a magic prop, transforming directly from a piece of metal into a gear component within the light. Even the metal's red-hot color from the high temperature had not yet faded when the forging was already finished.

"So that's it! I know what this Forging Hammer's special effect is now. It's Shaping! That's quite a good special effect," Zhao Gaobo said excitedly.

Ye Hongling asked from the side, "Shaping? Teacher Zhao, even if a Forging Hammer can shape metal, it shouldn't be able to make something this precise, right?"

"This is where the wonder of special effects lies," Zhao Gaobo said. "The Shaping effect allows the Forging Hammer, when it strikes the metal, to alter its hammer face and vibration frequency according to its wielder's thoughts, carrying out precise shaping during forging. It is extremely convenient for later processing. A Forging Hammer with such an effect needs to be made from materials at least at the level of Spirit Forging. Unfortunately, at this level, the Shaping effect can only be considered above average. It has not reached the level of an exceptional special effect that I was hoping for."

At that moment, Tang Chenfeng held the Forging Hammer in his hand, sensing something. During the forging just now, he had heard something else as well. The voice had been ethereal and distant, as though something within the Forging Hammer were speaking to him. It told Tang Chenfeng its name.

It was like a creation from the universe itself, something the gods had used to gradually forge this world. And it shared the same name as its creator.

Tang Chenfeng murmured, "Your name is the Star God Hammer. The Soul Forged Star God Hammer."

The moment he finished speaking, the Soul Forged Star God Hammer suddenly seemed to turn into liquid. It actually began to melt, swiftly wrapping around Tang Chenfeng's entire left arm before slowly condensing into a crystal-clear, vivid blue suit of armor.

Amazingly, this left arm armor was exactly identical to the left arm of the Battle Armor Tang Chenfeng had seen in Ye Hongling's design blueprint. There was not the slightest difference.