On the Development of the Gravity Skill

Snap!

A pebble struck the water, sending out a series of ripples.

Mu Xi sat on a park bench, her eyes vacant, mechanically repeating the throwing motion.

At this moment, a familiar aura approached, and then the person beside her sat down quietly.

She naturally leaned against a shoulder that, while slightly slender, already revealed a hint of steadiness.

"A-Yue, do you think my talent is really that poor?" Mu Xi's voice was soft, like a gentle breeze brushing through the park.

Xu Yue looked at Mu Xi, his voice softening as well.

"How could that be? Is there anyone in the Blacksmith Association who doesn't know the name of the genius girl, Mu Xi?"

"You became a Level 1 Blacksmith before the age of eleven; even Uncle Mu says you're stronger than he was at your age."

"In my opinion, you're not far off from Uncle Zhen Hua either. If I were him, I'd definitely be begging to take you on as a disciple."

"Pfft!" Mu Xi couldn't help but laugh at Xu Yue's words, her low spirits lifting significantly.

"I'm not as good as you say. Uncle Zhen Hua dotes on me because I'm his niece, not because my talent is so high."

However, in the next second, Mu Xi's tone shifted, turning dejected again. "But... I really love forging!"

Xu Yue could clearly hear that these words came from the bottom of her heart.

If Mu Xi only felt surprise and pride regarding Xu Yue's Innate Full Soul Power and Innate Domain, the aspect of forging had truly dealt her a blow.

Since the age of five, Mu Xi had begun swinging a specially made small iron hammer. At first, Mu Chen thought she was just playing, but she persisted for two full years, imitating her father's movements day after day.

Xu Yue had seen all of this with his own eyes.

"A-Yue, do you know?" Mu Xi said softly, "These past few days, I've been thinking that with your talent, you will definitely become a Limit Douluo in the future."

"By then, you'll surely need a Four-Word Battle Armor! I also want to strive toward becoming a Divine Blacksmith... hoping that one day, I can personally forge the most suitable battle armor for you."

She paused, her tone complex. "I just didn't expect your forging talent to be so good..."

"No, the word 'good' isn't even enough to describe it."

"So, Sister Mu Xi, are you jealous of me?" Xu Yue didn't deny it, teasing her with a smile.

"Jealous?" The beautiful head leaning on his shoulder shook slightly, carrying a hint of bitterness.

"Jealousy is for targets one can still chase. With someone like you, I can't even bring myself to feel jealous."

For a moment, the two fell into silence.

Just then, the corner of Mu Xi's eye caught a glimpse of a brilliant starlight.

In front of her, on Xu Yue's open palm, lay a beautifully crafted forging hammer.

"A-Yue, is this... your piece of Spirit Forging Star Meteor Iron?!" Mu Xi recognized the material and exclaimed.

"Mm, I forged it into a hammer." Xu Yue nodded and placed the hammer into Mu Xi's hand. "Sister Mu Xi, this is for you."

"No! This is your first piece of work; it's incredibly significant. I can't take it!" Mu Xi refused immediately.

Xu Yue insisted on pressing the hammer into her palm, while his other hand lit up with a glimmer of starlight. "Look, I have one too! That piece of Star Meteor Iron was large enough; I forged two."

Feeling the resistance in Mu Xi's hand weaken, he continued.

"To be a great blacksmith, how can you not have a good forging hammer? I've tested the special effect of this Spirit Forging Star Meteor Hammer; it's called 'Star Spirit'."

"If a blacksmith has a star-type Martial Soul, they can gain different effects based on their own Martial Soul's characteristics when using it. It should make your forging much smoother."

"Besides," he changed the subject, "I have a way to help you improve your forging skills faster."

"Really?" Mu Xi's eyes lit up.

"Of course it's real," Xu Yue said solemnly. "But the prerequisite is that you must accept this Spirit Forging Star Meteor Hammer."

"...Alright, I'll accept it." Mu Xi hesitated for a moment before nodding firmly. "A-Yue, tell me quickly, how do I improve?"

"It's simple—" Xu Yue paused, and an invisible Gravity Domain descended instantly, causing Mu Xi's body to sink. "Train under my domain."

"It's a recognized truth in the Blacksmith Association: the higher your physical fitness, the faster your forging technique improves."

"You want to be the first Goddess Divine Blacksmith and help me forge my battle armor, so you can definitely keep going, right?"

An excellent blacksmith naturally cannot rely on brute force alone; they also need insight, technique, and perseverance. But for Mu Xi, these were not problems.

Although her Radiant Sun Martial Soul provided some enhancement to her forging, it could not improve her physical fitness, which had become the fundamental constraint on her skill progression.

"Of course!" A flash of determination crossed Mu Xi's eyes as she gripped the Spirit Forging Star Meteor Hammer tightly.

The two hammers shone in harmony, as if blessing the two of them.

Seeing Mu Xi regain her confidence, Xu Yue smiled. "Sister Mu Xi, let's go home. Uncle and Auntie must be waiting anxiously."

Mu Xi narrowed her beautiful eyes, her tone carrying a touch of playfulness.

"No, the exams were too tiring. I want to stay a little longer."

Although she said that, both of them knew full well whether she wanted to stay in the park or simply spend more time with the person beside her.

Late at night, in the bedroom.

Xu Yue sat cross-legged, the Star of Eden floating silently before him.

As his soul power poured in, the deep blue sphere instantly turned black and red, emitting invisible gravitational waves.

Using the Gravity Domain to assist in his training was not a spur-of-the-moment decision to comfort Mu Xi, but a carefully considered idea he had developed while practicing his Martial Soul over the past few days.

No matter the training environment or auxiliary equipment, there were always areas that could not be reached.

Gravity, however, was different; it could penetrate every corner of the human body.

Whether it was muscles, bones, internal organs, or every single cell, everything would be affected under gravity.

As long as it was controlled within a certain range, he could efficiently improve his physique without damaging his body.

However, his vision for gravity went far beyond this.

"I currently only have the Jade Shield as a Soul Skill, and it is unknown whether I will obtain offensive Soul Skills in the future."

"But my methods must never be limited to the Soul Master system of the Douluo Continent, or it would be a waste."

He thought of the Honkai Impact 3rd world, where neither of the two Herrschers of Rock had truly displayed the full power of gravity.

At least the previous Herrscher of Rock had the record of swallowing the Mu Continent and causing the deaths of one-sixth of the world's population.

But the current era's Chen Tianwu had become fusion material the moment he appeared, merging with Anna to become the Herrscher of Ice.

Conversely, the successive Herrschers of Reason had carried gravity to new heights.

"I can completely imitate Welt's development of the Star of Eden to create gravity skills."

"For example, Gravity Bind, Gravity Slash, or even the Three Rated Powers... though I cannot copy the game settings exactly."

"The Pseudo Black Hole clearly possesses all the physical properties of a real black hole, yet in the Second Eruption, its coverage was limited only to the Siberia battlefield."

"Perhaps, by combining this with the physics knowledge I have learned, I can develop it to a deeper level."

Thinking of this, Xu Yue focused his gaze on the Star of Eden.

The next moment, the black-red gravitational field stopped being evenly distributed and began to condense and compress.

The air in his palm twisted slightly, and faintly, a tiny black-red electric arc danced and flickered within his palm.