Time Flies

It was already evening by the time Shi Fen returned from the Australian Continent.

Seeing that Shi Fen had finally returned, Shi Tie and Shi Tian immediately dragged him to the Forging Room to continue their research. Upon seeing the tons of Blue Gold and the room full of monster materials, their eyes sparkled with excitement.

It wasn't the monetary value of these items that excited them.

In their eyes, these were simply the best toys imaginable. If Wei Wen hadn't been busy focusing on his martial arts training and preparing for the fighter combat assessment, he would surely have stared blankly at this warehouse full of premium raw materials as well. The fanatical love that blacksmiths hold for raw materials was on full display here.

Now, the Three Stones had both the technology and the raw materials. They also possessed the strength to utilize them.

Having spent years immersed in forging work, Shi Tie and Shi Tian had accumulated deep experience, and now, with their potential finally unleashed, their forging skills improved at a rapid pace.

On the final day of his break, Shi Fen did not head to the Wilderness Area, choosing instead to stay home and reunite with his family—though it was a reunion forced upon them inside the Three Stones' Forging Room...

The vacation ended.

Early morning.

Shi Fen packed his bags, gathered his weapons and equipment, and once again boarded the fighter jet bound for Hongning Base City. Upon reaching his destination, Shi Fen met up with Elder Qian in the underground Forging Room.

Elder Qian was in excellent spirits, his eyes shining as if they were glowing. After witnessing Shi Fen's capabilities, Elder Qian grew even more expectant that Shi Fen could help him achieve a breakthrough, the two of them joining hands to create a new future for the world of forging.

"Let's begin!"

Full of anticipation, Elder Qian dragged Shi Fen off to start researching new materials the moment he set down his bag. Having grasped his master's personality, Shi Fen felt no surprise at all.

The two started from scratch, researching the possibilities Shi Fen had proposed.

These possibilities were, of course, entirely feasible, as everything Shi Fen spoke of came from the techniques of Extreme Forging. If these techniques didn't work, then nothing in the universe would.

With his superb acting skills, Shi Fen re-enacted the experience he had gone through when he first learned Extreme Forging. He portrayed the initial string of failures, the eventual breakthrough, and the final success.

Shi Fen masked his performance perfectly.

It took less than three months.

With Shi Fen's secret assistance, the two "accidentally" completed the experiment.

The technique Shi Fen chose was a specialized metal powder forging process. By utilizing the highest purity Blue Gold combined with the hardest and highest-quality materials from King-level monsters, they created SSS-grade metal.

Because of the unique nature of the technique, this metal could not be manufactured in mechanical batches; it had to be forged manually. This process required forging the weapon blank while simultaneously creating the SSS-grade metal. Once the forging was complete, the SSS-grade metal and the weapon blank would emerge together.

The two called this technique Integrated Forging. Integrated Forging placed extremely high demands on one's forging ability. Coupled with the fact that only Shi Fen and Elder Qian had mastered this technique, the output of SSS-grade metal was extremely low.

Without the aid of Spiritual Force, Elder Qian's success rate was not high, hovering around 40 percent. The finished weapons that failed to reach SSS-grade were still of high quality, at least at the level of top-tier SS-grade weapons.

Shi Fen, possessing Spiritual Force, had a massive advantage in forging assistance, allowing him to achieve a near 100 percent success rate with Integrated Forging.

Seeing Shi Fen perform so fiercely, Elder Qian beamed with joy, often remarking that he was getting old. Yet, despite his words, when he was forging, he would swing a forging hammer that was one meter in diameter and weighed nearly 130 tons with immense vigor—there was not a single sign of aging in his movements.

Deep down, Elder Qian felt more than anything a sense of emotion that Shi Fen had surpassed him so quickly.

This left Elder Qian feeling both gratified and happy, yet also a bit sorrowful and lonely.

Elder Qian clearly sensed that the current world of forging was no longer an era under his command.

After completing the breakthrough in Integrated Forging, Shi Fen immediately set to work giving Hong a full equipment upgrade. After calling Hong over and going through a series of measurements and discussions, Shi Fen forged a set of custom SSS-grade equipment tailored specifically for him.

At Elder Qian's suggestion, Shi Fen stamped his own exclusive identity tag onto Hong's equipment—"Mad Demon."

It meant: If you aren't mad, you won't survive!

Upon receiving the set of equipment, Hong was overjoyed.

Hong had never expected Shi Fen's abilities to be so formidable; in just over half a year, he had already provided him with new gear. Hong felt very fortunate that he had invested and acted quickly, otherwise, such a talent would have been snatched up by Thor.

Satisfied, Hong then notified Thor to come and get his own upgrade.

It was through this that Shi Fen met his second brother, Thor.

If Hong had the personality of an ice cube, then Thor was the exact opposite—a warm stove. Thor's personality was extremely gentle; he was unconstrained by trifles and very approachable.

Shi Fen preferred Thor's personality.

Hong was too cold and aloof; whenever Shi Fen was around him, he always felt a sense of "strangers keep out." Even when Hong smiled, it still made Shi Fen feel uncomfortable. Shi Fen knew that Hong was a former assassin, so it was understandable that he projected this aura.

Facing his eldest brother, Hong, Shi Fen never dared to chat or open up, always keeping things strictly professional. Dealing with his newly met second brother, Shi Fen felt much more at ease.

Thor was naturally outgoing, and not only was he thick-skinned, but he was also particularly attentive to others. Although they hadn't known each other long, the two hit it off immediately.

After they became acquainted.

Shi Fen fired up the furnace again and crafted a set of custom SSS-grade equipment for Thor.

As a token of their gratitude, Hong and Thor presented Shi Fen with gifts. Hong gave Shi Fen a Qiankun-class Intelligent Fighter Jet for transport, while Thor gifted him two Spirits of Vegetation with mild medicinal properties.

The improvement in the strength of Shi Fen's family could not be hidden from the eyes of Hong and Thor. After consulting with each other, they decided to give Shi Fen exactly what he needed most: Spirits of Vegetation to boost his family's strength.

After Hong and Thor had both finished their upgrades, the two issued a joint statement, announcing Shi Fen's prowess to the world's top figures!

Shi Fen, 18 years old, from Yangzhou City in the Jiangnan Base City, is now the newly appointed Chief Forging Master of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall's cutting-edge forging department, capable of crafting SSS-grade weapons and equipment. He is the proud protégé of the former Chief Forging Master, Qian Wu. A peerless War God-level Spiritual Master!

A single stone stirred up a thousand ripples.

The top figures of every faction on Earth were stunned by this sudden, shocking news. They quickly dispatched people to investigate Shi Fen's background. A massive number of people swarmed toward the Bright Moon Residential District, and Shi Fen, who had been hiding for so long, was completely exposed to everyone's sight.

Everyone in the residential district was dumbfounded; who could have imagined that such a high-level god had been living a low-key life right beside them.

At this point, Shi Fen no longer cared about being low-key or not.

There was no need to hide it anymore.

A large number of people spent vast sums of money, requesting Shi Fen and Elder Qian to forge weapons for them. Shi Fen consulted Elder Qian, who picked and chose through the orders, selecting only a few he found acceptable for Shi Fen to forge. As for the rest, they were all put off indefinitely.

If they were all equipped with such gear, SSS-grade equipment would lose its value!

Elder Qian acted like a monopolistic "profiteer" at this moment, waiting for the opportunity to hike prices at will.

Furthermore, Elder Qian was busy teaching his disciples the Integrated Forging Technique and had no time to attend to them.

Interestingly.

Shi Fen had become the "Senior Brother" among Elder Qian's disciples. Elder Qian's rule had always been that the capable hold the highest position. Shi Fen never expected that the first time he met his master's disciples, he would appear as their Senior Brother.

Elder Qian had extremely high standards for accepting disciples, requiring not only talent but also good character. Elder Qian had a total of seven disciples; the weakest among them was an entry-level War God, and all were elites in the forging world capable of crafting S-grade weapons.

These seven individuals felt no dissatisfaction at Shi Fen's abrupt appearance; on the contrary, they were extremely respectful. Seeing that the seven were so sensible, Shi Fen was naturally very pleased and took the initiative to join his master in teaching the junior brothers the new technique.

It was now mid-February 2057.

Luo Feng, who was still under a sky-high bounty, was shocked beyond measure to learn that his brother was so formidable.

Luo Feng never imagined that Shi Fen, without a word, had become a top-tier human forging master capable of crafting SSS-grade weapons, and that his strength had soared to become an invincible War God. Most importantly, Luo Feng did not expect that Shi Fen was also a Spiritual Master.

It makes sense that Shi Fen is so smart; it would be abnormal if he weren't a Spiritual Master.

After the shock, Luo Feng immediately became overjoyed, as this meant his future top-tier equipment was secured. Moreover, it could still be custom-made equipment. Ever since he started using the Youquan Blade, Luo Feng felt his requirements for weapons growing higher and higher.

He had been spoiled by Shi Fen!

Most importantly, through Shi Fen's network, he could easily purchase "Life Water"!

Luo Feng immediately contacted Shi Fen. After expressing slight surprise, Shi Fen managed to get two bottles of Life Water for Luo Feng and had them delivered via a Smart Fighter Jet.

Shi Fen spent less than 20 billion Huaxia Currency to buy the two bottles of Life Water. The American Government actually wanted to gift Shi Fen a dozen bottles to bribe him and build a foundation for their relationship. Shi Fen insisted on paying, so the American Government gave him the cost price directly.

When Luo Feng learned that Shi Fen had spent less than 20 billion, he was even more shocked; he had underestimated Shi Fen's "value."

No one is unhappy about saving money. After selling the monster treasure for 28.8 billion, Luo Feng still had a surplus after buying the two bottles of Life Water—who wouldn't be happy? Not only could Luo Hua stand up, but Zhang Ke of the Fire Hammer Squad could also have his arm restored.

"It seems it's impossible for Brother Zhang to rest; I'll have to bring him along next time I go to the Wilderness Area." With the two bottles of Life Water in hand, Luo Feng grinned from ear to ear and immediately put them to use.

Luo Feng did not envy Shi Fen, nor did he doubt his decision to hide his identity as a Spiritual Master.

He just needed to keep moving forward!

I'll deal with that pack of mad dogs, the Li Yao family, first, then go brag to Shi Fen! I'll tell him I'm a Spiritual Master too, hahahaha. Luo Feng made up his mind.

After becoming famous, Shi Fen ignored worldly affairs and focused honestly on his own work.

"I can put forging aside for now; I'll focus on it again once the Ultra-High Temperature Furnace is built."

After several months of research and development, the Ultra-High Temperature Furnace was beginning to take shape. Shi Fen estimated that he could build a prototype in a few more months. This progress was much slower than he had imagined, but there was nothing he could do about it; he could only wait quietly.

Shi Fen's daily routine became working in the Forging Room during the day, occasionally forging some weapons, and spending his free time teaching his junior brothers the Integrated Forging Technique alongside his master. At night, he would take a fighter jet home to eat and sleep, living a very regular life.

The most important task, the comprehension of Basic Secret Patterns, was not affected by the forging work outside. The vast majority of Shi Fen's consciousness remained in the Image World, analyzing the patterns with gratifying progress.

Taking advantage of the opportunity when Luo Feng bought the Life Water.

Shi Fen asked Hong and Thor for data on various strange substances and creatures on Earth. He easily obtained the important data on the Spirit of Vegetation.

Inside Shi Fen's World Ring lay nine Spirits of Vegetation, which he had never dared to use.

It was fortunate he hadn't.

Among the Spirits of Vegetation Shi Fen had collected, one was actually a terrifying poison, which broke him out in a cold sweat. The remaining eight, plus the two given by Thor, made exactly ten.

Shi Fen first raised his own physical fitness to the limit of a War God, then used the two Spirits of Vegetation from the outside as a cover to improve the strength of Luo Feng, Wei Wen, and his own family in the same residential complex.

Shi Fen specially brewed a small bottle of medicinal wine and gifted it to Luo Feng, allowing him to improve the strength of everyone in his squad.

Luo Feng did not decline this time. My own brother is so awesome; using his good stuff without having to pay is a real steal!

This was the first time Luo Feng had taken something from Shi Fen without paying. Even if he wanted to buy it, he couldn't afford it. Luo Feng simply kept this favor firmly in his heart; sometimes, money cannot buy human sentiment.

Calculating things too carefully would only hurt Shi Fen's feelings.

Just like with this bottle of medicinal wine.

Everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion.

There was one thing that left Shi Fen deeply disappointed.

With his high-level clearance, he held onto a sliver of hope as he searched for information on his parents.

The result was disappointing. Although Shi Tie had changed his name, his previous name was completely different from the name of Shi Fen's father in his past life. It could be said that Shi Fen's current parents were completely different from those in his previous life.

The sliver of possibility in Shi Fen's expectant heart was completely shattered.