Tang Hao glanced at him.
There was a measure of indifference in his eyes.
As far as he was concerned,
his eldest son was utterly unremarkable, in both martial soul and physique.
He had inherited neither the Clear Sky Hammer's overwhelming might
nor the Blue Silver Emperor's resilience.
He was a textbook good-for-nothing.
And now he suddenly wanted to forge iron?
It was probably another three-minute burst of enthusiasm, nothing more than playing around.
"Suit yourself."
Tang Hao spat out the words coldly and continued drinking.
"Don't waste my good charcoal."
Tang Tian shrugged.
He had long since grown used to his nominal father's attitude.
As long as he could use the furnace, that was enough.
Flames rose, and the temperature gradually climbed.
Tang Tian tossed the rusty broken saber into the furnace.
As the flames licked it, the metal gradually reddened and softened.
Next came the crucial moment.
Tang Tian drew a deep breath, and light flashed in his left palm.
Buzzz-!
The Little Iron Hammer, who had been neglected for two whole days,
was finally summoned.
At that instant,
Tang Tian's Sea of Consciousness seemed to erupt into an uproar.
The Little Iron Hammer, who had been playing dead all this time and had even shown signs of turning dark,
the instant she felt the air outside,
sprang back to life at full health!
[Little Iron Hammer (Full Tsundere Mode)] [My plan worked, just as I expected!] [You're drowning in guilt, aren't you!] [You realize you've been ignoring me, don't you!] [Stupid Tang Tian, I've got you wrapped around my finger!] [Hmph, hmph, hmph!] [I knew it! I knew it!] [What can that useless grass do? When it really counts, don't you still have to rely on me?] [Only a noble Great Sumeru Hammer in the making like me can help you carry out the great task of forging!] [Well? Regret neglecting me now? Know whose coattails you should be riding now?] [Hmph! I wasn't going to bother with you...] [But since you've finally seen the light, I shall graciously help you this once!]
Looking at the inner thoughts instantly flooding the panel,
Tang Tian laughed inwardly.
A tsundere really was a tsundere.
Give her a way to save face, and she could win herself over all on her own.
She was even frantically inventing extra scenes for herself in her head.
[Little Iron Hammer (Being Tsundere)] [But... I can't forgive him so easily this time.] [I'll give him a taste of the good stuff first, make him unable to live without me, and then turn him down hard!] [Exactly! This is letting him go to reel him in!] [I'll make him kneel on the floor and beg me, crying that he was wrong!] [Hahahaha!]
Accompanying the Little Iron Hammer's melodramatic inner performance,
the body of her hammer
actually began to give off a faint black sheen.
An unprecedented sense of ease spread through Tang Tian's arm.
It was as though the hammer had come alive
and was actively cooperating with the force he exerted.
Was this the benefit of a martial soul having self-awareness?
Delight stirred in Tang Tian's heart.
Even though I've never learned the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer,
with Little Iron Hammer cooperating, forging feels so smooth!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Clear strikes echoed through the smithy.
Tang Tian's gaze was focused, every hammer blow perfectly precise.
Under his hammer, the red-hot metal kept changing shape, lengthening and stretching.
Meanwhile, Tang Hao, who sat to the side watching coldly,
gradually began to look at him differently.
At first, there was disdain.
Then confusion.
Finally, it became shock!
There was even a trace of emotion he could hardly conceal.
Because what Tang Tian was forging was neither a sword nor a dagger, nor any farming implement or ironware.
He took that piece of iron
and slowly hammered it into the shape of a long, slender vine.
Then, at the end of the vine, he hammered out two lifelike leaves.
That was...
Blue Silver Grass!
Tang Hao's hand trembled slightly around his wine bottle.
Through the ironwork, heated glowing red,
he seemed to see that figure who haunted his soul and dreams once more.
Ah Yin...
Even Blue Silver Grass forged from steel
could actually convey a gentle charm.
This boy... just how did he do it?
He clearly has no forging skills whatsoever.
How could he hammer out such a resemblance in spirit?
Meanwhile, Tang San was also dumbfounded.
"Is that Blue Silver Grass?"
"Big Brother went to all this trouble and melted down that fine saber just to make a Blue Silver Grass ornament?"
"And why does its shape look like a ring no matter how I look at it? Or a bracelet?"
Tang San could not understand.
As far as he was concerned,
blacksmiths existed to make weapons and tools.
An artwork like this, with no practical value whatsoever,
what purpose did it serve besides wasting time and energy?
But Tang Tian did not care how others looked at him.
He concentrated utterly, as though carving a rare treasure.
And within his mental world,
another battlefield of romantic rivalry was quietly unfolding.
Because Tang Tian had summoned his second martial soul,
Little Blue felt deeply unsettled and was timidly hiding in a corner, peeking out.
[Blue Silver Grass (Afraid of Losing Favor)] [Master is using that hammer again...] [As I thought, compared to fragile little me, Master needs strength more, doesn't he?] [That hammer is so amazing...] [Although I don't want to admit it, she really is strong...] [Whenever she appears, even the look in Master's eyes changes...] [Ooh... am I going to fall out of favor?] [It's all right...] [As long as Master is happy...] [Even if I'm only an accessory, I'm willing...] [As long as he doesn't throw me away...]
Reading Little Blue's thoughts, humble enough to sink into the dust,
Tang Tian's heart softened.
But he did not stop what he was doing.
Instead, he quickened his forging.
Because he knew that only the finished product
would be the best reassurance for Little Blue.
At last,
with one final, clear "clang,"
the iron Blue Silver Grass ring fully took shape.
Tang Tian picked it up with tongs and lowered it into water to quench it.
Hiss-!
White vapor rose.
A black iron ring with a simple, old-fashioned design,
yet exuding a distinctive gentleness,
lay quietly in the water.
Though made of cold, hard steel, it seemed to hold the warmth of life.
Tang Tian smiled in satisfaction.
He carefully wiped the iron ring dry and gave it a thorough polish.
Then, under Tang Hao's complicated gaze, he put away the ring and turned to go back to his room.
"I'm heading back."
Tang Hao said nothing.
He merely watched that retreating figure and took a great gulp of wine.
At that instant, he actually felt that this perpetually flippant eldest son
might not be as simple as he had imagined.
That look of concentration on a single task truly resembled his younger self.
"Little San, go see what he's up to."
Tang Hao spoke in a hoarse voice.
In truth, he wanted to go himself.
But that damned pride kept him from swallowing his dignity.
Tang San nodded; his own curiosity had long since become unbearable.
He walked softly into the inner room.
The instant he pushed open the door, Tang San froze.
Tang Tian was sitting beside the bed.
In his palm, he held that blue Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul.
And the freshly forged black iron ring
was being carefully slipped over the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul.
It was like a ring made especially to fit her.
Tang Tian looked at Little Blue in his hand, his gaze so gentle it seemed water might drip from it:
"A gift for you. Do you like it?"
"Though it's only ordinary mortal iron."
"I melted all your old favorite treasures into it."
"Wear it from now on, and it'll be like I'm always with you."
Tang San turned completely to stone.
What was this move?
Not only did his big brother talk to his Martial Soul.
Now he was giving his Martial Soul a ring?!
This was beyond obsession!
This was insanity!
He opened his mouth, wanting to ask, "Brother, are you all right?!"
But when he saw his big brother's focused, happy expression.
All his words lodged in his throat.
In the end, he could only squeeze out a dry remark:
"Brother, that's quite a distinctive gift."
Tang Tian glanced back at him and said as though it went without saying:
"Of course. Just look at who forged it."
"It's a gift. Of course it has to be distinctive."
Tang San: "..."
Hopeless. Completely hopeless.
Yet Tang Tian's mental world was even more hopeless.
At that moment.
Little Iron Hammer, who had just been smugly congratulating herself on her great contribution, was utterly dumbfounded!
[Little Iron Hammer (brain crashing):] [???] [Wait, what's going on?] [I forged that iron ring?] [I huffed and puffed away for ages, put in so much effort, cooperated so perfectly...] [And the thing I forged was a gift for that useless grass?!] [Aaaaaah!!!] [Tang Tian! You're not human!] [What do you take me for? A tool hammer?!] [You used me as slave labor to please that useless grass?!] [I'm furious! I'm furious!] [I'll kill you! I'll kill that grass!] [Ding! Little Iron Hammer has suffered an unprecedented mental critical hit!] [Affection Level -10!] [Current Affection Level: -19/100 (disgust)]
Little Iron Hammer trembled all over with rage.
She was just about to charge out and give Tang Tian a Great Sumeru Hammer: Skull Cracker.
But Tang Tian's eyes were sharp and his hands were quick.
He stuffed her straight back into the deepest corner.
"Be good. No fussing!"
Meanwhile, Little Blue had already fallen completely.
She hugged the Blue Silver Grass Iron Ring tightly with two leaves.
Master made this with his own hands!
He even used the most precious treasures of his childhood!
He even specially made it look like me!
Does this mean I'm actually the one Master loves most?
[Blue Silver Grass (moved to tears)] [Waaah... Master...] [I was wrong... I shouldn't have doubted you...] [So you only used that hammer just now to make me a gift...] [I'm so happy...] [I feel strength filling my whole body...] [I'll protect Master!] [Ding! Your personalized gift offensive has achieved a sweeping victory!] [Blue Silver Grass has felt the weight of your love!] [Affection Level +10!] [Current Affection Level: 55/100 (fondness)] [Ding! Congratulations! Affection Level has broken through the 50-point milestone!] [Milestone reward obtained:] [New skill awakened: Blue Silver Healing]
Before you continue