Super Gene Ⅱ: Evolution

When Lin Shen swung the hammer dozens of times, Dao was already a bit surprised, "This kid's endurance and skill durability are truly extraordinary."

"It seems the material isn't hot enough anymore, can't hammer it." Lin Shen stopped, and Dao thought he couldn't hold up anymore, but Lin Shen said this.

Dao had been so focused on watching Lin Shen swing the hammer that he hadn't noticed the metal had cooled down significantly, no longer red enough, and had become too cool to effectively forge.

The piece of material that Lin Shen hammered was uneven, probably needing to be re-melted and re-forged.

"Not bad, really not bad, but you're swinging the hammer all wrong. You should swing it like this." Dao took the hammer, placed another heated piece of metal for demonstration, and showed Lin Shen how to swing, how to exert force, and how to control the strength and accuracy.

Lin Shen tried several times but always missed the crucial point.

Although Dao's temper was fiery, he didn't lose his temper but was actually very patient, letting Lin Shen continue to try.

Of course, it wasn't that Dao's temper had suddenly improved, but because he had noticed that Lin Shen's stamina was stronger than he had imagined.

Dao's eyes were not blind, of course, he could see that Lin Shen's carapace had been maintained in that skill state, without ever stopping, for such a long time now.

Skills that add such powerful enhancements to strength, to be continuously active like this, must consume a significant amount, and not everyone can keep such skills activated indefinitely.

Dao himself couldn't have kept such a skill active continuously while he was at the Ascension Level, just like Lin Shen.

Moreover, the strength of Lin Shen was surprisingly great. Even a top Ten-stage Ascendant with a strength-doubling skill might not be able to match his strength, nor could they likely have his endurance.

Although Lin Shen kept making mistakes, he was still able to continuously swing the hammer, which was quite impressive.

It was precisely because of Lin Shen's exceptional performance that Dao was patient enough to wait for him to correct his mistakes. Had it been anyone else, Dao would have lost his patience long ago.

Lin Shen tried for quite some time but still didn't grasp it. During one hammer swing, a sudden inspiration struck in his mind.

"Swinging the hammer like this seems a bit similar to a fisherman's casting technique!" With this thought, Lin Shen didn't bother with how Dao was teaching but attempted to swing the hammer with the fisherman's casting method.

This attempt produced a surprisingly effective result, and his control over the large hammer clearly leveled up.

Following this method, Lin Shen tried several more times, each time getting smoother, each control better than the last.

Dao watched Lin Shen in amazement; his hammer swinging stance looked odd no matter how you looked at it, yet he swung more and more accurately and controlled the hammer better and better.

Dao initially wanted to correct him, but after one attempt, he found that Lin Shen's precision and control worsened, so he let him return to that odd way of swinging the hammer.

"I've been forging iron for half my life and have seen many people swing hammers, but I've never seen anyone swing it like you do," Dao said with a strange expression.

Lin Shen's way of swinging the hammer was obviously harder and more difficult to control than the method Dao taught, and looked somewhat strenuous, yet Lin Shen was controlling it better and better.

Seeing this, Dao didn't bother with it anymore. As long as Lin Shen could meet his criteria, he could swing it any way he liked.

As for Lin Shen's stamina, Dao was quite satisfied, even far exceeding his expectations.

Lin Shen seemed like a tireless machine, hammering continuously whenever Dao needed it.

Seeing that Lin Shen's aim and control were about up to par, Dao taught him how to coordinate.

Taking a small hammer, he struck wherever Dao hammered, and Lin Shen had to judge the force with which to bring down the large hammer based on the speed and strength of Dao's small hammer.

This time, Lin Shen learned quickly and was soon able to cooperate with Dao normally.

Dao worked with Lin Shen on the blacksmithing and sword crafting, occasionally advising on why certain strikes were executed, why specific techniques were used, as well as on issues regarding the forge's temperature.

It wasn't that he wanted to teach Lin Shen, but without this knowledge, Lin Shen often struggled to grasp his intentions. Incorrect force and angle could mar the quality of his work.

Nevertheless, Lin Shen found sword crafting quite fascinating. Although not wholly engrossed, he was quite happy to learn.

For several consecutive days, Lin Shen toiled away in the stone cave, swinging the heavy hammer to assist Dao in forging materials.

Lin Shen's endurance increasingly surprised Dao. He seemed never to tire, and sometimes, when Dao himself felt a bit weary, seeing Lin Shen's vigor made him question his own age and confidence.

"Could this youngster be a machine cloaked in human skin?" Dao wondered out loud, astonished by Lin Shen's superhuman performance and decided to teach him how to fold materials.

While he rested, he had Lin Shen take over the folding of materials.

At first, Lin Shen naturally wasted quite a bit of material, but Dao wasn't concerned about that. He had intended for Lin Shen to practice with materials destined to be reforged anyway, deeming it fine to simply reforge them once more if necessary.

There were two types of materials in the forge, one being the refined new material and the other being the failed material destined for reforging.

Most of the time, Dao experimented with reforged materials, only using new materials after a new inspiration or successful experience emerged.

However, ultimately all of the materials ended up as waste. Dao spent his days cursing, though never at anyone, only at the failed blades, which could be considered his sole virtue.

Over time, Lin Shen came to understand why those blades Dao deemed as wasted were kept and not reforged anew.

Mainly, because these preserved blades contained sparks of successful ingenuity and virtues. Despite being failures, they held points of reference, which was why Dao did not send them back to the forge.

During his downtime, Lin Shen tried handling a few scrapped blades and found them to be much heavier than the large hammer he was accustomed to. Even in his Super Base Form, wielding them proved a struggle.

"These wastes carry a form but no spirit; they are nothing but trash," Dao said indifferently.

"Then, what would be an ideal blade according to you?" Lin Shen asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Have you ever heard of The Three Reverences Sword Skill?" Dao asked with a suddenly straightened back and a faint hint of pride on his face.

Seeing his expression, Lin Shen was tempted to claim he had heard of it, but he genuinely had not and simply shook his head, saying, "I haven't been away from my home planet for long and know very little about the top techniques in the universe."

A look of disappointment couldn't be hidden on Dao's face as he said, "It's normal for you not to have heard of it; there probably aren't many who know this skill nowadays. The so-called Three Reverences: the first is to revere the spirits and ghosts of the ten directions, the second is to revere all demons and Buddhas, and the third is to revere all beings of heaven and earth.

With one strike you cut down spirits and ghosts, with the second you cut down demons and Buddhas, and with the third, you cut down all beings. There is nothing in the world that cannot be cut; revere first and then cut, for this is the norm of manners. That is The Three Reverences Sword Skill."