Even Gu You himself hadn't anticipated this strange, evolving scene.
He could only continue forward, no matter what, because he could feel it — from deep within his Spirit-Forged Life Essence Hammers, a joyful, exuberant pulse of vitality was flowing outward. That blood-linked connection made his sense of the forging process even clearer, sharper.
The life aura — that was the root cause of this transformation.
Gu You's Life Essence Hammers were top-grade even before today. And after being infused through blood sacrifice, they had gained unique properties. But now, for the first time, during this attempt at spirit forging, he was pouring not just his soul power but his vital blood energy directly into the process. All of these forces interacting together triggered an unexpected change — a transformation, not only in the metal but in the hammers themselves.
On the forging table, the block of ice crystal grew smaller and smaller under his relentless strikes. Gu You's right hand pressed lower and lower, maintaining firm contact, while the twin hammers in his hands began to take on a faint purple sheen. Even the faint cloud-like patterns on their surfaces twisted and shifted, their shapes warping until they resembled clawing, swirling dragon marks.
But the cost was immense.
His vital energy — his blood — drained rapidly, no slower than his soul power had before. A wave of profound weakness slammed through Gu You's body, threatening to overwhelm him.
'Hold on… I have to hold on. Don't use the soul power bottle. I can do this.'
He clenched his teeth. He believed, with absolute certainty, that no matter what, he could create a miracle.
"Ding ding! Ding ding! Ding ding!"
The crisp, rhythmic sounds of hammer strikes filled the room, weaving together in a strange, mesmerizing cadence. Every strike, every echo, was a beat in an otherworldly symphony.
Even Zhen Hua, standing silently to the side, could only stare wide-eyed, sensing that he was witnessing the birth of a true miracle.
The brilliant azure glow radiating from the ice crystal dimmed steadily, but the faint purple light wrapped around Gu You's twin hammers only grew brighter, stronger.
Finally — only the tiniest fragment of the ice crystal remained.
Gu You's body trembled violently. With a choking sound, he coughed up a mouthful of blood — a bright splash that fell directly onto the final thin layer of the ice crystal.
His right hand pulled back.
He gripped both hammers tightly — and brought them crashing down.
Boom!!
A towering column of blue-purple flames shot up into the air, surging nearly five feet high. And then, impossibly, a low dragon's roar echoed from within the light.
For a moment, it looked as if a majestic purple dragon was coiling within the blaze, twisting and dancing through the blinding light, its body radiating pure life energy. The sensation it gave off was impossible to describe — as if a living being were marveling at its own existence, rejoicing in its birth, celebrating its arrival into the world.
It had been born.
Hundred Refinements with Soul, Ten Thousand Hammers to Awaken Life: Spirit Forging!
The blue-purple flames lasted for over ten seconds before they gradually faded.
Gu You's eyes remained fixed on the hammers in his hands, unblinking, his breath shallow.
His once-green Life Essence Hammers had transformed entirely, their bodies now a pale, shimmering purple. All the cloud patterns that once adorned their surfaces had vanished, replaced by faint, shifting dragon-shaped marks, flickering in and out of view.
And then — something extraordinary happened.
With a flash of light, the two hammers melted into his palms, disappearing completely.
Not into his storage soul tool — no.
They fused into his body.
Spirit forging: a union of life.
Once a material reached the spirit forging realm, it didn't just possess life — it became one with the life that had birthed it.
This was why spirit-forged metals were so precious, so revered.
If someone wanted a piece of spirit-forged metal, they couldn't simply order it from a master. They had to stand beside the forgemaster during the process, feeding their own blood into the forging at key moments, bonding their life essence to the material. Only by doing so could the forged piece fully integrate with their body, becoming part of their very being.
This was the reason why, when some powerful cultivators summoned their battle armor, it appeared directly from their bodies.
Spirit forging, at its pinnacle, created materials that were not mere tools or external equipment — they were living extensions of the user's soul, their martial spirit, their essence.
This was the true path to strength.
One-word battle armor was useful, sure — light, practical, flexible. But only at the level of two-word battle armor, when spirit-forged materials bonded to the user's body and soul, did battle armor become genuinely transformative. Only then did it amplify not just external power but the core of the martial spirit itself.
Spirit forging was the gateway.
Only through spirit forging could one ascend toward the rare, coveted title of Divine Craftsman.
With the hammers now merged into his body, Gu You's strength finally gave out. His body collapsed, crumpling limply toward the ground.
Zhen Hua moved in a blur. With a swift, graceful step, he darted forward and caught the boy before he hit the floor. But even as he cradled Gu You in his arms, Zhen Hua felt his own hands tremble faintly.
"He… he succeeded?"
Zhen Hua's eyes were wide, his mind momentarily blank.
He had done it.
Gu You had truly completed spirit forging.
A spirit forgemaster, no older than ten, a fifth-rank grandmaster forgemaster — no, a forging archmaster.
What kind of monster was this?
Not even Shrek Academy could ignore this level of genius.
This child… he had the potential to become one of the rarest, most precious existences in the world — one of the few who might ascend to the fabled realm of Divine Craftsman.
Across the three continents, due to the suppression of the planar will, only three Divine Craftsmen had ever emerged.
That was why, even within Shrek Academy, even among the top-tier battle armor masters, most could only reach the level of three-word battle armor.
Without a Divine Craftsman, there could be no four-word battle armor.
But if the Douluo Continent could produce not just one, but two Divine Craftsmen…
Zhen Hua swallowed hard.
Gu You stirred faintly, his body pale as paper, his breath shallow, his soul power and vital energy both nearly completely drained. His eyelids fluttered weakly as he looked up at Zhen Hua.
"Senior… does this mean I passed the test?" he whispered faintly.
Zhen Hua's eyes shone, sparkling as if stars had been born within them. He nodded — hard, again and again.
"You passed — you passed!! From today on, you are officially my disciple!!"
A faint smile tugged at Gu You's lips.
And then he slumped, unconscious.
…
Zhen Hua quickly began channeling his own soul power, infusing it gently into Gu You's body.
Soft yellow light flowed from Zhen Hua's palms, wrapping around the boy in a cocoon of luminous energy. The light was thick, weighty, radiating a dense, gem-like glow. It wrapped snugly around Gu You, lifting him gently into the air.
Zhen Hua's eyes glowed with golden light, and yet, strangely, faint dragon roars began to echo softly from within the swirling yellow radiance.
A strange reaction was taking place.
As the yellow light surrounded Gu You, delicate purple patterns slowly emerged on his skin — faint at first, but unmistakable. Compared to before, they had dimmed, fading slightly, but what caught Zhen Hua's attention was something else entirely.
Those purple patterns… were repelling the surrounding yellow light.
"Huh?"
Zhen Hua let out a small, confused sound, pausing the flow of soul power.
The glowing yellow energy in the air flickered, the strands momentarily sharpening in clarity before dissipating.
Zhen Hua's senses stretched outward, feeling carefully.
Inside Gu You's body, there was a force — a powerful, proud force — that rejected his soul power, that disdained it, as if it were inherently superior.
It wasn't merely refusing help.
It was asserting its dominance.
(End of Chapter)
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