Douluo Continent: Martial Soul Young Gilas, Sandstorm King!

Chapter 41 Forging Genius!
Lou Gao's tone was encouraging.

Lin Xia took the forging hammer and immediately felt its weight; the hammer was far heavier than ordinary tools, clearly a special one.

Lin Xia weighed it in her hand, her arm muscles naturally tensing as she felt the texture and center of gravity of the hammer handle.

Lin Xia's knowledge from her previous life and the robust physique she had honed during this period allowed her to quickly adapt to the weight.

Lou Gao walked straight to the forging furnace, rolled up his sleeves, revealing his muscular arms covered with calloused scalds.

Amidst the astonished gazes of the surrounding blacksmith apprentices and several intermediate blacksmiths who were on their day off, this renowned master craftsman, whose fame resounded throughout the continent, actually bent down and grasped the massive bellows lever!
"hiss……"

A collective gasp filled the air.

The master craftsman, Lou Gao, personally operated the bellows for his disciple?!
This is an unprecedented honor!
All eyes turned to Lin Xia, filled with disbelief, shock, and deep envy.

To receive personal guidance from a master craftsman is already an immense blessing, but now the master craftsman is willing to work as his assistant, pumping the bellows.

Lin Xia felt the scorching gazes around him, but his mind was completely absorbed in the pig iron in front of him and the forging hammer in his hand.

Lin Xia took a deep breath to calm herself, picked up the cold iron ingot with long tongs, and steadily put it into the forging furnace, which was being pulled up by the tall building and was now roaring loudly, with the furnace fire instantly turning from dark red to dazzling white.

The high temperature licked the iron ingot, and the dark black color was quickly replaced by orange-red, and then turned into a bright golden yellow!
"It's now!"

Lou Gao shouted, his eyes fixed intently on the changing color of the iron block.

Lin Xia's eyes narrowed, and with a flick of her wrist, she used her long pliers to quickly, steadily, and accurately pull out the iron ingot that had been heated to a bright yellow color and whose edges were even slightly white, and placed it on the heavy and solid anvil!

The high temperature distorted the air, and the heat wave hit us in the face.

"drink!"

Without any hesitation, Lin Xia let out a low shout, his waist and stance becoming one, and the power of his entire body was released instantly like a tightly wound bowstring!
He swung the heavy forging hammer high, tearing through the air with a dull whistle, and with the fearless spirit of a newborn calf, smashed it down hard into the center of the scorching iron block!

"clang--!!!"

A deafening clang, as if it would tear your eardrums apart, suddenly exploded!
A tremendous roar echoed through the forging chamber, drowning out all other sounds of hammering!
Centered on the point where the hammer struck, scorching sparks exploded outwards like a volcanic eruption!

It formed a dazzling orange-red ball of light, which scattered and even sent a few sparks flying several meters away!
The momentum was nothing like a novice testing the hammer; it was more like a master craftsman who had been immersed in this art for many years forging with all his might!

The entire forging room fell into a deathly silence!
The expressions on the faces of all the blacksmiths watching, whether apprentices or experienced masters, froze.

His eyes were wide open, and his mouth was agape enough to fit an egg.

The envy I felt just moments ago was instantly replaced by utter horror!
What... what terrifying power is this?!
How could the first hammer blow produce such a sound?
That hammer must weigh at least several dozen kilograms!

A hint of surprise flashed in Lou Gao's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by even stronger admiration.

The arm pulling the bellows became more steady and powerful, and the furnace fire was stirred up like a roaring beast.

Lin Xia seemed completely oblivious to the shock around her.

The immense recoil from the first hammer blow traveled through the handle, making his hands go numb. But this sensation did not make him back down; instead, it aroused the resilience in his bones and his desire to control power!

The knowledge from the books flashed through my mind.

Landing point, angle, force, timing of folding...

Lin Xia's eyes were sharp as an eagle's as he stared intently at the process of the iron block rapidly deforming, stretching, and changing color from bright yellow to dark red under the powerful hammer blows.

His arm muscles bulged, and he swung the forging hammer again! "Clang!" "Clang!" "Clang!"

One hammer blow! Two hammer blows! Three hammer blows!
Lin Xia's movements, which were initially a little awkward, became smooth, precise, and rhythmic at an astonishing speed!
Lin Xia seemed to have a natural talent for harnessing the power of her entire body into a single force, transmitting it through her waist and abdomen to her arms, and then precisely channeling it into the hammerhead!
Moreover, Lin Xia discovered that he might have the talent of Young Gilas, knowing exactly where to strike with each blow.

Lin Xia's hammer swings are getting faster and faster!

The heavy forging hammer seemed to lose its weight in his hands, transforming into streaks of swift black light!
The hammer blows fell in a continuous barrage, like a dense storm, onto the red-hot iron block!

"Clang clang clang clang clang—!!!"

The dense, loud, and highly rhythmic forging sounds, like stirring war drums, completely dominated the forge!

With each hammer blow, a shower of sparks burst forth like fireworks, illuminating Lin Xia's focused and powerful figure.

Sweat quickly seeped from his forehead and temples, sliding down his angular face and dripping onto the scorching anvil, instantly turning into white steam.

But Lin Xia seemed oblivious, her entire focus on the metal billet in front of her, which was constantly deforming, stretching, and impurities being hammered out bit by bit.

Folding, forging, reheating... Lin Xia strictly followed the instructions in the classic texts and Lou Gao's occasional tips.

It was as if I had entered a wonderful state where power, skill, and knowledge were perfectly integrated.

Lou Gao watched with delight, pulling the bellows in perfect sync with Lin Xia's forging.

There was no longer any scrutiny in my eyes, only pure appreciation and immense satisfaction!
Genius! This is a true forging genius!
Not only is he quick-witted, but his physical talent and control over strength are also one in a million!

The blacksmiths around had long since recovered from their shock and were now filled with deep admiration.

They watched silently, the envy and jealousy in their eyes long gone, replaced by heartfelt admiration.

Some experienced craftsmen even subconsciously started counting the number of hammer blows.

"...Ninety-eight...Ninety-nine...One hundred!"

A full one hundred blows!

All in one go!
When Lin Xia brought down the last hammer blow and lifted it up steadily with a perfect finishing touch, what was on the anvil in front of him was no longer that rough and heavy pig iron ingot.

A piece of fine iron, about a foot long, three inches wide, of uniform thickness, with a dense cloud pattern on its surface, straight edges, and a faint metallic sheen, lay there quietly.

Although it is only the most basic forging process, its regular shape, uniform material, and the tough texture that naturally emerges after being forged through countless hammer blows all prove the success of this forging!

Lin Xia exhaled a long breath of hot air with a metallic smell, his chest heaving slightly, his forehead dripping with sweat, but his eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.

Lin Xia put down the forging hammer and looked at the first piece he had forged himself. An indescribable sense of accomplishment and excitement welled up in his heart.

Inside the forging room, you could hear a pin drop.

All eyes were focused on the piece of refined iron and Lin Xia.

Lou Gao loosened the bellows lever, straightened up, and his loud laughter, like muffled thunder, exploded in the silent forging room, filled with unparalleled pride and joy.

"Hahaha! Good! Good! Good! Forged in fire, you've become a phoenix in the first bloom! Xia, well done! You truly deserve to be my disciple, Lou Gao! From this day forward, you are a full-fledged blacksmith in my Blacksmith Association!"

(End of this chapter)