“Senior apprentices?” Busili chuckled. “That is quite possible. This half-breed demon shares one thing with the rumored Qian Jin: neither possesses inherent bloodline power. One just wonders who their master is? To accept a demon and a human? I wonder if they’ve taken in a barbarian as well?”

Lucifer Liushui let out a long breath. The Mirror of Rushing Water’s abilities were too similar to Qian Jin’s rumored powers. The fact that the demon race could hold off the Zhence Imperial Dynasty for so many years proved they weren't simply a race driven by brute force; many astute demons existed among them.

To suddenly have a demon appear with abilities so similar to Qian Jin’s—it was inevitable that suspicions would arise within the demon ranks! Now it seemed those suspicions, perhaps from the demons or even the dwarves, had indeed surfaced. Fortunately, Qian Jin had prepared this story and identity in advance.

Otherwise, their high-profile presence within the demon race might soon become far more dangerous and complicated.

“That’s right, my senior brother!” Qian Jin raised his chin high. “I only came out with the Princess because I heard about his current situation! I want to tell all demons, humans, and my master... that I am the strongest!”

“And your master is…” Bubusoluo inquired curiously. Regardless of whether this young demon’s forging prowess was as mighty as rumored, he must possess some skill. So, who was his teacher?

“You are not qualified to know.” Qian Jin retrieved two large hammers of his own from the Battle Realm—ones he had forged back when he was with the Marauder Group of the Eight Desolations.

Arrogance! An ingrained arrogance radiated from the depths of Qian Jin’s pupils.

“I’m not qualified to know?” Bubusoluo laughed heartily. “I don’t need to know! Once I defeat you, I’ll break every bone in your body…”

“City Lord Great Demon, keep an eye on these materials of mine.” Qian Jin instructed, then turned toward the door. “This way, the smithing furnace is over here.” The assembled demons followed Qian Jin toward the forge with curiosity. The minds of both clan leaders churned over Qian Jin’s words: senior brothers? Then who was his master? Could he be even more formidable? If they could win over his master...

The flame in the smithing furnace had already been ignited. Qian Jin strode to the hearth and, without hesitation, reached into the flames to grasp a piece of searing hot, glowing pig iron. Bubusoluo’s pupils contracted sharply—those hands, which didn't seem particularly rough, could actually pull blazing hot raw iron directly from the fire?

Clang! The heavy forging hammer struck the raw iron, sending countless sparks scattering, blooming like magical, brilliant halos. Bubusoluo’s body shuddered violently.

An expert is always an expert! Just one strike!

Bubusoluo’s eyes glazed over. How could there be such a strike? How did he achieve it?

Clang! Clang! Clang…

The Eighteenth Hammer of Ascent—the second blow, the third, the fourth…

Bubusoluo’s legs buckled, and he collapsed onto the ground, mouth agape, eyes wide as he stared at Qian Jin forging with all his might, muttering, “I… I have seen the God of Forging.”

The expert, Bubusoluo, truly was an expert. Watching Qian Jin forge, his entire confidence was instantly shattered.

Win? How could a mortal possibly defeat a god?

What is the difference between a god and a mortal?

A god can do what mortals cannot.

A Master Craftsman (Jiang) is almost the true pinnacle of any profession. A God Craftsman (Shenjiang)—that was a title existing only in legend.

A God among Craftsmen! Only then could one be called a God Craftsman!

Bubusoluo had always believed that whether in the Zhence Imperial Dynasty, the demon race, or the barbarian tribes, although there were smiths stronger than him, the gap was not insurmountable or completely out of reach.

Bubusoluo had always assumed that even true Master Craftsmen did not actually exist in this world.

The Grandmaster (Zongshi) should be the ultimate existence for a smith.

But Qian Jin’s appearance, with just the first hammer strike, revealed an unbridgeable chasm to Bubusoluo. As the fourth strike of the Eighteenth Hammer of Ascent landed, Bubusoluo fell to his knees, his pupils shining with unspeakable shock.

Divine skill! Forging had unknowingly become an intrinsic part of the dwarven bloodline.

Bubusoluo, a dwarf, a Four-Element Forging Master, had dedicated his life to reaching the Grandmaster realm. When his spiritual world was smashed by the fourth strike of the Eighteenth Hammer of Ascent—

This is forging! Bubusoluo stared wide-eyed, desperate not to miss a single detail of Qian Jin’s forging process. His expression, now reverent, was as focused and careful as a novice apprentice encountering forging for the first time, diligently listening to the teacher’s guidance.

Time flowed rapidly. Near the forge, besides the sounds of metal being hammered, there was no other noise. All the demons were transfixed. Even those who didn't grasp the essence of forging, merely watching Qian Jin wield his hammers with such effortless grace, felt as if they were witnessing a master landscape painter applying strokes to a magnificent canvas.

Majestic and grand!

To many mortals and demons, forging was associated with sweaty, unskilled individuals standing beside a fiery furnace, engaged in an ugly struggle against molten metal.

However, Qian Jin’s actions utterly shattered the assembly of demons’ perception of blacksmithing. The two hammers in Qian Jin’s hands radiated a powerful, imposing aura at every moment, an imposing presence capable of swallowing the sun, moon, earth, and sky!

Qian Jin, standing by the furnace, no longer carried the irritating arrogance he displayed before. Instead, he possessed an indescribable magnetism—virile, imposing, confident, drawing every demon’s gaze like the sun.

Time sped by unnoticed by the assembled demons. The weapon beneath Qian Jin’s hammer slowly took shape: two chains, very peculiar chains. One chain was tipped with a metal sphere, about the size of a walnut, gleaming brilliantly in the firelight.

The tip of the other chain was shaped like a sharp flying knife, giving it an unsettling appearance, like a venomous snake coiled in the flames, ready to strike and bite a person or demon dead at any moment.

Dou Cha… Open…

Qian Jin directly plucked the Nine Yang True Flame Iron and tossed it into the furnace. The existing flames swelled and erupted high into the air. Several high-grade metal materials looted from the Marauder Group were also thrown in. Lucifer Liushui was the first to recover, gently patting the two clan leaders of the Mammon Demon Tribe and murmuring softly, “Mirror of Rushing Water is truly giving this his all this time. I suspect this piece of equipment won’t be truly finished for another day or two. Perhaps we should wait outside.”

“Esteemed Princess…” The two Mammon clan leaders exchanged glances and replied respectfully, “We wish to stand here and watch Master Feijing complete this work.”

“That might be tiring,” Lucifer Liushui’s smile held a hint of pride. The way these two addressed Qian Jin had transformed from initial hostility to profound respect for the Master.

“Tiring or not,” the two Mammon clan leaders replied with a smile, “it is our respect for Master Feijing. We wouldn’t want Master Feijing to finish his work and find us absent, causing him displeasure.”

Lucifer Liushui smiled and didn’t press the matter, stepping outside to instruct demons to prepare some food.

Qian Jin’s forging session only paused slightly late into the night. The Nine Yang True Flame Iron maintained the temperature of the flame, ensuring the forged item would not suffer from cooling.

The two Mammon clan leaders watched Qian Jin cautiously from a distance, strictly forbidding any demon from disturbing Master Feijing’s work, as such forging required absolute concentration and focus.

After eating dinner, Qian Jin sat on the ground and began his meditation practice—a routine he never broke, no matter how exhausted he was.

Meditation? The two Mammon clan leaders were quite curious. This master was truly peculiar! He possessed no spiritual energy whatsoever, yet he was meditating? Could this seemingly meaningless meditation actually hold some special benefit for his forging?

Lucifer Liushui shook her head gently beside him—what a persistent man! Something utterly impossible, yet he persisted regardless…

Heh heh… Lucifer Liushui smiled again. Wasn’t it this very peculiar tenacity that first attracted her to admire and favor Qian Jin?

Seemingly foolish, yet stubbornly persisting!

A regular warrior challenging a bloodline warrior—wasn't that stubbornness bordering on foolishness? Yet, he kept doing it.

A regular warrior challenging the Qian family, a lineage whose bloodline power gave even Great Demon Kings headaches? That was beyond foolishness, yet he still pursued it with unwavering persistence.

Persistence! Lucifer Liushui couldn't help but sigh. A persistent man was truly handsome and charismatic!

“If you don’t try, if you don’t persist, how will you ever know it’s impossible?”

The words she had once asked Qian Jin echoed in Lucifer Liushui’s ears—a response that sounded naive, yet was saturated with tenacity.

The meditation, as usual, yielded no apparent effect.

Qian Jin pulled out Battle Crystals from the Battle Realm and began his daily battle qi training. A surging tide of pure battle energy—energy requiring almost no impurity purification—erupted and poured wildly into his Battle Apertures and his Battle Heart.

This is…? The scalps of the two Mammon clan leaders prickled simultaneously, an icy coldness instantly spreading through their bodies, raising goosebumps.

“This…”

The two Mammon clan leaders exchanged shocked glances. The amount and ferocity with which this Battle Crystal was absorbing battle energy were too immense! Could his battle meridians withstand it? Was this lad truly at the Golden Battle Heart level as rumored? Did a Golden Battle Heart swallow battle energy like this?

This lad must be a Battle Soul level Martial Artist, the two clan leaders guessed internally. While there was still a gap between this power and their own, his age combined with such strength, while still being officially classified as an ordinary Martial Artist, was astonishing.

Astonishment… Yes! In the eyes of the strong, the actions of the weak rarely caused surprise, but it wasn't entirely impossible.

Just like when a mother, facing a demon warrior, flings herself over her child to block a sharp spear capable of piercing steel to save her offspring.

The spear pierces the body of the mother protecting her child, yet fails to harm the still-crying child—in that instant! The mother’s body muscles inexplicably solidified, becoming as firm as steel plate.

Anyone witnessing such a sight would be astonished.