Chapter 159

Chapter 159: Practice Work, Hundred-Refined Sword Embryo

Ding! Ding! Ding…

In front of the Heart Forge’s No. 1 forge, Lu Qing had been hammering away at the iron bar for hours.

Yet, he seemed unfazed. Not only was his hand steady, but he hadn’t even broken a sweat.

It was as if he wasn’t beside a fiery furnace, but rather in the coolness of a valley.

Outside the No. 1 forge, the others had already gathered.

Like Master Lin, they watched in amazement.

The entire backyard fell silent, save for the rhythmic sound of Lu Qing’s hammering.

Finally, after an indeterminate amount of time, Lu Qing finally stopped forging.

By then, the iron bar in his hands had transformed into the shape of a longsword.

With a swish,

Lu Qing dipped the sword blank into the cool water, sending a puff of steam rising.

Once the sword blank had cooled, he removed it and examined it intently.

A faint red glow emerged from the blade blank.

[Hundred-Refined Sword Blank: After repeated folding and forging, the sword blank has reached the Hundred-Refined level.]   [

A thousand hammers and hundreds of forgings are needed to create a weapon. This sword blank already has the foundation to become a precious sword.] It’s actually reached the Hundred-Refined level?   Lu Qing was a little surprised.   He had been immersed in the hammering technique in his mind and hadn’t counted how many times he had folded and forged the iron bar.   He hadn’t expected to forge it into Hundred-Refined fine steel   in a single stroke. Seeing Lu Qing inspecting the sword blank, Master Lin, who had been waiting anxiously outside, rushed in impatiently.   ”Young Master Lu, could I have a look at this sword blank?”   ”Of course, it was forged from the materials you have here.”   Lu Qing handed the sword blank over.   Master Lin took the sword blank in both hands and examined it carefully.   When they saw the unique forging pattern, they were shocked and couldn’t help but blurt out, “Hundred-Refined Sword Blank!”   ”What, Master, are you telling the truth? This sword blank has truly reached the Hundred-Refined level?”   The other blacksmiths were incredulous.   They hadn’t watched Lu Qing forge the sword from beginning to end, so they didn’t know how many times he had folded and forged the blank.   ”What? You’re doubting my judgment, too?”   Master Lin glared at them.   ”We dare not, we dare not, how dare we question your judgment!”   The disciples shuddered and smiled.   But their hearts remained shaken.   The look they gave Lu Qing was completely different.   They remembered what Lu Qing had said earlier: a little knowledge of forging?   Forging a Hundred-Refined sword blank in just one morning? “Just a little knowledge   ?” Even their master would have struggled to achieve that!   Who the hell was this Young Master Lu?!   Master Lin was equally shocked.   It wasn’t impossible for him to forge weapons of the Hundred Refinement level.   As a forger with attainments approaching those of a master craftsman, he had forged weapons of even 500 or 700 refinements.   However, weapons of that caliber required extensive preparation, expending immense effort and time.   If he was demanding, he might not be able to forge a single weapon for a year or two.   Even a 100-refinement weapon would take him several days to forge.   Yet, Lu Qing, right under his nose, forged a Hundred Refinement-level sword blank in just a few hours.   This efficiency far surpassed even his own.   How could this not astound Old Craftsman Lin?   However, what astounded Old Craftsman Lin most wasn’t the Hundred Refinement-level sword blank itself, but the state of mind Lu Qing displayed during the forging.   His utter focus, his undivided attention, his impeccable execution from beginning to end.   Every movement, his hammering technique, brimming with beauty and power, a fusion of nature and power.

If Lu Qing weren’t so young, he would have suspected some master craftsman in disguise, playing a prank on him.

By now, Old Craftsman Lin knew that Lu Qing’s previous words had been self-deprecating.

How ridiculous that he’d actually thought he was some clueless young man.

Chief Steward Wei, who had been silent until then, was also astonished.

He knew that a genius like Lu Qing couldn’t be measured by common sense.

But seeing him forge a hundred-refined sword blank with his own eyes still left him a bit stunned.

He knew Lu Qing’s background well, and knew that, as he worked under the old doctor, he wouldn’t have had the opportunity to learn the art of forging.

Yet, he had forged a hundred-refined sword blank with his own hands. How had he done it?

“Young Master Lu, are you from a family of forgers?”

Old Craftsman Lin asked respectfully.

If Old Craftsman Lin’s previous respect had been a compliment to Lu Qing’s status as a distinguished guest at the Wei Mansion,

now it was genuine.

A young man, in terms of forging skills, was already far superior to him.

Such a person could not have a simple background.

“No, I just stumbled upon a little forging inheritance, and I’m just messing around with it. I don’t have any master.”

“No master?”

Old Master Lin took a breath, even more shocked.

Without a master, he was able to hone his forging skills

to such a level. He couldn’t even imagine the depth of Lu Qing’s talent in forging.

Facing everyone’s astonishment, Lu Qing didn’t show any complacency.

With his current realm and the help of his supernatural powers, learning a hammering technique wouldn’t take long.

In fact, the hammering technique he was practicing was merely the basics of the Lihuo Sect’s tradition.

It was the basic hammering technique that the Lihuo Sect taught to some of its outer disciples to practice forging ordinary weapons.

A truly advanced weapon-refining technique can, with a single thought, activate one’s innate true fire, melt the materials, instill a magical formula, and draw upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to forge a magical or spiritual weapon. That is the true means of transforming decay into something miraculous.

By comparison, hammering and hammering alone is hardly efficient.

Of course, while hammering is a fundamental weapon-refining technique, Lu Qing doesn’t underestimate it.

It’s the beginning of the path of the forger. Only with a solid foundation and a thorough understanding of forging can one truly grasp the profound art of forging.

With this in mind, Lu Qing picked up his hammer again, removed an iron bar, and prepared to continue forging.

This time, however, he chose the largest hammer.

“Young Master Lu, do you wish to continue forging? Doesn’t this sword blank meet your expectations?”

Master Lin asked hurriedly.

“That’s just a practice piece. It doesn’t meet my requirements for a weapon.” Lu Qing shook his head. “Don’t worry, Master Lin, I’ll pay for the materials you’ve used.”

A mere 100-refined sword blank barely reached the threshold of a fine sword. How could it possibly be Lu Qing’s goal?

The sword Magu had given him had been 500-refined.

“Young Master Lu, what are you talking about? I, this old man, certainly don’t mean that. It’s just a little bit of raw iron. Feel free to use it. If you need more, there’s plenty in the warehouse. But you’ve been forging for so long, don’t you need to rest?”

Master Lin quickly explained, fearing Lu Qing would misunderstand him as stingy.

“No problem. I’m quite strong, so this little bit of consumption won’t be a problem. Besides, this forging shouldn’t take that long.”

Lu Qing smiled.

He raised his hammer, weighing dozens of pounds, but it felt like nothing in his hand. Lu Qing concentrated and calmed his mind, preparing for a moment.   Then

, he brought the hammer down with a mighty force.   A loud bang echoed.   Master Lin’s eyes widened instantly.   (End of this chapter)