The room was filled with astonishment, save for Su Zhe, whose calm demeanor stood in stark contrast to the other apprentices.

They were dumbfounded by the sheer weight of the hammer.

These apprentices, who had yet to officially step into the martial path, were used to swinging six-pound hammers during their blacksmith training—enough to strengthen their vitality but still manageable.

But a fifteen-pound hammer?

That was a different beast entirely.

Lifting a hundred pounds in a single burst of strength might be achievable for many. Yet practicing martial techniques with a fifteen-pound hammer required not only brute force but also sustained endurance—a challenge far beyond their current capabilities.

"One can easily lift a one-pound hammer," Su Zhe thought to himself, "but holding it aloft for even ten minutes can make one's arms feel detached."

Having spent three years forging metal, Su Zhe knew the difference all too well. Yet, deep inside, he felt a glimmer of excitement.

Every year, the apprentices were tested and taught martial techniques by one of the Ironclad Guild’s legendary leaders. Each leader specialized in a unique martial art:

* Yang Dingtian mastered the Serpent Sword.

* Wang Shan excelled with the Tiger Blade.

* Sun Tiexin wielded the Barbaric Bull Hammer.

Who would be the instructor this time? None of the apprentices knew until the moment of revelation.

And to Su Zhe's delight, fortune favored him.

Sun Tiexin stepped forward, a massive hammer in hand, his presence commanding attention.

"Lady Luck must be on my side!" Su Zhe thought, suppressing a grin.

Bang!

Sun Tiexin slammed the hammer into the ground, his voice booming:

"The Barbaric Bull's Stone-Splitting Hammer Technique is all about overwhelming strength. But strength must come from unity—your waist and horse stance aligned, your power drawn from the ground. Yet raw strength alone will fail you; the essence lies in conserving energy, striking with ten parts of power while retaining eight or nine parts within. Like an old ox, enduring and inexhaustible."

As he spoke, Sun Tiexin lifted a hammer weighing over a hundred pounds. In his hands, it seemed weightless, moving with ease and grace.

His arms lashed like whips, the hammer flying through the air like a cannonball. The mere swish of its motion cracked the air, sending shockwaves reverberating.

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Su Zhe watched in awe, his mind racing.

"To think the gap between a master and an apprentice could be so vast... The alignment of waist, shoulders, the release and withdrawal of power—everything I thought I knew is so crude in comparison!"

In his mind, the fragmented memories of his mentor, Master Chen, surfaced. Chen had once trained with an eight-pound hammer, reaching only the intermediate stage of the Barbaric Bull Technique before switching to a lighter weapon.

Now, comparing those memories to Sun Tiexin's performance, Su Zhe felt an epiphany brewing.

Sun Tiexin's movements were relentless, like waves crashing against a shore—each strike building on the last, unyielding and indomitable. The hundred-pound hammer might as well have been a feather.

By the time he finished demonstrating the nine forms of the hammer technique, the surrounding area had been swept into a whirlwind of raw energy. Some weaker apprentices were physically blown off their feet, landing yards away.

"An unstoppable force..." Su Zhe muttered, his disbelief giving way to admiration.

In his past life on Blue Star, he had dismissed tales of legendary warriors like Xiang Yu or Zhang Fei as exaggerations. Yet witnessing Sun Tiexin’s mastery firsthand, Su Zhe felt his skepticism crumble.

"Perhaps the records of warriors defeating thousands singlehandedly weren't myths after all..."

Boom!

Sun Tiexin hurled his hammer at a man-sized boulder in the distance, shattering it into powder.

"Did you see clearly?" Sun Tiexin asked, his voice calm yet intimidating.

The apprentices, heads bowed, dared not respond.

Sun Tiexin snorted. "No matter. Pick up your hammers and start practicing!"

Ten apprentices, trembling with determination, stepped forward to lift the fifteen-pound hammers. Su Zhe, however, was brimming with anticipation, his mind ablaze with the images of Sun Tiexin’s demonstration.

The hammers felt impossibly heavy to the others. Arms shook, sweat poured, and movements were clumsy at best. Each attempt at mimicking the technique was laughably far from Sun Tiexin’s fluid execution.

"This is torture..." one apprentice whimpered, tears streaming down his face as pain wracked his entire body.

Soon, one by one, they collapsed, their strength utterly spent.

Only Su Zhe and Yu Yi—a proud apprentice with unparalleled natural talent—remained standing.

Yu Yi gritted his teeth, his arms screaming in agony, but his pride refused to let him falter.

"I am the most gifted in the Ironclad Guild! I won't lose to anyone, especially not Su Zhe!" Yu Yi whispered fiercely, his sweat-drenched body trembling with exhaustion.

Meanwhile, Su Zhe’s movements began slow but grew increasingly fluid and precise. His hammer carved arcs through the air, each swing more powerful than the last.

“How... How is he still going?!” Yu Yi’s eyes widened in disbelief.

The other spectators were equally stunned. Su Zhe’s rhythm had reached a level far beyond mere mimicry—it was mastery.

Even Guild Leader Yang Dingtian, initially unimpressed by Su Zhe, now watched with awe.

“This boy… He’s achieved the basic mastery of the technique in a single session?”

By the time Su Zhe’s hammer came crashing down, splitting the stone floor beneath him, there was no doubt.

He had reached the intermediate stage of the Barbaric Bull Hammer Technique.

Every onlooker fell silent.

Even Yu Yi collapsed, muttering a hoarse “Thank you...” before fainting outright.

As Su Zhe opened his eyes, feeling the boundless strength coursing through his body, he realized the room was watching him with a mixture of fear and reverence.

Sun Tiexin roared with laughter, clapping Su Zhe on the shoulder.

“Kid, you’ve got it! Grace in Heft, and the Restraint of Power! Remember this—mastery is about knowing when to hold back.”

Su Zhe nodded, a quiet determination in his gaze.

This was just the beginning.