Even
Tang San smiled and shook his head. "More accurately, it's a tool. I call it the
He pulled a mechanism at the upper front of the device, drawing out five ring-shaped metal loops which he slipped over the fingers of his left hand. Then he clenched his fist. With a crisp metallic snap, a metal spike shot out, extending just past his palm. The next instant, the tip of the spike burst open and transformed into a metal claw with five prongs. Under the sunlight it gleamed coldly, each prong-tip glinting like a shard of frozen starlight.
Tang San picked up a stone from the ground beside him. "The Flying God Claw was forged from several different metals fused together, tempered through countless rounds of hammering. The material is extraordinarily hard—hard enough to pierce through metal and stone alike. The claw is the most critical component. Once it's open, even the slightest touch triggers the spring and gear mechanism I built inside, causing the metal claw to snap shut."
As he spoke, he pressed the stone against the metal claw. With a sharp *shing*, and before the stunned eyes of the others, the claw bit into the rock as effortlessly as if it were piercing tofu, sinking in a full half its length.
Tang San explained in detail. "Once the claw has latched onto a target, there are five operational methods. First, if I straighten the index finger—the one with the metal ring—the claw will spring back open to its original position. Second, if I straighten the middle finger, the claw will bite down with maximum force. The grip strength is roughly enough to punch through an inch of steel plate. The remaining three methods are meant to be used in combination with the device's other functions."
As he said this, he straightened his middle finger. *Poof*—a puff of dust rose, and the ordinary stone was simply crushed to fragments in the claw's grip.
The other six members of the Shrek Seven Devils swallowed hard at the sight. They couldn't begin to imagine how such a powerful steel claw had been forged. In truth, Tang San's claim of countless rounds of hammering was no exaggeration at all. Once the metal had taken shape, even a regular smithing hammer couldn't alter its form. Tang San had poured enormous amounts of Soul Power into the work, using the small hammer from his other Martial Soul to complete the task.
During the forging process, Tang San had also discovered certain mysteries unique to that small hammer. Whenever the metal came into contact with the seemingly unremarkable hammer, it would soften no matter what alloy it was—using it to craft Hidden Weapons was like giving wings to a tiger. Unfortunately, it consumed a staggering amount of Soul Power and stamina. Under constant use, Tang San had to meditate to recover after each session. This was in fact one of the key reasons he had been able to push his Soul Power up to the thirty-third level during this period.
Tang San gave a small smile. "Of course it can do more than that. Otherwise it wouldn't be called the Flying God Claw. Its primary function is to help us 'fly.' It's not true flight, obviously, but as a tool it's incredibly useful. Watch—this is its third ability."
Tang San first snapped the claw open again, then raised his left arm toward a large tree roughly twenty meters away. He straightened his thumb. With a whoosh, the claw rocketed off the bracer in a streak of lightning-fast steel, flashing brilliantly in the sunlight. In the blink of an eye it struck the tree trunk with a solid *thunk*, embedding itself deep in the wood.
Everyone could clearly see a steel cable trailing behind the claw, no thicker than a strand of fine hemp rope.
Next, Tang San straightened his ring finger and tapped his toes against the ground. His body shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, and under the pull of the steel cable, he closed the distance to the tree in an instant. His toes lightly touched the trunk, and with the Flying God Claw's grip anchoring him, his entire body hung horizontal against the tree.
He flicked his index finger to release the claw, then leaped back with a few effortless bounds, arriving before the group once more.
"In certain types of terrain, the Flying God Claw can play an extremely useful role. It can also be used to capture people. The steel cable is thirty meters long, with a retraction force of roughly three hundred jin. As long as your body weight doesn't exceed three hundred jin, you can use it to climb to significant heights."
The internal mechanism of each Flying God Claw was remarkably complex, composed of a great many gears and springs. Of course, for Tang San, assembling them was not particularly painstaking work. What truly demanded precision were the eighteen iron balls resting dormant within the Twenty-Four Bridges Moonlit Night.
Tang San flicked his little finger, and the claw retracted back into the bracer. With a twist of his wrist, his five fingers slipped free of the metal rings, which retracted on their own and vanished inside the bracer. From the outside, it still looked like nothing more than an ordinary steel vambrace.
"What do you mean, picking locks?" Tang San shot him an exasperated look. "Fatty, you'd better watch your weight. If you ever go over three hundred jin, this thing becomes useless for you. And when everyone assembles theirs, you'll each need to remove one Sleeve Arrow to make room. Mubai, your muscles shift when you activate your Martial Soul, so I added elastic cable to the joints on your version. That way it won't get torn apart when your muscles expand."