Douluo: Martial Soul Seven Kill Sword, The Sword Opens Heaven's Gates

After two hours of fun and games, Ning Tianchen's group settled down at an inn within the city.

Early the next morning, everyone gathered at the entrance of the inn and set off toward the Blacksmiths' Association.

They had already inquired about the location of the Blacksmiths' Association last night.

Additionally, they learned one more thing—Miles, the bishop of the Gengxin City Spirit Hall, had recently been exerting pressure on the Blacksmiths' Association, showing signs of attempting to take it over.

Knowing that this guy was still alive, Ning Tianchen immediately felt reassured.

If Tang San had come to Gengxin City, given his nature, how could he possibly have let Miles live?

"To recruit the Blacksmiths' Association, we probably can't avoid the Spirit Hall. Tianchen, do you have any plans?" Feng Xiaotian couldn't think of a better solution.

Recruiting the Blacksmiths' Association would be equivalent to taking a slice of Miles' pie.

After all, Gengxin City wasn't some small town—the Spirit Hall branch here ranked second only to the Worship Hall within the entire Spirit Hall system.

Miles, a red-robed bishop with Soul Sage strength, was no pushover.

Ning Rongrong angrily remarked, "I never imagined that under the Star Luo Empire's rule, the Spirit Hall could be so brazen. Is there really no one stepping in to stop them?"

In fact, Gengxin City held a very unique position within the Star Luo Empire—it was practically governed by blacksmiths and didn't fall under the direct jurisdiction of the Star Luo Empire.

The Spirit Hall's presence in Gengxin City was something the Star Luo Empire naturally wouldn't interfere with.

"The Blacksmiths' Association doesn't have any powerful soul masters to back them up, so it's no surprise that the Spirit Hall treats them like an ATM."

Ning Tianchen added, "In this world where the strong prey on the weak, strength is the only capital for survival. Without sufficient power, one is nothing more than a lamb waiting to be slaughtered."

Everyone deeply agreed.

The Blacksmiths' Association wasn't far from their location. After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, the group arrived on foot at the building of the Blacksmiths' Association.

It was a structure over thirty meters tall, seemingly entirely made of metal from the outside.

At the entrance, many men dressed as blacksmiths came and went, and merchants were also ushered inside by blacksmiths.

Soon, a thin man approached them and enthusiastically greeted them, "Honorable guests, what items would you like forged? If you need a specific master blacksmith, I can help arrange an introduction."

This kind of person acted as a middleman between customers and blacksmiths and was quite familiar with the situation of the Blacksmiths' Association.

Ning Tianchen casually tossed him a few gold spirit coins and asked, "Give us a brief introduction to this place—we're newcomers here."

"Got it."

The man quickly pocketed the coins and then said, "Honorable guests, you can call me Little Fuzi."

Through his introduction, the group gained a general understanding of the Blacksmiths' Association.

The building had five floors. The first floor was the common trading area.

Here, mineral traders sold low-value metal ores, and most ordinary blacksmiths also sold their works at reasonable prices.

The second floor was the high-end trading area.

Only master blacksmiths and merchants selling rare minerals could operate on this floor.

The third floor was the registration and assessment area for blacksmiths.

Since Ning Tianchen's group wasn't familiar with blacksmithing and weren't blacksmiths themselves, they didn't inquire much about this.

The fourth floor was the VIP area and auction zone. Customers seeking custom-made items from master blacksmiths would be invited here.

Additionally, masterpieces by renowned blacksmiths, including even works by the legendary Grandmaster Lou Gao, occasionally appeared in the auction.

The fifth floor was a private area, serving as the forging workshops and rest areas for grandmaster blacksmiths.

"Frankly speaking, during a recent auction, the Spirit Hall bishop seized an item crafted by President Lou Gao, causing tensions between the Blacksmiths' Association and the Spirit Hall to escalate. As you can see, the foot traffic here has significantly decreased compared to before."

The man named Little Fuzi introduced this with a bitter expression.

Through his words, the group gained a certain understanding of the Blacksmiths' Association.

Their goal was to find a way to reach the fifth floor to meet Grandmaster Lou Gao.

Of course, there were undoubtedly spies from the Spirit Hall around, so they couldn't make too much noise.

"First, take us to the trading area on the second floor," Ning Tianchen said with a faint smile.

Both he and Ning Rongrong possessed the Nine Treasures Glazed Tower spirit, which had unique treasure appraisal abilities. Even if they didn't recognize certain metals, their appraisal abilities could help identify them.

---

Little Fuzi moved swiftly, quickly leading the group to the second floor and introducing them to the metals he knew.

Ning Tianchen smiled and said, "Everyone, split up and look for suitable metals. We can bring them back as strategic reserves."

As he spoke, he gave Ning Rongrong a knowing glance, and she understood, smiling as she walked away.

Not long after, Ning Tianchen and Little Fuzi approached a stall.

The owner recognized Little Fuzi and greeted them with a smile, "Oh, your luck's good today, eh? Business is already booming."

Little Fuzi chuckled and said, "These are esteemed guests—don't try any of your tricks."

"How could I?" The shopkeeper laughed heartily and said, "Honored guest, just tell me what you're interested in. Everything on display is for sale, and even things not on display, I can mostly get for you."

Ning Tianchen nodded politely and then began scanning the stall.

Relying on the unique appraisal ability of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tower, he could instantly identify the most valuable metal among the items.

After a quick scan, he pursed his lips and asked, "Do you have any particularly hard metals that can withstand attacks from a Soul Sage without leaving a trace?"

"Huh?" The shopkeeper abruptly stood up from his chair and confirmed, "Guest, are you joking?"

"Soul Sages are top-tier experts on the continent. A metal that can resist such an expert's attack without deforming must be something extraordinary, like extraterrestrial meteoric iron—one in ten thousand!"

Seeing that Ning Tianchen didn't appear to be joking, the shopkeeper fell into deep thought.

Based on the guest's criteria, such a metal would undoubtedly be extremely valuable. Completing this deal would allow him to live comfortably for a year.

After a moment of silence, he said, "There actually might be such a metal. If I'm not mistaken, it should be a type of sunken silver."

"This kind of metal only appears in the depths of the ocean. It almost never shows up in inland cities like ours. However, if you want, I can ask a friend to help inquire, though I can't guarantee results."

"Can you find out about the silver essence of deep-sea sunken silver?" Ning Tianchen asked.

The shopkeeper was startled and, after calming himself, replied, "Esteemed guest, are you dreaming? Sunken silver is already rare—how could you ask for the silver essence?"

"If you hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have even thought of that term. Please understand, sunken silver isn't black iron, and the silver essence isn't iron essence."

Ning Tianchen immediately felt reassured.

Because, coincidentally, there was a piece of deep-sea sunken silver's silver essence on the shopkeeper's shelf—and he didn't even realize it.

This was likely the same piece Tang San had obtained in the original timeline. Who would've thought it was sold by this guy?

Given its rarity, a piece of silver essence this size was priceless.

After a pause, the shopkeeper added, "Guest, if you're serious about purchasing the silver essence, leave a deposit of fifty gold spirit coins. I'll keep an eye out for it over the next year, but I can't guarantee I'll find it, and the money won't be refunded."

Ning Tianchen waved his hand dismissively, "No need—I won't be staying here long."

With that, he turned to leave.

"Hey, don't go yet! Take a look at other metals. The iron essence I mentioned earlier is also quite hard, and these tungsten steels are good too."

Little Fuzi also urged, "Esteemed guest, why not take another look?"

After all, if a deal was made, he'd receive a commission from the merchant.

Ning Tianchen turned around and reluctantly said, "Alright, let's take another look."

It had to be said that the metals sold on the second floor were on a completely different level compared to those on the first floor.

Upon closer inspection, there were several types of metals on the stall that were rarely seen elsewhere.

"Five tons of iron essence, ten tons of pyrite, and some other metals—for ten thousand gold spirit coins, how's that?" The shopkeeper smiled warmly. "If transportation is inconvenient, we also offer delivery services, though there will be an additional fee."

Ning Tianchen took out a gold spirit card from his spirit-guided device and tossed it to the shopkeeper.

Metals like iron essence could be used to manufacture barrels for large-caliber thermal weapons, so stocking up on them wouldn't hurt.

With a light swipe of his finger on the spirit-guided device, the metals were stored inside.

He continued, "I won't haggle with you. How about I just take a few small-weight metals from your stall?"

"No problem." The shopkeeper replied generously.

After all, a transaction worth ten thousand gold spirit coins wasn't a small sum.

Even master blacksmiths wouldn't buy this much metal in one go, and customers with larger demands wouldn't approach these small retailers.

Ning Tianchen casually picked up two pieces of metal from the stall, one of which was the silver essence.

After browsing for another half hour, the group gathered in the rest area on the second floor.

"Tianchen Brother, take a look." Ning Rongrong gently touched her fingers, revealing a large number of metals to everyone.

After Little Fuzi took a look, he exclaimed, "Oh my, these are all rare metals. The value here must be at least several hundred thousand gold spirit coins."

"Well done," Ning Tianchen said with a smile.

Suddenly, the sharp-eyed Little Fuzi pointed at a piece of crystal and said, "Honorable guest, it seems you've been deceived. This is just an ordinary crystal of very poor quality—it shouldn't appear in the second-floor trading area."

In other aspects, Ning Tianchen trusted that Ning Rongrong wouldn't be deceived, but when it came to items with fixed values, it was absolutely impossible.

Not to mention, his treasure appraisal ability also indicated that this crystal was a valuable item.

"The shopkeeper gave it to us. Rongrong didn't spend a single coin on it," Ning Rongrong said with a radiant smile.

It seemed they had stumbled upon a great bargain.

Ning Tianchen took the crystal and examined it closely.

If not for his spirit's perception telling him that this was a valuable item, he might have thought it was unremarkable.

Ning Tianchen took out a small knife from his spirit-guided device and gently scraped away the rock adhering to the surface of the crystal.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, his eyebrows shot up.

To avoid damaging the surface of the crystal, soul power flowed from his fingertips to protect it from harm.

Unexpectedly, the crystal absorbed his soul power.

There were crystals on the continent that could absorb soul power—usually the crystal balls used during spirit awakening to test innate soul power.

However, while such crystals were rare, they weren't particularly extraordinary, and they wouldn't attract the attention of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tower spirit.

"This crystal is strange."

Everyone gathered around.

Little Fuzi didn't notice anything unusual. He said, "If it was given for free, this kind of crystal ball is acceptable."

"No."

Feng Xiaotian sensed a faint flow of soul power around the crystal ball.

He placed his hand on the crystal, and soul power flowed into it through his fingertips.

"This crystal can store soul power!"

Everyone trembled inwardly.

Why had the technology for creating soul-guided devices been lost? Ultimately, it was because no one could create the energy storage mechanism inside them.

This crystal, which could store soul power, could directly serve as the basis for creating an offensive soul-guided device.

"This is a Power-Crystallizing Crystal."

A voice sounded from behind them.

They turned around to see a burly man with enormous hands covered in thick calluses.

From his appearance, he was undoubtedly a blacksmith.

"Master Si Yu!" Little Fuzi quickly bowed respectfully.

Si Yu?

The name rang a bell in Ning Tianchen's mind.

This person was likely one of Lou Gao's disciples.

Si Yu stepped forward and gave a respectful bow to the group. "Esteemed guests, might you consider parting with this crystal and selling it to me? Of course, aside from money, I'll also craft an additional item for you. How about that?"

"Master Si Yu is a master blacksmith and a disciple of President Lou Gao. Many people spend fortunes just to have him craft something for them."

Little Fuzi quietly explained to the group.

Ning Tianchen shook his head and declined. "Apologies, Master Si Yu, but I don't think you can offer something that would make me willing to part with it."

This crystal was of great importance.

The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect possessed blueprints for creating soul-guided devices but lacked the technical know-how to manufacture them.

With this crystal, they could solve the most critical issue—the energy source—and perhaps bring one of the designs on the blueprints to life ahead of schedule.

Si Yu wasn't upset. Looking at the pile of rare metals stacked like a small mountain, he smiled and said, "Of course, given your status, you certainly aren't lacking in money."

"If I were to buy this crystal, it would be intended as a gift for my teacher. Might you consider parting with it out of respect for my teacher?"

Ning Tianchen chuckled inwardly.

What luck—it had come so easily.

"Then, Master Si Yu, might you be able to introduce us to Grandmaster Lou Gao? At that time, I'll gladly present this crystal to you with both hands."

Si Yu thought for a moment and replied, "It's not impossible. However, my teacher has an eccentric temperament. Please don't anger him. If you need him to craft something for you, don't be too forceful in your approach."

Ning Tianchen and the others nodded seriously.

Little Fuzi tactfully excused himself.

As Si Yu helped gather the metals from the ground, he pointed to one of the pieces and laughed. "This is pyrite essence, not ferrous essence. Just like how pyrite isn't real gold, if you spent more than ten gold spirit coins on this, you were probably scammed."

Ning Tianchen glanced at the metal—it was indeed as Si Yu had said.

From its appearance alone, it was difficult to distinguish whether it was ferrous essence or not.

Chen Huayu scratched his head and awkwardly fumed, "That damn guy scammed me out of two hundred gold spirit coins! I'll go settle the score with him later."

"I'll reimburse you at most ten gold spirit coins," Ning Tianchen said nonchalantly.

Chen Huayu's face fell. "Come on, Boss! I was scammed, wasn't I?"

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