Tremendous Changes

Merely through the nearly perfect purification before Gu You's eyes, the value of this Ice Crystal had increased severalfold.

Another hour passed. Gu You had no idea how many times he had hammered it. Gradually, the thunderous pounding faded away. Before him, the golden light shining within the Ice Crystal had become exceptionally dazzling. With every collision of the hammer, it seemed to breathe once, in rhythm with Gu You's own breathing.

Gu You felt as though he had entered a world of ice and snow. The soreness throughout his body had vanished completely. Yet the sun hanging above this world was purple, and it was not cold at all. Instead, his body felt pleasantly warm.

Feng Wuyu's attention was entirely fixed on the Ice Crystal at his side, and he failed to notice the changes occurring to Gu You.

A glimmer of purple flashed deep in Gu You's eyes. The Life Essence Hammer in his hand began to strike faster, and with every blow, the Ice Crystal seemed to let out a contented moan.

The Ice Crystal shrank again. Five percent... fifteen percent... Until it reached the limit of its density and could no longer contract inward. From then on, every strike from Gu You made its texture increasingly refined.

Thousand Refinement. This was what it felt like.

Feng Wuyu sniffed the air, his face filled with enjoyment.

As a Saint Craftsman-level blacksmith, Feng Wuyu naturally caught the sense of harmony between Gu You and the Ice Crystal.

It was an indescribable feeling, one that only those who had personally completed Thousand Refinement could truly experience.

This child was certain to become a Divine Craftsman in the future!

Feng Wuyu's greatest regret in life had been failing to become a Divine Craftsman. But in this child, he saw immense hope. Perhaps witnessing this child's growth would bring him considerable gains as well.

Four hours...

At some point, Yun Ming had appeared outside the forging room. Ya Li missed Gu You, and he had been studying for two days already. Yun Ming had come to see whether he had made even the slightest progress. If he had, Gu You could continue learning; if not, Yun Ming would take him back to Sea God Pavilion to cultivate there and keep Ya Li company. As for his second profession, they could slow down and choose one later.

Just then, he witnessed Gu You forging. That marvelous rhythm and the hammering sounds like a symphony made Yun Ming pause in surprise.

This was the first time he had seen Gu You forge. Though he did not know much about it, judging from Feng Wuyu's captivated gaze, it was certainly no simple matter.

He did not interrupt either of them. Yun Ming understood how important a blacksmith's concentration was when forging wholeheartedly. Feng Wuyu standing nearby was enough to show that Gu You had made a breakthrough in forging.

Five hours!

The draining feeling of exhaustion swept over Gu You once more. Yet he did not stop. Even the strength behind every hammer strike remained even. His willpower supported him as he continued forging.

Almost there, almost there! Hold on a little longer! Otherwise, all the effort from before will have been for nothing.

Gu You silently repeated this to himself. At that instant, the Ice Crystal suddenly blazed with light, dyeing the entire forging room yellow.

Gu You brought down another hammer. In an instant, the yellow radiance became wild and unruly.

Seizing the moment, Feng Wuyu gently sliced across Gu You's hand with a condensed soul blade. A stream of blood sprayed out, landing precisely on the Ice Crystal.

The wild yellow radiance gradually faded. Feng Wuyu also shut off the furnace fire. Gu You immediately collapsed limply to the ground, while Yun Ming caught him in time.

Hissing sounds occasionally came from within the Ice Crystal. Once the high temperature receded, its true metallic form was revealed.

Before forging, its original azure color had vanished. It looked ordinary and unremarkable, aside from its somewhat splendid coloring. But now, that azure had transformed into translucent pale blue. Golden threads wound through its interior, while its surface was incredibly smooth.

Though both were Thousand Refinement, different ores came with different levels of difficulty, divided into nine grades. For example, Sinking Silver and Deep Sea Ore possessed extremely high density and were very difficult to forge, yet their difficulty was only Grade Five. Ice Crystal was different. It was a genuine Level Seven difficulty material. Even Level Four blacksmiths would avoid it by a wide margin.

Actually, from the very beginning, Feng Wuyu had not believed Gu You could successfully complete Thousand Refinement. Gu You's first Thousand Refinement ore had only succeeded through a fortunate coincidence. But now, only two words remained in Feng Wuyu's mind: Fucking amazing!

"Thousand Refinement? This is Thousand Refinement!" Feng Wuyu shouted like a madman.

Yun Ming was continuously channeling Soul Power into Gu You. When he heard the words Thousand Refinement, he was stunned as well. Even though he, the Sky Pillar Douluo, could not forge, Thousand Refinement represented a Level Three blacksmith. Level Four was merely divided into different ranks, and anyone willing to put in enough time could certainly reach it. Yet a six-year-old near-Level Four blacksmith—there was not a single one to be found in all of human history. He looked at Feng Wuyu, then at the harmless-looking Gu You.

"Old Madman, what happened?" Yun Ming lowered his brows.

"Yun Ming! You really took in a fine son. With this child's talent, he will definitely become a Divine Craftsman in the future!" Feng Wuyu continued laughing wildly.

But in the time it took to exchange those few words, the Ice Crystal Ore emitted a faint white glow and shot into Gu You's mind, vanishing before Yun Ming's already dumbfounded eyes.

"What just happened?" Yun Ming rubbed his eyes.

Feng Wuyu had naturally noticed what had happened. "With the support of life energy, it temporarily gained intelligence. However, it will not last long. Because his blood mixed into it, it entered Gu You's body. He can summon it out at any time."

Gu You and Yun Ming both nodded, as though they were listening to some profound lesson.

"Pavilion Master, I want to discuss something with you." Feng Wuyu grabbed Yun Ming and disappeared without even waiting for the Sea God Pavilion's Master Yun to speak.

Gu You was naturally curious about where they had gone, but when he thought of the ore still inside his body, he immediately calmed down.

Within the Sea of Consciousness, Jiji Ba was sleeping blissfully. Suddenly, a crack was torn open, and a finger-sized stone instantly smashed into Jiji Ba's head, raising a bright red bump at once.

Jiji Ba woke up with an enraged roar. But when it saw that it was an ore, it was somewhat at a loss. Where was the one who had hit it?

Just then, Gu You's phantom appeared. Jiji Ba found a target and charged toward Gu You.

Gu You had been in a much better mood upon seeing the Ice Crystal here. But when he turned around, his face instantly darkened. Jiji Ba was no longer as tiny as before. After becoming a Thousand Year Spirit Soul, its body and appearance had changed tremendously. It was gradually gaining the majesty of a Sub-Dragon Species. Standing four or five meters tall, it displayed the beauty of the Dragon Clan to the fullest. If it were a female dragon, then after taking human form, it should...

Before Gu You could think further, Jiji Ba's enormous mouth swallowed him whole.

Back in reality, Gu You woke up, utterly speechless. This Tyrant Dragon was far too brutal. At least he now knew where the Ice Crystal was. When he needed it, he could simply reach in and take it out.