Long Yuxue had brought Luni here specifically to help promote Gu You's new forging studio. But now that Gu You had quoted such an outrageous price, she felt extremely embarrassed.
Gu You, however, still wore a calm smile. "Ma'am, you're my first customer. How about this—I'll do the first option for free. You can judge my skills for yourself. Even without adding any metals, I'm confident I can enhance the barrel's durability by at least ten percent. If you're satisfied and ever want one of the other two options, we can discuss it then. Sound good?"
Luni glanced at his smiling face. "Alright, let's give the free one a try first."
She was steady and composed by nature, never the type to act impulsively or throw away contribution points just because someone looked good. Still, she was curious about this confident young man and how skilled he truly was.
Gu You carried the barrel over to the forging table and pressed a button, sending it into the inner heating chamber to be smelted.
He rolled his shoulders a little. It had been a while since he last forged anything, and even his own heart began to stir with anticipation.
He had long since reached the level of a Saint Craftsman. Breaking through was only a matter of his own will. And now, with the cultivation of a Soul Saint, he was more than capable of performing soul-forging!
The best forging tables never kept people waiting long. When the cannon barrel rose up again—glowing red-hot—the temperature in the entire workshop noticeably increased.
Gu You swung his arms, and a pair of Life-Forging Hammers appeared in his hands.
He could feel the aura of life in the air.
Both Long Yuxue and Luni were stunned, their curiosity about Gu You deepening once more.
Bang!
A loud clang echoed as one side of the barrel was instantly flattened.
"Ah!" Long Yuxue gasped, eyes wide with horror.
'It's ruined…'
Even Luni frowned.
She'd had her cannon barrel repaired before, and it wasn't particularly complicated—heat, reshape, stabilize, cool. The purple iron was known for its durability. Multiple reforgings shouldn't have been a problem.
But Gu You had flattened one side with his very first hammer strike. Sure, the strength was impressive, but how was this repair? It looked more like destruction! Once a barrel was flattened like that, restoring it was extremely difficult.
This kid... really didn't seem reliable!
"Gu You, what are you doing?" Long Yuxue shouted.
But Gu You acted as if he hadn't heard, hammers rising and falling in rhythmic succession. Soon, the cylindrical barrel had been beaten entirely flat.
Long Yuxue couldn't bear to watch anymore—she covered her face in dismay.
"Sorry, Sister Luni! I'll compensate you later. I didn't know this would happen…" she muttered, deeply regretting putting her faith in Gu You's forging abilities.
Luni forced a bitter smile. The cannon barrel wasn't especially valuable, but she'd used it for so long it had sentimental value. Now it was just a twisted hunk of metal. Her impression of Gu You plummeted.
All those fancy-sounding "three options"? Utter nonsense.
Bang! Bang!
Gu You's dual hammers continued to fall in perfect rhythm. While the two women exchanged words, the barrel was fully flattened and twisted beyond recognition.
Long Yuxue moved to stop him from further embarrassing himself—but Luni stopped her with a raised hand.
"Let's see how far he can go."
Suddenly, a radiant light burst upward from the forging table, flickering in midair. The glow extended nearly two meters high, and faint dragon roars echoed through the workshop.
"What is…?"
Long Yuxue and Luni's pupils shrank. Though neither of them were blacksmiths, they had enough experience to recognize what was happening.
"Thousand Refined—Grade One?" they said in unison.
Luni had liked that cannon barrel precisely because it was Thousand Refined metal—but only basic Thousand Refined. For a soul tool component, that was already excellent.
But this…
They had never heard of anyone being able to re-forge Thousand Refined metal and elevate it to Grade One status.
No—this wasn't ordinary Thousand Refined Grade One. Typically, such metals only radiated about five feet of light. But the current glow reached over six feet. And what was with that dragon roar?
The golden light continued for over ten seconds before slowly fading. The flattened metal began to change—reshaping itself, returning to form under the guidance of the Life-Forging Hammers.
Sizzle!
The barrel plunged into a cooling basin, and steam hissed upward. When it emerged, Gu You caught it cleanly in both hands.
"Ma'am, it's done." He presented it respectfully to Luni.
She looked down and saw what appeared to be an entirely new cannon barrel. The deformation was gone. A faint cloud-like pattern now ran across the metal's surface, giving it an exquisite texture and luster.
This…
She accepted it carefully—it was still warm to the touch. She peered inside. Smooth as a mirror. The texture felt entirely different from before. Even without testing it, the six-foot glow and the dragon roar earlier proved its strength had increased by at least thirty percent.
"This is my personal forging touch," Gu You said, grinning as he shook out his arms. "So? Did you two feel a bit of excitement?"
"You! Is this how you do business?" Long Yuxue looked like she wanted to punch him.
"Ah, you just don't get it!" Gu You said dramatically. "What I sell is experience. Emotional value. You can't get this kind of rush from anyone else."
Luni exhaled and glanced at his now-vanished forging hammers. She turned to Long Yuxue. "Xue, you've found an incredible partner. Your luck is just unreal. I'm seriously jealous." She looked at Gu You. "Do you need any investors?"
Gu You laughed and shook his head. "Sorry, beautiful ma'am, but the investment slots are already full."
Luni weighed the cannon barrel in her hands. "I kind of regret it now. I should've at least gone with option two. I really wonder—what would option three look like…?"
(End of Chapter)
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