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At this moment, not only Feng Wuyu but even Xu Yuan was slightly tense, carefully observing Ya Li's changes.
It wasn't concern for Ya Li's safety but rather curiosity about the changes in that piece of metal.
Vaguely, he had a feeling that this might be what he had mentioned to Feng Wuyu as a possibility after Heaven-Forging.
During the lightning tribulation earlier, the Sacred Light Source Crystal had undergone an abnormal transformation—a transformation that hadn't occurred during Xu Yuan's previous ten successful Heaven-Forging attempts.
However, despite the unexpected development, everything still unfolded within his predictions.
Ya Li's transformation continued. The metal that had just entered her body quickly began glowing inside her, seemingly merging with her. Behind her, the faint shadow of her Angel of Hope condensed, with a radiant glow of sacred five-colored light flickering within the silhouette.
After a short while, Xu Yuan noticed that her martial soul, the Angel of Hope, had gained a touch of vitality.
Then, a five-colored light burst forth from the Angel of Hope. This light was the Sacred Light Source Crystal.
However, it was different now—the shape of the Sacred Light Source Crystal had changed, resembling Ya Li's Angel of Hope by at least ninety percent.
At this moment, Xu Yuan understood why the Sacred Light Source Crystal had chosen Ya Li.
The earlier phase of selecting someone was clearly preparation for the crystal to choose its own form.
In fact, Heaven-Forged metals already possessed life and would naturally develop their own forms. Often, blacksmiths deliberately suppressed and sealed metals that had survived lightning tribulations, leaving them for soul masters to shape upon fusion.
If they weren't sealed, these Heaven-Forged metals would independently derive a form similar to their characteristics. For example, under normal circumstances, the Heaven-Forged metals forged by Xu Yuan would naturally evolve into shapes suitable for the five elements. Tang Wulin's Heaven-Forged metals tended toward dragon-like forms, Feng Wuyu's were similar, and Zhen Hua's leaned toward hammer-like forms.
Of course, the base material also mattered. If dragon-patterned iron was used as one of the materials, even if the blacksmith forging it had no dragon-related abilities, it could still evolve into a dragon-like form.
Regardless, Heaven-Forged metals had never before chosen their own forms.
Yet, this Sacred Light Source Crystal, at the moment of its birth, chose a form highly suited to itself, fusing with her martial soul and evolving into the form of the Angel of Hope.
"It doesn't even need a fusion process anymore. This Sacred Light Source Crystal has already completed its fusion with Teacher's wife. Even without engraving core formations into it as a battle armor weapon, it is sufficient to serve as Teacher's wife's 'weapon.'"
The Sacred Light Source Crystal had naturally become part of Ya Li's martial soul—it had become her martial soul's weapon!
If it were further fused with battle armor and crafted into a battle armor weapon...
Xu Yuan took a deep breath.
If this anomaly could be replicated, there was no doubt that four-word battle armor technology would see further advancement.
Perhaps, having such a bridge connecting martial souls and battle armor—a martial soul-battle armor weapon—could elevate four-word battle armor to another level. It might even be called "Divine Foundation Battle Armor"!
Divine Foundation Battle Armor, not Divine-Level Battle Armor.
Because such a set of four-word battle armor could lay the foundation for a soul master to reach the divine level.
Breaking past Level 100 meant reaching the divine level, but this was only half a step into the threshold of laws. Only by truly achieving dimensional transformation could one reach the True God level. This was why there was a distinction between the divine level and the True God level.
Previously, Yun Ming was able to instantly reach the peak of the True God level because he immediately crossed dimensions, breaking through the barrier between the divine level and the True God level. With sufficient natural forces, his soul power rapidly transformed.
Now, the path to godhood that Xu Yuan and Yun Ming had pioneered extended through the martial soul. The martial soul was key for soul masters to fuse with laws, so the evolution of the martial soul was crucial for soul masters to progress beyond Level 100.
Such a set of battle armor, fully integrated with the martial soul, could assist in the martial soul's transformation and complete dimensional ascension.
Thus, a newly ascended divine-level soul master who could complete the fusion with such a set of battle armor could directly ascend to the True God level.
Even at the Limit Douluo stage, equipping such a full set of battle armor could lead to breaking through to the True God level.
"Xiao Yuan, can this metal still be called Heaven-Forged metal?" Feng Wuyu also noticed the difference in this metal.
Xu Yuan shook his head and looked at the pressure and metal still undergoing changes in the air.
"Let's wait until all the changes are complete and then ask Teacher's wife how she feels."
Feng Wuyu nodded, quietly observing Ya Li and the evolution of the Sacred Light Source Crystal alongside Xu Yuan.
As time passed, the Sacred Light Source Crystal, having obtained its form, continued to change. Its previously released domain reappeared, more vibrant, seeming to possess a special power.
Sacred five-element energy filled the entire domain. Ya Li's Angel of Hope radiated a holy light, perfectly blending with this domain.
Watching this scene, Xu Yuan thought of his Blood Qi Domain overlapping with other domains.
The difference was that his Blood Qi Domain could overlap with others due to its inherent characteristics, with very few limitations. In contrast, the fusion and overlap of Ya Li's original martial soul domain and this Sacred Light Source Crystal domain was a special case.
Perhaps it was replicable, but fusion and overlap required certain conditions.
"Domain overlap might be another direction for improvement."
Xu Yuan gained some clarity.
The existence of domains was inherently a means to approach the essence of laws. If domains overlapped, perhaps soul masters could get closer to the laws?
Wouldn't the existence of the Blood Qi Domain be like a heaven-defying bug?
At this moment, Xu Yuan realized his strongest ability right now.
And this ability still had room to grow.
Because the fusion of essence, energy, and spirit was closer to the essence. If the domains of essence, energy, and spirit were fully integrated—completing the Trinity Martial Soul Fusion Technique that Xu Yuan had envisioned earlier—it could enhance mastery over heaven and earth.
Domain overlap combined with the fusion of essence, energy, and spirit made Xu Yuan feel like he could face the laws directly, viewing heaven and earth as if analyzing parsed laws.
Of course, whether he could reach that level, Xu Yuan didn't know.
After all, he hadn't achieved it yet.
Even now, the fusion of his brain martial soul and Heavenly Origin Five Elements Spear wasn't perfect. It wasn't even considered a fusion—it was just the domains leveraging the characteristics of the Blood Qi Domain for blind overlap.
He was still missing a key element—a critical point for the fusion of his two martial souls.
While Xu Yuan pondered, the changes in the Sacred Light Source Crystal entered their final stages.
After the two domains overlapped, the form of the Sacred Light Source Crystal changed again. The compressed domain formed a sacred halo behind the Angel of Hope.
With each flash of the halo, ripples of sacred five-element energy spread outward.
"Teacher's wife."
Xu Yuan awakened Ya Li, waiting for her explanation.
Ya Li opened her eyes, revealing a look of surprise and awe as she gazed at Xu Yuan.
"Xiao Yuan, you've truly forged something terrifying this time."
Something terrifying?
Hearing Ya Li's description, Xu Yuan knew this Sacred Light Source Crystal's transformations were far from simple.
"Don't you think this metal likely reached the divine level?" Ya Li asked Xu Yuan and Feng Wuyu.
Xu Yuan and Feng Wuyu both nodded.
They believed this metal might have surpassed the Heaven-Forging level.
The two divine craftsmen stared intently at Ya Li, awaiting her conclusion.
"I can confirm that this metal has indeed reached the divine level—on par with the divine level defined by Xiao Yuan and Brother Ming."
Xu Yuan contemplated thoughtfully.
On par with the divine level he and his teacher had defined.
The divine level he and Yun Ming defined wasn't about a breakthrough in divine power but a more essential transformation in dimensional domains.
"During the fusion with Xiao Ling, I could sense a very fundamental force within her, based on sanctity and framed by the five elements."
Ya Li described her feelings.
Because her fusion with this Sacred Light Source Crystal—now named Xiao Ling—was direct, she clearly perceived the strength of this newborn life form. It seemed to possess something akin to an origin within.
Origin—the essence of laws.
Relying on laws to elevate dimensions could resemble Yun Ming undergoing the baptism of laws, enhancing the essence of life and directly linking with laws.
Similarly, there was another method—similar to the birth of a plane—whereby an origin was condensed, naturally deriving its own laws.
This Sacred Light Source Crystal now seemed to follow that path.
Xu Yuan suddenly understood, feeling that many of his previous uncertainties had been resolved.
Though he had ideas about advancing beyond Heaven-Forging, he was still missing one step—he didn't know how to elevate a metal to the divine level.
After all, it was a newborn life form. Enduring the lightning tribulation was challenging enough; surviving it was already at the limit. To further change the internal structure of the metal during this process, enabling it to perfectly integrate with laws, was nearly impossible.
All he could do was adjust his techniques to strengthen the metal, giving it the chance to endure the tribulation autonomously and see if this process could be achieved.
Now, the existence of Xiao Ling had opened his mind.
Why must the internal structure be changed?
Couldn't self-condensing an origin work?
Condensing an origin—currently, the only known way Xu Yuan knew of was the birth of planes.
Because the meaning represented by origins was so extraordinary—it involved compressing one's timeline, condensing all temporal existences.
Xu Yuan couldn't think of any method besides the natural evolution over countless years to condense an origin.
Now, he had an idea.
Newborn metal lifeforms, having little past timeline, could relatively easily condense an origin!
"Above Heaven-Forging lies true Divine Forging, and blacksmiths capable of Divine Forging can be called True Divine Craftsmen!"
Since Divine-Forged metals correspond to the True God level, it was reasonable to call the blacksmiths who forge them True Divine Craftsmen.
But naming them this way didn't sound smooth, making it seem like "divine craftsmen" were fake.
"Therefore, True Divine Craftsmen can also be called Supreme Divine Craftsmen."
Following the traditional naming conventions of Douluo, Xu Yuan provisionally named the realm beyond divine craftsmen.
Beside him, Feng Wuyu heard Xu Yuan's words and didn't find anything amiss. Such naming felt normal.
What surprised him was that Xu Yuan had directly defined it.
How did he determine this metal had reached the so-called Divine Forging level?
Could this process be replicated?
"Elder Feng, this reflects your lack of cultivation. Condensing the timeline to form an origin, Xiao Ling has already derived her own laws. That domain should be considered the external manifestation of her law abilities, and as time passes, these laws will continue to improve."
"I've basically understood the principle of Xiao Ling's birth. Replication is only lacking in technique, not theoretical guidance."
Feng Wuyu nodded slightly.
He indeed didn't understand the concept of origin.
On the other hand, Ya Li, being close to Yun Ming, had a thorough understanding of these concepts through exposure. Otherwise, she might not have been able to describe Xiao Ling's uniqueness, and Xu Yuan wouldn't have been able to confirm that Xiao Ling's transformation was the birth of an origin.
"Therefore, the foundation of Divine Forging is the blacksmith's own insights. Understanding life is one aspect; the other is the completeness and depth of those insights. My understanding of the five elements isn't sufficient to condense an origin in metals, but it has reached the foundation for transformation. Under the influence of lightning tribulation and special attributes, there's a chance to achieve this transformation."
Xu Yuan understood that Xiao Ling's ability to condense an origin was largely due to the uniqueness of her sacred attributes and fortunate coincidences.
"Divine Forging," Feng Wuyu sighed deeply.
This time, he felt it would be difficult to catch up.
He could still compete in Heaven-Forging, but if the path to Divine Forging was truly like this, his current insights would make it hard to meet the standards.
Xu Yuan had barely laid the foundation for Xiao Ling to condense an origin by leveraging the five elements and sacred attributes.
This was a perfect five-in-one fusion forging plus the baptism of six-colored lightning tribulation. Each step was flawless, and Xiao Ling had completely endured the six-colored lightning tribulation on her own.
Any one of these points was beyond Feng Wuyu's current level.
Perhaps there were other methods beyond Heaven-Forging, but the clear path now was Xu Yuan's, with Xiao Ling as the first Divine-Forged metal.
"Teacher's wife, please take some time to recuperate. Once you've adapted to the changes in your martial soul, we'll forge the last Sacred Light Source Crystal." Xu Yuan took a deep breath, not rushing into the next forging session.
Though Ya Li hadn't suffered any depletion, her own changes were significant, requiring adaptation.
"Alright."
Ya Li went into seclusion. Xu Yuan temporarily didn't need to perform another Heaven-Forging but wasn't idle either.
Xiao Ling's birth gave him a wealth of inspiration.
Beyond its significance for forging, he imagined more about his own future.
Condensing an origin and compressing the timeline—if compared to the transformation of a 1st Class God or God King...
"I might have found the path to becoming a God King."
How does a normal God King break through?
"Condensing one's own origin? That would require an unimaginably long time. Even the dragon race might struggle to achieve it."
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