Chapter 373: Chapter 373: Soul Forging, Success!
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Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Not bad."
Watching Xu Yuan's forging, Zhen Hua sincerely offered his praise.
Previously, after observing Feng Wu Yu's forging, Xu Yuan hadn't touched forging at all until now.
However, he had perfectly digested the insights from those seven days and integrated them into his own forging technique.
"Is this Xu Yuan's learning ability?"
In reality, Xu Yuan had used his dream realm to correct any mistakes, ensuring that every flaw in his technique was rectified.
The difference in time flow gave him a mental edge, allowing him to maintain an optimal thinking rhythm during the forging process.
It could be said that for every strike of the hammer and every response from the metal, Xu Yuan had more than ten times the amount of time to think compared to other blacksmiths.
Forging is a profession that heavily relies on insight.
The reaction time during forging is extremely short, leaving little room for anything but instinctive responses.
What blacksmiths can do is hone their instincts as much as possible, turning any method of handling unexpected situations into second nature.
However, Xu Yuan gave himself time to think.
Every strike of his hammer was the perfect answer.
Not only that, but Xu Yuan also had multiple "brains" working simultaneously.
Physically, he naturally only had one brain.
But the talent granted by Huan Xing had transformed his brain martial soul, splitting it into multiple sub-brains. This allowed him to approach problems from multiple angles simultaneously.
Combined with his ability to multitask, Xu Yuan ensured that every strike of his hammer was flawless from different perspectives.
He could analyze the correct answer and execute it without error.
Under such conditions, if Xu Yuan wasn't scoring full marks, who would?
At this moment, Xu Yuan had already completed the fusion forging and spirit forging of the sentient alloy.
Still, he continued to swing his forging hammer, infusing power into every corner of the sentient alloy.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Zhen Hua's eyes were filled with intense anticipation.
Generally speaking, soul forging requires at least a Rank Seven soul master—equivalent to a Soul Sage—to endure the process. However, Xu Yuan clearly wasn't bound by this limitation.
From this perspective alone, it highlighted the importance of soul power cultivation.
It wasn't just about the level of soul power, but also its application and quality.
Cultivation was the foundation.
Unfortunately…
Zhen Hua sighed.
He no longer had the chance to make up for lost time.
In truth, achieving the status of a Divine Craftsman meant that Zhen Hua's martial soul quality wasn't low. If he had focused on cultivation, he might have had the potential to become a Super Douluo.
However, he had devoted himself to forging early on, neglecting his soul power cultivation. His progress increasingly relied on medicinal aids, and even his breakthrough to the Soul Emperor rank was achieved through significant external assistance.
Afterward, theoretically, he shouldn't have been able to reach the nine-ringed stage.
It was only due to an extraordinary opportunity, comparable to a heavenly herb, that he managed to condense a soul core and achieve the rank of Title Douluo.
Subsequent nourishment from various medicines allowed him to barely stack his soul power up to Level 94.
As a Divine Craftsman, what couldn't he obtain?
Considering his contributions to forging several sets of four-character battle armor for the Tang Sect, requesting a heavenly herb or two wouldn't have been a problem.
However, he didn't do so.
Clearly, immortal herbs were useless to him.
Xu Yuan couldn't see Zhen Hua's reaction; at this moment, his eyes were solely focused on the Jade Silver before him.
Yes, it was still Jade Silver.
However, the Jade Silver before him was no longer just a combination of Heavy Silver and Magic Silver. It now included Five Elements Spirit Crystals and Azure Iron, making it a four-in-one sentient alloy!
Bang!
The dark golden forging hammer struck the Jade Silver, causing the starlight above it to shine even brighter. The shimmering starlight flickered like waves of consciousness, communicating with Xu Yuan.
The resonance of soul forging echoed.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The starlight points cooperated with Xu Yuan's hammer, transforming the internal structure of the metal.
Throughout this process, Xu Yuan's focus, energy, and spirit enveloped the entire Jade Silver.
The starlight grew increasingly mesmerizing.
Zhen Hua watched this scene and nodded slightly.
He explained to the two laypeople beside him:
"Xiao Yuan is integrating his abilities into the Jade Silver in the form of starlight. The starlight emitted by the Jade Silver is the inheritance bestowed upon it by his soul forging."
At one point, the starlight gained a touch of vitality.
The soul forging solidified, completing the process.
The starlight pulsed, no longer following a rigid pattern of flashing but instead exuding true life. Under Xu Yuan's hammer, it burst forth with dazzling brilliance.
Boom!
A pillar of starlight shot into the sky, illuminating the entire room. Even in broad daylight, the space resembled a starry night, filled with radiant light.
The starlight intertwined, evolving into the five elements' transformations, resembling flashes of spear-like streaks.
Soul Awakening, success!
Soul Forging, success!
A single attempt, a complete success!
Xu Yuan took a slight breath.
After all, soul forging consumed a significant amount of soul power. Thanks to the endurance provided by his soul core, he was able to complete the soul forging in one go. Otherwise, before his breakthrough, relying on Level 59 soul power, he would have needed to switch to using blood essence halfway through.
The boost from a single soul core was immense.
"Uncle, does this count as a success?"
Xu Yuan looked at Zhen Hua, slightly uncertain.
It was one thing to succeed in spirit forging on the first try, but succeeding in soul forging on the first attempt—even Xu Yuan found it hard to believe.
"Of course." Zhen Hua's expression was dazed, his face reflecting a mix of emotions as he looked at Xu Yuan. "Truly, Xiao Yuan, I am now absolutely certain that as long as nothing unexpected happens, you will become a Divine Craftsman!"
The ease with which he tackled soul forging was astonishing. Even though heaven forging might pose challenges, for Xu Yuan, it wouldn't feel as hopeless as it did for other sacred craftsmen.
Not only was it not hopeless, but he also had a clear direction and path to follow.
Because Xu Yuan had successfully achieved the perfect fusion forging during the initial stages, gaining a foundational understanding of how celestial forces nurtured metals.
It could be said that once he gained insight into the laws of heaven and earth and infused those principles into the metal, creating a true metallic lifeform would be a natural progression.
"For the next few days, continue forging under my guidance. I'll first teach you some soul forging techniques."
Xu Yuan stayed in Tiandou City for only a month.
In that month, he learned about seventy to eighty percent of Zhen Hua's soul forging techniques.
The rest, upon returning to the academy, he could fully digest and master on his own.
Xu Shengqun returned to Tianhai City.
After delivering Xu Yuan to Shrek City, Mu Ye left the continent, citing the need to find a breakthrough as his reason.
---
Sea God Pavilion.
"Teacher?"
Xu Yuan looked at Yun Ming's back, sensing that something significant was about to happen.
Yun Ming turned around, gazing at Xu Yuan with an appraising look in his eyes.
"Xiao Yuan, take a look at this file."
With a puzzled expression, Xu Yuan took the tablet Yun Ming handed over and opened the file to examine it.
Strange runes.
Bizarre patterns.
Xu Yuan couldn't understand them.
It wasn't until he saw the signature at the end, belonging to himself, that he fell into confusion.
Seeing Xu Yuan's reaction, Yun Ming sighed.
"It seems you don't know what this file is either. Can't decipher its meaning?"
Xu Yuan shook his head and quickly asked, "Teacher, where did this come from?"
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