A rooster's crow pierced the early dawn, awakening the sleepy little village.
Clang, clang, clang—
At the blacksmith's forge, the rhythmic sound of hammering rang out without pause.
Tang San was swinging a heavy hammer, his clothes drenched in sweat. Each strike he made was full of power and vigor.
"Stop for a moment. If you keep hammering like that, even after a year you won't get it to the size of a fist," Tang Hao interjected.
"Dad?" Tang San paused, confusion on his face as he looked at his father.
Though Tang Hao had stopped Tang San, he couldn't help but feel amazed. At Tang San's age, he himself hadn't even been able to lift a forging hammer.
"As expected of someone born with full innate soul power," Tang Hao thought silently.
"Tell me, when you're forging, what part of your body exerts force first?" Tang Hao asked coldly.
Tang San thought for a moment and replied, "It should be the waist. The waist drives the back, which then swings the arms to lift the hammer, right?"
Just as Tang Hao was about to correct him, a sudden and urgent knock came from the front door.
Bang bang bang!
"Tang Blacksmith, are you home?" came Lu Feng's voice from outside.
Bang bang bang!
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Tang Hao replied impatiently, striding to the door and swinging it open.
"Why are you—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Tang Hao spotted the half pig's head in Lu Feng's hand.
His scowl immediately lifted, and he laughed heartily. "Hahaha, Lu Feng! You didn't have to bring a gift. Let me guess, you ran out of arrowheads?"
Before Lu Feng could respond, Tang Hao had already snatched the pig's head from his hands.
Ever since arriving in Holy Soul Village, Tang Hao had been drowning his sorrow over his late wife in alcohol. Over time, he'd grown used to this way of life.
Pig ears, which he wouldn't have even glanced at before, had now become his favorite snack with wine.
"Oh? Tang San's home too," Lu Feng said with a smile.
Judging from the scene, Lu Feng could tell Tang Hao was teaching Tang San how to forge. What a lucky coincidence! he thought.
"Lu Feng, is there something you need?" Tang San asked nervously.
He had long forgotten the shoddy work he'd done for Lu Feng last time, but the moment Lu Feng showed up again, the memory came rushing back.
He's not that petty... right? Tang San silently prayed.
"Well, I do need a new batch of arrowheads," Lu Feng replied casually.
Seeing Tang San squirm made Lu Feng chuckle to himself. For a transmigrator, your mental resilience sure is weak.
Ignoring Tang San, Lu Feng turned to Tang Hao and said, "Say, Tang Blacksmith, aren't you the best smith in the village? How did someone set you up?"
"Hm?" Tang Hao was puzzled. "What do you mean?"
Lu Feng pulled out a few broken arrows from his pocket and handed them over. "These are from the last batch you made, right? Look at them — aren't they made from inferior materials?"
"I ran into a wild boar and shot it in the head. Should've been a clean kill. But it just shook it off and charged me instead."
He pointed to the half pig head on the table. "That's the one."
Tang Hao inspected the arrowheads carefully.
Although he was known as one of the three great blacksmiths of his era, that title was more honorary than anything. His skills weren't on par with the other two. But that didn't mean he was bad.
"This is scrap metal," Tang Hao said calmly. "Not even good enough for farming tools, let alone arrowheads."
Then he glanced at Tang San.
Under his father's gaze, Tang San felt like he was sitting on needles. His face flushed red in embarrassment.
Tang Hao quickly understood the situation.
With Tang San's skills, he shouldn't have mistaken scrap metal for proper materials. He must've cut corners, saving good materials for his personal projects.
Sigh… this kid still has a lot to learn, Tang Hao thought.
"That damned Blacksmith Zhang! Selling me junk materials! Hahaha—Lu Feng, I misjudged this. I'll personally forge you a new batch of high-quality arrowheads."
"Come on, San, hand me the hammer!"
He walked to the forge and took the hammer from Tang San.
"This one's on me, Lu Feng. No charge — consider it compensation."
Seeing his father take the blame, Tang San's eyes grew misty. In both his lives, this was the first time he truly felt a father's love.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The forge rang with hammering once more.
As he worked, Tang Hao explained forging techniques to Tang San, not caring that Lu Feng was still there.
After all, blacksmiths held a very low status on the Douluo Continent.
"Remember this, San: if you want to unleash your full strength, it must come from a combined effort of your calves and your heart."
"Watch closely!" Tang Hao lifted the forging hammer slightly and gave a low shout.
His body rotated, feet firmly planted. The calves under his tattered pants instantly tensed, his posture like a coiled tiger ready to strike.
Power from the legs, torque from the waist — the hammer moved with invisible momentum.
BANG!
A loud crash rang out. The red-hot iron block caved in by nearly a third — its deformation clearly visible.
"Nice!" Lu Feng couldn't help but cheer.
This kind of force technique wasn't just useful for forging — it had applications in combat too.
A series of glowing orbs floated past Lu Feng's vision:
Picked up yellow skill [Forging] Fragment ×1
Picked up yellow skill [Forging] Fragment ×1
Picked up yellow skill [Forging] Fragment ×1
With a thought, Lu Feng synthesized the [Forging] skill. Thanks to Tang Hao's superb technique, the resulting skill was of yellow quality.
The extra fragments were broken down into skill points for future upgrades.
Fragments couldn't be upgraded before synthesis. Only full skills, techniques, spirits, or items could be enhanced with points of the same type.
Techniques require technique points.
Martial spirits require spirit points.
Higher-quality points can upgrade lower-quality skills.
Back when Lu Feng upgraded [Hunting] from white to yellow quality, it had cost him 100 white skill points.
If he wanted, he could now use 10 yellow points to upgrade his white-quality [Farming] skill.
Fueled perhaps by Lu Feng's praise, Tang Hao hammered with even greater vigor.
As the hammer bounced back from recoil, Tang Hao spun around again, calves bursting with strength. The rebound was caught perfectly, and the hammer spun once in the air—
BANG!
Another deafening crash.
This strike was not only faster but more powerful than the last. The hammer and Tang Hao's movements were in perfect harmony.
At just the right moment — as the hammer peaked in its rebound — Tang Hao guided it into another forceful strike.
Lu Feng's eyes lit up. This is clearly a method of borrowing strength.
At that moment, a deep purple orb dropped in front of him:
Picked up purple skill [Random Cloak Hammer Technique] Fragment ×1 (1/10)
"All done. These arrowheads are made from top-grade refined iron," Tang Hao said as he wrapped them in cloth and handed them over.
"Tang Blacksmith, you really are the best in Holy Soul Village. Your craftsmanship is top-notch!"
Lu Feng gave him a thumbs-up.
"Hahaha! Get outta here! I really took a loss this time," Tang Hao laughed heartily.
Lu Feng chuckled, thanked him, and left the forge — more than satisfied with his haul.
But he hadn't gone far when he suddenly heard Tang San crying out behind him.
He turned around, only to see that at some point, the forge's door had already been shut.