Could a miracle be born here?
The instant 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,
no runaway energy.
Only then did he open his eyes
and look toward the forging platform.
And with that one glance,
he witnessed the birth of a miracle!
At that moment,
the Life Origin Crystal was like snow meeting the blazing sun,
slowly melting into a pool of emerald-green molten metal.
Generally speaking,
when metal melted into molten form,
its natural properties disappeared.
But the Life Origin Crystal was different.
Once activated,
in any form,
its affinity for life energy remained unchanged!
The emerald-green molten metal spread in every direction,
gradually enveloping the entire alloy.
The alloy's surface began to change as well.
The green slowly faded,
while red, blue, purple, and yellow emerged across the surface.
At last,
a faint, colorful halo remained,
shifting and shimmering like the aurora!
After that, nothing changed.
The Fusion Forging had awakened its spirit—
which meant
the Fusion Forging had succeeded!
Seeing this,
Lu Chuan finally withdrew his Soul Power with a sigh of relief.
Six rounds of Spirit Forging and one five-metal Fusion Forging
had nearly drained every last bit of Soul Power from his body!
He took two steps back,
then sat down right on the floor
and began recovering his Soul Power on the spot.
Only then
did Mu Chen and the others dare to approach.
They looked at the alloy before them, glowing with five colors,
then at the boy in the corner, drenched in sweat, blood still dripping from his hands.
The way they looked at him had completely changed!
In the world of forging,
skill spoke for itself!
Even Mu Chen, an Eight-Star Saint Smith,
could barely manage three-metal Fusion Forging!
Four-metal Fusion Forging was the signature feat of the Godsmith Zhen Hua!
"Five-metal Fusion Forging... How did you do it?"
Mu Chen asked in disbelief.
Hearing him,
Lu Chuan raised his head.
A proud smile crept across his exhausted face.
"It's simple."
"Just think of the metals as a bunch of hot-tempered old men. No matter how many there are, just sit them down together to drink and chat."
"As long as the liquor's good enough, they'll always find something to talk about."
At those words, the room fell silent.
Mu Chen's mouth twitched. He plainly hadn't understood.
As for Cen Yue and Elder Zhao beside him,
the two could only look at each other, utterly baffled.
Think of metals as hot-tempered old men?
Then invite them to drink and chat?
If anyone else had said such a thing,
they would have thrown him out as a lunatic long ago!
But the person who'd just said it
had completed the unprecedented feat of five-metal Fusion Forging!
Mu Chen looked at Lu Chuan suspiciously.
"You little brat, you're not making this up to mess with me because you hold a grudge, are you?"
Lu Chuan shook his head and met Mu Chen's gaze, utterly serious.
"President, you can question my character. But as a blacksmith, I would never lie about the art of forging!"
Lu Chuan's words rang like a thunderclap.
Hearing them,
Mu Chen felt strangely dazed.
He looked into Lu Chuan's clear, resolute eyes.
There was no evasion in them,
no trace of guilt.
There was only
a blacksmith's absolute devotion to the art of forging!
Many years ago,
he, too, had been like that.
But now...
After a moment,
Mu Chen slowly breathed out and gave a bitter smile.
"I judged a gentleman by my own petty standards. You're right. No one would joke about something like this when it comes to forging."
Seeing the atmosphere turn awkward again,
Cen Yue pretended to stroke his chin thoughtfully
and steered the conversation back to forging.
"Comparing metals to hot-tempered old men... It sounds absurd, but the more I think about it, the more it seems to make sense."
Elder Zhao picked up the thread as well.
"I've studied forging for decades, and I've had a similar feeling.
"Different metals are like people with different personalities. Some are fierce, some pliant, some hot-tempered, some mild.
"Forcing them together is like locking a group of strangers in one room. Of course they'll start fighting."
How could Lu Chuan fail to see what the two of them were getting at? He took the opening and ran with it.
"But with a good jug of wine, everything changes!
"Wine can drown sorrow, and it can ease resentment.
"After a few cups, even the deepest grudges can be eased.
"And for metals, that jug of 'wine' is the medium that harmonizes their properties."
This time,
Lu Chuan had explained it clearly.
Mu Chen finally understood at least part of it.
Thinking back over all the times he had attempted three-metal Fusion Forging,
he realized nearly every failure
had happened when the metals' opposing properties clashed most fiercely.
Fire and water repelling each other,
light and darkness locked in opposition...
He had tried countless methods to suppress these conflicts,
but had never considered
that perhaps they shouldn't be suppressed at all,
and that he should instead find a way to harmonize them!
"Then what exactly is this 'wine'?"
Mu Chen lifted his head and stared intently at Lu Chuan.
Lu Chuan smiled,
but didn't answer directly.
Instead, he asked,
"President, what role do you think the Life Origin Crystal played in this Fusion Forging?"
At those words,
Mu Chen suddenly understood!
Two sharp gleams flashed in his eyes.
"You mean the Life Origin Crystal... It was that jug of wine?!"
"Exactly."
Lu Chuan smiled and nodded.
"Life energy is the most primordial force. It embraces and nourishes all things.
"Whether it's the ferocity of fire or the chill of water, life energy can soften and accept it.
"I dared to attempt five-metal Fusion Forging because I had the Life Origin Crystal as my 'starter.'"
"But having the wine alone isn't enough."
Lu Chuan continued,
"Just like when you invite people to drink, you have to know what each person likes.
"Some like spirits, some prefer fruit wine, and some favor well-aged liquor.
"Metals are the same. You have to understand each metal's temperament,
"know when it's most willing to accept harmonization
"and when it's most resistant to an outside force."
"So that's why you did Spirit Forging before Fusion Forging?"
Mu Chen's voice trembled slightly.
Lu Chuan smiled and nodded.
"With every hammer strike, I wasn't just purifying the metal. I was greeting it.
"By the time Fusion Forging began, they already knew me. Naturally, they were willing to let me, their host, make the arrangements."
"Of course, there are a few other little details.
"For example, balancing Flame Copper and Frost Meteorite Iron is crucial.
"Also, Shadow Steel might actually blend better after Thunderclap Gold. I'm still experimenting."
The Evaluation Room fell silent once more.
This time, no one thought Lu Chuan's words were absurd.
On the contrary, everyone was shaken to the core.
This boy, who looked no older than nine,
had an understanding of forging
that had nearly reached the level of returning to the fundamentals!
The most complex forging principles became the simplest common sense in just a few words from him.
Before this,
they would never have imagined,
that the techniques of Fusion Forging could be compared to a boisterous drinking party where cups were passed around!
But admiration was one thing,
and evaluation another.
They still had to follow the proper procedure.
As soon as the confusion in their minds lifted,
the little old men eagerly placed the colorful alloy into the Soul Guidance Fusion Degree Tester,
to check the purity of Lu Chuan's metal!
A soft beep sounded,
the numbers changed,
and a jaw-dropping result froze on the screen,
"98.5%!"