Upon hearing the reminder, Gu La pressed his left hand onto the scorching forging table, while a blade of psychic force erupted from his right fingertips, glowing an eerie blue. As the blade sliced through the faint golden veins on his wrist, two streams of blood shot out like arrows.
"Hiss!"
The two streams of blood, glittering with star-like motes, precisely coated the surfaces of the Heavy Mountain Tungsten Steel Hammer and the Blazing Gold Hammer.
The gray and red forging hammers absorbed the blood, their sentience surging instantly. This was no ordinary blood—it contained the essence of Legendary and space-time energy, making it of extraordinary quality. The sentience of both hammers almost immediately surpassed Spirit Forging, reaching the level of Soul Forging, nearly birthing true consciousness.
With a thought, Gu La summoned the two forging hammers, which flew toward him like returning swallows and merged into his body through his skin.
Suddenly, inspiration flashed in his mind. He activated his external soul bone, the Magma Heart Armor, connecting it to the two forging hammers. A Soul-Forged hammer wasn't inferior to a ten-thousand-year soul bone, let alone one bonded through a blood contract. It perfectly resonated with his body and retained its potential for growth, much like an external soul bone.
"I've never had the chance to explore the transformation abilities of external soul bones, but if I combine them with battle armor, fusing soul bones with Heaven-Forged metals… wouldn't two-word battle armor rival four-character battle armor?!"
The twin Legendary martial souls granted Gu La exceptional defense and elemental resistance, so he didn't need the additional protection offered by external soul bones.
However, battle armor provided comprehensive enhancement. In the original timeline, Tang Wulin became a six-character battle armor master, and even after ascending to godhood, his battle armor still played a role, showcasing its immense potential. If combined with external soul bones capable of transforming into divine artifacts…
Gu La's eyes gleamed. "The materials used for these two forging hammers are perfect as base materials for battle armor. However, I'll need to consider compatibility with Celebi's combat style and add four to six more metals to ensure the upper limit of the battle armor."
Numerous inspirations flashed through Gu La's mind. Before returning to his original timeline, he at least needed to become a two-word battle armor master—it would be a waste not to achieve that much.
Lou Tai silently observed from the side, refraining from interrupting Gu La's epiphany. His emotions were complex. While he had previously considered Gu La a promising blacksmith candidate with the potential to become a Divine Blacksmith.
Now, he believed that as long as Gu La didn't meet an untimely end, he was destined to become a Divine Blacksmith!
Do you even understand the significance of achieving Spirit Forging in a single day?!
"Divine Blacksmith Zhen Hua is currently at the Douluo City Blacksmiths' Association. Should we send someone to inform him?"
Lou Tai had been mentored by Zhen Hua and sincerely hoped Gu La could receive better guidance. However, as a Saint Craftsman affiliated with the Spirit Pagoda, he had to consider Lady Phoenix Douluo's opinion.
"Sigh, this is troublesome. Forging is so much simpler."
Lou Tai quietly exited the forging room. As the yellow-tinted metal door closed behind him, it emitted a long, drawn-out sigh. The glow of the corridor's soul-guided lamps stretched his shadow irregularly, mirroring his turbulent thoughts.
Years ago, when Divine Blacksmith Zhen Hua forged something that triggered heavenly tribulation phenomena, Lou Tai had thought it was the pinnacle of a blacksmith's career—a sight rarely witnessed in a lifetime. Yet today, he bore witness to an even more astonishing miracle.
He himself had no hope of achieving Heaven Forging, but he hoped that under his guidance, a Divine Blacksmith would emerge—even if he only taught them for a short time.
The crystalline glass door of the top-floor office exuded a chilling aura. Leng Yaozhu leaned against the window frame, her ruby earrings swaying gently in the morning light, casting a crimson glow.
Upon hearing the knock, the soul-guided communicator on her fingertip flickered off, and the golden phoenix-and-sun pattern on her moonlit robe shimmered faintly.
"Come in."
Lou Tai pushed open the door and strode forward, metal impurities from his forging robe falling to the ground with a soft rustle.
"Your disciple's performance has been extraordinarily impressive. I believe he should be sent to study under Divine Blacksmith Zhen Hua. He will become the next Divine Blacksmith—only Zhen Hua is qualified to teach him forging."
Lou Tai got straight to the point, his emotions so heightened that his words came out jumbled.
If she weren't a Limit Douluo, Leng Yaozhu would have doubted her ears. She glanced at the soul-guided clock: "Master Lou Tai, don't joke around. How can you tell after just three hours?"
Though she outwardly expressed disbelief, Leng Yaozhu couldn't help but feel uneasy. Gu La had created too many miracles before her eyes, raising her trust in his capabilities to unprecedented levels.
"I'm not joking with you, Lady Phoenix Douluo. Gu La is the most talented blacksmith I've ever seen. After only brief study, he forged 1st Grade Thousand Refined metals purely through innate talent. By coincidence, he also completed Spirit Forging through a blood contract."
"If such a genius cannot become a Divine Blacksmith, then no one else in this world ever will!"
"Ten years old and already Spirit Forging?"
Leng Yaozhu found it hard to believe. Even though she wasn't a blacksmith, she understood the immense value of achieving Spirit Forging at ten years old—especially since Gu La had only been exposed to forging for less than half a day.
Even with his powerful mental strength, his talent in forging was undeniably extraordinary!
But sending Gu La away made her reluctant and worried about drawing unwanted attention to him.
There were many on the continent who wouldn't want another Divine Blacksmith to emerge.
Leng Yaozhu's fingers traced the metallic desk, her pupils flickering with an uncertain flame. Outside, the clouds shifted, causing the sunlight to waver, casting alternating shadows across her profile.
"Three months ago, evil soul masters attacked a soul-guided train."
Leng Yaozhu thought of the restless Holy Spirit Sect, the Federation's dislike of Shrek Academy's widespread influence, and their disapproval of the Spirit Pagoda's control over spirit transactions and martial soul awakenings.
Even within the Spirit Pagoda, she couldn't guarantee that no one would harm Gu La.
But true strength had never been cultivated in comfort.
Leng Yaozhu sighed inwardly. She couldn't protect her disciple forever, but she could at least ensure he had the opportunity to grow.
"Gu La's foundation is weak. Master Lou Tai, please guide him for some time. I'll secretly contact Zhen Hua to arrange a meeting when the time is right."
Lou Tai was satisfied with Leng Yaozhu's decision. Teaching Gu La for a longer period meant he could later boast to his old friends that he had mentored a Divine Blacksmith.
With a light step, he left the top-floor office and hurried back to the forging workshop.
Gu La had already regained his focus and was studying his two forging hammers.
Sensing someone approaching, Gu La manipulated the hammers to suppress their sentience, disguising them as Spirit-Forged artifacts.
This deception wouldn't fool a Saint Craftsman, but with his mental strength masking the truth, the illusion was seamless.
Lou Tai chuckled, looking pleased: "How did it go? Did any special effects trigger? No worries if not—there's still a chance during Spirit Forging metal fusion."
Gu La smiled in response. With Future Sight as his cheat, how could he possibly fail?
"Good luck—I managed to trigger special effects on both hammers. They're the common 'Heavy Pressure' and 'Heat Melt' effects associated with their respective metals."
"However, the two hammers also resonate with each other. When their effects are triggered simultaneously, they merge into a 'Heat Pressure' effect, amplifying their combined effects seven to eight times."
"While others need hundreds of strikes to complete Thousandfold Forging, I might only need dozens—or even a few strikes. Moreover, I sense that metals processed under the Heat Pressure state are easier to awaken."
------------------------------------------------------
40+ Chapters Ahead: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)