The muscles in his brawny arms, built from years of swinging a hammer, suddenly contracted like steel cables as he swung the Armor-Breaking Hammer in a crescent arc.

Before the hammer’s head could even touch the corner of Zhan Yan’s robes, the dragon pattern on its handle collided with the old man’s Iron Ruler, which had emerged from his sleeve. Sparks flew, drawing a three-foot line of fire between them.

"The coiled dragon pattern isn’t just for show!" Zhan Yan slapped the hammer’s handle with his Iron Ruler, the impact making the web of Xu Yunfan’s hand go numb. "Listen up! The Spiral Groove seven inches down the handle of this Armor-Breaking Hammer corresponds to the trajectory of the Thousand-Pound Mountain-Shaking Hammer’s interlocking Spiral Force. You need to get a feel for it often!"

"Thank you, Master!"

Though he spoke his thanks, the Armor-Breaking Hammer in Xu Yunfan’s hand suddenly began to spin in his palm.

The Heavy Hammer twisted like a millstone, the grooves on its handle scraping against his palm with a harsh, piercing sound.

The weapon, which should have flown from his grasp, instead recoiled on the Spiral Force, the crescent blade on its head just barely grazing the white hair at Zhan Yan’s temples.

The powerful gust of wind it generated sent Zhan Yan’s long, graying hair flying wildly.

Far from being angry, Zhan Yan laughed and stomped his foot on the iron anvil on the ground.

"Catch! Let’s see how far you’ve come!"

The three-hundred-jin Profound Steel Square Platform flew into the air, hurtling toward his disciple’s face with oppressive force.

With a master of the Blood Exchange Realm personally sparring with him, Xu Yunfan certainly wasn’t going to refuse the opportunity.

When he fought Su Zhenhe, not a single notification about his Skill Level increasing had appeared on his Attribute Panel, so he had no interest in that fight.

As the Profound Steel Square Platform flew toward him, Xu Yunfan’s waist and hips suddenly shifted into a strange, slanted angle. It was the "Slanting Golden Bell" defensive stance from the Thousand-Pound Mountain-Shaking Hammer Technique he had learned just yesterday.

"Wrong!"

Zhan Yan’s bellow was like thunder.

The moment the anvil struck his hammer, Xu Yunfan felt a jolt like lightning shoot through the tendons in his arms.

The handle of the Armor-Breaking Hammer vibrated violently, and its coiled dragon grooves converted the rebound into Spiral Force that shot up his bones and straight into his elbows.

Xu Yunfan staggered back seven steps, each one branding a half-inch-deep footprint into the green bricks.

By the third step, he suddenly twisted his waist and hips, channeling the remaining force into his feet.

The last four footprints grew progressively shallower until, by the time he reached the wall, the green bricks were left with only fine, spiderweb-like cracks.

’You have successfully blocked an attack from a Blood Exchange Realm master using the force-channeling method of the Thousand-Pound Mountain-Shaking Hammer Technique. Your Skill Level in the Thousand-Pound Mountain-Shaking Hammer Technique has increased!’

Xu Yunfan glanced at the notification that floated into his vision, his spirits lifting slightly. Ever since he had learned the Thousand-Pound Mountain-Shaking Hammer Technique from Zhan Yan yesterday, a grayed-out entry for it had appeared in his Skill Bar.

He was close to reaching the entry level.

"Seven steps to disperse the force, three steps to neutralize it. You’re a quick study."

Zhan Yan stroked his beard and nodded, but inwardly he was stunned. ’I only gave Xu Yunfan a preliminary explanation of the Thousand-Pound Mountain-Shaking Hammer Technique yesterday, and he’s already this proficient today?!’

’He can even use the force-dispersing method of Slanting Golden Bell so perfectly.’

’Compared to him, Fu Jin’s execution of this stance is an absolute eyesore.’

’Even someone with True Blood shouldn’t be able to grasp concepts so instantly, understand things after a single explanation, and even extrapolate new principles from what he’s taught.’

’That seven-step method Xu Yunfan used just now to shed the force—I haven’t even taught him that yet, and he still managed to use it.’

However, to keep Xu Yunfan from becoming arrogant, Zhan Yan’s expression betrayed nothing. To hide the astonishment in his eyes, he turned, grabbed the nearby flask of Cold Wine, and took a large swig to suppress the shock he felt.

Zhan Yan suddenly threw a leather waterskin from his waist.

"Catch! Try using the Wave-Flipping Force!"

The instant Xu Yunfan dropped his hammer to catch it, the waterskin exploded into a spray of countless droplets.

From out of nowhere, Zhan Yan produced three Iron Thorns and shot them through the curtain of water at his disciple.

With his piercing gaze, Xu Yunfan spotted them instantly. The long-handled Armor-Breaking Hammer in his hand became a blur, the rotational force of the Heavy Hammer gathering the water droplets into a vortex. The moment the Iron Thorns entered the water, they were deflected by half an inch, embedding themselves in the wooden post behind him with a series of CLANGS.

"Good!"

A sharp glint flashed in Zhan Yan’s eyes, and a cry of admiration escaped his lips. The next instant, he snatched up a pair of quenching tongs and jabbed them toward his disciple’s ribs.

The corner of Xu Yunfan’s eye twitched. ’What a dirty move,’ he couldn’t help but curse inwardly.

Instead of retreating, Xu Yunfan advanced. He stomped his foot, and a surge of power erupted from the sole, advancing layer by layer. The muscles all over his body rippled like waves, channeling that power into his arms. The Heavy Hammer in his hands sliced into the inside of the tongs like a blade.

This was a subtle technique used for stoking coals while smithing, a Weapon Forging Skill from the Celestial Craft Forging Technique. A force capable of deflecting a thousand pounds with a mere ounce traveled along the tongs, redirecting Zhan Yan’s killing blow into empty air.

"A fine ’pulling chestnuts from the fire’ technique!"

Zhan Yan dropped the tongs, retreated a step, and flexed his hands.

"Watch closely! This is the True Intent of the Thousand-Pound Mountain-Shaking Hammer!"

His calloused fist smashed down on the anvil.

There were no fancy moves, only a sudden surge of Blood Qi. The Blood Qi flooded his muscles and skin, making his entire frame seem to swell a size larger.

The next instant, a pure, explosive force channeled from his waist and legs erupted.

The moment the anvil’s surface caved in, its edges curled up three inches. It was a masterful technique, instantly converting vertical force into a horizontal tearing power.

The floor of the entire forge shook, and the charcoal in the furnace collectively sank half an inch.

A smile touched Zhan Yan’s lips. ’Seems I’ve still got it,’ he thought. He hadn’t used such a subtle force for a long time, but now, it felt just as it had in his prime.

"Power to move a thousand pounds, weight to shake a mountain. It follows a path of peerless ferocity, yet within it lies the principle of Kanglong Youhui—the overreaching dragon will have regrets. When the Ancestral Master of Divine Weapon Ridge first created this Hammer Technique, it was all about moving forward with No Return.

"But it was ultimately too unrefined. Once its power was spent, an expert of the same Realm found an opening and grievously wounded him. After returning to the Sect, the Ancestral Master poured his heart and soul into adding a Soft Force component to the Thousand-Pound Mountain-Shaking Hammer, allowing the technique to be effective even into the Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm."

Zhan Yan’s face was filled with emotion. "It’s been almost four hundred years since then, leading to the punch you just saw—a perfect balance of hard and soft, with power that penetrates to the core."

He turned to Xu Yunfan and said, "Now, you try."

At his master’s command, Xu Yunfan lifted the Armor-Breaking Hammer still in his hand and struck the dented surface of the anvil.

Before the vibrations from the impact had faded, Xu Yunfan suddenly rotated his wrist and flicked his elbow, sending a second wave of force surging forward from his shoulder blade.

The already dented anvil let out a resonant hum like a dragon’s cry. The curled edges were hammered flat again, leaving only a double-ringed forging pattern on the surface.

"Overlapping Wave Force?!"

Zhan Yan stroked the concentric rings on the anvil, his eyes wide and his expression twisted in disbelief.

After a long moment, an unusual flush spread across his old, wrinkled face.

"It took me a full three years to learn that move, and you just pulled it off on your first try!?"

"?"

Xu Yunfan blinked. "Master, is that technique supposed to be difficult?"

After he’d practiced the Thousand-Pound Mountain-Shaking Hammer Technique enough yesterday for it to appear in his Skill Bar, it was still grayed out, but he found he could use this particular force application method quite naturally.

Zhan Yan: "..."

A cool breeze blew in, causing the master and disciple’s robes to flutter.

After a long pause, Zhan Yan said with a serious expression, "There’s no need to teach you bit by bit. I’ll use today to impart the entire Thousand-Pound Mountain-Shaking Hammer Technique to you. Make sure you remember it all."

"Thank you, Master!"

Zhan Yan: "..."

Just then, the Earth Fire Well erupted, its violet-blue tongues of flame licking the ceiling.