As the hammer bounced up due to the reaction force, Henry Carter suddenly spun around. Once again, he powered up with his calf, and the rebounding hammer was already being swung by him, whirling in the air with a strong whooshing sound. With another loud bang, it struck the iron block again. This strike was not only extremely fast, but also seemed even stronger than the first.

The hammer rebounded high into the air, and Henry Carter's movements seemed to achieve a perfect harmony with the hammer's arc. Not too early, not too late—right at the moment when the hammer was about to reach its highest point, his body drove the hammer in a full circle and smashed down again.

William Carter's eyes lit up. This was clearly a technique of borrowing force to use force, turning the rebound from the hammer's collision with the metal into power for the next strike. The movements were perfect and coordinated, maximizing the avoidance of harm from the rebound, and instead channeling that force into continuous blows. From the second strike onward, each blow was stronger than Henry Carter's full strength, yet still under his control.

Henry Carter's movements grew faster and faster, the forging hammer pounding the iron block like a raging storm. The iron block kept deforming under the hammer's blows. What was astonishing was that Henry Carter's strikes were extremely precise. Whenever the iron block was hammered to half its original thickness and began to flatten, the forging hammer in his hand would strike the edge of the block, causing it to flip. In this way, the iron block was evenly subjected to his hammering, rather than simply being smashed into a flat disc.

In the blink of an eye, thirty-six strikes had been delivered. Henry Carter spun the forging hammer three times in the air to dissipate its force before standing still with the hammer. His face was not flushed, nor was he out of breath, as if the previous storm-like barrage had not been his doing at all.

The entire iron block had shrunk noticeably after those thirty-six strikes, and it was now almost impossible to see any impurities with the naked eye.

This was true blacksmithing skill—what a beautiful hammer technique.

"Do you understand now?" Henry Carter looked at William Carter, who was still working the bellows.

William Carter thought for a moment and said, "Borrowing and using force—I understand the principle. But it doesn't seem simple."

Henry Carter replied calmly, "To reach my level, there's only one way: practice makes perfect. Also, remember, if you're hammering an ordinary piece of metal, when it has the most impurities, that's when it's most likely to crack. At that time, you need to use less force when striking. As the impurities gradually decrease, you can start to increase your strength, maintaining the effect of the hammering. Controlling the force is the key. Practice on your own. Don't blindly increase your strength and speed—accuracy is just as important. At the very least, you need to know exactly where your hammer will land. Otherwise, what's the use of more power?"

The forging hammer returned to William Carter's hands, and Henry Carter turned and left.

His father had kept his word—he really had taught him the forging method. Moreover, from what his father had passed on, it was clear that every trade had its own secrets; none were as simple as they seemed.

In the following half month or so, William Carter practiced every day the forging method Henry Carter had taught him, using the rebound to swing the hammer. Even though he had Controlling Crane, Capturing Dragon to help control his strength, and Purple Demon Eye to determine where his hammer would land, this forging method was even harder to master than he had imagined.

Since each strike was at full strength, it was already hard to control the power. Using the rebound, maintaining balance, and still hitting the intended spot was even more difficult. With each additional strike, the required control increased. The constant spinning made his head dizzy, and each blow became harder to control.

Fortunately, he had already hammered that piece of iron ore for a long time, so it had very few impurities left and was not so easy to break. Otherwise, under his poorly controlled forging hammer, it would probably have shattered long ago.

However, during this practice, William Carter's application of Xuan Tian Skill, as well as the coordination of Controlling Crane, Capturing Dragon, Mysterious Jade Hand, and Purple Demon Eye, all subtly improved.

On the first day, he could only swing the hammer twice before missing his mark. By half a month later, he could swing it seven times in a row, striking the iron block accurately each time—a clear improvement. At the same time, the iron block grew smaller and smaller under his full-force hammering, and he made progress every day.

Of course, this was closely related to the method of powering up with his calf. With this technique, he greatly reduced the consumption of Xuan Tian Skill, allowing William Carter to spend more time working the bellows and forging.

His father had swung thirty-six strikes, and seemed to have strength to spare, while he could only manage seven. He didn't know when he would reach his father's level. Every time William Carter thought of this, he was especially motivated to practice.

These days, he seemed to have forgotten about martial spirits and spirit rings. Even when he went to the mountaintop at dawn to practice Purple Demon Eye, he was still thinking about how to swing the hammer.