novelhk Chapter 43 Forging
Chapter 43 Forging
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The forging sound continued, the blue light on the surface of the blue-impregnated copper became purer and purer, the originally slightly rough surface became smooth as a mirror, the internal impurities were removed little by little, and the activity was perfectly concentrated in the metal core.
"It has already been refined a hundred times."
Lin Yue stood to the side of the forging table, her fingertips unconsciously clenching the evaluation sheet in her hand, the edges of the paper crumpled. "A six-year-old blacksmith, this has already broken the record set by the master craftsman Zhenhua back then."
Her voice trembled uncontrollably, her gaze fixed on the blue copper swirling in the firelight, and her breathing became rapid.
The copper was forged to a hundred layers of blue patina and completed within the timeframe stipulated by the association. Such an achievement would rank among the top even among experienced level-two blacksmiths.
It is important to know that due to the special internal structure of blue-coated copper, each forging requires precise control of force and temperature. The slightest carelessness can cause cracks to form inside the metal, rendering all previous efforts futile.
Lin Yue herself spent two or three years mastering the technique of Hundred-Refined Blue Copper, but this six-year-old child accomplished it as naturally as breathing.
"Small……"
Just as Lin Yue was about to remind Lu Xingchen to be careful with the heat, before she could finish speaking, she saw the short figure slightly lower his wrist and raise the forging hammer again.
"when!"
A crisp clanging sound broke the brief silence in the room. After completing the hundred-fold forging, Lu Xingchen did not pause at all, but continued to swing the forging hammer, which was thicker than his arm, methodically hammering the edge of the blue-coated copper.
"Is he planning to turn blue copper into spare parts?" Lin Yue muttered to herself.
The assessment criteria for a Level 2 forging engineer are twofold: first, to complete 100 forgings of a specified rare metal; and second, to forge the forged metal into medium-sized parts that meet the required specifications.
The former tests basic forging skills, while the latter requires precise control over the structure of the mecha and the dimensions of its parts.
This requires not only a systematic study of mecha construction knowledge, but also guidance and correction from experienced blacksmiths; it cannot be accomplished by talent alone.
Even the master craftsman Zhenhua only became a second-level blacksmith at the age of eleven.
What shocked her even more was that Lu Xingchen's forging skills had reached the level of a second-level forger. But he was only a six-year-old child. Did he really have enough time and energy to learn the complex knowledge of forging mecha parts?
Lin Yue shook her head, suppressing her chaotic thoughts. Regardless, she was witnessing a new chapter in history—a six-year-old Level 1 Blacksmith, breaking the record previously held by the master craftsman Zhen Hua!
"Youyou, quickly go and inform President Duan Xuan!"
Lin Yue whirled around, her gaze burning as she stared at the girl in the doorway, her voice filled with unprecedented urgency, "We've finally found true gold in Tianhai City's Blacksmith Association!"
Her gaze returned to Lu Xingchen, her eyes burning with an intensity that seemed to melt anyone who looked at a rare treasure.
Lin Yue wasn't without selfish motives—she longed to take this exceptionally talented child as her disciple, but reason told her that it was just wishful thinking.
Lu Xingchen's talent far exceeded her capabilities; she, a mere level three blacksmith, was simply not qualified to teach such a genius.
With Lu Xingchen's current skill level, if he can receive guidance from a renowned master, even if he cannot reach the level of a ninth-grade divine craftsman in the future, becoming a seventh-grade holy craftsman is definitely only a matter of time.
A genius of this caliber must be immediately introduced to President Duan Xuan—the only Seven-Star Saint Craftsman in Tianhai City. Only he has the ability to pave the way for Lu Xingchen.
"Yes."
Youyou dared not delay, and quickly nodded, tiptoeing out of room number five, afraid of disturbing the forging inside.
As soon as she stepped out of the room, she ran to the front desk on the third floor. To the surprise of the staff, she snatched the communicator from the table and dialed President Duan Xuan's private number with trembling fingers.
A short while later, the elevator doors opened with a "ding," and a silver-haired elderly man who was nearly two meters tall rushed out in a hurry.
The old man was burly, and his silver-gray outfit accentuated the muscles he had honed through years of training. On his left chest, a gold badge gleamed under the light.
That was the Blacksmith Association's rank badge. The gold background represented the blacksmith profession, and the seven black stars inlaid on it indicated his status as a seventh-level Saint Craftsman.
In Tianhai City, only Duan Xuan, the president of the Blacksmith Association, can possess this badge.
"Where?"
Duan Xuan's voice boomed like a bell, causing the air in the corridor to tremble slightly, "Where is that little guy who broke the record!"
"President, please keep your voice down!"
Youyou quickly ran to Duan Xuan's side, grabbed his sleeve, and whispered, "That little brother is still taking the Level 2 Blacksmith exam. It's best not to be disturbed while he's forging."
"What?! A Level 2 Blacksmith Assessment!"
Duan Xuan abruptly stopped, his eyes lighting up instantly. His already slightly hurried breathing became even heavier. "Quick, take me to see! Which room is my good disciple being assessed in?"
Upon hearing this, Youyou couldn't help but think to herself: How come someone has become your disciple when they haven't even formally become your apprentice yet?
But she dared not reveal anything, and only whispered a reminder: "President, that little brother... seems to already have a teacher."
"So what if we have teachers?"
Duan Xuan snorted coldly, his tone filled with undeniable confidence, "As the saying goes, the accomplished are teachers. I once trained a renowned eight-star master craftsman! When it comes to training blacksmiths, who on the entire continent dares to say they are better than me?"
He patted the badge on his chest, his gaze growing increasingly resolute. "Tell me quickly, which room is my apprentice in?"
Youyou sighed helplessly and had no choice but to turn around and lead the way: "It's this way, please follow me."
Although Duan Xuan kept saying he wanted to see his "disciple" along the way, he subconsciously slowed down his pace and even breathed less when he got close to room number five.
As a seasoned blacksmith, he knew better than anyone that when a blacksmith is focused on forging, the most taboo thing is external interference—even the slightest sound can disrupt the rhythm of forging and cause the metal to be scrapped.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
As soon as Duan Xuan reached the door, he heard a series of crisp, rapid tapping sounds coming from inside. The sounds were rhythmic and steady, each tap landing precisely on the key points of the blue-coated copper, sounding almost like a smooth melody.
A hint of surprise flashed in Duan Xuan's eyes, and her steps became even lighter.
Pushing open the door and entering room number five, Duan Xuan immediately saw Lin Yue standing to the side of the forging table—the usually calm and capable level three blacksmith was now standing there dumbfounded, her mouth slightly open, her eyes vacant as if she had seen a ghost.
Following Lin Yue's gaze, Duan Xuan saw the thin figure busy in front of the forging table.
Lu Xingchen stood on a specially made high stool, his small body leaning slightly forward, his hands gripping the forging hammer tightly. Every swing and drop of the hammer was fluid, without any unnecessary movements.
The firelight illuminated his youthful face, and his clear eyes held no trace of childish playfulness, only a focus and calmness beyond his years, as if the whole world consisted only of him and the blue copper in his hand.
"boom--"
Just as Duan Xuan was sizing up Lu Xingchen, Lu Xingchen slightly turned his wrist, and the forging hammer drew a beautiful arc in the air before landing heavily in the center of the blue copper.
As the final hammer fell, bursts of brilliant blue light suddenly appeared on the forging table. The blue light flowed across the metal surface like a living thing, forming rings of crystal-clear halos that illuminated the entire Room 5 in a deep blue.
"A flash of inspiration!"
Duan Xuan's eyes widened suddenly, and he exclaimed in shock, his voice filled with astonishment, "It's actually the projection of spiritual light!"
There is an unwritten rule in the forging world: only metal of grade two or above that has been forged a thousand times may exhibit the phenomenon of spiritual light emanating from it.
Once metal emits a spiritual light, it means that it possesses a certain degree of spirituality. Metal of this level is qualified to be used as material for one-word battle armor.
The forging of blue-impregnated copper is already extremely difficult, and making it emit a spiritual light is far more difficult than ordinary rare metals.
Even experienced level four blacksmiths cannot guarantee that they can successfully awaken the spirituality of blue-bred copper every time.
"...Hahaha, it's done! I, Lin Yue, have succeeded! Hahahaha! It's all fake, it's all fake!"
Just as Duan Xuan was in shock, Lin Yue suddenly burst into hysterical laughter.
She looked down at the evaluation form in her hand, remained silent for a moment, then suddenly crumpled the form into a ball and threw it hard on the ground. She then took a few steps forward, picked up the scattered pieces of paper one by one, and tore them to shreds.
At that moment, she felt as if she had transformed into a clown.
Damn, the evaluation standard for a level three blacksmith is being able to perform a thousand forgings.
To reach the level of radiating spiritual light, one must be at least a level four blacksmith!
Lin Yue herself, despite her hard work and dedication for most of her life, is still only a level three blacksmith. Let alone making the Blue Pregnant Copper emit its spiritual light, even making ordinary thousand-refined metal gleam with spiritual light requires seven parts luck.
But now, a six-year-old child has actually forged the Blue Pregnant Copper to a level of over 2000 Reforged Grade 1 right in front of her, and even successfully awakened the spirit of the metal—this gives her the illusion that all her efforts in the first half of her life have been in vain, as if her decades of forging career have been wasted.
Lin Yue's eyes gradually became unfocused, and her breathing became more and more rapid. Clearly, her mentality had completely collapsed. If this continued, she might go berserk.
"Calm down!"
Duan Xuan immediately noticed that something was wrong with Lin Yue. He flashed behind her and, with his right hand forming a knife, swiftly and accurately struck her neck.
"Thump!"
Lin Yue groaned softly and collapsed to the ground. Duan Xuan reached out to catch her, then turned to Youyou at the door and said, "Help her to the next lounge and get a doctor to come and take a look."
"Yes, Chairman."
Youyou quickly stepped forward, carefully helped Lin Yue up, and hurried out.
The room fell silent again, with only the swirling blue light on the surface of the blue-coated copper and the lingering smell of burning charcoal in the air.
Duan Xuan turned his gaze back to the figure in front of the forging table, his eyes filled with complex emotions—shock, admiration, and an undisguised excitement.
He had been in the forging industry for many years and had seen countless geniuses, but none of them had ever shown such terrifying talent at the age of six as Lu Xingchen.
Even his most prized disciple, the eight-star master craftsman Mu Chen, is far inferior to this child.
This is beyond what the word "genius" can describe; it's simply a gift from God, a prodigy born to be forged!
Just then, Lu Xingchen seemed to sense Duan Xuan's gaze, slowly put down the forging hammer in his hand, and turned around.
He raised his head, his clear eyes looking at Duan Xuan without the slightest fear, but rather with a hint of curiosity, as if he were looking at an ordinary stranger.