Lou Gao's tone carried encouragement.
Lin Xia took the forging hammer, and the moment it settled into his hand, his arm sank slightly. The hammer's weight far exceeded that of ordinary tools, it was clearly specially made.
He weighed it briefly in his hand. The muscles in his arm naturally tensed as he familiarized himself with the grip's texture and the hammer's center of balance.
The knowledge from his previous life, combined with the powerful physique he had tempered during this period, allowed Lin Xia to adapt to the weight almost instantly.
Meanwhile, Lou Gao strode straight to the forging furnace. He rolled up his sleeves, revealing thick, corded arms covered in burn scars and hardened calluses.
Under the astonished gazes of the surrounding blacksmith apprentices and several intermediate blacksmiths who happened to be on break, the divine craftsman renowned across the continent actually bent down and personally grasped the massive bellows lever!
"Hiss…"
A chorus of restrained gasps immediately sounded around them.
Divine Craftsman Lou Gao—pulling the bellows himself… for his disciple?!
This was an honor unheard of!
All eyes instantly converged on Lin Xia, filled with disbelief and intense envy.
Receiving personal guidance from a divine craftsman was already a blessing of the highest order—yet now, the divine craftsman was willingly acting as an assistant to work the bellows?!
Lin Xia could feel the burning gazes around him, but his mind was already fully immersed in the pig iron before him and the forging hammer in his hand.
He took a deep breath, steadying his thoughts. Using long tongs, he lifted the cold pig iron ingot and steadily fed it into the forging furnace, where Lou Gao was pulling the bellows so powerfully that the flames roared—instantly shifting from dark red to dazzling white-hot brilliance.
The intense heat licked across the iron. Its dull black surface rapidly turned orange-red, then golden, blazing bright!
"Now!"
Lou Gao barked sharply, his eyes blazing as he locked onto the change in the iron's color.
Lin Xia's gaze sharpened. With a firm wrist, he used the tongs to clamp the iron—now glowing bright yellow, its edges faintly whitening and swiftly, steadily, and precisely pulled it out, placing it onto the thick, solid anvil!
The high temperature distorted the air as a wave of heat rushed toward him.
"Ha!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Xia let out a low shout. His waist and stance aligned as one, and all the power in his body like a bowstring drawn to its limit was released in an instant!
He swung the heavy forging hammer high overhead. It tore through the air with a dull, whistling roar, carrying the fearless momentum of a young beast unafraid of anything, and smashed straight down onto the center of the blazing iron!
Clang—!!!
A deafening metallic crash erupted, as if it were tearing through the eardrums!
The tremendous sound wave reverberated throughout the forging hall, completely overwhelming every other hammer strike!
Centered on the point of impact, scorching sparks exploded outward like a volcanic eruption!
They formed a dazzling sphere of orange-red light, scattering in all directions—several sparks even shot several meters away!
That display was nothing like a novice's test strike. It looked exactly like the full-force hammering of a master blacksmith who had devoted decades to the craft!
The entire forging hall instantly fell into dead silence!
Every onlooker, apprentices and seasoned veterans alike—froze in place.
Eyes bulged wide. Mouths gaped open wide enough to swallow an egg.
The envy from moments ago was instantly replaced by sheer, bone-deep shock!
This… what kind of terrifying strength was this?!
Creating such power with the very first strike?!
That hammer weighed at least dozens of pounds!
A flicker of surprise flashed through Lou Gao's eyes, but it was quickly overtaken by even deeper admiration.
His arm pulling the bellows grew steadier and more forceful, stoking the furnace flames until they roared like a raging beast.
Lin Xia, however, seemed completely oblivious to the surrounding shock.
The immense recoil from the first strike surged up through the hammer handle, numbing his palm but instead of making him retreat, it ignited the resilience buried deep in his bones, along with an even stronger desire to master power itself!
The knowledge from the books raced through his mind.
Point of impact. Angle. Force. Timing of folding…
Lin Xia's eyes were sharp as an eagle's as he fixed his gaze on the iron, watching it rapidly deform and extend under the hammer's force, its color shifting from bright yellow to dark red.
The muscles in his arms bulged as he raised the forging hammer once more!
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
One strike! Two strikes! Three strikes!
From initially rough movements, Lin Xia's actions rapidly became fluid, precise, and rhythmical at an astonishing speed!
It was as if he instinctively knew how to twist his entire body's strength into a single flow—channeling it through the rotation of his waist and abdomen, transmitting it into his arms, and then injecting it precisely into that single point at the hammerhead!
Moreover, Lin Xia realized that perhaps due to Larvitar's talent, he knew exactly where each strike should land.
His hammering speed grew faster and faster!
The heavy forging hammer seemed to lose all weight in his hands, transforming into streaks of swift black light!
The hammer shadows merged together, crashing down upon the red-hot iron like a torrential storm!
Clang clang clang clang clang—!!!
The dense, loud, and rhythmically precise hammering sounded like a rousing war drum, completely dominating the forging hall!
With every strike, a shower of sparks exploded outward like fireworks, illuminating Lin Xia's focused, powerful form.
Sweat quickly seeped from his forehead and temples, sliding down his sharp-featured cheeks and dripping onto the scorching anvil, instantly vaporizing into white steam.
Yet Lin Xia seemed completely unaware, his entire mind absorbed by the metallic blank in front of him, constantly deforming and extending, impurities gradually hammered out with each blow.
Folding, hammering, reheating… Lin Xia followed the instructions from the books meticulously, occasionally adjusting based on Lou Gao's brief guidance.
It was as if he had entered a wondrous state, where strength, skill, and knowledge merged perfectly.
Lou Gao watched nearby, heart filled with delight. The rhythm of the bellows entirely matched Lin Xia's hammering.
In his eyes, there was no longer scrutiny—only pure admiration and immense satisfaction!
A genius! This was a true forging prodigy!
Not only did he possess a sharp mind, but his physical talent and control over power were a rare one-in-a-million combination!
The surrounding blacksmiths had long recovered from their initial shock. At this moment, they were left with nothing but deep respect.
They watched silently; the envy and jealousy had vanished, replaced by genuine admiration.
Some of the master blacksmiths even instinctively began counting the strikes.
"…Ninety-eight… Ninety-nine… One hundred!"
A full hundred strikes!
All in one continuous flow!
When Lin Xia delivered the final hammer and lifted it with perfect control, the rough, clumsy pig iron ingot on the anvil had transformed.
In its place lay a refined iron bar, approximately one foot long, three inches wide, with uniform thickness. Its surface displayed a dense cloud-like pattern, the edges straight and sharp, faintly emitting a metallic sheen.
Although this was only the most basic forging and shaping, its precise form, uniform texture, and the natural toughness revealed after hundreds of hammer strikes all testified to the success of this forging!
Lin Xia exhaled a long breath of warm air tinged with the scent of iron. His chest rose and fell slightly, sweat poured down his forehead, yet his eyes shone with an astonishing brilliance.
He set down the forging hammer and looked at the first piece he had personally forged. A sense of indescribable accomplishment and excitement surged through him.
The forging hall fell silent, as if even a pin dropping could be heard.
Every eye was fixed on the refined iron bar and Lin Xia.
Lou Gao released the bellows lever and straightened up. His loud, resounding laughter exploded through the silent hall like a rolling thunder, filled with unparalleled pride and joy.
"Hahaha! Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! Tempered a hundred times into steel, a fledgling phoenix first singing! Lin Xia, well done! Truly worthy of being my disciple! From today onward, you are officially a forging master of my Blacksmith Association!"
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