The noise from the outside world had vanished from Li Mo's sight.
When the iron is fused together, he can hear the subtle sounds, see every vein in it, smell the steel and the fire, and know every texture within it.
It was as if the various metals were no longer inanimate objects, but living, breathing entities.
Indeed, after learning Du Shenjiang's techniques, his Hundred Refinements of Divine Treasures reached a new level.
Knowing the spirit of all weapons.
First ripening!
Ten refinements in a single breath!
Twenty forgings in a single breath!
Thirty forgings in a single breath!
The Eight-Nine Arcane Art silently began to operate, supporting his physique and allowing the refinement of the Hundred Refinements of Divine Treasures to increase higher and higher.
The hammer became almost a blur in his hand.
However, the materials he possessed were not 'divine treasures' after all; some were ordinary iron, and some were only slightly better than ordinary iron, yet they were still derived from ordinary iron.
Bearing such a high number of forgings is too much of a strain, but...
"Ice Block!"
Li Mo smashed the iron billet away with a single blow, and the red-hot metal hung suspended in front of the Ice Block.
The penetrating chill of the Taiyin enveloped it, creating large ripples in the void.
A chorus of gasps and exclamations erupted from the audience.
Du Wufeng's eyes widened. "He actually used this method... for quenching? He can do that?! He can actually do that...!"
"Master Craftsman Du, could you please explain in more detail?"
"Quenching is a process that rapidly cools the high-temperature weapon blank, thereby improving its quality."
"Normally, quenching is done with special cold spring water or specially prepared grease, but this sword of his is quenched with the Cold Fairy's water!"
To be precise, it was the Taiyin Power of the Cold Fairy...
Clearly, the tempering effect of the Taiyin Power is beyond imagination!
"Sister Bing, that's about enough."
Princess Little Jiang controlled the degree of quenching and spoke at the right time.
"Backfire!"
So when the Taiyin Power dissipated, Li Mo grabbed the iron billet and threw it back into the furnace to heat it.
After heating, it undergoes another round of high-intensity forging, twisting, stacking and blending, followed by quenching and tempering.
As the iron billet was repeatedly heated and cooled, its luster grew brighter and brighter, and its patterns became more and more colorful.
"Good lad, you actually came up with this idea!"
Du Wufeng slammed his hand down so hard it nearly broke the table.
"..."
Among the contestants were many highly skilled craftsmen, but at this moment they all fell into deep thought.
They all learned by hammering and practicing diligently, but they never imagined that forging weapons could be done in this way.
Does this mean that effort is worthless in the face of talent?
Is he truly a genius at weapon forging?
"This must be a fine sword..."
Jiang Chulong looked on earnestly, her eyes filled with anticipation.
"Was this sword forged for Chulong, or for me?"
Ying Bing was pondering this, she suddenly noticed the patterns gradually emerging on the sword, resembling ever-growing wild grass, and she pursed her lips.
Clearly, it is not a replica of the Moon-in-Mid-Autumn, and has absolutely no relation to it.
A fluctuation emanated from the Moon-in-Mid-Autumn, a fluctuation that only the Lord of War could sense.
Little Moon was a little confused:
"You already have me, why are you so hung up on a famous instrument?"
Ying Bing lowered her eyes, her expression turning fiery.
Before long, a longsword covered with wild grass patterns, simple yet with hidden sharpness, was born. To make it feel better in the hand, Li Mo even used peach branches to make the hilt.
Even from the moment this sword was forged, its extraordinary nature was evident.
Li Mo wiped the longsword clean and handed it to Princess Little Jiang, who was eagerly awaiting its arrival.
[Congratulations, host! You have successfully invested in 'Jiang Chulong' and acquired a top-grade weapon.]
[You have an investment feedback report to claim.]
"Take a moment to familiarize yourself with the material; you'll be submitting it to the judges later."
"Um!"
Princess Little Jiang's joyful eyes couldn't be hidden even by her sunglasses!
She could feel something within her body resonating with the sword; the moment she held it, she felt an immediate connection to it.
This is a famous weapon forged from remnants of a war, ordinary iron, and materials considered worthless by others.
Even trash can shine again...
Princess Little Jiang held the sword in a daze, then reluctantly placed it on the cloth, which she later sent to the judges' table.
"... Is it really a legendary instrument?"
Princess Yuyang stared at the sword for a moment.
She noticed that her brother, the Crown Prince, was also staring at the sword—or more accurately, at Jiang Chulong, who had just picked it up—with a hint of disbelief in his eyes.
"The Sword Bone... it's clearly with me... impossible... absolutely impossible..."
Princess Yuyang asked, puzzled, "Brother Crown Prince, what are you talking about?"
"It's nothing."
Jiang Yu quickly suppressed his emotional fluctuations, though his face showed a barely perceptible paleness.
Among the many blacksmiths, Li Mo was the first to complete the work.
But before the host could even go up for the interview...
After taking some qi-boosting pills, Li Mo picked up the hammer again, his eyes brighter than before.
Unlike other craftsmen.
He plans to forge a second sword.
And...
"The Eight-Nine Arcane Art might reach its bottleneck today."
Li Mo exhaled a breath of scorching air.
He began repeating the previous process, refining the iron into pure material, repeatedly stacking and forging it, and then quenching and tempering it.
"Is he going to make another sword just like that?"
"What's the point? Isn't it a waste of effort? The final score will only be based on the highest quality weapon."
"Of course he's going to forge a weapon for Cold Fairy!"
"What a pity. If he had put all his effort into forging one, the sword he created might have reached the level of Master Craftsman Du."
"No, the materials for this weapon are clearly insufficient; at best, it can only be forged into a dagger."
At this point, apart from the prodigies on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, there weren't many viewers paying attention to the other blacksmiths.
Those who didn't understand the situation just thought Li Mo was incredibly generous, actually wanting to forge swords for both of them at a single Weapon Forging Conference. They thought he was really something else.
The artisans, however, lamented the loss.
The Weapon Forging Conference has a time limit; given the same amount of time, those who dedicate themselves fully to forging a single sword will undoubtedly produce a higher quality one.
What's the point of having two identical swords?
Moreover, due to insufficient materials, the second sword might not even be as good as the first.
"Ice Block, Sharing the Moon!"
Suddenly, as Li Mo stacked the sword embryo over a thousand times, the Divine Intent of Taiyin abruptly appeared behind him.
Ying Bing was taken aback.
She didn't know what Li Mo was going to do.
But before the thought of doubt could even settle, the Taiyin Will Soul was released as well.
Sharing the Moon instantly brought their Divine Intent together.
At this moment, Li Mo understood the Moon-in-Mid-Autumn.
Ying Bing could see the nascent spirituality within the sword embryo, and also...
His vague thoughts.
She stared blankly at Li Mo, the figure holding a red-hot forging hammer, surrounded by flames, entered her eyes, causing ripples to appear in her otherwise aloof demeanor.
"I see..."
"Law of Heaven and Earth!"
Li Mo's right arm suddenly grew thicker, making Star Pestle appear tiny.
The Karmic Fire on his body suddenly rose up, as if reigniting the already burning Fallen Star Flame.
Boom--
The sword blank, a mixture of various iron materials, produced a buzzing sound when struck!
Sparks flew continuously, like a volcanic eruption!
Fifty forgings in one breath!
The hammer, swung continuously, grew increasingly red, and the Mystic Weapon began to melt... as if it were about to merge with the sword embryo.
The rules of the Weapon Forging Conference stipulated that only existing materials could be used.
The blacksmith's hammer is also readily available.
No one had ever imagined that the forging hammer would become part of the weapon it was forged.
Even Ying Bing hadn't expected this.
He intends to use Mystic Weapon to forge a renowned artifact.
He wanted to melt away the Star Pestle that accompanied him day and night, and merge it with her sword in the heat.
You are in me, and I am in you.
Little rascal, am I supposed to go to Southern Border? (Where did I come from? Is "Nine Heavens and Ten Earths" even part of China?)
Then I thought, why don't I just let the audience recharge me?
That little punk is actually a genius, eh?