Old Master Lin watched as Lu Qing hammered down with immense force.
Under the massive pressure, the red-hot iron bar emitted sparks and was compressed into an iron disc.
Then, Lu Qing folded it and hammered it heavily again, turning it back into an iron disc.
Just like that, Lu Qing continued hammering one blow after another.
The iron bar seemed like dough in his hands, easily flattened.
But Old Master Lin and his apprentices knew it wasn't that the iron bar was soft as dough; it was Lu Qing's incredible strength.
Each hammer blow easily flattened the iron bar.
Most importantly, Old Master Lin noticed that Lu Qing wasn't just using brute force.
Every hammer blow contained intricate variations, precisely reaching the iron bar's limit, squeezing out impurities without breaking it.
Watching Lu Qing swing the heavy hammer effortlessly, hammering repeatedly, Old Master Lin was stunned, muttering in disbelief.
His heart was filled with indescribable shock.
He never imagined that forging iron could be done this way.
Every hammer blow was a forging. Such divine forging techniques couldn't be achieved even by the master blacksmiths he had seen.
Yet, it was happening right before his eyes.
In the backyard of the Heartforge Workshop, Lu Qing continuously swung the heavy hammer, each blow causing the entire backyard to tremble.
Everyone was mesmerized by the powerful and beautiful scene, including Wei Dazongguan.
Due to his higher cultivation, he could better appreciate the terrifying hammer technique Lu Qing displayed.
He estimated that even with his Internal Organs Realm cultivation, he couldn't withstand a few of Lu Qing's hammer blows.
Lu Qing seemed tireless, hammering continuously for over an hour.
Suddenly, feeling something, he stopped folding and hammering and began shaping the iron bar.
Gradually, the iron bar in his hands took the shape of a sword.
With another hammer blow, sparks flew, and Lu Qing finally stopped hammering, placing the formed sword embryo into the cool water.
As steam rose, Lu Qing took out the sword embryo and examined it closely.
A rich red glow emerged from the sword embryo.
[Thousand-Fold Sword Embryo: A sword embryo formed by repeated folding and hammering, reaching the thousand-fold level.]
[Only after countless hammerings can it become a true weapon. A thousand-fold sword embryo already has the potential to become a magical artifact.]
[Due to material limitations, this sword embryo has reached its limit, and further hammering won't improve its quality.]
Lu Qing understood this after seeing the sword embryo's information.
He had sensed this during the forging process.
The iron bar had reached its limit, and further folding and hammering were pointless.
Mundane iron remained mundane iron; it couldn't endlessly improve through folding and hammering.
The thousand-fold level was the iron bar's highest quality.
"Lu Xiaolangjun, may I have a look at this sword embryo?" Old Master Lin's voice trembled with anticipation.
Lu Qing handed the sword embryo to the old blacksmith.
Old Master Lin carefully examined the sword embryo, and his apprentices gathered around, disregarding their usual manners.
Lu Qing's sword embryo was slightly smaller than the previous one, as he had completely removed its impurities.
But this wasn't what Old Master Lin and his apprentices focused on.
They immediately examined the sword embryo's patterns.
When they saw the intricate patterns, Old Master Lin's body trembled: "These patterns, it's truly a thousand-fold treasure embryo! This sword embryo has reached the thousand-fold level!"
"Master, has it really reached the thousand-fold level?"
The apprentices, who had never seen thousand-fold refined iron, were equally shocked.
"There's no mistake, the fine scales are the hallmark of a thousand-fold treasure embryo!"
Hearing their master's confident tone, all the apprentices were thrilled.
They crowded around the sword embryo, their eyes glued to it.
For a blacksmith, seeing a thousand-fold level iron item was a tremendous honor!
Old Master Lin, holding the sword embryo, looked at Lu Qing with trembling lips.
He had expected the sword embryo's quality, having watched Lu Qing forge it from start to finish, with a rough count of the folds and hammerings.
But seeing the thousand-fold patterns on the sword embryo was still profoundly shocking.
Lu Qing's forging technique was incredibly awe-inspiring.
One hammer, one forging—such divine skills truly existed!
Old Master Lin had never met a grandmaster blacksmith, so he didn't know the extent of their skills.
But he was sure Lu Qing's forging technique, especially his hammering, was unmatched.
"A thousand-fold treasure embryo?"
Wei Dazongguan couldn't help but open his mouth in surprise.
He hadn't expected Lu Qing to forge a thousand-fold sword embryo.
Even their Wei family mansion had only a few such treasured swords.
"Lu Xiaolangjun, thank you for letting me observe this treasure."
Old Master Lin respectfully returned the sword embryo to Lu Qing.
He acted like an apprentice facing a grandmaster.
"It's just a sword embryo, no need to be so formal," Lu Qing smiled, not taking it back. "I have a favor to ask of you, old blacksmith."
"Please, Lu Xiaolangjun, anything I can do to help, I will!" Old Master Lin replied eagerly.
"It's nothing major. I want to ask you to make this sword embryo into a long sword. A friend of mine has a celebration in a few days, and I want to give it as a gift. Can you help?"
"Of course, but why don't you do it yourself?" Old Master Lin asked curiously.
"To be honest, I'm only skilled in hammering. I'm not familiar with the other forging techniques like inlaying, polishing, and sharpening. That's where your experience surpasses mine."
Creating a perfect sword involved more than just forging the sword embryo.
It also required inlaying, polishing, and sharpening, which Lu Qing wasn't familiar with.
"I see. Rest assured, Lu Xiaolangjun, I will make this treasure sword well!"
Old Master Lin was excited. Creating a thousand-fold treasure sword was an unprecedented experience for him.
But then he remembered something.
"Lu Xiaolangjun, didn't you say you were here to forge a weapon for yourself? Is this sword embryo not for you?"
"My weapon can wait," Lu Qing shook his head.
"I came here to practice my hammering skills. I'll come back for your help when I gather the materials."