Zhen Hua led Lin Qingzhou out of the office and down the corridor, taking several turns. The walls on both sides were covered with portraits of forging masters from past generations and photos of their signature works. Some of the photos had yellowed with age, dating back farther than the combined years of Lin Qingzhou's two lives.
Zhen Hua said little along the way, but every now and then he glanced sideways at Lin Qingzhou, his gaze carrying a quiet scrutiny.
Mu Ye had slipped away at some point without so much as a word. But Lin Qingzhou knew perfectly well that the old chef had probably gone to verify his story.
Mu Ye couldn't possibly have no channels for gathering information in Aolai City.
The forging room's door was made of alloy, at least thirty centimeters thick. Once it opened, a whole new world lay beyond.
The room was about half the size of a basketball court. At its center stood a large hydraulic forging machine and its accompanying Soul Guidance furnace. Beside them sat a multifunctional metal-processing device whose model he couldn't identify.
Dozens of forging hammers of different sizes hung on the wall, from the smallest finishing hammer to the largest sledgehammer, arranged neatly across the entire wall.
Several precision instruments of unknown purpose stood in a corner. The Soul Guidance circuits on their control panels glimmered with a steady blue light.
Zhen Hua walked to the wall, took a hammer from the rack, then turned and held it out to Lin Qingzhou.
Lin Qingzhou took it, and his hand dipped slightly. This hammer was much lighter than the warhammer he'd used before, but it felt completely different in his grip.
The hammerhead was made of Thousand-Refined Tungsten Steel, its surface densely covered with fish-scale forging patterns that gleamed a reserved silver-gray under the light.
The handle had been worn smooth but wasn't slippery. Faint impressions remained on it, marks left by a hand after years of use.
The hammerhead's weight distribution was exquisitely precise. Even without exerting any force, he could tell where its center of gravity lay.
"This hammer is called the Thousand-Refined Tungsten Steel Hammer."
Zhen Hua watched how he gripped the hammer and gave the slightest nod.
"It's one of the basic hammers I forged years ago. Tungsten steel is heavy and hard to begin with, and after Thousand Refinement, its density and toughness both reach a higher level. It's no divine weapon, but it's perfect for testing a blacksmith's fundamentals."
"Give it a try. The materials are on the forging table. Pick whichever you like."
Zhen Hua stepped back, leaving him the space in front of the forging table.
Standing before the table, Lin Qingzhou ran his fingers over several metal blanks: ordinary Iron Essence, Deep Silver, and Magic Silver.
Magic Silver was expensive by the standards of ordinary metals, but its properties were excellent. It was highly malleable and had a strong affinity for Soul Power, making it suitable for precision components.
Mang Tian had used it a few times for precision orders. Each time, he'd winced over the cost of the material. Lin Qingzhou picked up the piece of Magic Silver, weighed it in his hand, and set it on the forging table.
He took a deep breath. The things Mang Tian had taught him came back to him automatically. They weren't any advanced techniques, just a breakdown of the most fundamental movements.
The metal had to be heated evenly; he couldn't just burn one side. His hammer had to land true; brute force alone wouldn't do. The hammer face had to meet the metal's surface perfectly—even a one-degree difference could warp its grain.
The timing of the quench mattered more than anything. Too early, and the metal would shatter; too late, and it would soften.
As the furnace temperature rose, he gripped the Magic Silver with tongs and placed it inside. He watched it slowly change color under the heat, from grayish white to deep red, then to bright orange.
Once the color was even, he pulled it out with the tongs and set it on the anvil. He raised the Thousand-Refined Tungsten Steel Hammer and brought down the first strike.
"Clang."
The sound rang clear and carried far. He'd spent several months hammering metal in Mang Tian's forging room, so he knew that sound by heart.
But the feel of the hammer in his hand was completely different. The Thousand-Refined Tungsten Steel Hammer gave exceptionally clear feedback. With every strike, the vibrations of its face honestly told him whether he'd hit the mark.
Zhen Hua's hammer was a good one. Every strike taught him something.
He didn't let his mind wander.
After hammering continuously for nearly two hours, the Magic Silver gradually changed beneath his hammer, going from an irregular blank to a roughly shaped metal component.
Hundred Refinement.
What Mang Tian had taught him might have been basic, but he'd built a solid foundation. Mang Tian had guided him through every step, hand in hand.
Zhen Hua had watched quietly from the side the whole time, neither interrupting nor offering guidance.
Only after Lin Qingzhou set down the hammer did Zhen Hua approach. He picked up the finished piece of Magic Silver and turned it over and over for quite some time. Then he put it down and looked at Lin Qingzhou.
"You didn't use Soul Power." Zhen Hua's voice was calm, but his gaze had grown noticeably more serious than before.
"I couldn't become a Soul Master before," Lin Qingzhou said honestly, wiping away his sweat. "I relied on strength alone to forge."
Zhen Hua fell silent for a while, lost in thought. After quite some time, he finally spoke.
"Kid, your talent for forging is greater than I expected. I can take you on and become your forging master. That old rascal Mu Ye brought you here for this, didn't he? What do you think?"
Before Lin Qingzhou could answer, the forging room's door swung open. Mu Ye leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, wearing the sort of grin that said, "See what a bargain I found?"
"Zhen Hua, you can't rush a good thing. You haven't even poured him a cup of tea, and you're already eager to take him as your disciple?"
Zhen Hua glanced at him but didn't argue. Mu Ye walked in and stopped beside Lin Qingzhou, his gaze falling on the boy who was still holding the Thousand-Refined Tungsten Steel Hammer.
He'd gone out to verify what Lin Qingzhou had told him, and through his connections, he'd confirmed the records from Aolai City.
The Evil Soul Master attack had indeed happened. Lin Qingzhou's background matched what he'd said, and there was nothing suspicious about it.
His gaze on Lin Qingzhou was a little gentler than it had been on the fishing boat.
"All right, kid."
Mu Ye rested a rough hand on Lin Qingzhou's shoulder and spoke casually. "Zhen Hua will teach you forging, and I'll teach you cultivation and how to fight. We'll both be your masters."
"Both of you?" Lin Qingzhou looked at Zhen Hua, then at Mu Ye. This lineup felt a little too impressive.
"What, two is too many?" Zhen Hua raised an eyebrow.
"No." For once, Lin Qingzhou didn't know what to say. In either of his lives, no one had ever fought over the chance to take him on.
"All right, all right, quit dawdling. The kid's ours. Let's settle the apprenticeship ceremony quickly; we still have business to take care of afterward." Mu Ye had already made the decision for them.
Lin Qingzhou made no further objections.
He stepped back half a pace and bowed to the two of them. He'd only learned the bare basics of the apprenticeship ceremony at Mang Tian's blacksmith shop, but he knew what he had to do.
He genuinely wanted to become their disciple. After all, these two could give him more opportunities to advance and access to more resources, and his strength would surely improve much faster.
His fists clenched slightly, his gaze resolute. Strength was crucial to him. It meant Na'er's resurrection.
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