Clang! A resounding crash of metal echoed, sparks scattering like the brilliant fireworks of high summer.

Franklin jumped, startled. In that single instant! The moment Qian Jin brought the hammer down, he felt as if the person standing before him wasn't Qian Jin at all, but that eternal statue of Ovilan brought to life! The hammer traced a perfect arc! That strike seemed to contain infinite possibilities! That strike was true art!

Clang... Clang... Clang...

Qian Jin lifted and dropped his hand, a growing sense of mastery settling over him. After only ten strikes, he stopped, and a block of Grade Eight Fine Iron rested quietly before him.

Franklin stared at Qian Jin, tears involuntarily streaming down his face, his eyes blazing with fervent adoration and emotion. His hands, gripping the bellows, trembled uncontrollably.

Over the years, Franklin had frequently revisited the image of the Ovilan statue he had seen, yet could never grasp the truth of the technique it embodied. But just now! Under Qian Jin's hammer blows, Franklin suddenly understood! He had grasped so many long-unsolvable problems. Though he couldn't strike a hammer blow like Qian Jin's, he felt an undeniable surge in his own skill!

The feeling was miraculous, as if countless closed doors in his mind, previously locked tight, had just been violently smashed open by a charging wild bull.

"Qian Jin... Qian Jin... Can, can I strike once?"

Qian Jin shrugged, moved the Grade Eight Fine Iron aside, and stood watching Franklin laboriously work the forge. Sparks erupted with every hammer fall, and soon Franklin was slick with beads of sweat the size of beans.

After some time, Franklin stopped hammering, wiped the sweat from his brow, and looked at the fine iron before him, bursting into loud, unrestrained sobs.

Franklin’s outburst startled Qian Jin. Was this necessary? This reaction seemed excessively intense!

The sound of such deep weeping drew his brother, Franxis, who had just entered the equipment sales room, running quickly, shouting, "What's wrong? Brother, what happened?"

"Franxis..." Franklin knelt on the floor, pointing at the fine iron before him, gasping for breath, "Bro, look..."

"This is... Grade Three Fine Iron?" Franxis looked at Franklin, completely bewildered. "Brother, why are you so worked up over this? Qian Jin can forge Grade Five Fine Iron..."

"I made this..." Franklin reverently held the still-warm Grade Three Fine Iron, cradling it as if it were the most precious treasure in the world, "I forged this myself."

"What?" Franxis's eyes widened like tiny iron hammers. "How is that possible?"

Qian Jin stood awkwardly to the side, scratching his head. What kind of situation was this? He had forged a block of Grade Eight Fine Iron, hoping to impress Franklin, only to have the spotlight stolen by a piece of Grade Three work.

"Brother, I'm a Third-Rank Blacksmith now, I'm a Third-Rank Blacksmith!" Franklin wept, "Even though I haven't gone to the Guild to test for certification, I truly am a Third-Rank Blacksmith."

"Brother, congratulations."

Qian Jin watched the two brothers clinging to each other in tears, shaking his head with weary resignation. If he hadn't known they saw each other daily, he might have thought this was a reunion scene between brothers separated for decades.

After crying for a while, Franxis finally quieted down and asked, "Brother, how did you suddenly become a Third-Rank Blacksmith?"

Franklin dried his tears and said happily, "It's all thanks to Qian Jin. His forging just now was a tremendous guidance for me."

"Qian Jin? How did he strike?" Franxis was intensely curious. He had never heard of a blacksmith's skill suddenly soaring just by watching someone else work nearby.

"Qian Jin..." Franklin looked at him with a pleading gaze, "Could you forge another piece of fine iron?"

Qian Jin shrugged, picked up his hammer, "Light the fire. I'll forge another piece of Grade Eight Fine Iron."

"What?" Both brothers froze, only then noticing the piece of fine iron resting near the water bucket—its texture clearly superior to yesterday’s Grade Five piece!

"This... this..."

The brothers exchanged a long look, their mouths agape, silent for a long time. In their minds, a constant lament echoed: what kind of young man had they encountered? All this time, he hadn't even used his full strength yesterday! No wonder he refused Fabredis's suggestion to apprentice under a Forgemaster. This young man, at his age, possessed such ability; his innate talent was terrifyingly potent. Even without formal tutelage, with luck and continued exploration, he could become a Forgemaster within five years!

"I'm starting now."

Lift the hammer, inhale, circulate the forging breathing technique, raise the hammer, bring it down!

The Franklin brothers watched, deeply shaken by the seamless, artistic flow of Qian Jin's hammering. The man and the hammer seemed utterly integrated; the hammer was no longer merely held in Qian Jin's hand, but was connected to his very lifeblood, an extension of his own body!

For ten strikes, the brothers watched, entranced, their vision blurring. It seemed they weren't watching Qian Jin forge fine iron, but a Divine Craftsman fashioning world-shattering battle gear!

This time, neither Franklin nor Franxis grasped any new hammer techniques. Their sole realization was that Qian Jin didn't feel like an Eighth-Rank Blacksmith; he felt like a true Forgemaster!

The two brothers stared blankly at each other for a long moment, finally speaking in unison with wooden voices, "We struck gold..."

Yes! They had struck gold! The brothers were ecstatic. They thought they had found a Second-Rank Blacksmith, only for him to reveal the next day he was Fifth-Rank. And now, just one day later, they received news that he was Eighth-Rank.

Oakland... Oakland had never seen an Eighth-Rank Blacksmith!

"Listen... Qian Jin..." Franklin rubbed his hands together nervously. "Why don't you just give up being a warrior? You could become a truly great Blacksmith."

"Blacksmith?" Qian Jin looked at the hammer in his hand, tilting his head back toward the now dazzling sun. Images flashed rapidly through his mind—scenes he would never forget as long as he lived!

"Qian Jin, Elf King Bloodline Initial Awakening Failed..."

The quiet voice, devoid of any emotion, slowly drifted across the small square packed with people, reaching the ears of everyone present.

Among the youths standing in the square, almost no one showed pity or happiness. Their gazes conveyed an air of having long expected this outcome. Even fewer spared a glance for the young man standing in the front row of the Branch Family contingent, who was, admittedly, quite handsome.

The crowd was divided into three sections. The middle section was the smallest, where each person’s chest bore an embroidered character: [Sect]. The crowds on either side were embroidered with [Branch].

"Brother Qian Jin..."

No one, absolutely no one, offered a look of sympathy or encouragement; there was only cold disdain and contempt. Within the Qian family, the Branch members were already looked down upon. Their sole chance to rise above their station was the awakening of the Elf King Bloodline. If it failed... this was the result.

"It's alright, don't be discouraged."

A broad, rough hand patted Qian Jin's shoulder, accompanied by an old face creased with wrinkles. This was his father, Qian Cheng, a man just over forty whose spirit made him appear sixty. His status as a Branch member, coupled with the failure to awaken his bloodline, meant he had to dedicate himself entirely to the family business to try and secure a future where his son wouldn't be scorned.

But all of that... had just been utterly destroyed during the bloodline awakening ceremony by family decree.

There was only one chance for bloodline awakening; once lost, it was gone forever—the iron law of Bloodline Warriors!

"Qian Wushuang, Elf King Bloodline Initial Awakening Successful..."

A wave of gasps rose from the previously quiet crowd. Even the adults standing outside the square showed undeniable astonishment. So fast? The awakening array had just been activated, and success followed immediately? This was rare even in the history of the Qian family. He was indeed the genius of this generation! Perhaps this time, the one to achieve Ultimate Awakening would be Qian Wushuang!

Qian Wushuang stood on the awakening platform, looking down at the assembly with cold detachment. He was like a sharp blade drawn from its sheath, his imposing aura causing even the distant adults below to feel a subtle stinging on their skin. This was the Qian family's new genius, the one most likely to once again become the strongest man on the continent!

Shortly after, another initial awakening success was announced. The crowd erupted in another cheer. The Qian family’s ability to stand tall in this era and be counted among the Three Great Noble Families relied on their unique Elf King Bloodline; even a mere initial awakening signaled powerful potential for the future.

The names of several who failed the awakening appeared in the square. The faces of the onlookers showed neither joy nor disappointment. The Qian family always saw some members eliminated; these individuals would manage business, earn their keep, and continue the lineage, perhaps giving birth to children who might one day awaken the bloodline.

Every successful initial awakener was met with envy and praise. They stood tall on the platform, heads held high. As descendants of the Qian family, they knew exactly what success in the awakening signified.

"Qian Jin..."

"Father, it's alright, failing the awakening is nothing. As for taking over the family business, I think I'll pass. Children of the Branch Family can never truly be valued within the core family's trade."

"Then you..."

"I plan to pay my own way through the Warrior Academy. There are great warriors in the world who aren't bloodline warriors; I want to try..."

"But..."

"The allowance the family gives isn't enough? It doesn't matter. I have hands and feet; I will become a great warrior. Then, Father won't have to live with his head bowed in the Qian family." Qian Jin smiled, stretching his arms wide, his bright eyes fixed on the crescent moon in the sky, where scenes flashed rapidly through his mind—scenes of his entire life. "The Branch Family? To outsiders, being born into the Qian family seems glorious, but they don't know that the Branch members are less happy than ordinary people. Branch Family? It’s such a detestable term."

"Qian Jin... Qian Jin... Qian Jin..."

Franklin’s anxious calls dragged Qian Jin back from the depths of memory.

"Blacksmith? It might bring me excellent income, allow me to live comfortably, but it cannot restore my father's dignity!" Qian Jin stared at the blacksmith's hammer in his hand. "I must become the greatest warrior! Not for any other reason! But for my father! I must make him hold his head high, make him stand tall, make him look at everyone with pride, and let him proudly tell everyone: My son, Qian Jin! He is my pride!"

Franklin stared at Qian Jin, seeing a look of fierce determination he had never witnessed before.

"This young man..." Franklin breathed in the humid heat of the courtyard, asking himself silently, what unknown past did he carry?

"I will become a warrior." Qian Jin’s gaze shifted from the hammer to Franklin’s face, his voice calm yet resolute. "A true warrior, the greatest warrior!"

"The greatest warrior? That path... is incredibly difficult." Franxis offered no further persuasion. That look of resolve had explained everything. However, for someone who wasn't a bloodline warrior, becoming the greatest warrior was virtually impossible.

Without the Ultimate Awakening among the Three Ultimate Bloodlines, no one could truly compete, save perhaps for the three Ultimate Bloodline Warriors of the Demon Race. Even other bloodline warriors were beyond the reach of ordinary people.

"There will be a miracle, there must be..." Qian Jin looked past Franxis’s crestfallen expression. "I know what you're thinking. There will be a miracle, absolutely... Even an ordinary person can live a shining, magnificent life! Uncle, work the bellows. I’ll forge a few more Grade Five Fine Iron pieces, and then I need to go find Fabredis."