Finally, on a hillside with distinctly reddish-brown soil, Lin Feng discovered some dark red, hard, and heavy stones.

"Hematite!"

Lin Feng was overjoyed.

To further confirm this, he broke a small piece of the ore, placed it in a crucible, and calcined it for an extended period at the highest temperature he could reach.

He observed that the ores did not melt under high temperatures, but their color became darker and their texture became more porous.

While it cannot be definitively confirmed that this is high-quality iron ore, it is the most promising material he can find under the current conditions.

He marked this hillside as a future "mining area".

With the ore problem solved, the next step is fuel.

Ordinary firewood does not burn at a high enough temperature to effectively reduce iron ore.

He needed charcoal. Charcoal burns at a higher temperature and produces a purer flame, making it an essential fuel for ancient smelting processes.

Making charcoal is not too difficult for Lin Feng.

He could choose between the "kiln firing method" or the simpler "piling method." Considering efficiency and charcoal quality, he decided to build a simple charcoal kiln.

He chose a sheltered earthen slope and dug a semi-subterranean cave dwelling. He reinforced the cave walls with stones and clay, left a smoke hole at the top, and sealed the cave entrance with stone slabs and mud.

He felled a large amount of hardwood, cut it into suitable lengths, and neatly stacked it in the charcoal kiln. Then he lit the ignition source and waited until the wood was fully burned but not completely burned out before quickly sealing the kiln opening and all ventilation openings, allowing the wood to undergo "dry distillation carbonization" in an oxygen-deficient environment.

This process requires precise control of the fire temperature and the timing of sealing the kiln; the slightest mistake could result in a pile of ash or incompletely carbonized firewood.

With his experience from firing pottery and glass, as well as his keen sense of fire, Lin Feng carefully controlled the temperature and smoke output of the charcoal kiln.

A few days later, when the charcoal kiln had completely cooled down, Lin Feng opened the kiln opening with anticipation.

A faint aroma of charcoal wafted through the air, and the neatly stacked logs inside the kiln had been transformed into pieces of glossy black, lightweight charcoal.

He picked up a piece at random, gently bent it, and with a snap, the broken edge gleamed with a metallic sheen.

"It's a success!"

A smile appeared on Lin Feng's face. These high-quality charcoal pieces would provide ample "firepower" for his iron-smelting business.

Besides iron ore and charcoal, iron smelting also requires fluxing agents, also known as "slag-forming agents".

Lin Feng began searching for limestone.

He recalled that some seashells were also mainly composed of calcium carbonate. He had previously collected many clam and snail shells of varying sizes from the riverbank, which he could use as substitutes.

He also recalled that the wood ash extract he used when making glass previously, whose main component is potassium carbonate, also has a certain fluxing effect.

So he built a small calcining kiln, put the collected seashells into it, and calcined them at high temperatures. The calcined seashells became loose and brittle, and turned white; this was quicklime (calcium oxide).

Everything is ready except for the crucial element – ​​a furnace capable of withstanding high temperatures and effectively carrying out reduction reactions.

Lin Feng chose a relatively flat, elevated open space near the wooden house.

He planned to build the main structure of the furnace using a mixture of refractory clay, crushed stone, and straw. He had already gained some understanding of the refractory properties of different clays when he previously fired crucibles.

The furnace is designed as a cylindrical shape, wider at the bottom than at the top, with a height of about 1.2 meters, a bottom diameter of about 80 centimeters, and a top opening of about 40 centimeters. The furnace wall thickness must be at least 20 centimeters to ensure heat preservation and structural strength.

At the bottom of the furnace, he reserved several symmetrical "tuyeres" for inserting blast pipes. Blowing air is a crucial part of the ironmaking process, requiring a continuous supply of air into the furnace to raise the furnace temperature and provide oxygen for carbon combustion.

He used tough bamboo tubes as the prototype of the blower pipe, wrapped the outer layer with thick refractory clay, and reserved a small air outlet.

These blowers will be connected to the animal skin bellows he made earlier.

To ensure sufficient airflow, he even connected two animal-hide bellows in parallel and had Wangcai stand by, ready to take turns "helping" operate the bellows when needed—of course, this was more of a psychological comfort, and he still had to rely on himself.

Building an iron smelting furnace was a massive undertaking, and it took Lin Feng several days to complete the construction of this primitive "blast furnace".

He then baked it in the oven over a low fire for several days to thoroughly dry the oven walls.

Standing before the iron smelting furnace he had built with his own hands, Lin Feng was filled with pride.

He knew that once the furnace was successfully ignited and the first piece of iron was produced, his life would be transformed.

He crushed the prepared iron ore into fist-sized pieces, and also prepared ample charcoal. The flux—calcined seashell powder and wood ash extract—was also mixed in a specific ratio.

On a clear, windless day, Lin Feng decided to officially begin his first attempt at iron smelting.

He first laid a thick layer of charcoal at the bottom of the furnace, lit it, and then slowly blew air through the blower pipe to ensure the charcoal burned fully and preheated the furnace.

Once the furnace temperature reached a sufficiently high level, he began adding materials to the furnace in batches, alternating between layers of charcoal, ore, and flux mixture.

The sound of the bellows being pulled became rapid and rhythmic.

Lin Feng was shirtless, sweat pouring down his bronze skin like rain. Wangcai watched nervously from the side, occasionally letting out a low growl.

The Phantom hid far away in the shade of the trees, wary of the furnace that radiated astonishing heat.

Pale blue flames began to rise from the top of the stove; it was carbon monoxide produced by the burning charcoal.

The temperature inside the furnace continued to rise. Lin Feng occasionally observed the situation inside the furnace through the vent. The furnace chamber was glowing red, and the ore was crackling and popping under the high temperature.

Time passed second by second, and this was destined to be a long and agonizing process.

Lin Feng alternated between his hands as he operated the bellows, his arms already aching terribly, but he dared not relax for a moment. He knew that a stable furnace temperature and a continuous reducing atmosphere were key to successful iron smelting.

Several hours passed, and the sun gradually began to set. Much of the material inside the furnace had settled.

Based on his experience, Lin Feng judged that the reduction reaction should be almost complete.

He saw that near the tuyeres at the bottom of the furnace, a small amount of dark red, viscous liquid (slag) was seeping out and dripping into the reserved slag pit.

"Slag is coming out!"

Lin Feng was overjoyed. This meant that the flux was working, and some of the impurities in the ore were beginning to melt and separate.

He continued to blow air to maintain the high temperature, hoping that more slag would flow out.

More than an hour later, Lin Feng felt that the time was about right.

He stopped blowing air and then carefully used a long ironwood stick (the most durable wood he could find) to pry away the unburnt charcoal from the top of the furnace in an attempt to check the situation inside.

The furnace was still glowing red, and the heat was intense.

At the bottom of the furnace, he could vaguely see an irregular, sintered mass, covered by the remaining slag and charcoal.

"This... should be the sponge iron block, right?" Lin Feng was filled with anticipation.

He let the furnace cool naturally. This process was equally lengthy.

It wasn't until the next morning that the residual temperature of the furnace walls dropped to a manageable level.

With a nervous heart, Lin Feng carefully used an ironwood stick and a stone hammer to break open a section of the furnace wall from the side of the furnace bottom.

As the soil and stones peeled away, a dark, rough-surfaced, and irregularly shaped "iron lump" appeared before him.

This "iron lump" was much heavier than a stone of the same size, and its surface was covered with a lot of solidified slag and charcoal ash.

"This is... iron?" Lin Feng reached out and touched the piece of iron that still retained a trace of warmth, a surge of indescribable excitement welling up in his heart.

He took the heavy piece of "sponge iron" out of the furnace and examined it carefully.

Its texture is loose and full of pores, just like a giant sponge, which is why it is called "sponge iron".

This is not real "iron" yet. It contains a lot of impurities and slag, which need to be removed through repeated forging to make the iron dense and usable wrought iron.

Beside the iron-smelting furnace, Lin Feng had already used a huge and flat river pebble as a temporary "anvil" and selected a handy heavy stone with a certain flat surface as a "hammer".

Then, he used two thick, wet wooden sticks with flattened ends to pick up the red-hot iron block, quickly placed it on the "stone anvil," swung the "stone hammer," and smashed it down hard!

"when!"

A dull thud resounded, sparks flying. The red-hot iron block deformed slightly under the impact, and some molten slag was squeezed out.

Ignoring the throbbing pain in his arm, Lin Feng repeatedly heated and forged the iron block.

Each hammer blow sends sparks, black oxide scale, and slag flying out.

This is an extremely physically and mentally demanding process. A stone hammer is not as effective as an iron hammer; it is inefficient and easily breaks.

He was sweating profusely, the muscles in his arms were already swollen and sore, and the area between his thumb and forefinger was numb from the shock.

But as he watched the iron block gradually become denser and its color change from jet black to slightly silvery white under repeated hammering, his determination grew stronger.

After a full day of repeated heating and forging, the sponge iron that was initially the size of a fist has been forged into a relatively dense iron sheet about one centimeter thick and the size of a palm.

Although the surface is still rough and uneven, and the edges are irregular, it already has the texture of metal and a certain degree of toughness.

Lin Feng picked up the piece of iron that had embodied countless drops of his sweat, and a tired yet incredibly bright smile appeared on his face.

"Iron! I've finally forged iron!"

He knew this was just the first step. There was still a long way to go from this rough piece of iron to a practical iron pot.

But he has successfully taken the most difficult and crucial step.

In the days that followed, Lin Feng devoted most of his energy to iron smelting and forging.

He improved the ventilation structure of the blast furnace and adjusted the ratio of ore, charcoal, and flux, which improved the efficiency of ironmaking and the quality of sponge iron.

He also realized that the stone hammer and anvil were too inefficient and suffered heavy wear and tear. He decided to use the first batch of iron he had smelted to make a simple hammerhead and a small anvil.

This is a "chicken-egg" process.

He used the forged pieces of iron to make a rough hammer.

He then used the same method to forge a relatively flat small iron plate as an anvil.

Although these early iron tools were rudimentary and not even as sharp as his carefully crafted stone tools, their appearance marked the threshold of Lin Feng's transition from the "Stone Age" to the "Iron Age".

With a simple hammer and anvil, the efficiency of iron forging was greatly improved. He could better control the force and angle of forging, and could also more effectively remove impurities from sponge iron.

He began to try forging larger pieces of iron, his goal being the iron pot he had always longed for!

To make an iron pot, iron material needs to be forged into a thin and uniform sheet, and then shaped into a pot shape.

This was a huge challenge for Lin Feng, who only had rudimentary tools.

He selected a piece of high-quality wrought iron and repeatedly heated and forged it to make it stretch. Sparks flew, and the sound of the hammer striking the anvil echoed through the valley. His arms were already covered with burns and bruises, but he didn't care.

After countless failures and attempts, and after expending a lot of charcoal and physical strength, a round iron plate with a diameter of about thirty centimeters and a fairly uniform thickness was finally shaped under his hammer.

Next came the shaping. Unable to find a suitable "pot mold," he could only place the iron plate in a shallow pit that had been dug beforehand, with a curvature similar to that of the bottom of the pot (the inner wall of the pit was smoothed with wet mud and dried). Then, using an iron hammer and a specially made wooden mallet with a curved head, he tapped and extended the iron plate little by little from the edge to the center, gradually shaping it into the curvature of the pot.

This process requires great patience and skill; too much force will cause the iron plate to break, while too little force will make it difficult to shape.

Lin Feng was completely focused, sweat soaking his forehead, but the hammer in his hand remained as steady as a rock.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The crisp tapping sound was like the most beautiful musical movement.

Finally, in the afterglow of the setting sun, a gleaming iron pot, slightly rough but perfectly shaped, appeared before Lin Feng!

Its bottom was round and its edges were flat. Although it didn't have handles, it was enough to make Lin Feng ecstatic.

He carefully held the iron pot in his hands, feeling its heavy texture and cool metallic temperature, and felt an indescribable sense of accomplishment.

"Iron pot! My iron pot!" He couldn't help but burst into laughter.

He couldn't wait to take the iron pot to the stream to wash it clean, then lit a fire and placed the iron pot on the simple stone stove.

He took two fresh eggs from the henhouse and cut a small piece of meat left over from the previous hunt, then diced it into small pieces.

He heated the pot and added a small piece of animal fat. The fat melted quickly in the iron pot, making a sizzling sound.

He first stir-fried the diced meat, and a rich aroma of meat immediately filled the air.

Then, he cracked in the eggs and quickly stir-fried them with a homemade wooden spatula.

The golden eggs quickly set in the scalding hot iron wok, mixing with the caramelized diced meat and releasing an aroma a hundred times stronger than when cooked in an earthenware pot.

Soon, a plate of fragrant "stir-fried eggs with diced meat" was ready.

Lin Feng took a bite, and his eyes lit up instantly. The high temperature and even heat conduction of the iron pot allowed the aroma of the ingredients to be released to the maximum extent.

The eggs were fragrant and crispy, and the diced meat was tender on the inside and crispy on the outside. That familiar "wok hei" (wok aroma) almost brought tears to his eyes.

"This is so delicious! This is food fit for humans!"

With the iron wok, Lin Feng's cooking skills improved dramatically.

He could use an iron pot to bake pancakes, stew meat, make soup, and even try to cook some simple stir-fries. The variety and flavor of the food were greatly enriched.

After successfully making the iron pot, Lin Feng did not stop there. He then turned his attention to other iron tools.

And the most important of these is weaponry!

Soon, after many attempts and failures, the first real iron weapon—a straight knife about twenty centimeters long, with a thick blade and a gleaming edge—was finally born in his hands.

He used the newly made iron knife to try to cut a tough piece of animal hide. With a "slice," the hide opened up, leaving a smooth and clean cut, far superior to that of a stone knife.

"A fine knife!"

"I've decided that from now on, this sword will be called the Dragon Slayer Sword."

Lin Feng praised with satisfaction.

Next, he forged an iron axe. Forging an iron axe was more complex than forging an iron knife, requiring the creation of an "axe eye" in the center of the axe blade to hold the wooden handle. He successfully created the axe with the axe eye by bending and welding red-hot iron bars, then punching holes in them at high temperatures using a special iron rod.

With a sturdy ironwood handle attached, a heavy, gleaming iron axe is complete.

Lin Feng swung the sword a few times, feeling a powerful, swift movement.

He used an iron axe to chop down a tree as thick as a bowl, and with a few crisp "crack! crack!" sounds, it was much less strenuous and more efficient than using a stone axe.

With the iron knife and iron axe, Lin Feng's survival ability once again achieved a qualitative leap.

Whether it's hunting, butchering prey, logging, or making tools, they become much more adept at it.

He also forged some small iron tools, such as iron awls, iron chisels, and small iron planes for scraping wood.

These small tools make it easier for him to do more delicate woodworking and leather crafting.

Standing in front of his wooden house, Lin Feng looked at the iron pot, iron knife, iron axe that he had made himself, as well as the clucking pheasants in the chicken coop and the mobile phone charging not far away. He felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction and pride.

This wilderness is being transformed little by little into the shape he desires in his hands.

With his wisdom and hard work, he created his own "civilization" on this primitive land.

He knew that the road ahead was long and many more challenges awaited him. But he was confident and capable of making his life better and better.

Because what he possessed was not just stone and wood, but also the indestructible and invincible iron!