Chapter 4: Chapter 1: Soul Land, Another World’s Tang San (3)_1
Translator: 549690339
Tang San nodded. The profession of blacksmithing was undoubtedly the most suitable for creating hidden weapons, “Dad, you’re getting older, and in a few more years, when I’m a bit older, you can teach me to forge kitchenware and let me take over your work.” Previously, he had always been engaged in making the most intricate hidden weapons and had never actually learned the simpler aspects of forging.
Tang Hao seemed a bit distracted and muttered, “Being a blacksmith doesn’t seem too bad.” He pulled over an old chair, sat down directly in front of the slab of iron, and said languidly, “Xiaosan, tell me, what kind of blacksmith is the best blacksmith?”
Tang San thought for a moment and said, “A blacksmith who can create a divine tool should be the best blacksmith.” He had heard people in the village say that divine tools existed in this world, even though he didn’t know what exactly they were. But with the word ‘divine’ attached to them, they must be remarkable.
A mocking glint flashed in Tang Hao’s eyes, “Divine tools? Xiaosan knows about divine tools too. Then tell me, what are divine tools made of?”
Without hesitation, Tang San answered, “Of course, they are made from the best materials.”
Tang Hao raised an index finger and shook it in front of Tang San, “Remember my words if you want to be a qualified blacksmith: crafting divine tools from superior materials doesn’t make one the best blacksmith, at most just an assembler. Only a Divine Craftsman can forge a divine tool from ordinary iron.”
“Forge a divine tool from ordinary iron?” Tang San looked at Tang Hao in surprise. Tang Hao rarely spoke to him, and today was the most he had spoken in a while.
Standing up, Tang Hao pointed to a large fifty-centimeter cube of iron on the other side of the room, “If you want to become a blacksmith and learn forging from me, then start by striking it with a hammer ten thousand times. Only then will you have the qualifications.”
It was a piece of ordinary iron, full of impurities and far inferior to the one containing iron essence.
“Now, you can still change your mind,” said Tang Hao indifferently. He was ready to head back inside to continue sleeping.
“Dad, I am willing to try,” said Tang San in a clear and calm voice, yet it contained a hint of determination.
Tang Hao looked at him surprised and replied, “Good.” As he spoke, he walked over, picked up the chunk of iron, and placed it directly beside the bellows of the forge, ready to be heated as soon as the charcoal fire was lit.
After doing all this, Tang Hao went back inside to sleep.
Tang San was a person of firm determination; otherwise, he could not have created the Furious Tang Lotus, the top-tier mechanical class hidden weapon of the Tang Sect, from just a damaged diagram. It had taken him ten full years.
Lighting the charcoal fire and working the bellows, he began his task.
The huffing sounds of the bellows rose, and flames emerged from the furnace, heating the chunk of iron. While Tang San did not know how to forge, he often watched Tang Hao make farming implements, and he understood the process.
As the iron began to redden, he dragged over the hammer Tang Hao typically used, placed it on the ground—a long-handled hammer, taller than himself. A normal five- or six-year-old child could not even lift it, much less wield it to forge.
Yet Tang San still picked it up, channeling his Mysterious Heaven Method throughout his body. Although he had not yet broken through the first layer, he possessed the strength of an adult.
Clang—the collision between the hammer and the iron rang out crisply. This was Tang San’s first strike and the prelude to his forging.
In the other room, Tang Hao, lying in bed, turned over. Even though his eyes were closed, his face still held a trace of surprise as he murmured, “He can actually lift the hammer, born with Divine Power?”
The persistent clanging in the blacksmith shop began to resound. Father and son, Tang Hao and Tang San, continued their uneventful lives, but from that day forward, Tang Hao set up another forge in Tang San’s room for him to work on the iron chunk himself. He did not give Tang San a single instruction, but from that day, Tang Hao drank less, and there was more food at home.
Forging was a monotonous and exhausting process, but Tang San saw it as a way to train his body. Eleven days had passed, and he kept count of his forging strikes. He couldn’t lift the hammer with just his body’s strength; he needed the assistance of the Mysterious Heaven Method.
His entire strength lasted for about a hundred swings of the hammer. Whenever his strength ran out, he would sit cross-legged on the ground to recover. As soon as his Inner Strength returned, he continued hammering.
This wasn’t just a physical exercise. The repeated consumption and recovery were also good for training his Mysterious Heaven Method and his willpower. Unfortunately, the first bottleneck of the Mysterious Heaven Method was like an unbreakable barrier. Tang San’s cultivation was diligent, and his talent sufficient, yet he couldn’t break through to the second layer.
But his efforts were not in vain. Although he did not make a breakthrough with the Mysterious Heaven Method, the Inner Strength had become tougher with the forging of the iron chunk and seemed to recover faster than before.
Eleven days later, Tang San had swung his hammer over eight thousand times. The iron chunk kept shrinking, now less than a third of its original size. With his body’s training and the increased food intake, he had grown sturdier, as if a force from within was gradually entering his body, reducing the consumption of his Inner Strength in the constant forging process. And when he exerted his full Inner Strength, his power increased significantly.
When he struck his one thousandth hammer blow, the iron chunk had already changed distinctly, shrinking considerably. Despite being red-hot from the fire, it seemed that the impurities inside had reduced significantly.
The saying “forging steel through a hundred refines” came to Tang San’s mind, further cementing his determination to complete the ten thousand swings. And he was getting ever closer to this goal.
Tang San’s persistence surprised Tang Hao. In his opinion, even if his son possessed Divine Power from birth, it was impossible for him to last more than three days. The hammer’s handle was so coarse to prevent slipping; the constant swinging and friction against the palm would inevitably cause great damage to his hands. Yet, he found that although Tang San was truly forging, those young hands appeared to remain unmarked, not even a single blister had formed.