Listening to the Sounds of All Things, Zhen Hua is Astonished

Ming Capital, Administrative Office Building.

Sun Kong was currently overwhelmed, frantically processing various documents. As the Chief, the twelve districts of this technological city all rested upon his shoulders.

Only after taking office did he realize that while Ming Capital appeared prosperous, it had actually entered a developmental bottleneck; breaking through it was proving to be exceptionally thorny.

Ring-ring~

Suddenly, the exclusive communicator at his side rang.

Disturbed by the sound, Sun Kong frowned, yet he still pressed the answer button.

His secretary's urgent voice came from the other end: "Chief, His Excellency Tian Feng from the Spirit Pagoda has arrived."

Sun Kong, who had been bowing his head over his documents, jerked his head up. "Invite her to the tea room to wait for me."

"Understood."

Tea Room.

Sun Kong stood to one side, respectful as a raw recruit.

He was a Titled Douluo, but the person before him was a Limit Douluo.

Sitting on a wooden chair was a stunning woman with a complexion like jade and a gentle, graceful temperament—it was Leng Yaozhu.

Leng Yaozhu said indifferently, "Qiangu Qingfeng should have already told you the reason for my arrival."

Sun Kong replied, "This junior is aware, but my nephew is not currently in Ming Capital."

"Where is he?" Leng Yaozhu had come to Ming Capital for other business; stopping by today was merely to see if the child highly recommended by Qiangu Qingfeng truly possessed sufficient talent.

"He is still in Heaven Dou City," Sun Kong explained. "I did not know you would be coming today. I will call him later and have him come to Ming Capital to see you as soon as possible."

"Heaven Dou City?" Leng Yaozhu recalled something. Her jade-like hand flicked slightly, her sleeve falling back to reveal a wrist as white as mutton-fat jade. A faint glimmer flashed from the bracelet she wore, and a light screen instantly appeared in mid-air.

"Is your nephew this person?"

The image displayed within the light screen was a full-body portrait of Nan Liujing. Sun Kong could not help but be stunned. "The Boss has already sent that child's information to you?"

A hint of a smile curled the corners of Leng Yaozhu's lips. "Interesting. Never mind. You are a busy Chief, so I won't disturb you further. As for that child, don't have him come to Ming Capital yet; I will make a trip to Heaven Dou City myself."

Sun Kong had wanted to see her out personally, but was refused. Watching Leng Yaozhu's departing back, he suddenly realized.

That was it—the child's talent during the Spirit Ascension must have caught the attention of the Spirit Pagoda.

However, looking at it this way, the Heaven Dou Spirit Pagoda had an inside agent from the Phoenix Family.

But none of that concerned him; the only heavens above Sun Kong were Qiangu Qingfeng and Xia Zheng Leng.

On the Douluo Continent, the Blacksmith Association was a massive organization that could not be ignored. From third-tier cities up to first-tier cities, all possessed buildings adorned with giant blacksmith hammer decorations.

The Blacksmith Association located in Heaven Dou City was a holy land that all blacksmiths dreamed of. It was not only the headquarters but also the only place where the current Divine Craftsman resided for short periods.

Ever since the Divine Craftsman appeared, the Heaven Dou City Blacksmith Association had been bustling with activity every single day.

Countless soul master factions arrived with massive amounts of money and rare metal. Even if they couldn't beg the Divine Craftsman to take action, they could still dazzle the Saint Craftsmen with their wealth, with orders piled up for who knew how long.

As for the lower-level blacksmiths, they were also well-fed during this period.

Because there were so many people, they had to queue. After a meticulous inspection by the guards, Nan Liujing and his group were finally allowed to enter the Blacksmith Association Headquarters Building.

The entire first-floor lobby was extremely spacious. There were even counters resembling an exhibition hall, where Spirit Forged and Soul Forged metals were displayed openly.

Many blacksmiths and soul masters were observing the surroundings, and occasionally, exclamations of admiration would ring out, as the works inside were all crafted by at least a Saint Craftsman and belonged to the boutique category.

Ye Changming led the three children to the front desk and explained his purpose.

Presumably because Zhen Hua had given advance notice, one of the staff members took the initiative to lead the way, guiding the group toward the annex building on the left side of the main building.

Like the Spirit Pagoda, the height of the Blacksmith Association Headquarters Building did not exceed fifty meters, so several buildings had to be constructed in succession to provide enough space.

Along the way, there weren't many forging rooms in the annex, but the names and levels of the blacksmiths displayed on the doorplates were breathtaking.

The lowest were Rank 7 Saint Craftsmen, of which there were six, and there were also two Rank 8 Saint Craftsmen.

Finally, the staff member stopped with Nan Liujing and the others in front of a forging room with an open door. She knocked gently on the room door.

"Come in," a resonant voice came from inside.

The staff member smiled and invited Ye Changming to enter.

Ye Changming led the three children inside.

At a glance, the entire forging room exceeded four hundred square meters, filled everywhere with the scent and luster of metal.

A forging table, the most advanced on the market, was located in the center of the room. Lining the walls were rows of shelves holding rare metals.

But the most eye-catching feature was the ceiling above the forging table, which was densely covered with strange patterns. They looked like the designs of a core array, but they were obscure and difficult to understand; if one's mental power was insufficient to look at them, it would even cause dizziness.

Nan Liujing thought of Heavenly Forging first, because forging at this level required gathering various elements from heaven and earth to form elemental tribulation lightning to temper the metal; relying solely on the blacksmith's own mental power was clearly not enough.

In the original timeline, Zhen Hua taught Tang Wulin Heavenly Forging in the Ming Capital Blacksmith Association building, which contained an Ascension Platform that could increase the success rate of Heavenly Forging.

However, according to the timeline, the Ascension Platform had likely not been built yet.

"You're here." Zhen Hua walked out from beside a row of metal shelves and appeared before the group.

This was Nan Liujing's first time in close proximity to this one-of-a-kind Divine Craftsman.

At thirty-eight years old, Zhen Hua had not yet suffered any decline in his Qi and Blood from long-term Heavenly Forging. He had a full head of black hair and a handsome face, and his large hands were as crystal clear as jade, without the slightest flaw.

Ye Changming laughed, "Only the Soul Forged Jade Silver you forge is something I feel safe enough to have crafted into Battle Armor components."

"Since when did you start buttering me up, you guy?" Zhen Hua smiled, tossing over a metal block that was crystal clear throughout and shaped like a boot.

Ye Changming caught it out of the air without even looking, stowing it directly into his Storage Ring.

"Hello, Uncle Zhen."

Only after the two elders finished their exchange did Ye Xinglan formally greet him.

Looking at the clever and naughty Ye Xinglan, Zhen Hua smiled and said, "Little Xinglan, would you like to follow your uncle and watch some forging later?"

"Okay." Ye Xinglan nodded with a smile, though she had already decided to specialize in being a Mecha Manufacturer in the future. As for forging, she was currently more interested in gaining a broader understanding; after all, her goal was to become a Battle Armor Master, so she naturally needed to understand the capabilities of the professions she would collaborate with in the future.

Ye Changming sighed, "A lecture from a Divine Craftsman—the only one on the continent."

Zhen Hua's expression grew a bit more solemn, "Only after stepping into the realm of a Divine Craftsman does one realize how difficult the path of Heavenly Forging truly is, which is why I hope to see more forging geniuses. I won't hide it from you: even for me, I can manage at most another twenty years of Heavenly Forging. After that, I will give it up, and no matter who comes to seek me out, I will not agree."

"Is it that damaging to the body?" Although Ye Changming was not a blacksmith, the Tang Sect had Rank 8 Saint Craftsmen, so he was aware of the situation.

"That's right." Zhen Hua nodded helplessly. Suddenly, he noticed a boy walking toward a shelf to the side and couldn't help but ask, "Who is this boy?"

In truth, he had noticed Nan Liujing and Na'er a long time ago, but he hadn't asked directly.

Ye Changming explained, "Old Sun's nephew, and this little girl is his niece."

"Nephew and niece?" Zhen Hua was surprised. Both he and Sun Kong were typical men without wives or children, so they always had plenty to talk about when they met.

"Hello, Uncle." Seeing Zhen Hua glance at her, Na'er quickly offered her greetings.

Zhen Hua's eyes lit up. It had to be said that with her silver hair, purple eyes, and well-behaved, adorable appearance, Na'er was truly endearing.

"Liujing, come over and say hello." Ye Changming said to Nan Liujing, who was walking toward the metal rack.

Nan Liujing did not turn back. He stopped in front of the rack, his eyes filled with utter astonishment.

At eye level sat a metal block of a type that was only average in value among rare metals—it was the old acquaintance from Legend of the Dragon King: Deep Silver.

Its exterior looked dull and gray, as if it had been stained by dust that hadn't been wiped away for a long time.

There was a sound!

In Nan Liujing's ears, there seemed to be a call, like the babbling of an infant, emanating from within the Deep Silver metal block.

This was the reason he had been stunned, to the point that he hadn't even heard Ye Changming calling him.

"This child." Ye Changming felt puzzled.

Zhen Hua became interested. He walked to Nan Liujing's side, noticed him staring at the Deep Silver, and said in a gentle tone, "Is there a problem with this Deep Silver?"

Nan Liujing's eyes were somewhat dazed as he subconsciously whispered in reply, "It's talking."

The gentle smile on Zhen Hua's face froze instantly.

The moment Nan Liujing finished speaking, he immediately recovered. After several deep breaths, his pounding heart finally calmed down.

He turned his head and saw Zhen Hua staring at him with an unreadable expression.

It was as if he were trying to see through to his very soul.

Nan Liujing maintained his composure, "Uncle Zhen."

Zhen Hua nodded, his expression returning to normal, before reaching out to touch the Deep Silver and picking it up, "I have to give a lecture later, and I didn't know what metal to use as teaching material. Let's use this one."

Zhen Hua's face was as calm as a lake, but there was already a thunderclap in his heart.

What had he discovered?

He had discovered a precious talent capable of achieving affinity with metal!

In the history of the Douluo Continent, there had been a group of people born with special constitutions.

Some were born with immense strength, others were sensitive to Heaven and Earth Yuan Power—even if their Innate Soul Power was low, their cultivation speed would not be inferior to a genius with Innate Full Soul Power. Some were born with their own domains, and others had a stronger fusion rate with the elements of their awakened martial souls, which, when controlled, provided a significant boost to their own strength.

From the Ancient Era to the present day, the only person recorded as having an extremely high affinity for metal was a man named Xiao Hongchen from ten thousand years ago.

Zhen Hua knew that what this child heard wasn't actually the metal talking, but rather the call of the instinctual spirituality hidden in the deepest part of the metal.

For a blacksmith, if one could hear the call of instinctual spirituality directly, the benefits for future Spirit Forging or Soul Forging would be beyond what anyone could imagine.

This was because the instinctual spirituality of metal was extremely self-contained and found it very difficult to actively communicate or merge with the External Spirituality bestowed by a Thousand Forging First Grade. However, if the affinity was high enough, no one knew what might happen; it might even reduce the consumption of the blacksmith's strength and soul power exponentially.

Even he, Zhen Hua, could not communicate directly with the instinctual spirituality of metal. In fact, it had taken him countless hardships to even discover that such a thing existed, and today's lecture was going to cover exactly that.

"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 didn't explain further, smiling as he said, "It's about time. I need to go to the main hall to give my lecture. Changming, bring the children over to watch. Even if they don't necessarily choose blacksmithing as a sub-profession, early exposure will be beneficial for their future."

"Alright." Ye Changming suppressed his inner confusion, planning to figure out what the other man meant later.

Soon, the group of five headed back toward the Blacksmith Association building.

No one noticed the slightly thoughtful expression on Nan Liujing's face.

The power of this Plane Imprint exceeded his expectations; upon hearing the call of the metal, even Mental Power at the Spirit Connection Realm would fall into a brief trance.

He figured that the words he had just spoken in the Forging Room must have already caught the attention of Zhen Hua.

But he was puzzled: why had he only heard the voice of the Deep Silver?

Was it because the Deep Silver was at the lowest level among the metals placed in the Forging Room? Did it happen to correspond to his level of Mental Power?

Nan Liujing could not figure it out.

Ever since the day Zhen Hua became a Divine Craftsman, he had officially announced that he would hold public lectures from time to time. The courses primarily focused on forging techniques below Spirit Forging, occasionally rising to the level of Spirit Forging or even Fusion Forging.

Whether they were blacksmiths, members of other professions, or even ordinary people, anyone could attend as an auditor.

The lectures were held in the Headquarters Auditorium.

At this moment, the auditorium was packed with a dense crowd, yet surprisingly, despite the number of people, it was not noisy. Everyone was craning their necks, staring expectantly at the side of the Presidential Platform.

Thanks to his connection with Zhen Hua, Nan Liujing and his companions had secured a good spot for observation, very close to the Presidential Platform.

"President! President!"

Suddenly, a massive wave of cheers erupted throughout the auditorium hall. The Main Door at the side of the Presidential Platform opened, and Zhen Hua walked in with a smile on his face, accompanied by several Saint Craftsmen who looked like bodyguards.

Arriving at the Presidential Platform, Zhen Hua smiled and raised his hand to signal the crowd.

The cheers that followed were even more intense, as if they were about to shake the ceiling of the auditorium down.

Zhen Hua raised his hands slightly, and the sound in the auditorium came to an abrupt halt, demonstrating the immense respect the blacksmiths held for this Divine Craftsman.

Zhen Hua accepted the gaze of thousands of eyes: "Today's lesson will be on some of my personal insights."

Upon hearing the word "insights," the emotions of the blacksmiths present collectively boiled over; even the few Saint Craftsmen who had followed him were no exception.

Zhen Hua's voice was infused with Soul Power, allowing everyone to remember it more clearly as he said:

"When a blacksmith forges metal, Thousand Forging allows the metal to initially possess the ability to fuse with Soul Power. Thousand Forging First Grade bestows spirituality upon the metal. Spirit Forging, which follows, formally grants the metal the concept of life, allowing it to grow using this Life Force. After that comes Fusion Forging, and finally, Soul Forging, which grants wisdom."

"Here is the key point."

"The current mainstream understanding in the forging world is that it is the blacksmith who bestows spirituality upon the metal during Thousand Forging First Grade, which then allows the metal to accept the nourishment of Life Force, thereby gaining a vast future. But what I am about to tell you will overturn this understanding."

"That is, every piece of metal is born with its own Instinctual Spirituality. The External Spirituality we actively bestow is, in fact, a case of the guest usurping the host, causing the metal itself to lose the possibility of Heavenly Forging."

His resonant voice echoed, and in an instant, the entire hall fell into dead silence. Even the other Saint Craftsmen watching from the side had their Eyes Widened.

This was because this belonged entirely to a brand-new theoretical knowledge in the forging world.

The Blacksmith Association in Heaven Dou City was the headquarters, but the Ascension Platform was in Ming Capital.