Thousand Refinement Ascension

Looking over all this knowledge about Ice Crystal Ore, Gu You took a deep breath and picked up the pair of Thousand Forging Life Essence Hammers.

After burning for only a few minutes, the Ice Crystal Ore had reached a forgeable state. Its surface had become extremely soft, like melted iron, yet it did not flow like molten iron. Instead, it remained as a solid whole.

Ice Crystal Ore could also be forged without heating, but only Grandmaster-level blacksmiths dared attempt it.

Gu You lifted the Ice Crystal before him from the forge and secured it in place. He spread his hands with the forging hammers, and his gaze instantly became focused. He lightly raised a hammer and gently tapped the Ice Crystal, producing a clear ringing sound.

This hammer strike was called a Trial Hammer. Before beginning to forge, blacksmiths would use this method to test the toughness of an ore or metal and gain a preliminary understanding of the impurities within it.

Seeing how focused he was, Feng Wuyu secretly nodded. He had never taught Gu You about the Trial Hammer. Gu You had learned it entirely from the Complete Guide to Ore Forging beside him just now, which was enough to show how exceptionally perceptive and attentive the child was.

This Thousand Refinement before him was undoubtedly an opportunity to assess his forging talent. Ever since Gu You had accidentally managed to forge Thousand Refinement, Feng Wuyu had already known in his heart that, with proper cultivation, this child could reach heights even he himself could not attain.

Yet this also made Feng Wuyu sigh. Gu You could not inherit his legacy. He could not teach this child, nor should he, because he did not know Heavenly Forging. Taking Gu You as a formal disciple was impossible. Even if he agreed, Yun Ming would never allow it after learning of it. The only one who could truly become the child's master was that person. Still, taking him on as a registered disciple would at least sound more respectable.

As for tricking Gu You into calling him Master earlier, that had merely been a playful whim.

He was only six this year. If he succeeded in Thousand Refinement this time, he would probably shatter a legend. The current world record was held by a Saint Craftsman: ten years, six months, and four days.

Gu You naturally had no idea what Feng Wuyu was thinking. At that moment, his entire being was focused, and all his Spiritual Power was fixed upon the Ice Crystal before him.

Both hammers rose. With a sharp hiss, the Ice Crystal deformed comically and flattened like a rice cake. Before it could react, both hammers rose again. Though the strikes seemed utterly rhythmless and chaotic, they reflected Gu You's extraordinary understanding of the Ice Crystal's softness under high heat. Since it was unstable, he would hammer it into stability, then heat it again, continuing until no impurities remained.

Although he had never performed Thousand Refinement before, Gu You had already integrated all the forging knowledge he had learned over the past two days with his limited practical experience. Recalling how he had accidentally completed Thousand Refinement before, his brows tightened. A method of Thousand Refinement that belonged to him emerged in his mind: infuse the ore or metal with life force in advance, combine it with his own unique understanding, and complete it in one go!

Though he had never forged this kind of metal before, according to Gu You's own philosophy, if some metals could adapt to this method, then most of them should be the same.

He continued hammering without pause, repeatedly returning the Ice Crystal to the forge for heating. Hundred Refinement had gradually taken shape. Though it was called Hundred Refinement, Gu You had struck it far more than a hundred times, and every strike had to be delivered with maximum force. Otherwise, even if the Ice Crystal deformed under a blow, it would quickly rebound.

With Soul Power and Martial Soul enhancement, Gu You felt that the force of one of his punches should be around two hundred jin.

Hundred Refinement was the foundation of Thousand Refinement. Only after completing Hundred Refinement purification could one continue refining and purifying it further.

Both hammers swung up again. Gu You's face was flushed red, and he panted heavily. It was not only because of the high temperature around the forge; more importantly, every full-force strike consumed enormous stamina. It was like Feng Wuyu's training yesterday, except this time, the enhancement of Soul Power let him last longer. Moreover, he had to infuse life force into the Ice Crystal, so he had absorbed very little himself. The special effect the Life Essence Hammers bestowed upon their owner naturally disappeared as well. Still, it was not entirely a bad thing. After all, adding life force to the Ice Crystal greatly increased the chances of successfully completing Thousand Refinement.

By the middle stage of forging, Gu You began holding back his strength. It was not only to conserve stamina; more importantly, the impurities within the Ice Crystal had basically been removed. Normally, it was impossible to completely eliminate impurities after Hundred Refinement, but Ice Crystal Ore was special. It had existed beneath the Far North for countless years and was naturally compatible with the ice element, leaving it with very few impurities. This also meant that once he reached the goal of hammering it a thousand times and causing it to ascend at the same time, Thousand Refinement would be complete. It was somewhat easier.

Even Gu You did not know that the strength of one's Spiritual Power also determined one's comprehension. After enduring the pain of hammering, Gu You's Spiritual Power had noticeably increased.

Spiritual Power undoubtedly allowed Gu You to concentrate more deeply while forging, and for longer periods of time.

When Long Yali tested his Spiritual Power at the Spirit Pagoda, it had already reached seventy-four. Now, it might have nearly broken one hundred.

An hour passed, and the Ice Crystal began solidifying. A faint golden glow began spreading across the snowy blue Ice Crystal.

Three hours passed. The Ice Crystal had shrunk by two-thirds and now resembled a square blue gemstone. Its surface was milky white, with what seemed to be golden light flickering within.

Gu You's clothes were already soaked with sweat. After every hammer strike, he had to pause for a while to recover his strength.

Although the process was slow, over those three hours, Gu You had already communicated with the Ice Crystal.

Upon close inspection, one would find tiny indentations at every corner of the Ice Crystal's surface. They were all identical in size, and no one knew how many times each corner had been hammered.

Every faint recoil, every sound produced by a strike, and every vibration it made while being struck told Gu You about its characteristics.

Gu You took a long breath. He was about to exert himself!

After two hours of careful sensing, he had already figured out the characteristics of this metal. It was time for Thousand Refinement Ascension.

Immediately afterward, loud hammering rang out in rapid succession.

The furnace's fire-intensity control was below. Gu You held it down and turned it to maximum, and orange-red flames erupted from a ring of vents around the furnace, scorching the Ice Crystal.

Though he was exhausted, whenever Gu You's arms began to ache, a stream of heat would surge from his spine and instantly flow through his limbs, easing the soreness in his arms. At the same time, he constantly channeled Soul Power into both arms to maintain his strength.

Perfect purification? Feng Wuyu was greatly shocked. This also meant that as long as Gu You's hammering did not stop and he continued sensing the Ice Crystal, he could successfully complete Thousand Refinement. As for ascension? The life force continuously pouring from the Life Essence Hammers into the Ice Crystal was the best proof. No ascension effect could compare to possessing an unceasing aura of life. In other words, from the very beginning, ascension had been destined within the strikes of the Life Essence Hammers!

Though he had already known the answer in his heart, how could Feng Wuyu not be shocked when a six-year-old boy capable of Thousand Refinement appeared before his eyes?