In a manner completely distinct from the carving techniques utilized by the Master Engraver of the True Policy Dynasty, the method being employed made the channeling of Qian Jin inherently strenuous for Gan Jing. Now, within this gravity well of thirty-seven times normal, he still had to maintain high-speed inscription carving while simultaneously resisting the gravity and the biting cold, complexities that unconsciously compounded the difficulty immeasurably.

“Oh, right. Are you perhaps wondering if the magic circle you gave me can be corrected?” Aknash walked forward, suddenly halting before the counter, and looked back at Gan Jing: “That can indeed be altered. As for how to change it? Once you master these projections, you should understand.”

These were the keys? Gan Jing had no time to question Aknash further, nor did he have time to complain. Duan Feng Er Bu was already utilizing the Second Altar, and if matters continued to develop smoothly, it could lead to significant problems down the line. Pan Hongji had treated him well, and he felt obligated to assist the Serpent Emperor too. He figured this correction would be enough to allow Pan Hongji to permit Duan Feng Er Bu unrestricted use of the Second Altar for life.

Exactly! Gan Jing took a deep breath. Since he hadn't found any retainers at the academy for the time being, he might as well focus on helping these comrades with whom he had shared life-and-death trials. They were far more reliable than any retainer!

Carve! Explode! Carve again, explode again...

Gan Jing discovered that things he used to carve with ease now felt incredibly laborious.

Enlak stood before the rune shop counter, observed for a while, then shook his head and turned away, muttering softly, “It seems I won’t be needed to use the Qian Jun for now in these skirmishes. Let him use that magic device against me. While training solo offers improvement, engaging in group combat within such an environment would yield far greater benefits. Kid, you need to put in the effort.”

“Achoo!”

Gan Jing emerged from the magic device, clutching his arms across his chest, sneezing repeatedly. His Dou Qi rotation speed was rapidly recovering. After just a few hours, he could feel himself progressing quickly; this apparatus was truly remarkable.

Gan Jing circled the magic device endlessly. If something like this could be replicated in the True Policy Dynasty, he could secure more dedicated practice time and even invite those lingering in the Ancient Barren Sea to train together.

To battle within this space? Gan Jing nodded slightly; the effect would be far superior to fighting outside.

Without the thirty-seven times gravity, Gan Jing felt as if he might float away just by walking.

【No Combat Today】

Gan Jing glanced at the plaque hanging on Enlak’s Dou Qi room door and pursed his lips. Why was it 'No Combat' today of all days? He had wanted to inquire about the Third Dou Xin. It seemed he would have to wait until next time.

He walked into Uncle Blacksmith’s forge. The uncle, usually crouched in the corner, was wearing a very formal blacksmith’s outfit today, holding an ancient striking hammer—a massive hammer intricately carved with magical inscriptions.

That hammer... Gan Jing swallowed hard, looking at Uncle Blacksmith’s brawny arms. It must weigh at least fifty thousand jin, right?

The hammerhead wasn't excessively large, but the special alloy mixture on it contained nearly a thousand different components. Gan Jing recognized barely a few hundred; many more were hidden within, only discoverable through direct touch and examination.

Even so, based on his understanding of metallurgy, Gan Jing could roughly estimate the hammer’s minimum possible weight to be fifty thousand jin.

A hammer covered in runes! Gan Jing felt his eyes blur. The densely packed runes carved upon it were vastly more complex than the patterns he had just studied. Even the altars of the Nine-Headed Serpent Family were utterly primitive children’s toys compared to this hammer.

Ancient, archaic runes were carved along the head and handle, and more than a dozen gems Gan Jing had never seen before were inlaid at the very end of the handle.

“Come here.” Uncle Blacksmith spoke softly, his eyes fixed on the roaring flames. “Today, the Fourth Strike of the Eighteen Ascending Peaks Hammers.”

“Oh.” Gan Jing scurried over, his mind swirling with intense curiosity. The first three strikes hadn't warranted such solemnity! What was going on today?

“Do you remember what I told you about forging divine artifacts?”

Gan Jing paused, then nodded repeatedly: “Using ordinary tools to forge a divine artifact is utter nonsense—it's just self-consolation for incompetent blacksmiths. Divine artifacts can only be forged from the finest materials.”

A satisfied smile touched Uncle Blacksmith’s usually solemn face. “What do you consider material?”

Gan Jing froze again, then slapped his forehead abruptly. Right! He had always considered the need for various materials when forging superior Dou Bing or even Soul Weapons, but he rarely considered the tools used for the forging itself!

“Without top-tier tools, how can there be top-tier creations!” Gan Jing’s eyes flashed with sudden clarity. “I was too focused on the work itself and overlooked the quality of the instruments I was using.”

Uncle Blacksmith’s eyes held a flicker of satisfaction. “This is the Hammer of Creation, part of the smithing set.”

Smithing—a set? Gan Jing stared, wide-eyed, at the forging hammer in Blacksmith’s hand. Apparently, forging required a complete set of gear!

Blacksmith said no more. He used tongs to pluck a piece of glowing red iron from the furnace, then naturally raised the Hammer of Creation high above his head.

In an instant, Gan Jing felt momentarily dizzy. How could this be the Fourth Strike of the Eighteen Ascending Peaks Hammers? This was clearly the starting posture of the First Strike!

Whoosh!

A sharp rush of air sliced through the atmosphere, sounding like it might tear the heavens and earth apart. It erupted suddenly. The flames in the furnace instantly parted to both sides. The residual force of the Eighteen Ascending Peaks Hammers directly cleaved the furnace fire in half! Half the scorching flame vanished in that instant!

Gan Jing watched closely as an inscription on the Hammer of Creation lit up. That was it! It sucked the vanished half of the flames into the smithing hammer!

Clang! A thunderous roar, like colliding storms, shook the very ground beneath Gan Jing’s feet. Endless sparks erupted from the iron block, weaving together like fiery serpents dancing across the sky, forming a blaze more brilliant and splendid than any magical fireworks.

“Th-this is…”

Gan Jing watched intently, his muscles stiffening. This Fourth Strike of the Eighteen Ascending Peaks Hammers... it was actually... actually a perfect combination of the previous three strikes!

The first three strikes were merely a decomposition of the fourth! This single strike achieved better results than ten strikes of the former Third Strike!

Clang! Another thunderous metallic crash shook the ground again!

Uncle Blacksmith’s demeanor was entirely different from before. His hammer rose and fell relentlessly, shaping the scalding iron block repeatedly.

In such a short time... such a short time...

Gan Jing had never imagined that a lump of refined iron essence could be forged so quickly.

Incredible! So powerful! Gan Jing’s hands and feet trembled with excitement. Although this was technically one strike, the trajectory of the swing could branch into thousands of possibilities, even if the Uncle hadn't utilized every single one of those thousands of paths.

With a wave of his hand, the heavy smithing hammer and his blacksmith attire vanished without a trace.

Gan Jing’s spirit lifted. This was it! The Dou Jie! Blacksmith Uncle Black also possessed a Dou Jie. Well, nothing surprising about that.

Picking up a smithing hammer weighing over a thousand jin, Gan Jing stood beside the furnace, closed his eyes, and seriously pondered, recalling the Uncle’s movements while forging. The smithing breathing technique slowly began to activate, and he raised the hammer high above his head. The dormant Heart of Earth Fire revived; only during forging could it move freely.

Clang!

Gan Jing had never felt the Eighteen Ascending Peaks Hammers perform so stiffly. Less than half an inch before the hammer fell, an error occurred. By the time it fully descended, it was impossible to recognize it as the Eighteen Ascending Peaks Hammers.

“The difficulty of the three-in-one strike…” Gan Jing clicked his tongue twice, listening to the system notification sound in his ear: Gained fifty proficiency points for the Eighteen Ascending Peaks Hammers.

Fifty proficiency points even for something that bad? Gan Jing frowned. Having the Heart of Earth Fire was certainly a huge boon! Without it, getting even one proficiency point for that swing would have been a stretch.

The Heart of Earth Fire slowly spun, and under Gan Jing’s control, it rapidly cycled through the variations of the first three strikes of the Eighteen Ascending Peaks Hammers.

Switching over a hundred times per second! Gan Jing realized how lucky he was to have the Heart of Earth Fire; otherwise, there was no way to manage such switching. Even with it, he couldn't complete the true transition in a short time; he failed to finish the fifteenth switch before he was too late.

The sequence of the Fourth Strike of the Eighteen Ascending Peaks Hammers grew steadily within the Heart of Earth Fire. Gan Jing forgot about time and strength, continuously channeling his three Dou Xin, adapting to the Fourth Strike again and again.

“Sixteen hours have elapsed. Player Gan Jing must depart the Endless World.”

Gan Jing opened his eyes, removed the cap obscuring his face, and stood up to stretch his tired arms. These short sixteen hours had yielded massive gains.

In terms of potions, he had gained the approval of Teacher Adams. Regarding runes, he learned the error in the Pan family’s Second Altar and the method for correction. Although he would need more practice, at least he now had a clear direction. As for the special magic device created by Aknash...

Two thousand revolutions. Gan Jing roughly calculated that in just a few hours of specialized training, his Dou Xin rotation speed had clearly increased by two thousand revolutions. If he trained for an extended period under thirty-seven times gravity and freezing conditions, what level would his Dou Qi rotation reach?

Build one! He absolutely had to build one of those things in the True Policy Dynasty!

Gan Jing got out of bed, gently moved his completely recovered body, and lay back down on the mattress, continuing to feign sickness. Although being struck yesterday wasn't fatal, he had sustained serious injuries. If people knew he had fully recovered now, no one could predict the outcome.

“Excuse me, who is outside?”

“Me!” Siluyin stood outside the door, glaring at everyone else with furious and threatening eyes, signaling that if anyone dared to answer, he would poison their medicine in Yongliu City if they ever fell ill again!

Lilitote pulled at the corner of his lips and sighed, adopting an expression of utter surrender: “Do as you wish.”

Hongseyork sighed as well, deferring to Siluyin with a gesture: You go first. He felt a secret sense of helplessness. He, the Eldest Son of the City Lord, had fallen so far as to become a messenger for Gan Jing, and now he was being threatened by the President of the Alchemists’ Guild.

“Can you bring me something to eat?” Gan Jing strained to adjust his lying posture. (To be continued...)