Juggler and Na'er watched Lan Kai forge with great interest. Since they had never seen the process before, they found it fascinating.
Every one of Lan Kai's movements was precise and practiced. Apart from slight adjustments to change where the hammer landed, each motion was nearly identical, making the whole process a pleasure to watch.
With every strike Lan Kai delivered, the Deep Silver grew smaller, and its texture became more beautiful.
What they didn't yet understand was that the spot where Lan Kai struck each time was chosen with great care.
Thanks to the boost from the Light of Orb, Lan Kai could see things others couldn't, such as certain structural features of the Deep Silver itself.
As he continued forging, Lan Kai gradually worked out a few tricks, like where to strike with the hammer to get the best results.
With the power and keen perception granted by the Light of Orb, Lan Kai had completed Hundred Refinement before he even realized it. He didn't stop there, though, and kept striving toward Thousand Refinement.
When Mu Chen saw that Lan Kai had completed Hundred Refinement without even noticing, his eyes immediately lit up.
He couldn't sense any Soul Power fluctuations from Lan Kai, but he did notice the unusual energy signature of the Light of Orb. That mysterious energy had allowed Lan Kai to complete Hundred Refinement with ease—and still have strength to spare.
"Looks like it might not be impossible for Lan Kai to complete Thousand Refinement, either. Let's see how he does.
"If he starts running out of strength, I'll stop him right away."
Thinking this, Mu Chen adjusted the forging platform to bring the Deep Silver to a more suitable temperature, helping Lan Kai with Thousand Refinement.
But Thousand Refinement required more than simply sustaining one's strength. To reach a higher level, he had to try to imbue the metal with a measure of life, giving it spirit. That way, when it was later forged into shape and fused with a Soul Master, it could bond better with them and provide a greater boost.
And Lan Kai was about to run into that very problem.
"Damn, if I keep forging, the hammer blows alone won't be enough to improve the quality of this metal anymore.
"If I remember right, Thousand Refinement Grade One is considered half a step toward Spirit Refinement. It needs to be given some spirit, but I don't have nearly enough Soul Power to do that.
"In the original story, Tang Wulin couldn't reach Thousand Refinement Grade One until he had two Soul Rings. That means Soul Power alone makes two Soul Rings the minimum threshold for Thousand Refinement with Spirit.
"Then I'll have to use some special methods."
Thinking this, Lan Kai lowered the forging hammer in his left hand and let the Orb Ring appear in his palm.
"Oh? Is that his Martial Soul? His first Soul Spirit is a thousand years old, but how can a Tool Martial Soul give him such tremendous strength and such keen perception..."
When the Orb Ring appeared, Mu Chen couldn't help being taken aback. The purple Soul Ring that appeared alongside it was simply too shocking.
But Mu Chen soon fell back into thought. A Tool Martial Soul didn't boost its Soul Master nearly as much as a Beast Martial Soul did.
So where had Lan Kai gotten that extraordinary strength and keen eyesight?
Then Lan Kai shouted, "Transform!" A blinding burst of light flashed, and Mu Chen finally got his answer.
Lan Kai had transformed into Orb Origin Form. He picked up the forging hammer and continued, using the Light of Orb to help with the forging and imbue the metal with a measure of spirit.
"His Martial Soul can let him transform? What is that? It doesn't look like Battle Armor, but it seems even stronger than Four-Character Battle Armor!"
When Mu Chen saw Ultraman Orb appear out of nowhere, he was dumbfounded. He had truly never seen a Warrior of Light like this before.
Na'er's eyes seemed to shine with excitement, while Juggler raised a hand and gently covered his face, as though he couldn't bear to see the power of a Warrior of Light being used for something like this.
Wait, wasn't this the sort of thing that miserable guy who kept going on about "that's not how a Warrior of Light fights" should be worrying about?
Besides, Lan Kai was just adapting to the rules of this world. What was wrong with that?
Soon, as Lan Kai brought the hammer down once more, a thunderous boom rang out, and a streak of silver light shot skyward. Everyone present seemed to hear the Deep Silver let out a jubilant cry. The silver radiance it released surged three full feet into the air and lingered there, even seeming to take the form of a phantom somewhat like Ultraman Orb.
Lan Kai ended his transformation, returned to his original form, set down the forging hammer, and looked at Mu Chen, satisfied.
"Uncle Mu, I—"
"Call me teacher! I've decided. I'm taking you on as my student!
"You may have taken a few shortcuts, but you've undeniably completed Thousand Refinement Grade One. That makes you a Level Four Blacksmith.
"What's more, the metal you forged is filled with an unfamiliar, special energy. Its quality is even higher than that of some Spirit-Forged Metal.
"Since the blacksmithing profession first came into being, no one has ever done anything as outrageous as you.
"But what was that transformation of yours at the end? Without it, you probably couldn't have completed Thousand Refinement Grade One. You'd have managed Thousand Refinement Grade Five at most."
Mu Chen spoke excitedly as he carefully examined Lan Kai's work. Then he remembered Lan Kai's transformation and hurriedly asked him about it.
"Mu Chen, there's no need to praise the kid that much.
"Lan Kai, from now on, you're forbidden to use your Martial Soul transformation when you practice forging."
Juggler's voice rang out at an inopportune moment, stopping Mu Chen from asking any more questions and putting an end to Lan Kai's idea of "cheating" by forging in his Ultraman form.
Juggler didn't forbid Lan Kai from transforming when attempting a breakthrough, but when it came to ordinary forging, he wasn't going to let him transform.
An Ultraman swinging a sledgehammer just didn't fit most people's idea of normal.
"Big brother, you worked hard!" Na'er hurried a few steps forward and hugged Lan Kai again. Then she gently rubbed his arms, trying to relax his muscles.
"It's fine. It's only a hundred-jin hammer. I'm not that tired.
"Teacher Mu Chen, please keep guiding me!"
After reassuring Na'er, Lan Kai turned to Mu Chen, his gaze exceptionally earnest and sincere. Even Light Yagami, with his memories related to the Death Note gone, had never looked so sincere.
"By the way, Lan Kai, why did you shout 'Transform!' when you changed? You're a Warrior of Light, not a Kamen Rider!"
On the way home, Juggler suddenly asked out of the blue, startling Lan Kai. He quickly replied,
"Uh, it just felt wrong not to say something..."
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