Chapter 31 – Peak Special Effect
At first glance, the pair of Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammers didn’t appear eye-catching. Their grey exterior made them appear like ordinary forging hammers. Upon closer inspection however, one would discover dark, wave-like patterns covering its whole body. The dark wavy patterns on the handle even seemed to be nurturing an endless strength.
A spiral pattern twisted along the hammers’ handles, down to the very end, where it stopped at a sharp point.
He had spent three whole days forging these hammers, little by little. During the forging process, he could feel in his blood that he was doing half the work for twice the results. Even though he worked with such efficiency, it had still taken him three whole days to complete the project.
“It’s finished. Let’s see what the Thousand Refined special effect is,” Mang Tian said to Tang Wulin. Even a master blacksmith like Mang Tian had expectant eyes.
“Mn.” Tang Wulin nodded and gripped the pair of Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammers in his hands.
He had already conducted a series of measurements after forging them. The hammer in his left hand weighed 152 kilograms while the hammer in his right hand weighed 166 kilograms. Although these hammers appeared small, their weight could definitely be described by using one word: astonishing.
As Tang Wulin held the spiral patterned handles, he could sense the soul power in his body surging forth. In a flash, his soul power connected with the two hammers.
Although Tang Wulin’s increase in strength wasn’t small by any measure, it wasn’t enough to solely rely on brute strength when forging these hammers. Even if he had innate divine strength, there was still the restriction of him being only nine years old.
As he felt the connection between his blood and these hammers, it was as if they grew lighter by a bit. Moreover, with the addition of his soul power, his grip on the two hammers became exceptionally steady.
Tang Wulin took out a chunk of metal from the forging furnace that had been prepared beforehand. After a moment, his eyes focused and he gave the customary light tap on the chunk of metal with the hammer in his left hand.
Ding ding ding! Three brittle notes resounded.
Tang Wulin stood there foolishly while Mang Tian’s pupils contracted momentarily.
“Test it out again.” Mang Tian eagerly said.
Tang Wulin once again tapped the chunk of metal with the hammer in his left hand.
Ding ding ding. Three brittle notes resounded once again, despite the fact that he had only tapped the metal once.
“Use a heavy strike!” Mang Tian said deeply.
Tang Wulin’s right hand was already trailing an arc in the air as he heavily hammered the chunk of metal.
DANG DANG DANG! Three crisp bangs exploded out. Due to the stronger strike this time, Tang Wulin and Mang Tian were clearly able to see that the moment the hammer made contact with the chunk of metal, two blurred images similar to the Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammer had appeared behind it. The two extra ‘dang’s had come from those phantom copies.
“This is…” Tang Wulin looked towards Mang Tian in bewilderment.
Mang Tian stared blankly, nearly losing his voice as he said, “Stacked Hammers effect.”
“Teacher, what is the ‘Stacked Hammers’?”
Mang Tian looked at him with eccentric eyes, “You brat, you really are a little monster! Even I haven’t ever forged hammers with the Stacked Hammers effect.”
After a few frantic breaths, Mang Tian was able to calm himself down. Mang Tian had thought that Tang Wulin’s first Thousand Refinements would have a pretty good special effect, but he had never expected that it would actually be such an outrageous one.
“The reason blacksmiths use the Blood Sacrifice for their first Thousand Refinements is because it usually has a good special effect. Thus, the Blood Sacrifice will connect the metal with your blood vessels and push the awakened special effect to its peak. As a result, almost all blacksmiths will have their first Thousand Refined work be a pair of forging hammers that they will use throughout their life.”
Tang Wulin was a smart kid, so he was immediately able to understand that Mang Tian had been prepared to gift that chunk of Heavy Silver to him the moment he had taken it out. Tang Wulin wasn’t too clear about the exact value of Heavy Silver, but he understood that it was exceedingly valuable. Especially since it was such a large chunk of purified Heavy Silver.
Mang Tian continued on. “There are several amazing special effects that can be produced by the Thousand Refinements, but only an effect that is truly fitting for its user can be considered perfect. I’ve already explained to you before that the first mold of a Thousand Refined metal will be its peak. Any subsequent forgings to change its shape will inevitably cause damage to its internal structure, thus influencing its quality. As a result, it is exceedingly rare for the first forging of the metal to have a suitable effect.”
Tang Wulin clearly understood the meaning of his teacher’s words. “So you’re saying that the Stacked Hammers effect of my Heavy Silver Hammers is a peak special effect? Moreover, it’s very suitable for my Heavy Silver Hammers?”
Mang Tian nodded and smiled. “I’m actually a bit envious. After the blood sacrifice, these hammers with such a peak special effect can only be used by you.
“The so called ‘Stacked Hammers’ is when a strike of the hammer causes resonates within itself, and creates a second, or maybe even a third strike. You have a Thrice Stacked Hammer, which is also the peak of the Stacked Hammers effect. Simply said, when you try to Hundred Refine metals in the future, your Thrice Stacked Hammers will cut down the necessary forging time by half! The two stacked hammers should have a power of 70% and 50% of the original strike. Once you’ve gained better control of the Stacked Hammers effect, you’ll definitely be able to do half the work for twice the results, no matter what metal you’re forging.”
Tang Wulin asked, “Controlling the Stacked Hammers effect?”
Mang Tian replied, “It’s actually quite hard to control. However, your hammers are Blood Sacrificed and thus, its like the hammers are integrated into your body, making controlling much easier.”
The Blood Sacrifice creates a sort of fantastic bond between one’s blood and the metal. Blood Sacrificed metals can only be forged by the one who offered their blood. As a result, Blood Sacrificed Thousand Refined items are the personal items of the blacksmith. Even if others sacrificed their blood instead, they would have to forge it themselves for the best product.”
Thus, the Blood Sacrifice isn’t commonly used when forging. Blacksmiths rarely create their own Blood Sacrificed products.
Tang Wulin had bad luck in the aspect of his martial soul and spirit soul. It seemed that he had finally found his luck on the path of forging. With the Stacked Hammers effect of his Thousand Refined Heavy Silver Hammers, he would undoubtedly be able to smoothly walk the path of a blacksmith in the future.
“You must practice diligently and quickly learn to control the Stacked Hammers,” Mang Tian said. “In addition, try to keep your hammers a secret. The competition within the blacksmithing world is just as intense as the world of Soul Masters. Until you’re able to protect your hammers, you can’t lightly reveal them. Understand?”
Tang Wulin hadn’t completely understood the meaning behind Mang Tian’s warning, but he nodded nonetheless. He knew that whatever his teacher told him to do was for his own good.
“I’ll give you these then.” Mang Tian lifted up his hand. Two metal hoops rested in his palms. These two metal hoops were grey in appearance, but were actually forged from Thousand Refined Heavy Silver.