Ming Capital, Administrative Office Building.
Sun Kong was dealing with a mountain of documents, utterly overwhelmed. As the chief administrator, the twelve districts of Ming Capital, this city of technology, all rested on his shoulders.
Only after taking office did he realize that although Ming Capital appeared prosperous, it had actually entered a developmental bottleneck. Breaking through it was no ordinary challenge.
Ring, ring, ring~
Suddenly, the dedicated Communicator beside him rang.
His thoughts interrupted by the sound, Sun Kong frowned, but still pressed the answer button.
His secretary's anxious voice came through from the other end. "Chief, His Excellency Tian Feng from the Spirit Pagoda has arrived."
Sun Kong, who had been bent over his documents, abruptly raised his head. "Have her wait for me in the Tea Room."
"Yes."
Tea Room.
Sun Kong stood respectfully to one side like a fresh recruit.
He was a Titled Douluo, but the person before him was a Limit Douluo.
Seated on a wooden chair was a breathtakingly beautiful woman with jade-like features and a gentle, dignified temperament. It was Leng Yaozhu.
Leng Yaozhu said calmly, "Qiangu Qingfeng should have already told you why I came."
Sun Kong replied, "This junior knows, but my nephew is not in Ming Capital."
"Where is he?" Leng Yaozhu had business to handle in Ming Capital anyway. She had only stopped by today to see whether the child Qiangu Qingfeng had strongly recommended truly possessed sufficient talent.
"He is still in Heaven Dou City." Sun Kong explained, "I didn't know you would come today. I'll call him later and have him come to Ming Capital to meet you as soon as possible."
"Heaven Dou City?" Leng Yaozhu seemed to recall something. Her jade-like hand lifted slightly, and her sleeve slipped down a little, exposing a wrist as white as mutton-fat jade. The bracelet on it flashed with a faint gleam, and a screen of light appeared in midair.
"Is your nephew him?"
Displayed on the screen was a full-body image of Nan Liujing. Sun Kong could not help but stare in surprise. "Boss already sent you that child's information?"
A faint smile curved Leng Yaozhu's lips. "Interesting. Forget it. You, as an administrator, are busy enough, so I won't disturb you further. As for that child, don't have him come to Ming Capital yet. I'll make a trip to Heaven Dou City myself."
Sun Kong had wanted to see her off personally, but she refused. As he watched Leng Yaozhu's departing back, he suddenly understood.
That was right. The child had gone through Spirit Ascension, so his talent must have attracted the Spirit Pagoda's attention.
Still, this meant the Heaven Dou Spirit Pagoda had an informant from the Phoenix Family.
But none of that had anything to do with him. The only people above Sun Kong were Qiangu Qingfeng and Xia Zheng Leng.
On Douluo Continent, the Blacksmith Association was a massive organization that could not be ignored. From third-tier cities to first-tier cities, buildings decorated with enormous forging hammers could be found everywhere.
The Blacksmith Association in Heaven Dou City was even more the sacred land dreamed of by all blacksmiths. Not only was it the headquarters, it was also where the only Divine Craftsman in existence currently stayed temporarily.
Ever since the Divine Craftsman emerged, the Heaven Dou City Blacksmith Association had been packed with visitors nearly every day.
Countless Soul Master factions arrived carrying vast sums of money and rare metal. Even if they could not secure the Divine Craftsman's services, they could still dazzle Saint Blacksmiths with their wealth, leaving orders booked who knew how far into the future.
As for the lower-ranking blacksmiths, they had also been eating well during this period.
There were too many people, so they had to queue. After Nan Liujing's group of four underwent a thorough inspection by the guards, they were finally allowed into the Blacksmith Association Headquarters Building.
The entire first-floor hall was extremely spacious. There were even display-case counters like those in an exhibition hall, openly displaying metals after Spirit Forging and Soul Forging.
Quite a few blacksmiths and Soul Masters were observing them nearby. Occasional cries of admiration rang out, because the works inside had all been forged by Saint Blacksmiths at the very least. They were all premium pieces.
Ye Changming led the three children to the front desk and explained why they had come.
Zhen Hua had apparently given advance notice. One of the front-desk staff members took the initiative to lead the way, guiding them toward the auxiliary building on the left side of the main building.
Like the Spirit Pagoda, the Blacksmith Association Headquarters Building was no more than fifty meters tall. Several buildings had to be built together, or there would not be enough space.
Along the way, there were not many Forging Rooms in the auxiliary building, but the names and ranks of the blacksmiths displayed on the doorplates were astonishing.
The lowest rank was Rank 7 Saint Craftsman, and there were six of them. There were even two Rank 8 Saint Craftsmen.
In the end, the staff member led Nan Liujing's group to a Forging Room with its main door open and gently knocked on the room door.
"Come in." A vigorous voice sounded from inside.
The staff member smiled and invited Ye Changming in.
Ye Changming led the three children inside.
At a glance, the entire Forging Room covered more than four hundred square meters. The scent and sheen of metal filled every corner.
The most advanced Forging Table on the market stood in the middle of the room. Racks of rare metal lined the walls.
Yet the most eye-catching feature was the ceiling above the Forging Table. It was densely covered with strange patterns resembling a Core Array, but they were obscure and difficult to understand. Without sufficient Mental Power, merely looking at them could make one dizzy.
Nan Liujing immediately thought of Heavenly Forging. Once forging reached that level, it was necessary to gather all kinds of elements from heaven and earth and turn them into Elemental Tribulation Lightning to temper the metal. The blacksmith's own Mental Power was clearly not enough to guide it all.
In the Original Timeline, when Zhen Hua taught Tang Wulin Heavenly Forging, it was in the Ming Capital Blacksmith Association building. There was an Ascension Platform there that could increase the chances of succeeding at Heavenly Forging.
But judging by the Timeline, the Ascension Platform probably had not been built yet.
"You're here." Zhen Hua emerged from beside a row of metal racks and appeared before them.
This was Nan Liujing's first close encounter with this one-of-a-kind Divine Craftsman.
At thirty-eight years old, Zhen Hua had not yet suffered the decline of his Qi and Blood from prolonged Heavenly Forging. He had a full head of black hair and handsome features. His large hands were crystal clear like jade, without the slightest flaw.
Ye Changming smiled. "Only the Soul Forged Jade Silver you forge gives me the confidence to turn it into Battle Armor components."
"Since when did this guy learn how to flatter people?" Zhen Hua said with a smile as he tossed out a crystal clear metal block shaped like a boot.
Ye Changming made a grasping motion through the air and caught it in his hand. He did not even inspect it before placing it directly into his Storage Ring.
"Hello, Uncle Zhen."
After the two elders had finished speaking, Ye Xinglan formally greeted him.
Looking at the clever and mischievous Ye Xinglan, Zhen Hua said with a smile, "Xinglan, would you like to come watch uncle forge later?"
"Okay." Ye Xinglan nodded with a smile. However, she had already decided to specialize in becoming a Mecha Manufacturer in the future. For now, she only wanted to learn more about forging, because her goal was to become a Battle Armor Master. Naturally, she needed to understand the abilities of the professionals she would cooperate with in the future.
Ye Changming sighed. "A lesson from a Divine Craftsman—there's only one of those on the continent."
Zhen Hua's expression grew more serious. "Only after becoming a Divine Craftsman did I realize just how difficult the path of Heavenly Forging is. That is why I hope more forging geniuses will emerge. I won't hide it from you. Even I can only continue Heavenly Forging for another twenty years at most. After that, I will give it up. No matter who comes seeking my help, I will refuse."
"It damages your body that badly?" Although Ye Changming was not a blacksmith, Tang Sect had a Rank 8 Saint Craftsman, so he knew something about the situation.
"That's right." Zhen Hua nodded helplessly. Suddenly, he noticed a boy walking toward one of the racks and could not help asking, "Who is this boy?"
In truth, he had noticed Nan Liujing and Na'er long ago, but he had not asked directly.
Ye Changming explained, "Old Sun's nephew. This little girl can be considered his niece."
"Nephew and niece?" Zhen Hua was surprised. He and Sun Kong were both typically unmarried and childless, so they got along well whenever they met.
"Hello, Uncle." Seeing Zhen Hua glance at her, Na'er hurriedly greeted him as well.
Zhen Hua's eyes lit up. It had to be said that Na'er's silver hair, purple eyes, and obedient, adorable appearance truly made her endearing.
"Liujing, come over and say hello." Ye Changming called to Nan Liujing, who was walking toward the metal racks.
Nan Liujing did not turn around. He stopped in front of the rack, his eyes filled with shock.
At eye level lay a metal block of middling value among rare metals. It was an old acquaintance from Legend of the Dragon King—Deep Silver.
It looked gray and dull, as if covered in dust that had not been wiped away for a long time.
There was a voice!
Beside Nan Liujing's ear, there seemed to be the calling sound of an infant babbling. It came from within that piece of Deep Silver.
That was why he had frozen, even failing to hear Ye Changming call him.
"This child..." Ye Changming was puzzled.
Zhen Hua became interested. He walked to Nan Liujing's side, noticed him staring at the Deep Silver, and asked gently, "Is there something wrong with this piece of Deep Silver?"
Nan Liujing's gaze was somewhat unfocused. He unconsciously replied in a low voice, "It's talking."
The gentle smile on Zhen Hua's face abruptly froze.
The moment Nan Liujing finished speaking, he immediately recovered. After taking several deep breaths, his pounding heart finally calmed down.
He turned his head and saw Zhen Hua staring at him with an indescribable look in his eyes.
As if he wanted to see through Nan Liujing's heart.
Nan Liujing remained calm. "Uncle Zhen."
Zhen Hua nodded, his expression ordinary. Then he reached out, picked up the piece of Deep Silver, and said, "I'll be teaching a lesson later. I was just wondering what metal to use as teaching material. This will do."
Zhen Hua's face was calm as still water, but thunder had long since erupted in his heart.
What had he discovered?
He had discovered a precious genius capable of forming an affinity with metal!
Throughout the history of Douluo Continent, there had been a group of people born with special constitutions.
Some were born with divine strength. Some were sensitive to Heaven and Earth Yuan Power, and even if their Innate Soul Power was low, their cultivation speed would not be inferior to geniuses with Innate Full Soul Power. Some were born with domains. Some possessed a stronger affinity for the elements their awakened Martial Soul contained. When controlling those elements, the enhancement to their strength was especially obvious.
From the Ancient Era until today, the only recorded person with an extremely strong affinity for metal had been someone named Xiao Hongchen, ten thousand years ago.
Zhen Hua knew that what this child had heard was not metal speaking. Rather, he had heard the call of a metal's Instinctual Spirituality, hidden in its deepest depths.
For a blacksmith, if he could directly hear the call of Instinctual Spirituality, then whether it was Spirit Forging or Soul Forging in the future, he would obtain benefits ordinary people would not dare imagine.
That was because a metal's Instinctual Spirituality was extremely self-contained. It was very difficult for it to actively communicate and merge with the External Spirituality bestowed by a blacksmith through Thousand Forging First Grade. But if the affinity was high enough, no one knew what might happen. Perhaps even the blacksmith's strength and Soul Power consumption could be reduced severalfold.
Even Zhen Hua himself could not directly communicate with a metal's Instinctual Spirituality. In fact, only after enduring countless hardships had he discovered the existence of Instinctual Spirituality within metals. That was what he would discuss in today's lesson.
"I owe you a favor." Zhen Hua walked to Ye Changming's side, his lips moving as he transmitted his voice.
Ye Changming was slightly stunned, not quite understanding.
Zhen Hua did not explain further. Smiling, he said, "It's about time. I need to go teach in the main building's hall. Changming, bring the children over to watch. They may not necessarily choose blacksmithing as a Sub-profession, but early exposure will benefit them in the future."
"Alright." Ye Changming suppressed his inner confusion, intending to find out later what the other man meant.
Very soon, the group of five headed back toward the Blacksmith Association building.
No one noticed Nan Liujing's thoughtful expression.
The power of this Plane Imprint had exceeded his expectations. Hearing the call of metal could even leave his Spirit Connection Realm Mental Power briefly dazed.
The words he had spoken in the Forging Room just now must have caught Zhen Hua's attention.
But what puzzled him was why he had only heard Deep Silver's voice.
Was it because Deep Silver was among the lowest-grade metals placed in the Forging Room? Did it happen to correspond with his Mental Power realm?
Nan Liujing could not figure it out.
From the day Zhen Hua became a Divine Craftsman, he had officially announced that he would hold open public lessons from time to time. The courses mainly focused on forging techniques below Spirit Forging, though they would occasionally extend to Spirit Forging and even Fusion Forging.
Whether they were blacksmiths, members of other professions, or even ordinary people, all could attend.
The location of the lectures was the Headquarters Auditorium.
At this moment, the auditorium was packed with a sea of people. Yet strangely, although there were many people, it was not noisy. Everyone stared expectantly toward one side of the Presidential Platform.
Thanks to Zhen Hua's connections, Nan Liujing's group obtained an excellent viewing spot close to the Presidential Platform.
"President! President!"
Suddenly, tremendous cheers swept through the entire auditorium. A main door at the side of the Presidential Platform opened, and Zhen Hua entered with a smile, accompanied by several Saint Blacksmiths who looked like security guards.
When he reached the Presidential Platform, Zhen Hua smiled and raised a hand in greeting.
The cheers immediately grew even more intense, as though they might shake down the auditorium's ceiling.
Zhen Hua raised both hands slightly, and the hall instantly fell silent, displaying the blacksmiths' immense respect for this Divine Craftsman.
Zhen Hua accepted the gaze of thousands of eyes. "Today's lesson will cover some of my insights."
At the word "insights," the emotions of every blacksmith present surged. Even the Saint Blacksmiths who had accompanied him were the same.
Zhen Hua's voice carried Soul Power, allowing everyone to remember it more clearly. He said:
"When blacksmiths forge metal, Thousand Forging allows the metal to initially gain the ability to fuse with Soul Power. Thousand Forging First Grade grants the metal spirituality. Spirit Forging then formally grants metal the concept of life, allowing it to grow through its own life force. After that comes Fusion Forging, until Soul Forging grants it intelligence."
"Here comes the key point."
"The mainstream understanding in the forging world is that Thousand Forging First Grade grants metal spirituality, allowing it to accept the nourishment of life force and thus possess a vast future. But what I am about to tell you will overturn that understanding."
"Every piece of metal is born with its own Instinctual Spirituality. The External Spirituality we actively grant it instead takes over the nest, causing the metal itself to lose the possibility of Heavenly Forging."
His forceful voice echoed through the hall. In an instant, the entire auditorium fell silent. Even the other Saint Blacksmiths watching nearby had their eyes widened.
Because this was an entirely new theoretical understanding in the forging world.
The Heaven Dou City Blacksmith Association was the headquarters, but the Ascension Platform was in Ming Capital.
Before you continue