Douluo Continent: From Internal Martial Arts to the Law of Heaven and Earth

As for Lou Gao's earlier mention of "entering a state of deep concentration," Tang Shan felt that it might be related to the opponent's mastery of transforming force into energy through his arms. However, this matter was not urgent and could be discussed later.

written request for leave

A heads-up: I have something to do tomorrow, so there will only be two updates totaling 4000 words each. I apologize for that.

Chapter 323 A Bizarre Fusion Forging

"Actually, it's more of an idea about forging than a suggestion."

Tangshan pulled over two low stools, handing one to Guyue beside him and pushing the other to Lougao.

Lou Gao pushed the chair back, took a folding stool from under the forging table, sat down, and asked with interest, "What are your thoughts?"

"The first point is about purification. The senior researchers believe that when we repeatedly purify metals, have we really reached the limits that a material itself can reach? Have we removed all impurities?"

Tang Shan's question made Lou Gao frown slightly. His well-defined fingers tapped the forging table. After a moment of silence, he gently shook his head: "It shouldn't be completely purified. But to go any further would be extremely difficult. One wrong move and the entire structure of the metal would be completely destroyed."

"Then why doesn't the senior try a different approach? If, while refining the metal, you rearrange the internal metal particles using soul power and hammer techniques, could the metal's strength be increased to another level?"

The question about Tangshan stunned Lou Gao, who then slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "That's right! How come I never thought of this path!"

Lou Gao's talent in blacksmithing was absolutely sufficient; otherwise, he would not have been able to become a master craftsman.

With just a little guidance from Tangshan, he immediately understood which direction to explore, without needing further explanation from Tangshan.

Tang Shan was relieved to see that Lou Gao had already grasped the future research direction and that the other party clearly intended to explore it in this direction.

Tang Shan has only told Lou Gao the direction of Thousand Forging so far. As for Spirit Forging, he hasn't said anything yet. After all, there are no Soul Spirits in Douluo Continent at the moment, so whether Spirit Forging is possible is a real question.

Besides, the difficulty of the Thousand Refinement process is inherent. No matter how talented Lou Gao is, he cannot reach the pinnacle of the Thousand Refinement process in a short period of time. If he could, he would not be a master craftsman, but a master craftsman god.

"And what's your second thought?"

Lou Gao took a deep breath, no longer daring to underestimate the young man in front of him, and asked solemnly.

"The second path is alloys."

"Alloy?" Lou Gao frowned, clearly puzzled by Tang Shan's answer.

Tang Shan noticed his confusion and explained, "It's not a crude alloy made by simply melting metals and mixing them randomly, but a more sophisticated method of fusion."

"Then how should it be forged?"

Lou Gao's eyes lit up, his furrowed brows relaxed, and he was very much looking forward to Tang Shan's idea. He said that someone who could think of further refining metals could not possibly have such a simple idea. There must be another secret behind it.

Tang Shan's lips twitched, and his expression turned somewhat strange as he recalled the absurd forging method of Dou San Alloy.

"Put two different metals together and forge them simultaneously, allowing them to gradually fuse together."

Lou Gao: He wondered if there was something wrong with his ears, because the way he heard things was strange.

"You mean, you put two completely different metals together and repeatedly hammer them until they are forcibly fused together, and that's what you call an alloy?"

Lou Gao couldn't help but confirm again, his tone full of disbelief.

"That's right, that's the method I came up with."

Tangshan himself knew that this method was somewhat unreliable, and even sounded very absurd, but he still nodded firmly in agreement.

Tang Shan knew why Lou Gao asked again. To be honest, when he reviewed Dou San's forging system and found out how the alloy was made, he was also very confused.

No, that's an alloy, not welded. You knocked out an alloy using welding methods, is that reasonable?

Lou Gao fell silent. Even though Gu Yue didn't have a particularly thorough understanding of the human world, she felt that this second idea was indeed quite bizarre.

Her clear, bright eyes blinked, a hint of confusion in them, as she carefully examined the serious-looking Tang Shan. Her little nose wrinkled, and her small, white hands twitched restlessly, as if she wanted to see if Tang Shan had a fever.

There's no way around it, this idea is not something Tang Shan could come up with. If you hammer metal together to make an alloy, then if I inject some of the Golden Dragon King's blood into my body, wouldn't I be able to directly fuse it into the bloodline of the Dragon God?

An eerie silence fell over the studio, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward. Finally, Tang Shan broke the silence: "Senior Lou Gao, I know that this second idea is indeed, seems, appears, possibly, probably, perhaps, seemingly, should be a bit outrageous."

Tang Shan tried to find some excuses for his bizarre theory. He paused slightly before continuing, "But that doesn't stop us from trying it ourselves and seeing if it really works."

Tang Shan was helpless, truly helpless. He knew this idea was abstract, but the laws of the world were set up this way, so what could he do?

Seeing that Tang Shan's purification idea was truly ingenious and had given him great inspiration, Lou Gao, though he thought the alloying method was absurd, still nodded in agreement to Tang Shan's request.

Lou Gao lit a fire in the furnace and took out two ordinary metals from the shelf next to him, one brass and the other black iron. Both were about the size of a human head, and Lou Gao placed them directly into the blazing flames.

A wave of heat emanated from his forging table and spread outwards. Tang Shan and Gu Yue pulled their chairs back to avoid affecting the forging process in Lou Gao.

What if it fails?

Seeing that there was some distance between them and the building, Gu Yue couldn't help but lean close to Tang Shan's ear and whisper a question.

The girl's breath gently brushed against his ear, and her delicate fragrance filled his nostrils.

"It can't be wrong."

Tang Shan turned his head and looked intently into the girl's eyes. Their pupils reflected each other's images, and the air gradually warmed up.

"I believe you." Perhaps it was the rising room temperature that made Gu Yue's cheeks flush slightly. She quickly turned her head away, her long eyelashes drooping gently to hide the slight panic in her eyes. She was already thinking about how to subtly prevent Tang Shan from taking this setback to heart.

Tang Shan was naturally unaware of what Gu Yue was thinking at this moment. He was full of confidence in his suggestion. If the forging failed, it would not be his problem, but rather a problem with the world. After all, even the rules of the creator god could be wrong, so what else could he say?

Time passed second by second, and the brass and iron gradually turned red-hot under the high temperature, their texture softening little by little.

After another breath, Lou Gao's eyes suddenly narrowed, and his powerful soul force surged out like a tide, steadily supporting the two thoroughly heated raw materials and gently placing them on the cold, heavy anvil.

With a flash of gray light, he firmly grasped two heavy hammers in his hands. The next moment, a dense rain of hammer shadows crashed down, smashing down like a storm, instantly engulfing the two pieces of bright red raw material.

Tang Shan's eyes narrowed. Compared to the demonstration he had given to the group of blacksmiths before, Lou Gao's forging this time was quite different.

The hammer fell faster, with more stable force, and most importantly, he used his soul power.

The metal, which originally required active control to rotate, began to turn on its own under the mobilization of soul power, striving to ensure that every part was struck and purified by the hammer. As a result, the purification effect was better and the time consumed was reduced.

Chapter 324 Restrictions

Tangshan also discovered a detail: Lou Gao did not start by fusing and forging the two pieces of metal, but instead purified them first.

The overlapping hammer shadows enveloped them, and their overall volume shrank rapidly. In a very short time, the entire piece of metal was purified.

Next came the fusion forging. The two pieces of metal overlapped, and a hammer fell, striking both simultaneously and causing a large section to collapse downwards.

Although he had no prior experience in forging, the first hammer blow, fueled by the instincts honed from countless forging attempts, gave Lou Gao a vague grasp of what to do next.

Bang bang bang!

With each hammer blow, even though it was just an attempt, Lou Gao remained completely focused on the two pieces of material that were gradually deforming, not missing a single change.

This is one of the reasons why he became a master craftsman: absolute focus.

In terms of strength, he is not as good as Titan, whose martial soul is a powerful gorilla. In terms of mastery of the hammer, he is not as good as Tang Hao, the Haotian Douluo. The reason he was able to reach the level of standing shoulder to shoulder with them step by step is that, in addition to his unparalleled love for forging, he takes every forging seriously and goes all out.

Therefore, although he might not be as good as the other two in the final product due to his martial spirit, Lou Gao believed that he was far superior to them in terms of his understanding and theory of forging.

Something seems to have changed!

Lou Gao, who was focused on swinging the hammer, had incredibly sharp ears. In a certain instant, he clearly heard a rather peculiar sound.

The sound was different from the muffled sound of a hammer striking black iron, and also different from the crisp sound of a hammer striking brass. It was a sound he had never heard from any metal before.

Could this be the correct way to forge alloys?

The moment the doubt surfaced in Lou Gao's mind, he immediately put it aside. Nothing else mattered. What mattered to him now was completing this forging, regardless of the final result.

Lou Gao held the two hammers steadily, adjusting his force according to the deformation of the metal as he struck. The hammerheads slammed firmly into the raw material, continuously compressing the two layers of metal, causing the edges to gradually interlock and blurring the originally distinct boundary. He synchronized his breathing with the hammer blows, and with each inhale and exhale, the two hammers fell alternately, the force evenly penetrating the metal's interior, allowing the two materials to slowly bond together through continuous hammering.

The temperature in the workshop gradually rose. Tang Shan stared intently at Lou Gao's movements. Gu Yue's attention also shifted to Lou Gao at some point, her eyes fixed on the gradually changing raw materials, her small mouth gradually opening into an "O" shape.

Clang!

The originally crisp and rhythmic tapping sound suddenly changed, emitting a piercing metallic crack. Tang Shan frowned and sighed silently. Clearly, this forging attempt had failed.

call!

Lou Gao let out a long sigh, his forehead covered in sweat.

Under normal circumstances, with his Soul Saint level strength, he wouldn't even break a sweat, let alone this amount of exercise. Even if he were squatting by a stove to roast, he wouldn't sweat. But at this moment, he was sweating profusely from head to toe.

Looking at the raw material riddled with cracks, Lou Gao's expression was extremely complicated. He never expected that what he thought was a wrong turn was actually true.

The special metal, which was mixed between brass and black iron and had the color of dusk, was obviously a brand new alloy. However, at this moment, the alloy was covered with cracks, and its internal structure and material had obviously been severely damaged. The only use for this kind of material was to make agricultural tools.

“Kid, your thinking is correct. Forging two metals together can indeed form a new alloy. This is an unprecedented forging method.”

The mixed metal material still retained a considerable amount of residual heat, but Lou Gao didn't care at all and simply picked the metal up from the anvil.

A powerful surge of soul energy enveloped his palm, protecting him from the scalding heat. He held it up to his eyes and examined it closely.

"It was just good luck, plus the senior's solid technique, that's why we barely achieved some results."

Tangshan is no joke. You have to understand that not just any two metals can be fused together to form an alloy. It takes millions of trials to completely verify which metals can be fused together.

Lou Gao was able to select brass and black iron, two matching metals, from among many others, and achieve initial fusion during the first forging. This can only be attributed to a combination of luck and forging skill.

Forging has strict requirements for raw materials. The metal must first undergo a thousand forgings to completely remove internal impurities and ensure that the structure is stable enough before fusion can be attempted.

Materials that have not undergone rigorous forging have a loose and fragile internal structure. Forcing them to fuse will only cause them to crack from the inside under pressure, making it difficult for them to withstand true fusion.

The building didn't fail from the start; it only started to crack after parts of it had already been integrated. This level of skill far surpasses that of ordinary people.

After all, he didn't fail at the very beginning of the metal fusion, but only after some of the metals had started to fuse, which was already quite remarkable.

Do you have any other ideas?

Turning to look at Tang Shan, who was examining the metal in his hand, Lou Gao's eyes lit up, and he asked excitedly.

Tang Shan shook his head decisively: "Senior, no, that's all. These are the only two ideas I have for now."

"Ok."

Lou Gao stared intently at Tang Shan's face, confirming that he didn't seem to be lying, and shook his head with some regret.

"Kid, just tell me, how do you want me to repay you?"

Reluctantly placing the mixed metal scraps on the anvil, Lou Gao's expression turned serious as he looked at Tang Shan.

"You have paved two new paths for future forging, and your contribution is immense. Why don't you take over as the president of the blacksmiths' association?"

Tang Shan's lips twitched. He never expected that Tang San's experience in the original story would happen to him as well.

Faced with Lou Gao's invitation, he shook his head and refused without hesitation, and directly stated his request: "Senior Lou Gao, I have only provided ideas, and I am not worthy of the position of president of the blacksmith association. If you must give me a promise, then when you have truly made these two paths successful in the future, when I come to you for advice, you can give me some pointers."

"Of course, that's no problem. You're the guide on these two paths. Without you, we don't know how many more years we would have had to fumble around."

Lou Gao agreed very readily, without the slightest hesitation.