Douluo Continent: From Internal Martial Arts to the Law of Heaven and Earth

“Senior Lou Gao, I have a point to make. Your forging failure just now might not be a problem with your technique, but rather that the material itself did not meet the requirements.”

Since we're asking the other party for help with the research, we need to point out a clear path. What if they see that fusion and forging have already achieved results, and Lou Gao just jumps headfirst into it?

You have to understand that without a thousand-times-forging process, the only result of forced melting and forging is that the metal breaks. Tangshan doesn't want its tall buildings to fall into this pit.

"Really?" Lou Gao was taken aback, stroking his mustache as he tried to recall.

After all, it was his first time trying metal fusion, and after failing, he instinctively thought that there was something wrong with his technique. In addition, he was so busy communicating with Tangshan that he didn't have time to review the experience.

Now, after Tangshan reminded me, I've thought about it and realized that the last blow seemed to hit the wrong spot everywhere, as if there were no dead ends in any direction, and there didn't seem to be any correct point of force.

"Wait a minute, I'll try again."

Lou Gao, with his obese body, nimbly turned around, ignoring Tang Shan, and began a new round of forging attempts.

Chapter 325 The Blacksmith's Judgment

Lou Gao started forging again, and Tang Shan didn't leave in a hurry. He just stood aside and silently watched the other party's operation.

With previous experience, this forging went much more smoothly than before, but Lou Gao stopped what he was doing after the two pieces of metal had initially fused together.

She picked up the still-warm metal from the anvil, examined it closely, and after a while, casually tossed it aside, letting the precious piece of mixed metal fall.

"Kid, just as you said, the materials aren't up to par, so the fusion process simply can't continue."

"So, senior, you might as well focus on refining the metal first, and then continue forging when the material quality is improved."

Lou Gao nodded silently, confirming Tang Shan's speculation.

"By the way, senior, I have a question here, and I hope you can explain it to me."

Tang Shan recalled Lou Gao's words earlier and felt a little curious.

"What's the problem?"

Lou Gao tapped his short, chubby arm with his fingers, clearly still reviewing the entire forging process, and casually asked a question.

"What exactly do you mean by being engrossed in something, as you mentioned before?"

Tang Shan speculated that this might be related to the fact that Lou Gao's arms could control power at a level close to that of a master, but he was not sure.

"You're so engrossed, didn't your master teach you that?"

Lou Gao was taken aback, clearly somewhat surprised by the question from Tangshan.

“Senior Lou Gao, I don’t have a master. When I was learning forging, I just paid tuition to learn from an ordinary blacksmith.”

Tangshan offered a helpless explanation.

"What? You learned blacksmithing from an ordinary blacksmith?"

Lou Gao was clearly taken aback; his small eyes widened in disbelief from shock.

"exactly."

Tangshan nodded in affirmation.

"You really are a born blacksmith."

Lou Gao was filled with emotion, his face showing an indescribable sense of loss.

"I originally thought my talent was already quite remarkable, but I never expected that there would be someone even more outrageous than me..."

Seeing that the other party was only praising and extolling, Tang Shan couldn't help but ask again, "Senior, please explain, what exactly is the meaning of being engrossed in something?"

Tangshan's second question finally made Lou Gao swallow back the praise that was on the tip of his tongue.

"Well, it's quite difficult to verify the forging grade of a blacksmith. After all, the impurities contained in each piece of material are different, some have more, some have less, and the difficulty of purification varies, so it is difficult to determine the forging grade."

Later, we discovered that the key is the control of force. With precise control of arm strength, impurities in the metal can be purified to a considerable degree. Most importantly, this control of force plays a crucial role in shaping the metal.

Lou Gao briefly introduced the criteria for judging the blacksmith's level, and then explained to Tang Shan the blacksmith levels corresponding to different levels of power control.

"Our blacksmiths' association divides the control of arm strength into three levels: the first is forceful, the second is gentle, and the third is divine."

Upon hearing the names of the first two, which were somewhat similar to Ming Jin and An Jin, Tang Shan had a general idea of ​​what was going on. Sure enough, Lou Gao's explanation of the levels of arm strength control basically corresponded to Ming Jin and An Jin, except that one could only be used in the arms, while the other could be used in the whole body.

"The first realm is called fierce and powerful, which concentrates the strength of both arms to make each hammer blow exert its maximum power without damaging the metal structure. This level corresponds to the blacksmith master.

The second realm is called Yin and Soft, where the hammering force can penetrate into the metal, deeply cleanse the impurities inside, further refine the material, and the purification effect is far superior to the previous realm. The corresponding master blacksmith is...

The third realm is called "entering the divine," which means that the control of the arms has reached a level of divine skill, with precise and flawless force that is neither wasted nor dissipated. The mind, hands, and strength are united as one, which is the realm that only a master craftsman can reach.

Although the level of power control is not entirely equivalent to the forging level, as long as you master these three skills and are willing to work hard, reaching the corresponding achievement is only a matter of time.

Your control over power has long surpassed the divine level, which means you are very likely to open up a completely new realm for forging, beyond the realm of master craftsmen.

After listening to Lou Gao's explanation, Tang Shan finally understood why the other party had been so excited earlier. His previous burst of internal energy had shown him the direction for progress in forging. Clearly, the other party had matched the control of power with the level of forging.

"So, by now, Master Lou Gao has already reached a conclusion in his heart, hasn't he?"

Tang Shan asked with a smile.

"The ideas you've provided have pointed the blacksmith in the right direction for the next step. I have a strong feeling that this is the true path the blacksmith should take."

Lou Gao exuded a pure and heartfelt joy. At this moment, he shed the cloak of a master craftsman and the president of the blacksmith's association, leaving behind only a craftsman who was extremely passionate about forging and saw the way forward.

Tang Shan and Lou Gao exchanged a few more words before Tang Shan and Gu Yue took their leave.

As they descended the stairs, Gu Yue asked Tang Shan with some doubt, "Aren't we afraid that he'll disappear after achieving his goal if we just leave like this?"

Tang Shan shook his head nonchalantly: "I believe in Lou Gao's character, I believe in the power of the Spirit Hall, and I believe even more in my own strength."

Indeed, Lou Gao's actions in the original work have explained everything. He didn't care about fame, fortune, or status; he only cared about forging. He was even willing to sacrifice his life to create the Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needle. How could such a person possibly run away with the technology?

Moreover, it is ultimately just a thousand-refined metal, not something like spirit forging, soul forging, or even heaven forging, which can have remarkable effects even without inscribing a core magic array. Even if Lou Gao joins another major power with the thousand-refined metal, it will not have any impact on the top-level combat power.

If he really wanted to escape, the Spirit Hall's branches in major cities could easily create a vast and inescapable net, drastically shrinking his living space until he had nowhere to go on the entire continent.

Once Tang Shan's internal martial arts skills advance further, he might even gain the ability to lock the soul across a thousand miles, at which point the opponent would truly have nowhere to escape.

Tang Shan's understanding of the other party's personality, his trust in the Spirit Hall's power, and his confidence in his own future strength and abilities allowed him to confidently teach Lou Gao the forging direction of the Thousand Refinements technique. Everything was under his control.

Not far from the blacksmiths' association, Tang Shan raised an eyebrow and said jokingly to Gu Yue beside him, "There's a little tail following us."

Gu Yue also noticed the furtive figure following behind them and asked in surprise, "Could it be that our true identities have been discovered?"

“It shouldn’t be.” Tang Shan pondered for a moment and deduced a possibility: “A mysterious young man who was treated with courtesy by Miles has most likely attracted the attention of the Star Luo spies. In addition, Xiao Kuang is also in Gengxin City now, so it’s normal for him to be curious about the two of us.”

Chapter 326 Their respective movements

"Should we get rid of him?"

Gu Yue asked softly.

In front of Tang Shan, she may just be a girl, innocent and lively, sometimes even showing some cuteness, but her true identity is the Silver Dragon King, the ruler of billions of soul beasts, who is by no means lacking in decisiveness and ruthlessness.

"No need. He's just a stalker. We can shake him off."

Tang Shan held Gu Yue's small hand and gently reminded her, "Stay close to me."

"Mmm." Gu Yue responded softly, and the two of them, who had been walking at a leisurely pace, suddenly quickened their pace, weaving nimbly through the crowd, and disappeared into the flow of people after a few turns.

The Star Luo spy following behind did not expect Tang Shan to suddenly speed up, but he did not rush to catch up. He simply quickened his pace slightly, pretending to be in a hurry, and subtly glanced at the alleyway that Tang Shan and Gu Yue had turned into.

The place was now completely deserted, and with several streets branching off, it was impossible to know how to continue the search.

The spies shook their heads helplessly, but they weren't too frustrated. Losing track of someone was normal. If the mysterious young man from the Spirit Hall was so easy to follow, it only meant that his strength was average, and such a person didn't have much value.

Losing him wouldn't be a problem; having someone keep an eye on him at the city gate would be perfectly fine. However, what happened afterward was no longer his concern; he should hurry back and report to His Highness.

Thinking of Xiao Kuang, a hint of pity appeared on the spy's face. If this bad news were reported, who knows which lowly soldier would be in trouble.

On another street near the spy's location, Gu Yue, having simply adjusted her lower facial muscles and put on a brand new set of clothes, walked side by side with Tang Shan.

"It seems he has given up the pursuit."

With his mental energy firmly locked onto the middle-aged man whose expression kept changing, Tang Shan said softly.

"Why not just take care of him directly?"

Gu Yue looked up at Tang Shan, her clear eyes filled with a hint of pure confusion.

Tang Shan continued walking, pondered for a moment, and then slowly spoke: "We can deal with the Star Luo spies, but try not to involve innocent civilians. That person's cultivation level is not high, he's just a Soul Master, but what if he's pushed to the limit and tries to escape into the crowd?"

Previously, we dealt with the Star Luo spies mainly inside their strongholds, so there was no need to worry about accidentally harming bystanders. But now we're in a busy city street, the situation is different, so it's best to avoid a direct confrontation here.

Tang Shan paused slightly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes: "Moreover, as long as the common people aren't affected, even if the Star Luo Empire suffers a loss, they'll just swallow it silently and won't dare to make a big fuss. Even if I tear a piece of flesh off them, they can only grit their teeth and bear it."

But if things escalate, they will desperately try to cover up the news while hunting me down. But if they later find that they can't kill me, they might use this as an excuse to criticize the Heavenly Dou Empire.

Neither His Highness nor I are afraid of trouble, but there's no need to needlessly invite trouble upon ourselves.

Gu Yue was still somewhat puzzled: "But didn't you say before that if we acted as the Sect Master of the Body Sect, they would help us cover it up? Otherwise, if we were accused of hunting down geniuses of the Heavenly Battle Realm, the conflict between the two empires would only deepen, wouldn't it?"

Tang Shan said calmly, "That's because they still have hope of hunting me down, which is why they're keeping it a secret for me. But if they eventually find that they don't have the chance, and they also have evidence that I've affected the people, they will definitely seize the opportunity to make trouble and create a big mess."

Seeing that Gu Yue was still confused, with a bewildered yet earnest look in her eyes, Tang Shan helplessly flicked her forehead and, without waiting for the girl's reaction, took her hand and walked towards another street.

"Don't think about these complicated things. In the end, the Douluo Continent is all about strength. No matter how many schemes and plots there are, they can't compare to the absolute power of honor."

When I possess the same level of power as Dugu Bo, let's see if the Star Luo Empire will still dare to spread rumors about me.

Alright, put all these worries aside. If anything happens, I'll naturally be there to protect you.

Let me show you around; we haven't really explored this city of Gengxin yet.

After Tang Shan flicked her forehead, Gu Yue immediately bristled, glaring at Tang Shan with her round eyes: "I am the Silver Dragon King! You flicked my forehead, don't I have any dignity?"

However, upon hearing the man's next words, Gu Yue, who had been grinding her teeth and planning where to start, gradually relaxed her mouth: "So that you can pay for what I eat later, I'll remember this bite."

Gu Yue found herself a reason that even she didn't quite believe, and with a smile, she followed Tang Shan leisurely along the way.

……

As the sun slowly sank towards the horizon, it dyed the layers of clouds a brilliant golden-red. The rosy glow poured down, casting a soft and warm halo over the majestic city tower.

Xiao Kuang stood at the highest point of the city wall, dozens of meters above the ground. If he were to fall, even with his Soul Saint level strength, he would probably suffer some minor injuries.

The last rays of the setting sun cast his shadow long and distorted, the dark shape stretching and winding across the ground like a lurking, menacing monster, silently waiting for its prey to walk into its trap, exuding a chilling sense of oppression. He had stood there for an hour, remaining silent the entire time, and no one dared to disturb him.

The sound of hurried footsteps broke the tranquility of this remote city wall, and a squad leader in heavy armor rushed towards the scene.

"What happened?"

Xiao Kuang nimbly leaped off the city wall, landing silently like a big cat. As he walked back, he casually asked the squad leader who had run up to him.

"Your Highness, our spies have reported that the young man from the Spirit Hall has been lost, and they also say that he was accompanied by a young girl."