Demonstration, the Divine Craftsman Takes a Disciple?

Li Chen did not rush to light the furnace and begin forging. Instead, he first closed his eyes, his spiritual power surging like a tide to completely envelop the Silver-Vein Steel on the forging platform. He carefully sensed every crystalline pattern within the metal, every minute impurity, and every inherent flaw.

At the same time, the Pluto Martial Soul within his dantian trembled softly. A miniature Underworld Reincarnation Disk slowly rotated as three utterly different yet perfectly fused forces flowed gradually through his soul veins.

Life Force was a lustrous, warm azure-gold, like the rising spring sun, carrying the vigorous vitality that nourished all things. It poured from the Gate of Life on the Reincarnation Disk and gathered in his right arm. Death Force was a profound, icy black, like the Nether Sea beneath eternal night, carrying the absolute majesty to annihilate all things. It poured from the Gate of Death on the Reincarnation Disk, entwining alongside the azure-gold Life Force. The Power of Reincarnation was an enigmatic, weighty violet-gold, like a river of time flowing through eternity, carrying the heavenly rhythm of endless cycles. It overflowed from the core of the Reincarnation Disk, steadily enveloping the forces of life and death.

The three forces ultimately converged in his palm. Azure-gold, ink-black, and violet-gold glimmers intertwined, forming a miniature Reincarnation Halo that fit flawlessly around the handle of his forging hammer. Not a trace of power leaked out, yet ripples of alternating life and death faintly stirred the surrounding air.

Li Chen silently recited the forging mental technique taught by the eighth-rank Saint Craftsman, adjusting his breathing until his Soul Power, spiritual power, forging hammer, and the Silver-Vein Steel on the platform were completely attuned, achieving a state where man, hammer, and metal became one.

The next second, he abruptly opened his eyes. A phantom of three interwoven colors flashed through them as he raised a hand and lit the forging furnace.

Roaring flames surged upward, yet under the precise control of his spiritual power, they became docile tongues of fire that steadily enveloped the Silver-Vein Steel. His spiritual power remained firmly locked onto the metal's interior, his control of the heat flawless. Before long, the Silver-Vein Steel was heated to a translucent red, its crystal structure fully unfurled as it reached the optimal moment for forging.

Li Chen moved with swift precision, using long tongs to remove the glowing Silver-Vein Steel and place it firmly on the forging platform. Then he gripped the forging hammer tightly, lowered his stance slightly, and unleashed all of his Soul Power without reservation. The three-colored forces erupted along the hammer's body as he viciously brought it down upon the Silver-Vein Steel!

"Boom—!"

The first hammer strike landed, heavy as the tolling of an underworld bell. The air throughout the entire hall trembled slightly, carrying far greater penetration and impact than Zhen Hua's earlier demonstration!

Under the immense force of the blow, the scorching Silver-Vein Steel instantly caved in. At the point of impact, the ink-black Death Force erupted first, flooding into the metal like a breached tide from the Nether Sea. It precisely locked onto every impurity and every crystalline defect, without spreading even the slightest bit unnecessarily, directly annihilating every flaw into nothingness—there was no curling black smoke, no piercing screech. The impurities that should have been expelled were completely erased from existence the instant the black light swept over them.

Immediately afterward, the azure-gold Life Force surged in, seeping into every gap in the metal's crystal lattice like spring rain nourishing all things. Gentle yet unwavering, it repaired the minute structural damage caused by the hammer strike and awakened the metal's innate spirituality.

Visible to the naked eye, azure-gold vine-like light patterns slowly spread along the grain of the Silver-Vein Steel. Wherever they passed, a lustrous soft glow spread across the red-hot metal's surface. The originally brittle, hard steel seemed to have been infused with life, its ductility and toughness soaring geometrically, even taking on a faint rhythm like breathing.

Finally, the violet-gold Power of Reincarnation crashed down, forming a rapidly spinning Reincarnation Halo on the surface of the Silver-Vein Steel. It perfectly sealed the forces of life and death within the metal, allowing annihilation and rebirth to complete a flawless cycle within the crystal lattice. One hammer strike was one cycle of life and death, one ultimate tempering. The originally average-quality Silver-Vein Steel completed a hundredfold refinement in that single blow, all impurities swept away, its texture perfectly unified.

Below the platform, everyone instantly widened their eyes, their faces filled with incredulous shock. They had never seen anyone integrate Martial Soul power so perfectly into forging, much less witnessed such bizarre yet breathtaking effects. Just the first strike had overturned everything they knew about forging.

Zhen Hua, standing nearby, had his previously calm gaze suddenly contract, and a flash of extreme amazement appeared deep in his eyes.

He stared fixedly at Li Chen's movements, his heart instantly roiling with stormy waves. What astonishing power! Life and death fused together, with reincarnation as its foundation—it can temper metal in such a way! At such a young age, not only is his forging state of mind steady, but his control over power has reached the pinnacle. Such talent appears once in ten thousand years! If I can draw him to my side and take him as my disciple, not only will the forging world have a worthy successor, but with his potential, the Blacksmith Association can rise to another level!

From that moment on, Zhen Hua had made up his mind. No matter what, he had to keep this exceptionally gifted young man firmly at his side.

Li Chen, however, paid no attention at all to the gazes below the platform. His eyes held only the forging hammer in his hand and the metal on the platform. The second and third strikes fell in succession, his hammering speed growing faster and faster, changing from steady and heavy at first to swift and violent as thunder!

Deafening hammer strikes rang out one after another like the drums of underworld reincarnation, echoing through the hall and battering against everyone's hearts.

The azure-gold, ink-black, and violet-gold lights interwove and collided with the rhythm of the hammer strikes, forming a dazzling three-colored curtain of light that completely enveloped Li Chen's figure.

Behind him, a translucent phantom of Pluto slowly emerged, tall and majestic, holding the Underworld Scepter. The Reincarnation Disk atop the scepter rose and fell in sync with the forging hammer, while endless power of life, death, and reincarnation flowed through the scepter into the hammer before smashing into the metal without reserve.

The flying sparks were no longer ordinary crimson, but particles of interwoven three-colored light, like a galaxy falling from the heavens. Azure-gold particles scattered across the ground, instantly sprouting tiny shoots of spiritual grass, as though they could bring dead wood back to spring. Ink-black particles cut through the air, leaving trails of annihilating black lines that faintly devoured even light itself. Violet-gold particles spiraled and danced in the air, condensing into miniature Reincarnation Halos that slowly revolved and lingered for a long time.

Li Chen focused completely, bringing the forging techniques taught by the eighth-rank Saint Craftsman to their utmost limit. Death Force annihilated flaws to the extreme, Life Force nourished and awakened spirituality to the extreme, and the Power of Reincarnation cycled through repeated tempering to the extreme. The quality of the Silver-Vein Steel soared steadily, firmly entering the realm of sixth-rank forging and even touching the threshold of seventh-rank Soul Forging.

No one knew how much time passed. When Li Chen delivered the final complete cycle of life, death, and reincarnation squarely onto the center of the Silver-Vein Steel, all hammer strikes abruptly ceased.

A clear metallic hum rang out. Three-colored light instantly erupted from within the metal, transforming into a pillar of light that shot toward the sky. The three colors intertwined at the ceiling of the hall to form a massive Reincarnation Halo. After slowly rotating once, it all converged back into the metal.

Li Chen withdrew his hammer and stood straight, slowly exhaling a breath of stale air as all the strange phenomena around him dissipated.

Only a palm-sized piece of Silver-Vein Steel remained quietly upon the forging platform. Its entire body was lustrous like mutton-fat jade, faint three-colored light flowing across its surface, while natural reincarnation patterns rested within it. Its quality had already reached the peak of sixth-rank forging, only one step away from seventh-rank Spirit Forging.

The entire hall was deathly silent. Everyone remained immersed in the shock of what they had just witnessed, unable to recover for a long while.

Zhen Hua strode forward, his fingertips brushing over the metal's surface as he felt the surging spirituality flowing within. The admiration and fervor in his eyes nearly overflowed as he said "good" three times in a row. "Good! Good! Good! At such a young age, you have already reached such attainments and forged your own path. Your talent is unparalleled, and you are destined for greatness!"

His tone shifted, becoming solemn and filled with determined eagerness. "Child, your talent is the greatest I have seen in my life. Would you be willing to enter my school and devote yourself to forging under my guidance? I swear upon the name of the continent's only Divine Craftsman that I will impart everything I have learned in my life, mobilize all the resources of the Blacksmith Association to aid your cultivation, and ensure that you will one day step into the realm of a Divine Craftsman!"

The entire hall instantly erupted. Everyone looked at Li Chen with incomparably envious eyes. This was an opportunity countless blacksmiths could pursue for their entire lives without ever obtaining.

Though Li Chen was moved, he remained clear-headed. He gave a deep bow and said, "Thank you for your favor, Divine Craftsman. However, although I have never formally taken a master, I studied forging under an eighth-rank Saint Craftsman at the Spirit Pagoda, while on the path of a Soul Master, I received Mr. Han Tianyi's wholehearted instruction. Both have shown me the grace of rebirth, and I have long regarded them as benefactor-masters. I would not dare enter another's school. I hope you can forgive me, Divine Craftsman."

"Han Tianyi? So he is that brat Mu Ye's martial uncle!" Zhen Hua suddenly understood. He and Mu Ye were sworn friends who would die for one another, so he naturally knew Han Tianyi's name.

The regret in his heart lessened somewhat, but his determination to draw Li Chen closer only grew stronger. He immediately took out a private communication token engraved with a golden hammer insignia and solemnly handed it to Li Chen. "Since that is the case, I will not force you. This is my personal communication token. If you encounter any difficulties in forging in the future, contact me at any time. So long as I can help, I will certainly not withhold my guidance."

Li Chen accepted the token with both hands and solemnly bowed in thanks. "This junior, Li Chen, thanks you for your favor, Divine Craftsman!"

He put away the token and slowly walked down from the high platform beneath the astonished gazes of the entire hall, leaving the ceremonial stage alone.