Thousandfold Stellar Forging

On the third day after fusing with her soul spirit, Yun Zhiyu stood before the forging table.

This forging room had been built by Yun Ming himself. It stood east of the Sea God's Pavilion residence, backed against a cliff and facing the lake. The furnishings were simple: a forging table, a furnace, and a wall of tools, with nothing superfluous. The flames in the furnace burned fiercely. Feng Wuyu and Zhen Hua stood guard on either side of the door, their expressions solemn as if facing a great enemy.

"Are you sure you want to choose Astral Black Iron?" Feng Wuyu asked for the third time, his beard bristling. "Girl, you know how malleable Sinking Silver is. The success rate for Thousandfold Forging is over seventy percent. But that Astral Black Iron is three times denser than Sinking Silver and carries Stellar Force. During forging, the metal produces internal backlash. One careless mistake and your hammer will shatter and you'll be injured—"

"I choose Astral Black Iron." Yun Zhiyu interrupted him calmly.

Today, she wore fitted black work clothes, with her sleeves and trouser legs tightly bound. Her silver hair was tied into a ponytail with a leather cord, exposing her fair neck. At six years old, she was still short enough to need to stand on tiptoe before the forging table, but the calm in her purple eyes made the two well-traveled old men fall silent.

Zhen Hua glanced at Feng Wuyu and slowly nodded. "Let her try. We'll stand guard."

When the Astral Black Iron was drawn from the furnace with tongs, the temperature throughout the forging room abruptly plummeted.

It was a fist-sized piece of metal, black as ink on the surface, yet reflecting scattered silver glimmers under the firelight, as though someone had compressed a stretch of starry sky within it. Yun Zhiyu gripped it with the tongs and felt bone-piercing cold seep into her palm. The Stellar Force was resisting and rejecting her like an untamed beast.

"Hundredfold Tempering Purification," she murmured. "Remove the impurities. Preserve the stellar core."

She held a small forging hammer in her hand. Feng Wuyu had personally forged this hammer; its head weighed half a jin, and its handle was one foot and two inches long, perfectly suited to her palm. Yet at that moment, Yun Zhiyu suddenly thought of the Soul-Eater Gold in the system space and Zhen Hua's words: "When your soul power reaches level thirty, use it to forge your first Battle Armor component."

Battle Armor was still far away, but she could forge the hammer first.

"Let's begin."

The first hammer fell.

"Clang—"

The sound was crisp, yet it carried a strange echo, as though countless stars within the metal were resonating. Yun Zhiyu's wrist went numb. The backlash of the Astral Black Iron was stronger than she had estimated. The force surged up the hammer handle and rushed wildly through her arm and meridians.

She let out a muffled groan. Her Torch Dragon Bloodline activated on its own, dissolving the backlash without a trace.

"What tough bones." Feng Wuyu spoke softly.

Zhen Hua said nothing. His gaze remained fixed on the metal. Yun Zhiyu's first strike had left only a faint white mark on its surface, but that spot happened to be the node where the Astral Black Iron's internal stress was most concentrated. Breaking the node with one strike—many fifth-level forging masters did not possess such discernment.

Yun Zhiyu adjusted her breathing, and the second and third strikes followed.

The hammering gradually intensified, like a sudden rain battering lotus leaves. Her movements were initially somewhat awkward. After all, her six-year-old bones had not fully developed, and her muscular strength was limited. Yet as the hammering continued, a certain rhythm slowly emerged—it was the resonance between the Complete Forging Knowledge granted by the system and her Torch Dragon Bloodline; it was the accumulation of three years spent swinging a hammer day after day; it was the clear projection of the Astral Black Iron's inner structure within her spiritual sea.

She "saw" it. The interior of the Astral Black Iron was not a uniform crystal lattice like ordinary metals, but a network woven from countless tiny starlights. Every spark was a stress node, and every hammer strike triggered a chain reaction. The essence of Hundredfold Tempering Purification lay in finding the main vein that ran through every node, then using strike after strike to sort it out, connect it, and purify it.

"Eighty strikes." Zhen Hua counted silently.

Fine sweat beaded on Yun Zhiyu's forehead. After eighty strikes, her arms had begun to ache, and nearly half her soul power had been consumed. Yet the Astral Black Iron's impurities had only been removed by thirty percent. Those stubborn starlights were still resisting.

I can't stop, she warned herself. If I stop, the stress inside the metal will rebound, and all my previous work will be wasted.

She gritted her teeth. Rather than slowing down, her hammering sped up. Her Torch Dragon Bloodline surged through her meridians, bringing an endless supply of strength. Within her spiritual sea, the phantom of the Winged Dragon slightly opened its eyes, and a thread of purple-gold lightning spread from her arm to the hammerhead—

Boom!

The hundredth strike fell. Blinding silver light erupted from the Astral Black Iron's surface. Those scattered starlights seemed like fuses being lit, illuminating one after another, linking together, and finally forming a complete star chart.

"Hundredfold Forging complete!" Feng Wuyu blurted out.

But Yun Zhiyu did not stop.

Her gaze changed. The vertical slit in her purple eyes opened fully, and the star chart reflected deep within her pupils, as though her entire being had merged with the metal. She raised the hammer once more. This time, what descended was no longer mere physical impact, but a rhythm, a frequency resonating with the stars.

"Thousandfold Forging with Spirit," Zhen Hua muttered in a low voice. "She's drawing out the spirituality within the metal."

One hundred and ten strikes, one hundred and twenty strikes...

The star chart within the Astral Black Iron grew increasingly radiant. Silver glimmers intertwined with the purple lightning on the hammerhead, casting shifting light and shadow across the forging room. Yun Zhiyu's breathing became long and distant. Every inhalation seemed to draw Stellar Force into her body, while every exhalation forced impurities from the metal.

Her arm trembled, her muscles spasmed, and her fingernails turned white from exertion, yet the rhythm of her hammering did not falter in the slightest. Instead, it became increasingly precise and profound.

"One hundred and eighty strikes." Zhen Hua's voice trembled faintly.

Feng Wuyu was no longer counting. He stared fixedly at the metal, watching it gradually deform beneath the hammer. From an irregular fist-sized lump, it stretched and lengthened until it finally took the rough shape of a hammer. The hammerhead was only about the size of an adult's fist, while the handle was long and slender. Its proportions looked slightly strange, yet it possessed a naturally harmonious beauty.

Even stranger, as the hammering continued, the starlight on the Astral Black Iron's surface began to converge inward, as if drawn, compressed, and condensed by some force. The originally pitch-black metal gradually revealed a deep purple-gold color, identical to Yun Zhiyu's eyes.

"Two hundred strikes!"

The final strike fell. There was no thunderous crash, only a clear, lingering cry.

It did not sound like metal colliding. It sounded more like a dragon's roar, a sword's cry, or the first wail of a star being born in the universe. The starlight on the Astral Black Iron's surface completely withdrew, transforming into a flowing halo that moved within the metal.

Yun Zhiyu released the tongs. The unfinished hammer actually floated into the air on its own, surrounded by scattered lightning and starlight.

"Thousandfold Forging with Spirit," Zhen Hua murmured. "And it's... top-grade spirit forging."

Yet Yun Zhiyu did not relax. Looking at the floating hammer, she knew the most critical step had yet to be completed—blood sacrifice.

A metal forged through Thousandfold Forging with Spirit required the forger's blood as a guide to establish a soul-level connection. After the blood sacrifice, the metal's spirituality would merge with the forger's will and become a true natal weapon.

Without hesitation, she bit her fingertip and let a drop of blood fall toward the hammerhead.

The moment the blood touched the metal, a sudden change occurred.

The starlight within the Astral Black Iron abruptly erupted, yet instead of spreading outward, it contracted inward, swallowing and merging with the drop of blood.

Immediately afterward, a massive stream of information flooded into Yun Zhiyu's mind through her fingertip. It was the metal's "memory"—its loneliness drifting through the universe for hundreds of millions of years, its silence after being buried deep in the earth for ten thousand years, and its wild joy at being awakened now.

"Fourfold Hammer Echo..." Yun Zhiyu caught those words within the information stream.

It was the special effect bestowed by the Astral Black Iron. Ordinary Thousandfold Forged metal granting even a single hammer echo was rare. Two echoes were proof of genius, three were seen perhaps once in a century, and four echoes—

Zhen Hua and Feng Wuyu changed expression at the same time.

They saw four hammer phantoms emerge around Yun Zhiyu. Each one was as solid as the real thing, circling her slowly. The phantoms moved in perfect synchronization with her. When she raised her hand, all four raised their hands. When she brought it down, all four came down together.

"Fourfold Hammer Echo..." Feng Wuyu's voice was dry as sandpaper. "I've lived for decades and only ever seen a threefold echo once. That was when you were young, Zhen Hua..."

"I only reached threefold as well." Zhen Hua interrupted him, his gaze complicated as he watched the small figure. "Fourfold Hammer Echo is a legendary god-level effect. Ancient texts state that it can only be triggered when one's bloodline completely resonates with the metal and one's spiritual power has reached at least the Spirit Sea Realm."

Yun Zhiyu closed her eyes and sensed the mysteries of the Fourfold Hammer Echo. Those four hammer phantoms were not physical entities, but extensions of the metal's spirituality and her spiritual power. This meant that every time she swung her hammer, it was equivalent to four hammers falling at once. Not only would their power stack, but they could also create four different frequencies of vibration within the metal, raising forging precision to an unprecedented level.

"It's still not enough," she suddenly said.

The two old men froze.

Yun Zhiyu opened her eyes, starlight flowing through her purple pupils. She reached out and gripped the still-unfinished hammer. The four hammer phantoms contracted at once and merged into its body.

Her Torch Dragon Bloodline burned in her palm, while the Winged Dragon's lightning danced at her fingertips. She poured all the insights, knowledge, and longing she had accumulated over three years into that grip—

"I will forge it into my hammer."

The hammering began again.

This time, it was no longer purification, but shaping. Yun Zhiyu's strikes became gentle, as though she were caressing it, as though she were speaking with it. The Astral Black Iron stretched, bent, and gathered under her hands. The hammerhead gradually became full and rounded, the handle gradually smooth and circular. Its overall shape changed from strange to balanced, from rough to fluid.

She engraved her palm print into the hammer's handle, imprinted the fluctuations of her soul power into its head, and sealed the rhythm of the Fourfold Hammer Echo into every inch of its texture.

The final hammer strike fell, and the Astral Black Iron fully took shape.

It was a small forging hammer. Its hammerhead was ellipsoid, black as the night sky, yet it reflected scattered starlight whenever it turned. Its handle was long and slender, perfectly suited to her six-year-old palm. Fine, dense patterns wrapped around the grip—anti-slip runes she had carved with her spiritual power.

The entire hammer looked unremarkable, even somewhat plain. Yet when Yun Zhiyu gripped it, the four hammer phantoms appeared once more, resonating with the hammer itself and producing a deep hum.

"It's so ugly," Feng Wuyu said reflexively, then realized he had misspoken. "Ahem, I mean, it has a lot of character."

Zhen Hua strode forward and took the hammer from Yun Zhiyu's hand, examining it closely. His fingers brushed over the star patterns on the hammerhead, sensing the spirituality contained within. Only after a long while did he let out a sigh. "Stars for its bones, dragon blood for its soul, fourfold resonance... Girl, do you know how valuable this hammer is?"

Yun Zhiyu shook her head. Her exhaustion made it difficult for her to remain standing.

"Put it up for auction," Zhen Hua said slowly, enunciating every word. "The starting bid would be one hundred million Federation Credits. Its final price would be beyond estimation."

The room fell silent for a moment.

Feng Wuyu suddenly jumped up, snatched the hammer from Zhen Hua's hands, and shoved it back into Yun Zhiyu's arms. "Auction my ass! This is Zhiyu's natal hammer. No one gets to touch it!"

"I never said I wanted to sell it." Zhen Hua sounded helpless. "I only wanted her to understand what she has accomplished."

Yun Zhiyu held the hammer, feeling the warm pulse emanating from the metal, as though she were holding a tiny heart. Suddenly remembering something, she looked up at her two masters. "Please keep this secret for me, Masters."

"Keep it secret?"

"The Thousandfold Forging, the Fourfold Hammer Echo," she said softly. "Do not reveal that I am Master Zhen Hua's disciple, and do not reveal that I am a Third-Level Forging Master."

Feng Wuyu frowned. "Why? A six-year-old Third-Level Forging Master, a Fourfold Hammer Echo—this is an immense honor—"

"It is also an immense source of trouble," Yun Zhiyu interrupted. Her purple eyes were still as deep pools. "I am too young, and my edge is too exposed. It would easily provoke jealousy and could draw unnecessary covetousness. Shrek is a tall tree that catches the wind. I don't want a single hammer to bring disaster upon my parents, my sister, the Sea God's Pavilion, or Shrek Academy."

She paused before adding, "Besides, the road ahead of me is still long. If I hide one part of myself now, I will have one more part of freedom in the future."

The two old men looked at one another, both seeing shock and gratification in the other's eyes. Zhen Hua suddenly burst into laughter, with a hint of self-mockery in his voice. "Good! Hide one part and gain one more part of freedom! Yun Ming, Yun Ming, you really did raise a monster!"

"I promise you," Feng Wuyu said solemnly. "What happened today leaves your mouth and enters only my ears and Zhen Hua's ears. No fourth person will know. To the outside world, we will only say that you attempted Hundredfold Forging and have not yet succeeded."

"Thank you, Masters."

Yun Zhiyu bowed. Exhaustion washed over her like a tide, and she stumbled. Zhen Hua caught her. The old man was unusually gentle as he carried her to a nearby chair, then pulled out a bottle of soul power recovery potion and stuffed it into her hand.

"Drink it, then rest. You are not allowed to touch a forging hammer again today."

Yun Zhiyu obediently drank the potion and leaned back in the chair with her eyes closed. Within her spiritual sea, the system's notification sounded at just the right moment:

[Congratulations, Host, for completing Thousandfold Forging]

[Reward: A batch of rare metals]

[Additional rewards: God-level metal · Profound Ice Meteoric Silver ×1, God-level metal · Primordial Sword Gold ×1, God-level metal · Dragon-Patterned Purple Gold ×1]

Yun Zhiyu's heart jolted. Profound Ice Meteoric Silver, Primordial Sword Gold, Dragon-Patterned Purple Gold—these names were recorded in the knowledge granted by the system, yet they were god-level metals that had never appeared on the Douluo Continent. Profound Ice Meteoric Silver came from a bottomless ice abyss in the Far North, possessing both ice and spatial attributes. Primordial Sword Gold was formed from the first thread of golden qi at the birth of heaven and earth, making it most suitable for forging a companion weapon for sword-type martial souls. Dragon-Patterned Purple Gold was ore soaked in the essence blood of fallen dragons and possessed a natural affinity for dragon-type martial souls.

Any one of these metals, if it fell into the outside world, could stir up a bloody storm across the continent.

Yun Zhiyu suppressed the wild joy in her heart and kept her expression calm. When she opened her eyes, she saw Feng Wuyu and Zhen Hua arguing over whether she should first learn Spirit Forging or stabilize her Thousandfold Forging foundation. The two old men were red-faced from their quarrel, yet they deliberately kept their voices low, afraid of waking her.

Outside the window, the sunset was sinking into Sea God Lake, dyeing its surface gold and crimson.

At some point, Yun Zhishu had run over and climbed onto the windowsill. Her amber-gold eyes stared at Yun Zhiyu without blinking, and her little face plainly said, "Big Sister is amazing, but I'm so worried."

Yun Zhiyu curved her lips into a smile and held out her hand.

Yun Zhishu immediately ran inside and burrowed into her arms. Her little nose wrinkled. "Big Sister smells like sweat, and also... like stars?"

"What do stars smell like?"

"It's just..." Yun Zhishu tried hard to describe it. "Cool and bright, like how it feels when I sleep holding Big Sister at night."

Yun Zhiyu laughed softly and hugged her sister a little tighter. Feeling the warm little body in her arms, the pulse from the Star Hammer in her palm, and the dormant power of the three god-level metals in her system space, she suddenly felt that the day's exhaustion had all been worth it.

"Zhishu," she said softly, "would you like Big Sister to forge something for you someday?"

"What?"

"When Big Sister becomes even stronger." Yun Zhiyu looked toward the starry sky beyond the window, the growing stars reflected in her purple eyes. "I'll forge you the most beautiful Battle Armor in the world. It will be made from stars. It will shine, and it will protect you."

Yun Zhishu's eyes lit up, only to dim again moments later. "Will Big Sister need a very long time?"

"Not long." Yun Zhiyu kissed her forehead. "Big Sister promises."

What she did not say was that among those three god-level metals, Dragon-Patterned Purple Gold was the most compatible with Yun Zhishu's constitution. Once she found the right opportunity in the future, she would use that metal to forge a true natal weapon for her sister.

Outside the window, the first star lit up.

Inside the forging room, the Star Hammer glimmered faintly in the twilight. Four hammer phantoms flickered in and out of view, as though guarding a vow that had yet to be born.