34: The Song of Metal and Soul
Yao Xuan's eyes, usually pools of calm calculation, widened with a spark of genuine reverence as Mang Tian placed the metal on the anvil. It gleamed with a soft, inner light, like captured sunlight filtered through honey, its surface seeming to hold a latent, living warmth.
"Refined Gold," Yao Xuan breathed, the name a whisper of acknowledgment. His theoretical knowledge, drawn from both this world and his past life, clicked into place. This wasn't just metal; it was a treasure. Forged in the planet's deepest crucibles, it was a hundred times more valuable than common steel, hoarded by powerful families and armies for its legendary properties. It was paradoxically both incredibly hard and supremely malleable, avoiding the brittleness of other strong metals. But its true worth, for a soul master, was its near-perfect soul power conductivity. It was the lifeblood of mechas, the skeleton of battle armor, the ideal canvas for a soul forger's art.
A rare, approving grunt came from Mang Tian. "Your fundamentals are solid. This is indeed Refined Gold. Your strength is a gift, boy. This metal's hardness will meet it, blow for blow. It is the perfect partner for your first true step into the art." He paused, his soot-stained fingers resting on the golden ingot as if feeling its heartbeat. "Understand this: Thousand Refining is not Hundred Refining. It is not a matter of counting hammer blows until you reach a thousand. That is the thinking of a laborer, not an artist."
He leaned closer, his voice dropping, demanding Yao Xuan's complete focus. "Thousand Refining is the process of purging a metal of all its imperfections, of convincing its very internal structure to reorganize itself into a higher state of being. It is a rebirth. Hundred Refining is a quantitative change—more density, more purity. But Thousand Refining…" He tapped the anvil with a finger. "...is a qualitative change. It is sublimation. The metal transcends its original nature."
"Take common tungsten steel," Mang Tian continued, gesturing to the heavy hammers lining the wall. "After Thousand Refining, its density increases by half, its strength doubles. But the true miracle is that when it strikes, the force it transmits is greater than its mass. It becomes *more* than it was. That is sublimation. For common metals, the effect is simple. For rarer ones like this…" His eyes flicked to the Refined Gold. "...the sublimation effects can be extraordinary. A Thousand Refined metal is worth over a hundred times its Hundred Refined counterpart. And the one who creates it… earns the title of Master Blacksmith."
Yao Xuan listened, utterly absorbed. This was no longer simple craftsmanship; it was alchemy, a dialogue between will and matter.
Mang Tian's tone shifted again, becoming grave, almost solemn. "Now, I will give you the true secret, the key that separates the journeyman from the master. In our world, Thousand Refining has another name: **Mental Forging**."
The term hung in the air, charged with meaning.
"You cannot approach the metal as a dead thing," Mang Tian implored, his gaze intense. "You must treat it as an equal, a living partner in the dance. You must use your will—your spiritual power—to reach out, to communicate, to connect. You must listen for its secrets and earn its trust. Only then will it reveal its hidden potential to you, allowing you to guide it through its qualitative change."
He saw the flicker of questions in Yao Xuan's eyes and nodded. "It sounds mystical, I know. It is a feeling, an understanding that cannot be rushed. It requires patience, countless attempts, and a quiet mind. It took me two years of failure and contemplation before I succeeded. Do not be discouraged."
"Now, watch."
Mang Tian fired up the forge, the flames roaring to life and casting dancing shadows across the workshop. He heated the Refined Gold until it glowed a fierce, vibrant orange. Transferring it to the anvil with practiced grace, he raised his hammer.
The first strike was not just an impact; it was the opening note of a symphony.
*CLANG!*
The sound was clean and resonant, not a brutish crash but a precise, musical note. Sparks erupted in a brilliant cascade, not just flying randomly but seeming to dance around the anvil. Mang Tian's body moved with a fluid rhythm, each muscle contributing to the motion. His hammer fell not with mere force, but with intent. *CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!*
Yao Xuan watched, not just with his eyes, but with his spirit. He saw how after a hundred blows, the metal had already begun to change, its surface smoothing, its light condensing from a fiery orange to a more focused, inner golden glow. It was as if the metal was sweating out its impurities.
Two hundred blows. Three hundred. Four hundred. The rhythm was hypnotic, a steady, relentless heartbeat of creation. Over half an hour passed. The air grew thick with heat and concentration. Mang Tian's brow was beaded with sweat, but his arms remained steady, his focus unbroken.
At nine hundred and ninety strikes, the Refined Gold was half its original volume, and now it glowed from within, pulsing with a soft, golden light as if it had a heartbeat of its own.
Then, the rhythm exploded.
Mang Tian's movements became a blur. In a breathtaking flurry of motion, nine hammer blows fell in less than three seconds, each strike a perfectly placed punctuation mark. The force was tremendous, the sound a rapid-fire staccato that shook the very air.
*CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!*
With the final, definitive blow, the light within the metal surged. A plume of pure white energy, like ethereal steam, rose from the Refined Gold, floating nearly a foot into the air before gently dissipating. The metal itself now rested on the anvil, no longer just a glowing ingot, but a masterpiece. It was smaller, denser, and its surface shone with a deep, liquid gold light, humming with latent power.
The Thousand Refining was complete.
Mang Tian lowered his hammer, his chest heaving slightly. He looked at Yao Xuan, whose face was a mask of awe and dawning comprehension. "You see? That is Thousand Refining. From now on, you will continue your regular parts forging on weekdays. On weekends, I will provide you with metal—start with tungsten steel—to attempt this twice a week. Once you have found your rhythm, you may begin with the Refined Gold."
He placed a heavy, encouraging hand on Yao Xuan's shoulder. "My requirement for you is this: before you graduate, you must successfully create one piece of Thousand Refined metal. Then, you will be qualified. I believe you can do it."
Feeling the weight of both the expectation and the privilege, Yao Xuan bowed deeply. "I will not fail you, Teacher."
He returned to his own forging room, his mind buzzing with the symphony of hammer blows and the image of that rising white light. The door creaked open to reveal Tang Wulin, already covered in a fine layer of soot, his face brightening.
"Hey, Brother Xuan! Why are you so late today?"
Yao Xuan began organizing his materials, a small, tired but satisfied smile on his face. "I broke through to Soul Master today. Master was teaching me the principles of Thousand Refining and demonstrating the process."
"Soul Master! Thousand Refining!" Tang Wulin's eyes shone with unabashed hero worship. "Congratulations, Brother Xuan! You're amazing! You're my idol!"
Yao Xuan chuckled softly, the sound warm in the dusty room. "Thank you, Wulin. But this is just the first step on a long road. With your comprehension and diligence, I am certain you will also advance to Soul Master and learn these arts before we graduate."
Tang Wulin clenched his small fists, his expression hardening with determination. "I'll definitely work hard, Brother Xuan! I promise!"
Nodding in approval, Yao Xuan turned to his anvil. He had spent over an hour immersed in the lesson, and now time was short. The thought of Lin Ximeng's worried expression and, more powerfully, of Na'er waiting for him at home, lent a new urgency to his hands. He picked up his hammer. The familiar weight felt different now. It felt like a key, waiting to unlock the song within the metal.