Thousand Refinement Heavy Silver

"Good..."

"Good."

"Good!"

Mang Tian said "good" three times in a row, his voice trembling hoarsely with excitement.

He forcefully patted Bai Lin on the shoulder, making the exhausted Bai Lin sway.

"Seven years old!"

"Thousand Refinement Heavy Silver!"

"Perfect quality!"

"HAHAHAHA!"

He threw back his head and laughed, the sound echoing through the forging room, filled with the sheer exhilaration of finally holding his head high!

Mang Tian lowered his head, his gaze like the most precise measuring probe as it swept once more over the dark silver metal flowing in his hand. His tone was an ironclad declaration:

"A seven-year-old Thousand Refinement forger..."

"Wulin, from this moment onward, your name will be engraved at the very top of the Forging Masters Association's Glory Stele!"

"No one will be able to shake it!"

He stared into Bai Lin's eyes, his gaze seeming to pierce through time and space to behold an incomparably brilliant future:

"Remember today!"

"Remember this first hammer strike of Thousand Refinement!"

"This is merely the beginning of your path toward the peak of forging!"

"Your future..."

"Is as a Divine Craftsman!"

"Is the..."

"Supreme pinnacle of the forging path!"

Mang Tian's bell-like voice, brimming with shock and wild joy, echoed through the scorching forging room. Every word struck heavily against Bai Lin's heart.

"Seven-year-old Thousand Refinement," "the path of a Divine Craftsman," "the supreme pinnacle"...

Those words were like blazing brands, deeply searing themselves into his soul!

A tremendous surge of joy, like an erupting volcano, instantly washed away all of Bai Lin's exhaustion!

The little hand gripping the hammer handle trembled slightly with excitement. His small face was pale yet flushed with exhilaration, and in those clear brown eyes, countless stars seemed to burn and explode!

An entire year had passed!

From awakening the Blue Silver Grass martial soul that had been deemed worthless, to enduring the mockery of children his age, to having his soul torn into the sides of good and evil...

He had borne far too much weight for someone his age.

He had desperately studied forging, hammering away with sweat and even blood to prove himself!

The success of this Thousand Refinement was not merely the elevation of a piece of metal. It was the loudest echo of all his effort, all his unwillingness, all his perseverance!

It was the strongest declaration he could make to this world!

From Mang Tian's nearly unrestrained reaction and words, he could clearly feel the weight carried by the words "Thousand Refinement"!

It was a threshold that even Saint Craftsman-level forgers could only touch at the age of eleven!

And he was only seven!

With sheer sweat, talent, and the divine power within him that Hei Lin had precisely guided, he had trampled that threshold beneath his feet!

Yet amid his excitement, a practical question surfaced.

Bai Lin looked at the wound on his wrist, long vanished save for a faint pink mark, and a trace of concern appeared on his small face:

"Teacher..."

"If I need to bleed like this every time I perform Thousand Refinement..."

He sensed the still-surging power within his body, but instinctively felt that this "blood sacrifice" was by no means a good thing.

"HAHAHA!"

Mang Tian's hearty laughter cut off Bai Lin's worries.

"You silly boy! Do you think blood sacrifice is cabbage?"

"You think you can do it every time?"

His smile faded, and his expression turned serious and earnest as he pointed at the Heavy Silver radiating a dark silver spiritual glow:

"A blood-sacrifice Thousand Refinement is the 'ceremony of acknowledgment' that a forger grants to his first Thousand Refinement work. It's tradition!"

"It gives it a unique 'spirit' and 'name'!"

"For future Thousand Refinement works, unless it is a masterpiece you have poured your heart into and are exceptionally satisfied with, or a client specifically requests the integration of their own bloodline power, there is no need for a blood sacrifice at all!"

Mang Tian stressed his words, looking sharply at Bai Lin:

"Remember!"

"The spirituality of blood-sacrificed Thousand Refinement metal recognizes only one master!"

"No one else can use it, much less forge it a second time!"

"So unless you intend to keep it for yourself, or it is a work you especially cherish, never perform a blood sacrifice lightly!"

He paused, his voice carrying a warning.

"Moreover, every blood sacrifice, no matter how little blood is used, drains your vital energy!"

"Do not do it unless necessary!"

Bai Lin suddenly understood and nodded vigorously.

"I understand, Teacher!"

"Thank you!"

"What are you thanking me for?" Mang Tian waved a large hand and boldly pushed the invaluable Thousand Refinement Heavy Silver toward Bai Lin.

"Take it!"

"Your first Thousand Refinement work belongs to you!"

"This is your glory and your starting point!"

Bai Lin delightedly accepted the warm, heavy piece of dark silver metal. It felt cool in his hand, yet it seemed connected to his bloodline, conveying a strange sense of intimacy.

He reverently stroked the flowing dark silver sheen across its surface. "Thank you, Master!"

"Mm." Mang Tian gave a satisfied grunt, but then a sharp gleam flashed in his eyes as he pointed to the Heavy Silver.

"Wulin, you are still using ordinary forging hammers. They don't suit your Thousand Refinement skill."

"While you're still in top condition and your Soul Power hasn't dissipated, use this Thousand Refinement Heavy Silver that you personally blood-sacrificed to forge yourself a pair of hammers!"

"These are a forger's true companions!"

Seeing Bai Lin's eyes instantly light up, he spoke with a trace of anticipation and curiosity:

"Every Thousand Refinement product will develop a unique 'ascension effect' according to the forger's will, skill, and even luck."

"I really want to know what kind of miracle these hammers, forged from the first Thousand Refinement work you blood-sacrificed yourself..."

"Will produce!"

For the next stretch of time, the forging room was once more filled with hammer strikes as dense as rain.

This time, Bai Lin's movements were steadier and smoother.

The forging hammer in his hand seemed to become an extension of his limbs. Every strike carried an incomparable familiarity with and control over the metal.

Sweat still flowed, but his spirit was incomparably exhilarated.

Within his body, the power of the Golden Dragon King bloodline, under Hei Lin's precise guidance, acted like the most loyal assistant, providing support without end.

When the setting sun's afterglow shone through the high windows and dyed the forging room a warm orange-red...

A pair of forging hammers with simple, flowing designs and a deep dark silver sheen lay quietly upon the workbench.

The hammerheads were not large, but their lines were full of strength. Their handles were long and fit comfortably in the hand, while the whole pair emitted a restrained, weighty spiritual radiance, like sleeping savage beasts.

Bai Lin set down the old hammer that had accompanied him in completing this masterpiece. With a trace of reverence, he gripped the handles of the new hammers.

The moment he held them!

They were heavy!

Far heavier than his old hammer, yet their weight distribution was exceptionally perfect, as though they had been tailored specifically for him!

A feeling of flesh-and-blood connection and mutual understanding instantly flooded his heart!

These hammers seemed to have become a part of his body!

"Try them!"

Mang Tian stood at the side, his gaze blazing, his voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible tension.