Tang San had many plans for the future. But for now, his priorities were simple: cultivate the Mysterious Heaven Skill, train his soul power control, strengthen his body with the Chaos Cloak Hammer Method, master the laws of vibration, and continue refining his martial soul cultivation theories.
As for the other transmigrators in this world?
He no longer cared.
After a brief analysis, Tang San came to a few conclusions:
If someone transmigrated before him yet didn't cause any disturbance, there were only two possibilities:Either they didn't have the ability to change anything… or they were too scared of disrupting the so-called "plot" and lived in constant caution.
Whichever the case, those types of transmigrators were not worth worrying about.
The second group were those who transmigrated around the same time as him—like Mu Tian. If they didn't possess some powerful cheat and thought they could rely on imagination alone to outwit the world?
They were better off washing up and going to bed early.
"I'm going to train my soul power control. What about you? Heading to the blacksmith shop again?"Xiao Wu asked, adjusting her belt casually as she prepared to leave.
"Yeah," Tang San nodded. "Body training is important."
"I've been looking into the principles behind Wang Sheng's Tiger King's Blood Transformation. I've come up with a better blood energy circulation method. I want to integrate it into the Chaos Cloak Hammer Method to see if it improves the body-forging effect."
He paused and added, "Also… I want to try making soul tools. They might be the future of this world."
After parting with Xiao Wu at the Spirit Hall's gate, Tang San made his way to the blacksmith shop in Nuoding City. It was located in the southern part of the city near the wall, right by a drainage ditch.
The location made sense—blacksmith shops were usually built far from crowded areas. If a fire broke out, it wouldn't spread easily, and the nearby ditch made water retrieval convenient. Safety was the first concern.
"Tang San, you're here."
The shop owner, Boss Li, was a broad-chested, good-natured middle-aged man. Though not a Soul Master, his physique was intimidating. His raw physical strength was stronger than that of many soul masters—excluding those with animal martial souls, of course.
"Boss Li, how's business lately?" Tang San asked as he tied his sleeves back.
"It's alright," Boss Li chuckled. "But your kitchen tools and short blades are pretty popular. Civilians, traveling soul masters, even a few nobles and Spirit Hall soldiers have come to buy your stuff."
"Speaking of which—you're a Soul Master. You're not going to keep forging forever, are you?"
Tang San grinned. "No. Forging is part of my body training. You know how hard it is to strengthen yourself as a Soul Master. Especially with whale glue prices the way they are now. I can't afford that stuff. I've got to rely on sweat and steel."
"True!" Boss Li laughed and helped stoke the furnace. "I also heard that the theorist from the Spirit Hall who's been making waves… his name is also Tang San. Same name as you!"
Tang San laughed lightly. "Just a coincidence. If it were really me, would I still be here forging? I'd be living off Spirit Hall's gold soul coins, eating thousand-year whale glue for breakfast."
"Hah! Not wrong," Boss Li said, chuckling. "Though I heard that even with money, whale glue's completely sold out now."
As the fire roared to life, Tang San joined the apprentices and picked up a heavy hammer. With his Chaos Cloak Hammer Method, he began hammering the iron bar on the anvil—but this time, he also activated blood energy circulation.
The result?
His physical strength drained rapidly. Not soul power—his body itself was wearing down.
But once he finished eating a full meal from the food in his storage wristband, his recovery rate jumped. His muscles grew slightly denser, and his strength noticeably increased.
The combination worked.
The fusion of blood energy circulation and the Chaos Cloak Hammer Method clearly had potential—but Tang San knew this was only the beginning. It would take time to perfect.
He couldn't help but recall a "stance" training method from short videos in his past life. He wanted to replicate it, but he would need to develop the breathing technique and muscle activation patterns on his own.
Fortunately, Wang Sheng's soul skill—Tiger King's Blood Transformation—altered his breathing rhythm during activation. Tang San planned to record it, analyze it, and gradually tailor it for himself.
Once perfected, this would become a complete body cultivation method through blood energy circulation—something he could pass on to Xiao Wu and Guang Ling.
However, every person's physique was unique. Even if they received this method, they'd still need to adjust it to fit their own conditions.
To Tang San, a true divine skill wasn't one-size-fits-all. A proper technique should allow its user to adapt and refine it, based on their body's condition.
After all, a six-year-old's meridians weren't the same as an adult's. Even if the general layout was similar, there were always individual differences.
Clang—clang—clang!
As the hammer rang out, Tang San felt it.
A trace of the law of vibration.
His entire body fell into rhythm. The hammer in his hand moved with a precise tempo. The impurities in the metal were driven out one by one.
Under the resonance of body, breath, and soul, the red-hot piece of iron gradually began to shine… with a silver luster.
Boss Li and the other blacksmiths had been chatting—until they noticed the change.
They turned, stunned.
"This… this is the legendary Thousand Forgings," Boss Li whispered, his eyes wide. "Only a Divine Craftsman is said to be capable of this…"
In this era, the title of Divine Craftsman was still somewhat primitive—equivalent to a fourth-level forging master by later standards.
Spirit forging, fusion forging, and even soul forging hadn't been widely understood. The invention of battle armor was still far in the future. As a result, forging wasn't valued, and few bothered to explore it further.
Even the famed Lou Gao of Gengxin City never surpassed Thousand Forgings. Though, in the original story, he sacrificed himself to create the Torrential Pear Blossom Needle, which might have counted as fusion forging or even early soul forging.
Tang San, however, had no plans to become a blacksmith.
To him, forging was a tool—a means to understand vibration, strengthen his body, and learn more about the materials of this world.
In the future, he planned to develop soul tools, bring back industrialization, and eventually mass-produce advanced weapons.
But forging itself?
It still had value. At its peak, true forging could create divine weapons. And that legacy couldn't be allowed to fade.
Tang San exhaled sharply and stopped.
He reached into his wristguard storage tool, took out some rations, and began to eat—efficiently but mindfully, chewing thoroughly to restore stamina.
Even for him, achieving Thousand Forgings wasn't easy.
But he had done it.
And it was only the beginning.