Elder Garron waved his hand and turned around. "Come on then, little girl. Since I already promised that shameless brat I would teach you, I won’t go back on my word."

Vulkara’s eyes brightened immediately. "You’re going to teach me now?"

Garron glanced back at her. "What? You came all the way here just to stand at the entrance and look pretty?"

Vulkara turned serious and scoffed. "Of course not."

Garron nodded. "Good. Then follow me inside. It’s time to start the lesson."

Vulkara quickly followed behind him.

The two Blacksmith Hall disciples at the entrance watched her walk inside, then exchanged complicated looks.

One of them muttered quietly, "She really came to learn blacksmithing..."

The other nodded slowly. "And Hall Master is personally teaching her."

For a moment, both disciples felt even more complicated.

After all, many disciples in the Blacksmith Hall had spent years trying to get Hall Master Garron to teach them personally, but this red-haired girl had only just arrived and already received that chance.

However, when they remembered that she was Damian’s disciple and Elder Selvara’s grand-disciple, neither of them dared to complain.

Inside the Blacksmith Hall, the heat became even stronger, and the place was filled with several huge furnaces burning with bright red-orange flames.

Vulkara looked around with shining eyes.

This place was even better than the smithing area the disciples used outside.

Garron noticed her expression and grinned. "You like it?"

Vulkara nodded without hesitation. "Yes."

Garron crossed his arms. "Of course you do. After all, this is my personal smithy, and the heat here is even more intense. If you had grumbled, I would have kicked you out right away."

Vulkara raised an eyebrow. "That fast?"

Garron snorted. "Blacksmithing is not for delicate flowers. If someone can’t even handle heat and noise, then there is no point teaching them. They would only waste my time and waste good metal."

Vulkara grinned. "Then you don’t need to worry about me, Elder."

Garron glanced at her and grinned. "Oh, you’re quite confident, aren’t you?"

Vulkara lifted her chin slightly. "Of course."

Garron laughed. "Good. I like confident brats better than timid ones. At least confident brats can still be hammered into shape."

Vulkara paused. "Hammered into shape?"

Garron grinned. "What? You thought only metal gets hammered here?"

Vulkara’s mouth twitched.

For some reason, she suddenly felt that all elders were dangerous in their own way.

---

Garron led Vulkara to a heavy stone table and picked up a plain hammer from the side.

It was not as large as the hammer Damian had given Vulkara, but it still looked solid and heavy.

Garron placed it in front of her with a loud thud.

BANG!

Vulkara looked at the hammer, then at Garron.

Garron crossed his arms and asked, "Before we start, have you ever learned anything about blacksmithing?"

Vulkara shook her head directly. "No."

Garron raised his eyebrow. "Nothing at all?"

Vulkara shook her head again. "Nothing."

Garron pointed at a piece of metal. "How about this? Have you ever handled metal before?"

Vulkara shook her head again. "No. Never."

Garron frowned. "The hell? Have you ever learned anything related to smithing before?"

Vulkara’s mouth twitched. "Of course not, Elder. If I knew all that already, would I still come here to learn from you?"

Garron paused for a second before laughing loudly. "Hahaha! Fair enough."

Vulkara snorted softly.

Garron waved his hand. "Fine. Since you know nothing, we will start from the absolute basics."

He pointed at the hammer on the table. "First, you will use this basic hammer."

Vulkara looked at it. "Not my hammer?"

Garron immediately glared at her. "Your hammer is too good for practice. A beginner using a good hammer is like a child holding a treasure sword. It looks impressive, but it teaches bad habits."

Vulkara blinked. "So this hammer is bad?"

Garron’s face darkened. "Who said it’s bad? I made that too."

Vulkara immediately changed her words. "Then it is obviously excellent."

Garron snorted. "Smart brat."

Then he pointed toward the furnace. "For now, I will handle the flame. Your job is simple. Heat the iron, take it out, and hammer it according to my instructions."

Vulkara nodded seriously. "Understood."

Garron took out a piece of rough iron and threw it into the furnace.

The flames immediately swallowed it.

WHOOSH!

Garron looked at Vulkara seriously for a moment. "Listen carefully. Blacksmithing is not just swinging a hammer strongly. Control also matters."

He pointed at the burning rough iron. "If you strike too weakly later, it won’t change. If you strike too strongly but without control, you will ruin the shape. If your rhythm is messy, it will become uneven."

Vulkara stared at the glowing iron seriously.

Garron continued, "A good blacksmith must know when to strike, where to strike, how hard to strike, and when to stop."

Vulkara nodded. "So basically, it’s like fighting."

Garron glanced at her. "Not bad. That’s one way to understand it."

A moment later, he used metal tongs to pull the iron out of the furnace.

The rough iron had already turned red-hot.

Garron placed it on the anvil and handed the hammer to Vulkara. "Now strike it. Don’t use Qi yet. Use only your body strength."

Vulkara took the hammer, and the way she adjusted her grip surprised Garron a bit.

Vulkara raised the hammer and brought it down.

CLANG!

The hammer struck the red-hot iron, flattening it slightly.

Garron’s eyebrows lifted a little.

"Again."

Vulkara nodded.

CLANG!

"Again."

CLANG!

"Lower your elbow."

Vulkara adjusted immediately.

CLANG!

"Do not twist your wrist too much."

She corrected it.

CLANG!

"Keep your stance steady."

Vulkara stepped wider and stabilized her lower body.

CLANG!

CLANG!

CLANG!

The sound of hammer strikes echoed through the smithy.

At first, Vulkara’s strikes were a little rough, but after only a short while, her rhythm began to improve.

Garron watched silently from the side.

His casual grin slowly faded, replaced by a more serious expression.

"This girl... her strength is quite good. No, not just good. For someone who just reached Foundation Establishment, her body is quite solid, and her learning speed is fast too."

"What a genius."