Taking the Stage to Forge, Eight-Star Saint Craftsman

Another hour later, the second round of the forging competition finally ended. Yet instead of leaving, the many forging masters and contestants continued to gather, and even some Soul Masters who were not forging masters gradually converged on the venue.

Everyone turned their eyes toward the newly constructed forging platform at the center of the arena. Not a single person left, because they all knew that the true star was about to take the stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen in the stands, the forging competition of this Skysea Grand Tournament is nearing its end. But please, do not leave just yet. Up next, the specially invited guest of this Skysea Grand Tournament—Saint Craftsman Li Ziming—will present a demonstration of advanced forging techniques."

The commentator's words stopped some of the spectators who had been preparing to leave. A Saint Craftsman's forging demonstration?

Even ordinary people without Soul Power stared curiously at the soul-guided screens. A contest and exchange between secondary professions?

Ordinary people were curious about everything related to Soul Masters, so naturally, they wanted to see what these Lord Soul Masters' so-called secondary professions were all about.

"Forging." The commentator said those two words with a broad smile. "I believe Soul Masters, especially mecha masters and Battle Armor Masters, are no strangers to it.

As everyone knows, ever since mechas appeared, ordinary people have gained the power to fight some low-level Soul Masters. But this is limited to White-Level Mechas and Yellow-Level Mechas."

"Once one reaches Purple-Level Mechas and above, they must be controlled by Soul Masters in order to fully unleash their power. The core formation materials of Purple-Level Mechas come from the hands of forging masters.

Unlike mass-produced White-Level and Yellow-Level Mechas, ordinary materials cannot bear the immense Soul Power burden generated when Purple-Level Mechas operate. Therefore, any powerful Purple-Level Mecha Master must deal with forging masters."

The commentator paused before continuing, "And Battle Armor Masters are surely no strangers to this either. When they forge One-Word Battle Armor, they must work with forging masters.

To create a piece of Battle Armor that perfectly suits them, they must personally participate in its forging process. Upon reaching Two-Word Battle Armor, they even need to refine it with their own blood before they can truly connect with it in spirit and become one with it."

Hearing this, many ordinary people felt that it sounded incredibly impressive, even if they did not quite understand it. Even some Soul Masters without Battle Armor wore looks of amazement. So this was how Battle Armor was forged.

"And throughout this process, forging masters play an indispensable role. Of the four great Soul Master professions, high-level mecha designers, manufacturers, and repairers are easy to find, but high-level forging masters are not."

"And Saint Craftsman Li Ziming, who will soon take the stage, is a genius among geniuses in the forging world, a true leading figure of the younger generation. According to information released by the Forging Masters Association, despite his young age, he can already independently forge Soul-Forged Metal.

Soul-Forged Metal is the core material used to forge Three-Word Battle Armor and Black-Level Mechas!"

The commentator's words undoubtedly heated up the atmosphere and ignited the passion of countless people. They might not know what Soul-Forged Metal was, but they knew what Three-Word Battle Armor represented!

Other than the legendary Four-Word Battle Armor, it was the pinnacle an ordinary Soul Master could reach after striving for an entire lifetime!

A Soul Saint wearing it could possess the combat strength of a Title Douluo. In an age without Divine Craftsmen, it was the symbol of humanity's ultimate individual power!

It was synonymous with strength! Even if they could not wear Three-Word Battle Armor, that did not stop ordinary people from yearning for it.

After all, Soul Masters had always been a profession above others.

And Three-Word Battle Armor Masters were among the small group truly qualified to stand at the pinnacle of society. Even in the Federation, they could serve as core upper-echelon officials.

The Soul Masters present all understood that the simplest way for a forging master to display their ability was through metal purification. The metal used could be chosen freely; they only needed to forge the finest work they were currently capable of producing.

Li Ziming raised his hands, and two forging hammers simultaneously appeared in his grip. They were both Spirit Forging hammers! The pair of hammers were entirely crimson-gold, forged from the Fusion Forging metal known as Spirit Gold. This Fusion Forging metal could amplify a Soul Master's elemental attributes. Each hammer was also embedded with a Scarlet Sun Crystal, greatly enhancing Li Ziming's Martial Soul attribute and making his forging twice as effective with half the effort.

Once the heating was complete, the metal Li Ziming had selected—Sinking Silver—rose from within the forging platform.

He began with a direct, violent strike.

Without any probing, he immediately began Spirit Forging.

Normally, when forging metal, one would first lightly tap it with a forging hammer to sense its internal structure and better carry out the forging process. But he skipped that step entirely, simply because he was far too familiar with Sinking Silver.

After all, if you came to Douluo Three and did not hammer Sinking Silver at least once, you would be too embarrassed to call yourself a forging master.

Li Ziming directly condensed Bloodline Power onto his forging hammer and delivered a fierce blow, instantly removing the impurities from the metal. He accomplished the feat of a hundred refinements with a single strike.

Then Li Ziming lightly exhaled, gripping the Spirit Forging hammers tightly as he began gently forging the Sinking Silver before him. Yes, gently! He had just violently purified the metal, but now he was softly hammering the Sinking Silver.

Throughout the forging process, he carefully controlled his Spirit Forging Sinking Silver hammers, delicately smoothing out the Sinking Silver. With every strike, he quietly infused a trace of his own bloodline aura into it, allowing this piece of Sinking Silver to better sense his presence.

"Lifting heavy as though it were light—this is a technique only forging masters above the sixth rank can master. At such a young age, he is already so skilled. It seems he has gone very far down his own forging path," an old forging master watching nearby could not help but sigh.

After several hammer strikes, a crimson beam shot into the sky, rising a full ten feet. The red light was dazzling, and faint flames flickered within it.

Thousand Refinement with Spirit!

"Ultimate Thousand Refinement? How is that possible?!" Duan Xuan could not help standing up. How could it be Ultimate Thousand Refinement?!

Compared to those outsiders who only saw the surface, as a fellow Seven-Star Saint Craftsman, he understood better than anyone what the words Ultimate Thousand Refinement represented! It meant Li Ziming had pushed everything that could be achieved through Thousand Refinement of a piece of metal to its absolute peak.

Even he, an old Saint Craftsman who had spent many years painstakingly honing his skills in the Saint Craftsman realm, might not be able to accomplish that!

And how old was Li Ziming?!

"He truly has the potential of a Divine Craftsman!"

Duan Xuan's heart trembled. From this alone, Li Ziming's current skill had already completely surpassed his own.

Ultimate Thousand Refinement. Metal forged through such Thousand Refinement would be far easier to awaken spiritually, and its completed quality would also improve to a much higher level.

But then another thought occurred to him. This was merely a small forging demonstration. There was no need to go this far, was there?

"Could it be that he intends to...?"

At the competition venue.

Boom— After successfully completing Ultimate Thousand Refinement, Li Ziming changed his forging method again, smashing down fiercely with both hammers.

Roar— A roar came from the Sinking Silver in Li Ziming's hands. It was a joyful sound, like that of an awakening child. Dense life aura transformed into specks of white light that drifted about before flowing back into Li Ziming's body.

The roar continued for a full half-minute before gradually subsiding. This piece of Spirit-Forged Sinking Silver looked somewhat ordinary on the outside, but it was translucent. Light pulsed rhythmically within it, like the beating of a human heart, carrying an indescribable charm.

Life Requital!

Spirit-Forging Creation!

This was a trait possessed only by the highest level of Spirit Forging!

Had his Spirit Forging actually reached such a level? No, rather, with Ultimate Thousand Refinement as its foundation, it would have been strange if it had not achieved Spirit-Forging Creation.

Whether judged by the forging time or the metal's spirituality, this had already exceeded the Spirit Forging prerequisite normally required for Soul Forging.

Clang—

At that moment, a crisp sound rang out. Duan Xuan looked up in surprise and discovered that Li Ziming had not stopped awakening the spirit. What was he trying to do?

The Bloodline Power around Li Ziming suddenly surged, becoming even more vast and majestic. Its intensity was no weaker than that of an ordinary beast Martial Soul Title Douluo.

Bang! Clang!

Clang! Amid the crisp ringing, scarlet light suddenly burst from the Sinking Silver. Within the white radiance, a blazing sun vaguely emerged, gathering above the metal.

Li Ziming did not dare relax. He took a deep breath and let out a low shout, his entire aura growing stronger. His eyes shone brightly! His hands trembled slightly as the pair of Sinking Silver hammers struck each other before him. Immediately afterward, the temperature around him abruptly rose—not from flames appearing.

Boom! Li Ziming's Bloodline Power surged violently, and he struck the Sinking Silver again and again.

Under those terrifying impacts, the forging platform Li Ziming was using visibly sank slightly into the floor as a whole. Just how much force did that require?

Under that immense force, the previously spiritual Sinking Silver suddenly fell silent, instantly withdrawing every trace of energy fluctuation. It looked as though the earlier heavy strikes had crushed it into a piece of scrap iron.

Just as everyone outside the arena believed the forging had failed and the spirit metal had been ruined—

Li Ziming's twin hammers suddenly bounced up. He then put away the Sinking Silver hammers, and an unusual ripple of light, accompanied by a powerful energy fluctuation, rose from the forging platform and shot into the sky.

Even more strangely, the metal that had looked like scrap iron a moment ago became spherical again and began bouncing. It had turned translucent, with crimson and orange halos reflecting off one another inside it, forming a blazing sun with terrifying heat. Its high temperature spread outward from the center of the arena.

That was the manifestation of the aura of Li Ziming's Blazing Sun Hammer Martial Soul, as well as proof that it truly possessed life, spirituality, and its own unique nature.

It bounced nimbly across the forging platform, radiating an emotion of jubilation and delight!

Eight-Star Saint Craftsman!

Soul-Forging Sublimation, Innate Metal—this was Soul-Forged Metal that only an Eight-Star Saint Craftsman could forge!