Zi Ji in Peril

Although he had Mu Xi's connection, Xia Yi did not head to Heaven Dou City with her right away. Instead, he went to the Blacksmith Association.

"Are you really going to use Qingshi Copper to forge your own forging hammer?" Mu Xi asked gravely. A forging hammer was of paramount importance to a blacksmith. Having one that suited oneself would not only make forging far more efficient, but would also greatly increase the success rate.

What kind of forging hammer suited a blacksmith? Naturally, one that could communicate with its blacksmith and be linked to their Blood Qi.

For a forging hammer to communicate with its blacksmith, the most basic requirement was for it to possess life.

Even a faint awareness of life would do.

But Qingshi Copper could not produce life. It could not even develop the most rudimentary awareness of life.

Xia Yi first asked Gu Yue for a little Life Gold before preparing the Thousand Refined Qingshi Copper.

"I've already decided." Xia Yi nodded, completely ignoring Mu Xi's attempts to stop him as he placed the prepared Qingshi Copper into the Forging Table to be heated.

After a month of study, Xia Yi had long since learned how to perform Thousand Refinement and Blood Sacrifice.

The moment the final hammer fell, he swiftly cut open his wrist and let his blood spill over the newly forged Qingshi Copper.

The instant the blood touched the Qingshi Copper, a series of sizzling sounds rang out as smoke curled upward. The flames went out, revealing the Qingshi Copper's original appearance.

Before Mu Xi could react, Xia Yi took out another packet of green powder brimming with life energy and sprinkled it over the metal.

It was true that Qingshi Copper could not be granted life, but after Xia Yi added a little Life Gold to it, the problem was perfectly resolved.

Life Gold already possessed life. Xia Yi ground it into powder and fused it into the Thousand Refined Qingshi Copper that was undergoing Blood Sacrifice.

It was equivalent to performing a Blood Sacrifice on both the Thousand Refined Qingshi Copper and the Life Gold at the same time.

Life Gold could devour all metals. Only by conducting the Blood Sacrifice simultaneously and allowing the auras of the Qingshi Copper and Life Gold to merge could he ensure that the Life Gold would not devour the metal energy of the Thousand Refined Qingshi Copper.

In an instant, even Mu Xi sensed the aura of life coming from within the Qingshi Copper.

Xia Yi felt even more clearly that the Thousand Refined Qingshi Copper seemed to be cheering.

"What did you just add? It actually made Qingshi Copper develop life awareness instantly." Mu Xi widened her eyes.

Although she was the daughter of a Saint Craftsman, Life Gold had been extinct in the human world for who knew how many years. Not to mention her, even Holy Spirit Mu Chen probably did not know about such a rare metal as Life Gold.

"My blood." Xia Yi chuckled as he used his First Soul Skill to heal the wound on his wrist.

"As if I wanted to know if you won't tell me!" Mu Xi said through gritted teeth. She was so angry her teeth itched. She had wholeheartedly taught Xia Yi for an entire month, yet he still hid even such a small secret from her.

Xia Yi said nothing more and began shaping the Thousand Refined Qingshi Copper into a forging hammer.

With the addition of Life Gold, Xia Yi dared to guarantee that his Thousand Refined Hammer would definitely be one of the finest Thousand Refined Hammers in all of Douluo Continent.

"By the way, I forgot to ask. When will we be back after going to Heaven Dou City?" Xia Yi asked as he worked on the forging hammer.

"What are you asking that for?" Yan Xi asked with a pout.

"I want to participate in the Heaven Sea Alliance Grand Competition. I don't know whether I'll make it in time," Xia Yi said gravely.

"There's still a week before the Heaven Sea Alliance Grand Competition. As long as nothing unexpected happens, we should be able to get back in time to register," Mu Xi said. Taking a bus from Eastsea City to Heaven Dou City would take at least a day and a night.

Driving themselves would be much faster.

A week was more than enough time.

Mu Xi herself also intended to enter the blacksmith competition at the Heaven Sea Alliance Grand Competition. If time truly had been tight, she would not have brought Xia Yi to Heaven Dou City now.

No matter what, she would have waited until after the Heaven Sea Alliance Grand Competition was over.

After all, a few more days made no difference.

The next day, Xia Yi took leave and drove with Mu Xi toward Heaven Dou City.

As a great city with a history of at least twenty thousand years, Heaven Dou City was more than ten times the size of Eastsea City.

However, Mu Xi was very familiar with Heaven Dou City. She quickly brought Xia Yi to meet Zhen Hua at the Heaven Dou City Blacksmith Association.

He looked only a little over thirty, yet his eyes were filled with vicissitudes and depth that someone his age could not possibly possess. His temples were entirely white, forming a sharp contrast with the black hair atop his head.

Most striking of all were his hands. They were at least fifty percent larger than an ordinary person's hands, yet they had no pronounced knuckles. They were fair and slender, like a woman's hands enlarged several times over. Even the skin on his palms was crystal-clear, like jade.

Before Xia Yi or even Mu Xi could speak, Zhen Hua blocked them with a single sentence. "Mu Chen has already told me about you. If you can break through to Spirit Douluo before the age of thirty, I will take you as my disciple."

"Spirit Douluo at thirty?" Xia Yi frowned slightly.

"I acknowledge your talent in forging, but I have not accepted a disciple for many years because I wish to cultivate a Divine Craftsman. A Divine Craftsman must first possess the cultivation of a Title Douluo. I have already seen your talent in forging. Next, you must show me your talent in cultivation. As long as you can break through to Spirit Douluo before thirty, I have a way to forcibly raise your cultivation to Title Douluo and help you become a Divine Craftsman," Zhen Hua said gravely.

"Senior Uncle, can't you teach him some forging now?" Mu Xi asked.

"No. What matters most for him right now is cultivation. The Soul Power of a Support Soul Master already improves more slowly than that of other Soul Masters. If he also puts most of his energy into forging, then he will never become a Divine Craftsman." At this point, Zhen Hua turned to Xia Yi. "The most important thing in forging is patience. You must focus on cultivation now so that you can go farther in the future."

"Thank you for your guidance, Divine Craftsman." Xia Yi gave Zhen Hua a deep bow. If Zhen Hua had not reminded him, he truly might have gone down the wrong path.

Thinking back on it now, Xia Yi realized that over the past month, he had indeed spent a little too much time on forging.

"Alright, you may go back now." Zhen Hua waved his hand.

"This junior takes his leave." Xia Yi said no more. Wasn't it merely reaching Spirit Douluo before thirty? He believed he could do it.

After leaving the Blacksmith Association, Xia Yi did not linger and immediately returned to Eastsea City with Mu Xi.

"Is it going to rain?" Not long after the car left Heaven Dou City, Xia Yi noticed something was wrong. The sky over Heaven Dou City had been clear and cloudless, yet beyond the city it was completely dark.

Boom! A terrifying shockwave rolled out from deep within the clouds.

That dreadful energy swept down from the skies. Only then did Xia Yi notice purple radiance flashing continuously within the dark clouds.

"Haha, I didn't expect such an unexpected gain. To encounter a Dragon Clan Beast outside Heaven Dou City—heaven truly favors me." A piercing laugh came from deep within the clouds.

"It's Zi Ji!" Xia Yi abruptly raised his head toward the sky. He immediately understood what had happened. Zi Ji had been following him in secret, but a human expert had discovered her.