Innovations at the Blacksmith Shop: Laborers and Craftsmanship

Bai Tang San was not angry.

He pulled a blueprint he had prepared long ago from his robe and slapped it onto the grease-covered table.

"This is a Bellows Boost Device."

"Using gears and levers, it can triple the bellows' air intake and raise the furnace temperature by two hundred degrees."

"And this."

He pointed to the lower half of the blueprint.

"A Leverage Forging Platform."

"One person merely has to work the pedal to drive a three-hundred-pound heavy hammer automatically."

"It works three times faster than manual labor, with consistent force."

Before Boss Shi San could react.

Bai Tang San took out another glass bottle filled with cloudy liquid.

"This is the Acid Etching Solution I formulated."

"Soak the metal in it for three seconds before quenching, and it can chemically remove impurities, reacting away sulfur and phosphorus."

"With this process."

"You can forge Hundred Refined Iron without me."

"Even the dumbest apprentice under you can do it."

Boss Shi San looked at the blueprint, then at the bottle.

As an old blacksmith, he did not understand the principles, but his instincts told him...

This thing seemed like it might actually work!

"Y-you... what do you want?" Shi San's voice trembled slightly.

Bai Tang San pulled over a chair and sat down without ceremony.

"Cooperation."

"I provide the technology, maintain the equipment, and mix the solutions."

"I won't do any labor."

"But I take thirty percent of the profits."

"Deal?"

Boss Shi San hesitated.

Thirty percent of the profits was an enormous sum.

But looking into Bai Tang San's certain eyes, he gritted his teeth.

"Deal! If it truly works as you say, then thirty percent it is!"

Three days later.

The Blacksmith Shop underwent earth-shaking changes.

The huge bellows that had once required several men to pull in shifts had been replaced by a massive gear mechanism. One apprentice only needed to lightly press the pedal, and the furnace roared like a fire dragon.

The blacksmiths who had once exhausted themselves swinging heavy hammers only needed to control the position of the iron now.

That enormous lever-driven hammer struck nonstop with loud clangs, like a machine that never knew fatigue.

Efficiency increased by more than five times!

The quality had directly risen by an entire level as well!

And Bai Tang San?

He was lying in a rocking chair in the corner of the Blacksmith Shop.

He held an ancient book on Soul Tool Inscriptions and read it with great interest.

A cup of clear tea sat on the small table beside him.

Every two hours.

He would get up and pour a little solution into the large tanks.

Then he would lie back down and continue reading.

Yet the blacksmiths working in a blazing frenzy did not envy him at all. Instead, every one of them was deeply grateful to him.

"Consultant Tang is truly incredible!"

"With this machine, my back no longer aches, and my hands no longer shake!"

"The important thing is, we're earning more money!"

Boss Shi San was grinning from ear to ear and personally refilled Bai Tang San's tea.

"Consultant Tang, the bellows bearing seems to be making some noise. Should we..."

"Just add some lubricating oil. Stop bothering me."

Without even looking up, Bai Tang San turned a page.

"Right away! Please carry on!"

[Real World]

Gengxin City, Blacksmith Association Headquarters.

Lou Gao, known as the Divine Craftsman, was currently sprawled before a massive crystal screen.

His old face was practically pressed against it.

His beard trembled violently with excitement, and his eyes shone with fanatic light.

"Exquisite!"

"Absolutely exquisite!"

Lou Gao pointed at the blueprint, his voice cracking.

"This gear engagement ratio, this lever-arm design..."

"And that Acid Etching Solution... that is an application of Chemical Alchemy!"

"This child is only six? He is practically a Monster born for forging!"

He suddenly turned to look at Hei Tang San on the other side of the screen.

Looking at that foolish boy who was still sweating profusely, thinking himself hardworking.

Lou Gao wore an expression of utter disappointment.

"Idiot!"

"Utterly idiotic!"

"Forging is art! It is wisdom!"

"It is not about making you work like a beast!"

"You clearly possess such an excellent hammer technique inheritance, yet you only know how to smash with brute force?"

"Do you call that efficiency? That is self-torture!"

"Look at Bai Tang San!"

"This is the spirit of craftsmanship! This is technological innovation!"

"A true Divine Craftsman never makes a living with muscle. He uses his brain!"

The more Lou Gao spoke, the more excited he became. He wished he could rush into the White World immediately and snatch Bai Tang San away as his successor.

At the Clear Sky Sect.

The elders' expressions became extraordinarily complicated as well.

The Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer they had always taken such pride in.

Seemed to have become...

Somewhat cheap before that simple lever mechanism.

"Could it be..."

"Have we truly been walking the wrong path for hundreds of years?"

Seventh Elder muttered to himself. Looking at his callus-covered hands, he fell into deep self-doubt.

On the Sky Curtain.

The sun set in the west.

Hei Tang San dragged his exhausted body out of the Blacksmith Shop, clutching two Silver Soul Coins, his face drenched in sweat.

His hands were trembling.

That was the reaction of muscles pushed beyond their limits.

But he still felt satisfied, because he had earned money, even if it was very little.

As for Bai Tang San.

He closed the ancient book in his hands and stretched lazily.

Boss Shi San respectfully handed over a heavy money pouch.

It was today's dividend.

A full twenty Gold Soul Coins!

Bai Tang San accepted the pouch without much joy, wearing only the calmness of someone who considered it natural.

He glanced at the blacksmiths still working overtime.

Then he casually left behind words that gave countless people much to ponder:

"A large hammer costs eighty, a small hammer costs forty."

"But the person who designs a way to make the hammers move on their own."

"Is priceless."

Night fell.

With this endless financial support.

Bai Tang San could finally begin his crazy Medicinal Bath Plan.

Meanwhile, Hei Tang San took his hard-earned money to buy his so-called Tonic Medicine.

Strengthen the foundation and nourish the essence?

Or... Break and Then Establish?

Two completely different tubs of bathwater.

Would thoroughly widen the gap in physical strength between the Tang Sans of the two worlds!

The comparison continued!

With financial support, the gap in cultivation began to emerge.

Above the Sky Curtain, the image split once more.

Two medicinal baths, two different lives.

[Black World]

A faint scent of Chinese herbs filled the cramped dormitory.

Yu Xiaogang walked in carrying a wooden bucket, his forehead covered in fine sweat.

"Xiao San, come quickly."

"I specially went into the city to prepare this medicinal bath for you."

"Though it is not made with any Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, it is still good for strengthening your foundation and nourishing your essence."

He set down the bucket, his eyes carrying a trace of heartache and expectation.

This medicinal bath had used up the last of his salary for the month.

Hei Tang San looked at the pale brown medicinal liquid in the bucket, his eyes reddening with emotion.

"Teacher, you've worked hard..."

"Silly child, why say something so foolish?"

Yu Xiaogang affectionately patted his head.

"You possess Innate Full Soul Power, and your physical condition is already quite good, but you still need to build a solid foundation."

"This Angelica Sinensis, Astragalus, and Goji Berry may be ordinary, but they are gentle."

"Combined with your daily running training, they are enough to make your body stronger."

Hei Tang San removed his clothes and soaked himself in the warm medicinal water.

Warm and comfortable.

It was like returning to his mother's embrace, though he had never met her.

The medicinal effects slowly seeped in through his pores, bringing a tingling sensation.

"How does it feel?" Yu Xiaogang asked.

"Very comfortable, Teacher."

Hei Tang San closed his eyes and enjoyed this rare moment of relaxation.

"My body feels warm, and all my fatigue has disappeared."

Yu Xiaogang nodded in satisfaction.

"That is good. Absorb it properly. Do not waste your teacher's painstaking efforts."

The scene was warm, filled with deep affection between teacher and disciple.

But in the eyes of those who knew better, it seemed somewhat... shabby.

The Sky Curtain's narration mercilessly pointed out:

[Relax Muscles and Activate Blood, nothing more.]

[For ordinary people, this is health preservation.]

[But for a Soul Master aiming to become a god, this is—scrubbing in the bath.]