"Teacher, it really is you."
"What a coincidence. I thought you'd gone back to the Blacksmith Association."
Na'er glanced at the figure behind her, who was staring fixedly at her, and tugged at the corners of her mouth in a smile. No matter how you looked at it, though, she seemed to have the most miserable life.
"Hm? Just because your teacher isn't here, does that mean you can slack off, Na'er? Look at Xiao Xiu, then look at yourself. You're simply the worst class I've ever taught."
The figure glared at her and scolded her, though there was more disappointment than anger in his words.
He wore a plain white robe adorned with rows of luxurious golden patterns. Nine strange emblems decorated his shoulders. His frame was rather thin, his cheeks gaunt, but his eyes gleamed with sharp light, giving him the air of an immortal.
He was Zhen Hua, the only ninth-rank Divine Craftsman left on the continent, Jiang Xiu's teacher and good friend, and the president of the Blacksmith Association's headquarters.
Three years ago, Mu Ye had lured him to Shrek City through a mix of threats and promises. Every month, he set aside time to teach Jiang Xiu and Na'er blacksmithing.
"Teacher, Na'er's progress may be a little slow, but she's doing all right. I'll help her in private, too."
Jiang Xiu smiled faintly and stepped forward, respectfully saluting his teacher. His tall figure shielded Na'er slightly.
"Boss, you're the best."
Na'er ducked her head and hid behind Jiang Xiu like a quail.
"You spoil her too much."
Seeing this, Zhen Hua smiled helplessly, but didn't blame Jiang Xiu. Na'er's progress in blacksmithing was a little slow, but her talent still far surpassed that of anyone her age he'd seen before.
"Xiao Xiu, are you ready? Today's the day your teacher finds out whether you can break the continent's record."
Zhen Hua looked at Jiang Xiu. A hint of approval flickered in his eyes, unnoticed, before he spoke gravely.
"Teacher, I've been ready for a long time."
Jiang Xiu straightened his expression and nodded.
"Good. Come with me."
Zhen Hua's gaze shifted, and he led the way toward a spacious room. Three large characters were written above its entrance: Forging Room.
Over the past four years, Mu Ye had made full use of the entire courtyard and renovated it from the inside out.
As soon as they entered the Forging Room, a rich metallic scent washed over them. In the center of the spacious room stood a thick, heavy Forging Table, with a few flecks of iron still scattered across it.
"Come on. This is a piece of Deep Sea Nether Silver. If you can refine it to Thousand-Refined Grade One, I'll award you a Level Four Master Blacksmith badge."
Zhen Hua walked up to the Forging Table. Blue light flashed in his hand, and he placed a rare, deep-blue metal the size of half a basketball on the table. Ripple-like patterns ran across its surface, like waves on the sea, and it gleamed with a blue light.
Jiang Xiu's purple eyes narrowed slightly when he saw the Deep Sea Nether Silver. He brushed his slender hand over the Storage Soul Tool on his left hand, and in the next instant, two heavy, solid Dark Gold Giant Hammers appeared in his grip.
These were the Kan-Gold Hammers, which Jiang Xiu had forged himself two and a half years ago and personally named. Each weighed nearly four hundred kilograms, yet in Jiang Xiu's hands, they seemed to have no weight at all. He wielded them with ease.
"Jiang Xiu, go for it! I believe in you!"
Na'er stood to one side, her delicate hand clenched into a fist as she cheered Jiang Xiu on.
"Start when you're ready."
Zhen Hua watched Jiang Xiu. Once he saw that Jiang Xiu had settled into the right state of mind, he spoke, anticipation flickering in his eyes.
He possessed the finest forging skills, yet had no one to inherit his legacy. But in Jiang Xiu, he saw hope—not only of becoming a Divine Craftsman, but perhaps even of reaching the realm beyond that legendary title...
At Zhen Hua's words, Jiang Xiu drew a deep breath. The enormous Kan-Gold Hammers whirled up and down in his hands like two ferocious golden dragons, lunging straight at the Deep Sea Nether Silver.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
A series of crisp metallic clangs rang out, and brilliant sparks burst through the air. Layer upon layer of golden hammer-shadows formed a tightly sealed wall of wind, battering the Deep Sea Nether Silver without pause.
Under the Kan-Gold Hammers' assault, the wave-like patterns on the Deep Sea Nether Silver rippled at once, shifting back and forth as they formed one-of-a-kind metallic lines.
Zhen Hua watched the scene before him, running a hand over his long beard as his gaze remained fixed on the Forging Table.
Deep Sea Nether Silver was a rare metal that was exceptionally difficult to forge. The main reason was its unique internal and external structure, which kept changing before it was compressed through Thousand Refinement. One poorly placed strike could ruin the entire piece.
Reaching Grade Two during Thousand Refinement was almost as difficult as reaching Thousand-Refined Grade One with an ordinary rare metal. Yet Zhen Hua's requirement for Jiang Xiu was to forge this metal to Thousand-Refined Grade One.
Thousand Refinement didn't simply mean hammering a metal a thousand times. The metal had to be struck again and again until every impurity was removed and its density increased. The greatest effect of Thousand Refinement was to elevate the metal.
"He's still speeding up? What a bold, arrogant kid. But I like it."
Under Jiang Xiu's torrential blows, the Deep Sea Nether Silver kept shrinking as impurities were driven out of it. At the same time, the metallic patterns on its surface shifted faster and faster.
Yet Jiang Xiu's hammering didn't slow in the slightest. Instead, it grew even faster. Every blow landed perfectly on the shifting patterns, as if Jiang Xiu had already seen through the Deep Sea Nether Silver and was reshaping it in his own image.
"Clang, clang, clang!"
Just then, Jiang Xiu's eyes darkened. The Kan-Gold Hammers in his hands seemed to burst into flame. With a single swing, three golden afterimages appeared, each blow stronger than the last.
He had triggered the Kan-Gold Hammers' effect: Stacked Heavy Strikes.
Time passed moment by moment. As Jiang Xiu continued hammering, the Deep Sea Nether Silver shrank to a quarter of its original size. Its surface gradually brightened, and splendid cloud patterns appeared across it.
Jiang Xiu's breathing fell into rhythm with the metal's. With every strike, a halo of light burst from the Deep Sea Nether Silver, then drew back into its body.
"Clang!"
A resonant hum rang out, and a two-meter golden beam suddenly surged from the Deep Sea Nether Silver.
"Thousand Refinement with Spirit! Xiao Xiu did it!"
Zhen Hua watched, his heart surging with excitement. The record for the youngest person on the entire Douluo Continent to achieve Thousand-Refined Grade One belonged to someone who had been eleven years, three months, and two days old.
This year, Jiang Xiu had only just turned ten. He had broken the entire continent's record once again!
"Wait, why hasn't Xiao Xiu stopped?"
Just as Zhen Hua was celebrating, he noticed that Jiang Xiu's Kan-Gold Hammers were still rising and falling, striking the Deep Sea Nether Silver in a steady rhythm.
With Jiang Xiu's blows, the sound of the Deep Sea Nether Silver grew less dull. It seemed almost joyful, as though it were welcoming a new life.
"Th-this is... Is he trying to advance to the Grandmaster level?!"
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