Douluo Dragon King: I, Huo Linfei, the Mecha Illusionary Lin God

The atmosphere at the East Sea City Blacksmiths Association is quite special today.

The lobby on the first floor was as bustling as usual, but the VIP areas on the third floor and above were under heavy security.

Staff members dressed in association uniforms stood guard at each entrance, their expressions serious and their eyes sharp, like guards ready to draw their swords at any moment.

In the VIP lounge on the top floor, almost all the prominent blacksmiths of Donghai City were present.

The level six and level seven master craftsmen, who are rarely seen on ordinary days, are now standing obediently like apprentices, their eyes fixed intently on the middle-aged man drinking tea in the center of the hall.

The man looked to be in his early forties, though he was certainly older. He wore a simple grey robe, his hair was neatly combed, his face was gentle, but his eyes were sharp, as if they could see through any disguise.

Zhenhua, the only master craftsman on the mainland.

"Senior brother, thank you so much for making this special trip." Mu Chen, the president of the Donghai City branch, sat opposite Zhen Hua with a smile on his face.

"If it weren't for my wife's fiftieth birthday, I'm afraid you would never have come to a small place like Donghai City in your life."

Zhenhua put down his teacup and smiled slightly: "Junior brother, you flatter me. Donghai City has developed well in recent years, and the Blacksmith Association is thriving under your leadership. I came here not only for the birthday banquet, but also to see if there are any promising talents."

Upon hearing this, the eyes of the surrounding blacksmiths lit up.

To be chosen by a master craftsman is such an incredible stroke of luck!

Mu Chen smiled wryly: "Good talents aren't so easy to find. The best blacksmiths that have emerged in Donghai City in recent years have only reached level five by the age of twenty. Compared to you, senior brother, who became a Saint Craftsman at nineteen, they are far inferior."

Zhenhua waved his hand: "Times have changed, you can't compare them like that. Besides..."

He paused, his eyes deep: "True geniuses often appear in the most unexpected places."

Just then, there was a knock on the door of the VIP room.

A staff member rushed in and whispered a few words in Mu Chen's ear.

Mu Chen's expression shifted from confusion to surprise, and finally to disbelief: "What did you say? Nine years old? Thousand-Refined Grade One? And you need Level Five certification?"

The sound wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet VIP lounge.

All the blacksmiths turned to look at Xiang Muchen.

Zhenhua raised an eyebrow: "Nine years old? A thousand-year-old?"

The staff nodded vigorously: "It's in the testing area downstairs, and there's a huge crowd around it right now. We've examined that piece of thousand-refined silver, and it's indeed top-grade, full of spiritual energy."

"Let's go." Zhenhua stood up. "Let's go take a look."

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His every move caused the entire room to move. More than twenty senior blacksmiths, whose mere stomp could shake the metal market in Donghai City, now followed Zhenhua downstairs like schoolchildren.

At the very back of the group was a strange person, a middle-aged man dressed in a white chef's uniform, holding a cleaver in his hand, following three steps behind Zhenhua with a blank expression.

That was Zhenhua's bodyguard, and also a friend. Although he was dressed like a cook, Mu Chen knew that this man's strength was unfathomable.

As the group arrived at the second-floor corridor, they heard the final hammer strike coming from the testing area below.

when--!!!

Zhenhua was all too familiar with that voice.

It possesses a spirit after being forged a thousand times, and the sound of the bell rings.

"It's already done?" one of the blacksmiths exclaimed in surprise.

The group quickened their pace, and as they reached the entrance to the testing area, they saw Huo Linfei put down his hammer, wipe his sweat, and ask the person in charge, "How's it? Is it enough for level five?"

The test area was completely silent.

More than twenty blacksmiths and dozens of staff members watching were all frozen in place, staring blankly at the piece of dark silver on the anvil that radiated a warm glow.

A masterpiece of the highest quality, refined a thousand times.

And... was it really typed by a nine-year-old child?

Zhenhua was the first to walk in. His footsteps startled everyone, and when they turned around and saw Zhenhua and the large group of people behind him, they immediately erupted in chaos.

"Master Craftsman!"

"President!"

"Distinguished masters..."

Huo Linfei also turned his head and looked at Zhenhua. His gaze lingered on Zhenhua's face for two seconds, then moved to the chef's uniform man behind him, his emerald green eyes narrowing slightly.

Master.

Although he dressed strangely and looked like an ordinary cook, Huo Linfei could sense that this person was very strong, so strong that he didn't even have a chance to resist.

"Little guy." Zhenhua walked up to Huo Linfei, looked down at him, and said, "You're the one who wants to get certified as a level five blacksmith?"

"Yes." Huo Linfei nodded.

"Nine years old?"

Nine years old.

Zhenhua smiled. The smile was gentle, but the light in his eyes was sharp as a knife: "You just said you'd set it at level five first?"

"Hmm." Huo Linfei remained expressionless. "You'll be promoted again later."

This statement, delivered with such certainty, amused everyone around. But despite the laughter, no one dared to underestimate the child—after all, the piece of top-grade, thousand-times-refined silver was still on the anvil, its gleam still shimmering.

Zhenhua glanced at Mu Chen, who understood and stepped forward to examine the piece of sapphire. He picked up the metal, ran his fingers along the surface texture, examined the internal structure with tools, and finally took a deep breath:

"It is indeed a top-grade, thousand-refined item. Moreover... its spirituality is even greater than that of an ordinary top-grade, thousand-refined item."

Zhenhua nodded and looked at Huo Linfei: "You want to get certified at level five, right? Okay, I've made the decision, you can do it."

I'll now give you better materials and more suitable tools so you can try... spirit forging.

Zhenhua said,

"Do you dare to try?"

The entire audience gasped.

Spirit Forging! That's the threshold to becoming a Grandmaster! It's a magical realm that breathes life into metal! Countless blacksmiths are stuck at the Thousand Forging stage their entire lives, never even touching the threshold of Spirit Forging. This nine-year-old child…

Huo Linfei thought for a moment and nodded, "Okay!"

"Great!" Zhenhua's eyes lit up. "I'll provide the materials, and we'll use this venue. If you succeed, I'll not only give you a level 5 badge, but also a 'grand prize'."

"What big prize?" Huo Linfei asked.

Zhenhua smiled mysteriously: "You'll find out when the time comes."

Huo Linfei grinned: "Deal."

The testing area was quickly cleared out. Those who had been watching were asked to leave, leaving only Zhenhua, Muchen, the man in the chef's uniform, and a few high-ranking members of the association.

Zhenhua personally went to the materials warehouse and retrieved a piece of metal—not smelt silver, not red copper, but a fist-sized piece of dark gold metal with star-like sparkles on its surface.

"Star-patterned steel." Zhenhua handed the metal to Huo Linfei. "One of the most suitable metals for spirit forging. If you can successfully forge it, this steel is yours."

Huo Linfei took the star-patterned steel. The metal was heavy and cooler than room temperature, but a strange energy flowed within it, like... the power of stars?

"Thank you." He placed the star-patterned steel on the forging table and then took out his forging hammer from his package.

It wasn't the same thousand-forged red copper hammer from before, but another one—also made of red copper, but with fine flame patterns covering its surface, and a red gemstone inlaid in the handle, as if flames were burning inside the gemstone.

"This is..." Mu Chen frowned.

"The Spirit Forged Crimson Copper Hammer," Huo Linfei said. "I just finished it last month."

Mu Chen and Zhen Hua exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes.

A Spirit Forging Hammer! This means that this child not only completed the spirit forging process, but also crafted the spirit-forged metal into a tool! This is something that many master craftsmen cannot do!

Huo Linfei ignored their shock. He placed the star-patterned steel on the forging table, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes.