Su Ming came striding briskly over, full of energy, and lightly touched his fingertip to the access-card reader.
With a crisp beep, the heavy alloy laboratory doors slowly slid open to either side.
His gaze passed over the precise instruments and stacks of blueprints, and he immediately spotted Huo Yuhao, who was already in place.
Huo Yuhao sat before the workbench, his presence utterly calm.
His eyes were slightly narrowed, his entire attention immersed in the intricate, precise Armor Beast Core blueprints spread across the tabletop.
Within his Sea of Consciousness, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's vast spiritual power quietly unfurled. Threads of pure Spiritual Origin flowed into the blueprint's patterns, helping Huo Yuhao deduce its structure and refine the details.
As a million-year-old Soul Beast, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had long since used its million years of spiritual power to silently master the core knowledge of modern Soul Tool Technology, taking advantage of Huo Yuhao's studies.
Its Soul Tool expertise had quietly reached the standard of a Level 5 Soul Engineer. This astonishing secret had been known only to Huo Yuhao from beginning to end.
The faint sound of footsteps broke the room's stillness. Huo Yuhao came to his senses at once and turned sharply to look.
Su Ming's eyes curved with a bright, irrepressible smile. An unusually carefree excitement seemed to radiate from him.
He hurried over to the workbench and spoke with exceptional warmth and friendliness:
"Yuhao, you're poring over blueprints again. There's no need to rush the development of Battle Armor and Armor Beasts. Take your time; a steady, solid approach is the right way."
After speaking, Su Ming didn't disturb Huo Yuhao's research. He strolled over to the rare-metal storage area nearby.
He planned to select materials suitable for forging and prepare for the upcoming forging of the Armor Beast Core components.
Watching Su Ming's unusually cheerful back, Huo Yuhao's eyes filled with curiosity. Unable to resist, he quietly asked his companion in the Sea of Consciousness:
"Brother Sky Dream, what do you think has gotten Big Brother Su so happy today? He's completely different from usual."
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's enormous body swayed gently in the Sea of Consciousness. It shook its head in bewilderment, and its lazy voice followed:
"I can't figure it out either. That kid Su Ming keeps his thoughts well hidden. I can't see what's behind this inexplicable good mood of his today."
The questions in Huo Yuhao's mind only grew stronger. He could no longer hold back, so he got up and hurried after Su Ming, asking bluntly:
"Big Brother Su, you're in such a great mood today! You look especially happy. Did something good happen?"
Su Ming turned at the sound of his voice, his smile still bright. He reached out and gently ruffled Huo Yuhao's hair, his tone teasing:
"You're still young. Some things will make sense naturally when you grow up."
As soon as he finished speaking, he put the joking aside and got down to business, asking seriously:
"By the way, let's talk about the important stuff. You've been so enthusiastic about researching the Armor Beast Core lately. Have you made any new breakthroughs or discoveries?
"If you need custom components or suitable forging materials, I can make them for you."
The moment they started discussing the Armor Beast research, Huo Yuhao's curiosity vanished. His eyes suddenly lit up, blazing with excitement.
His whole demeanor brightened, and his voice brimmed with undisguised enthusiasm:
"Big Brother Su! I've made a major discovery! I've worked out the connecting structure for the Armor Beast's power core.
"As long as you can forge high-quality, Spirit Forging-grade rare-metal stock for me, we can refine it together and have every confidence of solving the key problem with the Armor Beast Core!"
He had worked it out through a combination of Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's powerful spiritual strength and his own careful thought.
"I see." Su Ming nodded slightly, his gaze resolute.
"Since you already have a complete plan, I'll get started right away and forge a batch of top-quality Spirit-Forged Metal to meet the core components' needs."
With that, Su Ming turned and walked straight into the professional forging room next door.
Huo Yuhao followed him in, full of anticipation, his gaze fixed firmly on Su Ming. He didn't want to look away for even a moment.
The forging room was fully equipped. A precisely engineered forging table, pitch-black all over, stood motionless, its surface glinting coldly.
Su Ming raised his hands and removed his shirt, revealing his well-defined arms. His muscles were firm and smooth, brimming with immense strength.
He reached over and picked up the Double-Handled Thousand-Refinement Deep Silver Hammers resting beside the forging table.
He had made the pair of Deep Silver hammers himself, modeled on Tang Wulin's forging system.
Deep Silver was extremely dense, exceptionally tough, and excellent at transmitting Soul Power. It was ideal for the Stacking Hammer Technique.
After countless rounds of practice and refinement, the pair of Deep Silver hammers had long since become perfectly attuned to his strength and Soul Power.
They were the most reliable tools on his forging path, capable of unleashing the full effect of the Stacking Hammer Technique and greatly improving the quality and efficiency of his forging.
Su Ming lifted his fingertips, lightly knocking the two heavy Deep Silver hammers together. They gave two low, weighty thuds.
He had already settled on the main material for this forging session: Deep Silver.
Compared with other rare metals, Deep Silver transmitted Soul Power exceptionally well and combined both malleability and stability.
It was the perfect choice for forging a core component like the Armor Beast Core, which needed to continuously bear Soul Power and accommodate the flow of spiritual power.
Behind him in the forging room, Huo Yuhao stood watching intently, his gaze fixed on the scene before him.
Though he had already mastered Su Ming's forging theory, his body had been frail since childhood.
His foundation had yet to be fully restored, and his physical strength wasn't enough to support high-level forging. To this day, his forging skill had still not surpassed the hundred-strike level.
Getting to watch a high-level blacksmith like Su Ming work at close range was a once-in-a-lifetime learning opportunity.
Huo Yuhao didn't dare let his attention waver for an instant. He released all of his exceptionally concentrated spiritual power.
He locked onto Su Ming's every movement, every hammer strike's rhythm, and every trace of Soul Power circulating through him, silently committing every detail to memory.
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm watched intently as well, using Huo Yuhao's eyes to study Su Ming's manual forging technique.
The next moment, the forging began in earnest!
Su Ming focused his eyes, his presence settling in an instant as both arms suddenly tensed.
Following the core principle of "might makes miracles," he brought the heavy Deep Silver hammers down with a rush of wind, striking the raw Deep Silver on the forging table with pinpoint accuracy.
Bang, bang, bang!
A series of dense, orderly hammer blows rang out. They were neither chaotic nor impatient, their rhythm forceful and steadily building.
Each strike was precisely controlled, gradually crushing the impurities in the raw Deep Silver and rousing the latent vitality deep within the metal, bit by bit.
At the same time, the pure Soul Power of the Ultimate Gold attribute within Su Ming poured through the meridians in his arms and into the pair of hammers, then seeped through their heads into the Deep Silver.
The exceptionally fierce metallic Soul Power continuously refined, polished, and reshaped the Deep Silver's molecular structure, gradually eliminating flaws and purifying the metal's essence.
The Armor Beast Core was the heart and lifeline of the entire Armor Beast system. There was no room for the slightest error.
Su Ming knew full well that these core components had to reach the Spirit Forging tier and be refined to the highest quality.
Only then could they withstand the combined wash of Soul Power and spiritual power and keep the Armor Beast running stably.
He remained intensely focused throughout, his arms swinging the hammers without pause. Scalding sweat streamed down his taut back and from his temples, ran along his jaw, and dripped onto the edge of the forging table, but it didn't affect his rhythm in the slightest.
Thousands upon thousands of hammer blows repeated in an endless cycle, their force building layer by layer. He displayed the subtlety of the Stacking Hammer Technique to the fullest.
The vigorous, passionate ring of the hammers echoed through the entire forging room, each strike shaking the ears and stirring the blood.
Huo Yuhao watched, utterly absorbed. His eyes stayed fixed on the Deep Silver being forged. As he saw the ordinary raw material grow pure and translucent through repeated refinement, shock and insight welled up within him.
After who knew how long, the final heavy strike came crashing down!
Hum—!
A clear, ethereal metallic note rang out, its echo lingering and refusing to fade.
After countless rounds of extreme hammering and Soul Power refinement, the Deep Silver had completely shed its original roughness. A lustrous silver glow flowed across its surface, pure and flawless.
Rich metallic spirituality had been born. Wisps of lively metallic aura drifted free of the metal itself and floated gently through the forging room. This was the distinctive manifestation of top-quality Spirit-Forged Metal taking shape!
When the forging finally came to a perfect end, Huo Yuhao could no longer contain his excitement and hurried forward.
The Deep Silver had only just been refined, and scorching heat still clung to it. Waves of heat washed over him.
He didn't reach out recklessly. Instead, he immediately activated his Spirit Eye Martial Soul. A pale golden sheen rose in his eyes as his perception sharpened to its utmost.
He carefully examined the top-quality Spirit-Forged Deep Silver's internal structure, spiritual purity, and capacity to bear Soul Power, his eyes brimming with admiration.