Gu Qinghan cleared her throat lightly. "Ahem, this is a heavenly tribulation. In Xingluo, there is probably no scene of a savage beast undergoing tribulation within a city. That may have led to a misunderstanding."
The Xingluo Continent had no Divine Craftsman, nor did it have the distinctive scene of their Douluo Continent's savage beasts undergoing tribulation. Even if there were records, seeing a savage beast undergoing tribulation near the Blacksmithing Association would naturally lead to some misunderstanding.
"A savage beast undergoing heavenly tribulation in a city?"
Lin Yuhan clicked her tongue in amazement.
This was truly a strange sight. After a savage beast underwent tribulation, it was at its most vulnerable. If discovered by human soul masters, the consequences would be dire. Yet the savage beasts of the Douluo Federation could openly undergo lightning tribulation in Federation towns. Did they really trust humans that much?
When Chang Gongyan heard Gu Qinghan express her opinion, he did not show an embarrassed expression. He simply cleared his throat lightly and said, "I wonder if I could bring my disciple to visit the Blacksmithing Association?"
"Of course. Do you need me to accompany you?"
"That will not be necessary. Miss Gu Qinghan, please proceed according to the original plan."
Chang Gongyan smiled slightly, shook his head, and headed toward the Blacksmithing Association with Lin Yuhan.
Gu Qinghan watched the master and disciple depart, then turned to continue the itinerary with the others. Chang Gongyan and Lin Yuhan walked along the wide street. Before long, an imposing architectural complex stood before them.
The Blacksmithing Association's architectural style was heavy and quaint, with dark gray as the main tone. The outer walls were made of a mix of special metal and stone, radiating a steady luster in the sunlight.
Above the main entrance hung a giant metal plaque, on which the five characters "Blacksmithing Association" were engraved in bold, flowing calligraphy. Traces of a forging hammer could faintly be seen in the strokes, clearly personally forged by some master.
But rather than observing the Blacksmithing Association's architecture, Chang Gongyan and Lin Yuhan first noticed the people gathered there.
They were not soul masters who had gathered because of the lightning tribulation, but rather... blacksmiths of the Blacksmithing Association?
Looking at the forging badges on everyone's chests, Chang Gongyan and Lin Yuhan exchanged a glance, raised their eyebrows, and stepped into the hall.
The interior space was even more open than the exterior suggested. Dozens of soul powered lamps hung from the high ceiling, illuminating the entire space brightly. The floor was paved with specially made sound absorbing metal tiles, so that even with people coming and going, footsteps were almost inaudible. In the center was a large circular information desk, where several staff members in dark blue uniforms were handling business for visitors.
And here, many blacksmiths had gathered in small groups. Their expressions were either excited or solemn. They spoke in low voices. In the air, besides the scent of metal and flame, there was also a tense, expectant atmosphere.
Chang Gongyan swept his gaze across the hall and noticed that most of these blacksmiths wore high level badges. The lowest was a fifth grade blacksmith. There were even several seventh and eighth grade blacksmiths present. They either held forging blueprints or samples of some rare metal in their hands, discussing animatedly with each other.
"How strange. Why is it so lively here?" Lin Yuhan muttered quietly.
Was there some kind of gathering?
Just then, a young female soul master in association uniform passed by. Hearing her question, she stopped and smiled.
"Today, the Divine Craftsman has summoned outstanding blacksmiths from all over the Federation. Even we are not sure what the old man intends to do."
"Will we be able to meet the Divine Craftsman?" Chang Gongyan's expression flickered. He smiled and said, "Thank you for the information."
To be able to meet the Divine Craftsman soon? This was truly Obtained Without Any Effort.
...
At the Heaven Ascension Platform, Huo Yuhao saw Bear Lord land on the ground, smoke rising from his body, and quickly recorded various information.
After he finished his actions, Bear Lord asked in a low voice, "Finished recording?"
For him, being forced to get struck by lightning was already hard to bear. But that was not the worst part.
To outsiders, Huo Yuhao and His Majesty were merely juniors. The fact that researching lightning tribulation could involve him, and that he as a Tower Master willingly got struck by lightning, was clearly abnormal. So on the surface, this research had to be his responsibility.
In other words, in the eyes of outsiders, he was actively seeking to be struck by lightning. He was personally testing the danger to become a Divine Craftsman. Just thinking about it felt absurd.
"Finished, Tower Master Bear Lord." Huo Yuhao nodded with a smile, and Bear Lord breathed a deep sigh of relief.
Zhen Hua, not far away, also breathed a sigh of relief.
Bear Lord's tribulation posture had kept him on edge, worried that he might affect the Heaven Ascension Platform. Fortunately, it was finally over.
Zhen Hua then looked at Gu Yuena and Huo Yuhao and smiled. "By now, blacksmiths from all over should have gathered. Please come with me. It is time to formally announce that Na'er is my disciple."
"And Yuhao, the matter you mentioned before will also be completed at this gathering. I support you. The Blacksmithing Association indeed needs to make changes."
...
Lin Yuhan was quietly marveling at the Divine Craftsman's Charisma when suddenly, the entire hall fell silent. The crowd automatically parted to create a path, and Zhen Hua walked in with Huo Yuhao and the others.
Zhen Hua reached the center of the hall and said with a loud laugh, "Everyone, sorry to keep you waiting."
His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears. The crowd bowed in unison and said in chorus, "President!"
Zhen Hua raised his hand to signal everyone to rise. Then, he did not immediately bring Gu Yuena forward. Instead, he first spoke about his recent forging experiences.
"In recent years, I have been very busy and have not had the chance to communicate with everyone for a long time. Today, I will share some of my experiences."
Lin Yuhan and Chang Gongyan naturally recognized Huo Yuhao when they saw him. They wanted to observe this Douluo Continent prodigy carefully, but they did not expect to hear such words from Zhen Hua. Their attention immediately shifted to Zhen Hua.
Guidance from a Divine Craftsman. Such an opportunity could not be missed.
Zhen Hua said, "What I want to talk about today is Fusion Forging. Fusion Forging is a process that every blacksmith must go through. Sixth grade blacksmiths can begin to dabble in it. The more types of metal added during Fusion Forging, the greater the difficulty. The technique I will discuss today relates to this."
While Zhen Hua was warming up for the announcement to come, Huo Yuhao's gaze fell upon the blacksmiths below. He suddenly noticed Chang Gongyan and Lin Yuhan, who seemed somewhat out of place among the others. He frowned slightly.
Recently, the news of the Xingluo Continent delegation members coming to the Douluo Continent had spread everywhere. People had even uploaded their photos online.
Huo Yuhao had always paid close attention to matters concerning the Xingluo Federation, so he had naturally received this news. But he had not expected the two sides to meet in Tiandou City.
Since these two were here, the other delegation members were probably not far away either, Huo Yuhao thought to himself.
On the other side, Zhen Hua did not notice the two Xingluo visitors. After finishing his talk on his experiences, he did not leave time for the crowd to digest the information. Instead, he continued.
"I am sure you are all very confused about why I called you here. You are also very puzzled about why I chose this moment to explain Fusion Forging techniques."
"This is because I plan to carry out a reform of the Blacksmithing Association today. I intend to Unify all the Fusion Forging Formulas and various forging techniques known to blacksmiths."
"And this will begin with me. Today, I will Announce all the forging techniques and Fusion Forging Formulas I know!"
As his words fell, The Whole Audience Erupted in Uproar.
***
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