Mang Tian

"I don't know!"

Hei Lin's voice was firm and decisive, sharp with his pursuit of the truth.

"But according to this book, the core of the Golden Dragon King's abilities was a body capable of bearing the crushing weight of the universe and shattering all things..."

"An invincible physique!"

His cold gaze seemed to pierce through their mental barrier, as though examining this small body.

"And last night's mutation, the unexplained increase in strength this morning, and your suddenly enormous appetite..."

"Everything points to it!"

Bai Lin understood at once.

"You mean..."

"The Golden Dragon King's bloodline flows within us?"

"That's why our physiques have become stronger?"

"And why our appetites have grown?"

"What else could explain it?"

Hei Lin's voice carried a strange tremor.

"This might..."

"Not be a bad thing."

"Not a bad thing?" Bai Lin was puzzled.

"Of course!" Hei Lin's voice regained some of its cold certainty.

"The book said that the Golden Dragon King's power lay in the body!"

"In strength!"

"In pure destruction and defense!"

"And what are we going to do now?"

"Forging! Swinging hammers! Smithing!"

"That is exactly the kind of grueling work that requires strength and a tough body most of all!"

Bai Lin's eyes lit up at once!

That's right!

The hardship of forging that had troubled them might be nothing before the Golden Dragon King's potential for an almost invincible body!

"Then how can we completely gain this power?"

"How do we control it?"

"Didn't you feel it?" Hei Lin countered, with an almost imperceptible sense of control in his voice.

"After sleeping last night, weren't your strength, stamina, and recovery all noticeably better this morning than yesterday?"

"And this power seems to be..."

"Something we can draw upon..."

Bai Lin thought back carefully. It was indeed true!

He had felt especially refreshed while bathing that morning.

"Then..."

"We don't have to do anything, and our physiques will just keep getting stronger?"

"In theory, yes. The bloodline will naturally nourish the body."

Hei Lin's voice turned serious.

"But this power is far too domineering!"

"We must completely master it and guide it, rather than let it sleep or..."

"Run wild!"

"Otherwise, if it ever goes out of control, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

He recalled the terrifying power from last night that had nearly burst his body apart, and lingering fear rose in his heart.

Bai Lin nodded heavily. Beneath the immense pressure, excitement also surged within him.

At the very least, the path of forging to earn money now seemed to have a solid guarantee!

He carefully hid the book away again, then sat down cross-legged, carrying both anticipation for the future and a trace of unease.

He began attempting the most basic meditation, trying to sense the divine bloodline hidden within his body, scorching hot like molten lava.

After school the next day, Lang Yue took leave specially and came to pick up Bai Lin herself.

She did not bring Na'er, worried that the child would not adapt well to the workshop environment.

They passed through several relatively quiet streets before finally stopping in front of an old-looking building with a heavy metal sign hanging over the entrance: "Mang Tian Forging."

The air was filled with the faint smell of metal dust and high-temperature scorching.

Lang Yue knocked on the door, and a tall middle-aged man with an iron-hard face and hands covered in thick calluses appeared in the doorway.

It was Mang Tian.

His gaze was as sharp as an eagle's. It swept over Lang Yue before finally settling on the small boy beside her, whose eyes were unusually clear and resolute.

"Brother Mang Tian, I'll be troubling you."

Lang Yue wore an earnest smile.

Mang Tian merely gave a slight nod in greeting. His voice was low and direct.

"Leave the child here. You can go back."

"Come pick him up later."

His attitude was cold and hard as metal, leaving no room for doubt.

Lang Yue cast Bai Lin a worried glance, and Bai Lin immediately returned a look that said, Don't worry.

Only then did Lang Yue leave, turning back every few steps.

The workshop door closed, shutting out the light from outside.

The space inside was large, but dim and cluttered.

A massive furnace in the corner emitted an orange-red glow and scorching waves of heat, while the bellows gave off a dull, laboring wheeze.

Metal ingots, unfinished pieces, and forging tools of every kind were piled about in apparent disorder, yet with a certain order.

Mang Tian walked to a relatively clean workbench. On it lay a grayish-white circular metal blank about twenty centimeters in diameter and roughly five centimeters thick.

He picked up a small metal hammer from beside it, slightly larger than an adult's palm, entirely black with simple, clean lines. After weighing it in his hand, he passed it to Bai Lin.

"Take it."

Mang Tian's voice carried no emotion, like a cold iron anvil.

"At your age and with your build, forging is too early and too difficult for you."

He pointed at the metal blank.

"Your father begged me repeatedly before I agreed to give you one chance."

"Today, your task is to use this hammer to strike this metal blank five hundred times on each side."

"Remember."

Mang Tian's sharp gaze locked onto Bai Lin's eyes, assessing him.

"Don't just hammer at random."

"Every strike must use all your strength and hit the center point!"

"I want to hear a crisp 'bang,' and I want to see a clear indentation at the point of impact!"

"If you lack strength or strike off-center, it doesn't count!"

He paused, his tone carrying an almost cruel declaration.

"If you can't finish today, or if you give up midway..."

"Then it will prove that you are not suited for this path yet."

"Wait until you're older before considering it again."

He no longer looked at Bai Lin and turned toward the other side, seemingly certain that such a task was utterly impossible for a six-year-old child. He was simply waiting for Bai Lin to retreat in the face of difficulty.

Bai Lin took a deep breath, and the scorching workshop air, tinged with the smell of rust, flooded his lungs.

He stretched out his small hand and gripped the handle of the black metal hammer.

It felt cold and heavy in his hand, but...

It did not seem as difficult to bear as he had imagined?

His heart stirred. This might be the change brought about by the Golden Dragon King's bloodline!

Without hesitating further, he walked to the workbench, gripped the hammer handle tightly with both hands, raised it high, then summoned all his strength and smashed it down!

Bang!

A crisp, resounding impact echoed through the workshop!

A tiny but clearly visible dent appeared on the surface of the metal blank.

Delight rose in Bai Lin's heart, and he immediately swung the hammer again!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Crisp hammering began to ring out in a steady rhythm.

For the first few dozen strikes, Bai Lin still felt fairly relaxed, his arms brimming with strength.

But as the number of strikes increased, waves of soreness and numbness washed through his arms. Every time he raised the hammer, it became incomparably harder.

Sweat quickly soaked through his thin school uniform, sliding down from his temples and dripping onto the scorching metal blank. It gave a soft hiss and instantly evaporated.

The web between his thumb and forefinger was numbed by the vibrations, while the muscles in his forearms began trembling uncontrollably.

Two hundred strikes...

Three hundred strikes...

His arms grew heavier and heavier. Every breath carried a searing pain, and his vision blurred with sweat.

Four hundred strikes...

His arms felt as though they had been filled with lead. Each time he raised the hammer, he had to grit his teeth and use every ounce of willpower to force them to move.

Exhaustion was like heavy chains, dragging him down into the depths...