As dawn broke on the second day, the footsteps of the Blacksmiths shattered the morning silence. One by one, they headed straight for the competition grounds with solemn expressions.
The second round of the Junior Division forging competition was destined to be the key battle that decided the overall trend.
Arthur and Tang Wulin headed out to participate.
According to the rules of the competition, the scores from several rounds would be accumulated, and the champion would ultimately be decided by the judges' comprehensive scoring.
The difficulty of this round far exceeded that of yesterday.
Contestants needed to choose their own rare metals for free forging; the quality, creativity, and forging craftsmanship of the finished product would directly showcase their true level.
One must know that for a junior Blacksmith under fifteen, being able to complete a Hundred Forging was already considered outstanding, while the realm of Thousand Forging was an exclusive label for a Genius.
"The second round of the Tianhai Alliance Grand Competition, Blacksmith Division, is about to begin. All contestants, please get ready. Please choose your rare metals wisely. After the forging is complete, there will be a third round for shaping. The second round will begin in one minute."
The voice of the presiding examiner spread throughout the venue via a spirit tool megaphone, clear and powerful, adding a bit more tension to the already solemn competition grounds.
The contestants focused their minds, their eyes locked onto their forging tables. Most of them were fifteen years old; being able to complete a Hundred Forging showed extraordinary talent. At this moment, everyone was mentally rehearsing their forging process, striving to perform at their absolute best.
Arthur stood before his own forging table. On the podium, the eyes of the Grandmasters quickly swept across the field, eventually converging on Arthur in unison.
From that display yesterday, they knew that Arthur's presence was simply a dimensional strike against the others.
A flicker of anticipation flashed in the cloudy eyes of the White-haired Old Man in the center. He said to the people beside him, "You have all seen that piece of Hundred Forging metal he forged yesterday."
"Today is free forging. How far do you think he can go?"
"Thousand Forging Second Grade is a certainty," someone said with a trembling voice. "Can he complete a thousand forging first grade?"
Although Arthur's move yesterday would be difficult even for a fifth-rank Blacksmith, no one associated him with the possibility of Spirit Forging. After all, they were two different concepts.
Furthermore, thousand forging first grade was already an extremely bold guess. One had to remember that Arthur was only nine years old.
A nine-year-old thousand forging first grade would make him the first person in history!
"Grandmaster Cen Yue, how about giving us the inside scoop?" Everyone looked toward Cen Yue.
Cen Yue just smiled and shook his head, keeping them in suspense. "Why be in such a hurry? Everyone, watch slowly; you will know the answer soon."
On the competition stage, the countdown ended.
"The competition begins!"
All the Blacksmiths quickly began forging, entering their zones. They had all been spooked by Arthur. Their rhythm had been disrupted yesterday, affecting their results, and they hadn't even wanted to eat after going back.
Arthur didn't continue to show off; he was going to be serious for the second round of the competition.
He slowly raised his hand, and a fist-sized metal billet fell from his storage spirit tool, which he placed onto the forging table.
The metal was deep ink-black all over, its surface covered in fine silver-gray patterns. It was the extremely rare starfall gold.
This metal originated from the most refined part of extraterrestrial meteorites, naturally containing extremely strong Stellar Power. Its hardness far exceeded ordinary Ore, and its internal structure was unique, completely different from other metals on the Douluo Continent.
Not only was it extremely difficult to purify, but it also required using Soul Power to guide the Stellar Power to maintain a balance with the metal itself. The slightest carelessness would cause the metal to shatter; even senior Blacksmiths found it hard to control.
However, it was an excellent material for forging the core components of Battle Armor.
Arthur was going to start preparing for his own Battle Armor right here at this forging competition.
"It's actually starfall gold!"
On the stage, the White-haired Old Man suddenly leaned forward, his cloudy eyes full of shock. "This metal is several times harder to forge than Heavy Silver. He actually dares to choose this?"
Several Grandmasters beside him were also moved. Someone whispered, "Forging starfall gold requires a thousand temperings to remove Impurities, and one must also guide the Stellar Power to restrain itself. Any minor mistake means all previous efforts are wasted."
"'A thousand temperings' isn't just a saying; it's a fact. This requires hard work; it's not something that can be skipped just because one has good technique."
"He's only nine years old. Setting aside whether he can succeed, is his Soul Power sufficient?"
The people here were all Blacksmiths and didn't pay much attention to Soul Master competitions.
"Bang!"
The first hammer fell, its force heavy and precise, landing exactly on a pattern node where Impurities were clustered on the surface of the starfall gold.
In the dull sound of impact, the starfall gold vibrated slightly, and the silver-gray patterns on its surface lit up with a faint glimmer, as if a sleeping star was gradually being awakened.
Arthur's hammer technique was extremely rhythmic, one strike after another, neither fast nor slow, with the landing points not off by a hair.
While knocking out Impurities, he also used Soul Power to guide the Stellar Power to flow slowly inside the metal.
The hammering sounds of the other Blacksmiths were either hurried or slow, but only Arthur's rhythm was as steady as a pendulum.
Every time the hammer fell, it was accompanied by the flickering of the patterns on the surface of the starfall gold. That light grew brighter and brighter, and a faint halo of starlight gradually spread out, enveloping the metal.
"Five hundred strikes! Is his Soul Power still so abundant?" someone whispered in amazement, their eyes full of disbelief.
starfall gold was extremely taxing on Soul Power. Even for a Third-Rank Blacksmith, they should be exhausted after five hundred strikes, yet Arthur's movements remained steady and his gaze focused.
On the podium, several Grandmasters also saw the clues. The White-haired Old Man said solemnly, "This child's Soul Power foundation is likely far beyond his peers by who knows how much."
"What's even rarer is that his control over Soul Power has actually reached the point where he can guide Stellar Power!"
Stellar Power, unless one had a special Martial Soul, was not something a low-level Soul Master could touch.
Time passed minute by minute, and Arthur's hammering sounds gradually became crisper.
The originally thick starfall gold gradually shrank under the thousand temperings, the surface Impurities were stripped away layer by layer, and its color became increasingly pure.
On the deep ink-black base, the silver-gray patterns seemed to come alive, wandering and Binding across the metal surface, faintly emitting a faint stellar pressure.
"Nine hundred and ninety-nine strikes!" The entire audience subconsciously held their breath, and even other Blacksmiths who were still competing couldn't help but look over.
Their gazes were deathly locked onto Arthur's forging table.
Arthur took a deep breath, and the Soul Power within his body surged frantically into the forging hammer. The hammerhead instantly glowed with a layer of brilliant golden light. His eyes narrowed, and his arms suddenly exerted force!
"Bang!"
The thousandth hammer fell. The force suddenly surged, yet it was controlled with ease.
This strike seemed to contain the weight of a thousand tons, yet it also carried a perfectly timed softness as it smashed onto the starfall gold.
In an instant, the silver-gray patterns on the surface of the starfall gold suddenly lit up, the starlight halo exploded, and a faint humming sound spread clearly through the venue, like the rhythm of rotating stars!
The metal levitated slightly within the halo, the surface Impurities completely dissipated, revealing a texture as warm and transparent as ink jade.
The silver-gray patterns coiled upon it like a galaxy, with Stellar Power faintly flowing, emitting a heart-palpitating aura.
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