Led by Si Long, the group arrived at the area between the fourth and fifth floors. There were no guards, just a single alloy door blocking the stairs, likely impenetrable for low-level soul masters.
Si Long knocked on the alloy door in a rhythmic pattern, each position and force different. Inside, faint mechanical sounds responded.
It was almost like Morse code.
After thirty-six knocks, the door buzzed and slid open, revealing the way upstairs.
"Please, Your Excellency and honored guests, follow me," Si Long said.
"My master is waiting for you on the fifth floor, which is the private forging area for high-level blacksmiths. Every Grandmaster or above has their forging room here."
There weren't many forging rooms, a sign that Grandmaster-level blacksmiths were rare in this world.
Si Long led them to the first room, knocked, and said, "Master, it's me. Lord Dragon Snake has arrived!"
After a moment and a series of mechanical noises, the heavy iron door slid open, revealing a bright room. Curiously, there were no windows—the light came from a soul device on the ceiling, the only luxury of the Blacksmith Association.
Opening the door was a short, plump old man, about 1.6 meters tall and equally wide at the waist, with protruding ears, small eyes, disheveled short hair, a long robe, and a round face dusted with metal powder. This was Lou Gao, the foremost of the three Divine Blacksmiths and president of the association.
Lou Gao looked at Dragon Duke's dragon staff, "Oh! You must be Lord Dragon Snake. Nice to meet you. May I ask why you've come to the association?"
Lou Gao was usually proud, but not blindly so. Though he was one of only three Divine Blacksmiths, outside Gengxin City, his status was just so-so. He knew that even if Meyers from the Spirit Hall exploited his name, he had to endure it for the sake of the association.
Especially now, faced with a Titled Douluo.
He wasn't afraid of death, but he couldn't bring disaster to the association.
His dream was simple—to forge more excellent weapons and armor and enjoy a life of blacksmithing.
"Mr. Lou Gao, I'm not the one seeking you. It's the vice sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect," Dragon Duke stepped aside, revealing Tianlin.
"The vice sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!" Lou Gao was shocked. News of the sect defeating a mysterious force had spread across the continent, and anyone with sense knew that mysterious force meant Spirit Hall.
The second-in-command of a sect daring to take on Spirit Hall personally visiting him could only mean something important.
"Senior Lou Gao, hello. I'm Jun Tianlin, and this is my fiancée, Ning Rongrong, also our sect's successor." Tianlin pulled Ning Rongrong forward. As the future leaders of the sect, they were giving Lou Gao plenty of face!
"I smell the scent of swords. Senior, are you forging a sword?"
Lou Gao's eyes lit up, "Yes, do you know swords?"
"Yes. I'm the direct disciple of Sword Douluo Chen Xin, and I know a bit about forging. May I see the divine weapon forged by the greatest Divine Blacksmith of our time?" Tianlin smiled. He knew that to win Lou Gao over, he had to appeal to his greatest passion.
Sure enough, Lou Gao was energized, "So you're Sword Douluo's disciple! Wonderful! Please help me evaluate my sword. It's said the Seven Kill Sword is a divine weapon equal to the Clear Sky Hammer. You must have a great understanding of swords!"
Lou Gao led them into his forging room, which was a mess, with metals and weapons scattered everywhere.
These weapons and armor would fetch high prices outside, but Lou Gao ignored them—they were all failures in his eyes.
Tianlin's attention was drawn to a silver-white sword on the forging table, engraved with a dragon, exactly like the Sword God's Sword Chen Xin had described. "This is… Qing Jue Sword!"
"You even recognize Qing Jue?" Lou Gao was surprised. "As expected of Sword Douluo's student! This was the martial soul of an ancient sword master. According to the first president's notes, after this sword master broke through to godhood, his martial soul became a divine artifact."
"I've always wondered if divine artifacts can come from martial souls, can they also be man-made? Then I could prove to the world that blacksmiths are as important as soul masters!"
Everyone was amazed by Lou Gao's ambition. No wonder he was the world's greatest Divine Blacksmith.
For blacksmiths, forging a divine artifact was like a Titled Douluo seeking to become a god—the ultimate dream.
Tianlin picked up the Qing Jue Sword, "The blade flashes cold, full of ice energy. It must be made from Extreme Ice Essence. A good sword!"
"Sharp eye! You even guessed the material!" Lou Gao praised.
But Tianlin sighed, "Unfortunately, the Extreme Ice Essence wasn't soul-infused, and the sword wasn't awakened. No matter how strong it is, it's only a sharp weapon, never a true divine artifact."
"Soul infusion? Awakening?" Lou Gao was puzzled by these new terms. "What do they mean? New forging techniques?"
Tianlin turned to Bai Chenxiang, "Chenxiang, take out your Waterfall and Water Chant swords for the senior to see."
"Okay." Bai Chenxiang handed over her twin short swords.
Lou Gao examined them, "These were made from spinel and aquamarine—good, but far inferior to my Extreme Ice Essence."
"Wait—something's different!" As a Divine Blacksmith, Lou Gao quickly noticed something. He swung the swords. "Waterfall can break defenses. Water Chant helps channel energy."
"How was this done? Divine weapons! They're not just sharp—they have special effects. This is a true divine weapon!"
Tianlin smiled, "Senior, you flatter me. Waterfall and Water Chant are only mid-high quality weapons—far from true divine artifacts."