Half-Step Spirit Forging, Reserve Grandmaster, Na'er's Request

"Using the heart as a hammer, the martial soul as a guide, with mind and spirit as one—this is the birth of life through myriad-refinement. Jiang Xiu is heading toward the level of Spirit Refinement!"

Zhen Hua's eyes were filled with shock. He looked left and right, wanting to find someone to share his current excitement with, but he had to suppress the surging emotions in his heart so as not to disturb Jiang Xiu, who had already entered the zone.

After all, Spirit Refinement was the hallmark of a Grandmaster Blacksmith!

"Does this metal have some sort of peculiar hobby? Why does it seem happier the more Jiang Xiu hits it?"

Na'er felt the changes between the person and the metal, whispering thoughtfully.

"Na'er, the most important thing for you right now is to throw away those trashy novels that are poisoning your brain!"

Hearing Na'er's whisper, Zhen Hua glared at her fiercely. Na'er chuckled and scratched her head in embarrassment.

But soon, the Kan-Gold Hammer in Jiang Xiu's hand gradually slowed down. His breathing became a bit ragged, and sweat began to seep from his skin, soaking his white training suit and revealing his well-defined muscles.

"Clang!"

As the final hammer blow fell, Jiang Xiu stopped moving his arms. The Deep Sea Nether Silver on the table let out a mournful cry, and then all the blue radiance retracted back into its body.

"Hoo! Still fell a bit short, then..."

Looking at the metal before him, Jiang Xiu said with regret. He had previously entered the special state of Spirit Refinement and touched upon a glimmer of opportunity, but in the end, he lacked that final bit of something.

"Clap, clap, clap!"

Zhen Hua clapped his hands, looking at Jiang Xiu with admiration, and said with a deeply gratified smile.

"Very good, Jiang Xiu. Your performance far exceeds my expectations. This piece of metal has already reached the level of half-step Spirit Refinement. I can see that you have already touched the threshold of Spirit Refinement; with more practice, you will surely be able to achieve it soon!"

"Teacher, I will definitely do better next time. It's just a pity about this piece of metal; I failed to imbue it with a soul."

Jiang Xiu sighed. Spirit Refinement was precisely the act of imbuing metal with a soul, allowing it to form a close bond with a soul master.

"Jiang Xiu... you, you, you—could you not make such huge leaps? You're making me look so dull."

Na'er came to Jiang Xiu's side, tossed him a white handkerchief to wipe his sweat with her fair hand, and then crossed her arms, humming softly. She was desperately trying to find a word to describe Jiang Xiu's invisible showboating.

The most infuriating part was that Jiang Xiu was actually pulling it off!

"Na'er, what are you mumbling about over there? It's your turn. If you can't complete a second-grade thousand-refinement, I'll forbid you from eating your favorite oranges for a month."

Zhen Hua frowned. This little one, Na'er, always knew how to interrupt him when he was happy. He immediately placed a piece of Sinking Silver on the table.

"No, please! I'll forge it, okay?"

Na'er's mouth turned downward, and she walked toward the forging table. But the moment she reached it, she instantly entered a special state.

A silver flash flickered, and two small silver hammers appeared in her hands. A silver glint rose in the depths of her purple eyes, and wisps of faint light began to glow on the small hammers.

"My super intelligence tells me it's time to use my super strength!"

Na'er whispered in her heart, and the silver hammers in her hands swung instantly, striking the Sinking Silver like a nimble silver dragon. Though the force was small, the speed was incredibly fast.

The sound of ding-ding-dang-dang rang out immediately.

Zhen Hua nodded with satisfaction. Although Na'er was usually a bit lazy, her talent was beyond question.

Soon, half an hour passed quietly, and a piece of second-grade thousand-refined Sinking Silver appeared on the table.

"Exhausted!"

Na'er put away her silver hammers and said weakly, as if she had lost all her means and strength.

This made Zhen Hua's vision go dark. Although he was a Divine Craftsman and cultivation wasn't his specialty, he still possessed the cultivation of a Title Douluo. He could see at a glance that Na'er still had strength in reserve, but she simply refused to use it.

Forget it, it's not bad that Na'er can keep up with Jiang Xiu's pace, Zhen Hua consoled himself in his heart. He then took out two blue-based badges with silver bars and pinned them onto Jiang Xiu and Na'er's chests respectively.

"Today, I announce that you have officially become fourth-level blacksmiths. I hope you two will continue to move forward."

Zhen Hua said solemnly. The blue badges clearly displayed four silver bars.

"Thank you for your guidance, Teacher. It was just luck."

Na'er waved her hand. The minimum requirement for a fourth-level blacksmith was a second-grade thousand-refinement, and she had just barely made the cut.

"You'd better hope so."

Zhen Hua poked Na'er, then continued to instruct them.

"Next, I need to return to the Blacksmith Association for a while. You two must not slack off. Neither forging nor cultivation can be neglected. After all, if you want to challenge higher-level blacksmithing, the support of your cultivation is indispensable."

"We understand!"

Jiang Xiu and Na'er said in unison.

"Very well, I shall take my leave. Oh, right, Jiang Xiu—your master has gone to the ocean for some business and asked me to tell you that you can arrange your own schedule for the next month."

Zhen Hua had just turned to walk out when he seemed to remember something and spoke to Jiang Xiu.

"Understood, Teacher. Please take care."

Jiang Xiu's gaze shifted, and he said softly.

"Mm, no need to see me off."

Zhen Hua nodded slightly. The moment he turned away, the corners of his mouth were harder to suppress than an AK-47; a ten-year-old half-step master-level blacksmith was simply unheard of.

"President, please, get in the car."

Outside the Body Sect, a luxurious soul-guided vehicle was parked. Seeing Zhen Hua emerge, a man immediately stepped forward to greet him; he was none other than the Vice President of the Shrek City Blacksmith Association branch.

"Little Sun, how did you know my disciple broke through to become a fourth-rank blacksmith?"

A rare smile beamed across Zhen Hua's face.

Vice President Sun was stunned upon hearing this. He pondered, wondering when he had even asked.

"President, someone from the Qiangu Family has arrived, requesting that you forge a set of Heaven-Forged Four-Character Battle Armor..."

"Oh, Little Sun, how did you know my disciple broke through to become a fourth-rank blacksmith?"

"..."

Inside the Body Sect.

Seeing Zhen Hua depart, Na'er instantly relaxed. She casually took out a Ju Zi, peeled it, and popped a piece into her mouth, thoughtfully handing half to Jiang Xiu.

"Boss, you have time coming up, right? Could you accompany me on a trip?"

A glint flashed in Na'er's eyes as she asked expectantly.

Hearing this, Jiang Xiu immediately prepared to return the Ju Zi in his hand to Na'er. He had been wondering why Na'er wasn't guarding her food today and had even given him half; it turned out she had a favor to ask.

"Your little brother Na'er has run into some trouble, Boss. You can't just leave me hanging," Na'er said, pushing the fruit back toward him with a pitiful expression.

"Tell me about it first."

Jiang Xiu raised an eyebrow and asked. He felt that Na'er was indeed a bit different today.

"Well, um, how should I put this? My master discovered a genius in the East Sea and wants to go over to test their strength. She's planning to take me along, but since you're my boss, I wanted you to come with me to hold down the fort."

Na'er chuckled, revealing her pearly white teeth and sticking out her pink tongue in embarrassment.

A genius? Could it be Gu Yue? Come to think of it, this is exactly the time when Gu Yue appears in the East Sea. If so, for the sake of the upcoming plan, going there isn't out of the question.

A sharp glint flashed in Jiang Xiu's eyes as he pondered silently.

"So, can you agree to it?"

Na'er's beautiful eyes were fixed on Jiang Xiu, waiting expectantly.

"I can."

"Boss Jiang Xiu! Your little brother bows to you in admiration!"

Hearing this, Na'er's purple eyes lit up instantly.

"I haven't finished speaking yet. I can go, but Na'er, my little brother, you're trying to test me with just half a Ju Zi? What kind of boss could withstand such a test?"

Jiang Xiu said, implying something more.

"Then what do you want?"

Na'er was taken aback and asked tentatively.

"You have to pay more!"