Chương 223: The Master's Hammer

The morning after their arrival, the city of forges was already wide awake, the rhythmic symphony of a thousand hammers echoing off the surrounding mountains. Fat Pig, having spent the previous evening making inquiries through his local network, had a plan.

"Alright, Wise Host," he said over a breakfast of grilled meat and ale.

"If we want a sword for Brother Jian, we have two options. We can go through the official channels of the Crimson Forge Sect, which is slow and formal, or we can go to one of the independent masters who operate here in the city." He took a large bite of a meat skewer.

"The sect is the biggest name, but some of the true geniuses, the old masters with the real skill and the bad tempers, prefer to run their own shops. They answer to no one but the quality of their own work. I've arranged a meeting with one of the most renowned among them: Master Tie Feng, or "Iron Wind." He's a grumpy old bear, but they say his skill with elegant, sharp longswords is second to none in this city."

Their official purpose was simple and believable: to commission a new sword for Jian Xuan, a powerful cultivator in their party who had recently lost his weapon. It was the perfect pretense to begin making connections and gathering information. Led by Fat Pig, they made their way from the Golden Shell Guild's residence, not up the mountain towards the sect, but deeper into the heart of the city, into a district known for its high-end, master-crafted goods.

The workshops here were larger, the guards stronger, and the spiritual energy radiating from them was palpably more potent. Their destination was a large, standalone forge that took up an entire city block. It was a formidable-looking building, constructed from black, reinforced stone, with no windows and a single, massive iron gate. A sign, simply carved with the characters for 'Iron Wind Forge', hung above the entrance. This was the personal workshop and domain of Master Tie Feng.

As they approached, the sound of a single, powerful hammer striking an anvil rang out from within, each blow resonating with a deep, powerful hum of spiritual energy. An apprentice, a young man with soot on his face and arms like tree trunks, met them at the gate.

"Vice-Guild Leader Zhu," he said with a respectful bow to Fat Pig.

"The Master is at a crucial stage of a forging. He asks that you please wait. It should not be long." Fat Pig nodded agreeably, and they were led into a large, well-appointed waiting area, separated from the main forge by a thick, reinforced wall. The room was a showroom of Master Tie's skill, with a few of his masterpieces displayed in reinforced glass cases.

There were elegant longswords that seemed to cut the very air around them, swift-looking rapiers that hummed with a lightning-aspected energy, and other finely balanced blades of intricate, deadly design. After a few minutes, the apprentice returned.

"The Master says you may enter to observe, but you are not to speak or disturb him in any way." He led them through a heavy iron door and into the forge proper. The wave of heat that hit them was like a physical blow. The forge was a place of organized chaos. Racks of half-finished blades lined the walls, strange and exotic ores glowed with a faint light from reinforced bins, and at the center of it all was a massive, roaring furnace that pulsed with an almost unbearable heat.

Master Tie Feng was a mountain of a man, his long, graying hair tied back in a simple knot, his bare torso and arms a roadmap of old scars and bulging, powerful muscles. He stood before a massive anvil, upon which rested a piece of glowing, white-hot metal destined to be a longsword.

He wielded a forging hammer so large it looked like it belonged in the hands of a giant, yet he swung it with a practiced, rhythmic grace, each thunderous blow shaping the metal, his spiritual energy flowing into the piece with every strike. He was completely absorbed in his craft, the world outside his anvil and hammer ceasing to exist. They watched for several minutes, mesmerized by the raw, focused artistry of the process.

The metal on the anvil was a unique, star-fallen iron, a rare material that was incredibly dense and difficult to work with, known for its ability to hold an impossibly sharp edge. It was clear that this was a commission of great importance. Suddenly, the rhythmic hammering stopped. Master Tie let out a sharp, guttural cry of pain, stumbling back from the anvil and clutching his right arm. His face, already ruddy from the heat of the forge, had gone deathly pale.

"Master!" the apprentices cried out, rushing to his side.

"The old wound… it's acting up!" Master Tie gasped, his voice tight with agony. A faint, black, corrosive energy could be seen swirling around his arm, a remnant of an old battle injury that had never fully healed. The sudden flare-up had caused the spiritual energy in his meridians to seize, paralyzing his arm. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Panic erupted in the workshop.

The glowing ingot on the anvil began to cool, its brilliant white light dimming to a cherry red.

"The Quenching Steel!" one of the apprentices shouted in despair.

"It's at the final tempering stage! It needs to be continuously struck with immense force for the next ten minutes as it cools to fold the spiritual matrix! If we stop, the crystalline structure will shatter! The entire piece will be ruined!"

"I can't… my arm won't move!" Master Tie grunted, his eyes wide with desperation. This was a project he had spent months preparing for, using materials worth a small fortune. The apprentices looked at the massive forging hammer, then at their own hands. They were strong, but none of them possessed the raw, explosive physical power and stamina of their master, the brute strength required to properly temper the notoriously difficult Quenching Steel for ten straight minutes. The piece was doomed.

It was then that Li Yu, who had been observing the crisis stepped forward.

"I can help," he said, his voice cutting through the panic. Master Tie looked over, his eyes narrowing in a mixture of pain and skepticism at the slender-looking young man.

"You?" he growled.

"This isn't a toy. This stage requires no skill, only pure, overwhelming strength, sustained without a single pause. This is a task that takes me to my own limits. Can you do that?" Li Yu didn't answer. He simply walked over to the massive forging hammer that Master Tie had dropped. The hammer, which weighed several hundred pounds and required a strong Core Formation cultivator to lift with two hands, he picked up with one, holding it aloft as if it were a child's toy. The entire forge fell silent.

The apprentices stared, their jaws agape. A new, profound respect entered Master Tie's pain-filled eyes.

"You… you're a body refiner," the old smith breathed, a look of dawning hope on his face.

"Tell me what to do," Li Yu said simply.

"Here!" Master Tie commanded, his voice a sharp, urgent bark as he supported his paralyzed arm with his good one and pointed to a spot on the glowing ingot.

"The sequence begins here! Strike this spot five times, then I will tell you the next! You must maintain the force, do not let up for an instant for the next ten minutes! Go!" Li Yu took his position before the anvil. He looked at the cooling metal, then took a deep breath. He raised the hammer high. And brought it down. BOOM! The sound was a deep, resonant, thunderous explosion of sound that shook the very foundations of the forge. The impact was powerful, clean, and perfectly controlled.

"Again!" Master Tie roared over the din. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Li Yu was a perfect machine. His focus was absolute. The massive hammer rose and fell in a blur of motion, each blow landing on the exact same spot with perfectly consistent, overwhelming force. To the apprentices, the scene was baffling.

It wasn't just that he was strong; it was that he possessed the exact kind of tireless, functional strength their master did, a physique honed by decades of standing before a forge, yet this young man looked like he had never lifted a hammer in his life.

"Now here!" Master Tie pointed to a new spot.

"Seven times!" Li Yu shifted his aim without breaking his rhythm. The thunderous hammering continued, a relentless, earth-shaking percussion. For ten solid minutes, the incredible display continued. Master Tie, his face a mask of pained concentration, called out directions, pointing to dozens of different spots on the ingot, calling for different numbers of strikes.

And Li Yu, his expression unchanged, his breathing even, simply provided the raw, inexhaustible power needed, acting as a perfect, living extension of the master smith's will. Finally, as the ingot cooled from a glowing red to a dull, dark gray, Master Tie, his face drenched in a mixture of sweat and tears of relief, screamed, "Enough!" Li Yu stopped, placing the massive hammer gently back on the ground as if it weighed nothing.

The now-cooled ingot on the anvil pulsed with a soft, steady, internal light, its critical tempering stage successfully completed. The priceless piece was saved. Master Tie collapsed onto a nearby stool, his apprentices rushing to support him. He waved them away, his gaze fixed on Li Yu with a look of profound, overwhelming gratitude. He struggled to his feet and walked over, giving Li Yu a deep, formal bow.

"Young man… you have my deepest thanks," he said, his voice thick with emotion.

"You saved more than just a piece of metal today. You saved my reputation, and months of my hard work. I am in your debt." Fat Pig, ever the smooth operator, stepped forward with a broad smile.

"Master Tie, we were simply glad to be of assistance. My Wise Host is always willing to help a friend in need." Master Tie nodded, his gaze resolute.

"An act of such grace must be repaid. The commission for your friend's longsword…" He looked at Jian Xuan.

"I will set aside all my other work. I will begin forging a new weapon for you immediately. It will be my top priority, and I will use the finest materials in my personal collection. Consider it a token of my gratitude." Jian Xuan bowed respectfully.

"Master Tie's skill is renowned. This one is grateful."

"Of course," Fat Pig added smoothly, "the Golden Shell Guild will compensate you fully for your time and the finest materials. This is not charity. Consider it a deepening of the bond between our Guild and a master of your esteemed reputation. A way for us to show our respect." Master Tie looked from Fat Pig's shrewd, smiling face to Li Yu's calm, powerful one, and he let out a short, booming laugh.

"You Golden Shell people are a clever bunch! Very well!" The agreement was made. Jian Xuan had a master smith, now personally indebted to them, working on his new weapon. And through a completely unexpected display of Li Yu's unique abilities, they had forged a powerful, personal connection with an important artisan in the city. Their investigation was off to a better start than they could have ever planned.