Isn't this doable with just hands?

"How could he do this... When I was little, he even helped me pee... How could he do this?"

In the lobby waiting area, Sun Rui Zhi, having lost face, clutched his head and muttered like a broken record.

At first, Xu Fang felt sympathetic, but after hearing it too many times, it just gave him a headache. He casually picked up a journal from the side to read.

This journal was called Future, the most renowned academic journal in this world, equivalent to Nature, Science, and Cell in his previous life.

It was mostly filled with content about Magic Tools, magic artifacts, and dissection results of demons.

Xu Fang flipped through the pages quickly.

[Title: Research on Magic Fusion, taking Water and Ice Elements as examples. First Author: Feng Zhou Long (Huaxia Yaodu Research Association)]

Xu Fang's hand stopped.

Of course, he knew Feng Zhou Long. In a sense, Feng Zhou Long was the number one Mage, whose influence on later generations was no less than Mo Fan's, or perhaps even more profound.

[Nowadays, with the popularization of magic combo skills, more and more people realize that different elemental magics are not parallel lines that never intersect. When they intertwine, they will unleash unparalleled brilliance.

This paper used 100 Ice Blade Fish as research subjects, two per group, totaling fifty control experiments...]

Simply put, Feng Zhou Long believed that Water and Ice Elements were the two closest attributes, with high Star Seed similarity and the greatest potential for fusion.

The fifty Ice Blade Fish in the experimental group were subjected to magic arrays and various complex transformations by him, forcibly injecting Water Element Demonic Energy into them... In the end, ten of them still retained vital signs.

This conclusion excited Feng Zhou Long immensely. If they could live today, they could achieve magic fusion tomorrow, apply it to the human body the day after, and then... In short, this was a world-changing technology.

"Me, Feng Zhou Long, bring on the money!"

In his memory, it would take several more years until the sea monster invasion, when Feng Zhou Long deciphered the abilities of a type of sea monster called "Four-Colored Demon," and combined it with Bei Jiang's Shadow Chaos Fusion, before he finally summarized the universal laws of fusion methods.

Compared to a few years later, Old Feng's research at this time was still quite outlandish. It didn't resemble a formal paper in a world-class journal, but rather the confusing ramblings of amateur scientists.

Although for various reasons, the reviewers of Future approved it for publication, Feng Zhou Long did not get paid. Instead, he became a laughingstock.

For example, Brother Rui Zhi, sitting next to him, was laughing so hard his gums showed.

"Hahaha, what kind of idiot is this? Magic fusion? Didn't his high school magic theory teacher ever teach him that Star Seeds of two elements will explode if they get too close?"

Sun Rui Zhi felt he had gained the upper hand intellectually.

Xu Fang put the magazine back and picked up another one, casually saying, "Who knows? Maybe he'll succeed in the future."

Sun Rui Zhi declared confidently, "If magic can be fused, I'll livestream myself eating shit!"

For a moment, Xu Fang actually hesitated, thinking about using a Crimson Fire Light Array to turn him into an "Old Eighth" of this world, but he ultimately abandoned the tempting thought.

The new magazine he picked up wasn't a journal, but an introductory handbook for blacksmiths.

It contained some common magic arrays, as well as the properties and applications of various materials. Combining the two could be used to create Magic Tools.

"Feels like anyone with hands could do it."

Xu Fang truly thought so. The magic patterns that people in this world found incredibly complex were far less daunting than the advanced mathematics and geometry of his previous life.

Before Sun Rui Zhi could say anything, a bearded man next to them scoffed, as if he had heard the biggest joke.

"Anyone with hands can do it? Young man, aren't you afraid of the wind blowing your tongue off!" The bearded man spoke with the expression of someone enlightening an ignorant child. "Let's not even talk about the magic arrays and materials. Blacksmiths are generally born only from Fire or Lightning Element Mages. This alone is enough to disqualify most people!"

It was like the Alchemists in Battle Through the Heavens, who could only be Fire-attributed Dou Qi Masters. If there was also Wood-attribute mixed with Fire-attribute, it would be even better.

Blacksmiths were the same. Those who primarily cultivated Lightning and Fire, and secondarily Summoning, were the most sought after. This was because they could sign contracts with Fire Element summoned beasts to assist them in forging Magic Tools.

In the original work, Huo Tuo groveled and fawned, losing all dignity and self-respect, all just to get Mo Fan to agree to sell Little Yan Ji to him for a hundred million.

The bearded man was still going on, and Sun Rui Zhi was getting annoyed.

Damn it, he was supposed to be showcasing the Sun family's strength to Xu Fang this afternoon, but instead, he got slapped in the face.

Yi Ping was one thing, Sun Rui Zhi couldn't afford to offend him, and he didn't want to provoke Sun Er He either—but who did this guy think he was? His friend was just bragging, and this guy dared to butt in?

He slapped the armrest and cursed, "Frog in a well! Just because you can't do it doesn't mean others can't!"

The bearded man had been queuing all day and was already in a bad mood. He retorted without backing down, "Then if you're so capable, you go ahead! There's a testing area over there. I'll cover the materials cost regardless of win or lose. If you lose, you have to admit in front of everyone that you're trash!"

"Bring it on!"

Brother Rui Zhi couldn't stand being provoked. He strode over to the laboratory.

Five minutes later, he came out looking dejected.

The bearded man laughed and deliberately shouted, "Little trash, where's your 'anyone with hands can do it' Magic Tool?"

Sun Rui Zhi's face turned red, veins bulging on his forehead. He argued, "This time doesn't count as my failure. I'm just rusty..."

Then came incomprehensible words, like "the magic array carving knife is dull" and "incompatibility," which made everyone burst into laughter. The waiting area was filled with cheerful air.

The bearded man said, "A bet is a bet. Remember to shout loudly."

Sun Rui Zhi felt a suffocating pressure in his chest. He wanted to shout, "My father is Sun Er He," but he was afraid of disgracing his father. He was in a dilemma.

Just then, a hand rested on his shoulder, pushing him back into his seat.

Xu Fang looked at the bearded man and said, "I was the one who said 'anyone with hands can do it.' I haven't tried yet."

Brother Rui Zhi had stood up for him, so it would be too much to just sit back and watch.

"Whatever. My conditions remain the same." The bearded man, determined to watch the show today, crossed his arms and sat back down leisurely.

"Forget it, it's too difficult."

Sun Rui Zhi lowered his voice and said.

He had been stubborn earlier to save face, but now that he was actually trying, Sun Rui Zhi clearly knew that this intricate thing was too difficult.

"Let's try."

Xu Fang walked towards the laboratory holding the book Introduction to Blacksmithing, pushed open the door, and walked in.

The laboratory was large, about a hundred square meters, with a large table in the middle. On it sat a forging furnace that strongly resembled a rice cooker.

Various materials were also displayed on the wall shelves, all of the cheapest kind.

This laboratory wasn't originally meant for serious forging; at best, it was for those rich and idle people who wanted to try being a blacksmith.

"Materials... carving knife... pattern."

The star track glowed on Xu Fang's body. Demonic Energy was infused into the carving knife in his hand, and the light turned into fire. The carving knife successfully made the first stroke on the metal.

Then came the second stroke, the third stroke... A simple Wind-element magic circle was replicated by Xu Fang one-to-one from Introduction to Blacksmithing.

"It actually has some difficulty."

Xu Fang retracted his earlier statement of "easy to do" and labeled it as "manageable."

He didn't know that for an ordinary blacksmith to reach this stage, it would take at least half a year of training!

If they heard him say "forging is manageable," they would probably ensure he couldn't leave the Magic Association's bell tower today.

"The next step is smelting. With constant temperature burning, there's no problem with slapping that bearded guy in the face, but..."

Xu Fang looked at the bare metal, limited to one piece per person, and felt it was a waste.

Since he was already here, and someone else was paying, it would be a shame not to make the most of this opportunity.

"Let me look... sturdy, burn, decompose, compress... there are quite a few magic circles. I have a bold idea."

"Is the magic stone this small? So stingy."

"Let me smelt it and shape it."

"Why is the shape so strange? Never mind, let's try first—to be safe, Sand Shield!"

At the same time, in the waiting area.

"It's been over twenty minutes, why isn't he out yet?" Sun Rui Zhi glanced at his watch, getting anxious.

He had finished his match in five minutes. How could Xu Fang be so persistent?

It didn't make sense!

The bearded man sneered, "I think that kid probably couldn't do it and was too embarrassed to come out. Why act so arrogant earlier if you knew this would happen?"

Sun Rui Zhi was anxious but retorted verbally, "What do you know!"

"Heh, you can curse all you want. Let's see who's embarrassed later..."

BOOM!!!!!!!

A violent sound, like thunder, exploded. All the Mages present jumped up in shock, their faces filled with confusion!

What happened!?