Ever since the day Yun Jingheng finalized the blueprints for his One-Word Armor and left the house, he had not seen Yun Ming.
Ya Li told him that his father had matters to attend to, and he did not think much of it.
He followed his routine of cultivation, eating, and sleeping, with forging added to the mix.
Although his strength was not particularly outstanding, Hundred Refinements purification was still far too easy for a Four Rings Soul Master.
So after witnessing Yun Jingheng's attempts, Feng Wuyu directly began teaching him Thousand Refinements.
Feng Wuyu said that the greatest difference between Thousand Refinements and Hundred Refinements was not in the hands, but in the heart.
"Hundred Refinements is purification, hammering the impurities out of metal. Thousand Refinements is soul-shaping, hammering out the metal's own will."
He picked up a piece of Sinking Silver and placed it on the forging table, then brought his hammer down.
"Clang—" The sound was crisper and brighter than usual. A faint sheen emerged on the metal's surface, like ripples across water.
"Every piece of metal has its own grain. During Hundred Refinements, you hammer along that grain and drive out the impurities."
"During Thousand Refinements, you have to bring that grain to life, make the metal itself remember this shape."
He handed the piece of Sinking Silver to Yun Jingheng.
The metal was very light, its surface covered in fine patterns like fingerprints.
Yun Jingheng touched it. The patterns were raised, not engraved—they had formed naturally.
"Give it a try," Feng Wuyu said.
Yun Jingheng picked up a fresh piece of Sinking Silver and placed it on the forging table.
He took a deep breath and raised his hammer.
"Clang—" The sound was duller than Feng Wuyu's, and there was no sheen on the metal's