Chapter 16: The Gift (Part 1)
Within the small courtyard stood a special small building – a forge room that the old butler had specifically prepared for Qian Zhaoguang back then, making it convenient for him to use forging to temper his body even at home.
Starting two years ago, Huo Yutong had also begun setting aside time in her daily routine to learn some forging techniques from him. While exercising her body, it also served to lay some groundwork for potentially becoming a Soul Tool Master in the future.
Today, however, Huo Yutong broke her routine. Instead of cultivating at home, she went out right after lunch.
Qian Zhaoguang, meanwhile, was currently shirtless, his well-toned upper body glistening with sweat as he worked tirelessly in the forge room.
The advancement in his cultivation had spurred premature physical development, making his physique look nothing like that of a typical ten-year-old boy.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Two forging hammers with blackened heads collided with the red-hot metal, producing crisp, rhythmic forging sounds.
Forging is a craft that requires using one's brain; it's not as simple as the mechanical casting methods from ten thousand years ago.
Both of Qian Zhaoguang's forging masters had told him that he needed to perceive the unique structure of each material and adapt his forging methods accordingly.
Only by being able to judge the current texture and characteristics of the metal mid-strike, and constantly adjusting one's forging technique, could one become a qualified blacksmith.
Originally, Qian Zhaoguang hadn't had much insight into this.
After all, the worldview formed over twenty-odd years wasn't easily changed. His understanding of metal was still stuck at the level of – this is just a piece of metal material – unable to perceive the subtle details.
Therefore, apart from improvements in memory, his exploration of the Spirit Forging method had remained stagnant.
It wasn't until he began cultivating the Spirit Refining Art, and his spiritual power increased, that he gradually figured out a method to perceive the inside of metals.
The first time he perceived the interior of a rare metal, the worldview he had formed over the previous twenty-plus years collapsed.
He even began to suspect whether these two highly similar worlds, Blue Star and the Douluo Continent, might have significant discrepancies in their physical laws due to the factors of elements and soul power.
With this realization, he shed the blind confidence of a transmigrator and, for the first time, began to recognize, read, and understand this strange world from a completely new perspective.
It was also from that moment on that he truly began to grasp the rudimentary form of Hundred Refinements.
After a full twenty minutes of hammering like a furious storm, the piece of tungsten steel on the forge had become a high-quality metal billet.
Measured according to the standards of later generations, this piece of tungsten steel definitely qualified as Hundred Refinements High Grade.
If sold to a blacksmith shop or some low-level Soul Tool Masters, it could easily fetch a considerable number of Gold Soul Coins.
"It seems... something is still missing."
Qian Zhaoguang put down the forging hammers, raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, and activated his Extreme Ice Light, lowering the temperature inside the forge room slightly.
Beside the forge lay nine identical tungsten steel ingots.
These were materials ordered from him by a blacksmith shop.
After the old butler passed away, Qian Zhaoguang, unwilling to simply deplete their savings without earning, began taking on occasional forging orders to generate some income.
He had successfully mastered the most basic Hundred Refinements within a month of starting his Spirit Refining cultivation.
The foundation for this technique already existed in this era, but it had always lacked that final crucial step.
Blacksmiths without the capability had reached the brink of discovery, while capable Soul Tool Masters focused more on inscribing core formations, discarding advanced forging refinement techniques like worn-out shoes.
Consequently, this technique wasn't fully unearthed until several millennia later.
Now, Qian Zhaoguang had mastered this technique ahead of time.
The essence of Hundred Refinements lies in using forging to optimize the arrangement of certain textures within the metal without destroying its internal structure, thereby enhancing the metal's inherent strength.
Hundred Refinements is easy, but to truly enter the realm of Spirit Forging, Thousand Refinements is merely the starting point.
Only by successfully completing a Thousand Refinements once could Qian Zhaoguang truly transcend the category of an ordinary blacksmith.
Trying to reverse-engineer this technique based solely on the fragmented descriptions from the original works was truly exceedingly difficult.
Ding-a-ling...
Just as Qian Zhaoguang was feeling regretful, the bell hanging on the door rang.
A small head poked in cautiously.
"Brother, are you busy?"
"No, what's up?"
Huo Yutong slipped into the forge room, holding up a piece of rare metal about the size of a human head.
"Hehe, today is your birthday. A gift for you."
"This is... Blue Gold Iron?"
Having been involved in the blacksmithing trade for so long, Qian Zhaoguang recognized the nature of the metal in Huo Yutong's hands at a glance.
This material was considered quite good even among rare metals.
A piece of Blue Gold Iron this size was worth at least several dozen, possibly close to a hundred, Gold Soul Coins.
Apart from the allowance he gave Huo Yutong each week, all the family money was managed by him.
How she acquired the funds to buy this rare metal was self-evident.
He didn't know how long the little girl had been saving up.
Qian Zhaoguang sighed helplessly.
"Did you sneak out to do those 'black jobs' again? How many times have I told you, doing that is very dangerous..."
"Hehehehehe, but it's your birthday..."
Huo Yutong held the Blue Gold Iron and giggled foolishly, avoiding the main point.
Qian Zhaoguang had strictly forbidden her from taking on work outside by herself.
She was still too young and had grown up solely within the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, lacking exposure to society. Qian Zhaoguang worried she might be scammed or abducted, and especially feared she might be targeted by Evil Soul Masters.
A young girl, low cultivation level, no backing, and possessing a Spirit-type Body Martial Soul – she was practically the perfect target material in the eyes of Evil Soul Masters.
But...
Faced with Huo Yutong, who had been his sole companion for so long, how could he truly bring himself to harshly scold her?
Qian Zhaoguang took the Blue Gold Iron from her hands and patted her head affectionately.
"Just this once. Don't let it happen again."
"Ehehe, Brother is the best! Then I'll go make a big feast for Brother!"
Huo Yutong dropped the sentence and vanished in a flash.
"This girl, really..."
Qian Zhaoguang shook his head fondly, holding the piece of Blue Gold Iron.
Feeling the faint warmth left on it from Huo Yutong's touch, it felt as if something inside him had been stirred.
Maybe...
Try again?
The moment the thought arose, it sprouted like wild grass in Qian Zhaoguang's mind, becoming impossible to suppress.
He expertly stoked the forge fire and placed the Blue Gold Iron near the air nozzle.
After a few minutes, the surface of the originally pale green Blue Gold Iron turned a faint blue, indicating it had reached the appropriate temperature for forging.
Qian Zhaoguang placed it on the anvil, secured it, adjusted the air nozzle, held his breath, focused his spirit, and gently swung the forging hammer in his hand.
Ding.
The hammer met the metal, producing a clear, pleasant chime.
Ding.
Ding.
Ding.
The strange, rhythmic melody began again as the Hundred Refinements process rapidly commenced.
This time, Qian Zhaoguang seemed to enter a peculiar state. The hammer and the metal achieved a unique resonance, as if the Blue Gold Iron being forged had come alive and was communicating with him.
Gradually, the Blue Gold Iron began to shrink as the Hundred Refinements purification effect became apparent.
Qian Zhaoguang himself lost track of how many times he had struck.
The sound of hammering seemed to fade away. Before his eyes, the piece of Blue Gold Iron seemed to emit a faint, ethereal glow.
With every strike, it seemed to breathe once, gradually synchronizing with Qian Zhaoguang's own breath.
His eyes grew brighter and brighter, his forging speed increasing, all his strength seemingly condensed into the pair of forging hammers.
His Qi and Blood force was fully mobilized, rising visibly from his skin with each successive hammer blow.
It was a sensation impossible to describe with words, only comprehensible to those who had truly experienced it.
Right now, only one thought existed in Qian Zhaoguang's mind.
There's a chance!
(End of Chapter)