Tai Tan Was Stunned

Everyone sat down again, and the atmosphere was several degrees more complicated and solemn than during the earlier standoff.

Tai Tan picked up the tea that had long gone cold and gulped down a large mouthful, as though trying to suppress the storm raging in his heart.

He set down the teacup and looked intently at Xiao Yin. Unable to hold back any longer, he finally voiced his greatest doubt. "Marquis... I have never heard of or seen that hammer technique before. It looked soft and powerless, yet it contained profound mysteries. Its vibrating force reached directly into the very essence of the material—absolutely exquisite! Might I ask... does this technique have a name? And which reclusive grandmaster did you study under, Marquis?"

His tone carried an unconcealable yearning and reverence—the instinctive reaction of someone who truly loved forging upon seeing a skill beyond his comprehension.

Xiao Yin did not hide it and calmly said, "This hammer technique is called the Eight Extremes Heaven-Shattering Hammer."

"Eight Extremes Heaven-Shattering..."

Tai Tan murmured the name, a strange light flashing in his eyes. "What a domineering name! Eight Extremes... does it refer to the power of the eight directions of heaven and earth? And Heaven-Shattering... what grand ambition!"

Xiao Yin nodded slightly and offered a brief explanation. "This hammer technique values intent over form. Its core lies in the ultimate control and application of 'strength.' It emphasizes 'lifting the heavy as though it were light, lifting the light as though it were heavy,' and 'power that pierces through ten thousand jun, nothing left unbroken.'

"It can create vibrations with the faintest force within the smallest space, stripping away even the finest impurities and tempering materials to absolute purity. It can also draw upon the force of all eight directions, gathering it into one