ALL NOVEL Chapter 68: Chapter 69: Lou Gao and His Character
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At the Cold Wind Camp, in the Military Camp Forge Area.
Ling Yi stood before a massive workbench, his expression solemn and serious, meticulously assembling the parts on the table.
One dark golden metal scale after another was connected through clips and a structure similar to mortise and tenon joints.
Shoulder guards, torso armor, leg skirts, hawk tails, and helmets... each component took shape in Ling Yi's hands. When these parts were arranged in their respective positions, a full-body armor with an Eastern fantastical style gradually formed.
This was a full-metal armor similar to the Song Dynasty infantry armor from Ling Yi's previous life. The overall design drew inspiration from the classical beauty of some period dramas, primarily in dark gold, with red and black decorative patterns.
Beneath this art-like exterior lay its formidable defensive power.
Ling Yi could confidently tell Jiang Yuan, who was about to wear this armor, that with the "Thousand Scale Armor," attacks from Soul Masters with Third Soul Skills below the Powerful Attack type could be ignored.
Even the Third Soul Skill of a Powerful Attack-type Soul Master could be withstood by this full-metal "Thousand Scale Armor" for more than three direct hits!
One thousand eight hundred and twenty-five armor plates, each forged from an alloy of various precious metals, were hammered and refined by Ling Yi. In terms of toughness, a typical Great Soul Master's weapon, forged to 500, would leave only a shallow mark on these plates, a mark that could be easily wiped away.
On December 2604, another year of bitter cold, it had been more than half a year since Lou Gao arrived at the Cold Wind Camp in the northern part of Waterwood Principality.
Seven months ago, Lou Gao initially intended to teach Ling Yi the entire set of the "Chaotic Wind Hammer Technique" to fulfill the wishes of his teacher, Iron Pagoda, and to honor the long-standing friendship between his teacher and his senior brother.
However, during the teaching process, Lou Gao discovered that Ling Yi was indeed the super genius in forging that his great-uncle, Old Master Jingang, had described!
So, to avoid burying such a rare natural blacksmith, Lou Gao decided to spend some time and guide this 'junior brother'.
Lou Gao never expected that the subsequent events would be like a runaway horse, completely exceeding his expectations and control.
Genius! A true genius!!
This was Lou Gao's evaluation of Ling Yi after less than three days of interaction.
On the first day, Lou Gao demonstrated the complete set of the "Chaotic Wind Hammer Technique" to Ling Yi, all 81 moves without a single omission.
Then, after breaking down and practicing each move, Ling Yi asked Lou Gao a few questions and immediately performed all 81 moves of the "Chaotic Wind Hammer Technique"!
Although the later moves were somewhat stiff, and the force application was a bit immature in some places.
But!
He had only watched once and asked once, and he had learned the "Chaotic Wind Hammer Technique," which had stumped tens of thousands of blacksmiths on the Douluo Continent?!
The first day passed with Lou Gao in a daze, while Ling Yi pondered and practiced the entire set of the "Chaotic Wind Hammer Technique."
On the morning of the second day, when Lou Gao asked the staff of the military camp and rushed to the forge area, he saw Ling Yi's perfectly fluid forging hammer.
The "Chaotic Wind Hammer Technique"—had he already mastered it?!
However, when Lou Gao asked this question, Ling Yi gave him this answer:
"Novice, Beginner, Intermediate, Slightly Accomplished, Proficient, Masterful, Supreme, and Essence!
I am at most slightly accomplished, still far from the level of mastery. As for the realms of perfection and ultimate mastery, I am even further away—"
At that moment, Lou Gao's mind was in chaos.
What... What is all this?
Is there really so much to a set of the "Chaotic Wind Hammer Technique"?
Regardless of Lou Gao's chaotic thoughts, Ling Yi continued to practice the "Chaotic Wind Hammer Technique," constantly forging metal materials to understand the force application of each hammer strike and the subtle differences in the rebound force from each strike. This deepened his understanding, making his forging hammer more and more proficient and hungry for the principles and effects of each hammer strike.
When the 81 moves of the "Chaotic Wind Hammer Technique" were performed, Ling Yi seemed to transform into a high-speed spinning top, becoming a unique sight in the forge area.
It must be said that the "Chaotic Wind Hammer Technique" is indeed the strongest forging technique for removing metal impurities. Ling Yi, who had learned the entire set of 81 moves, improved his metal forging from 625 to 790 in just one day!
Just one step away from reaching the 800 forging level, and a big step closer to the 1000 Forging threshold for a Blacksmith Master!
During his practice of the "Chaotic Wind Hammer Technique," whenever he needed a rest due to exhaustion, Ling Yi would use his Soul Skill, "Vitality Flourishing," to recover. He would then walk to a large workbench in the forge area and begin studying metal ingots of various sizes, colors, and shapes.
The second threshold for a Blacksmith Master is to smelt a metal alloy that can withstand 1000 Forging hammer strikes, enhancing the material properties rather than weakening them.
Making the hard harder, the tough tougher, or achieving a balance of both...
This involves the melting points of different metals, their reactions at various temperatures, and the complementary or conflicting properties of different metals. Many variables are obstacles for advanced blacksmiths.
Of course, on the current Douluo Continent, there are metal formulas discovered by predecessors, greatly reducing the difficulty of this second threshold.
Almost all advanced blacksmiths, if they sincerely seek guidance, can learn one or two alloy formulas published by the Blacksmith Association.
They only need to master these formulas through practice and observation, refining their control of the details, to overcome this threshold to becoming a Blacksmith Master.
Unfortunately, even with these 'low-threshold' formulas, more than 70% of advanced blacksmiths still struggle.
The smelting of different metals also depends on talent.
Just like chefs, the same ingredients, the same seasonings, and the same stoves can produce vastly different dishes depending on the chef.
Fortunately, Ling Yi is a talented chef who can precisely control the combination of ingredients, the amount of seasonings, and the strength of the heat, producing 'dishes' that, though not glowing, perfectly achieve the optimal effects recorded in the formulas!
Lou Gao is one of the most authoritative figures in metal research on the current Douluo Continent.
In fact, Ling Yi, who has memories of the original timeline from his previous life, knows that the 'one of' can be omitted.
Leaving aside the only Divine Blacksmith, Iron Pagoda, whom Ling Yi knows little about, let's look at the three Divine Blacksmiths in the original story: Tang Hao, Titan, and Lou Gao.
Tang Hao is a Sealed Douluo, Titan is a Soul Douluo, and Lou Gao is a Soul Sage. The most powerful Tang Hao is the youngest, while the weakest Lou Gao is a few years older than Titan.
In Titan's words, he once said to Tang San: 'Lou Gao is the president of the Blacksmith Association; calling him the King of Divine Blacksmiths is not wrong. Your father has retired, and in terms of forging, we are evenly matched. I am better at refining and forging various metals, while he is more skilled in intricate techniques.'
(End of Chapter)