Chapter Thirty-One: The First Attempt at Forging

Returning to the courtyard, he instructed Cuinong to close the gate, then took out the raw iron and began practicing the Flame Manipulation Technique. Cultivation requires both tension and relaxation to yield the best results. Now, with his own cultivation and the Purple Extreme Imperial Heart Technique both at their peaks, rushing forward would not necessarily bring improvement; this was the perfect time to relax a little.

To forge weapons, the first requirement is the fire of the dantian, which can melt materials for casting. Secondly, one must possess the correct method and sufficient battle energy to drive away impurities, refining the desired embryo. The third and most crucial point is to have enough soul power—mental strength—to shape the embryo. Only then will the resulting weapon have uniform texture, flawless inside and out, perfectly ensuring its stability.

This is the core advantage of weapon forging over traditional casting. No matter how skilled a caster is, or how well they control their force, they can never achieve the same flawless results as a weapon forger. Although some master casters can create excellent weapons, those are merely occasional masterpieces; it is impossible for every weapon to be perfect. Weapon forgers, however, are free from this limitation: every weapon they make has a uniform quality.

The greatest distinction between casting and forging is not in this, but in their domains. Casters are limited by their innate abilities; materials that are too difficult to melt are beyond their reach. Weapon forgers, however, see their dantian fire grow in power alongside their cultivation, and this is the fundamental difference.

Now, Yun Yufeng’s dantian furnace was stable, and his dantian fire could be unleashed to the size of a palm, no longer the flickering flame it was when first formed.

He activated the Flame Manipulation Technique, releasing a ball of fire that hovered above his palm. Yun Yufeng took out a piece of raw iron, controlled it with his spiritual technique, and placed it above the dantian fire. Slowly, the iron reddened, softened, and melted into a ball of molten iron, glowing and hot.

Suddenly, inspiration struck. Yun Yufeng poured forth his vast spiritual power, enveloping the spherical molten iron completely, examining every inch of it. The internal state of the iron was laid bare before his eyes; all the impurities and the main iron content were clear in his mind.

He knew that removing all impurities would result in pure iron, which is soft and useless for weapon making. Thus, distinguishing the nature of the impurities was the critical step.

He acted immediately. Most weapons are made from steel, so he started with carbon. His battle energy could not be released externally, so he could not create an airless environment. If he wrapped charcoal in dantian fire, it would burn before being fully enveloped.

After some thought, he realized the only way was to place the charcoal inside the molten iron to enhance the activity of the carbon and prevent it from burning, allowing spiritual probing.

The forging manual given by the bearded master did mention removing impurities, but it relied on years of experience, knowing the process but not the underlying principle—burning with dantian fire until substances with higher melting points than steel were eliminated.

What Yun Yufeng was doing now was research few could undertake, requiring powerful spiritual strength.

He used his spiritual technique to toss the charcoal Cuinong handed him into the molten iron. With a hiss, the charcoal instantly burned upon contact with the surface.

Quickly, Yun Yufeng separated a portion of the molten iron, cooled it into a hollow iron sphere, opened a hole at the top, placed the charcoal inside, and plunged it into the molten iron. The outer shell melted quickly, exposing the charcoal to the glowing iron.

His spiritual power attached itself immediately, and the structure of the carbon was revealed in his mind—carbon molecules loosely arranged, matching the chemical structure of charcoal.

Yun Yufeng knew that to forge steel suitable for weapons, both hardness and toughness were necessary; too rigid and it would break.

Thus, heavy weapons suited high-carbon steel for greater hardness, as their size prevented breakage on heavy impacts. Agile weapons needed medium-carbon steel for both toughness and hardness. For large blades and swords, the body should be medium-carbon steel and the edge high-carbon steel. Weapon making required careful selection of materials.

He divided two fist-sized portions of molten iron, forging them separately—something only his immense spiritual power allowed, even a seventh-tier throne could not do this.

The flame grew hotter; the molten iron crackled and sparked, rolling under Yun Yufeng’s spiritual guidance, with the added carbon remaining at the center.

Suddenly, the palm-sized flame flickered and split in two, enveloping the molten iron completely to prevent further oxidation.

The carbon inside broke apart into fine particles, dispersing evenly into the molten iron, while oxidized iron was swiftly reduced to pure iron. Yun Yufeng’s spiritual power was rapidly consumed, but for his vast sea of consciousness, it was not much of a burden.

Once the molten iron stabilized and ceased changing, Yun Yufeng began to shape it. The spherical molten iron, shrouded in flames, was slowly stretched, soon forming the shapes of two two-foot short swords.

The short swords’ surfaces were manipulated to form patterns at the hilt and blade, and Yun Yufeng even carved two blood grooves on each side of the blades.

He gazed at the two short swords with satisfaction. This was his first attempt at forging, a comprehensive application of his knowledge. Regardless of success or failure, he believed this was a path where he could understand the principles clearly.

As the manual noted, different weapons require different metal ratios, but no one knows why; it’s simply the result of countless experiments. Yun Yufeng was confident he could do better, perhaps using minimal rare materials to forge more valuable weapons.

He engraved a cloud symbol on the hilt, gradually lowered the dantian fire’s temperature, and watched the swords’ red glow fade. He placed them in a wooden barrel prepared beforehand.

With a hiss, steam rose, and the cold well water boiled. After a few seconds, the water calmed, still releasing heat.

Yun Yufeng used his spiritual technique to lift out the swords, letting them float before him. The remaining water on the blades evaporated visibly.

Two flames enveloped the swords again, but at only two hundred degrees, baking them for about an hour. He then stopped supplying dantian fire, letting the swords cool naturally in the air.

When they cooled to around a dozen degrees, Yun Yufeng infused them with battle energy, ignoring the heat, reached out, grasped the hilts, and spun them into a flourish. He grinned—now he only needed two sheaths, which he could fetch from the smithy later.

He carried the swords inside, frowning slightly, feeling something was still missing. Of course, they needed rust protection. These were steel swords; without frequent use, they would rust. Whether the smithy could solve this, he was unsure.

Just then, Cuinong brought a bowl of cool tea. Yun Yufeng drained it in one gulp. After all his first-time efforts, he was indeed a bit thirsty.

“Cuinong, you’re getting more observant, and the more considerate, the better. Maybe one day you’ll be in charge of my accounts.”

The little girl blushed to her neck. That day, she accidentally overheard the conversation between Lady Liu and Yun Yufeng, and remembered it vividly. It troubled her for a long time; the young master’s reputation was at its peak then, and she nearly despaired. But after spending time together, she found he was nothing like the rumors—in fact, he was nearly perfect.

Cuinong whispered shyly, “Young master, you flatter me too much. I don’t know what to say!”

“Enough of that. You have a name—Cuinong. Understand? I dislike all that formality. Be more casual with me from now on.”

“Yes, young master.” Cuinong’s eyes reddened again. She never imagined that one day she would speak her own name before her master.

“Alright, I’m heading out for a bit. You stay here.” With that, Yun Yufeng wrapped the swords in cloth and prepared to leave.

“Where are you going, young master? Would you like me to guide you?” Cuinong hurried to ask.

Yun Yufeng nodded; he’d never visited the smithy, so letting Cuinong lead would be convenient. “Let’s go to the smithy.”

From a distance, they heard the clanging of metal. The smithy was not large, just two or three rooms, occupying about an acre.

Yun Yufeng entered. The smiths were busy, apprentices diligently learning nearby. Occasionally, a master would berate an apprentice, but no one seemed to mind; they laughed and took the advice to heart.

Yun Yufeng did not disturb them, simply leaning by the door to watch. Only when one master finished forging a longsword did he step forward.

He noticed something odd: after quenching, there was no tempering step. Instead, the sword was placed in a tank filled with an unknown liquid.

Curious, Yun Yufeng asked, “Master, may I ask what the liquid in that tank is for?”

The smith, muscular and with dry yellow curls, glanced at the young man and spoke coolly, “I don’t know which young lord has graced us. It’s scorching here, not suitable for a stroll.”

His tone was somewhat arrogant; in their eyes, any young lord who personally visited the smithy must be out of favor in the family—otherwise, a servant would come. The environment was truly harsh.

Yun Yufeng frowned slightly. “Perhaps you don't know my name, but surely you’ve heard of the infamous young master. I’m just wandering here, any problem with that?”

“None at all.” The man’s forehead darkened. This ancestor actually came here to play. He didn’t need to worry, but had no time to argue with a notorious young master—such people were always unreasonable.

“Good. Let me see that sword.” Yun Yufeng nodded; sometimes, a bad reputation had its uses.

“Sure, take a look.” The man was straightforward this time.

“What’s the purpose of the liquid in the tank?”

“It’s juice pressed from Fire Vine harvested in the mountains. Soaking weapons in it prevents rust.” The man’s eyes flickered with doubt, wondering what exactly the notorious young master wanted.

Yun Yufeng was satisfied, his guess confirmed. He unwrapped the cloth and placed his two short swords in the tank, then reached in to take out the longsword. He sighed inwardly—it would take years; a longsword that reached past his waist was hardly satisfactory.

“Is that it? Finished? Ready to sell?” Yun Yufeng asked.

“Yes, this is the best longsword I’ve forged in months.” The smith was proud.

Yun Yufeng examined the sword. After polishing, it was bright and smooth, the blade evenly textured. Perhaps it was indeed good; he had never studied casting.

“How do you test a weapon’s sharpness, strength, and hardness?” Yun Yufeng asked, curious and eager to learn.

“That’s easily done; there are special tools. Sharpness and strength are tested with the Sword Testing Stone—a peculiar stone that, unless fully cut, can slowly restore itself. A steel plate with a steel ball is placed on its surface; the blade strikes the ball, and by the color change of the stone, we judge the sword’s strength. The tester can also sense the blade’s vibration to determine if it’s at its limit, preventing damage.

Hardness is tested when engraving marks. The engraving pen must be harder than the sword to leave a mark.” The smith answered in detail. Seeing Yun Yufeng’s short swords, he was eager to examine them later.

Yun Yufeng was enlightened; clearly, his experience was lacking.

“How long must they soak?” he asked, pointing at the tank.

“They’re ready; you can take them out now.”

Yun Yufeng smiled, handed the longsword to the smith, took out the short swords, wiped them clean, and asked, “After all this, what should I call you?”

“Just call me Master He.” Seeing Yun Yufeng’s easy-going manner, the smith’s attitude genuinely changed.

“Excellent. Master He, are you free to accompany me to test the swords?”

“Of course. I want to see how my sword performs.” Master He grinned and led Yun Yufeng to the rear testing yard.

In the back, there was an ironwood platform with several one-meter square white stones—presumably the Sword Testing Stones.

Master He handed the sword to the tester, who stepped onto the platform, took a horse stance, breathed deeply, and struck the steel ball. Instantly, the Sword Testing Stone flashed red, orange, yellow, and green. The tester called out, “Master He, strength is at the fourth tier, but I sense it hasn’t reached its limit. Shall I continue? It seems you’ve made an excellent weapon this time.”

Master He beamed, “If only it could reach the fifth tier.”

With a bang, the longsword bent into an arc, then snapped straight. The Sword Testing Stone flashed five times, pure blue. Master He’s eyes shone, as if he saw countless gold coins.

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