Chapter 32: First grade; Seven Feet Tall?!

Xiu Ye descended the hammer to strike the metal, a loud bang was heard and sparks of fire and lightning resounded. He didn't let up, he continued pounding the metal in a steady and calm manner.

His eyes were only at the metal, his focus entirely at the process of transforming the metal, to the point that he forgot everything around him.

The only thing that mattered to him was the metal and hammer in his hand.

Cen Yue and the surveyor's expressions of dumbfoundment turned serious.

This level of concentration and hammering technique, it was something that no young blacksmith his age should have.

Cen Yue narrowed his eyes. No, Tang Wulin had the same level of concentration but was inferior in comprehending the metal and skill of hammering it. This boy, Xiu Ye, he's something else...

'What's more, why do I have the feeling that I'm watching the president forging?' Sweat started to dropped from his forehead, the heat around the room was starting to get to him.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Xiu Ye's pounding on the metal continued, it was like a storm he'd created. The wind around him was going wild, lightning was being scattered around and a intense fire heated up the room as he moulded the metal chunk into something else. Something, superior...

Blacksmith's Association's third floor.

The elevator's doors opened up and two people exited. Among these two people was a majestic man in his 40's who was dressed in silver-grey clothes. He wore a badge on the pit of his stomach.

Regardless of who saw him, their gaze would first be attracted to that badge. That badge of his was golden in color and had a protruding hammer design on it. Above it were a total of eight black stars.

These eight stars signified a craftsman who had attained the eighth rank within their craft while the golden hammer represented his position as a blacksmith. An eighth rank blacksmith was an eight star Saint Craftsman level blacksmith.

In the whole Blacksmith's Association, there was only one blacksmith at this level.

Beside the middle aged man stood a girl who looked about 13 or 14 years old. She was tall and exceptionally pretty with a pair of large, bright eyes. Her golden hair was combed and put into a ponytail while she wore skintight clothes which made her seem very nimble.

When they saw him arrive, the staff members at the front desk immediately stood up and greeted him. "President."

The middle aged man nodded and said. "At ease. I'm just bringing Mu Xi to take the second rank test. I'd like to speak with the surveyor." This was the eight star Saint Craftsman as well as the President of the Sun-Moon Federation's Eastsea City branch of the Blacksmith's Association. This was Mu Chen!

"Yes. Please wait a moment President. Miss Mu Xi is already taking the second rank test! She's truly worthy of being a generational genius in the blacksmithing world."

Mu Xi's expression was undisturbed in the face of such praise. In response, she just nodded in greeting.

She didn't like being called a genius. The reason she was where she was today wasn't because of her talent, but because of her efforts. Her goal was to surpass her father and become a ninth rank Divine Craftsman.

Throughout the Douluo Continent, there were only one nine star Divine Craftsmen.

"Ah! What's that sound?" Mu Chen raised an eyebrow as his eyes displayed a trace of astonishment. Beside him, Mu Xi had also raised an eyebrow as her elegant little ears trembled slightly in concentration. She immediately caught on to the sound of successive melodious, yet intense, poundings filling the air.

'Also, ozone?' She thought, scrunching her nose.

Regardless of whether it were the rhythm or the frequency, the sounds of pounding was completely powerful. It gave people a feeling that there was a thunderstorm going on.

Mu Chen asked the staff member. "Has someone come to take the fourth rank blacksmith's test?"

The staff member replied dumbfoundedly, "No?"

Mu Chen pondered on it for a moment before turning to Mu Xi at his side. "Head to the testing room and prepare first. I'm going to go take a look."

"En." Although Mu Xi was also curious, she still obeyed and immediately headed to the second rank testing room. She couldn't be distracted at a time like this.

After separating from his daughter, Mu Chen followed the sounds of forging and quickly arrived at room number 3. This forging room had exceptional soundproofing abilities, yet, sound would still escape through the door.

This type of forging sound could only come from forging an uncommon, high density metal. Moreover, every strike didn't create any noise, signifying how accurate these strikes were. What's more, from the sound and delay of the strikes, the blacksmith was only using one hammer!

This was unexpected. Most blacksmiths in the world, including the only Divine Craftsman, uses a pair of hammers. This was because using two hammers were more proficient and less time consuming.

And that smell of ozone, lightning refinement! Lightning refinement only can be performed by Spirit Masters with lightning attribute martial soul. The product will be imbued with the lightning attribute. It demanded exceptional control power and high spiritual power.

Blacksmith ranks were very strict, with ranks directly relating to their level of achievements. If one was able to reach this level of forging, then they ought to be at the level of a Grandmaster. Moreover, Mu Chen could also hear the results. As this blacksmith forged the metal, they were already in a state of harmony with it.

Harmonizing was when the blacksmith builds on a resonance with the piece of metal he was crafting, until it reaches a state of fusion between both. It was in this state that the chance of producing an excellent product became higher. Every single work of forging contained both the blacksmith's feelings as well as their ideals.

Mu Chen didn't enter the forging chamber because he couldn't, even as the President. Nobody was allowed into the chamber when during a blacksmith's ranking test. Entering might falter the blacksmith's concentration, thus resulting in their failure or even casting a shadow on them.

How interesting!

Mu Chen once again returned to the front desk asked the staff. "What is the name of the examinee in room three?"

The staff, upon his inquiry, checked through the list and answered almost immediately. "Actually, there are two examinees. Their names are Xiu Ye and Tang Wulin. They were recommended here by Grandmaster Cen Yue. I think only one of them is currently undergoing the test, as the hour time limit hasn't passed yet."

As he spoke, he passed Mu Chen a copy of Xiu Ye and Tang Wulin's forms.

When Cen Yue's name was mentioned, he smiled. "I say, who else other than someone recommended from Old Cen would be able to enter a state of harmonization in the midst of an examination? Ah! Nine years old?"

With an expression of disbelief, he turned his eyes towards the staff. "Are you sure this isn't a mistake of some sort? These examinees are only nine years old?"

The staff confirmed immediately. "That's right. We had doubts about it previously too. I couldn't believe that children that young would come for a ranking test."

Mu Chen was stupefied. 'For children their ages, they must be taking the first rank blacksmith's test right?'

Beep beep! Mu Chen removed the soul communicator from his waist belt and answered the call.

"Daddy, I'm ready. Are you coming? I'm in room six."

"I'll be there shortly."

Though he still had doubts, it didn't matter as much as his daughter. Mu Chen quickened his steps towards room six, though, he did paused for a moment and turned towards the room number three.

'But, why do I feel such a familiar aura coming from that door for a moment?'

Xiu Ye swung his hammer on the metal one more time, lightning and fire covered it entirely for a moment before he pounded it once more.

He could hear it, every pounding on the metal, he could hear the cries of happiness and joy within the metal. He could hear it throb, its internal structure refined to its finest quality. He could feel it becoming more.

In that moment, the entire room felt like it was the inside of a volcano and shocks of electricity coursing throughout everywhere.

This included the occupants. Cen Yue, the surveyor and Tang Wulin covered their bodies hastily with soul power to defend themselves.

The entire Crimson Iron's internal components and veins was refined and strengthen to the highest degree with every strike of the hammer.

The metal's black surface was almost completely smooth, as if polish into fine obsidian rock with red veins spread across the entire surface.

As the metal's size lessened to palm size, Xiu Ye flared his soul power once more, bathing the entire world in a sea of flames and he raised his hammer, lightning gathered.

"LIVE!"

The metal shook, the red veins throb, like it was a heart, and traces of vitality and spirit started to exude from it.

The surveyor blinked in shock and confusion, she didn't understand what just happened except life had been bestowed upon the metal.

Cen Yue, however, bulged his eyes out from shock.

Forced life awakening!

The Thousand Refinements create vitality and bestows life onto the metal via the blacksmith's own. But there was also a rare method to bring a metal to life and that was by forced awakening it, but it was rare! Not even he wasn't confident to do a forced life awakening... and he was a rank six blacksmith!

For one to force a metal to be alive, one either must have a deep connection and comprehension to the metal or a plant system type soul master, the reason for latter is because they have a connection with life force.

"My god, this is so hot..." The surveyor moaned in slight whimper. She was only a simple two-ringed soul master after all. This heat coming from Xiu Ye's flames was a bit too much for an ordinary soul master such as herself to handle.

"Contain yourself Ms. Han." Cen Yue growled.

The surveyor blinked her eyes then widened as she realized what she just said. "Wait, no! I didn't mean it like that! Really, the room is just so hot!"

Cen Yue glanced at her. "... Likely story."

The surveyor screamed inwardly.

Tang Wulin looked at them confused. It is really hot though. Why are you guys making it such a huge fuss? When he couldn't handle the heat anymore, he retreated as far away as he could from Xiu Ye. Even so, his body was soaked entirely with sweat.

Xiu Ye gathered lightning into his hammer, the flames of Ryūjin Jakka dispersed, and he swung it down.

Bang!

The metal rang like an explosion, several lightning bolts covered it and refined the last internal vein within it.

Xiu Ye let out a breath, eying the metal in anticipation.

White smoke momentarily covered the metal before it dispersed, revealing it looking like a black opal palm sized egg.

Even though Ryūjin Jakka's flames disappeared back into Xiu Ye's body, intense heat still covered the entire room like it were in a sauna.

The heat came from the Crimson Iron, not only that, but lightning sometimes flicker around it, it looked as if it were alive.

A white halo started to appear on top of it and started to rose up, from one foot to seven feet tall in a single breath.

It was spirit! Life has been given to the metal!

A first grade thousand refined Crimson Iron!

❄️

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