Hammer Blows and Firelight

Yun Zhiyu picked up a forging hammer for the first time purely by accident.

That day, Feng Wuyu was once again smithing in the courtyard of Sea God's Pavilion. The clangs rang with a strange rhythm that drew her over. The three-year-old girl stood on tiptoe, clinging to the edge of the forge as she watched the red-hot metal stretch and deform beneath the hammer. Sparks flew like tiny bursts of fireworks.

"Want to give it a try?" Feng Wuyu glanced at her, his beard twitching upward.

Yun Zhiyu said nothing. She simply held out her hand.

Feng Wuyu froze for a moment, then laughed heartily and lifted her onto a tall stool. He found the smallest forging hammer he had and pressed it into her hands. The handle was thicker than her wrist, so she had to grip it with both hands. When she raised it, she wobbled like a kitten carrying a fish too large for its mouth.

"Sink your waist," Feng Wuyu said, supporting her arm. "Use your arms. Keep your wrist steady—"

Clang!

Her first strike landed with a dull, brief sound. The metal's surface only dented slightly, but Yun Zhiyu froze.

At that moment, the Torch Dragon Bloodline stirred faintly, like a sleeping beast turning over. She clearly felt it: the instant the hammerhead touched the metal, a strange resonance traveled through her palm. It was not merely a physical collision. It felt more like... communication. The metal's internal grain, the distribution of impurities, the points of stress—all of it vaguely appeared in her mind.

The Complete Forging Knowledge bestowed by the system produced a remarkable reaction with her bloodline at that moment.

"Again," she said softly, and her eyes changed.

Feng Wuyu was stunned. Those were not the eyes a three-year-old should have—focused, composed, and carrying an almost obsessive seriousness. He suddenly recalled the expression Yun Ming occasionally wore. In certain moments, father and daughter were astonishingly alike.

Over the course of the morning, Yun Zhiyu ruined two pieces of Hundredfold Tempered Iron. Blisters formed on her palms, yet she refused to put down the hammer no matter what. In the end, Yali rushed over after hearing the news and forcibly carried her away, blowing tenderly on her hands as she walked. "Little ancestor, are you trying to kill your mother with worry?"

"Mom," Yun Zhiyu muttered from atop her shoulder, "it doesn't hurt."

"You have blisters all over your hands, and it doesn't hurt?"

"It really doesn't." She paused, then added quietly, "I just... want to hammer a little longer."

Yali's steps paused briefly. She exchanged a look with the Yun Ming who had arrived afterward, and both saw helpless understanding in the other's eyes.

From that day on, Yun Zhiyu became a regular in the forging room. Feng Wuyu was more than happy to indulge her, preparing different materials for her every day, progressing from the simplest refined iron to the somewhat more complicated Sinking Silver. Yun Zhiyu's improvement was astonishingly fast. In only three months, she could independently complete Hundredfold Tempering Purification. Her technique was still immature, but even Feng Wuyu was secretly startled by her perception of metal.

"A heaven-sent prodigy." One night, Feng Wuyu sat drinking with Yun Ming, smacking his lips as he spoke. "She has a natural affinity for all the elements of heaven and earth. Metal is also the essence of the earth. This child was born to make a living from this craft."

Yun Ming did not respond. He merely looked out the window. Under the moonlight, the small figure was crouched at the forging room entrance, drawing something on the ground with a branch—the internal structure of that piece of Sinking Silver from earlier that day. She drew it again and again until she knew it by heart.

"She is still too young," Yun Ming finally said. "Her bones have not fully developed. Long periods of forging will damage her foundation."

"That is why I control how long she works each day," Feng Wuyu said seriously for once. "Yun Ming, this child has talent and temperament. Given time, she will surely become a Divine Craftsman."

Yun Ming fell silent for a long while, then raised his cup and drained it in one gulp.

During the days Yun Zhiyu was obsessed with forging, Yun Zhishu was the unhappiest.

At first, the little girl followed her sister to the forging room. But it was hot and noisy inside, and the sparks hurt when they landed on her. After half a day, she ran away with tears in her eyes. She had expected her sister to come after her and comfort her, but Yun Zhiyu was so immersed in smithing that she did not notice her sister had left at all.

Yun Zhishu became angry.

She locked herself in her room and refused to open the door no matter who came to coax her. Yali brought pastries in, but she turned her back and ignored her. Yun Ming made funny faces to amuse her, but she pursed her lips and nearly burst into tears. Zhuo Shi came carrying candied hawthorns. She accepted them, but ate while sniffling, her tears melting the sugar coating.

"Big Sister is bad." She clutched the edge of her blanket, her voice thick with tears. "She doesn't want me anymore."

Yun Zhiyu only learned that her sister was throwing a tantrum in the evening. She hurried back to their residence and pushed open the door, only to see Yun Zhishu wrapped into a little cocoon, with only half of her swollen red face exposed.

"Little Zhishu?"

The cocoon shrank farther inward.

Yun Zhiyu climbed onto the bed and tugged at the blanket. "I was wrong."

The blanket was clutched even tighter.

"I really was wrong." She softened her voice. "I shouldn't have ignored you. But the forging room is too dangerous. You're still little, so you can't go there often."

"Big Sister is little too!" came a muffled retort from beneath the blanket. "Big Sister can go, so why can't I?"

"Because..."

Yun Zhiyu was stuck. She could hardly say, Because I have a system, a bloodline, and memories from a previous life, while you're only an ordinary two-year-old.

"Because Big Sister needs to protect you," she said after considering her words. "It's too hot there, and you could get burned. Look, even Big Sister has blisters on her hands."

She held out her palm. The few blisters that had already scabbed over were especially obvious under the lamplight.

The blanket fell silent for a moment. Then a small hand reached out and gently touched those wounds. Yun Zhishu crawled out from under the blanket. Her eyes were still red, but her tiny brows were furrowed with concern. "Does it hurt, Big Sister?"

"It hurts." Yun Zhiyu took the chance to play up her misery. "So Zhishu can't go there, okay?"

Yun Zhishu bit her lip and remained silent for a long time. Just when Yun Zhiyu thought she was about to give in, the little girl suddenly looked up. Stubborn light flashed in her amber-gold eyes. "Then I want to learn! I want to be with Big Sister!"

"You..."

"I'm not afraid of getting burned! I'm not afraid of being tired either!" Yun Zhishu clenched her little fists. "Big Sister knows how, so I want to know how too!"

Yun Zhiyu's head began to ache.

She knew this sister's temperament too well. She looked soft and sweet, but she was stubborn to the bone. If Yun Zhishu really picked up a hammer, her delicate skin would probably be covered in blisters within a day. But if Yun Zhiyu refused, the little girl might stay angry forever.

"How about this?" An idea came to her. "Little Zhishu, why don't you learn design? Smithing is tiring and dangerous, but design is different. You can draw blueprints and think up shapes. You can do it sitting in your room. When Big Sister needs to wear Battle Armor someday, Zhishu can design it for me. How does that sound?"

Yun Zhishu blinked. "Battle Armor?"

"It's incredibly powerful armor." Yun Zhiyu gestured with her hands. "You can fly in it, become stronger, and protect many people. But Battle Armor needs a designer to draw the blueprints first before a forger can make it. Zhishu is so smart, and your drawings are so pretty. You'll definitely become the greatest designer!"

"Really?"

"Really. When the time comes, only Zhishu in the entire world will be able to design Big Sister's Battle Armor."

Yun Zhishu tilted her head, seeming to consider it seriously. She did indeed enjoy drawing. With the paper and pens Yali had prepared for her, she could scribble away for an entire day. The little rabbits and birds she drew even bore some resemblance to the real things.

"Then... I won't learn smithing?"

"No," Yun Zhiyu said decisively. "Learn design. Big Sister will protect you from now on, and you'll help Big Sister design Battle Armor. We'll never be apart."

"Never be apart!"

Yun Zhishu finally smiled and threw herself into her sister's arms. Her earlier grievance vanished like smoke. Yun Zhiyu sighed in relief and rubbed her sister's hair, thinking that she had finally gotten through this hurdle.

She did not notice Yun Ming and Yali at the door listening to everything, smiling at each other.

"Battle Armor? A designer?" Yali said softly. "That girl certainly knows how to coax someone."

"And it is rare that she truly considers her sister's feelings," Yun Ming said, wrapping an arm around his wife's shoulders. "Since they do not want to be separated, I'll build a forging room beside Sea God's Pavilion. Make it bigger and more spacious, with a separate design room so Zhishu has somewhere to go as well."

"You really spoil them."

"They're my daughters. Who else would I spoil?"

The forging room was built quickly. Yun Ming personally supervised the work, using only the finest materials. It was soundproof, heat-resistant, and well ventilated. The outer room held the forge and material racks, while the inner room was made into a design studio with drawing stands, blueprints, all kinds of measuring tools, and a small door connecting the two rooms so the sisters could see each other whenever they wished.

Yun Zhiyu stood in the brand-new forging room, watching sunlight stream through the high windows and dance across the metal workbench. An indescribable sense of satisfaction welled up in her heart. This would be her battlefield for many years to come, as well as the shared domain of her and her sister.

She picked up the small forging hammer that had grown familiar in her hands and gave it a light swing.

Clang—

The hammer's crisp ring echoed through the spacious room.

The unexpected incident occurred on an ordinary afternoon.

That day, Yun Zhiyu was forging a newly acquired piece of Sinking Silver, attempting to break through to Thousandfold Tempering, First Grade. She was young and her soul power had not awakened, so she could only rely on the Torch Dragon Bloodline's affinity with metal and the knowledge granted by the system. The hammer strikes fell as densely as rain. The metal gradually took on a lustrous sheen beneath her hands, and she was just about to succeed—

"Excellent!"

A shout of praise came from the doorway. Her hand jerked in surprise, the hammerhead shifted half an inch, and the piece of Sinking Silver was immediately ruined.

Yun Zhiyu frowned and looked up. A middle-aged man strode inside. He was broad and powerfully built, with a square face, thick brows, and large eyes. His coarse work clothes could not conceal his imposing presence. Most striking were his hands. Their joints were thick, and his palms were covered in heavy calluses—the marks of decades spent forging.

"Brother Zhen Hua?" Feng Wuyu's voice changed pitch as he arrived behind him. "Why are you here?"

"I came to discuss something with Yun Ming." Yet Zhen Hua's gaze remained fixed on Yun Zhiyu, examining her from head to toe as if appraising an uncut jade. "I heard the hammering while passing by and came in for a look. Feng Wuyu, is this your disciple?"

"She's this old man's—" Feng Wuyu stopped halfway through. He had indeed taught Yun Zhiyu, but Yun Ming and Yali could not bear to formally let their child take a master. His status as her "master" had never been settled.

Zhen Hua was no ordinary man. He saw through the situation at once and burst out laughing. "So she has not taken a master yet? Perfect! Little girl, my name is Zhen Hua, the only Divine Craftsman in the world today. Are you willing to take me as your master?"

Yun Zhiyu was stunned.

Heavenly Forging—the realm above Divine Craftsmen. It used heaven and earth as a furnace and drew upon lightning tribulations to forge the soul. There were only a handful of people on the entire continent capable of it. In the original story, Zhen Hua was straightforward and valued talent above all else. Yun Zhiyu had not expected to encounter him here.

"Zhen Hua!" Feng Wuyu bristled. "What do you mean by this? You came all the way to Shrek to steal my disciple?"

"Steal your disciple?" Zhen Hua sneered. "You haven't even secured her as your disciple, and you won't let anyone else try? I heard the little girl's hammer technique clearly. She has talent and spirit, but her path is wild and she lacks systematic guidance. Feng Wuyu, can you teach her Heavenly Forging?"

Feng Wuyu's face reddened. "I... I am a Saint Craftsman, only one step away from becoming a Divine Craftsman!"

"One step is the difference between heaven and earth." Zhen Hua showed no mercy. "I can teach her Heavenly Forging. Can you?"

"You—"

The two were at each other's throats, seemingly about to fight, when Yun Ming and Yali hurried over after hearing the commotion. Yali quickly shielded Yun Zhiyu behind her, while Yun Ming stepped between the two old men with a deep frown. "Brother Zhen Hua, Elder Feng, let's talk this out."

"Yun Ming." Zhen Hua clasped his hands, though his tone remained firm. "I sincerely seek a disciple today. This girl's talent is rare even in a hundred years. It would be a pity to delay her. If you let her follow me, I guarantee that she will become a Divine Craftsman before twenty and touch upon Heavenly Forging before thirty."

Feng Wuyu was so angry that his beard stood on end. "Bullshit! Why should the seedling I raised go with you? Yun Ming, you promised me!"

Yun Ming rubbed his brow and looked toward his daughter. Yun Zhiyu was peeking out from behind Yali, looking from one man to the other with faint helplessness on her little face.

"Little Zhiyu," Yun Ming suddenly said, "who do you want to learn from?"

Everyone's gaze gathered on her.

Yun Zhiyu fell silent for a moment, then stepped out from behind her mother. She respectfully bowed to each of the three. Though she was young, her movements carried a composure far beyond her age.

"Senior Zhen Hua, Grandpa Feng," she said in a clear voice, each word distinct, "Zhiyu wishes to learn forging. Senior Zhen Hua can teach Heavenly Forging, and that is Zhiyu's good fortune. Zhiyu also dares not forget Grandpa Feng's kindness in teaching me from the beginning. As for..."

She paused and looked toward the door. Yun Zhishu was clinging to the doorframe and nervously peering inside, her little face filled with the fear that her sister might be taken away.

"Zhiyu wishes to remain at Shrek," she said firmly, drawing back her gaze. "My sister is here. My parents are here. My home is here. Zhiyu will not go anywhere."

Zhen Hua raised his brows, while Feng Wuyu revealed a smug smile.

"But if Senior Zhen Hua does not mind," Yun Zhiyu continued, changing direction, "Zhiyu is willing to take you as my master and travel regularly to Heaven Dou City for instruction. I will remain at the academy ordinarily and study the fundamentals with Grandpa Feng. Zhiyu will acknowledge, respect, and learn from both masters."

The room fell silent for a moment.

Zhen Hua suddenly burst into laughter, the sound shaking dust from the ceiling. "Good! Acknowledging, respecting, and learning from both! Yun Ming, your daughter is extraordinary!"

Feng Wuyu was still somewhat unwilling, but Yun Zhiyu's words about never forgetting his kindness in teaching her had truly warmed his heart. The old man snorted, silently accepting the arrangement.

Yun Ming and Yali exchanged a glance, both seeing gratification in the other's eyes. Their daughter possessed not only exceptional talent, but also the wisdom to balance every side. That temperament was more precious than any cultivation of soul power.

"Then it is settled," Yun Ming declared. "We shall do as Zhiyu says. Brother Zhen Hua will come to Shrek regularly to instruct her, while Zhiyu will follow Elder Feng in ordinary times. To her, both of you are honored masters."

Zhen Hua nodded and walked before Yun Zhiyu, solemnly extending his right hand. "Little girl, I accept you as my disciple today. If you ever grow lax in the future, do not blame your master for being strict."

Yun Zhiyu extended her small hand and high-fived him in oath. "This disciple, Yun Zhiyu, will not disappoint Master's expectations."

Feng Wuyu also leaned over and placed his palm atop theirs. "Count this old man in too!"

Three hands, one large and two small, overlapped beneath the afternoon sunlight.

At the doorway, Yun Zhishu finally breathed a sigh of relief. She skipped inside and hugged her sister's leg. "Big Sister isn't leaving!"

"I'm not leaving." Yun Zhiyu bent down and gathered her sister into her arms. "Big Sister isn't going anywhere. I'll stay with Zhishu."

She looked out the window. Sea God Lake shimmered with rippling light, and the buildings of the inner court rose in layers in the distance. The hammering of the forging room would ring out again. This time, she would carry the hopes of two masters, the companionship of her sister, and the protection of her parents as she took one step at a time down the path toward the peak.

Within the system space, the Torch Dragon Bloodline stirred faintly, as though answering her determination.

Yun Zhiyu curved her lips into a smile and tightened her grip on her sister's little hand.