The Qian family's ability to dominate one region and stand as one of the three pillar families of the True Strategy Dynasty stemmed entirely from the Elven King bloodline; once awakened, it guaranteed the carrier would become a warrior capable of dual cultivation in both combat and demonic arts. When activating the Elven King bloodline to enter the combat state of the Elven King Transformation, their fighting power would increase yet again.

"Even if I can't achieve dual cultivation of combat and demonic arts..." Qian Jin grabbed the magic hat and declared with confidence, "I can still become a great warrior."

The village in the Endless World remained as peaceful and tranquil as ever. When Black saw Qian Jin appear at the doorway, a flicker of light returned to his cloudy eyes. "There are three orders here. Finish these jobs first and earn some money for fatigue-relieving powders."

Jobs? Qian Jin walked curiously toward the stove and picked up three sheets of cowhide, pausing briefly. These jobs were different from what he had imagined. He expected to be making weapons or similar items, but instead, he found a kitchen knife custom-ordered by Aunt Wang from the village head, a hoe ordered by Uncle Luke from the western edge, and a scythe.

"Their requirements are quite high. Go look at the books first." Black gestured toward the room. "The bookshelf immediately to the left upon entering, at the far right end of the bottom shelf."

Essentials of Forging. Qian Jin blew the choking dust off the cover and found it to be a comprehensive collection on the art of smithing.

Whether a blade, a spear, armor, or even a simple household kitchen knife—they were all just tools (), sharing fundamental commonalities. The lightness or heaviness of the hammer strike required different specifications depending on the location; this was calculated based on the tool's thickness, length, width, weight, and material to determine the required force of every hammer blow...

"'Geometry'?" Qian Jin was slightly taken aback. Black's description of forging sounded remarkably similar to the disciplines required for building structures in the True Strategy Dynasty—a field summarized centuries ago by Holofsky. Most professionals in the Artisan class understood this discipline. If he hadn't accidentally glimpsed some of it in the Qian family library, he truly wouldn't understand what Black was talking about in this book.

Compared to Holofsky's Geometry, Essentials of Forging explained things much more simply and directly, representing a work that descended from the profound to the accessible. Even someone like Qian Jin, who was not in the Artisan class, could quickly grasp the so-called laws presented in Black’s writing.

Clang, clang, clang...

Black tapped his pipe against the door panel, urging roughly, "Finished reading? If so, come out and do the work. You must read that book for two hours every time you visit from now on..."

"Oh, oh, got it." Qian Jin reluctantly returned the book to the shelf. Essentials of Forging had completely overturned his previous understanding of blacksmithing. A weapon wasn't just forged into a shape; nor could a true weapon be made simply by using top-grade fine iron, iron essence, or other metals subjected to high-density compression.

Too many factors needed consideration when forging a weapon: the air resistance when the weapon swung horizontally, when it slashed, when it lifted, and how to minimize receptive force while maximizing destructive power against an opponent's block at different angles...

Complex! This was a super-complex discipline! Far removed from what Franklin and the others understood!

Qian Jin picked up the simple drawing for the kitchen knife again and suddenly noticed that every section of the knife blueprint was marked with different luminous points. The varying intensity of these points represented different hammer impact forces.

This wasn't a special ability of the blueprint; it was an instinctual perception gained after reading Essentials of Forging. In reality, there were no light dots on the drawing.

In an instant, Qian Jin understood how this kitchen knife needed to be forged. Operating his Smithing Breath Technique, he brought the heavy iron hammer down hard onto the ordinary lump of iron ore.

Iron ore, fine iron, iron essence! Qian Jin immediately struck out the iron essence, hammering it repeatedly according to his understanding of Essentials of Forging. The large iron hammer in his hands shifted continuously.

One moment it was a two-hundred-pound sledgehammer, the next it was a small hammer weighing three or five pounds. Since different parts of a kitchen knife required different amounts of force, Qian Jin finally grasped how incredibly difficult it would be to forge any tool using only a single hammer.

Clang! A burst of sparks flew, and the crimson kitchen knife plunged into the bucket of icy water, letting out a sharp hiss sound. Immediately, white mist surged up, enveloping an area about one meter square.

The knife was lifted from the water, gleaming with a faint, icy luminescence. Qian Jin squatted beside the bucket, placing the knife on a common whetstone to perform the final task: grinding! Honing the edge!

The harsh grating sound of metal against stone echoed through the room, one stroke after another. The highest realm of honing was "Washing the Edge" (), which was not some special ability but an elevation of pure technique! Just as with smithing—some could forge Level Ten Fine Iron, while others could create Iron Essence—this was a qualitative leap.

The piercing sound of grinding stopped. The knife on the whetstone, caught in the sunlight, reflected a cold glint so sharp it seemed capable of actually cutting skin!

"This is my first work?"

Qian Jin held the knife toward the sky, rotating it left and right, a surge of smug satisfaction rising in his chest. Though it was just a kitchen knife, it looked like a rather fine piece of work.

'Player Qian Jin, Blacksmithing Quest Complete. Obtained: Kitchen Knife. Title Achieved: Blacksmith.'

The System Spirit’s voice sounded. Qian Jin looked toward Black in astonishment, only to see the old blacksmith pick up a gleaming blade from the ground. He weighed it in his hand briefly, then abruptly flung his arm! The knife shot out, cleaving the air!

Qian Jin instinctively swung the kitchen knife he held, knocking aside the incoming blade. The two 'weapons' collided, emitting a crisp, piercing metallic shriek and sparking a spray of beautiful firework-like flashes. The battle blade was split cleanly in two by the kitchen knife!

"Is this real?" Qian Jin stared at the knife in his hand in disbelief.

"Not bad," Black took a long, deep pull on his pipe. "Though the external appearance is somewhat ugly, it can still be considered a Combat Tool ()."

'Player Qian Jin has learned the first strike of the Eighteen Ascending Edge Hammers ().'

The Eighteen Ascending Edge Hammers? Qian Jin quickly opened his attributes panel and found that the skill whose name he hadn't known before finally had a designation.

Black picked up his massive iron hammer, weighing a thousand pounds, and brought it down fiercely onto a piece of iron ore. He then tossed the heavy hammer aside, stating very casually, "Did you see it clearly?"

This...? Qian Jin was left speechless, halfway between laughter and tears—what kind of training was this? In the past, he used to strike for hours; today it was just one blow? Fortunately, he had read carefully, and he already had the foundation of the first strike of the Eighteen Ascending Edge Hammers; otherwise, he would have been thoroughly embarrassed this time.

"Finish the other jobs first, then forge a weapon you desire, and then practice this strike."

Black uttered these words and, for the first time, did not retreat to his corner. Instead, he left the courtyard with his hands clasped behind his back and went out for a stroll down the street.

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