Tang Wulin sat down on the floor as he was overcome by a surging wave of weakness. Mang Tian expertly removed a bandage from his pocket and pasted it onto his apprentice’s wrist, covering the previous wound.
Mang Tian, a master blacksmith, had a strange look on his face. His mouth was still slightly ajar at the sight of what had just happened.
A genius was still a genius at the end of the day. Even if Tang Wulin didn’t have a hammer as his martial soul, this fact remains unchanged. His ability to comprehend more than makes up for this deficiency.
The Thousand Refinements. Even amongst most blacksmiths, it was a challenge that could not be accomplished. Yet, it was actually done at the hands of this 9 year old child! This was an unbelievable act.
Tang Ziran had already rushed in to hold his son up.
Mang Tian had been quietly mulling over his thoughts for quite some time before he spoke. “Genius, this is a genius at work. Wulin, you must always remember the feeling you had today. To you, this is just the beginning… This is just the first of the shocks you will bring to the blacksmithing world!”
Unfortunately, the five hours of forging had led him to being completely spent and Tang Wulin hadn’t heard the words his teacher spoke. He had already dozed off in the arms of his father.
***
When he next awoke, Tang Wulin was on his bed.
The sky was bright and the sun’s rays pierced through the window sill and into the room. It shone on the bed Na’er used to sleep on.
Although Na’er had already left, Tang Wulin had never allowed his parents to remove her bed. Deep down, he had always felt that Na’er would come back one day.
Although his wrists no longer caused him pain, his body still felt weak. His body felt warm, thus he lazed about on his bed. He felt an odd sense of comfort.
A faint smile broke out on his face. The Thousand Refinements, it should have been completed!
So this was how it felt like to experience the Thousand Refinements.
Even when he lost consciousness, he could still clearly remember the feeling. At that point during the final stages of the forging, every hammer stroke resonated with the Heavy Silver. There was an extremely profound feeling. To him, the Heavy Silver felt as though it were alive. As Tang Wulin took a breath, so too did the Heavy Silver. Every stroke of the hammer was like a massage for the Heavy Silver and it called out with feelings of relief.
When this feeling reached a peak, the Heavy Silver transformed. Its physical changes had accumulated to a point where it had become fundamentally engraved into the metal.
Even if he didn’t know what happened afterwards, he was still confident that he had succeeded.
‘I am not a piece of trash, at least not when it comes to blacksmithing. Even as a Soul Master, my Bluesilver Grass is no ordinary Bluesilver Grass.
‘Na’er, if you were still around, how great would this have been. You would definitely be happy for me! Brother will get stronger and will protect you, I will never let anyone harm you.
‘Na’er, please come back soon, if not, tell me where you are! Why did you not explain yourself clearly before you left? I really miss you.’
Na’er’s sweet smile was etched into his mind. Her voice was like that of a skylark. When she called out for her brother, that pleasantness left him greatly satisfied.
‘I will definitely find you in the future. I promise you.’
Gradually, the warmth from his body had led him back to dreamland and he fell into a deep sleep.
***
When he next awoke, it was due to his hunger. The sky had already turned dark. Considering that he had slept since last night, this meant he had slept for an entire day!
“Mom, dad!” Tang Wulin shouted as he got up. His exhaustion had already dissipated but his stomach was still empty. He felt so hungry that he could eat an entire cow!
“Son, you’re awake!” The door opened as Lang Yue rushed in.
Tang Wulin said with a hint of pride, “Mother, I can already execute the Thousand Refinements!”
Lang Yue’s eyes were bloodshot. To her this was not important, what was important was her son’s well being!
“Good boy, is your body uncomfortable in any way?” Lang Yue asked gently.
Tang Wulin shook his head, “Nope! I’m just hungry. Mom, since I’m hungry, is there anything to eat?”
“Yes, yes, Mom bought a fat chicken for you and boiled chicken soup with it. Its waiting for you to drink. Your teacher said that you overexerted yourself and after waking up, you would need some nutritious and digestible food.”
***
15 Minutes Later.
Lang Yue and Tang Ziran stared speechlessly as their son gorged himself. To their son, what was a nutritious and digestible dish? So long as it could be eaten, it could be digested!
An entire fat chicken, along with a pot of chicken soup, 5 buns, and 2 plates of vegetables had already been consumed by this 9 year old child and stuffed into his stomach. In addition, he looked as though he still hadn’t had enough. He was still eating his sixth bun.
“Go and cook a few more dishes for our son,” Tang Ziran said as he swallowed a mouthful of saliva. Looking at his son eating with such gusto, even he felt like eating.
Lang Yue hurriedly stood up.
Tang Wulin really could eat, especially after spending such a large amount of energy. He spent almost an entire hour gorging before finally letting out a sigh of relief.
“Son, you didn’t hold anything back, right?” If it hadn’t been for Tang Ziran stopping her, Lang Yue would have stopped letting Tang Wulin eat his fill. That capacity for food had already long surpassed a normal individual.
Tang Wulin had a smile on his face as he said, “Mom’s cooking is still the best. I ate till I was content.”
Tang Ziran carefully inspected his son’s wrist, his eyes shining with a strange light. The place where Mang Tian had cut open Wulin’s wrist just the day before had truly already healed. There was only a faint red line left in its place.
At this point, Tang Wulin remembered and asked, “Father, was I successful in yesterday’s Thousand Refinements?”
Tang Ziran smiled and nodded, “Of course! You were successful, very successful! Your teacher could not stop praising you and said that when you awoke, you should quickly go and find him.”
Tang Wulin jumped off his chair and said, “Then I will be on my way!”
Lang Yue frowned. “It’s so late already, why don’t you go tomorrow?”
Tang Ziran also stood up and said, “He just awoke, an hour and a half later and he will still not be asleep. Since it still isn’t too late, I will bring him and we’ll be back after that.”
Lang Yue gave him a glance, then threatened, “If anything happens to my son, I tell you, you will be sleeping in the living room.”
Tang Ziran sheepishly touched his nose. “Well, he’s my son as well.”
The father and son duo left the house and made their way towards Mang Tian’s workshop.
“Master, I’m here!” Tang Wulin shouted once he entered the doorway. He eagerly anticipated what his first Thousand Refinings work had produced and what it looked like. The feeling of finishing the Thousand Refinements had led him to feel exceptionally happy at the moment.
Mang Tian, clothed in his worn work clothes, walked out from the inside of the workshop. He usually had a cold exterior but today, upon seeing Tang Wulin, he actually let out a smile. Unknowingly, his eyes were full of satisfaction.
He looked at Tang Ziran and nodded his head before beckoning to Tang Wulin. “Follow me.”
That piece of Heavy Silver was still in Tang Wulin’s workshop. Mang Tian did not even shift the metal from its location after Tang Wulin was taken by father yesterday.
“Take a look at your work,” said Mang Tian to Tang Wulin. He pointed towards the Heavy Silver.
Actually, without Mang Tian’s urgings, Tang Wulin had already moved over to inspect his own creation.
Compared with its original state, the metal had already shrunk by one circle and the originally lustrous silver had turned into a dull grey colour. Tang Wulin’s first impression was that the object possessed a deep, reserved, and simple quality.
Engraved on the surface of that gray metal were endless layers of a wave-like pattern, as though it represented unlimited life force. What was even more surprising was that when Tang Wulin looked, it felt as though there was a connection between him and that piece of metal.
This feeling was extremely strange. It was as though that piece of metal were a part of him.
Mang Tian’s voice resounded from behind him. “To be honest, I had never expected that you would succeed on your first try. This result is due, in part, to your body and its physical abilities. Most importantly, it was possible because of your comprehension of the process while you refined it. I did not recognize the wrong apprentice; in this regard, you are a genius. Even if your martial soul is unsuited for forging, your ability to comprehend, along with your innate divine strength has more than made up for that gap.”
Tang Ziran looked at Mang Tian in astonishment. He understood this old friend of his. With his personality, being able to praise someone with such high regard was something that happened rarely.
“Mang Tian, you better not spoil this son of mine.” Tang Ziran laughed.
Mang Tian looked him in the eye and said, “I have already restrained myself.”
Indeed, he did not give praise to every aspect of this achievement. He did not mention that Tang Wulin had actually broken a new record of being the youngest individual to achieve this. If news of his age and his achievement were to be spread, it would definitely lead to a large uproar in the blacksmithing world.
“Do you understand what the Thousand Refinements are now?” Mang Tian asked Tang Wulin. His method of teaching was different from others, he would usually not give a lot of guidance and would only speak when his disciples had attained enlightenment through practice.
Tang Wulin nodded his head and said, “It was as if the metal had gained a life of its own. Every time I struck it, I could hear the sounds it was making.”
Mang Tian smiled yet again. These two days he had smiled more than he had in the past year!
“Not bad, what you said is true. The Thousand Refinements create vitality. The Hundred Refinements purifies and removes the impurities. The Thousand Refinements bestows life into the metal. The Thousand Refinements was originally a method created by us blacksmiths to infuse life into a metal. The metal that has life can then be considered to be the most precious by us, and in turn this can allow it to awaken its innate special qualities.”
“The Thousand Refinements creates vitality?” Tang Wulin silently mulled over those words before his eyes lit up in understanding.
Mang Tian continued, “This is your first Thousand Refinements work. Traditionally, in the blacksmithing world, when a blacksmith creates their first Thousand Refined work, this object should undergo the Blood Sacrifice, in order to forever be part of the blacksmith’s belongings.”
“Blood Sacrifice? What is that?” Tang Wulin asked curiously.
Mang Tian continued, “If one were to say that the Thousand Refinements were to bestow life to the metal, then the Blood Sacrifice would be to let it become one with your blood vessels. It would become a part of your body. Combining the Blood Sacrifice with a metal that has undergone the Thousand Refinements, this would result in your blood vessels having the same improvement, being able to bring out stronger innate qualities!”
At the side, Tang Ziran couldn’t help but shout out, “Brother Mang, if every Thousand Refinements requires the Blood Sacrifice, how much blood will a blacksmith lose?”
Mang Tian retorted, “If you don’t understand, don’t blabber rubbish. Do you think that every Thousand Refinements produces an object worthy of using the Blood Sacrifice on?
“A blacksmith’s first Thousand Refined work will have to undergo the Blood Sacrifice, as this is our tradition. From today onwards, very few objects will require the Blood Sacrifice. Usually, only when one is wholly satisfied with the result would one do so. Once you utilize the Blood Sacrifice, this piece of metal can only be used by the individual. Even if others were to attempt to forge with it, it would not be possible as the metal would not recognize anyone else. Even if they tried, the metal would just shatter; it only recognizes its master.”
“Thus, a Thousand Forging’s work, would usually not undergo the Blood Sacrifice. Unless the client wishes to use their own blood to do so, then it would work. Tang Wulin, I want to emphasize to you on this point. In the future, unless you really need the metal and the Thousand Refinements is successful, do not easily utilize the Blood Sacrifice. That will only harm your vitality.”
“Yes, Master,” Tang Wulin promised as he nodded furiously. His eyes, however, were already focused on that piece of Heavy Silver.
“It’s yours.” Mang Tian smiled as he said it.
Wulin replied in shock, “But Master, I cannot afford it.”
Mang Tian continued, “This is what you deserve, this Heavy Silver might have a price on it, but the Thousand Refinements is priceless. Also, as per the rules of the blacksmithing world, regardless of whomever provides the material, for the first work produced by the Thousand Refinements , it belongs to the blacksmith who made it. Being able to undergo the Thousand Refinements, that tungsten hammer is not very suitable for your use. With the size of this Heavy Silver, it is perfect for producing two hammers. Before you leave to for an intermediate academy, first finish crafting this. I also want to see what your first Thousand Refinements work’s awakened special quality is.”
“Are you really giving it to me?” Tang Wulin’s eyes shone with happiness as he asked.
“Do you actually think Iwant to fool you?” Mang Tian retorted. “It’s no longer early, go back tonight and rest well. Come again tomorrow to forge your Heavy Silver hammer.”
“OH YEAH! Thank you master!” Tang Wulin cheered happily. He gave a deep bow to Mang Tian before grabbing the Heavy Silver and hugging it.
As the Thousand Refined Heavy Silver was grasped in his hand, Tang Wulin could feel that it was extremely heavy. This piece of Heavy Silver was approximately 150 kilograms in weight! When one looked upon it, it didn’t seem all that large.
Metal in hand, Tang Wulin could feel what his Master had said about the connection with his blood. He could already feel that this Heavy Silver was a part of him as he held it. This feeling was both wonderful and strange. If he were to use this material for his forging hammer, what kind of result would that bring?
For the next few days, Tang Wulin was immersed in the forging process. Blacksmithing brought him a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.
What he didn’t know was that only after he finished the Thousand Refinements had Mang Tian truly recognized him as his disciple, to the point where Mang Tian stopped his work to patiently teach Tang Wulin.
Three days later, the Heavy Silver forging was finally complete.
Looking at the hammer on the forging anvil, Tang Wulin’s heart was filled with pride. When he had just finished the Thousand Refinements on the Heavy Silver, that was just the base of what was to come. Now, this was truly his first complete Thousand Refinements work.
Looking at the appearance of the hammer, this Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammer was no different from the Thousand Refined Tungsten hammer. Even its size was similar. The difference was that the weight was several times heavier. If not for Tang Wulin’s strength combined with his spirit soul’s strengthening, even moving the hammer would not have been an easy task.
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