Blacksmith Sun demonstrated the process three times in a row, folding the red-hot iron blocks with seamless movements.
Wangchuan confirmed he had grasped all the details, took the hammer and tongs, and began the practical operation.
Blacksmith Sun assigned tasks to his three apprentices and went to the side to manage the bellows.
At first, Wangchuan was not very adept at the operation, having never done such work before. But after getting used to the weight and force of the hammer, his left hand gradually became more skilled with the tongs, and the process became faster.
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!!
After about ten minutes, Wangchuan finally got the hang of it. Although he couldn't match the proficiency of Chen Feng and Heitan, he was able to complete a hundred strikes before the red-hot iron solidified.
As time went on, Wangchuan found himself gradually getting into the zone.
The speed of his hammering increased.
Quench!
Reheat.
Switch to the second piece.
In front of Wangchuan's furnace were three pieces of iron, ensuring that there was always another piece ready while one was being forged.
Wangchuan hammered continuously for over ten minutes, his right arm slightly fatigued, so he switched to his left hand.
The sound changed.
Chen Feng and Heitan looked over in astonishment.
Swinging with the left hand?
The left hand had strength?
But they quickly realized that after a brief period of adjustment, Wangchuan's left-hand hammering was fast, not lacking in power, and quickly matched the rhythm, not inferior to his right hand at all.
Of course, they didn't know that over the past few years, as Wangchuan trained his core strength, he had also developed the dexterity of his left hand to be on par with his right.
By alternating hands, Wangchuan allowed his right hand to rest.
Half an hour per rotation.
Chen Feng and Heitan were drenched in sweat from exhaustion, while Wangchuan was completely immersed in the progress of forging Hundred-Tempered Steel.
An hour passed...
Two hours passed...
Chen Feng and Heitan's movements gradually faltered.
They had to stop to eat pancakes. Wangchuan, covered in sweat, showed no intention of leaving the forge, maintaining his high-intensity forging actions.
Moreover, Wangchuan's movements became faster, smoother, and more proficient, done in one seamless flow.
Finally, after three hours.
Ding!
"Completed forging one piece of Hundred-Tempered Steel."
Task progress 1/50;
Ding!
"Completed forging one piece of Hundred-Tempered Steel."
"Task progress 2/50."
Ding!
"Completed forging one piece of Hundred-Tempered Steel."
"Task progress 3/50."
Wangchuan had lost count of how many times he had hammered, but since the system indicated it was qualified, it meant the number was sufficient.
Three hours, three pieces completed...
Wangchuan tossed the finished pieces of Hundred-Tempered Steel into a nearby container. Blacksmith Sun came over upon hearing the sound, inspected them, and smiled, nodding:
"Not bad."
Looking at Chen Feng and Heitan...
The two had not yet completed a single piece of Hundred-Tempered Steel.
Chen Feng and Heitan, shocked, quickly picked up the piece they had been forging countless times and handed it to their master for inspection.
Blacksmith Sun's expression darkened.
"Not suitable."
"Continue forging."
The two groaned in distress.
"Junior Brother."
"Are you a monster?"
"You can forge qualified Hundred-Tempered Steel with your left hand, just how much strength do you have?"
"It's over."
"Master is using Wangchuan as a benchmark for us. If we don't complete this task, we probably won't make it to the next round."
"But..."
"Fifty thousand strikes!"
"Oh my god!"
"I'm going crazy!"
Chen Feng and Heitan exclaimed they couldn't handle it.
After three hours, they still couldn't forge a single piece of qualified Hundred-Tempered Steel. Even if they desperately forged one, it would take half a month to complete the task!
Half a month to earn 200 copper coins?
Only a madman would do it.
Chen Feng and Heitan struggled until midnight, finally dragging their progress to 3/50, looking like they had been fished out of water, dropping their progress to log off and rest.
Wangchuan, using both hands alternately, wasn't as exhausted as they were. Energetic, he looked at the task progress of 6/50 and decisively logged off to rest.
If he didn't rest, it would affect the next day's tasks.
...
The next morning, as soon as Wangchuan logged in, he saw Chen Feng and Heitan standing at the village entrance, looking at him with weary and resentful faces.
"What's wrong?"
"Senior Brother?"
"The Hundred Temperings into Steel task, there's no way to finish it early. We probably can't stay at the Blacksmith Shop."
Chen Feng said to Wangchuan.
Wangchuan was taken aback.
Heitan sighed:
"It'll take us at least half a month to complete the Hundred Temperings into Steel task, and today, I clearly feel my right arm is sore and swollen, which will probably affect our daily mining for money! Chen Feng and I discussed it and decided to quit the Blacksmith Shop, so we don't end up failing at both."
They were serious.
The Hundred Temperings into Steel task wasn't profitable to begin with, and if it affected their daytime mining progress, it wouldn't be worth it.
Wangchuan showed a look of surprise.
He didn't expect his two senior brothers to make such a decision.
He felt a sense of guilt that they were leaving the Blacksmith Shop because of him.
For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
"It's okay."
"Leaving the Blacksmith Shop, we can always find other part-time jobs. Aunt Wang still has tasks for cutting bamboo and making strips, and Wang Dalang has tasks for harvesting rice and hunting... But you, completing the 'Hundred Temperings into Steel' task alone, will be quite a grind."
Chen Feng and Heitan also felt a bit guilty towards Wangchuan.
They felt like they were abandoning Wangchuan.
As they chatted, the village gate opened.
Everyone then parted ways.
Wangchuan bit into a pancake, his mind in turmoil.
His two senior brothers had left.
The Blacksmith Shop was left with only him as an apprentice.
Should he continue?
A task worth 200 copper coins would take at least eight days to complete.
That translated to just over twenty copper coins a day.
And the forging task was very grueling, requiring at least three pancakes during the process...
Meaning a hard day's work earned just over ten copper coins.
Was it worth pushing himself so hard?
But then he thought, if he left too, Blacksmith Sun would be left alone...
Wouldn't Master be even more pitiful?
Although Wangchuan hadn't reached the point of considering a day as a master as a lifetime as a father, he couldn't bring himself to leave Blacksmith Sun.
"Forget it."
"Less money is less money."
"Compared to Brother Lin and the others, at least I have an income."
"By the end of the month, the bonus might be a bit more than theirs."
With this thought, Wangchuan decided to continue staying at the Blacksmith Shop.
The following days were monotonous and grueling.
During the day, he had to work hard mining and transporting ore; in the evening, after six, he continued to push the progress of the 'Hundred Temperings into Steel' task.
Sometimes, he felt like he was an ox or horse in two worlds.
Suffering in the real world, only to endure more in the game world.
Day and night, he almost forgot which world was real.
Fortunately, the ten-thousand-yuan monthly salary from the Warring States Game Studio kept him going, diligently persisting until the eighth day, when he finally completed the last few pieces of Hundred-Tempered Steel.
The task progress reached 50/50.
Blacksmith Sun collected them, showing a satisfied smile:
"Good!"
"This batch of Hundred-Tempered Steel is forged quite well."
"This is your reward."
Ding!
System prompt:
"Completed the Hundred Temperings into Steel task, received a reward of 200 copper coins."
"Unlocked life profession, Blacksmith."
"Hundred-Tempered Steel Forging Art 'Beginner Level' unlocked."
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