Douluo: Trinity, I run through the timeline.

Chapter 13 - Don't scroll down! (Please continue reading!!!)

It is rare for someone to be willing to join the blacksmithing industry as a Soul Master.

Generally, only children from blacksmith families who are exposed to blacksmithing from a young age will have such ideas.

"This little kid's soul power fluctuations... could he have already obtained his first soul ring?" Si Long asked.

Duan Jin chuckled and said, "Grandmaster Silong has keen insight."

Si Long is a Soul Saint, so it's not surprising that he can sense these things.

"Go ahead, go ahead, the Blacksmiths' Guild hasn't had any talented newcomers join in a long time."

Having soul power is crucial for blacksmiths, because among the seven levels divided by the Blacksmith Association, blacksmiths need the assistance of soul power from the very beginning.

Ordinary blacksmiths simply cannot cross the threshold and reach the level of master blacksmiths with their mortal bodies.

There's no way around it; the more advanced the technique, the higher the requirements for the blacksmith. Ordinary blacksmiths without soul power simply cannot handle it.

The addition of outstanding newcomers is good news for Silong. As Lou Gao's eldest disciple, he may inherit the Blacksmith Association at any time in the future, so he is naturally happy to see the association get better and better.

Duan Jin cupped his hands in greeting and led Su Ming into the adjacent foundry.

Before leaving, Su Ming also cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

Upon entering the foundry, Su Ming discovered the source of the noise: the complex machinery inside was in operation. Beside the massive machine, a slightly aged middle-aged man was frowning in deep thought.

Hearing the door open, the middle-aged man looked up.

"Xiao Jin, you're back?"

His attention was focused on Su Ming.

Su Ming felt as if he were being locked onto by something.

“Teacher, this is Su Ming. He has been working in my family’s blacksmith shop for nearly a year. He is very dedicated to forging and has a talent for it. I brought him to see you so that we can take him as an apprentice.”

"Oh?"

Zhu Jiuyang revealed an expression of great interest.

He wasn't angry at his apprentice for taking matters into his own hands.

He was very happy when his apprentice brought in a new disciple, because he knew that anyone who could catch Duan Jin's eye must be a genius, especially one who also had talent in the field of Soul Master.

He sensed it even more clearly than Si Long, and was certain that Su Ming was a first-ring Soul Master.

"what's your name?"

"Su Ming."

"Hmm, how old are you this year?"

"Seven years old."

"Seven years old?" Zhu Jiuyang exclaimed in surprise, "Seven years old and already at the first ring?"

“Teacher, he broke through to level 10 when he was just seven years old. That was the first spirit ring I helped him hunt down,” Duan Jin replied from the side.

"You brought him to hunt souls?" Zhu Jiuyang frowned.

Duan Jin knew why his teacher was frowning and said, "Don't worry, teacher, Xiao Su's first spirit ring is a three-hundred-year-old Vajra Ape."

Zhu Jiuyang nodded in satisfaction, then instructed Su Ming: "If you want to become my disciple, tell me when you need to hunt for the second soul ring. Don't look for Xiao Jin anymore; he's only a Soul Master, how could he find you the most suitable soul ring?"

Su Ming was puzzled.

Zhu Jiuyang explained, "Once you become my disciple, I will provide you with the best training in all aspects of Soul Master cultivation, whether it's Soul Rings or guidance in Soul Power cultivation." "Soul Power is the foundation of the Soul Master world. With strength, blacksmiths won't be looked down upon. Similarly, the stronger your Soul Power, the more freely you can forge. They complement each other. If I break through to level 80 now and become a Soul Douluo, I will definitely become a Divine Craftsman within three days!"

Su Ming remained silent.

So it's the realm of enlightenment.

"Xiao Su, don't take this lightly. All those who can become Grandmasters in the Blacksmith Association are Soul Saints," Duan Jin explained from the side.

Su Ming nodded.

He was actually curious about what the threshold was for becoming a Grandmaster, since it required a Soul Saint to achieve it.

Zhu Jiuyang continued to inquire about Su Ming's situation and was very surprised to learn that Su Ming was capable of thousand-fold forging.

In the blacksmith's association, 100 forgings and 1,000 forgings are two thresholds. Being able to complete 100 forgings makes one a junior blacksmith. The intermediate and senior blacksmiths are all shaping materials based on 100 forgings. 1,000 forgings is the threshold for a master blacksmith.

It's worth mentioning that the so-called "thousand-time forging" here is actually no different from the "thousand-time forging" of the third era of Douji. The only difference is that the "thousand-time forging" of the third era was forging rare metals and could bring out the spirituality within the metals. This is what is meant by "thousand-time forging has a spirit".

In today's world, even after thousands of refinements, it is still impossible to draw out the spirituality that is almost non-existent in metal.

"I succeeded that one time by chance," Su Ming said modestly.

Although it only happened once, he actually did it many times.

Because after his tacit understanding of the Thousand Refinement, he achieved results directly during the third stage of the Battle. During the month that Su Ming and Duan Jin were traveling to the Savage Beast Mountain Range, he repeatedly used the power to complete the true Thousand Refinement, demonstrating the talent of a blacksmith.

Su Ming, who had also consolidated his strength in Dou San, was confident that he could perform another Thousand Refinement in front of Zhu Jiuyang.

That's right. In the first era of Douyi, the Thousand Refinement Technique lacked spirit, so it was naturally a downgraded Thousand Refinement Technique.

Of course, the technical content is similar, with little difference.

In fact, this is the difference in forging techniques between the two periods.

At Zhu Jiuyang's request, Su Ming repeated the Thousand Refinements and successfully became Zhu Jiuyang's disciple.

In just a few days, he learned more about Zhu Jiuyang.

Zhu Jiuyang's martial soul is Fire Spirit, which possesses spiritual attributes. It is a top-tier martial soul with both fire and spiritual attributes, and its soul power reaches level 79.

In fact, when Zhu Jiuyang was demonstrating his forging skills, Su Ming felt that Zhu Jiuyang's flames even exuded a sacred aura.

"Senior brother, does our teacher have any connection with the Spirit Hall?" Su Ming asked secretly.

Wuhun Palace?
Duan Jin shook his head, looking completely bewildered.

"I have been a disciple of my teacher for more than ten years, and I have never heard of my teacher having any contact with the Spirit Hall. However, the Spirit Hall's Spirit Master in Gengxin City does not seem to have ever disrespected our teacher."

Bishop Miles of the Spirit Hall in Gengxin City often bullied the blacksmiths of the Blacksmith Association, and had many conflicts with Grandmasters such as Si Long and Si Qi. Even the Divine Craftsman Lou Gao was disgusted by him a few times. On the contrary, Miles never provoked Zhu Jiuyang.

“I think it’s more because our teacher is strong.” Duan Jin, who had been instilled with the theory of strength by Zhu Jiuyang, also agreed with this point. He said to Su Ming, “Our teacher has a soul power of level 79 and may break through to level 80 at any time and become a Soul Douluo. Of course, that’s not the point. The point is that he is not an ordinary Soul Saint. Five years ago, he fought a Soul Douluo and did not lose.

five years ago?
I'm level 79 now. Five years ago, I probably wouldn't have been level 75 or higher.
Su Ming was speechless.

In this era, it is extremely rare to be able to fight beyond one's level. My teacher was able to fight beyond his level even during the Soul Saint stage, which is indeed impressive and justifies his theory—that only the strong will not be bullied.

"Just do the tasks your teacher assigns you. There's no need to exceed them. Our sect focuses on soul power cultivation. You can gradually accumulate experience over the next few years. Once you break through to Soul Master, you can have a month of intensive training and then you'll understand the benefits of different soul power levels."

Duan Jin instructed Su Ming not to roll the forging process.

　A friend's book seems pretty good. It's similar to my own in its imaginative, plot-driven style, where each martial soul is developed through multiple iterations. It references elements from Black Myth: Wukong, including things like the ability to detect and manipulate. The early stages focus on mechanics, while the later stages utilize the seven-in-one system for overwhelming numerical superiority.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)