Chapter 43: Zhenhua

"Finished reading?"

Yun Ming snatched Gu You's soul guide communicator.

"You—why are you here?!" Gu You was shocked. Normally, as the Pavilion Master of Sea God's Pavilion, Yun Ming should have been extremely busy with Shrek Academy's affairs. Ever since their photo with Qiong Shiyu, Gu You hadn't seen Yun Ming again and had assumed he had returned to Shrek.

"I'm taking you to Tiandou City. This matter has already dragged on for too long," Yun Ming said calmly.

"But isn't this my training?" Gu You asked, confused.

"You're right, but you've already experienced an even better training. Besides, for your safety and to prevent another special incident, it's better if I take you there myself."

For the first time, Gu You detected a hint of warmth in Yun Ming's tone.

"Alright!"

Yun Ming nodded, and his four-word battle armor assembled around him. A terrifying aura burst forth, though it was clearly restrained.

Gu You had an idea of what was coming next and immediately felt dizzy and nauseous.

Great… another thrilling, high-speed trip.

Tiandou City

Once the capital of the Tiandou Empire, Tiandou City remained as prosperous as ever. Today, it was still one of the Sun-Moon Federation's top-tier cities. Though lacking towering skyscrapers, its thriving middle-class economy, rich historical significance, and booming tourism industry made it one of the most developed places in the Federation.

The city was also home to the "Sky Tower," one of the top-ranked Spirit Transmission Towers among the Federation's Eighteen Great Spirit Transmission Towers. Countless sects and organizations were scattered throughout the city, including the legendary Tang Sect.

Blacksmith Association Headquarters

The only building in Tiandou City that could rival the height of the Sky Tower.

This time, Gu You didn't vomit. He was starting to get used to it. He swore to himself that from now on, he would never get airsick again.

As he set foot on this ancient land, he felt a strange sensation—but that wasn't his primary concern. Beneath Tiandou City lay a massive weapons factory…

Yun Ming did not take Gu You through the main entrance of the Blacksmith Association. Instead, he teleported them directly into a lavishly decorated hall.

"You're here." A deep, steady voice sounded, as if the speaker had been waiting for a long time.

"Mm." Yun Ming led Gu You further inside.

The extravagant decor gradually faded, replaced by walls with a strong metallic texture. A massive, highly advanced forging machine came into view. The storage cabinets on the side were filled with rare ores, dazzling to the eyes—there were so many it was impossible to count.

Gu You couldn't help but drool at the sight. Among the countless minerals, he spotted Life Ore—and in such a large chunk! If he could get his hands on it, he would be ecstatic.

"This is the child you spoke of?"

A figure stumbled toward them. The man had a powerful and imposing presence, but his clothes were messy, and he looked somewhat haggard, as if he had recently been through something unpleasant.

However, Gu You dared not make any assumptions—this man was a true Divine Craftsman, one of the people he absolutely had to meet on his path to the pinnacle.

"Yes. He's here to become your apprentice." Yun Ming nodded. With his god-level spiritual power, he had already sent a mental message to Zhenhua long before arriving.

Zhenhua glanced at Gu You. "Indeed, a genius. So young, yet he has already fought against Evil Soul Masters. His soul power is also quite strong. But forging is hard labor—"

Before Zhenhua could finish, Gu You immediately picked up a thousand-jin piece of unrefined Heavy Silver from the forging table. His expression remained calm, as if to say: Look at my strength—do you think I can handle it?

"Put it down! Put it down now! Whatever you do, don't drop it! That floor was forged by me over days of soul-forging!" Zhenhua quickly stopped him—not because he cared about the floor itself, but because, as a blacksmith, he couldn't bear to see his own work damaged.

At the same time, he was impressed by Gu You's raw power. A thousand-jin grip—what a born-forging genius!

"Oh." Gu You carefully placed the Heavy Silver back down.

"Yun Ming, it's been decades since we last met, yet you haven't changed a bit. Hahaha! Time is truly relentless. Since you recommended him, I'll naturally give him a chance."

Zhenhua waved his hand, and a soul-forged hammer appeared in front of Gu You.

"Kid, what's your current blacksmith rank?"

"Fourth rank! He can attempt Spirit Forging." Before Gu You could answer, Yun Ming spoke first.

"What?! Fourth rank?! How old is he?!"

Zhenhua instantly appeared in front of Gu You, grasping both of his hands. For a moment, Gu You almost misunderstood his intentions.

"A genius! A true genius!! When I was twelve, I had only just started Spirit Forging. And he… he's nine?!"

Zhenhua couldn't believe it. In the history of Douluo, his own blacksmithing talent had been unparalleled—his records had never been broken. And now, a nine-year-old had already reached the fourth rank?!

"You can trust him. He's a true monster—more so than I was at his age," Yun Ming said, looking at Gu You.

"Alright, then let's begin the test. Kid, if you can forge any metal into Thousand Refinements One-Grade, I will take you as my apprentice. This soul hammer is yours—consider it a gift from me." Zhenhua's eyes gleamed as he looked at Gu You.

Had it been anyone else, he might have doubted their ability. But if Yun Ming had personally brought this child, he had no reason to doubt.

However, Gu You did not take the hammer.

"What's wrong? You don't like it?" Zhenhua frowned slightly. He assumed that such a young fourth-rank blacksmith might be a little arrogant.

Gu You shook his head. "Senior, while a soul-forged tool is important, it won't be of much use to me in the long run. It isn't my Blood-Sacrifice Spirit Hammer, so at best, it would only help me forge ordinary items."

"Oh? Then what do you want?"

"That."

Gu You pointed toward the Life Ore in the storage cabinet.

Both Yun Ming and Zhenhua followed his gaze, momentarily stunned.

Life Ore—also known as Life Crystal—was a naturally occurring source of life energy. It was an extremely rare mineral that could only be found deep within ancient forests. Only pure, natural life energy could form such crystals. Shrek Academy had a few pieces submerged at the bottom of Sea God Lake…

Although Life Ore was precious, Zhenhua understood something far more valuable—the potential of a future Heavenly-Refined Blacksmith.

A continuous supply of Four-Word Battle Armor would be proof of this. A normal Titled Douluo wearing Four-Word Battle Armor could exhibit Hyper Douluo-level strength. A Hyper Douluo wearing it would be even more terrifying.

Right now, countless Titled Douluos in the Federation lacked Four-Word Battle Armor. If all of them were equipped with it, the Sun-Moon Federation would have the confidence to unify the entire Douluo Planet.

…Though that was just a dream for now.

Crafting Four-Word Battle Armor was incredibly difficult. The entire process could take a year—even the fastest production took at least six to seven months.

And Zhenhua was already aging. Even the Heavenly-Refined metals for Four-Word Battle Armor were becoming too difficult for him to forge.

What the Federation needed most… was a new generation of Heavenly-Refined blacksmiths.

And now, Zhenhua was certain—Gu You was the one!

(End of Chapter)