The scorching heat faded from the metal, and the waves of hot air in the room slowly dissipated.
The Spirit-Forged Deep Silver, once blazing red and scalding hot, gradually settled into a soft, clear, matte silver sheen.
A faint metallic glow flowed across its surface. It no longer burned to the touch, retaining only a warm, mellow heat.
Only when the temperature had completely stabilized did Huo Yuhao cautiously reach out with both hands and gently lift the Spirit-Forged Metal he had spent so much effort forging.
The instant his mental power probed inside the metal, Huo Yuhao's pupils contracted, his face filled with shock.
His condensed mental power seeped thread by thread into the metal's grain. What he saw was a spirituality unlike the dull, fixed quality of ordinary Spirit-Forged Metal.
The spirituality born within this Deep Silver was incredibly vibrant, slowly surging and flowing like a newly born living creature, brimming with vigorous life force.
Every inch of the metal's patterns and every strand of its grain exuded a nimble quality, as if formed by nature itself—something no ordinary forging craft could match.
Huo Yuhao held the metal, his gaze glued to it. The light in his eyes grew brighter and brighter, filled with fascination and amazement.
He was utterly immersed in the pinnacle of forging artistry, breathing so lightly that he feared disturbing this perfect piece of Spirit-Forged Metal.
Su Ming watched his near-madly infatuated expression from the side. The corner of his mouth twitched, and for some reason, goosebumps rose across his back.
Why was he looking at a lump of iron like that?
Su Ming didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He had recommended Huo Yuhao study Soul Tool forging after recognizing his talent, but Huo Yuhao was even more obsessed with Soul Tools than he'd imagined. To look so deeply devoted to a cold piece of metal was almost too much to bear.
Su Ming gave a light cough, interrupting Huo Yuhao's reverie. "Uh, Yuhao, snap out of it. We've got work to do."
Only then did Huo Yuhao jolt and come back to his senses. A hint of embarrassment colored his face.
He carefully tucked the Spirit-Forged Deep Silver into his clothes, firmly protecting the precious metal, then hurried over to the spacious Soul Tool workbench.
He arranged all the tools and blueprints, making every preparation for engraving the core.
Neither of them rushed to begin. Instead, they sat cross-legged where they were and brought themselves back to peak condition.
Once they felt their Soul Power and mental power had recovered, they turned their attention to the blueprint.
They immediately focused, their eyes alight with excitement, and threw themselves into the final stage of making the Armor Beast Core.
This core engraving was the most precise, difficult, and mentally demanding part of making the Armor Beast. Not the slightest mistake could be allowed.
Su Ming took charge of the most crucial and complex engraving. Pure, gentle Soul Power gathered at his fingertips.
Holding a specially made engraving blade, he worked with steady precision. Each line flowed smoothly, without the slightest deviation.
Standing beside him, Huo Yuhao kept his eyes fixed on the blueprint, his clear, steady voice ringing out.
Guided by the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, he recited every engraving pattern's direction, the rhythm of Soul Power circulation, and the details of each rune connection, word for word and with perfect precision. The two of them and the silkworm worked together seamlessly from start to finish.
At the same time, Huo Yuhao activated Spirit Detection, carefully scanning every change on the metal's surface.
He would immediately point out even the tiniest deviation. He also activated Spirit Sharing, transmitting everything he sensed to Su Ming and minimizing the risk of engraving errors as much as possible.
The intense exertion of their mental power and Soul Power rapidly drained them.
Fine beads of cold sweat kept welling on their foreheads and sliding down their jaws. Their fingertips, too, gradually grew sore and tired.
When they noticed their condition slipping, they paused in tacit agreement, leaned against the table for a brief rest, and regulated their breathing as they recovered their Soul Power and mental strength.
As soon as they had recovered a little, they immediately resumed the precise engraving work.
This core engraving, which seemed to be nothing more than joining runes together, was far more intricate and complicated than they had expected.
They worked from the sun-high afternoon until it sank in the west and dusk spread through the entire laboratory. Only after spending half a day at it did they finally stop.
As the final rune closed perfectly, a dazzling golden-and-silver radiance burst from the core metal.
Then it slowly drew inward, and a complete, exquisite Armor Beast Core, covered in intricate patterns, was finally forged!
"It's done!" Huo Yuhao's eyes shone like stars. Unrestrained delight burst across his face, and his eyes brimmed with excitement and joy.
He eagerly picked up the warm core and hurried to the assembled metal body of the Armor Beast nearby.
With great care, he fitted the core into the central socket in the Armor Beast's chest.
The socket fit precisely, leaving no gap; it matched the Armor Beast's body perfectly.
Taking a deep breath to suppress his excitement, Huo Yuhao steadied himself and poured his pure, gentle Soul Power into the Armor Beast through his palm.
As his Soul Power flowed, the entire metal body shuddered slightly. The metal gears at its joints slowly meshed and turned, and the long-dormant Armor Beast finally stirred.
Its limbs flexed slightly, its body shifted, and a faint glow lit its eyes, as though it were about to awaken completely.
But just as everyone thought the Armor Beast was about to take shape and move nimbly, all motion abruptly stopped.
The gears stopped meshing, the light slowly dimmed, and the life that had just awakened vanished in an instant.
The entire Armor Beast once again became a cold, lifeless hunk of metal, motionless.
The sudden turn of events plunged the laboratory into silence.
The delight on Huo Yuhao's face froze. The light in his eyes slowly faded, replaced by bewilderment and confusion.
He hurriedly bent close to the Armor Beast and spread his exceptional mental power over it, carefully inspecting its core, patterns, connections, and Soul Power channels inch by inch. He went over everything again and again.
But no matter how he checked, he couldn't find the slightest mistake.
The runes were intact, the core fit perfectly, and the Soul Power channels were unobstructed. There had been no flaws in the forging or engraving; everything matched the blueprint perfectly.
The process had gone flawlessly, yet the Armor Beast couldn't fully awaken or operate on its own.
A crushing sense of disappointment swept over Huo Yuhao. He lowered his eyes, and his shoulders slumped.
All his excitement and anticipation had come to nothing, leaving his heart full of confusion and frustration.
Unwilling to give up, he pulled a thick stack of hand-drawn Armor Beast blueprints from his Storage Soul Tool and spread them across the table.
He bent over the table, his fingertips tracing the densely packed designs and parameters again and again. His brow furrowed as he compared and calculated, trying to find the source of the problem.
But no matter how long he studied and compared them, he still had no idea what had gone wrong.
Even when he anxiously asked the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm in his mind, he got no clues. After all, this was the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's first time making such a difficult Soul Tool, too.
Su Ming didn't interrupt. He quietly studied the complete blueprints and the motionless Armor Beast, his gaze deep.
He gently rubbed his chin, rapidly reviewing the entire process in his mind, and seemed to realize something.
A moment later, he finally found the fatal flaw they had both overlooked and calmly revealed the key: "Yuhao, I think we've been missing the most crucial issue all along—we never solved the problem of storing Soul Power in the Armor Beast."
"Without a dedicated energy-storage core, without a vessel that can retain Soul Power, the Soul Power we pour in will quickly dissipate instead of accumulating.
"Without a steady supply of Soul Power, the Armor Beast can't operate by itself, let alone sustain combat."
His words struck like a thunderclap in Huo Yuhao's mind. In an instant, he saw the light and understood completely!
That was right! All combat-type Soul Tools needed a Soul Master standing behind them to provide a continuous supply of Soul Power. The Soul Tool had to retain that power to keep fighting.
They had focused solely on forging the body, engraving the core, and building the operating patterns, yet overlooked the most basic and most critical step of all: energy storage!
But as soon as he understood the problem, a new challenge surfaced. Huo Yuhao panicked and looked up at Su Ming, his eyes full of urgency and his voice uncertain.
"What do we do, then, Big Brother Su? I've never heard of a Soul Power storage technique specifically for Armor Beasts at Shrek Academy.
"None of the Soul Tool textbooks mention anything about it. We don't have any method for making one!"
Seeing the boy's anxious, helpless expression, Su Ming smiled calmly and patted his shoulder.
His gentle touch soothed Huo Yuhao's agitation and signaled him to calm down.
Under Huo Yuhao's bewildered, astonished gaze, Su Ming's eyes shifted slightly as he called out inwardly.
The next instant, a solid golden silhouette emerged around Su Ming. As golden light flowed, a mighty, nimble metal figure slowly took shape.
It was Snow Mastiff, who had always stayed by Su Ming's side.
Su Ming pointed at the motionless Armor Beast body and said softly, "Go on in."
Snow Mastiff's golden eyes flashed. He nodded obediently, and his massive metal body transformed into a streak of light, darting effortlessly into the empty Armor Beast shell.
In an instant, dazzling golden light erupted from within the Armor Beast!
The cold, lifeless metal shell was completely enveloped in golden radiance.
The frozen gears meshed rapidly, the dormant patterns lit up, and its stiff limbs slowly unfolded, moving freely.
A hint of vivid life surged from deep within the shell. The metal body, once devoid of spirit, shed its lifeless rigidity and filled with a nimble, imposing aura.
The next moment, the Armor Beast, standing steadily in place, slowly stepped forward and trotted toward Su Ming with steady, powerful strides. Its movements were fluid and natural, full of life—it had awakened completely!
Su Ming raised a hand and gently stroked the Armor Beast's cool, smooth metal head, his eyes full of tenderness.
Now possessed by Snow Mastiff's spirit, the Armor Beast stood tall and mighty, its body clad in interwoven silver and gold, its lines sharp and imposing.
It was more than five meters long and nearly three meters tall at the shoulder. Its enormous body stood firmly in the laboratory.
It carried an immense, weighty pressure and an air of authority. Even standing perfectly still, it inspired awe.
Huo Yuhao hurried over, full of wonder. His eyes widened as he stared at the transformed, fully awakened Armor Beast, disbelief written all over his face.
He looked up at Su Ming, his eyes full of questions, desperate to know what was going on.
Meeting his curious gaze, Su Ming slowly began to explain.
"Yuhao, let me introduce you. This is my partner, Snow Mastiff. He's also the true living spirit of my Snow Mastiff Armor's totem."
"When I first came up with the core concept for Armor Beasts, my original intention was to build Snow Mastiff a complete physical body, so he wouldn't have to rely on the Armor totem.
"And the development of Armor Beasts would also let us develop an advanced combat Soul Tool system for ordinary Soul Masters, one suited to the masses."
The moment Su Ming finished speaking, a deep, authoritative voice with a metallic quality suddenly rang out from inside the Armor Beast, echoing through the laboratory. "Many thanks, my lord!"
The sudden voice made Huo Yuhao's pupils widen. He froze on the spot, his face filled with utter shock, his mouth slightly agape, his eyes full of disbelief.
He had never seen—or even heard of—a Soul Tool spirit that could speak human words and possess its own intelligence and consciousness!
Snow Mastiff sensed Huo Yuhao's utter astonishment. His golden eyes lifted slightly, and he raised his head proudly, carrying himself with unyielding pride.
He was a being of gold, born of heaven and earth—a pure and supreme Armor Beast of gold, born with an unyielding spirit.
A being of gold could be defeated, but never conquered; suppressed by power, but never forcibly tamed!
Even trapped in a desperate situation, drained of strength, grievously wounded, and on the verge of annihilation, he would never compromise or submit.
He would never bow to darkness or tyranny. From beginning to end, he would uphold the pure dignity and unyielding integrity of a being of gold.
Across the world, only an Armor Master who earned his heartfelt recognition could bear the supreme power of Snow Mastiff Armor, fight alongside him, and share life and death with him.
Su Ming stood calmly to the side, already used to all this.
As the one and only Gold Armor Master of the present age, he had passed countless trials and earned Snow Mastiff's complete recognition. Their minds were linked, and their bond ran deep.
It was only natural that he could understand his own fated partner.
The bond between man and mastiff had long surpassed the ties between ordinary Soul Masters and living beings. It was a unique connection, one of shared destiny through life and death.