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

when!

With the final hammer blow, Tang Shan looked at the iron billet, now shrunk to almost half its original size and beginning to take shape. He nodded in satisfaction, put the forging hammer into his storage ring, and then looked at Tie Zhong: "Master Tie, what do you think of my forging?"

"You are the most talented blacksmith I have ever seen!" Tie Zhong did not hold back his praise, praising Tang Shan's talent incessantly until Tang Shan himself became a little embarrassed and stopped talking.

"After two more days of forging, you can try shaping. Once you master shaping, you'll be considered a master." Tie Zhong patted Tang Shan's shoulder heavily, his eyes full of satisfaction.

"Master Tie, I don't want to learn shaping for now. I want to go further and learn other forging methods," Tang Shan said.

Hearing this, Tie Zhong had some doubts, but he did not immediately refute it. After three days of contact, he had gained a general understanding of Tang Shan and knew that the other party was clear about his goals and organized in his work, and was by no means a person who acted on a whim or did things on a whim.

"Master Tie, what do you think of the status of the blacksmith profession?" Tang Shan pulled over two chairs, sat down in one, and pushed the other to Tie Zhong.

Tie Zhong's burly body settled into the chair, which groaned under its weight. "I don't have much status, or rather, apart from Soul Masters, other professions are probably similar to blacksmiths." A self-deprecating smile appeared on his face, his tone revealing an undisguised sense of desolation.

Anyone who learns that the career they've dedicated their life to will ultimately fall short of true excellence will inevitably feel a sense of dejection. "I love forging, I love the whole process of refining and shaping metal. But no matter how good my skills are, they are utterly worthless in the face of a true Soul Master."

As he spoke, Tie Zhong suddenly patted Tang Shan on the shoulder and solemnly instructed him: "Tang Shan, I am very happy to have a Soul Master who loves forging as much as I do. But I hope you don't become too obsessed with it. Cultivating your Soul Power properly is the right path for a Soul Master."

Faced with Tie Zhong's sincere gaze, Tang Shan couldn't help but feel a little guilty. He said that he loved forging, but that was just a lie. What he really cared about was never forging itself, but the power boost that forging might bring him.

cough cough.

Tang Shan coughed twice, composed himself, and replied earnestly, "Master Tie, don't worry, I will definitely not neglect my training."

He then changed the subject: "Have you ever thought about raising the status of the blacksmith profession?"

Upon hearing Tang Shan's empty promises, Tie Zhong did not show any excitement. Instead, he shook his head helplessly: "I've thought about it, but there's no opportunity. We blacksmiths all know that the key to improving our status lies in soul tools, but we simply can't research the technology of soul tools."

"It's not about soul tools, but another direction," Tang Shan interrupted him directly. Given the current state of Douluo Continent, unless those two peerless Douluo crossed the vast ocean to steal the method of making soul tools from the neighboring continent, even if ordinary blacksmiths or all the soul masters on the continent devoted themselves to research, they might not achieve much.

“My idea is to continue refining the metal.” Tang Shan’s words sparked a flash of inspiration in Tie Zhong’s mind, but it vanished in an instant. He suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with fervent anticipation: “Tang Shan, what do you mean by that?”

Feeling the other person's burning gaze, Tang Shan shifted uncomfortably.

The fish has finally taken the bait.

"In my opinion, shaping is just a process of forging materials into corresponding models, which doesn't involve much technical skill. That's why I said I wouldn't learn it for now. Of the four stages of blacksmithing, the one most worth exploring is actually the third stage, the forging process used to purify metals and remove impurities."

Before Tie Zhong could respond, Tang Shan continued to explain his thoughts: "When we forge iron, we basically start shaping it after confirming that the material has reached a certain strength. But can't the purification process continue? Or have we really completely removed all impurities from the metal?"

"This..." Iron Bell's mind reeled, as if a whole new door had been opened. Yes, why couldn't it be refined further? Why couldn't the material's strength be increased further? Isn't the core work of a blacksmith purifying metal? When did the finishing touch, shaping, become the essence of a blacksmith?

"Actually, perhaps some predecessors have already wanted to develop in the direction of improving metal strength, but they may have gone astray." Tang Shan interrupted Tie Zhong's thoughts and voiced his guess. "You see, some predecessors like to repeatedly forge a piece of metal, then fold it, and then forge it again. Isn't there something wrong with this approach? Shouldn't we not rush into folding it, but instead purify the metal to its ultimate level first?"

"Purify to the extreme before talking about folding and forging... Yes! If the metal is not fully purified, and you rush to fold and forge it, the internal metal elements will naturally repel each other, so it is not surprising that the effect of folding and forging has an upper limit!"

At this moment, Tie Zhong was completely lost in thought, muttering to himself, his expression shifting unpredictably—sometimes ecstatic, sometimes annoyed, sometimes indignant…

After a long while, Tie Zhong finally snapped out of his daze. His gaze toward Tang Shan was filled with fervor, as if he had seen the legendary master craftsman.

"Tangshan, I really don't know how to thank you... If your suggestion can truly help the blacksmithing profession rise to prominence, you will be the new generation's master craftsman! No, you will be the god of craftsmanship yourself!"

PS: This is the beginning of the forging system, providing a reasonable explanation for why the blacksmiths in Douluo Continent didn't discover forging before. Please add to your favorites, follow the story, give monthly tickets, recommend, and comment—I'm asking for everything!

Chapter 35 Discusses the Reasons for the Decline of the Tang Clan and the Terrifying Power of Mechanized Hidden Weapons

"That's an exaggeration, that's an exaggeration."

Upon hearing that he was being compared to the master craftsman, Tang Shan waved his hands repeatedly.

"Master Tie, let's check if this direction is correct first."

Tie Zhong nodded, his burly body suddenly standing up, and took a large piece of iron from the shelf next to him and placed it on the anvil.

Seeing that the other party was about to forge iron, Tangshan took the initiative to start the bellows.

call!

The scorching flames licked the iron, and its original iron-gray color quickly turned bright red, while its hard texture gradually softened.

The huge iron clamps held the heated iron firmly in the left hand of the iron bell. In his right hand, he held an iron hammer about the size of two heads. After confirming that the heat had penetrated into the iron, he swung the hammer without hesitation.

Clang!

With a loud metallic clang, the entire piece of iron dented downwards, its originally irregular shape transforming into a barely formed trapezoid.

With a single blow, he used the recoil to easily lift the hammer high into the air before slamming it down again.

Amidst the flying sparks, the metal rapidly deforms, and impurities within are removed with each forging process.

"Huff."

Less than fifteen minutes later, Tie Zhong stopped what he was doing. The iron piece that was originally the size of a washbasin was now only the size of a football. By this time, he was covered in sweat.

"Tangshan, this is the limit of my usual tempering. From now on, I will either start shaping directly or folding and forging."

Tie Zhong picked up a towel hanging to the side, casually wiped his face, and looked at Tang Shan.

"Master Iron, what will happen if we continue forging?"

Tangshan asked the question.

"If I hammered it any further, the metal would break after a few more hits, so I stopped trying because I thought it would be a waste of materials."

Tie Zhong stroked the iron hammer in his hand, recalling Tangshan's previous ideas and problems, and seemed to have some clues.

"Master Iron, don't worry about wasting metal. When you first learned forging, didn't you waste materials at all?"

Tangshan offered his suggestions, while recalling the entire process of forging the iron bell.

The blacksmith probably forged the raw material hundreds of times, and now the quality of this metal should have reached the level of a hundred-stage metal from the third stage of the Warring States period.

The standard of 100-stage forging may be applicable across three periods, but what can truly bring about a qualitative change in metal is probably 1,000-stage forging.

Lou Gao, the master craftsman during the first era of Dou Yi, may have had the strength to forge a thousand metals, but he may not have been able to truly achieve it. After all, a thousand-forged metal should exhibit some unique metallic properties, but the Eight Treasures Ruyi Soft Armor he forged in the original work did not show these characteristics.

"Alternative forging" might be an unconventional approach, using alternative methods to forge metal to achieve the strength of a thousand forgings.

After pondering for a while, Tang Shan guessed that the master craftsmen of the Douyi era may have made the metal have the strength of a thousand forgings by repeatedly folding and forging it, but they failed to give it the characteristics that a truly thousand-forged metal should have.

However, since he hadn't personally witnessed the forging process of the Divine Craftsman Douyi, he couldn't make any hasty conclusions.

Tie Zhong finished his contemplation and decided to give it a try, following Tang Shan's suggestion.

Yes, blacksmiths inevitably waste metal during forging, so what's a little bit of loss on my part?

After figuring it out, he reheated the iron to fix it, and then picked up the hammer again to continue forging.

One hammer blow, two hammer blows, three hammer blows...

After being hammered about twenty more times, fine cracks appeared on the surface of the iron, and then it shattered completely.

Faced with this result, Tie Zhong, who had already prepared himself mentally, was not discouraged. Instead, he carefully recalled every detail of the forging process, pondering where he could further optimize the process and whether the hammer's placement needed adjustment...

After pondering for a moment, he took another piece of raw material and began forging again.

At this moment, Tie Zhong seemed to have returned to the years when he was still a blacksmith's apprentice, focused and persistent, without any distractions. Even when Tang Shan greeted him and said that he had to go back first, he simply responded and continued to immerse himself in the forging in his hands.

Stepping out of the blacksmith shop, Tang Shan walked slowly toward the Great Soul Arena, reflecting on his forging progress over the past few days.

With my exquisite control over my own body, the technique of exerting force when forging iron is basically not a problem. In fact, after returning, I even used my soul skill to further optimize the way I exert force.

The bellows operation is essentially about controlling the flame, and with my decent mental strength, I quickly grasped the essentials.

As for controlling the temperature of metal heating, it needs to be adjusted according to the material and impurity content of the raw materials. It may take more practice to become proficient in this aspect.

The forging techniques during the Douyi era were indeed not very difficult, and it seems that the technical direction of these people has gone astray. They did not focus on metal purification and improving the nature of materials at all, but instead concentrated on metal processing, manufacturing and shaping techniques.

This can be seen from the Eight Treasures Ruyi Soft Armor crafted by Douyi Divine Craftsman Lou Gao, and the ability to forge the Buddha's Wrath Tang Lotus.

However, in terms of processing and shaping techniques alone, they have already reached the pinnacle, especially in building height.

Without systematic training, directly engaging in techniques like mechanical arts and being able to personally create the Tang Clan's first mechanical hidden weapon, the Buddha's Wrath Tang Lotus, demonstrates an astonishing manual dexterity that is probably in no way inferior to those national treasures in my previous life who could personally forge the outer shells of nuclear bombs.

Thinking of this, Tang Shan couldn't help but recall the absurd reasons for the decline of the Tang Clan during the second era of Dou Er.

First, the collision between the Sun and Moon Continents brought about Soul Guidance Devices. The effects of Soul Guidance Devices far surpassed those of traditional hidden weapons, directly causing Tang Sect's hidden weapons to lose their market. Later, the Tang Sect Master was too stubborn, single-mindedly cultivating the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul according to the path of the "Great Tang Buddha," resulting in none of the sect masters throughout the generations becoming true powerhouses.

Leaving aside the latter reason for the decline, it can only be said that every leader of the Tang Clan had some wild ideas. What Tang Shan truly couldn't understand was the first reason mentioned earlier.

To be fair, objectively speaking, the top three mechanical hidden weapons of the Tang Clan are absolutely incredibly effective.

The Rain of Pear Blossom Needles were not shown much in the original work, so Tang Shan couldn't make a judgment. However, the Buddha's Wrath Tang Lotus, which ranked first among hidden weapons, and the Peacock Feather, which ranked third, were so powerful that Tang Shan felt the decline of the Tang Clan was nothing short of a miracle.

In the original novel, when the Buddha's Wrath Lotus was used by "Rogue Rabbit" (Xiao Wu), the first one killed more than seventy Soul Saints who had awakened their Martial Soul True Body. After the second one was used, it killed more than thirty Soul Douluos from the Spirit Hall.

Tangshan said, "I don't understand, but I am deeply shocked."

Such a brilliant victory is so powerful that it would be no exaggeration to say that its power is equivalent to half a level 9 fixed-position soul-guided cannon shell.

Moreover, compared to the level nine fixed-position soul-guided cannon shell, the Buddha's Wrath Tang Lotus has three unparalleled advantages:

Firstly, the cost is much lower. Even if the rare metals required are extremely rare, the size of a Buddha's Wrath Tang Lotus is only so big. It might be possible to make it using some leftover scraps from making soul tools. Even if the materials are indeed rare, since the Sun and Moon Continents have already collided and merged, the rare metals required to make the Buddha's Wrath Tang Lotus will definitely not be scarce.

Secondly, the release is completely silent and without any fluctuation of soul power, so it will not arouse the vigilance of powerful individuals.

Thirdly, as a mechanical concealed weapon, anyone can control it once they learn how to use it. Even ordinary people can easily unleash attack power at the level of a Soul Douluo or even a Title Douluo after using it. It is definitely an excellent weapon for assassinating the strongmen of the Sun Moon Empire.

The more Tang Shan thought about it, the more outrageous it seemed that the Tang Clan's claims during the second era of Dou Di Zhuan were. With such outstanding hidden weapons, he was confident that it would not be difficult for a single Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus to be sold for the same value as a level nine fixed-position soul-guided cannon shell.

The third-ranked Peacock Feather is even more extraordinary. When "Rogue Rabbit" (Xiao Wu) used it, the level 97 Super Douluo Qingluan Douluo was not aware of the danger at all and was directly severely injured.

Tangshan, my jaw has dropped; Sun Moon Empire, I'll trade it for a level 9 fixed-position soul-guided cannon shell.

Although the Peacock Feather requires close combat to unleash its maximum power, its strongest achievement is only severely injuring a level 97 Title Douluo, which seems to be slightly inferior to a level 9 fixed-position soul guide cannonball that is comparable to the full-force attack of a Limit Douluo.

The key point is that when you bring a level-nine fixed-position soul-guided cannonball close to a titled Douluo powerhouse, the opponent will definitely sense it. But if you bring the Peacock Feather in front of the opponent, they may not be able to react until you launch an attack and the opponent is hit.

Otherwise, given the Sun Moon Empire's numerous level-nine fixed-position soul-guided cannons, if they could truly get close to top Douluo experts, why wouldn't they take the opportunity to launch a "terrorist attack"?

The Peacock Feather is also a type of mechanical hidden weapon. It does not require soul power to activate, and its small size makes it easy for ordinary people to use. Even when facing a Super Douluo who has reached the state of oneness with heaven and man, it will not pose any threat to the opponent.

……

"With such a strong hand, how did the Tang Clan manage to ruin themselves? Could it be that the great Tang Clan Master didn't leave behind the methods for making mechanical hidden weapons?"

Tang Shan couldn't help but mutter to himself.

"Losing the mid-level hidden weapon market is one thing, but there's still the top-level hidden weapon market. Just with the terrifying power of the Buddha's Wrath Lotus and the Peacock Feather, if I were the Tang Sect Master, I could easily train a hundred Blue Silver Grass Martial Souls, let alone one."

And then there's the Mother-and-Child Soul-Chasing Deadly Dart. Even a level 91 or 92 Dugu Bo could use it to directly challenge the top-tier offensive Super Douluo, Chrysanthemum Gate. This hidden weapon is truly monstrous.

The more Tang Shan thought about these things, the more he felt that the decline of the Tang Clan was too outrageous. Not to mention the second era of Dou Di Zhuan, even in the third era of Dou Di Zhuan, with the unique characteristics of not needing to be activated by soul power and being undetectable by strong people, the top-notch mechanical hidden weapons could still dominate the world.

Strolling leisurely to the front of the Great Soul Arena, I saw the old man in charge of carving had brought out a reclining chair from somewhere and was lying on it, letting the gentle sunlight fall on him, looking very comfortable.

"Elder Xuan, has my elder brother come out yet?"