Tang San thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, fine. There's really nothing to keep secret about it. Some things simply can't be learned just because someone wants to." How could the Hidden Weapons of the Tang Sect not have imitators? Yet in Tang San's original world, the Tang Sect had stood for hundreds of years, and no counterfeit Hidden Weapon had ever surpassed those produced by the sect itself. An ordinary Tang Sect Hidden Weapon craftsman required a full ten years of training. Tang San possessed extraordinary natural talent in this field, and even he had needed over twenty years of continuous research and fabrication before reaching the level of a master in mechanical Hidden Weapons. Replicating them was virtually impossible.
Ning Rongrong said, "That's even better — no need to go back right away. To tell the truth, I was actually worried that once I got home, Dad wouldn't let me leave again. This works out perfectly. We don't have to train during this period either, so we can have some real fun. Xiao Wu, where do you think we should go? Tang San, do you want to come along?"
Tang San frowned. "The teachers specifically told us to cultivate our Soul Power. Rongrong, have you forgotten?"
Ning Rongrong stuck out her tongue and laughed. "It's fine. It's not like I'm going out all the time. Right now, I have the weakest Soul Power among us Shrek Seven Devils. I know I need to work hard. But you still need to relax once in a while — a balance of work and rest, you know?"
Xiao Wu nodded. "Rongrong has a point. Xiao San, why don't you come out and wander around with us?"
Tang San shook his head. "No, thanks. I still have plenty of things to take care of. You two go ahead — just be careful." With that, he hurriedly took his leave. Being in the girls' dormitory always felt a bit strange.
Over the past two months, Tang San had already planned exactly what he wanted to do — a plan he'd formulated on the journey back.
After their harrowing encounter in the Star Dou Great Forest, Tang San had become increasingly aware of his own inadequacies in strength. The Eight Spider Lances gave him a tremendous advantage among Soul Masters of the same level, but once there was a gap in rank, that advantage evaporated.
Against Soul Masters up to the fortieth level, Tang San was fairly confident he could win. Above the fortieth level, it would depend on the opponent's type and elemental attribute.
If his element happened to counter his opponent's, he believed that with his Hidden Weapons, he still stood a fighting chance. But if his opponent's attribute countered his own, victory was almost impossible.
The forging equipment Tang San had purchased from the blacksmith shop back then had long since been delivered to Shrek Academy. Before returning today, he'd even stopped by the blacksmith shop and placed a special order for a batch of metals. The Soul Duel had netted him over five thousand gold coins, more than enough to purchase quality metals.
Combined with the metals he'd bought previously, he intended to arm himself with additional equipment over the coming two months. At the same time, he would intensify his practice with Hidden Weapon techniques.
His internal energy was still insufficient, preventing many of the Tang Sect's refined concealed Hidden Weapons from reaching their full potential. So Tang San would focus on the mechanical-type Hidden Weapons at which he excelled.
Shrek Academy might be simple, but it was fairly spacious, and with so few teachers and students, Tang San had asked Flandre for an empty room when the forging equipment arrived. Naturally, rent was not optional.
Leaving Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong's dormitory, Tang San went straight to that room. The construction was straightforward — rough stone blocks stacked together, irregular in shape but solid and durable. It was the most common building method used by commoners.
The room was modest, roughly thirty square meters. A smelting furnace, a calcining forge, an anvil for hammering, and a forging hammer — everything he needed was there. They had simply gathered some dust and rust from sitting unused for a while.
In one corner lay a large pile of charcoal and various chunks of metal, most of them completely unprocessed.
Tang San tidied the room briefly. The moment his hand closed around the forging hammer's handle, a familiar sensation surged through him. His mind couldn't help but drift back to the days when his father had taught him to forge.
Although Tang Hao hadn't instructed him for very long, that period had been the closest Tang San had ever been to his father since birth. Every word Tang Hao had spoken during that time was seared into his memory.
"A divine craftsman is not one who forges divine artifacts from divine steel, but one who creates divine artifacts from ordinary iron," Tang San murmured, repeating his father's words. The forging hammer rose in his hands, powered by his calves.
Without any target, accompanied by the howling whistle of displaced air, the hammer danced through the room in Tang San's grip. Every swing was imbued with internal energy. The rotation of his body, the transitions between each strike — everything flowed perfectly.
The changes brought by his internal energy and his body made the Chaotic Wind Hammer Technique feel even more natural in his hands. Though there was nothing to strike, the cathartic release brought him an incredibly satisfying feeling.
He swung a full eighty-one times before stopping. His clothes were drenched in sweat. Satisfying — truly satisfying. Tang San held the forging hammer before him, and scenes from his time in the Tang Sect learning to forge under Tang Hao's tutelage flooded his mind. For a moment, a rush of complex emotions overwhelmed him.
Thirteen years old — it meant he had been in this world for thirteen years. In this entirely new world, he had gained things he had never possessed before. Family, friendship, a Martial Soul, Soul Skills — all of it had woven itself completely into his very soul.
With a flash of movement, Tang San was beside the pile of metals. The forging hammer struck a chunk of refined iron over half a meter in diameter, and the impact tilted it slightly. His toes shot out at just the right moment, flicking upward, and the chunk of refined iron — weighing nearly a hundred jin — was launched into the air.