76: Chapter 76 Low Alloy Steel Knife

When Hu Gualing picked up the hammer to begin Forging, he noticed that the blade blank in front of him didn't seem to be made entirely of steel. Judging by the pattern, other metals must have been added.

This made sense, though; after all, Zhang Zhongqing was a professor of Materials science. If it were just simple blacksmithing, it wouldn't be very impressive.

Hu Gualing didn't overthink it and swung the hammer down.

Clang! Without much effort, he struck a sound louder than any Zhang Zhongqing had made before.

However, to his surprise, the blade blank didn't seem to react at all; instead, a noticeable recoil shock jolted his wrist.

Hu Gualing wasn't sure if it was a characteristic of the Materials or if the blade blank had cooled down almost completely, making it so hard.

Perhaps it was both... but there was no helping it; someone was watching, so he couldn't just give up.

He had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue Forging.

Fortunately, this workbench was high-end; not only did it look clean and feel satisfying, but it also had slots on both sides to securely hold the blade blank in place. He didn't have to worry about accidentally sending the blank flying with too much force and could just focus on swinging the hammer.

As he increased his strength, hammer blow after hammer blow struck the blade blank, and the hard-textured piece finally began to take shape...

"Faster, use more strength!"

Hearing this voice, Hu Gualing couldn't help but glance to the side, only to find Zhang Zhongqing still focusing all his attention on the blade blank, clenching his fists and muttering softly yet nervously...

Hu Gualing was speechless, but he still sped up his movements.

Although doing so made the recoil from the hammer even more intense, his physical fitness allowed him to endure it. He even had the energy to be distracted, thinking about how he had just used [Lazy Donkey Roll] twice in a row.

Logically speaking, the [Lazy Donkey Roll] skill didn't have a clear cooldown time, but after using it, his body would always experience some symptoms of exhaustion, and his muscles would ache... especially when used consecutively in a short period, which would make this condition even worse!

Just like that time he faced the encirclement of three Black-Clad Men; after using [Lazy Donkey Roll] repeatedly, not only did his muscles feel a strong tearing sensation, but he was also so exhausted that he didn't even have the strength to stand steady, as if taking one more step would cause him to cramp and collapse!

But just now, in his haste, he had used [Lazy Donkey Roll] twice in a row without a moment's pause... Theoretically, this should have placed a greater burden on his body, yet he was now acting like nothing had happened and still had energy to spare while blacksmithing.

Could this be the effect of the two points of stamina increase he gained when his Forging skill reached level 4 in the game last night? A mere two points of stamina could bring about such a significant change; it was truly incredible...

While Hu Gualing was thinking, his hands didn't stop, and with a series of heavy, rhythmic strikes, he soon completed the Forging process for the blade blank.

"Good, good!"

Seeing the finished blade blank, Zhang Zhongqing was excited and prepared to see which good student could be so capable. When he looked up, he couldn't help but be stunned, "You... who are you?"

"Teacher, he is Hu Gualing, the one who saved me." Wu Yingying walked up.

Hearing the voice, Zhang Zhongqing turned his head and finally noticed Wu Yingying, "Yingying, then he..." Thinking of something, Zhang Zhongqing turned his gaze back to Hu Gualing with a worried expression.

However, he saw that Hu Gualing was only sweating a little; other than that, there was nothing unusual about him... But from what he had seen on the news, he seemed to be quite seriously injured. Zhang Zhongqing couldn't help but frown.

Seeing her teacher's confusion, Wu Yingying explained, "Teacher, Gualing has a sturdy body; it's nothing serious."

Hu Gualing also chimed in, "Teacher Zhang, those were just external injuries. They looked scary, but they were actually completely healed this morning."

Zhang Zhongqing didn't doubt it; after all, he had seen Hu Gualing blacksmithing with his own eyes. Even a normal person who hadn't been injured couldn't do it to this extent. He could only say that Hu Gualing's physique was extraordinarily sturdy.

Zhang Zhongqing compared himself to him and couldn't help but sigh, "It's good to be young. Unlike me, an old thing who can't even hold a hammer tightly anymore, sigh..."

Wu Yingying wanted to scold her teacher a bit for being at such an age and still locking himself in a room to engage in such high-risk activities.

But seeing her teacher like this, she couldn't bear to say harsh words. She simply suggested, "Teacher, please take care of yourself. Hobbies are hobbies, but you can't do everything yourself. At least call a few Junior Brothers from the metalworking major to come and help; it could count as an internship opportunity for them."

Zhang Zhongqing shook his head, "If I don't do it myself, how can I experience the beauty of the Materials gradually changing in my hands... But aging and physical decline are natural laws; I will be careful in the future..."

Hu Gualing listened and pondered inwardly. It seemed that this Teacher Zhang really loved blacksmithing. If there was a chance in the future, he could introduce the game Fantasy Jianghu to him, or even have him apprentice under Wang Dachui to become his own Junior Brother—that wasn't impossible... Besides, the improvement of attributes in the game could bring immediate changes to the body. As long as he played the game, he wouldn't have to worry about not being able to lift a hammer anymore.

Of course, there were too few players in the game right now, and regardless of the considerations, it wasn't appropriate to expose the existence of this game. At the very least, he had to wait until all the friends in the game group had entered the game...

Zhang Zhongqing, whether he was thick-skinned or just easily distracted, put the matter behind him after a brief moment of sentimentality and stared intently at the blade blank, "This low-alloy steel blade can actually present such a state under pure manual Forging. I really don't know what it will look like after the finishing steps... I'm already starting to look forward to it."

Low-alloy? Upon hearing this, Hu Gualing realized it was indeed a type of Materials he didn't quite understand. He watched Zhang Zhongqing's actions with great interest. Although Zhang Zhongqing couldn't compare to Wang Dachui in terms of physical strength, he was, after all, a professor of Materials science, and he must have his own unique methods for processing Materials.

He saw Zhang Zhongqing open a tall, cylindrical furnace, pick up the blade blank, carefully place it inside, and close it. He adjusted some parameters using the buttons on the furnace's surface, pressed the confirm key, and then clasped his hands behind his back, staring intently and waiting quietly.

'This step should be tempering heat, followed by quenching, and then grinding out the blade edge; that should basically complete it.'

Just as Hu Gualing was thinking this, he noticed some writing on the side of the furnace. Curious, he tilted his head to look and discovered the words "Vacuum Furnace" on it.

It wasn't tempering heat after all?

What does this vacuum furnace do? Pull a vacuum?

While Hu Gualing was full of questions, he heard the furnace emit a "ding" sound like a microwave.

Time was up.

Zhang Zhongqing opened the furnace and took out the blade blank.

After this heating, the blade blank seemed to have undergone a mysterious change.

Hu Gualing couldn't say what exactly had happened, but he could vaguely feel it.

The quality of this blade blank now was more than a level higher than before it was put into the furnace!