Right at this moment when the silver radiance bloomed, Zhen Hua's figure instantly appeared beside Wang Chuan like a ghost.
He brought his fingers together like a sword, a trace of peerless, sharp soul power condensing at his fingertips, and slashed across Wang Chuan's wrist.
A small stream of bright red blood spewed out and landed on the Sinking Silver!
"Hiss, hiss, hiss..."
Contacting the scorching silver light, the blood immediately made a series of faint burning sounds, rising wisps of pale smoke carrying a strange fragrance.
The embers of the furnace fire covering the surface of the Sinking Silver quickly extinguished, revealing the true appearance of the metal after its metamorphosis.
Its volume shrank by another circle compared to the Hundred Refinement stage.
The dazzling bright silver light on the surface rapidly receded like a tide, and the scorching red of the high temperature receded along with it.
Ultimately presented before the two of them was a metal ingot that looked grey and inconspicuous.
However, neither Zhen Hua nor Wang Chuan, who had just recovered from that wondrous state, underestimated this "grey stone" in the slightest.
Looking closely, beneath that grey surface, an extremely fine, layer-upon-layer natural grain that undulated like ocean waves appeared on the metal body.
These grains were not carved on; rather, they grew and manifested naturally from within the metal, yet felt exceptionally smooth and warm to the touch.
After looking at that grey color for a long time, one actually got a profound and unpredictable feeling of inner radiance, and the texture was extraordinarily marvelous.
Thousand-Refined Sinking Silver!
Furthermore, it was Thousand-Refined Sinking Silver of supreme quality!
Zhen Hua's gaze moved away from the metal and landed back on Wang Chuan's face.
The scrutiny in those eyes had long since vanished without a trace, replaced by an indescribable kindness, gratification, and beneath that kindness and gratification, a deep shock that could not be concealed no matter what!
Nine years old!
He had never systematically studied forging!
Coming into contact with it for the very first time...
Relying solely on self-realization and exploration, he leaped past Hundred Refinement in one go, reached the realm of Thousand Refinement, and even triggered such a distinct Thousand Refinement phenomenon!
This could no longer be described simply as being naturally endowed with great talent; this was quite simply an peerless genius born for forging!
If he had encountered such a seedling under normal circumstances, Zhen Hua probably would have been wild with joy and laughed looking up at the sky long ago.
At this moment, however, under the premise of having already been "shocked" by Wang Chuan's monstrous cultivation talent, his inner emotions were complex and hard to put into words.
There was both the expected "as expected" and the unexpected "he could actually manage to do it."
The two emotions intertwined, eventually turning into a heavy, hopeful confirmation.
"Good! Good! Excellent!"
Zhen Hua uttered the word "good" three times in a row, his voice trembling slightly from excitement, and his eye sockets uncontrollably flushed with a faint reddish tint.
He had waited too long, searched too long, and just when he was about to give up hope, fate had finally delivered such an incredible successor right before him!
This was not merely the joy of having his legacy passed down, but also the excitement of seeing the infinite possibilities for the future of the forging path!
He stepped forward, pressing his hands heavily onto Wang Chuan's shoulders, which had not yet completely lost their childishness, and said with burning eyes, word by word, with utmost solemnity:
"From this day onward, you are my, the Divine Craftsman Zhen Hua's, closed-door disciple!"
"You shall also be the sole successor of my lifelong skills!"
Wang Chuan could clearly sense the heavy expectations and excitement in the legendary divine craftsman's words.
He took half a step back, breaking free from Zhen Hua's hands, and then respectfully executed a solemn apprenticeship bow toward Zhen Hua.
"Disciple Wang Chuan greets Master!"
His voice was clear and firm.
After entering the sect of the Divine Craftsman Zhen Hua, Wang Chuan never returned to Eastsea Academy.
The exclusive area on the top floor of the Heaven Dou City Blacksmith Association headquarters became his new place of cultivation and study.
Over at Eastsea Academy, Leng Yaozhu had long since arranged everything for him, and although Dean Yu Zhen of Eastsea Academy felt some regret, he also understood that this youth's future stage was no longer confined to a single city or academy.
Thus, he poured all his mind and soul into the profound art of forging.
As for the terrifying talent he displayed on the path of forging, it once again deeply shocked Zhen Hua, even making this divine craftsman who had seen all kinds of storms feel somewhat dazed, frequently suspecting whether he was living in a dream.
Only three months!
Indeed, from first touching forging to being able to stably and skillfully complete "Spirit Forging" and become an officially certified "Level 5 Forging Grandmaster," Wang Chuan had used a mere three months!
This broke every record concerning geniuses in the history of the Blacksmith Association, fast enough to be bafflingly unbelievable.
Spirit Forging was an even higher realm beyond Thousand Refinement.
It required the blacksmith to use their own vital blood, soul power, and even spiritual willpower as a guide to awaken the inherent "spirituality" within the metal, turning it into a "Living Gold" possessing preliminary vitality.
This step had trapped countless talented blacksmiths, and many people were unable to touch the threshold for their entire lives.
Yet Wang Chuan, under Zhen Hua's meticulous guidance, relied on an almost instinctive, subtle perception of elements and energy, formidable physical fitness, and a profound comprehension that surpassed his age, crossing this natural chasm with a smooth ease as if water naturally flowed to form a channel.
When he first successfully stirred his own vital blood and soul power, transforming a piece of Thousand Refinement metal into a spiritually radiant piece of Spirit Forged metal that seemed to possess a faint heartbeat—
Even though Zhen Hua had been mentally prepared for a long time, he was still so excited that his hands trembled slightly and he was speechless for a long time.
Zhen Hua, whose joy and relief were beyond words, had frequently made Soul Guidance Communications during this period to his junior brother, Mu Chen, the branch president of the Eastsea City Blacksmith Association.
In their conversation, it seemed they were exchanging techniques, but between the lines, it actually reeked of "showing off" and "exhaling a breath of pent-up frustration."
Mu Chen on the other end of the communication, hearing his senior brother's tone every time as he suppressed his smugness and listed what kind of breakthrough Wang Chuan had achieved yet again, naturally felt a wave of envy in his heart.
Which master wouldn't want such a disciple?
He was simply the disciple of one's dreams!
However, thinking of Tang Wulin, that child whom he had taken in not long ago and who could similarly be called a monster, Mu Chen's mood balanced out slightly.
Although Tang Wulin was not as monstrous as Wang Chuan, reaching the level of a Level 4 Blacksmith at the age of nine
was similarly unprecedented and possessed infinite potential, and he definitely had the qualifications to challenge becoming a divine craftsman in the future.
Senior brother had a phoenix...
Didn't he also have a fledgling dragon here with startling potential?
On this day, Wang Chuan had just finished a round of Spirit Forging practice and was regulating his breath to recover the depleted vital blood 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.
"Xiaochuan."
Leng Yaozhu's clear and refined voice came through, carrying a trace of inquiry.
"There is a matter I need to ask 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 soul master series of rankings created 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 even the entire Douora Continent soul master world.
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