Yoriichi looked at the metal. He knew, instinctively, that his part was done. To turn this bar into a sword required folding, shaping, quenching, and grinding—skills he had seen but never practiced. He knew where to strike to fix the flaw, but he did not know the art of the shape or other things.
He placed the hammer gently back on the rack. His hand shook uncontrollably now that the adrenaline was fading.
"It is done," Yoriichi said, his voice slightly breathless. "The suffocation is gone. But I do not know how to shape it. I leave the rest to the Master."
Tie Shan stared at the metal. He reached out with his tongs, his hands trembling slightly. He channeled a sliver of his Earth-attribute Dou Qi into the bar to test it.
Whoosh.
The Qi flowed through the metal like water through a clean pipe. There was no resistance. No stuttering. The conductivity was perfect.
Tie Shan slowly turned his head to look at Yoriichi. The gruff, angry expression was gone, replaced by a look of sheer, unadulterated shock and appreciation.
"Young Master..." Tie Shan murmured, his voice respectful for the first time. "How... how did you do that? That was a 'Resonance Strike'. It usually takes a smith twenty years to learn how to purge impurities by vibration alone. Did you read an Ancient Scroll? Did the First Elder teach you a secret technique?"
Yoriichi shook his head slowly. He leaned against the workbench, his legs feeling like jelly. The room was spinning slightly.
"It was all instinct, Senior," Yoriichi replied honestly. "My hand guided me through the problem. The call of the metal... it is something I do not understand very well myself. I just heard it crying."
"Instinct..." Tie Shan laughed, a hollow, incredulous sound. "You call that instinct?"
He looked at Yoriichi with a new light in his eyes—the look of a master realizing he is standing before a prodigy.
"It is rare, but not unheard of," Tie Shan said, stroking his singed beard thoughtfully. "In the Dou Qi Continent, there are those born with powerful souls. Alchemists need it to control fire. But some... some are born with an affinity for metal. They can sense the grain of steel like they sense their own skin. You..."
He paused, shaking his head. "You definitely fall under this category. To think the Xiao Clan had such a gem hidden under the guise of... well."
He didn't finish the sentence, but the implication was clear. Under the guise of trash.
"I have never seen you here before," Tie Shan said, crossing his massive arms. "You have talent that could rival the Spirit/King Smiths of the capital. Why come here now? Is there a reason you stepped into my smoky hell today?"
Yoriichi looked down at his dirty hands. He decided to be blunt. There was no shame in truth.
"I do not know the breadth of the metal calling me," Yoriichi admitted. "But I do know one thing. I am broke."
Tie Shan blinked.
"I owe a debt," Yoriichi continued, his face deadpan. "To the kitchen staff. And I need a way to pay it. Fate, or perhaps hunger, guided me here."
"Broke?" Tie Shan stared at him for a second, processing the absurdity of it. Then, he threw his head back and laughed.
"BWAHAHAHA!"
The laughter boomed through the hall, shaking the soot from the rafters. It was a hearty, genuine sound.
"Fate! Oh, such extravagant words, Young Master!" Tie Shan wiped a tear from his eye. "You fix a piece of Ice Silver worth five thousand gold coins because you are broke? The Heavens truly have a twisted sense of humor!"
The laughter attracted the attention of the other smiths. They had been watching from a distance, whispering.
"Did you see that?"
"He just hit it three times."
"Luck. It has to be luck. He's the cripple who lost to Xiao Yan."
"Maybe he ruined it and Master Tie is laughing at his stupidity."
Tie Shan's laughter cut off instantly. He spun around, his face darkening like a thundercloud.
"You fools!" Tie Shan roared at the onlookers. "Do your work! If I see one more hammer idle, I will make you sit inside the furnace! You stare at a genius and call it luck? Get back to work!"
The apprentices scrambled back to their anvils, terrified. The clang of metal resumed, frantic and chaotic.
Tie Shan turned back to Yoriichi, intending to ask more questions. He wanted to know about this "instinct." But then, his eyes drifted down.
He saw it.
Yoriichi's hand, resting on the workbench, was trembling violently. Fresh blood was seeping through the dirty bandages on his fingers, dripping onto the stone floor. His face was pale, beads of cold sweat clinging to his forehead despite the searing heat. And his legs... he was barely standing, favoring his right side heavily.
Tie Shan's breath hitched.
"He is injured," Tie Shan realized with a jolt. "He isn't just recovering... he is barely holding himself together. The rumors said he was bedridden just yesterday."
Tie Shan looked at the heavy hammer, then back at the trembling, bloody hand.
"He lifted that hammer... he performed a Resonance Strike... in this condition? With broken ribs and torn muscles? This isn't just talent. This is madness. This is willpower."
A profound sense of respect welled up in the Master Smith's chest. This boy was forging himself just as hard as the metal.
Tie Shan sighed, his expression softening into something almost paternal.
"Young Master," Tie Shan said gently, lowering his voice so the others wouldn't hear. "You... you should go now."
Yoriichi looked up, surprised. "Go? But I haven't—"
"We can talk about work later," Tie Shan interrupted firmly. "Look at yourself. You're shaking like a leaf. If you strike one more blow, your bones will snap, and I won't be responsible for killing the First Elder's grandson."
Tie Shan paused, looking Yoriichi in the eye.
"If you want... I can teach you. I can teach you the art of weapon smithing. Not just hitting things, but the theory. The fire control. The alloys."