Forging Complete

Old Jack was clearly very patient with Tang San. In his heart, there was no more sensible child in the village than the boy before him. It was hard to imagine how such a father could have such a well-behaved son, and even adopt a beautiful, adorable daughter.

"A Soul Grandmaster is a title denoting a Soul Master's rank. Soul Masters are the noblest profession across the entire Douluo Continent. They can be powerful warriors, or possess exceptional support abilities. But regardless of what kind of Soul Master they are, their ranks are ordered according to the same titles."

"All Soul Masters possess their own Soul Spirit Power. Based on the strength of that Soul Spirit Power, there are ten titles in total. Each title is further divided into ten levels. Those who have just begun are called Soul Scholars. Once their Spirits awaken, everyone is a Soul Scholar. If their Spirits can cultivate, then once their Soul Power reaches level eleven, they enter the next title: Soul Master. A Soul Grandmaster is the third title in the entire ranking system. Reaching the realm of Soul Grandmaster already makes one quite a powerful Soul Master. The ten titles are as follows."

"Soul Scholar, Soul Master, Soul Grandmaster, Soul Elder, Soul Ancestor, Soul King, Soul Emperor, Soul Saint, Soul Douluo, and Titled Douluo. The Douluo Continent got its name from this. Legend has it that Titled Douluo above level ninety can give themselves their own titles. They are practically invincible!"

His eyes shone with pride. "A hundred years ago, our Holy Soul Village produced a Soul Saint with the eighth-ranked title. That was exceedingly rare even in all of Nuoding City, or even the entire Fasinuo Province."

Tang Hao curled his lip from the side. "Old Jack, that's just a legend."

As though his most sensitive nerve had been touched, Old Jack flew into a rage. "What do you mean, a legend? Legends come from facts. Tang Hao, you've been in this village for six years now. You should understand that Soul Saint's place in our hearts. If I hear you insulting Lord Soul Saint again, I'll drive you out of the village. If it weren't for Little San, do you think I'd be willing to come to this doghouse of yours?"

Tang Hao did not get angry. He continued hammering the farm tool in his hands as if he had not heard Jack's words at all.

Jack glared fiercely at him before turning to Tang San and Lan Xue. "Whatever you do, don't become as dispirited as your father. All right, I'm leaving. I'll come pick you up in three days."

With that, Old Jack stormed out of the blacksmith shop.

"Dad." "Uncle." Tang San and Lan Xue called out.

"Hm?" Tang Hao shot them a cold glance. Seeing the chill in their father's eyes, Tang San and Lan Xue had no choice but to swallow the words they wanted to say. They lowered their heads and returned to their room to continue striving toward those ten thousand strikes.

Night fell. After dinner, Tang Hao wiped his mouth and habitually headed outside. For him, this was a routine: going out to drink, and drink the cheapest ale.

"Dad, wait a moment." Tang San called out to Tang Hao before he even had time to clear the dishes.

"What is it?" Tang Hao glared at him impatiently. Although Tang Hao had never hit Tang San, for some reason, Tang San had always been somewhat afraid of this father. Even having lived two lives, he could not change that feeling.

"I finished forging the ten thousand strikes," Tang San said. "So did I."

"Oh?" The light in Tang Hao's eyes seemed to brighten somewhat. "Bring it over and let me see."

"Okay." Tang San and Lan Xue quickly ran back to their room. Soon, they came running out, each holding an iron block.

The iron blocks were pitch-black all over. Though their shapes were irregular, every cross-section appeared exceptionally smooth, with a faint black gleam flickering within. Each block was roughly a quarter the size of the original lump of iron. Tang San had to circulate the Mysterious Heaven Skill to hold his without difficulty, while Lan Xue held hers in one hand.

Tang Hao took the two black iron blocks and carefully examined them before his eyes. "Do you understand what I meant now?"

Tang San nodded. "Repeated forging turns iron into steel. No matter how poor the quality of the metal is, constant forging and purification will turn it into something high-quality. Dad, is that what you wanted to teach me?" Lan Xue silently agreed.

Tang Hao discovered that these past few days, his son and daughter seemed to have brought him quite a few surprises. Though his daughter did not acknowledge him as her father and only called him Uncle, he returned the iron blocks to them. "Then keep going. When you forge them down to the size of a fist, bring them to me again." With that, he turned and walked out the door.

According to what he had originally said, once Tang San and Lan Xue had hammered the iron blocks ten thousand times, he would teach them forging. But now, he seemed to have gone back on his word. Tang San and Lan Xue did not care about that, though. Tang San only kept thinking about Tang Hao's words.

The size of a fist? Could such large iron blocks really be forged down to the size of a fist? Though they were only a quarter of their original volume, Tang San and Lan Xue knew very well that as the forging continued, the iron blocks became denser and denser, making it increasingly difficult for their volume to shrink. Forging them down to the size of a fist was definitely not something another ten thousand strikes could accomplish.

Repeated forging turns iron into steel, but what would ten thousand refinements create? A brilliant light flashed through Tang San and Little Xue's eyes. With a slight shift of their feet, they nimbly slipped back into their room. Before long, the clanging of hammer against iron rang through the blacksmith shop once more.

Three days passed quickly. Every morning, Tang San still went to the mountaintop for his daily practice. After returning home, aside from cooking, he spent all his time forging, stubbornly competing with that chunk of raw iron. His hammering speed increased every day. The Mysterious Heaven Skill helped him quickly recover his stamina, allowing him to sustain the endless forging process. Little Xue forged the entire time as well.

"Little San, Little Xue, Grandpa has come to pick you up." Old Jack arrived at the blacksmith shop right on time. Perhaps because he was sick of Tang Hao, he did not even go inside this time, calling for Tang San and Lan Xue from outside.

Tang San and Lan Xue glanced at Tang Hao, who had just finished breakfast beside them. Tang Hao said coolly, "Go. Don't delay making lunch."