Chapter 35: On the Reasons for the Tang Sect's Decline in the douluo two era and the Terrifying Power of Mechanical Hidden Weapons
"You're exaggerating, you're exaggerating."
Hearing himself being compared to the Craft God, Tang Shan waved his hands repeatedly.
"Master Tie, let's first see if this direction is correct."
Iron Bell nodded, his burly frame suddenly standing up as he took a large piece of iron material from a nearby shelf and placed it on the anvil.
Seeing that the other party was preparing to forge, Tang Shan consciously began pulling the bellows.
Whoosh!
The scorching flames licked the iron material; the originally iron-gray color quickly turned crimson, and the hard texture gradually softened.
Huge iron tongs were held in Iron Bell's left hand, steadily fixing the heated iron material in place. In his right hand, he held a hammer about the size of two human heads. After confirming that the heat had penetrated into the interior of the iron, he swung the hammer down without hesitation.
Clang!
Accompanied by a violent metal-on-metal collision, a large section of the iron material dented inward, and its originally irregular shape turned into a barely formed trapezoid.
As the hammer fell, he used the recoil to easily lift it high again, then smashed it down heavily once more.
Amidst flying sparks, the metallic iron material rapidly deformed, and the Impurities contained within were expelled through one strike after another.
"Phew."
In less than fifteen minutes, Iron Bell stopped his movements. The originally basin-sized iron material was now only the size of a soccer ball. By this time, he was already drenched in sweat.
"Tang Shan, this is the limit of my usual tempering. From here, I either start shaping it directly or proceed with folding and forging."
Iron Bell picked up a towel hanging nearby, wiped his face casually, and looked at Tang Shan.
"Master Tie, what would happen if you continued forging further down?"
Tang Shan asked.
"If I keep hammering, this piece of metal won't last more than a few strikes before it's ruined. Later, I thought it was a waste of Materials, so I didn't try again."
Iron Bell rubbed the hammer in his hand, recalling Tang Shan's previous ideas and questions; he seemed to have a faint inkling of a lead.
"Master Tie, there's no need to fear wasting metal. When you first learned forging, didn't you also waste Materials?"
Tang Shan suggested, while simultaneously recalling the entire process of Iron Bell's forging just now.
Master Tie had struck the raw material about several hundred times just now. The current grade of this metal should have reached the level of Hundred-Refined Metal from the douluo 3 era.
The standard for hundred-refinement forging might be universal across all three eras. What can truly cause a qualitative change in metal is likely Thousand-Refinement Forging.
The Divine Craftsman Lou Gao from the douluo one era might have had the strength for thousand-refinement, but he might not have truly achieved it. After all, thousand-refined metal should exhibit some unique metallic properties, yet the eight treasures ruyi soft armor he crafted in the original work did not show characteristics in this regard.
Alternative thousand-refinement? Perhaps it's taking a different path, using an alternative method to forge metal with thousand-refinement strength?
After pondering for a while, Tang Shan speculated that the Divine Craftsmen of the douluo one era might have achieved thousand-refinement level strength through repeated folding and forging, but failed to bestow the properties that true thousand-refined metal should have.
However, since he hadn't personally witnessed the forging process of a Divine Craftsman from the douluo one era, he couldn't jump to conclusions.
Iron Bell finished his thoughts and decided to try according to Tang Shan's suggestion.
Indeed, it's inevitable for a blacksmith to waste metal during forging. What does this bit of loss matter?
After thinking it through, he reheated and fixed the iron material, then swung the hammer again to continue forging.
One strike, two strikes, three strikes... After about twenty more strikes, fine cracks appeared on the surface of the iron material, and then it shattered completely.
Facing such a result, Iron Bell, who was already mentally prepared, did not lose heart. Instead, he carefully recalled every detail of the forging just now, thinking about where he could further optimize, and whether the points of impact needed adjustment... After a moment of silence, he fetched another piece of raw material and began forging anew.
At this moment, Iron Bell seemed to have returned to the years when he was still a blacksmith apprentice—focused, persistent, and single-minded. Even when Tang Shan greeted him saying he was going back first, he only gave a simple response and continued to immerse himself in the forging at hand.
Walking out of the blacksmith shop, Tang Shan strolled toward the Great Spirit Arena while recalling his gains in forging over the past few days.
With my precise control over my own body, the power-exertion techniques for hammering are basically not a problem. I even used Spirit Abilities after returning to further optimize the way I exert force.
Pulling the bellows is ultimately about controlling the fire. With my fairly good mental force, I quickly mastered the essentials.
As for controlling the heat for metal heating, it needs to be adjusted according to the material of the raw metal and the amount of Impurities. This aspect might require more practice to become proficient.
The forging techniques of the douluo one era indeed don't have a very high level of difficulty, and the technical direction of these people seems to have gone a bit astray. The focus wasn't on metal purification or improving the essence of the Materials at all, but was instead entirely concentrated on metal processing, manufacturing, and shaping craftsmanship.
This can be seen from the eight treasures ruyi soft armor crafted by the douluo one era's Divine Craftsman Lou Gao, as well as his ability to forge the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus.
However, in terms of processing and shaping technology alone, they have already achieved the pinnacle, especially Lou Gao.
Without any System-based training, directly contacting skills like mechanical arts and being able to personally craft the Tang Sect's number one mechanical Hidden Weapons, the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus—such astonishing hands-on ability is probably not inferior at all to those Pillars of the Nation from my previous life who could personally craft nuclear bomb casings.
Thinking of this, Tang Shan couldn't help but recall the ridiculous reasons for the Tang Sect's decline during the douluo two era.
First, the collision of the Sun Moon Continent brought spirit tools, whose effects generally far exceeded traditional Hidden Weapons, directly causing Tang Sect Hidden Weapons to lose their market. Later, the Tang Sect's Sect Leader was too stubborn, focusing entirely on cultivating the Blue Silver Grass Spirit according to the path of the "Great Tang Buddha," which resulted in none of the successive Sect Leaders being a truly powerful expert.
Setting aside the latter reason for decline for now, one can only say that every generation's Tang Sect Sect Leader was somewhat idealistic. What Tang Shan truly couldn't understand was that first reason.
To be fair and objective, the effects of the Tang Sect's top three mechanical Hidden Weapons are absolutely Heaven-Defying.
The Torrential Pear Blossom Needle wasn't shown much in the original work, so Tang Shan couldn't judge it rashly. But the power of the number one mechanical hidden weapon, the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus, and the number three, the Peacock Plume, was so great that Tang Shan felt the Tang Sect's decline was simply a miracle.
In the original work, when the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus was used by the "Rogue Rabbit" (Xiao Wu), the first one killed over seventy Spirit Saints who had activated their Martial Soul True Bodys. After the second one was sacrificed, it killed more than thirty Spirit Douluos from Spirit Hall.
Tang Shan expressed that he didn't understand, but he was greatly shocked.
With such brilliant combat results, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say its power is equivalent to half a ninth-rank fixed soul guidance cannon shell.
Moreover, compared to a ninth-rank fixed soul guidance cannon shell, the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus has three incomparable advantages:
First, the cost is lower. Even if the required rare metals are scarce, the volume of a Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus is only so large. It might even be crafted using some leftover scraps from making spirit tools. Even if the Materials are indeed hard to come by, since the Sun Moon Continent has already collided and undergone Fusion, the rare metals needed to manufacture the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus would definitely not be in short supply.
Second, there is no spirit power fluctuation when it's released; it's silent and won't alert powerful experts at all.
Third, as a mechanical hidden weapon, anyone can control it as long as they learn how to use it. Even an ordinary person can easily unleash attack power at the Spirit Douluo or even Titled Douluo level after using it. For assassinating experts of the Sun Moon Empire, it is absolutely an excellent Sharp Weapon.
The more he thought about it, the more Tang Shan felt the decline of the Tang Sect in the douluo two era was truly ridiculous. With such excellent Hidden Weapons, he could guarantee that selling one Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus for a value comparable to a ninth-rank fixed soul guidance cannon shell would be no difficult task.
And then there's the third-ranked Peacock Plume, which is also Heaven-Defying. When the "Rogue Rabbit" (Xiao Wu) used it, the rank ninety-seven Super Douluo, the Green Phoenix Douluo, didn't sense the slightest crisis before being directly and heavily injured.
Tang Shan: My jaw has dropped; Sun Moon Empire: I'll trade a ninth-rank fixed soul guidance cannon shell for it.
Although the Peacock Plume needs to be close to unleash its maximum power, and its best record was only heavily injuring a rank ninety-seven Titled Douluo—seemingly a notch below a ninth-rank fixed soul guidance cannon shell, which is comparable to the full-strength strike of a Limit Douluo.
But the key lies in the fact that when carrying a ninth-rank fixed soul guidance cannon shell near a Titled Douluo expert, the opponent will inevitably sense it. But if you bring the Peacock Plume in front of them, they might not react until the attack is launched and they've been hit.
Otherwise, with the many ninth-rank fixed soul guidance cannon shells possessed by the Sun Moon Empire, if they could really get close to top-tier Douluo experts, why wouldn't they take the opportunity to launch a "terrorist attack"?
The Peacock Plume is also a mechanical hidden weapon that doesn't require spirit power to trigger. It's compact and exquisite, and ordinary people can use it. Even when facing a Super Douluo who has reached the Realm of the Unity of Heaven and Man, it won't give the opponent any sense of threat... "With such a good hand, how exactly did the Tang Sect manage to lose? Could it be that the great Sect Leader Tang didn't leave behind the manufacturing methods for mechanical Hidden Weapons?"
Tang Shan couldn't help but mutter in a low voice.
"The mid-tier hidden weapon market was lost, so be it. But there's still the top-tier hidden weapon market! Based on the terrifying power of the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus and the Peacock Plume alone, if I were the Tang Sect's Sect Leader, let alone cultivating one Blue Silver Grass Spirit, cultivating a hundred would be more than enough.
And then there's the Mother-and-Son Soul-Chasing Life-Taking Bolts. When Dugu Bo, who was at rank ninety-one or at most rank ninety-two, used it, he could directly challenge the top-tier attack system Super Douluo, Chrysanthemum Douluo. This hidden weapon is also monstrous."
The more he recalled these things, the more Tang Shan felt the Tang Sect's decline was too ridiculous. Never mind the douluo two era; even in the douluo 3 era, with the unique characteristics of not requiring spirit power and being undetectable by experts, top-tier mechanical Hidden Weapons could still run rampant across the world.
Strolling slowly to the front of the Great Spirit Arena, he saw the old man responsible for carving had brought out a lounge chair from somewhere and was lying on it, letting the gentle sunlight fall on his body, looking very comfortable.
"Elder Xuan, has my big brother come out yet?"
Out of a certain mischievous sense of humor, Tang Shan addressed this elderly man surnamed Xuan this way.
Elder Xuan slowly opened his eyes, swept a glance at Tang Shan, and raised his hand to point in a direction.
"Your big brother seems to have gone to that shop to eat. Don't disturb this old man's sunbathing. Oh, and remember to bring me a portion if there's something delicious."
After spending time together, Elder Xuan had gradually become familiar with the father and three sons, and his speech was quite casual.
"Heh," Tang Shan leaned closer to him, looking at his belly with interest, "You eat so much every day, yet I don't see you getting fat. It's really strange."
Elder Xuan had already closed his eyes again, his words slurred: "This old man is naturally gifted."
Tang Shan smiled and didn't disturb him further, walking in the direction the old man had pointed.
Before reaching the place, a rich aroma wafted into his nostrils, smelling like roasted meat.
He widened his eyes, carefully scanning the crowds in the various shops, and soon spotted Su Yuntao's figure in one of them.
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