98.5%

Could a miracle be born here?

The moment the Life Crystal touched the alloy, everyone held their breath.

Cen Yue even closed his eyes.

But after a long while, the Evaluation Room remained silent; there was no explosion, no roar, and no surge of runaway energy.

Only then did he open his eyes and look toward the Forging Table, and it was this very glance that allowed him to witness the birth of a miracle with his own eyes!

In that moment, the Life Origin Crystal acted like snow meeting the scorching sun, slowly melting into a pool of emerald-green liquid metal.

Generally speaking, once metal turns into liquid, its natural properties vanish.

But the Life Origin Crystal was different; once activated, no matter what form it took, its affinity for life energy would never change!

The emerald-green liquid metal spread outward, gradually enveloping the entire alloy, and the surface of the alloy began to change as well; the green began to fade slowly, while red, blue, purple, and yellow gradually emerged on the surface, culminating in a faint, colorful halo that shifted incessantly like an aurora!

After this, there were no further changes!

Fusion Forging had awakened a spirit, which meant that the Fusion Forging was a success!

Seeing this, Lu Chuan finally withdrew his Soul Power with a sense of relief.

Six Spirit Forgings and one five-metal Fusion Forging had nearly drained every last drop of Soul Power from his body!

He took two steps back, sat directly on the floor, and began to recover his Soul Power on the spot.

At this moment, Mu Chen and the others finally dared to step forward. As they looked at the alloy radiating a five-colored halo before them, then back at the youth in the corner—soaked in sweat and with blood still dripping from his hands—their gazes had completely changed!

In the path of forging, the capable come first!

Even though Mu Chen was an Eight-Star Saint Smith, That was barely enough to manage a three-metal Fusion Forging!

Four-metal Fusion Forging was the signature of the Godsmith Zhen Hua!

"Five-metal Fusion Forging... how did you manage it?"

Mu Chen asked in disbelief.

Hearing this, Lu Chuan raised his head, a smug smile tugging at his exhausted face:

"It's quite simple."

"Just treat the metals like a bunch of grumpy old men. No matter how many there are, you just need to get them to sit together, drink, and chat."

"As long as the wine is good enough, they'll always find common ground."

The room fell deathly silent at these words.

Mu Chen's mouth twitched, signaling he hadn't understood a word of it.

As for Cen Yue and Elder Zhao standing nearby, they exchanged bewildered glances, both feeling completely overwhelmed.

Treating metals like grumpy old men?

And inviting them to drink and chat?

If anyone else had said such a thing, they would have been branded a lunatic and thrown out long ago!

Yet, the person who said it had just completed an unprecedented five-metal Fusion Forging!

Mu Chen looked at Lu Chuan suspiciously and said:

"Are you sure you aren't just trying to trick me out of spite, you brat!"

Lu Chuan shook his head, meeting Mu Chen's gaze with extreme sincerity:

"Chairman, you can doubt my character, but as a blacksmith, I would never lie about the path of forging!"

Lu Chuan's voice was deafeningly resolute.

Mu Chen felt inexplicably dazed upon hearing this.

He looked into Lu Chuan's clear and steady eyes.

There was no evasion in those eyes, no trace of guilt; there was only the absolute devotion of a blacksmith to the craft!

How many years ago had he been like that too?

But now...

A moment later, Mu Chen slowly exhaled a breath of stale air and smiled bitterly:

"It is I who judged a gentleman with a petty mind. You are right; no one would joke about such matters when it comes to the path of forging."

Seeing that the atmosphere was becoming awkward again, Cen Yue pretended to be deep in thought, rubbing his chin as he steered the conversation back to forging:

"Comparing metals to grumpy old men... although the idea sounds absurd, if you think about it carefully, it actually makes some sense."

Elder Zhao picked up the thread:

"I have studied forging for decades, and I have occasionally had a faint feeling of the same thing. Different metals are like people with distinct personalities. Some are rigid, some are flexible, some are volatile, and some are gentle. Forcing them to fuse together is like locking a group of strangers in a room—it would be a miracle if they didn't start a fight."

Lu Chuan, seeing their intentions, decided to step down from the pedestal they had provided:

"But if you have a pot of good wine, it's a completely different story! Wine can wash away sorrows and dissolve grudges."

A few cups down, and even the deepest grudges can be mostly dissolved.

And for metals, this pot of 'wine' is the medium that harmonizes their properties.

This time, Lu Chuan had made himself quite clear.

Mu Chen finally understood a little, recalling the process of his attempts at three-metal Fusion Forging over the years.

Almost every failure occurred at the moment when the conflict between the metal properties was at its most intense.

The mutual repulsion of fire and water, the opposition between light and darkness...

He had tried countless methods to suppress these conflicts, yet he had never once thought that perhaps he shouldn't be suppressing them at all, but rather finding a way to harmonize them!

"Then what exactly is this pot of 'wine'?"

Mu Chen raised his head, his gaze burning as he looked at Lu Chuan.

Lu Chuan smiled faintly. He did not answer directly, but instead asked in return:

"President, what role do you think the Life Origin Crystal plays in this Fusion Forging?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Mu Chen was suddenly enlightened!

Two rays of sharp light shot from his eyes:

"You mean, the Life Origin Crystal... it is that pot of wine?!"

"Exactly."

Lu Chuan nodded with a smile and said:

"Life energy is the most primordial force; it encompasses all things and nourishes all things. Whether it is the violent nature of fire or the frigid cold of water, in the face of life energy, they are softened and accepted. The reason I dared to attempt five-metal Fusion Forging is precisely because I have the Life Origin Crystal as the 'wine starter'."

"But having wine alone is not enough."

Lu Chuan continued, "Just like inviting people for a drink, you have to know everyone's taste. Some love strong spirits, some prefer fruit wine, and others like aged brews. Metals are the same; you must understand the temperament of each metal, knowing when they are most receptive to harmony and when they most resist external forces."

"Is that why you perform Spirit Forging before Fusion Forging?"

Mu Chen's voice carried a hint of trembling.

Lu Chuan nodded with a smile:

"Every hammer blow is not just to purify the metal, but to greet it. By the time it comes to Fusion Forging, they already know me, so naturally, they are willing to listen to the arrangements of this host."

"Of course, besides that, there are some small details. For instance, the balance between Flame Copper and Frost Meteorite Iron is crucial. Or, for example, it might actually be better to integrate Shadow Steel after the Thunderclap Gold; I am still exploring that myself."

The Evaluation Room fell into silence once more.

This time, no one felt that Lu Chuan's words were absurd.

On the contrary, everyone felt a shock emanating from the depths of their hearts.

This boy, who looked no more than nine years old, had reached a realm of understanding in forging that was almost back to the basics!

The most complex principles of forging were reduced to the simplest common knowledge in just a few short sentences.

Before this, they never would have dreamed that the techniques of Fusion Forging could be compared to a round of drinks at a dinner party!

However, sentimentality aside and evaluations aside, the necessary procedures still had to be followed.

With their confusion cleared, the few old men couldn't wait to place the colorful alloy into the Soul Guidance Fusion Degree Tester to check the purity of the metal Lu Chuan had produced.

With a soft "beep," the numbers flickered and a staggering figure locked onto the screen:

"98.5%!"