Early in the morning, Tang San felt refreshed as he rushed back from the mountain to prepare breakfast. In recent days, since he had been using the Purple Demon Eyes every day and continuously practicing in the morning, the Purple Demon Eyes had made no small progress compared to before. He could now clearly see the minute movements of a mosquito's wings flapping within ten meters. If it were not for the fact that the Mysterious Heaven Method failed to break through the bottleneck, Tang San believed that he would have made greater progress in other areas as well.
Forging a fifty-centimeter square piece of raw iron into the size of a fist, which once seemed impossible, had already been accomplished by Tang San half a month ago. Tang Hao taught him that hammer method of using borrowed force, and he could now swing twenty-four times in succession, each strike precise and accurate, including the control of strength. Although Tang Hao never praised him for anything, seeing the occasional satisfied look in his father's eyes, Tang San knew that he had achieved some small success in his hammer method, and any further improvement would still rely on continuous practice.
As he was about to enter the house, he gently touched his wrist and a satisfied smile appeared on his face. On his wrist was the first creation of his in this world, and it was a product that he had completed all the steps on his own.
It was a sleeve arrow, which, in the original Tang Sect, was the most common type of mechanical hidden weapon. The key to making a sleeve arrow lies in the power of its mechanism and the ingenuity of its design. The sleeve arrow created by Tang San even had a safety device, eliminating any possibility of accidental harm.
A set of sleeve arrows typically consists of three arrows and a sleeve tube, and the one Tang San was wearing on his hand was no exception. However, the material of this sleeve arrow was the very piece of raw iron he spent nearly a hundred days hammering.
When Tang San completed the task given by Tang Hao and forged the raw iron into the size of a fist, he was astonished to find that the iron filled with impurities had actually become real pig iron.
In his previous life, not only him, but even the best casting master of the Tang Sect, would never have thought of the method of forging ordinary raw iron into pig iron. But in this world, it had become a reality. This in itself was an incredible achievement. The sleeve arrow Tang San was carrying on his wrist was made from that piece of pig iron, and the creation of the sleeve arrow, including three four-inch small arrows inside, had just used up all of the pig iron.
In terms of casting, Tang San was outclassed, far from comparing to Tang Hao. But when it came to creating mechanical hidden weapons, not to mention Tang Hao, perhaps no one in the entire Soul Land could match him, the genius of the outer Tang Sect.
A regular sleeve arrow has a range of about fifteen meters, but the sleeve arrow made by Tang San can maintain an effective attacking distance of more than thirty meters.
The so-called effective attacking distance is the linear distance after the sleeve arrow is shot, which is the distance it can maintain sufficient lethality.
Although Tang San's sleeve arrow set only contained three arrows, each one was exquisitely made, with each arrow featuring three blood grooves. If it weren't for their low quantity, he even considered fitting reverse-hooks on the tips of the arrows. The tiny fletching at the tail ensured extremely stable flight. The conical arrowhead had spiraling traces, which would give the arrow greater penetrating power when shot.
For the design and production of hidden weapons, Tang San always strived for perfection, even if it was just an ordinary sleeve arrow.
Tang San knew that he was still young, and since the Mysterious Heaven Method had not broken through the bottleneck, he would not worry if he were a regular person. But if he encountered a Soul Master who could use a Martial Soul like Su Yuntao from last time, his own strength would be far from enough. However, with this set of sleeve arrows, Tang San had confidence that he could deal with any Soul Master, provided their strength was not too great.
...
[Tang Sect's Mystic Sky Records, General Principles, Article 2: What is a hidden weapon? It is a special weapon used in secret to achieve victory over the enemy. If your enemy knows you will use it, then it is no longer a hidden weapon, but a visible one.]
...
Of course, Tang San would not let his hidden weapon become a visible one, and Tang Hao never inquired about what he had done with that piece of pig iron, so the sleeve arrow was his own secret.
Walking into the house, the fragrance of porridge wafted in the air. This was something he did every day and had long grown accustomed to.
"Dad, time to eat," Tang San called out to the inside room.
Surprisingly, Tang Hao, who always came out at the call for a meal, did not appear today.
Tang San's heart tightened all of a sudden. Could it be that Dad was sick? He hurriedly took two steps at a time and ran into his father's room.
Tang Hao was not in the room. It seemed to be the first time in these years that he hadn't slept in.
As Tang San was pondering what Tang Hao could be doing, Tang Hao came back.
"Xiaosan, where did you go this morning?" Tang Hao asked indifferently.
Tang San said, "I went out to exercise. I go out for a run every morning." This was not a lie; he did indeed go out to "exercise."
"Hmm," Tang Hao did not probe further, just said indifferently, "You don't have to practice forging today. Pack your things, and tomorrow Old Jack will take you to Notting City."
Tang San was startled for a moment, "Notting City? What for?" The last time he went to Notting City was probably a year ago, when Old Jack went to the city to buy things and took him along to see the sights.
Tang Hao looked at him, saying, "Don't you want to learn the abilities of a Soul Master? Old Jack will take you to the Primary Soul Master Academy in Notting City to become a work-study student. There, you will learn what you want to learn."
Upon hearing his father's words, Tang San's heartbeat suddenly quickened, and a sense of indescribable excitement surged in his heart. Not being able to break through the Mysterious Heaven Method had always been his biggest concern, and the Soul Master's Soul Rings seemed to be an opportunity.
"Dad, why did you change your mind?"
Tang Hao countered, "So, will you go, or will you not go?"
Tang San said, "But if I go, there will be no one to cook for you." By this time, he had realized that the reason his father had gotten up so early today was to go see Village Chief Jack.