A Speedrun Forging Career

"Very good." Leng Yaozhu's gaze softened considerably as she said to Zhen Hua, "Since Liujing became your disciple first, and forging is the most demanding of the four major professions as well as the hardest to get into, you'll teach him first. Hand him over to me again in two and a half years." The cultivation resources Zhen Hua possessed were no less than her own, so Leng Yaozhu was quite assured on that point.

Zhen Hua nodded. "Fine." Two and a half years, when Nan Liujing was eight and a half, would be enough for him to train the boy into a fourth-rank blacksmith, perhaps even a fifth-rank blacksmith. Transferring the right to teach him then would also give the child time to settle down.

Nan Liujing, who had been listening in, twitched slightly at the corner of his mouth. What was this? Had he become a trainee?

Having settled the ownership of trainee Nan Liujing, Leng Yaozhu changed the subject and explained her other reason for coming to Heaven Dou City.

She needed Zhen Hua to forge at least four pieces of fire-element Heavenly Forged Metal. The purpose was to perfect her Four-word Battle Armor.

Whether it was Battle Armor nurtured through the warming method or pseudo-Four-word Battle Armor forged jointly by six Saint Craftsmen, neither could compare to Four-word Battle Armor made from genuine Heavenly Forged Metal.

Leng Yaozhu had never intended to trouble Zhen Hua with forging all the Heavenly Forged Metal needed for a full set of Battle Armor. That would take far too much time. Instead, she had come up with a method: using the warming method to fuse Heavenly Forged Metal into her existing Battle Armor, thereby raising its strength. A test had already been completed using a piece of metal Zhen Hua had provided beforehand, proving that it was feasible.

After explaining everything, Leng Yaozhu left the Blacksmith Association like a hands-off shopkeeper. Of course, she did not forget to take Nan Liujing home with her.

Time flew by.

Starting from the second day after Leng Yaozhu left, Nan Liujing officially began his joyful forging career.

Unlike others entering this profession, who had to endure tedium and accumulate experience, Nan Liujing's affinity for metal allowed him to handle Hundred Forging purification with ease, so long as the metal did not exceed the level of medium-low-grade rare metals such as Deep Silver. The instinctive spirituality of metals allowed him to communicate with them.

Since that instinctive spirituality would actively tell him exactly where it needed a massage, removing impurities was not difficult at all.

In short, once the cheat was activated, it never turned off.

Of course, relying on cheats alone was not enough. Nan Liujing had also tried purifying higher-grade metals without the Plane Imprint's assistance. His success rate was not particularly high, but through repeated tempering, his proficiency was not the slightest bit inferior to that of veteran blacksmiths.

The pain of having his soul shattered as a child had made his mindset exceptionally steady. This was also what pleased Zhen Hua the most.

In the second month of his formal forging training, Nan Liujing was already capable of performing Hundred Forging purification on every metal stored by the Blacksmith Association that did not exceed the Deep Silver tier, as well as forging them into various types of components. Thus, he received Zhen Hua's special approval and advanced to a second-rank blacksmith at the age of six years and two months.

The one thing cheating could not make up for was Nan Liujing's insufficient knowledge of these several hundred types of metal.

It was like using a cheat tool to instantly kill any boss, only to realize afterward that you had no idea how the boss fought or what skills it possessed.

Beginning in the fourth month, Nan Liujing began advancing into Thousand Forging.

Thousand Forging focused on solidifying traits. Every type of metal possessed many different traits, and trying to solidify a specific one was extremely difficult. Most blacksmiths simply solidified traits at random. For instance, Tang Wulin's Deep Silver Forging Hammer possessed the stacked-hammer trait, which was why Mang Tian had said he was lucky to have solidified such a top-tier trait.

After successfully solidifying a trait, its grade was determined by the strength of the solidified trait, ranging from Grade One to Grade Five from highest to lowest.

The most obvious sign of a trait was the light that leaped forth from the metal after forging was complete. A height of half a foot indicated Grade Five; for every additional half foot, it rose by one grade.

Among them, Thousand Forging Grade One was known as half-Spirit Forging, with one foot already stepping into Spirit Forging. It began imparting external spirituality to the metal.

Thousand Forging Grade Two caused the metal to carry the blacksmith's life aura, amplifying its traits. At the minimum, it provided a ten percent Soul Power increase. It was commonly used for Purple-class mechas and even One-word Battle Armor.

In short, metal traits were like a Soul Master's soul skills: some weak, some strong, with all kinds of varieties. The grade strength also caused the same metal's traits to differ in potency.

According to the Blacksmith Association's regulations, a third-rank blacksmith needed to successfully solidify a trait in one type of metal, with no restriction on the metal type.

A fourth-rank blacksmith, meanwhile, needed to consecutively solidify the traits of two pieces of Thousand Forged Metal and forge them into designated shapes.

There was one special exception. If a third-rank blacksmith solidified a trait of Grade Two strength while forging Thousand Forged Metal, they could directly advance to fourth-rank blacksmith.

Under Zhen Hua's meticulous instruction and with the Plane Imprint's cheating assistance, Nan Liujing quickly completed trait solidification for more than twenty different kinds of Thousand Forged Metal, including some that reached Grade Two.

By rights, he could be considered a fourth-rank blacksmith already. However, Zhen Hua's standards were extremely high. Thousand Forging ordinary and low-grade rare metals simply did not count.

Only once Nan Liujing successfully forged a medium-grade rare metal to Grade Two would he be considered promoted.

After two months of polishing, he was only six and a half years old. Tang Wulin, meanwhile, had become a fourth-rank blacksmith at around ten.

What did it mean to be comparable to a fourth-rank blacksmith at six and a half?

It meant that Nan Liujing had seen the summit at six and a half, a summit that ordinary non-Soul Masters could only reach after accumulating decades of experience while maintaining abundant Bloodline Power throughout the process.

If Thousand Forging Grade One and even Spirit Forging had not required sufficient Soul Power, Spiritual Power, and physical strength to sustain them, and if the assistance provided by the Plane Imprint had been enough, Nan Liujing might even have been qualified to challenge Spirit Forging.

At home.

"What kind of martial soul do you think Na'er will awaken?" Ye Xinglan lightly bumped Nan Liujing with her shoulder. After half a year together, the two had long become close.

"I don't know."

Nan Liujing watched Na'er receive her martial soul awakening with Ye Changming's help, a faint frown on his face. In the original timeline, Na'er had only gained her martial soul after meeting Gu Yue again. He was not sure whether that would change in this life.

Within the spacious room, gentle Soul Power radiance gathered around Na'er, attempting to activate the martial soul hidden within her body.

Yet, beneath Ye Xinglan's intensely expectant gaze, even when Ye Changming's Soul Power had nearly burst the awakening stone, not a trace of martial soul fluctuation appeared on Na'er's body.

"No martial soul?" Even Ye Changming, a knowledgeable powerhouse, stared blankly at the delicate, adorable silver-haired little girl before him.

Na'er slowly opened her eyes, and a strange gleam emerged in her purple pupils.

Ye Changming left, saying that he would get another awakening stone.

Ye Xinglan hugged the silent Na'er with heartache. "It's okay, Na'er. Even if you don't have a martial soul, you still have your brother and sister. If anyone dares bully you, I'll beat them to death."

"Don't worry, Sister Xinglan. I'm fine." Na'er remained calm from beginning to end.

Ye Xinglan still felt worried, but suddenly, Na'er stretched out her arms toward Nan Liujing. "Brother, hug."

The little girl carried a faint, fragrant scent. Nan Liujing lovingly pulled her into his arms. Half a year had passed, yet Na'er had not grown even a single centimeter taller.

Na'er's soft, fair arms tightly wrapped around Nan Liujing's body, while her little face buried itself against his chest.

Ye Xinglan looked on with great envy and pouted. "Big brother is still better. A big sister just won't do."

Nan Liujing said irritably, "When you sleep at night, Na'er practically becomes your body pillow. Isn't that enough?"

Ye Xinglan gave an embarrassed smile. "Who told Na'er to be so soft and fragrant? She's so comfortable to hug. You can't blame me."

As the two carried on with their everyday bickering, neither noticed the increasingly intense light flowing through Na'er's purple eyes.

Her small, fair hand unconsciously tightened around Nan Liujing's clothes.

Two years later.

Blacksmith Association headquarters, forging room.

Zhen Hua stood with his arms folded, calmly watching his disciple, who held the Cloud Gold Forging Hammer.

As agreed, the two and a half years had ended. It was time for Nan Liujing to head to Shrek City and receive the Sky Phoenix Douluo's instruction, so Zhen Hua had specifically chosen this day for his disciple to attempt Spirit Forging.

Nan Liujing's gaze was sharp as he examined a piece of rare metal called Thunder Silver. Among metals, it was roughly on par with Deep Sea Deep Silver.

The entire piece was a cold, tension-filled silver-gray. Its surface was not smooth as a mirror, but covered in dense, naturally formed lightning-shaped patterns, as though carved out by thunderbolts.

"Begin," Zhen Hua said deeply.

Nan Liujing nodded and pressed the forging table's button. The metal was immediately taken inside for heating.

Moments later, the red-hot Thunder Silver appeared again.

Nan Liujing drew a deep breath and closed his eyes. The space around his body faintly distorted with dark silver light. Two years earlier, he had fused with the Evil Eye External Soul Bone Zhen Hua had given him, causing his Spiritual Power to soar. By now, his Spiritual Power had reached 485, and he was on the verge of entering the Spirit Sea Realm.

The moment the Thunder Silver came into contact with his Spiritual Power fluctuations, it responded. The increase in Spiritual Power made Nan Liujing's communication with the metal's instinctive spirituality much smoother.

His right arm rose in an instant. The whistle of his hammer tore through the heat waves from the furnace as it smashed fiercely into the side of the Thunder Silver. With a deafening boom, fine electrical light actually spread through the metal's interior.

With only one strike, the chaotic thunder patterns within the metal became somewhat more orderly.

Thunder Silver purification did not involve removing impurities. Instead, it required clearing and smoothing the dense thunder patterns inside it.

Boom! Without pausing in the slightest, Nan Liujing moved like a machine, precisely locking onto the points where the thunder patterns intertwined. With every strike, the hammer's Tremor trait helped him sort them out more effectively.

In just eight strikes, with landing points as precise as surgery, he had completed the initial Hundred Forging purification of the Thunder Silver.

From the outside, the complicated thunder patterns within the Thunder Silver now resembled a traffic-clogged intersection that had been cleared. Occasional flashes of electricity flickered through it.

Nan Liujing did not stop. Beginning with the ninth strike, he started communicating with the instinctive spirituality, selecting a trait before solidifying it.

Solidifying a trait tested a blacksmith's experience more than anything else. This was also the endpoint that ordinary non-Soul Masters could reach.

A trait was like a hungry child waiting to be fed. Every feeding—every hammer strike—had to be precise. Too much could make it obese, too little could leave it underdeveloped. And before the trait solidified, it had to be guided down the proper path.

Otherwise, if it went astray and intersected with other traits, it would become an unrecognizable mess, like a failed martial soul mutation that turned a Golden Saint Dragon into a pig that could only fart.

For other blacksmiths, this step was like walking a tightrope. But Nan Liujing was different. With his ability to communicate with instinctive spirituality, he fed it with incomparable precision, injecting every drop of energy into the trait.

Faint heat billowed from Nan Liujing's body. It was his Bloodline Power.

Gradually, beneath Zhen Hua's watchful eyes, the Thunder Silver began to release a deep, cold radiance on its own. It was as though dark clouds filled its interior, with flashes of light faintly emerging within.

Having been tinged with the aura of Bloodline Power, the metal trait received an amplification. It was a typical Thousand Forging Grade Two.

Nan Liujing's forging technique was like playing the piano, fierce at times and gentle at others.

Finally, when the forging hammer fell once more, a clear, pleasant ding rang out. Nan Liujing's eyes sharpened. This was the sound signaling successful solidification.

He gripped the forging hammer tightly with both hands and brought it down with the force of splitting a mountain.

Amid a rolling boom, the Thunder Silver seemed to undergo an ultra-evolution. As its volume shrank, a deep silver-blue radiance leaped from its entire body, rising over four feet high. A vague Thunder Dragon floated above it, continuously letting out a resonant dragon's roar.

Thousand Forging Grade One!

Almost instantly, two purple soul rings rose from Nan Liujing's body, while bright silver light burst from his dark blue eyes.

His Soul Power and Spiritual Power were fully unleashed!

His technique immediately transformed into a gentle drizzle. His Soul Power gathered upon the forging hammer, which produced a continuous series of pleasant ding, ding, ding sounds as it descended upon the metal.

Threads of Soul Power entered the metal from different points with each strike, building a bridge between the outside world and the metal's interior, as well as forming external spirituality. The instinctive spirituality had already communicated with Nan Liujing beforehand and impatiently emerged, ready to seek out the external spirituality.

An ordinary blacksmith would have been stumped at this step. Most of their effort would be spent finding the instinctive spirituality, leaving them unable to continue afterward. This was why blacksmiths in the past had always used the external spirituality they themselves bestowed to forge metal—it was simply too difficult otherwise.

Even now, though Zhen Hua had pioneered the concept of instinctive spirituality, many ordinary blacksmiths with no hope of Heavenly Forging in this lifetime still relied on the old method. After all, unless one reached Heavenly Forging, there was not much difference between the two forging methods.

At that moment, electricity swirled around Nan Liujing's body. The Coiled Dragon Staff abruptly flew out and hovered above the metal like a fixed mechanism. Every time Nan Liujing completed ten strikes, the Coiled Dragon Staff would descend and hit the metal's surface. The Coiled Dragon Staff, fused with the Thunderous Nethervine soul spirit, immediately erupted with astonishing thunder-element energy fluctuations.

It was like a burst of fireworks in the night, visible from a great distance.

Borrowing that energy, the instinctive spirituality of the Thunder Silver swiftly found the external spirituality and was drawn by it into the bridge connecting it with the outside world.

Visible to the naked eye, Nan Liujing's Soul Power gradually diminished like water leaking from a bottle.

Sensing Nan Liujing's abundant Bloodline Power, the Thunder Silver's instinctive spirituality began boldly reaching out to the life elements of the outside world, then constructing its own life system.

From this point onward, forging was no longer the difficult part. Maintaining stability was the most crucial thing.

Fine, invisible Heaven and Earth Origin Energy began gathering toward Nan Liujing, helping him sustain his Soul Power output. This was also why Zhen Hua had the confidence to let his disciple attempt Spirit Forging.

As time passed, beautiful bright-blue light gradually lit up within the Thunder Silver. It was the signal of a new life being born.

Nan Liujing's gaze shifted. While maintaining his hammer strikes, he casually stuffed a Golden Dragon Candy that had long been prepared into his mouth.

As rich energy flooded into his internal organs, faint golden light appeared on his skin.

Zhen Hua raised his brow. He heard the sound of rushing flow inside his disciple's body—the power of blood. What a pity. If this were not a soul skill but genuine Bloodline Power, he could have recommended his disciple to an old friend.

With the surging Bloodline Power, the instinctive spirituality's speed in sensing the life elements of heaven and earth suddenly increased dramatically.

With every hammer strike, its volume shrank. Fifteen minutes later, the entire piece of Thunder Silver began trembling violently.

"Thunderous Nethervine!"

Nan Liujing gave a low shout. In an instant, a strangely shaped plant leaped out from the Coiled Dragon Staff. It was the Thunderous Nethervine soul spirit.

Its ten vines, like lightning rods, summoned astonishing Thunder Power and channeled it into the forging hammer. Nan Liujing then smashed the hammer down again.

Boom!

A powerful life aura was born, and a whimpering sound that could almost be heard directly echoed by their ears. The entire Thunder Silver now bore thunder patterns resembling the eye of a storm, surrounded by a delicate halo. It was incomparably magnificent.

Nan Liujing panted, a faint smile curling across his lips.

Spirit Forging had succeeded!

The solidified traits are original, I think. I have not seen them written in other fanfics so far. Consider it supplementary setting material; they will not appear often later, so everyone can rest assured.