Thousand-fold forging and new knowledge

After leaving the black market, Loa did not immediately return to Cast Iron Alley.

He found an inconspicuous little inn on the southern edge of the city and took its cheapest single room. He closed the door and slid the bolt home, and the world abruptly fell quiet. The bloody clamor of the arena, Skullcrusher's dying roar, and the frenzied screams from the crowd seemed to linger deep in his ears.

He took off his outer clothes and washed himself from head to toe with the room's rough wooden basin and cold water. The chill stung his skin and gradually calmed his somewhat heated blood. He changed into clean, coarse clothes and soaked his bloodstained old ones in the basin.

With that done, he sat cross-legged on the hard plank bed, closed his eyes, and focused.

Inside his dantian, the warm current of qi was more active than yesterday. As it circulated, it produced a distinct swelling sensation, like a leather waterskin filled to the brim that would overflow if any more were poured in. He had reached the peak of Rank 3 Warrior, with Rank 4 Warrior just within reach.

He recalled the two impromptu adaptations he had made during tonight's fight.

Three quick thrusts beneath the ribs had forced his opponent off balance; then he had seized the opening with an upward, twisting kill derived from Gale Thrust. Though it was only a rudimentary form, and though it had depended on his opponent's carelessness and ingrained fighting habits, it proved that his thinking worked-moves were not rigid things.

Heavy Thrust concentrates force on a single point, while Chain Thrust disrupts an area and prioritizes speed... Loa silently reviewed the fight. Perhaps there could also be a deceptive Feint Thrust, and an Intercepting Thrust for blocking and counterattacking... There's still a long road ahead.

The night passed uneventfully. There were no nightmares or special revelations, only complete relaxation after profound exhaustion, and the steady circulation of qi within him.

The next morning, Loa woke naturally only when sunlight filtered through the gaps in the inn's little window and cast patches of light onto the uneven floor.

He had slept deeply. The tension of the past few months, the fatigue accumulated through successive battles, his anxiety over money, and his urgency to break through all seemed to have eased somewhat amid the ample sleep and the relaxation of achieving his short-term goal.

He rose and stretched, feeling clearheaded and refreshed, in a condition he had rarely enjoyed since arriving in Fenlai City. He gathered his old clothes, now half-dry after hanging overnight, folded them carefully, and put them into his pack.

After settling the room bill, Loa returned to Cast Iron Alley.

At the shop entrance, Bob was carrying a newly arrived piece of iron inside. Seeing Loa approach from the mouth of the alley, the old blacksmith paused and looked him up and down. He did not ask where Loa had gone last night or why he had changed his old clothes for a cleaner set. He merely said in his usual gruff voice, "So you still remembered to come back? Hurry up. Eat breakfast and get to work."

"Yes, Uncle Bob."

After breakfast, once the dishes were cleared away, Bob did not immediately urge him to work as usual. Instead, he wiped his hands, walked to the work area piled with various kinds of iron, and nudged a long object covered in oilcloth with his foot.

"You're just in time." Bob pulled back the oilcloth, revealing a dark blue-green iron billet about four feet long, nearly half a foot wide, and over an inch thick. Faint, fine cloudlike patterns marked its surface, and its texture looked exceptionally dense. "A big customer came yesterday afternoon while you were out-a deputy captain of the Black Armor Mercenary Group up in the north of the city. Ordered a two-handed saber. His requirement was that the blade's main material had to be thousand-fold steel at the very least."

"Thousand-fold steel?" Loa paused in surprise. Of course he knew about thousand-fold steel. Even Old Jack had spoken of it with reverence back then. Hundred-fold steel was the standard for military-issue weapons, whereas thousand-fold steel was usually commissioned only by warriors of Rank 7 or above. Only its toughness could withstand their externally released battle-qi; ordinary weapons could even shatter if forcibly infused with too much. Forging thousand-fold steel was not merely the ultimate tempering of the material, but a test of a blacksmith's strength, stamina, heat control, and folding technique.

"Mm." Bob patted the heavy billet. "This is black water iron. Tougher than ordinary pig iron, with fewer impurities. Good material for thousand-fold steel, but it takes time and effort. Working alone, I'd be at it for days. You've come back at just the right time. I'll give you a chance to help and see what real forging looks like."

Loa understood. This was no ordinary request for help. Bob was giving him special instruction, a rare teaching session. He immediately grew serious. "Understood. I'll give you my full cooperation."

"Enough talk. Fire up the forge!"

Under the bellows' pumping, the forge quickly turned from dark red to blazing white. Bob did not rush to put the entire heavy billet of black water iron inside. Instead, he gripped one end with long tongs and heated a section first. "Thousand-fold forging isn't about brute force," he explained. "Heat too much at once, and the outside will nearly burn before the core heats through. You have to work section by section, layer by layer. Like peeling an onion, you forge your way inward one layer at a time."

Loa nodded, watching Bob's movements intently. When one end of the billet glowed a bright yellow verging on white, Bob swiftly placed it on the largest main anvil and shouted, "First round, eighty blows! Watch closely!"

He gripped the specially made sledgehammer, nearly twice as heavy as his usual one, in both hands. Exhaling with a shout, he brought it crashing down!

Clang!

The sound was deep and heavy, utterly unlike the bright ringing of everyday farm-tool forging. The sparks did not merely scatter; they burst outward in an explosion. The billet visibly flattened a fraction.

The second blow followed, then the third... Bob's rhythm was not fast, but every strike carried tremendous weight, landing precisely across the billet's surface. Every lift followed the hammer's rebound, his waist, shoulders, arms, and wrists working together like a precision machine. What drew Loa's attention even more was how perfectly Bob's breathing matched the blows. He gathered strength as he inhaled and released it as he exhaled, as though hammering that breath into the iron as well.

After eighty blows, the heated end had visibly lengthened and thinned. Sweat beaded on Bob's forehead as he turned the billet around and heated another section. "Thousand-fold doesn't mean you actually hit it a thousand times. It refers to the repeated folding and forging. Every fold removes impurities and melds the grain. Hundred-fold steel takes around ten folds. Thousand-fold takes at least thirty or more, until the internal grain becomes so fine it almost merges into a single whole."

As he spoke, he began the first fold. He bent the extended, hammered section back over the unforged portion, then continued heating and hammering, truly welding the two layers together under heat and heavy blows without leaving any gaps.

Beside him, Loa controlled the forge temperature, turned the unheated part of the billet when needed, and passed him the appropriate tools. Yet his eyes never left Bob's hands and hammer. This was not merely a display of strength, but an art of "rhythm" and "penetration." Force had to pass through the surface and travel evenly into the iron's core; folds had to fit tightly together without trapping air bubbles or impurities; every heating had to be just right. Overheating made the grains coarse and brittle, while insufficient heat made forge-welding difficult.

Time passed slowly beside the scorching forge, amid the heavy hammer blows. From morning until noon, Bob and Loa took turns. Only when Loa took up the heavy hammer and tried forging a small section himself did he truly understand the difficulty. The black water iron's rebound was astonishing, nearly wrenching the hammer handle from his grasp. Making the force penetrate evenly as Bob did was harder still. Often, several blows deformed the surface without doing much to the interior.

"Don't just use brute strength!" Bob barked from beside him. "Feel the iron! When your force goes in, where does it resist, and where does it yield? Strike along its 'grain'! Your waist! Use your waist!"

Gritting his teeth, Loa adjusted his breathing and mobilized the battle-qi in his dantian-not for an explosive burst, but to keep his arms steady and transmit strength continuously. One blow, two... After ten, he gradually found a trace of the feeling. Even the hammering sounded a little "smoother" than its initial harshness.

"Starting to look like something." For once, Bob did not mock him. "Remember that feeling. Keep going!"

By the time the black water iron billet had undergone its first complete folding and forging, beginning to take on the rudimentary form of thousand-fold steel, the sun had long since slanted westward. Both were drenched in sweat, as though hauled from water, their arms so sore and swollen they could barely lift them.

Yet Loa's eyes were exceptionally bright. That morning's observation and practice had taught him more than months of exploring alone. He had gained a deeper, almost intuitive understanding of force transmission, sustained battle-qi output, and the "temperament" of materials.

"We'll take our time with the remaining refinement and shaping." Bob wiped his face with a wet cloth. "That's enough for today. You can't rush thousand-fold steel. Temper it a little each day, and it'll get the work it needs. There's not much else this afternoon, so go do your own thing."

Loa nodded. "Thank you, Uncle Bob."

That afternoon, after resting briefly and recovering some strength, Loa changed into relatively neat clothes. With the slightly heavy purse containing over a hundred gold coins tucked inside his clothes, he took a deep breath and headed toward Fenlai City's western district.

The Hall of Wisdom was not hard to find. One of the western district's landmarks, it stood in a relatively quiet neighborhood. Unlike the magnificent, solemn Radiant Church nearby, the Hall of Wisdom resembled a vast, square fortress. Its outer walls were built from enormous grayish-white stones, plain and unadorned, yet possessing a weighty sense of accumulated knowledge.

Only up close could he see the countless intricate patterns and symbols carved into the stones. Some resembled writing, others the paths of stars, and still others seemed to be simple magic diagrams, all filled with mystery. Few people came and went, but most walked with steady steps and carried themselves in different ways. There were scholars in plain robes, warriors with keen eyes, and a few mages wreathed in elemental fluctuations.

Loa steadied himself and pushed open the heavy, copper-clad door.

Inside lay an exceptionally spacious hall with an astonishingly high ceiling. It was not particularly bright, lit mainly by magic lamps embedded in the walls that steadily emitted soft white light, and sunlight filtered into patches through stained-glass windows far overhead. The air held a mixture of old paper, parchment, faint ink, and some kind of preservative.

Enormous bookshelves reaching almost to the ceiling lined both sides of the hall, packed with books and scrolls. In the center stood semi-open booths and counters labeled with different categories: "Battle-qi combat techniques," "Magic theory," "General continental history," "Magical beast compendiums," "Potions and alchemy," "Mineralogy," and so on.

Loa had only just stopped and had yet to examine his surroundings when a pretty young woman in a fitted pale-blue dress approached with a smile. Her manner was proper, her smile gentle, and her eyes clear, giving him the feeling of a pleasant spring breeze.

"Welcome to the Hall of Wisdom, sir." Her voice was clear and pleasant. "What sort of texts or reference materials are you looking for? Whether battle qi manuals, movement and combat techniques, introductory magic, or accounts of the continent, we have an extensive collection. Here, you can find copies or detailed explanations of cultivation guidance from Rank 6 Warriors to Saint experts, as well as spells and principles for every school of magic at Level 7 and below."

Loa was inwardly shaken. From Rank 6 to Saint! Level 7 magic of every school! The Hall of Wisdom's resources really are unfathomable. But why is there no magic above Level 7? He instinctively asked, "Only Level 7 and below? What about higher-level magic, such as Level 8, Level 9, or even the legendary forbidden spells?"

The young woman maintained her professional smile, but a glimmer of understanding crossed her eyes. Clearly, this was not her first time answering the question. "Sir, magic above Level 7 is powerful enough to influence a medium-scale battle, and the knowledge involved is more profound. Knowledge of this level is generally regarded as a core inheritance and strategic resource by the kingdoms, empires, magic academies, and even certain powerful factions. It is strictly controlled and forbidden from circulating openly on the market."

She paused, then continued patiently, "If you seek higher-level magic, the usual route is to demonstrate sufficient talent, pass an official or academy examination, and join the corresponding faction. Only after earning merit or attaining a certain position will you have an opportunity to access and study it. The Hall of Wisdom abides by the continent's general agreements regulating knowledge and power, and does not trade in such prohibited texts."

Loa nodded in understanding. That makes sense. If even destructive forbidden spells could be bought freely, this world would have fallen into chaos long ago. Power needs restraint, and knowledge needs barriers to entry-especially knowledge capable of turning the tide of a war.

"I understand." Loa collected his thoughts and stated his main purpose. "I'd like to buy a basic text on battle-qi cultivation, something systematic that explains the principles clearly."

After a moment's thought, the young woman said, "Basic battle-qi texts. This way, please." She led Loa toward an area on one side of the hall labeled "Elementary battle-qi and general theory."

The shelves here were somewhat less crowded, but every book was better preserved, some even protected from dust and grime by simple sealing spells. With practiced ease, the young woman took a moderately thick hardcover book from a shelf, its title stamped in gold in the common tongue, and handed it to Loa.

"General Principles of Battle-qi and Body Tempering, continent-wide revised edition. Jointly compiled several centuries ago by a number of Saint Warriors and great scholars, and revised many times since, it is the most widely circulated and highly regarded basic introductory and theoretical text on battle-qi today. It systematically explains the nature of battle-qi, its relationship with the physical body, basic cultivation routes, general tempering methods, and detailed breakthrough essentials and precautions from Rank 1 Warrior to Rank 6 Warrior. The price is fifty gold coins."

Loa accepted the book. It weighed heavily in his hands. He gently opened the hard cover, revealing neat, clear print and numerous simple illustrations to aid understanding. A brief glance at the preface and contents conveyed a systematic rigor far beyond the fragmentary handwritten copies he had previously found at secondhand bookstalls.

This was exactly what he needed!

"I'll take it." Without hesitation, Loa drew the purse from inside his clothes and counted out fifty gleaming gold coins.

The young woman deftly accepted the coins, counted and registered them, then carefully placed the book in a thick paper bag bearing the Hall of Wisdom's emblem and handed it to Loa. "The transaction is complete. Thank you for your patronage. The Hall of Wisdom offers reading rooms for a fee. If you wish to study here, you may head over there. Also, unauthorized large-scale copying and distribution of this book are prohibited. Please be sure to comply."

Loa took the paper bag and gripped it tightly. The steep price of fifty gold coins had bought him this "map" to a broader world of power.

He did not leave immediately. Under the young woman's slightly surprised gaze, he instead walked to the "Magical beast compendiums" and "Continental geography" sections. There, he spent a few more silver coins on the latest edition of Common Magical Beasts of the Yulan Continent Explained (Illustrated) and a Detailed Map of the Fenlai Kingdom and Surrounding Regions.

Knowledge was power, and also a safeguard for survival. Now that he had money to spare, things that broadened his knowledge and helped him avoid danger were equally worth investing in.

When he left the Hall of Wisdom, the sunset's lingering glow gilded the edges of its massive gray stone walls. Loa glanced back at the heavy door, then turned and walked toward Cast Iron Alley with firm steps.

Inside his clothes, General Principles of Battle-qi rested snugly against his chest, as though it held warmth.