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In today's world, blacksmiths are essentially overworked laborers constantly being exploited.
Apart from those within unique sects like the Clear Sky Clan, the lives of most blacksmiths are far from ideal.
Although some master-level blacksmiths earn a degree of respect for their ability to forge ordinary metals into rare ones, this respect is limited.
After all, even rare metals forged by blacksmiths are only useful to soul engineers below the fourth rank.
Unless one is a divine blacksmith, the respect received is never excessive.
In the end, they are still just laborers.
As for why divine blacksmiths are respected, it is inseparable from their personal strength.
Throughout history, more than ninety percent of those who became divine blacksmiths were powerful soul masters.
To forge iron, one must be strong.
Even master-level blacksmiths are respected more for their own power than for their status as blacksmiths.
This alone reflects the current standing of the blacksmith profession.
The root of this low status lies in the profession's low entry threshold.
With a low barrier to entry, few people truly value it.
Scarcity creates value.
Among blacksmiths, from junior to intermediate to senior levels, they are merely judged by the proficiency of their skills. As long as one can swing a hammer and has some strength, even an ordinary person has a chance to reach these levels.
In fact, blacksmiths at these three levels haven't truly touched upon any extraordinary elements.
This is why the status of blacksmiths is so low.
"Rather than talk about revitalizing the blacksmithing industry, it's more about elevating the profession itself," Su Yu explained in detail. "Blacksmithing is nothing more than ordinary forging techniques. The real core lies in the craftsmanship beyond the master level. The original ranking system for blacksmiths can be entirely restructured—everything below master level should be considered unqualified. Only those who reach master level are true blacksmiths—or perhaps, they should be called forging masters."
"Forging masters?" Kuang Tie repeated the unfamiliar term, unexpectedly feeling no resistance to it.
From the wording alone, it was clear that this title was a refined evolution of the blacksmith profession—and it certainly sounded better.
"Restructuring the ranking system..."
If Su Yu had outright denied the value of junior, intermediate, and senior blacksmiths, Kuang Tie would have struggled to accept it. After all, the original purpose of the Blacksmith Association was to unite blacksmiths, who were generally looked down upon, and to promote their craft.
To entirely invalidate this part of the profession would be difficult for Kuang Tie to accept.
However, presenting it differently—categorizing those levels as unqualified—was much easier to stomach.
Still, the underlying motive was rather transparent.
"I've also studied the so-called master-level and divine blacksmiths. Honestly, they fall short in many ways. In my view, blacksmithing as a profession has developed along the wrong path. The foundation of Douluo Continent is soul masters. If forging is to progress, it must align more closely with soul masters."
Even divine blacksmiths, despite the high quality of the metals they forge, haven't reached the level of compatibility required by soul masters.
Even if they produce armor and weapons that function well for soul masters, the synergy between the two is still lacking.
In the process of cultivating, soul masters rarely seek out divine weapons or treasures. No soul master deliberately searches for such items to arm themselves. Aside from fortunate encounters, where they might obtain some protective gear or a divine blacksmith's weapon, which soul master seriously considers this as part of their path?
This is precisely where blacksmithing has gone astray in its development.
The forging path that developed in the original story aligned with the needs of soul masters and formed the foundation of the battle armor system, thus attaining a highly prestigious status.
However, the forging techniques developed by today's blacksmiths have undeniably gone astray.
Although the rise of soul tools and the scarcity of rare metals in the Three Kingdoms of Douluo have led to a form of reverse elimination in blacksmithing—forcing forging techniques to seek new directions—it's clear that no revolutionary breakthrough has yet occurred.
Su Yu merely revealed a potential path for forging masters to Kuang Tie, intending to use him as a bridge to develop the forging master profession.
The creation of battle armor still faces fundamental limitations.
High-level battle armor requires spirit-forged metals, and even more so, the production of super battle armor demands an extremely high level of spiritual resonance within the metal.
Even when spirit-forged metals are created by awakening their spirit through a specific Spirit Summoning Array, the resulting spiritual quality is still insufficient for immediate use in crafting high-tier battle armor. These metals must be nurtured for a significant period of time.
Moreover, if the process of channeling the spirit into the armor fails during forging, the nurtured spirit could suffer irreversible damage.
If the armor has already been bound to a soul master through a blood contract, such a failure could cause backlash to the soul master as well.
In short, the drawbacks are considerable.
Therefore, developing the forging master profession is necessary—but it doesn't require strictly following the route from the original story.
Su Yu took out a piece of rare metal.
"What is this?"
Kuang Tie's eyelids twitched. As a master-level blacksmith on the verge of reaching divine blacksmith status, he immediately sensed that this piece of rare metal was different.
"This is spirit-forged metal, a form of rare metal whose spirit has been awakened through a special Spirit Summoning Array."
"Spirit…" Kuang Tie's mind surged with inspiration.
To awaken the spirit within metal!
In truth, the breakthrough in forging techniques was already within reach. With Su Yu now explaining the principles of spirit-forged metal face to face, Kuang Tie, a master-level blacksmith, instantly sensed it.
Perhaps, the breakthrough in forging lies precisely in spiritual resonance!
Forging metal, forging its spirit, and through further refinement, shaping that spirit—perhaps even truly bestowing it with life!
"This is a path with limitless potential!" Kuang Tie thought, his heart racing.
Yet soon, hesitation crept in.
Su Yu had just mentioned that blacksmiths held such low status largely because their products had little relevance to soul masters.
So what connection does spiritual resonance have with soul masters?
Suddenly, a realization struck Kuang Tie.
"That's right—high-level battle armor requires spirit-forged metals, just as soul tools require rare metals during production," Su Yu confirmed Kuang Tie's thoughts.
With Su Yu's affirmation, Kuang Tie was overwhelmed with excitement.
The power of battle armor had already been fully demonstrated by the Sun and Moon Royal Team during this year's Soul Master Tournament.
In the near future, battle armor masters would undoubtedly become one of the most sought-after and respected professions among soul masters in Douluo Continent.
And the demand for spirit-forged metals in creating battle armor was comparable to the demand for rare metals in crafting soul tools.
If blacksmiths—no, forging masters—could master the forging of spirit metals, their status would instantly skyrocket!
Kuang Tie felt as if he could already see the future.
"No… something's wrong!" Kuang Tie suddenly snapped to alertness.
Su Yu already possessed spirit-forged metal, and now he was guiding Kuang Tie to break through traditional blacksmithing techniques in that very direction.
In other words, spirit-forged metal might not be heavily dependent on forging masters.
"No… that's not right. Since Su Yu has come seeking something, he must have a need."
It was simply a matter of difficulty.
Kuang Tie figured it out.
"Brother Kuang Tie, I'm sure you've felt my sincerity," Su Yu said calmly.
Kuang Tie nodded, his eyes filled with gratitude.
"It seems our cooperation is viable."
"What does your Sun-Moon Hall need from me?" Kuang Tie asked.
"All I ask is that you provide some assistance when my Sun-Moon army launches its offensive against the Heavenly Soul Empire. When the time comes, someone from Sun-Moon Hall will contact you at the Iron-Blood Sect," Su Yu replied.
He didn't elaborate much on their wartime cooperation and instead continued, "Honestly, more than help during the war, I'm looking forward to your advancement in forging techniques."
"I will not fail you!"
Kuang Tie could sense it too—compared to aiding the Sun-Moon army in attacking the Heavenly Soul Empire, Su Yu's actions today were more about enabling him to develop new forging methods.
Sigh… is this the confidence of the Sun-Moon Empire? he thought with a sigh.
The three kingdoms of Douluo were destined to fall.
"Your cultivation method is quite interesting," Su Yu remarked. "This is a vital energy cultivation technique from the Body Sect. Since you've been refining your body rapidly through toxins and martial spirit power, you might be able to condense your own vital energy."
As he spoke, Su Yu raised his right hand, and a beam of light fell upon Kuang Tie.
In an instant, Kuang Tie felt his body lighten.
The toxins buried deep within him had been purified.
"Thank you."
"Brother Kuang Tie, I'll also leave this piece of spirit-forged metal with you. I hope you can develop the spiritual forging technique as soon as possible."
With that, Su Yu turned and walked into the colorful poison miasma.
Kuang Tie stood there, watching as Su Yu's figure was swallowed by the poisonous mist, unable to calm his turbulent emotions.
He had no thoughts of taking the spirit-forged metal to seek others for cooperation or to analyze the secrets of battle armor.
There was no point.
The Sun-Moon Empire had already established an overwhelming advantage over the three Douluo kingdoms. Unification was inevitable.
Anyone with insight into this larger trend could feel it clearly—that sense of helplessness, that suffocating pressure that could not be resisted.
It was as if the entire world was aiding the Sun-Moon Empire in achieving unification.
Kuang Tie had no intention of defying fate.
His only goal now was to develop forging techniques—to create the spiritual forging method Su Yu had spoken of.
When that time came, blacksmiths would evolve into forging masters, becoming one of the most sought-after and respected professions in the land!
Su Yu ventured deep into the colorful poison miasma and arrived outside a secluded valley.
This time, he didn't see any disciples from the Body Sect behind the valley, but he didn't mind and walked straight into the valley.
Brilliant lights shimmered all around!
Within the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, countless immortal herbs and rare medicinal plants emitted radiant, multicolored glows.
Even though Su Yu had previously harvested many of these herbs, the brilliance remained undiminished.
"Su Yu, you've come again!"
The Fragrant Immortal-Quality Qiluo swayed its large head, clearly pleased by Su Yu's arrival.
Though it didn't say it outright, the truth was undeniable—Su Yu's extraordinary vitality had provided unimaginable benefits to these immortal herbs.
His presence was undoubtedly good news to the Fragrant Qiluo.
With Su Yu cultivating nearby, they too gained advantages.
The immortal herbs that remained—all those Su Yu had not yet taken—felt newfound confidence in facing the impending Heavenly Tribulation.
At present, these herbs had just reached the ten-thousand-year level, having successfully endured their first Ten-Thousand-Year Tribulation.
In another thousand years, they would face the Heavenly Tribulation and embark on the path of fierce beasts.
Originally, they had little hope of surviving.
The physical forms of these herbs were too fragile. Even within the protective Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, their chances of surviving the tribulation were slim.
However, with Su Yu's assistance over the past few visits, they had gained the confidence to face this calamity head-on.
Before reaching the 200,000-year cultivation level and having to face the second Heavenly Tribulation, they no longer needed to worry about their safety.
Moreover, if Su Yu continued to use his extraordinary vitality to help them cultivate for some time, even the 200,000-year Heavenly Tribulation would no longer pose a problem.
"You don't need to worry about me. I'm here purely for cultivation," Su Yu said.
He briefly greeted the immortal herbs and then positioned himself between the two springs of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well. Sitting cross-legged in the void, he reported the news of his collaboration with Kuang Tie to Kong Deming and Jinghongchen, before beginning his cultivation.
Cultivating the Reincarnation Grass within the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well was highly efficient.
The amount of Life Essence Liquid that would typically raise the Reincarnation Grass's cultivation by a thousand years now worked at full effectiveness, raising it by nearly three thousand years.
Moreover, the absorption process was much smoother, with the time reduced to one-third of the original.
Within the range of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, in addition to cultivating the Reincarnation Grass using Life Essence Liquid, Su Yu could fully extend his Blue Silver Domain, nearly covering the entire poisonous miasma domain.
He also performed Ocean of Knowledge twice a day, which greatly boosted the Reincarnation Grass's cultivation.
The terrifying rate of cultivation raised the alarm among the immortal herbs in the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.
The original Holy Soul Grass couldn't have been cultivated like this.
Had Su Yu created something this powerful from the Holy Soul Grass to make the Reincarnation Grass so incredibly potent?
At first, they were shocked and worried, but eventually, they became numb.
After all, Su Yu had actually managed to raise the Reincarnation Grass to 900,000 years of cultivation!
The repeated trials of Heavenly Tribulations had further refined the Reincarnation Grass's essence.
Having passed the ninth Heavenly Tribulation, Su Yu had been in seclusion for a whole year.
During that year, the world of Douluo Dalu had undergone earth-shattering changes.
In just two months since Su Yu entered the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, the Sun-Moon army had seized the territory of the Heavenly Soul Empire, fully integrating it into their domain.
The following six months saw the annexation of the Douling Empire.
After taking control of the Heavenly Soul Empire, cooperation between the Sun-Moon Hall and soul beasts began smoothly, with many soul masters from the Royal Sun-Moon Soul Master Academy joining the project.
The general cultivation methods were becoming more and more refined.
Over 80% of the students at the Royal Sun-Moon Soul Master Academy had already mastered the basics of these methods.
The general cultivation techniques began to spread throughout Sun-Moon, with further promotion underway.
There were no official prohibitions on spreading them.
The reason for this limited spread within Sun-Moon was simply to conduct further research, not because it could only be circulated there.
If someone had the means to get it from Sun-Moon, then they could. Even the Star Luo Empire and Shrek Academy had obtained templates of these general techniques.
Additionally, the battle armor system had made significant progress.
Basic battle armor was being mass-produced for the army by many soul masters from Sun-Moon Hall, effectively doubling the strength of the Sun-Moon Empire's three major soul master groups.
At the same time, Sun-Moon Hall was preparing to send other detained Shrek Academy talents, along with Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen, Huo Yuhao, and Bai Feng, to Shrek Academy to fulfill a prior agreement.
As for the rest…
Naturally, this excluded Wang Dong, Tang Zhen, Tang Ya, and Beibei.
(End of Chapter)