"One." Xiao Yan said in a deep voice.
Tang Hao shook his head. "No, you're wrong. Remember this: a person has three hearts, not just one."
"Three?" Xiao Yan looked at him, surprised—curious what this secretive old dog was on about now.
Tang Hao picked up the forging hammer Xiao Yan had placed on the ground. "The muscles in a person's two calves are the second and third hearts. If someone wants to unleash their full strength, it must come from all three hearts working together. So when exerting force, the three hearts are the true starting point."
Xiao Yan, no longer underestimating him, listened intently, murmuring, "Calves… power from three hearts…"
Seeing his thoughtful expression, Tang Hao continued, "When your chest's heart begins to race, start from your calves. Let the force travel up to the thighs, then to the waist, back, arms—and finally release it. That's a full-power strike. Heart initiates force, waist acts as the pivot. Watch closely…"
Tang Hao gave a low shout. He pivoted slightly, feet gripping the ground. His two calves—visible through his tattered pants—tightened like coiled springs. He looked like a beast ready to pounce.
Calves exerted force, waist rotated, and the hammer spun back. With a loud clang, it smashed down hard on the glowing red iron block.
Despite already being forged to a refined state, the iron was dented even deeper by Tang Hao's strike.
The material was top-grade, and yet it still caved under his blow. Clearly, this power technique wasn't just for show.
"Using the calves to unite the body's strength into a single whole—that's full power." Tang Hao handed the small forging hammer back to Xiao Yan. "Your turn."
"Alright." Xiao Yan gripped the handle, mentally retracing Tang Hao's movements. Eyes locked on the glowing iron, he erupted with strength from his legs, waist twisting as power surged up into his arms—hammer swung down hard.
CLANG! A thunderous bang.
The hammer drove a deep dent into the iron—and Xiao Yan felt a strong rebound force shoot up through the hammer.
After wielding it himself, he better understood the technique. It was all about redirecting momentum. This approach was far more refined than simple brute-force strikes.
Xiao Yan wasn't just some kid. He had trained since birth, even breaking through the Eight Extraordinary Meridians.
And he'd grown up surrounded by enemies—training in secret for six years. His martial understanding was on par with first-rate experts.
Though the recoil was intense, Xiao Yan expertly used the force, letting the hammer bounce back naturally. With a whoosh, he spun it again and landed another strike—louder, faster, and stronger than the first.
Tang Hao's jaw slackened. This kid just casually outdid his expectations.
Not only did he replicate the technique perfectly, but he even figured out the Messy Wind Hammer Technique on his own!
"I wonder how many swings this brat can manage? At his age, five hammers should be his limit..."
But using this force-transfer method, Xiao Yan's mind was already drifting—thinking in martial terms.
There were already martial arts that used borrowed force, and some styles went the opposite route: overwhelming with brute strength.
To develop complementary power techniques though, that would take time.
He eventually stopped swinging the hammer.
The hammer's own momentum now tugged at his body, and Xiao Yan twisted in place a few times to absorb the force, landing back on his feet.
Tang Hao was stunned into silence. Fifty. The kid had actually swung fifty times! And he even figured out how to neutralize the rebound energy himself!
With proper training, this kid's future…
Xiao Yan glanced at the hammer in his hand. As a forging method, it was solid—but in combat, it had major flaws.
The move required charging up. If someone interrupted it early, the technique would collapse. And even if you got a full combo off, if your enemy wasn't finished, the moment you tried to absorb the recoil—you'd be at your weakest.
Too many openings.
"Doesn't seem too difficult," Xiao Yan looked up at Tang Hao.
Thinking about how he'd spent a full year to reach fifty swings himself, Tang Hao felt a wave of shame. He quickly changed the subject, "Now you understand the role of the 'hearts.' The most-used muscles in the body are in the calves—they're the root of all force. Use them right, and your strength will increase drastically."
Hearing this, Xiao Yan naturally connected the idea to martial arts.
Ever since his transmigration, he'd spent the past six years almost entirely immersed in training—outside of eating and sleeping.
And with a bit of thought, he found this whole "calves as hearts" thing way too one-sided.
There are tons of muscles in the body. If you only emphasized the calves and treated them like hearts—that's just excessive.
Not to mention, true power also requires internal energy.
To unleash real strength, you had to use the entire body intelligently.
Take his fingers, for example—he could release invisible sword qi from them. If he trained his Purple Demon Eyes further, he might even injure with a glare.
If you're only trying to boost your raw strength for forging, that's one thing—but in combat? Focus on technique. Human strength has its limits.
That said, what Tang Hao taught him was useful. At least for now.
Tang Hao pumped the bellows, heating the iron block red-hot again. Then he picked up Xiao Yan's hammer and said mildly:
"Your idea to use the rebound for extra force wasn't wrong. But without proper control, it can easily backfire and injure you. Watch my next move closely."
With a deep breath, Tang Hao's gaze sharpened—and he moved again.
His technique seemed no different from before. But as the hammer bounced back due to recoil, Tang Hao suddenly twisted his body again, calves powering the motion.
He caught the rebound mid-air, spun the hammer around, and BANG!—landed another powerful blow, faster and stronger than the first.
The hammer rebounded high—but this time, Tang Hao's motion perfectly synced with its rise. Not too early, not too late—he caught it just as it hit peak height, rotated, and slammed it back down.
Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed, and he activated his modified Purple Demon Eyes. They didn't glow purple—just darkened his pupils until they were pure black.
Without close inspection, no one would even notice the difference.
But suddenly, everything slowed down. His vision sharpened dramatically, and Tang Hao's movements became clear as day—each step etched into his mind.
Their moves were nearly the same. With a few tweaks, Xiao Yan could easily pull this off.
Tang Hao swung eighty-one times in total, spinning several times to dissipate the recoil—then tossed the hammer aside and left to drink.
His once-proud talent? Shattered. Time to go drown the embarrassment.
(End of Chapter)