A dull thud rang out as Onigumo felt every bone in his body creak and his muscles ache terribly.
But as a true man, he remained standing tall, gritting his teeth tightly.
Without hesitation, Doberman hoisted another massive coal boulder and charged into him once more.
Onigumo was now completely blackened by the coal, yet he didn't take a single step back. His blood surged, pumping into his muscles.
Finally, a deafening crash, unlike the previous ones, echoed through the air.
The giant coal boulder cracked open and shattered into pieces, scattering across the ground.
"Onigumo, did you grasp it?"
Doberman stared in shock at his coal-covered comrade, unable to stop himself from asking.
But no one could answer him now. After so many collisions, Onigumo had passed out cold.
That final "ARGH" had been his last act of defiance.
Yet in that moment, that very shout triggered his use of Tekkai; otherwise, he wouldn't have shattered that boulder with his mere body alone.
"Another success, though he's unconscious."
"Hammer, your method works, but isn't the side effect a bit much, no?"
Zephyr picked up Onigumo and placed him on the high platform, signaling for medics to take him away and let him rest.
"Tch. Still better than how you trained us!"
"At least they didn't have to experience that blue flame minigun hitting them in their faces."
Hammer shot back, clearly annoyed.
Back when they were training Tekkai and Soru, they had to constantly dodge that blue-flame Gatling gunfire.
A single moment of hesitation or weakness left them unable to crawl out of bed the next day.
Compared to that, this was nothing.
Unlike Soru and Tekkai training, the Shigan training on Dalmatian's side was progressing slowly.
Even the red-hot steel ingots had the hardness of seastone.
Dalmatian punched with full force, but the steel didn't even budge. Not a scratch.
If he couldn't do it, how could the others?
Refusing to give up, Dalmatian transformed again.
The Zoan-type Dog-Dog Fruit: Dalmatian model reappeared.
With gleaming claws full of force, he stabbed at the steel ingot.
The next moment, his fingers bent unnaturally at a 90-degree angle, completely broken.
Everyone watching shuddered.
"Tch. You haven't even learned to walk, and you're already trying to run? Medics!"
Zephyr scolded with a disappointed expression.
Meanwhile, Hammer cheerfully continued forging.
Before long, a Heng dao took shape in his hands.
Among Tang Dynasty blades, the Hengdao was the most practical and widely used for combat. Typically 70 to 80 cm long, blade length 50 to 60 cm, thickness 6 to 8 mm, and width about 3 to 4 cm.
After quenching, the blade became incredibly hard and mirror-smooth, without a single blemish.
But this sword, forged by Hammer, was slightly larger, with a blade length of 80 cm, a thickness of 2 cm, and a width of 4 cm, making it a long of variant of the classic design.
Both the hilt and guard were made of iron, with the guard shaped like an oval.
It looked extremely clean and simple.
"Oh? So this is the blade made from that special steel? It looks quite different from the Miaodao."
Zephyr admired the saber in his hand after Hammer completed it.
"That's because it's a Hengdao. The Miaodao and this blade are two different things."
"The Miaodao excels in close combat but has a thinner blade, which makes it prone to damage over extended fighting."
"But the Hengdao is slightly longer and thicker, more suited to prolonged battle. And because of its length, it offers better reach."
Hammer snatched the saber back and lovingly stroked its spine.
'Just wait. I'll make sure Huaxia's legendary blades are known and remembered on this land forever!'
A gentle voice sounded.
The first to break through in the furnace training, now awake and eyeing the Hengdao with sparkling eyes.
As a swordsman, a fine blade was irresistible.
She already owned a Great Grade sword, Kinpira.
Yet this blade inexplicably drew her in.
"Here, give it a try. If you don't find anything to cut, go slice some coal."
Hammer had no reason to refuse a swordswoman's request, after all, this sword was meant to be used.
Gion eagerly took the saber, quickly found a chunk of coal boulder, and prepared to test the blade.
"It's a bit heavier than Konpira, but this edge..."
"Ittō-Ryū : Blossoming Grace!"
The Hengdao flashed, its angle unpredictably vicious as it carved deep gashes into the coal.
"So sharp… almost no resistance."
Before mastering 'steel cutting', any sword strike would always feel some level of resistance.
And in this test, she hadn't even used her full power, just the sword technique.
Yet the Hengdao sliced through coal like tofu.
"Tch, what's so surprising? I'm not bragging, but no one in all of Marineford can match my forging skills."
Actually, Hammer wanted to say no one in the world could outdo him, but hey, modesty is a virtue.
"Alright, you're awake, right? If you're rested up, back to training."
"Don't stand there spacing out!"
Gion hurriedly put the sword down and jumped back onto the training platform.
But now, with her breakthrough in Soru, her movements were lighter, more precise.
Her success rate soared.
"The rest of you, stop slacking off! She already showed you the right training method!"
"What are you waiting for?"
"You wanna become roast mutton? Charcoal? Then train!"
Zephyr's strict voice rang out at just the right moment, snapping the dazed trainees back into hellish training mode.
"Hammer, the Shigan group-"
Hammer grumbling, stomped over to the group learning Shigan.
"Watch closely, I'll only do it once."
"Channel your power into your fists, but don't punch rapidly. That will disperse the force too thin.
"Space your punches. One punch every three seconds. Plant your stance. Right fist charges first, left follows. All your power, condensed into a single blow."
"Remember, your power must be concentrated into one fist."
A loud boom rang out as Hammer punched the steel ingot, leaving a deep dent.
"See that? That's how you do it. If you can leave a mark, that's stage one complete."
Dalmatian, now back in the group with his fingers straightened, saw Hammer's punch, and his eyes lit up.
Something in his mind clicked.
He had understood it now.