There was a round black spot on the blade, slightly smaller than a walnut. It looked almost as if it had been painted on.
"Master... what is this?"
Yuichiro asked, though he wasn't sure how to put the question.
Tetsu no Sosuke was puzzled too. By all rights, the blade should have been finished.
But nothing unusual had happened.
He picked up the blade and gave it a casual swing. It felt ordinary enough, whistling as its edge cut through the air.
And then?
He frowned and swung a little harder.
A stream of flame suddenly burst from the blade and tore through the air, leaving a lingering trace of heat behind.
Chapter 406: Busy
"Master..."
Yuichiro stared, dumbfounded. "What just happened?"
Tetsu no Sosuke didn't answer. He kept swinging the blade, varying his strength and speed.
At first, flames appeared on the blade only now and then. Gradually, every swing set it ablaze.
Understanding lit Tetsu no Sosuke's eyes. "So that's how it works..."
The flames weren't produced by strength alone. The key was the Breathing Technique.
The power of the Breathing Technique acted like an accelerant, instantly igniting the power of the Flame Stone and coating the blade in fire.
Excitement stirred in Tetsu no Sosuke. He tossed the blade to Yuichiro. "This is a new forging technique. I found a special kind of stone that contains the power of flame. I fused it with the blade, then used a Breathing Technique to draw out the fire within the stone. That's what produced this effect."
Yuichiro stared in amazement. "Master, what kind of stone did you find?"
Tetsu no Sosuke took out several stones. Master and apprentice sat facing each other and began studying them.
Tetsu no Sosuke told him everything he had discovered that day. Yuichiro nodded