Spirit-Infused Alloy! Even If I, Xiao Zhen, Starve to Death...

That left even Lin Yuan stunned.

For Xiao Zhen, he had personally witnessed the damn Soul Guidance Devices' impact on the Blacksmith Association.

If not for those damn Soul Guidance Devices, they would still have stood near the pinnacle with concealed weapons.

In the era of concealed weapons, a blacksmith's status had been no lower than that of a soul master.

But during that war, after the Sun-Moon Continent blasted open their nation's gates with Soul Guidance Devices, the concealed weapons in their hands had all seemed like a joke.

The highest-grade concealed weapons had already been lost.

Even the highest-grade concealed weapons could not match a single Ninth-Level Fixed Soul Guidance Cannon shell.

After all, Guanyin's Tears was a special concealed weapon technique.

Originally, Xiao Zhen had acknowledged Lin Yuan somewhat in his heart. No matter what, Lin Yuan actually understood Spirit-Forged Metal, which meant he understood blacksmiths. At the very least, that had made Xiao Zhen feel somewhat respected.

But asking him to forge metal suited for Soul Guidance Devices...

Wasn't that simply asking for humiliation? If he were willing, then hell would freeze over.

After realizing this, Lin Yuan merely picked up the Battle Armor blueprint projection and shook his head before stating,

"President Xiao, I know you're angry, but what you need to do most right now is calm down."

"Heh, there's nothing to say."

For Zheng Hua, on one hand, he could not accept the impact of Soul Guidance Devices. Yet on the other hand, he could only barely keep that last small group of blacksmiths together by refining rare metal ores.

The blacksmiths below might be willing to do such disgusting work because they had no other choice, or because they had entered this trade to earn some money. They could endure it if they had to.

But he was the dignified president, an eight-ring Soul Douluo powerhouse. Would he lack that little bit of money?

At that moment, Xiao Zhen even briefly felt that

the person before him had deliberately come to humiliate him.

Thus, he said coldly, "I, Xiao Zhen, along with everyone in the Blacksmith Association, would rather starve to death and die for ten thousand years than forge Spirit-Forged Metal for you to make some damned Soul Guidance Device."

"You should be able to see how powerful that humanoid Soul Guidance Device is in the Battle Armor blueprint, right? If such humanoid Soul Guidance Devices can eventually be created..."

"Then powerful blacksmiths will be indispensable. This is an opportunity for your Blacksmith Association to return to the pinnacle."

Seeing the undisguised disgust in Xiao Zhen's eyes, Lin Yuan kindly reminded him once more.

After coming to his senses, Xiao Zhen's expression turned somewhat awkward.

Using Soul Guidance Devices to give blacksmiths the status they had once held at their peak again?

Although this livelihood felt rather disgusting, at least it was still food on the table.

After all, the last time the Blacksmith Association had risen to the pinnacle, it had relied on concealed weapons as well.

Besides, most of the Blacksmith Association's ordinary orders involved refining rare ores into rare metals for profit...

Most importantly, there was a chance to return to the pinnacle. Using that to comfort himself, Xiao Zhen felt that he could accept it much more easily.

However, he still could not quite bring himself to swallow his pride.

Seeing this, Lin Yuan seemed to understand. He pulled the Battle Armor blueprint from Xiao Zhen's still-hesitating hands.

He walked out the door, but before he could close it, he came back in and said,

"President Xiao Zhen, are you interested in this cooperation?"

Xiao Zhen: ...?

"Do you fucking think you're funny?"

Though Xiao Zhen cursed inwardly, Lin Yuan had at least indirectly given him an awkward way out. Moreover, the opportunity for the Blacksmith Association to return to the pinnacle was right before his eyes.

Thus, he gritted his teeth and nodded.

"Fine."

That finally allowed Lin Yuan to breathe a sigh of relief.

He then brought out five rare metals.

They were, respectively, the fire-attributed Sunscorch Gold.

The water-attributed Deep-Sea Sinking Silver.

The wood-attributed Forest Spirit Copper.

The earth-attributed Earthdark Iron.

And finally, the metal-attributed Essence Gold.

That was right. For Lin Yuan, the Battle Armor he forged naturally had to be made from Spirit-Infused Alloy created by fusing five rare metals. After all, the five attributes of his Heavenly Stem Qilin were his foundation.

After that, Lin Yuan took out Yin-Yang Essence Iron.

It could help rare metals achieve balance, and it also contained a trace of yin-yang power.

Xiao Zhen held his breath and focused at that moment.

Without much hesitation, he began forging.

Eight-ring Soul Douluo and Saint Craftsman Xiao Zhen stood before the scorching forge, eight soul rings slowly rising and falling around him.

Sunscorch Gold flowed with blazing golden light, Deep-Sea Sinking Silver rippled with cold silver radiance, Forest Spirit Copper glowed with verdant blue-green hues, Earthdark Iron was dense and heavy in inky black, supplemented by gleaming Essence Gold and Yin-Yang Essence Iron interwoven with light and darkness. The six rare divine materials were placed onto the forging table one after another.

Xiao Zhen gripped a massive forging hammer as soul power poured forth in torrents and countless hammer shadows crashed down.

The ringing clang clang of forging shook the workshop until it hummed. Under the high heat and endless hammering, the metals of different colors melted and intertwined. Gold, silver, green, black, and the twin shades of light and darkness continuously merged, clashed, and balanced one another. Impurities were forcibly forged out, while the spirituality of the different materials was slowly awakened and blended together.

After an unknown number of hammer strikes, the metal on the forging table gradually withdrew its chaotic radiance and turned into an alloy blank the size of a palm.

Seven-colored mist flowed across the blank's surface, while patterns of light and darkness spiraled within. A faint pulse of life rose and fell slowly, forming a naturally perfect top-grade Spirit-Infused Alloy.

With yin and yang as the medium, the power of the five elements fused perfectly within it.

The special Spirit-Infused Alloy trembled softly as though breathing. The powers of several divine materials had become one, no longer repelling each other, but supporting and nourishing one another.

Xiao Zhen lowered his hammer and stood still, fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead. His gaze fell upon the newly formed Spirit-Infused Alloy, and a trace of the cherishing unique to a Saint Craftsman flashed through his eyes.

One had to know that even within the Spirit-Infused Alloy Realm, there could be worlds of difference.

By the number of fused metals, there were basic grade with two types, fine grade with three, top grade with four, and saint grade with five. More than five types were exceedingly rare and comparable in value to Soul-Forged Metal. The key was fusion rate.

"Ninety-four!"

Even Xiao Zhen cried out in surprise, his eyes carrying a hint of affection.

This piece of metal, which he intended to use for a One-Word Battle Armor, was valuable enough to directly forge a Three-Word Battle Armor.

Upon hearing the fusion rate, Lin Yuan's breathing quickened. What did a fusion rate of ninety-four even mean?

It was only one step away from entering the realm of Divine Alloy.

That was Heavenly Forging level.

And Xiao Zhen before him was, after all, only a Saint Craftsman. It could be said that he had already reached his limit.

Therefore, Lin Yuan was not surprised that Xiao Zhen had failed to create it. As he carefully stroked the metal,

he only felt that it was almost perfectly compatible with his Heavenly Stems Qilin Martial Soul.

For Xiao Zhen, this was also nearly the most perfect work he had forged in all these years.

He reluctantly tore his gaze away, then looked at Lin Yuan and could not help asking,

"By the way, how long will the actual production take?"

"And surely not every piece needs to be at this level, right?"

If they truly needed this level every time, then the Blacksmith Association's hope of rising again was practically nonexistent. After all, he had only forged this by exerting nearly all his strength.

"It isn't that outrageous. I'm just rather special."