Douluo Dragon King: I, the wielder of the Holy Sword, will vanquish all evil.

Chapter 79 Starfall Gold

As dawn broke on the second day, the footsteps of the blacksmiths shattered the morning's tranquility. One by one, they headed straight for the competition venue with solemn expressions.

The second round of the junior group forging competition is destined to be a crucial battle that will determine the outcome.

Su Qiu and Tang Wulin went to participate in the competition.

According to the competition rules, the scores from several rounds will be accumulated, and the final champion will be determined by the judges' comprehensive scores.

This round is far more difficult than yesterday's.

Contestants are required to freely forge their own rare metals, and the quality, creativity, and forging techniques of the finished product directly demonstrate their true skill level.

It should be noted that for a blacksmith under the age of fifteen, being able to complete a hundred forgings is already considered outstanding, and the thousand-forging realm is an exclusive label for geniuses.

"The second round of the Skysea Alliance Grand Competition, the Blacksmith Competition, is about to begin. All participants, please prepare yourselves. Please choose your rare metals carefully. After the forging is completed, there will be a third round of shaping competition. The second round will begin in one minute."

The examiner's voice, clear and powerful, resounded throughout the venue through the soul-guided loudspeaker, adding to the already solemn atmosphere of the competition.

The contestants focused intently on their forging tables. Most of them were around fifteen years old, and being able to complete a hundred forgings already demonstrated exceptional talent. At this moment, each of them was mentally rehearsing the forging process, striving to bring their skills to the extreme.

Su Qiu stood in front of his own forging platform. On the stage, the eyes of all the masters quickly swept across the entire room, and finally focused on Su Qiu.

Yesterday's move showed that Su Qiu's existence was a game-changer.

The white-haired old man in the center had a hint of expectation in his cloudy eyes. He said to the people around him, "You all saw the piece of metal he forged yesterday."

"Today is a free-for-all, how far do you think you can go?"

"A thousand-stage second-grade is definitely achievable." Someone's voice trembled. "Can you even complete a thousand-stage first-grade?"

Although Su Qiu's feat yesterday would be difficult even for a level 5 blacksmith to replicate, no one associated it with the ability to perform spirit forging. After all, they are two different concepts.

Moreover, the claim of "a thousand-times-forged, first-grade" is already an extremely bold guess. Keep in mind that Su Qiu is only nine years old.

At nine years old, he has already become the first person in history to achieve the highest rank in the Thousand Refinements!
"Master Cen Yue, why don't you give us a sneak peek?" Everyone looked at Cen Yue.

Cen Yue simply smiled and shook his head, keeping everyone in suspense, saying, "Why rush? Just wait and see, and you'll know the answer soon enough."

On the competition stage, as the countdown ended.

"Game start!"

All the blacksmiths quickly began forging, getting into the zone; they were all terrified of Su Qiu. Yesterday's disruption to their rhythm had affected their results, and they hadn't even wanted to eat when they got back.

Su Qiu didn't continue with his antics; he was going to get serious in the second round.

He slowly raised his hand, and a fist-sized metal blank fell from his storage soul tool, which he then placed on the forging table.

The metal is entirely dark in color, with fine silver-gray patterns covering its surface; it is the extremely rare Starfall Gold.

This metal originates from the most refined part of a meteorite from outer space. It naturally contains extremely strong stellar power, has a hardness far exceeding that of ordinary ores, and has a unique internal structure that is completely different from other metals in the Douluo Continent.

Not only is it extremely difficult to purify, but it also requires the use of soul power to guide the power of the stars and the metal itself to maintain a balance. The slightest carelessness will cause the metal to crack, and even a senior blacksmith will find it difficult to control.

However, this is an excellent material for forging the core components of battle armor.

Su Qiu was about to begin preparing for his battle armor, right there at the blacksmith competition.

"It's Starfall Gold!" On the stage, the white-haired old man leaned forward abruptly, his cloudy eyes filled with shock. "This metal is several times harder to forge than deep silver, how dare he choose this?"

Several masters beside them were also moved. One of them whispered, "The forging of Starfall Gold requires countless hammerings to remove impurities, and the power of the stars must be guided inward. The slightest mistake will render all previous efforts futile."

"Being tempered and refined through countless trials is not just a saying, but a fact. It requires real skill, which cannot be omitted simply by having good technique."

"He's only nine years old. Leaving aside whether he can succeed, is his soul power enough?"

The people here are all blacksmiths; they don't really pay attention to the Soul Master competitions.

"boom!"

The first hammer blow landed with a heavy yet precise force, striking precisely at a point on the surface of the Starfall Gold where impurities had accumulated.

With a dull thud, the Starfall Gold trembled slightly, and a faint light appeared on its silver-gray surface, as if a sleeping star was being gradually awakened.

Su Qiu's hammering technique was extremely rhythmic, one strike after another, neither too fast nor too slow, with the exact point of impact.

It not only removes impurities but also guides the power of the stars to flow slowly within the metal using soul power.

The hammering sounds of other blacksmiths varied in speed and rhythm, but Su Qiu's rhythm was as steady as a pendulum.

With each hammer blow, the surface of the Starfall Gold shimmered with a faint light, the glow growing brighter and brighter, the soft starlight gradually spreading out and enveloping the metal.

"Five hundred hammer blows! And his soul power is still so abundant?" someone exclaimed in a low voice, their eyes filled with disbelief.

The Starfall Gold technique is extremely taxing on soul power. Even a level three blacksmith would be exhausted after five hundred hammer blows, but Su Qiu's movements remained steady and his eyes focused.

On the platform, several masters also noticed something amiss. The white-haired elder said in a deep voice, "This child's spiritual power is probably far beyond what his peers possess."

"What's even more remarkable is that his control over soul power is so great that he can even guide the power of stars!"

The power of stars is something that low-level soul masters cannot touch unless they possess a special martial soul.

As time passed, Su Qiu's hammering became increasingly crisp.

The originally heavy Starfall Gold gradually shrank under the repeated hammering and refining, and the impurities on the surface were removed layer by layer, making the color more and more pure.

Against a deep ink-black background, silver-gray patterns seem to come alive, wandering and entwining on the metal surface, faintly radiating a star-like aura.

"Nine hundred and ninety-nine hammer blows!" The entire audience instinctively held their breath, and even some other blacksmiths who were still competing couldn't help but look over.

His gaze was fixed on Su Qiu's forging table.

Su Qiu took a deep breath, his soul power surging wildly into the forging hammer, instantly causing the hammerhead to glow with a dazzling golden light. His eyes narrowed, and he suddenly exerted force with his arm!

"boom!"

With the thousandth hammer blow, the force suddenly surged, yet it was controlled with ease.

This hammer blow seemed to contain immense power, yet also possessed just the right amount of gentleness, striking the falling gold.

In an instant, the silver-gray patterns on the surface of the Starfall Gold suddenly lit up, the starlight halo surged, and a subtle buzzing sound clearly spread throughout the entire venue, like the rhythm of the stars turning!
The metal floats slightly in the halo, and the impurities on the surface completely dissipate, revealing a texture as warm and translucent as black jade.

Silver-gray patterns, like a galaxy, crisscross the surface, faintly emanating the power of stars and exuding a breathtaking aura.

(End of this chapter)