Zhen Hua's office.
"Uncle-Master, why don't you teach the Body Secret Art to your junior disciple?" Mu Ye said.
"All right."
Han Tianyi nodded slightly, a faint smile appearing on his face.
He had known that once his nephew learned about Fang Lin's talent, he definitely wouldn't refuse.
"Thank you, Senior Brother."
Fang Lin looked at Mu Ye and spoke solemnly.
"Don't mention it."
Mu Ye waved a hand, his tone casual but carrying a frank, straightforward note.
He had already accepted the role of senior brother.
From now on, Fang Lin was not only Han Tianyi's disciple in the Spirit Pagoda, but also one of the people of the Body Sect.
Seeing the matter settled, Han Tianyi slowly turned his gaze to Zhen Hua.
"All right."
Zhen Hua nodded at that and said no more.
His calm gaze settled on Fang Lin, studying him from head to toe. Then he said in a low voice, "Kid, I'll skip the pleasantries."
"Let's start the test right away."
Zhen Hua knew perfectly well that he didn't have much time left.
The backlash from practicing Heavenly Forging over such a long period had already planted hidden dangers in his body.
Heavenly Forging was a forging technique that drew upon the power of the laws of the world's elemental forces and infused it into metal. Every successful attempt brought a heavenly tribulation, which the blacksmith had to withstand with his own body.
Over the years, even the strongest body would accumulate hidden injuries and damage that were difficult to heal.
These internal injuries weren't apparent in everyday life, but they were like a parasite clinging to the bone, gradually eating away at his vitality. On the outside, they showed in his prematurely white hair and increasingly gaunt complexion.
Of course, with Zhen Hua's cultivation as a Titled Douluo and ninth-rank Divine Blacksmith, if he stopped practicing Heavenly Forging and carefully recuperated with rare treasures that extended his lifespan, he would still have plenty of time.
He could enjoy his later years without a problem.
But he knew better than anyone that what he had pursued all his life was never merely to cling to life. It was the pinnacle of the forging arts.
If he laid down his forging hammer just to preserve his life, then Zhen Hua would no longer deserve to be called a "Divine Blacksmith."
When Han Tianyi had proposed sending his disciple to learn forging, Zhen Hua hadn't refused.
First, an old friend had asked him; how could he turn him down?
He and Han Tianyi had known each other for many years and understood each other well. He couldn't disregard their friendship.
Second, he also wanted to see just how capable this young man whom Han Tianyi had accepted as a disciple really was.
Now that Mu Ye had personally acknowledged Fang Lin, it at least showed that his talent as a Soul Master was indeed exceptional.
But Soul Master talent was one thing, and forging talent was another.
The two had some things in common, but they weren't the same.
Only one final step remained, and it was also the most important one.
He had to confirm whether Fang Lin had the aptitude in forging to match his talent as a Soul Master.
"Come on. Follow me."
With that, Zhen Hua strode ahead.
He led the group through another door beside the office, into his private forging workshop.
Its security was at the highest level in the Federation. Layers of arrays and seals completely isolated the workshop from the outside world.
Every inch of the walls, floor, and ceiling was engraved with intricate soundproofing and defensive runes.
The workshop was enormous, spanning at least several hundred square meters.
Specially made metal display racks stood along both walls, cast entirely from alloy and incredibly sturdy.
Bars of metal in all sorts of colors and shapes were arranged on the racks by type.
Some gave off a faint glow, like stars in the night.
Others looked plain and unremarkable, but concealed strange energy fluctuations within, making them impossible to underestimate.
Nearly all of them were top-grade rare metals that money couldn't buy. A single piece would be enough to bankrupt an ordinary blacksmith.
Only someone with Zhen Hua's status and peerless skill could have amassed such a collection.
Han Tianyi gazed at the display, a trace of emotion in his eyes. "This is the wealth of a Divine Blacksmith!"
Though he was the Spirit Pagoda's Vice Pagoda Master and had seen a great deal, when it came to forging...
A collection like this could only be found in Zhen Hua's possession.
I hope that brat succeeds in becoming his disciple.
Han Tianyi stole a glance at Fang Lin and thought to himself.
"Big Brother, good luck."
Na'er spoke softly, her clear purple eyes full of faith and encouragement.
She didn't understand forging, but she believed Fang Lin could do it.
"Mm."
Fang Lin nodded slightly, his expression calm.
Zhen Hua walked up to a wide workbench.
The surface was made from a single block of black iron. Despite enduring countless hammer blows, it hadn't warped in the slightest. It had long since been polished smooth as a mirror, its surface gleaming with a cold metallic sheen.
He took a pair of standard forging hammers from the nearby tool rack. They were made to a standard design, but from exceptionally fine materials.
Their heads were dark and heavy in his hands.
Then Zhen Hua took a piece of metal from the rack. It was a dull color, tinged with a silvery-gray sheen, and he casually tossed it onto the forging table.
Clang.
The metal landed on the table with a dull thud.
This was Deep Silver.
A relatively stable metal with moderate toughness, often used for beginners' practice and tests.
It wasn't so soft that it would be worthless for practice, nor so hard that it would scare off a novice.
"I don't expect you to forge it into anything fancy."
Zhen Hua crossed his arms and looked at Fang Lin with a sharp gaze. "Just try hammering it and let me see how you apply your strength and set your rhythm."
As a ninth-rank Divine Blacksmith, he needed to hear only a few strikes to judge a person's upper limit of talent.
Hammer techniques could be practiced, methods could be taught, and experience could be accumulated, but innate talent couldn't be taught.
"All right."
Fang Lin answered and walked up to the forging table, reaching for the Black Gold Forging Hammer.
He looked down at the Deep Silver, but couldn't help wondering, Smithing? How would he know how to do that?
Today was the first time Fang Lin had ever held a forging hammer.
He hadn't learned any forging techniques, and no one had even taught him the most basic way to hold a hammer.
Fang Lin knew only one way to do things: simple, rough, and direct.
Isn't forging just smashing this stuff flat? Easy.
With that thought, he swung the hammer in a smooth, effortless arc.
He might never have eaten pork, but surely he'd seen a pig run.
Smithing meant raising the hammer and bringing it down. That was all there was to it.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
One hammer blow after another came down without pause.
Fang Lin was like someone playing whack-a-mole, swinging the hammer and laying into it with everything he had.
His movements were simple and brutal, each blow a straight-down smash.
He relied on brute arm strength for every swing. When the hammer struck the Deep Silver, the entire forging table shuddered and buzzed.
"???"
Zhen Hua's brow furrowed, and the corner of his eye twitched involuntarily.
You call that smithing?
There was no technique whatsoever, and no rhythm.
His way of applying force was completely wrong. He gripped the handle too tightly, kept his wrist stiff, and wasn't using his core at all. He was relying on brute force alone.
Forget forging talent. He couldn't even be said to know how to smith in the most basic sense.
This was nothing but a complete, chaotic mess...