DONG!
DONG!!
DONG!!!
The ringing of a hammer on steel. The sounds of blazing fire erupting in its wake.
The world was blazing red and gold, like the inside of a furnace of fire.
A figure stood inside this intense world, a hammer in his left hand and what seemed to be a spearhead in his right.
He wore no clothes save the burnt pants covering his lower half.
Even his legs were bare as he hammered down on the spear head.
His skin was tanned due to the intense heat and his black hair was so long that it reached his legs.
Suddenly, the figure lifted his hands and squeezed hard, an unknown liquid gushed down on the spear head, causing the area around him to shudder in shock…
***
Shiiiiiii
A metal dagger still in its hammering and folding state sizzled as it was dipped into a barrel of water, steam singing in the air in wisps.
The dagger was held by a pair of tongs, which pulled it out of the water.
A figure wearing a metallic face cover meant for forge safety looked through the glass opening, observing the dagger's uniform shape.
Then he placed it on a large anvil that looked to be inscribed with runes.
The blade vibrated and heated up, before the figure grabbed a hammer and smacked down.
DONG!
DONG!!
DONG!!!
He hammered three times, before he was interrupted.
"Hey Little Bai, you've done enough for the day. Class is over"
The voice was that of a mature man, but the figure looked anything but mature.
It was a short baby faced young man with long white hair and eyebrows.
He was Gao Han, also called master Han of the forge.
He was a third year at the entry level of Golden Core, a prodigy not in martial arts, but in the art of Forging and Artificing.
His clan, the Gao clan, was also known as the Clan of a Thousand Artifacts, known for their ability to turn even regular cooking utensils into powerful cultivation tools.
He was the Captain of the Foundry, a class that trained most new students in the way of the forge.
Bai Chi lifted the face cover and sighed. In this whole school, many made fun of his weakness and inability to advance.
Young Master Han was one of the exempt few.
He remembered the Gao Clan over 8000 years ago. In his prime, the Clan was just a normal forging family which he had given their founding ancestor an opportunity to cultivate.
He was also one of the traitors that had him killed.
Bai Chi didn't let his hate cloud his judgement. He couldn't visit the sin of the fathers in their descendants.
It hasn't reached that level… Yet.
"Senior Brother I apologize, I just got lost in the art of Forging that I…"
But Gao Han waved his palm casually, before cutting in.
"I know I know… Just round up for today, it's almost nighttime" he pointed to the clock reading 6:32pm
Bai Chi took off his equipment and apron, and grabbed a bag before leaving the forge.
Thousands of years ago, he was known as the Bloody Forger, King of Fire and Iron.
Now, he had to retrain and remaster his abilities from scratch.
The school Foundry was one the only places he could actually practice this, which was one of the reasons he hadn't dropped out of school yet.
As he left, Gao Han walked to the dagger blade he was working on and examined it.
His eyes shone in slight delight and inquisition.
"What an intricate work… how many times did he draw runes and refold this… it's almost similar to how my father does it"
But similar didn't mean the same. He dropped the unfinished work and closed down the forge.
***
Bai Chi walked down the road that night, the sky darkening as he reminisced on the technique he used to make the dagger.
It was called the 32 layers of Folding which he had passed to the Gao Clan with the other forging arts such as the Flame Eater and Fire Spitter art, as well as the Thousand Hammers of Creation.
With these forging techniques, one could turn anything to a heavenly artifact, even a star.
He reminisced about how he had met Gao Han's ancestor, Gao Zhe. Or as he liked to call him, Block head Gao.
***
Bai Chi had just reached the Nascent Soul realm, a powerhouse in his own right.
He was quite popular at that time, known across all the Cultivation world as the Dragon Slayer after his battle and slaughter of a flood dragon.
So he decided to go into disguise with a face changing technique had picked up known as the Myriad Faces of Mystery.
Due to the Heavenly Body Technique, he had not only mastered, but evolved it to the point of hiding one's cultivation level.
He had changed his appearance, appearing younger than his usual middle aged look.
His hair was longer, reaching his waist, his eyes dark brown and his stature was a tad bit shorter… just under 6 feet.
Walking down the streets of the great city of Kaifeng, South of the Great wall.
He glimpsed the wonders of the human world. It had been over two hundred years since he was 'Mortal', struggling to make ends meet whilst grasping any straws to cultivate.
The market region was bustling with people, most of them humans, while some were Yaoguai with a few cultivators amongst them.
"Ohhhhh! Hey watch it that's valuable" someone's yell caught Bai Chi's attention. A young man was thrown out of what seemed to be a blacksmith foundry, holding a broadsword in his arms.
He crashed and rolled, before getting up and yelling:
"You're going to regret it. My Gao Clan will not be denied"
The young man had rough red hair that looked scattered and jagged. He was short, had a small nose and tied a headband over his large forehead.
He looked handsome but in a rugged way, his eyes twinkled as he yelled, shaking his feet.
Bai Chi stood before the young man, puzzled at what was going on.
Soon, he overheard the whispers of the shopkeepers gossiping behind him.
'Hey isn't that Gao Ren? He's at it again with his substandard weapons'
'Peh!!! A heavenly artifact from the Gao clan? If it was six hundred years ago I would believe such a claim. But now…'
'What a pity… how the mighty Gao clan hath fallen'
Bai Chi could vaguely understand what was going on. The young man named Gao Ren dusted his clothes, strapped the sword on his back and began to walk reluctantly away.
Bai Chi followed him, tracing him to what seemed to be a restaurant where he bought some duck noodle soup.
He casually sat opposite the young man before him, paid for his meal and introduced himself.
"Greetings brother. You must be hungry!"
Gao Ren looked at Bai Chi with a suspicious gaze. He stopped eating and looked around, as if trying to find something or someone hidden.
"What do you want?" He mumbled with his mouth full.
"My name is Guo Chen, I overheard that you are Gao Ren of the famous Gao Clan…"
"Infamous Gao clan. No one bothers about us… who sent you anyway? Are you here to scam me? I'll never give you the family forging techniques…Gaaaagh!" he spoke quickly, almost choking on his meal.
Bai Chi smiled, shaking his head as the scatterbrained man grabbed a cup of water to wash down the food stick in his throat.
"Calm down. I never even heard of the Gao Family before. But you seemed talented in crafting… Can I see your sword?"
Gao Ren looked more suspicious as he grasped the broad sword that now reclined on the table next to him.
He didn't take his gaze away from Guo Chen, before slowly lifting the blade and placing it on the table.
The blade was as long as the table itself, and its scabbard was meticulously crafted to give off an aura of regality.
Bai Chi drew the blade out of its scabbard and sighed.
Masterwork!!!… it's Just….
It was just that…
DONG!
DONG!!
DONG!!!
The sound of hammering disrupted Bai Chi's train of thought, bringing him back to reality.
He had just passed what seemed to be a modern-day foundry, where regular day to day artifacts were crafted.
It was already evening and the sun was setting, but a figure at the door stood prominent as he hammered at the slab of hot metal before him.
Bo Jie… the local blacksmith.
He turned and went to greet the seemingly old man who was hammering away on what seemed to be a kitchen knife.
The old man looked up and smiled, wiping the sweat in his brow as he waved in greeting.
"Ahhh. Xiao Chi!!! How was school today?"
Bai Chi nodded and greeted in response
"It is so-so. I just got out from Artifact Crafting class"
The old man chuckled as he dusted his apron and puffed his chest.
"You have a great future ahead of you Xiao Chi. You must continue in the way of Artifact Forging, maybe you will become as popular as Old Jie, huhuhuhu!"
Bai Chi sighed as he waved to leave. Blacksmithing and Artifact Forging was something he had once mastered and being at the top thousands of years ago, but now…
He didn't put much thought into it for now.
What he was excited mostly about was something different…
The Heavenly Body Technique…