The Hammer Technique Takes Shape, Ten-Thousand-Year Sea Dragon

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, two months had passed.

West of Shrek City, Zheng's Forge.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The rhythmic pounding rang out from the forge, blending with the crackling of the furnace and the hissing of cooling metal into a unique symphony.

Inside the forge, Xiao Cheng stood bare-chested, gripping a pair of Thousand-Refined Thousand-Mechanism Copper Forging Hammers as he focused completely on hammering a piece of metal atop the anvil. His movements were fluid and powerful, every swing carrying a distinctive rhythm, as though he were not forging metal but dancing.

Two months of intense training had brought subtle changes to his body. The once somewhat immature lines of his muscles had become more defined, veins faintly visible beneath his skin, and his entire body exuded a steady, powerful presence.

The most obvious change was in his eyes—a light of utmost focus, as if the entire world contained only him and the piece of metal before him.

"Stop."

Zheng Tie's voice rang out.

Xiao Cheng immediately stopped swinging his hammers and took a deep breath. Sweat slid down his cheeks and dripped onto the floor with a faint hiss.

Zheng Tie stepped forward, picked up the metal that had already been hammered down by a full size, and examined it carefully. Then he nodded. "Mm, this was good. The impurity removal rate has surpassed the level of ordinary Hundred Refinement. It is already comparable to an experienced Level Two blacksmith. For a beginner, this progress is downright monstrous."

Xiao Cheng smiled at that. "That is all thanks to Master Zheng's teaching."

"I would not dare take the credit." Zheng Tie kept a stern face, though a hint of approval flashed through his eyes. "Your comprehension is indeed excellent. Reaching this level in two months means you are far better than I was back then. Becoming a God Craftsman depends on luck, but I can say with certainty that your future will at least lead you to become an eighth-rank Saint Craftsman. Still, do not get arrogant. Hundred Refinement is only the foundation of a blacksmith. Thousand Refinement and Spirit Refinement are the real hurdles ahead."

"I understand, Master Zheng." Xiao Cheng nodded solemnly.

Zheng Tie tossed the metal back onto the anvil. "All right, that is enough forging practice for today. Go get some rest. Do not wear yourself out."

Xiao Cheng set down his hammers, stretched his somewhat sore arms, and walked out of the forge.

It was afternoon. Sunlight spilled across the stone-paved road, casting it in a golden glow. Xiao Cheng narrowed his eyes, felt the warmth of the sun, and let out a long breath.

Over the past two months, his life had become extremely regular.

Every morning, he practiced the Hidden Dragon Stance and Bone Tempering for two hours. In the morning, he went to the forge to study forging under Zheng Tie. In the afternoon, he cultivated Soul Power and practiced spear techniques. At night, he trained his spiritual power and cultivated Soul Power.

Every day was packed full, fulfilling and busy.

The progress of his Bone Tempering was roughly as he had expected. After two months, he had completed around sixty percent of the first round of Bone Tempering. Although the strength and resilience of his bones had improved considerably, and this speed was already much faster than in his previous life, Xiao Cheng still found it somewhat unsatisfactory.

"At this rate, it will take at least another month or more to complete the first round of Bone Tempering." Xiao Cheng thought as he walked. "I wonder whether Dad has gotten the thing I asked him to find. It should be soon, right?"

Thinking that, Xiao Cheng unconsciously quickened his pace toward home.

When he returned home, Mu Wan was busy in the kitchen, and the enticing fragrance of food drifted out from within.

"Mom, I'm back." Xiao Cheng changed his shoes, walked to the kitchen doorway, and poked his head inside. "What are we having today? It smells so good!"

"You're back?" Mu Wan turned around and smiled at him. "I made your favorite braised soul beast meat today, along with stir-fried spirit vegetables and pork rib soup. Go wash your hands. Dinner is almost ready."

"Okay!" Xiao Cheng answered and ran off to wash his hands.

Not long afterward, Xiao Ran returned as well. The family of three sat around the dining table, chatting as they ate.

"Cheng'er, how has your forging been going lately?" Xiao Ran picked up a piece of braised meat, put it into his mouth, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad." Xiao Cheng said, "Master Zheng said my forging skill has already reached the level of an experienced Level Two blacksmith. Though that is because my foundation is relatively good. I probably still need another two or three months before I can attempt Thousand Refinement."

"A Level Two blacksmith?" Xiao Ran raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You have only studied for two months and already reached this level? That is extremely fast progress. An eight-year-old Level Two blacksmith would absolutely be among the most talented ranks in the Blacksmith Association."

"Maybe my physique is just well suited for forging." Xiao Cheng smiled, then changed the subject. "By the way, Dad, did you get the dragon-type soul beast flesh and blood I mentioned?"

"I was just about to tell you. It has already been delivered to Shrek City." Xiao Ran smiled at Xiao Cheng. "Your grandfather spent quite a bit of effort acquiring it. And he got lucky this time—he caught you a big one."

"A big one?" Xiao Cheng's eyes lit up. "How big?"

"A Ten-Thousand-Year Sea Dragon." Xiao Ran said. "It has pure True Dragon bloodline, nothing those lesser dragonkin can compare to."

"A Ten-Thousand-Year Sea Dragon?!" Xiao Cheng drew in a sharp breath. "A Ten-Thousand-Year Sea Dragon with pure True Dragon bloodline? That is a rare treasure! Is Grandpa all right?"

"He is fine. Very fine." Xiao Ran smiled, then explained the entire process in detail.

To speed up his Bone Tempering, Xiao Cheng had thought of a method from the Dragon Transformation Sutra.

The True Dragon Qi condensed by the Dragon Transformation Sutra was refined and elevated from a cultivator's own essence, vitality, and spirit. It had no actual connection to the so-called Dragon Clan, merely sharing certain concepts. Yet the Dragon Transformation Sutra was not undeserving of its name. It contained a special technique called Blood Refinement into Qi—by consuming dragon-type flesh and blood, a practitioner could increase their reserves and accelerate cultivation progress.

Although the Martial Dao world of Xiao Cheng's previous life had no true dragons, it did have flood dragons, serpents, and similar creatures. He had once used this method to speed up his cultivation, but the results had not been obvious.

There were two reasons. First, the bloodlines of those flood dragon and serpent-type demon beasts had been extremely thin. Second, his own digestive ability had been insufficient. Although martial artists had large appetites, they were not truly bottomless eaters. There was only so much they could consume in a day, and over time, he had abandoned this method.

But on Douluo Continent, the situation was completely different.

There were quite a few kinds of dragon-type soul beasts here, and many possessed exceptional bloodlines. More importantly, the first soul skill of Xiao Cheng's Body Martial Soul, the Evil God Body, granted him the devouring ability of the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger.

He would not directly use that ability to devour flesh and blood—doing so could truly cause him to fall into becoming an Evil Soul Master—but he could first use the Dragon Transformation Sutra to preliminarily refine the vitality and bloodline power within dragon-type flesh, removing its impurities and violent will. Then he could use Evil Demon Devour for a second absorption, greatly enhancing his digestive ability.

Xiao Cheng's requirements had not been high. Any lesser dragon with a relatively pure bloodline would have been enough. But land soul beasts were now nearly extinct, and the small number that remained had all retreated into the Life Lake of the Star Dou Great Forest, under the protection of the Beast God, the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King Di Tian. Even Xiao Ran did not dare enter the last remaining territory of the soul beasts to hunt dragon-type soul beasts.

Therefore, Xiao Ran could only turn his attention to sea soul beasts. The ocean was vast and boundless, and there were quite a few lesser dragon species among the sea soul beasts. Thus, Xiao Cheng had asked Xiao Ran to hunt some dragon-type soul beasts in the ocean to accelerate his cultivation.

Xiao Ran entrusted the task to his father, Xiao Zhan, who was far away at the Spirit Pagoda in Eastsea City. Eastsea City bordered the sea and served as the Federation's outpost for developing marine resources, so Xiao Zhan knew far more about such matters.

Xiao Zhan had originally been nothing more than an ordinary civilian Soul Master. But because he had raised such an outstanding son as Xiao Ran, he had received support from his son in his later years and successfully broken through Rank Ninety, becoming a Title Douluo. With Three-Word Battle Armor, he could also unleash considerable combat power. Although his talent meant he had virtually no hope of reaching Super Douluo, within Eastsea City, he was already considered one of the strongest.

Faced with the requests of his son and grandson, Xiao Zhan naturally had no reason to refuse. He personally accompanied a Federation marine resource fleet out to sea and hunted dragon-type soul beasts in the deep-sea regions. The souls of the soul beasts were made into Soul Spirits and stored away, while their flesh and blood were carefully preserved as cultivation resources for Xiao Cheng.

And Xiao Zhan's luck had indeed been good. During one voyage, they encountered a Ten-Thousand-Year Sea Dragon with pure True Dragon bloodline attacking the fleet. The Sea Dragon was severely wounded by the fleet's Fixed Soul Guidance Cannons, and Xiao Zhan had spent considerable effort before finally capturing it alive. Afterward, he used secret channels to urgently send it, together with the flesh and blood of the dragon beasts they had previously hunted, to Shrek City.

"That Sea Dragon is currently in an estate on the western outskirts of the city." Xiao Ran said. "I dug a lake there and set up all kinds of restraining Soul Tools, keeping it in the lake. From now on, you can regularly draw its blood to aid your cultivation."

"Great!" Xiao Cheng was immensely excited. "With this Sea Dragon, my Bone Tempering speed can at least double!"

Xiao Cheng no longer felt the slightest sympathy for the Sea Dragon. Those not of our kind are bound to have different hearts. Though he would not treat that saying as absolute truth, he had to admit it made sense. Xiao Cheng held no hostility toward soul beasts, but when it came to his own cultivation, he did not mind being a greedy human. Soul beasts were not within his moral boundaries, after all.

Furthermore, the Sea Dragon was a sea soul beast and was most likely a follower of Tang Buddha Ancestor. That left Xiao Cheng with even less of a burden in his heart.

"Do not get happy too soon." Xiao Ran warned. "Dragon blood is good stuff, but the energy it contains is also extremely violent. You must be careful when absorbing it. Take things step by step, and do not bite off more than you can chew."

"I understand, Dad." Xiao Cheng nodded, then asked curiously, "By the way, Dad, where is that estate you mentioned? I want to go see it tomorrow."

"It is on the western outskirts of the city, not far from Master Zheng's forge." Xiao Ran said. "I will take you there tomorrow."

"Okay!" Xiao Cheng answered, his heart filled with anticipation.

Early the next morning, Xiao Cheng completed his usual Hidden Dragon Stance training, then followed Xiao Ran to the estate on the western outskirts of the city.

The estate covered a considerable area and was surrounded by tall walls. Dense Soul Tool runes were engraved on those walls, clearly intended to block out its aura and prevent outsiders from entering. The estate was lush with trees, flowers, and grass. At its center lay a small artificial lake, its clear water rippling under the sunlight.

Xiao Cheng walked to the edge of the lake and looked down. At the bottom of the water, a massive dark shadow lay coiled in silence. It was more than ten meters long, covered in azure-blue scales, with two horns on its head and whiskers beneath its jaw. It looked imposing and majestic.

"This is... the Ten-Thousand-Year Sea Dragon?" Xiao Cheng's eyes widened.

He had seen many demon beasts in his previous life, but this was the first time he had seen a soul beast with True Dragon bloodline. Though this Sea Dragon still seemed far too crude compared with the divine dragons of legend, the aura of its pure True Dragon bloodline could not be faked.

"That is right." Xiao Ran walked over to his side. "This Sea Dragon was severely injured and is being suppressed by restraining Soul Tools, so it is currently in a dormant state. You can regularly draw blood from it, but mind your limits and do not kill it. Keeping it alive means it can continuously provide you with dragon blood."

"I understand." Xiao Cheng nodded, then asked eagerly, "Dad, can I draw a little blood and try it now?"

"Of course." As Xiao Ran spoke, he took a specially made jade bottle and a hollow silver needle from his Storage Soul Tool. "Insert this needle into a gap between its scales, and you can draw blood. Do not take too much the first time. One small bottle will be enough."

Xiao Cheng accepted the jade bottle and silver needle, took a deep breath, then leaped into the lake.

The lake water was icy cold, but Xiao Cheng's physique had long since become immune to heat and cold. He swam to the Sea Dragon's side, found a gap between its scales, and gently inserted the silver needle—

The Sea Dragon's body trembled slightly, but it soon returned to stillness.

Xiao Cheng carefully drew a small bottle of dragon blood, then swam back to shore and handed the jade bottle to Xiao Ran.

"This should be enough." Xiao Ran accepted the bottle, looked at the blood inside that gave off a faint golden glow, and nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Since this is your first absorption, it is better to be cautious. Remember, take it step by step. Do not be greedy."

"I understand, Dad." Xiao Cheng took back the jade bottle and felt the warm yet violent energy within. His heart was filled with anticipation.