Saint Craftsman Xiao Zhen

After saying this, Ji Juechen dragged his somewhat bedraggled body away.

Though more than half his clothes had been damaged, he did not care.

Watching Ji Juechen's departing back, Lin Yuan could not help feeling somewhat reluctant.

Indeed, he had not unleashed his full strength just now.

The Withering Force carried by his Undead Sword could not possibly be used on the other man. After all, Ji Juechen was merely a pure swordsman.

Nor did he want the man's life.

But Ji Juechen's obsession with sparring and sword intent

reminded him of how Huo Gua had once pestered him.

It seemed he would have to come up with more excuses in the future.

As he pondered this, Lin Yuan left the Sun Moon Empire with Gu Yuena.

On the road out, Gu Yuena handed Lin Yuan a blueprint.

"Young Master, I have already forged your One-Word Battle Armor. However, considering your current cultivation, although I am designing the blueprint for your Two-Word Battle Armor, regarding the blacksmiths of this era..."

Lin Yuan looked at the blueprint with great anticipation, only to discover that he could not understand its Soul Guidance Device technology at all.

Still, anything produced by Gu Yuena had to be excellent. That much, he could trust.

After arriving in Gengxin City of the Star Luo Empire,

he could see the towering city walls from afar. Gengxin City's walls were entirely iron-gray, looking as though they had been cast from metal.

Though he had not yet entered the city, he could vaguely sense the metallic aura it gave off.

In that era, perhaps one could still say it possessed some semblance of a metallic aura.

It should also have been shaped by the glory of Tang Sect hidden weapons, yet it had not changed in all these years.

But now, in Lin Yuan's eyes, it had barely changed at all. It was clear that Gengxin City had already completely fallen into decline.

Such was the impact of the times.

Still, he firmly believed that blacksmiths could not vanish entirely. Otherwise, there could not possibly have been so many Divine Craftsmen ten thousand years later. Although that might have been due to a short-lived surge, the blacksmithing profession—

At the moment, Lin Yuan could only hope that there might be a Saint Craftsman or something similar here.

Otherwise, even a full set of Two-Word Battle Armor would provide almost negligible enhancement once one reached the Titled Douluo level or above.

As Lin Yuan shook his head and walked further in, he discovered that only a scant few weapons were being sold along the streets.

Logically speaking, in a city like Gengxin City,

the home of the Blacksmith Association,

this should not have been the case. The reason was simple: the impact of Soul Guidance Devices.

No matter how powerful a divine weapon might be, it might not even compare to an eighth-grade melee Soul Guidance Device.

Furthermore, most melee Soul Guidance Devices could be custom-made to better suit their users, and some could even carry soul skills.

Even in the past, their usefulness to soul masters had been limited, let alone now.

This was enough to show that even in Gengxin City, blacksmithing seemed somewhat undervalued. Lin Yuan could not help growing a little nervous.

Afterward, he casually stopped a passerby and asked,

"Where is the Blacksmith Association?"

"What are you going there for? Refining metal? There, it's that way."

The passerby shrugged and pointed in a direction.

Before long, Lin Yuan arrived at the entrance of the Blacksmith Association.

It was not located in the city center, but rather in a somewhat remote area.

The building was only about ten meters tall, yet it covered an enormous area and even stretched to this rather peripheral location.

Above the building hung a dark iron plaque. It bore no words, only two raised designs: a hammer and a chisel.

This was Gengxin City, home to the Blacksmith Association.

Sighing, Lin Yuan walked inside and found the place nearly empty, with very few people around.

When he arrived at the front desk, the woman there perked up slightly and softly asked Lin Yuan,

"Metal refining or armor forging?"

Hearing the latter, Lin Yuan seemed to understand why blacksmiths had managed to survive.

Wars ultimately still required ordinary soldiers to go die, and armor was necessary as well.

If not for that, relying on metal refining alone, the Blacksmith Association might not even have been able to continue operating here.

"Could I trouble you to arrange a meeting with the president? I have a business proposal."

At this, the receptionist gave Lin Yuan an odd look.

Lin Yuan had thought he would need to prove something first, but after registering his information, the receptionist replied,

"Certainly. You may need to wait for a while, though. Our president is not here."

Lin Yuan simply sat down nearby and waited.

Not long after, a shadow appeared at the entrance, drawing his gaze.

The newcomer was extraordinarily tall and burly, a nearly two-meter-tall man with shoulders and back broad as mountains. Even beneath his clothing, the contours of his muscles bulged visibly.

His bronze skin was covered in fine burn scars and calluses left from years of forging, while his arms were as thick and sturdy as cast-iron pillars.

His square face was hard and sharply defined, with a blade-like jawline and high brow bones. His copper-colored eyes were deep as molten iron, carrying an imposing authority even without anger.

His short hair was coarse and stiff like steel bristles, with strands of gray mixed into his sideburns.

This time, Lin Yuan could also sense that the man's spiritual power was anything but ordinary.

"President, this is the gentleman who said he wished to discuss a business proposal with you."

Though the Blacksmith Association president doubted Lin Yuan because of his youth, he seemed to think of something and said in a deep voice,

"Then come upstairs."

Lin Yuan followed the president directly to the top-floor office. The office was rather plain.

"I am Xiao Zhen, president of the Blacksmith Association."

"You had better make sure this proposal is valuable enough to warrant my coming here personally."

Xiao Zhen got straight to the point. After introducing himself, he fixed Lin Yuan with an intense stare.

And Lin Yuan? While sizing up Xiao Zhen, he asked in return,

"Mr. Xiao Zhen, before that, I would like to confirm one thing. Can you perform Spirit Forging?"

"Heh, it seems what you want forged is no ordinary item."

After Xiao Zhen chuckled, his tone softened slightly.

After all, this was the era they lived in. Most people did not care what rank blacksmiths held; their main work was refining rare metals. Anyone who knew of Spirit Forging naturally had to possess some understanding of blacksmithing.

"Within our Blacksmith Association, Spirit Forging is merely the threshold for entry. I am a Saint Craftsman."

After introducing himself with pride,

Xiao Zhen saw Lin Yuan's eyes light up.

It could not be helped. Lin Yuan had not even been sure whether Saint Craftsmen existed in this era. Since one did, things would be much easier.

Thus, Lin Yuan handed Xiao Zhen a copy of the Battle Armor blueprint.

When Xiao Zhen had only read halfway through it, his expression abruptly changed...

"A Soul Guidance Device? Get out!"