Don't mess with that necromancer; his summoned creatures level up on their own!

"Buzz—"

The electric current seeped deep into the ore along the cracks, and the spirit iron, which was originally on the verge of shattering, gradually healed the cracks, and its texture became denser and heavier.

The entire room fell silent.

Tang Si clenched his fists tightly, his pupils contracting violently.

A junior disciple behind him asked in a low voice.

"Senior brother... what is that?"

Another junior student added a comment.

"That's lightning... She's using lightning to strike iron? This... this technique is even more powerful than the Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique?"

Tang Si squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth.

"...Shut up, don't say anything."

His lifelong, painstakingly practiced Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique appeared as crude as a child waving a tree branch in the face of such miraculous skill.

His family's traditional skills, which he was so proud of, seemed insignificant at this moment.

The white-haired old blacksmith next to him hadn't left yet. He glanced at Tang Si, shook his head, and muttered something under his breath.

"No matter how powerful the Tang family's cloak is, it was forged with an iron hammer, while the others used elemental power. How can you compare them? They're not even on the same level."

Tang Si followed the gazes of those around him and looked toward the edge of the forging table, whereupon he froze.

Lu Zhixing was leaning against the railing, slowly unpacking a bag of spicy strips, his expression relaxed and indifferent.

Someone nearby finally couldn't hold back any longer.

"He's eating snacks?! In such a big scene, everyone's heart was in their throats, and he's eating spicy strips?!"

"Look at his expression! He doesn't look like he's doing forging; he looks like he's on vacation!"

"Controlling summoned creatures to strike iron with lightning while simultaneously munching on snacks—that's incredibly carefree!"

Everyone in the room held their breath, their nerves on edge, except for the person in question, who leisurely ate snacks, multitasking as calmly as a mountain.

Xiao You raised her hand, and the Thunder Hammer, filled with lightning, crashed down.

Thunder pierced through the entire shield blank, and scorching lightning turned the shield red-hot.

The entire audience gasped in shock.

Someone cried out.

"Lightning quenching?! Using lightning directly for quenching? That's incredibly audacious!"

"What does lightning quenching even mean? No matter how perfect the forging process was, if the quenching is slightly off, the entire piece will shatter!"

"Where does Lu Zhixing get his confidence? If this explodes, all our previous work will have been for nothing!"

Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, the shield shimmered with light.

Pure white turned into pale blue, and finally settled into a rich and deep purple light.

"High-level! We've firmly maintained our high-level Bronze rank!"

A deafening roar of cheers erupted.

The first golden line slowly appeared, followed by the second, the third...

Someone was counting and shouting at the same time.

"Four levels! Five levels! And it's still going up!"

"Six Paths! Surpassing Tang Si! Six Paths of Golden Pattern!"

"This is outrageous! Six golden lines appeared from a cracked piece of scrap material?"

When the sixth golden mark climbed onto the shield, the entire arena erupted in cheers.

Tang Si's face turned ashen; the quality of this shield had already surpassed that of the longsword he had just forged.

His junior brothers beside him dared not speak, each one trembling with fear, swallowing back even their words of congratulations.

The seventh, the eighth, the ninth!

Nine golden lines covered the entire surface of the shimmering shield, their golden light flowing and reaching the theoretical limit of bronze equipment.

The old blacksmith's lips trembled as he muttered to himself.

"Nine full runes... that's already the pinnacle of bronze weapons... to forge a fully-runned divine weapon from a piece of scrap stone on the verge of collapse is simply unbelievable!"

The general manager stared at the equipment valuation screen, his heart pounding, muttering to himself.

"One million raw stones, a shield with nine full patterns, the auction house would charge at least ten million, plus the hype of the ancient lightning forging method."

With the label personally crafted by the young master of the Lu family, it wouldn't even be 30 million... This isn't just blacksmithing, it's turning lead into gold...

Before the commotion had subsided, the golden light on the shield suddenly contracted inward.

Nine golden threads twisted and intertwined, eventually coalescing into a straight, deep black line.

The stadium suddenly fell silent.

"What...what is that? How did the nine golden lines shrink into a single black line?"

"Black patterns? Bronze equipment can have black patterns? I've never seen this kind of pattern before."

"Did something go wrong with the forging? The golden light has disappeared and turned black. Isn't that a downgrade?"

The old blacksmith stared at it for a long time, his forehead wrinkled with a dense web of wrinkles, and then he slowly shook his head.

"No... it's not a downgrade. The aura flowing within those black patterns is completely different from the golden light."

It was like... like the golden patterns had been compressed, all the energy being forced into that blackness.

The dark pattern in the center of the shield suddenly trembled slightly.

The next second, the aura of the entire shield changed dramatically.

A massive, oppressive force, as heavy as a mountain, surged out from the black crack, sweeping across the entire forging hall.

Everyone in the room felt a sudden heaviness in their chests, their blood surged, and their breathing became labored.

Many of the lower-ranking apprentices staggered back half a step, instinctively covering their chests with their hands, their faces filled with horror.

The most senior judge, a master craftsman who has been deeply involved in the forging industry for fifty years, suddenly slammed his fist on the table and stood up.

Ignoring the fallen chair, the old man hunched over and rushed quickly to the front of the floating shield.

His cloudy eyes were fixed on the black pattern that shimmered with dark light.

"Super-tier! This is a Bronze Super-tier!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire forging hall erupted in chaos, with clamor and discussion rising and falling.

"Bronze can also produce super-tier items? Doesn't the ancient text clearly state that super-tier quality only occurs in epic and higher-grade equipment?"

"Wait! The material for this shield is Northern Spirit Iron! That stuff has extremely high internal stress, and ordinary blacksmiths would need to soak it for three days just to purify it."

"A slight mistake during forging would have resulted in it exploding and being completely destroyed! This young man has only been a few days since he changed jobs, yet he started forging right away, and not only did it not explode, but he actually managed to forge a Bronze-level super-grade material?!"

After the initial gasps of amazement, the murmurs in the room gradually subsided.

Everyone stared at the bronze shield suspended in mid-air, their eyes filled with utter bewilderment and awe.

A newbie who has only been a job for a few days, and a high-risk spirit iron that everyone avoids.

They forged a bronze super-tier armor piece that is worthy of being recorded in the city's forging history.

This can no longer be simply described as innate talent; it is nothing short of a forging miracle.

At the edge of the crowd, Tang Si stood frozen in place, his lips slightly parted, his gaze fixed on the black pattern on the shield that represented the super-rank.

He looked down at the gold-quality Haotian Hammer in his hand, the prize for winning the match.

At this moment, the golden light of the Haotian Hammer rapidly dimmed, and the metal of the hammer body emitted a faint humming sound uncontrollably.

It's like a lower-level object submitting and fearing a supreme being.

Tang Si gripped the hammer handle tightly with his five fingers, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down repeatedly. A thousand grievances were stuck in his throat, but he couldn't utter a single word.

The apprentices and blacksmiths who had previously fawned over him now all crowded in front of the shield, and not one of them looked back at him anymore.

All the pride he had in his three generations of hammering skills and his reputation as the best forger among his peers shattered completely before this bronze shield.

He turned away in silence and retreated to the most secluded corner of the crowd.

Standing before the forging table, Lu Zhixing gazed silently at the shield suspended in mid-air, secretly making plans in his mind.

Bronze-tier armor boasts unparalleled defensive capabilities among its peers. Giving this shield to Xiao He practically guarantees a top-three finish in the second phase of the assessment.

In the first stage, she was ranked behind, but with this magical item as a backup, she was able to completely close the score gap and break into the top of the leaderboard.

Before his thoughts had even settled, the shield underwent another dramatic transformation.

Centered on the black lines, white light radiates outwards in layers, subtly transforming the originally dull metallic surface.

A layer of warm, water-like light slowly enveloped the entire shield.

Subtle undulations could be faintly felt beneath the shield, as if they were the slightest movement of living flesh.

A vibrant, life-affirming aura wafts towards you.

The old master stepped forward again, this time without restraint, his trembling old hand reaching out to gently touch the shield with his fingertips.

After a long while, the old man slowly raised his hand, his voice filled with a emotion he hadn't felt in decades.

"So that's it... So that's it! This isn't ordinary iron; it's the metal of life!"

Those few words instantly silenced the noisy hall.

Lu Zhixing turned his head to look at Ye Qinglan beside him and asked in a deliberately low voice.

What is "Gold of Life"?

Ye Qinglan forcibly suppressed the surging waves in her chest.

"The Gold of Life is a top-tier rare spiritual material on the continent. The biggest difference between it and ordinary iron is that it has unlimited growth potential."

"Initially only Bronze grade, it will automatically evolve as the holder continues to hone their skills in battle, climbing all the way up to Silver, Gold, Diamond, and Epic."

"If the master is powerful enough and has experienced countless life-and-death battles, the Gold of Life can even break through the shackles and grow to the legendary level or even higher."

She paused, then added a very impactful fact.

"At an early Kyoto auction, a fist-sized piece of primordial life gold was directly exchanged for the control of a small city."

The competition manager, standing beside the judges' table, gripped the scorebook tightly, his gaze fixed on the Shield of Life, his heart churning with turbulent emotions.

This piece of Northern Spirit Iron has a raw market value of one million, and its value after being forged into a finished product is guaranteed to be between eight and ten million.

But once it transforms into the gold of life, its price can no longer be measured in money.

The piece before us is perfectly formed, possesses pure spiritual energy, and is a finished product of the Spirit Gold forged into a super-grade quality, making its value immeasurable.

The white light on the shield had not yet dissipated, and beneath the black patterns, a tiny protrusion slowly emerged.

Its volume gradually increased, eventually transforming into a book.

"That's... a skill book?!" Someone in the crowd exclaimed in surprise.

"How could skill books possibly be sealed inside equipment? Especially not inside the Gold of Life!"

Everyone stared intently at the halo of light from the fragments, and someone immediately noticed something amiss.

"This...this is a space-type skill book! An extremely rare space-type skill book!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the hall erupted in a deafening uproar once again.

"Space-type skill book dungeons will never be produced, and regular forging cannot generate them either."

"A spatial skill book is hidden inside the Metal of Life? How is that possible?"

"In my opinion, it's Young Master Lu's forging technique that touched the very essence of the metal, thus awakening the spatial treasure hidden deep within the spirit iron!"

"If anyone else had forged this spirit iron, it would have been ruined, and they would never have had such an opportunity!"

Tang Si, standing in a corner of the crowd, stared at the floating white skill fragment.

"Gold of Life...Embedded Space Skill Book..."

He looked down at the dull and lifeless Haotian Hammer in his hand.

He looked up again at the divine shield that was destined to become famous throughout the city, and the last bit of pride in his heart completely collapsed.

He was unwilling to stay any longer, so he turned around quickly and walked towards the exit of the hall without looking back.

Lu Zhixing stepped forward slowly and raised his hand to grasp the skill book.

The moment the fingertips touched, a warm and unique energy flowed into the body through the meridians of the arm.

Xiao You's soft, gentle, and relieved voice rang in my ears.

"Master, this is what I've been sensing, hidden deep within the spirit iron."

Lu Zhixing gripped the skill book tightly between his fingers, a thought forming in his mind.

The next second, the light blue system panel unfolded out of thin air, and lines of silver-white text refreshed rapidly.

[Congratulations on mastering the spatial skill - "Even Thieves Have Their Code".]

[Skill Description: Randomly swap one of your held items with two items on a target enemy within your field of vision. Cooldown: 10 minutes.]

A hint of surprise flashed across Lu Zhixing's eyes as he silently deduced the practical applications of this skill in his mind.

When facing a powerful enemy, you can easily exchange weapons and protective gear with them.

There's no way to steal rare materials, even if you're caught in a deadly surprise attack.

It can also exchange nearby items with enemy survival items to resolve crises. The ten-minute cooldown may not seem long, but it is enough to turn the tide of battle in actual combat.

Before he could put away the panel, his gaze inadvertently swept over the profession column, and he was slightly taken aback.

[Second Profession: Heaven Thief (EX Beyond Grade)]

[Rank: Lv.10]

[Innate Skills: Unseen Lv.10, Undetected Lv.10, Code of Conduct Lv.10]

Lu Zhixing turned his head to look at Ye Qinglan, who was still in shock beside him, and nodded gently.

"Let's go back."

Ye Qinglan suppressed the myriad thoughts in her mind and responded quietly.

The two figures slowly disappeared into the bright light outside the door, but the forging hall fell silent.

A bronze super-tier shield, the priceless gold of life, and a rare spatial skill book sealed within an artifact.

---

Lu Family Villa.

When Lu Zhixing pushed open the door, the scene in the living room made him pause for a moment.

The coffee table was covered with all sorts of snack packaging bags—potato chip bags, cookie boxes, candy wrappers, and jelly cups.

A few unpeeled chocolates were piled up on the edge of the coffee table.

A romantic drama is playing on the TV screen, and the male lead is kneeling on one knee to confess his love to the female lead.

The little vampire sat cross-legged in the center of the sofa, his bare feet resting on the cushions.

Clutching a bag of potato chips, constantly stuffing them into his mouth with his fingertips, his cheeks puffed out in a round puff, a half-empty glass of cola beside him.

Lu Zhixing stood in the entryway, silent for a moment.

"...Does the young lady also like to eat these snacks?"

The little vampire froze upon hearing the voice.

She hadn't finished chewing the potato chips in her mouth when she frantically tried to swallow them, and choked.

He quickly grabbed the Coke next to him and gulped it down before hurriedly putting the cup down.

"No...no, that's not true!"

Her voice was eight octaves higher than usual, and her face turned red from the base of her neck to her forehead.

"I don't like eating this kind of children's food! I am—"

She glanced hastily at the pile of snack wrappers on the coffee table, then at the bag of potato chips she hadn't yet put down, her voice growing softer and softer.

"That's because... these things appeared in the closet at home, and their origin is unknown..."

"This stuff of unknown origin might make you sick if you eat it..."

The more she talked, the more convinced she became of herself, and her voice grew louder again.

"I'm testing the poison for you! Yes, that's right! Testing the poison! I'm being so good to you, and you're still laughing at me!"

She slammed the bag of potato chips onto the coffee table, turned around abruptly to face away from Lu Zhixing, crossed her arms over her chest, and tensed her back as if in a fit of pique.

"You must apologize to me."

Lu Zhixing couldn't help but chuckle as he watched her trying to save face even after being caught red-handed.

"You ate my food and you expect me to apologize?"

The little vampire didn't turn around, but his voice was self-righteous.

"Yes! You misunderstood my good intentions, which hurt me deeply. I went through all the trouble of testing the poison for you, and instead of being grateful, you mocked me. Isn't it normal to apologize?"

Lu Zhixing sighed silently to himself. As the boss, he had to appease his employees.

After all, employees work harder when they are in a good mood.

"So... what do you want?"

The little vampire's body twitched slightly.

"Hmm...no trouble at all, just lend me a drop of your blood."

Lu Zhixing's smile gradually froze.

That last bite almost made him anemic; he was dizzy and couldn't even stand up straight.

He shook his head decisively.

"No. Try another one."

The little vampire suddenly turned around, his long silver hair sweeping over his shoulders with the movement, his blood-red eyes full of dissatisfaction.

"Why should I? I'll just take a small sip; I won't overdo it—"

"You said the same thing last time." Lu Zhixing looked at her expressionlessly.

"Last time you said 'just a small puff,' but you ended up inhaling for a long time, and I almost couldn't stand up."

Her earlobes flushed a light red, and she turned her head away awkwardly.

"That was purely an accident... I'll definitely be more careful this time."

"no."

As soon as the word "simple" was uttered, the light in the little vampire's eyes dimmed little by little.

She stopped arguing, lowered her head, and let her long, silvery-white hair fall down, covering most of her face.

Two little feet rested on the edge of the sofa, swinging back and forth slowly and lightly, quiet yet with a hint of grievance.

Lu Zhixing sighed as he looked at her.

"Of course, there are still gifts."

The little vampire's feet stopped wobbling.

She looked up abruptly, but still maintained her aloof demeanor, pretending not to care.

"What is it? I might not even look at it."

"Close your eyes first."

The little vampire crossed his arms and turned his head to the side.

"Hmph... I don't care about any gifts. You think you can order me to close my eyes? No way!"

Lu Zhixing shrugged.

"Oh, then there's no gift."

The little vampire suddenly turned around, his voice tinged with panic.

"Wait a minute..."

She hesitated for a moment, then obediently closed her eyes, her eyelashes fluttering gently.

Looking at her "clearly wanting it but pretending not to care" expression, Lu Zhixing couldn't help but smile.

"It seems that the young lady still likes small gifts."

The little vampire's eyes remained closed, but his mouth never stopped.

"No way! Just now... just now I got a stone in my eye!"

Lu Zhixing made a phone call.

A few minutes later, Ye Qinglan came in from the car carrying several large bags. The bags were bulging and made a soft sound when they landed on the ground.

Lu Zhixing pulled a black dress out of one of the bags.

The skirt has delicate lace trim and the neckline features exquisite pleats, giving the whole dress a just-right level of glamour.

"Open your eyes."