Chapter 12: Chapter 12 – System Tasks
Tang San woke up in the morning. He did not find his aunt Yuehua beside him. She had already woken up, preparing breakfast for her little nephew.
Seeing his aunt had woken up long ago Tang San woke up in hurry only to see aunt Yuehua preparing breakfast in the kitchen.
Today was the last day she could spend time with Little San and did not know when she could visit him next. For this reason, she poured her heart into cooking the breakfast for him.
Greeting his aunt, Tang San went outside to the streams to wash himself.
While he was enjoying himself in the cold waters of the streams he felt an electric shock followed by faint mechanical sounds similar to the ones he heard in his dreams popping up in his ears.
"What the hell! Why am I having the same hallucination as last night!"
Ye Chen (Tang San) cursed this unlucky sound that shattered his beautiful dream the previous night. He then dipped his head in the water to cool down and get rid of the messy hallucinations.
But what he heard next turned his entire head upside down to a mess.....
[The induction process ends...The Levelling System is officially launched.....]
"What!... What's going on?"
Hearing the sound coming out of his body Tang San freaked out somewhat.
[Host binding initiation complete....]
[Congratulations to the host on successfully binding The System]
"Is this The System often mentioned in the novels?!..... It's unbelievable!"
In front of Tang San appeared a virtual holographic screen. Tang San looked at it and saw all his information recorded in it.
[Status...]
[Host - Ye Chen (Tang San)]
[Age - 06 Years; Mental Age - ????]
[Body Cultivation - Body Refinement Stage 2]
[Spirit Power - Level 20 - Spirit Grandmaster]
[Spirit Rings - None]
[Exp - 0/900]
[System Points - 0]
[Cultivation Technique - Mysterious Heaven Skills/Xuan Tian Gong]
[Innate Ability - Endless of Dim; Gift of Light]
[Skills - Purple Demon Eyes; Mysterious Jade Hand; Ghost Shadow Perplexing Steps; Controlling Crane Catching Dragon; Hidden Weapon Proficiency...]
Seeing the systemic descriptions Tang San was very happy and was excited. He had read countless novels and fanfictions where the protagonist getting reborn in other worlds and always getting a gold finger as a cheat to grow up was not uncommon. Ever since he got reincarnated in Douluo world he had been wondering where his gold finger was but he did not find any sign of it all these years.
It was not like he was desperate for having a system because he already got a Mysterious Ring and two heaven-defying innate abilities. Moreover, he was also a twin Spirit Master having awakened a God-level Martial Spirit. So he did not worry about having the System. With all these things present he could already dominate the heavens given some time to become invincible. But now it looks like heaven has not forsaken him and gave him the Gold finger system as a cheat. Now he could level up fast and get awesome rewards.
Tang San clenched his fist in excitement. The destiny is in his hand. He is now a genius paragon!
While he was rejoicing a crisp electronic sound resonated in his mind,
[Since the Host has been bound to the System for the first time, the host is entitled to receive the System Newbie Gift Pack!]
[Would the host like to open the Newbie gift pack - Yes/No]
Ye Chen heard the system voice and looked at the virtual screen directly pressing on the 'Yes' option without any hesitation.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations Host....]
[The Host has received....]
On the virtual holographic Screen Tang San (Ye Chen) saw the rewards, which made him jump from the water in happiness.
[Newbie Gift Pack]
[Rewards - Nine Yuan Astral Vine Spirit ring (Age - 900 Yrs.); 5000 Golden Spirit Coins.]
"Haha.....Haha!"
Tang San started laughing loudly feeling the sense of being favoured by the heavens. He felt the Spirit Ring was tailor-made for his Blue Silver Grass Spirit.
[Host does you want to add the 'Nine Yuan Astral Vine' Spirit Ring now?]
Hearing the System sound Ye Chen hesitated for a moment. He wanted to add the Spirit Ring as soon as possible. But if he added the Spirit Ring to his Martial Spirit now, it will easily get found out by Tang Hao.
Being a Super Douluo no minute details will escape his discerning eyes. This was what Tang San was worried about.
Moreover, he could not reveal the source of this Spirit Ring to him.
"Um...The system can you hear me?"
[Yes host.]
"System can I access the rewards afterwards as I can't absorb them now due to some issues?"
[No worry host. You can use the rewards at any point in time. The System is trustworthy, it will store the rewards in the 'Inventory' section. The host can access the inventory to draw the stored rewards.]
Hearing the words of assurance from the System Tang San sighed in relief.
Hearing the mechanical sound Tang San suddenly remembered something and lashed the system with a rain of questions, "System, how do I earn Exp and System points. And what is Body Refinement Stage? And why is my mental age displaying question marked?"
The system replied,
[Exp will be awarded to the host after completing certain tasks. That can be obtained by either killing or defeating opponents or soul beasts or evil spirit masters.
Even collecting certain Heaven & Earth treasures will help the host gain Exp.
The system will release these tasks and completing them can also reward the host with System Points. The more difficult the tasks - the more the points, Exp and rewards.
The tasks are randomly generated.
With these points from completing the tasks, the host can buy cultivation skills, items, pills, and weapons and even increase the age of the Spirit Ring.]
"Huh! Increase the age of Spirit Ring! It's almost like the Spirit Ascension Platform of Spirit Pagoda." Tang San (Ye Chen) thought in his mind.
The system then continued,
[The Body Refinement is a Stage of Body cultivation and the Host has already reached level - 2. There are nine stages of body cultivation and each stage has 9 levels. As for the host's mental age, the system cannot determine it as of now.]
" .... "
Hearing the system say it cannot determine his mental age Ye Chen had black lines all over his face.
"Aren't you a great cheat! Now it looks like you are no different from all those salted systems in novels. No wonder those protagonists get annoyed by Systems."
Ye Chen cursed the system angrily but there was no response from it.
[...]
The System was silent without any response. Seeing the System not responding to him Ye Chen sighed in dismay.
He hurriedly cleaned himself and ran towards home using the Ghost perplexing steps. When he reached home he found his aunt decorating the dining table with the breakfast she made.
Ye Chen ate the breakfast which he found very delicious. This was the first time someone had cooked for him in this world ever since he was born so he was touched and quite emotional.
After finishing his breakfast, he walked off to the mountains for his usual training whereas his aunt Tang Yuehua prepared lunch for the trio.
By the time he returned home, it was already noon and the sun was above in the middle of the sky. Aunt Yuehua had already finished preparing the meal for everyone.
Tang San looked at the variety of dishes arranged on the table. Seeing this arrangement of all these dishes whose names were unknown to him, his mouth watered. The aroma of the dishes increased his appetite as he gulped hard trying to control himself.
Tang Yuehua giggled slightly seeing her little nephew drooling over the food she made. She felt happy in her heart knowing Xiao San liked her food. Becoming aware of his aunt's expression Tang San instantly became embarrassed hearing his aunt giggling.
"Ahem!...Cough...cough... Thank you aunty for the food..."
Tang San was already in a good mood because he got System.
But before he could start wolfing on the food, he saw his dad entering the room lifting the door curtain. This afternoon he seemingly had not forged any farm tools, at least Tang San had not heard the familiar beating sounds.
Tang San was greatly surprised to see Tang Hao joining them for the lunch. Perceiving his expression last evening Tang San honestly, did not expect Tang Hao to join them for lunch.
Tang Hao seemed very taciturn, his appetite also seemed a great deal smaller than before. His gaze frequently fell on Tang San, seemingly hesitating about something.
Ye Chen also had something to tell his dad but he didn't know how to continue. The atmosphere at the dining table was shrouded in awkward silence and heavy pressure. Perceiving the uneasiness Tang Yuehua tried to ease the environment by making small jokes. Nevertheless, it worked out well.
Just when Tang Hao was about to get up finishing his meal, Tang San intervened.
"Dad, I've something to say."
Tang Hao did not reply just looked at him quietly, waiting for his explanation.
"Dad, I want to travel the outside world to hone my skills. Recently all my exercises had come to a bottleneck because of a lack of inspiration. I find that I can not be powerful if I stay in the village. So I want to embark on a journey and visit every part of the continent, meet new people and fight new opponents. It will help me accumulate more combat experience."
Saying these Tang San looked at Tang Hao earnestly.
Tang Hao was quite shocked by Tang San's bold decision; so was his aunt Tang Yuehua. They did not expect Xiao San to have so much courage.
Hearing Xiao San's commitment Tang Yuehua looked at her brother. She felt her second brother and her little nephew were quite alike both in temperament and character.
Feeling Tang Yuehua's sharp gaze, Tang Hao suddenly had a guilty consciousness. He could understand what her little sister wanted to point out.
She had spent most of her childhood with both her elder brothers and had known the most about them.
Tang Xiao and Tang Hao were adventurous during their youth and set up storms on every corner of the continent wherever they stepped - fighting opponents, trampling numerous geniuses - eventually making a name for themselves. They were once famous on the mainland as the 'Golden Houtian Duo'.
Later second brother became famous as the 'Youngest Title Douluo' with the given title of 'Clear Sky'. Tang Yuehua now found a shadow of her second brother in little San. Both in stubbornness and determination, she found Xiao San was almost similar to Tang Hao.
Tang Hao did not respond but looked at Tang San sharply. His cold expression incorporates a sense of awe & dread in people's hearts.
An overwhelming pressure enveloped Tang San knocking him to the ground and making him unable to stand on his feet. He felt as if a mountain was weighing on his back.
However, Tang San did not give up. He withstood the suppression and tried standing up against it. Ye Chen was pretty much sure that his father was trying to test his willpower. Whether or not he could convince him depends upon his performance. So he was not ready to give up.
Tang Hao was surprised to see Xiao San's resistance. Though he did not go all out, the momentary burst of aura was on par with Soul Emperor. Seeing Little San able to stand up despite such overwhelming pressure moved Tang Hao.
He could feel Tang San's unwavering determination and stubborn fortitude of not giving up. This brought Tang Hao to remember those days when he was once a stubborn teenager; who didn't know the immensity of heaven & earth.
Seeing the determination and stubbornness in Tang San's eyes Tang Hao withdrew his aura, his eyes becoming somewhat soft, a subtle smile plastered to his face.
The moment Tang Hao withdrew his aura Tang San slumped to his chair, unable to move, sweating profusely and breathing harshly. Only now did he understand the dreadness of a Super Douluo. Tang San was determined to work hard so that he could one day reach this height, rivalling Tang Hao; bringing justice to Ah Yin, and showing her the truly evil side of Tang Hao.
"Why do you want to become a Spirit Master?" asked Tang Hao sounding clearly in an indifferent tone.
Ye Chen promptly replied, "To protect those dear to me. Without strength, I can't protect anyone not even myself. It's the strongest fist that reigns ultimately; no matter what tactics the opponent uses it's useless in front of the strong. So I've to become strong to protect those people I care about!"
Hearing Tang san's answer Tang Hao was quiet. Tang Yuehua did not interfere with both of them, she just sat in a corner listening to the father and son duo.
"Spirit master? What use is becoming a spiritual master? Not to mention a mere waste spirit, even the fiercest spirit of the most powerful spirit is of what use? Still only a good for nothing, that's all."
Tang Hao's mood was very agitated, his whole body quivering. Tang San saw in his father's eyes something glittering. It was the tears of self-blame and guilt that he carried on his back ever since he tricked Ah Yin into sacrificing for him.
Tang Hao gripped his fist tightly, taking a deep breath to calm himself. He got up from his seat to leave the room but before leaving he turned back and replied expressionlessly,
"Visit me in the forge room after finishing your lunch!"
Saying this he turned away, walking out of the room gulping alcohol. The curtain fluttered as both Tang Yuehua and Tang San stared at the door with disappointment and sighs in each expression.
Tang San was surprised to see Tang Hao remorseful and guilty but he was not moved by his act of self-blame instead he sneered in his mind condemning him for acting cruel and heartless to force Ah Yin into sacrificing for him by acting miserable and cheap. His thoughts were interrupted by Tang Yuehua as she looked at him.
Tang Yuehua then turned to Xiao San.
"Do you want to embark on a journey? Aren't you too young? Moreover, you are young and inexperienced about the way of the world. Aunty will be worried if aunty leaves you alone! How about it, you come with aunty to the Heaven Dou City. There you can take admission to Tiandou Royal Academy and at the same time stay close to aunty."
Tang San could feel that she was really worried about him. He also didn't want to disappoint his aunt and make her worry unnecessarily but he didn't want to join any Academy at least now.
"Um...Aunty I don't want to join any Soul Master Academy yet."
Tang San replied softly with a guilty conscience. He was afraid that Aunt Yuehua would misunderstand him so he further continued to explain,
"Aunt I want to directly enrol in Senior Soul Master Academy. I feel it's a waste of my time studying in Junior Soul Master Academies."
Ye Chen did not want to expose Xiao Wu's secret of being a Soul Beast rebuilt human in front of Tang Hao. He was not ready to risk Xiao Wu for his gain. Moreover, this was not a fictional work that he read in his previous life but a real world. Because of his reincarnation, many things are bound to change so he decided not to risk exposing her identity.
Hearing her nephew's words Tang Yuehua frowned slightly. Though she admitted that Tang San was one in a million genius having awakened twin Martial Spirits one of them even transcending to God-Level, she still thought of Tang San as a little child who was too hotblooded and excited having awakened such Martial Spirit.
She thought her little nephew was muddle-headed. But what she didn't know was that inside the body of this six-year kid lies the soul of a 22-year-old youth from the modern world - advanced & farsighted than most people of the Douluo Continent.
Tang Yuehua pinched Xiao San's cheeks and reprimanded him:
"Little Devil, I want to break your head and see what thoughts are circulating in your head!"
Hearing this Tang San laughed awkwardly.
Tang Yuehua continued, " Why do you want to join Senior Soul Master Academy directly without joining Junior Academy? I think studying in Junior Academy will be helpful for your understanding of preliminary his cheeks making them numb.
Little did Tang Yuehua know that her little nephew was a transmigrator, already knowing the plot of Douluo Dalu and the process of cultivation.
Hearing Tang San's convincing words about skipping Junior Soul Master Academy to enrol in Senior Soul Master Academy Tang Yuehua was not happy and strongly opposed this idea. She tried convincing this little hot-headed nephew only to end up in disappointment.
She sighed silently. However, she was amazed to see how similar her nephew and second brother were - both being stubborn & hotblooded.
~~~~~~~~~
After talking with aunt Yuehua, Tang San returned to the forge room but did not find his father. So he started beating the iron chunk continuously to hone his smithing skill and continuously training the calf muscles.
*Clank*
With the collision between forging hammer and iron chunk, clanking noises resounded across the dilapidated, shabby room.
Although Tang San did not know when he could beat the chunk of pig iron to become fist-sized that Tang Hao previously mentioned but he knew only by continuous hitting and casting off the impurities could he succeed.
Others may take him for a fool for hitting the hammers continuously but this type of forging method was inconsiderable as it benefited his Mysterious Heaven Skill, increasing his physical training effect which was pretty good.
If he retorted to normal practice, it may take him a long time before he could breakthrough the next stage of Xuan Tian going but after practising the hammer skills he could feel that he was not far away from breaking through the next stage as he could already feel a sublimation in his physical power.
Tang San had already tried exhausting less of his inner strength when wielding the iron hammer. This way, he could maintain it for a successively long time and can swing the hammer for an even much longer duration.
It was already noon. Tang San had successfully managed to complete three hundred hammers. After completing the 300th hammer he checked the pig iron only to perceive that it had impurities present and only a few impurities had been driven out of the chunk of iron.
Unknown to Tang San, Tang Hao entered the room quietly watching Tang San swinging the hammer trying to remove impurities from the iron. Tang San was obviously not aware of Tang Hao's presence in the room as he was focused on his forging.
After finishing three hundred hammers Tang San was in sweat and breathlessness. But suddenly he felt the presence of another person in the room, instantly prompting him to become vigilant. He turned around only to see Tang Hao standing in a corner of the room, holding a bottle of wine, standing leisurely.
"Dad."
Tang San looked at his father, halting the hammer in his hands, and lowering it.
Tang Hao motioned him to continue, walking near him, standing calmly at one side. He did not speak and only stood silently looking at the pig iron Tang San cast.
Tang San wielded the hammer seeing Tang Hao motioned him to continue. By now his clothes were already soaked with sweat. With his current inner strength, he still could not adapt to the temperature level, let alone this absolutely heavy physical labour.
....Dang, dang, dang, dang, dang...
The beating sound unceasingly resounded across the forge room. Tang San's small body holding the iron hammer in his hands was not proportional, but every time he swung the iron hammer it nevertheless acted powerfully.
Tang Hao was quite surprised in his heart seeing this scene and murmured inwardly, 'innate superhuman strength with innate full spirit power, no wonder he is able to swing the iron hammer despite being a kid.'
Looking at Tang San dripping with sweat, Tang Hao finally set his determination.
"Pause a moment," said Tang Hao.
Hearing Tang Hao's word Tang San lowered the iron hammer in his hands, faintly panting somewhat, quietly urging the Mysterious Heaven skill to adjust his breathing in order to recover his physical strength.
Tang Hao walked over in front of Tang San, took the iron hammer from Xiao San's hands looked at the stove where the iron chunk was glowing red hot in the fire,
"It would not become fist-sized even if you beat like this for a year."
Tang san looked up to Tang Hao, then he asked suddenly,
"Then how should I do it, father?"
Hearing Xiao San enquire instead of answering Tang Hao indifferently counter-asked,
"Tell me, when you swing the hammer from which part of the body does the strength first come from?"
Hearing Tang Hao's bizarre question Tang San was forced to think. After a moment of thought, then replied,
"It should be the waist. The strength first generates from the waist and then from the waist it passes to the back, then afterwards along the arm it flows to the hammer?"
Tang San's answer was somewhat sceptical as he was not sure whether what he replied was correct or not!
Tang Hao neither did not confirm nor deny Tang San's statement, but continued asking,
"Of the human body apart from the brain, which part is the most important?"
"It's the heart."
Tang San replied this without even the slightest hesitation. Because he knew the heart was the most vulnerable vital body part and attacking the heart and the brain could cause instant death in a person. While the brain had the skull for protection, the heart had only skin and muscle protecting it and nothing more.
As a modern person from the 21st century, he was very clear on the human body's composition. In his previous life, advanced weaponry like rifles and guns could almost pierce an enemy's heart instantly and was the most effective and fastest method to cause fatality.
Hearing Xiao San's answer Tang Hao paused for a moment, then asked again,
"Then you tell me how many hearts a person has."
"Aa?"
Tang San, taken aback, looked at him, rather at a loss. Saying how many hearts a person had?
"Is this person retard? How many hearts can a human have? Obviously, it's one!" Tang San thought in his mind.
"Answer me."
Tang Hao coldly looked at him, his figure giving off the pressure that caused Tang San to be unable to breathe.
"One."
Tang Hao shook his head, saying:
"No, you're mistaken. Remember, people have three hearts, not one."
"Three?"
Tang San stared dumbstruck at Tang Hao, not understanding what he meant. Being a modern transverser from the 21st century he knew that a person only had one heart but he suddenly found his recognition of the world was instantly collapsed hearing Tang Hao mentioning a person to have three hearts.
Instead of clearing Xiao San's doubts, Tang Hao reversed his grip on the iron hammer, using the handle to poke both Tang San's calves,
"Here." Tang Hao pointed.
"On the two calf muscles. In other words, they are the second and third hearts of a human. If one wants to bring out their entire physical strength, he/she must use these three hearts simultaneously to have a greater result. Therefore, when bringing out strength, it does not stem from the lower back. But the three hearts are the correct starting point for the generation of the power that empowers human bodies."
"When the heart inside your chest beats rapidly, the power originating from the two calf muscles transmits the force to the thigh which then passes through the waist, back, finally before releasing it through the arms. This is how a person can burst out with maximum strength. The hearts give force, the waist is the axis that helps balance the force. Watch carefully, I'll only demonstrate it once."
Tang Hao raised the hammer in his hand, while Tang San took several steps backwards. Suddenly the hammer in his hand changed direction, and with a deep loud shout, his body half-turned, both legs stuck firmly to the ground.
Tang San could see Tang Hao's sturdy legs and the tensed calf muscles that remain uncovered through the tattered trouser legs. His whole body resembled a fierce tiger ready to pounce on the prey. His legs emitted great strength as he twisted his waist and the forging hammer that was in his hand became invisible and was suddenly brought down heavily with great force on the top of a red hot chunk of iron as a clanging sound resounded upon the impact of the hammer & the iron.
Tang San could completely feel that this was purely physical strength. Tang Hao didn't have internal strength, further, he did not release any spirit power. This was entirely the strength of the human body, and that chunk of previously red hot iron was completely caved into nearly a third from the smash, the deformation was extremely distinct.
Tang San could not feel Tang Hao's spirit power, but it does not mean he does not have any spirit power! On the contrary, it's exactly the opposite. Tang Hao's spirit power was subtlety hidden and no one below Super Douluo could feel it. He is a transmigrator and knew the original plot. Though Tang Hao had hidden himself and appeared to be a blacksmith only Ye Chen knew that he was a Super Douluo in disguise.
Tang San focused on Tang Hao's words as he pondered about every minute detail, "Lower legs emitting strength, controlling the body's strength to successfully link it to the whole body, this is how to go all out and burst with the maximum power."
"Okay, You do it now."
Tang Hao then passed the iron hammer to Tang San and instructed him to follow his steps and do it himself.
"Ok."
Tang San had never thought that forging could ever have this kind of subtle striking method. This simple method of emitting strength could not only be used for forging but could also be used together with the Tang sect martial arts he got from Tang Ming~San's soul.
Both his hands gripped the hammer handle tightly, imitating Tang Hao's posture from before. Tang San's eyes were firmly fixed on the red hot iron chunk. He silently operated the Mysterious Heaven skill slowly directing the power deep in his lower legs, firmly gripping the ground with both his feet.
With a loud sound, Tang San burst out with great power. The Mysterious Heaven skill helped strong power erupt from the lower legs, which spread across his waist and to the back across the shoulders into the arms in a flash.
Tang San distinctly felt his strength increase by leaps and bounds becoming more powerful than ever before.
The force generated from the lower legs flowed through the veins up until the arms swung the iron hammer. The impact force was huge for his seemingly small body as if wanting to make him fly from this great recoil force.
*Dang~~~~~~*
The iron hammer accurately smashed down on the iron lump, emitting a loud sound.
The impact left him staggering a step backwards as both his feet left the ground.
The iron hammer rebounded back. Even though he used Mysterious Jade Hands, there was a burst of tingling sensation in both his arms from the shock of the rebound. Fortunately, The Mysterious Heaven skill worked without delay dispersing the tingling sensation that gradually faded.
The result was obvious. Despite circulating the Mysterious Heaven skill, his result was far inferior to Tang Hao's, but compared to his previous hits, this effect was even more than those that he made before.
Seeing Tang San's movement, Tang Hao certainly did not give praise, but his eyes flashed with a rare trace of astonishment. Tang San's movement was clearly beyond what he had anticipated. He did not even expect Xiao San to master this force-emitting method in such a short time.
He did not know that Tang San had all along painstakingly cultivated body exercises and Tang sect martial arts. Not only does he have strong body foundations by practising the Mysterious Heaven skill, but also the presence of techniques such as Controlling Crane and Catching the Dragon, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and additionally the Mysterious Jade Hand - made his coordination ability far surpass others of his age.
Ye Chen's understanding of the human body was not lacking, so it was naturally easy for him to grasp this strength emitting technique. Of course, since this was his first time practising such sophisticated hammer skills it was still not skilful and perfect enough.
"Dad, did I do it right?"
Hearing Xiao San's question Tang Hao nodded slowly.
"Do you understand the effect of the heart? Humans employ the most muscle precisely in calves. So the calves are the source of all strength. Use the power of the lower legs to gather more strength to greatly increase the efforts."
While speaking, Tang Hao walked to the side of the bellows and sat down, and from under the bellows pulled out something forged from pig iron - two, foot pedal like objects. Tang Hao held them under the bellows and used both his hands.
He then continued to speak,
"In forging, the effect of the bellows is equally significant. A fully heated metal can be forged even better because it becomes much tougher & stronger."
"Any block of metal, despite being very impure, also has its soul. During the forging process if the force applied is great while the temperature remains inadequate there is a risk of shattering of the metal."
"Likewise, even if a broken metal is melted and reforged into a chunk of metal, it is still a waste. So, you must remember when hammering an iron chunk, maintaining its temperature and applying proportional force is equally important!"
"While pumping the bellows try using the power generated from the lower legs. Using this not only can you preserve your physical strength, but you can also cause the bellows effect to reach the greatest temperature."
Finishing his guidance Tang Hao stood up his feet pressing down on the pedals as he abruptly released his strength. Starting from the legs, his whole body rapidly bounced back, both arms naturally driving the bellows handle to open, legs straightening and bending, again bringing the handles back.
Between coming and returning, the bellows operated at full strength. Tang Hao's movements m did not appear to be swift, but his every action brought into play the bellows to the utmost.
The muscles on the calf lead down. And as the bellows took on a particular kind of rhythm, flames suddenly leapt up from the centre of the furnace, causing the iron chunk to burn in a fiery red glow.
"Come over and draw the bellows, according to my movements just now."
Tang Hao gave over his seat to Tang San.
Having previously experienced wielding the iron hammer and under careful observation, Tang San very quickly grasped the method of rhythmic work the bellows, although being somewhat jerky. He attentively noted that every time he released his strength a force was generated from the lower legs.
Sure enough, just as Tang Hao said. Not only did he save his physical strength, but even the result compared to before was also incomparably better. Though Tang San hated this man, he could not help but acknowledge his strength and his smithing skills.
Seeing Tang San's somewhat rusty movement Tang Hao took the forging hammer and said with a cold emotionless voice,
"Use all your strength to wield the hammer. It can fully bring your physical strength into use. But remember, with the hammer's descent, the force from the rebound can also create a greater load on the body. Without suitable guidance never try this method as it is easy to injure oneself. And can also cause part of the physical strength to be wasted. Follow my movement attentively. It is the key to whether you can beat this lump of pig iron into fist size in a short time or not."
Inhaling deeply, Tang Hao's eyes focused. Following Tang San's working on the bellows, the whole iron lump already burned in an intense red glow as blazing flames leapt up, causing the inside of the room to grow exceedingly scorching hot.
As Tang Hao moved, his motion did not seem to be any different from before, from the leg to the waist, and waist to the back, back to arms, with a clanging sound the iron hammer pounded down on the iron chunk.
Just as the iron hammer bounced up from the reaction force, Tang Hao abruptly made a turn, with the lower legs emitting power similar to before. The rebound swings of the hammer were greater than the applied force, and he wielded it in a circle overhead. With a sharp sound of the wind, the hammer struck the iron chunk generating a loud sound.
Not only was the speed of this strike remarkable, but also the physical force was stronger compared to the first strike.
The iron hammer rebounded up high, and Tang Hao's movement following the magnitude of the iron hammer's rise seemingly attained a kind of perfect harmony. Just in the split second, the iron hammer reached upward, he drove the iron hammer in a full circle overhead once again and smashed it down.
Tang San's eyes shone. This was unmistakably a method to leverage force, utilizing the rebound force from the impact between hammer and metal and converting it into downward force. These motions were perfectly coordinated to the greatest degree to avoid being harmed by the rebound force and instead transform the physical force to especially add to the hit. Starting from the second strike, the physical force of every hit surpassed Tang Hao's full strength but was still under his control.
Tang Hao moved faster and faster, the forging hammer lashed down on the iron chunk like a violent storm, the iron chunk was continuously being deformed by the beats of the forging hammer. It was shocking and the precision of Tang Hao's strikes was unreal.
Every time the iron chunk was hit it was reduced to half its former thickness, and when it started to become flat, the forging hammer in his hand would at once hit the iron chunk's edge, causing it to flip. Thus, the iron chunk was evenly enduring his hammer blows and was not simply pounded into a flat iron cake.
In a flash, the hammer had already struck thirty-six times, as Tang Hao's hands drove the iron hammer to spin overhead successively in three circles dispersing the force of the hammer.
His face was neither red nor did he breathe harshly. It did not cost him any labour, as if those storms of blows were not made by him.
The whole iron chunk, after just thirty-six blows in the whole small circle hardly had any impurities within itself!
Tang San could not help but be amazed by Tang Hao's mastery of Hammer skills. Maybe it was Tang Hao's innate talent, having Haoutian Hammer as a Martial Spirit he was born a divine craftsman. Tang San felt this just now was a true blacksmith mastery and a beautiful hammering method.
"Understand?"
Tang Hao asked Xiao San who was unceasingly pumping the bellows.
Ye Chen frowned slightly as if thinking of something, then he suddenly said,
"I understand the principle of leveraging the force to generate a greater force to make the next strike. But, it's not as simple as it looks."
Hearing Xiao San's words Tang Hao indifferently said,
"If you want to accomplish my kind of level, there is only one way- practice. Only by practice can you improve skills & skill comes from practice. Furthermore, you must bear in mind, that if you are striking a piece of common metal, which is most impure, it is most likely to shatter. At that time, when you beat it the physical force used must be smaller. And as its impurities gradually decrease, your physical force can begin to gradually increase to maintain the effect of the strikes. This way of dynamic control is pivotal. You should slowly practice by yourself. Don't blindly increase force and speed, bear in mind accuracy is equally important. At least you must understand the hammer's descent, unless you can hit any place, what use is more physical strength?"
With the weight of the forging hammer returned to Tang San's hands, Tang Hao turned and left.
Tang Hao did not go back on his word, he taught his forging methods, and also, from his teaching Tang San's point of view on these things deepened. Any profession has its unique & profound mysteries and they are not at all so simple.
Suddenly a mechanical sound prompted in his head.
[Ding!...]
[Notification: First System Task released...]
Hearing the notification for System Task Ye Chen(Tang San) was very happy. Hurriedly, he clicked on the taskbar to see the details of the task on the floating holographic screen.
[Ding...]
[System Task - Complete eight consecutive hammer strikes.]
[Reward - 1000 Points. Time limit - 6 Hrs. Failure to complete - Penalty - Cannot use the system for a month.]
Below the description was.
[Accept - Yes/No]
Though Tang San was tempted by those 1000 points he was doubtful whether he could complete those eight consecutive strikes within 6 hours.
This method of hammering taught by Tang Hao was different from the ones that he used previously. The previous hammering methods where he could hammer up to 300 times did not require him to use the force generated from the calf muscles and the legs.
But the hammering methods taught to him by Tang Hao were harsh and challenging as he had to generate force from the calves and channel it throughout his whole body before releasing them through the arms.
If the previous method of hammering was a basic technique to lay the foundation for his smithing skills then the later techniques were beneficial for both body and forging divine artefacts.
After thinking for a while Ye Chen decided to accept the task. He clicked on the [Accept] and a small reminder flashed up on the screen.
[Reminder: Once the host accepts the mission you must complete it and cannot deny it, otherwise host will be harshly punished]
"Yeah...yeah....whatever." Tang San replied superfluously.
In the next half-day, Xiao San practised the forging method taught by Tang Hao as he familiarized himself with the control of force. Tang Hao set him a target of achieving five consecutive hammer strikes as a prerequisite to his request for adventure.
Tang San was relieved to hear Tang Hao setting such a minimum target for him but he undervalued the difficulty of it.
Despite having learned the technique of Controlling Crane & Catching Dragon and using it to assist his control of force, and having Purple Demon Eye to determine the position of his hammer blows, this forging method was still very difficult for him to master than he could have imagined.
Even after hitting the iron with all his strength, Tang San found it very hard to control the rebound force. Moreover, Tang Hao's technique of drawing strength from the rebounding force and controlling the body's balance to gain more momentum for the next hammer blow was extremely difficult to master.
With increasing hammer strikes, the force essentially required to control the increased recoil also increases. Sometimes the unceasing rotation to offset the force and generate much more momentum could not only cause a sense of dizziness but at the same time becomes much harder to control.
Tang San had been striking that chunk of iron for a very long time, so its impurities were already very few. His control over the force was subtle - neither gentle nor hard, so he was not afraid of it shattering so easily otherwise, he would not be able to control the weight of that forging hammer, and would have probably smashed the chunk of iron to pieces.
While he was in the middle of this practice course, Tang San's use of Mysterious Heaven Skill, as well as Controlling Crane & Catching Dragon, Mysterious Jade Hands with Purple Demon Eye were in synchronisation - all remaining unnoticed by Tang Hao's prying gaze.
From the first hour since he entered the room to the evening Tang San was only able to swing twice before starting to deviate in position, up until another half a day later, he could already continuously swing seven times. Accurately striking the iron chunk without any error. The improvement was extremely obvious.
At the same time, the iron chunk was under his full strength beating became smaller and smaller; every minute brought him satisfactory results. Even Tang Hao only successfully managed to hammer eight times at the age of twelve, making him the first genius of the Houtian Sect but it now paled in front of Tang San's seven consecutive hammers at the age of six.
Of course, this also had an inseparable connection with that lower leg force-generating method. With this kind of force-generating method, he could greatly reduce the consumption of the Mysterious Heaven Skill, enabling Tang San to have even more time to pump the bellows and forge.
"A little bit more... I have already struck 7 consecutive hammers in 5½ Hrs and can't reach the 8th hammer. Looks like this is my limit." Tang San sighed.
"No, can't happen. I can't let the System hibernate for a month. Got to increase my efforts."
Saying this Ye Chen picked up the hammer and started hammering madly. But every time he finished the 7th strike he could not bear the massive rebound force.
One must remember one hammer is stronger than the previous hammer, so by the time he lands the 7th hammer he is sent flying, staggering a few steps backwards unable to offset the recoil.
"Damn it only 15 minutes left!"
...
Finally, after 15 minutes, Tang San sat down breathing harshly. His shirt was already soaked in sweat. The heavy hammer in his hand was already lying down; beside it was a fist-size iron chunk. It was the same iron lump that Tang Hao asked Xiao San to try his hammering technique on.
It had already become flat as a plain sheet devoid of impurities under Tang San's eight consecutive hammer strikes.
[Ding!]
[System Mission complete!]
Ye Chen heard a reminder popping up in his head.
He looked at the virtual screen in hurry to check if the rewards have been allotted to him or if he was scammed by this black-hearted system.
[System Task - Complete eight consecutive hammer strikes.]
[Reward - 1000 Points. Time limit - 6 Hrs. Failure to complete - Penalty - Cannot use the system for a month.]
Below these were the lines that Ye Chen wanted to see. It read,
[Task status - Completed]
[Reward - 1000 points have been added to the host's 'System Points']
Tang San (Ye Chen) hurriedly opened his 'Status Bar' only to see the points displayed had reached 1000 already.
Tang San was very happy to get these 1000 points. It will help him a lot in future. Cultivation skills, Pills, Weapons he could buy everything with it in System Store.
[Ding!]
[System Sign-in task released - Sign-in to Devil Battlefield. Time Limit - 1 month]
[Reward - 1 Meridian Unlocking Pill; 10 Exp; 5000 Points & 10,000 Golden Soul Coins.]
Hearing the notification for the next task Tang San was stupefied. He did not expect to receive a Sign-in task this time. Moreover, the rich rewards had already made him determined to complete this task. But he did not know where Devil Battlefield is located. He remembers no such place was mentioned in any sequel of the Douluo Dalu series.
"Looks like this new plotline is a result of my interval in the story. What a mess! Anyway, I should try finding the place and complete it since the rewards are so rich."
Tang San was quite happy about his next task. He knew there had been no war on the mainland for over tens of thousands of years other than small skirmishes between both the Empires. From the name of the location, he felt this was some kind of ancient battlefield. He was hyped up now that he finally got a destination in his mind.
Tang San did not see when Tang Hao came and was standing at the side and observing his progress. Tang San was astonished and busy reading the task and the rewards and did not notice when Tang Hao entered the room.
Tang Hao was already astonished to see Tang San grasping the essence of these force-emanating methods but now he stood jaw-dropped seeing Tang San could already strike 8 consecutive hammers in succession just at the age of six more so in his first attempt!
He could not hide his shock! This is a peerless genius!
Tang Hao smiled to himself thinking he has given birth to a genius son! He felt proud and could not wait to run up to Spirit Hall and hammer those old hags that chased him all over the mainland previously.
Tang San woke up from the trance and saw Tang Hao standing in a corner of the room.
"Dad!"
Tang Hao then walked over and picked up the first-size iron cast by Xiao San and examined it carefully.
He was surprised to see he successfully removed nearly 63% of the impurities from the iron, that too in his first attempt. Though he was satisfied to see his son's progress as a dad, he maintained a calm demeanour.
"The iron is well cast and the force is proportional to each point of the iron. Surprisingly it has reached a purity of 63%. Good Job. But don't be contempt of this little success. Try hard to improve yourself better."
Hearing Tang Hao's words of advice Tang San nodded his head obediently with no expression on his face.
Tang Hao was satisfied seeing his son's expression. He then asked,
"When do you plan to leave?"
"I was planning to leave tomorrow," replied Tang San.
Tang Hao suddenly had a frown on his face as if thinking of something hearing his words. He then leaned down on one knee and patted Tang San's head showing a rare trace of paternal love which he never expressed before.
Tang San was shocked to see such a disgusting expression of fake care in his eyes. For him, Tang Hao had already become a villain when he forced Ah Yin to sacrifice by revealing her identity.
Tang Hao didn't even care about his father or clan's safety - pushing them alone to face the wrath of Qian Daoluo and did not even visit them during the hardships as the clan was forced into the selection to the mountains.
Moreover, he did not even care for him until he awakened the God-level martial spirit - Emperor Tian Hammer! For him, Tang Hao is already a selfish, self-centred and greedy person.
"Where do you plan to go?" asked Tang Hao.
"I've not decided yet," replied Tang San but he already had a location in mind. The place where his first Sign-in location is.
"Oh..."
Hearing this Tang Hao took out an old parchment and a wristband made of metals from the folds of his robe. Handing it over to Tang San he replied,
"This parchment has the map of the entire continent drawn on it, you can use it as a guide to determine your destination and location."
Saying this he looked at the wristband then at Tang San.
"This wristband here is a storage soul guide with 10m³ of space. You can use it to store all your daily necessities. But remember, you can't let others know of it as it is very precious. This storage guide was passed on to me by your great grandfather and now I'm passing it to you. So take good care of it. And to use it you must channel your Spirit power onto it to access the space inside it." Tang Hao's expression was quite serious when explaining the function of the storage soul guide.
Tang San nodded in understanding hearing his useless father's warning.
"Next what you should keep in mind is to never expose The Emperor Tian Hammer to anyone otherwise you might land in big trouble. And do not ever add any Spirit Ring to The Hammer Spirit no matter what happens. Remember?"
Tang San nodded and replied, "Yes Father, your son remembers."
Saying all those that we're needed to be said Tang Hao got up and was ready to leave. But suddenly he turned around being reminded of something.
"Be sure to protect the Blue Silver Grass in your left hand with the hammer in the right hand!"
Saying this Tang Hao walked away as Tang San stood alone in the forge room.
"Humph! Pretend to be mysterious and compassionate! You don't need to worry about her, I'll take better of her than you!"
-----------
The next morning Tang San bid everyone in the village goodbye and walked out of the village.
Tang Hao and Tang Yuehua stood at a corner of the village secretly watching Tang San walking out of the village until his figure could no longer be seen as it disappeared onto the horizon.
"Yuehua, you should go and convince those stubborn elders about Xiao San's peculiarities and emphasise the fact that he awakened Emperor Tian Hammer. Once they hear this news, I bet they will come running begging him to return to the Clan."
"Please also inform the eldest brother. He'll surely go to great lengths to accept Tang San into the Clan. I wish Xiao San to train in the Clan under the guidance of several elders. I cannot offer him good resources but that will be another case if he returns to the clan. With those resources, his cultivation will also be faster."
"Brother do you really want Xiao San to return to the Clan? Are you sure the elders will accept him and even allocate the Sect resources for him?" asked Tang Yuehua looking at her second brother.
"Yes, they will surely accept him because he is the future of the Clan!"
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ChaosDragon It was a hard job writing this chapter. Even I didn't expect the chapter to have a whooping 8.5K words!! Please support this series, and encourage it by gifting POWER STONES!!
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