Aptitude of a Divine Craftsman, Closing Disciple

Just as the silver light reached its peak, the figure of Zhen Hua appeared beside Wang Chuan like a ghost.

He pressed his fingers together like a sword, a sharp, peerless soul power condensing at his fingertips, and slashed across Wang Chuan's wrist.

A small stream of bright red blood sprayed out, landing directly onto the Sinking Silver!

"Sss, sss, sss..."

As the blood made contact with the scorching silver light, a series of faint sizzling sounds erupted, and wisps of cyan smoke with a strange, fragrant aroma rose into the air.

The furnace embers covering the surface of the Sinking Silver extinguished rapidly, revealing the true form of the metal after its transformation.

Its volume had shrunk by another circle compared to when it was at the Hundred Refinement stage.

The dazzling, bright silver luster on its surface receded like a tide, and the fiery red color left behind by the high temperature faded along with it.

What finally appeared before the two of them was a gray, unremarkable metal ingot.

However, neither Zhen Hua nor Wang Chuan, who had just recovered from that profound state of mind, dared to underestimate this "gray stone" in the slightest.

Looking closely, beneath that dull gray surface, the metal body had developed a layer of incredibly fine, overlapping natural patterns that undulated like the waves of the sea.

These patterns were not carved; they had grown and manifested naturally from within the metal, yet they felt exceptionally smooth and warm to the touch.

The dull gray color, when stared at for a long time, actually gave off a feeling of profound, unfathomable depth, as if it contained hidden brilliance, possessing a marvelous and extraordinary texture.

Thousand Refinement Sinking Silver!

And it was Thousand Refinement Sinking Silver of the highest quality!

Zhen Hua shifted his gaze from the metal back to Wang Chuan's face.

The scrutiny in his eyes had long since vanished, replaced by an indescribable sense of kindness and gratification, and beneath that kindness and gratification, a deep, irrepressible shock!

Nine years old!

He had never systematically studied forging!

His first time ever touching it...

Relying solely on his own intuition and exploration, he had leaped over the Hundred Refinement stage in one go, reaching the realm of Thousand Refinement, and even triggered such a clear Thousand Refinement phenomenon!

This could no longer be described as merely being gifted; he was a peerless prodigy born for forging!

If he had encountered such a seedling under normal circumstances, Zhen Hua would likely have been ecstatic, laughing toward the sky.

But at this moment, having already been "shocked" by Wang Chuan's monstrous cultivation talent, the emotions in his heart were complex and difficult to express.

There was both the "as expected" feeling of anticipation and the "he actually managed to do it" sense of surprise.

The two emotions intertwined, eventually coalescing into a heavy, hopeful confirmation.

"Good! Good! Very good!"

Zhen Hua repeated the word "good" three times, his voice trembling slightly from excitement, and a faint redness uncontrollably welled up in his eyes.

He had waited too long, searched for too long, and just as he was about to give up hope, fate had finally delivered such an incredible successor to him!

This was not just the joy of having his mantle passed on, but the thrill of seeing the infinite possibilities for the future of the forging path!

He stepped forward, pressed his hands heavily onto Wang Chuan's shoulders, which had yet to fully shed their youthful softness, and said with burning eyes, word by word, with utmost solemnity:

"From this day forward, you are the closed-door disciple of me, the Divine Craftsman Zhen Hua!"

"You shall also be the sole successor to my lifelong skills!"

Wang Chuan could clearly feel the heavy expectations and excitement in the legendary Divine Craftsman's words.

He took half a step back, broke free from Zhen Hua's hands, and then respectfully performed a solemn apprenticeship ceremony toward him.

"Disciple Wang Chuan, greets Master!"

His voice was clear and firm.

After being accepted into the tutelage of the Divine Craftsman Zhen Hua, Wang Chuan never returned to East Sea Academy.

The exclusive area on the top floor of the Blacksmith Association headquarters in Heaven Dou City became his new place of cultivation and study.

As for East Sea Academy, Leng Yaozhu had already arranged everything for him, and although Principal Yu Zhen of East Sea Academy felt regret, he understood that the stage for this youth's future was no longer within a single city or academy.

Thus, he poured his entire heart and soul into the profound and vast art of forging.

The terrifying talent he displayed on the path of forging once again deeply shocked Zhen Hua, even leaving this Divine Craftsman, who had seen all kinds of storms, feeling dazed and often wondering if he were in a dream.

Only three months!

Yes, from his first contact with forging to being able to stably and skillfully complete "Spirit Forging" and becoming an officially certified "Level 5 Forging Grandmaster," Wang Chuan had only used three months!

This shattered all records of geniuses in the history of the Blacksmith Association; it was fast enough to be mind-boggling.

Spirit Forging was a higher realm beyond Thousand Refinement.

It required the blacksmith to use their own blood, soul power, and even mental will as a guide to awaken the "spirituality" within the metal, turning it into a "living metal" with preliminary vitality.

This step had stumped countless talented blacksmiths, and many could not even touch the threshold in their entire lives.

Yet Wang Chuan, under the careful guidance of Zhen Hua...

Relying on his near-instinctive, precise perception of elements and energy, his incomparably formidable physical constitution, and a profound comprehension that far exceeded his age, he crossed this chasm with a smoothness that felt like water flowing into a channel.

When he first successfully channeled his own blood essence and soul power to transform a piece of Thousand Refinement metal into Spirit Forging metal—shimmering with spiritual light and seemingly possessing a faint heartbeat—

Even though Zhen Hua had been mentally prepared, he was so excited that his hands trembled, and he remained speechless for a long time.

Unable to express the joy in his heart, Zhen Hua had frequently called his junior brother, Mu Chen, the branch president of the East Sea City Blacksmith Association, on his Soul Guidance Communicator during this period.

In their conversations, while they ostensibly discussed techniques, every word between the lines was permeated with a sense of "showing off" and "exhaling a long-held breath of frustration."

On the other end of the communication, every time Mu Chen listened to his senior brother's tone—barely suppressing his pride while detailing what kind of breakthroughs Wang Chuan had achieved—he was naturally filled with envy.

What master wouldn't want a disciple like this?

He was simply a dream disciple!

However, thinking of the child he had taken in not long ago, who could also be called a monster, Tang Wulin.

Mu Chen's mood balanced out slightly.

Although Tang Wulin was not as monstrous as Wang Chuan, reaching the level of a fourth-rank blacksmith at the age of nine was unprecedented.

He was equally unheard of, possessed infinite potential, and definitely had the qualifications to aim for the title of Divine Craftsman in the future.

His senior brother had a phoenix...

Didn't he have a young dragon with astonishing potential here as well?

On this day, Wang Chuan had just finished a round of Spirit Forging practice and was regulating his breath to recover his expended blood essence and soul power when the Soul Guidance Communicator on his wrist vibrated gently; it was the exclusive number of his master, Leng Yaozhu.

"Master." Wang Chuan answered.

"Xiao Chuan."

Leng Yaozhu's clear, elegant voice came through, carrying a hint of consultation.

"There is something I need to ask for your opinion on."

"The annual update period for the Continent Wind and Cloud Ranking is almost here."

The Continent Wind and Cloud Ranking was an authoritative series of rankings for Soul Masters established by the Spirit Pagoda.

It aimed to "record the strong, inspire the latecomers, and promote the overall development of the Soul Master world."

It possessed immense credibility and influence within the Federation and the entire Soul Master world of the Douluo Continent.