Mu Xi swallowed, her throat a little dry.
This was black gold!
Before Mu Xi could recover, the rhythm at the forging table abruptly changed.
Lu Guan swung all six arms in full arcs, his heavy silver hammers unleashing a piercing sonic boom.
His strength doubled!
Clang!
The tremendous recoil made the entire forging table shake.
Thousand Refinement!
Mu Xi stared fixedly at the piece of black gold undergoing a frenzied transformation.
During Thousand Refinement, black gold's internal structure would change drastically. The slightest mistake could destroy it in an instant.
But Lu Guan's hammerwork was steady.
Sparks flew everywhere.
The dark golden light grew ever brighter!
As the final hammer fell, the surface of the black gold erupted with dazzling light, accompanied by the faint roar of a fierce tiger.
First-grade Thousand Refinement!
Flawless!
Mu Xi's legs went a little weak at the sight.
"That's it?" Mu Xi muttered softly. Her earlier arrogance had vanished from her voice, leaving only a deep sense of defeat.
"Not yet."
Lu Guan's voice echoed through the forging room, slightly hoarse.
He closed his eyes.
The demonic eye on his forehead closed as well.
He was sensing it.
Sensing the veins within the metal, sensing the vitality about to be born.
It had been three years. His Thousand Refinement had long since reached its peak.
Today, he would take another step.
"What are you doing?"
The next second, Mu Xi's eyes flew wide.
He was awakening the metal!
"He's gone mad..." Mu Xi murmured, shaking her head repeatedly. "This is impossible... absolutely impossible!"
Creation Forging!
Bestowing life upon metal!
This was Spirit Forging!
A realm only blacksmiths at the Grandmaster level could touch.
Lu Guan was only nine!
A nine-year-old Grandmaster? If word got out, the entire Blacksmith Association would go mad!
Lu Guan was completely immersed in his own world.
His breathing became exceedingly slow, every inhalation and exhalation perfectly matching the fluctuations of soul power within the black gold.
His blood, vitality, and spirit resonated with the metal!
Life was not something to be imposed.
It had to be guided.
As his hammers rose and fell, patterns continually emerged across the black gold. As those patterns multiplied, the light it emitted began to change.
It was no longer the luster of a lifeless object. A strange rhythm had entered it.
Like a heartbeat.
"Thump... thump... thump..."
Mu Xi seemed to hear that sound.
Not with her ears-it rang directly inside her mind.
The metal was breathing!
Could he really do it?
"Come to life!"
Lu Guan's eyes snapped open.
Buzzz-
The black gold on the forging table erupted with blinding golden light that shot straight toward the ceiling.
Yet in the blink of an eye, it dimmed and collapsed.
Lu Guan released a long, stale breath and withdrew his War Lord Demon Body.
He had failed.
The essence of Spirit Forging lay in bestowing life upon metal. Lu Guan had only given the black gold vitality; it still lacked a trace of spirituality.
This piece of black gold could only be considered half a step into Spirit Forging.
His body returned to normal. Lu Guan wiped the sweat from his forehead and pressed his lips together as he looked at the black gold on the table.
Failed. Feeling sad-
Mu Xi had gone completely numb.
She stared blankly at Lu Guan, her mind utterly empty.
A nine-year-old blacksmith half a step from the Grandmaster level.
Freak, freak, freak, freak!
What the hell are you looking so dejected for?! You bastard!
"Senior Sister, what did you think?"
"I... you..." Mu Xi stammered for ages without managing a single complete sentence.
I can't back down!
Mu Xi gritted her teeth, frantically replaying what she had just witnessed and comparing it with her memories of her Saint Craftsman father's forging.
Suddenly, inspiration struck.
"Resonance! Your forging lacked resonance!" Creating life through Spirit Forging required constant interaction through spiritual power, stimulating resonance to bestow life.
And Lu Guan had missed that step.
Ha! I found his mistake after all!
You little Lu Guan!
Hearing this, Lu Guan said, "Thank you, Senior Sister!"
That was indeed how conventional forging worked, but the resonance step consumed far too much soul power. Lu Guan still could not manage it.
So he had tried taking an unconventional path and skipping that step. Unfortunately, he had failed.
Mu Xi was delighted now. Her own abilities were pretty impressive after all!
Hmm? Wait, did I just help Lu Guan?
Why did I help him?!
*!*
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Crisp applause suddenly rang out.
Mu Chen pushed open the door and walked out slowly.
He looked at the piece of black gold on the forging table, then at Lu Guan standing beside it, his expression indescribably complicated.
There was pride, shock, and a deep sense of helplessness.
"Dad..." Mu Xi called blankly.
Mu Chen waved a hand, signaling his daughter not to speak yet.
He approached the forging table and reached out to touch the black gold, which still held some residual warmth.
"Guan." Mu Chen sighed, his voice filled with helplessness. "Do you know what you just did?"
Lu Guan scratched his head. "Half a step into Spirit Forging."
"You're only nine!" Mu Chen suddenly raised his voice, nearly cracking it.
He turned and stared hard at Lu Guan. "When I was nine, I hadn't even reached the threshold of Hundred Refinement! And you fucking went straight to half a step into Spirit Forging!"
Although this was his own disciple, Mu Chen genuinely felt the urge to curse.
This brat wasn't leaving anyone else room to survive!
Mu Xi nodded vigorously beside him.
Yes! Give him hell! This isn't even human!
Mu Chen took several deep breaths, forcibly suppressing his shock.
He took a battered parchment notebook from his Storage Ring and solemnly handed it to Lu Guan.
"Take this."
Lu Guan accepted the notebook and opened it for a look.
It was densely filled with all kinds of forging insights, written in bold, forceful handwriting.
"This is..."
"The Saint Craftsman Notes." Mu Chen's expression became utterly solemn. "Half a lifetime of my painstaking work. They record the process and insights of every breakthrough I've made."
Mu Chen looked at Lu Guan, his eyes full of hope.
"I don't have much left to teach you. Spirit Forging, and the Fusion Forging and Soul Forging that follow it, are things you'll have to comprehend yourself."
Lu Guan tightened his grip on the notes and nodded firmly.
"Thank you, Teacher."
Lu Guan tucked the Saint Craftsman Notes into his clothes, said goodbye to Mu Chen, and strolled out of the Blacksmith Association.
Eastsea City's sea breeze felt pleasant against his skin. Lu Guan stretched; he had barely taken a proper stroll through the streets in three years.
After three years of cultivating day and night in Heaven Dou City, he had practically started growing mold.
Now he had broken through to Three-Ring Soul Elder, advanced his War Lord Demon Body another step, and grasped Spirit Forging. On this trip back to Eastsea City, he could finally catch his breath a little.
Lu Guan mulled things over as he headed toward the Spirit Pagoda Branch.
He and Na'er had agreed to meet at the Spirit Pagoda and then go home together.
The Pagoda Master's office on the top floor of the Eastsea City Spirit Pagoda Branch.
Today, the branch's Pagoda Master had simply surrendered his office and gone downstairs to work.
There was no helping it. The person inside was Heavenly Phoenix Douluo Leng Yaozhu, the Spirit Pagoda's Deputy Pagoda Master-a true heavyweight.
Na'er sat on the spacious leather sofa, swinging her lower legs and holding a steaming cup of milk tea, its straw bitten flat.
Who invented this stuff, anyway? It tastes so good.
Leng Yaozhu stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking Eastsea City's streets. A fiery red dress outlined her perfect curves, her red hair draped over her shoulders, and she carried herself with exceptional grace.
"Teacher, what exactly did we come to Eastsea City for?" Na'er asked indistinctly after taking a sip of milk tea.
Leng Yaozhu turned, sat down beside Na'er, and ruffled her long silver hair.
"A very interesting little one has appeared here in Eastsea City."
Na'er blinked her violet eyes. "A little one?"
"Yes." Leng Yaozhu's lips curved into a lovely smile. "A nine-year-old girl."
Na'er put down her milk tea and sat up straight. "Stronger than me?"
Leng Yaozhu smiled fondly. "In terms of martial soul quality alone, your Silver Dragon Spear is naturally top-tier. But this girl's circumstances are very unusual. The Eastsea City branch submitted a set of test results a few days ago. Her spiritual power is simply heaven-defying."
"And her martial soul happens to be Elemental Control, which relies heavily on spiritual power."
"Elemental Control?" Na'er snorted inwardly. Who does she think she is, daring to play with Elemental Control before me, the mighty Silver Dragon King?
Showing off her axe at the master carpenter's door.
"Teacher, let me see what she's made of!"
Seeing Na'er's serious expression, Leng Yaozhu shook her head helplessly. "All right, there's no harm in having a match with Gu Yue..."
"Wait, Teacher, who did you say?"
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