Two pieces of news, each more shocking than the last, caused a collective gasp from the audience.
The divine alloy formed from the fusion of nine metals was a legendary existence. But compared to such an elusive research project with uncertain outcomes, the crowd was more concerned about two other matters.
Zhen Hua wanted to take the girl from the Spirit Pagoda as his disciple and confidently claimed she would be the next Divine Craftsman?
This...
The audience exchanged glances, and for a moment, no one dared to voice their doubts.
After all, this was Zhen Hua, the Divine Craftsman, the pinnacle of the forging world. Who would dare to easily dismiss someone he had taken a liking to?
Among the crowd, one figure's gaze was the most complex.
That was Mu Chen, the president of the East Sea Forging Association!
With an expression of disbelief, he looked at Zhen Hua, Gu Yuena, Huo Yuhao, and Xiong Jun, clutching his chest as it twitched uncontrollably.
What had he been thinking before?
Even Zhen Hua, the president of the Forging Association, didn't care about sectarian biases and was willing to take in someone from the Spirit Pagoda as his disciple. Why had he been so concerned about such things before?
He felt a pang of regret. If he could go back in time, he would have taken Tang Wulin as his disciple the moment he saw him, to hell with sectarian biases!
Seeing the crowd's silence, Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena exchanged a smile.
With the Forging Association involved, the likelihood of them completing the divine alloy would be even higher.
Just as everyone remained silent, an unwelcome voice suddenly interjected, "Your Excellency Zhen Hua, aren't you being a bit too confident?"
Hearing this familiar voice, Chang Gongyan and Lin Yuhan both frowned, looking toward the entrance of the Forging Association. There stood Ning Fengzhi, a member of their Star Luo delegation, with a cold smile on his face, followed by several blacksmiths from the Star Luo Empire.
No one present had seen these people before, and for a moment, they were puzzled. But soon, those who followed current events recognized them, "They're from the Star Luo Federation delegation!"
Zhen Hua's eyes flickered slightly as he calmly spoke, "So it's our friends from the Star Luo Federation. What brings you here from afar?"
Ning Fengzhi stepped forward, slightly cupping his hands, but his tone carried a hint of arrogance:
"Your Excellency Zhen Hua, I've long admired your reputation. I am Ning Fengzhi, representing the Star Luo Federation. Today, I came to visit the forging community of the Federation, and coincidentally, I encountered the grand event of you taking in a disciple."
His gaze swept over Gu Yuena and Huo Yuhao, a meaningful smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
"We naturally trust your judgment, but even if you are the Divine Craftsman, it doesn't mean your disciple will definitely become one, does it? Even if it's to boost her reputation, this is too much. She might be crushed under the pressure."
Instantly, the blacksmiths who had been somewhat hesitant about the matter all showed signs of anger. This was the territory of the Douluo Federation. How dare someone from the Star Luo Federation so brazenly question the Divine Craftsman Zhen Hua?
No outsider had the right to speak like this!
Huo Yuhao looked at Ning Fengzhi, his brow furrowed slightly.
Ning Fengzhi?
Wasn't that the name of Ning Rongrong's father from twenty thousand years ago?
Wait, in this era, there was indeed someone by that name.
Connecting the Star Luo delegation with Ning Fengzhi, Huo Yuhao thought carefully and finally remembered the person.
He seemed to be the blacksmith from the Holy Spirit Cult who appeared during the attack on Zhen Hua. Because the name was so striking, he had remembered it.
But this guy sure knew how to pick a name. Who knew if the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan would recall their ancestor upon hearing of his existence.
Facing Ning Fengzhi's provocation, Zhen Hua remained calm and slowly spoke, "As a blacksmith, you must understand that forging is about talent and perseverance, not verbal disputes. Since I dare to take in a disciple, I naturally have confidence."
"In that case, could Your Excellency's esteemed disciple have a match with a junior from our Star Luo Federation, so we can witness it for ourselves?"
Zhen Hua slightly frowned and said, "The Forging Association is a place for everyone to exchange skills, so a friendly match is naturally possible. However, making such a grand display might affect others, which wouldn't be appropriate."
Ning Fengzhi's tone was low as he slowly said, "I just want to confirm whether the Forging Association is truly worthy of its reputation. Today, the Forging Association has established an exchange system. I am willing to offer three techniques as the prize for the match. If we lose, we will hand them over to the Forging Association. Conversely, if you don't need to provide any reward, I will still leave one technique as a challenge fee. As the Divine Craftsman, does President Zhen Hua dare to accept this challenge?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere instantly froze.
All the blacksmiths, along with Zhen Hua, had completely cold expressions.
With things having reached this point, there was no choice but to compete.
Chang Gongyan looked at Ning Fengzhi, his colleague, in confusion. Because of his actions, both he and Lin Yuhan had been noticed by the crowd as members of the delegation, and they had no choice but to walk over to Ning Fengzhi, enduring the angry stares from everyone.
"What are you doing? Why are you provoking the Forging Association?"
"Verification. Since Zhen Hua is so confident that his disciple can become the Divine Craftsman, there must be a reason. Don't you want to know why?"
Ning Fengzhi transmitted his voice, "With your disciple's level, we can test the girl's capabilities. As for their hostility... don't forget that we are not part of the Douluo Federation because of their recent hospitality. We are their enemies!"
This was also the reason the Star Luo Federation had to cooperate with their Holy Spirit Cult. Facing the threat of the Douluo Federation, the higher-ups of the Star Luo Federation... had no other choice.
The common people could surrender, and the Douluo Federation might be lenient, but would the higher-ups of Star Luo dare to surrender?
If they surrendered, only death awaited them.
Chang Gongyan still didn't fully understand, "But even if we know her strength, what's the point? Just to see the gap between us?"
"..."
Ning Fengzhi didn't answer.
Could he say he wanted to recruit more talent for the Holy Cult?
Although their Holy Spirit Cult also had blacksmiths, they didn't have a Divine Craftsman!
As long as the Douluo Federation had a Divine Craftsman, continuously producing heavenly forged metals, they would always be at a disadvantage in areas like battle armor. This was also the reason they had previously planned to attack Zhen Hua.
And now, Zhen Hua claimed his disciple had the potential to become a Divine Craftsman, so of course, they needed to verify it.
If she truly had the potential to become a Divine Craftsman, then they would need to make some plans to try and bring her into the Holy Cult. If that wasn't possible, they would have to destroy such talent.
The Douluo Federation was already strong enough; it needed to be weakened!
After all, she was just a child, much easier to deal with than Zhen Hua, a four-word battle armor master and Divine Craftsman.
Not getting an answer from Ning Fengzhi, Chang Gongyan couldn't help but frown. But at this point, it was too late to say anything. The only junior blacksmith present was his disciple, Lin Yuhan.
He took a deep breath and looked at Zhen Hua, saying solemnly, "Since Mr. Ning Fengzhi insists on a match, let my disciple Lin Yuhan learn from Your Excellency's disciple's forging skills."
Hearing this, Lin Yuhan stepped forward with a serious expression. Although young, as the most outstanding blacksmith of the younger generation in the Star Luo Federation, she had absolute confidence in her abilities.
Although the prosperity and strength of the Douluo Federation had shocked her, it didn't shake her confidence in forging. Even if her opponent was the disciple of the Divine Craftsman, she believed she could hold her own.
"Miss Gu Yuena, please enlighten me."
Seeing this, Gu Yuena didn't wait for Zhen Hua to say anything and slowly stepped forward, calmly observing Lin Yuhan, "Then please enlighten me as well."
Since the other party had thrown down the gauntlet, challenging her teacher's reputation, as a disciple, she naturally had to step up.
Zhen Hua raised an eyebrow, a hint of satisfaction rising in his heart, and directly instructed the staff:
"Prepare a forging station."
"Yes!"
Preparing the necessary tools for forging at the Forging Association was naturally simple, but what surprised Lin Yuhan and the association's blacksmiths was that Zhen Hua, for some reason, only prepared one forging station.
"What does this mean?"
Chang Gongyan frowned.
"You'll understand in a moment." Zhen Hua didn't explain, only saying, "Now, choose the metal you want to forge. The completion of spirit forging will be the criterion for judgment."
As Zhen Hua, the referee, spoke, Lin Yuhan stopped overthinking and immediately got into the zone, "Alright, I choose blue fetal copper."
Gu Yuena: "I choose star silver."
Hearing her directly choose a spirit alloy, Lin Yuhan frowned but wasn't too worried.
The blue fetal copper she had chosen was also challenging to forge, and the result would depend on the final forged product.
Zhen Hua had the rare metals needed for blue fetal copper and star silver prepared, then said:
"Begin."
Lin Yuhan nodded slightly, her eyes instantly becoming focused and sharp. Her blue eyes, under this concentration, shone like two dazzling sapphires.
She extended her arms to her sides, and two beams of light flashed, two spirit-forged blue fetal hammers already firmly in her hands, with two yellow and two purple soul rings quietly appearing.
Without much preparation, Lin Yuhan quickly began forging the metal.
Each hammer strike would linger on the blue fetal copper for several seconds, and her spirit-forged blue fetal hammer wasn't bounced back. When the blue fetal hammer struck the metal, a crisp "crack" sound would be heard, followed by streaks of electricity sprinkling from the blue fetal hammer, infusing into the blue fetal copper.
Her movements were crisp and precise, each strike carrying a precise rhythm, the metal emitting clear, resonant sounds under her hands. As a forging genius of the younger generation in the Star Luo Federation, her skills were indeed impeccable. Even Mu Chen had to admit that this fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl was indeed a forging prodigy, far surpassing his own daughter.
However, when people's gazes turned to Gu Yuena, everyone held their breath, their faces showing expressions of disbelief.
She wasn't in a hurry to start but gently raised her right hand, taking out a piece of metal, palm up, with five black soul rings quietly rising.
The next second, the metal floated on its own, and then elements of various kinds surged from all around, beginning to refine the metal.
Wind, thunder, light, darkness... elements of various colors swirled around the metal like a galaxy, each collision bursting with dazzling energy sparks, and the metal, under the refinement of the elements, gradually shed its impurities, radiating a brilliant spiritual glow!
And at the moment they saw this, Chang Gongyan, Ning Fengzhi, Mu Chen, and others all understood that Zhen Hua hadn't lied. This girl indeed had the potential to become a Divine Craftsman.
"Using the power of heaven and earth to forge, this... is heavenly forging! It's just that it doesn't incorporate the power of laws, so it won't attract a heavenly tribulation."
Chang Gongyan's eyes widened, unblinkingly watching the forging scene, his expression somewhat dazed.
This was spirit forging using the method of heavenly forging? How could there be such a forging genius in the world?
Although the power of heaven and earth she invoked was far from that of true heavenly forging, getting an ordinary rare metal to withstand such power was still as difficult as ascending to heaven. To what extent had her affinity and control over the elements reached to accomplish this?
Was she the daughter of the elements?
After the initial shock, everyone observed more carefully and found that Gu Yuena's skills were still above Lin Yuhan's. Despite being younger than Lin Yuhan, she had not only studied this new forging method but also elevated her skills to this level, which was beyond everyone's expectations.
"It seems the outcome is already decided."
Ning Fengzhi said, lowering his head, trying to conceal the excitement in his eyes.
Good, it seems the position of Holy Maiden is also settled.
Whether it's cultivation or forging skills, Gu Yuena's talent is worthy of the Holy Cult's "recruitment."
"Yes." Chang Gongyan looked at Gu Yuena with a complex gaze, "The Federation's geniuses are truly endless."
Originally, they thought Huo Yuhao was astonishing enough, but now there's also Gu Yuena...
Even disregarding her forging achievements, Gu Yuena is an exceptionally talented soul master. In comparison, Lin Yuhan, with her four-ring cultivation, falls far short.
When Lin Yuhan, fully focused, completed her spirit forging of blue fetal copper, the star silver in Gu Yuena's hands had already radiated a dazzling starlight, the metal's surface flowing with a starry brilliance.
"This..." Lin Yuhan looked at the piece in Gu Yuena's hands, her eyes filled with shock. She had never seen such a perfect spirit-forged piece before. The star silver seemed to have gained life, trembling slightly in Gu Yuena's hands, with a rich life force flowing, wanting to nourish Gu Yuena, but she didn't absorb it.
Creation spirit forging!
This was the highest level of spirit forging, but Gu Yuena seemed to have taken it a step further!
Lin Yuhan had seen her teacher's spirit-forged pieces, but none were as miraculous as Gu Yuena's. That spirit-forged metal seemed to have subtly surpassed this level.
And the many master blacksmiths saw even more than Lin Yuhan.
"Above spirit forging is soul forging. That's our definition as blacksmiths, but forging itself is a process of metal growth. Building a towering structure from the ground up, the levels of the metal naturally rise through the baptism of heaven and earth's power in hundredfold, thousandfold, and spirit forging."
"Although the president's disciple only completed spirit forging, because she continuously used the power of heaven and earth to baptize the metal, its level kept rising. Although it didn't undergo a qualitative change due to the lack of wisdom, it couldn't be described as just spirit-forged metal."
"Her forging method has surpassed the traditional limits of spirit forging. She allowed the metal to nurture a quality comparable to soul forging during the spirit forging stage, but without wisdom, it can only be described as quasi-soul forging."
At this point, Mu Chen swallowed hard, "And if she continues to use such a forging method in the soul forging stage..."
Quasi-heavenly forging?
Many blacksmiths' hearts stirred.
At that time, the quality of the soul-forged metal Gu Yuena produced could likely be used to craft quasi-four-word battle armor, which could be nurtured by the soul master to become four-word battle armor.
What many master blacksmiths could only achieve together, she could do alone.
And being able to use the heavenly forging method in the earlier steps, reaching soul forging, and then stepping into the heavenly forging level wouldn't be as easy as turning over one's hand, but it wouldn't be as difficult as imagined either.
She might even surpass President Zhen Hua!
This is a peerless genius walking from the end to the start!
At this point, those who had no objections completely accepted the matter, and some looked at Gu Yuena with newfound respect.
This is a future Divine Craftsman!
Chang Gongyan, however, sighed inwardly.
Before coming to the Douluo Continent, Chang Gongyan had full confidence in his disciple Lin Yuhan. But now, it seemed that the Star Luo Federation had fallen far behind in the field of forging.
Both now and in the future...
"We have lost."