Terrifying Power, Thousand Refinements First Grade? No!

"Teacher, it really is you."

"What a coincidence. I thought you had returned to the Blacksmith Association."

Watching the figure behind her staring intently, Na'er pulled a smile to the corner of her lips, though no matter how one looked at it, she seemed to be having a miserable time.

"Hmm? Just because your teacher isn't here, you think you can slack off? Na'er, look at little Jiang Xiu, then look at yourself. You are simply the worst batch I have ever taught."

The figure glared and scolded, though his tone carried more of a sense of frustration at her lack of ambition.

The man wore a plain white robe adorned with luxurious golden patterns, and on his shoulders sat nine strange insignias. His frame was quite thin, his cheeks gaunt, yet his eyes flashed with a sharp, piercing light, giving him the air of an immortal.

He was none other than the continent's only remaining Level 9 Divine Craftsman, the best friend of Jiang Xiu's master, and the President of the entire continent's Blacksmith Association: Zhen Hua!

Three years ago, he had been coerced and lured by Mu Ye into Shrek City, and he set aside time every month to teach Jiang Xiu and Na'er the art of forging.

"Teacher, although Na'er's progress is a bit slow, she is still doing fine. I help her in private as well."

Jiang Xiu smiled slightly, stepped forward to perform a disciple's salute, and his tall, upright frame subtly shielded Na'er behind him.

"Big Brother, you're the best."

Na'er tucked her head in, hiding behind Jiang Xiu like a quail.

"You just spoil her too much."

Seeing this, Zhen Hua smiled helplessly, but he didn't mean to blame her. Although Na'er's forging progress was a bit slow, her talent still far exceeded any peers he had seen before.

"Jiang Xiu, are you ready? Today is the day I test whether you can break the continent's top record."

Zhen Hua looked at Jiang Xiu, a flicker of imperceptible gratification crossing his eyes before he spoke in a deep voice.

"Teacher, I have long been prepared."

Jiang Xiu straightened his expression and nodded slightly.

"Very well, follow me."

Zhen Hua moved, walking first toward a spacious room. Above the entrance, three large characters were inscribed: Forging Room.

Over the past four years, the entire courtyard had been fully utilized by Mu Ye, who had renovated it from the inside out.

As soon as they entered the Forging Room, a rich metallic scent rushed toward them. In the center of the wide room stood a heavy metal forging table, upon which faint traces of iron filings still remained.

"Come, this is a piece of Deep Sea Nether Silver. If you can complete it to a First-Grade Thousand-Refinement, I will award you the Level 4 Master Blacksmith badge."

Zhen Hua walked to the forging table, a flash of blue light appearing in his hand, and a piece of deep blue rare metal the size of half a basketball was placed on the table. It was covered in ripples like the sea, emitting a faint blue glow.

Seeing the Deep Sea Nether Silver, Jiang Xiu's purple eyes narrowed slightly. His slender hand brushed over the storage soul tool on his left hand, and the next moment, two heavy, textured dark gold hammers appeared in his grip.

These two giant hammers were the Kan-Gold Hammers, which Jiang Xiu had forged himself two and a half years ago and named personally. Each hammer weighed nearly four hundred kilograms, yet in Jiang Xiu's hands, they felt weightless, handled with ease.

"Go for it, Jiang Xiu! I believe in you!"

Na'er stood to the side, clenching her small hands into fists to cheer him on.

"Start when you're ready!"

Zhen Hua watched Jiang Xiu, and seeing him adjust his state, he spoke, a hint of anticipation flickering in his eyes.

He possessed the most top-tier forging skills, yet he had no one to inherit his mantle. But in Jiang Xiu, he saw the hope of breaking through to become a Divine Craftsman, or perhaps even reaching that legendary realm beyond...

As Zhen Hua's voice fell, Jiang Xiu took a deep breath. The giant Kan-Gold Hammers danced in his hands like two fierce golden dragons, biting straight down toward the Deep Sea Nether Silver.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

A series of crisp metallic clashing sounds rang out, and brilliant sparks showered the air. The golden hammer shadows layered over one another like a sealed wall of wind, continuously bombarding the Deep Sea Nether Silver.

Under the strikes of the Kan-Gold Hammers, the patterns on the Deep Sea Nether Silver rippled like emerald waves, shifting back and forth to form unique metallic textures.

Zhen Hua watched the scene, stroking his long beard, his eyes fixed tightly on the forging table.

Deep Sea Nether Silver was a rare metal that was notoriously difficult to forge. The main reason lay in its unique internal and external structure; before the Thousand-Refinement compression, it was constantly changing. One wrong strike, and the entire piece of metal would be ruined.

To reach the second grade during a Thousand-Refinement was almost as difficult as achieving a First-Grade Thousand-Refinement on an ordinary rare metal. Yet, the standard Zhen Hua had set for Jiang Xiu was to craft this piece into a First-Grade Thousand-Refinement.

Thousand-Refinement did not simply mean striking the metal a thousand times; it required constant forging to remove all impurities within the metal and increase its density. The greatest effect of Thousand-Refinement was the sublimation of the metal itself.

"Still accelerating? How arrogant, but I like it."

As Jiang Xiu's storm-like strikes continued, the Deep Sea Nether Silver shrank, and the impurities within were steadily purged, though the metallic patterns on its surface shifted even more rapidly.

However, the speed of Jiang Xiu's hammer strikes did not slow down; instead, they became even faster. Every strike landed perfectly on the shifting patterns of the metal, as if Jiang Xiu had already seen through the Deep Sea Nether Silver, molding it into his own shape.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Just then, Jiang Xiu's eyes darkened. The Kan-Gold Hammers in his hands seemed to ignite with flames. With a single swing, three golden afterimages appeared, each strike stronger than the last.

This was Jiang Xiu triggering the overlapping strike effect of the Kan-Gold Hammers.

Time ticked away. As Jiang Xiu continued to hammer, the volume of the Deep Sea Nether Silver had reduced to a quarter of its original size, and its surface began to brighten, revealing streaks of gorgeous cloud patterns.

Jiang Xiu's breathing synchronized with the metal. With every strike, a halo of light burst from the Deep Sea Nether Silver before receding back into the metal's core.

"Clang!"

With a resonant hum, a six-foot-tall golden light suddenly erupted from the Deep Sea Nether Silver.

"Thousand-refinement with a spirit! Jiang Xiu has done it!"

Zhen Hua watched this scene, his emotions instantly surging. Across the entire Douluo Continent, the record holder for a first-grade thousand-refinement was eleven years, three months, and two days old.

Yet this year, Jiang Xiu had only just turned ten, effectively shattering the entire continent's record once again!

"Wait, why hasn't Jiang Xiu stopped yet?"

Just as Zhen Hua was feeling excited, he saw the Kan-Gold Hammer in Jiang Xiu's hands still rising and falling, striking the Deep Sea Nether Silver with a rhythmic cadence.

With each of Jiang Xiu's strikes, the sound emitted by the entire piece of Deep Sea Nether Silver was no longer dull; instead, it held a faint sense of jubilation, as if it were welcoming a new life.

"This... is he moving toward the Grandmaster level?!"