With that sound, an ineffable realization washed over everyone. Whether their eyes were open or closed, people forgot they were standing in the bustling marketplace, as if transported back to a secluded paradise of green mountains, clear waters, white mist, and the occasional birdsong.

Qian Jin's inner force reached an unprecedented level. The fusion of his Fighting Soul and War Hammer seemed poised for completion at any moment. Each hammer strike caused a fundamental transformation in the material.

Time, in this instant, ceased to be measured by the crowd; it seemed genuinely arrested. Qian Jin was completely absorbed in this singular environment.

The metal slowly fused, bit by bit, gradually taking the shape previously mentioned: that of a cleaver—a completely ordinary-looking kitchen knife.

The sun had begun its descent, casting scarlet afterglow across every corner of the sky.

Qian Jin stopped his forging. The vast square fell utterly silent; everyone remained immersed in the resounding echo of the hammer blows.

Qian Jin looked at the Soul Tool cleaver in his hand and offered a wry smile. Perhaps because the first object he had ever truly forged into shape was a cleaver, he possessed a subconscious, peculiar inclination to forge knives. Forging a Soul Weapon into the guise of a common kitchen knife—this was likely a first in the entire world of smithing.

The common onlookers were the first to stir. They had merely been drawn into that special realm by the sound of the forging. The master smiths, however, reacted primarily to the sound and were more deeply shaken by Qian Jin's technique, which is why they awoke later than the others.

“How miraculous! Just now, I actually felt like I was among the mountains…” “Me too! Not only that, but I feel my spirit is exceptionally refreshed now…”

“More than that! I feel like many of my ailments have improved; it seems much of the sickness in my body has been dispersed.” “You feel it too? I felt it as well!”

“Really? This is too amazing! Regardless of whether the forging was good or not, at least it can heal sickness!” The murmurs within the crowd quickly dissolved into a noisy exchange as people shared their experiences and impressions.

Qian Jin watched quietly, waiting for the master smiths to recover.

Soon, the smiths with the weakest forging skill began to regain their senses, followed closely by those with slightly better abilities.

Shui Yuetian was among the very last to fully awaken. His face held a sense of satisfaction never before seen. The skin on his aged cheeks flushed with a youthful, rosy glow.

“Incredible… Incredible… Truly, unbelievably incredible!” Shui Yuetian’s laughter grew louder: “I’ve wasted my years! I always thought Master Qian Jin was just someone being artificially lauded, but I never imagined Master Qian Jin possessed such depth. Compared to you, I don't even qualify as an apprentice.”

Shui Yuetian turned and bowed deeply toward the direction of the Qian family estate. He then addressed the two warriors clad in Qian family attire standing below the high platform: “Go back and tell your Patriarch that the favor I owed him has been repaid. Starting today, I, Shui Yuetian, shall join the Blacksmiths’ Guild… following Master Qian Jin… No! Grandmaster… or rather, Divine Craftsman Qian Jin, to dedicate myself to studying the art of forging.”

The two Qian family warriors stared at Shui Yuetian in astonishment. They could never have imagined that this old master smith would suddenly declare such a thing!

The Qian family members were fully aware that the Patriarch had invited Shui Yuetian out specifically to humiliate the Grand Blacksmiths’ Guild and undermine Qian Jin’s prestige. Yet, they never anticipated that this old smith would completely switch allegiance on the spot! Not only did he acknowledge Qian Jin’s forging prowess, but he announced he would not be returning to the Qian family at all.

“That’s fine, just tell Qian Zhanxuan that,” Shui Yuetian dismissed them with a casual wave, then turned back to face Qian Jin, bowing again in the respectful gesture of a disciple: “Guild Master Qian Jin, watching your forging just now has benefited me immensely; it even allowed me to directly break through my previous forging realm. I sincerely hope to become your disciple…” Disciple? A few smiths who had just snapped out of their daze nearly fell off their seats in shock. For Shui Yuetian to publicly demand to take Qian Jin as his master would not only massively boost Qian Jin’s personal reputation but would be a momentous event for the entire Blacksmiths’ Guild of the Zhence Dynasty.

“A sparring session, a friendly spar would suffice…”

“I must be accepted as a disciple.” Shui Yuetian looked at Qian Jin with unyielding intensity: “The gap in our forging capabilities is too wide; sparring would only create a psychological barrier for me. Only by sincerely taking me as a disciple can I calm my heart and truly learn the craft.”

Qian Jin glanced toward Elder Yun Xinghuisheng nearby and saw the old gentleman who first discovered him nodding repeatedly.

“Taking a disciple is no issue, but…” Qian Jin twitched the corners of his mouth: “I already have one apprentice… If you also wish to be taken on…”

“He is very young, is he?” Shui Yuetian’s gaze was placid, his pupils filled with admiration: “I can call him Senior Brother.” Li Litort, standing on the platform, watched the cascade of events unfold, convinced he was still dreaming and hadn't truly woken up. The person Elder Yun Xinghuisheng had insisted he apprentice under back at the Yongliu Forge possessed such terrifying forging strength!

Shui Yuetian! The man qualified to lead the Zhence Dynasty Grand Blacksmiths’ Guild twenty years ago. And now… Now, Li Litort slapped himself hard across the face. The sharp, burning pain confirmed that all of this was real!

Master Shui Yuetian was now becoming the junior apprentice brother of him, Li Litort, a mere young smith!

“Senior Brother, honored to meet you.” Shui Yuetian descended from the platform and bowed respectfully to Li Litort: “I hope Senior Brother will offer much guidance in the future.”

Li Litort swallowed hard and took several deep breaths, quickly returning the bow with sincerity: “Master, you speak too highly…”

Duan Fengbuer raised an eyebrow: “Qian Jin is not only skilled himself but also possesses a keen eye for people. In a setting like this, for this youngster to handle someone like Shui Yuetian without completely freezing up—that’s impressive!” Qian Jin ignored Blaydas’s situation and waved to Li Litort, calling him to his side: “When I left last time, I left you a forging notebook. Did you study it seriously? Did you learn diligently?” Li Litort nodded incessantly at this point. Although his expression still held a measure of tension, he was certainly not in a state of complete stupefaction anymore.

“Go on, strike the iron a couple of times for me to see.” Qian Jin tossed a piece of raw iron into the furnace, followed by a 150-jin sledgehammer: “Show me how you forge refined Iron Essence.”

Iron Essence? The surrounding veteran smiths collectively shivered. How old did Li Litort look? Asking him to forge refined Iron Essence?

Qian Jin said no more, fixing his gaze on Li Litort with an encouraging look.

Clang! The instant the hammer struck the anvil, the expressions of all the smiths changed simultaneously—shock, astonishment, envy, and for many, outright, naked jealousy!

Although this single strike lacked the refinement of Qian Jin’s previous blow, it still carried a faint resonance of the Way of Forging.

The First Strike of the Eighteen Hammers of Shengfeng!

As Li Litort swung his hammer, even though his technique did not yet reach the perfection of that initial strike, this single blow was enough to stun the eyes of countless onlookers.

Yes! Whether a smith possessed potential, and whether the forging techniques they learned were high-level or low-level, the old masters could discern it instantly with a single glance.

With just one hammer strike, Li Litort demonstrated to everyone that he was no good-for-nothing! The forging continued. Watching his slightly clumsy movements, the veteran smiths began to understand why Qian Jin had demanded his apprentice attempt Iron Essence immediately; the young man possessed that very capability! Refined iron? That would have been an insult to him!

“Master Blaydas, how is my apprentice?” Qian Jin asked Blaydas with a grin: “He has studied under me for less than a month, and the time I personally instructed him amounts to less than four hours.”

“Ah?” Blaydas, just recovering from his shock, froze again upon seeing Li Litort’s performance. Hearing Qian Jin’s words, he became stunned for a third time.

“Blaydas, do you still believe that the smiths of our Zhence Dynasty have no potential or future?” Qian Jin smiled and turned his gaze toward the forging Li Litort.

At this moment, the crowd understood why Qian Jin had brought his apprentice onto the platform to perform—it was all to retort Blaydas’s earlier contemptuous mockery of the Zhence Dynasty’s forging capabilities.

A young smith, studying for less than a month, personally instructed for less than four hours, showing the momentum to directly strike Iron Essence—what level of ability did that signify?

Anyone with even a slight familiarity with forging knew that this went far beyond mere genius.

Blaydas could only remain silent. He himself had once been an exceptionally gifted smith, hailed by the Dwarven race as a future Divine Craftsman!

One year! Blaydas remembered—to forge Iron Essence as quickly as possible, he worked day and night, thinking only of how to advance his technique, whether going to the latrine or eating. It took him a full year to forge his very first piece of Iron Essence.

Because of this achievement, Blaydas became the most talented apprentice smith in the Dwarven tribe in three thousand years, and the tribal elders had held a celebratory feast for three days.

One year? One month? Blaydas suddenly realized that the strength of the young man before him, this Qian Jin, was as unfathomable as the depths of the Endless Sea, allowing no one to grasp his true limits.

If his own forging skill was astonishing, but his ability to train pupils to reach similar heights of power—and in such a short time—meant this person could no longer be described merely as terrifying.

Blaydas felt a sudden impulse: to rush forward and kill Qian Jin right there, lest the Dwarven race’s forging capabilities be surpassed by the Zhence Dynasty for a very long time to come.