Chapter 68

Seeing that Yuan Ming was not immediately pulled down, Fang Ge's eyes flashed with a hint of approval, but he quickly returned to his usual demeanor and said, "First, watch me demonstrate carefully, and then try it yourself."

As he spoke, he skillfully lit the fire and added charcoal. Once the flames were bright, he grabbed a handful of yellow powder and scattered it into the fire pit.

With a "whoosh,"

A bright red and yellow flame suddenly rose from the fire pit, casting a rosy glow on Fang Ge's square, angular face, and the temperature around them instantly doubled.

"This is the combustion powder, made from sulfur, saltpeter, and other materials, which can save a lot of time. Today, you will only practice forging, so we'll use a pre-smelted, rough iron ingot." As Fang Ge spoke, he picked up a palm-sized, brick-thick iron ingot and placed it in the fire pit to heat up.

Before long, the iron ingot turned bright red.

"Watch closely, I will only demonstrate once," Fang Ge said, taking the hammer from Yuan Ming.

He assumed a horse stance, placed the iron ingot on the anvil, held the tongs in one hand, and swung the hammer with the other, striking the red-hot iron ingot.

His arm muscles bulged as he swung, the veins standing out, and his entire arm seemed to draw a circle in the air, exuding a mysterious power and beauty.

"Clang"

The hammer struck, the sound clear and bright, and sparks flew.

Yuan Ming's eyes were fixed on every move Fang Ge made, carefully observing his technique and silently pondering in his mind.

"Clang"

Another clear hammer sound rang out, sparks flew again, the movement clean and swift, without any hesitation.

"The process doesn't seem too complicated. As long as I follow it, it shouldn't be too difficult," Yuan Ming thought to himself.

After a dozen or so hammer strikes, Fang Ge's movements began to speed up, his arm swinging faster, and the "clang, clang" sounds came in quick succession, the sparks flying like fireworks.

As Yuan Ming watched, his expression changed.

His gaze became unfocused, but his ears perked up, fully concentrating on observing Fang Ge's movements through both sight and sound.

Despite the noise from the many people forging iron in the forge, Fang Ge's hammering sounds were clear and distinct, noticeably brighter and with a unique rhythm that defied description.

Yuan Ming frowned, listening to the hammer strikes and silently counting the number of strikes.

This was his unique habit, similar to how he would mark his path and sketch a route map in his mind when he first entered the vast mountains. From the beginning, he had been observing and recording every detail.

Fang Ge increased his hammering speed after the eighteenth strike, and again after the three hundred and sixtieth strike. Now, it was the five hundred and thirty-first strike.

By this point, Yuan Ming's mindset had completely changed.

He realized that this method of forging, based on refining, was far from simple.

Even a single aspect of it revealed its extraordinary nature.

From the moment Fang Ge started swinging the hammer, he never reheated the iron ingot in the fire pit, yet the ingot remained bright red and never cooled down.

"It's already eight hundred and fifty strikes, and he's speeding up again," Yuan Ming thought, his eyes narrowing.

"Clang, clang..."

The hammering sounds had become very rapid, like silver beads falling on a jade plate, "ding, ding, dang, dang," sounding very pleasant.

During the hammering, Fang Ge was also rapidly folding and turning the iron ingot, his movements extremely smooth and fluid.

"Such continuous hammering requires immense strength and endurance. This Senior Brother Fang Ge must have a high cultivation level," Yuan Ming thought, looking at Fang Ge's stern, expressionless face.

When he reached the thousandth strike, the last spark flew, and Fang Ge stopped hammering.

He placed the forging hammer aside, and on the black anvil, the palm-sized, still glowing red iron ingot began to cool and change color, revealing layers of finely detailed forging patterns.

Yuan Ming's eyes narrowed, seeing the layers of patterns, which were not only very fine but also of consistent thickness, looking very pleasing to the eye and of high quality.

"Putting aside the materials used, ordinary refined iron for forging must be hammered at least a thousand times before it can be used to make magical artifacts. Come, try it yourself," Fang Ge said, extinguishing the fire in the pit and making room for Yuan Ming.

He intended to teach him from the beginning, clearly considering Yuan Ming's situation, which was quite thoughtful.

Yuan Ming nodded, walked forward, and removed his leather belt and long sword, placing them aside.

Then, he recalled Fang Ge's earlier actions and began to light the fire.

Yuan Ming strictly followed Fang Ge's method, step by step, and soon the flames rose.

Fang Ge, watching from the side, nodded in approval; he had a particular fondness for diligent students.

"Whoosh"

A handful of combustion powder was scattered, and the temperature in the fire pit instantly rose.

Yuan Ming picked up an iron ingot and placed it in the fire pit, timing the heating process.

When the ingot turned bright red, he immediately removed it, placed it on the anvil, and began hammering.

"Clang"

Sparks flew, and Yuan Ming frowned; the hammering sound was somewhat dull, far from the clear and bright sound Fang Ge produced.

"Is it because the heating time was insufficient, or is my strength too light?"

Yuan Ming suppressed his doubts and began to swing his arm in a circle, continuing to hammer.

One strike after another, sparks flew from the anvil, and the sound gradually became clearer.

After eighteen strikes, Yuan Ming secretly activated his internal magic power, increasing the force and speed of his hammering.

Fang Ge, seeing this, raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

The more Yuan Ming hammered, the more amazed he became. This seemingly simple and mechanical action was far more exhausting than he had imagined. After just a few dozen strikes, his arms began to feel sore and swollen.

By the time he reached one hundred and fifty strikes, the soreness had intensified, slowing his speed.

By the time he reached one hundred and eighty strikes, his speed had returned to the initial level, and the red color of the iron ingot on the anvil had begun to fade.

"That's enough, no need to continue hammering," Fang Ge called out, stopping Yuan Ming's actions.

A hint of disappointment flashed in his eyes; Yuan Ming's potential was not as good as he had hoped.

"Senior Brother, I can continue," Yuan Ming panted, saying.

"No need. Even if you continue hammering, this iron ingot will not be a qualified product," Fang Ge said, his tone still calm.

"Why is that?" Yuan Ming put down the forging hammer, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and asked in confusion.

"The process we are doing now is called forging or refining. Essentially, it involves continuously hammering to remove impurities from the iron ingot. To ensure the best ductility and optimal state of the iron ingot, it needs to be hammered at least a thousand times, and these thousand strikes must be continuous. Do you know why?" Fang Ge explained slowly, looking at Yuan Ming after asking the final question.

Yuan Ming had already guessed the answer and said, "Senior Brother, during your hammering, you did not reheat the iron ingot, which means you needed to maintain the temperature of the ingot through continuous hammering, right?"

"Exactly. As the impurities in the iron ingot decrease, it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain its temperature, so the hammering must become faster. If the speed slows down, the ingot will inevitably cool and become brittle, losing its ductility," Fang Ge nodded and said.

Yuan Ming was deeply impressed. What seemed like a simple forging process was actually quite challenging.

"Senior Brother, how can I reach your level, where the hammering is continuous for a thousand strikes?" Yuan Ming looked up and asked sincerely.

"First, tell me what you observed during my refining and what you felt when you tried it yourself," Fang Ge did not answer directly but asked Yuan Ming.

"Earlier, I paid attention to Senior Brother's hammering movements, estimated the force, and noted the timing of each speed increase. I even noticed that the sound of the hammer was different from others, but when I tried it myself, there was a significant difference," Yuan Ming thought for a moment and said.

"Observing these details is already quite impressive. However, besides the flow of magic power, which you couldn't see, you also didn't pay attention to my breathing," Fang Ge nodded and said.

"Breathing?" Yuan Ming frowned slightly.

"The rhythm of your breathing is the foundation of your refining rhythm, which is very important. Although you didn't notice it, your rhythm was quite good when you were hammering, almost naturally. However, you need to maintain it in the future," Fang Ge said.

"Senior Brother, what is my main problem?" Yuan Ming asked, which was his greatest concern.

"Minor issues aside, your main problems are insufficient strength and lack of experience. These are not things that can be solved in a short time; they require years of practice," Fang Ge waved his hand and said.

Yuan Ming thought for a moment and asked, "Senior Brother, how many disciples can hammer continuously for a thousand strikes like you?"

"Are you asking how your level compares to other disciples?" Fang Ge countered.

Yuan Ming felt a bit embarrassed and nodded.

"Lower level," Senior Brother Fang Ge said bluntly.

Yuan Ming was taken aback; he hadn't expected such an answer and felt even more embarrassed.

To his surprise, Senior Brother Fang Ge, seemingly unaware, stroked his chin and continued, "On your first attempt, you could only hammer continuously for one hundred and eighty-three times, which is... the worst record in recent years."