Mystic Eyes: My Eyes Steal the Laws of Cultivation Chapter 506: First Blacksmithing Lesson (3)

Sun Luguo smiled, a smile that showed the answer was correct but incomplete.

"Is that all?"

Kyrian looked again, this time with even greater attention. His eyes delved deeper into the structure of the metal, penetrating beyond the obvious impurities.

The internal lines of the metal began to reveal new details. He could perceive tiny stresses accumulated during the cooling process, regions where the metal had contracted unevenly, creating microfractures invisible to the naked eye.

He also noticed regions that were more resistant than others, areas where the crystal structure was more aligned, and others where it was more disorganized.

He spent nearly an entire minute examining every detail.

Then he answered again, his voice more thoughtful.

"It hasn’t reached its best form yet. There is unrealized potential. The structure is... incomplete."

Sun Luguo’s smile widened, brightening his aged face.

"Much better."

He placed the ingot back on the workbench, his fingers gently brushing over its rough surface.

"Every piece of metal has potential." His voice was calm and instructive, like a teacher explaining a fundamental concept.

"The blacksmith’s job is not to create that potential. It is not to impose his will upon the material. It is to set it free."

Kyrian remained silent, the words echoing in his mind. They immediately caught his attention. They resonated with something he had already felt, but had never put into words.

Sun Luguo continued.

"The more impurities there are..." He gave the ingot a light tap, the sound echoing like a muffled bell.

"The weaker the weapon will be. Every impurity is a point of weakness, a flaw where stress can concentrate, where a crack can begin."

"The more uniform its structure..." Another tap, producing a clearer, purer sound.

"The stronger it becomes. Energy flows through a uniform structure without resistance, without loss."

"The better its internal balance..." One more tap, the sound now resonating with an almost musical quality.

"The better it will respond to its wielder. The weapon becomes an extension of its user, not merely a separate tool."

Kyrian watched attentively, absorbing every word. At first glance, the explanation seemed simple, but it concealed far more than it appeared. Like many profound lessons, its simplicity was deceptive.

’Set its potential free...’

Those words echoed repeatedly in his mind, resonating with truths he already knew from other contexts.

Without realizing it, Kyrian began comparing blacksmithing to cultivation. The parallels were astonishing.

Cultivators also spent years removing impurities from their bodies, purifying their Qi, clearing blockages from their meridians, refining their bones, and strengthening their organs.

Every stage of cultivation was a process of refinement, of removing what was unnecessary to reveal what was essential.

Cultivators also sought uniformity and internal balance. A cultivator with misaligned meridians and irregular Qi flow was weak, just as a metal with an uneven structure was weak. Perfection came from harmony, integration, and unity.

In the end... it wasn’t so different.

The blacksmith refined metal. The cultivator refined himself.

Both sought to remove what was unnecessary in order to reveal the finest version of what already existed.

Kyrian smiled faintly, a smile of genuine understanding.

’Blacksmithing... is another form of cultivation.’

It was a simple realization, yet a powerful one. The art of forging metal was not merely a practical skill, it was a spiritual discipline, a path of refinement that echoed the fundamental principles of cultivation.

Sun Luguo noticed the change in his expression, the spark of understanding shining within his violet eyes.

"Thinking about something?" the old man asked, curiosity in his voice.

Kyrian nodded, his answer coming naturally.

"I think I’m starting to understand."

The old man smiled with satisfaction, pride gleaming in his eyes.

"Not yet." He answered immediately, though without harshness.

"But you’ll begin today."

He walked toward one of the furnaces, his heavy footsteps echoing across the stone floor. The crimson flames danced slowly within, an eternal fire that never weakened.

"There are three pillars of spiritual blacksmithing." He raised three fingers, each representing a fundamental concept.

"Material, fire, and Qi."

He lowered one finger, leaving two raised.

"Today, we’ll forget the last one."

He pointed toward the flames, tracing an arc with his finger toward the fire.

"Qi amplifies everything. It speeds up the process, increases efficiency, and allows you to create things that would be impossible through mundane means. But it also hides mistakes. It masks flaws. It allows a blacksmith to produce an acceptable weapon even when his technique is imperfect."

He looked back at Kyrian, his gaze sharp.

"If you learn using Qi from the very beginning, you’ll never know whether the credit belongs to you or to the spiritual energy. You’ll become dependent on Qi, incapable of distinguishing genuine skill from spiritual enhancement."

Sun Luguo picked up a hammer beside the anvil, slowly turning it in his hands. The metal head gleamed beneath the firelight.

"That’s why we’ll first learn to master the fire." He lifted the iron ingot, holding it firmly.

"Then the metal. We’ll understand every aspect of the material, every nuance of its composition."

He paused, his eyes meeting Kyrian’s once more.

"Only then will I allow you to use Qi. When you can forge an ordinary sword perfectly, without any spiritual assistance, then you’ll be ready to take the next step."

Kyrian nodded slowly, a gesture of acceptance and respect. The more he listened to his master, the more convinced he became that he had chosen the right person to teach him.

Sun Luguo was not merely someone capable of forging great weapons. He was someone capable of teaching. And those two qualities rarely went hand in hand.

Many masters possessed skill but could not pass it on. Others knew how to teach but lacked the depth of knowledge required. From what Kyrian had already seen, Sun Luguo possessed both.

The old man approached the furnace, his movements calm and deliberate. With natural gestures born from decades of practice, he picked up a long pair of steel tongs and gripped the ingot.

Without the slightest hurry, with the patience of someone who had done this thousands of times before, he placed the ingot into the center of the crimson flames.

"Watch." His voice became calm, almost meditative.

"The first lesson of blacksmithing is not hammering."

Kyrian focused completely, his violet eyes fixed on the metal as it began to heat.

The old man continued, his voice gentle.

"It is learning how to wait."