'The experiment proved highly successful.'
Under identical conditions, the regular forging hammer could trigger the Yang Flame Attribute three times.
However, the Heavenly Artisan's Forging Hammer increased that number to five.
Having confirmed this, Tetsu no Sosuke didn't hesitate. He switched to using the Heavenly Artisan's Forging Hammer exclusively and began pouring his entire focus into the process.
His mind and will gradually converged into a single point. His eyes registered only the furnace temperature, the metal's heat, the hammer in his hand, and the numerical data he was recording.
With each strike, impurities were purged, accompanied by bursts of Yang Flame critical hits.
The critical hit frequency fluctuated wildly.
Yet as he maintained his focused state, the lower limit stabilized at 5, while the upper limit soared to 10!
He recalled that when forging Kanae's Nichirin Blade, the maximum number of critical hits had only reached 8. The difference was glaringly obvious.
To Sosuke's surprise, although the process of removing impurities had been shortened, the reduction only amounted to the time saved from one smelting and three hammerings.
However, the Yang Flame Attribute gained through the Heavenly Artisan's Forging Hammer completely compensated for this loss.
While it didn't surpass the original value, it nearly matched it.
"So, in the end, all I saved was my own time?"
He glanced at the notes on the paper beside him, recalculated the various figures, and arrived at the final number: 76!
"76 points of Yang Flame Attribute?"
He murmured to himself, then considered the additional points he would gain during the shaping process. Nodding silently, he estimated the total value would fluctuate around 100.
One thing was certain: Kanae's Nichirin Blade likely had a slightly lower attribute value, though not by much.
Without hesitation, he returned the iron to the furnace, carefully observed it, and immediately began the next stage of forging.
After the rapid pace of the Gale Sun Hammer, it was time to slow down.
Sosuke had now mastered the techniques with ease. Each strike of the Heavenly Artisan's Forging Hammer brought about a dramatic transformation in the iron.
"Is the hammer's second function to enhance shaping efficiency? And does it also increase Resilience?"
His eyes gleamed as Sosuke swung the hammer again and again, maintaining his Sun Breathing state. His face flushed crimson, and his body temperature gradually rose.
Under the hammer's amplification, the process was once again accelerated.
These two steps, which would normally have taken hours, were completed shortly after noon.
At the same time, the Yang Flame Attribute gained per strike had increased... so, roughly speaking, the overall progress remained about the same.
Sosuke recorded all the Yang Flame Attribute values the blade had accumulated so far on a sheet of paper.
"A total of 91 points."
He frowned at the figure. "This can't be the limit..."
For one thing, if he could trigger the Yang Flame Attribute ten times per strike during the impurity removal stage, the accumulated Yang Flame Attribute would already exceed the current total.
"So, it's not the tools that need improving, but myself," Sosuke sighed, placing the partially completed blade into the furnace.
As he stood up to stretch, he sensed two pairs of eyes fixed on him.
Startled, he turned to see Kanae and Shinobu standing outside the smithy, watching him. Shinobu held a tray with food.
"...Uh," Sosuke blinked. "How long have you been here?"
"Finally awake?" Shinobu scowled. "We've been watching you all morning! And Elder Sister even prepared lunch for you."
Sosuke patted his head. "I'm sorry, I didn't notice at all."
"When you're completely focused on something, it's easy to lose track of your surroundings," Kanae nodded in understanding. "There's no need to apologize. Can we eat now?"
"Just a moment," Sosuke replied. "The temperature is critical. I need to keep an eye on it. It'll be done soon."
Kanae nodded and led Shinobu to sit on the corridor by the entrance.
They had indeed been watching him all morning—a full morning spent standing there, observing Sosuke's tireless work.
His single-minded focus was absolute immersion in his craft, a state where he seemed completely oblivious to the outside world.
Such intense concentration made even Shinobu reluctant to interrupt.
Regardless of her personal feelings toward Sosuke, his dedication as a swordsmith was undeniably admirable.
After a while, the bare-chested young man approached them.
"You completely forgot about lunch."
Sosuke chuckled sheepishly. "I'm really sorry to trouble you with bringing me food."
"It's no trouble at all," Kanae replied, her gaze softening further. "You haven't rested for a single moment all morning. Eat first, then take a proper rest. If you still have energy this afternoon, come find me. If you're too tired, tomorrow will do as well. I don't have any missions scheduled for the next few days."
Sosuke nodded. "I'm doing well, all things considered. My condition is quite good. I should be able to deliver this blade to the Serpent Pillar soon. Afterward, I'll need to ask him to share his insights on using it."
"Are you referring to its demon-suppressing capabilities?" Kanae asked.
Sosuke nodded. "Since the Serpent Pillar didn't specify any weight requirements for the weapon, I've been keeping detailed records this time—well, more like intuitive observations. Whether these observations are real or illusory will depend on the Serpent Pillar's feedback, which will allow me to refine my hypotheses."
Kanae nodded, then glanced at her own newly forged blade. "What about me?"
"You don't need it," Sosuke said with a smile. "Didn't you demonstrate its effectiveness clearly enough against Upper Moon Two?"
The real reason, however, was that he hadn't recorded any data on the Yang Flame aspect during that battle. Even if he received additional feedback now, it would be difficult to draw meaningful conclusions.
However, considering that the Yang Flame Attribute gained from the Heavenly Artisan's Forging Hammer essentially equalizes the Yang Flame Attribute obtained from ordinary forging hammers, Kanae's blade should have a Yang Flame Attribute hovering between 85 and 90...
But now, there's no way to verify this.
Kanae nodded, accepting Sosuke's explanation.
After finishing lunch, Sosuke got some time to rest.
In the afternoon, he went to Kanae's courtyard.
Today, he would officially begin learning sword techniques. When he arrived, he saw that Kanae had already prepared a sword for him.
Upon closer inspection, it looked quite familiar... Wasn't this the Sun of genesis?