Star Luo City.
The grand spectacle of the Spirit Fighting Tournament had drawn travelers from all over the continent here.
Although hosting the tournament required consuming enormous manpower and financial resources, the massive influx of people it brought could more than make up for it.
Shops selling specialty products were everywhere in Star Luo City, and various spirit tool stores were open for business.
Simultaneously, large and small shopping malls within Star Luo City brought out their backlogged inventory and made a killing.
If one had to name the most profitable, it was still the auction houses. Even before the Spirit Fighting Tournament officially opened, one auction house had already held a small-scale auction.
Compared to usual, the same items were auctioned at higher prices, with the final bid being at least ten percent higher.
However, this massive influx of people did not excite the Star Luo Emperor, Xu Jiawei.
He was currently worried sick.
A year ago, because ten pieces of Spirit Metal were consigned for auction at the Star Light Auction House, the Star Luo Royal Family was among the first to know and took measures. The day after that auction, they approached the Blacksmith Association, quickly negotiated with the president, and purchased the next three pieces of Spirit Metal at the auction's closing price.
To the delight of the Star Luo Royal Family, the Blacksmith Association's efficiency in forging Spirit Metal was genuinely not high, producing only twenty pieces a year.
Having secured three of the first twenty pieces, the Star Luo Royal Family naturally gained an advantage. Over the following year, they successively acquired three more pieces.
Out of a total of twenty Spirit Metals, they took six.
Shrek Academy was more assertive but only took seven.
The remaining seven were divided among other forces. Among them, the Tianhun and Dou Ling imperial families received one and two pieces respectively. The remaining four included two taken by the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan at super high prices.
The final two pieces were divided between two other major sects.
Even the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan only got two pieces!
The Star Luo Royal Family directly obtained six, plus the one acquired at the auction, totaling seven. Their development of Spirit Metal was certainly at the forefront.
Moreover, a seventh-grade Spirit Engineer from the Star Luo Royal Family used one of these Spirit Metals as the core to create a spirit tool with power comparable to an eighth-grade spirit tool!
After completing that spirit tool, that seventh-grade Spirit Engineer went into seclusion immediately, stating his intention to impact the realm of eighth-grade Spirit Engineers.
Up to now, Xu Jiawei was certain that his family was at the forefront in the upcoming field of Spirit Metal.
However, as the Spirit Fighting Tournament was about to begin, distressing news had kept Xu Jiawei awake at night.
The Blacksmith Association wanted to cooperate with the tournament organizers, i.e., the Star Luo Royal Family, regarding the tournament rewards.
The tournament champion could custom-order ten pieces of Spirit Metal at the Thousand Refined One Peak level, like those from the auction. The runner-up could order three pieces, and the third-place winner could order one.
"Damn it, such high rewards for the champion."
What was the purpose of this?
Wasn't this clearly funding Shrek Academy?
Xu Jiawei didn't understand. The Blacksmith Association was clearly close to the Body Sect, which had a falling out with Shrek Academy a year ago. Why would the Blacksmith Association set the tournament reward for cooperation at a custom order of ten Spirit Metals?
What?
Why assume Shrek would be the champion?
Anyone questioning this should check the list of past Spirit Fighting Tournament champions.
It was bad enough that the champion could custom-order, but the Blacksmith Association also set rewards for the runner-up and third place, who could also custom-order Spirit Metal.
If the champion was inevitably Shrek Academy, then the runner-up was basically the Sun Moon Imperial team.
If the Sun Moon Empire obtained Spirit Metal, wouldn't that be funding the enemy?
Xu Jiawei sent people to negotiate with the Blacksmith Association multiple times but never got a result.
Today, he received new information.
The Blacksmith Association had added three new Master Blacksmiths and would establish additional branches in the three empires. Each branch would produce at least twenty pieces of Spirit Metal per year.
This news directly confirmed to Xu Jiawei that the Blacksmith Association did not intend to impose a technological blockade on the Sun Moon Empire.
He was going crazy.
However, Shrek Academy had remained silent on this matter.
After arriving in Star Luo City, Su Ming found Duan Lin.
"President, can you really forge all types of rare metals now?"
Custom-ordering Spirit Metal was different from rewarding rare metals.
For example, if Shrek won the championship, they could directly custom-order ten pieces of Spirit Metal tailored to their team members. Once made into spirit tools, it would mean a tangible boost in combat power.
In the short term, it would be no less effective than a Spirit Bone.
"It's manageable. At least for the rare metals I can access in the Sun Moon Empire, I can forge them to the Thousand Refined One Peak level."
Upon hearing this, Duan Lin gasped.
That terrifying?
There were quite a few known types of rare metals, definitely over a hundred.
Did that mean Su Ming had forged at least a hundred pieces of Thousand Refined One Peak metal?
Duan Lin cursed inwardly.
In one year, forging a hundred pieces of Thousand Refined One Peak metal, yet he only gave the Blacksmith Association twenty pieces for the year, and not even Thousand Refined One Peak, but Thousand Refined Two Peak.
"President, will we still need to strictly control the output of Spirit Metal so tightly in the future?"
"No need. From now on, each branch will have at least one Master Blacksmith who has mastered Thousand Refinement presiding over it. The annual output will depend on their success rate and forging frequency. Additionally, each branch will also train new blacksmiths."
"There won't be a fixed plan anymore; it will depend on the development of each association branch."
Hearing this, Duan Lin swallowed hard.
This decentralization of power was a bit too much, wasn't it?
"Don't be afraid. Even if a Blacksmith Association branch is controlled by the local ruling power, it doesn't matter."
As long as he held the most advanced forging technology in his hands, no matter how decentralized the Blacksmith Association's power was or how much it was eroded, it would still have to listen to him.
This couldn't be done during the Douluo 1 period because Su Ming lacked absolute backing.
Douluo 2 was different.
He had Du Busi, he had Electrolux, and now he was basically affiliated with the Mingde Hall.
What Su Ming needed wasn't an absolutely loyal association, but absolutely devout belief from blacksmiths.
What?
You don't like me?
How about this piece of Heaven Refined metal?
Appealing?
As long as he became a legend, brought the Douluo 3 forging system over, and completed Heaven Refinement, which could even empower Limit Douluos, then he would be the God of Blacksmiths.
To collect faith, the base must first be broad enough.
Only with sufficient breadth would Su Ming have hope of quickly forming the prototype of a Godhood and attracting the attention of the God of Destruction, thus finding a backer in the God Realm.
"Our association should have cooperation with the Star Light Auction House, right? Communicate with them in advance this time. Within the next year, the Blacksmith Association's branches in the four empires will be completed. We will continue to expand afterwards, initially planning ten spots, but the specific cities for construction haven't been decided yet. Let all the forces participating in the auction compete for them."
The corner of Duan Lin's mouth twitched.
Could this even be auctioned?
"All funds obtained from the auction will be invested in the construction of the Blacksmith Association. I want expansion at an absolute speed."
***
Dive deeper into the story with 50+ advance chapters, available now on Patreon!patreon.com/CNBLUE
If you're enjoying the novel, please consider leaving a review. Your support is crucial and helps the story grow immensely. Thank you!
(Chapter End)