Forging Dao Fruit Level 2!

"Indeed. No matter what kind of martial art it is, it is divided into low-grade martial arts, medium-grade martial arts, high-grade martial arts, and Ultimate Skills. Take our Azure Steel Martial Hall's Azure Steel Hand—it is a low-grade Skin Polishing Martial Art. At most, it can be cultivated to Stone Skin Perfection; it cannot help you reach the Iron Skin Realm."

"Only medium-grade martial arts can help a Stone Skin Realm martial artist break through to the Iron Skin Realm and Bronze Skin Realm. High-grade martial arts can help martial artists break through to the Silver Skin Realm, but high-grade martial arts are almost always the core martial arts of major powers and are nearly impossible to obtain."

Du Hai explained.

Afterward, Li Changsheng asked many more questions about common knowledge, and Du Hai showed no impatience.

"Senior Brother, what realm are you currently in?" Li Changsheng asked curiously.

Du Hai did not hide it and revealed, "I am currently at Iron Skin Great Accomplishment!"

Through his conversation with Du Hai, Li Changsheng also learned about the strength of Azure Steel Martial Hall. Several senior brothers had broken through to the Iron Skin Realm, but not a single one had reached the Bronze Skin Realm.

Basically, once Azure Steel Martial Hall's martial artists broke through to the Iron Skin Realm, they would find ways to purchase secret medicines that aided breakthroughs and attempt to reach the Bone Refining Realm.

Azure Steel Martial Hall's several Core Disciples were all in the Bone Refining Realm.

As for their master, Xu He, he was an expert above the Bone Refining Realm. Du Hai did not know his specific realm, nor did he dare ask his master.

Once Li Changsheng had no more questions, Du Hai left.

"Azure Steel Hand can only be cultivated to Stone Skin Realm Perfection. Yet Senior Brother Du Hai and the others can cultivate to the Iron Skin Realm. That is enough to show that Azure Steel Hand is not considered a powerful martial art in the martial hall. The martial hall should have a relatively ordinary medium-grade Skin Polishing Martial Art, but I've only just joined Azure Steel Martial Hall. There's no way I can obtain such a Skin Polishing Martial Art yet."

Li Changsheng was not in a hurry to obtain a medium-grade Skin Polishing Martial Art. For now, Azure Steel Hand alone was enough to keep him cultivating for a long while.

Over the following days, Li Changsheng continued purchasing Azure Origin Secret Medicine from the martial hall to cultivate Azure Steel Hand. The complete Azure Steel Hand martial art was indeed far more effective than the simplified version from before.

However, breaking through from Stone Skin Initial Accomplishment to Stone Skin Minor Accomplishment would take a long time.

"Cultivating the Stone Skin Realm is too difficult, not to mention the Iron Skin Realm, Bronze Skin Realm, and Silver Skin Realm. With my aptitude, if I keep cultivating like this, I'll never be able to break through to the Bronze Skin Realm."

He estimated that his aptitude ranked near the bottom among Azure Steel Martial Hall's many official disciples. He could only hope that the second Dao Fruit, due in a few months, would assist his cultivation. Otherwise, becoming an Iron Skin Realm martial artist would truly be too difficult.

Stone Skin Realm cultivation could not be rushed. Li Changsheng began focusing on improving his forging skill. He wanted to raise his Forging Dao Fruit ability to Level 2 and see whether it would bring tremendous changes.

Day after day passed. Li Changsheng's Forging Dao Fruit ability improved every day, while the Vajra Hammer Technique also steadily advanced, showing signs of breaking through from the Great Accomplishment Realm into the Perfection Realm.

Another month passed.

This day.

As usual, Li Changsheng was forging a Ninth Grade Armor Weapon. His forging level had now risen greatly, and he was already capable of forging Ninth Grade Upper Tier weapons, surpassing the three blacksmiths of Li's Blacksmith Shop.

His status in Li's Blacksmith Shop was now exceedingly high.

At this moment, his Forging Dao Fruit ability was about to break through to Level 2. Perhaps after forging this weapon, his Forging Dao Fruit ability would truly advance.

Clang! Clang! Clang!!!

Li Changsheng hammered again and again, dense hammer shadows striking the armor blank. Suddenly, one more hammer shadow appeared within the Vajra Hammer Technique—it was clearly this hammer technique that had broken through into the Perfection Realm.

"Vajra Hammer Technique Perfection. Another pleasant surprise."

Li Changsheng continued forging the armor weapon and soon completed it.

And at the very moment the forging was completed, his Forging Dao Fruit ability broke through.

Boom!!!!

A vast amount of forging knowledge flooded into his mind, and he gradually grasped the Level 2 forging knowledge.

After mastering the Level 2 Forging Dao Fruit ability, he felt confident that he could forge Eighth-grade Weapons.

Ninth-grade Weapons were standard equipment for martial artists in the Stone Skin Realm, Iron Skin Realm, and Bronze Skin Realm. Only Bone Refining Realm martial artists used Eighth-grade Weapons.

The main reason was that Eighth-grade Weapons were expensive. Their required materials were all precious. For example, an Eighth-grade Weapon required, at minimum, Hundred Refined Fine Iron along with other materials before an Eighth-grade Weapon could be forged.

Moreover, forging an Eighth-grade Weapon consumed a great deal of time. At the very least, it took several days, or even half a month, to successfully forge one.

Of course, if one's forging level was very high and one had mastered powerful forging techniques, it was possible to forge an Eighth-grade Weapon in a single day. But Li Changsheng had only just mastered the Level 2 Forging Dao Fruit ability, so he certainly could not forge an Eighth-grade Weapon that quickly. He still needed to continue improving his forging level.

Afterward.

Li Changsheng used the Perfection Realm Vajra Hammer Technique to hammer fine iron, attempting to forge a piece of Hundred Refined Fine Iron.

Hammer blow after hammer blow, the fine iron blank underwent repeated tempering.

Ten refinements!

Twenty refinements!

Thirty refinements!

Fifty refinements!

Li Changsheng's stamina expenditure was also immense. He was only a Stone Skin Realm martial artist, after all. If he were still the ordinary person he had once been, he absolutely would not have had enough strength to forge Hundred Refined Fine Iron.

A full one or two hours passed. Li Changsheng had expended a great deal of stamina, but in the end, he still completed the hundred refinements of the fine iron.

"A piece of Hundred Refined Fine Iron—success!"

After waiting for the piece of fine iron to cool, Li Changsheng picked it up and felt its weight. It was also extremely tough now, far beyond ordinary fine iron.

Such a piece of Hundred Refined Fine Iron was sufficient for forging an Eighth-grade Weapon, but other metals still needed to be incorporated. Otherwise, a single metal alone lacked sufficient toughness and would make it difficult to forge an Eighth-grade Weapon.

Li Changsheng wanted to forge an Eighth-grade Armor. With Eighth-grade Armor protecting him, even an attack from a Bone Refining Realm martial artist would be unable to kill him.

Naturally, Li Han and the others could not have failed to notice that he had forged Hundred Refined Fine Iron. After all, he had forged for so long and caused such a huge commotion; of course, they knew.

"Changsheng, you forged Hundred Refined Fine Iron?!" Li Han exclaimed excitedly.

"Yes!" Li Changsheng nodded slightly.

Li Han immediately said, "Doesn't that mean you now have a chance of forging an Eighth-grade Weapon?"

"I haven't tried yet." Li Changsheng did not dare speak too certainly.

"Changsheng, your forging skill has already surpassed mine. Perhaps you can take part in Baiye City's Blacksmith Tournament. That way, you may qualify for Inner City Residency Qualification!" Li Han said.

"The Blacksmith Tournament? Inner City Residency Qualification?"

Li Changsheng was somewhat curious.

Li Han explained, "The Blacksmith Tournament is a grand occasion for Baiye City's blacksmiths. It is held by the Blacksmith Guild in the Inner City. Every tournament draws several hundred blacksmiths. The top ten receive generous rewards. Inner City Residency Qualification is only one of them—there are also all kinds of Secret Medicine, martial arts manuals, and other rewards. Aren't you practicing martial arts? Those prizes would suit you well!"

"Master Li Han, have you participated before?"

Li Changsheng asked.

Li Han gave a bitter smile. "I took part once, but unfortunately, I ranked near the bottom. I never joined again after that. This competition is held once a year, but there's an entry fee. Knowing I had no hope, I naturally didn't want to waste the money!"