Mang Tian: What kind of monster is this!

After several discussions, Tang Ziran finally agreed to let Lu Chuan learn blacksmithing and used his soul communicator to call Mang Tian, securing an apprenticeship for him. However, Lu Chuan had to guarantee that he would not neglect his studies or the improvement of his soul power. As for Xiao Wuyue? She would study mecha design with Tang Ziran. A level-four mecha designer's enlightenment was more than enough!

Another day passed. At Mang Tian's studio, after Lang Yue dropped Lu Chuan off and exchanged a few polite words with Mang Tian, she left with great reluctance, entrusting Lu Chuan to his care. As a blacksmith, Mang Tian was tall and broad with dark skin—though he was certainly no "little blackie"—and a face full of whiskers that made him look a bit like Blackbeard from One Piece.

"Lu Chuan, right? I heard you were the one who wanted to learn blacksmithing. Why are you so interested in it?" Mang Tian asked. Much like his reluctance to take on Tang Wulin in the original work, he hadn't wanted to take on Lu Chuan when Tang Ziran called. It was only after hearing Tang Ziran say that Lu Chuan had requested to learn blacksmithing himself that he decided to give him a chance.

Lu Chuan nodded. "Yes, I'm very interested." Mang Tian raised an eyebrow at this; it was the first time he had heard such a definitive answer, and he couldn't help but feel curious. "Oh? Why? Aren't you interested in mechas? Boys usually love mechas."

Lu Chuan shook his head. "I don't know. I haven't had any contact with mechas. But I once saw a piece of spirit-forged metal, and I could feel the rhythm of life within it. That rhythm is mesmerizing, which is why I want to become an excellent blacksmith!"

In truth, Lu Chuan had certainly seen mechas before. He had even piloted them. But at this very moment, he was genuinely only interested in blacksmithing. Inside the studio, the sweltering heat and the pungent scent of metal seemed to be setting his blood on fire!

Mang Tian could clearly sense Lu Chuan's passion for blacksmithing, from his words to his gaze, and even down to his very soul! Could it be that Tang Ziran really did end up with a genius for a son? Mang Tian felt a prickle of intrigue.

Holding a testing attitude, Mang Tian quickly led Lu Chuan into the workshop. Inside, there was a workbench, and on the floor beside it stood a metal pedestal about half a meter high. Resting upon it was a circular block of metal. It was a piece of Deep Sea Silver, found only at depths exceeding a thousand meters on the ocean floor. Formed by high pressure and the infiltration of oceanic soul power, it was rare inland and belonged to the category of high-demand rare metals. Originally, Mang Tian had prepared a common piece of iron for Lu Chuan, but after seeing the burning intensity in the boy's eyes, he decided to use a rare metal for the assessment instead!

Although the cost was somewhat high, what if Lu Chuan truly was a genius? For a blacksmith who loved their craft, the satisfaction derived from forging rare metals versus ordinary ones was worlds apart. It was just like ABCD; the sizes differed, and so did the pleasure.

Beneath the Deep Sea Silver sat a soul guidance screen used for counting. Mang Tian took two small forging hammers from the tool rack and handed them to Lu Chuan. The hammer heads gleamed with a cold, dark luster, and the handles were wrapped in non-slip twine.

"See that round iron block? That is your task for today!" He gestured with his chin toward the corner of the room. "Use this pair of hammers to strike it five hundred times with each hand, alternating. Remember, you must swing them in a full arc for the soul guidance counter on the wall to register a number. If you try to cut corners or lack sufficient force, it won't count. Only after you finish these one thousand strikes will I teach you true forging!"

"Understood!" Lu Chuan replied concisely.

He took the metal hammers from Mang Tian's hands. They felt somewhat light, weighing about ten pounds each. In his past life, Lu Chuan would have been exhausted after just a few bicep curls with this weight, but now, they felt as light as a feather.

Without further ado, Lu Chuan swung the hammers and began to strike. Wielding them with both hands, he looked as if he were playing a game of Whac-A-Mole, swinging the hammers so quickly that they began to leave afterimages. The light ringing sound produced by the collision of the forging hammers and the metal was like a young girl's melodious singing, stimulating him to accelerate frantically.

In an instant, Mang Tian was stunned! He stood frozen in place, watching as the numbers on the soul guidance screen beneath the Deep Sea Silver jumped wildly: 1, 2, 3, 4... In the blink of an eye, it had already reached 100, and the numbers were still climbing rapidly!

What kind of monster has that kid Tang Ziran sent me? Mang Tian widened his eyes and swallowed hard. He had originally intended to let Lu Chuan swing the hammers here while he went off to complete his own forging tasks. But now, he changed his mind; he wanted to watch Lu Chuan finish all one thousand strikes!

At this moment, In Mang Tian's eyes, Lu Chuan was a piece of uncut jade waiting to be polished. Although he possessed innate superhuman strength, he was still lacking. One had to understand that forging was not merely blacksmithing; speed alone was not enough. Especially when practicing with rare metals, the placement, force, and angle of every hammer strike were critical, or one would simply ruin the material.

However, those were matters for another time. For a beginner, being able to swing the hammer without any effort was, in Mang Tian's mind, already up to standard. As for what score Lu Chuan would ultimately receive in his heart, that would depend on his performance moving forward.

The forging continued, the volume of the Deep Sea Silver constantly shrinking as the impurities within it were steadily reduced. During this process, Lu Chuan began to have some faint realizations. In the subsequent swings, he no longer relied solely on brute force; he added a touch of technique.

First, he used his spiritual power to coat the surface of the metal, grasping its complete shape. Then, he found the most suitable entry point, slowly probing into the interior of the metal to clearly discern its internal textures and folds. Finally, coordinating with the strikes of his forging hammer, he slowly shaped the Deep Sea Silver into the form he desired.

Mang Tian saw all of this clearly. This kid is... guiding the metal! A stormy sea surged in Mang Tian's heart. Since the last strike, the rhythm of Lu Chuan's hammering had changed. Although his speed had not slowed in the slightest and the shadows of his hammer still flew, that previous rigid, arm-reliant sense of "smashing" had vanished.

Instead, it had gradually become rhythmic and layered—nine light strikes followed by one heavy, at times as deep as muffled thunder, at others as nimble as raindrops. This meant that Lu Chuan had truly grasped the essence of forging: [It is not about conquering metal with brute force, but using soul power and spiritual power to guide the metal to reveal its most beautiful form!]

It was just like how handsome men use money and personal charm to guide their beautiful wives to unlock more positions.

Under this rhythmic hammering, Beneath Lu Chuan's hammer, The piece of Deep Sea Silver, originally irregular in shape and marked by the erosion of the seabed, Began to undergo an astonishing transformation.

It was not merely a reduction in volume, But a rhythmic contraction and condensation.

The pits and hollows on its surface were smoothed away, It began to take on sharp edges and corners, Its overall shape gravitating toward a near-perfect rectangular block, While the metal surface began to emit a faint, deep-sea dark blue shimmer.

Before he knew it, The soul device counter beneath the Deep Sea Silver had reached 999.

At this moment, Sweat had long since soaked through Lu Chuan's clothes, A soreness began to radiate from his arms, And the sustained, high-intensity mental focus brought with it waves of slight dizziness.

This was certainly not mental exhaustion;

As the Golden Dragon King, His mental power was at the standard Divine Origin Realm.

The slight lightheadedness he felt right now

Was entirely due to the surge of blood caused by his excitement and agitation!

Once this thousandth hammer strike is complete, what will this piece of Deep Sea Silver become?

Filled with anticipation, Lu Chuan swung his hammer down for the final time!

After this strike, Lu Chuan's focused spirit and energy were completely released, But the Deep Sea Silver beneath his hammer

Burst into brilliant light, Undergoing an extreme metamorphosis, While a crisp, long chime resonated from within the metal itself.

The sound was incomparably clear and lingering, As if it carried some strange, magical power!

So much so that when Mang Tian heard it, he couldn't help but burst into wild laughter, "Hahahaha! Hahahaha..."

"Hundred-Refinement! Hundred-Refinement! A successful Hundred-Refinement on the very first attempt! Hahahaha... hic..."