Chapter 42 – Eight Star Saint Craftsman
How old was this child? Yet he was unexpectedly able to use such heavy Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers? It was known that some of the rank 2 blacksmiths couldn’t even use a single hammer weighing 40 kilograms, let alone a pair of Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers that weighed 40 kilograms each!
Forging required physical strength, stamina, and technique. Strength was the foundation which increased the efficacy of one’s hammering. However, one’s strength would also be consumed quickly.
Without a thought, Tang Wulin’s arms were already in motion, readying the next strike.
His two hammers descended. From the Heavy Silver’s feedback, Tang Wulin could tell that this chunk of Heavy Silver was very similar to the one he had forged previously. Even its inner vein lines were similar. This familiar feeling completely filled his mind as his two hammers moved into action, hammering down on the metal like a rainsquall.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bangbangbang!
The sound of hammering was both intense and rhythmic, a combination which gave off an extraordinary sense of beauty.
Everything he had encountered since arriving in Eastsea City had been strange and unfamiliar. This made him feel pressured as well as nervous. After all, he was still just a 9-year-old child. When he finally arrived at the academy, Tang Wu had to deal with bullying and was later fined as punishment for dealing with it. All of this made him feel as if he couldn’t even breathe.
However, before him now was a familiar chunk of Heavy Silver on a forging station. With the addition of the familiar rhythm of forging, he couldn’t help but feel at home.
As his eyes focused on on the Heavy Silver before him, his ears twitched unceasingly – carefully listening to the feedback from his strikes. Under the pounding of his hammers, the Heavy Silver began to change. However, if one listened carefully, one would discover that as time passed the sound from the pair of Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers hitting the Heavy Silver became more and more stirring.
The surveyor and Cen Yue’s expressions grew serious.
Tang Wulin was completely focused at this moment. Even compared to other blacksmiths already in their 20’s and 30’s, his level of focus was near impossible to match.
‘A genius! This child is a genius!’
This thought simultaneously appeared in both their minds. Cen Yue didn’t even need to look at the Heavy Silver. With his experience, he already knew how effective Tang Wulin’s purification of the Heavy Silver would be.
Purifying Heavy Silver was originally a second rank blacksmith’s standard due to the excessive difficulty of purifying a metal as dense as Heavy Silver. It wasn’t easy at all to completely purify a chunk of Heavy Silver.
When Tang Wulin chose it, the Surveyor had thought he was overestimating his abilities. However, both she and Cen Yue were moved by his demonstration just now.
That was right. A demonstration.
When Tang Wulin’s strike caused the Heavy Silver to release a beautiful note, he had already passed the test to become a first rank blacksmith.
The rest was just a demonstration. But, to what degree could his demonstration reach? This was the question on the surveyor’s and Cen Yue’s mind.
After completely immersing himself in forging, the Thousand Refined Tungsten Hammers were like rice straws in his hands as they continuously pounded the Heavy Silver. As he grew closer with that chunk of Heavy Silver, his hammering speed grew equally as swift. Soon after, only the flickering shadows of the unceasingly pounding hammers could be seen. The intensive pounding sounds flowed like mercury.
Blacksmith’s Association’s third floor.
The elevator’s doors opened up and two people exited. Among these two people was a majestic man in his 40’s who was dressed in silver-grey clothes. He wore a badge on the pit of his stomach.
Regardless of who saw him, their gaze would first be attracted to that badge. That badge of his was golden in color and had a protruding hammer design on it. Above it were a total of eight black stars.
These eight stars signified a craftsman who had attained the eighth rank within their craft while the golden hammer represented his position as a blacksmith. An eighth rank blacksmith was an eight star Saint Craftsman level blacksmith.
In the whole Blacksmith’s Association, there was only one blacksmith at this level.
Beside the middle aged man stood a girl who looked about 13 or 14 years old. She was tall and exceptionally pretty with a pair of large, bright eyes. Her golden hair was combed and put into a ponytail while she wore skintight clothes which made her seem very nimble.
When they saw him arrive, the staff members at the front desk immediately stood up and greeted him. “President.”
The middle aged man nodded and said, “At ease. I’m just bringing Mu Xi to take the second rank test. I’d like to speak with the surveyor.” This was the eight star Saint Craftsman as well as the President of the Sun-Moon Federation’s Eastsea City branch of the Blacksmith’s Association. This was Mu Chen!
“Yes. Please wait a moment President. Miss Mu Xi is already taking the second rank test! She’s truly worthy of being a generational genius in the blacksmithing world.”
Mu Xi’s expression was undisturbed in the face of such praise. In response, she just nodded in greeting.
She didn’t like being called a genius. The reason she was where she was today wasn’t because of her talent, but because of her efforts. Her goal was to surpass her father and become a ninth rank Divine Craftsman.
Throughout the Douluo Continent, there were only three nine star Divine Craftsmen.
“Ah! What’s that sound?” Mu Chen raised an eyebrow as his eyes displayed a trace of astonishment. Beside him, Mu Xi had also raised an eyebrow as her elegant little ears trembled slightly in concentration. She immediately caught on to the sound of successive melodious, yet intense, poundings filling the air.
Regardless of whether it were the rhythm or the frequency, the sounds of pounding was completely beautiful. It gave people a feeling of happiness.
Mu Chen asked the staff member, “Has someone come to take the fourth rank blacksmith’s test?”
The staff member replied dumbfoundedly, “No?”
Mu Chen pondered on it for a moment before turning to Mu Xi at his side. “Head to the testing room and prepare first. I’m going to go take a look.”
“En.” Although Mu Xi was also curious, she still obeyed and immediately headed to the second rank testing room. She couldn’t be distracted at a time like this.
After separating from his daughter, Mu Chen followed the sounds of forging and quickly arrived at room number 3. This forging room had exceptional soundproofing abilities, yet, sound would still escape through the door.
This type of forging sound could only come from forging an uncommon, high density metal. Moreover, every strike didn’t create any noise, signifying how accurate these strikes were. Thus, those intensive and powerful collisions meant that the blacksmith was using Thousand Refined hammers.
Blacksmith ranks were very strict, with ranks directly relating to their level of achievements. If one was able to reach this level of forging, then they ought to be at the level of a Grandmaster. Moreover, Mu Chen could also hear the results. As this blacksmith forged the metal, they were already in a state of harmony with it.