Blue Silver Grass Strategy (Douluo Dalu Fiction)

As large snowflakes began to fall, obscuring the view, Lou Gao's figure disappeared from Ling Yi's sight. At that moment, a powerful voice resonated in his ears:

“I believe it won't be long before Douluo Continent witnesses the rise of a second divine craftsman —”

Ling Yi turned his head, facing Jiang Yuan, the school captain clad in "Thousand Scaled Armor."

“Probably~”

Ling Yi replied softly, feeling the inner armor he wore over his clothes, yet with a strong certainty in his heart. Lou Gao was not just on the verge of becoming a divine craftsman; he had already achieved that status!

Months ago, when Lou Gao taught Ling Yi the art of refining various metal alloys, he had mentioned that "Liuhua Black Gold" was one of his master's, the Divine Craftsman Iron Pagoda's, proud creations. The ability to perfectly refine "Liuhua Black Gold" and forge it to its optimal state meant that the final product had already reached a level that could influence Soul King level combat!

A Soul King—reaching this level marks the first gateway to acquiring a ten-thousand-year soul ring.

Although many Soul Kings on Douluo Continent have a fifth soul ring that is merely at the thousand-year purple level, it does not diminish the prestige of being a Soul King.

A weapon or armor effective in combat at the Soul King level, playing a significant role in determining the outcome, absolutely deserves the title of a divine artifact!

It's worth noting that typical thousand-refined weapons or armor could withstand only a few blows in a full-on assault from a Soul King before shattering.

Imagine the power derived from a ten-thousand-year soul ring, amassing energy from a soul beast over millennia—what strength does such a soul skill possess?

Moreover, beyond quantitative changes, qualitative transformations also occur. It's akin to how a millennium soul skill can utterly overpower a century soul skill; similarly, a ten-thousand-year soul skill is devastating to anything beneath its level.

Lou Gao told Ling Yi that the "Glowing Black Gold Inner Armor" could withstand the attack of a fourth soul skill from a power-type soul master. This was to ensure Ling Yi's safety.

Having exceptional resources when one's strength is weak can be more of a burden than a blessing.

As someone who can craft the "Thousand Scale Armor," capable of resisting a third soul skill from a power-type soul master, it is not surprising that blacksmith Ling Yi wears an artifact created by a grandmaster forge artisan.

It's important to understand that the creations of a master blacksmith and a grandmaster are essentially on the same tier. The distinction lies in the breadth and depth of skills mastered by a grandmaster.

In the current era of Douluo Continent, blacksmiths are not as mystical as they will be in ten thousand years. Otherwise, their status would not be so awkward and undervalued.

While blacksmithing might seem like a prestigious profession compared to ordinary people, it pales in significance before soul masters.

The peculiar irony lies in the fact that skilled blacksmiths are often soul masters themselves, presenting an intriguing contradiction.

Walking beside Jiang Yuan through the Coldwind Barracks, two trails of footprints were quickly buried beneath the swirling snowflakes. The freshly-trampled blue silver grass vanished once again.

Upon returning to the military forges, Ling Yi approached a furnace, picked up a slightly larger tungsten steel hammer, and resumed his forging work.

Apart from the set on Jiang Yuan, five captains in the Coldwind Barracks have each placed an order with Ling Yi for a customized set of "Thousand Scale Armor."

The materials for these armors are provided by the captains themselves, who also offer Ling Yi gold soul coins and rare materials in payment.

As the vice president of the Blacksmith Association and an apprentice personally certified by Divine Blacksmith Iron Pagoda, Ling Yi's status within the Coldwind Barracks has visibly risen.

To know that being the fourth blacksmith master of the Shuimu Principality is truly an honor with real weight!

With his foot on the lever of the forge's bellows, the flames turned a bright blue and green, casting flickering shadows on Ling Yi's face.

In this moment, Ling Yi began to reflect on his seven months of teaching alongside Lou Gao.

Time flowed like water, streaming backward in Ling Yi's eyes, where scenes of his experiences flickered by.

It was then that a particular conversation surged forward, becoming strikingly clear.

……

"Senior brother, some say that crafting divine artifacts with god-level materials is no feat, but making them with ordinary iron is the mark of a true master. What do you think?"

"Nonsense!"

Lou Gao erupted on the spot: "Just utter rubbish. Who said this? Was it the Craft God?"

"No…"

Ling Yi shook his head and quickly added before Lou Gao could curse again, "Supposedly, a Titled Douluo said it, though I'm not sure who…"

"Uh…" Lou Gao's mouth hung open, a bit sheepish as he continued, "Ti…Titled Douluo… does that mean Titled Douluo can speak nonsense with their eyes open?

And… and claiming that using ordinary iron to craft divine artifacts makes one a true master, this is pure misleading of students!"

The last sentence was uttered by Lou Gao in a very low voice. If it weren't for Ling Yi's extraordinary hearing, he might not have caught it amidst the continuous sound of the bellows.

"What do you mean?"

Ling Yi's interest was piqued. In his previous life, this perspective had been widely recognized and highly praised by many.

Facing Ling Yi's inquisitive gaze, Lou Gao hesitated slightly before finally posing a counter-question: "Let me ask you, what is the prerequisite for forging a divine artifact from ordinary iron?"

"Uh..." Ling Yi thought for a moment, then answered, "The prerequisite... the tempering of the ordinary iron? The strength of the forging hammer and the blacksmith themselves?"

"Exactly!"

Lou Gao slapped his hand, nodded his short and stout neck, and continued, "To transform ordinary iron into a divine artifact, the blacksmith must be akin to a deity themselves, and the forging hammer should also be a divine tool. Otherwise, how could one transform the mundane into the divine, tempering mere iron into godly material?

Therefore, it is the divine craftsman who can forge a divine artifact from ordinary iron, not the transformation of iron into a divine artifact that creates a divine craftsman!"

"This sequence is incorrect; it completely misleads people!"

The echoes of Lou Gao's indignant whisper still lingered in his ears as Ling Yi focused on the gradually softening metal ingot, his eyes shimmering with fiery light, yet a smile unconsciously formed at the corners of his mouth.

Is this the true story behind Douluo Continent?

Indeed, no matter how outrageous the written word may seem, once it unfolds in reality, the world will find a way to make everything fall into place.

One of the three great craftsmen of Douluo Continent?

Nothing more than a fanciful badge with a catchy name, displayed on a shelf.

The 'Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique'?

Truly worth investing time and energy to master. After all, for the Tang family, whose martial soul is the hammer, it's an excellent combat technique.

In a way, what people say isn't wrong, it's just that these words only hold true for the descendants of the Tang family.

Without the martial soul advantage brought by the Tang family's bloodline, how can one refine an ordinary iron hammer to the level of crafting divine artifacts?

Everyone is born different.

Some spend their whole lives struggling, only to remain lost and confused on their journey; while others are born at destinations unreachable to most.

With such reflections, Ling Yi raised the tungsten-steel hammer in his hand. The eighty-one forms of the 'Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique', begin—!

As he hammered away like a storm, Ling Yi felt the soul power fluctuating around level sixteen within him.

He shook his head inwardly, reminding himself not to rush.

Everything needs to be done step by step.

Although he became a blacksmith a year or two earlier, his current strength is still inadequate.

It's not yet the best time to vie for the position of president of the 'Blacksmith Association - Shuimu Principality Branch'.

Of course, even reaching the rank of a two-ring Soul Grandmaster wouldn't guarantee he could hold that position securely.

But by then, he could perhaps barely take a seat as a deputy president.

As a blacksmith, the fourth in the 'Shuimu Principality', and only a teenager, there are always some concessions.

Now, once the orders at the Cold Wind Camp are completed, it's time to take a leave and return to 'Wooden City'

to visit Master King Kong and share the good news.

(End of Chapter)