The Ultramarine Great Hammer

Juggler and Na'er watched Lan Kai's forging process with keen interest. For them, having never witnessed a forging session before, Lan Kai's technique was incredibly fascinating.

Every one of Lan Kai's movements was highly standardized. Aside from slight adjustments made to refine the strike point, each motion was nearly identical, making the entire process a feast for the eyes.

Under the repeated strikes of Lan Kai's hammer, the piece of Deep Silver steadily shrank in size, its texture becoming increasingly refined and aesthetically pleasing.

What they did not yet realize was that the precise location of every hammer strike Lan Kai delivered was calculated with great intent.

Bolstered by the amplification provided by the Light of Orb, Lan Kai could perceive many things invisible to others, such as the specific structural characteristics of the Deep Silver itself.

As the forging progressed, Lan Kai gradually summarized several tips for the craft, such as where to land the hammer to achieve the most effective results.

Relying on the strength and observational prowess granted by the Light of Orb, Lan Kai completed the Hundred Refinement before he even realized it, yet he did not stop, continuing his efforts toward Thousand Refinement.

Seeing that Lan Kai had completed the Hundred Refinement without even noticing, Mu Chen's eyes lit up immediately.

Although he could not sense any soul power fluctuations from Lan Kai, he detected the unique energy reaction of the Light of Orb. It was this miraculous energy that allowed Lan Kai to complete the Hundred Refinement smoothly while still having energy to spare.

"Looking at it this way, it seems it isn't impossible for Lan Kai to complete the Thousand Refinement. Let's keep watching."

"If Lan Kai runs out of stamina, I will interrupt his forging immediately."

Thinking this, Mu Chen operated the forging table to adjust the temperature of the Deep Silver to a more suitable level, assisting Lan Kai in his attempt at Thousand Refinement.

However, Thousand Refinement required more than just sustained strength. To reach a higher level, one must attempt to imbue the metal with a certain aura of life, making it spiritually resonant. This ensures that when it is later forged into shape and fused with the soul master, it can better integrate with them and produce a greater beneficial effect.

Lan Kai was now on the verge of encountering this very problem.

This is bad. If I continue forging like this, relying solely on the impact of the hammer won't be enough to improve the quality of this metal.

If I recall correctly, Thousand Refinement Grade One is considered a half-step to Spirit Refinement; it must be imbued with some spirituality. But my current soul power is simply insufficient to support that.

In the original story, Tang Wulin was only able to achieve Thousand Refinement Grade One after reaching two rings, which means that if relying solely on soul power, two rings is the minimum threshold for Thousand Refinement with Spirit.

In that case, I have no choice but to use some special means.

Thinking this, Lan Kai voluntarily set down the forging hammer in his left hand and summoned the Orb Ring into his palm.

"Oh? Is this his Tool Martial Soul? Even though his first soul spirit is a thousand-year one, how could a Tool Martial Soul grant him such immense strength and such keen observational skills..."

Seeing the Orb Ring appear, Mu Chen couldn't help but be stunned, as the purple soul ring that appeared simultaneously was simply too shocking.

But Mu Chen fell into deep thought; the amplification a Tool Martial Soul provides to a soul master is usually not as potent as a Beast Martial Soul.

Where exactly did Lan Kai's gifted strength and eyesight come from?

But the next moment, following Lan Kai's shout of "Transform!" and a burst of blinding light, Mu Chen received his answer.

Lan Kai had transformed into the Orb Origin Form. He picked up the forging hammer again to continue his work, simultaneously using the Light of Orb to assist in the forging, imbuing the metal with a certain degree of spirituality.

"His martial soul allows him to transform? What is this? It doesn't look like Four-Character Battle Armor, yet it seems even more powerful?"

Seeing the sudden appearance of Ultraman Orb, Mu Chen was dumbfounded, as he had truly never seen such a Warrior of Light before.

Excitement seemed to sparkle in Na'er's eyes, while Juggler gently raised a hand to cover his face, as if he didn't want to see the power of a Warrior of Light being used for such a mundane task.

Wait, shouldn't that be the concern of the grumpy guy who always mutters, "This is not the way a Warrior of Light fights"?

Besides, Lan Kai is doing this to adapt to the mechanics of this world; what could be wrong with that?

Soon, as Lan Kai brought his hammer down once more, a violent roar accompanied a silver light that shot into the sky. Everyone present felt as if they heard the Deep Silver burst into a cheer; the silver light radiating from the metal soared a full three feet high, lingering incessantly, and even seemed to manifest into a phantom image that bore a slight resemblance to Ultraman Orb.

Satisfied, Lan Kai deactivated his transformation, returned to his original form, set down the hammer, and looked at Mu Chen.

"Uncle Mu, this..."

"Call me Teacher! I have definitely decided to take you as my student!"

"Although you took a shortcut, you have genuinely completed the forging of Thousand Refinement Grade One. You are already qualified to be a Level 4 Blacksmith."

"What's more, the metal you forged is filled with a special energy I've never seen before; its quality is even higher than some Spirit Refinement metals."

"Since the profession of Blacksmith first appeared, no one has been as outrageous as you."

"However, what was that transformation at the end? If it weren't for that transformation, you shouldn't have been able to complete the final Thousand Refinement Grade One; at most, you would have reached Thousand Refinement Grade Five."

Mu Chen said excitedly, carefully examining Lan Kai's work, before remembering the final transformation and asking hurriedly.

"Mu Chen, there is no need to praise this kid so much."

"Lan Kai, from now on, you are forbidden from using your martial soul transformation when practicing forging."

Juggler's voice rang out at an inopportune moment, preventing Mu Chen from asking further questions while also putting an end to any thoughts Lan Kai might have had about "cheating" using his Ultraman form.

Although Juggler did not forbid Lan Kai from transforming when attempting a "breakthrough," he was not to think about transforming during his daily forging sessions.

The image of an Ultraman swinging a giant hammer just didn't fit the impression of a normal person.

"Brother, you've worked hard!" Na'er trotted forward a few steps, hugged Lan Kai again, and then gently massaged his arms to help him relax his muscles.

"It's fine, it's just a hundred-pound hammer; it's not that tiring."

"Teacher Mu Chen, please continue to guide me!"

After comforting Na'er, Lan Kai turned to Mu Chen, his gaze becoming exceptionally earnest and sincere—even Light Yagami, having lost his memories of the Death Note, never possessed such a sincere look.

"By the way, Lan Kai, you brat, why did you shout 'Transform' when you changed? You're a Warrior of Light, not a Kamen Rider!"

On the way home, Juggler suddenly blurted out, giving Lan Kai a start, who quickly replied:

"Uh, I just felt like it wouldn't feel right if I didn't say something..."