Task

Watching his two well-behaved sons run back to their room, Tang Ziran had yet to react when a drop of liquid suddenly fell onto his shoulder.

Tang Ziran turned his head and saw his wife standing behind him, her eyes blurred with tears.

"Linlin and Yangyang are still so young. Why are you doing this?"

"As long as we tighten our belts a little, along with the savings from these past years, we should be able to scrape together enough money to buy Soul Spirits for the two children."

Lang Yue's voice was choked with sobs as she spoke. Over the years, she had never gone against her husband's decisions, but this time...

Tang Ziran sighed softly. "Although Linlin and Yangyang both have Soul Power, and Linlin even has Twin Martial Souls, one of them is Blue Silver Grass! We don't know the quality of Yangyang's Martial Soul either, and his Innate Soul Power is only Level Three. No one knows whether they can truly become Soul Masters."

"With the two children's talent, becoming Soul Masters is simply too difficult."

"Forging is a craft. Though Linlin and Yangyang are young, both children are strong-willed."

"Forging is not merely about forging metal. It is also a form of training for them."

"If they can truly persevere, it will not only provide them with another path, but also give them a means of making a living when they grow up."

"At the same time, it can temper their resilience. So this will bring them nothing but benefits."

"You know our situation too. I'm afraid that one day, we..."

"Of course, if Linlin and Yangyang can earn Mang Tian's approval, that would be even better."

"His Professional Rank is even higher than mine was back then."

Early the next morning, after saying goodbye to Mom and Na'er, Tang Wuyang happily followed Tang Wulin to school.

After a night of Meditation, Tang Wuyang could clearly feel that he had become increasingly familiar with his Qilin Martial Soul. It was to the point that his body seemed faintly able to sense all kinds of tiny Elemental Molecules floating in the air.

This change also gave Tang Wuyang a conjecture, though it was only a conjecture.

The Soul Master class did not teach only Soul Master knowledge. They alternated between a day of Soul Master knowledge and a day of Cultural Course.

Since yesterday had been devoted to Soul Master knowledge, today was the turn of Cultural Course.

Although Tang Wuyang was not as eager as Tang Wulin to raise his hand and answer questions, he still listened attentively and took careful notes.

"Mom, why did you come to pick us up today? Where's Na'er?" Tang Wuyang asked.

After school, the moment they walked out of the gates, Lang Yue appeared before them.

Tenderness filled Lang Yue's eyes as she hurried over and picked up one son in each arm.

"Ah, Mom, put me down! All my classmates can see!" Tang Wuyang struggled.

"Exactly, Mom, let me go! Wuyang and I are big kids already. How embarrassing would it be if our classmates saw us!" Tang Wulin also struggled in Lang Yue's arms.

Lang Yue laughed. "No matter how old you are, you'll always be my sons. Mom is taking you to Uncle Mang Tian's place."

"Linlin, Yangyang, are you really going to learn forging?"

Tang Wulin nodded and answered firmly, "Yes! Dad said that a man should be self-reliant."

Tang Wuyang echoed in agreement, "That's right. We're going to earn money ourselves to buy Soul Spirits."

Lang Yue set down her two sons and crouched before them. "Linlin, Yangyang, don't force yourselves if you can't keep going. If it really doesn't work out, Mom will find a job too and help you save money."

"No, we'll save money ourselves." Tang Wulin looked at Lang Yue resolutely.

Tang Wuyang agreed from the side. "That's right. We promised Dad that we'd save money ourselves to buy Soul Spirits!"

With reddened eyes, Lang Yue held back her tears and kissed both sons on the cheeks. "All right, then let's go."

Aolai City was not large to begin with, so there was no need for transportation.

After Lang Yue led the two children along for over twenty minutes, a small storefront appeared before them.

The storefront looked somewhat shabby, and the sign above it bore Five words: Mang Tian's Workshop.

Before they even reached the entrance, the smell of metal rushed toward them.

Lang Yue pressed the doorbell, and before long, the door opened.

A tall, dark-skinned Middle-aged man walked out. He had a short, thick beard, making him look somewhat fierce.

"Sister-in-law, you're here."

The Middle-aged man's voice was low and resonant. When it entered their ears, both Brothers felt a faint buzzing.

"Uncle Mang Tian."

Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin politely greeted the Uncle they had met a few times before.

"Um."

Mang Tian nodded expressionlessly, then said to Lang Yue, "Sister-in-law, go back first. Come pick them up in two hours."

"Big Brother Mang Tian, I'll trouble you with them."

Lang Yue turned and took two steps forward, then reluctantly looked back at her two sons. She wanted to say something, but ultimately gritted her teeth and held it back.

"Come in."

After saying that, Mang Tian did not wait for the two to react before turning and walking inside.

Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin exchanged a glance. After saying "Oh," they hurriedly followed Mang Tian into the workshop.

The workshop's main hall was a mess, with all sorts of metal parts scattered everywhere.

Tang Wuyang gave the place a quick look and could only barely recognize that quite a few of the parts appeared to belong to a Soul Guide Mecha.

Tang Wulin glanced at his Older brother, then looked at the metal parts with the same uncertainty in his eyes.

Mang Tian did not stop and continued walking deeper inside on his own.

Seeing this, Tang Wuyang hurriedly tugged Tang Wulin, who was still observing the surroundings, signaling him to catch up quickly.

The storefront looked small from outside, but the interior was quite spacious. After passing through a corridor, Mang Tian brought Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin into a room.

There was a workbench in the room. At Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin's current height, they could not reach its surface.

Mang Tian walked all the way to the workbench before stopping. He turned to look at the two following behind him and asked, "Do you know what forging is?"

Blank looks appeared in Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin's eyes. They shook their heads in unison.

Seeing their reaction, Mang Tian said nothing else and spoke indifferently. "Actually, I never intended to take you in. You are both too young and not suited for forging, but your father insisted on letting you try."

"So let me make this clear beforehand. If you try it and feel that you cannot bear it, leave this place. Don't stand here crying in front of me. Understand?"

Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin shouted firmly at the same time, "We won't cry!"

Mang Tian said coldly, "This is your task for today."

As he spoke, he pointed to the side.

Following the direction he pointed, they saw two metal platforms about half a meter tall placed side by side on the floor. On each metal platform rested a circular metal block.

Below each metal block was an inactive Soul Guidance Screen.

Mang Tian picked up two small metal hammers from the side and handed them to Tang Wulin.

Then he took another identical pair and handed them to Tang Wuyang.

"See those circular metal blocks? Use the pair of hammers in your hands to strike them one thousand times, five hundred with each hand. Only strikes that meet the strength requirement will be counted by the counter below."

"The standard is roughly the force you produce when you swing the hammer up and smash it down."

"Finish, and I'll explain what forging is. Fail, and neither of you needs to come back tomorrow."

After saying that, he did not wait for the Brothers to react and simply turned to leave the room.

The metal hammers Mang Tian had given them had cylindrical heads, each half a foot long and roughly ten centimeters in diameter.

Each one weighed around ten jin. For two six-year-old children, that was clearly no light weight, not to mention that they had to swing them up and hammer with them.

Tang Wuyang looked at the metal platform and said to Tang Wulin, "Ge, let's begin!"

With that, he carried the hammers over to one machine. Seeing this, Tang Wulin quickly walked to the other.

Tang Wuyang raised a hammer and discovered in surprise that the pair did not seem as heavy as he had imagined. He swung the hammer in his right hand and smashed it down.

Bang!

The thunderous clang of metal colliding startled him. The Soul Guidance Screen below seemed to activate.

The screen lit up and displayed the number one. Tang Wuyang raised his Left Hand and smashed it down, causing the number to jump to two.

This did not seem too difficult. Tang Wuyang began striking with both hands, alternating his hammers.

The pair of Iron Hammers struck continuously, while the number on the screen below steadily increased.

When the count reached one hundred, Tang Wuyang had already begun to sweat. By three hundred, a sore, swollen feeling had begun to spread through his arms.

At that moment, Tang Wuyang no longer had any spare energy to pay attention to his Older brother beside him. He could only keep telling himself, Hold on. I have to hold on!

Enduring the soreness, Tang Wuyang continued swinging the Double Hammer.

By five hundred strikes, the soreness had become pain. Yet he did not stop and continued gritting his teeth in persistence.

As the count rose, the pain grew stronger. Tang Wuyang's arms had begun to redden slightly, but his speed did not slow in the slightest.

Tang Wuyang kept repeating in his heart, I have to keep going. I have to study forging hard and save money to buy Soul Spirits, so Dad and Mom can be happy, so I can protect Na'er.

At seven hundred strikes, Tang Wuyang could no longer feel his arms, and his speed had dropped, but he still persevered.

Hearing the hammering beside him, Tang Wuyang knew that his Older brother was also persevering. He could not give up either.

His School Uniform was soaked through with sweat and clung to his body, while sweat continuously dripped from his face.

Just then, Tang Wuyang suddenly felt a numb sensation at his tailbone, and his entire body trembled as though shocked by electricity.

The next moment, Tang Wuyang discovered in astonishment that the pain had actually lessened somewhat. Even the hammers in his hands, which had felt exceedingly heavy moments ago, became a little lighter again.

Bang, bang, bang...

The hammering sped up. The changes in his body made Tang Wuyang feel as though the final three hundred strikes were no longer so burdensome.

"One thousand!"

The number finally reached the mark Mang Tian had demanded. Only then did Tang Wuyang put down his Double Hammer and gasp for breath.

He could clearly feel a piercing pain in the palms of his hands, which hung at his sides gripping the metal hammers. His arms were so sore that they felt as though they did not belong to him.

Yet at the same time, there was an unexpected sense of comfort. The numbness at his tailbone continued, bringing a strange sensation.

What Tang Wuyang did not see was that a faint Golden Pattern was continuously wandering around his tailbone.

After resting for a full five or six minutes, Tang Wuyang finally felt a little better.

Turning to look beside him, he saw a number just over nine hundred on the screen and his Older brother still swinging his hammer down again and again.

If Tang Wuyang could see through things, he would have discovered faint phantom Silver-gray scales emerging on his Older brother's limbs, though only on his limbs.

Seeing Tang Wulin still focused on completing his strikes, Tang Wuyang decided to find Mang Tian first.

"Uncle Mang Tian, I've finished."

After wandering around for quite some time, Tang Wuyang finally found Mang Tian in a room, sitting on a chair and fiddling with parts.

Mang Tian froze, then looked at the watch on his wrist. Only half an hour had passed.

"You finished?" Mang Tian looked at Tang Wuyang with astonishment filling his eyes.

"Um." Tang Wuyang nodded.

Seeing him covered in sweat, Mang Tian did not question him further. He Stood Up and led Tang Wuyang back to the room from before.

Tang Wulin was still going in the room. Mang Tian walked straight to the vacant machine, where a large one thousand was displayed on the screen before him.

Just as Mang Tian was still in Shock, a voice suddenly sounded beside him. "Uncle Mang Tian, I-I've finished."

Tang Wulin was still gasping heavily, and Mang Tian was stunned once more. He could hardly believe it.

The two Iron Hammers were naturally not heavy to him, but they were certainly not hollow either. Each one truly weighed ten jin.

Even for a normal adult man, swinging them one thousand times like this would likely leave his arms so weak that he could not lift them.

Moreover, it would be difficult to finish in such a short time, let alone for two children who were only six years old.

The Test Mang Tian had given them had actually been nothing more than a tactful refusal.

He had a good relationship with Tang Ziran and could not directly refuse him, but he was also unwilling to teach two six-year-old children who, in his view, had no chance of learning forging well. Yet what he saw before him...

"Hammer for me again. Until I tell you to stop, neither of you is allowed to stop." Mang Tian looked at the two seriously.

Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin obediently picked up their hammers again. After resting for a while, Tang Wuyang felt the pain in his arms lessen slightly.

Tang Wulin, however, had it worse. He had only just finished and had not even had time to rest before being forced to continue.

But so that he could stay with his Younger brother, Tang Wulin ignored the cries of pain from his arms and palms. Though the frequency of his hammering gradually slowed, he still gritted his teeth and persevered.

Bang, bang, bang, bang...

Hammer after hammer fell. There was no technique, nor did they borrow any force. It was merely simple, direct hammering against the metal blocks.

With Mang Tian's forging experience, he could tell after only a few glances that the two children possessed enough strength to wield the hammers in their hands and complete the strikes.

The phrase Innate Superhuman Strength naturally had different standards when applied to people of different ages.

Yet for these two six-year-old children to swing such a pair of Iron Hammers and complete one thousand strikes at their age, they absolutely deserved that description.

However, Mang Tian did not tell them to stop. He merely watched silently from the side as they continued hammering.

Because the two children's movements were so direct and forceful, without any technique to dissipate or redirect force, the recoil from the hammer blows was undoubtedly borne entirely by their arms.

Fifty strikes, one hundred strikes, one hundred and twenty strikes...

As the number of strikes increased, sweat poured out again. Their arms burned, and the soreness was even worse than before.

Perhaps because he was using too much force, Tang Wuyang felt his head swelling, but his hands did not stop moving. He clenched his teeth and persisted.

Tang Wulin's condition was even worse. As the number of strikes continued to rise, he could feel his consciousness growing increasingly blurred. His once bright eyes had completely lost focus, and he relied solely on muscle memory to repeat the motions of swinging up and smashing down.

When Mang Tian called for them to stop, Tang Wuyang himself did not know how many times he had swung his hammer. If Mang Tian had not supported him in time, he would have collapsed straight onto the floor.

Tang Wulin was in even worse shape. The arm holding the metal hammer trembled slightly, then both his hands instantly gave out. With a clang, the Double Hammer crashed to the ground.

Seeing this, Mang Tian did not reprimand them. Instead, he first settled the two aside, then picked up the hammer Tang Wulin had dropped.

When Mang Tian took Tang Wuyang's hammer, his gaze swept over the two children's palms.

He clearly saw that the skin on both Tang Wuyang and Tang Wulin's palms had been rubbed raw by the recoil from the hammer handles, while their arms had swollen and reddened in a full circle.

Seeing this, Mang Tian was finally moved.