Chapter 477: Sun Luguo Test (3)
Chapter 477: Sun Luguo Test (3)
The remaining four... were indeed nothing more than stones. Beautiful, polished, carefully treated, but lacking the essence of true metals.
A murmur swept across the entire square. Voices rose like a wave, carrying surprise and admiration.
"He got every one right..."
"He barely even examined them." An older blacksmith said, shaking his head in disbelief.
"He only looked at them for a few seconds and already knew."
"How did he do it?" An apprentice asked, his eyes wide.
"I trained for months, and I still confuse some metals."
Sun Luguo let out a soft chuckle. It was a low, gravelly sound, coming from deep within his chest.
"Your eyesight is excellent."
Then he looked directly at Kyrian, his dark eyes shining with renewed interest.
"But eyesight alone isn’t enough." He raised one finger, emphasizing his point.
"You memorized enough details to distinguish them in just a few seconds. That shows your memory is sharp and your observational skills are remarkable."
The giant crossed his arms once more, his imposing presence dominating the space.
"A blacksmith must know his materials better than he knows his own weapon." His voice was deep, filled with authority.
"If you don’t understand the metal... you’ll never be able to master it. Every metal has its own personality, its own will. Some are stubborn, others are flexible. Some sing beneath the hammer, while others resist in silence. Understanding those traits is the first step toward becoming a true master."
He made a small gesture toward the four genuine blocks.
"Choose one."
Kyrian glanced over them briefly. There was no particular reason to choose one over another. They were all equally suitable for the test that was about to begin.
He picked one of the four.
Sun Luguo nodded, a glimmer of approval in his eyes.
"A good choice."
In truth... any of them would have done. The important part was the next test.
The man reached into his spatial ring once more. This time, he took out another book. It was much thinner, perhaps twenty pages, with a newer cover than the previous volume.
He handed it to Kyrian.
"These are my notes as well," the blacksmith explained.
"They contain the most basic process for forging a spiritual weapon. Don’t expect to find advanced techniques in there. It’s only the foundation, the base upon which everything else is built."
Kyrian opened the book, his eyes quickly scanning its contents.
Meanwhile, Sun Luguo continued explaining, his voice taking on a more instructive tone.
"Don’t expect to create a real weapon today." He said, his eyes fixed on the young man.
"I certainly don’t."
Some of the spectators laughed, recognizing the impossibility of the task. Even the most talented apprentices needed months to forge their first spiritual weapon.
The giant ignored the laughter.
"I want to observe your movements." His fingers traced circles in the air.
"Your stance. The way you hold the hammer. The way you guide your Qi. The way you react to the heat."
"An experienced blacksmith can determine someone’s talent simply by watching their very first strikes. The smallest details, the position of the feet, the angle of the shoulders, the breathing, all of it reveals more about an apprentice than years of theory."
Kyrian nodded without taking his eyes off the book.
He focused on its contents. Unlike the previous one... this one contained a complete sequence. Every step was described in detail.
Preparing the furnace. How to ignite the spiritual fire. The ideal temperature for each type of metal. How to position the metal inside the furnace to ensure even heating.
How to distribute Qi throughout the body during the process. How to breathe with each hammer strike. How to use the entire body instead of only the arms, drawing energy from the ground, through the legs, up the spine, and channeling it through the shoulders into the hammer.
How to sense the right moment to stop heating. The signs indicated that the metal was ready to be worked. The different types of hammer strikes and their respective purposes.
It was an extremely simple technique. Yet it was incredibly well organized. Each step connected logically to the next, creating a continuous flow of actions.
Just over a minute later...
Kyrian closed the book. The sound of the pages coming together was soft, almost silent.
"May I begin?"
Sun Luguo subtly raised an eyebrow. His eyes met Kyrian’s, searching for the slightest sign of hesitation.
"You’ve memorized everything?"
"Yes."
The giant merely smiled. A slow smile spread across his lips.
’What an interesting boy...’
He gestured toward the other blacksmiths. They immediately moved their workstations aside, creating an open space in the center of the square. Their movements were swift and coordinated, the result of years of working together.
Soon, a small open area appeared. At its center stood an anvil, not as large as those used by master blacksmiths, but sturdy and well-maintained.
A medium-sized furnace, its spiritual flames dancing in shades of blue and orange. A standard hammer with a dark wooden handle and a polished metal head. Buckets of water. Tongs. Everything is prepared for an apprentice.
Sun Luguo picked up the metal block Kyrian had chosen. His fingers wrapped around the metal carefully, assessing its weight and texture one last time. He gently placed it inside the furnace.
The spiritual flames slowly began to envelop the metal. First a layer of gentle heat, then stronger waves that licked the surface of the block.
The metal began to change color, shifting from silver to darker shades.
Then he looked back at the young man.
His smile disappeared. His expression was now completely serious, his dark eyes fixed on Kyrian with an intensity that seemed to cut through the air.
"Very well." His voice was deep, filled with anticipation.
"The theory ends here."
He pointed toward the furnace, where the metal was beginning to glow with a reddish hue.
"Now show me..." His eyes locked onto Kyrian’s, holding his gaze.
"What your eyes can do when your hands have to keep up."
The crowd fell silent. The roar of the flames seemed louder now, filling the silence with their constant crackling.
Kyrian took a deep breath. His violet eyes shone more intensely for a brief moment, and then he stepped forward.
The test was about to begin.