Douro Continent

Chapter 13 Twin Martial Souls (Part 4)

Tang Hao gave a slight nudge with his forging hammer, causing Tang San to take a few steps back. At the same time, he swung the hammer back, let out a low shout, and turned his body halfway, his feet firmly planted on the ground. His two calves, exposed outside his tattered trousers, tensed instantly. He was like a tiger poised to pounce. With a burst of power from his legs and a twist of his waist, the forging hammer was brought back invisibly, crashing heavily onto the red-hot iron with a loud clang.

Tang San could clearly sense that this was just a process of human exertion. Tang Hao had no internal energy, nor any release of martial spirit power. It was entirely the power of the flesh. The iron block that was previously red-hot had been smashed and nearly a third of it had collapsed, with extremely obvious deformation.

"Use your calves to generate power, connecting the strength of your body into a unified whole—that's full power." Tang Hao handed the iron hammer back to Tang San. "You try it once."

"Okay." Tang San had never imagined that forging could have such a breakthrough. This method of exerting force is not just for forging. It should also be applicable to his own Tang Sect martial arts.

Gripping the hammer handle with both hands, Tang San mimicked Tang Hao's previous posture, his eyes fixed on the red-hot iron block. He slowly circulated his Xuan Tian Gong, penetrating deep into his calves, and firmly planted his feet on the ground.

Tang San roared, unleashing the power of his leg muscles and the magic of his Xuan Tian Gong simultaneously. The power erupted from his calves, spreading instantly, rotating through his waist, up his back, to his shoulders, and then to his arms. He clearly felt that his strength had become unprecedentedly powerful. From the initial burst of power in his calves to the moment he swung the iron hammer in his arms, his body seemed to be lifted into the air by this immense force.

Clang—the hammer struck the iron block precisely, producing a loud bang.

Tang San's entire body was lifted off the ground by the swing of the iron hammer, and he staggered forward a step. The iron hammer rebounded, and although his hands were unharmed due to the Xuan Yu Hand, his arms were sore and numb from the rebound force. Fortunately, the Xuan Tian Gong was activated in time, and the sore and numb feeling gradually disappeared.

The effect was obvious. Although Tang San's age and the addition of the Mysterious Heaven Skill made this hammer blow less effective than Tang Hao's, it was still enough to withstand dozens of blows compared to his previous strikes.

Watching Tang San's movements, Tang Hao offered no comment, but a flicker of surprise in his eyes revealed that Tang San had clearly performed better than he had anticipated. Tang Hao hadn't expected Tang San to master this method of generating power in such a short time.

Little did he know that Tang San had been diligently practicing Tang Sect martial arts, possessing not only the foundation of the Mysterious Heaven Skill, but also the Crane Control and Dragon Capture Technique, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Movement, and the Mysterious Jade Hand, making his coordination far superior to his peers. His own comprehension was also quite good, so he naturally mastered the techniques of generating power easily. Of course, this was his first time, and he wasn't yet proficient in using them.

"Dad, did I do the right thing?"

Tang Hao nodded slowly. "Do you know the function of the heart? The most used muscle in the human body is the calf. The calf is the source of all strength. Utilizing the strength of your calf will greatly increase your strength."

As he spoke, Tang Hao walked over to the bellows and sat down. He pulled out something made of cast iron from under the bellows—two foot pedal-like objects. Tang Hao attached them to the bottom of the bellows and then held the bellows with both hands. "In casting, the bellows play a very important role. Fully burning the metal allows for better forging because it makes it more resilient. And any piece of metal, no matter how many impurities it contains, has its own soul. If the temperature is insufficient and the force is too great during forging, causing it to break, then even if it is remelted and reforged, the metal will still be scrap. Therefore, when you strike the iron block with all your might, you must maintain its temperature. Pulling the bellows also uses your calves to generate power, which not only minimizes the loss of strength but also maximizes the effectiveness of the bellows."

With his feet braced against the two foot pedals, he suddenly exerted force, using his legs as a starting point to propel his entire body backward. His arms naturally moved, opening the bellows handle, his legs bending back from straight, and then returning the handle to its original position. Back and forth, the bellows whirred at full speed. Tang Hao's movements didn't appear fast, but each stroke maximized the bellows' power. Led by his calf muscles, his body and the bellows formed a unique rhythm, and flames suddenly erupted from the furnace, instantly turning the iron block a deep red-hot.

"You work the bellows, just like I did earlier." Tang Hao gave his seat to Tang San.

Having gained experience from swinging the hammer and through careful observation, Tang San quickly mastered the method of operating the bellows, sitting in the spot where Tang Hao had previously occupied. Although still somewhat clumsy, he focused intently, ensuring that each exertion originated from his calves. Just as Tang Hao had predicted, not only was much less effort required, but the effect was also far superior to before.

Tang Hao, holding Tang San's forging hammer, said calmly, "Swinging the hammer with all your might allows you to fully utilize your strength, but similarly, the rebound force from each strike will put a great strain on you. Without proper guidance, you can easily injure yourself and lose some of your power, preventing it from being applied to the metal. Watch my next movements carefully; this will be the key to whether you can hammer this piece of pig iron to the size of a fist in a short time."

Taking a deep breath, Tang Hao's eyes became focused. As Tang San pulled the bellows, the entire iron block was heated to a bright red, and the scorching flames made the room extremely hot.

(End of this chapter)