401: Chapter 401 Secret Technique - Eight Hammers of the Clouds

Everyone's eyes were focused on Chen You and Bronzebeard.

Bronzebeard stood with his hands behind his back, his neck craned upward as he tried his best to make his 1.4-meter height appear more imposing.

In his eyes, yellowed from the smoke of the forge, a fanatical light flickered.

"Young man, ordinary forging methods are no longer worthy of your monstrous talent," Bronzebeard said in a low voice, attempting to create a sense of epic destiny.

Chen You brushed the dust off his hands and looked at the dwarf before him, who had been greedy for money just a moment ago but was now acting like a hidden master.

"So?" Chen You asked calmly.

Bronzebeard took a deep breath, his beard fluttering even though there was no wind. "I have here an ancient forging technique that has been lost for a long time."

"It is not constrained by materials nor limited by the furnace. It emphasizes the connection of heart and mind, using the heart as the fire and the intent as the hammer!"

The old dwarf paused, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding players who were all ears. His voice dropped even lower. "This technique is called—the Xiaji Eight Hammers!"

The hall fell silent for two seconds.

Chen You fell silent.

He looked at Bronzebeard's serious face, his lips twitching uncontrollably.

"Say that again. It's called what hammer?"

"Rosy! Extremes! Eight! Hammer!" Bronzebeard enunciated every word, his voice ringing with conviction.

"'Rosy' as in rosy clouds, 'Extremes' as in the ultimate, and 'Eight' as in the eight desolations! Legend has it that once mastered, eight hammer strikes can summon the colorful clouds of the nine heavens and forge divine artifacts!"

Chen You rubbed his temples.

Are the developers of this crappy game too bored in their spare time?

If it's just 'Blindly Swinging the Hammer,' then call it that; why make it sound so poetic?

Standing nearby, "Old Tie No Problem" already had his eyes wide open.

The only hidden technique in the entire server! God You's luck is practically a cheat code!

"Fine," Chen You sighed, not wanting to dwell on the name.

He skillfully opened his inventory interface. "How much? Name your price."

The profound look on Bronzebeard's face instantly froze.

He looked at Chen You, then at the bulging money pouch at Chen You's waist, his Adam's apple bobbing violently.

Given his usual personality, he would have asked for at least eighty or a hundred thousand gold coins at a time like this.

But the hidden quest logic assigned to him by the system was like an invisible shackle, firmly pinning down the hand he wanted to reach for the money pouch.

"Talking about money is so vulgar." Bronzebeard forced his gaze away from the pouch and looked up at the ceiling with an expression of pained righteousness.

"How can such a divine skill be measured with mere gold and silver? It is priceless! It all depends on fate!"

Chen You raised an eyebrow.

Having spent so much time in the Source Realm, he knew the nature of these NPCs all too well.

This so-called "depending on fate" translated to: "Ordinary currency can no longer satisfy me; you need to pay more, or give me rare items."

Without a word, Chen You pulled a stone emitting a seven-colored glow from his inventory and slammed it onto the table.

[Sky-Mending Stone (Fragment): mythological-grade material, contains the Source of Creation.]

This was one of the materials he had obtained from the Anniversary Event draw.

The entire Blacksmith Guild hall was instantly enveloped in seven-colored light.

Bronzebeard's eyes nearly popped out. He lunged onto the table, shielding the stone with his hands as his breath hitched.

"This... this, this, this..." The old dwarf stuttered for a long time, unable to form a complete sentence.

"Is the fate here yet?" Chen You asked.

Bronzebeard snapped his head up, his eyes red and brimming with tears.

He gritted his teeth as the code representing greed and the code representing quest rules fought a fierce battle in his mind.

Three seconds later, Bronzebeard let out a wail more pitiful than a slaughtered pig's and shoved the Sky-Mending Stone back toward Chen You.

"Not enough! This isn't enough!" Bronzebeard clutched his chest as if his heart were bleeding.

"The Xiaji Eight Hammers is a secret technique passed down through the lineage of the City Lord of Dongtie City! To learn it is not a matter of materials, it is... it's about the state of mind! It's about absolute devotion to forging!"

Chen You narrowed his eyes.

"Then how do I prove my devotion?"

The fires in the hall rose, heatwaves distorting the air.

Bronzebeard turned around and pointed a thick finger toward the center of the hall.

There were dozens of dwarf blacksmiths there, shirtless and covered in a mix of sweat and coal dust, hammering away furiously at red-hot metal on their anvils.

"Look at them," Bronzebeard said with a voice full of experience.

"Day after day for ten years, indifferent to the world, hearing only the sound of the hammer."

"This is absolute devotion."

Chen You looked where he was pointing.

One dwarf missed a strike, sending sparks onto another dwarf's backside. The two immediately dropped their hammers and began brawling, rolling around on the floor.

Chen You retracted his gaze and looked at Bronzebeard.

Bronzebeard coughed without changing his expression. "The details aren't important; what matters is their hearts."

"So?"

"You must gain the recognition of any ten Senior Blacksmiths in this hall," Bronzebeard said solemnly, hands behind his back.

"Only by obtaining ten resonances of Devoted Hearts will you be qualified to inherit the Xiaji Eight Hammers."

Chen You nodded and skillfully opened the system mall panel. "Fine. What's the competition? Hammering high-level materials or comparing refinement levels?"

"Put away those materials of yours that reek of money!" Bronzebeard barked, looking pained. "Forging is sacred! This time, it's not about smithing!"

Chen You paused. "Then what is it about?"

"Discussing the Dao." Bronzebeard pointed to his own head. "You must answer their questions."

"Use your understanding of forging to win them over. Remember, only the purest artisan's heart can move them."

Chen You understood.

A battle of wits.

He closed the mall, straightened his collar, and stepped toward the nearest dwarf blacksmith.

Half of this dwarf's beard was singed, and he was currently fretting over a black lump of iron.

Seeing Chen You approach, he didn't even look up before throwing out a question.

"Young man, tell me," the half-bearded dwarf said in a low voice. "How can a piece of the most ordinary common iron possess a soul?"

Chen You didn't even think. "Socket it with a mythological-grade gem."

The half-bearded dwarf snapped his head up and glared at Chen You, his hammer slamming heavily onto the anvil.

"Nonsense! That is an insult to forging! A soul comes from being tempered a thousand times, from the painstaking effort poured in by the blacksmith! Someone like you who relies on external objects—"

Chen You silently pulled out a [Lost Star Core] from his inventory.

It was the size of a fist, emitting an enchanting deep blue halo, with what looked like a galaxy swirling inside.

The half-bearded dwarf's voice came to a screeching halt.

His eyes were glued to the star core, his Adam's apple bobbing frantically.

"...But if it's a star core of this size," the half-bearded dwarf swallowed hard, his tone instantly becoming incredibly soft.

"I think it not only has a soul, it could even recognize me as its father."

"Young man, your understanding is profound. You have my recognition."

A faint light drifted from the top of the half-bearded dwarf's head and entered the Grandmaster Badge on Chen You's chest.

Progress: 1/10.

Behind him, Bronzebeard's eyes were wide, and his beard was trembling.