After several rounds of discussion,
Tang Ziran finally agreed to let Lu Chuan learn forging,
and used Xiao Lingtong to call Mang Tian, securing him a chance to work as an apprentice.
But Lu Chuan had to promise not to let it interfere with his studies or the improvement of his Soul Power.
What about Xiao Wuyue?
Tang Ziran would teach her mecha design.
A fourth-level mecha designer was more than qualified to introduce her to it!
Another day
Mang Tian's Workshop
After bringing Lu Chuan over, Lang Yue exchanged a few polite words with Mang Tian before reluctantly leaving, entrusting Lu Chuan to his care.
As a blacksmith,
Mang Tian was tall and broad,
with dark skin,
but he was no little blackie.
He had a full beard,
and looked a little like Blackbeard from One Piece.
"Lu Chuan, right? I heard you were the one who wanted to learn forging. Why are you so interested in it?"
Mang Tian asked him.
Just as he hadn't wanted to take Tang Wulin in in the original story,
when Tang Ziran called him,
he hadn't wanted to take Lu Chuan either.
It was only when he heard Tang Ziran say that Lu Chuan wanted to learn forging of his own accord that he offered him a chance.
Lu Chuan nodded. "Yeah, I'm really interested."
Mang Tian raised an eyebrow at his answer. It was the first time he'd heard someone sound so certain, and he couldn't help being curious. "Oh? Why? Aren't you interested in mechas? Boys usually like mechas."
Lu Chuan shook his head. "I don't know. I've never been around mechas. But I once saw a piece of Spirit-Forged Metal. I could feel the rhythm of life inside it. That rhythm was mesmerizing, so I want to become an outstanding blacksmith!"
In fact, Lu Chuan had definitely seen mechas.
He'd even piloted one.
But right now,
forging was the only thing he was truly interested in.
The workshop's scorching heat and the metallic scent wafting through the air
seemed to set his blood ablaze!
Mang Tian could clearly feel Lu Chuan's love of forging,
in his words, in his eyes, even in his soul!
Could Tang Ziran really have sent me a genius son?
Mang Tian felt a little prickly with envy.
With the intention of testing him,
Mang Tian quickly led Lu Chuan into the workshop.
Inside was a workbench,
and beside it, on the floor,
stood a metal stand about half a meter high.
A round piece of metal rested on top.
It was Deep Sea Silver,
found only on the ocean floor, more than a thousand meters down.
It was formed under immense pressure and infused with the Soul Power of the sea.
Rare on the mainland,
it was one of the rare metals in high demand.
Originally, Mang Tian had planned to give Lu Chuan an ordinary iron block,
but after seeing the fire in Lu Chuan's eyes for himself,
he decided to test him with a piece of rare metal!
The cost was a little steep,
but what if Lu Chuan really was a genius?
For a blacksmith who loved forging,
working with rare metal compared to ordinary metal
was a world of difference in sheer satisfaction.
Like A, B, C, and D,
the size made all the difference.
Beneath the Deep Sea Silver was a Soul Guidance Screen,
used to keep count.
Mang Tian took two small forging hammers from the tool rack and handed them to Lu Chuan.
Their bodies gleamed with a cold, dark light, and their handles were wrapped in fine, non-slip hemp cord.
"See that round iron block? That's your task for today!"
He jerked his chin toward the corner.
"Use these two hammers and alternate hands. Five hundred strikes with each.
Remember, you have to swing in a full arc and bring the hammer down. Only then will the counter on the wall tick up.
If you slack off or don't hit hard enough, it won't count.
I'll teach you real forging only after you've finished all one thousand strikes!"
"Understood!"
Lu Chuan answered crisply.
He took the metal hammers from Mang Tian.
They were a little light, about ten jin each.
In his previous life,
that weight would have tired Lu Chuan out after just a few lifts,
but now it felt as light as a feather.
Without another word,
Lu Chuan raised the hammers and started striking.
With both hands swinging,
he was like someone playing whack-a-mole,
the hammers flying so fast
they were almost leaving afterimages.
The clear ring of the forging hammers striking the metal
was like a young girl's sweet song,
spurring him to speed up like mad.
In an instant,
Mang Tian was dumbfounded!
He stood rooted to the spot,
watching the numbers on the Soul Guidance Screen beneath the Deep Sea Silver spin wildly:
1, 2, 3, 4...
In the blink of an eye,
they reached 100,
and kept climbing fast!
What kind of monster had Tang Ziran sent me?!
Mang Tian's eyes widened. He swallowed hard.
He'd originally planned
to let Lu Chuan swing the hammers here
while he went to finish a forging job.
But now,
he'd changed his mind.
He was going to watch Lu Chuan finish all one thousand strikes!
At that moment,
Lu Chuan looked to him
like a rough gem waiting to be carved,
naturally strong as an ox,
but still lacking something!
After all,
forging wasn't just hammering iron.
Speed alone wouldn't cut it,
especially when practicing with rare metals.
The landing point, force, and angle of every strike mattered;
get them wrong, and you'd ruin the material!
Still,
that could come later.
For a beginner,
being able to swing the hammers effortlessly
was already enough to pass Mang Tian's test!
As for the score Lu Chuan would ultimately earn in his eyes,
that would depend on how he performed from here on!
The forging continued,
the Deep Sea Silver steadily shrinking,
and the impurities within it steadily diminishing.
And as this went on,
Lu Chuan began to gain a few insights.
With his next strikes,
he no longer relied on brute force alone!
A little technique entered the mix.
First, he used his mental power to coat the metal's surface,
taking in its full shape.
Then he found the best point of entry
and slowly probed into the metal,
carefully examining the folds and grain within.
Finally,
working in tandem with the blows of the forging hammers,
he slowly shaped the Deep Sea Silver into what he wanted!
Mang Tian saw every bit of it!
This kid is... guiding the metal!
A storm surged through Mang Tian's heart.
Ever since the last strike,
Lu Chuan's rhythm had changed.
His speed hadn't slowed in the slightest,
and the hammers still whirled in a blur,
but the stiff, arm-powered sense of "pounding" from before was gone!
His strikes had gradually become rhythmic and layered,
nine light, one heavy,
sometimes as weighty as muffled thunder,
sometimes as delicate as raindrops.
That meant
Lu Chuan had truly grasped the essence of forging:
[You don't conquer metal with brute force. You use Soul Power and mental power to guide it, letting it reveal its most beautiful form!]
Just like those handsome hunks, using money and personal charm to guide their wives into unlocking more positions.
Under the rhythm of the blows,
Lu Chuan brought his hammer down,
and the Deep Sea Silver, which had originally been irregularly shaped and bore the marks of the seabed's currents,
began to undergo an astonishing transformation.
It was not simply shrinking in size;
it was contracting and condensing in a regular pattern,
its pitted surface being smoothed out,
its edges and corners taking shape,
its overall form drawing closer to a nearly perfect rectangular prism,
while a faint, deep-sea-blue glow shimmered across the metal's surface.
Before anyone knew it,
the Soul Tool counter beneath the Deep Sea Silver had reached 999.
By then,
sweat had long since soaked through Lu Chuan's clothes,
and a dull ache had begun to spread through his arms.
The sustained, intense concentration also brought waves of mild dizziness.
Of course, this wasn't because his spiritual power had been depleted.
As the Golden Dragon King,
his spiritual power was at the Divine Origin Realm as a matter of course.
The slight dizziness he felt at that very moment
was entirely due to excitement and exhilaration sending his blood surging!
"What will this piece of Deep Sea Silver become after I finish these thousand strikes?"
Lu Chuan was filled with anticipation
as he raised his hammer and brought down the final blow!
After that strike,
the spirit, energy, and focus Lu Chuan had poured into his work were released completely.
But the Deep Sea Silver beneath his hammer
burst into brilliant light,
undergoing an ultimate transformation.
A clear, ringing note rang out from deep within the metal.
The sound was pure and bright, its echo lingering,
as if it carried a strange, almost magical power!
When Mang Tian heard it, he couldn't help bursting into wild laughter.
"Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha..."
"Hundred Forging! Hundred Forging! I succeeded at Hundred Forging on my very first attempt! Ha ha ha ha... Hic..."
Before you continue