Douluo Continent: Simulating Douluo Dalu III: The Legend of the Dragon King, Trapping Tang San at Every Turn

At once, the golden Heavy Silver began to tremble less violently.

Under the dual control of his spiritual assault and forging, the gold on its surface began to recede inward as it trembled, and the earlier patterns began to emerge.

But they were no longer lines. They had taken the form of lifelike, diamond-shaped scales, looking exactly like those on Gong Yu's body.

Beside him, Gong Xiao's breathing grew heavy. Though there was much she didn't understand, she could tell that Gong Yu's forging had reached a crucial stage.

The solidification of the soul also appeared to be going smoothly. At this rate, Gong Yu really might complete Soul Forging.

If he succeeded, he would be the first and only blacksmith of this era capable of both Spirit Forging and Soul Forging.

But Gong Yu was also crossing the river by feeling for stones. No one had taught him any of this, and when he had used Simulation before, he hadn't chosen a blacksmith's inheritance as his reward. He was simply trying it out based on a few things he had read in novels in his previous life.

Naturally, success would be best. If he failed, perhaps he would use Simulation again after all this time and see whether he could gain anything from it.

But there was no doubt that he had succeeded at Spirit Forging. In this era and in this profession, he was the first person to succeed while crossing the river by feeling for stones.

And every first was accompanied by a strange phenomenon in heaven and earth, a sign of their acceptance. After Gong Yu had completed Spirit Forging earlier, a seven-colored rain had fallen over Heaven Dou City. He and Gong Xiao had been indoors, so they simply hadn't known about it.

After the seven-colored rain fell, people in the blacksmithing trade all seemed to sense something.

In Gengxin City, Lou Gao silently removed his own name, along with Tang Hao's and Tai Tan's, from the list of Divine Craftsmen.

Everyone in the trade, every ranked blacksmith, realized that forging could advance another step, and that those so-called Divine Craftsmen were no longer Divine Craftsmen.

Lou Gao demoted himself by one rank and, on his own authority, moved Tang Hao's and Tai Tan's names down with his, leaving the Divine Craftsman line empty, with no names attached.

Gong Yu continued silently hammering the Heavy Silver. Though he was beginning to find it taxing, he kept going, because completing Soul Forging once would officially raise him from a sixth-rank blacksmith to a seventh-rank one.

More and more golden dragon scales appeared until they covered the entire piece of Heavy Silver. Its golden halo began to draw inward, and the light from the Heavy Silver itself began to flicker rhythmically.

That meant the solidification had succeeded, but it was only the first step.

Gong Yu continued forging, sustaining the solidification, but the fluctuations of his blood essence had begun to weaken.

At this point, he didn't dare pause for an instant. Once he stopped, the flow of his blood essence would cease, and the Soul Forging would end in failure.

There was nothing he could do about it. He didn't have enough Soul Power to sustain the entire Soul Forging process, so he had used his abundant Bloodline Power in place of Soul Power.

Normally, completing the whole Soul Forging process required at least a seven-ring cultivation level.

Gong Yu obviously didn't have that. After obtaining his fifth Soul Ring, he had fused with the Blue Silver King's energy source, raising his Soul Ring to the hundred-thousand-year level, but it had only increased his Soul Power by four levels.

On top of that, the energy of his fourth Soul Ring had been completely unsealed, raising him another level, so he was currently only a level 55 Soul King.

His Bloodline Power couldn't compare with the power of seven rings either, but the difference was that his bloodline was the Golden Dragon King Bloodline, and its tier was high enough.

During Soul Forging, Bloodline Power was easier to fuse and control than Soul Power.

Take Soul Forging Resonance, for example. If he relied on Soul Power to forge, Gong Yu still wouldn't be able to achieve it, but with Bloodline Power he already could. That was the difference!

The forging hammer continued to fall.

"Clink..."

With a crisp ring, dazzling golden light burst from the Heavy Silver. Within it, a faint dragon-shaped halo circled the metal.

Gong Yu's heart leaped. His first golden ring immediately blazed with light, and a loud dragon's roar erupted from his body.

This was Soul Calling. Gong Yu didn't know whether it was time for this step, but there always seemed to be a voice in his heart telling him it was, so he couldn't wait to begin Soul Calling.

Soul Calling meant using the power one had infused during forging to call to the Soul-Forged Metal and form a mutual resonance with it.

Only then could the soul within the metal be considered truly awakened.

Spirit-Forged Metal with vitality was merely like a plant, while Soul-Forged Metal with a soul would become like a Soul Beast. That was true Soul Forging.

The stirring dragon's roar echoed through the forging room, and the piece of metal kept humming in response.

But at a certain moment, the golden Heavy Silver suddenly trembled with a buzz, then abruptly fell silent.

"I failed!"

Chapter 102: Words for Lou Gao

Gong Yu let out a breath and put down his forging hammer. Although Soul Forging had failed, he had only been trying Spirit Forging today, and that had succeeded, so he had achieved his goal.

"Young master, what happened?" Seeing Gong Yu finish forging, Gong Xiao immediately asked, not knowing what had happened.

Gong Yu smiled faintly and said, "Spirit Forging succeeded, but I had intended to try entering the next stage, Soul Forging. I failed at the final step, though, so I've only reached the peak of Spirit Forging. It barely counts as Half-Step Soul Forging!"

Gong Xiao looked at him with admiration. "I know you're also crossing the river by feeling for stones, young master, so you've already done very well. I believe you'll definitely succeed next time."

Gong Yu nodded. "Perhaps once I obtain my sixth ring, I can do it. Do you have any questions?"

"Yes!" Gong Xiao nodded repeatedly. "Young master, I wanted to ask how far one must take Thousand Refinement before attempting Spirit Forging."

"That's simple," Gong Yu said with a smile. "I told you before that Thousand Refinement with Spirit produces a brilliant pillar of light. Normally, a pillar rising five feet is already quite astonishing.

"So if you can raise the light five feet, you're qualified to take the next step. But I recommend reaching the peak of Thousand Refinement before trying, because that gives you a higher chance of success at Spirit Forging."

"Why?" Gong Xiao asked.

Gong Yu said, "Because after the process of refining Thousand Refinement with Spirit to its peak, the metal's internal structure is completely laid bare, allowing you to control it more precisely."

Gong Xiao nodded silently, committing everything Gong Yu said to memory. Then she asked, "How do you perform Spirit Forging?"

Gong Yu said, "Spirit Forging is the process of infusing Soul Power and spiritual power into metal that has undergone Thousand Refinement with Spirit, blending them together and awakening life within it.

"For example, Thousand Refinement can only give metal spirituality, but even with spirituality, it remains an inanimate object. Spirit Forging awakens intelligence in that object and turns it into a living thing. That's why this piece of Heavy Silver tried to run earlier: it developed intelligence and came alive."

As he spoke, Gong Yu pointed to the Spirit-Forged Metal before him that had reached Half-Step Soul Forging. "This is something you can only grasp intuitively, not put into words. I can't teach it either, which is why I had you watch and experience it for yourself."

Gong Yu then explained quite a few more things to Gong Xiao.

Afterward, he gave Gong Xiao some pointers on Thousand Refinement. This time, Gong Xiao did the forging herself while Gong Yu guided her from the side.

Fortunately, they were finally able to determine how far Gong Xiao's Thousand Refinement had progressed. Unfortunately, her Thousand Refinement with Spirit only raised a pillar of light about four zhang high, which meant she still had quite a way to go before she could perform Spirit Forging.

Gong Yu smiled faintly. "Your Thousand Refinement is already very good to have reached this level. Reaching this stage also proves you're qualified to forge your own One-Word Battle Armor."

"Really?" Excitement lit up Gong Xiao's face. She had seen Gong Yu's One-Word Battle Armor before. Whenever he used it, his strength rose by two major realms, and it always made her envious.

But Gong Yu had said that One-Word Battle Armor had flaws, and that once he could perform Spirit Forging, he would forge Two-Word Battle Armor for everyone directly. Two-Word Battle Armor would also allow them to fly, so they all looked forward to it.

"Really." Gong Yu nodded. "If you truly want to forge your Battle Armor with your own hands, I'll help you design and make it. As for forging the metal with spirit, that'll be up to you."

"Mm-hmm, I'll do a good job forging the metal with spirit!" Gong Xiao was so excited she wanted to jump.

Gong Yu continued, "But I still recommend learning Fusion Forging first."

"What's Fusion Forging?" Gong Xiao asked curiously.

Gong Yu said, "Fusion Forging is forging different metals with spirit together. If you use Fusion-Forged Metal with spirit to make One-Word Battle Armor, you won't have to redo the whole thing when you upgrade it to Two-Word Battle Armor later. You'll only need to fuse in suitable Spirit-Forged Metal and redesign it."

"All right, I'll listen to you, young master." Gong Xiao nodded.

Gong Yu then demonstrated the Fusion Forging process in front of Gong Xiao. He successfully fused five kinds of metal, leaving her dumbstruck.

After the demonstration, Gong Xiao tried it herself and succeeded too, though she only fused two kinds of metal.

Generally speaking, Fusion Forging could combine up to seven kinds of metal, but that wasn't the peak. The peak was nine, because nine was the ultimate number.

So Gong Yu knew he still had a long way to go!

After the demonstration, Gong Yu left the forging room, while Gong Xiao stayed behind to keep practicing.

After leaving the forging room, Gong Yu went to the Heaven Dou City Blacksmiths' Branch Association and entrusted its members with delivering the Spirit-Forged Metal in his possession to Lou Gao.

He also enclosed a letter. It was brief, containing only one sentence: A Divine Craftsman should not be defined, because that would only make one cling to old ways and cut off the road ahead; true forging should create life and bestow souls.

Gong Yu had studied under Lou Gao for several years, but the further they went, the greater their differences became, because their philosophies were worlds apart. That was also the main reason Gong Yu had stopped learning forging from Lou Gao.

Lou Gao having nothing left to teach him was one reason, but the real issue was their philosophies. Gong Yu couldn't possibly make an old stubborn mule understand such an advanced idea.

Lou Gao really was an old stubborn mule. When he saw a clever contraption, he would study it for months, determined to unravel its workings. He could even go without food or drink for it and wouldn't allow anyone to disturb him. So rather than call Lou Gao a blacksmith, it was more accurate to call him a maker.

In Lou Gao's view, no matter what one made, it was ultimately a tool, not a person. If the tool one made were alive, would the person control it, or would it control the person?

This thought had left Lou Gao troubled for a full three months, and he had become deeply conflicted.

In the end, they had gone their separate ways because of their differing philosophies. Lou Gao had stopped considering the deeper levels of forging and instead continued researching the making of clever contraptions.

Having entrusted the association's members with delivering the item to Lou Gao, Gong Yu could already imagine what expression Lou Gao would wear when he saw the metal.

Gong Yu then asked the branch association's members to help purchase a batch of metals he needed. Because he showed them the blacksmith's token Lou Gao had given him, everything he bought came at a substantial discount.

Luckily, he managed to buy all the metals he needed from the branch association this time, without having to wait until its members returned from their next purchasing trip to Gengxin City.

After buying everything he needed, Gong Yu left the branch association and returned to his residence.

And now, he decided to move on to the next step of his plan.

Chapter 103: Tang Hao, the Stalking Freak

Back at the residence, Gong Yu immediately summoned everyone, saying he had something to announce.

Once everyone had arrived, Gong Yu said, "I need to go somewhere for secluded cultivation. It'll probably take six months to a year."

Hearing this, Gong Xue was the first to raise her hand. "Can we go?"

She had grown smarter this time. Instead of saying she wanted to go, she asked whether they could.

Gong Yu shook his head. "No. You're too weak to go. If you were all Soul Kings like me, I could consider it."

The women couldn't help lowering their heads and clenching their fists, hating themselves for being too weak.

Gong Yu was going to Slaughter City this time. Of the women, perhaps only Gong Xiao was suited to go. After all, she had immense physical strength and other skills, so Slaughter City was quite a suitable place for her to practice fighting and killing.

But after thinking it over, Gong Yu ultimately had no intention of taking Gong Xiao. Favoring one over the others wouldn't be good, and Gong Xiao also had the Summer God's inheritance. Even if she entered Slaughter City and obtained something from Asura, it probably wouldn't be of much use to her.

As for the other girls, he had better forget it. None of them could make it in Slaughter City.

"Young master, are you certain you'll return within a year?" Gong Lan asked. She had a faint feeling that Gong Yu wouldn't be back within a year, though of course it might have been her imagination.

"I'll definitely return before the Soul Master Elite Tournament!" Gong Yu promised.

Gong Yu felt that a year should be enough. As long as Slaughter City could arrange it, he could fight one match a day, but it obviously couldn't arrange things that way, so Gong Yu had set himself a deadline of one year.

He looked at the women again and said, "After I leave, you mustn't slack off in your cultivation. Lan'er, make sure you keep an eye on them."

Gong Lan nodded. She was reluctant to see him go, but she didn't say so.

"Xiao Xue, it's time you learned to grow up. Don't be so mischievous anymore," Gong Yu added to Gong Xue.

He then gave the other girls a few instructions as well.

Finally, as he was about to leave, Gong Yu gave them his last instructions. "I hope you'll have reached level 50 by the time I return. Then I'll take you to obtain your fifth rings. Xiao Xue, Sister Zi JI has already prepared your fifth Soul Ring for you, so there's no need to rush when you reach level 50.

"As for you, Lan'er, you can't just absorb any fifth Soul Ring. That ring is very important to you. If you really need a Soul Ring urgently by then, go to the Blue Silver Forest, but remember to absorb the Blue Silver Emperor completely before you go. Still, I hope you'll wait until I return before obtaining your Soul Ring."

Gong Lan nodded again, still saying nothing.

Gong Yu continued, "My departure is also a test for you. I want to see whether you can handle various matters well without relying on me. After all, you can't rely on me for everything in the future."

After he finished giving his instructions, everyone gathered for a meal and ate well. Then Gong Yu left.

Feeling the women's reluctant gazes on him as he departed, Gong Yu didn't dare look back, afraid that if his heart softened, he would take them along. But Slaughter City really wasn't suitable for them.

He didn't know where Slaughter City was, but he just had to keep heading north from the Blue Silver Forest.

Along the way, Gong Yu had a faint sense that someone had been following him for several days, but he pretended not to know.

On this day, after he had spent a long time traveling through desolate mountains and wilderness, Gong Yu deliberately exposed an opening and finally lured his pursuer out.

"Tang Hao?" Looking at the hooded man who had appeared, one of whose sleeves hung empty, Gong Yu immediately thought of Tang Hao.

Ever since the people from Shitrek had left the Academy of the Gods that day, Tang Hao had kept an eye on Gong Yu at the academy. They were enemies, after all, and he had always wanted to get rid of Gong Yu, but had never had a chance to strike. Only a few days ago, when he saw Gong Yu leave alone, did he feel his chance had come.

"So you've recognized me after all, but it doesn't matter!" Tang Hao stopped concealing himself and revealed his true face. "Let's see if anyone can save you this time."

Indeed, Gong Yu hadn't brought any protection with him this time. Bi Ji and Zi JI were both in Heaven Dou City.

But Gong Yu sneered. "I don't need anyone to save me this time."

Without wasting any more words, Gong Yu activated his full set of One-Word Battle Armor. His strength immediately soared by 20 levels, reaching the Soul Saint level.

"A full set of Soul Bones?" Tang Hao frowned. He didn't know what Battle Armor was, and at first glance had thought it was a set of Soul Bones. But he immediately shook his head. "No, those aren't Soul Bones. I can't sense a trace of a Soul Beast's presence in his armor."

Gong Yu's whole body shook again. Five Golden Soul Rings pulsed into view, and golden scales covered his hands and neck. Without waiting for Tang Hao to say more, he struck first.

"What the hell are golden Soul Rings?" The limitations of this era meant Tang Hao didn't know what Golden Soul Rings represented.

Gong Yu wasn't about to waste words with Tang Hao. He opened with a Golden Dragon Claw, attacking Tang Hao from a distance and leaving him completely stunned.