Could I Be Innately Strong Too? (Please Vote!)

"Want to give it a try?"

In the smithy, Tang Hao was lifting a bowl of water, about to drink.

Upon hearing Lin Ye's words, he immediately shot him a startled look.

Tang San, standing nearby, also looked at Lin Ye in surprise.

Blacksmithing was not like hoeing fields or cutting grass. It was no simple task.

Setting aside the techniques of smithing, the Forging Hammer alone weighed three to four hundred jin. Most adults could not even lift it.

For a child to lift the Forging Hammer, they had to possess Innate Divine Strength. Otherwise, it was simply impossible.

Only after lifting the Forging Hammer could one attempt blacksmithing.

If one could not lift the Forging Hammer, then the matter of learning to forge was dead before it even began! "Did seeing Little San forge make you want to try? But blacksmithing isn't that simple. Little San can learn to forge at his age because he has Innate Divine Strength and can lift the Forging Hammer."

"But there aren't that many people in this world with Innate Divine Strength. Even if you understood the techniques I just explained, without sufficient strength, you can't even lift the Forging Hammer. How could you learn blacksmithing?"

Tang Hao frowned as he looked at Lin Ye.

"Yeah! Yeah! Lin Ye, don't be rash. Dad will forge your things for you. Smithing is hard labor—you mustn't mess around and hurt yourself."

Tang San nodded repeatedly from the side, trying to dissuade him.

As someone close to Lin Ye in age, Tang San knew better than anyone how much strength children their age possessed, and how heavy the Forging Hammer was.

He possessed the Mysterious Heaven Skill and had cultivated diligently since childhood. His body had been nourished by the Mysterious Heaven Skill's inner energy, and he trained often, yet he had only barely reached the strength level of an adult.

But even he could not lift the Forging Hammer using only his physical strength without reinforcing himself with the Mysterious Heaven Skill's inner energy.

Based on Tang San's understanding of Lin Ye, Lin Ye trained as often as he did, so his physical condition should far exceed that of children their age.

However, without the nourishment of Mysterious Heaven Skill inner energy, Lin Ye should still be far inferior to him.

If Tang San himself could not lift the Forging Hammer without inner energy, then it was even more impossible for Lin Ye to do so.

Unless Lin Ye, like him, also possessed martial arts like the Mysterious Heaven Skill.

But as far as Tang San knew, this world seemed to have no concept of martial arts at all.

Lin Ye could not possibly cultivate martial arts, so he definitely could not lift the Forging Hammer.

Naturally, Lin Ye had no idea what Tang San was thinking.

Yet just as Lin Ye did not know that Tang San cultivated a Cultivation Method called the Mysterious Heaven Skill, Tang San was even less aware that Lin Ye also cultivated a Cultivation Method—the Nine Yang Divine Skill.

And besides the Nine Yang Divine Skill, Lin Ye also cultivated the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Skill, which specifically tempered the body.

Even with only the Nine Yang Divine Skill, Lin Ye could easily lift the Forging Hammer. Having cultivated the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Skill made it even easier.

Inside the smithy.

Hearing Tang Hao and Tang San's advice, Lin Ye knew they meant well.

But he was far stronger than either of them imagined.

So Lin Ye smiled faintly. "Uncle Tang Hao, why do you assume only Tang San has Innate Divine Strength? Perhaps I have Innate Divine Strength too?"

"You have Innate Divine Strength too?"

Tang Hao and Tang San were both momentarily stunned by Lin Ye's words.

They had clearly not expected him to say that.

How could there be so many people in the world with Innate Divine Strength?

After a moment, Tang Hao could not help but laugh.

He was the blacksmith of Holy Soul Village, but beyond that identity, he had another one: the Clear Sky Douluo of the Clear Sky Sect, one of the Upper Three Sects of the Douluo Continent.

Even throughout the history of the Clear Sky Sect, among countless children possessing the top-tier Clear Sky Hammer martial soul, there had only been a handful born with Innate Divine Strength.

Could this tiny Holy Soul Village really produce two people with Innate Divine Strength at once? His own child possessed unparalleled Twin Martial Souls, along with an extraordinary bloodline.

That Tang San possessed Innate Divine Strength had surprised Tang Hao, but it also felt understandable after the surprise.

But Lin Ye was merely an ordinary child from Holy Soul Village, and his martial soul was not even some powerful Beast Martial Soul.

No matter how diligently he trained, Innate Divine Strength was not something that could be gained through exercise.

Yet just as Tang Hao was inwardly laughing, Lin Ye walked forward before Tang San and Tang Hao, approaching the Forging Hammer and grabbing it in one hand.

Then, under Tang San and Tang Hao's shocked gazes, Lin Ye effortlessly raised the Forging Hammer, which weighed three to four hundred jin.

He used only one arm and did not even exert his full strength, merely lifting it lightly.

Seeing the Forging Hammer rise so easily in Lin Ye's hand, Tang Hao and Tang San were both dumbfounded.

How was that possible?! "It's a little heavy, but not that heavy."

Gripping the Forging Hammer, Lin Ye tried swinging it, producing bursts of powerful wind through the air.

Tang Hao and Tang San were even more shocked.

"This... this really is Innate Divine Strength?!"

Tang Hao muttered blankly as he watched Lin Ye's movements.

Tang San's lips moved, his feelings impossibly complicated.

Even for him, lifting this Forging Hammer was easy only if he brought it down immediately after raising it.

If he kept holding the Forging Hammer aloft, he would not be able to last long.

Yet Lin Ye had easily lifted it and casually swung it through the air, with no intention of letting it touch the ground.

His complexion looked completely normal too. His face was not flushed, and he was not even out of breath.

It made Tang San question his life.

Did this world truly have people born with Innate Divine Strength, like Overlord Xiang Yu? As someone only pretending to possess Innate Divine Strength, Tang San could not help but doubt himself.

After swinging the Forging Hammer and finding it quite handy, Lin Ye looked toward Tang Hao and Tang San. "Uncle Tang Hao, Tang San, can I use the Forging Hammer and try forging this piece of iron?"

"You can."

Though Tang Hao was immensely shocked inside, he maintained a calm expression as he answered.

He could not appear too shocked. Wouldn't that make the Clear Sky Douluo seem overly startled by everything? Tang San, meanwhile, had yet to recover and merely nodded dumbly. "Mm."

Having received Tang Hao and Tang San's permission, Lin Ye gripped the Forging Hammer and turned his gaze to the red-hot iron block before him, his eyes gradually growing serious.

The scene of Tang Hao teaching the forging techniques flashed rapidly through his mind.

Lin Ye planted his feet firmly against the ground, assuming a stance much like a horse stance.

Thanks to his experience with the Dragon-Elephant Stance Method, Lin Ye's horse stance was even more standard than Tang San's.

"Ha!"

Out of habit from the Dragon-Elephant Stance Method, Lin Ye adjusted his breathing. Once his body settled, he suddenly gave a low shout and sharply straightened up, his body rising as his tensed thighs exerted force.

A surge of power erupted from his legs, traveling from his legs to his waist and abdomen, then to his back, through his arm, and finally pouring violently into the Forging Hammer in his hand.

As that power coursed through his entire body, Lin Ye could not help feeling an incomparably powerful force burst forth from his hand.

Following that force, Lin Ye swung the Forging Hammer high overhead, then smashed it heavily onto the iron block before him as though throwing the hammer out.

Clang!!

In an instant, an ear-splitting metallic crash rang throughout the entire smithy.

"This is..."

Noticing Lin Ye's movement, Tang Hao immediately stood up, his face filled with shock.

How could this be? How could that movement be so standard?!

He had only demonstrated it a few times!

And unlike when teaching Tang San, Lin Ye had merely watched. Yet he had almost completely grasped the technique Tang Hao had demonstrated.

Was he some kind of monster?!

Lin Ye did not notice Tang Hao's shocked gaze.

At that moment, all of his attention was focused on the Forging Hammer in his hand and the iron block before him.

Under Tang Hao's astonished gaze, Lin Ye continued swinging the Forging Hammer.

Amid sharp, mournful whistles, the Forging Hammer repeatedly crashed down on the iron block.

With each successive strike, Lin Ye's movements became more and more standard.

The key to the technique Tang Hao had taught lay in two points. One was explosively releasing power and carrying it through the entire body; the other was to "throw" the power out rather than simply lifting the hammer and bringing it down.

Tang San had understood the technique before, but he had only grasped how to explosively unleash power and spread it throughout his body.

However, Tang San had not yet achieved the second point—throwing the power out. Lin Ye had!

Moreover, after learning to throw the force out, Lin Ye made a surprising discovery.

Every time the Forging Hammer struck the iron block, the rebound force from the block perfectly matched the direction of his swing.

If he merely swung the Forging Hammer in a full arc and brought it down again each time, that force would counteract his own strength and cause him to expend even more energy.

Could there be some way to preserve this force? Lin Ye wondered.

If he could retain that force and continually stack it with every strike—

Forging would undoubtedly become much easier.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

With that thought in mind, Lin Ye began exploring ways to preserve the rebound force through each successive strike.

Finally, after repeated attempts, Lin Ye discovered that as long as he followed the direction of the rebound force and continuously swung the Forging Hammer from side to side through the air—

Then released that force through a "throwing" motion, the strength could be stacked again and again.

So "throwing" is the key after all?

Lin Ye thought.

Using this method, Lin Ye continuously raised the arm gripping the Forging Hammer and swung it from side to side, making the hammer whistle fiercely through the air.

As he kept swinging, the force continually accumulated. In the end, the Forging Hammer moved so quickly that only afterimages could be seen, accompanied by shrill gusts of wind.

Watching Lin Ye's movements from the side, Tang Hao was utterly stunned.

No way! Could this kid really be some kind of monster?

He actually comprehended the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer from the techniques I taught him?!