After buying a blacksmith shop, Xu Zhengyang simply named it the Zhengyang Blacksmith Shop.
Xu Zhengyang had chosen this shop because it contained an enormous furnace more than four meters long and two meters wide. Judging by its condition, some special metals had likely been used in its construction, allowing it to withstand extremely high temperatures and making it ideal for forging.
Bellows, anvils, and everything else were all provided, along with plenty of high-quality iron ore, making it very convenient to use. Moreover, the entire forging room was separate, offering a degree of privacy.
At that moment, Xu Zhengyang stood alone before the furnace in a sleeveless shirt and shorts, holding a brand-new forging hammer.
All five original workers had been rehired and retained at double their previous wages.
Now, all five workers stood before the bellows, pumping them with all their strength. Searing heat filled the room, and all five were drenched in sweat.
Inside the furnace, all the ore glowed fiery red, giving off terrifying waves of heat.
Xu Zhengyang placed his Martial Soul, the Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear, into the furnace and stared fixedly at the changes within, watching the changes in the spear.
Under such extreme temperatures, even the immensely sturdy Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear was heated red-hot. That terrifying heat even passed directly into Xu Zhengyang's body.
When he was close to reaching his own limit, Xu Zhengyang used his Soul Power to float the Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear onto the forging table. Without hesitation, he brought the massive hammer in his hand down on it.
With a thunderous bang, the Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear seemed to suffer a tremendous impact, but its shaft showed no change. Instead, it gave a faint, crisp ring.
Xu Zhengyang was not discouraged in the slightest. Instead, he struck again. This blow was even stronger than the last, and the hammer rebounded at an unusual angle, its force seeming to stack.
This was the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Technique that Xu Zhengyang had developed himself. Although it might not have been as authentic as the Clear Sky Clan's hammer technique or as suited to combat, it was extremely useful for forging.
Xu Zhengyang swung the forging hammer, striking the Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear without pause. The spear was his Martial Soul, and every strike felt as though it landed on his own body, sending terrifying heat and impact force throughout him.
But Xu Zhengyang's body was extraordinarily tough. His strength in particular was countless times greater than it had been two years ago. When he had first begun learning hammer techniques and forging, he had only been eight years old, with his Soul Power having only just reached rank fourteen. Now, his Soul Power had reached rank twenty-seven, and he had gained a thousand-year Soul Ring.
After forging continuously, Xu Zhengyang felt the pressure on his body mounting. That pressure came not only from the forging hammer in his hands, but also from the Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear being struck.
As each blow stacked upon the last, the force on the forging hammer grew stronger, and the pressure endured by the Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear grew greater. Xu Zhengyang could clearly feel this force gradually beginning to exceed the spear's limits, and even his own.
Yet Xu Zhengyang only grew more excited. When the forging hammer in his hand reached the eighty-first strike-nine times nine-the entire hammer resembled a black dragon. A terrifying force erupted in an instant and slammed squarely into the Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear.
The Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear seemed unable to withstand such terrifying force. It gave a crisp ring that also sounded like a mournful cry.
Only when everything had settled again did Xu Zhengyang carefully examine the Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear. After the eighty-one blows of his Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Technique, the entire shaft had indeed become a tiny bit smaller through repeated forging. Even its surface had slight indentations.
However, these indentations were impossible for anyone else to discern. Only through his own Martial Soul could Xu Zhengyang barely make out this trace of change.
"It works. As long as I keep forging, as long as I'm strong enough, the Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear will definitely be able to advance further. If I can add the metals I want to it, it will definitely undergo a transformation."
Especially during this forging at his limits, Xu Zhengyang could clearly feel that his own body was being hammered as well. Even his meridians and bones were all being struck, as though this could stimulate his body to grow stronger. Even his previously severely blocked meridians now seemed to have become a little clearer.
Throughout the entire day, apart from eating, Xu Zhengyang forged without stopping. Not only did he completely exhaust his Soul Power, but his entire body ached unbearably, as though he had used up all his bodily strength and squeezed out every last trace of it.
The five workers helping him now looked at Xu Zhengyang as though he were a monster. They had never seen anyone temper their own Martial Soul the way he did, much less for an entire day at a time.
Under the extreme heat of the forging room, all five were drenched in sweat, their strength utterly exhausted. Yet their employer, Xu Zhengyang, possessed stamina and strength like a monster.
Once all the workers had left, Xu Zhengyang jumped straight into the bathing tub he had prepared beforehand. Inside were medicinal ingredients he had mixed for tempering his body. Some had been purchased, while others were spirit herbs found in Soul Beast forests.
Taking a medicinal bath when his body was so thoroughly exhausted could promote blood circulation, expel impurities from his body, and even temper it.
Over the past two years, Xu Zhengyang had been training in the Ice Sea and Sunset Forest, leaving him no time to settle down for medicinal baths.
After finishing his medicinal bath, Xu Zhengyang began meditating alone. He felt utterly clear and unburdened, and his meditation progressed considerably faster than usual. Such extreme exhaustion, combined with the medicinal bath he had prepared himself, was highly beneficial to cultivation.
His cultivation speed in particular had increased by at least twenty percent compared to normal. Of course, compared to when he had first awakened, it had increased more than twelvefold, thanks to the effects of the two Mysterious Water Pills.
Only after finishing his meditation did Xu Zhengyang carefully examine his Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear.
After a day of tempering, the Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear had indeed changed a little. Its entire shaft had become slightly more compact, and most importantly, the rudimentary shape of its spearhead was becoming increasingly distinct.
"It's still not enough. Neither my forging techniques nor this furnace's temperature are quite sufficient yet. But here in Gengxin City, I can definitely take my forging skills to the next level. I can definitely find the forging method I want."
Xu Zhengyang understood very well that with his current strength, he had no way to work on the Soul Devouring Carving Knife. The slightest carelessness would bring the flames down on himself.
But he also understood that he had spent two full years training in the wilderness and battling Soul Beasts. It was time to properly consolidate what he had gained, to quiet his mind and truly temper his Martial Soul and hone his Soul Power.
Xu Zhengyang wanted to settle down and hone his Tiger-Head Zhan Gold Spear until it truly took shape and truly possessed the characteristics of a spear.
He had chosen Gengxin City partly because it offered a good environment, one highly suited to forging and to settling down to cultivate. The other reason was that crouching tigers and hidden dragons could be found here, with many top-tier forging masters within the Blacksmith Association in particular.
The Blacksmith Association held regular internal discussions, allowing all its blacksmiths to exchange forging techniques. Even the association's president regularly offered guidance to its members.
Opening a blacksmith shop did not cost much, and it was very suitable both for concealing his identity and for communicating with other blacksmiths.