Spirit-Forged Ice Crystal

Even Gu You himself had not expected this strange phenomenon, but he could only continue now. He could clearly feel an immensely joyful life fluctuation coming from his Spirit Forging Life Essence Hammers. That blood-linked sensation gave him an even clearer perception of Spirit Forging.

The aura of life was the root cause of this situation. Gu You's Life Essence Hammers had already been of the highest quality, and after undergoing a blood sacrifice, he had injected his own vitality and blood into them to sustain the Spirit Forging during this first attempt. All these changes had caused the life within the Life Essence Hammers to mutate.

The ice crystal on the forging table grew smaller and smaller. Gu You's right hand continued pressing downward, while a faint violet layer began to appear on the surfaces of his pair of Life Essence Hammers. At the same time, the cloud patterns changed, becoming clawing and twisting as though dragon-shaped markings were emerging across them.

His vitality and blood were being consumed just as quickly, no slower than his Soul Power had been earlier. An intense sense of weakness battered Gu You's body and mind.

Hold on. He had to hold on. He could not use the Milk Bottle. He firmly believed that, no matter what, he could create a miracle.

"Clink, clink! Clink, clink! Clink, clink!" Each crisp strike and every strange collision made it all seem wondrous and full of rhythm.

At this very moment, even Zhen Hua was witnessing the miracle about to arrive.

The brilliant blue radiance was growing weaker and weaker, yet that faint violet light continued to coil around Gu You's twin hammers.

Finally, the ice crystal had been absorbed until only the very last bit remained. Gu You's entire body shook, and with a "Puh," he spat out a mouthful of blood that landed squarely on the final layer of the ice crystal.

At the same time, his right hand pulled back. Gripping both hammers, he smashed them down with fierce force.

Boom—

A blaze of blue-violet light instantly shot into the sky, rising more than five feet high. Even stranger, a dragon's roar rang out with it. Within that blue-violet flame, a purple dragon seemed to drift about. The dazzling violet light and its fluctuations brimming with life gave off an indescribably strange feeling. It was clearly a living being, marveling at its own existence and cheering for its own birth.

It had been born!

Thousand Forgings with Spirit, Myriad Forgings Give Birth to Life: Spirit Forging!

The blue-violet blaze lasted for more than ten seconds before gradually fading. Gu You stared fixedly at the forging hammers in his hands. His original Life Essence Hammers had turned entirely faint violet, and all their cloud patterns had vanished. In their place were indistinct dragon-shadow markings. It was no longer the sensation of being linked by blood, but one of complete unity. With a flash of light in Gu You's hand, the two forging hammers silently melted into his palms and disappeared. Yes, they merged into his palms rather than vanishing into his storage Soul Guide Ring.

Spirit Forging linked through life!

Once metal reached the realm of Spirit Forging and gained life, it would inevitably merge as one with the being that had bestowed life upon it. This was also why Spirit Forging was so precious.

If someone wanted to obtain a piece of Spirit-Forged metal, that person had to assist beside the blacksmith. Once the forging entered the Spirit Forging process, they needed to continuously drip their own blood into it to aid the Spirit Forging and facilitate communication with the life within. Only then, when the forging was complete, could they fully merge with it and make it a part of their body.

This was why, when some people unleashed their Battle Armor, it emerged directly from within their bodies. Myriad Forgings Give Birth to Life, minds and spirits linked—the metal became part of the body. Like a Martial Soul, Battle Armor became an extension of the body. Only then was it truly powerful Battle Armor, truly part of one's Martial Soul.

One-Word Battle Armor was certainly quite powerful and lightweight, but only upon reaching the realm of Two-Word Battle Armor, when Spirit Forging truly fused with the body, did it become genuine Battle Armor with a true amplification effect. That was because what it amplified was the user themself; it was itself part of the Martial Soul.

Spirit Forging could evolve into Soul Forging, but Thousand Refinement could not evolve into Spirit Forging. That was the difference between One-Word Battle Armor and Two-Word Battle Armor.

Only upon reaching the realm of Two-Word Battle Armor could a Battle Armor Master truly possess limitless possibilities.

As the forging hammers merged into his body, Gu You's body lost its support as well and fell straight toward the ground.

Zhen Hua moved quickly. With a single stride, he darted behind Gu You and caught him. At this moment, Gu You's face was as pale as gold paper, and his breathing was faint.

His Soul Power was exhausted, and his vitality and blood had been severely depleted, causing him to fall into a brief coma.

Even the hand Zhen Hua used to hold Gu You was trembling.

"He... he succeeded?"

Zhen Hua's gaze was somewhat vacant as well. He had succeeded. He had truly completed Spirit Forging—a Spirit Forging master with a bone age of less than ten, a fifth-level Grandmaster-class blacksmith, or rather, a forging grandmaster.

This was far beyond merely being a monster! Even Shrek Academy would scramble for such a special talent. This was someone who could possibly become a Divine Craftsman in the future!

Because of planar suppression, the three great continents could only produce three Divine Craftsmen. This was also why, even within Shrek Academy, most top-tier Battle Armor Masters only possessed Three-Word Battle Armor. Without Divine Craftsmen, there could be no Four-Word Battle Armor.

If Douluo Continent could have more than one god-level blacksmith, then all Three-Word Battle Armor Masters could advance to Four-Word Battle Armor...

Zhen Hua swallowed hard.

When Gu You woke up, he was completely drained. His face was pale as paper, his Soul Power and vitality both depleted, and his eyes tightly shut.

He looked up at Zhen Hua. "Senior, I fully passed the assessment now, right?"

Zhen Hua nodded repeatedly and heavily, as if stars had burst forth from his eyes. "You passed. You passed!! From now on, you are my, Zhen Hua's, disciple!!!"

Gu You smiled, then fainted again.

Zhen Hua continuously used his own Soul Power to replenish Gu You. The yellow light released from his body seemed almost tangible, radiating a luster like yellow jade. This yellow light was filled with a heavy, solemn aura.

The yellow light swirled around Gu You's body, wrapping him up and lifting him into the air.

Yellow light flared brightly in Zhen Hua's eyes, yet faint dragon roars began to emerge from the yellow radiance surrounding Gu You's body. As the yellow light coiled about him, the dragon roars gradually grew clearer, and Gu You's suspended body began to change as well.

As though stimulated by the yellow light, the violet patterns that had appeared before emerged on the surface of his body again. They were much fainter than before, but strangely, these violet patterns seemed to be repelling the crimson light around them.

"Hm?" Zhen Hua let out a soft cry and stopped transmitting the yellow light. The powerful yellow radiance vanished into the air, each ray becoming exceptionally distinct before it dispersed.

Zhen Hua sensed an aura within Gu You's body that was rejecting his Soul Power, disdaining it as though it had been born inherently superior.