See, weapons were only a single part of what the forges created. Many other races originally thought that the Neurics were only defeating them because of their weapon-making capabilities, but once they were subdued and saw the forge for the first time, they fully accepted defeat.
It was already impressive that they were able to go from stone tools to iron and steel weapons within a century, but if it was just that much, they wouldn't be praised by a mysterious treasure like the Formation Spark.
There was a stark difference between natural talent and learned skill. For the Neurics, natural talent was the driving force.
Even they didn't quite understand how to define what they did in the forge, but when they found themselves in front of materials and flames, they were able to create things they'd never imagined were possible.
