The heat from the forge washed over Liam's face the moment he stepped in front of it. The air inside the blacksmith shop felt heavy, filled with smoke, small fiery sparks from the furnace and the thick scent of burning coal. The flames glowed bright orange, flickering steadily with each gust of heat.

Master Han stood several steps back with his arms folded across his chest. His expression was calm but sharp. His apprentice, Luo, stayed beside him, unsure of what he was about to witness.

All he was waiting for Liam was for him to finish up with his fiasco, so that he can mock him without stop.

Today's going to be fun. He dare to call my master's work a defect. He will regret.

Liam had no idea what Luo was thinking. And even if he did, he wouldn't care.

He rested one hand on the furnace frame. The metal was hot but harmless to him. This was one of the perks of his bond with Yanxia and the Primordial Forge Authority. Anything flame related can't hurt him in the slightest.

Liam looked inside the flames where the sword rested. The blade was already heating up, the steel glowing faintly.

He closed his eyes for a moment. A strange quietness settled inside him. He could already feel what he needed to do next to improve the blade.

It was like a video was being played in his head. But he was aware that it was all the new talent's doing.

Liam let out a soft exhale and opened his eyes again.

"Alright," he said softly, as he reached into the flames without any hesitation.

Luo gasped immediately, "What are you doing?! Are you crazy?!"

Master Han raised a hand to silence him, but even his eyes widened slightly when Liam's hand disappeared into the fire like it was warm water.

Liam pulled the heated blade out with a smooth, steady motion. The steel glowed bright orange, dripping with sparks. His grip didn't tremble once.

He walked to the anvil, with.slow and even steps. He moved like someone who had done this thousands of times before. As if his body already knew what to do long before he lifted the hammer.

Luo swallowed hard.

Master Han narrowed his eyes and leaned in slightly.

Liam set the glowing sword on the anvil, took a hammer from the rack beside him and tested the weight. It fit in his hand perfectly.

Then he raised it and the hammer dropped with a sound of metal hitting metal.

Clang!

The sound rang through the shop and sparks flew across the room. The sound wasn't messy or sharp. It was clean, like a note struck on a perfect instrument.

Clang!

Another strike, with the same force, same angle and same rhythm.

Master Han's brow lifted a fraction and he watched Liam's action even closer.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Each hit pushed the impurities inside the blade outward, flattening the metal into a smoother shape. The glow of the steel brightened with every strike.

Liam didn't strike too hard or too soft. His movements were simple, straight, without flair. It was the flawlessly behind each motion that made the difference.

Luo whispered, "His strikes… they're even."

Master Han didn't reply, as the sound continued to ring out through the shop.

Clang!

Clang!

It sounded like a music to his ears and he felt like he was falling into a trance. Even strikes are onw of the trademarks of a capable blacksmith but it wasn't just about it being even.

It was also about the strikes striking at a perfect angle, with the right amount of force and at a continuously even interval, while also having the knowledge of when to make the necessary adjustments when the situation calls for it.

It sounded easy but it was something that's extremely difficult, even for a blacksmith like Master Han that's considered to be the best in the city.

Liam worked with a steady pace. His shoulders hardly shifted with each swing. His breathing didn't change and his eyes stayed calm, focused only on the metal.

He turned the blade with his free hand and hammered the other side, keeping the shape balanced.

Ten strikes.

Twenty strikes.

Thirty.

The blade lost its rough patches and took on a smooth and even body. The glow of the steel became sharper, brighter.

Liam dipped it into the quenching barrel beside the anvil. Steam exploded upward. The sound filled the entire room.

He lifted the blade again. The surface was clean, smooth and without any visible bends.

He placed the sword back into the furnace without pausing for even a second. The heat swallowed it once more. He waited, watching the metal turn orange again.

While he watched, Luo whispered behind him, "Master, no one can put their hand in the flames like that. How is he unharmed?"

Master Han heard the question but didn't answer, as his eyes stayed locked on Liam. He wanted to see everything. He wanted to see every small movement, every breath and every decision Liam makes with his hand. Even the micro decisions.

Master Han was actually gaining insight from watching Liam and the level of his craftmanship was increasing significantly.

He could see many things. He saw that Liam didn't hesitate once.

Liam didn't pause and he didn't second guess a single motion. He didn't show any sign of confusion or doubt and he moved like a person who had already memorized a method he had never learned.

He moved like exactly like how a real master craftsman would.

Liam pulled the sword out of the flames again and returned to the anvil. This time, he tapped the blade three times, checking the sound.

The pitch was off by a tiny amount.

Liam adjusted his grip and tapped along the spine. The tone changed slightly. He nodded to himself as if he had confirmed something.

Then he raised the hammer again.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

The hammer struck the metal with perfect timing. Each impact fixed the hidden structural imbalance and each motion refined the edge. Each strike removed a flaw that an ordinary blacksmith might not even see.

Luo's mouth hung open.

Master Han felt his throat tighten. Something in him that had been calm for many years trembled slightly.

Liam dipped the blade again, then moved to the grinding station. He picked up the sharpening stone and ran the blade across it with even pressure.

Fsshh. Fsshh. Fsshh.

The sound was soft but sharp.

Shavings fell like tiny silver dust, and the edge of the sword thinned. The reflection on the surface became brighter.

Liam rotated the blade, adjusting the angle with subtle movements that came naturally to him. The grinding wheel turned slowly, but he sped through the process with impressive control that should only be possible for someone with countless years of experience.

He stopped only when the blade reached a clean silver shine.

Luo stared at it, his eyes widening with unbridled shock.

"What… what kind of finish is that?" he whispered.

The blade looked completely different from when it started. It wasn't flashy or glowing. But the surface was smooth, clean, sharper than any sword Luo had seen from their forge.

Liam took a cloth, wiped the blade once, then held it up to the light.

"Done," he nodded to himself in satisfaction.

He walked back to Master Han and Luo, and he held the sword out politely.

"Check it," Liam said with a calm voice.

Master Han reached out slowly. His fingers wrapped around the handle and he lifted the sword with both hands. He studied the blade first, running his eyes along the edge.

"Master…?" Luo called out softly.

Master Han didn't respond. He was too absorbed in studying the blade in his hand.

He tapped the sword with his fingernail lightly.

Ting!

The sound was clear. Too clear.

It was a perfect resonance.

He tapped three more spots.

Ting!

Ting!

Ting!

There was no fluctuations or dull notes, or any cracks. No uneven tempering or weight imbalance.

Master Han's eyelids twitched in excitement.

He ran his thumb along the blade lightly. His thumb came back clean, but he felt a faint sting. The sword was sharper than anything produced in their forge before.

The old man breathed out slowly, doing his best to control his excitement.

"…Impossible," He said softly, as he turned to Liam.

"Who taught you this?"

"No one," Liam replied, with a smile.

Master Han stared hard at him. He wanted to argue. He wanted to call him a liar, but strangely, he couldn't. He has no idea why.

He looked back at the sword again.

This wasn't the work of an apprentice. Neither was it the work of a rising craftsman. It wasn't even the work of the best blacksmith in the city.

This was work only a true forging master could produce. Someone with decades—no, centuries—of experience.

But the boy in front of him was young. Far too young to have such an experience.

Just how was it possible?

Master Han's hand tightened around the sword.

He stood still, his mouth slightly open, but no words came out.

Luo stepped closer. He tried to speak, but his voice cracked.

"H-How did you do that…?"

Liam smiled lightly, as he replied, "Just practicing."

Master Han slowly lowered the sword. His hands shook without him realizing it. He looked at the blade again, then at Liam, then back at the blade.

Seconds passed, before he finally opened his mouth to speak but he closed it the next moment, without being able to say anything.

It opened it again. But still, no words came out.

His shock was complete and so his silence… was louder than anything he could have said.

Luo looked at his master, then at Liam. His face was filled with awe and he also felt embarrassed, and stupid.

He can't believe that he was waiting to mock Liam. Wasn't he the one that was being mocked silently?

On this day, the forging shop of Blackstone city's best blacksmith, that was normally full of noise and heat, felt strangely quiet.

And it was all because of one individual, Liam Scott.

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