An Unbelievable Titan of the Forging World!

East Sea Blacksmith Association, president's office on the top floor.

The afternoon sunlight streamed through the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows, spilling across the expensive Soul Tool wooden floor. The air was filled with the fragrance of premium Cloud Mist Tea.

Mu Chen reclined comfortably against the broad leather chair, a massive Holographic Light Screen floating before him.

On the other side of the screen sat a middle-aged man dressed in plain cloth robes. His expression was gentle, yet he carried an imposing presence without needing to show anger.

He was the foremost figure in the continent's forging world, the only Divine Craftsman—Zhen Hua.

"Say, Old Mu, you've been stuck at the bottleneck of an eighth-rank Saint Craftsman for three to five years now, haven't you?"

Zhen Hua held a teacup in the screen, teasing him with a grin.

"Want your senior brother to send you some walnuts to nourish your brain? Maybe one day you'll finally figure it out and touch the threshold of Heavenly Forging."

"Get lost."

Mu Chen rolled his eyes irritably. Though his tone was disrespectful, both men appeared relaxed, clearly sharing an exceptionally close relationship.

"You think everyone is a freak like you? Besides, I'm living like a local emperor in Eastsea City, free and carefree. Unlike you, getting chased around every day by those Titled Douluo begging for Battle Armor. Aren't you exhausted to death?"

"Hmph, you're just jealous..."

Zhen Hua had just been about to retort when the office doors were suddenly slammed open with a bang.

Mu Chen frowned, about to scold the intruder, when he saw Cen Yue rush in, pale-faced and drenched in sweat. Even his normally immaculate hair was disheveled.

"Old Cen? Were you chased by a Soul Beast?" Mu Chen raised a brow. "Can't you see I'm speaking with the president of the main Association?"

Cen Yue panted heavily. He glanced at Zhen Hua on the Holographic Light Screen, his expression stiffening as he instinctively tried to leave.

"S-Sorry, President. Then I'll come back later..."

"Enough. Stop acting so awkward."

Zhen Hua waved his hand from the screen and smiled gently.

"We're all friends here. I know Cen Yue's temperament—he's extremely steady. If something made him this anxious, something must have gone wrong on the East Sea side. Go ahead. You don't need to hide it from me."

Mu Chen nodded as well, his joking expression fading. "Speak. What happened?"

Cen Yue took a deep breath, then placed his communicator on Mu Chen's desk with trembling hands. His voice was hoarse from excessive dryness.

"President, President of the main Association... Mang Tian from Aolai City just sent an urgent confidential letter."

"He said... he discovered a nine-year-old... Spirit Refinement grandmaster in Aolai City."

The instant those words fell, the office sank into brief dead silence.

Then—

"Pfft—cough, cough, cough!"

Zhen Hua sprayed out the tea he had just swallowed. His usual unfathomable Divine Craftsman demeanor vanished completely.

Mu Chen sprang straight from his chair and reached out to feel Cen Yue's forehead.

"Old Cen, do you have a fever? Or did that drunk Mang Tian drink too much? A nine-year-old Spirit Refinement master? Why not say he's a nine-year-old Titled Douluo?"

"I knew you wouldn't believe it."

Cen Yue gave a bitter smile and tapped the communicator with his finger.

"This is the on-site recording Mang Tian sent. It is completely unaltered, without any editing. You two... see for yourselves."

Light and shadow flickered as a holographic projection unfolded in the center of the office.

Within the image was a dim workshop, its furnace blazing.

A black-haired boy with a cold expression pressed both hands against a piece of red-hot Star-Sky Black Iron.

The moment they saw that metal, Zhen Hua and Mu Chen's pupils contracted simultaneously.

"Star-Sky Black Iron?" Zhen Hua's voice sank. "That's an extremely difficult inert metal to work with. A nine-year-old is using it as a blank? Nonsense!"

Yet in the next instant, their doubts caught in their throats.

In the image, the boy did not use a hammer. Instead, he guided it with his hands, and the tyrannical black Soul Power fluctuations made their hearts palpitate even through the screen.

Then came the sight every blacksmith dreamed of—

Boom!

A pitch-black pillar of light shot into the sky. The metal seemed to develop a heartbeat, emitting a rhythmic "thump, thump."

That stubborn piece of Star-Sky Black Iron became as obedient as a pet in the boy's hands, instantly completing its transformation from a dead object into a "spiritual object."

Spirit Forging: Genesis!

The image froze on the boy's pale yet proud face, as well as the piece of Spirit Refinement metal floating in midair.

The office fell into deathly silence.

Only the faint crackle of electrical current from the projector could be heard.

Mu Chen remained standing, both hands braced against the desk. His knuckles had turned white from excessive force.

His mouth hung slightly open, his eyes filled first with confusion, then shock, and finally an unbelievable ecstasy.

Meanwhile, Zhen Hua on the Holographic Light Screen slowly set down his teacup.

The Divine Craftsman who stood at the continent's pinnacle had lost every trace of his smile. Only unprecedented gravity and burning fervor remained on his face.

A full minute passed.

"Old Mu." Zhen Hua finally spoke, his voice frighteningly low.

"I'm here..." Mu Chen answered instinctively.

"Seal this recording. Classify it as the Association's highest-level secret." Zhen Hua spoke rapidly, his authority beyond question.

"Other than the three of us and Mang Tian, no one else may see it. Whoever leaks it, I'll have them expelled from the forging world!"

"Understood!" Cen Yue shuddered and hurriedly began encrypting it.

"Nine years old... Spirit Refinement..."

Zhen Hua took a deep breath, the light in his eyes growing brighter and brighter, as though he had discovered an unmined mountain of gold.

"This is more than talent. This is heaven's favor."

"A seedling like this must never be left to drift outside."

Mu Chen came back to his senses, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes. "Senior Brother, you mean..."

"Prepare a vehicle."

Mu Chen turned and roared at Cen Yue. "Whether it's a Soul Guidance Train or a flying Soul Tool, arrange the fastest one for me! I'm going to Aolai City right now!"

"Wait!"

Zhen Hua suddenly rose to his feet in the screen and adjusted his collar.

"Old Mu, wait in Eastsea City."

Zhen Hua looked at Mu Chen, a determined smile curling across his lips.

"A monster of this caliber is not someone a Saint Craftsman like you can handle."

"I'll go personally."

"I'll set out now and fly over from Heaven Dou City. We'll meet in Aolai City."

Mu Chen froze, then gave a bitter smile. "Senior Brother, are you coming to steal my disciple?"

"Steal?" Zhen Hua snorted, his eyes brimming with pride. "For a child destined to become a Divine Craftsman, who else on this continent besides me is qualified to guide him?"

"Clean yourself up and wait. I'll be there shortly!"

Beep.

The communication cut off.

Mu Chen stared at the darkened screen, then looked at Cen Yue, who was still standing there in a daze, and suddenly burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha! Good! Excellent!"

"Mang Tian, Mang Tian, you've thrown a ninth-rank Soul Guidance Shell at me this time!"

Mu Chen grabbed his coat and threw it over his shoulders, striding outside. The anticipation in his eyes nearly overflowed.

"Let's go! To Aolai City!"

"We're going to meet that... young forging grandmaster!"

The winds were rising and the clouds were gathering.

Two men standing at the pinnacle of the forging world set out at the same time for the sake of a nine-year-old boy.

The tranquil little pond that was Aolai City would finally welcome the descent of a True Dragon.