A Divine Blacksmith Joins the Sect

Slap!

Before the guard could get close to Xiao Yu, Xie Wu could no longer hold back and struck first. A crisp slap rang out, and the guard staggered back several steps.

"You... you... You've got some nerve, hitting me!"

Xie Wu had not held back in the slightest. The slap left the guard dizzy for quite a while before he finally recovered, clutching his face and pointing at Xie Wu in utter fury.

"So what if I hit you? You dog-eyed snob, how dare you disrespect the Young Master? Not killing you is already giving the Blacksmiths' Association face!"

Xie Wu snorted disdainfully and glared back at the guard without the slightest fear.

"This is outrageous! Outrageous!"

The guard flew into a rage and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Brothers, get down here! Someone's causing trouble!"

The moment he finished speaking, hurried footsteps sounded. More than a dozen dark-skinned, burly men rushed down from the fifth floor and surrounded Xiao Yu's group.

"Who dares cause trouble in the Blacksmiths' Association?"

The middle-aged man at their head shouted coldly. Soul Power fluctuations of over rank seventy erupted from him as he stared at Xiao Yu's group. "I am Si Long of the Blacksmiths' Association. You all look unfamiliar, so this must be your first visit. I won't press the matter further. Apologize and leave at once!"

"And if I refuse?"

Xiao Yu sneered. His purpose in coming was to recruit the Blacksmiths' Association, but that did not mean he had to grovel. Who was master and who was subordinate had to be made clear from the very beginning.

Hui Huo, standing behind Xiao Yu, said nothing. He stepped forward and released his own Soul Power fluctuations. The difference of an entire realm instantly overwhelmed Si Long.

The immense Soul Power pressure made Si Long's chest tighten, forcing him back several steps. His face filled with shock. He had felt this kind of pressure before—from Titan, the Blacksmiths' Association's vice president and a Soul Douluo. The other party was at least a Soul Douluo. He was not someone a Soul Sage, especially a Soul Sage without offensive power, could contend against.

"Gentlemen, is there some misunderstanding between us? Everything can be discussed. We can talk this out!"

Fear made Si Long's voice tremble. Titan was far away in Heaven Dou City. No one here could stop a Soul Douluo-level powerhouse.

"First, have him pick up what he threw away."

Xiao Yu pointed coldly at the guard from before.

"I'll pick it up! I'll pick it up!"

How could the guard still fail to realize that he had kicked an iron plate? He hurriedly picked up the design blueprints he had tossed aside and respectfully offered them to Xiao Yu with both hands.

Xiao Yu did not take them. Instead, he looked at Si Long and said, "I originally only wanted to invite Master Lou Gao to forge divine weapons, but who would have thought that your people would start insulting us the moment they opened their mouths? Not only did they casually throw away my design blueprints, they even tried to drive us out by force. That is what led to everything afterward."

"So that's what happened. It was all a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!"

Si Long secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He shot the guard a vicious glare, then took the blueprints from his hands. "But please forgive us, honored guests. My teacher rarely forges finished products for others these days. If you do not mind, I can also..."

As Si Long spoke with a placating smile, his eyes drifted toward the blueprints. He thought that, with his master-level forging skills, it should not be too difficult. Yet in the next moment, he froze. His eyes widened like brass bells as he blurted out, "Th-this... what genius designed this?!"

"May we see Master Lou Gao now?"

The corner of Xiao Yu's lips lifted slightly, revealing a faint, satisfied smile.

"Of course!"

Si Long nodded hurriedly. He had never seen such an exquisite design. This blueprint alone was enough to make its owner a distinguished guest of the Blacksmiths' Association. Furthermore, as Lou Gao's direct disciple, he knew very well that his teacher had reached a bottleneck. Forging those same old finished products no longer served any purpose for his teacher. Only fresh designs like this could grant his teacher new insights through forging and allow him to reach a new height.

Si Long immediately led Xiao Yu and the others toward the fifth floor. Aside from the guards they had just encountered, there was an alloy metal door between the fourth and fifth floors. Without a specific method, no one could open it unless a Titled Douluo attacked with full force.

Si Long stepped forward and knocked rhythmically on the metal door. Amid a series of grinding sounds, it slowly slid open to reveal the passage upstairs.

"Gentlemen, this way!"

Si Long led the way, bringing Xiao Yu's group to the fifth floor and straight to Casting Room Number One at the end of the hall. He stood respectfully beside the door and raised a hand to knock on the metal door.

After a while, the door slowly opened. An old man around fifty, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, emerged from inside. Somewhat impatiently, he said, "Si Long, haven't I told you before? Don't disturb me unless it's something important."

"I'm sorry, Teacher!"

Si Long respectfully apologized first, then handed over the blueprints. "Teacher, please take a look at this."

"What is it?"

Lou Gao took the blueprints as he spoke. In the next instant, his eyes widened like Si Long's had before. He grabbed Si Long by the arm and asked, "Where did you get this?"

Si Long had long expected this reaction from his teacher. He shifted aside, revealing Xiao Yu's group behind him. "Teacher, these belong to these guests. They wish to ask you to forge them according to the design."

"These blueprints are yours?"

Only then did Lou Gao notice the group following behind Si Long. He examined them with a scrutinizing gaze and asked suspiciously. Aside from Hui Huo, the others were simply too young. Yet Hui Huo's position made it clear that he was merely a bodyguard, not the one in charge.

"That's right."

Xiao Yu nodded. "If Master Lou Gao is available, why don't we discuss this inside?"

"Fine. Come in, all of you. Si Long, you come too!"

Lou Gao immediately came to his senses, nodded, and turned back into his room.

Xiao Yu turned to Zilong, Xie Wu, and the others. "I'll have to trouble you all to keep watch outside."

"Yes, Young Master!"

Zilong, Xie Wu, and the others understood and nodded together.

Xiao Yu then entered Lou Gao's casting room with Hui Huo and Si Long.

Lou Gao's casting room was rather messy, but it was indeed enormous, covering over five hundred square meters. All sorts of miscellaneous metals were piled everywhere along both sides.

"Don't stand on ceremony. Sit wherever you like."

Lou Gao waved a large hand and returned to the round table where he worked, dropping heavily into his seat.

Xiao Yu did not stand on ceremony either. He casually righted an overturned chair, wiped away the dust, and sat down. Hui Huo followed suit and sat behind Xiao Yu, while Si Long stood respectfully beside Lou Gao.

"Little brother, this blueprint depicts a Soul Tool, doesn't it?"

Lou Gao looked at Xiao Yu and spoke.

Xiao Yu was rather surprised. He had not expected Lou Gao to recognize that.

"You needn't be so surprised."

Lou Gao said gravely, "For the sake of research, I once tried dismantling a Storage Spirit Tool. Your core array bears far too many similarities to the core of the one I dismantled. I simply never expected that offensive Soul Tools truly existed in this world."

"That's right!"

Seeing this, Xiao Yu no longer hid it. He nodded and said, "As expected of Master Lou Gao. This is indeed a Soul Tool design with formidable offensive power. And I am not boasting when I say that, if it can truly be developed, it could even kill a Soul Douluo-level powerhouse if used by surprise."

"What?"

Si Long blurted out from behind Lou Gao, "Didn't Soul Tool technology disappear thousands of years ago? Aside from a tiny number of Storage Spirit Tools, there are practically no newly made Soul Tools left anywhere on the continent."

"Lost does not mean nonexistent!"

Xiao Yu gave Si Long a calm glance, then continued smiling at Lou Gao.

"You did not come here merely to have me forge a finished product for you, did you?"

Although Lou Gao was obsessed with forging, he had still been president for decades and was not entirely ignorant of worldly affairs. "Soul Tool technology has been lost for thousands of years. With only blueprints—and this appears to be a high-grade Soul Tool—even I could not possibly forge it!"

"That's right!"

Xiao Yu still wore a gentle smile. "This blueprint is merely my calling card. My purpose in coming today—"

As he spoke, Xiao Yu rose to his feet and looked solemnly at Lou Gao. "—is to invite Master Lou Gao and the Blacksmiths' Association to join my sect, Nine Stars Hall!"

"Boy, you're awfully ambitious!"

Lou Gao shook his head. "You want to win over the entire Blacksmiths' Association with a single blueprint? You are far too naive. I admit that this high-grade Soul Tool design is enticing, but it is not enough to make the entire Blacksmiths' Association follow you. Besides, I already told you that Soul Tools have been lost for a thousand years. The grade of this Soul Tool is also too high. Even I would not dare claim I could definitely forge it."

"This junior already said that it was merely a calling card to gain an audience with you, Master."

Xiao Yu smiled faintly. "As for the difficulty of forging it, this junior naturally understands. Everything progresses from simple to complex. So long as I provide Master with several low-grade, simple Soul Tool blueprints to practice with, once you understand the core technology, forging this high-grade Soul Tool will surely be easy for you!"

"You mean you still have low-grade Soul Tool designs, and quite a lot of them?"

This time, Lou Gao truly could not remain calm. He sprang to his feet, his small eyes seeming to shine as he stared at Xiao Yu for a long while.

"Not just design blueprints. I also have books on the history of Soul Tool inheritance and their core design principles. Would those be enough to move Master Lou Gao?"

Like a persuasive envoy who could beguile hearts, Xiao Yu continued, "Master Lou Gao, you know the Blacksmiths' Association's current situation well. Gengxin City, as the Blacksmiths' Association's headquarters, is somewhat better off, but you surely know the status of blacksmiths elsewhere.

The root of it all is that most blacksmiths lack offensive power, and the Blacksmiths' Association has no deterrent force in the Soul Master world. Otherwise, a minor disturbance like the one just now would not have required Grandmaster Si Long, a Soul Sage, to personally step in.

Now think about it. If these offensive Soul Tools were successfully developed, setting aside how many Soul Master sects would beg us for them in the future, what kind of scene would it be if the Soul Masters of the Blacksmiths' Association were equipped with them on a large scale?"

Si Long's breathing beside Lou Gao became rapid. Xiao Yu's words had moved him, and he could not help imagining a future in which blacksmiths soared in status.

Lou Gao also fell silent. Xiao Yu's words made sense. In the Soul Master world, blacksmiths held the lowest status. Nearly anyone dared to bully them. Even here in Gengxin City, the Blacksmiths' Association headquarters known as Metal City, Miles, the Spirit Hall bishop and a Soul Emperor in his sixties, still strutted before a group of Soul Sages like them.

It was not as though the Blacksmiths' Association lacked powerful Soul Masters. Of the three great divine blacksmiths of the age, aside from Lou Gao, Tang Hao and Titan were both figures of immense renown in the Soul Master world. Titan was known as the God of Strength. With his Soul Douluo cultivation, he had built a foundation for the Strength Clan in Heaven Dou City. In terms of sheer strength, he could even rival Titled Douluo-level powerhouses.

Tang Hao needed no further introduction. He was the youngest Titled Douluo on the continent. Though he was now a wanted criminal pursued by Spirit Hall, countless Soul Masters still regarded him as an idol.

But did the Soul Master world truly see them as blacksmiths? Even they themselves probably had never truly considered themselves part of the blacksmithing profession. Tang Hao merely held the title in name. As for Titan, though he was the association's vice president, he only stopped by once every few years, barely serving as a figurehead for the Blacksmiths' Association.

After a long while, Lou Gao slowly said, "Boy, I only have one question. Is what you said about your sect possessing the lost inheritance of Soul Tools true? Or are you merely deceiving us to win over the Blacksmiths' Association?"

"I can swear it on my Martial Soul!"

Xiao Yu met Lou Gao's gaze and answered solemnly. On Douluo Continent, swearing upon one's Martial Soul was the most serious guarantee of all. After all, the Martial Soul was the foundation of one's existence, unless one had no intention of advancing their cultivation another inch in the future.

After a pause, Xiao Yu added, "This junior can also promise you that, if you are willing to join Nine Stars Hall, I will provide you with every book and design blueprint related to Soul Tools. I will keep nothing back!"

"Good! In that case, this old man will follow you from now on!"

Lou Gao slapped his thigh and cried out in approval. Then he turned to Si Long. "Si Long, what about you? What do you think?"

Si Long immediately stated his position. "Teacher, this is an excellent opportunity to change the status of us blacksmiths. Si Long will certainly follow at Teacher's side. I believe Si Yu and Si Di will feel the same."

Lou Gao nodded, then turned back to Xiao Yu. "Please rest in Gengxin City for a few more days, Young Master. Once we have arranged the Blacksmiths' Association's affairs, we will depart with you."

"You are too polite, Master Lou Gao!"

Xiao Yu knew that an organization as large as the Blacksmiths' Association could not possibly leave at a moment's notice. He continued, "Actually, this junior has another purpose for coming. Forging Soul Tools requires a great quantity of metal, so I also need to purchase a large amount of metal. Could Master Lou Gao assist with that?"

"That will be easy!"

Lou Gao laughed heartily. "Even if this old man pays for it all, that would not be a problem!"

"That definitely won't do!"

Xiao Yu said seriously, "Without rules, nothing can be properly governed. Nine Stars Hall has its own rules. We will never claim the private property of any disciple, nor will we harm the interests of any disciple!"

Lou Gao could not help nodding again. His favorable impression of Nine Stars Hall, a sect he still knew little about, deepened by several degrees. He immediately told Si Long, "Si Long, I'll leave this matter to you. Whatever metals the Young Master and his group require, just notify the association. Waive the handling fee!"