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*****
"Can we give it a try?"
Upon entering the Blacksmith Association, Tang San examined the building, which resembled a traditional earth tower. Lou Gao led him to a spacious forge room, roughly a hundred square meters in size. The massive furnace stood over ten meters tall, with a bellows more than five meters high. From Tang San's observation, this furnace and bellows appeared to be a soul guide device.
"This furnace, known as the Endless Wind Furnace, has been passed down for a thousand years. It can autonomously absorb the energy of the heavens and earth to maintain its operation. The adjacent bellows can adjust the wind force by injecting soul power."
"This furnace operates continuously, and the heat is conducted through pipes to boilers underground, converting water into steam to power most of the machinery in Gengxin City."
"You could say this is the lifeblood of Gengxin City!"
Tang San was amazed that such a small furnace could generate so much power. The Endless Wind Furnace clearly showed signs of modification; it was not originally connected to those pipes. The ingenuity of using steam power was remarkable. He remarked, "What an incredible soul guide device. The wisdom of the ancestors is truly impressive."
"Of course," Lou Gao said, smugly. "If what you said earlier is true, I'll give you this Endless Wind Furnace."
"Master!" Si Long, standing nearby, was anxious, not because of the furnace itself, but because it was vital to the entire Gengxin City.
"I am the president; I decide everything in this Blacksmith Association," Lou Gao declared. Though he wasn't interested in anything beyond forging, he was not ignorant of the continent's affairs. He knew the Spirit Hall wanted to recruit him.
However, he only respected blacksmiths stronger than himself. If Tang San could prove his claims, Lou Gao would not only give away the Endless Wind Furnace but would even be willing to become his disciple. His principles were flexible.
To pursue higher blacksmithing skills and realms, he was willing to give up everything, even his life and soul.
Moreover, he had a plan—
If the Holy Son of the Spirit Hall had such exceptional forging skills, the Spirit Hall would surely value blacksmiths highly. He could then persuade all the blacksmiths in Blacksmith City to relocate to Spirit City.
What does he have to do with the conflict between Titan, the vice president of the Blacksmiths Association, and the Spirit Hall? He's not of the Force Clan, and Titan hasn't been here in three or five years. He doesn't have the right to boss him around.
If Tai Tan's forging skills weren't second only to his own and if he weren't a Soul Douluo with some old ties, Lou Gao would have expelled him from the Blacksmith Association long ago.
"In that case, I will give it a try."
Tang San stepped forward, picked up the forging hammer, found it a bit light, and summoned his Haotian Hammer. He casually tossed twenty or so unrefined iron blocks into the furnace.
"He's going to forge that many at once?" Si Long was shocked, thinking Tang San was reckless, but his skilled handling of the iron blocks suggested otherwise.
As the iron blocks turned red-hot, Tang San manipulated them, causing slight collisions that produced a rhythmic clinking sound. Initially chaotic, the sound soon revealed a certain melody.
Lou Gao watched the sparks fly from the collisions, both surprised and delighted. "Is it vibration? Using vibrations to make the iron blocks collide in the intense flames for preliminary refinement—what a genius idea! Why didn't I think of that?"
"Hehe, Third Brother thought of it first," Ning Rongrong, though unfamiliar with forging, could hear the rhythm in the clinking sounds and felt proud. After all, Tang San was her man.
Tang San, focused and undistracted, judged the temperature to be right, and used tongs to remove all the iron blocks from the furnace, placing them on the forging platform.
Si Long was puzzled, "Is he going to forge all these iron blocks simultaneously?"
No one answered.
Even Lou Gao was perplexed. After all, blacksmithing is not just about hammering; you need tongs to hold the iron. How could he possibly fix twenty or more pieces at once?
There were no special clamps here. This forge room was designed by Lou Gao to refine his own blacksmithing skills, so he had only prepared one excellent pair of tongs for holding the metal.
Bang!
Tang San moved swiftly, bringing his hammer down, merging the twenty red-hot iron blocks into a single, flat iron disc.
"What immense strength!" Lou Gao exclaimed, immediately understanding Tang San's intention. "He's not forging twenty pieces at once; he's merging them into one to hammer!"
"That's outrageous! Twenty blocks together are nearly the size of three heads..." As Si Long doubted this could be done, Tang San discarded the tongs and struck the iron disc again with his Haotian Hammer.
Buzz~
The rebound force sent the massive iron disc flying into the air.
Si Long's eyes widened in disbelief. "He discarded the tongs and let the iron fly! Even beginners wouldn't do that. Is he really blacksmithing? And his next strike is aimed at the side...won't the iron fly off?"
Lou Gao shared his skepticism.
Yet, something astonishing happened—
When Tang San's side strike hit the edge of the iron disc, a huge sound erupted, but the disc didn't fly away. Instead, it stayed suspended in the air, with dents forming on both sides.
"Incredible!"
Lou Gao trembled with excitement, "He struck both sides of the iron disc simultaneously, stabilizing it in mid-air. Such powerful skill! Such precise force!"
While Lou Gao spoke, Tang San had already struck the iron disc hundreds of times, transforming it into a round iron ball, glowing red without a trace of impurity on its surface.
"Three seconds, a hundred strikes!" Si Long recognized that the iron ball, the size of three heads, had undergone a hundred refinements. His mind was shaken, "This is the power of the Spirit Hall's Holy Son? It's terrifying! I shouldn't have doubted him!"
Bang!
The hundred-refinement iron ball flew up again, and Tang San swung his hammer once more. In just six seconds, he struck it thousands of times, reducing its size by nearly half. Amid the red heat, a hint of pure white silver appeared.
A thousand refinements, complete!
"Six seconds! Only six seconds!" Lou Gao was ecstatic, clutching his beard, his eyes burning with excitement as he looked at Tang San, akin to a lecherous man seeing a beautiful woman. His whole body was trembling with excitement!
At this moment, he fully believed in the level of forging Tang San had described!
Tang San continued hammering the iron ball, using his soul power to draw in the energy of heaven and earth, integrating it into the iron ball with each strike.
In just three minutes, the iron ball shed its red hue, turning silver-white. Suspended in Tang San's palm by his soul power, it seemed to transform from a lifeless object into a living being.
"Soul forging! This is soul forging!" Lou Gao's eyes widened. He reached out to touch it but was startled by the heat, realizing it was still a red-hot piece of iron, though its fiery red was now cloaked in silver-white. It was truly—
"Too miraculous!"
"This is the very essence of truth!"
Even after completing the soul forging, Tang San didn't stop his movements. He continued to hammer and then added a drop of his own blood into the iron ball.
Immediately, the soul-forged iron ball seemed to undergo a chemical reaction, transforming from silver-white to red. Unlike the previous red from heating, this time it resembled a miniature sun, radiating an intense vitality.
"Fusion forging!" Lou Gao exclaimed, his mouth agape.
However, Tang San's actions did not cease. His swings with the Haotian Hammer became faster, his whole body moving like a deity.
Ding ding ding ding...
Lou Gao, Si Long, and even Ning Rongrong were captivated by Tang San's movements. His forging technique resembled an art form, like a farmer tilling the fields and planting seeds—
Thud!
With a heavy sound, Tang San stopped, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and exhaled, "Soul forging, complete."
The iron ball was now only the size of a fist, returning to its silver-white color but with a crystalline quality, its surface glowing with a gentle golden hue, drawing everyone's attention.
Ning Rongrong, with her keen sense for treasures, felt a strong vibration from her Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. This indicated that the soul-forged iron before her surpassed all the treasures she had ever seen!
Truly, this was her man!
To transform waste into treasure!
With a reverent gaze and a heart filled with awe, Lou Gao reached out to hold the soul-forged iron.
"Master, the metal hasn't cooled yet!" Si Long exclaimed.
However, when Lou Gao touched the soul-forged iron, he wasn't burned.
"What?"
Si Long was puzzled. Even if the metal cooled quickly, it shouldn't be this fast. Furthermore, Tang San had struck it thousands of times in such a short period; any iron, even without heating, would become extremely hot from the strikes. So why wasn't his master burned?
"Soul forging imbues the metal with a spirit. It's as if the metal has a soul. Although it's a metaphor, such high-grade metal can sense the intent of others... It may sound mystical, but it is the reality," Tang San explained to Si Long, putting away the Haotian Hammer. "This kind of metal can be used to craft true artifacts."
"Perfect! Absolutely perfect!" Lou Gao suddenly shouted, then knelt before Tang San, hugging his leg. "Please accept me as your disciple, Master. I am willing to serve you, to bring you tea and water. Please don't dismiss me because of my age; my heart is still very young!"
Tang San quickly helped Lou Gao up, saying, "Elder, there's no need for this. If this scene were to spread, I'd be accused of bullying the elderly."
"Don't call me 'elder,' Master. Just call me Gao'er." Lou Gao's face flushed with embarrassment, his demeanor humble.
Lou Gao's character in the original work indeed had a comical aspect.
(End of this chapter)