Peerless Genius

Just as he felt he was nearing his limit, his arms about to give out, and the hammer almost slipping from his grasp...

Boom!

An indescribable, terrifying heat surge, like a dormant volcano suddenly erupting, exploded from the deepest part of his body!

It was as if molten lava had instantly flooded every limb and bone!

A vast, irresistible, inexhaustible power, like a burst dam, surged wildly through every meridian and every muscle!

Buzz!

A faint golden light suddenly lit up on Bai Lin's forehead!

Fine, profound golden patterns seemed to come alive, instantly spreading across his brow, cheeks, and neck, even extending down his arms, giving off a dim golden glow in the shadowy light!

His arms, which had been trembling from exhaustion, instantly became as steady as rocks!

The heavy hammer felt weightless in his hands!

Within his spiritual sea, Hei Lin stood proudly!

Deep in his icy gaze, flames of molten gold seemed to burn!

His hands pressed down through the air as his powerful will, like invisible conduits, precisely guided that violent Golden Dragon King's power from deep within their bloodline, pouring it into every part of Bai Lin's body!

"Power..."

"This is power!"

Hei Lin's cold voice carried a trace of barely perceptible fervor.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The hammering suddenly became a raging storm!

Rapid, crisp, and filled with explosive force!

Bai Lin's arm became a blurred black shadow. The dark hammerhead whistled through the air, striking the center of the metal billet with incomparable precision again and again!

Brilliant sparks burst forth with every blow!

The metal's surface rapidly caved in and warped at a visible rate!

The marks that had previously required all his strength to leave now came effortlessly!

Eight hundred strikes, nine hundred strikes...

The remaining hammer blows were completed in just a few minutes, swift as wind and rain!

When the final hammer fell and Bai Lin instinctively stopped, the soul-guided counter beside the workbench clearly flashed a vivid red "1000"!

Bai Lin gasped for breath, sweat dripping from his chin like a stream as his chest heaved violently.

He looked at his slightly reddened palms, which no longer felt particularly sore, then at the metal billet on the workbench, covered in dense hammer marks and visibly sunken by a layer. His heart was filled with immense shock and lingering fear.

That feeling just now, of being filled with power, as though he could do anything...

It was too terrifying, and too...

Tempting.

"Did you feel it?"

Hei Lin's cold voice echoed through the spiritual sea, carrying the lingering satisfaction of wielding power.

"The bloodline power of the Golden Dragon King is stirred by intense emotions."

"Anger, killing intent, unwillingness..."

"These negative emotions are like sparks that ignite it."

He paused, his tone carrying an indifferent certainty.

"And I, as the 'dark side' of this body, am immersed in such emotions at every moment."

"To stir this power..."

"Is as natural to me as breathing."

Bai Lin understood at once, but concern quickly welled up within him.

"Then..."

"Will drawing on it so often have any harmful effect on you..."

"Or on us?"

"For example..."

"Could we suffer a backlash from that power?"

"Hmph." Hei Lin gave a cold snort brimming with absolute confidence.

"Have you forgotten the Tiger Talisman that tore our soul apart?"

"That power..."

"Is anything but ordinary!"

"The laws contained within it seem to naturally suppress the violent will that may exist within the Golden Dragon King's bloodline, like a solid barrier."

His voice carried an unusual certainty.

"With it here, as long as I do not actively touch the core taboo of that power and merely guide a trace of it to strengthen our body..."

"There will be no problem."

Bai Lin let out a long breath, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

"Perhaps..."

"This is what Father always meant when he said blessings and misfortunes depend on each other."

"Now is not the time for sentiment."

Hei Lin's voice returned to calm, urging him on.

"Go find Mang Tian!"

"Let him see the results!"

"Remember, only by displaying talent shocking enough to astonish the world can you earn his true regard and obtain more resources and instruction!"

"That is what we need most right now!"

Bai Lin nodded heavily, suppressed the excitement in his heart, and began searching the vast, cluttered workshop for Mang Tian.

A few minutes later, he found Mang Tian behind a massive furnace, inspecting a piece of crimson metal.

Hearing the footsteps, Mang Tian looked up. When he saw Bai Lin, his brows instinctively furrowed, and a flash of understanding and faint disappointment passed through his eyes.

Only ten minutes had passed?

This child had indeed given up.

He set down his tools, his voice as cold and hard as usual.

"What?"

"Can't hold on anymore?"

"I told you, this isn't..."

"Uncle Mang Tian," Bai Lin interrupted in a crisp voice, carrying the ease of someone who had completed his task, "I finished."

"What?" Mang Tian thought he had misheard. For the first time, obvious astonishment appeared on his stern face. "What did you say?"

"I said, I finished." Bai Lin pointed toward the workbench. "Five hundred strikes with each arm, one thousand in total."

The expression on Mang Tian's face instantly froze!

He abruptly rose to his feet. His tall figure radiated an imposing pressure as he nearly crossed the distance to Bai Lin in a single step. His sharp, eagle-like eyes fixed fiercely on Bai Lin's, as if trying to pierce through his soul and determine whether he was telling the truth.

Several seconds of silence hung like solidified lead.

"Come with me."

Mang Tian's voice was terrifyingly low, heavy with the oppressive air before a storm.

He strode toward Bai Lin's workbench.

When his gaze fell upon the Heavy Silver billet atop the workbench, it was as though he had been struck by invisible lightning!

He froze on the spot!

The originally neat, round billet had visibly sunk in at its center, forming a shallow, dish-shaped depression!

The hollow was covered in densely packed hammer marks, uniform in depth and closely arranged!

Every hammer mark was crystal clear, carrying a heart-palpitating sense of force!

The marks from the latter half were especially deeper and denser, as though the wielder's strength had undergone a qualitative leap at some point!

The vivid red "1000" on the soul-guided counter beside it was as glaring as a brand!

Ten minutes...

One thousand hammer strikes...

With hammer marks this deep...

How could a six-year-old child possibly have done this?!

Mang Tian abruptly turned his head. Those eyes, sharp as an eagle's and seemingly capable of piercing through metal grain, were now filled with utter shock and disbelief as they locked onto Bai Lin's small face, still streaked with sweat yet unusually calm!

Even his breathing grew heavy, his chest rising and falling violently.