Douro Continent

Chapter 4 Douluo Continent, Tang San in Another World (Part 3)

Tang San nodded. Blacksmithing was undoubtedly the most suitable profession for him to forge hidden weapons. "Dad, you're getting old. In a few years, when I'm a little older, you can teach me to forge kitchen utensils and let me take over your work." He used to do the most intricate work of making hidden weapons, but he didn't know how to do the simplest forging.

Tang Hao was slightly lost in thought, muttering, "A blacksmith, that doesn't seem so bad." He pulled over a worn-out chair and sat down directly in front of the piece of pig iron, lazily saying, "Xiao San, tell me, what kind of blacksmith is the best blacksmith?"

Tang San thought for a moment and said, "A blacksmith who can forge divine artifacts must be the best blacksmith." He had heard people in the village say that divine artifacts existed in this world, although he didn't know what they were. But having the word "divine" attached to them seemed like a good idea.

A mocking glint flashed in Tang Hao's eyes. "A divine artifact? Even the mistress knows about divine artifacts now. Then tell me, what are divine artifacts made of?"

Without hesitation, Tang San replied, "Of course, we'll use the best materials."

Tang Hao held up an index finger and shook it in front of Tang San. "If you want to be a qualified blacksmith, remember my words. Using top-grade materials to forge divine artifacts doesn't make you the best blacksmith; at best, you're just a synthesizer. Forging divine artifacts from ordinary iron is what makes a master blacksmith."

"A divine artifact forged from ordinary iron?" Tang San looked at Tang Hao with some surprise. Tang Hao rarely spoke to him on ordinary days, and today was the most he had ever spoken to him.

Standing up, Tang Hao pointed to a large iron block about fifty centimeters square on the other side of the room. "If you want to become a blacksmith and learn forging from me, then you must forge this block ten thousand times with a hammer. Only then will you be qualified."

It was a piece of ordinary iron, containing many impurities, and was far inferior to the piece with the iron mother.

"You can still change your mind now," Tang Hao said calmly. He was already preparing to go back to his room to continue sleeping.

"Dad, I'm willing to give it a try." Tang San's voice was clear and calm, but it contained a hint of determination.

Tang Hao looked at him with some surprise. "Okay." As he spoke, he walked over, picked up the large iron lump, and placed it directly on the furnace next to the bellows. As long as the charcoal fire was lit, it could be forged.

After finishing these tasks, Tang Hao went back to the inner room to sleep.

Tang San was a man of unwavering resolve; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to create the Buddha's Wrath Lotus, the Tang Clan's top-tier mechanical hidden weapon, using only a tattered blueprint. It took him a full ten years.

He lit the charcoal fire, pulled the bellows, and began his work.

The bellows roared, and flames shot out from the charcoal stove, scorching the large iron lump. Although Tang San didn't know how to forge, he often watched Tang Hao make farm tools, so he knew the process.

As the iron lump gradually turned red-hot, he dragged over the iron hammer that Tang Hao usually used and placed it on the ground. This long-handled iron hammer was even a few inches taller than him, and an ordinary five or six-year-old child would not be able to lift it, let alone wield it to forge iron.

But Tang San still picked it up. He channeled his Xuan Tian Gong power throughout his body, and although he had not yet broken through the first level, he already possessed the strength of an adult.

Clang! The hammer struck the iron block with a crisp sound. This was Tang San's first hammer blow, which also marked the beginning of the forging process.

Inside the room, Tang Hao, lying on the bed, turned over. Although his eyes were closed, there was still a hint of surprise on his face as he murmured, "He can actually lift a hammer? Is he born with superhuman strength?"

The clanging of hammers began to echo in the blacksmith's shop. Tang Hao and his son Tang San resumed their mundane life, except that from this day forward, Tang Hao set up another furnace in Tang San's room, letting him forge the iron lump himself. He didn't offer Tang San any guidance, but from that day on, Tang Hao drank less alcohol, and there was more food in the house.

Forging is an absolutely tedious and tiring process, but Tang San treats it as a way to train his body. Eleven days have passed, and he has been counting the number of forgings he has completed. He wants to swing the iron hammer, but he cannot do it with his own physical strength; he must have the assistance of the Mysterious Heaven Skill.

His full strength was enough to swing about a hundred times. Whenever his strength was exhausted, he would sit cross-legged on the ground to recover, and as soon as his inner strength was restored, he would immediately continue to strike.

This was not only a physical workout, but the repeated consumption and recovery also served as a great test for his Xuan Tian Gong and willpower. Unfortunately, the bottleneck of the first level of Xuan Tian Gong seemed like an indestructible barrier. Tang San's training was undeniably arduous, and his talent was sufficient, but he just couldn't break through to the second level.

But his training was not in vain. Although he failed to break through the Xuan Tian Gong, his internal energy became more resilient as he forged the iron block, and its recovery speed seemed to be a little faster than before.

Eleven days passed, and Tang San had swung the iron block over eight thousand times. The block continued to shrink, now less than a third of its original size. With increased physical training and food intake, his body had become more robust. It was as if an internal force was gradually flowing into him, reducing the consumption of his internal energy during the continuous forging process. Furthermore, when he added all his internal energy, his strength increased significantly.

When he struck the iron a thousand times, the lump of iron had already changed somewhat, shrinking by a whole size. Although it was glowing red-hot in the charcoal fire, it was still faintly visible that the impurities inside seemed to have decreased considerably.

The phrase "forged in fire" flashed through Tang San's mind, further solidifying his resolve to complete the ten thousand hammer blows. And he was already very close to that goal.

Tang Hao was surprised by Tang San's persistence. In his opinion, even if his son possessed superhuman strength, he couldn't possibly last more than three days. The hammer handle was so rough for grip, and the constant swinging and friction against the palm would inevitably cause great damage. Yet, he discovered that although Tang San was genuinely forging, his tender little hands appeared completely unchanged. Not even a single blister had formed.

(End of this chapter)