One Hammer, a Hundred Refinements, Reorganizing the Mang Tian Worldview

Since it was the weekend, the Tang Heng brothers did not have to go to class.

Tang Ziran had already spoken to Mang Tian on the phone yesterday about Tang Wulin's desire to learn forging, so he woke both boys up bright and early.

"Why do I have to go too..."

Tang Heng yawned and said slowly.

After Tang Wulin fell asleep yesterday, he had gone straight to the MC plane, where he spent a week in the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform killing spirit beasts.

He had only logged out of the game just before dawn, so he had barely slept before being called up.

Tang Ziran walked in front 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, and when we saw you both unconscious, we were worried sick."

"Even though you said you were fine, your mother and I still don't feel at ease. Uncle Mang isn't just a blacksmith; he's also a powerful spirit master. Let him check your health."

Tang Heng could only nod in helpless agreement, obediently following his father alongside his younger brother.

As it happened, he also wanted to purchase some rare metals from Mang Tian to see if he could hammer them himself to craft armor or weapons.

Proud Arrival City was not large, and Mang Tian Studio was not too far from the Tang family home; they arrived after a walk of about ten minutes.

The storefront looked somewhat dilapidated, with a sign reading "Mang Tian Studio" hanging above. Even before entering, one could hear the sound of "clang, clang, clang."

That was the sound of metal being hammered.

After he pressed the doorbell, the noise inside ceased, the door opened, and a middle-aged man stepped out.

The man was tall and broad with dark skin and a full beard, easily reminding one of Zhang Fei from the New Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

A sword of benevolence, a... cough, his mind had wandered off to the heavens.

Tang Heng pulled himself together and, along with his brother, politely bowed to the uncle they had met a few times before.

"Um, this is my younger son who wants to learn forging. This is my eldest son; he fainted on the side of the road for no reason yesterday, so could I trouble Brother Mang to take a look at him?"

"Hmm." Mang Tian nodded expressionlessly, then said to Tang Ziran, "Ziran, you go back first. Come pick them up in two hours."

"Brother Mang Tian, then I'll leave them to you." Tang Ziran looked at his sons with some reluctance, wanting to say something, but ultimately bit his tongue and held back.

After Tang Ziran left, Tang Heng and his brother followed Mang Tian into the building.

The studio was cluttered, filled with many metal parts and minerals he didn't recognize, with a large forging table not far away.

Once inside, Mang Tian didn't immediately teach Tang Wulin about forging; instead, he had him take two hammers and strike a metal counter, seemingly to test if he had the aptitude to learn the craft.

"Release your martial soul. Remember, do not resist my spirit power."

Mang Tian placed one hand on Tang Heng's shoulder, four spirit rings—white, yellow, yellow, and purple—rising beneath his feet. A heavy hammer appeared in his left hand; it was his martial soul, the Earth Hammer.

Immediately after, the previously expressionless Mang Tian's eyes widened in shock.

As Tang Heng released his Gold Dragon King martial soul, a terrifying aura instantly permeated the small studio.

Even Tang Wulin was affected, the force of his strikes against the metal sphere increasing as a result.

The spirit power Mang Tian had just injected into Tang Heng's body was like a stone cast into the ocean, swallowed up by a vortex without a trace. It even threatened to follow the connection and plunder the spirit power from his own body, scaring Mang Tian into cutting the connection immediately.

"What kind of martial soul is this? It's incredibly overbearing."

Mang Tian still felt a lingering fear; he was a four-ringed Soul Ancestor, yet he had nearly been caught in the trap of a mere spirit master.

Tang Heng waved his Gold Dragon Claw and said bluntly, "Martial soul Golden Dragon, just Innate Full Soul Power."

"It's actually a Golden Dragon? That's a true dragon martial soul, known as the ancestor of strength! Are you interested in learning forging?" Mang Tian leaned in to ask, his enthusiasm a far cry from his cold demeanor moments ago.

Forging might seem like something anyone could pick up, but the further one went, the more one realized the importance of spirit power and martial soul to this path.

A large part of the reason he had been unable to break through to a Level 6 Blacksmith was that his own martial soul was too weak.

If he had a better martial soul and innate spirit power, perhaps everything would be different now.

Tang Heng looked conflicted. He had originally planned to choose a secondary profession like a designer; should he try forging instead?

After hesitating for a long time, he nodded.

After all, he had the MC plane; resources and time were the things he lacked the least, so learning a bit of forging wouldn't hurt.

Who knew? Perhaps he could use the rare metals he forged to craft weapons and armor later on.

Seeing Tang Heng agree, Mang Tian was overjoyed. Ever since he had become trapped at the Master-level of forging and moved to this small place called Proud Arrival City, he hadn't been this happy in a long time.

On the other side, Tang Wulin had also completed his preliminary test.

"Uncle Mang, I'm done." Tang Wulin walked over, put the hammers away, and sat down on the floor, panting heavily.

Mang Tian looked at the clock on the wall. It hadn't even been a few minutes, and he was already done?

The test he had given was essentially a polite way of refusing.

He had a good relationship with Tang Ziran and couldn't refuse him directly, but he truly didn't want to teach a six-year-old child who he believed had no chance of mastering forging.

Yet, everything happening before his eyes told him that he had severely underestimated the heroes of the world.

His gaze swept back and forth between Tang Wulin and Tang Heng, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

Tang Ziran, your sons truly have the potential of a Saint Craftsman!

Tang Wulin shook his slightly sore arms and, noticing his brother's gaze, the two brothers shared a smile.

Why was he able to complete the task Uncle Mang assigned so quickly? It must have been related to his older brother helping him discipline the low-level dragon beast inside his body.

His brother was the best to him!

"Ahem, Little Heng, go take the hammer Wulin just used. You may choose any metal to forge, and I will provide guidance from the side."

Because of Tang Heng's martial soul, Mang Tian was very confident in his strength, so he only needed to observe the movements Tang Heng made while forging the metal and then point out and correct them.

Tang Heng nodded, picked up the forging hammer hanging on the wall, and the light, airy feeling made him think the object in his hand was a toy.

There were many rare metals in Mang Tian's studio, but Tang Heng did not recognize most of them, so he ultimately chose a piece of Sinking Silver, which had excellent ductility in the original work.

"Sinking Silver? The forging difficulty for this thing is quite high; actually, I would suggest you..."

Before Mang Tian could finish his sentence, Tang Heng had already raised the forging hammer high, and relying on the muscle memory from using an anvil in My World, he slammed it down hard.

"Clang!"

The crisp sound echoed throughout the entire studio, and the others present could even feel a slight tremor coming from the floor.

Mang Tian's gaze fell upon the Sinking Silver beneath the forging hammer, only to see that the previously dull Sinking Silver was now emitting a pale white, silvery luster.

"Hundred Refinements in a single strike?! How is that possible!"