The sound of hammers came from Zhuxintang, steady and dense, one after another.
Qin Tiexin stood in front of the forging table, holding the 1,200 kilogram heavy hammer in his right hand, hitting the same vertical line of the blade accurately every time - that was the edge line where Edgeless blended with the Hunyuan molten core spiritual material.
The red knife embryo deforms and stretches under the hammer, like a piece of dough that has been kneaded repeatedly, and the internal lattice structure is constantly reorganized under the huge squeeze. Every time Qin Tiexin is hammered, you can clearly feel the inside of Edgeless The "swallowing" is accelerating. The various spiritual materials contained in the Hunyuan molten core are being swallowed and assimilated bit by bit by the matte black Edgeless material, like living creatures eating, and bit by bit integrated into the bones and blood of Edgeless.
Sweat dripped down Qin Tiexin's forehead, dripping on the forging platform, and evaporated with a "sizzle" sound. His shirt was soaked, and it clung to his back, showing the outline of taut muscles. The sweat dripped down the hem of his clothes, and was dried by the high temperature of the hot stove next to him, forming a thin layer of salt frost on his clothes. But his hand holding the hammer was steady, and his eyes were steadier, as if he was nailed to the blade.
Luo Ling sat on the stone bench, her eyes slightly closed, and the released wisp of Divine Sense was like an invisible thread, wrapped around the blade, feeling the changes inside the metal with each hammer blow. She could clearly feel that Edgeless was "coming alive" - the subtle tremor of the transformation from a dead thing to a living thing was transmitted to her mind through Divine Sense.
Wu Zhen stood on the other side, holding a simple bronze mirror in his hand, shining it at the blade embryo from time to time. The light and shadow of the runes on the mirror became clearer and clearer, showing that the internal crystal lattice of the blade embryo was being rearranged and merged, and the boundaries between the two materials that were originally distinct were gradually blurring.
"The fusion is complete." Wu Zhen suddenly said.
Qin Tiexin did not stop hammering, his arm was still raised and lowered steadily, and the rhythm was not disturbed at all.
"Fifty percent." Another stick of incense passed, and Wu Zhen counted again.
The sound of the hammer remains as steady as before.
The deep blue fire was the temperature maintained by the spiritual fire seeds left by Luo Ling. It was constant and blazing. Every time Qin Tiexin used iron tongs to pick up the blade embryo, put it back into the furnace for reheating. Wait until it burned red again and softened, then took it out and continued forging. Every time he went in and out of the furnace fire, he had to readjust the angle of the knife to ensure that the hammering point was always accurate.
An hour passed.
Qin Tiexin's arms began to feel sore. It wasn't tired, it was sore - the subtle soreness that arises deep in the muscles after maintaining the same movement for a long time, as if someone was slowly pricking the muscle fibers with a fine needle. But his breathing was not disordered, the rhythm of the rise and fall of his chest was still steady, the impact point of the hammer was still precise, and the strength of each hammer was almost exactly the same.
There was a small porcelain bottle by the stove, which contained the Qi-Returning Pill. There was also a jade bottle next to it, which contained Grain Avoidance Pill. Qin Tiexin once again put the knife embryo back into the furnace for heating. He poured out two Qi-Returning Pills with his hands covered with ashes, threw them into his mouth, and swallowed them with saliva. Then he took out another Grain Avoidance Pill and swallowed it as well. The pill entered his belly, his spiritual power was slowly replenished, and a sense of warmth rose in his stomach.
Luo Ling opened her eyes and glanced at him.
"When you're tired, take a rest."
Qin Tiexin shook his head and wiped the sweat from his face. "It's okay, I can hold on."
The blade embryo burned red again, this time it had been forged to only half an inch thick. Qin Tiexin clamped it out with iron pliers and placed it on the forging table. This time, instead of continuing to forge it lengthwise, he folded it - he used the iron pliers to clamp one end of the blade embryo, exerted force with both arms, and bent it hard to fold the red metal in half. Fortunately, the temperature of the "Qing You" spiritual fire was high enough, and the blade embryo was heated to a sufficient degree of softening. Although the folding was laborious, it was still completed.
"Clang!"
The heavy hammer in his right hand was smashed down with all the strength of his body, hitting the fold, firmly smashing the two layers of metal together. Sparks flew everywhere, drawing bright arcs in the dim Casting Heart Hall.
Then continue to forge, extend, heat, fold for the second time, the third time, the fourth time...
Qin Tiexin was forged continuously for three hours, and the entire knife embryo was folded back and forth many times. Each time it was folded, the crystal lattice inside the knife embryo became denser, and more impurities were discharged. Those originally distinct spiritual material lines were reflected on the It is completely blended during re-forging and folding, and it is no longer possible to tell where is the Edgeless and where is the Hunyuan molten core. If you look carefully, you can already see dense black lines, layered like water waves, hidden in the dark black blade body.
Qin Tiexin can feel - Edgeless is "excited".
When the hammer hit the knife embryo, he seemed to be able to hear a subtle resonance coming from the depths of the knife embryo, like a sleeping giant stretching its muscles, like a long-drought land sucking rainwater. Edgeless was truly "alive" at this moment, and the excitement overflowing from the body of the knife was transmitted to the palm of his hand through the hammer handle.
He stopped and looked carefully.
The blade embryo is no longer pure red, and turns into a dull black after cooling. However, when turned at certain angles, a very light, colorful metallic luster can be seen floating on the surface - that is the characteristic of the complete fusion of various spiritual materials in the Hunyuan molten core with Edgeless, like the aurora in the night sky, fleeting.
At this point, the original Edgeless Saber body and the Hunyuan melt core spiritual material have completely integrated into one, without any accidents or rejections, as if they were born as one.
It's done.
Qin Tiexin put down the hammer and exhaled a long breath. After three hours of non-stop forging, even though he was born with supernatural power, his arms felt heavy and his shoulders were sore at this moment. He moved his shoulders, and the joints made a slight "click" sound, and there was fatigue in the bones.
"The fusion is complete." Wu Zhen put down the bronze mirror with a hint of surprise in his tone, "Completely integrated, without any sluggishness. The devouring ability of this Edgeless... is stronger than we expected."
Luo Ling stood up and walked to the forging platform, stretched out her hand and pressed it on the top of the knife embryo. After a moment, she took back her hand and nodded. "It is true that I have eaten it all, and there is nothing left. Now the knife embryo weighs 6,300 kilograms, which is only a lot more."
Qin Tiexin looked at the knife blank on the stage.
It was dark black, about seven feet long, broad and solid, and the specific shape of the knife could not be seen yet, but the heavy texture could already be felt, like a dormant beast. He clamped the middle part of the blade with iron pliers and lifted it up with one arm.
A weight of 6,300 kilograms was pressed on the right arm. The muscles tightened instantly and the veins popped up. Qin Tiexin tried it and could lift it steadily, but it was still far from being able to swing it flexibly. Sweat dripped down the temples again.
"Shape it into shape." Luo Ling said, "While your hand is still feeling strong, strike while the iron is hot."
Qin Tiexin nodded and put the knife blank back into the furnace to reheat.
Luo Ling and Wu Zhen looked at each other, and the two Divine Sense communicated secretly. Wu Zhen spoke first, "With such natural divine power, he has reached this level only at the sixth level of body tempering. If he is cultivated, he will definitely be a genius as a weapon refiner."
Luo Ling nodded slightly, and Divine Sense responded, "Indeed. Although he is a mortal blacksmith, his basic knowledge of weapon making is not that solid, but his techniques are extremely stable, he has a natural affinity and perception of metals, and he is very easy to learn. He is a quick learner in this area. You only taught him the 'Resonance Forging Technique' for more than a month, and he can already use it perfectly in daily forging."
Wu Zhen looked at the young man in front of the forging platform with relief. "This boy is a good young man."
Body shaping is a delicate job and cannot be rushed.
Qin Tiexin no longer used a heavy hammer to smash it, but replaced it with a 300-pound medium hammer. The hammer surface is flatter and the landing point is more precise. After taking out the knife blank, he held the pliers in his left hand and held the hammer in his right hand. With one click, starting from the handle, he slowly extended the metal in the predetermined direction.
First is the handle.
The originally thick body of the embryo gradually narrowed and elongated under the hammering. Qin Tiexin was extremely careful with each hammering, and the strength must be just right - if it is too light, it will not extend, but if it is too heavy, it may break. He concentrated on it, staring at the impact point of the hammer, and listening to the sound of the metal being stressed. Each hammering carried the rhythm of the "resonance forging method", allowing the force of the hammer to penetrate deep into the metal.
It took him half an hour to use the one-and-a-half-foot-long knife handle.
Then there's the blade.
Extending from the handle to the tip, the width should be gradually narrower and the thickness should be uniform. Qin Tiexin changed to a smaller hammer, one hundred and fifty pounds, with a flat and smooth hammer surface. He hammered along the spine line of the knife, extending the metal to both sides, making the blade gradually wider and thinner.
This process is slower and requires more patience.
Qin Tiexin was completely immersed in the hammering. The world shrunk to the forging platform. There was only the sound of hammering in his ears, and there were only blank knives in his eyes. Sweat flowed into his eyes, stinging. He blinked and continued hammering without bothering to wipe them.
Luo Ling and Wu Zhen didn't say anything, they looked at each other quietly, occasionally exchanging glances.
When the blade extended to the predetermined seven feet and seven inches, Qin Tiexin stopped, measured it with an iron ruler, and nodded with satisfaction.
Next is the blade.
This is the most critical step. Edgeless was originally bladeless and relied purely on weight to hit people, just like an iron rod. For this recasting, Qin Tiexin decided to give it a blade - not a thin blade, but a thick, heavy blade suitable for chopping. The blade went forward and narrowed two feet away from the tip to form a tip, and then hammered out the blade on one side of the tip.
He replaced the heavy hammer.
The knife blade burned red again. This time he only heated one side of the blade to soften the metal but not excessively, and then hit it with the hammer at an oblique angle, squeezing the metal to the other side to form a bevel.
One hammer, two hammers, three hammers...
The angle of the bevel gradually became clearer, extending from the bottom of the blade to the tip, and finally converged into a sharp tip. With the help of the spiritual fire, this time the blade was easier to temper than expected, and it was quickly formed.
After two sticks of incense, the blade takes shape.
Although it is thick, it already has an obvious edge line. The edge is not sharp, but it is enough. Qin Tiexin looked at it carefully - with the weight of Edgeless of 6,300 kilograms, it can cut things with or without an edge. Having an edge only allows the force to be more concentrated and the cutting to be smoother. A thicker edge is more durable and less likely to chip.
He put down the hammer, took two steps back, and looked at the knife on the table.
It is dark black, seven feet and seven inches long, the blade is two feet wide, and the back is three inches thick. The one-piece handle is one and a half feet long. The blade tapers from the handle to the tip, and forms a thick sharp angle at the tip. The handle and guard come out in one piece, which is basically consistent with the previous drawings of Qin Tiexin.
The new look of Edgeless has begun to take shape. Most of the work has been completed, but the rest is the most important now.
Qin Tiexin took a long breath, and then he felt really tired - not just his arms, but his whole body seemed to have been drained of strength, his back was sore, and his legs were weak. He held on to the edge of the forging table to steady his body.
"There's one last step left." Luo Ling's voice came, "The most important step."
Qin Tiexin nodded.
He knew what Luo Ling was referring to - adjusting the center of gravity. This step needed to be completed with bare hands, using the technique of "Diamond Hammer Fist", using fists instead of hammers, and fine-tuning the internal structure of the knife body through subtle force control to make the center of gravity accurate to the smallest detail.
And his hands were shaking badly from being forged for more than three consecutive hours.
"Take a break from the incense." Luo Ling said, "Return to the state, and there will be no room for any mistakes."
Qin Tiexin didn't try to be brave, he sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes and adjusted his breath. The power of the Qi-Reviving Pill was released in the body, replenishing the consumed spiritual power. Grain Avoidance Pill also had an effect, warmth rose in his empty stomach, and his tired body slowly recovered.
After burning the incense, he opened his eyes.
His eyes were clear again and he was as calm as before.