Test, Attempt

Hearing those words, Tang Wulin looked at Mang Tian expectantly.

Tang Wuyang asked in surprise, "Teacher, are you willing to teach us Thousand Forging?"

Mang Tian nodded, confirming Tang Wuyang's question. "After fusing with your Soul Spirits, both of your strength has increased. You should be able to support yourselves through Thousand Forging now."

"Complete one round of Thousand Forging, and you'll have passed my test."

As he said this, an unusual feeling rose within Mang Tian.

He still clearly remembered that when he had begun practicing Thousand Forging, he had already been fifteen years old, and his Soul Power had exceeded Level 20.

Moreover, his Martial Soul had been the Earth Hammer, famed for its strength. Completing Thousand Forging at fifteen had already earned him the title of a prodigy in the forging world.

Unfortunately...

"Teacher, are we starting now?" Tang Wulin's excited voice pulled Mang Tian from his memories.

"Wait a moment. I'll take you to test your strength first."

"These past few days, you've kept ruining parts. One reason is that neither of you has been concentrating." As he spoke, Mang Tian glanced at Tang Wuyang.

"The other reason is that you've had problems controlling your own strength."

Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin exchanged glances. Indeed, not only had Mang Tian noticed it—they themselves had also sensed that something seemed to be wrong with their strength.

Mang Tian walked toward a corner. His place was far messier than either Tang Wuyang's or Tang Wulin's room.

After rummaging through a heap of cluttered equipment for quite some time, he finally found the Testing Device specially used to measure strength.

This type of device was very simple to make, yet extremely precise in its results.

After all, only this way could a Forging Master's strength be measured accurately.

The Strength Testing Device consisted of two parts. The lower section was a square platform, with a cylinder on top.

Behind the cylinder stood a two-meter-tall metal pillar containing a slender mercury column.

When a Forging Master took the test, they only needed to strike the cylinder on the platform with a Forging Hammer. The mercury column inside the metal pillar would rise to a corresponding height based on the force of the blow, displaying the striking power.

The Forging Hammer used for testing was uniformly set at one hundred jin. The Strength Testing Device would automatically deduct the force contributed by the hammer itself.

Ever since the two of them had come to Mang Tian's Workshop, they had taken a test once every year.

During their first test, Tang Wulin's striking power had been 160 kilograms, while Tang Wuyang had been even stronger, reaching 190 kilograms.

They had only been seven years old at the time.

At eight, Tang Wulin's strength had risen to 200 kilograms, while Tang Wuyang had directly reached 250 kilograms.

Although these test results had much to do with the inertia generated by swinging the hammer, reaching such strength at their age had already been astonishing.

After turning nine, neither of them had taken another test. Today was a good time to make up for it.

"Let's begin. Tang Wulin, you go first." Mang Tian handed him the testing Forging Hammer.

When Forging Masters tested their strength, their left and right hands had to be measured separately.

During Tang Wulin and Tang Wuyang's first test, they had given Mang Tian a pleasant surprise.

The strength in both their hands had been extremely balanced. The force generated by their right arms had only been slightly greater than that of their left arms.

Tang Wulin stepped before the device, picked up the Forging Hammer with his left hand, took a deep breath, and smashed it down fiercely.

Bang!

The mercury column shot upward instantly. The enormous boom left all three of them briefly deafened.

Then, the Strength Testing Device's electronic system automatically announced the result.

"Striking power: 480 kilograms." The number left all three of them stunned.

During last year's test, Tang Wulin's right hand had produced 200 kilograms of force, which had already shocked Mang Tian. He had never expected it to rise by so much in just one year.

"Right hand." Mang Tian tried his best to suppress the fluctuation in his voice.

Bang!

Tang Wulin switched the hammer to his right hand and smashed it down.

"Striking power: 520 kilograms."

Mang Tian's gaze turned somewhat blank. "Tang Wuyang, your turn."

Tang Wulin handed the hammer to Tang Wuyang. Tang Wuyang took it, raised it with his left hand, and smashed it down hard with a bang.

Bang!

"Striking power: 507 kilograms."

Then he switched the hammer to his right hand and smashed it down again.

Boom!

The instant Tang Wuyang's hammer struck, the entire room seemed to tremble faintly.

"Striking power: 630 kilograms."

Mang Tian looked at his two disciples with complete bewilderment. He had guessed that the children's strength had improved significantly, but he had never imagined it would increase to such an extent.

Both of them possessed the strength of a thousand jin in each arm. Tang Wulin's left arm fell just short, but it was extremely close.

At nine years old, possessing such strength made them two Little Monsters.

Although this was only explosive power generated from swinging a Forging Hammer, the device itself automatically deducted the portion belonging to the hammer.

Even ordinary power-type Soul Grand Masters might not be able to achieve their test results.

At the very least, Mang Tian had absolutely been unable to reach such a level before becoming a Soul Elder.

With this level of Innate Superhuman Strength, why were their Martial Souls Blue Silver Grass and a Beast Martial Soul mutated toward the elements? They should both have Strength Type Martial Souls.

If their Martial Souls had also been hammers or something similar, they truly would have been two unparalleled geniuses.

Mang Tian's gaze lingered more on Tang Wulin.

After all, Tang Wuyang's Qilin Martial Soul was still a Beast Martial Soul, no matter how much it had mutated toward the elements.

Although it differed from ordinary Beast Martial Souls and could amplify its user, absorbing Soul Rings would still bring considerable improvement to the body.

But Tang Wulin's Blue Silver Grass should not have brought him such improvements, even if it had mutated!

As if he had noticed Mang Tian's doubts, Tang Wuyang cast Tang Wulin an inquiring look.

Tang Wulin took a deep breath and nodded firmly before saying, "Teacher, I'm sorry. I hid something from you."

There was no blame in Mang Tian's eyes as he looked at Tang Wulin, only simple confusion. He motioned for him to continue.

"Unlike Wuyang, I actually have another Martial Soul."

The confusion on Mang Tian's face instantly became shock.

He nearly lunged in front of Tang Wulin, both hands gripping Tang Wulin's shoulders.

"You... you have Twin Martial Souls!"

Tang Wulin did not explain further. Instead, just as when he released his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, he slowly raised his left hand.

Under Mang Tian's astonished gaze, a faint silver-gray glow spread from his palm.

The light condensed, and a silver-gray Long Spear appeared before the three of them.

"Teacher, this is my Second Martial Soul. It's called the Holy Dragon Spear."

Tang Wulin's words received no response from Mang Tian. His gaze remained fixed on the Long Spear before him.

Tang Wuyang hurriedly explained, "Teacher, we didn't mean to hide it from you. Dad said this place is rather remote, and Ge's Innate Martial Soul isn't like those Twin Martial Soul geniuses who have eight, nine, or even Innate Full Soul Power."

"For his safety, Dad told us not to expose Ge's Second Martial Soul."

After a moment, Mang Tian sighed. "Your dad is right. In a remote little city like Aolai City, there's no guarantee that someone won't get bad ideas."

"Alright, put it away."

Tang Wulin obediently withdrew the Holy Dragon Spear and stood quietly where he was.

The doubts in Mang Tian's heart were instantly answered. He had originally wondered how Tang Wulin, whose Martial Soul was only Blue Silver Grass, could have improved his strength so quickly.

Now, he finally understood the reason.

Although Tang Wulin's Second Martial Soul was still a Tool Martial Soul, Twin Martial Souls inherently strengthened the body more than ordinary Martial Souls.

"Teacher, then can we... can we learn Thousand Forging now?" Tang Wuyang asked cautiously. Tang Wulin's eyes were also full of apprehension.

Mang Tian seemed to come back to his senses. "Follow me." He led the two of them to the only room in the workshop where two people could forge at the same time.

Mang Tian entered the room and took two silver-white pieces of metal from a rack nearby.

"I taught you long ago what types of metal can undergo Thousand Forging."

"These are two pieces of Sinking Silver. They possess excellent ductility and very good Soul Power conductivity."

"Only Thousand Forging can bring out the full effectiveness of metal at this level."

"Next, use them for your attempt."

As he spoke, Mang Tian handed the two pieces of Sinking Silver to the brothers.

Once they had accepted them, Mang Tian explained, "So-called Thousand Forging is absolutely not as simple as hammering a piece of metal one thousand times."

"It is the process of continuously forging away all impurities in the metal, increasing its density, and allowing it to undergo sublimation."

"Only when the metal produces a sublimation effect during the forging process can it be considered true Thousand Forging."

When he finished speaking, Mang Tian took out a Tungsten Steel Hammer that Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin both knew all too well.

"For example, the Thousand Refinements Tungsten Steel Hammers in your hands."

"Tungsten Steel is already extremely strong by nature. After Thousand Forging, its volume shrinks by one-third, while its strength increases by Two Hundred Percent."

"Its sublimation effect is a Thirty Percent increase in weight."

"The sublimation effect of a Tungsten Steel Hammer is one of the simplest. If the Thousand Forging is done well, it can even produce special sublimation effects. The better the sublimation effect, the more valuable the Thousand Forging metal becomes."

"At the Thousand Forging level, you must first forge the Thousand Refinements Metal itself, then shape it using the same method."

"That is why anything made from Thousand Refinements Metal is worth a hundred times more than something made through Hundred Refinements."

"Only upon reaching the Thousand Forging level can a Forging Master be considered to have truly entered the field."

What the two of them did not know was that this "entering the field" Mang Tian spoke of was something Ninety percent of Forging Masters could never attain in their entire lives.

Thousand Forging required more than strength. What mattered even more was comprehension, especially one's understanding of metal.

Tang Wuyang asked, "Teacher, are there any techniques for Thousand Forging?" Tang Wulin was also full of curiosity.

Mang Tian shook his head. "No. All I can tell you is that while forging, you must treat the metal as a lifeform and communicate with it as much as possible during the process."

"Only perfect communication can make the metal truly acknowledge you and allow you to find its secrets and patterns."

"Thousand Forging is also called Mental Forging. Every Forging Master completes Thousand Forging in a different way."

"Therefore, all I can tell you is to forge with your hearts and comprehend with your hearts."

"Yes!" Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin answered in unison.

The two had originally thought Mang Tian would at least demonstrate for them, but it seemed their teacher had no such intention. He was leaving everything to them.

Holding their respective pieces of Sinking Silver, they each walked to one of the two Forging Tables in the room.

They activated the Forging Tables and placed the Sinking Silver into the Smelting Furnaces inside to heat it.

Seeing that both had begun smelting the metal, Mang Tian decisively used Soul Power to envelop them, ensuring that neither would be influenced by the other.

While waiting for the metal to finish smelting, Tang Wuyang began recalling the characteristics of Sinking Silver that Mang Tian had described.

Sinking Silver was an extremely rare metal found only on the seabed at depths exceeding one thousand meters.

Sinking Silver itself was exceptionally hard, yet possessed powerful ductility at high temperatures and was an excellent conductor of Soul Power.

High-quality Sinking Silver could even provide an amplification of Five Percent to Ten percent when transmitting Soul Power.

Whether used in ordinary industry or Mecha Manufacturing, it was an exceptionally valuable material.

However, every advantage came with a drawback. Due to its extremely high density, Sinking Silver was astonishingly heavy.

A single piece of Standard Size Sinking Silver like the ones Mang Tian had given them weighed more than 200 kilograms, perhaps even 300 kilograms.

Therefore, even if its output was sufficient, it was more often used in large Solid State Soul Tools than in Mecha.

Although Sinking Silver was relatively rare inland, it was more common in Coastal Cities and was also an important source of income for some large coastal cities.

After being smelted for a full half hour, the Sinking Silver finally reached a temperature suitable for forging.

Seeing this, Tang Wuyang pressed the button on the Forging Table, raised the Sinking Silver, gripped the Tungsten Steel Hammer with both hands, and began forging with a rhythmic ding-ding clang.

At the same time, Tang Wulin swung his own Tungsten Steel Hammer at the other station.

Watching his two disciples work with such focus, Mang Tian could not help nodding to himself.

These two children had extremely high comprehension. Otherwise, they could never have built such a solid foundation in only three years.

Not only were they steady-tempered, but they were also very intelligent. They were perfectly suited to inherit his craft.

The Thousand Forging before them was undoubtedly an extremely important test.

Based on his earlier observations, Mang Tian believed that these two disciples had a chance of succeeding.

Especially after learning of their current strength, Mang Tian became even more certain of it.

They were only nine this year. If they could complete Thousand Forging, they would probably set a new record on the continent.

The current Thousand Forging record in the Forging Master Association had been set by a Holy Craftsman Level Forging Master at eleven years, three months, and two days old.

Naturally, Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin had no idea what Mang Tian was thinking. All of their attention was focused on the Sinking Silver before them.

His left hand swung up, then crashed down heavily. With a clang, the entire piece of Sinking Silver trembled slightly. The instant his left hand rose, the hammer in his right hand struck down like lightning.

Tang Wuyang had now focused all his energy on the piece of Sinking Silver before him. Although he and Tang Wulin had never performed Thousand Forging, countless Hundred Refinements metal components had come from their hands.

For a time, sparks flew from both Forging Tables. Beneath the isolation barrier, the rhythmic strikes rang out continuously like lively percussion.

Two hours later, Tang Wuyang's back was already soaked with sweat. No one noticed that faint Golden Patterns were emerging over the skin beneath his clothes.

Under Tang Wuyang's ceaseless hammering, the Sinking Silver had already shrunk considerably.

Suddenly, the greatly reduced Sinking Silver trembled faintly under Tang Wuyang's blows. Every strike seemed to resonate with it, and the Tungsten Steel Hammer in his hand felt like part of his body.

Under the ceaseless hammering, the Sinking Silver seemed to let out a contented chant. Tang Wuyang's eyes grew brighter and brighter, while a faint golden layer gradually spread across their depths. His hammering frequency also accelerated.

At the same time, the same scene appeared before Tang Wulin.

Faint silver-gray patterns were spreading across the limbs beneath his clothes.

The patterns seemed to lack enough momentum. After covering his limbs, they showed faint signs of continuing, yet could not advance any farther.

Mang Tian's attention was entirely on the two pieces of Sinking Silver. He did not notice the changes taking place on his disciples at all.

As a Master Craftsman Level Forging Master, Mang Tian keenly sensed the affinity between the two boys and the metal when he saw their current state.

It was a feeling impossible to describe with words, one that only those who had truly completed Thousand Forging could understand.

The sight deeply shocked Mang Tian. He understood that his two disciples had grasped the feeling of Thousand Forging.

Originally, Mang Tian had only intended for them to get a sense of Sinking Silver today and slowly search for the feeling. It would have been enough if they completed Thousand Forging before entering Intermediate Academy.

What he had never expected was that on the very day they first encountered Sinking Silver, these two disciples would directly begin Thousand Forging and truly enter that state.

This was certainly related to their strength, but what mattered even more was their comprehension!

These two children were destined to shake the forging world.

Mang Tian's greatest regret in life had been his inability to become a Holy Craftsman Level Forging Master, but in Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin, he seemed to see that hope once more.