Willing to join the blacksmithing trade as a Spirit Master was rare.
Generally, only children from blacksmithing families, immersed in the environment since childhood, would have such thoughts.
"This little one's Spirit Power fluctuations... he hasn't already obtained his first Spirit Ring, has he?" Si Long said.
Duan Jin chuckled. "Grandmaster Si Long, your insight is as sharp as ever."
Si Long was a Spirit Sage, sensing this wasn't unusual for him.
"Go on, go on. It's been a long time since a talented newcomer joined the Blacksmith Association."
Possessing Spirit Power was crucial for blacksmiths because, among the seven grades divided into by the Blacksmith Association, assistance from Spirit Power was required starting from the Blacksmith Master level.
Truly ordinary blacksmiths simply couldn't cross that threshold to reach the level of Blacksmith Master with a mortal body.
There was no helping it. The more advanced the technique, the higher the demands on the forger. Ordinary blacksmiths without Spirit Power simply couldn't handle it.
A talented newcomer joining was good news for Si Long. As Lou Gao's eldest disciple, he might inherit the Blacksmith Association at any time and was naturally happy to see the association improve.
Duan Jin cupped his hands and led Su Ming into the adjacent forging room.
Su Ming also cupped his hands before entering.
Inside the forging room, Su Ming discovered the source of the sound: complex machines operating within. Beside a large machine, a somewhat aged man was frowning in deep thought.
Hearing the door open, the middle-aged man looked up.
"Little Jin, you're back?"
His attention focused on Su Ming.
Su Ming felt as if he had been locked onto by something.
"Teacher, this is Su Ming. He has worked at my family's blacksmith shop for nearly a year. He is very dedicated to forging and has talent. I brought him to see you, to see if you might accept him as a disciple."
"Oh?"
Zhu Jiuyang showed an expression of considerable interest.
He wasn't angry at his disciple's acting without authorization.
He was very willing for his disciples to bring new apprentices because he knew anyone who caught Duan Jin's eye must also be a genius, especially one with talent in the Spirit Master field as well.
His perception was even clearer than Si Long's; he could confirm Su Ming was a one-ring Spirit Master.
"What's your name?"
"Su Ming."
"Mn. How old are you this year?"
"Seven years old."
"Seven years old?" Zhu Jiuyang was surprised. "First ring at seven?"
"Teacher, he broke through to level ten just after turning seven. I took him to hunt for his first Spirit Ring," Duan Jin answered from the side.
"You took him spirit hunting?" Zhu Jiuyang frowned.
Duan Jin knew why his teacher frowned. "Don't worry, teacher. Little Su's first Spirit Ring is from a three-hundred-year Diamond Ape."
Zhu Jiuyang nodded with satisfaction, then instructed Su Ming: "If you want to become my disciple, you must tell me when you need to hunt for your second ring. Don't ask little Jin; he's only a Spirit Elder, how could he find the most suitable Spirit Ring for you?"
Su Ming was puzzled.
Zhu Jiuyang explained: "Under my tutelage, I will provide the best training for your Spirit Master development, whether it's Spirit Rings or guidance in Spirit Power cultivation."
"Spirit Power is the foundation of the Spirit Master world. With strength, blacksmiths won't be looked down upon. Similarly, the stronger your Spirit Power, the more you can be while forging. They complement each other. If I were to break through to level eighty now and become a Spirit Douluo, I would definitely become a Divine Blacksmith within three days!"
Su Ming was speechless internally.
So he was a proponent of the 'realm' school of thought.
"Little Su, don't take it lightly. All the Grandmasters in the Blacksmith Association are Spirit Sages," Duan Jin explained from the side.
Su Ming nodded.
He was actually curious what the threshold for Grandmaster was that required being a Spirit Sage.
Zhu Jiuyang continued asking about Su Ming's situation. Upon learning that Su Ming could perform Thousand Refinements, he was very surprised.
In the Blacksmith Association's grading, Hundred Refinements and Thousand Refinements were two thresholds. Being able to complete Hundred Refinements qualified one as a Junior Blacksmith. Subsequent Intermediate and Senior Blacksmith grades involved shaping materials based on the Hundred Refinements. Thousand Refinements was the threshold for Blacksmith Master.
It was worth mentioning that the so-called Thousand Refinements here was actually no different from the Thousand Refinements of the Douluo 3 period, except that in Douluo 3, Thousand Refinements referred to refining rare metals and could draw out the spirituality within the metal—hence the saying 'Thousand Refinements have spirit.'
Under the current era's background, Thousand Refinements still couldn't draw out the almost non-existent spirituality within metals.
"I only succeeded that one time by chance," Su Ming said modestly.
Although he had only done it that once here, he had actually attempted it many times.
Because after that one insightful Thousand Refinement here, the Su Ming from the Douluo 3 period immediately had results. During the month, Su Ming and Duan Jin traveled to the Savage Beast Mountain Range. He leveraged this connection repeatedly, completing true Thousand Refinements and demonstrating his talent as a forger.
It was also because the Douluo 3 Su Ming had consolidated this ability that Su Ming here felt confident he could perform a downgraded version of Thousand Refinements in front of this Zhu Jiuyang.
Wasn't that right? Thousand Refinements in the Douluo 1 period lacked spirit, so it was naturally a downgraded version.
Of course, the technical skill involved was similar, with not much difference.
Spirit—this was actually the difference in forging between the two periods.
At Zhu Jiuyang's request, Su Ming repeated a Thousand Refinement and successfully became Zhu Jiuyang's disciple.
Over the next few days, he learned more about Zhu Jiuyang.
Zhu Jiuyang's Martial Spirit was the Fire Spirit, possessing a spiritual attribute. It was a top-tier dual-attribute Fire and Spirit Martial Spirit. His Spirit Power was as high as level 79.
In fact, when Zhu Jiuyang demonstrated forging techniques for him, Su Ming felt Zhu Jiuyang's flames even revealed a hint of sacred aura.
"Senior Brother, does our teacher have any connection to Spirit Hall?" Su Ming asked quietly.
Spirit Hall?
Duan Jin shook his head, looking quite blank.
"I've been a Teacher's disciple for over ten years and haven't heard of any connection to Spirit Hall. However, the Spirit Hall bishop here in Gengxin City doesn't seem to have shown our teacher any disrespect."
The Spirit Hall bishop in Gengxin City, Miles, often bullied blacksmiths from the Blacksmith Association, clashing multiple times with Grandmasters like Si Long and Si Qi. Even the Divine Blacksmith Lou Gao had been annoyed a few times. In contrast, Miles never provoked Zhu Jiuyang.
"I think it's more because the Teacher is strong," Duan Jin said, having been instilled with Zhu Jiuyang's emphasis on strength, which he strongly agreed with. He said to Su Ming, "Our teacher has level 79 Spirit Power and could break through to level 80 to become a Spirit Douluo at any time. Of course, that's not the main point. The point is, he's not an ordinary Spirit Sage. Five years ago, he fought a great battle with a Spirit Douluo and didn't lose ground."
Five years ago?
Now he's level 79; five years ago, he probably wasn't exceeding level 75, right?
Su Ming was astonished.
In this era, those capable of fighting above their level were extremely rare. For his teacher to be able to fight above his level, even as a Spirit Sage, was indeed formidable, worthy of his theory—only with strength can one avoid being bullied.
"Just follow the tasks the Teacher assigns you; no need to exceed them. Our faction emphasizes Spirit Power cultivation. Accumulate experience slowly over the next few years. After you break through to Spirit Elder, concentrate on training for a month, and you'll understand the benefits of Spirit Power level," Duan Jin advised Su Ming, telling him absolutely not to overwork himself on forging.
(End of Chapter)