Grasping the Tail of the Great Path of Creation!

Mang Tian laughed for a long time before he finally calmed down.

Treating it like a rare treasure, he lifted the piece of Hundred-Refined Deep Silver that Lu Chuan had forged from the metal table.

The surface of the Deep Silver shimmered with a deep blue metallic luster, resembling a pearl from the deep sea.

The hundred-refinement patterns upon it were dense and clear, signifying that this piece of Deep Silver was a masterpiece even among other hundred-refined works.

So-called Hundred-Refined Deep Silver meant that every part of the Deep Silver had undergone a hundred strikes of forging.

Theoretically, to forge a piece of Hundred-Refined Deep Silver, one would need to strike it at least several thousand times to bring the Deep Silver to a hundred-refined purity.

But theory was just theory; some powerful or gifted blacksmiths, relying on their talent, experience, soul power, or spiritual power assistance—or perhaps hammer techniques like the Chaos-Cloak Hammer Technique—could achieve the purification effect in a dozen or even just a few strikes.

Lu Chuan belonged to that gifted category!

And he was extremely gifted at that!

It had taken Mang Tian a full year from first learning to forge to successfully completing his first hundred-refinement!

But Lu Chuan had only needed one day!

"This kid is simply born for blacksmithing!"

"To enter the elusive state of deep enlightenment on his very first forging attempt—it really is infuriating to compare people!"

"I don't know what kind of luck that bastard Tang Ziran has!"

Mang Tian gazed at Lu Chuan, who was still in a state of epiphany, his eyes burning with fervor; he wished in his heart that Lu Chuan were his own foster son!

However, Mang Tian was not greedy; he was quite satisfied just being able to serve as Lu Chuan's introductory teacher.

Carefully exiting the workshop and closing the door behind him, Mang Tian began his own work, simultaneously clearing out a quiet space for Lu Chuan.

At this moment, Lu Chuan was still immersed in the instant he had forged the Hundred-Refined Deep Silver!

After that strike, he had clearly felt himself touch the tail of the Great Path of Creation—that was the Great Path he had dreamed of!

Yet, before he could savor it, that ethereal realization slipped away from his fingertips like a shy maiden, vanishing without a trace!

"I must forge more!"

Emerging from the state of deep enlightenment, Lu Chuan made up his mind.

He went to find Mang Tian.

He asked for a few more pieces of deep silver.

Seeing Lu Chuan take such initiative, Mang Tian was more than happy to oblige.

Forging was a trade of diligence; the more one worked, the more one earned, and the faster one improved.

Mang Tian was also looking forward to Lu Chuan bringing him more surprises.

With that in mind, he simply abandoned his own work to watch Lu Chuan forge!

The rhythmic "clang, clang, clang" of the hammer immediately echoed throughout the workshop, as one piece of Hundred-Refined Deep Silver after another was born under Lu Chuan's hammer.

However, during this process, Lu Chuan no longer experienced the insights he had felt during his first attempt.

As his teacher, Mang Tian could see that Lu Chuan's mind was in turmoil.

Starting with such a high baseline, it was easy for a genius to become restless when they couldn't produce results that met their own expectations—this was a common ailment among the gifted!

Therefore, just as Lu Chuan finished one piece of deep silver and prepared to start the next, Mang Tian stopped him in time.

"Xiao Chuan, stop for a moment. Your rhythm is off!"

Lu Chuan stopped swinging his hammer, looking somewhat dazed as he turned toward Mang Tian.

Mang Tian didn't speak; he simply walked over to a pile of unremarkable iron ingots, picked one up, and said, "Xiao Chuan, your talent is a gift from the heavens. But the higher one's talent, the easier it is for the path beneath one's feet to go astray."

"I am also at fault. From the very beginning, I let you experience the thrill of forging rare metals because I wanted you to fall in love with this trade. But I forgot to teach you the most core fundamental of forging—the ability to endure!"

"So," Mang Tian's voice was resolute, "from this second on, forget the feeling you just had. Forget everything."

"I want you to start from zero, to relearn like the dullest, most untalented apprentice! Go and repeat the bitter, exhausting, and monotonous fundamental skill—swinging the hammer!"

With that, Mang Tian picked up a most ordinary forging hammer, placed an iron ingot on the workbench, and assumed the most basic stance.

He looked back at Lu Chuan, "Watch closely! How to plant your feet, how to pivot your waist—the force rises from the ground, travels through the legs, passes through the waist, flows through the arms, reaches the wrists, and finally concentrates at the tip of the hammer!"

"Your breathing must coordinate with your exertion. Inhale to store power, exhale to release it. One breath per hammer strike, no deviations!"

Mang Tian spoke while swinging his hammer.

His movements were not fast, but every detail was incredibly clear, filled with a heavy, rhythmic cadence born of a thousand tempered strikes.

As the hammerhead descended, a dull "clang" rang out; the iron ingot buckled in response, and iron filings sprayed outward in a uniform pattern.

"Forging is, first and foremost, a test of physical strength and technical skill!"

"Your intuition and your spirit must be built upon this most solid foundation of sinew and bone!"

"Without this foundation, your intuition is nothing but a castle in the air, collapsing at the slightest touch!"

After finishing his forging, Mang Tian put away his hammer and handed it to Lu Chuan.

"Now, you do it. Use the method I taught you to strike this piece of iron. I don't require speed, and I don't require you to show off. I only require that your posture, your exertion, and your breathing for every single strike be completely correct! Strike it a thousand times again, and let me see your endurance!"

"Understood, Teacher!"

Lu Chuan took a deep breath and replied firmly.

Without the slightest hesitation, he walked over to another iron ingot, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. Only after burying his longing for the Great Path of Creation deep within his heart did he open his eyes again.

This time, there was nothing in his vision but the iron ingot before him and every movement Mang Tian had just demonstrated!

He took his stance, feet set in a balanced position, his back straight as a pine tree. Recalling the path of power transmission, he slowly raised the forging hammer, inhaling, twisting his waist, extending his arm, and flicking his wrist.

"Clang!"

This strike produced a slightly dull sound, the point of impact was somewhat off, and the deformation of the iron ingot was not uniform. Although the count on the Soul Guidance Screen increased, it clearly had not met Mang Tian's standards.

Mang Tian said nothing in response. He merely crossed his arms, his gaze sweeping over Lu Chuan's ankles, knees, waist, hips, shoulders, elbows, and wrists like a hawk. He was not concerned with the state of the iron ingot right now; he was only focused on the posture of Lu Chuan's strike!

Even though the strike was off-target, Lu Chuan did not feel the slightest bit discouraged. He maintained the mindset of a beginner, the mindset of someone who had yet to successfully complete a hundred-fold forging. Carefully contemplating the sensations in every part of his body from the previous exertion, he adjusted his breathing and raised the hammer once more.

"Clang!"

The second hammer strike.

The sound was a fraction clearer.

The landing point was more precise.

Beyond that, the twist of the waist and hips that Mang Tian focused on most was finally starting to look the part!

The third hammer strike, the fourth...

The hundredth hammer strike.

Lu Chuan finally began to meticulously replicate the standard Mang Tian had taught him.

Monotonous, repetitive, exhausting.

Yet, Lu Chuan's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

In this hammering process, which relied purely on muscle memory and willpower, he felt a grounded strength unlike anything he had experienced before!

The smooth coordination of every muscle in his body, the sense of control as power rose from the soles of his feet, surged through his entire frame, and was finally delivered with precision to the tip of the hammer.

Every attempt to correct a mistake, every experience of nearing the standard form, brought a subtle yet solid sense of progress!

Only then did Lu Chuan realize that, although he had been reincarnated as the Golden Dragon King for tens of thousands of years, he had been sitting on a treasure mountain without knowing it; his mastery and development of his own strength and physical body were likely less than ten percent!

"Clang, clang, clang..."

The rhythmic sound of hammering began to echo steadily throughout the workshop.

Although the speed was far slower than before, and although every strike was accompanied by careful adjustments, the sound now lacked the previous erratic quality, possessing instead a heavy, grounded sense of power rooted in the earth.

And after countless strikes, Lu Chuan found that feeling once again.

This time, He had caught the tail of the Great Path of Creation!