At high noon, the sky hung with three Great Suns, and the Sword Furnace roared with a fiery blaze, seemingly reflecting the sun’s light.
Ke Mo stood in front of the furnace, taking a deep breath.
The temperature of the black shalim wood oil was just about right; it seemed that the fallen star flames burned hotter than the earth’s fiery veins—both difficult to master and tantalizingly unpredictable.
Next, he smoothly tossed the ores into the blaze, the fire flambéing as he sought to forge out the impurities.
Everyone had assumed that the God Hammer Little Overlord’s method might be a bit rough around the edges, but nobody could have imagined it could be this wild!
Are you a blacksmith or a chef?
“The results seem… not half bad?”
Huo Bingzi noticed the change in material, his eyes sparkling with interest.
“Interesting, hey, this kid’s actually better than I thought!”
Du Wufeng wore an excited expression, like he’d just stumbled upon the most delightful treasure.
“…..”
The apprentices of the Sword Furnace sported odd expressions, an ominous feeling creeping into their hearts.
Don’t tell me they have to train for years to become cooks now?
“Turn up the heat!”
At this moment, Little Ke’s raw materials had shed their impurities, glowing brightly.
The red-hot metal was folded as he lifted his hammer and struck.
Clang—
With each hammerfall, his incredible technique infused with the divine qualities of the material!
Before anyone could sing praises, in a single breath, nine more strikes followed—precise as can be, the force perfectly synchronized with his breathing, not a whisper of difference, an absolute machine of forging!
Ten strikes in a breath—divine refining at its finest!
His hammer technique transcended itself; forging weapons, forging himself!
In a moment of enlightenment, the Eight-Nine Xuan Technique made its first stride towards immortality!
“Beautiful!”
“What a hammer technique!”
If the earlier flambéing steel method merely elicited some curiosity or surprise, this hammering technique for forging the sword blank was utterly breathtaking.
Even Du the Master Smith held his breath, a serious look washing over his face.
Clang!!
Hammer like a cape, sparks exploding, the energy vibrating in all directions.
Ke Mo realized that at this moment, he was striking ten times more effortlessly than before, but rather than attempting to manipulate the heavens or the earth, he was simply amplifying divine refining’s output.
Twelve strikes in a breath!
He was still using the Seven Settle Universe hammer technique, and with a refined sensitivity to the weapon crafting’s murderous sharpness, he maintained precise control over the workpiece’s state.
“No wonder his swordsmanship is merely a hobby—no wonder he’s called… the God Hammer Little Overlord.”
Xie Xuan had previously speculated that Ke Mo might possess a divine weapon hammer.
Now, he changed his mind; Ke Mo’s hammering truly lived up to the name of ‘God Hammer’!
“If I went up against him…”
Xie Xuan shook his head, realizing his swordsmanship seemed to be nothing but fantasy at this point.
The premise of swordplay is that your opponent must engage with you; but how can you engage with a hammer? Simplifying the complex, applying sheer strength against skill.
With four ounces moving a thousand pounds, the essence of martial prowess lies not in superiority but in different paths altogether.
He found that apart from invoking the ancestral wooden sword, he had no other means to counter.
“Is this kid really learning blacksmithing right out of the womb?”
Huo Bingzi felt a bit crushed by this revelation.
Ke Mo was well on his way to being a great artisan; he just needed experience and accumulation.
“At least in the South Border, Brother Ke surely didn’t learn weapon forging.”
Zhong Zhenyue voiced his conviction.
“So you’re saying he’s only been at it for a few months?”
“Not even two months.”
Ying Bing looked at the boy amidst the roaring flames, forging steel with a glimmer in her eyes barely hidden.
—
In her past life, when she participated in the Qianlong Conference, all she had was a mere ordinary weapon.
Now, someone was preparing the exquisite blade she would one day wield, hammering away time and time again.
Clang—
The resonance of the hammer, deep yet crisp.
“That should do it.”
Li Mo began to slow the pace of his hammering.
He wanted to keep using divine refining to improve his Eight-Nine Xuan Technique, yet while he was able, the materials he was hammering were not as accommodating.
After multiple layers of refining, the bronze had reached its limit.
“Ready to come off the forge!”
“…..”
Du Wufeng didn’t dwell on the strange processes; he just stretched out his hand and, with a snap, the fallen star flames swirled, wrapping the bronze into his palm.
“The bronze is nearly at a perfect state.”
Typically, apprentices used bronze to practice, but that didn’t mean it was easy; it contained a lot of impurities.
Based on the degree of remaining impurities, one could gauge its quality.
But to reach this level after merely two months of blacksmithing? Du Wufeng hadn’t just seen it; he hadn’t even heard of it!
This kid is a born blacksmith!
“You could definitely forge her a fine sword. No wonder she’s been dreaming of having you forge one…”
Du the Master Smith wore a regretful look, blinking rapidly:
“But since you’ve only been at forging for a short while, you may not have full confidence in crafting a renowned masterpiece; are you really not considering…”
“An ordinary weapon is also fine.”
Ying Bing looked at Li Mo, her icy gaze softened a bit, like embers that had yet to extinguish.
“Of course, being able to forge a masterwork is best, so…”
Li Mo cleared his throat, awkwardly asking:
“Could I borrow your fallen star flames for a couple of days?”
“?”
You little rascal are trying to mooch off the old man’s resources.
“I’ll teach you how to flambé steel.”
“Just two hours a day.”
Du Wufeng reluctantly agreed.
Then, once back in the Sword Furnace’s inner courtyard, he confiscated Huo Bingzi’s “Wicked Empress Fell for Me” under the pretense of being distracted by trifles, deciding to check it out starting that evening.
This book did seem genuinely useful.
So, over the following two days, every time Li Mo arrived at the Sword Furnace, he found the old man engrossed in a sketchbook, thoroughly absorbed.
Even though Du the Master Smith wasn’t distracted entirely, he would occasionally offer pointers while Li Mo was hammering.
And thus, Li Mo continued to improve his forging skills while refining the Eight-Nine Xuan Technique.
Of course, he didn’t escape from some beatings in the little world.
Princess Jiang was unaware that, after her profound discussions with the celestial teacher, she would get pinned down and rubbed into the ground by the Great Sage’s projection.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t much qualitative change to the improvements in the Eight-Nine Xuan Technique in just a couple of days.
Little Li was still getting whaled on all night long, questioning his life choices; he just couldn’t catch a break.
After the beatings, he often fell into a state of dispiritedness, his consciousness feeling weak.
But that was no problem.
Every morning, Li Mo would quietly slip into Ying Bing’s room, giving her a massage to help her release the stress from the previous day’s beatings.
The release mainly focused on Ying Bing’s snowy feet and her long, flawless legs, delicate without being bony.
“Ah, that feels good; a massage is the best way to relax.”
Li Mo felt invigorated, a spring in his step.
“Is it possible I’m the one being massaged?”
Ying Bing crossed her legs, wrapping the comforter around her while casting him a languid glance.
