Since it was the weekend, the Tang brothers didn't have to go to class.
Tang Ziran had already told Mang Tian over the phone yesterday that Tang Wulin wanted to learn forging, so he woke the boys up early that morning.
"Why do I have to go too...?"
Tang Heng yawned and spoke slowly.
After Tang Wulin had fallen asleep yesterday, he'd gone straight to the Minecraft Plane and spent a week killing Soul Beasts in the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform.
He'd only logged out when he saw it was nearly dawn, and he hadn't been asleep for long before they woke him.
Tang Ziran walked ahead and said crossly, "You and Na'er didn't come back until the middle of the night yesterday. Your mother and I searched for you for ages. When we found you both unconscious, we were worried sick."
"You said you were fine, but your mother and I still weren't reassured. Uncle Mang is not only a blacksmith but also a powerful Soul Master. Let him check you over."
Tang Heng could only nod helplessly and follow behind his father with his younger brother.
As it happened, he also wanted to buy some rare metals from Mang Tian and see if he could hammer them himself to make weapons and armor.
Aolai City wasn't very big, and Mang Tian's studio wasn't far from the Tang family's home. They reached it after a walk of about ten minutes.
The storefront looked a little dilapidated. A sign above the door read "Mang Tian Studio," and even before they went inside, they could hear a steady "clang, clang, clang."
It was the sound of metal being hammered.
Tang Ziran pressed the doorbell. The noise inside stopped, and then the door opened. A middle-aged man came out.
He was tall, dark-skinned, and sported a full beard. He reminded Tang Heng of Zhang Fei from the Three Kingdoms television series.
"One Benevolence Sword, and one... ahem. Sorry, I got distracted."
Tang Heng pulled himself back to the present, then politely greeted the uncle he'd met a few times before, following his younger brother's lead.
"Um, this is my younger son, the one who wants to learn forging. This is my eldest. He fainted by the roadside yesterday for no apparent reason. Could I trouble you, Brother Mang, to check on him?"
"Mm." Mang Tian nodded expressionlessly, then said to Tang Ziran, "Ziran, you can head home for now. Come back and pick up the brothers in two hours."
"Brother Mang, sorry for the trouble." Tang Ziran looked at his sons reluctantly, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he gritted his teeth and held back.
After Tang Ziran left, Tang Heng and his younger brother followed Mang Tian inside.
The studio was a mess, with metal parts and unfamiliar minerals scattered everywhere. A large forging platform stood farther inside.
Once they were in, Mang Tian didn't immediately teach Tang Wulin about forging. Instead, he had him pick up two hammers and strike a metal counter. It looked like he wanted to test whether Tang Wulin had the ability to learn forging.
"Release your Martial Soul, and remember not to resist my Soul Power."
Mang Tian rested one hand on Tang Heng's shoulder. Four Soul Rings—white, yellow, yellow, and purple—rose beneath his feet, and a heavy hammer appeared in his left hand. It was his Martial Soul, the Earth Hammer.
The next instant, Mang Tian, who had been expressionless just moments before, widened his eyes.
As Tang Heng released the Gold Dragon King Martial Soul, a terrifying aura spread through the tiny studio in an instant.
Even Tang Wulin was affected somewhat, and his strikes against the metal ball grew stronger.
The Soul Power Mang Tian had just sent into Tang Heng's body vanished like a stone dropped into the sea, swallowed up by a vortex without a trace. Worse, it seemed to be about to flow back along the Soul Power Link and drain Mang Tian's own Soul Power. Startled, Mang Tian immediately severed the connection.
"What kind of Martial Soul is that? It's incredibly domineering."
Mang Tian was still shaken. He was a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor, yet he'd nearly fallen prey to a Soul Master.
Tang Heng waved his Gold Dragon Claw and answered plainly, "Golden Dragon. Innate Full Soul Power, that's all."
"So it's a Golden Dragon? That's a True Dragon Martial Soul, hailed as the ancestor of strength! Would you be interested in learning to forge?" Mang Tian asked, leaning closer. His enthusiasm was a far cry from his earlier icy demeanor.
Forging seemed like something anyone could try, but the farther one went, the more important Soul Power and one's Martial Soul became.
The reason Mang Tian had been unable to break through to Level Six Forging Master for so long was largely that his Martial Soul was too weak.
If he'd had a better Martial Soul and greater Innate Soul Power, perhaps things would have been different for him.
Tang Heng wore a conflicted expression. He'd planned to choose a side profession like design. Should he give forging a try?
After hesitating for a while, he nodded.
After all, he had the Minecraft Plane, and resources and time were the last things he lacked. Learning some forging wouldn't hurt.
Who knew? Perhaps later he could use the rare metals he forged himself to make weapons and armor.
Mang Tian was overjoyed when Tang Heng agreed. Ever since he'd become stuck at the Grandmaster Craftsman level and moved to the small town of Aolai City, it had been a long time since he'd felt this happy.
Meanwhile, Tang Wulin had also completed his preliminary test.
"Uncle Mang, I'm done." Tang Wulin came over, set down the hammers, then plopped onto the floor and panted heavily.
Mang Tian glanced at the clock on the wall. Hadn't it been only a few minutes?
The test he'd given was really just a way to turn Tang Wulin down politely.
He and Tang Ziran were on good terms, so he hadn't wanted to refuse him outright. But he truly hadn't wanted to teach a six-year-old child who, in his opinion, had no chance of learning to forge well.
Yet everything happening before his eyes was telling him that he'd underestimated the heroes of the world.
His gaze moved between Tang Wulin and Tang Heng, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
Tang Ziran, your son truly has the makings of a Saint Craftsman!
Tang Wulin shook his slightly aching arms. Noticing his older brother's gaze, the brothers exchanged a smile.
Why had he finished Uncle Mang's task so quickly? It had to be because his older brother had helped him deal with the Low-Level Dragon Beast inside him.
His big brother was the best!
"Ahem, Xiaoheng, go get the hammer Wulin just used. You can choose any metal you like to forge, and I'll guide you."
Because of Tang Heng's Martial Soul, Mang Tian was confident in his strength. He only needed to watch Tang Heng's hammering and point out and correct his movements.
Tang Heng nodded and picked up a forging hammer hanging on the wall. It felt so light that he thought he was holding a toy.
Mang Tian's studio had quite a few rare metals, most of which Tang Heng didn't recognize. In the end, he chose Sinking Silver, which had excellent malleability in the original story.
"Sinking Silver? This stuff is pretty hard to forge. I'd actually recommend—"
Before Mang Tian could finish speaking, Tang Heng had already raised the forging hammer. Relying on the feel he'd developed from using an anvil in My World, he brought it down with a mighty swing.
"Clang!"
The crisp sound rang through the entire studio. Everyone present could even feel a faint tremor in the floor.
Mang Tian's gaze fell on the Sinking Silver beneath the hammer. The metal, which had been dull gray just moments before, now shimmered with a pale silver light.
"One Hammer, a Hundred Refinements?! How is that possible!"
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