Such intense spirituality!
A perfect work!
At this moment, in Lou Gao's eyes, this piece of Star Soul Iron had transformed into a peerless beauty. The dazzling three-foot stellar light pillar occupied his entire vision.
As a Divine Blacksmith, Lou Gao's discernment was sharp enough.
He could tell that the perfect spiritual guidance of this Star Soul Iron wasn't solely due to the Spirit Infusion method; the key lay in Su Ming's forging technique.
Spirit Infusion granted basic spirituality; it didn't directly elevate its spirituality to such an exaggerated level.
"Your forging skill is above mine," Lou Gao murmured.
He admitted this very frankly.
If his old friend Titan were to show some techniques he couldn't perform, he might still be stubborn, because even if Titan mastered skills he didn't, the gap wouldn't be huge, and he also possessed skills Titan didn't.
But the technique Su Ming demonstrated before him defeated him thoroughly in his most specialized field.
The gap was too vast; there wasn't even room for excuses.
Or perhaps, faced with such a immense gap, Lou Gao felt no desire to be stubborn, only a mindset akin to pilgrimage.
His gaze shifted from the dissipating stellar light pillar, locking onto Su Ming. His small eyes began to flicker with various emotions.
Shock.
Bewilderment.
Reverence.
A plea for instruction.
All these thoughts were vividly displayed in his small eyes.
"President, please stop staring at me like that; it's unsettling," Su Ming spoke up.
Lou Gao realized his posture was improper, coughed twice, and straightened up.
"Little Ming, were these forging techniques all taught by your teacher?"
"Teacher laid a solid foundation," Su Ming said with a light laugh.
A flash of jealousy passed through Lou Gao's eyes.
That Zhu Jiuyang, what incredible luck did he stumble upon?
To independently develop forging skills of this level—would calling him a reincarnated god be an exaggeration?
Meanwhile, Duan Jin and Huo Lie were still immersed in the sensation of Su Ming's forging.
Duan Jin seemed to have gained some insight. From Su Ming's step-by-step guidance of the Star Soul Iron's spirituality, treating it as if it were truly a living being to nurture and guide, he had learned a great deal.
Huo Lie was purely astonished.
His devotion to forging wasn't absolute, but at this moment, his heart suddenly raced, sensing the charm of forging.
"You three came to see me today for a reason, right?" Lou Gao said. "Kid, you don't want to be President, do you? No problem. Just say the word, and the presidency is yours right now."
Su Ming waved his hands repeatedly.
"That won't do, that won't do."
In the upcoming reformed Blacksmith Association, the President would be the real workhorse; he didn't want that job.
"President Lou Gao, we came to discuss the Association's reform with you," Huo Lie said, having also snapped back to attention.
Lou Gao looked puzzled.
What reform?
How come I don't know about it?
"Regarding the technique of Thousand Refined Spirit Metal, I do not intend to keep it secret."
Hearing Su Ming's words, Lou Gao's eyes immediately lit up, even seeming to grow larger in that instant.
"Truly?"
"Truly. However, I wish to redefine the classification of the blacksmithing profession."
"How would you classify it?"
Lou Gao looked at Su Ming curiously.
"From now on, blacksmiths will be renamed Forging Masters. The Blacksmith Association will be renamed the Forging Master Association. The methods for Thousand Refined Spirit Metal, especially my technique for infusing metal with spirituality, will all be left as a legacy."
Lou Gao's gaze at Su Ming now resembled that of a pilgrim.
At this moment, he truly felt Su Ming was glowing.
"Good! Excellent, excellent!"
He was flushed with excitement, immensely thrilled.
"In that case, I must hand the presidency over to you even more. I feel unworthy of the position myself."
Su Ming declined: "It's fine, President Lou Gao. I trust your character. You should remain President. Additionally, I want to reclassify the ranks of Forging Masters. The so-called title of 'Divine Blacksmith' will also be abolished. Can you accept that, President?"
Lou Gao waved his hand.
"Whether I'm truly a Divine Blacksmith or not, don't I know myself?"
It was just called Divine Blacksmith to sound grand; in reality, the distance from the divine realm was vast.
"However, I must remind you: even after renaming to Forging Masters, we must not disappoint the ordinary blacksmiths who support us."
Lou Gao was indifferent to whether he was called a Divine Blacksmith, but he took Su Ming's proposal to reclassify ranks very seriously. His expression turned grave.
"I can sense that the term 'Forging Master' carries extraordinary meaning, already stepping beyond the scope of an ordinary person's profession. If Thousand Refined Spirit Metal is the key to your classification of Forging Masters, it already implicitly assumes Forging Masters originate from Spirit Masters. And Spirit Masters are inherently a noble profession. Renaming to the Forging Master Association will gain higher societal recognition, which is excellent. But one thing you must remember: the blacksmithing profession is our root, the very foundation upon which the Blacksmith Association was built. Our goal is to promote and glorify blacksmithing, not to help a few metalworkers escape the struggles of a lower-class profession. You can redefine the ranks of your so-called Forging Masters, but ordinary people employed as blacksmiths must also have a path to enter the ranks. They must also have the qualification to be called Forging Masters. Otherwise, I will firmly disagree."
Basing it on the identity of Spirit Masters, then packaging the profession as 'Forging Master,' supplemented by the evidence of Thousand Refined Spirit Metal, the Forging Master Association would undoubtedly gain rapid recognition. The status of Forging Masters would then be far beyond what current blacksmiths could compare to.
However, Lou Gao insisted that ordinary blacksmiths must also have a pathway to become Forging Masters.
"Don't worry, President. I am aware of this," Su Ming said. "Actually, I already have a draft for the new classification. Mastering the Hundred Refinement technique qualifies one as a Junior Forging Master. The ability to shape Hundred Refined metal into various components qualifies one as an Intermediate Forging Master. The ability to perform spirituality-unguided Thousand Refinement on ordinary metal and shape the product qualifies one as a Senior Forging Master. Those who master Thousand Refined Spirit Metal are Forging Masters."
Even in the future classification of Forging Masters, there were ordinary Hundred Refinement levels, let alone in this current background?
Hearing Su Ming's classification, Lou Gao couldn't help but nod.
Just four tiers, yet very reasonable and clearly stratified, far more logical than the current Blacksmith Association's classification.
"Currently, our forging level only reaches Thousand Refined Spirit Metal. The Star Soul Iron I just forged had spiritual light emanating from its body, forming a pillar three feet high. Based on my experience, Spirit Metal with spiritual light exceeding one foot is clearly another level. I call this level Thousand Refined Grade One. Below that, based on spiritual strength, it ranges from Grade Two to Grade Four."
"As for the future, I also have a preliminary plan: reaching the level of the first-generation Divine Blacksmith's metal that transformed into a Spirit Beast. That is, through forging means, complete the perfect guidance of the metal's spirituality, allowing the metal's spirituality to grow to its peak during forging and sublimate, no longer relying on natural gestation or luck to transform into a true living entity."
No longer relying on natural transformation into life.
Meaning, it must rely on the Forging Master's hammer to complete this metamorphosis.
Lou Gao understood the implication behind Su Ming's words, his body trembling with excitement.
Could it truly be achieved?
It must be possible!
...
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(End of Chapter)