Thousand Refinement Cyan-Red Stone, Level 4 Forging Master

Spurred on by Long Yuan, Tang Wulin summoned a thousand-fold increase in motivation. After all, if he failed to save enough money for those three spiritual items by the deadline, he would have a "miserable" end.

Of course, it was all a lie.

When the time actually came, the divine consciousness of Tang San left within him would likely be the one to step in.

In the forging room, Tang Wulin swung the Thousand-Refined Tungsten Steel Hammer in his hands, striking the Cyan-Red Stone before him again and again.

His forehead was drenched in sweat, yet he remained resolute, hoisting the forging hammer to its highest point, strike after strike.

The blood surging through his body provided a constant stream of power, as if he would never grow tired. Whenever his arms began to ache, a surge of heat would radiate from his spine, flowing instantly into his limbs and bones to dissolve the soreness.

Mang Tian watched silently from the side, his eyes filled with profound astonishment.

More than half a year ago, Tang Wulin had completed his first thousand-refinement on a piece of Sinking Silver, a task that had taken him a full three hours.

That achievement had marked his successful entry into the realm of a third-rank blacksmith, a title that would earn him the respect of a master in the outside world.

Since then, Tang Wulin had attempted a thousand-refinement every ten days or so; he had not forgotten his need to save money.

For common metals like tungsten steel or Refined Iron, a standard-sized piece of thousand-refined metal could sell for about 100,000 Federal Coins. Mang Tian never pocketed the difference, instead giving the full market value to Tang Wulin.

As a master craftsman, he was not short on money, and he could clearly see that the boy was in desperate need of funds.

Today, however, was different. A few days ago, Tang Wulin had asked him to purchase a piece of Cyan-Red Stone.

This was an exceptionally unique metal. It was usually encased within a dull, gray rock, and only after being scorched at high temperatures would it reveal its cyan and red hues. By seizing that moment to perform a thousand-refinement, one could fuse the outer stone layer with the metal core.

This was a naturally fusion-forging metal. One had to understand that, generally speaking, only a sixth-rank master could master fusion-forging, which highlighted the unique nature of the Cyan-Red Stone.

If used as the core for a soul device, even a thousand-refined Cyan-Red Stone would be superior to many spirit-refined common metals.

This single piece of raw material alone had cost him 500,000 Federal Coins!

Time ticked away second by second. At some point, Tang Wulin had activated his first soul skill; his arms were significantly thicker than before, and the forging hammer seemed to be shrouded in blood-red energy. The frequency of his strikes grew faster and faster, with all the strength in his body concentrated into that pair of Thousand-Refined Tungsten Steel Hammers.

Tang Wulin had spent a full five hours just sensing the properties of this Cyan-Red Stone, and now, having forged continuously for nearly two hours, his body was nearing its limit.

Yet, a sense of innate harmony was gradually emerging between him and the metal.

Mang Tian noticed it keenly, a faint smile appearing on his stern face.

Only those who had truly completed a thousand-refinement could understand this feeling. He knew that this thousand-refined Cyan-Red Stone was a success; all that remained was the final, meticulous polishing.

Long Yuan watched Tang Wulin, who was swinging the hammer with all his might, and felt a deep sense of emotion.

Children these days were becoming increasingly monstrous. In his past life, who could swing a heavy hammer for seven hours straight? It was no wonder he was destined for greatness.

"Clang, clang, clang—"

Tang Wulin's soul power had been completely drained, the amplification from his soul skill had ceased, and his arms felt weak and sore. However, his eyes grew brighter and brighter; his willpower sustained him as he continued his forging.

Finally, the last hammer fell heavily, striking the Cyan-Red Stone with a remarkably dull thud.

The Cyan-Red Stone shuddered, and cyan and red light burst through the surrounding furnace flames, scattering outward.

Tang Wulin could no longer hold on. A mouthful of blood, which he had been suppressing in his throat, sprayed onto the Cyan-Red Stone before him, making it appear even more eerie.

Mang Tian flashed forward, catching the swaying Tang Wulin.

"Teacher... I succeeded!"

Though his face was pale, Tang Wulin forced himself to stay alert, staring intently at the Cyan-Red Stone as it underwent its transformation.

"Yes, Wulin, you did it. This thousand-refined Cyan-Red Stone is something even a fourth-rank blacksmith couldn't easily complete, yet a nine-year-old child has done it. If word got out, I'm afraid no one would believe it."

The cyan light eventually gained the upper hand, with the red light becoming a mere accent. Both colors finally settled into silence, leaving only a dazzling piece of metal resting quietly on the forging table.

Unlike the dull, gray thousand-refined Sinking Silver, this thousand-refined Cyan-Red Stone was clearly extraordinary, even to the untrained eye.

"Teacher, how much do you think this Cyan-Red Stone will sell for?"

Mang Tian came back to his senses, looking at his prized disciple with a strange expression. "You're so exhausted you can barely stand, and you're still obsessing over how much this will sell for?"

"Hehe, you know, Teacher, I'm a bit short on cash."

"You little miser, you're starting to look a bit like your father." Mang Tian gave him a look of mock annoyance and said patiently, "Special metals like Cyan-Red Stone are extremely difficult to forge and rarely appear on the market. Therefore, there is no specific market price reference; most of the time, they are traded through barter."

"Besides, didn't you just perform a blood sacrifice on this metal? Who would buy a piece of metal that has been blood-sacrificed by someone else?"

After completing a thousand-refinement, a blacksmith could use their blood to perform a blood sacrifice on the metal. Metal that had undergone this process could not be used by anyone else, nor could it be processed into a soul device, so no one would ever buy it.

"Ah? That counted as a blood sacrifice? Doesn't that mean I lost the money I spent on the Cyan-Red Stone?"

"Hmph, I think you've got money on the brain!"

Mang Tian helped Tang Wulin back to his office and took a card from his drawer, handing it to him.

"This is a Federal Central Bank card with five million in it. Last time, a piece of thousand-refined first-grade Cold Spirit Iron sold for five million in East Sea City. Although your Cyan-Red Stone is only a standard thousand-refinement, it is more precious than Cold Spirit Iron, so it should be worth about that much."

"As for the Cyan-Red Stone, keep it yourself. It is, after all, the first special metal you've forged and blood-sacrificed."

Tang Wulin waved his hands repeatedly, refusing to take the card. "Teacher, this is too much money. I can't take it."

"I told you to take it, so take it!" Mang Tian shoved the card into his hand roughly before sitting back down across from him.

"I don't know what you're planning, but I can see you're in desperate need of money. Just keep it; your teacher isn't short on this little bit."

As he spoke, Mang Tian shifted the topic. "I heard you graduated from Red Mountain Academy?"

"Yes, I reached level ten a year ago, but I wanted to keep learning forging from you, so I put it off. Now that I've officially graduated, I have to report to East Sea City in a little while."

"East Sea City, that's the core city of our Sky Sea Alliance. It wouldn't be bad for you to attend school there. I don't have much left to teach you, but remember, work hard once you get there!"

Tang Wulin hurriedly said, "How could that be? You will be my teacher for my entire life, and there is still so much I need to learn from you."

"Heh, I probably won't have the chance to become a Saint Craftsman in this lifetime, but seeing my disciple become one would be a fine outcome. Once you arrive in East Sea City, you can go take the test for a blacksmith's certification; it will make things much easier for you."

"Teacher..."

Tang Wulin wanted to say more, but Mang Tian interrupted him.

"There's nothing more to say. I've already notified your father to come and pick you up. As for this Cyan-Red Stone, leave it here. Come by the day before you leave Aolai City; I have other things to give you as well."

Tang Wulin: "..."

"Alright."