With just a single hammer strike, Huo Yuhao made them see the gap.
And that gap was no longer a matter of inches; it was a difference as vast as the clouds and the mud.
Therefore, even though Huo Yuhao was just a teenager, the three presidents no longer held even a shred of contempt in their hearts.
The look in their eyes was no longer one of skepticism and dissatisfaction, but of shock, curiosity, and a long-lost, pure thirst for knowledge, like an apprentice seeing their Master demonstrate a unique skill for the first time.
For the current Huo Yuhao, Hundred Forging with a single hammer was merely a minor display of skill, not something worth boasting about.
He paused briefly, not even bothering to look at the colorful expressions on the three presidents' faces. He simply adjusted his breathing slightly, swung the Forging hammer with his left hand, and slammed it down once more onto the still-reddening piece of sinking silver on the anvil.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Huo Yuhao swung the hammers alternately with both hands. His movements were fluid and natural, without the slightest hesitation or pause, as the two Forging hammers traced graceful arcs in the air.
After just three more strikes, the piece of sinking silver on the anvil suddenly erupted with a blinding light, and a five-foot-long silver-white beam of light shot up from the metal's surface.
President Zhu Wen, Vice President Qu Tong, and Lin Zhiyuan all widened their eyes in unison, their pupils contracting violently in the reflection of that silver light.
Forging metal until it emits light? In all their lives, they had never even heard of such a thing, let alone seen it with their own eyes.
In their understanding, metal was just metal. No matter how it was forged, it only changed in shape and hardness—how could it possibly emit light?
This had completely exceeded their understanding of the word Forging.
And if a Blacksmith from Ten Thousand Years in the future were standing here, they would instantly recognize this light and exclaim: "Thousand Forging has spirit, First Grade Realm!"
Huo Yuhao still ignored the colorful expressions on the faces of those around him. From the moment the first hammer fell, his entire body and mind had been immersed in the Forging process.
The Ruyi effect inherent in this pair of Soul Forging hammers allowed the distribution of force and the vibration frequency of each strike to change according to Huo Yuhao's will.
And Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eyes Martial Soul granted him insight far beyond that of an ordinary person. Once his mental force spread out, the details inside the metal were crystal clear in his perception.
The Ruyi effect and the Spirit Eyes Martial Soul were a match made in heaven when used together.
So watching Huo Yuhao forge was like enjoying a unique performance, or listening to a concert performed jointly by metal and hammers.
The two pitch-black Forging hammers rose and fell alternately in his hands, his movements fluid and rhythmic. The three presidents watched, dazzled and dumbfounded.
As Huo Yuhao swung his hammers continuously, the frequency became faster and faster, and the shadows of the hammers almost merged into a blurry black curtain of light in the air.
The piece of sinking silver on the anvil also kept changing shape under his hammers, and then another, even more dazzling spirit light suddenly rose from the sinking silver.
This time, the light was even more dazzling and solid than the previous five-foot silver beam, enveloping the entire Forging room in this layer of silver radiance.
Thirty-six strikes, Ten Thousand Forging brings life!
Huo Yuhao flipped his hands, and the pair of Soul Forging hammers turned into two streaks of black light, merging back into his palms and disappearing.
This demonstration was enough. Subsequent Soul Forging would require more time and more complex techniques, and there was no need to continue here.
The three presidents stood frozen in place like three stone statues, their six eyes staring straight at the piece of sinking silver on the anvil, which had turned into a perfect sphere.
Feeling the power on it that seemed to pulse like a heartbeat, the shock in their hearts did not subside for a long time.
Princess Xu Jiujiu and Jin Li, who were on the side, also widened their eyes; it was their first time seeing such Forging.
Although they didn't quite understand the mystery behind it, the two brilliant spirit lights that shot into the sky were truly shocking, leaving a deep impression on them.
The Forging room was silent for a long while, until finally, President Zhu Wen swallowed his saliva, his Adam's apple bobbing several times before he finally squeezed out a sentence from his dry throat.
"Hall Master Huo, such techniques... are you willing to teach them to us?"
Huo Yuhao having Princess Xu Jiujiu contact the Blacksmith Association was certainly not a whim, but a move he had repeatedly weighed when planning the future development of Chuanling Hall.
His Chuanling Hall, whether it was to create new types of Spirit Tools capable of overturning the entire continent's Spirit Tool landscape, or to craft Battle Armor, could not bypass Forging.
But the reality he faced now was that, looking across the entire Douluo Continent, he was the only one who truly mastered systematic Forging techniques.
And Huo Yuhao's time was limited; he could not personally handle all the Forging tasks for the entire Chuanling Hall.
He still needed to cultivation, and there were too many other important things waiting for him to do.
Therefore, cultivating a group of Blacksmiths who truly understood Forging was imperative, and this group of veteran Blacksmiths from the Star Luo Blacksmith Association, with their solid foundation, were the most suitable candidates.
Meeting President Zhu Wen's eager gaze, which seemed almost ready to shine, Huo Yuhao nodded: "Naturally, a single flower blooming alone is not as good as a hundred flowers blooming together. Since I came to discuss cooperation with sincerity, I will not hide anything."
His gaze swept over Vice President Qu Tong and Lin Zhiyuan, who had complex expressions, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he smiled: "Now, regarding Forging according to my requirements, do the two Vice Presidents still have any questions?"
Vice President Qu Tong and Lin Zhiyuan looked at each other. In their eyes now, what Huo Yuhao had said before was not the blind command of an outsider, but clearly an expert from above coming down to guide their work.
Vice President Qu Tong hurriedly shook his head vigorously and answered in a gruff voice, snatching the chance to speak: "No problem, no problem! Hall Master Huo, you have the final say. We will forge however you say. If anyone dares to say half a word against it, this old man will be the first to disagree!"
Lin Zhiyuan also took off his reading glasses to wipe the sweat from his forehead, nodding repeatedly in agreement. A rare smile squeezed onto his usually stern old face.
President Zhu Wen's dark and rugged face was brimming with irrepressible joy, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes crinkling like a chrysanthemum.
He hurriedly interjected: "Hall Master Huo is so broad-minded to be willing to impart such miraculous Forging techniques to us rough men. We are too grateful to be anything but, how could we have any problems?"
"From now on, whatever Hall Master Huo says, our Blacksmith Association will do. There will be no second words."
Speaking up to this point, President Zhu Wen suddenly paused. He took a deep breath, and a solemn and determined expression appeared on his face, which was etched with the traces of time.
He straightened his back and said solemnly: "Hall Master Huo's Forging techniques far exceed my level. For me to continue sitting in this president's seat is truly undeserved."
"I am willing to abdicate and yield to the virtuous, handing over the position of Blacksmith Association President, and I earnestly request that Hall Master Huo take over the position of president."
When President Zhu Wen said this, there was no flicker of testing or polite pretense in his eyes. He sincerely wanted to yield the president's position to the young man in front of him.
Looking at President Zhu Wen's eyes filled with sincerity, Huo Yuhao shook his head and said: "President Zhu Wen, I appreciate your kindness."
"It's just that I have many things to be busy with. Chuanling Hall cannot do without me, and I'm afraid I don't have much time to spend on the association's daily affairs."
"The position of president is best suited for a Senior of high virtue and prestige like President Zhu Wen. I will just be responsible for teaching the techniques, and I hope our future cooperation will proceed smoothly."
Although President Zhu Wen was a bit regretful upon hearing this, he did not insist.
He immediately patted his chest and guaranteed: "Cooperation is naturally no problem. Whatever Hall Master Huo says, we will do. Absolutely no second words!"
Then he followed up with a suggestion: "Since Hall Master Huo is unwilling to take over as president, how about serving as the Honorary President of the Blacksmith Association?"
Faced with this proposal, Huo Yuhao did not refuse again.
After a moment of thought, he nodded and said readily: "Honorary President is no problem."
Then he changed the subject: "However, I think it might not be appropriate to call it the Blacksmith Association in the future. I think it should be changed to the Forging Association."
Upon hearing this, a sharp light suddenly ignited in President Zhu Wen's old eyes.
Yes, the work they did in the past really didn't have much technical content; to put it bluntly, it was just swinging hammers and putting in effort.
But now it was different. This set of Forging techniques imparted by Huo Yuhao was less of a craft and more of a profound and broad field of study.
And once they mastered this technology, which was enough to overturn the entire continent's metal processing industry, their status across the entire Douluo Continent would definitely skyrocket. In time, they might even be able to stand on equal footing with Soul Engineers.
Thinking of this, a flush of excitement appeared on President Zhu Wen's dark face, which was etched with the traces of time.
He nodded vigorously, his loud voice trembling slightly with excitement: "That's right, it is time to change the name!"
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A/N:
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.