Spirit Forging Success, and Teacher Zhao's Past

"Spirit Forging is a qualitative leap beyond Thousand Refinements. The difference between them is like heaven and earth. As long as one completes Spirit Forging once, one becomes a Level 5 Blacksmith, an existence far surpassing all sub-professions of the same level—a true pillar. Back then, it took me three years to enter the realm of Spirit Forging, yet he succeeded on his first attempt. Calling him a Level 5 Blacksmith now would be no problem. It all depends on whether he can succeed again next." Zhao Gaobo spoke with barely concealed excitement.

As Ye Hongling watched Tang Chenfeng's back, memories of the past surfaced in her mind. Her brother had always worked so hard, while she seemed to always be the one being protected. Whether in the Sunset Great Forest or at the academy, it had always been her grandfather and brother protecting her. But there was nothing she could do about it. After all, she was only a Healing System Soul Master and had no combat ability at all. But now, at the academy, she could study Mecha Design and design mechas and Battle Armor for herself and her brother. With mechas and Battle Armor, perhaps she could be of greater help. Ye Hongling silently swore to herself, I will study Mecha Design diligently and design the best mechas and Battle Armor for my brother and myself. I can't... I can't keep being protected by others. I have to become everyone's strongest support.

A determined seed had already been planted in the girl's heart.

Just then, Tang Chenfeng assumed his stance again and raised his heavy hammer. Yet instead of bringing it down with force, he lightly tapped the metal, producing crisp "ding, ding" sounds.

Crisp knocks rang out one after another. At the same time, the piece of Star Iron actually began to tremble, and the white light on its surface grew increasingly intense. Its originally rough exterior had become layered, pulsing continuously as though it had come alive. This was the sign that metal had begun to possess life—the beginning of Spirit Forging.

Zhao Gaobo's eyes widened in shock. How was this possible? This was the manifestation of someone newly entering Spirit Forging. Logically, Star Iron should have been impossible to Spirit Forge.

The forging continued. Under Tang Chenfeng's gentle taps, the Star Iron trembled faintly and continuously shrank on its own. The white glow on its surface began transforming into platinum, while page-like patterns on the metal slowly started to rotate. Its rough exterior became smoother and more translucent, while its volume naturally continued to shrink. The platinum radiance grew brighter and brighter.

Yet beneath this seemingly simple forging process, Tang Chenfeng was already drenched in sweat. He had devoted himself entirely to forging, pouring out both his Soul Power and his difficult-to-control Divine Sense with all his strength. Tang Chenfeng's talent was exceptional, and his Soul Power was twice that of an ordinary person. Converted to normal standards, his total Soul Power was roughly equivalent to that of someone at Rank 29 or 30. Even so, it was still insufficient. Ordinary Spirit Forging required at least Rank 40, or Four Rings, to have any chance of succeeding. Although Tang Chenfeng had succeeded before, this time was completely different. If his previous success had been merely an initial, beginner-level Spirit Forging, then this time he had stepped across the threshold into intermediate Spirit Forging.

What should I do? Tang Chenfeng thought. In truth, this piece of Star Iron was already Spirit Forged Metal. Tang Chenfeng had already accomplished a miracle unprecedented and unlikely to ever be repeated. Yet he still felt it was not enough. He could sense that the Star Iron's Spirit Forging could go a step further. This was the response from the Star Iron that Tang Chenfeng himself could feel; it too wished to continue evolving. At this moment, Tang Chenfeng and the piece of Star Iron actually felt connected in heart and mind. Everyone present watched Tang Chenfeng's forging nervously, but no one noticed that the Dark Star Crystal he had Spirit Forged earlier, sitting on the workbench nearby, was flashing rhythmically at almost the same frequency as his hammer strikes.

At that moment, Tang Chenfeng took a deep breath, and the Forging Hammer in his hand crashed down with a thunderous boom, completely different from his earlier gentle tapping.

Zhao Gaobo's gaze turned grave. He's preparing to end this quickly.

That was right. Tang Chenfeng's Soul Power was nearly depleted. If this continued, he would be the first to collapse. So he decided to stake everything on one final attempt.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The Forging Hammer fell repeatedly, each strike producing an enormous roar, even louder than when he had used the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer before. Under the barrage of hammer blows, the light on the Star Iron seemed to be compressing. Gradually, the platinum radiance returned to the metal's surface, swaying like flames. The Dark Star Crystal nearby blazed with light and trembled continuously, even inching toward Tang Chenfeng as though eager to join in.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The glow on the Star Iron became increasingly solid, nearly completely enveloping the Star Iron itself as though it had become a true physical entity. It felt as if it might explode at any moment. The light was filled with the fluctuations of life, as though it was not a piece of metal, but a new life.

"Excellent!" Ye Hongling jumped in fright at Zhao Gaobo's sudden shout.

Zhao Gaobo said excitedly, "That Star Iron must have reached its peak state. With just one more hammer strike, it can achieve Advanced Spirit Forging."

Tang Chenfeng was completely focused now and could not hear anything from the outside world. Of course, even if Zhao Gaobo had not said it, he would have done exactly that.

Tang Chenfeng's entire body was aching, and even his Divine Sense could no longer be used. With his physical condition, even his arms had nearly gone numb. But he only needed to swing the hammer one more time. That would be enough.

Just as Tang Chenfeng swung his final hammer with all his strength and it was about to strike the Star Iron, a dark blue beam suddenly shot out from the side and darted between his Forging Hammer and the Star Iron. Before everyone's astonished eyes, it was smashed down by Tang Chenfeng's full-powered strike, then merged into the Star Iron's radiance, erupting with a burst of intense light.

A platinum blaze shot into the sky in an instant, rising a full six feet. Waves of ethereal yet boundless humming rang out from the metal, followed by a shockwave like the explosion of a Soul Tool. The first thing to suffer was Tang Chenfeng's Forging Hammer, which was almost instantly blown into fragments. The shockwave then carried those fragments toward Tang Chenfeng. He raised his arms to block them. Though he blocked the fragments, the powerful impact still flung him away. The violent shock sent agony through his organs, and with a "wah," he coughed up a mouthful of blood, spraying it directly onto the Star Iron.

As Tang Chenfeng was blasted backward and his consciousness began to blur, a thick, scorching energy wrapped around his body. Looking closely, he saw it was Zhao Gaobo, who had already released his Martial Soul. In his hand was a massive red hammer wreathed in blazing fire, like an enlarged Forging Hammer. Its name was the Flame Heavy Hammer, and it possessed burning and heating properties. If used for forging, it would produce twice the result with half the effort. It was a Martial Soul born for forging. Soul Rings coiled around the heavy hammer—two yellow, three purple, and four black. There were nine Soul Rings in total.

In the world of Soul Masters, strength was always the absolute standard. Among Battle Soul Masters, some people might not know Zhao Gaobo, but in the forging world, he was a well-known figure. A Rank 92 Titled Douluo, titled Heavy Hammer; president of the Haitian City Blacksmith Association; and a Divine Craftsman. Across the entire Douluo World, there were fewer than fifty Divine Craftsmen. With his abilities, he could have secured a place even in Sky City. Yet he had not gone to Sky City, choosing instead to remain on the ground, in Haitian City. There were many speculations as to why. Some said Haitian Soul Master Academy was his alma mater and where he had begun, so he chose to stay and become a Vice Dean. Others said that although his strength could earn him a place in Sky City, he would never be able to advance any further there, so he simply remained as the association president. But there was also a lesser-known rumor that he had stayed to remain by his lover's side. As for who his lover was, there were many claims. Some said she was an exceptionally powerful Soul Master, while others said she was a blacksmith slightly inferior to him. Some even said his lover was an ordinary person. But all of these were merely conjectures, because no one had ever truly seen his lover. He always seemed to travel alone, always by himself. Yet no one could have imagined that this Divine Craftsman had come down from Sky City. He truly did have someone he loved, and he truly had been waiting. But he also knew that he would never be able to wait for her, because she had fallen in love with his classmate—with the friend who was as close to him as a brother, a friend with whom he had shared life-and-death bonds. They had once pursued her together, but he lost. He accepted that loss wholeheartedly, yet he simply refused to give up. He had always been cheerful and optimistic. He believed that fortunes changed with time, and that he would eventually achieve success and fame. At that time, he would still have a chance. But later, they became famous, while he could only watch their backs because his strength was insufficient. So he gave up becoming a Battle Soul Master and became a blacksmith instead. He studied forging desperately and trained himself desperately. After spending countless years of effort, he finally became a Divine Craftsman, one of those standing at the peak of the continent. Just as he decided to try again, he learned that they had failed their attempt to overcome the tribulation, and their lives or deaths were unknown. But he believed they had not died. Those two were so outstanding that even heaven itself probably would not want them to perish. So he searched for them for decades. At last, he received news and found them in a small village on the ground. Only, they were no longer as they had been.

When he arrived at the small village called Tianhun Town and found the two of them, even he could not believe they were the people he had known. They looked terribly old, like ordinary elderly people, with not the slightest trace of their former selves remaining.

He had always been cheerful and optimistic, but this time, he truly had no way to make himself feel even a little optimistic. Back then, he had wanted to go up and beat his brother-in-arms, demanding to know why he had failed to protect his beloved. But he could not say it. He also knew the price his brother had paid for this. More than half his cultivation had been lost, and even his son and daughter-in-law had died. But at least his grandson and granddaughter were still by his side. Those two people were Ye Jiulong and his wife, Ling Wei.

He did not say anything to Ye Jiulong. Instead, he told Ling Wei that if she was willing, he could bring them back to Sky City. But she refused. She did not want to return, at least not yet, to that place that filled her with pain. Zhao Gaobo said nothing more. Before leaving, he only said, "I will always wait for you at the old place. If you are willing, you are welcome anytime." So he returned to Haitian City, where he had started, became a member of the Blacksmith Association, and then became the academy's Vice Dean. He waited there, and he waited like that for six years.

Time was like a river. Six years washed away his anger, but could not wash away their former bond. He realized that no matter what, he simply could not keep hating Ye Jiulong. In his heart, Ye Jiulong was still his best brother. He had come to terms with it as well. Perhaps he would be satisfied as long as he knew Ling Wei was happy. Their relationship seemed to be gradually recovering. Though they spoke less, they had never lost contact. Not long ago, he received a call from Ye Jiulong, who said that his grandson seemed well-suited to forging and hoped Zhao Gaobo would take him as a disciple. Zhao Gaobo had not particularly wanted to accept a disciple. Though he hesitated, he still agreed. But he hoped the couple could come together, so the three of them could properly gather again.