Douluo Continent II: The Dragon King Suppresses the World!

Chapter 25 Thousand-Refined Sinking Silver

The first academic year at Shrek Academy is finally drawing to a close, and the upcoming holiday is a time of mixed emotions for many students—a time of both anticipation and nervousness. Every year, Shrek Academy's holiday is fixed at one month. However, this month is not a time for students to relax and indulge in leisurely travels; its true purpose is clear and rigorous: to require them to integrate the rich knowledge and complex skills they have acquired over the previous eleven months and dedicate themselves to rigorous training within this short period.

After a month-long break, the crucial, life-determining entrance exam will follow. Any student who fails this exam will be ruthlessly eliminated by the academy. Therefore, this annual break becomes the most arduous and busy period for most students.

"Teacher," Ye Qi'an greeted Siyuan with a slight bow, full of respect.

Siyuan nodded slightly and said calmly, "On holiday?"

Ye Qi'an replied, "Not yet, but soon."

Siyuan then asked, her tone tinged with concern, "Is there anything you need to do during your vacation?"

Ye Qi'an nodded and said, "I need to cultivate."

"Alright, now it's time to complete my test for you." A glint suddenly flashed in Siyuan's eyes, a glint filled with anticipation.

"A test?" Ye Qi'an was taken aback, his face full of doubt, and asked, puzzled, "Teacher, what kind of test?"

Siyuan's eyes were serious and expectant as he earnestly said, "I had you lay the foundation before, and you were already able to complete the initial stages of Thousand Refinement. Now, with your level 35 soul power, you are fully capable of adapting to the more difficult Thousand Refinement. If you can perfectly complete one Thousand Refinement, then you have passed my test."

"Teacher, shall I start now?" Ye Qi'an asked impatiently, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Wait a moment, let me take you to test your strength first." Siyuan shook his head and said with a serious and focused expression.

Afterwards, Siyuan led Ye Qi'an to his forging room. In the somewhat cluttered room filled with various instruments, Siyuan accurately located the instrument specifically used to judge a blacksmith's strength—a strength testing device.

Although this instrument appears simple to make, it requires extremely high precision. Only by achieving such precision can the true strength of a blacksmith be accurately measured. This strength testing instrument consists of two main parts: a square platform at the bottom, a cylinder at the top, and behind it, a two-meter-high metal pillar with a slender mercury column on top.

When a blacksmith conducts a strength test, he simply strikes the metal column below with a forging hammer. The mercury column behind it rises accordingly based on the force of the strike, thus accurately measuring the impact force. Furthermore, this strength testing device automatically deducts the force exerted by the forging hammer itself, ensuring the accuracy of the test results.

"Let's begin. Left hand first." Siyuan steadily handed the testing forging hammer to Ye Qian.

Ye Qi'an gripped the forging hammer tightly with his left hand, took a deep breath, turned his body halfway, and suddenly swung the hammer with all his might. In that instant, all the strength in his body seemed to be concentrated in his arm without reservation, and the forging hammer, with a piercing whistle, crashed down with the force of a thunderbolt.

"boom--"

A deafening roar erupted, and the column of mercury shot upwards. The thunderous sound even caused Siyuan to experience a brief ringing in his ears. Seemingly wanting to confirm he wasn't mistaken, Siyuan shouted, "Left arm strike force, 1500 jin!!!"

1,500 jin! Keep in mind, this is only Ye Qi'an's physical strength, before even releasing his Martial Soul. If he were to release his Martial Soul before striking, the power might even double. Ye Qi'an is only a little over eleven years old this year, yet he possesses such astonishing strength; in any case, Si Yuan at his age could never achieve that.

"Right arm," Siyuan said in a low voice, with a hint of anticipation.

Ye Qi'an transferred the hammer to his right hand, took another deep breath, and a faint golden light flashed in the depths of his unfathomable eyes. This time, the sharp whistling sound from the forging hammer became even more ear-piercing, as if it were tearing the air apart.

"Boom—" The whole room seemed to shake slightly, and dust fell in a flurry.

"Strike force, three thousand kilograms." Siyuan was now completely bewildered, his eyes filled with disbelief. Ye Qian'an's right arm was almost twice as strong as his left arm.

"Teacher, have I started the Thousand Refinements?" Ye Qi'an asked tentatively, his eyes full of eagerness.

Siyuan nodded, his face full of surprise, and said, "I didn't expect your power to be so strong. If I didn't know you so well, I would have thought you were a soul beast in human form. Let's go."

The two returned to Ye Qi'an's forging room. Si Yuan carefully took out a piece of silvery-white metal and solemnly said, "I have already taught you what type of metal can be forged a thousand times. This is a piece of deep-sea sunken silver. You can try it now."

"The so-called 'thousand-time forging' is not as simple as just hammering a thousand times. It means removing all impurities from the metal through continuous forging and increasing its density. At the same time, the greatest effect of 'thousand-time forging' is sublimation. Only when the metal undergoes sublimation during the forging process can it be considered true 'thousand-time forging'."

"Yes." Ye Qi'an nodded solemnly, his expression focused and firm.

Forging requires treating the metal as a living entity and trying every means to communicate with it during the forging process. For this reason, forging is also known as mental forging, which requires forging with your heart and understanding.

Ye Qi'an opened the forging table and placed the smelted silver into the forging furnace inside, beginning to heat it. Smelted silver is incredibly hard, but after being heated at high temperatures, it gains some ductility; only smelted silver in this state is suitable for forging. At this moment, Ye Qi'an picked up the tungsten steel hammer.

After burning in the forging furnace for a full half hour, the slush silver finally reached a temperature suitable for forging. As the slush silver block rose again, Ye Qi'an's eyes instantly became focused. He gently raised his right hammer and lightly tapped the slush silver block, producing a crisp "ding-ding" sound.

The left hammer was then swung up and struck the edge of the silver with a "clang". The entire silver block bounced slightly. The right hammer fell as fast as lightning and struck the other side.

The double hammers began to swing continuously, and the forging process commenced. Ye Qi'an did not use his full strength; he only used about 40% of his power when swinging the tungsten steel hammers. Sparks flew everywhere, and the intense hammering sounds echoed continuously in the forging room, like a stirring symphony.

Soon, the hundred hammer blows were finished. Just as a thousand forgings are not simply a matter of hammering a thousand times, a hundred forgings are not merely a matter of hammering a hundred times. The key lies in removing impurities from the metal while increasing its density without damaging its internal structure.

Ye Qi'an's hammers rose and fell continuously, his gaze unwavering and focused, without the slightest slackening. As the hammering continued, the silver block began to undergo subtle changes; its originally rough surface gradually became smooth, emitting a faint glow, as if life was being nurtured within it.

Siyuan observed silently from the side, a look of satisfaction gradually appearing in his eyes, and he nodded slightly.

Gradually, the purification effect of the hundred forgings became apparent. Before Ye Qi'an's eyes, the piece of dark silver seemed to be emitting a faint light, and Ye Qi'an's eyes became brighter and brighter, like the brilliant stars in the night sky. The frequency of his hammering also began to increase, and all the power in his body was concentrated in the pair of tungsten steel hammers, as if he had become one with the hammers.

The silver became increasingly solid, and its volume gradually shrank. At this point, its density seemed to have reached its limit, and it would no longer shrink inward.

"Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang..."

Suddenly, the piece of silver trembled slightly as Ye Qi'an forged it. Then, a bright silver light broke through the furnace fire and instantly illuminated the entire forging room in a silvery white light, dazzling and radiant.

Ye Qi'an brought down both hammers simultaneously, striking the object heavily. Instantly, the silver light became even more unrestrained, like a wild horse. As if he had been prepared, Ye Qi'an took out a small knife and made a cut on his wrist, a spurt of blood spraying out, landing right on the shimmering silver.

Ye Qi'an stared intently at the shimmering silver metal, then shut off the furnace. Blood dripped into the silver light, extinguishing the flames and revealing the metal itself. It had shrunk even further than before, and the fiery red color on the dark silver faded at an alarming rate, along with the shimmering silver light.

Siyuan remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "This piece of metal is yours now. Those tungsten steel hammers aren't enough for you anymore. This piece of smelted silver is just the right size to reforge two more hammers."

The heavy silver was extremely heavy. According to Ye Qi'an's estimate, this large piece of silver probably weighed close to 800 kilograms. As soon as he touched the metal, he felt a connection to it, as if it should have been a part of his body.

After a day of meticulous work, the heavy silver hammers were finally completed. In terms of style, these heavy silver hammers were not much different from the previous tungsten steel hammers, and even their size was similar. However, their weight was not reduced, but instead increased many times over. On the surface of the heavy silver hammers, a golden dragon-shaped phantom was faintly visible, mysterious and majestic.

"Xiao An, let me see what its Thousand Refinement Special Effects are," Si Yuan said to Ye Qi'an.

"Hmm." Ye Qi'an nodded, holding the two thousand-forged heavy silver hammers in each hand.

After forging, a series of measurements were taken: the left hammer weighed 300 kilograms and the right hammer weighed 500 kilograms.

A piece of metal, already prepared, rises from the forging furnace.

Ye Qi'an's eyes narrowed, and he instantly became focused.

"Ding, ding, ding, ding!" Four crisp sounds rang out.

"Xiao An, try again," Si Yuan said almost urgently.

Ye Qi'an nodded and struck it again with his left hand, producing four crisp sounds.

With anticipation in his eyes, Siyuan said, "Xiao An, try swinging the hammer with all your might."

Ye Qi'an took a deep breath, gripped the heavy silver hammer with both hands, poured his soul power into it, and swung it out with all his might.

A long, clear sound echoed in the forging room, the sound seemingly carrying a special rhythm, its lingering echoes reverberating.

Siyuan's face lit up with surprise. "This Thousand Forging effect can actually make the sound of striking produce a deterrent effect. How wonderful! Any metal that has been forged by your hand will inevitably have a deterrent property. Whether it is used as a weapon or something else, it will make people feel fear in their hearts."

"To intimidate?" Ye Qi'an looked thoughtfully at the heavy silver hammer in his hand.

Siyuan said, "Xiao An, you're going on vacation soon, so don't continue forging today. Go back, pack your things, and get some rest."

Ye Qi'an left the forging room. It was already dark outside. The weather was really bad today. Raindrops fell densely on the ground, creating splashes of water. Just as he was about to step into the rain, his eyes flickered slightly, and he turned his head to look to the left.

An umbrella was already being held up, and the person under it had long, silvery-white hair that cascaded down their shoulders like a waterfall, and captivating purple eyes that seemed to see right through one's soul.

Ye Qi'an looked at Gu Yuena under the umbrella and said, "Nana, what brings you here? How did you know I was here?"

"Have you forgotten? We have a connection; I know where you are." Gu Yuena tossed her long, silvery-white hair and looked at Ye Qi'an, her voice gentle as water.

Ye Qi'an smiled slightly and said, "I forgot about that. What are the plans for this month?"

Ye Qi'an took the umbrella from Gu Yuena, and the two walked slowly towards Shrek Academy on the wet ground, splashing up small water droplets.

"Let's go back to the Star Dou Great Forest together. I will arrange for you to cultivate for this month." Gu Yuena looked directly at Ye Qi'an and said softly, her eyes full of expectation.

"Hiss, Nana, you don't mean you want Di Tian and the others to train me, do you?" Ye Qi'an gasped, worried that he might not be able to get through this month of training.

Gu Yuena smiled gently and said, "Don't worry, Di Tian and the others are careful with their actions and won't make things too difficult for you. They'll just help you improve your combat skills."

Ye Qi'an said with a bitter face, "Nana, I don't believe you. With Di Tian and the others being so ruthless, do you think I can withstand a few blows without dying?"

Gu Yuena rolled her eyes at Ye Qi'an and said, "Stop being so glib. This is for your own good. Don't you want to become stronger? Besides, do you really think Di Tian and the others would dare to kill you?"

Ye Qi'an sighed helplessly and said, "Alright, alright, we'll have to face it sooner or later."

After returning to their dormitory, Ye Qi'an lay down on the large bed that the two of them had put together, exclaiming, "It feels so good to lie flat!"

Gu Yuena walked gently to the bedside, sat down, and said, "Prepare your things; we're leaving after tomorrow."

Ye Qi'an grumbled and buried his face in the pillow: "I know, I know, let me enjoy this moment of peace first, and then face the storm that will follow in the next month."

Gu Yuena smiled helplessly, reached out and gently patted Ye Qi'an's shoulder, "Then don't sleep too long, get up early and get ready."

Ye Qi'an gave a mumbled response, and soon his even breathing could be heard.

Gu Yuena shook her head, got up and covered Ye Qi'an with the blanket. The night grew deeper and deeper, and all was quiet. Gu Yuena gently lay down next to Ye Qi'an and slowly closed her eyes. Only the steady breathing of the two of them could be heard in the room.

.........

(End of this chapter)