Strength, it all comes down to strength.
In the end, it was his weakness. He needed to grow stronger as quickly as possible.
Lin Rong took a deep breath, entering a state of deep concentration, blocking out all distracting thoughts, and focused entirely on cultivating the Washing Marrow Scripture.
Meanwhile, in the Star Luo Empire, southwest region, Gengxin City.
"Titan Elder, is this the blacksmithing holy land, the Metal Capital, Gengxin City, you mentioned?"
Tang San sat in the carriage, gazing through the window at the distant steel fortress city.
Unlike the most grand and majestic Heavenly Duel City in his memory, Gengxin City felt imposing and overwhelming.
Even from afar, he could almost hear the clanging of metal being forged.
The towering, thick city walls were iron-grey, giving the appearance of being forged from metal, exuding a strong metallic scent.
"Indeed, it lives up to its reputation!"
Over the past year, the metal reserves of the Strength One Clan had been almost exhausted in the process of forging concealed weapons.
Thus, Titan had mentioned Gengxin City to Tang San.
Although metal could be bought from other places, Gengxin City offered the best prices.
Especially for bulk purchases, a significant amount of gold coins could be saved.
Moreover, to forge better concealed weapons, the rare metals required could only be fully sourced here in Gengxin City.
As for why Tang San came along, Titan had said he wanted to introduce someone to him.
A person who was most likely to forge those three legendary concealed weapons.
"Hopefully, in Gengxin City, I'll find Cold Iron Mother, as well as the exceptional skills of Shen Craft's Lou Gao—if the skills really are as superb as they say."
"If all goes well, with my experience of success and Lou Gao's strong abilities, there's a good chance we can forge the **Tang Sect's first mechanical concealed weapon—Buddha's Wrath Tang Lotus within four months!"
"With this weapon in hand, I don't believe I can't subdue the other three clans of the Single-Attribute Four Clans!"
Tang San narrowed his eyes and looked at Gengxin City in the distance, a glint of light flashing in the small gap between his eyelids.
Over the past year, Tang Yuehua and Titan had gradually revealed many stories of the Haotian Clan to him.
One of the topics was about the Single-Attribute Four Clans.
The leader of the Yu Clan, Niu Gao, had a deep relationship with Titan, and the leader of the Min Clan, Bai He, was his maternal uncle. Subduing these two clans was no problem.
But the Po Clan was the most difficult. Their leader, Yang Wudi, had a deep-seated grudge against the Haotian Clan.
Although Tang San also had no fondness for the Haotian Clan, it still interfered with his plans to subdue them.
The Po Clan was skilled in both alchemy and poison-making, making them an ideal fit for developing the poison aspect of the Tang Sect's heritage.
Thus, Tang San had high hopes for the Po Clan and would naturally do whatever he could to bring them into the Tang Sect.
"This irresponsible Haotian Clan is a headache!"
Thinking of this, Tang San subconsciously rubbed his cheek, recalling the time when several old men from the Haotian Clan had bullied him, using their power and seniority to suppress him.
Tang San would never forget that scene because it was the most humiliating experience of his life.
When he eventually forged the Buddha's Wrath, Tang Lotus, Storm Pear Blossom Needles, and Peacock Feather—these three legendary concealed weapons, he would personally ascend the mountain top of the Haotian Clan.
Using these concealed weapons, he would show those old men from the Haotian Clan why flowers are so red!
The humiliation he suffered that day would be returned a hundredfold!
But to achieve all of this, he first needed to find the rare metals required to forge those three legendary concealed weapons: Cold Iron Mother (Cold Heart Iron Essence), Deep Sea Sunken Silver, and Mystic Iron (Black-Pattern Iron).
Tang Yuehua had once told Tang San that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, as the number one auxiliary Martial Soul in the world, possessed the extraordinary talent skill Ring Melding, along with a powerful treasure鉴定 ability.
Thus, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had become the richest sect on the entire continent.
If only a Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect soul master could accompany them to help purchase these rare metals.
With their ability to appraise treasures, if Gengxin City had the Cold Iron Mother, Deep Sea Sunken Silver, and Mystic Iron, they would definitely be able to find and acquire them.
Unfortunately, this matter was related to Tang Sect's secrets, so Tang San could not reveal it to anyone outside the sect.
"If in the future, I can integrate the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect into the Tang Sect, then perhaps they can help with acquiring rare metals, given their vast financial resources."
Tang San fantasized about the future of the Tang Sect, and his expectations of Gengxin City grew even higher.
Whether he could acquire the Cold Iron Mother in Gengxin City was out of his control, but he could only hope.
Thus, verifying whether Shen Craft's Lou Gao could forge the Buddha's Wrath Tang Lotus was now the most urgent thing for Tang San.
After entering Gengxin City, Tang San and his group headed straight for the Blacksmithing Association's Headquarters.
It was a tall building located in the center of Gengxin City.
The building had five floors, and above it hung a dark iron plaque, engraved with raised images of a hammer and a chisel.
The first floor was the trading area, the second floor was the advanced trading area, the third floor was for blacksmith registration and assessment, the fourth floor was the VIP area, and the fifth floor was the Blacksmithing Association's office.
As the president of the Blacksmithing Association, Shen Craft Lou Gao's office was naturally on the fifth floor, in the core area.
With Titan, the Vice President of the Blacksmithing Association, leading the way, Tang San and his group had no trouble reaching the fifth floor.
On the fifth floor, Si Long, one of Lou Gao's four direct disciples, led the way. He glanced at Tang San with curiosity, thinking:
"Who exactly is this person? How is it that even the Vice President of the Blacksmithing Association calls him 'Sect Master'?"
"Even if this person were the son of that one, the Vice President should call him 'Young Master'. Why...?"
As they walked, Tang San occasionally heard the sound of forging coming from the rooms they passed by and couldn't help but wonder, "Aren't we in the office area?"
Noticing Tang San's puzzled expression, Si Long explained, "The so-called offices in the Blacksmithing Association are actually private forge rooms for the blacksmiths."
"Every master-level blacksmith has their forge room here."
"Teacher's forge room is in the innermost part of the fifth floor, Room One."
"We're here."
Si Long respectfully stood in front of the metal door and knocked.
"Who's there?"
A rough voice came from inside the forge room.
Si Long hurriedly responded, "Teacher, sorry to disturb you, but Vice President Titan has something to discuss with you, so I came to notify you."
After Si Long's words, there was no response.
But soon, with a series of mechanical sounds, the large iron door slowly opened, revealing a brightly lit room.
The room had no windows, and the only source of light was a soul-guided light hanging extravagantly from the ceiling.
As the door opened, Tang San saw the appearance of Shen Craft and Lou Gao, as described by Titan.
It was an old man, short and stout.
He stood at 1.6 meters (5'3") tall and had a waist of the same measurement.
He had large ears, small eyes, messy short hair, and wore a loose robe, with metallic powder still on his face.
Though one should not judge a person by their appearance, could this person have the skills to forge the Buddha's Wrath Tang Lotus?
As Tang San was pondering, a rough voice reached his ears.
"Hey, kid, what are you staring at?"