Gift (Part 2)

Before they knew it, two hours had passed.

Having finished cooking and waited a long time without Qian Chaoguang coming out, Huo Yutong gently opened the door to the Forging Room.

That wondrous rhythm, those hammer strikes like a symphony, shook her to the core.

In Huo Yutong's perception, Qian Chaoguang seemed to have become one with that piece of Azurite Iron, like intimate friends with nothing left unsaid.

She did not disturb him. She knew full well that forging required absolute concentration.

Huo Yutong quietly closed the door and simply stood behind her brother, watching him.

Two and a half hours had passed. For the first time, Qian Chaoguang's rosy complexion had turned pale. For someone with such abundant Bloodline Power, it was simply unimaginable.

His Soul Power Level was far too low.

The little Soul Power Within the Body had long since been depleted. For nearly the past hour, he had been holding on by consuming Bloodline Power.

An iron-hard will kept Qian Chaoguang gritting his teeth and persevering.

If he missed this chance, who knew when he would have another opportunity to touch the threshold of Thousand Forging?

A vague feeling told him that he was about to succeed.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Just as his body was beginning to sway unsteadily—

Suddenly, the piece of Azurite Iron trembled when the forging hammer made its final contact.

Immediately afterward, a streak of azure light burst through the furnace flames, reflecting across the entire Forging Room.

The last stretch was always the hardest. Qian Chaoguang drew in his final breath, brought both hammers down at once, and fiercely struck the Azurite Iron.

At that moment, the pair of alloy forging hammers completely shattered into a pile of fragments, breaking apart in midair.

Whoosh!

The flames dwindled, while the azure light grew ever wilder.

Qian Chaoguang casually grabbed a shard from the floor and, amid Huo Yutong's cry of alarm, sliced open his wrist.

A stream of blood spurted out, landing directly on the Azurite Iron.

"Brother! What are you doing?!"

Huo Yutong hurriedly pulled medicine from her Storage Ring, intending to bandage Qian Chaoguang's wound.

"Don't panic, I'm fine."

Qian Chaoguang slightly gathered his breath, and the blood gushing from his wrist immediately showed signs of stopping.

Blood splattered across the Azurite Iron and evaporated with hissing sounds, smoke curling upward.

The firelight died away, and the blue rapidly receded, revealing the metal's original appearance.

The once dark bluish-green Azurite Iron had now become a jade-like emerald green.

Its surface was covered in dense hammer marks, layered upon one another like ocean waves.

Qian Chaoguang smiled. He had succeeded!

An intense wave of weakness washed over him like a flood, making him drop heavily onto the floor.

Only then did Huo Yutong hurry over and wrap several layers of gauze and medicine around his wrist.

"Brother, what exactly were you doing?"

Qian Chaoguang forced out a smile and barely managed to stand by supporting himself against the nearby table.

"This is the Spiritual Forging method I've been pursuing all this time. Thanks to you, I finally succeeded today! Xiao Tong, look—I've named it Thousand Forged Metal."

He held the piece of Azurite Iron in his hand. It felt incomparably warm and smooth.

As the azure glow came into contact with his palm, it immediately withdrew inward, changing into a dark bluish-green color like black jade.

Huo Yutong's eyes widened. Two yellow Soul Rings appeared beneath her feet as she gently ran a hand over its surface.

The sensation it returned felt nothing like metal.

"It... Why do I feel like it has emotions?"

Qian Chaoguang explained, "Of course it does, because it has already developed a faint spirit. Thousand Forging is the process of communication between a blacksmith and metal. When that communication reaches its peak, those emotions are elevated, transforming from a quantitative change into a qualitative one. It seems to have developed some special effect now, but that still needs to be explored."

This Rare Metal known as Azurite Iron had never appeared in the Original Work. Therefore, Qian Chaoguang Did Not Know what kind of enhanced effect it would gain after completing Thousand Forging.

He only knew that metal forged to Thousand Forging for the first time would gain a decent special effect after a Blood Sacrifice, something like a guaranteed beginner's reward.

Listening to her brother's endless explanation, Huo Yutong thoughtfully looked at the Azurite Iron. Then, to Qian Chaoguang's astonishment, she snatched it from him and placed it on the storage rack nearby.

"No matter what, eat first! It's already dark! Bad brother, the fish I carefully grilled for you has gone cold!"

"My fault, my fault..."

Unable to argue with her, Qian Chaoguang raised his hands in surrender and, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, was pushed out of the Forging Room by Huo Yutong.

After dinner, Huo Yutong went to cultivate while Qian Chaoguang returned to the Forging Room.

The fully cooled Azurite Iron had completely become matte in color, deep and restrained.

When Qian Chaoguang held it in his hand and played with it, he could actually feel a wondrous sense of flesh-and-blood connection, as though it had always been a part of his own body.

The corners of his lips curved into a faint smile.

Completing Thousand Forging at the age of ten—his talent in forging couldn't be considered low, could it?

Although he had accomplished it a year later than Tang Wulin in the Original Work, he had had no teacher to guide him. He had relied entirely on his own exploration and insights.

If not for the exceptionally high quality Spiritual Power cultivated through the Spirit Communication Art, he might have remained stuck before Thousand Forging for who knew how long.

As the saying went, everything was difficult at the beginning.

Now that he had completed this Thousand Forging, forging other metals in the future would become much easier.

Qian Chaoguang placed the Azurite Iron over the furnace vent and gently stroked it, as though touching a lover's cheek.

"Now then, let me see what special effect you've actually awakened."

Over the next few days, Qian Chaoguang immersed himself completely in forging. Every day, Huo Yutong could hear the clanging sounds from the Forging Room.

The satisfaction of completing Thousand Forging for the first time had stirred endless motivation within him.

Five days later, after tremendous effort, Qian Chaoguang finally forged Huo Yutong's birthday gift into a pair of forging hammers.

From the outside, this pair of Azurite Iron forging hammers looked as though they had been carved entirely from the finest black jade.

Yet upon closer inspection, faint spiritual light seemed to flicker within them, making them extraordinarily mystical.

Only now had Qian Chaoguang truly completed his first Thousand Forging work.

"It's starting."

On the anvil, a piece of orange-yellow metal had already been heated to the proper forging temperature.

Qian Chaoguang took a deep breath and firmly grasped the two Azurite Hammers.

The instant the hammer handles touched his hands, he felt the Soul Power Within the Body and Bloodline Power surge forth, connecting him to the pair of forging hammers.

In his hands, the twin hammers clearly became somewhat lighter, and he steadily raised them.

However, just as he infused Soul Power into the hammers, something unexpected happened.

An icy blue radiance enveloped the hammerheads, forming a layer of light around them.

Thanks to Tea Heavenly Emperor, Slaughter i Dark Night Wound, and Osiris Obelisk for their rewards.