As they watched the forging hammer freely crafting in the sky and the couple below showering everyone with public displays of affection, the media found themselves at a loss—what should they focus on?
Film the forging hammer?
That wouldn't generate much traffic.
Film Xia Yi and Leng Yaozhu flaunting their love?
But this was a forging competition!
Even the spectators didn't know where to look for a moment.
Only the most devoted forging enthusiasts, including Zhen Hua, had their eyes locked onto the forging hammer soaring swiftly through the air.
Compared to the forging spectacle above, Xia Yi and Leng Yaozhu's romantic display was utterly meaningless in their eyes.
Even Lin Yuhan, Xia Yi's opponent, abandoned her own forging process to watch the hammer dance in the sky.
Each strike carried a unique charm—ethereal, fluid, and seamlessly merging with the world around it.
This was the feeling shared by every forging master present.
Zhen Hua was completely absorbed in it, his heart surging with waves of astonishment.
The moment Xia Yi took out the Life Crystal and Starfall Iron, he knew Xia Yi had already secured victory in this match.
Even though Lin Yuhan was a sixth-rank forging master, there was no way she could surpass Xia Yi.
What truly shocked him, however, was Xia Yi's level of insight—his understanding of the power of the world.
Zhen Hua had once demonstrated the technique of channeling the power of the heavens and earth to assist in forging before Xia Yi.
At the time, because Xia Yi's level was still too low, he didn't provide a detailed explanation—just a passing mention.
Yet unexpectedly, Xia Yi had not only grasped it after watching once but had also developed his own unique path in forging.
No, this wasn't just learning—it was creation.
The charm Xia Yi exhibited in his forging had even surpassed Zhen Hua in certain aspects, and there were many areas Zhen Hua himself could learn from.
Boom…
As the final hammer strike landed, a powerful surge of life energy flashed momentarily before vanishing without a trace, so quickly that most people didn't even notice.
It was as if it had never existed.
Without needing to reach out, the spirit-infused forged metal flew back into Xia Yi's hand along with the hammer.
Xia Yi cupped his hands toward Zhen Hua and Chang Gongyan in a respectful manner. "Seniors, what do you think?"
Chang Gongyan let out a bitter smile, shaking his head in admiration.
"We lost, and we fully accept this defeat. As expected of a genius forging master who came up with the Celestial Fox Fusion Forging Technique."
His gaze locked onto the metal in Xia Yi's hand, his eyes burning with desire.
Zhen Hua, too, couldn't hide the excitement in his expression."Let me take a look at the metal you just forged."
Xia Yi handed it over. "Please advise me, Senior."
Zhen Hua carefully examined it from every angle before using an instrument to test its properties.
"Ninety-nine percent fusion rate."
Zhen Hua's voice was calm, but Chang Gongyan was completely stunned.
Life Crystal contained pure life energy, while Starfall Iron carried a trace of destructive aura from meteoric metal.
Achieving a ninety-nine percent fusion rate with two inherently conflicting materials—
Even he couldn't do that.
Wait… He couldn't even spirit forge Starfall Iron!
"This is all thanks to Zhu'er." Xia Yi smiled, holding Leng Yaozhu's delicate hand.
Zhen Hua's lips twitched slightly.
What did this have to do with Leng Yaozhu?
"Master Xia Yi, would you be willing to sell me this fusion-forged metal? I am willing to pay a high price." Zhen Hua suddenly became serious.
Xia Yi awkwardly scratched his head.
"Senior, you're too polite. If you want it, just take it."
Zhen Hua addressing him as "Master" felt a bit overwhelming.
Although a fifth-rank forging master was technically called a "master," being addressed as such by Zhen Hua himself felt too much for Xia Yi to accept.
Zhen Hua sighed deeply.
"To be honest, the way you channeled the power of the heavens and earth during your forging has given me new insights into Heaven Refining. I plan to go into seclusion soon, and if I can grasp even a portion of what I've learned today, my Heaven Refining success rate will increase by at least five percent."
His words sent shockwaves through the crowd, even causing Leng Yaozhu's expression to turn serious.
As a four-word battle armor master, she knew exactly what a five percent increase in Heaven Refining success rate meant.
Under normal circumstances, Zhen Hua's success rate for Heaven Refining was less than ten percent. With the special forging platform at the Blacksmith's Association, he could raise it to around twenty percent.
Now, he was saying his success rate could increase by at least five percent?
And that was just the minimum?
The significance of this was indescribable.
In the future, anyone commissioning Zhen Hua for four-word battle armor would save astronomical amounts on materials alone.
Zhen Hua looked at Xia Yi and Leng Yaozhu before making a solemn declaration:
"How about this? Give me this piece of metal, and in return, I will offer you one free four-word battle armor forging session. Once I finish my seclusion, you may bring someone to me, and I will forge their four-word battle armor free of charge—just provide the materials, and I won't take a single coin for the forging fee."
His words sent another wave of commotion through the crowd.
Four-word battle armor—something countless Hyper Douluos and even Limit Douluos could only dream of!
Many Limit Douluos had gone bankrupt trying to commission Zhen Hua, only to ultimately resort to forcibly upgrading their three-word battle armor into four-word armor.
But that kind of battle armor would never truly match the power of real four-word battle armor.
Now, such an opportunity was right in front of Xia Yi.
No wonder everyone was in an uproar.
Xia Yi, however, turned to Zhen Hua and hesitated."The people I know can't even wear four-word battle armor yet… Senior, could I give this opportunity to Zhu'er instead?"
Zhen Hua burst into laughter.
"You two are husband and wife, what's the difference?"
Xia Yi and Leng Yaozhu exchanged glances and bowed slightly in gratitude."Then we thank you, Senior."
Zhen Hua laughed heartily, then turned to Leng Yaozhu.
"His Majesty Skycovering was right. Seeing Her Majesty Heavenly Phoenix find her happiness is a joy for all soul masters. Let me add another gift—I will also prepare a set of Heaven-Refined metal for a second set of four-word battle armor, as a wedding gift from me and the Blacksmith's Association to you two. Wishing you both eternal happiness."
Leng Yaozhu's beautiful eyes gleamed with undisguised excitement. She hadn't expected Zhen Hua to be so generous, offering not just one but two sets of four-word battle armor.
"Hahaha, just a small gesture."
Zhen Hua laughed, though his generosity wasn't entirely selfless.
If his upcoming seclusion didn't yield the desired insights, he might need Xia Yi to forge again for him.
He also felt a tinge of guilt—for once refusing Leng Yaozhu's request for four-word battle armor and for carrying out Long Yeyue's scheme against her and Xia Yi a year ago.
But most importantly, he saw Xia Yi's potential.
With Xia Yi's talent, as long as he reached the Title Douluo level, he would undoubtedly become a Divine Blacksmith.
Perhaps even the next president of the Blacksmith's Association.
Since he'd be forging battle armor for others anyway, why not use this opportunity to build a relationship?
After all, this was a chance to offer assistance when it truly mattered.
"Crack..."
At the top floor of the Blacksmith Association, Tang Sect's Amorous Douluo, Zang Xin, crushed a glass cup into powder.
"Damn those Star Luo Continent natives! Of all times, they just had to come now. They're obviously here to help Xia Yi and that wretch Leng Yaozhu!" Long Yeyue's face darkened with anger. She and Zang Xin had originally come to find Zhen Hua, intending to convince him to denounce Leng Yaozhu as an unworthy teacher and accuse Xia Yi of being an ungrateful traitor. But now, things had taken an unexpected turn.
"Your Eminence of Light and Darkness, it seems our plan must change. We might not have any allies left," Zang Xin said gravely as he looked at Long Yeyue.
Their initial plan was to first rally some organizations close to them and then attempt to ally with certain members of the Spirit Pagoda, such as Qiangu Dongfeng, to launch a coordinated attack on Xia Yi and Leng Yaozhu.
But now, with Leng Yaozhu in possession of two full sets of four-word battle armor and maintaining such close ties with Zhen Hua, who would still be willing to follow the Tang Sect in denouncing her?
At the top floor of the Spirit Pagoda's headquarters in Shrek City, Qiangu Dongfeng had gathered the upper echelons of the organization.
Apart from Qiangu Dongfeng and the Four Spirit Envoys, all thirty-six council members were present.
"The Tianfeng Douluo has disregarded all ethics by engaging in a relationship with her own student. I believe she is unworthy of her position and should be removed as the Vice Pagoda Master of the Spirit Pagoda."
The one who spoke was none other than the Witch Douluo, Li Mengjie. Her family was on par with Leng Yaozhu's Leng family, and they even had a divine artifact inheritance.
Years ago, she had been a fellow Spirit Envoy alongside Leng Yaozhu. Later, she had competed against her for the position of Vice Pagoda Master but was ultimately defeated due to her questionable character.
Thus, today, she was the first to seize the opportunity to attack Leng Yaozhu.
Qiangu Dongfeng had already promised her that as long as they could remove Leng Yaozhu from her position, someone from her family would be promoted in her place.
"I support this proposal. If she continues to serve as Vice Pagoda Master, it will undoubtedly tarnish the reputation of the Spirit Pagoda."
"Teacher-student incest, utterly disgraceful! I propose that we completely blacklist Xia Yi. From now on, the Spirit Pagoda should refuse to sell him soul spirits, and the Ascension Platform should deny him entry!"
Prior to the meeting, Qiangu Dongfeng had already coordinated with some council members who had grievances against Leng Yaozhu. As a result, the discussion was overwhelmingly one-sided from the very beginning.
Those who supported Leng Yaozhu didn't even get a chance to speak.
"No matter what, Tianfeng Douluo's contributions to the Spirit Pagoda cannot be denied. Everyone makes mistakes. I believe we should first hear what she has to say. If she is willing to restore her master-disciple relationship with Xia Yi, then we should give her a chance. If she refuses, we can discuss her dismissal later. What do you all think?"
Qiangu Dongfeng deliberately turned to look at the council members who supported Leng Yaozhu.
He wanted to force both Leng Yaozhu and her supporters into silence.
He understood her personality well—now that their relationship was public, she would never back down.
"...That seems to be the only option."
Even the council members who supported Leng Yaozhu had no choice but to agree.
For now, they needed to pacify Qiangu Dongfeng, then find Leng Yaozhu later to come up with a countermeasure.
"Leng Yaozhu, since you are heartless, don't blame me for being ruthless."
Qiangu Dongfeng nodded in satisfaction, sneering inwardly. He then turned to look at the council members who opposed Leng Yaozhu.
"Ding..."
At that moment, Li Mengjie's soul communicator suddenly rang.
She took it out and glanced at it—her expression immediately changed dramatically. She abruptly looked up at Qiangu Dongfeng and said,
"Pagoda Master, Tianfeng Vice Pagoda Master has made invaluable contributions to the Spirit Pagoda. Since that's the case, we cannot remove her from her position over personal matters. Furthermore, Tianfeng Vice Pagoda Master and Xia Yi are both unmarried. I believe they are a match made in heaven. The two are talented and beautiful—a perfect couple! Who are we to oppose them? Therefore, I cannot agree with the Pagoda Master's proposal."
As soon as Li Mengjie finished speaking, she turned into a wisp of blue smoke and disappeared from her seat.
"Hello? Sister Yaozhu? I heard you got married! Congratulations! It's been so long since we last met—why don't we get together and celebrate?"
Although Xia Yi and Leng Yaozhu hadn't held a grand wedding, they had already paid respects to her parents at the Leng family's ancestral shrine.
So, calling them married was not inappropriate.
For the sake of obtaining four-word battle armor, Li Mengjie had approached Zhen Hua multiple times, only to be rejected every time.
Now that an opportunity had presented itself—no matter how slim—she had to seize it.
As soon as Li Mengjie left, the other council members also began receiving messages.
"The Witch Douluo is right! Tianfeng Vice Pagoda Master and Master Xia Yi are a perfect couple. It is not our place to interfere! We should be happy for them. Send out a notice: In celebration of their union, starting today, all Spirit Masters will receive a 20% discount on all Spirit Pagoda services for a month. Couples and spouses who visit together will get a 50% discount. Meeting adjourned!"
After speaking, Qiangu Dongfeng also vanished, escaping even faster than Li Mengjie.
Soon, he arrived at a secluded training chamber within the Spirit Pagoda.
"Wake up!"
Qiangu Dongfeng's loud command instantly forced Qiangu Zhangting out of his meditation.
"Grandfather!"
Because he had been abruptly awakened, Qiangu Zhangting's face was slightly pale, and his soul power was unstable.
Just as he was about to stabilize his energy, Qiangu Dongfeng stopped him.
"Leave it as it is for now."
Qiangu Dongfeng briefly explained the situation and then said in a serious tone,
"I've already arranged for gifts. Later, we will go together to congratulate Tianfeng Vice Pagoda Master. Whether you can obtain a set of four-word battle armor depends on your own efforts."
"Grandfather, there are two sets of four-word battle armor. Shouldn't our family get at least one?"
Qiangu Zhangting's eyes were filled with excitement.
He was currently at Rank 91. Within ten years, he was confident he could break through to Hyper Douluo.
If he could obtain a set of four-word battle armor from Leng Yaozhu, he could go straight to Zhen Hua to have it made once he advanced to Hyper Douluo.
"Mind your attitude later. I just received word that your great-uncle is also preparing gifts. You'll have plenty of competition."
Qiangu Dongfeng glared at Qiangu Zhangting.
"My great-uncle?"
Qiangu Zhangting was stunned. "But doesn't he already have four-word battle armor?"
"It's likely for your great-aunt, the Cold Rhyme Douluo."
Qiangu Dongfeng replied gravely.
Such was the value of four-word battle armor—even Ultimate Douluo would scramble to get their hands on it.
(End of Chapter)