He did not use his Thousand-Refinement Hammer, but instead picked up an ordinary iron hammer and began forging the watermelon-sized Elemental Spirit Metal.
The greatest feature of Elemental Spirit Metal was its affinity with elements. It rejected no type of element and could accommodate all seven.
Yun Ze swung the hammer quickly, strikes falling like raindrops. The crisp ding-dang of metal echoed nonstop. With each strike, the shape of the Elemental Spirit Metal changed, its size shrinking bit by bit.
Gu Yuena did not understand forging, but she still watched with interest.
The Thousand Refinement did not literally require a thousand strikes. As long as the metal was forged to the point of possessing a faint trace of life, it could be called a Thousand Refinement.
For smiths of different levels, the number of strikes required varied—some needed over a thousand, some only a hundred, others just a few dozen, and the most skilled might succeed with a single strike. It all depended on the smith's comprehension of the metal.
Yun Ze had not yet reached the level of completing the Thousand Refinement in one blow. The main reason was that his strength did not support it. If his power were like that of the Bear King, a single strike would suffice.
After more than a hundred strikes, he finally completed the Thousand Refinement, imbuing the metal with the faint spark of life. The Elemental Spirit Metal had now taken the form of a forging hammer.
"Drop a bit of blood on it," Yun Ze gestured to Gu Yuena.
"So soon?" Gu Yuena was surprised. She had thought this would be a much longer process.
But Yun Ze had already reached the level of Spirit Forging, with a deep understanding of metal. Completing a Thousand Refinement naturally did not take him long.
Following his instruction, Gu Yuena pricked her finger and let a drop of fresh blood fall.
Ding—
The blood touched the pitch-black Elemental Spirit Metal and instantly fused within. The hammer vibrated, releasing a crisp resonant hum.
Within ten seconds, the spot where the blood had fallen began to change color—from black to a radiant rainbow representing the seven elements.
Starting from that point, the colors spread rapidly, covering the entire hammer in less than a minute.
Originally, the Elemental Spirit Metal was merely element-friendly. But with Gu Yuena's blood, it transformed into true Seven-Elemental Metal.
Although the infused element attribute was not strong, the fact that it carried such an attribute at all was already extraordinary.
"Would you like to try the hammer's special effect yourself?" Yun Ze asked, attaching the prepared hammer handle to the head.
"I'll give it a try, but don't expect me to forge." Gu Yuena laughed, taking the hammer from him.
The moment she gripped it, she felt a strange sense of familiarity—as though this hammer had been by her side for years.
Clang!
She struck the forging table with force. At the point of impact, rainbow-colored energy flowed out from the hammer face, spreading like mist.
Seeing this effect, Yun Ze instantly understood its function. Nodding, he said, "Elemental Imbuement. When this hammer is used for forging, it can infuse the metal with the seven-element ability. A very fitting effect for you."
For Gu Yuena, the hammer's ability was indeed perfect. It amplified her seven-element powers, allowing her to manipulate elements with twice the efficiency. Truly a top-grade special effect.
However, if the hammer were used to forge for someone else, the added seven-element ability would be tasteless—sounding impressive but ultimately useless.
After all, no matter how powerful the Thousand Refinement Hammer was, it could not grant a piece of metal true mastery over seven elements. That was beyond its scope.
"Is that so?" Gu Yuena beamed.
"For now, your battle armor can only be forged from a single metal. Elemental Spirit Metal, Magic Silver, and Scale-Iron are all good choices. Which one do you want?" Yun Ze asked.
As a sixth-rank Soul Engineer, Gu Yuena naturally knew the properties of these metals. Without hesitation, she said, "Elemental Spirit Metal."
"This hammer is itself made of Elemental Spirit Metal. Using it to forge more Elemental Spirit Metal will make the resulting battle armor even stronger. As for Magic Silver and Scale-Iron, we can add those later when crafting your Three-Word Battle Armor."
"That works."
Yun Ze nodded. "But our supply of Elemental Spirit Metal is limited. When Ditian returns, ask him to fetch another half ton from the Star Dou Forest."
"Alright," Gu Yuena agreed.
At the Sun-Moon Auction House, as the fifth pill was sold to VIP Room Five for 240 billion, the grand auction that had shocked the entire continent finally came to a close.
Five pills, with a total transaction price of 1.168 trillion federal coins—a record-breaking figure that utterly crushed the previous second place of just over 700 billion.
The astronomical number stunned everyone. Since when did the unit "billion" need to be prefixed with "thousand"?
Many people were filled with envy toward Dragon Phoenix Hall. With mastery over the refining of such pills, earning money was as easy as drinking water.
Even forces like Tang Sect and Spirit Transmission Tower, who amassed wealth daily, would need years to earn such sums. Yet Dragon Phoenix Hall had done so in mere hours. The contrast was staggering.
When the auction ended, the media outside went wild, blocking the entrance and waiting for the VIPs to exit for interviews.
News of the auction spread across all media channels within a single minute of its conclusion.
The figure—1.168 trillion federal coins—was plastered in headlines, drawing global attention.
Speculation about which five bidders had won the pills became the hottest topic of the moment. Tang Sect, Shrek, and Spirit Transmission Tower were repeatedly mentioned.
Most believed each of the three forces had secured one pill, while the ownership of the remaining two was the subject of endless debate.
Those who tried to ask the auction house about the VIPs' identities were flatly refused. The Sun-Moon Auction House firmly protected its clients' confidentiality, refusing to confirm or deny any rumors.
Even Shrek Academy hit a wall when they inquired about the buyers in VIP Room One.
Right now, the auction house regarded Dragon Phoenix Hall as a client above all others. For them, offending Shrek Academy was preferable to displeasing Dragon Phoenix Hall, who had just delivered both prestige and a trillion-level turnover, yielding over 58 billion in revenue.
It could be said that Dragon Phoenix Hall had given the auction house profits greater than what they usually made in an entire year. What had Shrek contributed in comparison?
Naturally, the choice was clear.
Besides, the auction house's ties to Shrek were minimal, and with the Federation backing them, they had no fear of Shrek's displeasure.
It was worth noting that although the official total was reported as 1.168 trillion, the actual figure was only 1.028 trillion, as Gu Ming had paid 140 billion less.
The auction house was aware of this, but publicly, they insisted on announcing the higher number.
When calculating commission, they suggested using the 1.028 trillion figure, but Dragon Phoenix Hall refused—insisting the full 1.168 trillion be used.
For them, having earned over a trillion, a few billion was nothing. Being generous also left the auction house with goodwill.
The Sun-Moon Auction House was ecstatic with such a magnanimous client, quickly designating Dragon Phoenix Hall as their most honored VIP and granting them numerous privileges.
(End of Chapter)