Chapter 34: Future Progress – Long Haochen's Success
Purification.
It was the foundation of forging—and the basis of the Hundred Refinements.
For a blacksmith, if you couldn't achieve proper purification, then no matter how skilled you were in engraving inscriptions, or how deep your comprehension was of Thousand Refinements, Spirit Refinements, Soul Refinements, or even Divine Refinements, you would never reach true mastery.
That was the importance of purification.
To complete Thousand Refinements, your rare metal needed to reach at least 90% purity. For Spirit Refinement, it had to be 100% pure—any trace of impurity would drastically increase the risk of failure.
Even if you somehow succeeded, a single percent of impurity could make your Spirit Refined metal barely better than a top-tier Thousand Refined one.
If Spirit Refinement was already this demanding, then Soul and Divine Refinement required even more.
"Alright, Brother Ye," Long Haochen nodded after hearing Ye Ling's words. Without hesitation, he gripped the hammer in his hand and stepped up to the forging table. His young face was firm with determination as he brought the hammer down onto a piece of pig iron.
With one strike, the pig iron deformed slightly. Long Haochen's strength was considerable. Though he couldn't instantly achieve Hundred Refinements, the visible change was evident to the naked eye.
That result brought a smile to his face. With the hardest first strike already behind him, and given his innate perception, everything that followed wouldn't be too difficult.
At the very least, it wouldn't be to the point of causing him hardship.
Judging by his performance, Long Haochen reaching the 60% purification threshold required for a first-rank blacksmith wouldn't be a problem at all. He could probably pass in one go.
Thinking this, Ye Ling smiled and looked to the side at Long Xingyu.
At that moment, Long Xingyu seemed lost in thought—reflecting not just on Ye Ling and Long Haochen's talent, but also on their dangerous and extraordinary path.
It was unclear what he was contemplating.
When he noticed Ye Ling looking at him, Long Xingyu returned the gaze. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Ye Ling, do you think we can really defeat the Demon Race?"
His voice carried exhaustion—he hadn't intended to voice such thoughts. But after witnessing Ye Ling and Long Haochen's potential, he couldn't help himself.
"Extremes always reverse," Ye Ling said. "The once-glorious Church of Light ruled for thousands—even tens of thousands—of years, but was eventually overturned by a single powerful figure. After that, the Seventy-Two Pillars of the Demon Race descended upon the Holy Demon Continent and drove humanity to its current brink."
"It's been six thousand years since then. Throughout that time, countless predecessors have fought on, generation after generation, all in hopes of reclaiming our future. And maybe—just maybe—in the near future, humanity will finally defeat the Demon Race and reclaim the Holy Demon Continent."
His tone was calm, but the confidence it carried was overwhelming.
Because he knew. He truly knew.
Humanity's redemption would come in this very era.
And now, with his transmigration, everything would turn out even better.
Ye Ling didn't believe his presence would derail what was destined to occur. On the contrary, he believed he could change things for the better—eliminate all the regrets that should never have happened, and usher in a new age for humanity at unprecedented speed.
Long Xingyu paused in surprise.
He looked at Ye Ling and saw brilliant light seemingly radiating from the boy, as though he were a blazing sun—resplendent and rising.
But that wasn't all.
When Ye Ling spoke those words, he reminded Long Xingyu of someone—the current top knight of the Knight Temple, Sky Knight Yang Haoyu.
That man had once spoken the same way, and Long Xingyu had studied under him for a time.
It struck him then—and it struck deep.
He was also amazed by Ye Ling's knowledge. In this age, nearly all ancient texts from the Glorious Era had been lost. Only fragments remained, preserved alongside scattered records.
To understand them required considerable effort. And yet, Ye Ling had spoken like he had read them all.
Ye Ling was able to speak of it all so effortlessly.
It was obvious he had spent considerable effort to fully understand that part of history.
Maybe what he said wasn't just hopeful speculation—but something that would truly happen in the future.
Thinking of this, Long Xingyu made a firm decision in his heart.
He had to act fast.
"Haochen's external spiritual energy has already reached one hundred. Next, I plan to send him to the Hao Yue Branch Temple to gain their recognition. What's your view?" Long Xingyu looked at Ye Ling and asked calmly.
He wasn't seeking Ye Ling's opinion—he wanted Ye Ling to be involved.
"Of course, that's fine," Ye Ling replied. "Right now, the Hao Yue Branch Temple isn't plagued with all sorts of shady schemes. It's quite different from other places and suits Haochen well at this stage. In the future, he can also rely on his position there to join the Demon Hunt Squads."
Then he added with a smile, "But there's no rush. Wait a few more months. When the time comes, I can go with him to the Hao Yue Branch."
Long Xingyu nodded in agreement.
He couldn't stay by Long Haochen's side forever, so he wanted to open more paths for him. It would make things much easier.
For Haochen's growth—and for Long Xingyu's plans—it would all be beneficial.
And Ye Ling was one of those paths.
"Very well," Long Xingyu said, nodding again.
After that, Ye Ling turned his gaze away from him.
His eyes now focused on Long Haochen.
Unlike other beginners who started young, those with less strength and spiritual energy would need to swing their hammers thousands—tens of thousands—of times just to barely manage purification.
But Haochen was different. He already had a solid physical foundation.
By now, he had completed the forging.
His body was drenched in sweat, and he was panting as he looked forward.
He had done it.
This was his limit.
No—he had even pushed beyond it.
Only when he had completely exhausted himself did he finally stop.
If not for his incredibly strong willpower, Long Haochen would have already collapsed.
Long Xingyu, realizing this, immediately steadied his body and took out a pill to feed him.
At the same time, Ye Ling rapidly cooled the piece of pig iron, then began inspecting the quality of the ingot Haochen had forged.
In the end, he saw the result.
"Eighty percent purity. Haochen, you can now be considered a first-rank apprentice blacksmith."
Ye Ling looked at Long Haochen as he said this.
Haochen's talent was truly impressive.
Although forging didn't quite fit his style, since Ye Ling knew how to do it—he would teach.
In the future, if he planned to use forging techniques to earn a living or change the world, Long Haochen would be his best assistant.
That would save him a great deal of trouble.
(End of chapter)
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