"Fang Lin, come with me."
Zhen Hua called to him and led Fang Lin out of the small dining hall.
They passed through the office and arrived at his private forging workshop.
Zhen Hua stood before a broad workbench, his expression turning serious.
He explained carefully to Fang Lin, "Forging is divided into Hundred Forging, Thousand Forging, Spirit Forging, Soul Forging, and Heavenly Forging."
"These correspond to blacksmith levels one through nine."
Fang Lin nodded without saying anything.
"We won't worry about anything else today. We'll start by learning the most basic Hundred Forging."
Zhen Hua first took out a piece of Black Iron Stone and set it on the forging table.
Then he took out the forging hammer he carried with him.
"As the name suggests, Hundred Forging requires more than a hundred strikes to remove impurities from metal and purify it."
"This is an ordinary piece of Black Iron Stone. Watch closely as I demonstrate."
Using the high-temperature furnace built into the forging table, Zhen Hua skillfully heated the Black Iron Stone in front of him until it glowed red.
He raised the forging hammer, let his wrist drop, and brought it down.
"Clang!"
A clear, crisp ring sounded, and sparks flew in every direction.
With just one strike, cracks spread across the Black Iron Stone. Then its surface peeled away layer by layer, revealing smooth metal beneath, polished like a mirror.
The Black Iron Stone, rough just moments ago, had become a neat piece of Hundred-Refined Black Iron, glossy and black from end to end, with every impurity gone.
One strike settled it; Hundred Forging was done.
"Did you see that clearly? Pretty simple, right?"
Zhen Hua had just shown off right in front of Fang Lin, without the slightest sense that anything was amiss.
Fang Lin stared at the piece of Hundred-Refined Black Iron, his gaze calm. He fell silent for two seconds, then nodded earnestly.
"All right, give it a try." Zhen Hua handed him the forging hammer.
Fang Lin took the hammer and walked over to the forging table.
He imitated Zhen Hua, placing a piece of Black Iron Stone in the furnace to heat it.
As the flames roared, the Black Iron Stone gradually turned red-hot, and a wave of heat washed over him.
Fang Lin didn't rush to strike.
He stared at the stone, replaying Zhen Hua's strike over and over in his mind.
How the force flowed, how to judge the point of impact, what temperature it needed to reach before he should strike.
Once the Black Iron Stone had been heated through, he raised the forging hammer.
"Clang!"
The hammer rang, and sparks flew.
The Black Iron Stone shuddered violently under the blow. Its dull surface seemed to shatter from the strike, quickly peeling away to reveal the smooth texture of the metal beneath.
All in one smooth motion.
Fang Lin lowered the forging hammer and stared at the piece of Black Iron before him, now finished with Hundred Forging. He paused, slightly dazed.
Zhen Hua was just as stunned.
The workshop fell silent for a moment.
Zhen Hua slowly walked over to the workbench and picked up the piece of Hundred-Refined Black Iron Fang Lin had forged. He turned it over twice, then held it up and examined it closely.
The expression on his face shifted from surprise to something complicated, then from complicated to an emotion that was hard to put into words.
"You brat..."
Zhen Hua set down the Hundred-Refined Black Iron and stared at Fang Lin. After a long while, he finally managed to ask, "You really never learned forging before?"
"No."
Fang Lin shook his head, his tone frank.
Zhen Hua drew a deep breath, then slowly let it out.
He had only meant to demonstrate once so Fang Lin could understand the principles of Hundred Forging and what the finished product looked like. After that, he planned to teach him step by step, starting with how to hold the hammer, control the temperature, and direct the force.
But this brat had taken one look and gone straight for a decisive strike.
And the key was, he had actually pulled it off.
"All right."
Zhen Hua set the forging hammer on the workbench and folded his arms. "Then forge another one for me."
Fang Lin didn't decline. He took another piece of Black Iron Stone and put it in the furnace.
This time, he worked with even more ease than before.
Heating, observing, raising the hammer, bringing it down—every step was clean and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.
When the second strike landed, the impurities came away even more thoroughly than they had the first time. The iron was so pure it nearly gleamed.
After watching, Zhen Hua fell silent for a long time.
Only the faint crackling of the furnace fire could be heard in the workshop.
He looked at Fang Lin with a deep, complicated gaze, as if he were looking at an uncarved jade stone already shining with its own light.
Zhen Hua had been a divine blacksmith for many years and had met plenty of gifted blacksmiths, but he had never seen anyone like this.
More precisely, he had never seen someone who had picked up a hammer for the first time and managed to complete Hundred Forging this well.
This wasn't something talent alone could explain. It was downright monstrous!
After a moment, Zhen Hua spoke. "My disciple Fang Lin has the makings of a divine blacksmith!"
"Uh..."
Fang Lin was slightly taken aback. For a moment, he didn't know how to respond.
This was the second time he had heard the same assessment.
The first to say it had been his teacher, Han Tianyi. This time, it was his master, the divine blacksmith Zhen Hua.
"Here, take this."
As he spoke, Zhen Hua took out a storage ring and held it out to Fang Lin.
"Teacher?"
Fang Lin accepted the ring, puzzled.
"It contains some metals for you to practice forging with. They're all pretty good quality."
Zhen Hua waved his hand casually. "There's Tungsten Steel, Refined Iron, Deep Silver, Blue Pregnancy Copper, and Sky Star Iron. It'll be enough to last you a while."
"When you run out, just come back and get more. Don't stand on ceremony with your master."
"All right, Master."
As he spoke, Fang Lin carefully put away the storage ring.
"By the way, take this notebook too."
Zhen Hua took a thick notebook from his storage ring and held it out to Fang Lin.
Fang Lin accepted it. There was no title on the cover.
"This is my forging notebook."
Zhen Hua spoke casually, though there was a note of seriousness in his voice. "You don't have to keep coming here all the time."
"Just come by whenever you have time, or if there's something you don't understand."
"I've written down everything from the basics of Hundred Forging and Thousand Forging to Spirit Forging, Soul Forging, and Heavenly Forging, along with all kinds of secret recipes and forging techniques. It's pretty detailed."
"Take it home and study it carefully."
"All right, Master."
Fang Lin nodded solemnly and held the notebook in both hands, as if he had found a priceless treasure.
The forging experience of a level-nine divine blacksmith.
That notebook held who knew how many years of Zhen Hua's hard work.
To any blacksmith, it was a priceless treasure.
"Master, thank you."
He looked earnestly at Zhen Hua, his eyes growing slightly warm.
"All right, all right. Don't give me any of that sentimental stuff."
Zhen Hua waved his hand and scolded him with a laugh. "Just focus on cultivating and forging from now on, and don't bring shame on me."
"If my disciple Fang Lin can't hold his own, where will that leave the old face of me, the divine blacksmith Zhen Hua?"
"Mm."
Fang Lin nodded firmly.
"All right, let's head back." Zhen Hua turned and walked out of the forging workshop.
Fang Lin followed behind him. They passed through the office and returned to the small dining hall.
"Old Han, I brought him back for you."
Zhen Hua pushed open the door and spoke to Han Tianyi, who was drinking tea.
"Mm."
Han Tianyi nodded slightly, put down his teacup, and stood up. "Thank you for your hospitality. It's getting late, so we'll be on our way."
"All right."
Zhen Hua and Mu Ye nodded at the same time.
Zhen Hua turned to Fang Lin again. "Go back and practice. If there's anything you don't understand, come to me anytime."
"Understood, Master."
Fang Lin bowed respectfully to Zhen Hua, then nodded in farewell to Mu Ye.
Afterward, Han Tianyi led Fang Lin and Na'er away from the Blacksmith Association.