A month passed in the blink of an eye.
Xiao Chen's Soul Power had already broken through to rank 39, leaving him just one step away from becoming a Soul Ancestor.
Had he not failed to find a suitable second Soul Spirit, he could have ridden that momentum straight to four rings.
His requirements for his second Soul Spirit were extremely high: it had to be either a special Soul Spirit like the Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff or one with compatible attributes and outstanding potential.
Since he had yet to find one, he focused his efforts on the Evil Eye instead, raising his Evil Eye Soul Spirit to the ten-thousand-year level.
Na'er, meanwhile, refused to fall behind and raised her Soul Power to rank 32. That cultivation speed would have made her a genius even among geniuses.
But it depended on whom she was compared with. Against a smurf stomping weaker players like Xiao Chen, she certainly could not measure up.
Comparing herself to Xiao Chen nearly made Na'er question her dragon life. Why was the gap only getting wider?
Was this brother of hers really human? She had already stopped playing around, so why could she still not catch up?
"Na'er, let's go. We're going to see Senior Zhen Hua."
Na'er immediately stopped cultivating and nodded. "Mm."
Sigh, no more comparing. Any more of this will work a dragon to death. Eating and drinking is much more enjoyable.
The two left the Rose Hotel and headed for the Blacksmith Association in Skysea City.
Before long, Xiao Chen and Na'er arrived at the Blacksmith Association's entrance.
He took a deep breath, settling the slight ripples in his heart, then stepped into the association's main hall.
Xiao Chen walked up to the reception desk and asked the busy staff member:
"Excuse me, is Divine Craftsman Zhen Hua here? I have something important to discuss with him."
The receptionist glanced at Xiao Chen. Seeing that he was so young, only around ten years old, a trace of surprise appeared on their face before their expression returned to normal, and they replied dismissively:
"Senior Zhen Hua is attending to important matters. Little fellow, what do you need? If it's nothing important, you should come back another day."
Xiao Chen offered no further explanation. He simply took the recommendation letter Leng Yaoyu had previously sent him out of his Storage Soul Tool and held it out to the staff member:
"This is a recommendation letter. You'll understand once you've read it."
The receptionist took the letter. As their gaze swept over the signature and Zhen Hua's personal seal, their expression changed dramatically, and their dismissive attitude vanished.
"My apologies. Please wait a moment. Senior Zhen Hua will be here shortly!"
The staff member hurriedly rose, their tone respectful. With that, they strode deeper into the association, their steps hurried, clearly not daring to neglect him.
Before long, steady footsteps came from deep within the association, and a tall figure slowly emerged.
The newcomer was none other than Zhen Hua. He had a resolute face and eyes as sharp as blades, and the dignity and presence of a Divine Craftsman radiated from him.
Zhen Hua's gaze settled on Xiao Chen. After looking him up and down, he spoke directly:
"You're the Xiao Chen Heavenly Phoenix recommended to me, correct?"
"My time is precious. Show me your forging talent directly, and let me see whether you're qualified to become my disciple."
He was aloof and proud, and his standards for disciples were extremely high. Plenty of people wanted to take him as their master.
Had Leng Yaoyu not personally recommended him, and had he not known that Xiao Chen possessed exceptional ability in forging, he would never have made time to meet a ten-year-old boy.
As long as Xiao Chen's talent proved genuine, he would agree to teach him.
Xiao Chen showed no stage fright whatsoever and nodded. "Yes."
"Come along. Follow me to the forging room." Zhen Hua turned and headed toward the forging room deeper inside the association, with Xiao Chen and Na'er close behind.
The forging room was spacious and brightly lit. A huge forging bench stood in the center, with all manner of forging tools neatly arranged on it. Various rare metals were piled in the corners, and the scent of metal filled the air.
After entering the forging room, Zhen Hua pointed to a piece of heavy silver on the bench and said evenly:
"There's a piece of heavy silver here. Use it to demonstrate your forging skills. Show me the very best you can do."
Heavy silver was hard and demanded exceptional Soul Power control and technique from a blacksmith, making it an ideal material for testing their skill.
Xiao Chen approached the forging bench, his gaze settling on the piece of heavy silver. He took a deep breath and said to Zhen Hua, "Senior Zhen Hua, I'm going to perform Spiritual Refinement."
The moment he said that, the forging room fell deathly silent. The calm on Zhen Hua's face vanished instantly, replaced by utter shock. His body trembled slightly, and he instinctively adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose, his eyes filled with disbelief:
"You... what did you say? You're going to perform Spiritual Refinement?"
Spiritual Refinement was a skill that only Level 5 Blacksmiths could master, tempering metal on a deeper level, and it was extremely difficult.
Some blacksmiths could not master it even after devoting their entire lives to it.
Yet Xiao Chen was only ten. However outstanding his talent, becoming a fourth-rank blacksmith would already have been astonishing beyond belief. For him to attempt Spiritual Refinement now simply shattered everything Zhen Hua knew.
In Zhen Hua's eyes, Xiao Chen would already be a rare genius if he had a firm grasp of Thousand Refinement. As long as he could demonstrate it, Zhen Hua would take him as his disciple without hesitation.
But the words "Spiritual Refinement" went somewhat beyond his expectations. For a moment, he struggled to accept them and even wondered whether he had misheard.
Xiao Chen showed no surprise at Zhen Hua's shock. His tone remained firm:
"That's right, Senior Zhen Hua. I'm confident I can complete Spiritual Refinement."
He was not being arrogant. Over the past month, he had clearly noticed the restrictions on using the Command Block loosen a little more. Combined with his private practice, that was enough to support him in completing this Spiritual Refinement attempt.
Looking at Xiao Chen's determined eyes, Zhen Hua wondered to himself whether this boy really was a peerless genius who appeared only once in ten thousand years.
He suppressed his shock and slowly nodded, a hint of anticipation in his voice. "All right. Begin."
He wanted to see whether this ten-year-old boy could truly create a miracle and accomplish the feat of Spiritual Refinement.
Xiao Chen said no more. He walked over to the forging bench and picked up the forging hammer beside it. Gripping its handle, he slowly channeled Soul Power into it.
His eyes were focused, his gaze locked firmly on the piece of heavy silver, without the slightest distraction.
The next second, he swung the forging hammer and smashed it hard against the heavy silver.
All right, his part was done. Division of labor: he pressed the switch, and the Command Block carried out the task. Perfectly reasonable.
One hammer strike settled it. Spiritual Refinement was complete.
A faint halo rose over the surface of the heavy silver on the forging bench. Its substance had become even purer, and the Soul Power fluctuations it contained had grown gentler—the very state of metal after Spiritual Refinement.
The entire process took only a few seconds, without the slightest delay. It was so simple that it seemed unbelievable.
The Command Block-pretty amazing, wasn't it?
Standing to one side, Zhen Hua stared at the Spirit Forged heavy silver, utterly petrified. His expression froze, his eyes filled with disbelief, and his entire worldview shattered.
Only after a long while did Zhen Hua slowly recover and murmur to himself, "A genius. An absolute genius! A forging genius who appears only once in ten thousand years!"
The scrutiny and authority in his gaze as he looked at Xiao Chen were gone, replaced entirely by admiration and excitement, as though he were looking at the continent's future greatest Divine Craftsman.
Xiao Chen put down the forging hammer and looked at Zhen Hua, speaking calmly. "Senior Zhen Hua, I should be good enough to catch your eye now, shouldn't I?"
Zhen Hua hurriedly composed himself, strode up to Xiao Chen, and grabbed his shoulders:
"Oh, forget 'Senior.' Call me Teacher! From this day onward, you are my personal disciple!"
He paused, his tone growing more solemn and full of expectation. "Little Chen, your forging talent truly appears only once in ten thousand years. It far surpasses that of every genius I've ever seen."
"Trust your teacher. As long as you devote yourself to forging and study diligently, you will surely become the youngest Divine Craftsman the entire continent has seen in ten thousand years. You'll surpass me and become a legend in the forging world!"
"You may even reach greater heights beyond Divine Craftsman."
"Thank you for your praise, Teacher."
Xiao Chen bowed slightly, his tone respectful, formally becoming Zhen Hua's disciple.
Beside him, Na'er fell silent as Xiao Chen completed Spirit Forging with effortless composure.
It's over. Xiao Chen completed Spiritual Refinement at ten and became a Level 5 Blacksmith, while I'm still only a second-rank mecha repairer.
She did not even dare imagine what would happen once they returned to the Spirit Transferring Pagoda. No, please. This competition is going to work me to death.
Zhen Hua looked at Xiao Chen, his heart brimming with joy, then said, "Little Chen, since you can already complete Spiritual Refinement, you're a genuine Level 5 Blacksmith. There's no need for any further tests."
"Come. Your teacher will take you to the hall right now and arrange your Level 5 Blacksmith certification!"
"Thank you, Teacher," Xiao Chen replied.
At the core of the Douluo Plane.
"Damn you, Plane Spirit! At a time when this plane is in crisis, you still dare interfere with me!"
"Aren't you afraid my son Tang San will return and settle the score with you?"
"Tang Hao, you've grown weaker."
"You and Tang San both deserve to die. Even if the plane is destroyed, I, its Plane Spirit, will fight you to the bitter end!"
"You-you're courting death!"
"Douluo is facing a crisis, and you're still fighting me!"
"Aah-! Get away! You damned Plane Spirit!"
Before you continue