“Previously, I only tried refining; this time, I will attempt high-temperature forging.” Li Qing furrowed his brow slightly as he held the piece of Mo Jin in his hand and examined it.
His master, Master Gu, also practiced the Ancient Hammer Technique and had successfully forged weapons using Mo Jin before. He even recommended that Li Qing assist Qian Hong, the Centurion, in forging weapons with Mo Jin.
This meant that Master Gu believed he had the ability to forge Mo Jin into weapons!
“The only similarity between my master and me is that we both practice the Ancient Hammer Technique. The key point likely lies here.”
With that, Li Qing placed the Mo Jin on the anvil, where the high temperature from below continuously transmitted upward, creating waves of heat.
Li Qing immediately took off the oversized cotton coat he was wearing and picked up the iron hammer, assuming the stance of the Ancient Hammer Technique.
“Ha!”
He took a deep breath and then struck down fiercely.
Bang!
The iron hammer made contact with the Mo Jin, producing a dull sound that caused the entire forge to tremble slightly.
Following that, Li Qing began to strike the Mo Jin repeatedly according to the techniques of the Ancient Hammer Technique.
Once he entered the forging state, Li Qing became incredibly focused, even forgetting the passage of time in the outside world.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Under the moonlight, the rhythmic sound of forging echoed continuously, enduring without fading.
He didn’t know how long had passed; Li Qing didn’t bother to count how many strikes he had made.
Suddenly, he noticed that the Mo Jin had begun to change.
The originally hard texture was gradually becoming soft and malleable.
Noticing this change, Li Qing continued to strike while it was hot, tirelessly hammering the Mo Jin.
“What a miraculous metal! With each strike, this Mo Jin absorbs a bit of heat from the forge.”
“No wonder ordinary blacksmiths cannot forge Mo Jin; it requires such immense force. If one is not a martial artist, an ordinary blacksmith truly cannot handle this Mo Jin!”
Li Qing marveled inwardly while also beginning to anticipate how powerful the hammer forged from this Mo Jin would be.
That Centurion Qian Hong actually wanted to forge a Qinghong Sword entirely made from Mo Jin!
Thinking of this, Li Qing couldn’t help but sigh; this was undoubtedly a massive undertaking, no less than constructing a palace.
Even with his current strength and the specialized forging techniques of the Ancient Hammer Technique, forging a piece of Mo Jin the size of a fist was already so difficult.
And to use Mo Jin for the entire sword’s material? It would likely take several blacksmiths to exhaustion before it could be completed!
A few thoughts flashed by, and Li Qing once again immersed himself completely in the process of forging the hammer.
As the fist-sized Mo Jin gradually became malleable, Li Qing quickly tossed other iron ingots into the forge.
He planned to forge this piece of Mo Jin into the hammer face, while the other parts of the hammer would be made of iron.
Time passed silently, and Li Qing, engrossed in forging, had almost lost all sense of time; the only thing left in his world was the hammer.
Bang!
The Mo Jin was successfully melded into the hammer face, and the surface, which should have been a matte black, now had a polished texture due to the addition of Mo Jin.
At this moment, the entire hammer still exhibited a dark red, high-temperature state.
Li Qing didn’t stop; he fetched cold water and carefully sprinkled it over the soon-to-be-formed large hammer.
Hiss~
The high-temperature iron block instantly evaporated the cold water into vapor, causing a wisp of white steam to rise in the courtyard.
“Not bad, I’ll call this hammer the Wushuang Hammer!” Li Qing said joyfully to himself, feeling that this hammer, infused with Mo Jin, was truly unparalleled in the world. Since it was a hammer, unlike other weapons that pursued sharpness, it didn’t require quenching or sharpening.
After waiting for the cold water to cool the hammer body completely, the Wushuang Hammer was finally completed.
【Successfully forged a fine ordinary weapon: Wushuang Hammer, reward: three years of lifespan!】
Three years!
Seeing the prompt appear before him, Li Qing’s eyes lit up.
Previously, when he forged ordinary weapons, the maximum lifespan reward was only one year. Later, as he forged more weapons, the lifespan rewards gradually decreased, until the last fine iron spear only granted him five months of lifespan.
He never expected that this iron hammer, infused with Mo Jin, would be a fine ordinary weapon, directly increasing his lifespan by three years upon successful forging!
Immediately after, Li Qing glanced at the number representing his remaining lifespan—145!
He could live for nearly another one hundred and fifty years; he was almost seventeen now.
What an exaggerated number! As long as he remained free from illness and disaster, he could live to over one hundred sixty years old, and as he continued to forge weapons, this number would keep increasing!
“Now I truly share longevity with heaven and earth!” Li Qing couldn’t hide his excitement as he placed both hands on the Wushuang Hammer and slowly lifted it.
This was a very large hammer, with a handle nearly the length of Li Qing’s two arms, close to the height of an average person.
The hammerhead was also substantial, its dark color giving it a sense of weightiness.
Two hundred thirty pounds!
It was heavy; this was the heaviest hammer Li Qing had ever used, yet when he held it, he didn’t feel much burden at all.
“Wait… my strength?!”
After completing the forging of the Wushuang Hammer, Li Qing discovered that his strength had increased once again. This Wushuang Hammer felt as if it was an extension of his body, incredibly easy to handle.
“Have I cultivated External Strength?!”
Li Qing joyfully realized that he had likely stepped into the ranks of External Strength Masters.
Though he felt somewhat fatigued after forging the Wushuang Hammer, he also felt as if he had inexhaustible strength; even forging another Wushuang Hammer would be no problem!
“Vitality arises spontaneously, blood qi surges like a tide; this is External Strength!”
This was a unique characteristic of External Strength Masters recorded in the Ancient Hammer Technique, and Li Qing felt that he matched these traits perfectly.
“Who would have thought, today is truly a double joy—no, a triple joy!”
He had refined Mo Jin, successfully forged the fine ordinary weapon Wushuang Hammer, and was rewarded with three years of lifespan, which made Li Qing feel even more secure.
Lastly, he felt his greatest gain was having cultivated External Strength!
Since entering the military camp, he had longed for the realm of External Strength in martial arts!
“Now that I’ve reached this level, if I return to the Wuli Army, I might even snag a position as a Hundred-man Leader.” Li Qing said with a joyful expression.
In the Wuli Army, Hundred-man Leaders were all External Strength Masters, while Thousand-man Leaders were great masters at the Internal Strength level!
As for the Transformation Strength Grandmasters, such figures were rare even in the entire Maple Kingdom.
It was rumored that the general of the Wuli Army was at the level of a Transformation Strength Grandmaster, but that was merely a rumor and had yet to be confirmed.
Of course, having already left the Wuli Army, Li Qing wouldn’t be thinking of returning now.
Please collect and recommend!
(End of Chapter)