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Gu La stood at the center of the underground forging room in the Forging Association, his feet firmly planted on specially crafted obsidian flooring.
He could feel a gentle energy flowing into his body from all directions, like a tender caress from Mother Nature.
"More and more inhuman," Gu La muttered as he looked down at his palm. Faint traces of emerald-gold light flowed through the lines of his hand.
Since the evolution of his Celebi martial soul, his body had undergone a complete transformation.
Now, not only could he draw energy from the earth, but he could also directly absorb free-floating natural elements in the air to sustain himself.
Those invisible specks of elemental energy were crystal clear to him, floating around like fireflies on a summer night.
The forging hammer felt weightless in Gu La's hands, yet each strike landed with pinpoint precision. His mind was exceptionally active, allowing him to focus on high-precision forging while simultaneously sensing the flow of energy within his body.
The heightened perception brought by his martial soul's evolution gave him an unprecedented grasp of the internal structure of metals.
"Ninety-seven… ninety-eight… ninety-nine…" Gu La silently counted the number of hammer strikes. When the hundredth blow landed, the metal block on the forge suddenly erupted in dazzling, multicolored light, and the temperature in the room instantly rose by over ten degrees.
Gu La didn't stop. His gaze remained calm and focused.
Even after three days and nights of nonstop forging, he wouldn't feel tired.
Unless it was some rare treasure imbued with the essence of heaven and earth or soul power, ordinary food had become optional for him.
Bang!
With the final strike, intricate patterns emerged on the surface of the metal—resembling tree rings or human meridians.
Satisfied, Gu La nodded and used a specialized pair of tongs to pick up the freshly forged alloy, preventing sweat from contaminating the still-hot metal, and placed it into the nearby testing device.
Bleep—
The machine emitted a crisp tone, and a number appeared on the screen: 98.4%.
A figure that would make any blacksmith ecstatic elicited only a faint raised eyebrow from Gu La.
Above 95% fusion rate, every 1% increase in fusion rate multiplied the alloy's value several times over.
But even for Gu La, alloys with over 99% fusion rate were rare treasures that relied on a bit of luck during forging.
Gu La lowered his gaze to his palm, where a metallic sheen suddenly appeared.
"Groudon's power is indeed formidable, but it's not a pure steel-type Legendary."
Gu La mused quietly: "If I had a steel-type Legendary martial soul, perhaps I could manipulate metal atoms during forging to achieve the theoretical 100% fusion."
He could sense that, at the microscopic level of metal manipulation, there was always a faint barrier—like trying to embroider while wearing thick gloves, unable to reach the utmost precision.
"Is 100% fusion really just a legend? Could gods, wielding divine power and consciousness, forge such an alloy?"
Gu La was perplexed, but no one could answer his question. Even master craftsmen only mastered techniques within the mortal realm.
According to legend, a "divine alloy" with 100% fusion could perfectly accommodate the properties of over ten rare metals, potentially creating entirely new composite attributes.
This made the greedy Gu La yearn for more.
His thoughts drifted far away, but his hands never stopped moving. The forging hammer fell with precise accuracy, as if an extension of his arm. The metal block continuously changed shape under his blows, its spiritual glow growing stronger.
For his future battle armor, Gu La meticulously selected nine top-tier materials: Zhiyue Tungsten Steel, the heaviest metal, as the foundational skeleton to provide earth attribute amplification; Blazing Gold, a "fiery metal," for fire attribute enhancement; Adaptive Silver and Magic Silver to improve elemental conductivity and amplification.
Deep Sea Sunken Silver offered astonishing malleability, useful for switching between twin martial souls in combat; Thousand Mechanism Copper, a rare material, provided affinity with spatial elements; Time Sand, a legendary material, granted time-based attributes; Blue Coppertite enhanced soul power amplification; and finally, Hydrogold, capable of balancing everything.
"The space-time attribute isn't essential—it's difficult to forge, rare to find, and can be left for last. If necessary, I can gather materials from other timelines."
As for the materials for his future mecha, Gu La planned to use a similar formula to his battle armor but adjust the proportions so the two could complement each other while producing different amplification effects.
This idea required extensive experimentation and calculations, but he had plenty of time and patience.
Inside the forging room, the glow of the furnace illuminated Gu La's sharply defined profile. Sweat evaporated before it could even trickle down, thanks to the intense heat. His gaze was focused and profound, as if he could see through the very essence of the metal.
Unbeknownst to him, the eastern sky had already begun to brighten. Gu La set down the forging hammer, sat cross-legged in the center of the room, and began his daily meditation practice.
The evolution of his martial soul had deepened his connection with the primal energy of heaven and earth, making his meditation efficiency over three times greater than before. The drawbacks of his three extreme attributes on soul power cultivation had completely disappeared.
When the first rays of sunlight filtered through the ventilation shafts, Gu La opened his eyes, a flicker of golden light passing through his pupils.
"My life essence has improved significantly, but my soul power hasn't increased much—I'm still at level forty-six. The system is truly stingy in this regard, treating me like a Pokémon."
He stood up, stretched his muscles, and pushed open the heavy iron door of the forging room. Though he no longer needed food to sustain himself, he maintained his usual habits—occasionally visiting the cafeteria, pairing condensed physique-enhancing potions with a hearty meal.
The cafeteria of Shrek Academy was always bustling with activity. Gu La carried his tray, his ears catching the hushed whispers around him.
"Look, it's those two—their appetites are insane!"
"So pretty! Who's that silver-haired girl?"
"Are you even listening? Don't go over there! That's Tang Wulin and Na'er—they're terrifying!"
Following the crowd's gazes, Gu La spotted the striking pair of siblings in the corner of the cafeteria.
Piles of empty plates surrounded Tang Wulin, while Na'er daintily nibbled on her dessert. Their eating styles contrasted sharply, yet their speeds were eerily matched.
A faint smile played on Gu La's lips as he prepared a simple breakfast—mainly deep-sea ingredients to boost soul power and blood vitality.
He deliberately walked toward Tang Wulin and Na'er.
Na'er keenly sensed someone approaching and lifted her silver eyes warily. When she saw it was Gu La, a flicker of displeasure passed through her gaze, quickly masked by a perfect smile.
"You despicable guy…" Na'er cursed inwardly, maintaining her composure.
Gu La stopped a few steps away from them, giving Na'er a meaningful smile before turning to another table—where Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan were waving him over.
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