https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-160-One-Hammer-One-Refinement-Thousand-Fold-Treasure-Blank/13688328/
Chapter 159: Practice Piece, Hundred-Fold Sword Blank
Clang! Clang! Clang…
At the first forging furnace of Zhu Xin Fang, Lu Qing had been hammering the iron bar for several hours straight. Yet he showed no signs of fatigue—his hands remained steady, not a single bead of sweat appearing on his brow. It was as if he stood not beside the scorching furnace, but in a cool, tranquil valley.
Outside No. 1 Furnace, the others had long gathered. Like Lin Lao Jiangshi, they stood frozen in awe, staring in disbelief. The entire backyard fell silent—only the rhythmic, melodic sound of Lu Qing’s hammering echoed through the air.
At last, after who knew how long, Lu Qing finally stopped. The iron bar in his hand had transformed completely, now taking the shape of a sword blank.
Hiss!
Lu Qing plunged the blade into cold water. A thick plume of steam rose instantly. Once cooled, he lifted it out and studied it closely. A faint red glow shimmered across the surface.
Hundred-Fold Sword Blank: A blade ingot formed through repeated folding and forging, now at the hundred-fold refinement level.
A thousand hammer strikes forge a true weapon. This ingot already possesses the foundation of a legendary blade.
Hundred-fold refinement? Lu Qing blinked—slightly surprised.
Earlier, he had been fully immersed in cultivating the hammering technique within his mind, never counting how many times he’d folded and hammered the iron. He hadn’t realized he’d accidentally forged a hundred-fold refined steel in just a few hours.
Seeing Lu Qing inspecting the blade, Lin Lao Jiangshi—who had been growing increasingly impatient—could no longer contain himself. He burst into the forge.
"Lu Xiao Langjun, may this old man be allowed to examine the blade ingot?"
"Of course," Lu Qing said, handing it over. "After all, it was made from your materials."
Lin Lao Jiangshi took the ingot with both hands, studying it intently. When he saw the distinctive folding patterns on the surface, his heart jolted—his voice nearly cracked.
"Hundred-Fold Sword Blank!"
"What? Master, are you serious? This ingot really is at the hundred-fold refinement level?"
The other blacksmiths stared, incredulous. They hadn’t witnessed the entire process, so they had no idea how many times Lu Qing had folded and hammered the iron.
"Are you questioning my judgment?" Lin Lao Jiangshi snapped, eyes narrowing.
"Never, never! How could we dare doubt your eyes, Master!" The apprentices stammered, bowing nervously.
Yet even as they spoke, their hearts trembled. Their gaze toward Lu Qing had changed utterly.
They remembered his earlier words—just a little knowledge of forging?
Now, in just a single morning, he’d produced a hundred-fold refined blade. A little knowledge?
Even their own master struggled to achieve such a result!
Who exactly was this Lu Xiao Langjun?
Lin Lao Jiangshi’s mind was equally shaken. He could craft hundred-fold weapons—he was a master craftsman nearing the rank of Grand Artisan. He’d once forged weapons refined to five hundred or even seven hundred folds. But those required meticulous preparation, immense effort, and days—sometimes months—of work. Even a hundred-fold blade took him several days to complete.
And yet, here was Lu Qing—right before his eyes—producing one in just a few hours.
The speed, the precision, the flawless result… it surpassed even Lin Lao Jiangshi’s own mastery.
But what truly stunned him wasn’t the blade itself. It was the state Lu Qing had been in while forging it—the unwavering focus, the absolute absence of error, the fluid, harmonious motion of his hammer, as if his body and the forge were one.
Had Lu Qing been older, Lin Lao Jiangshi might have suspected a master artisan in disguise, testing him.
Now, there was no doubt—Lu Qing had been downplaying himself all along.
How foolish he’d been to think the young nobleman knew nothing.
Silent until now, Wei Da Zong Guan was also stunned. Though he knew Lu Qing was a genius beyond ordinary measure, seeing it with his own eyes still left him momentarily dazed.
He knew Lu Qing’s background—had been under the care of Old Doctor, who had no connection to blacksmithing. So how could Lu Qing now produce a Hundred-Fold Sword Blank with his own hands?
"Lu Xiao Langjun," Lin Lao Jiangshi asked, his voice now thick with reverence, "are you perhaps from a renowned forging lineage?"
His earlier respect had been born of courtesy for a guest of the Wei Family Residence. Now, it was genuine—deeply rooted in awe.
A young man, already surpassing him in forging skill… such a person could only come from an extraordinary background.
"No," Lu Qing replied calmly. "I merely stumbled upon some ancestral forging knowledge by chance. I’ve been experimenting on my own—no formal master, no lineage."
"No master?"
Lin Lao Jiangshi sucked in a sharp breath. The shock deepened. No teacher, yet he’d mastered such a technique?
He couldn’t even imagine the raw talent Lu Qing must possess in the art of forging.
Yet, despite the stunned silence around him, Lu Qing showed no pride. At his current Jingjie cultivation level, aided by his Abilities, mastering a hammering technique took mere moments. In fact, the method he’d used was nothing more than a basic forging drill taught to outer sect disciples in the Lihuo Sect—meant to train beginners in crafting ordinary weapons.
True mastery? That came from the ability to summon one’s innate true fire at will, melt raw materials, infuse them with incantations, and draw in heavenly energy to forge Spirit Artifacts—transforming the mundane into the miraculous.
Compared to that, hammering iron by hand was slow, tedious work.
Still, Lu Qing didn’t scorn it. He knew—great buildings rise from the ground up. The hammering technique was the foundation. Only by mastering the basics could one truly grasp the deeper mysteries of forging.
With that thought, he picked up the hammer again, clamping another iron bar. This time, however, he chose the largest hammer—one weighing dozens of jin.
"Lu Xiao Langjun," Lin Lao Jiangshi hurriedly asked, "are you continuing? Is the blade not up to your standard?"
"It’s just a practice piece," Lu Qing said, shaking his head. "It doesn’t meet my standards for a true weapon. Don’t worry, Lin Lao Jiangshi—I’ll pay full price for the materials you’ve used here."
A hundred-fold blade was barely at the threshold of a true sword. It was far from Lu Qing’s goal. The war blade Ma Gu had given him had already reached five hundred folds.
"Lu Xiao Langjun, you speak too lightly!" Lin Lao Jiangshi quickly protested, fearing misunderstanding. "This old man isn’t suggesting otherwise! A little raw iron? You’re welcome to use as much as you like. But after all this time, you should rest, shouldn’t you?"
"Rest? No need," Lu Qing smiled. "My strength is fine. This effort isn’t tiring. And this time, the forging won’t take long."
He raised the massive hammer—weighing tens of jin—yet it felt as light as a feather in his hands.
He closed his eyes, centered his spirit, and took a deep breath. Then, with a sudden, explosive motion, he brought the hammer down.
CRASH!
The sound echoed like thunder.
Lin Lao Jiangshi’s eyes shot wide open—staring, frozen in disbelief.
(End of Chapter)
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