This chapter opens with a description of how Lan Xuanyu has been learning how to forge since he arrived at the shop. He's been there for about four and a half months, but he hasn't consulted anyone about anything. This is the first time he's learned anything on his own, and it's not clear whether he bonded with the hammer or whether he learned everything by himself. He also notes that the bar has shrunk by about one-third since he began forging it, and the color of the bar is getting brighter . He wonders if this is because he just raised the bar with twelve strikes, or if he just improved his skill to such a degree that his skills are not inferior to his own. He then shows off his new forging equipment, which is a sublimation forging. The beam of the sublimation forging is ten feet high, but the beam of his own is only a foot high. He tells his brother that he has reached the level of a third-level forge master, and that his piece of silver is worth at least five white emblems, and 100 silver bars will be worth more than 500 white ones. He asks if he can make the silver bar a bit cheaper, but his brother says that he'll give it to him as a gift, since he is his senior, and he doesn't want to take any advantage of him. He says that the piece is still a bargain, since it is a one-off price. After the senior leaves, he makes another attempt at forging dark silver bars. This time, he feels more comfortable with the bars. He calls it a day, and comes back tomorrow for the final exam.