Attempting Spirit Forging!

Lu Chuan ultimately did not hear the Silver Dragon King say "I love you" with her own lips.

Although the Silver Dragon King had already said it countless times in her heart, she felt that her past, her previous life, and her future... were all in love with Lu Chuan, but half an hour passed by very quickly, so quickly that sometimes it left one unable to react.

Tang Wuyue's body trembled slightly, and those deep, noble, and majestic purple eyes, after a brief flicker, returned to the clarity and liveliness of a young girl.

"Brother? How did I... end up standing here?"

Tang Wuyue rubbed her eyes, looking around, her voice filled with the confusion and bewilderment of someone who had just woken up.

She clearly remembered being in bed!

"You were sleepwalking!"

Lu Chuan made up an excuse without blushing or skipping a beat.

Tang Wuyue was taken aback, "I... I was sleepwalking?"

Lu Chuan nodded, saying with great seriousness: "That's right. You jumped straight up from the bed.

With your hands stretched out, you pushed open the window, jumped out, and hopped onto the road. I couldn't even stop you.

You were almost hit by a Soul Guidance Car just now; I was scared to death. Thankfully, you've finally woken up!"

After speaking, Lu Chuan let out a long sigh, gently patting his chest, appearing as if he were still shaken by the ordeal.

"Really? But why does it feel like you're describing a zombie, not a sleepwalker, Brother?"

Tang Wuyue stared at Lu Chuan suspiciously, feeling that her brother was lying and hiding something important from her!

For the first time, Lu Chuan felt a bit guilty under her gaze.

He looked straight into Tang Wuyue's eyes, fearing that in the next second, the Silver Dragon King would jump out, and declare:

[Golden Dragon King, I have taken blades and served time for you, yet you dare to lie to me!]

Unable to win the argument, Lu Chuan used force to shut the little girl's mouth, then brought her home to sleep.

After a few hours of light sleep, Lu Chuan made a phone call to ask for leave, and headed to Mang Tian Studio.

Given his current soul power level, Red Mountain Academy no longer had any requirements for him, because he had already been recommended for admission from the intermediate department of East Sea Academy to the advanced department!

Tang Wuyue, however, still had to go to school on time, and every time she put on her backpack to board the Soul Guidance Bus, the little girl would be extremely envious of Lu Chuan, who could sleep in.

Mang Tian Studio.

When Lu Chuan arrived, Mang Tian's workshop was already a hive of activity.

The sound of hammering, devoid of any discordant noise, It was a testament to Mang Tian's formidable strength.

Every hammer blow landed perfectly, without a single deviation.

Lu Chuan watched from afar until Mang Tian finally ceased his hammering.

"Xiao Chuan, is something the matter?" Mang Tian asked, walking toward Lu Chuan while wiping sweat from his brow with a towel.

Lu Chuan nodded. "Teacher, I wish to attempt Spirit Forging, and I would like to ask for your guidance."

"Attempt Spirit Forging? Have you broken through to the third ring?" Mang Tian was taken aback, looking at Lu Chuan in disbelief.

The prerequisite he had set for Lu Chuan to attempt Spirit Forging was that he must have reached at least the third ring.

Spirit Forging was the threshold for a blacksmith to step into a new stage.

Once crossed, one would encounter an entirely different world of forging.

It required not only physical strength but also soul power.

Therefore, most blacksmiths did not attempt Spirit Forging until they reached the fourth ring.

However, because Lu Chuan possessed innate divine strength and his success rate for Thousand-Refined Grade One reached sixty percent, Mang Tian had made an exception to allow him to attempt it at the third ring.

It was truly because Lu Chuan's success rate for Thousand-Refined Grade One was simply too high.

What did sixty percent even mean?

The current president of the East Sea City Blacksmith Association, an eight-star Saint Craftsman named Mu Chen, had only achieved a fifty percent success rate for Thousand-Refined Grade One before he began Spirit Forging.

Mang Tian had actually been looking forward to Lu Chuan breaking through to the third ring, but he had never imagined that this day would come so soon.

"Yes, Teacher, I have reached the third ring!" Lu Chuan nodded, and three soul rings rose simultaneously from beneath his feet.

Dazzling purple light flooded the workshop.

Mang Tian stared at those three purple soul rings, his shock beyond words.

Because, in his mind, there had never been a soul master who possessed three thousand-year soul rings at the age of nine.

Furthermore, in his memory, there had never been a blacksmith who attempted Spirit Forging at nine years old either.

Even more terrifying was the fact that if Lu Chuan succeeded this time, he would become the youngest Level 5 blacksmith in the entire Douluo Federation.

"Let's go!"

Without further ado, Mang Tian walked directly into Lu Chuan's workshop.

Because if he kept thinking about it, he feared his heart would become too agitated, causing his blood to surge.

Fainting away, he would be unable to witness the birth of a miracle!

Returning to his workshop, Lu Chuan adjusted his state of mind immediately.

From the material rack, he picked up a piece of Thousand-Refined Deep Sea Silver.

To be precise, it was a Thousand-Refined Grade One, with a market price of around 400,000 Federation Coins.

This was a finished product he had forged long ago!

If this Spirit Forging failed, the loss would be a full 400,000 Federation Coins!

But Lu Chuan did not hesitate in the slightest.

The path of forging had never been a foolproof, smooth road.

He supported the deep sea silver with his left hand and gripped his Forging Hammer tightly with his right.

Beneath his feet, three purple soul rings pulsed in unison.

Soul power surged like a rushing river, flowing along his meridians into his right arm before pouring into the hammer.

With the experience of observing it several times, Lu Chuan knew clearly that what he had to do was communicate with the metal.

Spirit Forging was no longer mere physical shaping.

It was about using soul power and spiritual power to awaken the inherent spirit within the metal; this was something every teacher would tell their students before they attempted Spirit Forging.

But these were all theories.

As for how to awaken the spirit, everyone had different ideas and different methods!

Lu Chuan's idea was very simple: since Spirit Forging was a process of awakening a spirit, it meant the metal possessed an innate spirit. If it had an innate spirit but did not manifest it, it was highly likely that it was dormant. Therefore, one had to use soul power and spiritual power as a hammer to knock the metal's spirit awake!

However, mastering the force of the hammer to ensure the metal's spirit awakened comfortably was a major problem!

Lu Chuan closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

When he opened them again, a flame seemed to ignite deep within his pupils.

That was the obsession and fanaticism of a blacksmith!

The first hammer blow fell.

"Clang—"

A crisp sound of metal striking metal echoed through the workshop, and a ripple visible to the naked eye began to spread across the surface of the Thousand-Refined Deep Sea Silver.

Mang Tian stood behind the observation glass, nodding in involuntary approval.

Just by listening to the sound of the hammer, he knew that Lu Chuan had his own unique understanding of Spirit Forging.

Savoring that last strike, it was completely different from the fierce, forceful style Lu Chuan usually employed; instead, it carried a strange rhythm, as if he were knocking on a door.

Knocking on a door? Could it be that you intend to make the metal's spirit open the door itself and invite you in as a guest?

The corners of Mang Tian's mouth curled upward. As he carefully contemplated Lu Chuan's train of thought, he inexplicably felt there was real merit to it.

The first strike ended, and the second followed close behind.

"Clang—"

This time, the sound was a few degrees deeper than before, with a lingering resonance.

With this strike, Lu Chuan had infused his soul power. His soul power flowed down the handle of the hammer, seeping into the internal structure of the Deep Sea Silver like a secret agent.

If knocking doesn't get a response, then I'll just sneak into the room!

And this probe truly allowed Lu Chuan to find a way in; something inside the metal seemed to be trembling ever so slightly!

Lu Chuan's eyes lit up instantly. Following this, the third and fourth strikes fell in quick succession.

Inside the workshop, the sound of the hammer was no longer monotonous. At times it was as rapid as rain hitting banana leaves, and at others, as gentle as a flowing stream.

Yet, with every strike that landed, Lu Chuan would pause for a moment, using his heart to feel the information fed back by the metal.

This sensation was incredibly wondrous, like engaging in a silent dialogue with a stranger he had never met before!

Seeing this method of spirit-awakening, Mang Tian couldn't help but be stunned.

Because he was shocked to discover that Lu Chuan was doing something even he could not achieve.

With every strike Lu Chuan landed, he was actually altering the structural arrangement within the Deep Sea Silver!

Those originally chaotic metal molecules would, after each strike, reorganize themselves according to a profound and mysterious pattern.

This was something that could never be achieved by brute force alone; it required soul power control refined to the absolute limit, and beyond that—

It also required powerful spiritual power for guidance!

And Lu Chuan was only nine years old, yet his spiritual power seemed... even higher than his own!

"This kid... could he actually succeed on his first try?"

Mang Tian took a deep breath, a complex look flashing in his eyes.

He suddenly recalled his own first attempt at Spirit Forging back in the day; he had already been forty years old, a four-ring Spirit Ancestor, yet he had still failed over a hundred times before barely managing to succeed.

To this day, he was still paying off the debts incurred from those Spirit Forging failures!

And Lu Chuan, nine years old, a three-ring Spirit Elder...

Success on the first try!

Thinking of this, Mang Tian didn't know whether to be happy or to cry!

Time ticked away second by second; three hours had passed since Lu Chuan began forging.

Three hours of high-intensity, high-precision output of spirit power and spiritual power, even for Lu Chuan as the Golden Dragon King, left him feeling somewhat drained. Fine beads of sweat began to seep from his forehead, and his breathing gradually grew heavy!

The consumption of spirit power for Spirit Forging far exceeded his expectations; more than half of the spirit power within his body had already been depleted!

But Lu Chuan did not stop, because he could feel that the "spirit" within the Deep Sea Silver had been more than half awakened. It was just like waking his younger sister in the morning; she had already answered him, and it only took one final step to fully awaken her, to pull her out of bed to wash her face and brush her teeth, to see the world outside!

Therefore, Lu Chuan began to hammer frantically. However, he did not expect that at this very moment, an accident would occur: a tiny crack suddenly appeared on the surface of the Deep Sea Silver!!

It was very, very fine, but it was fatal!!

A crack appearing during the process of Spirit Forging meant that the internal structure of the metal could no longer withstand the impact of external force. If he continued, the entire piece of Deep Sea Silver might shatter and be ruined!

To Mang Tian, the metal being ruined was a minor matter; he was afraid that the Deep Sea Silver, under the high-temperature forging, would shatter and spray outward, injuring Lu Chuan!

"Xiao Chuan, stop immediately!" Mang Tian shouted urgently.

However, Lu Chuan turned a deaf ear to it all.

What worried Mang Tian even more was that not only did Lu Chuan not stop, but he actually accelerated the speed of his hammer swings!

At that moment, Lu Chuan's gaze was focused to the extreme. His pupils reflected the crack on the surface of the Deep Sea Silver as he contemplated and verified why that crack had appeared in the first place.

Was the force too great? A stronger hammer blow fell, yet the crack did not increase. No, that wasn't it!

Was his mental power too overwhelming? A blow with even greater mental power fell, yet the crack did not expand. No, that wasn't it either!

Was there too much soul power? A blow with even more soul power fell, yet the crack still did not expand. Still not it!

Then, having eliminated all internal factors, there could only be one truth!

It was the spirituality within the metal resisting him!

It was just like a sleeping person who, upon being rudely awakened, would instinctively react with resistance!

He understood! A faint smile curled the corners of Lu Chuan's mouth, his eyes gleaming with light as he devised a countermeasure.

The Forging Hammer in his hand traced an arc through the air, and then—it descended gently.

Yes, gently! This strike made almost no sound at all, as if a feather had drifted onto the surface of a pond.

Why so gently? Because someone who has just lost their temper only needs a little coaxing to calm down!

Sure enough, the moment the hammer face touched the Deep Sea Silver, a miracle occurred. The Deep Sea Silver emitted a low, humming "weng" sound, and that crack actually began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye!

A faint silver luster began to ripple across the surface of the entire piece of Deep Sea Silver, as if it had been coated in a layer of frost by moonlight.

The light grew brighter and more intense, eventually coalescing into a dazzling sphere of light that hovered above Lu Chuan's palm.

Mang Tian's eyes widened as he stared blankly at the glowing orb, his lips trembling slightly:

"Spiritual awakening, autonomous levitation... Spirit Forging success!"