14 Chapter 3: Twin Martial Souls (5)_1

Tang Hao moved, and his action seemed to have no difference from before; he used his legs to drive his waist, his waist to drive his back, his back to drive his arms, and with a clang, the hammer smashed down onto the iron block.

As the hammer rebounded due to the reaction force, Tang Hao suddenly turned around, still powering the movement from his calves, whipping the rebounding hammer up in the air, swinging it in a circle with a fierce whistling sound, and with another loud bang, it struck the iron block again. This strike was not only incredibly swift but also seemed even more powerful than the first.

The hammer rebounded high, and Tang Hao's movements perfectly matched the amplitude of the hammer's bounce. Not too early, not too late, just at the moment the hammer was about to reach its highest point, his body spun, taking the hammer round in a circle before smashing it down once more.

Tang San's eyes lit up; this was clearly a method of leveraging force, using the rebound from the hammer's collision with the metal to power the next strike, the movements seamless and coordinated, minimizing recoil damage to oneself while transforming that force into a continuous assault. From the second blow onwards, each strike was stronger than Tang Hao's full force, yet still under his control.

Tang Hao's actions became faster and faster, the forging hammer striking the iron block as if drumming on it, the metal deforming under the barrage of hammer blows. Surprisingly, Tang Hao's strikes were incredibly precise; whenever the iron block was flattened to half its original thickness, his hammer would strike the edge of the block at just the right moment to flip it, ensuring that it evenly withstood the blows rather than being smashed into a simple iron pancake.

In a blink, thirty-six hammers had been swung, Tang Hao's hands driving the forging hammer to spin three consecutive circles in the air before dissipating the hammer's force and coming to a standstill. His face was not flushed, and he was not out of breath, as if the previous striking had nothing to do with him.

The entire iron block had shrunk by a full circle within these thirty-six hammers, and its impurities were now barely visible to the naked eye.

This was the true blacksmith skill, such beautiful hammer method.

"Understood?" Tang Hao looked at Tang San, who was continuously operating the bellows.

Tang San pondered for a moment and said, "Leveraging force, I understand the principle. However, it seems not so simple."

Tang Hao blandly said, "To reach my level, there's only one method, practice makes perfect. At the same time, remember that if you are hammering ordinary metal, when it has the most impurities, it is also most likely to shatter. At that moment, you should reduce your strength when striking. As the impurities gradually diminish, you can begin to increase your strength gradually, maintaining the effectiveness of your blows. Control of the hammer's force is key. Practice on your own. Don't blindly increase power and speed; accuracy is just as important. At the very least, you need to know where your hammer will land with each strike; otherwise, what's the use of power?"

The forging hammer returned to Tang San's hands, and Tang Hao turned and walked away.

His father had kept his word, indeed teaching him the method of forging, and from what his father had passed on, it was evident that every profession has its own secrets and is not so simple.

In the more than half a month that followed, Tang San practiced the hammering method taught by Tang Hao every day. Although he had Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon to help with power control and Purple Demon Eyes to determine the location of his hammer strikes, mastering this forging method was harder than he had anticipated.

Since it involved striking with all his might, controlling the force used was inherently difficult. Utilizing the rebound force while maintaining balance, and targeting the desired location, became extremely challenging. With every additional strike, the level of control needed increased, the continuous rotation of the body not only caused dizziness but also made controlling the force of each blow even more difficult.

Fortunately, the iron ore had been hammered by him for a long time and contained few impurities, making it less likely to shatter. Otherwise, it would have probably broken under the relentless strikes of his uncontrollable forging hammer.

However, during this practice period, Tang San's application of the Mysterious Heaven Method, as well as the coordination of Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon, Mysterious Jade Hands, and Purple Demon Eyes, subtly improved.

From only being able to swing the hammer twice before losing accuracy on the first day, to now, half a month later, being able to swing it seven times in succession and hit the iron block precisely, his progress was quite evident. Meanwhile, the iron block was getting smaller and smaller under his full-force hammering, showing daily results.

Of course, this was also inseparably related to the method of powering the strike from his calves, which significantly saved on the consumption of the Mysterious Heaven Method, allowing Tang San to spend more time pulling the bellows and forging.

Originally, Tang Hao had swung thirty-six hammers and even looked as if he had energy to spare, while he himself could only manage seven. He wondered when he would be able to reach his father's level. Whenever Tang San thought about this, he practiced with extra motivation.

These days, he seemed to have forgotten about his Martial Soul and Soul Rings, even when going to the mountaintop in the early morning to practice his Purple Demon Eyes, he would still ponder over how the hammer should be swung.

Three months passed quickly, and when Tang San was able to consistently strike thirteen blows with the hammer, Tang Hao began teaching him how to forge tools. Tang Hao's teaching method was direct; he would forge something himself first and then let Tang San try it. As soon as Tang San showed a glimmer of understanding, he was left to practice on his own without too much verbal instruction, only speaking a few words at critical junctures.

Because of this, whenever Tang Hao gave advice, Tang San remembered it exceptionally well.