"Damn!"

"So tough?"

"Over three hours, smashing a thousand pounds of iron ore..."

"Only forty copper coins?"

"Why earn that hard money? Isn't it better to sleep with your girlfriend at night?"

Heipi was truly a chatterbox.

After learning about the tasks of a blacksmith's apprentice from Wangchuan, his initially envious expression turned to disdain, and he started winking and giving him a lecture:

"At least we're high-income earners with monthly salaries over ten thousand, we should learn to enjoy life! You work from six in the morning until ten-thirty at night, what else can you do?"

"Sleep alone?"

"Lie alone in a cold bed, is that the meaning of your life?"

"Listen to me, find a girlfriend."

"If that's not possible, find two!"

"It's not like we don't have the means."

Heipi's half-joking banter lightened the mood during the dull journey, adding some laughter.

Once Heipi lost interest in Wangchuan, Lin Dahai turned his face:

"How's your body? Any soreness or pain? It's normal if you do, just get used to it for a few days, no rush to repay the money you borrowed."

"Brother Lin, I'm fine."

Wangchuan smiled at Lin Dahai.

The latter chuckled and said, "Once you enter the mine, you'll stop pretending."

He thought Wangchuan was just putting on a brave face.

The group entered the mine.

Everyone returned to their original mining sections.

Warring States Studio still occupied a spot not far from the entrance, saving time and effort.

Heipi put down his basket, spat on his hands, rubbed them together vigorously, grabbed his iron pickaxe, and started mining.

Lin Dahai and Old Li watched Wangchuan.

Seeing Wangchuan easily get into the swing of things, they exchanged incredulous glances.

"Young man, recovering so quickly?"

"No wonder he's into fitness."

Inside the mine, everyone was busy at their 'workstations', getting into work mode.

The sound of iron pickaxes striking ore echoed continuously, creating a lively atmosphere.

Wangchuan completed his first basket in just two hours.

The rest had to be temporarily piled aside.

Working until the sun was high, everyone started munching on pancakes.

"Wangchuan, your speed is impressive."

"You've piled up more than me." Heipi finally noticed that in the dim mine, the iron ore at Wangchuan's feet was more than his own.

"Having a high strength attribute definitely has its perks."

"Are you at 6 points or 7 points?"

"Heh."

When you're just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

"6 points."

Wangchuan could only play dumb at this point.

Many people fear their brothers living poorly, yet also fear them driving luxury cars.

Maintaining harmony among brothers is crucial.

After resting, they worked for a few more hours...

During the monotonous and tedious mining, the ore transport team arrived.

With the sound of bells, everyone quickly sprang into action.

This time, Wangchuan transported two hundred pounds of iron ore in five trips, earning 200 copper coins.

Lin Dahai and his group were a bit stunned.

Everyone else earned 160 copper coins, but this newcomer Wangchuan managed to earn 200 copper coins in one go.

"Treat us!"

"Wangchuan, you have to treat us!"

Wangchuan took the opportunity to thank Lin Dahai:

"Brother Lin, it's all thanks to your guidance!" Then he handed over 155 copper coins to him: "This is for the iron pickaxe and basket, tomorrow's entire mining earnings will go to Brother Lin."

Everyone's attention immediately turned to Lin Dahai, filled with envy.

Lin Dahai beamed:

"Alright!"

"Since Wangchuan is so courteous, I can't let him down."

"Tonight, everyone gets two pancakes on me!"

"Great!" "Brother Hai is generous!"

After mining a hundred pounds of iron ore each, they returned to Blackstone Village. Lin Dahai handed out two pancakes each, including to Wangchuan.

Everyone happily logged off.

Lin Dahai smiled and gave Wangchuan a couple of old sayings before logging off and leaving the game.

Wangchuan then took the iron ore to the blacksmith shop to take on a task.

Chen Feng, Heitan, and Wangchuan stood before Blacksmith Sun.

Today, Blacksmith Sun assigned them a new task:

"The crushed iron ore has been fully pushed into the mud kiln, and after a day of high-temperature calcination, it should be ready to produce molten iron. Your task is to forge the refined iron into Hundred-Tempered Steel."

"Do you accept the Hundred Temperings into Steel task?"

"Each piece of refined iron must be folded and forged a hundred times, for a total of fifty pieces. The task reward is 200 copper coins."

The three accepted the task.

Chen Feng and Heitan looked bitter and frustrated.

Wangchuan was curious:

"Brother Feng, Brother Hei, the reward for this task is quite high. Why do you two seem so reluctant? Is there something more to it?"

"The Hundred Temperings into Steel task is not only grueling, but it also has the longest cycle. Moreover, if the forging isn't up to standard, the reward will be deducted, and the final reward is far less than yesterday's task," Heitan explained with a gloomy face.

Chen Feng, looking pained, added:

"Each piece of refined iron requires at least a hundred hammer strikes, followed by folding. This means just completing one piece of Hundred-Tempered Steel requires ten thousand strikes. Imagine how difficult that is?"

"Last time we tried forging Hundred-Tempered Steel, we thought we could get away with fifty times and hand in the task, but Master found out, and more than half of the 200 copper coins were deducted. We didn't earn any money and wasted seven or eight days."

"Every half month, there's a Hundred Temperings into Steel task. If the task isn't completed, we can't move on to the next round... So we cut corners, handed in the task, and at least moved on to the next round to earn some money," Heitan explained.

Wangchuan couldn't help but show a pained expression.

One piece of Hundred-Tempered Steel requires ten thousand strikes...

Forging fifty pieces means five hundred thousand strikes!

Why not just use a stamping machine?

Treating people like machines?

But complaints aside, not wanting to be expelled from the blacksmith shop and wanting to keep this earning identity, the three quickly prepared.

The forging table and furnace were all set.

Blacksmith Sun personally handled the sealing and preparation of the refined iron, delivering rectangular pieces of iron to the three's forging tables, then guiding Wangchuan:

"Wangchuan, I'll demonstrate once, watch every move I make, remember every word I say, and then do it!"

Blacksmith Sun deliberately slowed his actions, placing the scorching red refined iron from the casting device onto the forging table, saying, "When the refined iron is completely liquid, don't start, it might splash and hurt you or others. Wait a few breaths, then begin... like this!"

With a small hammer in one hand, he struck the rectangular refined iron fiercely, sparks flying.

Ding!

Ding!

Ding!

Blacksmith Sun paid no heed to the splattering sparks, his hammering swift and rhythmic, completing a hundred strikes in just a minute. He then clamped the oddly shaped, nearly solidified iron block into a nearby water bucket for rapid cooling and solidification, finally tossing it into the high-temperature furnace for calcination, saying firmly:

"The heated iron block needs to be folded, front and back, hammered a hundred times, then soaked in water to solidify, quickly releasing impurities, and then re-calcined."

"The time from soft to solid for the heated iron block is short, you must complete a hundred strikes in the shortest time, otherwise, it will consume more time and be counterproductive."

In front of Blacksmith Sun, Chen Feng and Heitan performed every action meticulously.

Ding!

Ding!

Ding!!

Under the high temperature and intense hammering, the two were soon drenched in sweat, their skin reddened, and their muscles trembling all over.