"Genius! An absolute genius! I, Mang Tian, have discovered a genius!"
Mang Tian rushed over to Tang Wulin and crouched down, gripping his shoulders with both large hands. Even the bushy beard on his face was trembling.
"You completed Thousand Refinement on your first attempt at forging, and on Heavy Silver at that!"
"Do you know what that means?"
"It means your Spiritual Power, your perception of metal, and your hammer technique are all top-notch!"
"That bunch of blacksmiths in Aolai City haven't even reached the threshold of Thousand Refinement after twenty years of practice, and you passed it at seven!"
"I've fucking found a future divine blacksmith!"
He stood up and paced back and forth through the shop, growing more excited as he spoke.
"From now on, you can work in my workshop! Your status as a blacksmith will be second only to mine!"
"Now this workshop can take on more Thousand Refinement orders!"
Tang Wulin sat on the floor, still completely unaware of what level Thousand Refinement First Grade represented. He only found it strange. Wasn't this something everyone could do?
In his dreams, he could do it even faster.
But he was delighted, because he could earn money and help support his family!
"Uncle Mang Tian."
He spoke up, interrupting Mang Tian in the middle of his excitement,
"Um, do you have anything to eat here? I'm a little hungry."
Mang Tian threw back his head and laughed.
"I do! I do! We're having extra dishes today!"
He strode into the small compartment at the back of the shop and rummaged around with a clatter.
Tang Wulin sat on the floor, his stomach rumbling fiercely. The hour and a half of Thousand Refinement had drained every bit of strength from his body.
He felt as though someone had wrung him dry from the inside out.
It had been the same in his dreams, but there his body could quickly be reset to its original condition. It was completely different from now.
Mang Tian brought out two lunchboxes, one heaped high with rice and the other filled with steaming red-braised pork.
"Eat! Once you're full, get back to work!"
Tang Wulin took the lunchboxes and dug in, gobbling down the food.
He mixed the red-braised pork's sauce into the rice and swallowed mouthful after mouthful with barely a chew.
Mang Tian sat watching beside him, the smile never leaving his face. Every so often, he would glance down at the piece of First Grade Thousand Refinement Heavy Silver on the anvil, then look back at Tang Wulin, as if making sure he wasn't dreaming.
The box of rice was soon empty.
Tang Wulin set down the empty lunchbox and looked at Mang Tian.
Mang Tian paused. "Still hungry?"
"Yeah."
Mang Tian stood up and ducked back into the compartment.
This time he brought out a large bowl of noodles topped with two fried eggs. Tang Wulin took it and slurped them down.
After finishing the noodles, he drank two bowls of water before he finally felt he had something in his stomach.
Mang Tian looked at the empty bowls stacked in front of him, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
"You little rascal... you've got quite an appetite."
Tang Wulin scratched his head sheepishly. "I used up a lot of strength today."
Mang Tian waved a hand to show he understood.
Forging was physical labor, and Thousand Refinement in particular placed an enormous strain on both Spiritual Power and physical strength.
The first time he had completed Thousand Refinement in his youth, he too had been so exhausted he could barely get up. He had eaten three whole bowls of rice before recovering.
It was just a little extra food, that was all.
"Have some more."
Half an hour later, Mang Tian couldn't smile anymore.
Tang Wulin had eaten all the food he had stored in the compartment.
Two lunchboxes of red-braised pork, a large bowl of noodles, four fried eggs, and several boxes of rice had all gone into Tang Wulin's stomach.
Mang Tian sat in front of the empty table, clutching a pair of chopsticks without moving for a long while.
"It's fine, it's fine." He took a deep breath and reassured himself,
"With talent like that, it's normal to eat a lot. He's a genius, after all. He uses up a lot of strength. I understand, I understand."
Footsteps came from outside the shop, and Lang Yue appeared in the doorway.
"Wulin?"
She peered inside and spotted Tang Wulin sitting at the table, a grain of rice still stuck to the corner of his mouth.
"Brother Mang Tian, how did Wulin... do?" Lang Yue asked tentatively.
"How did he do?" Mang Tian sprang to his feet, his voice rising again.
"Sister-in-law! Your son ate all the food I had stored in the shop for the next two days!"
Lang Yue froze for a moment, then blushed.
She hurried inside and tugged at Tang Wulin's sleeve. "Honestly, child, how could you be so unreserved at Uncle Mang Tian's?"
"No, no, no!" Mang Tian quickly waved his hands. "That's not what I meant! I mean, having an appetite is a good thing! You can't work in this trade without one! Sister-in-law, please don't blame him!"
He walked up to Lang Yue, his expression swiftly changing from shock to solemnity.
"Sister-in-law, Wulin can come here from now on."
"Two hours every day after school."
"As for his pay, I can't say for sure. One Thousand Refinement piece a day would be at least this much."
He named a sum, and Lang Yue's eyes flew wide open.
"Th-this much?"
"It's not much." Mang Tian shook his head.
"Your son completed a piece of First Grade Thousand Refinement Heavy Silver today. His skills are worth that price."
Lang Yue opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say.
Mang Tian spoke with emotion in his voice.
"Sister-in-law, you and Ziran are unbelievably lucky."
"I've been a blacksmith for twenty years and seen plenty of talented people, but someone like Wulin... I've never seen anyone like him."
"He's a genius at forging. It won't be long before he surpasses me."
Dazed, Lang Yue took Tang Wulin's hand and walked out of the shop.
The night wind on Craftsmen Street was chilly, and blowing against her face, it helped clear her head a little. She looked down at Tang Wulin, who was looking up and smiling at her.
"Mom, I can earn money now."
"Mm." Lang Yue tightened her grip on his hand, her voice a little choked. "I know."
When they got home, Tang Ziran was sitting at the table in a daze.
He was clutching his soul communicator, and when Lang Yue came in with Tang Wulin, he abruptly raised his head.
"Wulin!"
Tang Wulin was startled by his shout. "Dad?"
Tang Ziran stood up, walked over to Tang Wulin, and crouched down, placing both hands on his shoulders. He opened his mouth, but for a long time no words came out.
"Mang Tian just called me," he finally said, his voice a little hoarse.
"He said you're already at the level of a th-third-rank blacksmith?"
Tang Wulin tilted his head.
"Third rank? What's that? I don't know."
"Anyway, he said my forging was called Thousand Refinement or something."
Tang Ziran was stunned.
He had worked as a mecha repairman for twenty years and knew a little about forging.
People capable of Thousand Refinement were rare talents in all of Aolai City, and the income from a single order was at least equivalent to half a month's wages for him.
And his son, seven years old and visiting Mang Tian's shop for the first time today, had become a third-rank blacksmith.
"You..." Tang Ziran's throat went dry. "How did you do it?"
Tang Wulin thought for a moment and said, "I just... brought the hammer down, and it worked."
Tang Ziran: "..."
At dinner,
Although Tang Wulin had already eaten plenty at Mang Tian's, he still picked up his bowl and ate heartily when he saw the food on the table. His appetite was almost no different from usual.
After dinner, Tang Wulin and Na'er went back to their room.
Na'er had grown used to sharing the little space with Tang Wulin.
Na'er lay on the bed, her silvery-white hair spread across the pillow, her violet eyes fixed on Tang Wulin.
"Big brother."
"Yeah?"
"Are you tired today?"
Tang Wulin sat down on his bed. "Tired, but happy."
He rummaged through his pockets, pulled out a small piece of something, and handed it to Na'er.
It was a thumb-sized piece of Heavy Silver, silvery gray all over, with fine golden patterns flowing through its interior.
It was the very Heavy Silver he had subjected to Thousand Refinement.
Tang Wulin had specifically asked for a small piece and brought it back in his pocket.
Na'er took it and cupped it in her palm.
The Heavy Silver was heavy. Though only the size of a thumb, it had a substantial weight in her hand.
"It's so pretty," Na'er said softly.
"This is what I promised you."
Na'er pressed the Heavy Silver to her chest.
"Thank you, big brother."
Tang Wulin smiled and closed his eyes.
He had used up too much strength today, and his consciousness soon sank.
His Soul Power circulated slowly along the Mysterious Heaven Skill's path, one circuit, two circuits, three circuits... A hazy gray light appeared, and the outline of the forge emerged in his consciousness.
Tang Hao sat beside the furnace with a wine gourd in his hand. When he saw Tang Wulin enter, his gaze lingered on the boy's face for a moment.
"Kid, you look happy."
Tang Wulin walked over to the anvil, a smile still on his face. "Forging's put food in my mouth, so of course I'm happy."
Tang Hao scoffed and took a swig of wine.
"Practice hard with the wooden hammer. Otherwise, there'll be no food for you here with me in the future."
Tang Wulin nodded vigorously, walked over to the cabinet, and took out a brand-new wooden hammer.
He took a deep breath, stood before the anvil, and raised the hammer with full confidence.
Today, at Mang Tian's shop, he had purified Heavy Silver in three strikes and completed Thousand Refinement in an hour and a half.
The Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer was already etched into his bones, and he could precisely control the weight of the Clear Sky Hammer even with his eyes closed.
It was just a wooden hammer, just a matter of pounding iron. He had figured it out: as long as he diverted some of the rebounding force at the moment of contact, the wooden hammer wouldn't break.
The hammer fell.
"Crack."
The wooden hammer shattered.
Tang Wulin stared at the half of the hammer handle remaining in his hand, stunned for two seconds.
Tang Hao burst out laughing behind him.
"Kid, you've got a long way to go!"
"Brute force is easy to use, but controlling your strength isn't so simple."
Tang Wulin gritted his teeth, tossed the broken handle onto the floor, and turned toward the cabinet.
"Again."