CHAPTER 39 DO YOU HAVE THE TALENT

Master Wang led Huang Yong to the inner sanctum of the smithery.

The interior of the shop was nearly twice the size of the storefront, its walls blackened by the soot of countless fires.

A massive forge, its flames licking at the iron, dominated the center of the room, the anvil, a worn and battered relic, stood nearby, its surface pitted and scarred from countless blows.

Despite the grandeur of the setting, there was something undeniably disappointing about the smithy. The tools, though numerous, seemed outdated and poorly maintained.

The sight was far from what one would expect of a master blacksmith's workshop.

Huang Yong's mouth twitched.

'Is this really the workshop of a master blacksmith? It seems more like a place where apprentice smiths come to play with new tools.'

Huang yong thought to himself.

Both approached the forge. Master Wang took a piece of black iron and placed it in the fire.

"This is where the magic happens, Yong." Master Wang said, his voice deep and resonant.

"Here, the raw material is transformed into something extraordinary. But remember, it takes more than just skill to forge a truly great blade. It takes heart, dedication, and a deep respect for the metal."

"Smithing is not for the faint of heart," Master Wang declared.

"It requires strength, dedication, and an understanding of the fire. Do you possess the will to endure?"

Huang Yong replied, "Yes, I do."

"Very well," Master Wang said. "Now go to the side of the forge and blow air to keep the fire going."

"The first thing you need to know before starting to forge is the tools used, the type of forge, the anvil, the metal you're working with, the proper hammering technique, and more. While these are all important, I believe that controlling the flames is the most crucial aspect."

"If you don't understand how to control and utilize the flames, there's no point in even attempting to learn smithing."

"So the first thing i will teach you is how to contol the flame."

Master Wang began teaching Huang Yong how to control the forge's flames and recognize when the metal was ready.

As Master Wang lectured, Huang Yong absorbed every bit of knowledge like a sponge soaking up water. This was Huang Yong's first experience in this unfamiliar land, learning the art of forging.

After about 15 minutes, the metal was ready. Master Wang placed it on the anvil and picked up a hammer from nearby.

"Your metal needs to be this red, not yellow. If it's too yellow, the metal will become weak and difficult to hammer."

"The next step is to hammer the metal to remove impurities and shape it. Remember to reheat the metal frequently while hammering, as it will become harder over time and may break."

Master Wang began hammering the hot metal rhythmically. Soon, the black spots disappeared. He reheated the metal and repeated the process.

After hammering came heat treatment and quenching. Before Huang Yong realized it, a fine sword had taken its final shape.

All this took no more than two hours, two hours to create a fine weapon truly worthy of a master blacksmith.

"I've demonstrated everything you need to know about forging metal. Now practice and show me your results in fifteen days. And no, you can't use my metal or coal. Go buy your own."

"Thank you for your teaching."

Huang Yong thanked Master Wang and left the smithery to purchase coal and metal. After exploring the city market for a few minutes, he obtained the necessary resources to practice smithing for about a month.

Upon returning to the smithery, Huang Yong assisted Master Wang in forging a few more weapons. This time, Master Wang didn't provide any explanations but maintained a slow pace.

By dawn, the work was complete.

"Now I leave my precious forge to you," Master Wang said. "Practice everything you learned earlier and be careful not to destroy it."

"Yes and thank you for your teaching and trust."

Huang Yong thanked Master Wang again.

'System check Master Wang's status.'

SHOWING MASTER WANG'S STATUS

NAME - HOU RONG

AGE - 65 YEARS

MARTIAL SOUL- ELEMENTAL FLAME

SOUL POWER LEVEL - 78

PROFFESION - BLACKSMITH { MASTER BLACKSMITH }

SOUL BONE - HEAD SOUL BONE OF FLAME WOLF {9040 YEARS OLD}, RIGHT ARM BONE OF EARTH BEAR (35300 YEARS OLD).

SYSTEM EVALUATION - A CONTROL TYPE SOUL MASTER WITH PURE FLAME ELEMENT AS MASTIAL SOUL, THE PERFECT COMBINATION FOR A BLACKSMITH.

"So Master Wang, whose real name is Hou Rong, turned out to be a strong Control-type Soul Saint."

"Wait, the surname Hou! I feel like I've heard this name somewhere. Yes, the core members of Blazing Academy have the same surname."

"Seems like Master Wang is also someone from the Blazing Academy lineage. The mainland is filled with monsters that weren't mentioned in the original book."

Shaking his head, Huang Yong gathered his thoughts and started practicing what Master Wang had taught him earlier.

Every day, Master Wang came to the shop. With a practiced ease, he would forge a few weapons or tools and instruct Huang Yong.

Without realizing it, fifteen days had already passed since Huang Yong started learning smithery. As he stood before the forge, the heat radiating from the flames warming his face It was time to demonstrate his progress to Master Wang.

"Yong, it has been fifteen days since I started teaching you, and it is time to test if you have any faith in smithery." Master Wang, who had just entered the smithery, said from behind.

"I am ready, Master Wang, put me to any test you deem required." Huang Yong said with confidence, as the last fifteen days had been rewarding on the path of smithery.

"I can see your confidence and the work you have put into it. Even if you don't have the talent to become a blacksmith, you will still be better than 90% of the crowd."

Master Wang moved to a shelf and picked up a black iron block from it.

"Your task is to turn this piece of metal into a useful blade. Show me if you are worthy of following the path of smithery and add the title 'Divine' to your name."

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Dear Readers,

I apologize for the delay in updating the story. My busy schedule has prevented me from writing as often as I would like.

To make up for this, I promise to do my best to update at least twice a week going forward.

Thank you for your continued support, even during the times when updates were infrequent