"A Divine Craftsman? My son has the potential of a Divine Craftsman?" Jiang Yun's face was a mask of sheer astonishment. She blinked rapidly, trying to reconcile the image of her cute son with the legendary title.
"The hammer the little guy is holding is my personal Rank 6 forging hammer. It weighs over five hundred pounds," Mang Tian said, his expression solemn and focused. "To call his strength Innate Divine Force is not an exaggeration—it is a fact!"
Xie Tianhai and Jiang Yun were shaken to their core. They knew the hammer was heavy, but five hundred pounds in the hands of a six-year-old was heaven-defying.
"Look," Xie Tianhai whispered, his voice trembling. "Our son is already approaching Hundred Refinements."
As a high-level Mecha Creator, Xie Tianhai understood the nuances of metal. He watched as a soft glow began to emanate from the tungsten steel. Barely three minutes had passed since Xie Xie first swung the hammer.
Clang!
A brilliant pulse of light erupted from the ore. Hundred Refinements: Complete.
"He's done it," Xie Tianhai breathed, his shock turning into a dazed pride. "In three minutes, he has officially become a First-Rank Blacksmith."
In the world of forging, Hundred Refinements is the entry point. Most apprentices struggle for months to achieve the necessary strength and rhythm. Xie Xie had mastered it on his first attempt, with time to spare.
"He isn't stopping," Mang Tian noted, his eyes locked on the boy. "He's pushing further. I want to see exactly where his limit lies!"
Inside Xie Xie's mind, the System's notifications were firing in rapid succession.
[Congratulations. You have achieved the rank of First-Rank Blacksmith.]
[Unparalleled System: Passive Triggered.]
[You possess Peerless Forging Talent. Your bloodline and mental force have harmonized: You are a Born Divine-Rank Blacksmith.]
As expected, Xie Xie thought, his arm moving with mechanical precision. The System doesn't just give me power; it perfects my existing potential. With his adult mental force and the explosive power of the Dragon King bloodline, the rhythmic striking felt as natural as breathing. Ten minutes passed. The tungsten steel, already glowing, began to hum with a strange, spiritual resonance.
Mang Tian stood frozen. "He's skipping Rank 2... he's going for Rank 3!"
Suddenly, a golden pillar of light burst from the anvil. A clear, melodic ring echoed through the workshop—the sound of the metal gaining a soul.
Thousand Forging with Spirit: Complete!
Xie Xie exhaled, setting the heavy silver hammer down. He felt invigorated; the physical labor had served as a perfect catalyst for his circulating Soul Power. He turned around to see his parents and Mang Tian standing there like statues.
"Dad? Mom? Uncle?" Xie Xie waved a hand in front of their faces.
"Little guy..." Mang Tian finally spoke, his voice cracked with emotion. "You just achieved First-Grade Thousand Forging. That is the hallmark of a Rank 3 Blacksmith. When you return to Donghai City, go to the Association immediately. You don't even need to test for the first two ranks."
To jump from a novice to Rank 3 in fifteen minutes was a feat that would make even Zhen Hua, the only Divine Craftsman on the continent, question reality.
"Thank you for the opportunity, Uncle," Xie Xie said with a polite bow.
"The honor was mine," Mang Tian replied earnestly. He knew he had just witnessed history.
Over the next few days, Xie Xie settled into a routine in Aolai City. He spent his mornings at Mang Tian's workshop to stabilize his forging foundation and his afternoons in deep meditation. By the fourth day, he was already nearing Rank 13.
But forging and cultivation were only the preparation. Today was the real objective.
"Today is the day Red Mountain Academy starts its new term," Xie Xie murmured as he finished his afternoon session. "Which means... she appears today."
He made a quick excuse to his parents about wanting to buy some candy and hurried into the streets. Having mapped out the city over the last few days, he reached the vicinity of Red Mountain Academy just as the final bell rang.
He didn't have to wait long. On a quiet street corner not far from the school, he saw her.
A small girl with tattered clothes and silver hair sat alone on the curb. She looked lost, her head bowed in a silent, melancholy trance. Sensing a gaze upon her, she looked up.
Her eyes were like large, shimmering amethysts—clear, beautiful, and filled with a profound emptiness.
Na'er.
The future legend, the silver-haired sovereign, and the undisputed beauty of an era.
Xie Xie took a deep breath. Just as he prepared to move, three older boys approached her, their faces twisted with predatory greed.
"Look at those purple eyes," the leader sneered. "Hey, little brat, want to come with us? We'll buy you all the candy you can eat."
Na'er looked at them with confusion, then silently lowered her head again, trying to make herself small. As one of the thugs reached out to grab her, the air suddenly rippled.
Teleportation: Time-Space Piercing.
Zip—!
Xie Xie appeared directly in front of Na'er, his back straight and his gaze icy. "Stay away from her."
The thugs recoiled, startled by the boy's sudden appearance. "Where did this brat come from? You want to play hero?"
One of them looked at Xie Xie's striking features—his golden hair and piercing eyes—and his greed doubled. "Boss, this one looks like he comes from money. We can get a fortune for a kid like this..."
Xie Xie didn't let him finish. He didn't need words. He released a burst of Soul Power, and a shimmering Yellow Spirit Ring rose from beneath his feet.
The pressure of the Time-Space Dragon King, even at a fraction of its power, was like a physical weight. The three thugs were slammed into the pavement, their breath catching in their throats.
"S-Spirit Master!" they screamed. They didn't wait for a second warning. Scrambling to their feet, they fled into the shadows of the alleyways, terrified of the child who carried the aura of a predator.
Xie Xie retracted his Spirit and turned around. He looked at the doll-like girl sitting on the ground.
"What's your name?" he asked, his voice softening into a gentle warmth.
The girl looked up at him. Sensing the ancient, draconic kinship within his bloodline, she felt an instinctive trust. "My name is... Na'er."
"Where is your family, Na'er?"
"I don't have a family," she whispered, her eyes clouding with a daze.
Xie Xie smiled and reached out his hand toward her. "Then, do you want to come home with me?"
Na'er stared at his hand, then back at his face. The resonance in their blood was undeniable—a pull of destiny that neither could fully understand yet.
"I... I do," she whispered.
Under the golden hue of the setting sun, her small hand slipped into his. Xie Xie gripped it firmly, a silent vow forming in his heart. In this life, the regrets of the past would not be repeated.