The Lamp's Oil Runs Dry
When Lou Gao pushed open the heavy metal door of the No. 1 foundry, Ling Yi saw the Tie Futu for the first time. Before Lou Gao, this Weiyi Divine Craftsman in the Douluo Continent in the past fifty years.
Before the Tie Futu, there were Divine Craftsman on the Douluo Continent, many Divine Craftsman. The Blacksmith Association in Gengxin City was established hundreds of years ago at the suggestion of a Divine Craftsman.
If we talk about the contributions or innovations of the Tie Futu in the blacksmithing profession, they are actually not among the most outstanding talents in the thousands of years of history of the Douluo Continent.
For example, the one who created the "Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique"; the one who developed hundreds of metal alloy formulas more than seven hundred years ago; the one who figured out the technique of using Soul Power to aid combustion and provide furnace temperature a thousand years ago...
However, no matter how many examples are given, those predecessors from thousands of years ago are merely characters in the blacksmith's legacy, while Tie Futu is Ling Yi's uncle-master. It was he who, upon receiving a letter from his senior brother, Grandpa Jin Gang, whom he had not seen for decades, sent his prized disciple, Lou Gao, from the southwest of the Douluo Continent Douluo Continent the northeast to find Ling Yi and pass on to him various forging techniques and metal formulas that were sufficient to establish a school of blacksmithing.
The presence of the Jin Gang Elder of "Wood Plant City," the Tie Futu and Lou Gao master and apprentice of "Gengxin City"—these three individuals gave Ling Yi a genuine sense of identity as a blacksmith.
The scene of the Tie Futu Elder's first meeting with Ling Yi was surprisingly uneventful to Lou Gao. There was no overly enthusiastic welcome, no impatient questioning, and no long-winded, incessant discussion; it was just a very simple meeting and conversation.
The old man put down the forging hammer that he seemed to have been holding for years, and turned to face Ling Yi, who was standing at the door.
His full head of white hair was somewhat disheveled from long neglect, his face was flushed from years spent by the stove, and his aged eyes, though their dark pupils were not sharp at the moment, gazed intently at Ling Yi:
"Are you Ling Yi?"
His tone was flat, and his voice was old, yet very loud, just like the still robust and tall figure of the Tie Futu.
Ling Yi crossed his hands over his shoulders, bowed respectfully, and greeted the Blacksmith, Jin Gang, as he said, "Ling Yi, the thirteenth disciple of Vajra, greets Uncle Tie Futu. How are you, Uncle?"
In the Soul Master World, such a gesture is a sign of respect from a junior to a senior. But Ling Yi has only ever made this gesture to one person, the Tie Futu.
When Ling Yi first became Master Jin Gang's disciple, he served tea and water with a deep bow. In their subsequent interactions, he continued to bow respectfully.
Song Yao had never bowed so formally to anyone else, whether it was Song Yao, the Soul Emperor- level ' Marquis of Cedar ' who was the commander of the Cold Wind Grand Camp at the time, or Dugu Bo, who was also Soul Emperor when they met later, or Ai'er Timosi, the Healing System Soul King in the Ling Yi Heaven Dou Border Army.
"You're great, really great."
Seeing Ling Yi bow, Tie Futu smiled, and the deep wrinkles on his forehead smoothed out considerably.
After offering a few somewhat hesitant compliments to Ling Yi, Tie Futu looked around his fairly spacious No. 1 Foundry Room. Seeing that there was hardly any room to sit, he didn't hesitate and said directly to Ling Yi:
"Ling Yi, it's a bit messy here, so I won't invite you in yet. Let your senior brother Lou Gao take you to sit next door for a bit. I'll be there in a bit..."
As he spoke, he instructed Lou Gao, "Go to number three. I doubt your place is much better than mine—"
"Yes, Uncle-Master." / "Yes, Master!"
Ling Yi and Lou Gao responded in unison, then bowed to Tie Futu before leaving the No. 1 foundry at Tie Futu's waving gesture.
"Let's go." Lou Gao Ling Yi raised his chin and gestured towards foundries number two and three not far away, saying, "Master is right, it's even more chaotic over there than here. Let's go sit in number three."
"Okay, Senior Brother, you can arrange it~" Ling Yi replied with a smile.
At this moment, Si Long and Yang Shelly, who had just arrived at the entrance of the No. 1 foundry, had not yet had a chance to see Tie Futu before following Lou Gao and Ling Yi back the way they had come.
The fifth floor, which serves as the office area for the Blacksmith Association, is actually more accurately described as the forging area. After all, what else could a group of blacksmiths' office be for besides forging?
There are a total of 36 foundry rooms, each around 500 square meters. Inside, there is a forging area with furnaces, bellows, anvils, etc., a material area for storing metal ores and raw materials such as coal and charcoal, a testing area for testing the power and quality of finished products, and a rest area for blacksmiths to eat, sleep, and wash.
As he walked down the corridor, Ling Yi frowned, a shadow of gloom flashing in his eyes.
In that brief moment of eye contact, Ling Yi made an incredible discovery:
The Tie Futu's body was nearly exhausted—!!
"That's not right. Although Tie Futu is over eighty years old, with his Soul Saint level strength, he's not that old." Ling Yi thought to himself, somewhat puzzled.
It should be noted that the old man Jin Gang in the "Wood Plant City" of the "Water Wood Duchy" is the senior brother of the Tie Futu. He is a few years older and his strength is only Three-Ring Soul Elder. When Ling Yi saw him, his physical condition was quite good and he was in good spirits.
Although Soul Master's lifespan cannot break through the limit before becoming Titled Douluo, and how long they can live depends mainly on the maintenance of their physical condition, it is common sense that the stronger they are, the easier it is for them to live to the age of an ordinary person.
Unless there are any hidden injuries, it ultimately depends on the abundance of one's own vital energy and the rate at which it is lost.
Before becoming Titled Douluo, the total upper limit of Soul Master's Life essence is fixed. However, each person's physical condition is different, and the amount contained within varies, as does the rate at which it dissipates. Therefore, under the same ideal conditions, some people can live to be a hundred years old, while others die peacefully at the age of eighty.
The higher the Soul Power Soul Power, the better the nourishing effect on the Soul Master's body, the more abundant the vital energy, and the more effectively the vital energy can be sealed, slowing down the rate of loss. Therefore, the stronger the Soul Master, the slower they age.
"Is there some hidden injury causing his vital energy to deplete too quickly, which is why my Soul Saint- level uncle, despite being a few years younger, is in worse physical condition than my Soul Elder- level master?"
"But if it's an internal injury, Life force has been depleted to this extent, yet the body's strength hasn't decreased much, and the Soul Power fluctuations are still at the Soul Saint level, that doesn't make sense either—"
Ling Yi secretly speculated.
"Junior brother, come in and sit down." Lou Gao pushed open the metal door of the No. 3 foundry, his round face full of smiles.
"Oh, right, I was so busy talking to you that I didn't pay attention to you, my little companion... I'm so sorry, young lady—"
Only then did Lou Gao notice Si Long and Yang Shelly beside him. He first shifted the blame to Ling Yi, then smiled apologetically at Yang Shelly.
2023-09-04 (Monthly Pass):
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The next chapter will be posted tonight.